Disc: I do not own the show or the characters of NCIS. Ace Wolf Ravenclaw
Couple: Anthony DiNozzo & Ace Wolf Ravenclaw
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I had a friend that I had lost overseas. His widow had asked to take the kids on while I was at work and when I got deployed. She knew sign language and enjoyed the kids. There was no sign of their mother coming back. The kids got along with her as well. I got off the elevator at Tony's floor and walked into the pull pen and the baby squealed, reaching for Tony who took him, smirked at him and rocked him some. Tony had got better at being with the kids.
"Just got news, Tony. They're going to deploy me." The baby reached for me again and I took walked over and sat in Tony's lap like it was the best possible place to sit. Gibbs and the team walked in, seeing Tony holding a ten year old girl. Gibbs raised a brow.
"Wolf, what's up?" Gibbs took the little boy, who seemed to think this was a fun new game, to meet people and started to play with Gibbs' nose. Gibbs strangely didn't seem to mind. Tony had told me that Gibbs was good with kids.
"Thought it'd be good to come and tell Tony that we're being deployed to Iraq. The one in Tony's lap is Lily and you've got Eric." Tony slid his hands through Lily's hair and she giggled and then leant against me.
"Ally is going to watch them, while your over in Iraq? If so, I'll get them on weekends and take them to the movies and stuff." Lilly looked to him and signed to me. "Eric doesn't need to go to movies, Uncle. Is he insane?" I laughed softly as I heard Gibbs speak.
"No, he's just stupid sometimes, Lily." Tony looked at her and nipped her shoulder softly.
"Hey, I'm not stupid!" I shook my head.
"Tony, no movies with Eric. You're not going to get to enjoy it and the people around you are going to be pissed when Eric starts bawling. You still freak out changing his diaper, maybe you can visit him and grab Lily for movies or take her to dinner. Take the girl on a few dates." Tony smirked and looked at Lily.
"I think we can do that, don't you, Lily? Just bring paper and a pen, you're still teaching me sign!" Lily looked at me and signed.
"When are you coming back, Uncle Wolf? You're not going to die like Daddy, right?" I felt Gibbs touch my back as I took a breath and looked to her.
"Baby Girl, it looks like three months overseas. I'll try to come back alive, but I can't promise. Believe me, I would if I could. I have not got that into Uncle Tony's head either, Baby." I saw the look on Tony's face. I looked over to Gibbs. "Hey, Gibbs, why don't you go show Lily Abby's lab, she been wanting to meet Lily for awhile." Gibbs smiled at Lily and signed to her.
"Let's let Uncle Tony and Uncle Wolf talk, okay?" Gibbs had the baby in his arms and took Lily's hand. I had to smirk, he was a bastard but with kids he was all soft! It was nice to see him do that. I looked at Tony, who just looked right back at me.
"Like hell you can't at least promise! It would give us some hope that you will come back." I sat down at the edge of his desk and took his ring out of my pocket and slid it on his finger.
"Hope I can't give, Tony. But the promise that I'm always with you, any way that I can. Tony, I give you hope that I won't get killed and it's going to make it harder if I come home in a box." I stroked his cheek for a second and looked at him.
"Tony their mother isn't coming back. Promise me that when you're not working and you have some time, you'll go and help Ally with them. I want you to sign some papers, so you're their legal guardian in case….."
He stood up, shoved his chair back and took off to the elevator. I stayed there because I knew he needed some time alone. I don't need to take off for about two weeks, so we would get some time together. Gibbs came up and looked at me.
"Tony take off?" I sighed heavily.
"Yeah, I asked him to become legal guardian of those children. I was going to ask you, too, in case I don't come back Gibbs, their mother doesn't want them." Gibbs took my shoulder.
"Tony doesn't understand what you're doing. I had to do it enough times, when I was leaving Shannon and Kelly." I looked at him with a soft sigh.
"This is why I always didn't want to date until I got out. But I saved Tony when he was being bashed. He was out cold, I took him home, tended his wounds and one thing led to another!" Gibbs squeezed my shoulder and whispered softly.
"Always does, son, always does. You're a good Marine. Give him a little hope, I know you don't want to because you never know if you will come back. But the kids and Tony need it. Get me the papers to sign, to become guardian of the kids. I guess this lady, named Ally, will watch them when we work?" I nodded.
"Yeah, she was friends with their mother. Both husbands died at the same time. She loved the kids and she will watch them when you need her to. But I think they need some strong parent figures in their life and Tony has come to love both of them. You would make a good grandfather. No offence on your age, Gibbs."
He smirks to me as he touches my back.
"No worries, Wolf. I won't mind helping Tony out, for the next three months." I thrust a letter in his hand. "Two weeks after I am gone, give it to Tony. That hope you asked me to give him is all there. He's going to need it more while I am gone. There's enough to give him one every two weeks. I'll be sending letters too but I'm not sure how often I'll get the chance with what we're going to be doing, Gibbs."
Gibbs nodded as he patted my back. I headed out to get the kids. I smiled and said hello to Abby. She grabs the kids. I dropped them at Ally's and I headed to Tony's. I used my key and walked in. Damn it, I could hear him crying. I walked in slowly and sat down on the bed, running my hands down his back.
"Tony, Baby?" He sat up, like a child would when you gave them bad news and came to talk to them in their room. He wrapped his arms around me and sounded just like a kid.
"Don't want you to go, damn it! I can't lose you. I've only just found you." I slid my hands along his back and stroked his face, it made him look at me.
"Two weeks. We'll spend all the time we can together, before I deploy, but Baby I have to go, you know that." I pushed him softly back under the covers and slid my shirt and pants off and crawled under the covers. I dragged him against my body, stroking his back softly. He whispered.
"I want you to come back, Wolf." I ran my hand along his back and whispered back.
"I'll try my hardest!" I stroked the ring that I had put on him earlier. "This is something so that I can always be close to you." He nuzzled into my chest as I stroked his back, whispering softly. I felt him cry again and I kissed his head softly. "Tony, please, you need to understand that I have to go."
I knew the first time I had to head off he was going to take it hard but, hell, I didn't expect him to cry! I let him cry as I held him to me. I pulled the covers over us, stroking his back and whispering/singing songs in his ear in Pueblo, it had calmed him after hard cases. It worked on Eric and Lily too, so I guess music calms the beast, man and child.
I sang to him quietly, feeling him relax in my arms. I felt his breathing ease as he had fallen asleep in my arms. I pulled the covers over us more and laid my head softly on top of his head letting myself fall asleep. I was always sliding my hands along his back, softly, keeping him relaxed as he slept. He had cried himself to sleep and I felt bad about myself. I held him, God, two weeks! It didn't feel like enough time, but once I went over for three months, please God, let me come back to Tony. He needs me. I woke up early in the morning from a nightmare. I sat up, screaming, sweat pouring down my face.
"No, Eric!" I felt the hands slide over my bare chest, feeling Tony's chest against my back, Tony kissing my shoulder.
"Wolf." I stood up and rushed into the bathroom and started puking my guts out. It's been almost six months since I had that damn dream. I felt Tony stroking my back. When I'd finished he handed me some water. I spit it out, getting the taste out of my mouth. I had a extra tooth brush here so I used it. I came out, Tony was back in bed. I slide under the covers and he stroked my cheek.
"Okay, Babe?" I sat up some, squeezing Tony hand.
"Don't ever let Gibbs make you believe that just because we're Marines, we don't cry!" He sat up and stroked my back and kissed my shoulder.
"You and Eric were close, Babe." I turned around and smiled to him.
"Tony, the person that shot him, that I ended up killing, he was fourteen or younger! He was a fucking kid, Tony. Over there, they start training you to kill when you're about twelve, maybe younger. I killed three kids! How the hell do you get over that? It was either protect my men or let some kids kill us!" Tony looked at me, shocked! He slid his hand along my face, kissing me.
"Wolf, you were protecting your men and I hate that it had to be that way. Eric lost his life and I am sorry for that, but you are here."
We went back to sleep, this time Tony was holding me while we fell asleep. The night before I left Tony came home, Gibbs had given him the night and day off so he could see me off. Tony sat down next to me. I felt him lift my dog tags, the only person I would allow to do this. I looked at him, and watched him unhitch the back of it and slide his high school ring on it. he slide it back round my neck and kissed me slowly.
"I love you Wolf, always will." I looked at Tony, kissing him softly and whispered.
"Tony, please tell me you're not saying this because I am leaving tomorrow. Please tell me you mean this, please?" I was desperate, I didn't want him saying this because he knows there's a possibility that he won't see me again. He kissed me slowly and stroked my face.
"I love you and I damn well mean it. I hated that if you didn't come home, you would never have heard me say it to you." Tony had a king size bed and we were at his house. I let a tear fall as he kissed me softly.
"Love you too, Tony." He smiled as he stroked my face.
"Lily and Eric here?" I nodded.
"Lily has informed me that all of us are going to sleep in the same room "because Uncle Tony has a big bed". She wants us to be close on our last night, before I get deployed. You okay with that, Babe?" He nodded and we stood up and got ready for bed as Lily rushed in and hugged Tony. He smirked as he stroked her hair. I went over to make sure Eric was still asleep in his play pen that we had got for Tony's place. I covered him up as Tony got in bed. Lily signed to me she wanted me in the middle. I smirked, I was the one getting smashed tonight it seems. I slid in after getting into my sleeping pants. Tony did the same in the bathroom. When I got in bed, Tony pressed his back against my chest, spooning me as Lily pressed her back against my chest. I had to laugh to myself, this brought back memories of how me and my siblings sometimes got, but it was more than three people then!
Two months in, we were ambushed! I felt some pain and then I was out cold. When I woke, I was in the Red Cross, I sat up and ran my hands through my hair as I looked at the nurse.
"The rest of my men, ma'am?" She gave me a weak smile.
"Lost one and the rest are fine. You were the only one wounded badly. You're going to be transferred home, to Bethesda." I looked at her and sighed to myself.
"Spill it, ma'am. Tell me how bad I am. Got a boyfriend back home who's going to kill me for getting hurt." She smiled some as she looked at me and she started to pull the covers up over me.
"Well, Wolf, a bullet tore your right shoulder up pretty badly. One bullet to the back of your head, that one wasn't that bad. The way you fell broke your arm in about four places, that's why there's a cast on your arm. You arm needs some physical therapy because of how bad it is, Soldier. We are going to send you home to your loved one and those two children in your wallet. They're adorable, who's their father?" I smiled and looked up at her.
"He was a fellow Marine that was killed. I was their Godfather, their mother couldn't take being a mother any more, she left. So my boyfriend and a friend of mine are watching over them. Since my boyfriend is NCIS, he doesn't have all the time to take care of them, so my best friend does, she's a widower as well."
She put a needle in the IV port.
"Well, get some rest and when you wake up, soldier, you will be home. Mind telling me who they need to contact when you get there?" I nodded.
"Tell them not to contact my next of kin, to contact an NCIS Agent, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He will be able to tell his Senior Agent what happened so maybe, just maybe, he won't freak out as bad. Tony didn't even want me to deploy, ma'am."
She smiled as I fell asleep feeling the nurse cover me up. I started to rest well, knowing that I would be home soon to see Tony and how he was going to chew me a new one for getting wounded!