**Chapter Five - Hard Times Happen** Josh Kelley
**Hard Rock Cafe Baltimore - January 1, 2014**
"Tony..." Abby whispered, looking out the window of the restaurant as the Baltimore Police cars sped around the corner, headed into the parking garage up the street. "Look."
The Italian glanced up as he signed his name on the receipt, frowning deeply when he heard the screaming sirens. "I'm sure everything's okay, Abby."
"What about Jack?" She asked, pulling Emma's jacket on and zipping it up. "What if something happened to him?"
Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It's fine, baby. We're goin' over there right now. I doubt he even saw anything, seein' how sick he is."
She nodded, allowing him to pull her up and help put her coat on. The group headed over to the parking garage, seeing the EMTs loading a body into the back of the ambulance.
"Bradley...we have to go find Jack." Britty said, clinging to her husband's side as she held Jeremy on her hip.
"Ziva, McGee, go with Abs and the rest up to the cars, find Jack. Tony, come with me. Let's go see what happened."
"Got it, Boss." He said, pressing a kiss to both his girls' foreheads. "I'll be right there, okay?"
Abby nodded, shifting Emma on her hip as they headed up the ramp to the second level where their car was parked with Ziva and McGee. Tony turned back around and followed after Gibbs, heading over to the crime scene to speak with the local LEO's.
"Agent Gibbs, NCIS. This is Agent DiNozzo. What happened?" The silver-haired man asked, flashing his badge and putting it away.
"You guys got here fast." The Sergeant commented, walking over to the pair. "We only just got the okay to transport the body to you."
They gave each other curious glances before Gibbs motioned for his Senior Agent to speak to the EMTs. "What exactly happened, Sergeant?"
"We're thinking drug deal gone wrong. There are reports of two men driving a black Mercedes leaving the garage a few minutes after the shooting. Your guy...Garrett Lowe...we found his wallet under the car next to him, military ID inside." He explained, handing the older man the wallet they had found.
"We'll need your preliminary report."
"Already faxed to your office."
Gibbs nodded and the Sergeant walked away, leaving him staring at the crime scene. "DiNozzo." He called, motioning the younger man over.
"He took one to the head, Boss. EMT says that he died almost immediately, but Ducky will verify."
"Go up and check on Jack. Send McGee down, need him to take some pictures before the scene gets more trashed than it already is."
"Got it." The Italian said, brushing past the older man and heading up to where their cars were parked. He found everyone gathered around the rear of their Explorer with Britty sitting next to her son, holding him close to her side. "Hey. Everything okay?"
Abby walked over to him and frowned. "What's going on, Tony? Jack said he heard a gunshot."
"Is he okay?" He asked, glancing over at his nephew. "Did he say if he saw anything?"
"No. He said all he heard was the gunshot. He was already upstairs when it happened."
"I gotta talk to him."
"I don't know that B's gonna be too keen on that, T."
"I gotta talk to him." He repeated, offering his girl an apologetic smile. "You know I wouldn't put him through this if I didn't have to, Abs, but if he saw *anything*, then we need to know about it."
Running his fingers through his hair, Tony released a sigh and made his way over to the trembling teenager. "Hey buddy." He said quietly, crouching down in front of him. "You okay?"
Jack didn't respond, though he squeezed his eyes shut as he pressed himself closer to his mother's side. From where he sat, Tony could see the puddle of vomit alongside the car.
"Shhh." Britty whispered, rubbing her son's back gently. "It's okay, baby. You're okay now."
"What happened?" Tony asked, his voice quiet so that he didn't upset the teenager any more.
"I don't...he says he didn't see anything." The redhead managed, her voice strained. "When we got up here, we found him like this. He was...he was getting sick beside the car but when Bradley tried to check on him...I've never seen him so scared before."
"Okay." Tony said with a nod, reaching out slowly to rest his hand on his nephew's shoulder. He didn't miss the way juvenile flinched, nor did he miss the strangled cry that tore from his throat.
"Mama!" He cried, hiding his face against her shoulder.
"I've got you, baby. You're okay. It's just your Uncle Tony."
"Jack, tell me what you saw, buddy." Tony prompted, ignoring Britty's harsh glare. "What happened?"
"Nothin'." He cried. "I didn't...I didn't see anything."
"Tony." Abby sniffled, resting her hand on her soon-to-be husband's shoulder. "Don't do this to him."
"He's gotta talk to me, Abs." The agent replied, his investigative instincts taking over. "I need to know what he saw."
"He already said that he didn't see anything!" Britty snarled.
The Italian looked up at his girl's sister-in-law, frowning deeply. "Jack, if you know anything that might be able to help catch these guys, it's really important that you tell us. If not me, then Gibbs, or Ziva, or McGee...but somebody."
Jack nodded, watching as his uncle pushed himself to his feet and pulled his aunt off to the side of the car so that he couldn't overhear their conversation.
"Abby, he's not tellin' me the truth."
The Goth looked up at him, confused. "How do you know that, Tony? He's just a boy."
He sighed, giving her a sharp glance. "Abby..."
"I'm serious! He's just a kid, no matter how much of a pain in the ass he can be sometimes. Would you question Emma like that if something like this happened to her?"
"If I thought she may have seen something, yes."
"Bullshit." She hissed, cocking her eyebrow at him. "You know damn well you wouldn't."
The older man opened his mouth to respond when he was interrupted by the teenager retching again. His fiancee rushed back over to her nephew, leaving him standing near the driver's side door of the SUV. Ziva approached him, a concerned look on her face as she tried to calm Emma down.
"Tony, your daughter is concerned. Perhaps you should explain to her what is going on?"
"Em, c'mere, baby." He said, lifting the little girl out of the Israeli's arms and cuddling her against him. "Daddy's so sorry."
"What JJ do bad?" She asked, sniffling quietly as she swiped at her nose.
He shook his head, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "He didn't do anything wrong, sweetness, Daddy just thinks he saw some bad guys, but he's afraid to tell me."
"DiNozzo."
"Here, Boss. What's goin' on?" He asked, rounding the car and making his way over to the older man, still holding his little girl in his arms.
"Take your family home, get the kids settled. Gonna need you and Abs at the office." He said, leaning over and giving Emma a kiss on the cheek. "Sorry, Princess."
"No say sorry, Papa. 'S rule."
The older man smirked, kissing her cheek again.
"Already teachin' her the rules, huh, Boss?" Tony asked, shifting the toddler to his other hip.
"Not my fault a three year old can remember 'em better than you, DiNozzo."
"That's not..." He paused, seeing the look the older agent was giving him. "That's not what's important. See ya at the Yard."
Gibbs nodded, turning to walk back to his car, calling for Ziva and McGee to follow him. Once they had left, Tony approached his girl and her family as they continued to stand around Jack protectively.
"C'mon guys. We gotta head back."
Bradley walked up to the younger man, motioning for him to walk to the side of the car and put the toddlers into their seats. "What's goin' on? You gonna take Jack in?"
"No, of course not. If he remembers anything, I can take his statement at home."
"Alright. Sorry about Britty, by the way. She...we've never seen him this scared before."
Tony nodded, buckling Emma into her car seat. "I figured as much. I won't try to push him any more today, but I am gonna have to talk to him eventually."
"It won't be a problem." Turning back to the rear of the car, he called out to his wife and eldest son. "C'mon B. Abs and Tony have to get to work."
They piled into the SUV fairly quickly, with Britty and Jack sitting in the back clinging to each other for dear life. Just under an hour later, they were back at the house and unloading the car.
"Are you sure it won't be a problem, Bradley?" Abby asked, carrying her daughter inside. "I can call the sitter if you want."
"No. You're not gonna pay for a sitter when B and I are here to help out. We can handle them, okay? I'm pretty sure that Jack's gonna be upstairs sleepin' anyway. It'll just be the babies."
"C'mon, Abs. We've gotta get goin' or Gibbs is gonna have my...butt." The Italian said, refraining from cursing in front of his little girl. "Mommy and Daddy will be home as soon as we can, okay? You be good for your Uncle Bradley and Auntie B."
Emma frowned, crossing her little arms over her chest. "Don' go, Daddy! 'S my birfday!"
"I know it is, Princess. But you know that work is very important and the sooner we get it done, the sooner we can get home to be with you, right?"
"No!" She cried, clinging to the Goth when she tried to sit the toddler on the floor. "No go! S'ay here!"
Britty reached over and pulled her niece out of her sister-in-law's arms, pressing a kiss to the little girl's cheek. "Go on. I'll handle this, okay? Just get back soon."
They each pressed another kiss to their daughter's cheek before leaving, closing the front door behind them.
"How 'bout a movie, huh?" The redhead asked, frowning when her niece's eyes filled with tears. "Emma...it's okay. Your Mommy and Daddy will be home soon, okay? Let's go pick out a movie."
A few minutes passed before she finally got her son and niece situated with drinks and snacks in front of the TV, allowing her to slip into the kitchen and lean against the counter, an exhausted look on her face.
"Hey." Bradley said, following her into the kitchen and pulling her into his arms. "You okay?"
She shook her head, trembling slightly as she buried her face in his shoulder.
The older man wrapped his arms around her a little tighter, pressing a kiss into her hair. "Everything's gonna be okay, baby. Jackie's gonna be fine, he's just a little spooked."
Britty pulled back slightly and looked up at her husband. "He's never been like he was today, Bradley. Never. Not even when he was a baby was he that clingy."
"I know." He said, kissing her gently. "He's resting now, and I bet that he'll be better when he wakes up, okay?"
She nodded, swiping at the wetness on her cheeks. "I'm going...I'm going to check on him." She said, pulling away and offering her husband a slight smile. "Will you be okay with the babies for awhile?"
"Please." He snorted. "How much trouble could they possibly be?"
"And that, right there, is confirmation that I don't leave you alone with Jeremy often enough." She teased, pressing a kiss to Bradley's lips before she pulled away again, exiting the kitchen.
She made her way up the stairs quietly, frowning at the sound of retching coming from the bathroom. Hurrying inside, she dropped to her knees behind her son, resting her hand gently on his back. She didn't miss the way he flinched away from her touch, nor did she miss the choked sob that escaped him.
"Oh, baby." She frowned, settling in behind him until he was finished.
Positive that he had absolutely nothing left to bring up, Jack sat on his heels, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and closing his eyes at the feeling of his mother's arms wrapping around him.
"You all done?"
"I... I think so." He managed, hiccuping slightly as she stood, pulling him to his feet.
"You can't possibly have anything left in there to bring up." She frowned, smoothing his hair back away from his forehead. "C'mon, baby. Let's wash your mouth out and get you back in bed."
She stood by the door, allowing him to rinse his mouth out before she reached for him, wrapping her arm around his thin waist as she led him back to the spare bedroom.
Collapsing onto the mattress, he didn't protest as she pulled the covers up around his body, nor did he pull away when she slid in behind him, wrapping her arms around him.
"You're okay now, Jackie." She whispered quietly, squeezing him gently.
"I don't...I don't wanna talk to Uncle Tony anymore." He sniffled, trying desperately to will away the tears forming behind his eyes. "P...please don't make me talk to him anymore. Please, Mama."
"Shh..." She soothed, rubbing his back gently, her heart breaking at the sound of his harsh breaths. "Everything's going to be okay, baby."
Turning in his mother's arms, the teenager pressed his face against her shoulder, allowing her to comfort him. It had been a long time since he'd needed her this way, but even though he knew she'd never make the images in his mind go away, he felt safe with her. Closing his eyes, he released a shuddery breath, breathing in her comforting scent as he allowed her gentle hands to lull him to sleep.
**Three Hours Later - 1930 Hours**
Bradley sat up from the couch with a start when the phone next to his head rang loudly. He made a feeble attempt to sit up, realizing that his son and niece were both sprawled out on top of him, sleeping soundly as the menu screen for their movie played on the flat-screen TV. Reaching behind him, he picked the phone up from the base and turned it on.
"DiNozzo residence." He answered groggily, running a hand over his face.
"Hey, BB, it's me." Abby said, her music playing loudly in the background. "How are the kids?"
"Well, Jack's upstairs with B, and the babies apparently decided to dog pile me before they fell asleep. I'm buried on the couch."
His sister chuckled and he could just imagine her rolling her eyes as she worked on her computer. "I'm almost done here, just running some fiber analysis then I'll be on my way. What did you guys feel like eating for dinner? I'll pick something up on the way home."
"I'm not sure. Lemme talk to Jack and Britty, then I'll call you back."
"Alright." She replied, hanging up the phone.
Bradley placed the receiver back on the base and ran his hand over his face again before moving the toddlers off of him carefully, covering them up with a blanket as he stood. Heading up the stairs, he pushed open the door to the spare room that his wife and son had been sleeping in, smiling when he saw his girl sitting up awake.
"Hey, baby. Sleep okay?"
The redhead nodded, continuing to run her fingers through the teenager's shaggy hair as he slept. "Who's on the phone?"
"Oh, just Abs. She wanted to see if you guys wanted anything to eat, she's headin' home soon."
"Whatever's fine with me, I'm sure Jack's not gonna want to eat very much if anything."
He nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed next to his wife. Running a hand over her back, he kissed her cheek.
"Want some coffee?"
"Yeah." She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder briefly. "I'll come down in a minute."
"Okay." Pushing himself up from the mattress, he headed downstairs and started a fresh pot of coffee.
He was just hanging up the phone with Abby when Britty walked into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her cheek against his back.
"Hey you."
"Hey. How's our boy doin' up there?"
"Been sleepin' since we got home. He's exhausted."
The sandy-haired man poured two cups of coffee and smiled when his girl released him and reached for the cup.
"What did you tell Abs to pick up for dinner?"
"She decided to pick up a few pizzas. I guess Tony's gonna be headed home pretty soon too."
The redhead nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "Think he'll wanna talk to J again?"
"Probably." He shrugged. "He doesn't wanna upset him, B, you know that. Its just his job."
"Yeah, I know." She sighed, leaning against the counter. "He begged me to not let Tony talk to him again."
Bradley cocked an eyebrow at her, frowning deeply. "You think he saw something?"
"I can't think of another reason why he'd be so hesitant to talk to Tony, unless he's not being completely honest with us."
"Lemme go talk to him. Abby's gonna be here soon with the food, and I know Jeremy's gonna need a diaper when he gets up."
"Okay. But don't push him too hard, okay?"
"I won't, baby." He promised, taking the stairs two at a time.
Reaching the top of the stairs, he poked his head into the spare room again, surprised when he saw his niece kneeling next to her cousin's head, brushing his hair back gently.
"Emma Marie. What are you doin' up here, little lady?"
She jumped, turning around to face her uncle. "I see JJ. He not feel good."
Picking her up, he swatted her on the bottom gently before setting her back on the bed and kneeling in front of her. "You're not supposed to be on the stairs without a grown up and you know it, Emma."
He watched as her hazel eyes filled with tears, her little lip quivering before she cried out. "Owchie! I be good girl!"
He couldn't help but chuckle a little at the toddler's show of theatrics, frowning when she started crying harder. "Aww, Em...you know Uncle didn't do that to hurt you. You could get very hurt on the stairs."
"I sorry, Uncle Bra'ley." She whimpered, dropping her head to her chest.
"Its okay, sweetheart. C'mon, Mommy's gonna be home soon with pizza."
"Daddy too?"
"Soon, baby girl. Daddy's very busy at work with your Papa."
The little girl frowned, reaching her arms up for her Uncle. He kissed her cheek, picking her up and carrying her downstairs just as Abby was walking through the front door.
"Mommy!" She cried, reaching for the Goth.
Handing the pizzas off to her sister-in-law as she joined them at the door, Abby lifted the little girl from her brother's arms, peppering her cheeks with kisses.
"Were you a good girl?"
"I good." She confirmed, though she eyed Bradley suspiciously before she dropped her head against her mother's shoulder, hiding her face.
"That's your guilty face." Abby accused. "What did you do?"
"Nothin'." Bradley smirked. "She was a good girl." He said, tickling Emma's sides before he turned back to Britty. "Jeremy ever wake up?"
"Yep. He's all changed and ready to eat. Was Jackie still sleepin'?"
"Yeah. I figured I'd take somethin' up to him in a bit. Give him a chance to rest a little longer."
Making their way into the kitchen, Britty and Abby settled the toddlers into their chairs while Bradley fixed them all plates and drinks. Dinner was a pretty quiet affair, no doubt thanks to the eventful afternoon that the family had shared.
Bradley's thoughts kept drifting back to his sleeping son and he found that the guilt he felt for making him tag along to Baltimore was becoming overwhelming. Pushing his plate away, the older man stood up and smiled at his wife and sister. "I'm gonna take some food up to Jack, see if I can get him to eat."
The women just looked at each other as he took what was left of the pizza and headed upstairs. Once he was upstairs, he paused outside the door when he heard his son whimpering inside.
"Jack? Everything okay?" Bradley asked, stepping inside and dropping the pizza box on the nightstand.
The teenager swiped at his tears, blushing furiously at the thought of his father having seen him cry. "Sorry."
"Nothing to apologize for, J. I brought you some pizza, if you're hungry."
"I don't know if I should...I don't wanna get sick again."
Bradley shrugged, sitting on the bed next to his son. "That's okay. Sleep good?" He asked, hesitant to ask his son about what had happened in the parking garage.
"I guess...considering."
"Considering what?"
Jack glanced up at his father nervously, hoping that he wouldn't push him to talk about what happened earlier that day.
"That's okay. You don't have to talk to me." Bradley reassured him, clapping a firm hand on his shoulder. "You know your Uncle Tony's gonna need you to talk though, buddy."
Sitting up, the teen played with the frayed hem on his favorite t-shirt. "I didn't see anything, Dad. Mama said I didn't have to talk to Uncle Tony anymore if I didn't want to."
"That's not what your Mama told me, J. We want this to be over with as much as you do, but that's not gonna happen if you're holdin' somethin' back from Tony or Gibbs."
"I swear, Dad. I swear I didn't see anything. I've never lied to you before. If I saw something, I would say so. I promise."
Bradley could see his son trembling slightly as he promised that he was telling the truth, but he was right. The older man had no reason to believe the boy was lying to him, except for his gut telling him something was off. Standing up from the bed, he offered the teenager a reassuring smile.
"Okay, Jack. I believe you. When Tony gets home, you'll have to give him a statement, but then we'll all leave you alone about it, okay?"
Jack nodded, sighing heavily when his father finally left the room. Slipping back underneath the blankets, he curled up into a ball and sobbed quietly. He hated the fact that he had to lie to his family, but he knew that he had to do whatever it took to keep them safe.
**January 2, 2010 - 0100 Hours**
Unlocking the door as quietly as possible, Tony stepped into the house and immediately toed off his shoes, dropping them on the pile near the door. He reached down and pulled his gun out of its holster, making sure the safety was on before turning the corner into the living room.
He was surprised to see a fire going in their fireplace, and when he glanced over, he smiled when he saw his girl on the couch waiting for him, wrapped up in a blanket.
"Hey you. You should be in bed." He said, turning back to the bookshelf and slipping his service weapon into its lockbox. "Didn't have to wait up for me."
Abby pushed herself to her feet and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind. "Can't. It's occupied. Besides, I wanted to. Heard you had a long night."
"Long day too." He sighed, turning in her arms and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Wait. Why is our bed occupied?"
"Bradley and Jeremy are in there. B and Jack are in their room, so we're sleepin' down here."
"That why the fire's goin'?"
She grinned, pushing his jacket off his shoulders and draping it over the recliner. "Well, I figured, if we're gonna be displaced, we may as well make it a little romantic, don't you think?"
"Last time we tried romantic, you put candles all over the room."
"And you said you thought I was gonna perform some satanic ritual on you. So I decided to skip the candles this time."
He chuckled, allowing the Goth to pull him over to the couch and set him down before situating herself behind him. "You're the one that put 'em all in a circle. What was I supposed to think?"
She laughed again, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to the back his neck. She didn't miss the way that he shivered, nor did she miss the quiet moan that escaped him.
"That feel good?"
"You know it does." He sighed, closing his eyes as he allowed her to pull him back into her embrace.
"I'll tell you what, let me go heat up some pizza for you and while you eat, I'll give you a massage. You're so tense, T."
"I'd like that." The exhausted agent said quietly as he pulled away, allowing her to slide off the couch.
Hurrying into the kitchen, Abby grabbed a few slices of leftover pizza and dropped them onto a plate before she stuck them into the microwave. Fixing him a drink, she grabbed his dinner from the microwave and headed back into him, smiling when she found him exactly where she'd left him.
"You okay, T?" She asked quietly as she slipped behind him again, setting his food and drink on the coffee table in front of him.
"Yeah." He said, knowing that he didn't convince his lover. "No." He groaned, dropping his head back against her shoulder. "I don't wanna upset Jack anymore, but I can't shake this feeling that he's hidin' somethin'."
Nuzzling his neck gently, she released a quiet sigh against his shoulder. "Let's not think about it anymore tonight, huh? You need to relax and I'm gonna help you."
Leaning around him, she picked up the plate off the table and set it on his lap. "Eat. Let me take care of the rest." She grinned, kissing the back of his neck again before she started working on the muscles in his shoulders. "God, baby...you haven't been this tense since the Petty Officer Turner case last year."
"I told you...something's rubbin' me wrong about this. I just...can't put my finger on it." He groaned, relaxing into her touch.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Moving her hands under his shirt, she started massaging his lower back as she rested her cheek against his shoulder. "Don't like the pizza?"
"Just not hungry." He mumbled, reaching behind him and pulling her warm hands off of his skin.
She looked up at him, confused, as she allowed him to pull her into his lap gently. "Tony? What's goin' on?"
The Italian cupped the back of her head gently, pulling her pigtails out and running his long fingers through her hair before kissing her deeply. They were both slightly out of breath when they parted, his fingers still tangled in her hair and her arms wrapped around his neck. Resting his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes and released a small sigh.
"I just...don't wanna think about it."
She eased his shoulders back until he was leaning against the couch, allowing her to situate herself more comfortably on his lap. "I'll give you somethin' else to think about." The Goth smirked, pressing her body against his, feeling him respond to her gentle caresses. "Just...focus here." She said, pointing to her eyes.
"I think I can do that." He whispered, watching as she peeled the t-shirt she was wearing over her head and tossing it over the back of the couch. Picking up the blanket she had been wrapped in when he came inside, he draped it around her bare hips, running his hands over her thighs slowly. "God, you're beautiful."
"Kiss ass." Abby smirked, ducking her head and placing teasing kisses on his neck.
He moaned softly, dropping his head back against the couch and she continued her sweet assault. Closing his eyes, he focused all his attention on his girl, allowing her gentle touches to bring him out of the funky mood he'd been stuck in.
"Just relax, T." She mumbled against him. "Let me make it all better."
He didn't have the heart to tell her she already had.
Chapter End Notes:
"Hard Times Happen" by Josh Kelley