I think I should just put a permanent message saying sorry for the delay :( I had writers block for this chapter, and then college work, not to mention figuring out how the hell I'll be able to afford to go Christmas shopping… But anyway, enough of my sad life, here's the next chapter :)
"You did what?!!"
The yell that echoed from the Gibbs house seemed to be more of a frequent thing the past few months. Neighbours would shake their heads sometimes as well - understandably, but still a little peeved at all the noise. They knew that Jethro's son, now a proper hormone driven teenager, could be murder to deal with, but they all felt he could deal with it differently.
Right now, Gibbs' face was a slightly dangerous purple colour as he struggled to get his breathing into a somewhat regular rhythm.
"Relax, Dad; I don't see what the big deal is." Tony grumbled, carefully avoiding Gibbs' eyes and instead chose to stare down at his converse,
"Don't see what the big deal is?? You're 15. 15. How did you even get this done? It's illegal! As soon as I…"
"What's your problem?" Tony yelled back, "It's just a small…"
"No, Tony, it's not small. It's not like it's just a small symbol or anything, it's damn near graffiti! Why did you get it done? Was it Simon? I know he's got some already, did he make you do it?" He took hold of Tony's upper arm to try and find out,
"Dad!" Tony cried out, yanking his arms out of his Dad's grasp, "No one made me do it! I do what I want!"
"That's the problem," Gibbs growled, "You never do what you're told. I've had it up to here, Anthony. I swear, one more slip from you, and I'm…"
"What?" Tony sneered, "You're going to kick me out? For this?" He gestured at his upper arm, trying not to show how much it had hurt when Gibbs had deliberately grabbed it, "Abby has loads, and you don't get angry at her!"
"Abby didn't get them illegally!"
"It's not illegal!"
"You know full well you have to be 18 or over to get a tattoo. And I know you've been drinking as well. Do you know how serious this is?"
"What are you talking about?" Tony asked, "It's not as if I killed anyone. It was a party; you're expected to drink at parties. I didn't drink that much. I was fully aware I was getting a tattoo, it wasn't some drunken mistake that I'll regret."
Gibbs growled so menacingly that Tony backed away, "Go to your room. If you set one foot out of there for anything other than going to the bathroom, I will personally make sure you never get out of this house again."
Tony glared at him but went up the stairs, making sure he stamped as hard as he could, and hoping he could break his door off its hinges when he slammed it. As soon as the door was shut, Gibbs stalked to the kitchen and opened a bottle of bourbon.
How had this happened? His happy-go-lucky son was a downright terror. He'd gotten a tattoo for Christ's sakes! At fifteen!! Sure, he knew all teens had their occasional hormonal lapses, but he was lucky if Tony had occasional sane lapses.
He sat down in a chair wearily, sipping at the bitter drink. He could still feel the anger pulsing through his veins, and wondered why the hell he bothered some days.
A tattoo. Gibbs snarled into his cup - who ever thought that it had been a good idea to put a needle to their skin and sew on a picture? He'd never minded them before, Abby's had amused him even, but seeing that… that stain on his son's upper arm.
He'd snapped - something that had been happening more and more lately. It was getting to him; being 'retired' and he wondered whether he should go back and demand to be let back on the team. It was odd - not even odd, just downright bizarre that whenever he went in (It almost depressed him that the people he considered as friends were only considered as such because he had worked with them) McGee was sat at his desk. Okay, he spoke to Ziva and Johnny as he always had, just with a touch more authority, but they followed his orders if they thought them suitable.
Maybe that was what was getting to Tony. There had been too many changes as of late. Okay, it had been nearly four years since Ducky's death, and since Palmer had taken over in Autopsy, but it still hurt, and he was sure it hurt Tony just as much. Plus, how weird must it be that McGee - once lower than him in status - was now being called 'Boss' by Johnny and Ziva?
Gibbs shook his head. Sure, he felt compassion for the boy - but these tantrums (He'd labelled them as tantrums to try and make Tony feel more childish having them, hoping to force him to try and act more mature) were getting him nowhere. He sighed when he finished his cup of bourbon. Gone were the days that he could go up there after an argument and find the kid sobbing, not being able to wait until he was forgiven. When he could take him in his arms and listen as the hiccups evened and he slowly fell asleep.
God, he missed those days. He really did. Back when the only thing Tony really got yelled at was for doing something bad with Tag. He glanced over at the dog whilst thinking. Gibbs felt awful thinking this, but he really doubted their elderly dog would reach next Christmas (Only a few months away). They'd moved the dog bed into the living room, hoping to keep him warmer in the months ahead, and Tony was adamant that Tag would stay with them for at least a few more years. Gibbs didn't know whether he was trying to kid himself or whether he firmly believed in this.
As if knowing he was being thought about, Tag looked up at him blearily. On their last trip to the vets, they'd been told there was a good chance he was blind in one, if not both eyes. He was most probably also deaf, had arthritis… the list went on.
Gibbs sighed, "I'm worried about him, boy." He said to the dog, who laid its head back down with a slight snort.
He glanced over to the clock. It had been about half and hour. Maybe Tony had cooled down enough to talk.
~*~
Tony slouched moodily on his chair. He had just been ranting on Facebook about his dad, and many of his friends had sent him commiserating replies. He glanced down at his arm. He couldn't help but grin as he saw the tattoo. He'd chosen a running fox, but not a real looking one, more a sort of Celtic/tribal kind, with the lines not coloured in. It was a superb work of art, and he didn't regret it for a moment. He'd looked through dozens of different examples, Simon forever tutting and rolling his eyes, goading Tony and saying he was chicken and was just delaying it, but Tony wanted one that wasn't just a random picture, that actually meant something.
What it meant he'd had no idea, he'd just seen it and smiled. He didn't really like like animals, but he had a soft spot for foxes.
And his Dad had chewed him out for it! He scowled at that, and rolled his sleeve back down carefully after examining it. Gibbs never got annoyed when Abby waltzed in sporting a new tattoo (Although he had to wonder if his dad actually realised when she got another one).
There was sudden knock at his door, so, putting on his best glare, he turned to face it as it opened,
"Tony," Gibbs said wearily, seeing his son's face, "Pull that lip in before someone falls over it." Tony, not realising that he'd really been pouting instead of glaring, hastily changed his face,
"What?" He asked coolly, following his dad with his eyes as the older man went to sit on his bed,
"Why did you have it done?" Gibbs asked, trying out his diplomatic voice,
"Because it looks good. That's the only reason - it wasn't peer pressure, it wasn't alcohol. I did it because I wanted to. Happy?"
"No," Gibbs answered simply, "No, I'm not. Why did you want to do it? Why would anyone want to do that to themselves? Didn't it hurt?"
"Not really," Tony lied, "Only it hurt a bit more after you grabbed my arm. And it looks good, Dad, that's why I had it done."
Gibbs shook his head, "You astonish me," He said, before continuing, "I'm not going to keep bringing this up - it's obvious you've got no common sense. But I swear, if you go out drinking again - I won't be held accountable for my actions." His face was so serious Tony didn't dare make fun and try to lighten the mood.
"Whatever," He muttered in typical teenage fashion, "Are we done? Only, I've got loads of work to do."
"Does that work involve going on Facebook?" Gibbs asked, thankful that McGee gave him a quick course in the internet. Tony flushed and quickly swung the chair round so he was facing the computer, before turning the screen off,
"That's private," He insisted, "You need to get out of my room now." He demanded, glaring (This time he was sure he was glaring rather than pouting). Gibbs sighed but stood up,
"This isn't over young man." He promised, and backed out of the room,
"You need to chill out," Tony told him, "Go on holiday or something."
"I think we could all use a break, kid." Gibbs responded quietly, walking down the stairs. Then, as if a sudden light bulb went on above his head, he went over to the phone. After a few rings, someone picked up,
"Hey, Mike? It's Gibbs…"
~*~
Hey, in case you wanna see what I imagined Tony's tattoo like, here's the link. It's the one running, but minus the paintbrush in its mouth :)
culpeo-fox(Dot)deviantart(Dot)com/art/Tatoo-Foxes-135276050
~*~
"Tony, get out of bed!" Tony groaned and rolled over, rubbing at his eyes, glancing at the clock he saw that it was half eleven. Almost a reasonable time to get up. Almost but not quite. Rolling back over, he stuck his head back in his pillow, but didn't get to snooze for very much longer.
"Argh!" He yelled, jumping up as someone put freezing cold hands on his back. Glancing around, he saw that Abby had crept into his room, "Jesus, Abbs!" He moaned, sitting down on his bed, "Do you have no circulation at all?"
She grinned at him, "I was just helping your Dad put stuff in the freezer. Now, to more important business…" She lowered her voice and glanced over to the door conspiratorially, "Let's see this tat of yours…" Tony grinned and turned to his side (He'd only been sleeping in his boxers) so Abby could see the running animal,
"Way cool," She declared, tracing it with her finger, "Perfect. Beautiful. Brilliant…"
"Okay, Abby, I get it," Tony laughed, going over to his wardrobe and pulling a sweatshirt on, "You like it. Which is more than can be said for Dad…"
Abby laughed, "You're telling me, you should have heard the phone call I got. I thought he was drunk. He was just raving about all sorts of things."
Tony chuckled, "What did he say?"
"Nothing I'm going to let you know," Abby winked at him, before sobering, "He called back about ten minutes later and said he needed a holiday."
"So?" Tony questioned, already bored with the conversation,
"Well, he thought that maybe all the stress from… well, life in general was getting to you too, so… we're going on holiday!"
"We?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow, "Why are you coming? No offence." He hastily added in case Abby got the wrong idea.
She smiled and answered, "I bullied him into letting me, Ziva and McGee come. We're all off for a week, and Johnny and Palmer are going to visit family."
"So let me get this straight," Tony started, "You're saying that because I made my Dad angry by getting a tattoo, I'm getting a holiday out of it? Sweet!"
Abby put a hand on his arm to stop his bouncing, "It's not sweet, Tony, you need to realise that this is your Dad at his wits end! He actually needs this holiday. Will you do me a favour? Will you please just behave for it? For me?"
He couldn't say no to her, especially not when she made her eyes get even bigger, "Fine," He muttered, following her out of his room, "But only for you."
"Tony you're an angel!" She cried out.
"So, where are we going?" He asked her when they got to the bottom of the stairs,
"Ask your Dad!" She replied happily, sitting down at the table and helping herself to toast. Tony looked over to where Gibbs was stood with a cup of coffee. Great, now he felt guilty. He mumbled a 'Good morning' and sat down next to Abby, picking up a spoon and ramming it half-heartedly in his cornflakes,
"Good sleep?" Gibbs asked calmly. Tony looked up at him with wide eyes and hoped that meant his Dad had decided to let bygones by bygones.
"Yeah," He said slowly, never breaking eye contact, "Yeah, it was okay." Gibbs nodded and poured some more coffee in his cup.
They'd been sat in a, not exactly awkward but certainly not comfortable, silence for a while, before Tony finally picked up the courage,
"Where are we going? On holiday?"
"I called one of my old pals, Mike. He lived in Mexico."
"Mexico?" Tony repeated, beaming, "We're going to Mexico??"
Gibbs shook his head, "Nope, I said lived in Mexico, not lives. He moved."
"Oh," Tony raised an eyebrow, "So where does he live?"
"England," Gibbs replied, coming to sit down next to his son, "The Lake District. Ducky always went on about it, I thought we should maybe go and see what all the fuss was about."
Tony frowned, "Ducky always said it was raining and cold there. Why would anyone want to move from Mexico to England?"
"He got in a bit of trouble," Gibbs said, lightly, "He and his daughter-in-law had to move. This is good, gives me a chance to see my goddaughter."
"You have a goddaughter?" Tony asked, and only Abby could hear a faint pang of jealousy in his voice, and spot the eyes that had narrowed ever so slightly,
"Yup," Gibbs replied, "So start packing, we're leaving in two days."
"Two… two days?" Tony repeated faintly, "Two… But that's - I need loads of stuff!! I…" He leapt up and bounced all over the room, looking through drawers and taking various things he needed.
Running out of the room, he paused, and gave himself enough time to poke his head back round the door and gabble, "Thanks for the holiday, Dad, you're the best!" Before he ran out and bounded up the stairs.
Abby laughed happily, "When did he stop taking his medication?"
Gibbs pushed his hair out of his eyes and knuckled his forehead, "Can you believe he's still taking it?" He couldn't help but grin at his son's antics. Even though he could be an insufferable pain in the ass, he couldn't help but feel that anger melt away the morning after, as soon as Tony said something or looked at him with those big, green eyes.
~*~
McGee groaned. He wasn't feeling airsick, but the shuffling of the teen sat next to him kept trying to convince him he was on a boat,
"Tony," He mumbled, turning slightly to look at him, "Why do you have to keep moving? We're 5 hours into a 9 hour flight, and we had to get up at six in the morning. What is wrong with you?"
Tony beamed at him as he finally settled down, i-pod in hand, "You just need to be a bit more proactive, McBarfbag." He responded, and was awarded with a slap on the back of his head,
"Be nice. You're still grounded, even when we get there." Gibbs admonished, causing Tony to roll his eyes and sigh. He was astounded that everyone else was slightly more worse for wear and not as excited about this as he seemed to be. Fair enough, he had ADHD, but come on, they were going on holiday!
"Hey, Abbs, what're you looking at?" He asked curiously, shuffling up further in his chair to see the Goth girl sat opposite them. She smiled at him and he realised that both her and Ziva were goggling at a man sat a few rows in front. He snorted disdainfully. The guy looked like he never stopped working out, and that tan was so obviously fake.
"Tell me about it, kid," Gibbs said, in reply to his snort, "Tell me about it."
~*~
When they finally got off the plane, a further 4 hours after this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Not only did this mean Gibbs wouldn't have to keep slapping Tony's head (McGee had counted 15 in that one flight) whenever he started to flirt with the stewardess, but this would give the teen a chance to blow off some steam and get rid of all the energy he'd had on the plane.
This amazed him, everyone else had jet-lag, what with the time difference, but Tony was pinging about like a pinball. Finally, he wrestled several chocolate bars, energy drinks and magazines out of the kid's hands, and was about to give him the 16th headslap of the day, when he heard a familiar voice shout over,
"Probie!" All the years of being called this caused McGee to look over, only to blush when Tony started snickering.
Gibbs smiled and walked forward, shaking someone's hand, "Mike, who you doing?"
"Well by the looks of it," He answered, taking in Gibbs' exhausted face and the hyper teenager stood by him, "I'd say better than you."
Gibbs grinned, "You'd be right, there," He replied, before saying, "Mike, this is Tony. Tony - Mike." Tony merely nodded and didn't bother holding out a hand to be shook. Although Mike looked thoroughly unsurprised and as though he couldn't care less, Gibbs growled at him. When he didn't introduce everyone else, Tony guessed they'd all met the man before,
"So, are you all ready to get out of here?" Mike asked, grinning, "I hope you brought rain coats, 'cause it's pouring down right now."
Gibbs looked over at his team (He still thought of them as such, even though it was no longer true). McGee was hurriedly pulling one on, Abby pulled out a gothic umbrella that she shared with Ziva, and Tony pulled his hoodie up, looking at both men expectantly,
"I think we'll be okay." He smiled, and followed Mike out of the airport, the rest of them trailing behind him.
~*~
"And over there is Lake Windemere, you can see it if you just…"
"Yeah, that's just great - is there anything actually worth looking at here?" Tony's voice was complete and utter sarcasm and cynicism. Mike was driving them through Bowness, a small town in the Lake District, and was pointing out various things he thought they might find interesting,
"Anthony, if you don't shut up right now you're going to wish you'd never been born." Gibbs warned him, glaring back from his position in the passenger seat. It was seriously weird to be sat where he was usually accustomed to having a steering wheel in front of him. But they were in England.
"Does it never stop raining?" Tony moaned, ignoring the various glares and tuts that were given to him from around the car,
"'Fraid not kid." Mike said, not seeming to mind the whining. Tony sighed and slumped down even more in his chair.
"Where are we staying?" Tony asked, not being able to be quiet or stay still for more than a minute,
"I've got a cabin by the lakeside," Mike told him as they swung into a small park, "It's quiet, we shouldn't be disturbed."
"Great," Tony huffed, "I can't wait to spend my week in complete solitary confinement."
"Anthony, I am this close…" Gibbs warned through gritted teeth. He would probably have gotten more rest at home.
"Alright, alright, jeez!" Tony jumped out of the car when they stopped and looked around. The cabin was nestled between some trees, and was, as Mike had said, right by the lake. It seemed to be quite a large cabin, and as Tony looked round, he spied something that piqued his interest,
"Dad!" He yelled, looking back over his shoulder, "Dad! Someone's stolen your boat!" He looked back round to see that all the adults there were chuckling, and Abby was wearing a slightly annoying, 'Aw, isn't he cute?' look. Tony wasn't very far off stamping his foot childishly, before realising that would have made all their reactions worse. But they couldn't deny the fact that 'The Kelly' was harboured on the jetty near the cabin.
"I gave it to Mike kiddo," Gibbs said lightly, carrying some bags to the front steps of the cabin, "It's for Ameera, my goddaughter."
"Ameera?" Tony questioned, looking back towards the boat, "What kind of a name is…"
"Don't you go any further, Anthony…" Gibbs warned. Tony sighed - he couldn't remember the last time his Dad had called him 'Tony'. And how did he get the boat out of the basement? He must have done it when Tony was at school - but how had he not noticed?
"Tony!" He looked up from his musing to see McGee struggling with his suitcase,
"Need help?" He asked sweetly, walking over and smiling benignly.
McGee scowled in reply, "What did you pack in here?" He asked, "Rocks?"
"Please, Probie, I'm a man of simple tastes, I've just got the bare essentials…"
"Right…" McGee said, "You're worse than a woman you know that, right?"
"Whatever." Tony responded, bounding up the cabin steps before McGee had a chance to give him his suitcase. He gaped as he looked around. After a pointed look from Gibbs he pulled his converse off and stuck them by the door, before walking around gingerly on the cream carpet.
He whistled as he saw the huge TV in the corner of what appeared to be the living room. A large three piece suite lay stylishly in the middle of the room, bordered by a kitchen counter. He looked round and saw a huge fridge in the corner. Mentally storing that fact for later, he squeezed past the dining table and walked down a small corridor that had to contain the bedrooms.
"Tony," He looked up, realising his Dad had spoken, "Which room do you want?"
"I get one to myself?"
Gibbs shook his head, "Nope, you gotta share with someone kid - even though Mike's daughter-in-law and her daughter have gone for the week - which is a shame Mike!" He directed to a room that had to be the master bedroom, "I was looking forward to seeing my goddaughter!"
Tony heard a chuckle from in the room, "Sorry Probie, but you're just stuck with me. At least there's more room," He stuck his head around the door and looked at Tony, "I took all of Ameera's toys out of her room if you want to go in there. Don't worry," He added at the teen's horrified face, "It's all beige - very gender neutral." Tony nodded and walked down the small corridor. There were doors everywhere, but they were all open, and he soon found the one he was looking for.
He gazed around for a while, before throwing himself down on one of the beds in there. It was a small room (Which was only to be expected at the size of the cabin) so how Mike had managed to fit a granddaughter and her toys in here Tony had no idea.
"Like it?" Gibbs asked him, leaning on the doorway.
Tony shrugged, "It'll do." Gibbs tutted but walked out, leaving him to go and talk to Mike,
"How's the boy?" The other man asked, walking over to his TV and turning it on to catch a game, opening a can of beer as he did so,
"Fine. Well… I want to wring his neck, but I think he'll probably survive just to spite me." Gibbs said lightly, sitting next to his friend.
Mike chuckled, "They 'aint always like that, Probie."
"Nah, only for the next 5 years or so," Gibbs groaned, before changing the subject, "Why did you come to this particular place, Mike? Didn't really figure you as the quaint, English cabin type."
Mike grinned, "That daughter-in-law of mine chose it. And Ameera really liked it; you know I can't resist those two when they're together," Gibbs chuckled, "Anyway, how are you for a bit of hiking?"
"Can it wait 'till tomorrow?" He asked, "I think everyone needs to recover from the jetlag first. Apart from Tony. He's like my own little ball of perpetual energy."
Mike laughed, "If you want, there's a play-park further in for all the kids who come here on caravan holidays. He can exhaust himself there for a few hours."
"I don't think he'd exhaust himself in a play-park," Gibbs told him, "But it's worth a shot. Tony!" He yelled, and soon they both heard footsteps come into the room,
"Yeah?" He asked sullenly, watching them both,
"Go explore or something," Gibbs said, waving a hand outside, "It'll do you good. Just come back before it gets too dark."
"It's September, Dad," Tony reminded him, "It'll be too dark in about 20 minutes."
"Well then be back before 8, okay?" Tony nodded and sloped out, pausing to laugh at the fact that McGee had dropped his own suitcase and it had sprung open.
~*~
Tony had found the play-park quite easily and, after making sure no one saw him, sat down on a swing. He registered the fact that they were wet, but didn't really care as he started to swing. It gave him time to think and cool down. He'd been feeling really angry, and wasn't sure why, but right now - with a view of the lake as the sun set over it - he didn't really care.
What had his Dad told Mike anyway? Did Mike think that he was his biological son, or that he had been adopted? Shrugging to himself, he continued to swing, freezing as he saw a few rabbits bound playfully across the wet field the park was in. They were so… unafraid. He'd never met a wild animal before, and right now he appeared to be in awe. He scowled when he realised what an incredibly uncool thing that was, so he hopped off the swing and wandered round the lake side.
Whoever owned the park had thought it would be a good idea to put a fence up around it to stop people going through the wilderness and reaching the lake. Tony simply hopped it and walked down, stumbling slightly when his foot kept catching on fallen branches.
When he found a good place, he sat on a rock and stared out across the water. Some ducks swam over, before quaking miserably at him and swimming away again. Tony shook his head, curling his arms around himself when he realised that his hoodie wasn't going to protect him from the joys of English weather. When he heard the patter of rain start he sighed and decided to make his way back. Pulling his hood up, he left, and hopped the fence again, vowing to come back.
He was pretty much running by the time he reached the row of cabins by the lake. The rain was coming down thick and fast and he didn't know whether it was rain or thunder, but something was making a loud noise, and it wasn't one that he liked.
Much to his surprise, when he ran breathlessly to the door of the cabin, his Dad opened it, like he had been waiting on the other side.
Gibbs simply raised an eyebrow and said, "Hoodie and shoes," Tony hastily complied, and was shoved towards a door, "Shower." Gibbs told him when Tony gave him a questioning look.
He nodded and looked through the glass doors into the living/dining room/kitchen. Ziva, Abby, McGee and Mike were all sat there, chatting amiably, and he caught the warm scent of pizza flowing out through the door. Looking over to Gibbs hopefully, he widened his eyes in what he hoped was a good enough puppy dog look,
"Shower first," Gibbs said, his eyes twinkling, "The pizza's not going anywhere."
"By the looks of McGee it is." Tony grumbled, before getting a head slap, and a gentle chuck under the chin,
"Shower." Gibbs repeated.
~*~
Thankfully, the storm hadn't turned into a thunderstorm, and was instead just what sounded like torrential rain. Tony cursed the fact that the cabin had been built underneath several trees, so the rain sounded all the more violent. He shivered and tossed over in his bed. It had turned out he hadn't needed to share a room with anyone. Mike had given Abby and Ziva the biggest (His) bedroom, and they were perfectly happy in sharing a bed. He and Gibbs shared a twin room, and Tony and McGee had said they were fine on their own.
Maybe if there was another person in this room, it would have been warmer, Tony thought, shivering violently as he pulled the covers closer to his body. He shoved his head under his pillow when a sudden barrage of raindrops his the roof above his head. What the hell was Ducky thinking? He scowled to himself, how is this one of the best places in the World?
There was no way he'd be able to sleep, he decided. He knew he'd be shattered come morning (Which, he checked his watched, would be in about 4 hours) but it couldn't be helped. Dragging his duvet with him, he settled in front of the TV, hoping he hadn't alerted any NCIS special agent/mossad/forensic senses while doing so. Flicking through the channels at lightning speed and deciding there was nothing good to watch, he rootled in the stack of DVDs he'd left in here that evening. Choosing one at random, he stuck it in and saw when the title screen came up he'd chosen 'The Blair Witch Project'. Not really the most suitable since they were in what he classed as woods, he just shrugged and started to watch, not registering it was happening until his eyelids became so heavy he gave in and fell asleep.
~*~
Everyone had woken up at about the same time that morning, and had all walked into the living room to see Tony curled up in a duvet, the title screen of the movie he had been watching was on the TV.
Tutting, Gibbs went over and lightly ruffled Tony's hair before waking him up, "Up you get kiddo," He said quietly as Abby, Ziva and McGee started breakfast, "We got a big day ahead of us."
Tony groaned as he sat up, feeling a crick in his neck, "What're we going to do?" He yawned, perking up as he smelt bacon and eggs being cooked,
"Mike's going to take us on a walk up a small mountain to look at a cave."
"A cave?" The look on Tony's face showed all too well what he thought of that idea, "Why would we walk all the way up a mountain to look at a cave?"
"Here's an idea," Mike said, walking in from a morning shower, "If you don't whine all the way there and back - I'll take you out on 'The Kelly'. How's that sound?"
Tony's eyes nearly popped out of his head, "Seriously?" He gasped,
Mike chuckled, "Yeah kid seriously. By the way, why did you end up sleeping on my couch?"
Tony looked down guiltily, "I couldn't sleep," He confessed, "It was freezing in my room, and the rain didn't help. Dad said you lived in Mexico," He said suddenly, "How can you not find this change horrible?"
Mike scratched his chin as he sat down next to the teen, still wrapped in his duvet, "I guess I just got used to it," He answered, "And Ameera damn well walks around in her pyjamas on a morning - even during Winter."
"Crazy kid." Tony scoffed, surprised to get a laugh from Mike as he said that.
"Tony," Abby interrupted, "What d'you want for breakfast?"
"Anything," He moaned, hearing his stomach growl, "I think I'm dying. McGee ate all the pizza last night."
"I ordered another one," The man replied hotly, "Is it my fault they mixed the order up and we got different toppings?"
"Yup." Tony replied, before hopping up in the duvet and bouncing over to the table where Gibbs was reading the paper.
"Tony, go get dressed, you look like a marshmallow," Gibbs said, and added to his son's retreating (Albeit bouncing) back, "And make sure it's suitable for hiking in - it's freezing out!"
~*~
"So kiddo, what do you think of the great outdoors of the countryside?" Mike asked him, pulling his arm as the boy threatened to fall over again.
"Oh it's great," Tony said sarcastically, "Yeah, I'm loving the blisters, pneumonia and twisted ankles."
Mike laughed and clapped him on the back, "It'll toughen you up kid."
"I don't need toughening up." Tony shot back defensively,
"No?" Mike questioned, "I've heard nothing but whining since we got here."
"That's 'cause even tough people like to vent their anger somehow," Tony shot back, "What do you want me to do, punch a wall?"
Mike laughed again but considered the matter close. He looked down behind them where McGee and Abby were breathing hard and trying to catch up. Gibbs and Ziva were in front, effortlessly power walking up the path, neither of them stumbling the way Tony seemed to,
"You're quite fit for a lad of your age, you on any sports teams?"
"Football," Tony said proudly, "Coach said I might make quarterback if I keep it up."
"Really?" Mike said, interested, "So you should be used to various sprains and twists of bones then?"
"Ha, believe me, I'm laughing on the inside," Tony said, rolling his eyes, "How far are we to the cave?"
"It should be just round this bend."
Tony could see where his Dad and Ziva had stopped, looking up at what appeared to be the mouth of the cave. He grinned and ran forward, forgetting how clumsy he was. He tripped several times but on those times managed to regain his balance. The last time he went down hard, cutting his arm open on some sharp rocks that were littering the path worn down by feet,
"Ow…" He moaned, getting up. He'd guessed that Mike had seen, and blushed when he felt the older man catch up to him. He didn't think his Dad or Ziva had seen, talking to each other whilst waiting for the rest of them to catch up, so he hastily pulled the sleeve of his hoodie down from where it had been resting by his elbow,
"You okay, kid?" Mike asked him, rolling the sleeve back up, deaf to Tony's protests,
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a little graze." Tony replied, hissing as Mike dabbed at it with a tissue,
"That's more than a graze, kid, that might actually require stitches." Mike said, concern evident in his voice,
"Relax, I'll be fine. I'll just stick a band-aid on and I'll be good to go." Tony insisted. Mike narrowed his eyes and said,
"Even if that's true - your Dad's got the first-aid kit." This was true, and Tony groaned when he realised, but pulled himself out of Mike's hold and walked over to where Ziva and Gibbs were.
He stopped for a moment, gazing up at the cave. It had a massive opening, and it was so big inside that he couldn't see the end of it. There was a pool of water in front of it, and there were huge rocks that served the functions of stepping stones into the cave,
"Cool…" He murmured, looking round,
"Tony?" He looked up to see Gibbs looking down at him, "What's that?" He touched Tony's hoodie sleeve, which was by now stained an odd burgundy colour,
"I er… spilt some wine?"
"What was it this time?" Gibbs sighed,
"Oh er, I kinda tripped… a few times actually, and the last time I cut myself on a rock on the floor… I guess it's bleeding quite a lot…"
"Ya think?" Gibbs replied, pulling his rucksack off and reaching into it for the first aid kit. He was just wiping some anti-septic on the cut when Abby and McGee finally made it to the top,
"You're just *gasp* annoyed that *gasp* you didn't get to *gasp* wear your platforms *gasp*…" McGee managed to get out, looking at Abby, who had a cross expression on her face. Goodness knows what they had been arguing about, but Abby was distracted when she heard Tony hiss,
"Don't be such a baby." Gibbs said gently, finally satisfied the cut was clean,
"Tony!" Abby cried, "What happened?"
"Relax Abbs," He said, almost lazily, "I just fell over is all. I'm fine."
Abby raised an eyebrow, as if seriously doubting that, before looking over at the cave,
"Can we go in?" She asked excitedly, looking over at Mike.
"I guess," He shrugged, "There isn't a sign saying you can't." She beamed and started in, followed by Ziva, and they both lightly hopped over the stepping stones. McGee sat down on some grass nearby, trying to get some breath back, and looked shocked when Mike went and sat down next to him,
"What?" He asked, rather savagely in Tony's opinion, "I'm just getting a drink." With that he reached into his back and pulled out a flask that probably didn't contain water,
"Can I go in?" Tony asked, looking over to his Dad. The cut on his arm had a band-aid over it, but that didn't stop Gibbs wanting to check it out when they got back.
"So long as you don't throw yourself to the floor again." He half joked, patting his son's shoulder as Tony hurried to catch up with Abby and Ziva.
"Tony, how cool is this?" Abby said delightedly, "It's like the Batcave!"
"I dunno, for some reason I feel like I'm in 'Castaway'." Tony replied,
"Oh, I guess you're Tom Hanks and I'm the basketball." Abby said drily,
"The basketball was called Wilson," Tony pointed out, looking around at the cavern, "Or," He added getting excited, "It's like 'Pirates of the Caribbean'!"
"That'd be great," Abby replied, "But I don't see Johnny Depp anywhere." She sighed,
"What, you're not satisfied with me?" Tony asked, pretending to be hurt. Abby giggled,
"Of course I am Tony, you're irresistible," She giggled, "But mind you don't mess up your irresistible self on those rocks, they're a bit…" She tailed off as Tony slipped on one of the rocks he was on, crashing into the ground for the second time that day, hitting his head off the floor with a spectacular thud, "Slippery…" She sighed.
~*~
Tony groaned as he woke up in the cabin. He'd woken up after falling unconscious about five minutes after it had happened, and had been hauled upright in his Dad's arms,
"You never make it easy, do you kiddo?" Gibbs sighed, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair until he was certain of the damage, "You know the drill, Tony - you dizzy?"
"A bit." Tony mumbled, seeing three Zivas. It was disconcerting to say the least.
"Nauseas?"
"Mhmm…"
"Blurred vision? Headache?"
"Yes and yes."
"Okay," Gibbs sighed, looking around at everyone, "Let's get back."
"But the walk isn't over," Tony said, looking surprised, "Why are we going back?"
Gibbs gave him a long-suffering smile and shook his head, "Mike, help me with him." Between the two of them, they managed to reach the bottom and pile back into the car. They'd parked in a small car park close to the start of their walk, and in ten minutes they'd gotten back to the caravan park. It was here Gibbs had laid his son in bed. And it was now, an hour and a half later he came back to wake him up,
"Wakey wakey," Gibbs smiled, seeing Tony mumble something, "C'mon kid, you know what to do."
"Anthony Gibbs," He muttered, "2009, we're on Holiday in England, and yes, I do know I'm not your son."
Gibbs grinned, "Atta boy," He said softly, "Although I don't think Mike is too happy. He was looking forward to taking someone out on the boat."
Tony groaned, "But I can still go!" He whined, "I'll be fine - I feel fine."
"No you don't," Gibbs said, "Stop being so damn stubborn," He sighed, "And people wonder why my hair's grey."
"It could be because you're old." Tony pointed out, yawning.
Gibbs shook his head, "You're more trouble than you're worth."
"But you wouldn't have me any other way." Tony muttered, already falling back to sleep.
Gibbs smiled at him, carefully stroking down loose strands of hair, "I know Bug, I know."
Wow, longest chapter I think :) Rather proud of myself. And yes I am basing this on holidays I have had, and yes that did happen on my latest one. At the cave and everything. Although I didn't lose consciousness, so that's okay ;) Eeh, I love the Lake District ^_^
So, I'm not too sure what the next chapter will have in it - any ideas would be much appreciated :) review? xx
Also, I couldn't remember the name of Mike's daughet-in-law, hence the fact I never tried to guess lol. Plus, I'm not 100 percent that Ameera is his granddaughter's name, so correct me if I'm wrong :)
