"I could ask you the same thing probie." Mike Franks said. The last thing he expected was for his old partner to open his son's door; the thought made him hesitate. He knew that Jethro wasn't as straight as people thought and he was fine with it but if the probie was with his son he wasn't going to like it: Jethro was a player.
"I'm here with one of my people, what's your excuse?" Gibbs demanded in a icy tone, squaring himself up with his old friend, his gut told him that Mike's presence was a threat but he couldn't figure out why.
"Hi Agent Franks!" Abby said chipperly as both she and Tony came around the sofa.
Mike locked eyes with Tony, who propped himself against the wall facing the door, neither of them knew what they were suppose to say. Mike had been enraged when Jenny called him up out of the blue and said he had a son, he'd been pissed as hell, and used quite a few contacts to make sure that she didn't know he was coming back into the states. He figured that would piss her off; good.
Tony was confused as hell. Why didn't he mother tell him that the man was coming to Washington? What was he gonna tell Gibbs? He'd been trying to place this out of his mind since he got home but now the source of his problems was standing at his front door!
"You two gonna tell me what the hell's going on? Tony?" Gibbs demanded, looking silently between the two.
Abby decided to poke the bear just a little bit, "Do you want to come in Agent Franks?"
"I'm retired doll, call me Mike. Can we talk?" He ask, never breaking eye contact from Tony. The young agent nodded and walked outside, pulling the door closed and walking over to the banister. His apartment railing was as good a place as any considering the company in his apartment that really didn't need to hear this.
"I'm not sure what you mother told you but I want you to know that if I'd known you were my son, I would have been around." Mike started. He looked at Tony and the younger man nodded, he didn't trust his voice at this point. "We were together for almost a year before I decided to retire. I ask her to come with me but she was to into the thrill of the game and... she liked climbing the ladder."
Tony snorted, "You can say it; she was a whore, I've known for a long time."
Mike chuckled, "She certainly wasn't afraid to use her body to get what she wanted. Look, I get that you don't know me that well, but I want to get to know you and be apart of your life from now on."
"Why didn't she tell me that you were coming in?" Tony ask him as the other man leaned against the railing beside of him. He just didn 't know what else to say at this point.
Mean while inside Abby was having a heart attack, "Gibbs, they're talking! Why are they talking? What's going on? Is he why Tony wanted to quit? Gibbs, are you even listening to me?"
"Abby, I don't know anymore than you do. And stop spying on them, whatever it is, they'll tell us when they come back in." Gibbs said with a lot more confidence than he felt. The only reason for Mike to be at his senior field agent's apartment was if they were lovers but Tony didn't even know the man. He'd met him once a long time ago when Mike's son was killed but other than that they didn't even adress eachother; hell Jet wasn't even sure if they were on a first name basis when Mike went back to Mexico.
Abby wasn't the least bit satisfied with that and continued to watch carefully through the window. They just kept talking and giving each other these side ways glances when the other wasn't looking but their eyes never met. If she didn't know who these two were and didn't know how much Tony loved Gibbs then she would have probably thought that they were lovers. Unfortunately the winds outside were to great and she couldn't make out a word they were saying.
When they moved she dove back to the couch just as Tony opened the door, Mike Franks trailing right behind him. Gibbs stayed very still as Tony sat back down beside of Abby and Mike took the loveseat that was directly across from him.
"Okay, are you guys gonna tell us what's going on now?" Abby ask first.
"You should know Abs, you were watching us the entire time." Tony accused innocently but he was dealing with Abby so she didn't even flinch.
"Yeah, but the wind was aweful and I couldn't hear a word, so spill!" She commanded jumping up and down slightly.
Mike laughed as the two started to argue but then Jethro caught his eye and held it. They were both trying to figure out just what the hell the other was doing here so they didn't notice when the room's other occupants became silent.
"Talk about survival of the fittest. Abs you might want to go and get your video camera." Tony said loudly to gain their attention. It was given reluctantly. "Look, if we're going to talk about this, I think you two better promise to play nice."
They stared at each other before nodding slightly, Tony didn't like where this was going but if he was going to hell he intended to do it thuroghly.
"Alright, this morning, as you know, I was called up to Director's office. What you need to know first is that Director Shepard is my mother," He said as calmly as possible.
Abby jumped up, "What! Why didn't you ever tell me? Gibbs did you..." she looked at him and went silent immdiately sitting back down completely petrified. Gibbs looked like he was about to murder someone and something told her that he knew something that she didn't.
"Gibbs, I would have told you but she had me on a gag order." Tony tried to say but his boss' eyes never left the man sitting across from him. He felt Abby lean more into him; he was nervous too.
Jethro leaned back slightly into the leather and started slowly, "Jenny would have had Tony about, what? Ten months after you left?" He wasn't sure if this made things better or worse, if he was right, and his gut said that he was.
"Nine months, fifteen days. She called me yesterday and told me. You know you never were one to mix work and home; so I still can't figure out just what the hell you're doing here Probie." Mike said darkly. He knew but he'd be damned if Jethro would hurt his son; once a player always a player.
"Oh did Tony not tell you, we're dating." Gibbs said, smirking slightly.
Mike shot up from his seat, "The hell you are you little man whore!"
Gibbs was up in about half of a second, "You have no say in what we do you rat..."
It all happened so quickly that Tony wasn't sure who shoved who but instinct kicked in as Abby screamed, and someone threw a punch. He jumped up and got between them, shoving them both into their original seats.
"Enough! Both of you get out!" He shouted as Abby had started to cry and he was trying to comfort her. They both looked at him shocked, "Look, Jet, I love you but he's my father. Dad, I want a relationship, but you don't have the right to tell me who I can and can't be with, I'm an adult. When you guys can get along, you can come back."
They looked at eachother, Mike was the first to gather himself, "You hurt my son, I'll shoot you dead!"
"Likewise." Gibbs muttered and they both seem calm simulateously.
"Men! Tonybear, could I pick another movie?" Abby sniffed dramatically but no matter how fake it was, Tony nodded toward the large shelf of DVDs.
She picked, Clash of the Titans, and the pizza arrived almost at the exact same time. Tony noticed that it was already eight o'clock by the time the movie ended but she wanted to watch one more so the boys obliged her and again she got to pick. They all fell asleep and Tony, who'd forgotten to turn his phone back on after arriving home in his rage early, didn't notice the thirteen missed phone calls.
The next morning Mike woke up second, Tony and Abby we curled up on couch still and Jethro was drinking a cup of coffee in the kitchen. From the extra strengh that Mike could smell in the living room, he was brooding, God help them all.
"Morning Probie," he said quietly so not the wake up the sleeping beauties.
"Mike, why don't you want me dating your son?" Gibbs demanded.
"You're a player Probie, and I wanted to save him the heartache. Can you fault me for that?" Mike ask, sitting down across from him.
"I'm not going to hurt him." was all Jethro said.
"I'll believe that when I see it." Mike told him after a moment of silence.
"What are you going to do about Jenny?" Jethro ask after a couple of minute. Even he couldn't believe that she would keep Mike from his son for twenty-five years, it wasn't right for anyone. Not to mention that from what Tony had said before, never in many words, but his hints said that he'd childhood had been less than desirable.
Gibbs wasn't exactly sure how much, if any of it, Mike knew about and at this point he wasn't sure if Tony was ever going to tell his father or if he should. Mike had a right to know what his son had been through because of Jenny but then, Jethro didn't know all the details himself.
"I'm going to talk to her today, after Tony's occupied with something else. I'd appreciate you keeping that to yourself for the record. You in or out?" He decided that he should give to Probie a chance with his son; like he said, he could always shoot him later if the blue eyed jackass hurt his boy.
"Oh like I'm really going to miss this. I'll get Abby to take him off somewhere." Jethro told him. This was going to be a good Sunday.
Author's Chapter Notes:
One stand off is about to lead to another.