**Chapter Eight - Tomorrow Still Comes**
**January 27, 2014 - Tony and Abby's House**
"Bein' treated like a God-damned child." Tony grumbled as he sat on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest.
Abby had banished him to the living room, citing the fact that he had been irritating everyone since they made the ID on the guys who killed the Marine and attacked Jack in the parking garage. He tried to explain that he was only trying to keep them safe, that until they found the men responsible, he didn't want anyone leaving the house without him.
She had told him he was being ridiculous, that he couldn't possibly be everywhere at once, and with their wedding less than two weeks away, he needed to be focused on closing the case. It was an argument that left him sleeping downstairs on the couch while she locked herself in the bedroom, refusing to speak to him until the morning.
"Daddy?"
The little voice jarred him from his thoughts and he uncrossed his arms, looking down at his daughter. "What's up, sweetness?"
Emma poked her finger into her mouth, tilting her head to the side as she studied him. "Why you sad, Daddy?"
The Italian shook his head, patting the couch next to him. "I'm in the doghouse, baby girl."
"We no have a goggy."
"It's..." He sighed, releasing a small chuckle. "It's like a time out."
She frowned, cuddling herself into his side. "Mommy 'panky you?"
He couldn't help but smile, pulling his little girl onto his lap. "No, Mommy didn't spank me."
"Okay." She said, hopping off his lap and running into the other room. He sighed quietly, turning back to his movie when she returned, carrying two juice boxes. "For Daddy." There was a bright smile on her face as she offered one to him. "Take."
"Thanks, baby." He smiled, pulling the toddler onto his lap and poking the straws into the juice boxes. Emma settled against him and they drank their juice in silence, watching the movie that was playing, when Abby walked in with a sandwich and a beer.
"Brought you some lunch."
"Not really hungry." He bit out, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Oh..." The Goth frowned slightly, stepping a little further into the room. "It's your favorite. Pastrami and beer."
Tony opened his mouth to reply when his phone suddenly started ringing, showing Gibbs' number on the caller ID. "DiNozzo." He answered, maintaining the eye contact he had with his wife-to-be. "Uh huh. On my way, Boss." Hanging up the phone, he moved his daughter off his lap and stood up. "I have to go. We got a lead."
"I could wrap this up for you. So you can eat when you get a chance."
He approached her, ducking his head and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I won't have time. I gotta get dressed, get everyone in here. I'll be back in 5." He didn't give her an opportunity to argue as he exited the room, taking the stairs to their room two at a time.
Dropping her head back, she sighed before taking the sandwich into the kitchen and setting it on the counter.
"He still angry with you?"
She turned to her sister-in-law and nodded, shrugging her shoulders as she wrapped the sandwich and the pickle in tinfoil. "I guess I can't really blame him. I did get kinda bitchy with him last night."
Britty scoffed. "He was outta line. And besides, you know how many times your brother has slept on the couch in the last 20 years? I'm sure Tony's only been so unlucky once or twice in his life."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." The Goth placed the sandwich into a paper bag and set it aside. "He wants a 'family meeting' or something. Where's J and BB?"
"I think they're still in the garage playin' with that stupid pool table you let your husband put in there." She smirked, walking over to the door and pulling it open. "Hey, you two. Get in here, we've been summoned."
Setting down their pool cues, they walked into the kitchen. Bradley leaned against the counter and Jack continued past his Aunt and Mother into the living room, dropping onto the couch. Tony came down the stairs a few minutes later and entered the kitchen, a frustrated look crossing his face as he saw them standing around.
"What part of 'in the living room in 5' did you not understand, Abby?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe.
She turned to him, an eyebrow cocked at him. "Excuse me?"
"Did I not make myself clear? Living room. Now."
"Listen, I don't know who you think you..." Britty began, though he quickly cut her off.
"This is not a debate or a discussion, Brittany. I don't have time to play this game with you."
The redhead's jaw dropped as she looked over at Abby, irritated that she was allowing the Italian to speak to them like that.
"Tony..." Abby tried, stepping between the two of them. "What's the problem?"
"No one leaves the house."
"You can't really expect us to stay here while you're gone for God knows how long!" Britty cried, glaring at the older man as he stared her down.
"I can, and I do. Like it or not, I've got a job to do, and right now, that's to protect your family. So deal with it." He growled. Turning to Abby, he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Any complaints from you?"
"Nope." She spat, clearly not happy with him.
"Good. I'll be back when I'm back then." He responded before he hurried out of the kitchen, clipping his holster and his badge to his belt. He exited the house and Abby visibly shuddered when the door slammed.
"You're gonna let him talk to you that way?"
"Its not worth talkin' to him when he gets like that, B. He doesn't listen."
"That's not an excuse, Abby." Bradley said, agreeing with his wife. "He shouldn't treat you like that."
"This case is stressing him out. He's just trying to keep us safe, and we're not exactly making it easy on him."
"You're defending him now? That's rich."
She frowned, looking over at her brother. "You were always so into having the perfect subservient wife, I figured you'd be proud."
"Subservient wife? Have you met Britty?"
Rolling her eyes the Goth turned and walked out of the room, leaving her brother and his wife shaking their heads.
**Three Hours Later - NCIS Interrogation Room**
Tony leaned against the wall in the corner of the interrogation room watching quietly as Gibbs sat across the table from Chris Meyers, staring the younger man down. It had been surprisingly easy to catch him once they caught a lead on his whereabouts, picking both him and his cousin Sean up while they were dealing at Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
Sean had flipped easily, telling them everything they wanted to hear about what had happened and how his cousin was involved. It was painfully obvious that the kid had never been in trouble before, and his record reflected it. He didn't even have a parking ticket, much less an arrest.
Gibbs cleared his throat and flipped open the file sitting in front of him, beginning to read from the page. "Aggravated Assault, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Possession with Intent...I'm sure the list goes on with similar charges. I'm gonna add Murder to it though."
The younger man smiled smugly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Good luck provin' that one."
The silver-haired agent simply glanced at his watch before pushing himself up from the table and making his way toward the door. Tony moved to follow him, not saying a word to the man cuffed to the table.
"Oh, Agent DiNozzo, say hello to that pretty daughter of yours, will you? What's her name...oh! Emma, right? Pretty blonde hair...she's a real cutie."
The Italian didn't hesitate at all as he lunged at the younger man, catching Gibbs off guard. For a split-second, he considered leaving his senior agent alone in the room and turning the cameras off, but he changed his mind, choosing to not let the younger man ruin his career.
"Tony!" He called, grabbing him firmly by the shoulders and dragging him out of the room.
"You son of a bitch! Stay the fuck away from my family!" He cried, struggling against his boss' grip.
Gibbs barely managed to get him out of the room before he broke free, slamming his fist against the wall. "Fuck!"
"You gonna let him get to you, DiNozzo?"
"He...he knows her name, Boss. Knows where we live...I don't know what kind of reach this guy or his family has. I can't protect them all the time, Abby's right about that."
Stepping forward, the older man grabbed his hand and saw that his knuckles were bleeding. "Go down to Ducky and get your hand checked out, then go home."
"Boss, you need me here."
"You really think after that stunt you pulled that I'm gonna let you back in there?" He scoffed, turning and starting to walk away. "It's not a suggestion. Go home. I'll see you tomorrow, we'll discuss protection details for Abby and Emma."
**Tony and Abby's House**
Abby looked up as the front door opened, immediately looking back to the TV when she saw her fiance walk through the door.
"Hey." She greeted half-heartedly, running her fingers through Emma's curls as the little girl slept on her lap.
"Hey." Shrugging out of his jacket, he hung it on the hook before taking his Sig off his hip and walking toward his gun safe. "Where is everyone?"
"Upstairs." The Goth replied simply, pausing before she shifted so she was looking at him. "You put me in a really awkward position today, Tony."
"I did what I had to do, Abby." He replied, turning around to face her after securing his weapon. "I'm sorry if your family didn't like it."
"They're gonna be your family too, you know."
He remained silent, reaching his hand up to run it through his hair when he heard his girl gasp loudly. "What?" He asked.
"You...what happened to your hand?" She asked, shifting Emma so she was laying on a pillow before standing up and making her way over to him. "Lemme see."
She reached for his hand and frowned when she looked at his swollen, bloody knuckles. "Baby..." She tried, only to be cut off by the sound of gunshots.
Tony grabbed her around the waist and dropped her to the floor beside the couch, covering her body with his. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah...I'm okay." Abby said, her voice shaky as she nodded her head.
Pushing himself off of her after a second, he ran outside just in time to see a black sedan peeling out around the corner at the end of the block. He managed to catch most of the license plate before the car disappeared from sight.
Cursing loudly, he made his way back to the house, shoving the front door open. Abby met him by the stairs, her green eyes filled with tears as she cradled a sobbing Emma in her arms.
"What...what happened?"
"I don't know. Stay away from the windows."
He started heading up the stairs to check on everyone else when Bradley pushed open the bedroom door, pulling his wife and sons downstairs.
"What the fuck was that?" He asked. "Are the girls okay?"
Tony nodded. "The girls are fine, just a little shaken up. You guys all right?"
"We're fine. The windows don't face the street, thank God." Britty said, rushing over to her niece and Abby, holding her youngest son on her hip. "Are you okay?"
The Goth nodded, cradling her daughter close as the little girl's tears subsided. "Just scared me, that's all." She smiled sadly as her lover came up to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "'M sorry, T...'m so sorry."
"Shh..." He mumbled, pressing his lips to her forehead. "I'm here. We're all fine." Closing his eyes, he rocked back and forth slowly, unsure who he was trying to comfort more, his girls or himself.
**0230 Hours**
Abby sat straight up in bed, startled awake by the nightmare she had just experienced. Looking to her right, she frowned when she realized her fiance wasn't there. Climbing out of the bed, she pulled on her fluffy black robe and headed downstairs.
"Tony?" She called, her voice hardly above a whisper as she stepped into the dark living room. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see him sitting on the couch, his shoulders slumped forward. "You okay?"
He didn't respond right away, choosing instead to flex his bandaged hand a few times before taking a sip of his beer. "Not really, no. Couldn't sleep."
Walking over to the couch, she sat down next to him. "Wanna talk?"
The Italian shook his head, leaning back against the couch. Lifting the bottle of beer to his lips, he drained it before letting it hang loosely from his hand.
"Okay. I'll...I'll let you be, then." She whispered, pushing herself up from the couch.
Reaching out, he gripped her hand, his eyes searching hers. "Don't go, please."
She allowed him to tug her down onto his lap, slipping his large hands inside her robe and resting them against her bare skin. "I'm not gonna apologize, Abby." He mumbled, leaning his forehead on her shoulder.
"Didn't expect you to."
"I know...that I've been hard to live with, hard to be around...but what happened today, Abs, that was my biggest fear."
Moving her hand into his hair, she massaged his scalp gently as she cradled his head to her chest. "I know, T. I...saw it in your eyes." Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to his lips. "How's your hand?"
"Hurts. Thanks for cleanin' it up for me."
"Of course." She said, pulling the injured hand out from under her robe so she could look at it. "You never told me what happened."
He watched as her fingers trailed over his injury gently. "Got it caught in a closing door. It was an accident."
Cocking an eyebrow, she frowned. "Really? I saw your hand, Tony. I know what it looks like when you punched a wall."
"If you knew what happened, why'd you ask?"
"Well, I was hoping I could get you to be honest with me." Letting go of his hand, she twirled a strand of hair between her fingers absently. "Good to know that's not true."
"He knows her name."
Her lover's voice was barely above a whisper, and for a second, she almost thought he hadn't said anything at all. He slipped his injured hand back inside her robe, seeking the closeness that he needed after the trying day he had.
"Talk to me, T. I can't help if you won't tell me what's wrong."
"He knows her name, Abs. What she looks like...that bastard threatened you and Emma in so many words, and if Gibbs hadn't been there to pull me back, I'd be the one facing murder charges, not him."
She wasn't sure how to respond to his admission, and she could feel his body tensing the longer they sat in the mutual silence.
"I have to protect you, Abby. God...I don't know what I'd do if..." He stopped, interrupted by her slender fingers pressed against his lips.
"Don't talk like that."
Closing his eyes, he kissed her fingers gently. "I know I'm probably gonna be pretty unbearable for awhile, but I really need your support with this. I can't let you and Em be in danger."
"I understand, baby. I'm just sorry that I didn't see it earlier."
He pulled her close to him, running his hands over her warm skin. "I'll talk to Britty and your brother tomorrow, okay? They should know what's goin' on...so they can decide what they want to do."
Abby tipped her head to the side and looked at him curiously. "What about Jack?" She asked. "Aren't you guys gonna need him to testify?"
"I have to talk to Gibbs and Vance tomorrow. I don't wanna have to keep them here if its not necessary."
"Come back to bed?" The Goth asked, her breath warm as she nuzzled her fiancé's neck. "Please?"
The Italian hesitated before nodding, removing his hands from her robe and allowing her to stand. Taking her hand, he threaded their fingers together and led her up the stairs to their bedroom, knowing that he probably wasn't going to be able to sleep.
**The Next Morning - NCIS Headquarters**
It had been a bad night for his Senior Field Agent, Gibbs decided as he watched Tony cradle his head in his hands at his desk. What had happened in interrogation had been bad enough, but the shots fired in front of his house had spooked the younger man.
Releasing a quiet sigh, Gibbs pushed himself to his feet and rounded his desk, making his way to the stairs. "DiNozzo, with me."
"Boss?"
Gibbs didn't respond, didn't look back, but he knew Tony was on his heels as they made their way to the Director's office.
"The Director is expecting you. Go right in." Cynthia said, watching as the two men strode past her and into the office.
"Ah, Gibbs. Thanks for coming up. Please, sit." Director Vance greeted, motioning to the conference table near the door to the large room. "Agent DiNozzo, I heard what happened last night at your house. How are Miss Sciuto and your daughter doing?"
"Everyone's a little freaked out, but we'll be okay. Fortunately no one was hurt." Tony said, dropping his eyes to the surface of the wooden table. "Thanks for asking, though."
The older man nodded, resting his hands on top of the table as he eyed the Italian carefully. "I received Gibbs' request for a protection detail and of course, it's going to be granted, but before we decide on the specifics, why don't you tell me what you had in mind?"
"I want my people takin' the lead on it, Leon." Gibbs said, not giving Tony a chance to respond.
"I don't know if that's a good idea."
The silver-haired man shrugged. "Don't care. I want a perimeter set up around the house to be manned 24/7."
"And how exactly do you think your team of four is going to manage that?" Vance asked incredulously.
"We're not. The other teams will supplement. I want my team on the family at all times."
"With all due respect, isn't that a little excessive?"
"No. Not until we know what we're dealin' with."
The Director shook his head. "I can't afford to have your team off doing a protection detail for God knows how long while this case is active. You have the biggest case load in the agency."
Tony spoke up, finding the steadiness of his voice surprising considering the subject matter. "We'll be able to cut down on the number of agents needed once Abby's family goes back to Louisiana. Probably down to just the four of us, since it'll only be Abby and Emma that need it."
"What about Miss Sciuto's nephew?" He asked, addressing the younger man as he flipped open a file. "Jack Sciuto? He can't leave, he has to testify. He's the only witness."
"What? He's only 15, he has to get back for school. I had every intention of having him return in time for the trial."
"That's not an acceptable solution, Agent DiNozzo. I can't..." He stopped when the intercom at the center of the table beeped insistently. Pressing the button down, he answered as calmly as he could manage. "Yes?"
"There's a Detective Cheney here to see Agent Gibbs. He says it's important."
Gibbs stood up immediately and exited the office with Tony right behind him, frowning when he saw the Baltimore Homicide Detective standing in front of Cynthia's desk waiting.
"Agent Gibbs." The Detective greeted gruffly, eying the pair with a slight look of disgust.
The slightly older man said nothing as he stared the detective down, waiting to find out the reason for this impromptu visit.
"Chris Meyers." Cheney said, crossing his arms over his chest as he turned to face the two men fully. "What's the status?"
"What's it to you?" Tony asked, quickly closing his mouth when Gibbs turned and glared at him, a silent warning to keep quiet.
"He's currently in our custody, where he's gonna stay. That the reason for your visit? Coulda called, woulda saved you a trip."
"My department's lookin' to charge him for the deal you busted him on."
The Italian scoffed. "More like lookin' to get him off."
"That's rich, comin' from the guy who tried to assault him on camera in an interrogation room."
"Hey!" Gibbs said, holding his Senior Agent back with a hand to his chest. "Murder trumps a dealing charge, and you know it, Detective. So you're gonna have to wait until we're done with him. Let's go, DiNozzo."
He followed obediently, glaring at the Baltimore Detective as he passed. Once they were back down in the squad room, he turned on his boss.
"You don't think he's up to somethin'?"
The older man cocked an eyebrow at him, moving forward until he was only inches away from his face. "Did I say that, Tony? I understand that you're concerned about Abby and Emma, and I'm doin' what I can to get them as much protection as possible. But I will not stand for you accusing me."
After glaring at the silver-haired agent for a moment, he backed down, his shoulders slumping as he ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize, Tony. I know." Clapping a hand on the younger man's shoulder, he squeezed gently. "I know."
"I'm gonna need to use some of my time off, Boss. I can't...I need to have people I trust with them, and Vance isn't gonna approve the detail you want."
"Lemme deal with that, okay? I promise you, Tony, one of us will be with them as much as possible."
He nodded, swallowing hard. He hated the way his hands trembled slightly, giving away his vulnerability. "Guess we should consider pushin' the wedding back, huh?"
Gibbs chuckled lightly. "I'll let you talk to Abby about that one."
He nodded, taking a few steps toward the elevator before turning back to face the older man. "Thanks, Boss. Really."
"I want 'em safe too, Tony. We'll work it out."
Offering a small smile, he released a sigh and stepped into the car, punching the button for the lab. The morning had been shot to hell, though he hadn't expected anything different. Dropping his head back against the cool metal wall, he closed his eyes, giving himself a moment to calm down before he forced his DiNozzo mask back in place.
The doors opened with a ding, and he stepped off, making his way into his girl's lab. It was unusually quiet, as her normally loud music wasn't rattling the windows. He spotted his Goth's brother and nephews huddled around the computer in her office, no doubt surfing the internet as they passed the time.
Britty was sitting beside Abby at her work station, watching as her fingers moved quickly on the keys while they carried on a quiet conversation, but his daughter was nowhere to be found.
"Hey." He greeted, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Where's Em?"
"Napping on the futon in the back." She stopped typing and spun around in her chair to face him. "What's goin' on?"
"Can we talk?" The Italian hesitated, feeling her brother and sister-in-law's eyes on him. "In private?"
"Yeah. Sure." Excusing herself, she stood from the stool and led her fiance back to the soundproofed ballistics lab. She closed the door behind them and took a seat on the stool, looking at her lover worriedly. "What happened, T?"
He walked across the room, leaning against the workbench for a second before turning around to face her. "I need to talk to you about the wedding."
"You're not changin' your mind, are you?"
"No, no. It's just...with everything that's goin' on, I think it'd be in the best interest of everyone if we pushed it back. Just until after all this settles down."
Abby offered him a small smile as she pushed herself off of the stool and approached him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You know that I don't need a ceremony, T. I love you, with or without a marriage license." Leaning up, she kissed him gently. "Now, tell me what's really bothering you."
Releasing a heavy sigh, he pulled her closer to his chest, leaning back on the workbench. "Vance approved Gibbs' request for a protection detail."
"Tony..."
"Abby, please. I really need your support on this, okay?"
Pulling away from him, she cocked an eyebrow, her hands on her hips. "We don't need a babysitter, T. Especially not you guys. What happens when you catch a case? I mean, are you gonna make us all come with you to the crime scenes so that you can keep an eye on us? Is that what the plan is?"
"God damnit Abby! Why can't you ever just back me up on anything? Everything turns into a fucking debate with you! You were fine with all this last night when I talked to you!"
She opened her mouth to respond when he held a finger up, shaking his head. "Just don't." Turning around, he left the ballistics lab and made his way to the elevator, ignoring his girl's family members as they watched him leave.
Bradley glanced back to where his sister was standing, her weight resting on the workbench. He pushed himself up and ran toward the elevator, slipping his hand between the closing doors.
"Not really interested in a lecture, Bradley." Tony spat, crossing his arms over his chest when the older man stepped into the small car.
He reached over and flipped the emergency stop switch, glaring at the younger man in the blue glow of the elevator. "Don't really care, Tony."
"You know what? I don't know what the fuck I was thinkin', tryin' to marry into this family. I can't get my fiancée to back me on anything, and her brother threatens me every time I even *think* about raising my voice!" The Italian threw his hands in the air dramatically. "I don't know why..."
He didn't have an opportunity to finish his sentence before Bradley's fist met his jaw, sending him stumbling back into the wall of the elevator.
"Fuck!" He cried, holding his jaw. "You know I can arrest you for striking a federal agent?"
"Ask me if I give a shit." Flexing his hand, he shook it out and flipped the switch to turn the elevator back on. "You know, DiNozzo, if we're all so fucking horrible, maybe you shouldn't bother marrying Abby."
The words were uttered nonchalantly, but Tony felt like a knife had been twisted in his gut. Before he had a chance to respond, the sandy-haired man stepped out of the car and back into the lab, intent on comforting his sister.
A few hours later, Abby stepped off the elevator and walked into the bullpen, ignoring her lover as she passed his desk. Bradley had told her what the Italian had said to him in the elevator, and while deep down she knew he didn't really mean it, the knowledge that he had said it at all hurt her.
The older man looked up from the file he was reading and cocked an eyebrow at the Goth as she stopped in front of his desk, looking at him expectantly.
"I'm gonna head home. Jeremy and Emma are gettin' grouchy, and I don't think BB and Britty are gonna last much longer stuck here."
She heard Tony audibly snort behind her, but chose not to acknowledge him as he stood up and walked out of the squad room.
Gibbs pushed himself up from his chair and leaned across the desk. "There a reason you're ignorin' him, Abs?"
"It's nothing. I just came up to tell you we're heading home."
He nodded, not quite believing what she was telling him. "You should cut him some slack. He's havin' a hard time dealin' with all this, and he's doin' a pretty good job of keepin' it together so he can do what's best for you and Emma."
"Yeah...I know."
"You don't give him enough credit, Abby."
The silver-haired agent didn't miss how her face fell, though she did manage to school her face into a neutral expression before she turned and walked away without saying another word.
Chapter End Notes:
"Tomorrow Still Comes" by Will Dailey