**Chapter Fifteen -- These Are The Nights**
**Three Weeks Later -- October 27, 2010**
The sun was beginning to set over New Orleans, casting a faint pink and orange tint over the sky. From the kitchen table, Abby looked out the french doors, transfixed as her lover threw the football to her nephew, a wide grin on his face when the boy caught it.
She'd always known that Tony was good with Jack, though until this moment, she had never realized just *how* good. He seemed to be in his element, his body more relaxed than she'd seen since they moved him out of the hotel room and into her brother's house almost three weeks earlier.
"What's so interesting?" Britty asked as she stepped into the kitchen, depositing her coffee cup in the sink before making her way over to her friend.
"Tony and Jack. They've been out there for hours."
"They look like they're having a great time." Britty smiled, watching the pair fondly. "Tony's always done well around Jack."
"Not quite sure why I ever doubted him when it came to kids." The Goth sighed, smiling sadly when she felt her child kick gently. "I should've known he'd be great with them. Hell, he practically is one half the time."
"Still beating yourself up for leaving?"
She scoffed, continuing to watch as Jack threw the ball back to his surrogate uncle, making him run the length of the yard. "That obvious?"
"Just a little." The redhead nodded, nudging her sister-in-law playfully, trying to divert her attention. "Thought the two of you moved passed that."
"We did...I just...watching them..." She turned away from the window, closing her eyes for a moment. "I should have had more faith in him, Britty."
"You were protecting yourself and that baby, Abby. Nobody blames you for that, but you can't keep kicking yourself for it."
She nodded, taking a deep breath to rein in her emotions when she saw Tony and Jack heading back toward the house. Britty smiled, opening the door for the boys as they came inside, tousling her son's hair before heading back into the kitchen to finish dinner.
"Mmm...smells great, B." Tony called, sniffing the air as he took a seat next to his girl. "Hey sunshine." He smiled, leaning over and kissing her.
The raven-haired woman grinned. "Hey back. You have fun with Jackie?"
"Oh yeah." He chuckled, tossing the football into the air and catching it. "That boy's pretty good at throwing a ball. Even gave me a run for my money."
"Well, he comes by it naturally." She said, resting her hand over her growing belly as the baby kicked again. "Bradley played baseball from T-ball all the way through college."
He smiled. "Must've been good. Why didn't he go pro?"
"Broke my arm my senior year. Can't have a pitcher with a broken arm." Bradley said, entering the dining room with his son in tow.
"Auntie, did you see? I totally kicked Uncle Tony's butt out there!"
Abby laughed. "I saw that." She said, leaning over to whisper in the boy's ear. "You have to give him a break though, he hasn't played real football in years."
"Hey!" Tony cried, pouting playfully. "I play with my buddies every couple weeks!"
"I've seen you guys play and that isn't real football. That's what we like to call grab-ass." She joked, reaching up and running a hand through his brown hair.
"It's not like it's that hard to kick Tony's butt anyway." Bradley quipped, taking his seat across from him and passing him a beer.
"What is this? Gang up on Tony night?" The Italian asked, taking a sip of his drink.
"Okay, boys, break it up. Time for dinner." Britty said, walking into the dining room carrying a pot of jambalaya.
After everyone was served they started eating, continuing to talk about what their plans were for the remainder of the week.
"Our flight leaves at 7 am on the 29th, so I'm thinking we'll leave the house at like 3:30, right?" Britty asked of her husband.
"Uh huh. Hawaii, here we come!"
"Mama, do I really have to stay here? I wanna go with you and Dad."
The redhead sighed, taking a sip of her beer. "I know, baby, but this is the first year since you were born that we're gonna get to take a trip for our anniversary by ourselves. I'm sure your Auntie and Uncle have plenty of fun stuff planned."
"Oh yeah." Abby grinned. "I wanna take Tony to the parade on Bourbon. He's never been on Halloween."
"Auntie..." Jack whined. "I'm 12. I don't dress up for Halloween anymore."
She frowned slightly. "C'mon, Jackie. Even your Uncle Tony is gonna dress up, right T?"
Tony coughed, nearly choking on his beer. "No, no, no. I don't do dress up, baby, you know that. When have I ever dressed up for Halloween?"
"Oh, you two would be so cute! You could do one of those couples costumes!" Britty gushed, beginning to clean up the dinner plates.
"Nah, I'm not dressing up. None of the costumes would fit me anyway, I look like a whale." She frowned, standing to help her friend with the dishes.
"Hey! If you aren't gonna dress up then we don't have to either." The Italian said, sticking his tongue out playfully at his girl. "If you want Jack and I to dress up, you have to do it too."
"Fine. But I get to pick your costume."
"Then I get to pick yours." He smirked, looking her up and down. "I'm thinking naughty nurse."
"And I'm thinking...cowboy."
She laughed at the way his jaw dropped, remembering the photoshopped picture from years earlier. "Y...you wouldn't..." He called, standing up and following her.
"Oh, I would. And you know it. So...reconsidering the costume yet?"
"How 'bout B and I decide what you get to be and you two can pick the outfits." Bradley said, clapping his hand on Tony's shoulder in an attempt to end the discussion. "I suggest 'Bond, James Bond' for Tony and..." He paused, looking his sister over teasingly. "Bond Girl. Definitely a Bond Girl."
"No! No way am I dressing in some slutty dress when I look like this! Maybe next year, when I'm back in shape...but until then, no way."
"Aww...come on, Abs...I'll be tasteful, I promise!" Her lover whined, holding his pinky out to her. He smiled when she took it, sighing heavily.
"You'd better, or so help me God, I'll send you back to sea myself."
**Four Days Later -- October 31, 2010**
Tony stood in the living room, checking his watch every few minutes. "Abs, c'mon! The parade's gonna start in an hour, we'll never get parking if we don't leave soon!" He called up the stairs, tugging on his jacket.
The tuxedo that Abby had picked out for him fit well, despite having been tailored for Bradley. The two men were similar enough in size that it didn't matter that much, but the jacket was a little tight around his shoulders, making his movement slightly uncomfortable.
"Auntie's almost ready." Jack said, making his way down the staircase. The Italian nearly doubled over in laughter when he saw the pre-teen, dressed in one of his red Hawaiian shirts and a fake mustache.
"You look awesome! I told you Magnum would be a great costume for you!"
"I don't even know who he is, Uncle Tony." The boy said, rolling his eyes as the older man straightened the shirt he was wearing.
"Have your parents taught you nothing?" He asked incredulously. "Magnum P.I. is only one of the best..." He paused, turning his head toward the stairs when he heard Abby's footsteps.
She walked down the stairs slowly, grateful for the flats that her lover had picked to go with her costume. "Sorry I took so long." She said quietly, pulling her red parka closed.
"Abby..." Tony said, cocking an eyebrow at her. "We're not in DC, baby. It's nearly 80 degrees outside, are you seriously gonna wear that parka? You'll roast!"
"I'm cold." She said meekly, walking toward the door. "Let's get goin'."
"Nope. I'm not going with you dressed that way."
The Goth groaned, dropping her head back. "Please don't do this, T. You know I hate it when you pull this crap."
"Do what? All you have to do is take your jacket off. If you get cold, you can have my coat, I promise."
She held her jacket in place for a moment as she eyed her lover warily before releasing a resigned sigh. "I'm not happy about this." She muttered in response as she opened it slowly, shrugging it off and dropping it over the back of the couch.
She avoided his gaze as she smoothed the black fabric over her large belly self consciously, a frown darkening her face.
His jaw dropped as he looked her over, seeing how the dark fabric of the dress stood out against her pale skin. "Abby..." He managed, taking a step closer to her.
"You don't like it." She whispered, turning away as tears started to well up behind her eyes. "I...you guys go and have fun, I'll stay here."
"Abby...baby, wait." He stopped her, taking her hand in his gently. "I...you look beautiful. Please. I didn't mean for you to think I don't like it. I knew the dress would look fantastic on you when I bought it, I just didn't know *how* fantastic."
The Goth sniffled, offering her lover a crooked grin. "Really?"
"Really. I don't think I've seen a woman ever look as beautiful as you look right now." He said, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her.
"Ew." Jack said, brushing past them and opening the front door. "Can we go? I see enough of this stuff when Mama and Dad are around."
They separated, smiling at each other as Jack walked to the car. Abby leaned up and pressed another quick kiss to his lips before gathering her purse. "Corny, T. Extremely corny." She grinned, taking his hand in hers and lacing their fingers together. "But sweet. Thank you."
"No need to thank me, hon. I'm only speaking the truth."
"And there we go again. You tryin' to butter me up, DiNozzo?"
He grinned. "Under normal circumstances, I would say yes. But...we're babysitting and I don't think your brother wants Jack learning about 'the birds and the bees' from us."
"Better than learning from Playboy like I'm sure you did." She smirked, closing the front door behind them.
"It was Hustler, thank you very much. They don't publish the things I know in Playboy."
**2300 Hours -- Bourbon Street**
"My feet are killin' me!" Abby whined, squeezing Tony's hand as they made their way back to the car.
"I know, Abs." He said, flinching when he realized his voice sounded slightly irritated. Reaching out, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side. "We'll be home soon, then I'll give you a massage."
She sighed, frowning at the tone of his voice. The Goth felt bad for whining about her aches and pains, but she was happy that her nephew wasn't there to hear it. They had been walking up and down Bourbon street all evening, enjoying the festivities. At some point Jack had met up with one of his friends, deciding to go to his house for the rest of the night.
Rounding the corner to the street their car was parked on, Tony stepped in front of his girl and opened the passenger door, helping her inside.
"T, I'm a little hungry." She said, resting her hand on her expanding belly.
"What else is new?" He mumbled under his breath, closing her door and walking to the other side of the car.
Abby's face fell, feeling tears welling up in her eyes while her lover climbed into the car. "Nevermind, let's just go home."
He looked over at her, confused by her sudden change of heart. She was facing the window, but he could hear her quiet sniffle as she continued to rub her belly gently.
The Italian frowned, realizing that she had heard his comment. "Oh...Abby..."
"Don't."
He looked away momentarily before reaching over and touching her leg gently. "I'm sorry, baby. I...we're both tired."
"Really?" She scoffed, wiping the tears from her cheeks and turning to look at him incredulously. "Really, Tony, you're tired? What about me? I'm the one carrying another person inside me! I'm the one who has to deal with constant hunger, feeling fat and ugly, not to mention the mood swings. Me. Not you."
She moved to open the door when her lover reached out to stop her by placing his hand over hers. "Let. Me. Go." She whispered, her voice wavering slightly as she tried to pull away from his grip.
"Please." He whispered, squeezing her hand gently. "I'm sorry, Abby. I didn't mean to upset you."
She sank back in the seat, swiping at the single tear that slid down her cheek. "Just...take me home." She sniffled, pulling away from him when he reached for her again. "I wanna go home."
"Abby...please, baby." He pleaded. "Please. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. It was an asshole move."
"You think?" She snorted, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared out the window, blinking back the remaining tears that threatened to spill.
He hesitated for a moment before he released a quiet, defeated sigh and slid the key into the ignition, mentally kicking himself for being so damned insensitive.
They arrived at the house a short time later, pulling into the driveway behind Bradley's truck.
"Abby..." Tony tried again, shifting the car into to park. "I'm really, really so..."
Turning to face him, she reached over, pressing her fingers against his lips gently. "Don't, please. It's over with. I'm tired. I just...let's not do this tonight, okay?" She asked, forcing a smile to her face.
He nodded, watching as she climbed from the car and headed into the house. Following behind her he sighed, wondering to himself if they would ever get back to the way they had been before she had left.
Once they were inside, Abby immediately made her way upstairs while Tony stopped off in the kitchen, pouring himself a single shot of bourbon. Peeling off his jacket and loosening his tie, he swirled the amber liquid in the glass before drinking it down, hissing at the burn in his throat.
The Italian looked toward the stairs and sighed, dropping the shot glass into the sink. He immediately regretted the drink he had just taken, knowing that his girl would be disappointed in him when she smelled it on his breath. He had been sober since the night she showed up at his hotel room after their argument on the porch, and he had to admit that he was pretty proud of himself.
Pulling open the refrigerator door, he decided on making the raven-haired woman upstairs a sandwich, hoping to make up for his bull-headedness in the car. He whipped up a quick grilled cheese with tomato, onion, and pickle, just the way she liked it, and carried the plate upstairs with a glass of milk for her to drink.
Abby didn't say anything when she heard the bedroom door open quietly, instead continuing to stare into the mirror, looking over her body in the clingy black dress that Tony had picked out for her. She heard him set the plate and glass down on the nightstand before approaching her, resting his chin lightly the top of her head and wrapping his arms around her middle, placing his hands on her 7-months pregnant belly.
She met his eyes in the mirror and smiled weakly, forgiving him silently. "Unzip me?" She asked simply. "I can't reach it."
"Sure." He grinned, pressing a soft kiss into her silky hair before taking a step back and pulling the zipper down on the back of her dress.
He was surprised when she simply let the dress fall, pooling at her feet and leaving her wearing nothing but a pair of panties as she continued to analyze her body in the mirror. "I'm ugly." She whispered, breaking her eye contact with him.
Tony stepped forward again, feeling himself hardening against his tuxedo pants as he gazed at her in the mirror. "No. I...think you may be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." He breathed, pressing his lips into her hair before leaning down and peppering her shoulders with light kisses.
He couldn't remember when he had last seen her bare flesh, but he knew it had been a very long time. As he allowed his hands to run over her skin tentatively, grazing the tattoos that covered her skin, he realized his arousal wasn't going to be easy to control.
She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of his lips against her body. She turned in his arms, pressing herself against him as she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck and tugging him down for a long kiss.
He moaned quietly against her mouth before he pulled away, looking down at her. "Abby..." His voice was thick with desire as he ran his fingers down her bare arms, barely suppressing a smile when she shivered under his touch.
"I've missed you." She managed, licking her lips as she panted slightly. Tilting his head, he crushed his lips to hers, moaning against her again as he slid his hands down her body, cupping her silk-clad bottom tightly in his hands.
She squealed, pulling away with a laugh as she smacked his chest playfully. "Not nice, DiNozzo." She teased, tugging at the tie handing loosely around his neck. "I'm thinkin' someone is entirely too overdressed right now." She smirked.
He grinned down at her, fingering the waistband of her panties as he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you are."
She eyed him for a moment before she smacked his hands away. Pinching the fabric between her fingers, she slid it down her creamy legs slowly, never breaking eye contact. She giggled quietly at the look on his face when she kicked the black underwear away from her before she tugged at his tie again. "Your turn."
An incoherent moan escaped him as he reached for her, frowning when she batted his hands away again. Cocking an eyebrow with a smirk on her face, she pressed her hand against his chest, pushing him back toward the bed. The back of his legs hit the mattress and he fell backwards with a quiet groan, looking up at her expectantly.
She climbed onto the bed very carefully, straddling his legs and leaning over, pressing a kiss to his lips. Her fingers worked quickly as her lips distracted him, removing the silky tie from around his neck before she got to work on the buttons on his dress shirt. Reaching up, he tangled his fingers in her long black hair, closing his eyes as she moved her lips down his jawline slowly, her lips teasing him.
"Abby..."
His voice was strangled as she nudged him to lift up, pulling the shirt off and tossing it onto the floor beside his discarded tie. Lowering her lips to bare chest, she kissed his skin teasingly, making her way down his stomach and pausing just above the waistband on his pants. She glanced up at him with a devious smirk before she unbuckled his belt, her fingers moving quickly against the front of his bulging pants.
He threw his head back against the pillows, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt her fingertips grazing his rock hard cock. It was driving him crazy.
She took her time, taunting him, as she unbuttoned the tuxedo pants, giggling quietly at his sharp intake of breath.
"Can't...hold off much longer here, Abs..." He managed, his voice hoarse as he lifted his hips against her hand, moaning as she grabbed him gently. "Oh God."
"It's been too long for you, huh?" She asked playfully as she tugged the black pants down quickly, leaving him clad in only his boxers.
"Please..." He pleaded.
Unable to continue with her seemingly merciless taunting, she pulled his boxers down quickly, depositing them with the remainder of his discarded clothing before she kissed her way back up his body slowly.
Moving his hands to her hips, he held his girl in place as she reached down, guiding him to her entrance. Closing her eyes, she moved her hands to his chest as she lowered herself onto him slowly, gasping when he filled her completely.
She held herself still for a moment, savoring the feeling she'd been longing for since leaving DC. Tony swallowed hard as he glanced up at her, his voice trembling slightly when he spoke. "Are you...are you okay, baby?"
"Better than okay." She purred, tugging playfully at the hair on his chest.
Though it had been months since the last time they'd been intimate, it was almost as if no time at all had passed. It was a little different than what they were used to thanks to her expanding figure but it didn't take long for them to get past that.
Tony could feel his body tensing as she moved against him slowly, the pressure becoming nearly unbearable. Her hands were gripping his shoulders roughly, her head thrown back as she gasped for air. He could see the sweat glistening off her bare shoulders and in that instant, he knew she had missed him as much as he had missed her.
"Abs..." He gasped, gripping her hips gently as he bucked under her. "I'm not..."
"Shh...I'm almost...there..." She panted, her movements becoming more desperate.
A low growl escaped his throat, the feeling of her walls clenching very nearly causing him to lose it. "Abby..." He pleaded, reaching between their bodies and rubbing her clit gently.
"Oh, God...Tony..." She cried, her nails digging into his skin painfully as she tensed, exploding around him and triggering his orgasm. A loud moan of pleasure tore from her throat as she collapsed on top of him, her chest heaving in an attempt to catch her breath.
He couldn't move at first, though after a moment he reached up and raked his fingers through her tangled hair as he panted, a wide grin forming on his lips.
"I missed you, baby." He whispered, tracing the cross on her back from memory.
The Goth mewled quietly at the soft touch, kissing his chest. She allowed him to slip her off of his spent cock, both of them groaning at the loss of intimate contact. He rested her on the mattress and snuggled up behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist.
They laid quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the closeness of their bare bodies under the warm sheets. Abby turned in her lover's arms after awhile, burying her nose in the hollow of his throat.
"What's the matter, Abs?"
"Nothin'. Just like bein' close to you." She whispered, smiling against his skin. "Are we sure this is what we want? I mean...I just don't want you to feel..."
Tony shushed her, pulling back and resting his finger against her lips. "Baby, I know what I want, because I have it in my arms right now. You. I want you, right here next to me. I wanna wake up every morning and see your face."
"I never guessed when I met you all those years ago that you would turn into the stereotype for corny." She chuckled, pressing her lips to his.
He pretended to pout before breaking into a grin and kissing her back. "Well, I have to tell you that I love you. Every day. I wouldn't want you to forget and run off again."
"I'm not leaving. Especially not after I just got you back into my bed."
"Good." He pulled her flush against his body, resting his chin on her head. "Get some rest, sunshine. I'll take you to breakfast in the morning."
"Mmm...that sounds good." She grinned, snuggling closer to his chest and smiling when their baby kicked gently. "Goodnight."
"'Night. Both of you." Tony placed his hand on the side of her belly, feeling their child move inside of her. He traced small circles on her hip, enjoying the feel of her relaxing under his touch.
After a few minutes he felt her breathing deepen, her body tangled tightly with his. Sighing happily, he closed his eyes as well, continuing to brush his fingers over her bare skin as he let sleep claim him.
Chapter End Notes:
"These Are The Nights" by Making April