Kelly's birthday was always a hard time for him.
He'd go into work, the flask they had given him weighing more heavily than it normally did, even with the embedded bullet. Memories of his daughter's beautiful laughter and long hair tickling his face when he lifted her up for a hug were ever-present, and his heart would break more and more every minute.
DiNozzo never knew exactly what he mourned that day every year, and he never asked; he would give Gibbs a look that meant that he knew the day had some significance, and he would do the little things that made it easier. Those days there were no jokes made in poor taste, no waiting for prompts, no issues within his team; they performed as quietly as they could, their success never being impacted.
"Abby's got something for you, boss," DiNozzo said, and Gibbs rose, making his way to the lab on autopilot, only snapping out of his thoughts when she said his name. He took in her endearing appearance; skirt that was black-and-red plaid and long enough to just be considered decent yet short enough to exude the aura she always did; one of her metal or punk bands that he had never heard of but would always play along with whenever she was talking about them; her usual pigtails and necklace and bracelets and boots.
"Whaddaya got for me, Abbs?" he asked, taking a sip from his coffee. She quickly launched into a summary of all her findings, managing to keep the technical jargon to a minimum, and he smiled once she was done. "That's good work," he said, giving her a peck on the cheek. She turned and quickly wrapped him in a hug, her face buried in his chest, and he knew that she knew what today was, and was offering her own kind of condolence. He gave her a hug in return, before lowering his arms and waiting for her to let go. "I gotta go, Abbs," he said, and she begrudgingly let go, giving him her own peck on the cheek.
He stood in the elevator, the doors sliding closed, and thought of the daughter he had lost. I never got to know her as an adult, he had told many people. He pressed the button, the lights turning blue and the elevator jarring to a halt, and he felt his control wavering, then the dam shattered and tears began to collect in his eyes. He allowed himself a minute to grieve yet again, one hand tucked in tight to his body and the other blocking his face as he tried to keep what control he could. Come on, he thought, you've got a job to do. They wouldn't want you falling apart. Wiping his eyes, he reached for the button, pausing when his phone beeped. Flipping it open, he saw a text message from Abby, squinting to read it.
Father-daughter dinner tonight? My treat. –Abbs.
A smile slowly worked its way onto the stern face as he pressed the button, the lights coming back on and the elevator moving. "I'm sorry I lost you, sweetheart," he murmured, fingering the engraving on the flask in his pocket, "but I'm not alone. I've got another daughter now, and she's just as beautiful as you."
He knew it wasn't the same, and it never would be. But as he sent the reply to Abby, he knew that the sentiment was as close to true as any he could feel now, and he was happy with that.
Well, hope you guys liked that. Review, tell me how I did.
-Zeratide, out.