Tony gratefully took the coffee Gibbs handed him. Lil had fallen asleep before her head had hit the pillow in the spare room.
„Strange that she's sleeping. I thought she would be crying or something."
Gibbs said as he sat opposite Tony at the kitchen table. The younger man shook his head.
„It's her way to deal with stress. Other people don't get a eye shut and she sleeps through it. For the crying, that'll come. At the moment she doesn't understand what it means."
Gibbs looked into his cup. This was a completely new Tony. He had never seen the younger man so thoughtfull.
„Isn't Abby coming around tonight?"
Tony asked suddenly and Gibbs slapped himself. He had totally forgotten about his own daughter.
„We'll have to order something. I don't have time to cook now."
Tony smiled slightly.
„I think she'll understand that."
Gibbs stood up and took some menues of different restaurants.
„What does Lil like? Chinese? Pizza?"
„Pizza'll be good, I think. Hawai, her favourit. Take a big one, I'll share with her, she likes the big pieces."
Gibbs nodded. He kissed Tony on his cheek.
„We'll manage."
„Mummy!! MUMMY!"
Tony jumped from his seat to the spare room.
„Hey honey? What's wrong?"
Tony took his girl into his arms and she started to cry.
„Why had Mummy to go, Daddy?"
Tony kissed her brown hair.
„I don't know, honey. I don't know."
Gibbs stood in the door watching the little family. A few minutes later Lil wiped her tears away and looked at Gibbs.
„Are you Daddy's friend?"
„Em, yes, I am."
„Like Steve for Mummy?"
Tony stroke over her back.
„Yeah, honey. Kinda like that. Hey, Jethro had ordered Pizza and Abby's coming around, you like that?"
The little girl chuckled a bit again.
„Can I have a big Hawai?"
„Already on its way. And if you‘re nice Jethro might show you his boat."
Lil looked at Gibbs with big eyes.
„You have a boat?"
„I build one, in the basement."
„But how you get it out of there?"
Tony laughed a bit.
„That's a mystery he will think about when the time comes."
They were interrupted by Abby's yelling. Before either man could do something the little girl was out of bed and running to the door.
„Abby!"
„Like I said. The crying will come later."
Tony said and they went down the stairs.
Abby sat in the kitchen with Lil on her knees.
„Hey, guys. What's for dinner?"
She grinned and the two men reflected it.
„I ordered Pizza. I wanted to cook but..."
„It's fine, Gibbs. Today everything went crazy!"
She said and nodded. Tony saw the questions in her eyes so he wanted to give them time to talk.
„Hey hon, what about we going...em...up the stairs and we read?"
„I read before I go to bed, Daddy."
She said it as if Tony had turned nuts and everybody smiled.
„Yeah, but how about to change the routine just tonight? C'mon, hon. You can talk with Abby and Jethro later."
Tony took Lil's hand and they left the room.
„So, here we are now."
Abby said and nodded slowly.
„Yeah, here we are."
Gibbs repeated and they fell into an uncomfortable silence.
„Ok, I guess you have a lot of questions, so shoot!"
Gibbs said after what seemed hours. Abby sighed and tried to get the million of question to form a line so she could start with one.
„You knew about me? I mean, that you have a daughter somewhere?"
„No, I didn't. If I did, I would have never given you to adoption."
Abby nodded.
„You know who my mother was?"
„I'm sure about that, yes."
Abby raised her eyebrows. Gibbs nodded and thought about where to start.
„Ok, I had this high school girlfriend. Mary Ann Roberts."
„Mary Ann Roberts? My mother was a Mary Ann?"
Abby said unbelievingly and looking at Abby, it really was quite unbelievable.
„Yeah. She got pregnant, actually."
„But you said..."
Gibbs raised a hand to show her that he hadn't finished.
„We moved in together and I joined the Marines. When she was in the fourth month, I was in Boot Camp, she called me and told me that she had lost the baby."
Abby looked at the table.
„If she was my mother, hadn't you noticed that she still was pregnant?"
Gibbs shook his head.
„She said she couldn't stand living with me anymore and when I came home she was gone. I never heard of her since."
„So, you think she told you that she had lost, me, but didn't, moved, got me and gave me away? Why?"
Gibbs sighed. He had hoped that he could leave that part out.
„Before she noticed that she was pregnant we had broken up. She had, caught me."
„Caught you?"
„In bed with somebody."
Abby blinked a few times. Cheating wasn't what she'd expect from Gibbs, the most honorable man she knew.
„Ok, so...But then it could be that girl, too couldn't it?"
Gibbs didn't answer. Always the same question, he thought. But Abby knew what that silence meant.
„It wasn't a girl, right? It was a guy?!"
Gibbs nodded.
„She couldn't stand that. I can't even blame her for that. To find your boyfriend in bed with somebody else is hard enough, but if this somebody is male...I can't imagine how that feels."
Gibbs watched Abby for a few moments but couldn't quite read her expression.
„I'm sorry, Abby. If I had any idea...Well, I don't really know what I would have done but...If this helps you any, I'm really happy that *you* are my daughter."
Abby smiled.
„And I'm happy that you're my father."
„Good. And now you two can come back from there!"
Gibbs called and Tony showed in the door.
„Only me here. Lil's in her room waiting for Abby. The princess wants to change for the dinner."
The last sentence he said acting like a british buttler. Abby grinned and when she walked past him he bowed nearly to his toes.
Then he fell into the next chair.
„So, you had the touchy talk?"
„I never have touchy talk, and I certainly won't start to! But we had *a* talk. How's Lil doing?"
„Yeah, about that, she asked to sleep with us tonight."
„Us?"
„Yes, she asked to sleep with her daddy and Jethro."
„Well, I think we can arrange that."
Tony nodded and sighed.
„Welcome to the problems of being a father."
Gibbs said and kissed Tony quickly when the door bell announce the arrival of the pizza.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony and Gibbs have to deal with their children
Chapter End Notes:
You know, I really run out of things to say...