A/N Thanks to everyone who alerted, favourited or left reviews for Rising to the Bait. I appreciate all the support. I have been enjoying reading the reviews as people speculate about where the story might be headed. Keep them coming especially for this chapter as the author is a wee bit insecure about it as I'm way out of my comfort zone. You'll no doubt all be relieved that Faldo has kindly agreed to beta the story and tame my fractious commas. Thanks so much Faldo and as always people, any mistakes you find are my bad :)

Hope you enjoy this chapter and this chapter should answer some of the questions that you might have. As I said before, this story is rather a departure from what I usually write. I'm a bit anxious about the schmaltz factor so perhaps I should just issue a chapter warning to any diabetics out there reading it that they should read it at their own discretion. FYI I didn't know another definition of schmaltz is rendered, (clarified) chicken or goose fat used for frying or as a spread on bread in Germany, Austria, and Poland. Salutations to readers who may be reading this while eating a schmaltz sandwich :D


Rising to the Bait


Chapter 3

On the flight to Arizona Jade Lawler and David Paddington aka Detective Sergeant Jessie Lawless and Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo had cautiously discussed the immediate future. Jessie was going to take an extended leave of absence from the Boston PD and stay in DC to help Tony to care for their god-daughter while she was recovering from her injuries and to help Tia deal with the fact that her father had been killed and her mother seriously injured.

Tony was also going to take leave to help organise care for Melissa and hopefully develop a bond with Tia, who would at this stage be living with him. This would be until her mother recovered enough to care for her and to see if that was even going to be possible. He fervently hoped that Melissa would recover and be able to be the mother that Tia needed. Since he'd grown up without his own mother he knew what a chasm it had left in his life. It definitely wasn't what he wanted forTia.

They also discussed the possibility that Jessie might move to DC permanently and Tony mentioned that perhaps Fornell might join the party with a job at the FBI. That half joke earned him a punch on the bicep but even though it wasn't up to his usual standard they both appreciated the attempt to take their mind off just what they were flying into. Neither of them had seen Melissa in ten years and Tony's contact had been minimal.

They picked up the hire car he'd booked in his cover name, just in case anyone was watching. Jessie was feeling more comfortable after speaking to the Tucson PD but it never hurt to take precautions and since they were working with the FBI's cooperation, it made sense to be very cautious. As they drove to the hospital, Tony felt his nerves step up a notch and wondered out loud who they should see first.

"I think we need to talk to Mel-Mae's doctor, Tone." Tony grinned sadly at hearing Jessie use her own special nicknames for them both, taking him instantly back to a more carefree time when they were all together. "See if it's going to be an option to move her back to DC in the immediate future. Then we can get back to Fornell and let him know what's happening."

Yet in the end, as much as he wanted to see Melissa again after ten long years, the pull of seeing Tia for the first time ever was too strong for both of them. They sneaked into the paediatric department and announced themselves to security and the nurses' desk, before tiptoeing over to her room. The sleeping nine year old had been sedated as she had become hysterical after being told about her mother's condition and her father's death.

Jessie reached for Tony's hand and squeezed it hard, knowing instinctively just how emotional this moment was for her ex-partner and friend and she was moved to be a part of it. As Tony stared at the pale heart shaped features, the honey blonde waves of shoulder length hair and her cupid's bow of a mouth, his heart seized as finally he could reach out for the first time ever and touch his daughter. The last time he had been this close to her was when Mel was pregnant before she'd gone into witness protection. Mike Macaluso's threats had made it imperative that his fiancé and their unborn child be relocated following Tony's undercover efforts which had brought down the Mafia boss' empire.

Glancing at Jessie, he saw tears streaking down her cheeks and he remembered that she hadn't even seen a photo of Tia. The photos he received were few and far between and when they arrived were always a painful reminder of everything that he had lost when he'd taken on that thankless undercover mission. Granted, he'd managed to bring down a powerful mafia boss but he had to wonder each and every day for the last ten years if the price he and his family had paid, had been worth it.

Melissa, pregnant with their daughter had been bundled into the witness protection program while Tony had opted to stay behind and become an easy target instead of going into hiding with his family. If Macaluso was determined to make good his threats to make him pay, then he wanted it to be easy for the dirtbag to find him. The last thing Tony needed was to give him a reason to go digging any further and discover his family. He had no doubt if Mike knew about his daughter, that she and Mel would be in grave danger from the Don.

Fortunately, because he had spent so much of his sojourn in Philly working undercover in the Macaluso family, very few people including his colleagues knew that he and Melissa were more than just roommates. Even fewer individuals knew that he and Mel were expecting a baby and while they were mostly limited to the Philly PD, he more than anyone knew that even cops, especially some cops could be bought. As far as most people were concerned, Jessie, Tony and Melissa, a forensics specialist were all simply, colleagues - friends sharing an apartment together. Yet Melissa's pregnancy was not something that could be hidden for long and Tony was desperate to make sure his fiancé and unborn daughter would be safe, then and in the future.

As a detective, he knew that the Witness Protection program was not infallible. It could and did sometimes fail those people it was supposed to protect, so he'd chosen not to accompany Melissa. It had been an agonising decision, knowing that he was letting them go and would probably never see them again. Watching his daughter, someone he'd never expected to see again much less to be able to reach out and touch, he sighed deeply, hoping that he was doing the right thing in bringing her back to DC and back into his life again.

Jessie squeezed his hand again and breathed, "My God Tone, she looks so much like Mel-Mae."

Tony nodded in agreement although he could see some resemblance to his own mother too. The shape of her eyes and her little cupids bow mouth were Paddington traits, definitely. He was glad that she didn't look too much like him, since it would have made it difficult to pass her off as his god-daughter back in DC. He reached out and gently caressed her face, fearful of waking her before he had a chance to see Mel again.

Difficult as it was to tear himself away from his little girl after finally seeing her, he wanted to see his former fiancé and find out about her medical condition. He was relieved to hear that Tia had only sprained her ankle, not fractured it so apart from a busted arm she'd escaped the crash with minor injuries. Tony leant over and brushed his lips across Tia's forehead whispering he'd be back soon, before leaving the room silently and heading for ICU.

Tony hadn't spent much time praying lately, not for the last ten years at any rate, although he was quite willing to remedy that if it meant that Melissa would recover and Tia would get to spend the rest of her childhood with her mother. Hopefully Melissa would wake up soon and he could talk to her finally and tell her how much he loved her and be there for her to help her grieve the loss of Tia's step father Dennis. Much as he felt jealous that her husband had possessed everything that Tony wanted, everything he held dear, he was grateful to Dennis Cooper for taking care of his precious girls for almost nine years. He really hoped that it wasn't his actions in recapturing Mike, which had cost Dennis his life.

Jessie and Tony had reported to the nurses' desk at the ICU, remembering to ask about Rebecca Cooper, not Melissa and once again were vetted by security before they could proceed to Melissa's room where she was lying hooked up to a plethora of machines including a ventilator. Despite the shocking bruises covering half of her face and her swollen jaw which she'd apparently fractured during the collision, he still recognised her immediately. Jessie seemed shocked by her best friend's appearance but rapidly schooled her expression and voice even if her emotions were shaky. Taking one of Melissa's hand each, they each squeezed her hand, while gently kissing it and murmuring words of comfort and endearment whilst both cried unashamedly at the sight of their Melissa, lying so still and looking so hurt.

Tony leant over and spoke softly. "It's Tony Mel, I'm here now. I wish we weren't having this reunion under these circumstances but I'm so happy to see you. Don't worry about anything but getting well because Tia needs you. Jessie and I are here to look after you and Tia so don't worry about her, she'll be fine. Just focus on waking up."

Jessie joined in. "Hi Mel-Mae, its Jessie. The old gang is finally back together again, hey? Tone's right, you gotta focus on waking up girl so we can have a proper talk. And we can have a midnight pig out on rocky-road ice cream again." She stopped, suddenly aware that a stranger had entered the room and was patiently waiting to talk.

Dressed in blue scrubs, a tall tired looking man extended his hand, "Mr DiNozzo um Paddington?"

"Yeah Doc but as a precaution, I'm using Paddington while we're here and this is Mel's best friend Jade Lawler."

Seeing the doctor's confusion, Jessie jumped in. Rebecca, I'm Rebecca's best friend."

Tony frowned realising he'd slipped up and used Melissa's real name. He really needed to get his head together, ASAP. Although it may not be all that likely that any of the Macaluso clan would be out to get them, no one was prepared at this stage to drop the protection precautions yet.

The Doctor nodded. No doubt he'd been briefed about his patient and her background because of all the security that was in place. "Ah yes I see… well I need to talk to you about Mrs Cooper. Can we step outside? "

Tony looked at his friend. "You come too Jade; I want you to hear this as well."

The doctor led them to a waiting room and offered them a seat. "I need your permission to operate, Mr um Paddington. Her intracranial pressure is continuing to climb due to swelling from her injury. We need to get in there and relieve pressure to mitigate further brain damage. The first CT also shows significant bruising to diffuse areas of her left hemisphere. The sooner we operate the better!"

After signing the informed consent form, Jessie and Tony stayed with Melissa until they were thrown out as staff come to prep Melissa for her surgery. While they were waiting they both talked to her, urging her to fight. Jessie brushed out her hair as best she could with all the blood, knowing how much Mel loved people playing with her hair and Tony sang their special song to her softly, all the while holding her hands to remind her that they were finally all together again. Neither of them wanted to let her go but finally they kissed her and promised to be there when she woke up. Jessie was sobbing and Tony had tears in his eyes when they had to say their goodbyes.

Tony made a quick call to his doctor buddy Brad Pitt to see if he'd act as his personal medical advocate, translating all the medical mumbo jumbo about Melissa's condition. Normally he'd ask Ducky but he really didn't want to involve Gibbs or the rest of the team. Luckily Brad was willing and Tony promised to let him know when the surgery was complete. He was also cool when he'd briefly explained his relationship with Melissa and promised to keep Tony's secret without asking a lot of questions or trying to make him feel guilty for not telling him sooner, both reactions that he was sure that the team would inflict upon him. Apart from Brad becoming a good friend, few people knew of their relationship or that they were such close buddies and as his doctor, Brad was bound by doctor-patient confidentiality, not to mention Pitt still felt he owed him big time.

If Tia and Melissa came back to DC with him, eventually the team would find out about them but he was going to play safe and maintain the cover story that Tia was his god-daughter and Melissa was a good friend. Neither statement was a lie; just not the whole truth and until he was certain that none of Mike's minions were interested in him or them, he was going to play it safe. Their safety was worth far more than some hurt feelings and frankly, lately he wondered if he'd been kidding himself about the team and their importance anyway.

McGee was beyond snarky whenever Tony tried to give him orders after being treated like a tin god by the cyber geeks down in the basement. Ziva was downright pissy because he didn't want to break rule #12 with her. Since he'd turned her down during the Domino debacle, she had been even more vitriolic in her put downs. While Gibbs…well their old partnership had ceased to exist after he returned from Mexico and his multiple comings and goings. Add to that the Frog fiasco, him getting Jenny killed and the fact that Gibbs no longer trusted him anymore, he wondered why he'd been so damned desperate to get back to them after being on the Reagan for two months. Pushing aside his depressive thoughts as they walked down to the Paediatrics ward, he knew that he needed to focus on more important things right now. He needed to protect his family.

Tia was going to be waking up soon, hurt, scared and wanting her mom and dad. Instead, she was going to have to settle for two strangers. As if that wasn't intimidating enough, he knew was not exactly good at dealing with kids, they generally didn't like him much - but hey no pressure right? He must have zoned out because Jessie squeezed his arm and tugged on it before he realised she was asking him something.

"T, apart from the obvious, what's up?"

He grinned ruefully. "Um performance anxiety I guess Jess. Tia is going to be waking up soon and wanting Melissa and Dennis and finding us instead. I'm not great with kids… actually they hate me if I was being completely honest. How am I supposed to help comfort Tia when I suck at relating to kids? How am I supposed to bring her up if Mel can't? What if I screw her up? I didn't exactly have good examples to draw on with my own parents, ya know."

Jessie hugged her friend in an iron grip that rivalled any hug that he'd received from Abby. "I know you're scared witless but if the worst happens and Mel-Mae doesn't make it, then you'll find a way to cope, Tone and you won't be alone either. I'm not going to leave you; between the two of us we'll muddle through somehow. Did you ever ask yourself if maybe when you deal with other kids you might be subconsciously sending out vibes to push them away, dude? It must be painful seeing other kids with their parents or having to deal with ankle-biters, especially if they've lost their family too!"

Tony stared at his former partner, surprised at the idea that maybe he had been protecting himself when he had to deal with kids. Seeing how good Gibbs was around them even after finding out he had daughter and she'd died, made Tony feel woefully inadequate. He'd never bothered to examine why he could be so good at working with people and totally suck at handling kids. He didn't even like them, they made him feel uncomfortable.

Perhaps Jessie was onto something. If he didn't like them, it was easy to fool himself into thinking that he wasn't missing out on not having his daughter in his life. By making kids dislike him, that was further reinforcing the idea that he would have sucked as a father and prevented him second guessing his decision to not follow Tia and Melissa into the Witness Protection Program in Arizona.

Jessie could see the wheels turning furiously. "Penny for it, Tone?"

He snorted, mock offended. "Hey, worth a buck at least, Jess. Just thinking that maybe you might be onto something. I'm so used to my team killing themselves laughing at me trying to related to kids that hate me, that I never thought that maybe I was sabotaging myself to avoid painful reminders. Thank you pardna."

The tall, beautiful detective, her cobalt blue eyes spitting sparks of anger, smiled at him solicitously, before giving him another hug so he figured she wasn't pissed at him. An angry Jessica was a force to be reckoned with and he had no desire to awaken that slumbering beast.

"Well I told you about my feelings, more than once, about that precious team of yours Antonio. I know you said they were family but Jeeze Louise, you already had your real family treat you like total crap, so why you let your team mates do the same thing confounds me. One good thing with me sticking around for a while, I'm going to get to meet them and kick their asses if they don't treat you right. 'Bout time someone looked after you."

Tony grinned; Jessie had always been protective of him and Melissa. She was four years older than Mel and almost seven years older than he was and had taken him under her wing when he'd first transferred from Peoria. He wished he'd never accepted that damned assignment to go deep under cover in the Macaluso organisation. He should have broken off his relationship with Melissa when he realised how long it was going to take. Instead, she'd fallen pregnant despite them using protection, all courtesy of Mel taking a course of antibiotics for a kidney infection, according to the medicos. Although, looking down at his gorgeous little girl, he couldn't regret her conception in spite of the pain it had caused.

"Yes Mom," he teased. "Hey Jess, I was thinking that maybe we need to make a reservation at a motel somewhere close." He changed the subject adroitly. "They will likely be looking at discharging Tia in the next day or two, since she wasn't too badly injured. As her legal guardian, they can discharge her into my custody and they'll want her bed here, no doubt. So I'm thinking we'll need somewhere to crash with her at night and also somewhere for her to rest during the day, too, while we figure out what's what with Mel. We aren't going to be able to organise a transfer to DC until she's stable and recovered from the surgery at the earliest."

Jessie nodded, considering what he'd said. "Good point, pardna. Also, she's going need some clothes and toys and stuff and so will we. Maybe we can get one of the Marshals to stop and pick up some of her gear to tide her over til we can figure out what to do?"

"I can do that," a strange voice spoke, grimacing when she found herself staring down the barrel of two cocked handguns. Holding her hands up, palms forward in the time honour gesture of surrender, she spoke slowly.

"Sorry folks, I'm Judy Kendall and I am one of the Federal Marshals assigned to work with the Coopers. I can pick up some stuff for Tia and Rebecca too if you like." While speaking, she carefully reached inside her jacket for her badge and ID, which Jessie took and examined carefully.

She silently indicated to Tony that the stranger checked out and they both slipped their weapons back in their holsters while they examined the newcomer. She smiled at them, clearly happy that Tia was going to wake up with some support since Rebecca wasn't in any position to help her deal with her dad's death.

Tony realised that although the federal Marshall had introduced herself, they hadn't. He held out his hand, "Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo although I'm using the identity David Paddington while I'm here and this is Mel…Rebecca's friend, Detective Sergeant Jessie Lawless who is using the pseudonym Jade Lawler."

Jess smiled. "Sorry about the guns, Judy. We are a little jumpy"

"S'alright Detective, understandable but so far it looks like a DUI resulting in a tragic crash. Doc said you guys had turned up and since I heard little Tia was so distressed they had to sedate her, I thought I'd check in. They figured that Tia should be waking up any time now and I thought under the circumstances, that it might be helpful to have someone she knows to introduce y'all." She noted the appreciative assents and continued, "Just so I don't put my foot in it, do you want me to introduce you as her…"

Tony interrupted her before she could finish, aware that while Tia was sedated she was on the point of waking up. "No Judy, not at this point in time. She's just lost her dad so for now all she needs to know is that I'm her legal guardian and that I'm going to be looking after her.

A moan caused them to turn back to the bed just as a strangled cry made everyone wince with the raw terror they could hear in it.

"Momma, Daddy…"

Next chapter : Who is LuLu and why is Tony upset? And does Gibbs have separation anxiety?