Tony didn't know why his mother wanted to meet with him in the middle of the day, on his lunchbreak, which was the only time he'd had a break in the last two weeks. Gibbs didn't really want them coming in today, granted, in fact Tony and the older man were the only members of the team who had come in; the bossman had actually given them the day off. But with reports to be done, it wasn't possible to him to enjoy the day in peace, God forbid.
The case had been a killer, two dead daughters, a bipolar mother, and a marine father hopped up on cocaine and steroids. Gibbs had turned into the devil himself and for some reason the brunt of it all had been bestowed on Tony, what else was new, until last night when the man had shown up on the steps of his apartment and taken him to bed. Of course he'd been gone this mornning, no trace of him ever having been there, and now he wouldn't even talk to Tony; obviously he thought it was a mistake and Tony just couldn't deal with that.
Now his mother, the director of NCIS, was ordering him up to her office and Tony was afraid that he just couldn't deal with anymore on him. He'd been thinking, ever since he woke up this morning alone, that maybe he shouldn't work under Gibbs and his mother anymore; he decided that if this was a extremely antagonizing visit it would be time to move onto somewhere new no matter how much he loved Gibbs and his team.
"Tony, there is something that I need to tell you," Jenny Shepard said as he seated himself infront of her, "Tony, Anthony DiNozzo Sr. is not your father."
His stomach dropped, "What?"
"You know who Mike Franks is, well he and I were together for a year before he retired. He did ask me to marry him but I wanted my freedom, and Gibbs, for that matter, so he left and then I discovered that I was pregnant. I could tell that Gibbs wouldn't be a good option to pretend like he was your father so for your safety I married Anthony DiNozzo, quickly, told him I was pregnant and then as you know we annulled the entire thing when you were three." She told him with finality.
Tony sat there for a moment, he was so quitting this job, how could he work for a woman like this, not to mention that she was his mother; God help him. He stood slowly,
"I'm sure that you can understand why I feel that if I continued working here my best wouldn't be given. I'll have my resignation on your desk by tomorrow." His voice was full of venom, of course it was; he'd just found out that his father was a man who didn't even know he existed.
"I'm sorry Tony, but I feel that accepting you resignaiotn while you're so emotional would be a bit premature. If you still feel like you need to resign this coming Friday, I will accept it and so that you can calm down I'll be giving you this coming week off." His mother explained, leveling off his intense stare until he turned and stormed out.
Tony stormed into the bull pen so loudly that Gibbs and Abby, who was at his desk talking, looked up, "What's wrong Tonybear?"
He opted not to answer and after grabbing his bag, left in a fury, not noticing the marine and goth that hurried after him. He made it to the parking garage without being stopped by anyone but unfortunately when you're in a blind rage you don't even hear the people that try to call after you.
Tony wasn't aware of how he got home but the next thing he knew, he was drowning a shot of tequilla in his kitchen and there was loud banging on the door that finally got his attention.
"DiNozzo, open this damn door or I'll pick the lock!"
"Tony, open the door and talk to us. I'll let him pick to the locks TBear!" Abby said trying to be sweet.
The agent sighed and made way to the door slowly; his rage was starting to pass with time, and the alcohol helped. When he swung the door open Gibbs was kneeling down and getting ready to start picking the lock, like he actually cared. If Abby hadn't been at his desk, he wouldn't have bothered to follow Tony at all.
"What do you two want?"
"We want to know what's going on so we can help fix it and letting us in out of the cold might be nice too." Abby told him; Tony realized that she was only in a skirt and long-sleeved T-shirt, not exactly great apparel for Washington in February.
He moved and let them in; well Tony let Abby in, Gibbs just came in because he could.
"You want to tell us what's wrong Tony, or are we going to have to guess?" Gibbs said gruffly, obviously staying as far away from his senior field agent as he possibly could.
Tony felt like he was being slapped and it sure as hell didn't make him feel like he wanted to open up. "Nothing is wrong, look you guys really need to just leave. Boss, you'll have my resignation on you desk by Monday and the Director has agreed to accept it next Friday. I'll be on leave until that time."
Gibbs froze while Abby gasped and launched herself at Tony, "NO NO NO, you can't leave, you just can't. I'm not gonna let you leave! Please Tony, I promise I won't be as clingy and I'll slap Ziva when she gets mouthy, and I'll listen to you more, and I'll make McGee like your movie references, and I'll take the heat from Gibbs on the hard cases, and I'll never..."
He didn't mean for her to get this upset, "Abby, Abby, enough! Look this is my choice and you guys should only get my best as long as I'm on the team but I just can't give it my all anymore. And Abs, I love you being so clingy, you're the little sister I never had, and you do listen to me. Ziva and McGee have a right to be whoever they want to be, she needs to unload sometime and if mouthing at me was her way, that's fine. Tim is going to make a great senior field agent and he doesn't have to like my movie references; you know that I do those more for myself because I want to think that everything will turn out like in the movies. I promise, I'll keep in touch."
"Abby, go wait for me in the car." Gibbs said in a low voice that even as her eyes dialated Abby dared not to defy. She hugged Tony again before scurrying away from him so that Gibbs could say what he needed to say. Once she was gone Gibbs squared his shoulder to Tony, "Look, just because you think last night was a mistake doesn't mean that you should quit. I promise that I won't try anything and we'll pretend that last night never happened if you want but I don't want to lose you as an agent."
Tony looked at him incredulously, "I think last night was a mistake?" he demanded.
"Yeah, I mean, you're telling Abby, the night after we make love that you can't give the team your best anymore and you completely ignored the part where I give you heat on the hard cases where you defended McGee and Ziva."
"First, this has nothing to do with last night, I can't give my best anymore. Second, I do bear the brunt on the hard cases and you can't deny that but I'm used to it. Third, I woke up alone Gibbs, if anyone, you're the one who thinks it was a mistake!"
"Tony, I didn't know if you'd want me here, for all I knew you wanted a one night stand and that was it. Tony, I love you, and I want to have a relationship and I sure as hell don't want you to quit." Gibbs told him as he placed a kiss on Tony's lips gently.
Tony thought about it for a moment, "I can't promise I won't quit, I just need some time. Do you have to go back to the office?" he ask sweetly.
"I brought Abby..." He started to explain.
"Maybe you guys could spend the rest of the day here... I don't really trust myself to be alone." Tony admitted.
"Okay, I'll go get Abby."
They ordered a pizza and the two agents told Abby that they were together, she was elated but when he said that he still might leave, she was again deflated. The movie was Abby's pick, The Princess Bride, who would have ever guessed but it was her favorite. She snuggled into him so close that Gibbs was forced off the couch completely and into the recliner.
The pizza got there just as the grandfather moved onto the fireswamp and Tony tried to get up but Abby held him down, "MY Tony!" she said.
"I've got it Tony, don't resist or she might crush you." Gibbs said as he walked by.
"You sound like you know from experience Jet!" Tony shouted.
Jethro chuckled at the use of the nickname he'd consented to last night; given he was under some serious duress. He opened the door but it wasn't the pizza.
"Mike! What are you doing here?"
Author's Chapter Notes:
The tide is coming in on Tony DiNozzo as everything that can change does change. But in a world that's so quickly changing it's hard to tell who's trying to throw him a life-raft and who's trying to sink his battleship.