**November 1stâ€"1813 hours**
Tony crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at the scientist. "It's none of his business, Abby. At least not right now."
"Tony…" she tried, looking over him carefully. "He's going to figure it out, you know that. Wouldn't you rather come clean now? He'll be pissed if he finds out that you knew and didn't tell him. I mean, it's not like he doesn't know you're bi."
"He's gonna be pissed either way," he muttered miserably. "It shouldn't have happened. If I hadn't goneâ€""
"Oh. My. God."
The Italian looked up, his eyes widening when he realized what he'd just said. "Abby…"
"You're having Gibbs' baby?" She exclaimed, punching his shoulder. "You didn't tell me! God, Tony! You should have told me you were together! You know I could have kept something like that a secret!"
"We're not together!"
"Ooh, ships in the night? Hot. I shouldn't known you and the Bossman would hook up eventually. You're too hot to resist."
"I'm glad you find all this so amusing!" He growled, pushing himself to his feet as he began to pace in front of her. "I know this seems like something out of one of your trashy romance novels, but if you could just keep in mind that this real life stuff here, Abs, that'd be really great!"
Her face fell for a fraction of a second before she schooled it back into a look of annoyance. "Well… we certainly don't have to worry about the validity of the test. Think your bitchiness is pretty much proving it to be true," she said curtly as she pushed herself up from the mattress, grabbing her previously discarded bag. "Come down to the lab in the morning if you want and I'll draw some blood."
"Abby, wait," he tried, reaching for her hand as she stalked towards the doorway. "Wait, please. I'm sorry!"
"I didn't mean to seem like I was making light of your situation," she said, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply before she turned back to him.
Offering her a shaky smile, he sank back down onto the mattress, releasing a nearly hysterical laugh. "I don't… I'm not cut out to be a father. I don't know the first thing about raising a kid."
"Gibbs does."
"I can't tell him."
"You have to! You can't keep something like this from him, Tony. It's not fair."
"I don't care about fair. I care about him not kickin' my ass."
Settling herself beside him, she offered him a sad smile. "I think he's more likely to kick your ass if he finds out you withheld this from him. You really think it won't come out sooner or later?"
Dropping his head to his hands, he groaned quietly. "I'll be lucky if I still have a job after I tell him."
Leaning over, the Goth wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him against her side before she dropped a kiss to the top of his head. "You're not giving him nearly enough credit." Releasing a quiet sigh, she pulled away and ran her fingers through his hair. "Give yourself a couple of days to get used to the idea, but don't wait too long to tell him," she warned, pushing herself up again.
"Where are you going?"
"You need some time to think about this, T. It's a lot to take in."
"Please don't go," he begged, cringing at how whiny his tone was. "Please? I don't… I don't wanna deal with this alone. Not right now, anyway."
"Tony…"
"Please, Abs? C'mon. We'll hang out, finish the Magnum marathon. I just… I don't think about it tonight."
"You can't ignore something like this."
"I'm not gonna ignore it. I just wanna forget it for now. Please?"
She eyed him carefully before she dropped her head back, groaning. "Alright," she agreed. "But just a few episodes and then you need to get some sleep. You've had a long couple of days."
"Yes Mother," he replied sarcastically, accepting her hand as she pulled him up from the bed.
Rolling her eyes, she wrapped an arm around his waist as they made their way back out into the living room. Sinking down onto the couch, she patted her lap in an invitation, unable to suppress her smile when he dropped down beside her and shifted against the cushions to lay his head in her lap.
"You're too good to me sometimes, Abby."
"Yeah, I know," she teased, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead before she grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over him carefully. Leaning back against the couch, she dropped her hands to hair, grinning when she felt him practically purring at the touch. "You're way too easy."
"That's what Jet tells me," the Italian replied sleepily, his eyelids already beginning to droop at the feeling of her hands massaging his scalp gently.
Stifling a quiet giggle, Abby shook her head at her friend as she turned her attention to the television though it wasn't long before Tony's quiet snores filled the living room.
"Sleep well, Tonyboy," she mumbled quietly.
**November 4thâ€"0630 hours**
Tony sighed heavily as he climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist before he made his way back into the bedroom. It was only 0630, but he'd been up for most of the night, unable to sleep due to thoughts of Gibbs.
The older man had been calling him all weekend, trying to check in on him, but miraculously, he'd managed to avoid his phone calls. Now that Monday had arrived, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to avoid him any longer and the possibility of his Boss cornering him in the elevator was making him sick to his stomach.
"Get over it, DiNozzo," he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. Sinking down onto the mattress, he glanced over at his cell phone and debated calling out sick again, but he quickly dismissed the idea. The last thing he wanted was to be alone with Gibbs for right now and calling out was a surefire way to get him over to the apartment.
After talking with Abby, he knew he had to tell his sometimes lover about the positive pregnancy test currently taking up space on his bathroom counter, but he still hadn't decided the best way to break the news.
His brain had been overloaded with a million different scenarios and truthfully, none of them were ideal. Gibbs' reactions became progressively more horrifying until he finally had to force himself to stop thinking about it.
The sound of his cell phone ringing startled him from his thoughts, and without thinking, he snatched it off the nightstand and flipped it open.
"Hello?"
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't fire you," came the growled greeting.
"B…Boss?"
"What's Rule Number Three, Tony?"
"Never… never be unreachable, but Boss, Iâ€""
"Then why the hell haven't you answered your phone all weekend?"
"Just been sleepin', Boss. Tryin' to get back on track. That bug hit me harder than I thought it would," he responded, trying to keep his voice even.
There was a slight pause, and when the older man spoke again, his voice was quiet. "You sure you're alright?"
"I'm…" he trailed off, closing his eyes. Gibbs, unknowingly, was giving him the perfect opportunity, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. "I'm fine."
On the other end of the line, Gibbs sighed quietly. "Alright then. But DiNozzo?"
"Yeah Boss?"
"We will talk later."
Swallowing hard, Tony snapped the phone shut between his fingers and tossed it back onto the bed. "I am so fired."
---
**1756 Hoursâ€"NCIS Squad Room**
Dropping his bag to the floor behind his desk, Tony sank down into his chair with a huff of irritation. What had started out as a not-so-great morning had quickly morphed into an overall crappy day complete with a double homicide and a coffee-less Gibbs.
It had been one thing after another all day, beginning with the fact that Gibbs had been keeping a closer eye on him than usual, trying to decipher what was wrong with him. The extra attention coupled with the idea of actually telling him had managed to distract him enough that he made an assumption he wouldn't have under normal circumstances.
He'd been yelled at for it on the way back to the agency, but he couldn't bring himself to care too much, especially considering he had successfully avoided being alone with the older man all day.
"DiNozzo," Gibbs growled, placing his gun and badge in his desk drawer before turning back to his Senior Agent. "Conference room. Now."
Apparently, his luck had run out.
Swallowing hard, the agent pushed himself to his feet, swiping his clammy palms over his pants as he followed his boss into the elevator. Punching the button for the lab, Gibbs stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest, though the second the elevator was in motion, he practically leapt forward and hit the 'emergency stop' before turning on his agent.
"What's goin' on with you, Tony?"
"Gibbs, I told you this morning that I'm fiâ€""
"Don't give me that bullshit! Somethin' is goin' on with you and you know I don't like to be kept in the dark. Especially not when it starts to affect your work!"
"That's not fair! I wouldn't have had any trouble concentrating today had you not been watching every single move I made! I'm not a Probie, Jethro, and I don't need to be babysat!"
Gibbs snorted, barely resisting the urge to reach out and headslap his agent. "If you would just be honest with me, I wouldn't have had to watch you so damn close!"
"I told you I'm fiâ€""
A low growl escaped Gibbs as he backed his agent up against the wall, closing the gap between them as he crushed his lips to Tony's.
The younger man struggled for a moment against his boss before he melted under the touch, sagging against the cool metal wall as he wrapped his arms around Gibbs' neck, pulling him closer. When they broke apart, both men were panting slightly, though Tony shivered when he felt Gibbs press his lips to his ear.
"Not gonna force you to talk right now, but when you're ready, I'll be here. You got me?"
"I just…" Tony trailed off, swallowing hard. "Not here, okay? This isn't… this isn't where I wanna have this conversation."
"Then you name the place," Gibbs responded.
"Your house."
"Tonight?"
"I need to go home first and clean up a bit, but… yeah. I'd rather get this over as soon as possible."
"Alright," Gibbs said with a nod as he pulled away, hitting the switch to set the elevator into motion again. It was difficult to maintain his composure, though somehow he managed until the elevator came to a halt, depositing the two men in the lab. "See you in a bit," Gibbs called as he stepped off.
Unable to find his voice, Tony merely nodded as the elevator doors slid closed. As much as he wasn't looking forward to filling Gibbs in on their little mistake, he had to admit he'd be glad to get it off of his chest so he didn't have to deal with it alone.
He just hoped Gibbs would take the news better than he anticipated.
**2000 Hoursâ€"Gibbs' House**
Pulling up in front of the two story house, Tony couldn't help but wish for a large shot of vodka to help calm his nerves. After leaving the agency earlier that evening, he'd headed home and attempted to clear his head before leaving for his boss' house but in the end, he'd found he was even more nervous than he'd been that morning.
After a quick shower and dinner, he headed out though he didn't bother to pack an extra set of clothes; he was sure that after Gibbs heard what he had to tell him, there would be no sleepover.
Shifting the car into park, Tony rubbed his sweaty palms against his pants before he pushed the door open and climbed out, his stomach turning nervously. The house was dark save for the tiny sliver of light peeking out from the small window nearly hidden behind the rose bush and he knew he'd find Gibbs in the basement.
Taking a deep breath, he made his way to the house and climbed the steps, trying desperately to plan the conversation in his head. Pushing the front door open, he slipped inside and immediately headed for the basement, the sound of hammering already reaching his ears.
A quiet groan escaped him at the thought of Gibbs with a hammer and for a half a second, he seriously debated fleeing the scene. Better judgment won out and before he could talk himself into leaving, he pulled the basement door open and hurried down the stairs, forcing his face into a look of boredom.
"Hey Boss," he greeted casually, sinking down on the bottom step, clasping his hands between his knees.
Across the room, Gibbs laid his hammer down on the workbench, offering his agent a ghost of a smile. "Didn't expect you to show up tonight."
"I told you I would."
"Uh huh. Ready to tell me what's on your mind now?" He asked, leaning against a sawhorse as he crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing Tony carefully.
"Don't know that I'll ever actually be ready, but I guess I might as well get it over with."
"Alright… so talk."
"It's not… it's not really that easy, Boss," the younger man said, pushing himself to his feet. "I mean, it should be, right? But you know I'm not really comfortable with the 'big' conversations and this is pretty much as big as it gets and I justâ€""
"Tony," Gibbs interrupted, pushing himself off the sawhorse as he made his way over to his agent, gripping his upper arms lightly. "Hey. Just say it."
"I think I'm pregnant."
Releasing him almost immediately, Gibbs staggered back, the weight of the words hitting him with more force than he could have ever anticipated. "You think, DiNozzo?"
"I took a test on Friday and it was positive. Haven't confirmed it with the doctor or anything and I was supposed to go to Abby today but then we got that case and I…" he trailed off, looking at Gibbs helplessly. "Say somethin', Boss."
"Who's… who's is it?" He didn't miss the look of hurt that flashed across Tony's face and immediately, he wished he could take it back. "Tony, wait. I didn'tâ€""
"I have to go," he managed, his throat tight as he turned away and hurried up the steps. He could hear Gibbs calling his name, though he ignored it. The anger and humiliation he felt was too great to allow him to turn back.
Pulling the front door open, he stepped out into the chilly night air, unexplained tears blurring his vision as he practically sprinted to his car. Climbing into the driver's seat, he pulled the door shut and blindly reached into his pocket for his cell phone, dialing the first number he knew to call.
"Hello?"
"I told you he wouldn't take it well!"
"Tony?" Abby asked, the concern evident in her voice.
"God dammit, Abby! I told you!"
"Calm down. Tell me what happened."
"He asked if it was his!"
"Oh Tony…"
"Christ, Abby. What the hell am I supposed to do?"
"Come over. When you get here we'll talk, okay?"
"I'm sure you have better things to do than babysit me again," he responded, his voice shaking just slightly.
"Don't be ridiculous. Come over, okay?"
Glancing back at the two story house one last time, Tony released a shuddery breath and shifted his car into gear, pulling away. "I'll be right there."
"Good. And Tony?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
Setting his jaw against the sting of tears, his grip tightened on the steering wheel before he spoke again. "Yeah… I am too."
Chapter End Notes:
A/N: Hello hello! First of all: HOLY COW YOU GUYS! The number of reviews I got for the last chapter was just absolutely amazing and I hope you guys keep them coming! They definitely made my day! This chapter is a little shorter than the last two and I apologize if it's a little weird, but most of it was written during my midnight shift so I was suffering from a lack of sleep. Haha. Please forgive any typos! A huge thank you to my friend Kelley for all her help with this chapter, she was wonderful as usual! And don't forget... reviews help me write faster so make sure you click the fun little review button at the bottom of the page and drop me a quick line letting me know what you thought of the chapter! Thanks guys!