Title: Unexpected Family
Author: CJ aka WritinginCT
Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Tony DiNozzo/Melanie Burke
Rating: G
Warnings: Mentions of off-screen child abuse (non-sexual)
Categories: Family, drama, romance
Disclaimer: I don't own the recognizable characters I'm just inspired by them.
Note: Sequel to Unexpected Happiness
Summary: Tony had thought he had used up all his unexpected surprises on his daughter four years ago, but fate decided to spring a few more on him.
Status: Complete 09/20/15 12k words
Note: I started writing this long before we actually met Tony's father onscreen. I know that Senior's business type in my fic doesn't exactly match canon but I decided to leave it alone as it's only briefly mentioned here. What is a funny coincidence is that I had used the name Karen as Senior's latest wife in the story, which turned out to be canon. The only adjustment to make this fit the onscreen DiNozzo canon I made was to incorporate Senior's use of "Junior" in place of Tony when he talks to his son. Also, I really fell in love with the interaction between Tony and Lt. Commander Burke in Engaged (pts I & II) and decided to bring her into this storyline as a love interest for single-father Tony. -CJ
Paula was making what Tony now recognized as happy gurgling noises. She was snuggled down against Tony's chest in the wickedly handy sling contraption that Abby had insisted they needed. And it times like now, when he was making himself a sandwich with an three-month old Paula nestled against him, that he had to admit that Abby had been right- it was nice to have free hands.
"Alrighty then, Miss DiNozzo, you've had your lunch, now I'm gonna have mine while we watch something on t.v. that doesn't require your dear old dad to think too much. It's been a long week."
Paula responded to the deep timbre of his voice with more happy gurgling and what Tony would swear was a smile, no matter that everyone else said it was just gas. He liked the idea that he could make his daughter smile, he figured that would probably change once she became a teenager and he wanted to store some up for those horrid years in the future.
Tony took Paula and his lunch into the living room and sat down on the couch with an exaggerated sigh. He took her out of the sling and settled her gently on the couch cushion next to him, protected by a bolster of pillows so she couldn't fall. She could see him and he could reach over and touch her. Abby and Margie, the wife of one of Gibbs' Marine Corps buddies who was taking care of Paula when Tony was at work, were both very nervous about the setup. They were afraid that Tony would get distracted or fall asleep and that Paula might get hurt. Abby had even tried to convince Gibbs to talk to Tony about it, not knowing that it was in fact Gibbs himself who had shown Tony how to set it up so the baby would be safe. He had done the same thing with Kelly.
Oddly, out of all the people who knew them, Gibbs was the only one to seemingly have no worries about Tony being able to take care of Paula. Gibbs had actually spent quite a bit of time with them during Tony's weeks of paternity leave in the evenings and on the weekends helping to get both Tony and Paula into some semblance of a routine and he had patiently taught Tony all the tips and tricks he knew about caring for a baby girl. Gibbs had seen how terrified Tony was about doing the wrong thing and he had seen how hard Tony was trying to be perfect. He wasn't though, and his honest ineptitude brought he and Paula to the brink of disaster a couple of times. But through all the doubt and the mistakes and nervousness, Gibbs could see how completely wrapped around her little fingers Paula had her father and he stood up for Tony when the others became too overbearing.
Tony had finished his sandwich and was watching an old black and white John Wayne movie. He had his feet up on the coffee table and had a hand resting lightly on Paula when there was a knock at the door. Surprised, as he wasn't expecting anyone, he quickly stood and picked Paula up and answered the door. If he had been surprised at the randomness of the knock itself, he was stupefied when he opened the door and saw his father, Anthony, standing there.
"Dad?"
"Junior."
"What are you doing here?"
"I thought it was high time I met my granddaughter, don't you?"
Tony digested that for a moment and took in the pink teddy bear in his dad's hands. Tony also realized that standing next to his father a bit further into the hallway was Karen Glaude, his late mother's best friend.
Karen had always been one of Tony's favorite people growing up, a consistent face among all the women who his father either married and divorced or just traipsed through Tony's life. Ignoring his father's question, Tony grinned at Karen. "Karen!"
She returned a bright smile and held up a couple of festive baby pink gift bags and teased, "Can we come in and see the baby?"
"Of course.' He stood aside and they entered the apartment. It was their first visit to Tony's D.C. home.
Tony noticed that his father's eyes never left the little blanket wrapped bundle that Tony held against his chest. There was an odd gentleness on his face that Tony never remembered seeing before. He had never really considered whether or not his father had any aspirations about being a grandfather. Lightly Tony said, "Please, sit."
When they were settled Tony placed Paula in his father's nervous hands. "Say hi to your granddaughter, Dad, Miss Paula Maria DiNozzo."
Paula regarded her grandfather with curious eyes. And she wasn't the only one. Tony was studying his father, watching as he inspected Paula's little fingers and smoothed down her little mop of silky hair. There was something different about his father. It took him a few minutes to determine what it was- Anthony was sober, completely sober. Tony couldn't remember a time since his mother's death that his father had been completely sober. There was something else too, his father was relaxed and his smile genuine. It was puzzling and Tony wondered what exactly brought about these massive changes in his father.
His father looked up and said, "She's beautiful, Junior. She looks just like you did as a baby."
Tony cocked his head to the side and studied Paula's face. "You think so? Everyone keeps saying that, but I just don't see it."
Karen spoke up with a little chuckle, "Absolutely. I remember your mother trying to convince your father that very same thing."
Tony's eyes gentled for a second and he said wistfully, "I wish she could have seen Paula."
Karen reached over and gave Tony's hand a squeeze. "She sees, Tony, she sees."
Karen's faith was strong and had been what had gotten her through losing her husband of forty years when he died of cancer two years ago. Tony's quick eye had noticed something on her hand when she had reached for his and he raised his hand along with hers to inspect the impressive diamond engagement ring she was wearing. "Okay, who's the lucky guy? And you if you tell me your creepy neighbor Stuart I might lose my lunch."
With Paula tucked in the crook of his arm, Anthony slipped his other arm around Karen met Tony's eyes. "Actually, Junior. That's the other reason we're here. Karen and I are getting married in two months. We wanted to tell you in person."
Tony was in shock and absently plunked down in the chair behind him. "Married? The two of you?"
Karen answered, "Tony, we've known each other since we were kids. I know all his faults and he knows all of mine. This is the right thing for the both of us."
"What do Mark and Jessica think?" Tony asked. Mark and Jessica were Karen's children; they were both married and had five children between them.
"They're happy for us, Tony. I hope you'll be happy for us, too."
Anthony added, "We want to travel and spend time with you and Mark and Jessica and all the grandchildren."
Tony was still floored. "I... I don't know what to say. This totally took me by surprise. But of course I'm happy for you. I think. Can I get back to you on that?"
Before anyone could answer, Paula made some very unladylike grunts and needed a diaper change. Karen took the baby from Anthony and had Tony point her in the direction of where to change her, leaving the two men alone.
When she had left the room, Tony asked his father plainly, "How long have you been sober?"
"Almost a year."
"And you and Karen?"
"Almost a year?"
"Somehow I don't think that's a coincidence."
"It isn't."
"You look good, Dad," Tony said unexpectedly warmly.
"It's been a hellva year, Junior, a hellava year."
Tony ran his hand thru his hair, scratching absently. "Tell me about it."
"She's beautiful, son," Anthony said gently.
A proud, goofy little smile flashed on Tony's face.
Karen soon came back with a sweeter-smelling Paula and sat down next to Anthony.
It was a tableau repeated often throughout Paul's first two years both at Tony's apartment in D.C. and Karen's brownstone in New York City. Tony was stunned overall by what an incredibly attentive grandfather Anthony had turned out to be. He and Karen showered all of their grandchildren with love and attention. And it was at a family gathering for Karen's birthday, when all the kids and grandkids were together, laughing and celebrating, that Tony had another epiphany about family. He had always considered his team to be his and Paula's family, but he realized with a start that they weren't his only family. Karen's son and daughter had known Tony since he was a child and their relationships only strengthened after Karen and Anthony married, and Paula found herself with another doting aunt and uncle. It took a little while for Tony to get used to being called Uncle Tony, but only the littlest of whiles.
Life was good in Paula and Tony's little world.
Shortly after Paula's second birthday and another miserable experience with the boiler in his apartment forcing them to crash at Gibbs' house, Tony went house hunting.
Round after round he went with several realtors. None of them finding exactly what he wanted. Gibbs listened to his frustrations with a grin, many of Tony's seemingly nit-picky things reminded him of himself when he and Shannon bought their home. And that right there was the secret, Tony wanted a home for his daughter, not just a place to live. He wanted a good neighborhood where she could grow up and be happy and safe. Gibbs knew all of this, and because he knew, he made a detour one afternoon when he and Tony were in the car on the way back to the office.
"Where are we going, Boss?" Tony asked as Gibbs made an unfamiliar turn.
"I wanna show you something," Gibbs replied but didn't elaborate.
They pulled up in front of a house with a for sale sign. It was similar in style and age to Gibbs' own. It wasn't as well maintained, and desperately needed a coat of paint and some yard work, but it had potential. The property was a good size, and the backyard was cordoned off by a new sturdy stockade fence.
Gibbs pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. At Tony's questioning look, Gibbs said, "I know the realtor, she gave me the key."
The house inside was empty, and in just as much need of a little TLC as the outside, but Tony's grin was wide as he went from room to room. It was perfect. And not just because it was only five blocks away from Gibbs house either.
They moved in six weeks later after a whirlwind closing and the hiring of a gaggle of painters.
The housewarming party was chaos, packing the house to the rafters full of family and friends.
Life was good in Paula and Tony's little world.
After the unexpected interaction with Jeanne at the park that spring day just after Paula turned three, Tony was on edge for a long time, half afraid that Jeanne was going to somehow, someway try to take Paula from him. He read and re-read all the legal paperwork that they had both signed and he consulted not one, but three different lawyers. They threw around words like iron-clad and bullet-proof, but none of them made Tony feel any better.
Oddly it was the words from the two most important men in his life that finally reassured him. Gibbs' "over my dead body, DiNozzo" and his father's "oh, there's not a chance in hell, Junior" both negated his fears and made him realize that he had people who loved Paula almost as much as he did watching their six.
Life went on in their little world without incident for a long while until it was turned inside out and onto its head, not by Jeanne, but by an altogether different woman, this one wearing the uniform of a Navy chaplain.
"This can't really be your biggest fear, Tony," Lieutenant Commander Melanie Burke teased as they watched Paula skip across the daycare room to go find someone her own age to play with. He still wasn't sure why exactly he was letting the spunky chaplain drag him here, but he did enjoy her company and it was as good an excuse as any to spend some time with her.
"That's where you're wrong, Commander, that right there," Tony replied as he gestured with his chin towards the table of little girls who had welcomed Paula into their painting group, "is absolutely my biggest fear."
Melanie laughed. "You don't want her to make friends?"
Tony shook his head a little. "No, it's not that, it's just... someday she's going to want to spend more time with her friends than her dear old dad and I just don't know how to feel about that."
Warmly, Melanie wrapped her arm around his and gave a little squeeze. "It's a normal part of her growing up. But, Tony, she will always need her dad. Even when she's all grown up. I promise you."
Tony turned his head towards Melanie and grinned, something he almost couldn't stop himself from doing around the upbeat little chaplain. He hadn't met a woman quite like her in what felt like forever and it made him think about things he hadn't thought about in a very long time. He decided to act on his instincts and asked, "Would you like to go out sometime? Dinner? Movie? Something? Anything?"
Melanie smiled widely in response, her eyes crinkling with the good humor which seemed to be a perpetual part of her. "Are you asking me on a date, Tony?"
"Yeah, I guess I am" he replied playfully, "but if which's weird for you...," he started only to be interupted.
"No, no, no... it's not weird. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't misinterpreting... things, because I would really like to go out with you."
"Yeah?" he asked, still not quite believing her.
"Yeah." Her smile back in force.
A moment later a little paint covered hand grabbed his and with a happy little, "Daddy, I need help," dragged him over to the table. Paula needed help with her painting, needed him, and Tony laughed away the lump in his throat. As he sat on a too-small chair and helped not just Paula but her new little friend Amy with their artwork, he looked up at Melanie and met her eyes. He nodded once and she replied with a teasing little wink.
Their dinner and a movie became date one of many. Melanie was smart and fun and laughed at all his jokes, the good and the bad ones. She also understood the demands of his job and never complained when it had to come first, just as he understood when her work came first. Being with someone who understood the concept of duty was a big tic in the pro column for both of them. They were good together in ways that Tony never expected.
His team had a lot of fun teasing him about the irony of a ladies man of his caliber dating a chaplain of all things, but it was all in good humor. They could see that Tony was happy and down deep that was what they all wanted for each other.
Paula loved Melanie unconditionally and it was returned in kind. Melanie adored spending time with Paula and far more often than not, Paula was included in the time that he and Melanie spent together.
They had been dating for about two months when Tony had a grand ephiany.
Tony, Paula, and Melanie had spent the day at a birthday bash at the home of one of Melanie's collegues. It was day full of playing kids, active duty Navy members, and food. When three of them got back to Tony's house, Paula was exhausted. Tony wrangled a quick bath for her and she was asleep almost before her little head hit the pillow.
He went downstairs and saw Melanie in the kitchen, making them some hot chocolate to go with the old movie they were going to watch. She looked up as he entered the room and smiled. Everything suddenly clicked in his mind and the memory of a never-forgotten conversation flashed before him.
With Paula's words still ringing through his thoughts Tony smiled and leaned back against the counter watching as Melanie put some cookies on a plate.
"She's got to be exhausted, she didn't stop all day," Melanie said.
"Almost fell asleep in the tub," Tony replied and snagged her hand to pull her in close to him. "Did I ever tell you about her namesake?"
"A little. I know she was an agent who died stopping a terrorist," Melanie replied gently.
"Yeah. She and I... well, we had a thing... not really a thing thing, but we were close. The day she died she gave me a piece of advice I hadn't thought about in a very long time."
"What's that?"
"She told me that life was too short not to tell someone you love them if you do."
"Good advice."
"Yeah, it is," Tony said with a grin, "Mel, I... I love you and I'm not entirely sure when that happened but I wanted you to know it sooner rather than later."
Melanie blushed before replying without hesitation, "I love you, too, Tony, so very much."
Tony leaned down and kissed her gently. When they broke the kiss, Melanie molded herself to his chest and slipped her arms around him. Following suit, Tony wrapped his arms around her and held her close, a little sigh of contentment escaping him.
A tired voice from the doorway interrupted the intimate moment. "Daddy, I don't feel good."
They both turned to see Paula there in her pajamas- her vomit-covered pajamas.
With a grimace Tony offered, "I knew that was too much running around today."
Melanie patted his chest and said lightly, "You get her cleaned up, I'll tackle the bed."
Tony nodded and held out his hand to Paula, "C'mon, pumpkin, let's get you some clean jammies."
A little while later with the washing machine taking care of the last of the mess, Tony and Melanie were cuddled on the couch with an old Jimmy Stewart movie playing.
Melanie snuggled a little closer under the arm Tony had around her and said softly, "You know, I thank God often for putting me on a path that crossed yours."
"It was very well played on his part wasn't it?"
"Yeah, very well played," she replied with a grin as she took his hand and entwined their fingers.
Tony pressed a kiss to her head and they went back to watching the movie.
A month later, Tony and Gibbs were sitting in the car outside a suspect's office awaiting his arrival. Tony was figiting and babbling, nothing particularly unusual for Tony but there was an edge to it that made Gibbs ask, "Something on your mind, DiNozzo?"
"I made a decision about something and I don't quite know how to tell you, Boss," Tony replied with a nervous chuckle.
Gibbs looked over and teased with a knowing grin, "That ring burning a hole in your pocket, Tony?"
The surprise immediately registered on Tony's face. "How did you know?"
Gibbs just raised an eyebrow in response.
Tony let out a breath. "Right. Well, to answer your question, yeah, it is burning a hold in my pocket. I'm having a hard time planning how I'm going to propose. It needs to be perfect right?"
Gibbs ticked his head non-commitally. "I think coming from the heart beats perfect any day, DiNozzo."
"I'm not so good at that, Boss. I'm better at planning something impressive than I am talking about my feelings."
Gibb's eyes narrowed as he saw their suspect outside. "You'll think of something. Here's our guy."
And it was back to work with Tony stewing in his every spare moment on how best to propose to Melanie.
He still hadn't figured out a plan when a dead Navy captain wearing a superhero costume brought Wendy Miller back into his life.
Melanie knew that the case and Wendy's sudden appearance was having a toll on her normally chipper and playful Tony. She knew who Wendy was, the same as she knew who Jeanne Benoit was in the grand scheme of Tony's past love life. While endy's appearance itself didn't make Melanie insecure, she knew that her relationship with Tony was solid and that he genuinely loved her but the way he was turning into a neurotic mess did make her wonder if Tony still had strong feelings for Wendy- and was it possible that they were stronger than the feelings he had for her?
Tony's head being full of proposal ideas and making future plans left little room to deal with Wendy logically. He had this deep-seated reaction that he wanted her as far away from him, his team, and his family as possible. He just didn't want that part of his past seeping into his present or future. He knew without question that Melanie was it for him, she loved him flaws and all and he could not ask for a better woman to be a mother to Paula and the future children he had all planned out in his head. Wendy had had that chance with him and she chose to walk away. She had no right waltzing back into his life upheaving everything in her path, but Tony need answers, needed closure, so he grit his teeth and worked the case.
As Wendy chided him about not being hungry he looked around her living room trying to keep an arms distance between them.
Wendy felt no such compulsion, however, and stepped deep into his person space. When she moved to kiss him, he deflected and purposely stepped back. "That can't happen, Wendy."
"Why not?" she challenged.
"Because I'm seeing someone."
Wendy grinned knowingly. "Good answer."
Tony raised and eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
She laughed. "I know all about your little Navy chaplain girlfriend, Tony."
Before he could ask her how, and more importantly, why, she knew about Melanie, the front door opened and Wendy's son Fred and his nanny entered the room.
Abruptly left with Fred as the women went to pack, Tony tried to muddle his way through a ridiculous one-sided conversation with the stony-faced little boy.
When Fred finally responded, it wasn't at all what Tony expected. "You made my mom cry, on Christmas, cause you didn't come for stupid brunch."
Tony's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry... I didn't know."
"Yeah, now you do," Fred replied coldly.
Thankfully the women chose that moment to come back downstairs.
Melaine was at her desk trying unsucessfully to write her sermon for the special Valentine's Day service they were holding that evening. She was trying to convey love and hope and the idea that God had someone for everyone out there, but the words just wouldn't come. She just didn't feel it in her own heart. The past few days Tony had all but ignored her save for a couple of short, clipped phone conversations. She sensed it was the beginning of the end of their relationship and it was breaking her heart.
She crumpled up her lastest sermon atttempt and went out into the chapel. She slid into a random pew and bowed her head to pray.
Tony calling her his runaway bride was said as one of his never-ending, throwaway movie references, but it stung all the same, just hitting too close to home.
It hurt Wendy to tell him the truth, just as it hurt him to hear it, but they both needed it.
She turned away from him and tucked her camera away. Casually she asked, "So, this Navy chaplain... is it serious?"
Tony's hand went to the ring box in his pocket. "Very."
Wendy turned around and nodded. "Good."
She picked up her things and started to walk to the door past Tony. She paused next to him and said quietly, "You'll be a great husband, Tony, don't let anyone tell you any different."
"You sure about that?" he asked with a little unsure tick of his head.
She leaned in and kissed his cheek gently. As she carefully wiped her lipstick off his cheek with her thumb she said, "Positive."
With that, she left, leaving Tony to contemplate it all.
Tony found Melanie in the chapel that afternoon, arranging a simple bouquet of red and white carnations near her lectern.
She swallowed hard seeing Tony approach. "Tony."
"Hey."
Melaine seemed out of sorts, withdrawn even, and Tony didn't know what to make of his normally upbeat girlfriend so down in the dumps. "Everything okay?" he asked in concern.
She forced a grin and waved off his concern with her hand. Trying to change the subject she asked, "Did you close your case?"
"We did. All that's left is the paperwork, but in a rare moment of generosity Gibbs said that it can wait until tomorrow."
"I'm glad. The Captain's friends and family will have closure. Closure is important."
She kept futzing with the flowers and not really meeting his eyes and it was bothering Tony. Finally he reached out and took one of her hands. He tugged her over to the first pew and said, "Closure is important."
Melanie's eyes welled in anticipation of what he would say next, sure that he was breaking up with her so he could get back together with Wendy. She was so sure that the breakup was coming that when he pulled a little black box out of his pocket it took a long moment for her to register what it was.
"I know I've been a little... distracted the last couple of days, maybe weeks even. I've been carrying this around for a while trying to plan something perfect... something you'd remember for the rest of our lives. But nothing I came up with seemed right. Gibbs... he, ah, he told me to just go with something from the heart. So here it goes... I love you, Mel. You are absolutely everything I've ever wanted and I want to spend the rest our lives together," he said gently as he fumbled open the ring box and held out the modest, but flawless, diamond ring, "Will you marry me?"
Melanie's tears started in earnest as she met Tony's eyes. "You're not breaking up with me?"
Tony's surprise was genuine. "What? God, no," he replied off the cuff then looked to the ceiling, "Sorry."
Tony reached over and brushed away one of her tears with his thumb. "I've been that big of an idiot the past couple of days?"
Melanie sniffed hard. "It's just... I know you wanted to marry her- that you had made all kinds of plans...and then she was here..."
"I did, way back then. But she didn't want that, didn't want me. And maybe that's because she wasn't the one who I was suppsed to be with. You are the one for me and other than keeping my daughter I have never been more sure of anything in my life than that. So I'll ask you again, marry me so we can keep walking this crazy little path together?"
"Yes, forever and always, yes," Melanie replied emotionally and embraced Tony.
A chaste kiss followed and Tony slipped the ring on her finger.
Her geniune smile back firmly in place, Melanie reached over and stroked Tony's cheek. "For the record, I will remember this for the rest of our lives and it was perfect."
Their engagement party was another family affair that again packed the house to the rafters. Paula was the most thrilled of anyone, announcing to anyone who would listen that Melanie was going to be her mommy.
Tony's future father-in-law Hank was an old salt, retiring after thirty years in the Navy as a Master Chief. He and Tony hit it off well, sharing a love of football and old cars. Hank could see how happy Tony made his daughter and that was all that mattered. Of course having an adorable moppit named Paula to spoil also made the crusty old sailor grin from ear to ear as did the news that Tony and Mel were planning on growing their family as soon as they were married.
Having children together was something that both Tony and Melanie were looking forward to and weighed heavily in their conversations about their future. More children were a definite part of those future plans, but sometimes fate has a way of making things happen sooner rather than later.
"Escort him up, I'll talk to him," Gibbs said to security officer on the other end of his phone.
A few minutes later the officer arrived with the visitor. That visitor being a little boy. Gibbs had a hard time pinpointing the boy's age exactly. Seven, maybe eight? He was small and thin and though his clothes were reasonably new, they hung all wrong on the boy's slight frame; it was as if whoever bought them didn't really care if they fit him. He had a stuffed backpack on his shoulders that appeared to be heavily weighed down. The slump in the boy's shoulders and the deep-seated sadness coming off of the boy in waves let Gibbs know that the backpack wasn't the only thing weighed down. It was that more than anything that made Gibbs really want to know why the boy was there and why exactly he was asking specifically for Tony.
Gibbs stood and dismissed the security officer with a grin and a nod. Without hesitation he crouched down on one knee in front of the little boy and before he could say anything the little boy asked, "Are you Tony DiNozzo?"
Gibbs grinned and replied lightly, "No. Tony isn't in the building right now. I'm Special Agent Gibbs, but you can call me Jethro. I'm Tony's boss. What's your name?"
"Matty Garrett. Is he coming back soon?"
Tony was actually testifying in court. Gibbs replied, "Probably not 'til after lunch. Is there something I can help you with, Matty?"
Matty shook his head. "No, I just hafta ask him something. I'll wait for him."
Gibbs saw Matty repeatedly tug on the cuff of his sweatshirt sleeve. He was hiding something there, and Gibbs wanted to know what it was. He also wanted to know what Matty wanted to ask Tony and he most certainly wanted to know where the boy's parents were and if they knew where he was.
"Matty, do your folks know you're here?"
Matty hesitated to answer, his eyes dropped towards the floor. Gibbs pressed, "Matty?"
When the boy shook his head slowly and looked up and met Gibbs' eyes, Gibbs did a mental double take- he was looking at Tony's eyes. He took more note of Matty's face and his thoughts went to the picture of Paula on Tony's desk and the similarities. There was no question in Gibbs' mind that he was looking at Tony DiNozzo's son, he'd know those eyes anywhere.
Gibbs swallowed and exhaled slowly. McGee and Ziva entered the bullpen with lunch in hand; neither said anything, but their eyes were full of questions.
Gibbs nodded gently and asked, "Hungry?" He got a little nod out of Matty and Gibbs replied, "Turkey sandwich sound good?" He got another little nod. "Okay, you can drop your bag here and we'll go get a soda."
Matty hesitated, but slid the straps off his shoulders and placed the knapsack on the floor next to Gibbs' desk.
Gibbs stepped over to McGee's desk and quickly picked up pen and jotted down a note and handed it to McGee.
McGee read the note and glanced over to Matty before meeting Gibbs' eyes and nodding.
Gibbs and Matty headed for the break area, leaving McGee and Ziva to quickly dig up all they could on Matty.
Gibbs sat across from Matty and watched the little boy practically inhale the sandwich Gibbs had put in front of him. As Matty ate, Gibbs' keen eyes caught the faint brownish smudges on Matty's wrist when his sleeve crept up. Gibbs got up and bought a package of cookies out of the vending machine. He dropped them on the table next to Matty and asked lightly, "You know what I like best about being an NCIS agent?"
Matty shrugged and reached for the cookies.
Gibbs grinned. "I like helping people who need help."
Matty didn't reply, and quietly popped a cookie in his mouth and chewed. Gibbs went on, "Sometimes the people who need my help the most are afraid to ask for it. They think they can fix things all on their own. You know what I mean?"
Matty dropped his hands in his lap, again tugging on his sleeve and asked in a whisper, "But what if they get in trouble?"
Gibbs replied gently, "Matty, no one here is going to let anyone hurt you again, I promise, no matter what you think you did or they said you did. But I can't help you unless you tell me what happened."
Matty looked up and with a small, familiar, defiant tilt of his chin, said, "I took a picture of my mom's new husband..."
Tony was whistling to himself as he entered the empty bullpen after court. It was quitting time for most people, Tony included. He was in a very good mood, court had gone well and he was looking forward to Melanie coming over to have dinner with him and Paula. It was taco night and his daughter loved making her own messy tacos.
Tony had just put his bag down and his weapon in the drawer when Gibbs breezed in and stood in front of Tony's desk. He met Tony's eyes and gave him a long penetrating look without saying a word.
"Boss?" Tony asked warily, not liking the expression on Gibbs' face.
"Conference room," Gibbs replied.
Once they were ensconced in the elevator, Gibbs hit the emergency stop and turned to face Tony.
"What's this about, Boss?"
The look on Gibbs' face became one of concern as he asked, "The last name Garrett mean anything to you, Tony? From about seven, eight years ago?"
Tony thought for minute and replied honestly, "I can't think of any of my cases off the top of my head that fit that. I dated a girl once named Sara Garrett. Her father was this really cool photographer named Walter. He offered weekend workshops and I took one once- that's how I met Sara. She was a bit of a wild child, Boss. But it wasn't a serious thing, we only dated for a few weeks because I found out she had already had a fiance', some guy who worked down on the docks. Last I knew they got married a couple months after I broke it off with her and they moved to Miami. But all that was back in '03."
"She ever try to contact you?"
"No, never. What's this about, Boss?"
Gibbs sighed and flipped the power back on and replied, "We have a visitor."
Down in autopsy Tony was surprised when there were no bodies out given Gibbs' cryptic visitor comment in the elevator. Instead, Ducky was standing at the large monitor on the wall watching child advocate D'Arcy McKinna playing checkers with a little boy in the upstairs conference room.
He and Gibbs approached the monitor and Gibbs asked as he pointed to the boy, "You ever see him before?"
Tony shook his head. "No. Who is he?"
"Matthew Garrett. Sara Garrett is his mother."
"Huh," Tony replied as he stared at the monitor, "he doesn't look like her at all, or the guy she married."
"We noticed that, too, Anthony, when we accessed their photographs," Ducky said calmly.
Tony turned his head and looked at Ducky for a moment before turning to Gibbs and doing the same. He squinted a little, trying to read Gibbs' expression. The concern he saw there gave him a bad feeling. It was the same look of concern and compassion he had seen almost four years ago in hospital room as they stood over a newborn Paula's bassinet. It only took a moment for the revelation to hit Tony and when it did, Gibbs just nodded.
Tony's head whipped around to the screen. "You think he's my kid."
Ducky answered, "He looks very much like you, Anthony. We compared his facial features to Paula's and they are extremely similar. Only a DNA test can be certain."
"What... why... how did he get here?"
Gibbs reached up and gave Tony's shoulder a squeeze to ground him a little. Lightly he replied, "He came here looking for his dad."
Tony's burning anger was reaching the flash point and the more Gibbs relayed all the information Matty had told him earlier, the more fuel was added to the fire.
Matty had lived his whole life with his grandfather Walter, his mom leaving him there when he was just a baby. He had rarely seen his mother growing up and he had given Gibbs the impression that he didn't think his mother liked him very much. His life with his grandfather had been great up until the old man's death three months ago. His mother had been found by social services and he went to live with her and her new husband. Her husband was a Marine and hated having Matty around. According to Matty there were a lot of guns and drugs in the house and rough looking sorts coming and going at all hours. Apparently Sara and her husband had taken off two days ago to Miami, leaving Matty to fend for himself and it was not the first time they had done so. Matty decided to act upon something his grandfather had told him, that being that the old man thought that Tony was his father. Matty had called NCIS and found out that Tony worked out of the Washington office, after finding that out he had packed a bag and hopped a bus to the NCIS office.
Tony was gritting his teeth. "What aren't you telling me, Boss?"
Gibbs sighed before answering. "He's covered in bruises, Tony, some old, some new. Duck?"
Ducky used the remote to click away from the live feed and to a series of photographs of Matty which Ducky had taken for evidentiary purposes. The skinny little boy's body was a road map of bruises. An especially deep set showed the vivid imprint of hands digging in clearly on the boys upper arms
Tony's fingers reached out to the screen of their own accord. With ice in his voice he asked, "Did he say who did this?"
"Yeah. The husband for the most part. Apparently Matty accidentally took a picture of him in the middle of a drug deal. He smashed the kid's camera and gave him a beating."
Tony turned to Gibbs, the anger evident on both men's faces, and said, "When we go arrest this guy, I want five minutes alone before the cuffs go on."
"No. You aren't going anywhere near this case. McGee, Ziva, and I are going to handle it. The Director called in a favor earlier and we got a court order allowing us to test Matty's DNA to confirm paternity, Abby's running it now but we won't have the results until the morning. Right now Matty is a material witness and under NCIS protective custody so he's not going anywhere."
"I'm not just going to stand by..." Tony started to say when Gibbs raised a finger and stepped closer.
"Your job, DiNozzo, your only job, is to take care of that scared little kid. Your son or not he came looking for you to help him. He's afraid and alone and needs someone to make him feel safe again. With me on that?"
Ducky had returned the screen to the live feed and Tony turned to stare at it for a moment. Finally he scrubbed his face with his hands then said, "Yeah, I'm with you. Well I guess I better go introduce myself... and call my lawyer. Cause there's not a chance in hell of him staying with her if he's my son."
With a purpose in his stride Tony left autopsy to head upstairs.
Ducky turned to Gibbs with a little grin. "Well, he took that much better than I anticipated."
Gibbs nodded. "He's a good father, Duck. He doesn't give himself credit for that but he is."
"Indeed."
Tony got out of the elevator and paused before heading for the conference room. He pulled out his phone and quickly hit a speed dial.
Melanie answered and Tony smiled in spite of himself. "Hey."
"Hi. How was court?"
Tony forced a chuckle. "Well... court went fine but things here are sort of spiraling."
"Everything okay? Did you get a case?"
"Sorta. Look, Mel, I know we were supposed to have a quiet family dinner tonight but can you do me a favor and watch Paula for me? I don't know how late I'm gonna be."
"Sure. What's going on?"
"Looks like a Marine dealing guns and drugs and using an eight year old boy as punching bag."
"Oh, no. Is the boy safe now?"
"Yeah, he's here with a child advocate," Tony replied and leaned his forehead on the cool metal door he had stopped in front of, "About the kid...Matty...,"
On the other end of the phone Melanie frowned. Tony hadn't been this hedgy with her since Wendy Miller had made a fly-by two months ago. "Tony, what about Matty?" she prompted gently.
Tony sighed but replied honestly. "There's a good chance he might be my son. His mom and I had a really short-term thing around the right time frame but I found out she was engaged and broke it off. She got married a couple months later and I never saw her again. If Matty is mine, I never knew, I promise you, Mel, I never knew."
"Oh... oh, Tony. You may be many things but you are not someone who would have abandoned his child like that. No one, least of all me, would ever think that. Are they doing a DNA test to confirm if he is yours?"
"Yeah. Abby's running it now and we'll know in the morning. His grandfather told Matty before he died that he thought I was his father. Matty tracked me down and hopped a bus from Richmond all by himself to get here."
"The angels must have been looking out for him to get all the way to NCIS safely. Have you talked with him yet?"
"No, I'm about to. I just... I didn't want you to think I was keeping things from you."
"I know you wouldn't, Tony. We're fine. God never gives us more than we can handle, right? So, I'll go get Paula and she and I will have a girl's night at my house. You go take care of Matty because your son or not, he needs you. And if you need me, you know where I'll be."
"I knew there was reason I was marrying you," Tony replied with forced lightness.
"And here I thought it was because you loved me and couldn't live without me," Melanie teased back.
Tony grinned in spite of himself. "Well, that and you're really cute and I like it when you wear your hair in a ponytail."
"Call me later and let me know how things are going?"
"Yeah, I will. Kiss Paula for me."
"I will."
"I love you," he said softly.
"That goes both ways you know, never forget it."
Tony hung up the phone and took a deep breath before entering the conference room. He put on a pleasant expression and entered the room.
Matty's eyes grew wide as Tony took the seat next to him.
"Hi. I'm very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. I heard you were looking for me," Tony said warmly.
"Yeah... um...," Matty stammered and looked down at his hands in embarassment.
Tony flashed a concerned look at D'Arcy before swallowing hard and gently nudging Matty's chin up with his knuckle. Softly he said, "The answer to your big question, Matty, is that I don't know if I'm your father. I could be, but we won't know until the morning when Abby's magic little DNA test is done cooking. But I promise you that no matter what that test says that no one is ever going to hurt you again. Okay?"
Matty nodded.
When Matty didn't say anything, Tony offered, "I'm sorry about your grandfather. I really liked him. He was a cool guy."
"I miss him," Matty replied sadly.
Tony reached over and placed a warm hand on Matty's shoulder. "I know you do."
Tony was wholly unprepared for Matty to launch off his chair and muckle on to him for all his little arms were worth. Heartrending sobs that shook Matty's whole body soon followed. All Tony could do was to wrap his arms around Matty and hold him close as the little boy's grief and fear worked itself out.
Tony's eyes met D'Arcy's across the table and she nodded in encouragement letting Tony know he was doing the right thing. The last thing Tony wanted to do was to cause Matty any more stress.
Down in Autopsy Ducky, too, was nodding at the screen.
When Matty had let it all out, or at least as much as he could, Tony handed him some tissues and gently smoothed Matty's hair. "Everything's going to be okay, Matty."
Matty sniffed and roughly wiped his nose and face with the tissues. Hesitantly he asked, "If the test says you're my dad, can I come live with you?"
Tony got up out of his chair and crouched down next to Matty so they were eye to eye. "If I am your dad, I am going to do everything I can to make that happen."
"Promise?"
"I promise. But no matter what that test says, I'm gonna look out for you. You don't have to worry about that."
Matty nodded solemly before asking, "Do you now why my mom hates me?"
Tony wanted to throttle Sara Garrett. He shook his head sadly in response. "I haven't seen her since before you were born."
"Grampa said that I reminded him of you. Cause I take good pictures and I like basketball."
"I liked him a lot, Matty. He taught me a lot of cool stuff, stuff I didn't even know my camera could do."
That got an almost grin out of Matty. He met Tony's eyes and stared hard for a moment before asking with a hint of apprehension, "Is it all right if I didn't tell Gibbs everything?"
Tony shifted so he was back to sitting in his chair and replied lightly, "What didn't you tell him?"
Matty stuck his hand in his baggy jeans pocket and fished around. A moment later he held out a camera's memory card and said, "Before Greg could break my camera I hid the memory card. The pictures I took of him and the other guys are on here."
Gibbs met Tony in the hallway outside the conference room and took possesion of the memory card. He took a long hard look at Tony's expression and asked, "You alright, DiNozzo?"
Tony swallowed hard and said quietly, "He's my kid. I don't know how I know but I just do. And I don't have the faintest idea how to help him."
"You're doing fine."
D'Arcy stepped out of the conference room and approached the two men and asked, "So, do you have a safe place for him to stay tonight or should I make arrangements?"
Tony responded, "I'll take him home with me. Since we didn't know how long we were going to be here, my fiancee' is keeping Paula at her apartment tonight so it'll just be me and him back at the house."
D'Arcy knew that both Gibbs and Tony had gone through the steps to become authorized foster placements after the incindent years ago with Zach Tanner so she didn't hesitate to say, "That works for me. I'll let him know and say goodnight."
"Thanks, D'Arcy."
"You're welcome, Tony, and for what it's worth, you're giving him exactly what he needs right now, which is to feel safe and like somebody in this world cares about him. He hasn't had that since his grandfather died."
Tony nodded. "Thanks for saying that."
"You're a good father, Tony, I just call it like I see it," she replied with a smirk as she re-entered the conference room.
Tony looked to Gibbs who just shrugged and teased, "I'm not gonna argue with her."
That brought out a real grin in Tony, Gibbs' intention all along.
They made a quick pit stop at a department store on the way home, getting Matty a couple of changes of clothes and some pajamas. When they pulled into the driveway of the cheerful little house, Matty asked quietly, "This is your house?"
"Yep," Tony replied as he unfastened his seatbelt, "moved in about two years ago."
They went inside and Tony went through his nightly routine of putting his gun away in the safe and hanging up his coat. They deposited the shopping bags on the dining room table as Matty looked around in curiosity.
There were toys here and there, and lots of pictures of Paula and family around. Matty stared at a particular picture of Tony and Paula in their matching Buckeye sweatshirts.
"Who's that?" Matty finally asked.
Tony stepped over to where Matty was looking at the pictures on the shelf. "That's Paula. My daughter."
Matty's brow furrowed as he thought about that for a moment. With the hope written all over his face he said, "That means if you really are my dad that she's my sister, right?"
Tony put his hand warmly around Matty's shoulder and gave him a little squeeze. "Yeah, that's what it means."
Matty looked back to the picture. "Does she live here?"
"Yep. Tonight she's with my fiancee' because I didn't know how late we'd be."
"What's a fiancee'?"
Tony chuckled and moved towards the kitchen to start making them some dinner. "A fiancee' is a woman you're gonna marry. My fiancee's name is Melanie and I asked her to marry me a couple of months ago. We're getting married in December. That's her there in the next picture over. You like spagetti and meatballs?"
Matty nodded enthusiatically at the food question and a new flare of anger at Sara Garrett made him wonder if Matty had been eating healthy, regular meals since Walter's death. The boy was definitely too thin.
Matty took in Melanie's picture, she was in her Navy uniform standing at the windows in the bullpen looking out at the Navy Yard at night as she waited for Tony. Abby had snapped the impromptu picture and sent it to Tony.
"She's in the Navy?" Matty asked.
"Yeah. She's a Navy Chaplain. That's kind of like a pastor or minister but one that works for the Navy."
Matty meandered over to the kitchen and climbed up on a stool. "So you go to church a lot then, huh?"
Tony chuckled. "A lot more now than I used to. What about you, did you go to church with your grandfather?"
"We went on Christmas, but not the rest of the time. Grampa said that you didn't have to go sit in a box on Sunday to show God that you're being good. You show him you're being good by just being good."
Tony nodded. "That sounds like Walter."
Matty's brow went back to being furrowed as he thought about something else. He stewed on it a moment before asking softly, "If you are my dad, is Melanie gonna be mad? Will she hate me like my mom does?"
Tony quickly put down the spoon he had been using to stir the pasta. He went and stood close to Matty and met Matty's eyes as he said gently, "Hey, first off, Melanie doesn't hate anyone, it's just not the kind of person she is. She tries to care about everybody around her, so don't you worry about Melanie. Not for one minute, okay? Second, I don't exactly know what's going on with your mother. But don't compare every new person you meet to her and her husband, not everyone is like them. There are a lot more good people in this world than bad and you don't want to push the good ones away. Understand?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Good. Now the bathroom's down the hall there, why don't you go wash your hands, dinner is just about ready."
Matty nodded and hopped off the stool to do just that.
After a big dinner and a bath, Mattty was drooping. Physically and emotionally it had been a huge day for him. Tony got him situated in the guest bedroom next door to Paula's room and Matty was asleep in minutes. Tony headed downstairs and flopped on the couch as he dialed his cell phone.
Melanie answered and asked with concern, "Hey, how are things going?" Tony had sent her a quick text earlier that he was bringing Matty home for the night.
"I want to strangle his mother," Tony said quietly.
"Yeah, but murder really isn't an option," she replied lightly, before asking gently, "so how you doing with all this?"
"He's mine, Mel. I just... I know he's mine. And I'm angry at the situation now, and I'm angry I didn't know then, and I'm sad thinking that I never saw him grow up."
"I think those are all very normal emotions under the circumstances. How bad was the abuse? I know some people who work with abused kids I can call if you need someone tonight."
"Matty's been manhandled a lot and pushed around. His stepfather gave him one really bad beating recently. But he hasn't talked about it and I haven't gone picking at it. Right now he feels safe and that's what everyone keeps telling me is important."
"Yeah, it is. Especially this first night. A lot of your next steps hinge on that DNA test. But regardless, he's definitely going to need some counseling of some sort."
"A lot of counseling. I called my lawyer. Once we have the results in the morning he's going to file custody papers. Hopefully by then Sara and her husband will be in NCIS custody. Then I can worry about everything else and get him what he needs." Tony let out a long exasperated sigh.
"Hey...," Melanie said softly.
"Yeah?"
"I love you. And I love Paula. And if Matty is your son, I'm going to love him, too. You know that, right?"
Tony sniffed hard and cleared his throat. "Yeah. I'm still trying to figure out what I did so right to deserve you, though."
"Everything," was her simple reply.
Tony got the results of the test the next morning via a simple solemn nod from Gibbs as they entered the bullpen. He wasn't at all surprised, there just wasn't a doubt in his mind that Matty was his.
He waited until they were up in the conference room before he broke the news to Matty.
"So... that big question from yesterday?"
"Yeah?" Matty replied warily.
"Well the test results are in and you are definitely my son," Tony replied with a genuine smile.
"Really?" Matty said, not quite believing.
"Really. Knowing Abby, she double checked at least three times."
With a wavering lip Matty asked, "So I don't ever have to go back?"
Tony pulled Matty into a tight hug. "Not if I have anything to say about it, kiddo. Abby's gonna send those test results over to my lawyer so he can get stuff started."
Matty nodded against his chest.
D'Arcy entered the conference room and met Tony's eyes with a smile.
Matty pulled back from Tony and wiped his face with his hands. With a big grin on his face Matty told her, "D'Arcy the test came back. He really is my dad."
"I know, Agent Gibbs just told me. I am very happy for you both."
"And guess what?"
"What?"
"It means I have a sister. She's littler than me."
"I know Paula and I think you two are going to like each other a lot. It's a fine thing to be a big brother."
Matty turned to Tony. "When do I get to meet her?"
Tony replied, "Later today, once things settle down. Can you hang here with D'Arcy for a few minutes while I go make some calls?"
Matty nodded and Tony slipped downstairs to his desk.
The bullpen was empty, his team off with out him to search Sara and Greg's home for illegal guns and drugs. Tony quickly dialed a number and Melanie picked up on the second ring.
"Well the results are in- he's definitely mine."
"You were very sure of that even without the test. Does he know?"
"Yeah, he's estatic. Especially about having a little sister if you can believe it."
"Speaking of Paula, how do you want to tell her?"
"I think I'm going to pop over to Margie's and pick her up for an hour so I can explain things to her. I could use the moral support if you're able to sneak away."
"I've already cleared my day."
Tony opened the door to the conference room and stuck his head in, when Matty looked up from the tablet Abby had found for him to play with, he said, "Hey, there is someone here who really wants to meet you."
"Who?"
Tony moved aside, allowing Melanie to enter the room.
"Hi, Matty. I'm Melanie. Or you can call me Mel like Tony and my dad do." Melanie's smile was warm as she went to sit next to Matty.
Matty's eyes were wide and he swallowed nervously. Shyly he replied, "Hi."
Gently Melanie said, "It's been a big couple of days, huh?"
Matty nodded.
"I know this is all a lot to take in, Matty, but we're all glad you're here. I'm really looking forward to getting to know you and I hope you're maybe looking forward to getting to know me a little bit, too."
"Really?" Matty asked in disbelief.
"Really," Melanie replied with a smile.
Matty looked over to Tony who teased lightly, "I told you so."
"He lived with his mommy?" Paula asked as the three of them sat outside at the picnic table at Margie's house. They had gently explained to her about Matty.
"Yeah, and his Grampa," Tony replied.
"Is he nice?"
"He's very nice," Melanie answered, "and he's very excited to meet you."
"Will he like my fish?" Paula asked very seriously, as if it were the entire deal-breaker in her little mind. Her Spongebob themed aquarium in her room with it's myriad of little guppies was her pride and joy. Tony totally blamed her love of fish and boats on Gibbs. The man loved taking her out on the ocean.
Tony chuckled. "I am sure he's gonna love your fish. And hey, Matty likes taking pictures, maybe he'd take some cool pictures of your tank for you."
Paula's eyes got big at that thought but she didn't say anything as she processed things. Finally she asked, "When is he gonna be here?"
Tony's lawyer secured a temporary custody order that very afternoon giving Tony full custody of Matty until a formal custody hearing could be held.
There were BOLO's out all along the eastern seaboard for Sara Garrett and her husband Greg Sloan. Thanks to Matty's information and the photos on the flash drive, the executed search warrant of their property turned up not only evidence of drug smuggling but many crates of stolen military weapons and munitions. What had started out as a neglected little boy hoping to find his real father had turned into a major case.
Tony was sitting with Matty and D'Arcy listening as D'Arcy patiently explained to Matty what all the legal mumbo jumbo meant.
"So she can't come and take me back, right?" Matty asked pointedly.
"No, she can't. There's going to be that formal hearing later on to decide custody permanently but for right now, Tony has been given full custody of you until then."
"And she can never say he's not my dad?"
"No, Matty. She might try, but the court takes DNA tests very seriously and yours proves that Tony is your father."
Matty grinned. Then his expression grew somber and he asked very seriously, "Are they gonna go to jail?"
It was Tony who answered, "That's going to be up to the court to decide."
"Will I have to go there? To tell what I saw?"
"Maybe, but we'll deal with that when the time comes. But if it turns you that you do need to go it's nothing to be scared of, you have done absolutely nothing wrong. You just go and tell the truth."
"And they won't let Greg get me?"
Tony's eyes narrowed a little, the only tell to his murdeous intentions when it came to Greg Sloan. "Nobody is going to let Greg near you. I'll be there, and you can bet that Gibbs will be there. You never have to worry about Greg again, okay?"
Matty nodded, not entirely convinced.
Tony slipped down to his desk and called Melanie.
"Hi. Did you hear back from the lawyer?" Melanie asked as she huffed and puffed on the other end.
"Yeah. I've got temporary custody until a formal hearing," he said as he listened to all sorts of random noises on the other end of the line. "What are you doing?" he asked with a chuckle.
Melanie grunted and said, "I'm trying to lug a comforter set and three bags of stuff for Matty into the house."
"A comforter set?" Tony asked in confusion.
"Yeah, I got him a basketball-themed set and some other stuff to make that bedroom more like his room rather than a guest room."
Tony chuckled. "You think of everything."
"I just want him to feel wanted," Melanie replied a little sadly.
"I get that. And I think it's going to mean even more to him that you did all that for him. I think his mom really did a number on him."
"Yeah. But... we're not going to dwell on our own anger over that. We're going to make Matty feel at home and part of a family."
"You're a great mom you know, even if it's not official yet," Tony said tenderly.
"I'm trying my best."
"That's all any of us can do. You're just making it look easy."
Gibbs was alone in the bullpen as the day wound down. Tony approached Gibbs' desk. Gibbs looked up and Tony grinned. "Gonna head out with Matty in a few, Boss."
"Big night," Gibbs replied with a grin of his own.
"Yeah. I um... I just wanted to say thanks. I know you had figured out long before the DNA test that Matty was mine."
"Wasn't a doubt in my mind, DiNozzo. He meeting Paula tonight?"
Tony nodded. "Mel's picking her up for me. They both seem excited."
"It'll be fine. You'll probably have some bumps in the road later on, but nothing you can't handle."
"Let's hope. Alright then, goodnight."
"'Night, Tony."
Matty was chatty the entire drive home, and Tony liked the nervous chatter a whole lot more than the shy, sullen bouts of quiet from the day before.
They pulled into the driveway and parked next to Mel's car. Matty had suddenly grown quiet and Tony looked over at him. Matty met his eyes and asked quietly, "Is this real? I really get to live here? I don't have to go back with my mom?"
Tony reached over and put a warm hand on the back of Matty's neck. "It's real, kiddo, I promise."
"I wish..."
"You wish what?"
"I wish Gramppa was able to see that I'm okay."
"He knows, Matty. And I'll bet He's looking down right now and smiling."
"You think he's in heaven?"
Tony's brow furrowed. "Why wouldn't he be?"
"Mom said he's in the other place. The bad place."
Tony took a beat and swallowed down his anger. "I don't believe that, and neither should you."
Matty shrugged in reply.
Tony again wanted to murder Sara. The things she had done and said to Matty had taken what he believed had been a happy, well-adjusted child and turned him into someone who doubted everything and expected only the worst. Tony mentally bumped finding Matty a good counselor to the top of his to-do list.
"You know the best person you can talk to about this is Mel. I'm sure she'll have better answers than me. This is the kind of stuff she answers for people all the time."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Now whadda say we head inside and see what the girls are up to?"
Matty grinned and unbuckled his seat belt. He paused with his hand on the car door handle and asked, "Can I call you Dad?"
Suddenly a huge lump took up residence in Tony's throat. He quickly cleared his throat and replied, "I would like that very, very much."
"Okay," Matty replied and opened the door and got out.
Tony followed and grinned as they saw Paula in the front window hopping up and down in excitement. He chuckled and teased Matty, "I think someone's excited to meet you."
Paula was bouncing on the balls of her little feet she was so excited when Tony and Matty entered the house. She barely let them get in the door before she rushed over. She stopped in front of Matty and said happily, "Hi."
A big grin grew on Matty's face. "Hi," he replied.
At about a hundred miles an hour Paul said, "Do you like fish? I like fish. I have a Spongebob fishtank. Do you like Spongebob? Daddy said you take good pictures and maybe you would take pictures of my tank. Do you wanna see it?"
Matty shook his head. "I like fish."
"Come see," she said and grabbed Matty's hand to pull him towards the stairs.
Tony was chuckling to himself as he stepped further into the house. He heard Matty say, "Gramppa took me to the aquarium every summer."
"Uncle Gibbs takes me too. Maybe he'll take both of us."
"I'd like that," Matty replied.
The rest of their conversation was muffled and Tony made his way over to Mel who was standing in the kitchen doorway with a big smile on her face.
She leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips. "So that went well."
Tony glanced towards the stairs. "Yeah, it did."
"She was so excited waiting for you both."
"I think they're going to do just fine."
"Me too."
"Oh, by the way, Matty might come to you looking for some... spiritual advice," Tony said a bit more seriously.
"About?"
"Whether or not his grandfather is in heaven," Tony replied and then shared the rest of his conversation with Matty on the subject.
Mel frowned and sighed. "Why would she do that?"
Tony shook his head. "I don't know, hon, but my first priority tomorrow is to find him a good counselor."
"Yeah. I'll email you that list that I have, they're all good people."
"Thanks," Tony said and pulled Mel into a tight embrace, he inhaled the smell of her shampoo and sighed happily. "I love you," he whispered.
Before she could return the sentiment, Matty's voice came from behind them. "Mel?"
Mel pulled away from Tony and they both turned to face Matty. He looked very unsure of himself and nervous. Mel stepped over to him. "Everything okay up there?"
Matty swallowed hard. "Paula said you got all that new stuff in the room for me."
Mel smiled and nodded. "I did. But if you don't like the basketball theme we can take it back and get something else."
Matty shook his head vehemently. "No. I like it. But..."
"But what, Matty?" Tony prodded from beside Mel.
"Why did you do all that?"
"Because I wanted you know that this is your home and that is your room not just a guest room. I wasn't sure what you'd like but your dad mentioned you like basketball so I gave that shot."
They could both see the emotions swirling behind Matty's eyes, and the tears that welled in them were not unexpected. But it did surprise them both when flung his arms around Mel and hugged her for all he was worth.
It was late, well after eleven, when Tony clicked off the television in the living room and headed upstairs to go to bed. Mel had left an hour ago and he missed her already. Their December wedding couldn't come soon enough.
Their evening had been a ruckus one full of laughing children, messy tacos, and many games of Chutes and Ladders. Baths, pajamas, and bedtimes had come for Matty and Paula, although both were far too wired to sleep. Tony and Mel kept hearing the padding of feet in the upstairs hall, followed by children attempting to, but failing at being quiet as they snuck out of bed. They had decided to just let them have their fun for tonight; tomorrow would be soon enough to start reinforcing a good bedtime routine.
Tony paused in the doorway to Matty's room and quietly fished his cell phone out of his pocket. Both his kids where sound asleep on the carpeted floor tucked under the comforters pulled from both their beds, the little battery powered fake aquarium that Paula used as a nightlight when she had bad dreams on the floor near them. It looked as though both kids had fallen asleep watching the repetitive motions of the little plastic fish. With a grin, Tony snapped a quick picture before continuing onto his own room.
He settled himself into bed and opened up the picture folder on his phone. There were many of the four of them being silly at various points throughout the evening. He got to the last photo, the one of the two kids in Matty's room. He hadn't expected that when he looked into the room. But then again he hadn't expected a lot of things he now had in his life- Paula, Mel, and now Matty. He had gone from an unentangled bachelor to a father and soon-to-be-husband. As he put his phone down and reached for the light, Tony thought to himself that even though all the parts of his family were unexpected, that he wouldn't change it for the world.
the end.