Gibbs, McGee and I all sat talking about the details of our undercover operation that wa supposed to happen when I thought of something that hadn't been talked about, that was almost avoided actually.
"Gibbs how where they yesterday?" I asked
"Who?" he asked
"Ziva, Sky and Abby, how where they when they found out about the news?" I asked.
"Well Ziva was as compossed as she could be since Sky had been screaming since breakfast, Abby seemed to be managing alright, and hadn't let it bother her work very much, she was just a little less enthusiatic. I took Ziva into the lift to talk to her about what she knew of the case you two were on and she told me that you had been sent on an undercover op to do something that you couldn't tell her about and that you had told her to tell Sky that you loved her and she did. Apparently Sky's intial reaction was that she was happy you were out saving the world making it a better place for her and her siblings but when Ziva was making them breakfast yesterday morning she freaked out and didn't leave her side. To talk to me she had waited until Sky was asleep before actually coming and talking to me, and when we returned to our desks she broke down in tears, at first I wondered what was wrong and then she said that Sky wasn't in her chair and that your shirt that she had kept with her since yesterday morning was gone. I sent out a search party for Sky and took Ziva up to Director Vance's office and SecNav was up there. We had an argument to which I will give you the details for at a later date. She went back downstairs and they told her they hadn't checked the fire exit stairs, she made it three flights of stairs down before she found Sky curled up in a ball and crying. Apparently she had wondered off to find Ziva and when she couldn't find her she stopped and curled up in a ball to wait. It took us fourty five minutes to find her and then Ziva took Sky down to Abby's lab where she slept for the rest of the afternoon" I told them. That was a lot and I was so proud of Ziva for staying strong for Sky and how well she had coped with Sky going missing, it was something I wished I never had to experience but knew I probably would at some future date, especially since Sky was entering the stage where everything had to be explored. She was good with orders but when something caught her attention she was first to make a move.
We discussed the case a little more before McGee gave me this look, that was his way of saying you have to tell him about Meg. So I took a deep breath and told him.
"Gibbs, this morning we had a meet with the cartle, or at least thats what we thought. Earlier that morning Sam had gone out as his undercover self and talked to a couple of newbies to the cartle and roughened them up a little. Only the address they gave to us wasn't the address of the cartle, it could have been at a previous date but-" I said getting a little choked up, Gibbs looked at me and then at McGee before looking back at me and pompting with a quick
"But what? DiNozzo" he asked and I carried on looking him straight in the eyes
"Instead of finding the cartle we found a dead body. The dead body of Meg, the mother of my daughter, Sky's birth mum Gibbs. I keep beating myself up over it knowing that there is nothing I coud've done but it still hurts" I said
"You mean to say that the mother of your adorable little girl was involved in one of the most wanted cartles in the history of Mexico cartle's. Why didn't you tell me?" he thundered
"Gibbs when I was seeing her she wasn't. She hadn't even gone further across the country other than Baltimore and I'm sure of that. After we broke up I have no idea what she got herself into, all I know is that the day that Ziva and I saw her she looked spooked about something like she was being followed or something, she kept on saying that she knew she shouldn't have gotten involved in it and that was the reason she had left Sky with me. God damnit I tried to get it out of her, to get her to tell me so that I could protect her but she just kept putting it off and saying that she was fine, that she couldn't do anything like that for fear that something would happen to me and Sky would be left with no father" I told him and he nodded searchng my face, my eyes to see if I was telling the truth, he must of found it cause he nodded and said
"Alright Tony. I believe you" he said and we discussed what would happen once the body arrived in Ducky's lab. It wasn't something that I really wanted to be discussing not when Ziva was in hospital and fighting for hers and the triplets lives. I couldn't deal with all of this, McGee seemed to notice my discomfort and changed the topic of conversation
"Where are Abby and Sky now?" he asked
"Oh well Abby took Sky out for lunch about two hours ago and she told me that she would take her back to my place so she could get some sleep, she slept through the night blissfully but I think with everything that happened this morning both of them need a sleep" Gibbs said. I nodded totally understanding the situation, and understanding why Abby was also sleeping, she was after all four and a half months pregnant she was showing now, and her normal bubbly personality was being taken from her and her hormones had sent McGee from her lab during the last case we did, because he had said something that she would usually brush off and laugh at but instead it had sent him back to his desk and Abby running to Gibbs for a hug before a sharp slap hit the back of McGee's head, remembering that I smied faintly and McGee looked at me questioningly
"Just remebering the last case we did when you got Abby really upset and you got slapped by Gibbs for upsetting one of his girls" I said laughing a little and so did Gibbs until he stopped and said
"If you upset Ziva Tony you will get a slap too" he said which made me sober up at the thought. I already got slapped enough I didn't need a hard one for upsetting Ziva even if it wasn't intentional.
We carried on in silence, just thinking through al the new information that we had been told me about what happened yesterday and this morning, it wasn't until my tummy started grumbling that I noticed what time it was and that me and McGee hadn't eaten since breakfast at 0600 this morning. I looked at the clock on the waiting room wall and saw that it was now 1830, I looked at McGee and he smiled at me knowing we were both thinking the same thing. Gibbs stood up and announced
"I'm going across the road to the cafe and getting me a coffee and something to eat, I'm guessing you lot want something as well?" he asked and we nodded. He left the room and after a couple of minutes I moved coser to McGee and placed my hand on his shoulder, he looked at me a little shocked before he relaxed a little and I said
"Thank you Tim, for keeping me grounded today and yesterday, for being there for me when I needed you the most, I truly appreciate everything you have done for me" he smiled and I pulled him in for a hug, bursting into tears against his shoulder. I couldn't break down like this in front of Gibbs, what would he think of me? But McGee and I had been through some difficult times together and everytime something happened to Ziva he was always the one who sticked by myside, the whole time.
"Its alright Tony, we'll get through this, Ziva will pull through and your babies will be alright. Gibbs, Abby and I are going to be here for you, Sky and Ziva through all of this. I mean what are families for?" he asked, I pulled back and nodded my head
"You've always been the little brother that I always wanted but never had growing up. I guess thats why I joke about so many things with you. I'm sorry if any of my jokes have ever offended you Tim, it wasn't my intention" I told him and he nodded
"I know Tony, I've always wanted an older brother. I mean I had my sister but I protected her with every part of me, hell I almost gave up my job for her. But we've done alot for each other I agree. I really do love you like family" he said and I smiled through the tears. Why was it that the sad moments were the times when you felt the need to confess the feelingsyou had for someone, weither it be romantic or just as a friendly manner or what McGee, Gibbs and Abby were to me, my family, you always said the important things in these moments of weakness.
"I love you too Timmy" I said and we hugged again. After we pulled apart we sat in a comfortable silence, waiting for someone to arrive, either with news on Ziva's condition, Abby and Sky or Gibbs returning with our food.
It was about ten minutes after Gibbs left that the doors to the waiting room opened and McGee and I looked up fully expecting it to be Gibbs even though he hadn't been gone for long. I smiled when I saw who it was, but both girls were standing in shock. McGee and I looked at each other and smiled knowing that we'd surprised them. Sky was the firrst one to break out of hr shock and ran into me with such a force that it left both of us a little winded.
"Daddy, ew back" she said sobbing into my leg.
A/N: Ok well here is the next chapter, some of you were actually looking for a breakdown in the story so I think this is the best that I could do for Tony. I didn't want to go completely full throttle on a breakdown. BTW they are not out of the woods just yet and there is more bad news to come. :( Don't hate me for the bad news please! Love you all so much 3