AN: Oh my freaking god! I'm at a loss as of what to say. I'm SO extremely sorry. I just couldn't think of a way to write this. I don't know where I'm heading with this. I need ideas. So if anyone has any suggestions please let me know coz otherwise this one will have a huuuuge delay. Sorry to let you wait. You sure don't deserve that. To anyone who's still reading this: Thank you so much and please excuse the long wait. - Sina

Chp.38

He woke with an annoying pain in his head. Groaning, Tony turned over and pushed his face deep into the pillow, almost as if trying to kill himself.

A gentle hand in his hair surprised him. "Hey kiddo, you may wanna try and breathe."

Tony groaned again, but didn't turn. Gibbs sat down onto the mattress, right next to his son. His hand stayed where it was on Tony's head. "I got you something for the pain."

That actually made Tony turn onto his side. Sleepy green eyes meet soft blue ones.

"Come on, take the pills and then eat some breakfast. You'll feel better afterwards."

"Don't wanna stan'up." Tony slurred.

"Come on. Up and at 'em, Tiger."

"Huh…" Tony grunted and then turned onto his back. Gibbs helped him into a sitting position so he could take the meds with some water.

"Be down in 5." Gibbs said before leaving his son to make some coffee.

Tony groaned again and then slowly swung his legs over to one side of the bed.

Downstairs Gibbs had already set the table and was now leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee in his hand. He had to suppress a grin as he watched his son making his way into the kitchen, very slowly.

Tony saw his cap'n crunch on the table and made a somewhat pleased noise. Gibbs chuckled. The boy sat down and sighed before pouring some of the food into a bowl.

Gibbs pushed himself from the counter and put a glass of juice in front of Tony. Then he leaned down to kiss the top of his son's head. "Be a good boy and drink that."

"Won't disappoint you again." The boy mumbled and Gibbs almost didn't catch it. Almost.

"You haven't disappointed me, Tony." He said as he kneeled next to his son. The boy looked down onto his lap. Gibbs sighed and used two fingers to raise Tony's chin. The boy still didn't meet his. "Tony? Look at me son." The boy in question looked up. "I'm not disappointed in you, Son."

"Really?" He didn't sound very convinced.

"Really." Gibbs risked a smile. When he didn't receive one in return he pushed himself up and kissed the side of his son's head. "I promise." The promise he'd always given Tony when he was 'little' seemed to work.

Tony wrapped his arms around his father's neck. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'll never do anything like that again."

Gibbs wrapped his own arms around his boy's body. "I know, Kiddo. It's alright. It's fine, I'm not angry."

After a while they had finished their breakfast and where now sitting on the couch. "Want to tell me why you're so scared of needles?"

Tony didn't, so the lie came quickly. "Some people hate spiders, I hate needles."

Well, he was right, so Gibbs didn't ask anything else, which Tony was grateful for.

"Okay, so we're gonna have that talk about you disobeying me. I told you to clean up your room, didn't I?" Tony nodded. "Then why didn't you do it?" The boy kept quiet. "Tony?"

"I told you before, a friend needed my help."

"And I admire that, but you could have told me about that."

Tony sighed. "There we go again… I told you, but you didn't listen."

"That's not true."

"Dad… I told you my friend Nam needed some help and that I'd clean up afterwards. You just told me that you're god to me and that I do as you say. Then you went into the basement."

Gibbs thought back to the moment and then thought to himself that he indeed was a bad father.

"What?" Tony asked, realizing that his father was lost in thought.

"Nothing."

"Ya sure." Tony rolled his eyes. "I had to share now so do you!"

Gibbs looked up and saw the determination in his son's eyes. "I wasn't a good father to you, now was I?"

Tony furrowed his brows. "What are you talking about?" He sounded angry. "Of course you are a good father. What are you on about? Did you ever lay hand on me? No! You ever tell me I'm a worthless son of a bitch? No! So what the hell are you talking about being a bad father?!" Gibbs was too stunned to talk. "You never did anything but treat me like a father should treat his child." Tony added softly.

"What did that bastard do to you?"

"A lot, but that was in the past."

"You said you knew how broken bones would feel. Just how many bones did that man break you?"

"A few, but that doesn't matter."

"It matters to me, Tony." Gibbs said.

"See? That's why you are anything but a bad father."

Gibbs looked lovingly at his little man. He couldn't stop the smile that came to his lips. He put an arm around his son's shoulders and pulled him against his side. "You're lucky you caught me off guard with that, so you won't be grounded."

"I have my moments." He grinned up at his dad.

"You certainly do, Kiddo." He ruffled Tony's hair and ignored the complaints about that. "You certainly do."

AN: I hope you liked that at least a bit. I had a hard time writing this. Thanks for everything.