**Chapter Twenty-Four -- Different Day**
**Five Weeks Later -- February 6, 2011**
Tony groaned as he opened his eyes, hearing his daughter's gurgling in his ear. Sitting up slowly, he rubbed a hand over his face, trying to clear his hazy vision.
"Mornin' baby." He smiled sleepily, leaning over and kissing Abby before lifting the infant out of her arms. "Hi, angel. How's Daddy's girl?"
"Oh, she's Daddy's girl all of a sudden?" The Goth joked, making herself comfortable on their bed.
"Well, sure, why wouldn't she be?" He grinned, tickling the baby. "She loves me."
Abby rolled her eyes and watched her lover as he cuddled Emma. She had been amazed by his transformation over the past five weeks, from the man who had been afraid to look at his daughter to being the one who changed her diapers and held her when she cried.
She grinned, watching as he cradled the infant against his bare chest. She chuckled when he yelped, Emma's little fingers grabbing his hair and pulling. "You ever gonna learn your lesson about holding her without a shirt on?" She asked, curling up next to him.
"No, probably not." He admitted, draping his arm over the raven-haired woman's shoulder. "How long have you two been up?"
"Maybe an hour?" She shrugged. "Fed her, gave her a bath, you know."
"Why didn't you wake me? I would've gotten up with you."
"I know you would've, but I wanted to let you sleep in." She sat up and swung her legs off the side of the bed. "I've got an appointment at 10 and I need you to watch the baby."
"Sure thing, sweetheart. We'll go out to lunch when we leave the office."
"I don't wanna take Em out in this weather. We don't have any clothes warm enough for her."
He sat up a little straighter, gaping at her. "You aren't...I can't..."
"You'll be fine."
"Abby!"
"She's your daughter, Tony!" Abby cried, pulling her nightgown over her head and walking into the bathroom. "She's been fed and bathed, you don't have to do anything but hold her. And maybe change her diaper."
"I don't know, Abs. I've never been left alone with her." Tony hesitated, entering the bathroom with the baby still in his arms. "What if something happens?"
"Jesus." The Goth mumbled, sighing before she replied to him from behind the shower curtain. "Seriously, T? I'm gonna be gone for an hour."
He looked down at their daughter, noticing that she had fallen asleep in his arms. "I know its stupid, okay? I just don't wanna mess up."
"You're not gonna mess up." She reassured him.
He nodded, trying to think of a reason why he was unable to stay home alone with the infant. Abby stepped out of the shower a few minutes later and wrapped a towel around herself, jarring him from his thoughts.
"Look at her, Tony. She loves her Daddy." She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, drying her hair as she exited the bathroom.
"Y'know baby, we should probably go out and buy her some snow clothes anyway. I mean, we'll be headed back to DC soon, and you know we get our coldest weather in February."
Abby didn't respond, dropping the towel from her body as she pulled an outfit from the dresser. She had lost most of the baby weight, and she was already fitting back into her old clothes.
"I'm serious, Abs."
She pulled her skirt on and turned to look at him. "I know, T. I promise I'll be back soon. It looks like she'll probably sleep the whole time I'm gone."
He offered her a look of defeat as she brushed past him, heading into the bathroom to brush her hair. When she came out again a minute later, he was sitting on the edge of their bed, cradling Emma close to his chest. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to the baby's forehead before kissing her lover deeply.
"I have faith in you, baby. You know how to take care of our girl." She said, running a hand through his soft brown hair, trying to reassure him. "I'll grab a pizza on my way back, okay?"
Tony nodded, watching as the younger woman headed out of their bedroom and downstairs. Closing his eyes at the sound of the front door closing, he shifted slightly on the edge of the bed, cringing when the sound of his daughter's cries echoed in his ears.
"So much for sleeping while Mommy's gone, huh?" He grumbled, looking down at the little girl in his arms. "You really couldn't have just stayed asleep?"
Easing off the bed carefully, he made his way over to the changing table in the corner of the bedroom, hoping that a quick diaper change would be all the little girl needed.
"Shhh...there's no need to make all this noise." He scolded gently.
Laying her down on the table, he unbuttoned her pajamas and rolled them up underneath her before reaching down and pulling out a diaper from under the table. He changed her as quickly as he could, anxious for her crying to stop.
"Hey, hey...it's alright. All done." He cooed, cradling the infant in his arms again.
It had surprised him how easily he slipped into the role of father, but he had to admit that having Gibbs around for the first few days helped a lot. The older man had taught him almost everything he needed to know in order to help take care of his daughter, and for that he felt indebted to him.
He frowned when he looked down at her, seeing the big wet streaks on cheeks as she cried. "Emma...it's alright, baby girl. Daddy's here."
She finally calmed down a little bit, her cries subsiding to hiccups. "That's a girl." He whispered, rocking her gently as he brushed her tears away. He returned to the bed with her, relaxing against the pillows and flipping through the channels.
Tony dropped his head back against the pillow when she started crying again a while later, sighing heavily before pushing himself off the bed. He tried walking the length of the room, hoping that the movement would calm her.
"What's the matter, baby? Tell Daddy what's wrong." He pleaded, brushing his finger over her cheek lightly. She turned her face toward the touch, taking his finger into her little mouth and suckling, her tears drying up almost immediately.
"Oh, you're hungry...see? That wasn't so hard." The Italian smiled. "Let's go see if Mommy left you a bottle, huh?"
He carried his little girl downstairs, the sound of her little sniffles tugging at his heart. Hurrying into the kitchen, he pulled the refrigerator open, grinning when he spotted the bottles in the door.
"Here we go, baby." He grinned, carrying it over to the microwave. Her cries intensified as he waited for her bottle to heat up and he couldn't help but say a silent prayer of thanks when it beeped.
Pulling it out, he shook it quickly before pulling the top off. He shifted her in his arms and held the bottle to her lips, grinning when she started to drink.
She finished the small bottle quickly, her little eyes getting heavier with each passing second. The Italian set the empty bottle aside and put a dish towel on his bare shoulder, propping his daughter against it like Abby had shown him.
He alternated between rubbing and patting her back, trying to make the little girl burp. He heard the gurgling in her stomach first, making him flinch. He pulled her away from his shoulder, checking to see that she was okay, when she vomited on his chest.
"Oh..." He hesitated, not knowing what to do. She started crying again as he held her away from him, not wanting to get her dirty. "Shit, shit, shit." He cursed, nearly chuckling when his daughter stopped crying and looked at him curiously, her green eyes wide. "Daddy didn't mean that. Don't tell Mommy."
Moving into the living room, he set Emma into her bouncy seat and grabbed the phone off of the counter, dialing Abby's number as he used the dish towel to clean off his chest. He was suddenly thankful for his time spent in autopsy and the smells that accompanied the dead bodies, not having known they would come in handy when dealing with baby puke.
He picked up his phone and called Abby, not wanting to take any chances when it came to their little princess.
"What is it, Tony?" She answered, her voice irritated.
"Emma threw up all her milk. Like, projectile vomit." He said, frowning at her tone.
"Just clean it up. I'm sure she's fine, she spits up all the time."
He sighed. "I've never seen her spit up like that before, Abby. I'm concerned."
"Okay." She conceded, rolling her eyes as she listened to him. "Walk me through it. What was she doing?"
"She drank her bottle, then there was this weird gurgling noise that came from her stomach when I was trying to burp her. When I pulled her back to see if anything was wrong, she threw up on me."
"You burped her wrong, baby. Remember, I showed you? You have to pat and rub her back." Abby explained, her voice softening at the sound of her lover's distress.
"I did!" He defended. "How can you know that I messed up? You abandoned us here!"
His heart broke at the sound of her sob through the phone and before he had the opportunity to apologize, he was met with a dial tone.
"Fuck." He cursed, sinking onto the couch next to the small bouncing chair Emma had fallen asleep in, dropping his head into his hands.
**An Hour Later**
Abby came into the house and slammed the door behind her, a look that seemed torn between anger and sadness on her face. She stepped into the living room to find her lover laying on the couch, half awake, cradling their daughter closely as she slept.
The Goth felt the tears welling up in her eyes again as she made her way over to the couch, lifting Emma off of Tony's chest gently.
"Hey!" He cried, sitting up, completely awake. He relaxed when he realized it was just his girl, though his face fell when he saw the single tear slide down her cheek.
"Abby." He tried, pushing himself up from the couch as she started out of the room. "Abby, wait a minute. I wanna talk to you."
"I have nothing to say to you." She responded, her voice wavering slightly as she hurried up the stairs, Emma still cradled in her arms.
"Abby, please! I didn't mean what I said earlier! I was worried about Emma!"
"An hour and a half, Tony! That's all I needed from you! An hour and a half so I could get out of this damn house by myself, away from everything and you couldn't even give me that!"
He stopped in his tracks when she hurried into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. He could hear the tell-tale sign of the lock sliding into place followed by a quiet sob.
"Abby...baby, please. I panicked!"
He received no response from her, and after a moment he rested his forehead against the door. "I...guess I'll go downstairs. If you wanna talk, let me know." He turned and headed back down stairs, flipping on the TV. Settling on the couch, he closed his eyes and allowed the infomercial on the TV to become white noise as he thought about what he could do to help his girl.
**1645 Hours**
The front door swung open to Bradley and Britty returning home, making Tony nearly jump off the couch as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Looking over at the clock, he realized that he had been sleeping for over 5 hours, since Abby came back from the doctor.
"Hey, Tony. Where are Abs and Emma?"
He didn't look up at the redhead, instead focusing on the TV. "Yeah, she just got here. She's upstairs, maybe you'll have better luck talking to her."
"What happened?" She asked, sitting on the couch next to him.
"Emma threw up while she was gone and I panicked, so I called her. I...told her she abandoned us and..."
"Tony! What were you thinking telling her something like that?!"
"She started it, alright? Accusing me of making Em sick."
Britty scoffed. "What are we, Tony, 8? You know that two wrongs don't make a right. Besides, I doubt she was blaming you for what happened to Emma."
Tony dropped his head into his hands. "I don't know what's wrong with her lately, B. I...she's changed."
The redhead sighed, patting the older man's knee. "The past few weeks have been as hard on her as they have been on you, Tony. I'll go talk to her, okay?"
He nodded, watching as she headed upstairs to the bedroom he shared with the raven-haired woman and their daughter. Once she reached the door, she knocked quietly, hearing the baby whimpering inside.
"Abby? Its Britty. Can I come in?"
She waited patiently outside the door until she heard the lock slide off. Opening the door slowly, she stepped into the bedroom and shut the door behind her, leaning against it.
The Goth made her way back to the window seat with her daughter in her arms, sobbing as she looked out onto the street.
"Hey...everything okay with you, sweetie?"
"I sh...shouldn't have left today." Abby managed, shifting Emma in her arms in an attempt to stop the little girl's cries. "I...I left them here and she...I can't...she won't stop crying. Why won't she stop cryin', B?"
"Okay, well first of all, you need to calm down, okay?" Britty said gently as she crossed the room, lifting the baby out of her sister-in-law's arms, despite the Goth's weak protests. "You're upset and she can tell. It's making *her* upset."
Reaching up, Abby swiped at the tears on her cheeks, sniffling as the infant quieted down almost immediately. "Sh...she hates me!"
"She does not hate you, Abby. Don't be dumb." Carrying the baby over to the bed, Britty laid her down gently before turning back to her friend, eyeing her carefully. "What's goin' on with you?"
"I don't...I don't know. I just...I don't..." She covered her face with her hands, another sob escaping her. "I thought I was gonna be ready for this. I thought...I don't know. I'm tired, B and I...I can't even think straight." She cried.
Releasing a quiet sigh, Britty crossed the space between them and wrapped Abby in her arms, hugging her tightly. "You do know it's okay to ask for help, right Abby? No one is expecting you to do this by yourself."
"But I should be able to!" She cried. "I shouldn't...feel annoyed when she wakes up in the middle of the night and I shouldn't feel angry when she pees in her fucking diaper right after I change her!"
"It happens, Abs. You don't remember when Jack was born?" She asked. "When Bradley had to go to New York to meet with the sellers so we could get the shop started?"
The Goth sniffled. "I came and stayed to help you with him. But...you weren't gettin' mad at him."
"Why do you think I asked you to stay? I could barely look at him without wanting to cry, Abby. It didn't help that BB left so soon after he was born. I'm just fortunate that you were there to help."
Abby nodded, looking out the window again. "I feel like I'm failing her, Britty. Like...she deserves better."
She wrapped her arms around her friend tighter, shushing her. "You're doing a great job. Just...let us help you, huh? BB and I will take Em tonight. You and Tony can have a night to yourselves."
"I...I don't know. He's probably mad at me now too."
"He's worried about you." Pushing herself up from the window seat, she returned to the bed and picked the little girl up before turning back to Abby. "Say 'night night' to Mommy Emma." She smiled, waving the little girl's hand for her.
"B...really, you don't..."
"Its not a discussion, Abby. Go out tonight. Reconnect with Tony. Let him in." She offered her a reassuring smile. "You guys are goin' back to DC soon...I'm not sendin' you back broken."
"Th...thanks, B. I..."
"You don't have to thank me, Abs. Consider it payback. I'll send Tony up." The redhead said, leaving her sister-in-law alone in the bedroom.
She walked down the stairs and into the living room, seeing both Tony and her husband sitting on the couch.
"Hey." Bradley greeted, pulling her down onto his lap gently. "And you've got the princess." He grinned, kissing his niece's forehead.
"How's Abby?" The Italian asked, watching as Britty cradled his daughter. "Is she alright?"
"You should go talk to her, Tony. Bradley and I are gonna take Emma tonight, so you guys can have a chance to get some stuff ironed out before you head back to Washington."
"We are?" Bradley asked, chuckling when his wife elbowed him gently. "I mean...of course we are!"
"What's wrong, B? Did I do something to upset her?"
She sighed quietly, looking him over carefully. "Its not my place to say anything, Tony. You need to talk to Abby about it."
He nodded, pushing himself off the couch and heading toward the stairs. He couldn't help but be nervous about what his girl planned on saying to him. When he entered the room, he heard the water running in the bathroom.
"Baby?" He called, walking over to the closed door. "You okay?"
Abby opened the door and smiled at him, reaching up to press a kiss to his lips. "Hey. I...I'm sorry about earlier, T."
He pulled her against his chest, smoothing her hair back. "Its okay. I'm just worried about you, sunshine. Is everything okay?"
She kept her head down, breathing in his scent through his tshirt. "I...I don't know."
Tony felt her tense under his fingers, a quiet whimper escaping her as she tried to hold herself together. "Shh...its okay, Abs. Do you wanna talk about it?"
"Its...I wish it were that easy." She mumbled, pulling away from him. "Its not something I can explain."
"Well, is there something I can do to help?"
The Goth shook her head, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Just...stay with me?"
He made his way over to the bed and sat next to her, pulling the younger woman into his lap. "I'm right here, baby."
She curled up against him and whimpered, making herself look far younger than her 35 years. Tony frowned as he looked down at her, wanting nothing more than to take away her pain, to see her smile again.
He held her for about a half an hour before her tears finally subsided, feeling her relax against his chest.
"Feelin' better?" He asked quietly, running his hand over her back.
She nodded, leaning back a little and wiping her cheeks. "'M sorry."
"Hey, don't be." He offered her a smile, cupping her face in his hands. "You know what? Get dressed. I'm taking you out to dinner."
"I don't know, T." Abby said, slipping off his lap. "I don't really feel like going out."
"C'mon, baby. We've got a sitter, who knows when we'll have that again once we get back to DC?"
She looked up at him, cocking an eyebrow. "I don't have anything to wear, T. I haven't gone shopping since I had the baby."
"Well, good thing I picked this up for you then, huh?" He smirked, walking over to their closet and pulling out a dress bag.
"What'd you do? Measure me in my sleep?"
"I've proven on multiple occasions that I can tell a woman's measurements from a mile away. You can thank Gibbs and years of crime scene sketching for that."
She watched as he laid the bag out on the bed and made his way back to the closet, pulling out his favorite suit. "You get dressed. I'll see you downstairs, okay?"
The Goth nodded, looking down at the dress hesitantly. She waited until he closed the door behind him before she picked up the dress, glancing down at the pretty green material. She appreciated the offer, but as she looked at the low-cut bust, she wasn't too sure about the whole thing.
With a resigned sigh, she carried the dress into the bathroom, hanging it on the back of the door while she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She frowned, taking in the dark circles under her eyes before she turned away, reaching for the dress.
She had to admit that Tony had done a pretty good job picking out the size, but she couldn't help but stare critically at herself as she turned, checking her reflection in the mirror. The dress was a little tighter than she would have liked, but she highly doubted that trying to get out of the evening would go over very well with the Italian.
It didn't take long for Abby to fix her hair and make up, and in less than an hour she made her way down the stairs slowly, hoping that Tony wasn't too disappointed in her appearance. Releasing a quiet sigh as she stepped off the bottom step, she headed into the living room, biting her lip nervously.
Tony was the first one to notice her entrance, and with a bright smile, he pushed himself up from the couch, looking her over appreciatively. "Very nice." He commented, his grin widening at the slight blush on her cheeks.
"The dress is too tight." She complained.
"Nope, it's perfect. Besides, I wanted to show you off. Do you know how many women would kill to have your figure just weeks after having a baby?"
"Yeah, I know I'm jealous." Britty teased, rocking Emma gently. "It took me forever to lose all my baby weight from Jackie."
The younger woman smiled. "It didn't take you that long."
"It took me a lot longer than the 5 weeks it took you." She smiled. "So knock off this self-conscious act and be proud of your body. You didn't even lose your boobs, which I'm sure Tony's happy about."
The Italian grinned. "Mmhmm. I do love your boobs, baby."
"Yeah, so does your daughter." She chuckled, elbowing him gently.
"Well, what can I say? She's Daddy's girl."
"You can be a real pig sometimes, you know that, T?"
He shrugged, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her. "Maybe, but you love me anyway. Now, c'mon, sexy woman." He said, smacking her on the bottom gently. "I managed to get an 8 o'clock reservation."
Abby pulled herself away from him and walked over to her sister-in-law, picking her daughter up out of her arms. "You really wanna leave her here?" She said, looking over at her lover as he tugged his jacket on.
"If it means a night alone with you, then yes." He smiled, walking over and pressing a kiss to his little girl's forehead. "Mommy and Daddy will be back in a while." He whispered, lifting the infant out of her mother's arms and handing her back to Britty. "Now, come on."
Tony pulled her toward the door as she resisted weakly, looking over her shoulder at her brother. "I pumped last night, so there's a few bottles in the fridge. All you have to do is warm 'em..."
"Abby. We have it under control. Go and have dinner, Emma will be fine." Her brother said, walking them toward the door. "Now go."
He led his girl out to the car, unable to stop the silly grin that formed on his face as he helped her into the passenger seat.
The ride to the restaurant was quiet, for the most part, though it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Pulling into the parking lot at the restaurant, he shifted the car into park before jumping out of the car and making his way over to Abby's door.
"Gimme your cell." The Italian demanded, his voice light as he offered his hand to her.
"What? No! What if something hap..."
He covered her mouth with his hand, waving a finger in front of her face. "No, no, no. We're gonna enjoy our meal. That doesn't include you calling Bradley every 10 minutes to check on Em."
"Tony..."
"No. Please, Abs. Can we just have a night to ourselves? They don't need the stress of us calling and you don't need it either."
"Okay." She pouted, handing him the small device from her purse. "But I'm not happy about it."
"Didn't ask you to be. I just wanna have my girl relax and spend a night thinking about nothing."
"You're turnin' into Gibbs, you know that?"
He smirked. "You think?"
The Goth rolled her eyes and allowed him to drape his jacket over her shoulders before lacing his fingers through hers. They entered the restaurant and were seated almost immediately.
"This is a nice place." She smiled, still holding his hand.
Tony nodded, glancing over his menu before setting it aside. "Bradley told me about it. I guess one of his buddies from high school opened it a few months ago."
They settled into a comfortable silence as their waiter came and took their order before bringing an appetizer and a bottle of wine, compliments of the owner.
"So, what did your doctor say today? Did you talk to him about goin' back to DC?"
Abby hesitated, thankful when their waiter came back with their food in his hands. She waited until he was gone before looking back at Tony.
"He said that I'm almost completely healed. Still no heavy lifting for awhile, and nothing too physically exerting, but he said we can go back."
The older man sensed her hesitancy, and reached over to cover her hand with his. "Hey. You alright?"
Abby shook her head and squeezed his hand. "I'm fine. Just..."
"You don't wanna go back."
"I want to, I just...I wish I could be in both places at the same time."
He moved his chair to the side of the table and placed his arm over her shoulder pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her head. "I know, baby. But hey..." He smiled, tipping her chin up. "I promise we'll come back, okay? Every holiday, if you want."
"What about work, T? We can't just pick up and go whenever we want, not where we work."
He kissed her, succeeding in silencing her worries. "Let me deal with that, okay, Abs? I made you a promise, and I'll keep it."
She smiled, pulling away from him and taking a sip of her wine. "I knew I was keeping you around for a reason, DiNozzo."
"Oh, my rugged good looks and overwhelming charm aren't enough for you?"
"You're overwhelming, alright." She smiled and took a bite of her lobster. "Mmm...now, I missed that."
They ate slowly, gradually relaxing as their meal progressed. Tony took her hand in his about halfway through the meal and leaned over to kiss her gently.
"You are beautiful, Abby."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're just sayin' that."
"What are you tellin' me?" He asked, brushing his thumb over her cheek. "I'm not allowed to tell my girl, the mother of my daughter, that she's beautiful without having a motive?"
Abby chuckled and looked down at her plate, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
"Hey, hey." The Italian whispered, wiping her tear away. "How am I supposed to take you out to a movie when you're tryin' to streak your makeup?"
"Tony..." She said, looking back at him. "We can't just leave Em with them all night. I'm sure they're expecting us soon."
"Hardly." He smiled. "They've got her porta-crib in their room, we're not seeing her for more than a goodnight kiss until morning. I have every intention of showing you just how beautiful I think you are."
They chatted quietly while they finished their meal, both realizing how much time they had spent apart over the past few weeks. Tony paid the bill and helped Abby out of her seat, leading her out to the car with a gentle hand to the small of her back.
"Oh, look!" She gasped, leaning against the passenger door and pointing into the sky. "A shooting star."
The brunette watched as his girl closed her eyes tightly, making a wish. He crossed the small distance between them and cupped her chin in his hand, smiling when her eyes fluttered open.
"What'd you wish for?"
She grinned at him. "I can't tell you. It won't come true."
He ducked his head and pressed a kiss to her lips, smirking against her when he felt her hands on his collar, pulling his body flush to hers. His hands settled on her hips when they separated, leaving both of them panting lightly.
"I..." He started, swallowing hard as she played with the open collar on his shirt. "I vote for skipping the movie."
"You just wanna get in my pants." Abby chuckled, kissing his jaw.
"Well...you're not wearing pants, so..." He trailed off, kissing her again. "Besides, I'm missing my princess."
She looked up at him, a flash of surprise crossing her face. "You? Anthony DiNozzo? Choosing a baby over a movie?" She put her hand on his forehead. "You feelin' alright?"
"Haha, very funny." He teased, leaning against her again. "C'mon, I think I know a warm bed with our name on it."
He helped her into the car and they headed back to the house, finding Britty and Bradley sleeping on the couch, Emma cradled against the redhead's chest.
"B...we're home." Abby whispered, touching her sister-in-law gently, not wanting to startle her.
She sat up carefully, smiling at the couple. "Hey. You guys are back early."
"We missed our little girl." Tony spoke up, wrapping his arms around Abby's waist.
"Uh huh." Britty said, eyeing them carefully. "Okay, 5 minutes with her, then BB and I are taking her upstairs. You two are getting the *whole* night to yourselves."
She handed the raven-haired woman the little girl and turned back to her husband, waking him up.
"Wake up, baby. Abby and Tony are home."
He groaned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "You two gonna screw tonight or what?" He asked, watching as they fawned over their daughter.
The Goth looked over at him, an eyebrow cocked.
"What?" He asked, shrugging. "I've got 20 bucks ridin' on this."
"Well, if you must know..." Tony smirked, looking over at the older man.
He raised his hands, shaking his head. "You know what? I changed my mind. I actually enjoyed my dinner tonight, but not enough to revisit it."
"Bradley!" His wife said, elbowing him before lifting the baby out of Abby's arms. "Okay, time for bed, little one. Mommy and Daddy have business to take care of."
They watched as Bradley made his way upstairs with his wife following him, carrying Emma. When they were out of sight, Tony turned to his girl and smiled, placing his hands on her hips.
"So, Miss Sciuto..."
"Yes, Mr. DiNozzo?" She asked, running her hand over the stubble on his chin.
He offered her a grin before he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. A quiet moan escaped her as she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his.
"Tony..." She managed breathlessly when they pulled apart. "Upstairs?"
Not needing to be told twice, he lifted his girl into his arms, laughing at her quiet squeal before he headed upstairs to take advantage of their alone time.
**Later That Night**
"Mmm..." Abby moaned quietly, running her fingers through Tony's hair as he held himself above her.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked, nipping at her collarbone. He smirked when he felt her shiver underneath him.
She shook her head, eyes getting heavier with each passing minute. "I don't think you could hurt me if you tried."
"There was that one time..." He corrected, groaning as he rolled to her side, pulling the Goth close to him.
She giggled. "We both got hurt that time, but we learned our lesson about sex with cooking utensils on the counter."
"Eh, that's true." Tony wrapped his arm around her bare waist, pressing a deep kiss to her lips before whispering in her ear. "Do you know how special you are?"
She smiled sleepily, snuggling her head against his chest. "I know how special you make me feel."
"Well, you are." He ran his hand up her side. "You're beautiful, and a great mother, and...I'm glad you're mine."
She smacked him playfully, her green eyes looking into his hazel ones. "Did you pick up a 'Romance for Dummies' book or something? What's with you tryin' to reassure me so much lately?"
He shrugged, glancing away from her, slightly embarrassed. "I just...know you've been having a hard time with stuff. You know, since Emma came. I don't want you to forget that I'm here...if you wanna talk."
It was the Goth's turn to be embarrassed, her cheeks flushing. "I know you are. And I'm sorry I haven't been coming to you, but..."
"You don't have to explain, Abs. I understand."
She kissed his chest and hugged him tighter. "I'm scared, T. Sometimes I wanna cry, other times...I get so angry." She paused, looking up at him and smiling weakly when he smoothed her hair back. "I'm sorry if I've been pushing you away."
He cupped her cheek gently, brushing his thumb over the tears that were forming under her eyes. "I haven't been the best, I'm sure." He chuckled. "The stunt I pulled today definitely wasn't very supportive of me."
"You didn't..."
The Italian shook his head, pressing a finger to her lips. "Shh. I promise not to feel guilty about today if you promise to let me help you with Em more."
She was quiet for a minute, burying her face in his chest. "Okay." She managed, her voice thick with emotion. "Okay...I promise."
"Good." Leaning down, he pressed a kiss into her hair and smiled, pulling her closer to him. "Let's get some sleep, huh? I think we both could use a good night's rest."
Tony pulled the blankets up over them and nuzzled her cheek, listening carefully as her breathing slowed. He followed her into sleep moments later, their bodies tangled together in a heap of limbs.
Chapter End Notes:
"Different Day" by State Of Shock