Gibbs and his team had been busting their asses since the call for the case came in right before they were going home; a triple homicide of a Navy officer and his family. They had a few leads but not much. Gibbs was standing in the lab, looking at the screen at some results.
"Gibbs."
"LEROY JETHRO GIBBS GET YOUR ASS HOME NOW!"
Gibbs was floored. His mother almost never called him, and now she was yelling at him.
"Um, Momma, I, well, I can't."
"Grams," Abby said when she heard her father's conversation.
"I really don't care what you can and can't do. Get your ass home NOW."
"Momma, really, I'm in the middle of a case." Gibbs feeling all of five years old
"Okay, whatever. I see you will never change. It's about damn time I take matters into my own hands. Be this way Lee. I'm sorry, but you leave me no choice." And she hung up the phone, much like Gibbs does to other people.
Gibbs just stared at the phone.
"What did Grams want?"
"Nothing, don't worry about it, Abby. What are the results?"
"The DNA you found at the scene is not any of the family members."
"Find it, Abby."
"Got it, Bossman."
Gibbs went storming out of the lab, pissed about the case and now more pissed about his mother. After he was long gone, Abby stopped what she was doing and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Grams, what's wrong?"
"Oh, Abby, sweet, nothing's the matter. Why?"
"Dad was just here and you called."
"Oh, that ass. I come for a visit and what do I find but a broken man sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth, crying."
"Oh, God, what happened to Tony? Where's Kelly?" Abby panicked
"Well, Tony and Kelly are both now in my car. We're heading home."
"Okay, I'm on my way."
"Oh, dear, this isn't your problem, don't-"
"No, Grams. Tony is my friend, and he needs me more than work does. I'll meet you back at your home."
"Oh, dear, really-"
"No, I'm leaving now, calling my boss and letting him know."
"Okay, sweetheart, see you soon. Be careful driving."
And they both ended the call. Abby left the lab and went to the director's office. She'd known Tom Morrow for years; he was one of her father's oldest and dearest friends. She told him a family thing had just come up and that she was sorry but she had to leave. He was concerned and wanted to find out from Gibbs if everything was okay. She said not to bother him, the he didn't seem to care.
Tom knew something was going on but honored her wishes and didn't inform her father. Abby bounded out and stopped at home only long enough to get a suitcase for her trip. She didn't know how long it would take, and frankly, she didn't care. She was more worried for Tony and had bitched at her father everyday about him going back to work, even if Tony said it was okay.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Um, Momma, I, well, I can't."
"Grams," Abby said when she heard her father's conversation.
"I really don't care what you can and can't do. Get your ass home NOW."
"Momma, really, I'm in the middle of a case."
"Okay, whatever. I see you will never change. It's about damn time I take matters into my own hands. Be this way, Lee. I'm sorry, but you leave me no choice." Louise Gibbs was a formidable lady. She was a good Southern belle, but she would make her son look tame, now she was not always this way.
"Okay, dear. Honey, can you hear me?" She crouched down and was now sitting in front of Tony.
Tony looked up at the new voice. "Hello?"
"Oh, dear. My name is Louise. Call me Momma. I'm Leroy's mother. I'm taking you out of this place. Can you get up?"
"I'm good, thanks. Nice to meet you, ma'am." Tony didn't offer a hand but kept rocking.
"Balderdash, you're not fine. My son has fucked up his last 3 marriages, and I'm not letting him do it to you, son. So let's get you up and then let's get some clothing. I'm taking you home with me. Where's my angel of a granddaughter?"
"Ma'am, Jethro will be home after his case. I'm good."
Then she walked up the stairs and got a suitcase and found clothing that did not match her son's. She threw some in the bag and walked back down.
"Okay, sugar, let's get you out to the car and we'll get Kelly. We're going on a trip."
"Okay, but really-"
"Hush, you. Can you get up or do you need help, sugar?"
"I'm good, ma'am, thank you."
She watched Tony stand up and the dog take the lead of the blind man. Momma could see why this man had caught her son's heart as much as Abby had told her about him. She helped Tony out to the car and put Capp in the back seat. Then she walked over to the next door neighbor and retrieved her granddaughter. Then they were off. She didn't seem to care that Kelly had school the next week; she piled them all in her car. Her son had screwed up big time in her eyes, and he was going to fix this like a good Southern boy should. He would make amends and he would now date the nice boy next to her.
"Daddy, where's Poppy?"
"He's working, honey."
Weez smiled at Kelly calling him Dad. From everything that Abby had told her about the handsome blind man, this meant a lot to him and he deserved it. She heard in his voice the caring he had for her youngest granddaughter.
Her cell went off and she talked to her Older granddaughter.
"Why are we going out of town?"
"Because, Angel, your father is a donkey's rear," Momma said to her granddaughter who was in the back seat petting the big dog back there with her.
They were driving back to West Virginia, to the small town where they lived. Gibbs' great-great grandfather had founded the town and their family had lived there ever since. It was only about a three hour drive there. She was tired but, like her son, she lived on coffee. She stopped and they had dinner at a Wendy's on the way there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Abby you have the-" Gibbs walked into the dark lab. All the lights were out, and the computers were all turned off.
"ABBY!" Gibbs barked.
Tim followed him in and was shocked about the outcome with no one in the lab.
"Where the hell is she?"
"Not sure, boss."
"Well find out, McGee." Gibbs barked
"On it, boss." And Tim left and was checking the security logs and found out she'd left the building well over an hour ago.
Gibbs was coming back into the bullpen. "And?"
"Abby left the building 1 hour and 46 minutes ago."
"Where'd she go, McGee?"
"I'm not sure, boss."
"You think this might not be something you would find out, McGee? We're in the middle of a case."
Magee jumped on the phone and started trying to get her by phone.
"What?" He spun around and saw her, Kate Todd coming up with something in her hand.
"I have the autopsy reports."
"Let me have them." Gibbs wasn't paying attention to the talk that Tim was having, not even knowing that he was talking to anyone.
"Not good."
Gibbs turned and then heard Tim talking.
"Abby, Gibbs is pissed. Okay, I'll tell him." And Tim hung up the phone.
"And what the hell is going on?"
"I'm, well, boss…"
"McGee, unless you want to find a new line of work, you'll tell me what she said."
"Okay, but remember this is her and not me."
"Damn it, McGee!"
"Jethro, my office, please," Tom said down to him from the top of the stairs.
Gibbs looked up and frowned. Gibbs put the reports back in Kate's hand and went up the stairs, followed by his friend. Once in the office, Gibbs took a seat in front of Tom's desk.
"Tom, really, this isn't the time. I have a lab tech who is AWOL. I have autopsy reports stating-"
"Abby is not AWOL, Jethro. She came by my office about 2 hours ago telling me a family emergency had arisen and that she needed to take some time off. I was concerned that you didn't need time off as well."
"What the hell? There hasn't been-" Gibbs stopped in mid-sentence. "I'll kill her." Gibbs got up and was walking for the door.
"SIT," Tom said forcefully.
"Tom, really, not your-"
"Sit your sorry ass down. Abby told me that you were being your stubborn-ass self and not taking care of something. Now what the fuck is going on, Jethro? We're friends, we used to share things."
"I'm not sure what's going on. All I know is that my mother called me, telling me I needed to come home right now."
"Okay, well, Abby took off a few days with an extension if she needed it. Maybe you should call her."
"Tom, I'm in the middle of a case."
"Okay, Jethro, you've always put work first. What if this time you put yourself and your life first? Maybe Tony got hurt today while at home. Maybe your mother is ill."
"She said something about if I didn't fix it she was not to be held responsible for her actions. Oh, God, something is wrong with Tony. Tom, look-"
"Jethro, the case can wait. Agent Todd and Agent McGee are very capable of putting it to bed. As of now, you're off duty till I say you can come back."
"Now I just have to find them."
"Well, before you were about to blow up, Tim did say Abby gave him a message."
"Thanks, Tom." Gibbs shook the man's hand and went out the door and down the stairs.
"Okay, McGee what did my daughter say?"
"Boss, just remember-"
"I know it's not Abby, it's my daughter."
"She said Grams is fixing your fuck-up."
"Did she say how or where?"
"Nope, but I pulled her EZPass and she is heading to West Virginia."
"She took Tony home. Great, I'm so fucked. Okay, look, Kate, you're in charge till I get back. Not sure how long."
"Got it, Gibbs."
Gibbs grabbed his coat, his gun and badge and headed out the door and didn't even go home but straight to the family home.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Sugar, we're here, time to wake up."
"Um, what…where…"
"I brought you home to the Gibbs' household. Time to wake up and see where we'll be staying."
"Ma'am, I'm blind, I can't-"
"I know, sugar, but my granddaughter told me you're great at getting around, so let's get this angel in the back upstairs and into bed."
"Kelly, honey, time to get up."
Kelly didn't wake up. Momma got out of the car and opened the back door and picked the little girl up. Tony had his suitcase as well as Capp's harness. Momma led them into the house. Capp was at her best, maneuvering around the house and up the stairs. Momma put Kelly into the spare room and then proceeded to show Tony his room.
"Okay, sugar. There are some ground rules. You're a guest, so you're not to lift a finger to do a damn thing around the house. Is that clear?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Also, no matter what that stubborn ass thinks, he is going to fix this, and he will do it right. Just trust me on this, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Also, I want you to make yourself at home. Treat this as your house. Just go into a cabinet and get what you need. In the morning we'll go over the house and you can get a feel for where you are. It's late and you need some sleep. Does the puppy have a name?"
"Yes, ma'am, Cappuccino, and she needs to be let out for a potty break."
"Fine, honey, let me."
"No, ma'am, it's part of the package, taking care of the animal."
"Okay, sugar, I understand. I'll show you the way. Take my arm."
"Thank you, ma'am. I can see where your son gets his soft side from."
"That pig-headed bum."
"Really, ma'am, he did nothing wrong."
"Oh, sugar, you were on the floor in tears. That's wrong, and he WILL fix it."
She showed Tony the outside run they had for a dog. At that time the family didn't have a dog, but growing up Gibbs had had a dog. Tony let Capp run while Momma told him the history of the house. Then she proceeded to take Tony back to the room and put him to bed. She all but tucked him in. Then she went down and waited for Abby to arrive, not too far behind her.
"Grams." Abby hugged her grandmother.
"Hey there, honey, you really shouldn't have."
"No, Dad is an ass. That was the second time he cancelled on Tony in two week. I know the job means a lot, but I've seen him fuck it up one too many times for that damn job."
"He is a pig-headed ass, but, honey, the job is him and he is the job. He can never quit that job but he should have taken more time on leave."
"You're right. Tim called. I'm sure Dad will be here soon."
"I'm expecting that as well. He'll get a rude awakening when he arrives. Now up the stairs and you and Kelly can share a room."
"Thanks, Grams."
Abby kissed her grandmother's cheek and went running up the stairs and climbed into bed with her sister and they both fell asleep. Momma sat in the kitchen, drinking coffee and waiting for her son. About 2 hours after Abby got there, Gibbs pulled up and went into the house. He saw the kitchen light on and knew he was screwed.
"Get your ass in here, Lee," she said to him as he stood in the doorway.
Gibbs walked in and kissed his mother's cheek. "Momma."
"Sit your sorry ass down, listen and listen good, you got me?"
"Yes, Momma."
Gibbs poured himself a cup of coffee and sat in the chair his mother pointed out for him. Before he sat his mother crooked her finger and Gibbs came closer. He even bent down and then his mother slapped the back of his head, then she pointed at the chair.
"Now, here's the deal, young man. You will be staying down at the Motel 8 in town."
"But, Momma-"
"Don't you dare Momma me. I gave you an out, but no, you had to think of work and only work. Well, not any more. I'll not come over to your place again and find that lovely man sitting on the floor wedged between a chair and the wall in the dining room, rocking back and forth and crying."
"Oh, God, what happened?"
"You tell me, Jethro. He still defends you."
"I cancelled going to classes tonight with him; the case came in at the last minute."
"Oh, Jethro, that boy is fragile. He knows your job comes first, but still he needs to feel that he does as well. So here's the deal. You will not be staying here. He is in your old room. Your daughters are both here. I will have Kelly enrolled in school on Monday and she will continue her schooling. Then you will court that man. You will treat him like a good Southern man should treat his prospective mate, like he deserves, and you will make it real, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I could care less if you're doing it for the next year. It will be official. You will spend time in the parlor and have tea and talk. There will be no hanky panky till I deem that you have lived up to the courting. In the end if he is your true love, and I know that he is, you will propose to that man and I could care less if it is not legal, you will make him an honest man. Abby told me about some of his past. I will, with your help, make him feel safe enough that we can prosecute his father and give him back his birthright. I'm not worried about the money that he lost. I could care less, but his name must mean something to him again. Even if you have to give up yours and change it legally to DiNozzo."
"Momma, but-"
"Don't you dare Momma me, mister. I gave you the choice on the phone and you yet again chose work over the person you say that you love. Abby and Kelly will be chaperones, as will I. You will not have a moment of alone time in the start. I mean it, Lee, you had better make this courting work. You had best dote on him to no end. I want you to make him a prince. Do you understand?" She glared at her son, who was looking down at the table. "Look at me when I talk to you."
"Yes, Momma, I understand. What time may I come over tomorrow and start courting him?"
"Well, I will allow you for breakfast, and at that time I will inform Tony that he will be courted properly. I don't care if this makes you feel weird. I meant it. You will bring him gifts."
"Momma, Tony might feel bad about that. He, well…"
"You don't worry about that, Lee. I'll make sure he is okay. You'll reassure him every time that you wish to give him the gifts and also make sure he doesn't feel bad. I'm not asking for big things, maybe flowers one day or just as simple as a single red rose. Clear?"
"Yes, Momma, crystal."
"Good. Now give me a kiss and get up there and say good-night to those girls."
Gibbs got up and kissed his mother's cheek. He then proceeded to walk upstairs and stopped at the shut door to his old room, looking, knowing his lover was in there and his bed would be empty tonight. His mother was at the bottom of the stairs listening, and he knew this. He opened the girls' door and walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. Kelly woke up to the extra person in the bed now.
"Poppy, you're here."
"Yes, Angel, I'm here. I'm saying good-night and I'll see you in the morning."
"Daddy?"
"Yes, honey." Gibbs pushed the black hair that was normally in pigtails away from her face.
"Did Grams yell at you?"
"Yes, Angel. I was stupid to Tony tonight, and I deserved it."
"You made Daddy cry again."
"Yes, Angel, but not anymore. Okay, here's what's going to happen. We're not going home anytime soon. We're staying in town. Grams is taking you to school on Monday at the local one."
"But why?"
"Well, I'm going to court Tony, like a good Southern boy should treat his mate."
"Good," Abby said short and gruff.
"Yes, and I won't be staying here either."
"Why not, Poppy?"
"Well, like a good Southern man, it would be inappropriate for me to live in the same house as the man, in this case, that I'm courting. So I'll be staying in the local motel. So you are to mind your Grams, Tony and Abby."
"Yes, Poppy."
"I'll be permitted to attend breakfast in the morning when Grams tells Tony what will transpire. I want you both to do me a favor. Can you do that?"
"Yes, Poppy."
"What?" Abby asked, not too keen on this deal.
"Help Tony see that he's special and deserves the things that will be happening to him."
"Daddy IS special."
"I know, Angel, and now we're going to show him just how special he really is."
"No, Dad, YOU'RE going to do that. Kelly and I aren't helping with that."
"Why, Abby?"
"Kelly, honey, HE needs to show Tony how special he is. Tony already knows what we think, but it's Daddy's turn to show him."
"I'm lost. Poppy loves Daddy, right?"
"With all my heart, and now I'm going to put my feelings up-front and show him."
"Good, Daddy is very special."
"Okay, well, your grandmother is in the hall waiting to walk me out. I love you both." Gibbs kissed his daughters and walked out to his car, left and got a room at the local motel.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony and Kelly get Kiddnapped