Yeah so here's my next NCIS story. Sorry it's not a sequel to Come Take Me Home but I haven't been hit with inspiration for that yet. However I am working on a multi-chaptered story idea and another one shot where DiNozzo's just having an all around unlucky, awful and painful day. Maybe eventually I will write a sequel, but we'll see. This was inspired by Beethoven's Love Story. It's really a beautiful piece. I suggest listening to it while reading the first part of the sotry. Enjoy!
The house was dark as he turned the lock and opened the door. It swung inward silently revealing a long shadowed hallway and several dim rooms beyond. He slowly stepped over the threshold and turned to wordlessly shut the door behind him. He slipped out of his long, black winter coat and trailing gray scarf, before he hung them up. A faint melody wove its way to his ears, his eye sight might have deteriorated over the years, but his ears were as sharp as ever.
The gentle sounds rolled over each other as if eager to lead him to the hands that had fashioned them. He toed out of his shoes and his feet reflexively curled when they came in contact with the cold, waxed hard wood floor. He glided down the hallway and past the picture frames that hung eerily on the wall, shadows distorting the well known faces. The white walls seemed to don a melancholy gray as light from a full moon filtered through the door's side windows. The music settled then slowly began building again, becoming louder and clearer as he moved closer. With measured steps he crossed into the room that separated him from the musician.
Shadows seemed to cling to everything here, casting a deep black blanket over the table and chairs that stood sentinel over each other. A chandelier hung as a spider suspended upon a strand of silk, ready to entrap its prey. Two large windows stood only to elongate the dark silhouettes reign among the ornately carved painting frames and the oils within. The shadows crossed his face and body casting sharp blue eyes in shadow to light then back again. The tone of the building and cresting notes reflected the deep sorrow and pain of their owner and their weight made it difficult to take the last few steps.
He sat on the long black bench barely lit by any light, his fingers ghosting across the keys like in some morose dance. The ebony stood out against the ivory, and the ivory stood out against the ebony. His shoulders were hunched, as if he was pouring his heart and soul into those tinkling piano keys. The white dress shirt that he wore stood out, reflecting the almost non-existent light. The final notes of one composition melted into the beginning of another, the melancholy undertone making them all feel like a funeral dirge.
The hands moved faster and the notes twined together to tug him forward. He could feel the emotions tied to each noted, trapped between each measure's caress. The lone ray of moonlight reflected off of the Ivory and rose up to highlight mournful green eyes. The fingers finally slowed as he approached, the only indication the young brunet had noticed his advance. The deeper, lower echoes seemed to be suspended in air as they navigated the darkened, open room. His arms moved up and down the keys, resembling the conductor for the final "Amazing Grace", played as the casket was lowered into the eternal slumber. He glided the final few feet so he was standing behind the suffering instrumentalist.
The gloomy notes slowed even more until, with a few resonant notes, silence once again pervaded all.
"It's been almost twenty year's boss" came a murmured observation.
"I know" a deeper voice replied as the owner sat down on the bench, which creaked in protest.
"She was the only one that took care of me back then" the first cracked.
"I know" came the reply. After several years of this ritual he knew what to say and when to say it.
"She was the best mother anyone could have" the brunet said through a lump in his throat.
"I know" the older man answered, watching the downcast green eyes water and crinkle at the edges.
"I miss her" the young agent admitted grinding his teeth together.
Silver hair reflected the moon light as he cupped a gentle hand behind the head and pulled the distraught man close.
"I know" was murmured once more, and he felt a few tears soak into his shirt.
They stayed like for a moment or two, just enough for the younger to get his feet back underneath. He pulled away and straightened, rubbing a white clothed arm over his still slightly watery eyes.
"Sorry boss, you'd think after god knows how many years, I'd get better at this" Tony said apologetically.
"Remembering your mother is nothing to be ashamed of" Gibbs replied catching the other's eye in a piercing gaze.
"I know" the younger agent answered with a half-smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Come on" Gibbs said standing up and prodding the younger to do the same.
He guided Tony over to the couch and sat him down, before turning on a lamp. Light invaded the previously shadowed room, casting it in a warm glow and seeming to chase the cold away.
"Beer in the same place?" Gibbs asked.
"Yeah" Tony replied, with a wry smile.
The older agent patted him on the shoulder before disappearing into the long darkened hallway. He didn't bother turning on the light. Just as this was a sacred day this was a sacred ritual, and he'd memorized this journey over the last three years. The refrigerator set him awash in unwanted bright light and cast a long shadow behind him. He quickly reached in and grabbed two beers before returning to the living room.
"Just like old times" Tony joked as Gibbs sat down next to him and offered a beer.
He got a grunt in response.
"It just keeps getting better and better", Tony chuckled before they settled into a comfortable silence that stretched for several minutes. A furrow on the brunet's forehead seemed to intensify and he began rolling the beer bottle between his hands, obviously seriously contemplating something.
"You know… We really were a happy family" he unexpectedly offered, staring intensely at the piano, which was now lit up to a toasty brown.
Gibbs glanced at the young man tracing the once again tense shoulders and moving fingers. It was the first time that Tony had mentioned his family during these lonely memorials, and it clearly wasn't easy. He inclined his head slightly, telling the other he was listening.
"Dad actually took time off of work to spend time with us. We even went on vacation at least once a year. We were a regular family" Tony continued, gesturing with his hands.
"But that all changed…" he said shoulders sagging.
He lifted his chin, as if he was relying on gravity to stop any tears that might fall.
"It was at night and it had been raining all day, mom and I were on our way home from dinner, it was my 13th birthday", Here he paused for a moment with a bitter smile before continuing, "Dad couldn't make 'cuse of a last minute budget meeting. Our chauffeur was driving. We were halfway across an intersection when I heard this sudden blaring. Mom grabbed me and shielded me with her body. There was this sudden crash and the sound of metal scraping and tearing. Felt like it would bust my eardrums; we were thrown around before something else from the opposite side hit us. I banged my head against something, as the car slowly stopped moving. Then it was quiet."
He took a deep breath, "Once everything stopped I looked around. Mom still had her arms around me, and I tried to pull away to see if she was okay and ask what had happened. Her arms gave way, way to easily. Her face was pale and my voice sounded so scared when I called her name. I sounded like I was four again and had had a bad dream. If only it had been. MY hand shook as I touched her face; she opened her eyes and smiled. Only it was that smile you see on all the movies when a main character is dying. It was only then I saw all the blood. It was everywhere… Her back had been all tore up by the doors when she'd shielded me…"
It was here he trailed off choking up again, his breath almost coming out in gasps. Gibbs laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, telling him he didn't have to continue. The brunet just shook his head, he'd started he was going to follow through.
"It seemed like forever until help arrived. I kept trying to talk to her, keep her awake until they managed to get us out; but a few minutes after the crash she said 'I love you' and went limp. I kept shaking her and yelling her name but she never said anything ever again" here he paused to take another calming breath; it seemed the worst of the story was over.
"At the hospital they told me that she had been dead on arrival, in nicer words of course, like that really helped at all. It was the first time I saw death and looked it in the eye, and it wasn't pretty", a small bitter smile quirked his lips.
"Yeah, that was the night our family fell apart. Dad arrived a couple of hours later. I had already been checked out, and told I'd have to stay overnight. It was my first concussion, and I wish the last, those really hurt. Well, maybe not as much as the plague but still" Tony once again trailed off, as if he was trying to distract himself. He took a swig of his beer.
Gibbs just quirked a brow as he took a quick drink, he wasn't surprised at Tony's behavior, he'd actually come to expect it by now.
"Anyway after Dad got there, it was like a hurricane was blowing through. I mean literally, papers were flying around because he was walking so fast; and his voice thundered as he was yelling at the doctors. He was pissed to say the least" Tony snorted.
"Then he came into my room, against the nurses objections I might add, and just stared at me. I thought he'd be glad I was okay and in one piece... Boy was I wrong. Now I can kind of understand what he was going through and what he was feeling, but back then I couldn't understand why my father was glaring at me and looking like he was about ready to snap" he just shook his head.
"He started yelling at me, saying how it was my fault that she was dead, in harsher, more vulgar words of course. He said he didn't know why she had tried to protect me, I wasn't ever worth anything, and a real man protects those who are close to him, not the other way around. I knew that was wrong though, mom had shown me otherwise."
Gibbs watched him as a spark of anger lit in the green eyes. Well now he had a better understanding of why Tony was so protective of everyone.
"That was the day I began to despise him, and he me. He made it very clear that once I turned eighteen I was on my own. He wrote me out of the Will as soon as he could. Once I finished high school I moved out, living off of some of the money my mother left me until I could get a job" Tony explained taking another swig the hard part now over, though Gibbs didn't miss how quickly Tony skipped over his father.
"I eventually decided on becoming a police officer after I kept breaking up fights in a bar I worked at. I could be all over those guys kick their butts all the way to Atlantic and the police that were always called were the ones being flirted with by the women. It just wasn't fair" here he made a funny face, glancing at Gibbs who rewarded him with a smirk. Typical DiNozzo.
"I see you haven't changed much" Gibbs remarked dryly, getting a chuckle out of Tony.
Though, the humor gave way a little to a tinge of sadness in the dancing green eyes.
"It does feel good to finally be able to tell the story. It felt like a weight had settled on my chest, and now I can breathe. Thanks, for being the father I never had" Tony gave him a genuine smile.
Gibbs had known the two hadn't gotten along, but now he understood better and his dislike of the man had grown. What kind of father just sat behind his desk and sent a fruit basket to his son dying of the plague? Now this? His resolve to never let that man within a mile of Tony had grown stronger.
"Now, don't go all sentimental on me" the ex-marine growled eyeing the younger agent as he took another drink.
Tony broke out laughing, the spark in his eyes finally back to stay for awhile.
"Come on I'm sure the games still on. It'll give you a chance to keep what little masculinity you have left" Gibbs remarked standing up.
Tony quickly followed trotting a few steps to catch up with his boss. Though he almost fell when Gibbs abruptly stopped in front of him. Strong hands on his shoulders steadied him before he could fall.
"Tony listen to me; you're a great agent. You've grown into a fine young man, and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise, especially that dirt bag father of yours" Gibbs told him, his blue eyes piercing strait into the captured green.
"Jeez I didn't know you felt so strongly" Tony couldn't help but interject dryly.
Gibbs didn't even crack a smile.
"I'm proud of you" he said, before he gave him a whack upside the head as if telling him he was stupid to ever think otherwise.
With that he walked away into the entertainment room, leaving Tony there to gape after him. He hated when Gibbs did that, and loved it. It made him feel wanted, but it did hurt a little and left a slight ringing in his ear.
His mother had always wanted him to feel like he was in a family, something that had been difficult with his father's job. She'd always worked so hard, and it took her death to get him to where he was today. She'd given everything in the hopes that he could continue on and find what he'd always secretly been searching for. A home, and he'd finally found it. Gibbs, Abby, Ziva, Mcgee, Ducky, and even the director, they were beyond anything he could of wanted. They were always there when he needed someone to lean on or kick him back into shape, and he would always be there for them. It worked both ways, kind of like a two way street he'd heard someone say once.
"Hurry up Tony. I can't find the remote in this mess, and I won't wait forever for you to get your butt in here" he heard Gibbs snap.
He grinned, oh yeah they were a family, a slightly dysfunctional one at that, and nothing was more fun than annoying your 'dad'.
"Coming old man" he yelled back knowing there would be a head slap and glare when he sat down.
He walked toward the T.V. room, pausing in front of the piano.
"I miss you mom" he said softly, running a gentle hand across the warm mahogany.
Letting his arm drop he continued on through the doorway and over the threshold. In the silence if you listened hard enough, you could swear you heard a soft melody of tinkling keys float by. Well that is if you could hear over the ruckus in the other room.
The click of the T.V. turning on and the squeak of old cushion springs being crushed were followed by the sound of flesh meeting skull.
"Ow! What the heck was that for?"
So there you go another NCIS fic. Don't forget to R&R and tell me what you think! I'll work on getting another story out soon.
Simple Heart