FAMILY PORTRAIT, FAMILY SHADOWS
Well, here it is, the LONG -awaited (LOL) sequel to Monsters in the Shadows. This takes place present day, almost 7 years after Abby's Big Rescue from Trust Fund Thad. Tony and Abby have been married not quite 6 years, and have 2 children, just-turned-6 yr. old Kaitlyn Jennifer, and 2 ½ yr. old Anthony Jethro (AJ for short). Did our favorite couple have their Happily Ever After? Read along and find out! And PLEASE Read'n'Review!
SHOUT OUT: Must give credit where it's due! This story is based on a Youtube video by our very own Lifeless April - youtube name xRikkunessx - called Family Portrait (the song by Pink). As I watched it, I got all these ideas, and shared them with Lifeless April, and she told me to go for it and write a story on it. Seeing as it was her video that gave me ideas, I wanted her to have a part in what I wrote - only fair - so the story is really a collaboration of ideas from the both of us, just using my words. It wasn't originally a sequel to Monsters in the Shadows, but someone else put the idea in my head (thanks, Mandielouluvsewe!) so I checked it out with my collaborator, and she agreed, so voila, a sequel was born! My story doesn't follow the video exactly, I went in my own direction, but there are similarities. And I never would have thought of this story without it. So THANK YOU, Lifeless April, for a great video that sparked my imagination, and thanks for trusting me to do that video justice. I hope you like your story!
PS - everyone go to youtube and watch xRikkunessx's video Family Portrait! It's AWESOME!
DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing of NCIS, they receive nothing from me, I get nothing from them.** If I did, Tabby would still be going strong on the show. **Any songs or products that may be mentioned are the sole property of the artist/company, I receive nothing for product placement.**
On with the show!
CHAPTER 1
Gibbs kissed Abby on the temple on his way out of the lab. "That's good work, Abbs." The rest of the team followed their boss out.
Except for Tony. He stopped at the door, pausing for a moment before he turned around and looked at his wife. The regular loud music was playing, she had her customary "uniform" on - he paused again to admire those sexy legs - but it didn't take a degree in forensics to see she wasn't happy. There was no bounce in her step, no joy in her explanations of the science she loves so much. Even her ponytails looked unhappy. And he knew he played a large part in her mood today, and he felt like dirt. They'd argued again last night. He'd ended up falling asleep in front of the TV. Again. Not in bed with his wife. He hated seeing his woman so sad. "Abbs?" he rasped softly.
She didn't even turn from her computer. "Hmm?"
He closed his eyes, knowing he deserved her anger. He walked up behind her, putting his hands on her waist, his chin on the top of her head, and pulled her to him. She didn't try to get away, but neither did she lean into the hug like she usually did. He sighed. "Abbs….honey, I'm sorry….about last night. It was stupid. I…..(sigh) I don't know what I was thinking. I guess that's the problem, huh? I wasn't thinking." He took her silence as a good thing. It meant she was considering his words. He wrapped his arms around her, giving her a small squeeze. "I miss you, sweets," he murmured, kissing her jaw.
Abby sighed. Her husband wasn't totally to blame for last night's argument, she'd been a participant, too. A very loud one, if memory served. She closed her eyes and leaned back slightly into Tony's arms. "I miss you too," she said softly. "And I'm sorry for what I said. You didn't do it on purpose, I know that. I knew it last night… I just…." she shrugged. I'm so sorry, Tony."
He let her go and turned her in his arms, holding her close. He rested his forehead against hers, linked their hands. "I love you, Abbs. Forgive…."
"DiNOZZO!" came the voice from the elevator.
Abby and Tony shared a laugh at Gibbs' call. "You'd better go. A grumpy Gibbs is a 'work-through-lunch' Gibbs." She leaned into the gentle palm that caressed her cheek. She tilted up as Tony leaned down and kissed her lips slowly, softly. "Love you, too."
With a final grin at his wife of almost 6 years, he ran for the elevator. "Coming, boss!"
The mood in the bullpen for the rest of the day was light. Ziva and McGee shared a look and then looked over at their partner. Abby had obviously forgiven him for whatever had gone on at home the previous night. They had noticed that there seemed to be a lot of mornings lately that Tony was coming in grumbling like a bear, aching from a night spent on the couch. He'd snap at everyone without cause. They were concerned about their friends - it seemed that Abby and Tony were arguing more and more these days. But they were both too afraid to approach the couple for fear of being accused of meddling. So they just kept hoping that one of these days, Gibbs would step in. Neither Tony nor Abby would dare accuse Gibbs of meddling!
At about 1630, the elevator dinged and the pitter-patter of little feet was heard running for the bullpen. "Daddy!" A tow-headed blonde little girl raced in and ran straight for her father.
A smile lit Tony's face as he looked up and saw his baby girl racing toward him. He pushed his chair away from his desk and opened his arms wide, waiting for her flying leap into his arms. He "oofed" when it came, but he had a huge smile on his face. "There's my favorite princess!" He hugged her and kissed her loudly on the cheek, making her giggle. Tony loved that tinkling little laugh, so he gave her a kiss on the other cheek, too. She turned in his lap to sit on his knee, her pink Dora the Explorer backpack whapping him in the face. "McUncle, put out a BOLO on Dora the Explorer, wanted for assault on a federal officer." This just made his daughter laugh more. Helping her remove the offending backpack, he asked, "so how was school today, Principessa Kaity-did?"
Little Kaity (named for Tony and Abby's friend, fallen agent Katelyn Todd) slung her arms around her daddy's neck, swinging her feet. "Good. I made you and mommy a picture."
Tony nuzzled his nose in Kaity's hair. He'd never tire of little-girl smell - strawberry shampoo, baby powder, and something he had yet to define. Abby always called it 'Essence of Youth.' "Well, I can not wait to see it. Where's 'the little monster?'"
Kaity busied herself with her daddy's Mighty Mouse stapler. "He's down with mommy. She thought the two of us up here at the same time might be overwhelming," she answered matter-of-factly. The team snickered. Two and a half year old AJ was like a bull in a china shop. "Hi, grampa!"
Everyone looked up, expecting to see Gibbs, but he wasn't there. A moment later, he strolled in with his coffee. How did she do that? She always knew Gibbs was there seconds before he walked in. She'd saved dear ol' dad's head from a few Gibbs-Slaps, that's for sure!
"A six-year old has better senses than any of my trained agents. Hey, sweet Kait. Want a job? Maybe you can teach these guys a thing or two."
Kaity wriggled out of her father's arms and ran across the room to be swept up in her grandfather's arms. She giggled. "I can't have a job! I'm just a little girl!" This was their regular routine, him offering her a job, she being a little girl. She threw her arms around her grandfather's neck and hugged him with all her six-year old might. "Missed you, grampa."
Gibbs closed his eyes, the hug of the little girl always bitter-sweet. For a moment, he'd remember the hugs his little girl Kelly had given him, but then he just enjoyed the love of this little girl in his arms. He never thought he'd want to be called "grandpa," never thought he'd enjoy it. But little kids have a magic all their own. "Missed you too, baby girl." He kissed her on the cheek and walked over to sit at his desk, little girl still attached to his neck. Which was more than alright with him. "How's my favorite princess today?"
Kaity rolled her eyes at her grandfather. "Grampa," she lectured, "I'm your only princess. You don't got any other grand girls."
Gibbs smirked. "But there are princesses all over the world. And you are my absolute favorite one out of all of them," he said, poking her gently in the belly, making her giggle.
A ding heralded the arrival of the elevator, but it was the yell that told everyone who was on it. "AJ! Wait!"
The agents on Team Gibbs began removing valuables and sharp objects rapidly off the top of their desks. They'd learned early on to childproof around little Anthony Jethro DiNozzo.
"Daddy!"
Tony watched his little boy run towards him from the elevator with that toddler waddle. He cringed when the boy tripped and fell over his own feet, but AJ had picked himself up and resumed his race before Tony could even worry about the child being hurt. Thank God for the resilience of children! He bent low to the ground to scoop up the squirming child. "Hey buddy!" He lifted AJ up in the air and held him there, blowing raspberries on that pudgy baby belly. He had to duck to avoid the swinging tiny feet as the boy chuckled as only a baby can. The sound made everyone within listening distance smile. Tony brought AJ down and wrapped him in a tight hug, looking up to see a disheveled Abby walking in.
"Sorry guys," she said wearily. "I kept him in my lab as long as I could, but someone just could not wait to see daddy."
Tony smiled at his son. "That's my boy!" he crowed happily, getting up and walking over to Abby. He switched AJ to his hip and put his other arm around his wife, pulling her to the opposite side. "S'ok, sweets." He kissed her cheek, and joy flowed through him when Abby cuddled up against him. She'd forgiven him. He closed his eyes and thanked God, kissing her on the head. His family meant the world to him. He knew that that would surprise most people who knew him - Tony wasn't a family kind of guy, he was a love-'em and leave-'em man. But that was the old Tony. That was Tony before The Love of Abby. Nowadays, instead of wanting to go for drinks after work, he was impatient to get home. To his family. "We're almost finished up here, anyway." Looking over at Gibbs, he jumped. It always startled him to see the Gibbs-Glare not only from Gibbs, but from his daughter, as well. If he didn't know better, he'd swear she was Gibbs' child. The only difference was eye color - Gibbs' that steely blue, Kaity's Abby-green. She was so much like her grandpa it was scary. "Uh, right, boss? We're…almost…" He shut up when both Gibbs' and his daughter's eyebrow rose. He cleared his throat. "Uh, are we almost finished for the day, boss?" he asked anxiously.
Gibbs looked down at his granddaughter, who looked up at him at the same time. They communicated silently, with tilts of their heads and eyebrows raising. Finally nodding, Gibbs kissed Kaity's cheek. "The boss says you're done. All of ya', go home."
Tim and Ziva gathered their stuff and took the time to kiss the cheeks of both children, their honorary niece and nephew, then took off. Passing his wiggling son off to Abby, Tony went to grab up his own stuff. "Thanks, boss!" He paused opening his desk drawer as two voices answered him - a deep male voice and a tiny, little girl voice.
"You're welcome."
Slinging his backpack over a shoulder, Tony grabbed Kaity's backpack and walked over to where she and Gibbs were standing. Handing her the backpack, he eyed the two of them suspiciously. "You two scare me." Backpack on, Kaity held her hands up for her dad to pick her up, snuggling close to him when he did. Another secret look passed between his little girl and Gibbs - and then he received not one but two head-slaps. "Hey!" he eyed his daughter. "Who's the one that loves you more than anything, huh?"
Kaity giggled and ducked her head under Tony's chin. "Grampa!" she giggled again. Seeing Tony's pout, she quickly added, "and you, daddy! You love me more 'n' anything."
Looking down at his baby girl, eyes so much like her mom's, he had a hard time swallowing around the lump in his throat. "That's right, mia dolce principessa. Love you more than anything in the world," he rasped.
Gibbs felt a pang of sadness, watching his SFA and his daughter sharing a tender moment. Looking away, he saw Abby watching him, a knowing look on her face. He walked over to her, hugged her, and kissed her on the forehead, letting her know that all was well. He took AJ from her arms to give him a hug and a kiss.
"G'ampa!" the little boy shouted happily.
Walking back to his desk, Gibbs packed up his stuff - he made it look so easy with one arm holding his grandson close - and walked with his kids to the elevator. As he stepped on behind them, he couldn't help but think how good life was.
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The next day - NCIS
Tony threw his backpack next to his desk. Tim and Ziva looked up and saw he was rather haggard-looking this morning. Looking at each other, they knew it was going to be a bad day - Tony was rumpled and unshaven, which meant he'd most likely slept on the sofa again last night. His cell phone rang and with a glance at the caller, he tossed it on his desk.
"Boss is looking for me, I'm in the head," Tony grumbled to his teammates as he left the bullpen.
Tim got up and checked Tony's call log. The last five calls had been from Abby. Tony had answered the first one, but that was it. He looked at Ziva with a grimace. "It's going to be a long day, Ziva."
Ziva sighed. "What is going on with them, McGee? Why are they arguing so much lately? Has Tony said anything to you?"
He shook his head. "No. He's ended up at my place a few nights, when he's needed to cool off, but he just sits and watches movies, doesn't say a word." Tim went over to Ziva's desk. "How about Abby? Has she said anything to you?"
"No, she's being very tight-shipped…."
Tim hated to interrupt, but, "'lipped', Zi, tight-lipped."
Rolling her eyes, Ziva continued, "whatever. It bothers me to see her sad so much. Sad is not our Abby."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I hate having to walk on egg-shells around Tony every other day. He's upset about things at home, but takes it out on us."
Ziva looked thoughtful. "They have been married almost six years now. Could this be the 'six-year bitch' everyone talks about?"
"It's 'seven-year….' - well, I guess in this case, your version makes more sense."
"There's no sense in a dead petty officer," said Gibbs as he sailed into the bullpen. "Gear up, we're going to Rock Creek Park." McGee and Ziva immediately began gearing up, and Gibbs looked at Tony's desk with a glare. "Meet you at the car." With a concerned glance at each other, McGee and Ziva went for the elevator.
Gibbs stalked to the men's room, knowing he'd find Tony preparing himself for a new day. Which meant he'd spent the night somewhere other than his own bed, most likely the couch. Which meant that he and Abby had argued again. He didn't blame Tony one hundred percent for the problem - Gibbs knew that Abby could be stubborn when she believes she's right about something, and he fully intended to have a talk with her later, when he had time. But right now, Tony was the one in his line of fire. Gibbs slammed the bathroom door open and strode in. His SFA was just rinsing the shaving cream off his face, and he looked up into the mirror guiltily. "Got a case, boss?"
Judging by the scowl on his team leader's face, Tony guessed that had been a stupid question. "Sorry, boss, won't…"
"Don't you dare say it won't happen again," growled Gibbs, "because we both know that would be a lie now, wouldn't it?"
Tony grabbed his suit coat from where it was hanging on the paper towel dispenser and threw it on. Checking himself in the mirror, he murmured, "does it count if I wish it weren't?" With a final smoothing of the tie and a tug on his coat sleeves, Tony stomped out of the bathroom, leaving his boss to stare after him thoughtfully.
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Not exactly the Happily Ever After ya'll were expecting, huh? Just wait til the next chapter! Heeheehee - hey I can't give spoilers in Chapter One! Ch. 2 up soon!
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! Let me know if you want to know more about our favorite couple, Tabby! I need FIVE (5) REVIEWS if any of you want to find out what happens…