AU. Thought I'd try a high school story. Throw in some make-believe family ties and we got ourselves a nice lil fic here. enjoy.
"I realllly don't know if this is a good idea..." said Tim McGee to his two best friends. He was standing at the end of a long driveway looking through the locked gates at the elegant and totally awesome mansion before them. There were people everywhere-in the yard and in the house as far as he could tell. There was music blaring, people laughing, lights flashing. It was one hell of a party.
"C'mon McGee. It'll be fine. We have never been to a real party before, and we're already juniors!" said Jimmy Palmer to his friend, giving him a pat on the back as he began his ascent up the black cast iron gates that seperated all the cool kids in the school and him-the nerd.
"But what if the cops come and stuff?" said a worried McGee as he looked around scanning the high end neighborhood.
"Okay, A- the cops don't come near this place. DiNozzo's dad keeps their pockets nice and fat. B- everyone in the whole school is gonna be here. If they matter..." said his friend Tripp.
"I doubt Tony would want US here though, what if we get kicked out and are even MORE embarassed..." said a still panicky Tim as he watched his other friend join Jimmy on the other side of the fence.
"Tim! Tony invited everyone. He announced it after the football game, ANYONE can come. And besides, its your freaking cousin! And your sister Abby will be here." said Jimmy, trying to coax his friend into coming.
"Alright. What harm could a little fun do?" said Tim as he began to climb the fence.
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"BULLSHIT!" yelled Johnny from across the poker table as loud as he could, standing up with a big smile pointing his finger at the culprit.
The music was blairing and people were dancing everywhere in the house. There were 4 kegs, and a bunch of crazy high schoolers with the sweetest party pad ever. There were so many people at his house, but the guy at the receiving end of one of his best friends fingers didnt have a care in the world, except for what that finger meant.
"SHITTTT !!" yelled Tony, a bashful smile on his face after he threw his cards on the table and shook his head.
The table of football players and cheerleaders all laughed in unison, knowing what was about to happen.
"You know the rules.." said his best friend LJ.
"Off with em!" said a cheerleader named Kate.
An already shirtless Tony stood up from his seat at the table. Peoples heads were turning around him who hadnt previously been paying attention to the game. Tony was hott and ripped. No one wanted to miss a glance at him. He looked around, backwards red baseball cap on, and classic smirk on his face as his fingers fumbled with the button and zipper on his jeans.
Tim, Tripp and Jimmy stood in the middle of the exquisite and high end billiards room on the third floor where the party wasnt SOOO wild, but it just so happened to be where all of the jocks were. The people Tim feared were seeming to be involved in a very intense game of 'Strip Bullshit'.
"Dude. Theres Tony," said a pointing Tripp. Tim and Jimmy turned their heads to see Tony stand up and do somewhat of a strip tease. "They are so lucky...." as they jealously eyed the people at the poker table.
"Ohhhh yeah!" yelled Johnny jokingly.
"Take it offff!" teased LJ.
People cheered and whistled playfully as Tony jokingly took his jeans and swung em around his head like a lasso and chucked them behind him. He sat back down and they continued to play the game, Tony hoping that he wasnt gonna get caught lying again..."Somebody get me another beer!"
Tripp took this as his godsent moment to interact with the 'big guys' of their school. "I will get you one!"
The ENTIRE poker table turned to see who yelled that. Tripp had already ran to the keg in the corner to fill up a cup for his idol. It was Jimmy and Tim under their gaze, and Tim gave a subtle wave with his hand as he was unsure what to do. They shrugged their shoulders and continued the game as another cheerleader was mercifully sitting in just her bra and underwear.
Tony squinted a bit, and wondered if he was drunker than he thought he was or if his cousin really WAS here.
"Hey Tony, special delivery from McLovin headed your way," said his friend Tad gesturing towards the tall, skinny. awkward boy that was, for some reason, getting Tony a beer. The group began to snicker, and Tony just rolled his eyes at his friends, but a small smirk played at his lips as he turned to greet the geek.
"Here you go." said tripp, with his best cool act on.
"hey thanks, you didnt have to, I was just ki-" said tony before being interupted by tripp.
"Dont mention it." With that, a more-nervous-than-he-thought Tripp turned back to head to his security blanket that was his friends.
"hey guys, games over. Lets go swimming!" Tony ended the party and all the half naked people ran for the stairs, but LJ and Tony.
"Is that my cousin?" said Tony whispering to LJ while looking at Tim.
"Yeah. I think so ?" said LJ.
"We are gonna go with plan C. got it?" said an up-to-something Tony.
"Hell yeah..."replied Gibbs.
"TIM!" yelled Tony.
Tim turned around and saw that he was under the glare of the two most popular people at his 5000 kid school.
"uhhh, yeah?" said Tim.
Tony stood with Lj. Both of them just in jeans and ball caps. Tony had a cup in his hand, and LJ had two. They stood macho-like with there weight on one leg and there heads to one side, with an angry glare on each of their faces. He had no clue what he was in for. Tony the stuck out one finger and curled towards him, telling him silently to get his ass over there.
Tim did as he was told, and a somewhat frightened JImmy and Tripp followed behind him.
"yeahh?" Tim sounded nervous. This was great.
"You think you can just waltz in here?" said a buff and pissed off LJ. "Tony doesnt want your kind.." he was eyeing them up and down as if they were scum.
"Well we thought that this was an open party...and uhh... sorry." said a scared Tim. He was shaking. He knew it.
Tony and LJ began walking towards them and the trio started to back up into a wall.
All of the sudden Tony started to burst into laughter and he was bent in half from it. LJ began to laugh too.
"im sorry, i couldnt take it. The look on your faces...." said a giggling Tony.
"we were just messing with you! relax!" said a smiling LJ.
The trio blew out a huge sigh of relief. "I thought we were toast!" said a grateful Jimmy.
Tony opened his arms out wide and yelled "TIMMMY! how ya been man?" he threw his arms around his cousin that he never sees.
Tim returned the bro hug and smiled. "ive been good. you?"
"Living the dream baby!" said Tony as he raised his arms slightly and looked around.
"This party is AWESOME!" said Tripp.
"hey thanks you guys help yourselves to the kegs, and the pizza should be here soon. But lay off my ladies.."said Tony.
"That would be ALL the ladies.." said a joking LJ as he sipped from the beer.
"Nah im just kdding. If she wants you, you got her!" yelled Tony over the music someone had just cranked up.
"HEY DiNozzo, Gibbs! Why the FUCK arent you in the pool with us! This is our victory party baby, lets GOOO!" yelled a wasted Johnny from the doorway."The Ladies are waitinggg!!"
"That would be my que" said LJ as he said 'later' and headed for the door after his friend.
"Yeah, mine too! But hey Tim stick around I got some catching up to do with you man! Nice you meeting you boys too..." said Tony as he retreated to the hallway to follow the fiesta.
"Let's PARTY!" yelled Jimmy.
The three basically ran for the keg. They were in. Kind of.
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"So where are your aunt and uncle?" said Cindy. She was talking with her friend Abby and they were outside the house for a cigarrette break. She was talking about the owners of this sweet house they were at.
"My uncle Vinnie is on his yacht somewhere in the carribean..." said Abby. "Being an asshole most likely...and my Aunt Viv died like when I was 6, so Tony was 5."
"Oohh. yikes. Howd she die?" asked Cindy.
"Her and Tony were in a car accident. Bad one." said Abby shaking her head of the memories.
"That..sucks."
"Ha uhh.. you could say that again." said Abby.
Suddenly there heads were drawn to the commotion coming from just in front of the house. There was a huge group of people walking up the driveway stirring up some of the partiers. It was like a group of like 15 guys, around their age. Beefy guys. And from the look of it, they meant business. Abby recognzied the symbol on one of their lettermans jacket. It was from Creton. Their rival that they just beat in overtime at the football game tonight. Well, that Tony had beaten in overtime.
"I gotta go warn Tony."
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Tony was with this girl he had never seen before. She was smoking hott, and from a different school. He didnt care to ask which one. Her name was Lia. LJ was getting comfortable with her friend Jamie, and Johnny and Tad were doing the same thing with their new finds, named Jolene and Brittany. They were in the kitchen getting some pizza and refilling their cups.
"Lets go out back again .." suggested Tad. They all filed through the house.
After a while of wating and getting to know eachother, a goth girl came barrelling over to Tony.
"TONY!" yelled Abby.
"oh hey Abs. Didnt know you were here. Whats u-"
"You got company..." said Abby breathing heavily after the dash through the huge house to find him.
"Wha-" his attention was drawn to the group of guys, very angry guys, scanning the pool area- for someone.
"Shall we?" said Tad. Beginning to stand up. These guys had to go.
"Let me just go see whats up. If I need you I will let ya know man." Tony said. He wanted to avoid the drama his friends tended to bring with them while drunk if he could. "Be right back.."
"Oh my god. Shit!" said Lia. "Thats my ex-boyfriend, Mark." Lia ducked and covered her face, trying to avoid him.
"Whats he doing here?" asked Johnny. He knew this wasnt gonna be good. "Isnt he that asshole quarterback from Creton?"
"Yeah that'd be Mark.." said Brittany.
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"Hey. Do I know you guys?" asked Tony in a nice manner. He had no reason not be nice to them. yet.
"Dont play stupid, DiNozzo." said the leader of the pack. "You guys got lucky tonight, you know that right?"
"What ? oh, the game? Um. Well it makes the VICTORY party a little more vivacious now doesn't it?" said Tony in a smart alec tone. It finally clicked that this was the team they just beat in OT.
LJ suddenly appeared beside his best friend after hearing the Lia was his ex. Johnny and Tad lined up next to them.
"What? Getting beat by us once isnt enough for you boys? Thought you'd come back for more?" said Tony.
"No, I came to claim back my girl. Shes a little confused right now..." he began to scan the crowd for someone, Tony being the only one not knowing whom exactly.
LJ leaned over and whispered in Tony's ear that the girl he was just mackin on was this meatheads ex. TOny's eyes met LJ's. Shit.
"Well theres no one here for you. So just leave..." said LJ. Attempting to rid off these guys before anything bad went down.
"Doors that way ..." said Tony pointing behind them. But the other team was still looking around for 'their' girls.
Kate and Abby came up to Tony. They hadnt noticed the heated confrontation currently taking place between all these people. "Hey Tony, we are ALL out of pizza... and im starving. Can we order some more?" Her voice was high and happy, like was always gets when shes drunk."Those girls you are with want some more too..." added Abby.
Mark grabbed Kates arm and ripped her around to face him. "What girls?"
"Hey! Let go!" yelled Abby as she started to smack at the quarterbacks arms holding Kates.
"Back off girl!" Some goon pushed Abby, and Tad just barely caught her before she fell to the ground.
In an instant Tony went up to Mark pushed him hard form the side, causing him to lose his balance, and his grip on Kate. Lj grabbed Kate, and asked if she was ok. By this time Mark had already bounced back up, and as Tony was turning to check on kate and Abby he was tackeled from the side.
"FIGHT!!" someone yelled from one of the balconies above them, and people everywhere turned and looked. Tad and Johnny had seen Mark tackle Tony, and so they sprung into action to try and help their friend, but they were stopped by the fists of Mark's friends. LJ turned around to Tad and Johnny taking on a man of their own, and about 6 people fighting Tony at once.
He was all over the place, dodging punches, getting punched, landing punches, missing punches. It was a full on brawl, and it felt like the odds were def against him. The initial hit from Mark had done some damage. He wasnt wearing his shirt-thank you 'strip bullshit'-and the hard concrete had scraped deep into his back. He had nailed the back of his head on a potted plant on his quick descent to the ground, and he felt the blood trickle down his neck and back.
Him and LJ were giving all these guys a run for their money.
Finally he was on top of Mark and working the guy over, and he looked over to see some guy doing the same to LJ. He quickly got off of Mark and tackled the guy that was holding LJ down. He sat atop of him and reeled back his arm in anticipation to knock this dirtbag out when suddenly there was huge blow to his stomach from something foreign.
He was blown off of the guy, and laying on his back he looked up to see Mark with a baseball bat ready to land another hit on him. Tony couldnt breathe, and he had definitely heard some cracks from his ribs thanks to Mark Mcguire over there. he closed his eyes in pain and anticipation.
It landed with a thud, and then he felt the explosion of pain in his chest. He looked over and saw his outnumbered friends still putting up a good fight with their adversaries. Good. At least it was him and not them. Another guys came over and got a good kick in to the side of his face. He could barely see. He felt the blood smear him around the ground form his back and head wounds. Girls were screaming from the violence, begging them to stop fighting. Some guys tried to join in, but most of them were too wasted to do anything about it.
Another kick to his head and things were really starting to get blurry. He saw one of the guys his cousin TIm was with coem and grab the bat from MArk's hand, and try swingin it at Mark. Tony tried to get up, but he couldnt. He began to throw up from the abdominal blows. He looked up to see Tim and his two friends on top of Mark. Kate and Abby were holding down another guy, and LJ was smearing a guys face into the cement.
Some random good guys from the party had the other bad guys wrangled up, and Tad and Johnny were coming over to Tony to help him out. There was blood in his mouth, and some vomit, and he was having a hard time catching his breath.
Lia and her friends came over and tried nursing Tony and his friends injuries. Mark saw Lia comforting a broken and hunched over Tony and the anger mixed with adrenaline was no match for the geek squad currently containing him. He broke out of their clutches, and reared over to where Tony was on his hands and knees with his head down. With all their attention on their friend, no one had seen the psycho coming-or his foot. "Shes MINE!"
His foot connected brutally with Tony's face, snapping his head back and causing Tony to topple over unconciously to his side. Lia stood up crying and outraged, ready to defend. But LJ had already taken Mark down, and he and Tad and Johnny were over taking care of business with him. Abby, Tim, and Kate were at Tony's side. Abby began crying at the site of her cousin, worried for him. Tim was trying to coax Tony to wake up.
"Everyone OUT!" yelled an angry and worried Kate. People began filing out, including Mark and his posse of fallen soldiers.
Lia and her friends were no where to be seen. Bitches.
"Is he okay?" asked a worried JOhnny, coming over to Tony's unmoving side.
"I dont know... What should we do?" asked Jimmy Palmer.
"We cant call 911 or we go down for drinking, and then crazy Vinnie will kick Tony's ass even more than this.."said Abby.
"Let's go get Uncle Duck.." said Tim. "He lives right down the street..he knows what to do. Hes a doctor."
"We should take Tony to him. I dont know how bad it is, we should hurry." said LJ "Can we take your truck John?"
It wasnt even a question. LJ grabbed Tony under the shoulders, Johnny picked up his ankles, and Tad helped keep his midsection up.
"Let's go. My trucks in the driveway." said Johnny
Like a well oiled machine thehy gently, yet quickly carried Tony's limp and bloody form to the back of Johnny's truck, and hoisted him up. Johnny grabbed his keys and started up the car. Everyone piled in back. Tripp, Jimmy, Tim, Kate, Abby, LJ, and Tad were all gathered around their friend, hoping the best for him.
"His breathing sounds horrible." said a grim LJ. who sat with Tony's head in his lap
"Maybe we should just go to the hospital..." said Tad. "if he is really hurt, who cares about getting in trouble"
"Turn here!" yelled Abby.
They pulled into a driveway, and Abby and Tim jumoed out of the truck and ran up to ring the doorbell. After about a minute or two, a lightly disheveled looking slighlty elderly man opened the door in a tshirt and pj pants.
"Abigail, Timothy-what on earth brings you here at this time of the night?" said Uncle Ducky.
"Its Tony. He's hurt. Bad, we think." said Abby.
"Our Anthony? Where is he at?" asked Ducky suddenly looking worried.
"In the back of that truck..."
"Oh dear. Let's go see..."
Ducky nearly ran to the truck, it was jog. With a soft 'j'. He peared over the side and gasped.
"Anthony..What have you gotten yourself into this time?" said Ducky to himself.
"Do you think we should take him inside," asked a worried LJ still holding Tony's head in his lap.
"yes. At once." DUcky said. They began to move and the boys slid Tony off the edge of the truck bed and into the arms of Johnny, Tim and Ducky.
"How long has he been out?" asked Ducky as they were walking up the walkway, all of them helping in carrying Tony's body.
"I'd say like 20 minutes. Tops." said Jimmy. "He took a few kicks to the head before that though."
"The asshole had a baseball bat too.." said a pissed off LJ as he heald the door open for the troupe. "Hit him in the stomach."
"Blasted. I presume it was his father again?" said Ducky disappointedly.
Tad and Johnny exchanged a look of question and horror at the mans words. But LJ knew Tony's story, always had. Kate's head snapped up to meet Abby's, who face stayed blank as their eyes met.
"No. Not this time," replied Tim. "Just some jerkoff that Tony and these guys beat at the big football game today."
"Ok. Let's lay him down on the dining table. Just over there ..." directed Ducky."Careful, by the sounds of it, i dont want to jar his ribs or back any further. His breathing sounds labored."
"Young man-"began Ducky.
"LJ" he introduced himself.
"LJ," he corrected. "You try and rouse the boy, if you could. Abby, run upstairs and get my kit from my closet. Tim go with Tripp and Jimmy to get a bowl of just water, and one of soapy water. And some rags and towels. Your three stay with me."he was talking about Kate, Tad, and Johnny.
"Now, what happened?" asked a stern Ducky. He was poking and prodding around Tony's stomach and ribs. Checking his pulse and such.
Lj kept on with his gentle tapping on Tony's cheek, and asking his friend to return to the world of the awaken.
"well... uhh." said Tad. "We were having a victory party. Then these idiots from Creton showed up."
"They grabbed me first," said Kate."Then they pushed Abby, so Tony had enough and shoved the guy."
"Then it was a brawl from there on out..." finished Johnny.
"I can see that. I will take a look at those injuries you all have later. But Anthony is main priority right now."
LJ was stilling asking Tony to wake up when Abby returned with the kit.
"Ok. Now, as of right now there is nothing I can do about these abdominal wounds, as there are no signs of internal bleeding. But I cant be sure. His breathing is...okay. The head injury is more dangerous right now though. Let's roll him over now...gently."
They turned Tony on his side, and the eyes of the people that were now facing his back grew wide with horror. It was more the shock of seeing all the blood than anything. Kate began to cry again. She felt like it was her fault.
"Oh dear." was all DUcky could say as he rounded to table. Tim had just gotten back with the water and towels.
"SOmeone starting washing those cuts on his back please. They look rather dirty, and we dont want infection."
Tad and Tripp each grabbed some of towels and began the process that Ducky had asked them to do. The water in the bowl was soon a blood red.
"I think hes starting to wake up--Tony. Tony? Cmon, wake up." said LJ, but nothing more happened. Ducky took some antiseptic from his kit and squirted it on the bloody gash on the back of Tony's head. He put gauze on it.
"Can you hold this in place?" asked Ducky, looking at Johnny.
"Yeah. Of Course." Johnny sprang into action.
Ducky began to clean another gash on Tony's temple when the boy beneath him began to moan and stir. "Anthony, are you with us?"
Tony's eyes blearily opened, and a pained and questioning expression took over his face as he tried to sit up.
"Uncle Duck? what the fuhh-"
"Ah ah ah. Just lie still Anthony. We are trying to help you." said Ducky in a calming tone as all of his friends gently held him down. Knowing what was good for their friend.
"Hey," said tony to LJ in a hoarse tone."Did we win ?"
"Yep. Thats twice in one night we beat those jackasses." replied LJ.
"M'head hurts." said Tony sleepily.
"Hey, no sleeping during partytime Tony. Wake up." said Johnny. He'd had concussions from sports before. You should stay awake, he remembered.
"Ok Anthony. You think you can sit up now?" said Ducky. He was finished with his cranial exam and didnt find any bone damage.
Lj and Ducky helped him to sit up, and as they did a hiss of pain escaped from Tony.
"Your back hurting you?" guessed Abby.
Tony hadnt realized there were other people in the room. He turned slighty, regretting the move as it made his headache double almost.
"Hey Abs. Yeah. my back. Whats wrong with it?" asked Tony painfully as he sat the rest of the way up on the table.
"Just some scrapes..." sad Tim.
"Wow. Got quite the audience here i guess.." said Tony slightly embarassed.
"Yeah, why dont we give you your privacy ..." said Kate.
"Do help yourself to the food in the kitchen." offered/demanded Ducky. "Hopefully it will soak up some of that alcohol..." he added non-chalantly.
They all filied into the kitchen and let Ducky finish his exam.
"Im glad he seems ok" said Kate.
"Yeah. I was kind of worried for a while.." added Jimmy.
"Hey LJ, Tad -huddle up." he gestured with his head to a space in the corner.
His friends followed and they gathered in the corner. JOhnny looked at LJ and said "What exactly did Ducky mean when he said that about it being Tony's dad ..."
Lj just stood there looking down at the ground. "It's not really my story to tell ...."
"But we are his friends, and we all know hes never gonna tell us. He's too .. Tony." said JOhnny.
"Youre right. Well... when his dad IS home, hes drunk. He's got the temper of the crazy criminal that he is, and takes his anger out on Tony...by hitting em and stuff." said LJ grimly."He will try and come to my place whenever his dad is in town. Sometimes he can't, and he ends up here at his uncles gettin fixed up."
"Damn" was all that could be said.
They all walked back to the group at the table. They caught the last part of Abby's story of how she and Tony were related, and how Ducky fits in the family tree too. Abby and Tims mom was the sister of Tony's mom, and their moms' uncle is Ducky. Hence- Great Uncle Duck.
"We are all finished!" said Ducky from the other room. "Time to clean up the rest of you."
A bunch of 'nah im goods' and 'its oks' were thrown back at him as they entered the dining room once again.
They walked in to find a tired looking Tony standing up and leaning against a pillar in the room. he had gauze and tape wrapped around his forehead. Gauze on the back of his head. Some tape around his right hand where he must have landed a few good punches. His ribs were wrapped, and there were large peices of gauze taped on his back where the scrapes ran across his shoulder blades. His jaw was bruising. Left eye nearly swollen shut. Split Lit. Deep bruises on the parts of his stomach and chest not wrapped.
Abby ran over to Tony and gave him a gentle hug, and saying how glad was that she was ok. Next was Kate. She was apologizing for something that was not her fault-the guy was out of line. She thanked Tony, and hugged him.
"Now, i will LET you go Anthony, IF and only IF you go to the doctor tomrrow--after you have sobered up--to get xrays done. Your lungs sound much better now, but you cant be too sure. My guess would be your breathing sounded so horrid before because of a spasm occuring in your diaphragm that the bat may have spiked. I see no signs of any immediate danger, so you are free to go." explained Ducky."But someone must make sure he wakes up every two hours. Understood?"
The room chorused in yes', and they began to pile out the door. Ready to fall asleep before their heads hit their pillows it appeared like.
"Thanks for everything Ducky. and Im sorry for waking you." said Abby.
LJ and Tad were on either side of Tony, assisting him to walk.
"Do be more careful Anthony. Although I enjoy your company, I wish it not be on such awful circumstances." said Ducky sadly.
"I see you enough as it is ..."
"Thanks again, Uncle Ducky." replied a sleepy DiNozzo."Im sorry...for everything."
"Nonsense my dear boy. Just get some rest Anthony, and dont forget about the doctor tomorrow.."replied Ducky shutting the door.