Prologue
December 25, 1985
The young father stared down at the small bundle in the incubator. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn't believe he'd be responsible for this tiny being all on his own. He was sixteen and a single father. His girlfriend had died giving birth. They said something about hemorrhaging. He ran his hand through his hair and a tear rolled down his cheek as he examined his tiny daughter. They had said she would have a rough road ahead of her. A road full of surgeries, he'd been informed. Her legs were covered, but he knew them to be completely in turned. They wouldn't be able to perform the surgeries on her legs until she was at least a year old, but she was scheduled for her spinal surgery that day. They told him she was strong enough, and he prayed they were right. She was all he had. Her mother was dead, his parents didn't want anything to do with him, and her mother's parents blamed him for her death. All he had was his little girl.
"Mr. DiNozzo?" A nurse's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Your father thought it would be best if you talked to one of our social workers. Arianna has a difficult life ahead of her, and it would be in her best interest to put her up for adoption."
Tony spun on the woman. "That man has no say over what is best for my daughter! What's best for her is to stay with me! She needs her father, not some stranger!"
"Now, calm down Mr. DiNozzo, your father was only trying to help. You're only sixteen, what kind of life can you offer her?" The nurse asked.
"One where she is loved and adored. I have money, that's no problem! Sure, my dad may have cut me off, but I've been saving since I was nine and my grandfather left me plenty to live off. I don't need anyone to take my baby from me, because I can take care of her myself." He told the nurse. "I'll pay her medical bills, buy her new clothes, she'll have tons of toys, but most of all, she'll know that I love her. That's what's important. My parents are rich, but they don't love me. They just had a kid, that's it."
"I'm sorry. Well, if you'd like to go into the waiting room, we have to prepare Arianna for surgery." Tony nodded sadly, and the nurse patted his arm. "Don't worry, she's very strong. Most newborns with this condition would have died in the womb or during the birth. She'll survive this surgery just fine, you'll see."
Tony nodded and walked into the waiting room where his father was waiting. Tony sneered at the older man. "What do you want?"
"You're still under eighteen, I'm still responsible for you." The man replied coldly. "How do you expect to take care of this child Anthony?"
"I've got money. Even though you've cut me off, I've still got my money from Gramps! And I've got a job." Tony replied.
"How will you finish school?"
"Well, I've already got an apartment lined up that's near the academy. My basketball coach is renting it out to me for $200 a month. His wife has offered to watch Arianna during my classes and when I've got to work for free." He picked an imaginary piece of lent from his shirt. "We don't need you, or your money. I've got plenty of friends who will help me through this. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some emancipation papers to file." He told his father, holding up a folder. The older man yelled for him to come back, but he had his own family to protect now and there was no way that man was controlling his life again.
Three Years Later �" December 1988
It was Christmas morning, as well as his little girl's third birthday. He stepped into her bedroom, and had to hold in a laugh at her sleeping position. Butt straight in the air and mouth wide open, Arianna really did resemble himself. He couldn't believe how far they had come. He was now a sophomore at Ohio State working towards his BA in Physical Education, he had a steady job as a campo police three nights a week, and Arianna was top in her pre-school class, which was offered at the college for parents. She now only had to wear her leg braces every other night, and her back brace only when her back was hurting. Her last surgery had been six months ago and if things went well she wouldn't have to have another until she was in her fifties, unless of course there was an accident.
Arianna was brace free at the moment, but the scars on her tiny body were extremely noticeable. She was small for her age, but she made up for it in spunk. She was also very smart, and could talk a person's ear off! Her favorite game at the moment was, the 'Why?' game. It seemed that she never ran out of questions! Tony never would have thought he could love another person as much as he did his daughter. Walking over to her, he sat down on the bed beside her and picked her up. She blinked up at him, her mother's blue eyes shining up at him, and she smiled.
"Mornin' Daddy!" She exclaimed sleepily.
"Good Morning Sweet Pea!" He replied, and she whistled like Sweet Pea off the 1980's movie Popeye. Tony laughed and kissed her forehead. They watched a movie every night, and she had been Sweet Pea every since they had watched Popeye when she was one and she began whistling. "So, are you ready to see what Santa Claus brought you for Christmas and your birthday? When I was coming in here, I was pretty sure I saw a really big pile of presents by the tree."
She sat up quickly, and smiled. "Really?" Tony nodded. "Well, what are we waiting for? I've gots presents to open!" And she jumped out of bed and ran into the living room.
Tony followed her, and couldn't help but admire the mountain of presents that were all labeled Arianna. He'd really when a little crazy, but it felt good to be able to afford nice toys for his daughter. He'd proven them all wrong. They'd all told him he wouldn't be able to provide a good home for his daughter and he had. They lived in a nice apartment, they played together very afternoon, and said goodnight every night. She never wanted for anything, and she was very well behaved and well mannered for her age. He'd seen some monsters at that day care. They were doing just fine.
Two Years and Nine months Later �" September 1991
She'd only been in kindergarten a month, and she was already the lead in her class play! They were doing the musical Annie and in his opinion , that play was a little difficult for a group of five year olds. However, Arianna had been practicing her lines non-stop and sang her songs everyday. She had an amazing voice, and was actually very good at acting. It was now the night of the play and her classmates were nervous and crying for their mommies, but now his tough little girl, she stood smiling with her hair pulled into her wig. She was ready to shine.
He was the youngest father there, and at twenty-one years old with a five year old, he was getting a lot of stares. He just rolled his eyes, and straightened her wig once more. "Are you ready to sing your song?" She smiled and nodded. "I'm very proud of you. You've learned all your lines and both of your songs."
"Thank you, Daddy! I wanna be an actress when I grow up!" She replied smiling missing one of her front teeth.
"Really now? Are you gonna let me watch your movies for free, or am I gonna have to buy them like everyone else?"
"You get to watch for free because you're my daddy!" She told him smiling. "But I've gotta go sing now! Love you, Daddy!" She exclaimed and kissed his cheek.
"Love you too, Sweet Pea." He said and she whistled before she stepped out onto the stage.
The play was going smoothly; only one kid had run off the stage crying. Of course, Arianna was doing the best and she had captured the audience. Who knew, she might have a future in acting? They certainly watched enough movies. It was time for her final song. She took center stage.
The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun!
Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs,
And the sorrow
'Til there's none!
When I'm stuck with a day
That's gray,
And lonely,
I just stick out my chin
And Grin,
And Say,
Oh!
The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
'Til tomorrow
Come what may
Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
I love ya Tomorrow!
You're always
A day
A way!
She beamed as the crowd stood to their feet cheering. She looked back him and he smiled at her. He'd never been more proud in his entire life. His five year old little girl had blown the crowd away! After the play was concluded, Arianna ran to him. He picked her up and swung her around.
"Did you see the people, Daddy? Did you see them stand up and clap for me?" She asked smiling.
"Yes, I did! You did great!" He exclaimed kissing her forehead.
"Do you think I could be an actress when I grow up?"
"I think you can be anything you want when you grow up." He replied, and Arianna smiled.
Six Years Later �" September 1997
From Peoria to Philadelphia to Baltimore and now to D.C., maybe he could stay at this job longer than two years. Three different police departments and now he was becoming a fed. NCIS… he'd never heard of it before now, but it paid good and had great benefits. That Gibbs guy had seen him work a case in Baltimore and said that he was just what NCIS was looking for. It had actually worked out perfect because Arianna had been accepted to a private school that allowed her to focus on music and theater. It was a prep school for specialty colleges, and her teachers were hoping to get her into Juilliard by the time she's fifteen or sixteen, and then into a prestigious art college. And if that was what his Sweet Pea wanted then that was what she would get.
This job would be different hopefully. Once his co-workers and chief found out he had a daughter, they began treating him differently and wouldn't let him on the dangerous cases. He was always careful and he didn't like people treating him different just because he was a father. He didn't want anything to happen to him, but he also didn't want to be treated like he wasn't capable of doing the job! At this new place, no one was allowed to see his personal file except the director, and the director had told him that if he wanted to work dangerous cases then that was his choice.
Arianna sat in the back seat and stared out the window. Since he was a former cop, he followed the rules about kids in the backseat until twelve years or older. Arianna figured since she would be twelve in December it didn't matter, but to him it did. She was already shorter than most eleven year olds, he wasn't going to push it. She looked at him through the rearview mirror.
"Dad? What's your new job going to be like again? I mean, you told me NCIS are like federal police for the navy and marines, but I mean they're the guys that are supposed to be fighting for our country, what could they do wrong?"
"Well, I'll investigate if a marine or naval officer is murder or a crime is committed against one. But also, just because they defend our country, doesn't mean they're good guys, a marine can murder people just like a drug dealer would. Sometimes there are just bad people in the world." He told her.
"Are these NCIS guys going to treat you fairly? They're not going to make you work the desk just because you're a dad, are they?" She asked, crinkling her nose in distaste at his other jobs.
He laughed. "No, they're not going to make me work the desk. The director told me that if I want to work the field then I can, and my team leader is not allowed to read my file without permission, so he shouldn't find out."
"Oh, so you're going to hide me from you're co-workers?" She asked with the DiNozzo grin.
"That was the general plan." He told her laughing.
"Oh gee, thanks Dad!" She laughed and stuck her tongue out.
He was still laughing as they pulled in front of her school. She hopped out and ran around to his window. "Love you, Dad!" She kissed his cheek. "Good luck!"
"You too, Sweet Pea!" He yelled and like always she whistled.
He pulled back out into the street. The NCIS headquarters was only five blocks from her school and about three miles from their apartment. However, he was now stuck in traffic and he was going to be late! After ten minutes of honking and getting honked at, Tony was finally out of the traffic. However, he was five minutes late! He showed his ID and quickly parked his car. He then ran into the building flashing his ID again. He stepped out of the elevator and Special Agent Gibbs was right there waiting. "Sorry, I'm late, sir! It won't happen again!"
"Two rules DiNozzo, Don't call me sir, it's either Boss or Gibbs, and never apologize, it's a sign of weakness." The older man told his new junior agent.
"Ah, right, do I need to write this down?"
"No, just grab your gear and let's go." Gibbs told him. Tony grabbed his things from his desk, and ran back to the elevator. Gibbs handed him a hat. "Welcome to the team, Probie."
Four Years Later �" September 2001
Tony opened the door to the apartment and was immediately tackled. Arianna was sixteen now, and even though she was small, she had gotten pretty stout because of the exercises she was required to do to keep in shape for theater. She held a letter in her hand. "Dad, it's here! I got in! I got into Juilliard!" She exclaimed and the bounced away. "I've been working so hard and now it's finally here!"
His heart fell a little. It was what she had always wanted, and what she had been towards her entire life, but Juilliard was in New York. That was over two hundred miles away! But he had promised that when she got her acceptance letter, she could go. He'd only see her on holidays and over the summer. They'd never been this far apart from one another and had only been away from each other for a couple of days at the most! He didn't know if she could tell, but it was killing him.
Arianna looked to her father and smiled sadly. "Hey, Daddy, I'll miss you too." And she hugged him. "You got me this new cell phone, you can call me anytime you want. I'll make up an excuse to talk to you! I promise."
He laughed, and hugged her to him tight. "How long do we have?"
"Two weeks, they'll send the plane ticket in the mail." She smiled. "Are you sure you're ok with this?"
"Hey, I promised you that when we got to this point, I'd be there for you and I meant it!" He smiled. "Now, why don't you go call all your friends, I know you're dying to."
"OK! Thank you, Daddy! Thank you, thank you!" She exclaimed, hugging him again and kissing his cheek, and then she ran out of the room.
"Your welcome, Sweet Pea." He whispered, and for the first time, he didn't hear her whistle in return.
Two Years and Eight Months Later �" May 2004
His heart was pounding as he made his way through the airport to the rental car pick up. There had been an accident at her final play. He hadn't been given the details except that she was at Lincoln Medical Center, and it was a possible spinal injury. She hadn't had surgery on her spine since she was two years old! He wasn't prepared for something like this. What if her body was weaker now than it had been? What if she couldn't handle another surgery?
Once he had the keys to the rental car, he ran to where the valet had just pulled up in it. He thanked the man, and climbed in quickly. He didn't care if he got a spending ticket; he had to get to his daughter as fast as possible. They had been performing Fiddler on the Roof, and apparently their roof had collapsed. Two other students had been injured but nothing as serious as Arianna's. It felt like forever, but he had finally pulled into the Lincoln Medical Center. He parked the car taking up two spaces and ran for the door. He ran to the nurses' station. "I need to find my daughter! Her names Arianna DiNozzo, she was brought in from the accident at Juilliard, the girl with the spinal injury."
The two women nodded and one of the nurses walked around the front desk. "They had to take her into surgery. There was no time for waiting. She's eighteen, and she gave us her permission. She'll be out of surgery in two hours. You can go to the café and wait or you can wait in the waiting room. Someone will find you when she's out."
Tony nodded. "I'll be in the café." He told her quietly, and then walked away.
After ordering a coffee, he stared down into the cup. He hadn't told anyone where he was going, or even that he was leaving. He'd gotten home, and the message was on his answering machine. From there he had gone straight to the airport. They had McGee now, Kate and Gibbs could survive one day without him. He looked at his watch. It wouldn't be long before Gibbs started blowing up his cell phone with calls. But Tony didn't care, if he lost his job, then oh well it wasn't meant to be. Slowly, the minute hand ticked by, but finally one of the nurses came and got him.
The nurse put her hand on the handle, and turned back to him. "I'm going to warn you now, Mr. DiNozzo, she's in pretty bad shape. When the prop collapse, she was caught underneath most of the rubble. Along with the breakage of her spine, she broke her right leg, left arm, and suffered a concussion that could lead to a coma if she doesn't wake up soon. The doctor did all he could for her spine, but there is still a chance of paralysis. There are also pins in her arm and leg. There may also have to be a repeat surgery if the swelling on her spine does not go down." Tony nodded slowly and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm sorry, Mr. DiNozzo." She said and opened the door for him.
At the sight of her, he thought he was going to be sick. The whole right side of her face was covered in a purple bruise. Her eye was swollen, and her lip split. She had stitches near her temple which most likely contributed to her concussion. She was wearing a neck brace, and her left arm was casted with a metal rod extending from the elbow to the wrist. Her leg was lifted in a sling, a metal rod in it from her hip to her ankle. She was hooked to all sorts of monitors, and a ventilator was down her throat to assist her breathing. It was every parent's nightmare and more.
Tony sat down beside her and grasped her right hand. It was a little scratched up, but otherwise unharmed. He kissed it gently, and was surprised when a tear landed on the pale skin. He reached up to wipe the tear from his cheek, but instead, he covered his eyes and wept for the agony that lie ahead for his daughter. She had beat the odds when she was a baby, just to have it all crushed when she became an adult. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He looked at the ID, it was Gibbs. He answered it. "I can't, Boss, sorry." And then he hung up. He knew there would be hell to pay, but at the moment he was too focused on his daughter.
One Year Later - May 2005
Arianna DiNozzo eased onto the sofa. She had been back living with her dad for a year after the accident. She should have started college in September but because her leg and back were both still in a brace, she was required to stay with her father. She looked at the clock. He actually should have been home already. Leaning up slowly, she grabbed her phone. However, just as she was about to dial his number, the house phone rang. Crinkling her forehead, she slowly got up with a groan and made her way to the phone as quickly as she could. "DiNozzo Residence."
"Arianna DiNozzo?" A man's voice asked over the line.
"This is she. May I ask who is calling?"
"This is Director Thomas Morrow of NCIS, I'm calling to inform you that your father was in an involved in an incident this morning involving exposure to Y. pestis. It has been confirmed by our specialist at Bethesda that he has the plague and he is in isolation for thirty-two hours under UV lamps. I'm sorry, Ms. DiNozzo. After the allotted time, you may visit him. Once again, I'm sorry." And the man hung up the phone.
Arianna stared at the phone. Her father was in the hospital with the plague? Well, then those hospital personal could screw themselves because she was going to see her father! She placed the phone back in its cradle, and grabbed her cell. They would not keep her from her father. She grabbed her cane, and made her way down the stairs slowly. She then hailed a cab. "Bethesda Hospital please."
Her dad would most likely be angry that she had gotten out of the house, but she was not going to let him suffer in a hospital without her there to comfort him. It took about thirty minutes and the driver pulled right up to the door. She handed him his money and thanked him. She then made her way into the building as fast as she could.
"Ma'am? Can we help you?" One nurses asked.
"Yes, I'm looking for my father, NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. Where is he?"
"I'm sorry, dear, but he can't have visitors."
Arianna bite her tongue in frustration. "I did not ask if he could have visitors, I asked where he was."
The nurse looked a little offended. "He's on the third floor, isolation room 305. But I would bother, like I told you, you cannot see him."
"Thank you." Was all she replied before making her way to the elevator. She pressed the third floor button and the two minute ride felt like an eternity. Her back was beginning to throb and it was most like time to take her medicine, but she didn't care. She had to see her father. Stepping out onto the third floor, she hobbled her way down the hall. The back brace forced her back to remain upright, while the brace on her leg went from her ankle to her hip. She rounded corner and saw a dark haired woman exit a room filled with blue light. That had to be the isolation room. The dark haired woman that Arianna recognized as her dad's partner, hugged an older man and was crying. Her heart plummeted.
Walking quickly, she saw the nurse with her clipboard. "Nurse? Is Tony DiNozzo in that room?"
The nurse looked up at her in shock. "Yes, he is, but who are you? No one but family is allowed up here."
"I'm his daughter, Arianna DiNozzo." She fumbled for her purse, and then pulled out her driver's license. "Please, I need to see him."
"I'm very sorry but no one is allowed in, and in your condition, it's definitely not allowed."
A tear rolled down her cheek. "Please, he's my dad, he's all I've got, please just let me see him."
The nurse bit her lip and nodded. "Let's talk to the doctor, and see what he says."
Arianna nodded wiping the tears from her eyes. As they passed the older man and dark haired woman, she heard her say. "Oh Ducky, he's dying."
Her heart stopped. Dying? Not possible. She couldn't lose him. "I-is it true? What she said? Is my dad dying?"
"There's no antidote that we can find, and there's a very high possibility that he could die." The nurse told her sympathetically. "You wait here; I'll talk to the doctor."
It was a few minutes later, and the nurse came out with the doctor. They had a mask and scrubs. "Put these on over your clothes, and keep the mask on at all times."
She nodded, and sat her cane to the side. The nurse helped her slip the scrubs over her clothes, and she placed the mask on her face. Grabbing her cane again, she nodded. "Alright, I'm ready to see him."
The doctor nodded. "He may or may not respond. So far we haven't had any problems with him responding, but he's been getting progressively worse."
She nodded and they walked past the two from NCIS, who looked at her questioningly. "Who was that?" She heard her dad's partner ask. The older man, Ducky just shrugged.
The room was air tight, and when she saw her father, her heart broke. She quickly made her way to his side, dropping her cane as soon as she reached him. "Oh, Daddy." She whispered, her voice breaking with tears. "What have they done to you?" She questioned, running her hands through his hair.
"Sweet Pea?" He mumbled, opening his eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"The director called me. He said that you were in the hospital. They wouldn't let me in at first, but I had to see you." She told him, crying. He tried to sit up but she held him down. "No, Daddy, you need to rest!"
"You shouldn't be here. What if you get infected? Your immune system is down with your back injury. You need to be at home resting." He argued weakly.
"No, listen to me, as long as you are at this place, I'll be here! You're all I've got, Daddy, and I can't lose you!" Tears rolled down her cheeks, dampening her mask. "I love you, Daddy and I still need you!"
He touched her cheek. "Don't worry, mi bella, I'll never leave you." He then began to coughed, a deep raspy sound in his chest. "But you need to go, I can't have you getting sick. Please, Sweet Pea." She nodded, and whistled slightly. Tony smiled. "That's my girl."
The nurse ushered her back out into the hallway, where she stripped from the scrubs. "We're doing everything we can to help your father."
Arianna nodded, and as the nurse walked away, she looked through the window and at her father. She broke down. Pressing her forehead to the glass, she sobbed. Her father was the only family she had. She loved him with all of her heart. He'd been her best friend forever. She couldn't lose him. She watched as the nurse sat him up and he coughed up blood. Another loud sob wracked her body. She left her cane fall to the floor and she supported her weight against the window. She never heard two people step up behind her. "Non preoccuparsi, il Papà. Sono qui. L'amo." She whispered, pressing her hand against the glass.
"Excuse me, my dear, but did you just say Papà?" A man with a British accent asked from behind her.
Arianna gasped, and turned as quickly as she could. Her dad's partner and the older man were standing in front of her. "What?"
"You just called Tony, Papà that means daddy in Italian does it not?" He replied.
The dark hair woman stared at her. "You look just like him. Are you his daughter?"
Arianna looked down for a moment. He didn't want his co-workers to know about her, but it was too late now. "Yes, but don't tell anyone else, he doesn't want anyone to know."
The two nodded. "How old are you, dear?" The man asked.
"Nineteen."
Both gasped. "Nineteen, that would mean Tony was-" The woman began.
"Sixteen. He was sixteen when I was born."
They nodded. "And your name?"
"Arianna… and you?"
"I'm Dr. Donald Mallard but you can call me, Ducky."
"I'm Kate Todd, I'm Tony's partner."
Arianna nodded. She noticed they were staring at her. "You're wondering what happened to me aren't you?" They nodded guiltily. "I attended Juilliard for theater, and I was actively in musicals, and a year ago we were performing Fiddler on the Roof, when our roof collapsed. I have a history of spinal surgeries and leg surgeries, and the majority of the rubble landed on me. My spine, leg, and arm were broken, I've had three surgeries this year and if it doesn't get better by July, I get to have another surgery."
Kate's eyes widened. "You're the reason he skipped town for two weeks last year!" Arianna nodded. "What about you mother?"
"She died when I was born."
"So, you're saying that Tony has raised you by himself all your life?"
"Yeah, he's the world's greatest dad, and I can't lose him. There has to be a way to cure him!"
"They're looking, my dear. Jethro and Timothy, they'll find whatever it is that will save him." Ducky told her patting her shoulder.
Arianna nodded. "I hope so. Just promise me, not to tell them. The others cannot know about me." Kate and Ducky nodded, and Arianna turned back to her dad. "Appendere in lì il Babbo, siamo qui." She whispered.
Four Months Later �" September 2005
It should have been him. He'd survived the plague; he was on living on borrowed time. It shouldn't have been Kate. But then he felt guilty for thinking that. He had a daughter to live for, and while he felt extremely guilty thinking it, she did not have any children. She would say the same thing. She would say. "Tony, you need to live for your daughter." In fact, she had said that to him, when he had come back to work a week early after he had the plague. She and Ducky were the only ones who knew, and now it was only Ducky. Most likely the older man would say the same thing.
He unlocked the door to his empty apartment. Arianna had returned to Juilliard for college. She had completely recovered from her surgery, and her scholarship to Juilliard had still been available. He took his phone out of his pocket. He had to tell her. She'd gotten close to Kate. Pressing the speed dial button, he cleared his throat.
"Hey, Dad, how are you?" He didn't answer right away. "Dad, you ok?"
"I'm fine, but something's happened." He told her slowly.
"What? What is it, Dad?"
"Kate's dead." He heard her gasp over the line. "She was shot by a man we've been searching for."
"Oh, Dad, I'm so sorry. I know she was a good friend, and I'd grown to like her too. Do you need me to come home? I'm sure I can find a way."
"No, I just wanted to tell you. I was right there beside her. It could have been me." He whispered.
"Dad, are you sure you don't need me?"
"I'm fine, Sweet Pea. Just focus on your studies, ok?"
"Alright, if you need me don't hesitate to call me back. I love you, Daddy." She told him.
"I love you, too." He replied and then they hung up.
Tony wasn't sure how, but he'd find a way to see that he had survived for a reason. His daughter was the main reason he believed that he was alive. He couldn't leave her alone now. He would walk her down the aisle one day and he would see her children. He would live his life to the fullest for his daughter and in memory of Kate.
Three Years and Four Months - January 1, 2009
Tony stared blurrily at his alarm clock. It was four in the morning and someone was knocking at his door. It was then his cop instincts kicked in. Four o'clock in the morning, someone could be hurt or in trouble. Arianna had moved back to D.C. a couple of months ago. It could be her. He jumped out of bed and threw on a pair of pants. He ran to the door and looked through the peep hole. It was Arianna. Something wasn't right. He opened the door. She was crying.
"Dad, I think someone drugged me!" She exclaimed crying and threw herself into his arms.
His hear fell as he guided her to the couch. He then knelt in front of her. "Arianna, look at me. I need you to look in my eyes." She nodded, and looked up. Her pupils were huge. He grabbed the lamp from the table and held it next her face. Her pupils slightly dilated, but not as much as they should have. "I need you to answer one thing for me. Do you think someone-" He paused for the strength. "Do you think someone raped you?"
She shook her head and started crying harder, which confused him. "I'm very sure that I had sex with him willingly. He was still there! And completely out of it too. I tripped and he didn't even wake up." Then she started sobbing. "I don't even know his name! I just want to die in hole!" She looked at Tony. "Why would someone do this, Dad? Why would someone drug two people just to make them sleep together?"
"It honestly sounds like a set-up. Sounds like this guy pissed someone off and they want to get him put in jail for rape. Apparently, their plan back fired." Tony stood up, and pulled her to feet. "Come on; let's get you to the hospital. We need to get you checked for STDs or pregnancy."
Arianna shook her head, and pulled her hands from his grip. "No, I just want to forget this ever happened. If something comes up then I'll get a checkup. But the guy didn't even rape me so there's no rush. I'll just look like a slut if I go and say I don't know who I slept with! Please, I just want to take a shower, and sleep this off." Tony looked skeptical and she grabbed his hand. "Please, Daddy."
Tony nodded, and against his better judgment he let her go take a shower. He went back to bed and couldn't stop thinking about the situation and how seriously messed up it was. In her state, he doubt she'd even be able to tell him what the guy looked like. She wanted to forget it, but there were a number of things that could come back to haunt her. He prayed that nothing turned up. He heard the shower shut off, and soon he heard her enter her old bedroom. He didn't care how long she stayed; he just hoped this didn't affect her for the rest of her life.
A/N: Well I hope you all enjoyed it! I typed this and chapter one in one night and my arm was sore afterwards lol! PLEASE REVIEW! :D
Author's Chapter Notes:
There were many things about Tony that people didn't know.He'd worked hard to keep them to himself.His secrets were about to spill out. And EVERYONE was in for a surprise.He was still the Tony they knew & loved & yet his was totally different.TD/ZD TM/OC