Anticipation
Tony and Abby were waiting morosely in her inner office within the NCIS forensics lab. Abby sat tensely in the chair in front of the computer, while Tony was sitting on her desk, swinging his legs nervously.
"He was frothing mad," she spoke quietly, twisting one pigtail around her index finger.
"That's an understatement, Baby Girl," Tony responded, and then grimaced. "I seriously thought he was going to rip me apart before we could get back here."
Their eyes met and Abby shook her head and spoke sadly, "You know you're going to get it when he doesn't even yell, but gets that 'you are going to regret your stupid actions' look on his face."
"I know," Tony agreed, then settled more firmly on the desk while the duo lapsed into an uncomfortable, painful silence. They had been waiting, as per instructions, for Gibbs to come down to deal with them. Both Tony and Abby had experienced the wrath of their boss firsthand, more than once, and had privately decided that the worst punishments were handed down after Gibbs had ordered them to a time out kind of waiting place before he dealt with them. By now they were realists concerning the mindset of one Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Their immediate future didn't bode well for them.
Five more minutes passed before Abby broke the silence in a tone that she tried to make sound bubbly and cheerful. "Well, at least he didn't bust us in front of Timmy and Ziva, so we won't be embarrassed having them witness us get it. I'd rather have him yell at us here, rather than in the bullpen. Actually, if I had my druthers, I would want this to take place at home."
Tony opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the ding of the elevator, the signal that Gibbs was finally there. Both straightened immediately and leapt to their feet as their mentor, boss, and surrogate father strode angrily and determinedly into the room. He didn't waste time with social niceties.
"Sit down, both of you!" he ordered in his no nonsense voice, and they scrambled to obey, flying back into their previous seats. "Look right here at me and don't move and don't open your mouths until I give you permission!"
The two miscreants obeyed immediately, cringing when they saw the anger reflected in their boss's expression. Tony's stomach began to knot and Abby's eyes filled with tears. Noting their apprehension, Jethro hardened his heart, nevertheless, and ignored their stricken looks as he lit in angrily with a blistering lecture. "I have never been so ashamed of either of you, or so disappointed in either of you as I was today. You two have just proven to me that yes, it is possible for two seemingly intelligent adults to actually conduct themselves more immaturely than a pair of five year olds! How do you think I felt when I was told that you two had concocted a scheme which resulted in both of you nearly ending up incarcerated? No- allow me to answer that for you- I was stunned that my faith in you had been misguided!"
That connected with both Tony and Abby, who relished their boss's approval and worked hard to earn it. Neither one could recall having ever gotten him so angry in the past. His words were crushing, but justified. They glanced at each other guiltily, and Abby cleared her throat, "Gibbs..."
"Did I tell you to speak?" he demanded, turning a steely gaze her way. She knew better than to respond to that verbally, so shook her head instead. Unable to stop them, tears started falling and she wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her blouse.
Gibbs swung his gaze towards Tony, but the young man shook his head as well, not willing to risk oral communication either. He looked down at the floor instead, and bit the edge of his lip.
Gibbs took a deep breath and counted to ten, slowly, trying to control his emotions. He was angry, really angry, but the recipients of his anger deserved experiencing his displeasure, nonetheless. He, Tony, and Abby had begun to function as a family unit years before, and in the intervening time his love and affection had intensified for these surrogate children. It had been difficult for them to pierce his armour and work their way into his heart, but they had managed to do it. Despite his natural reluctance to overtly display his affection, they were well aware of how he felt towards them, and the feeling was genuinely reciprocated. Therefore, his fury today was understandable, in light of his determination to protect them and keep them from harm.