WARNING: This chapter contains more insight into Mrs. DiNozzo's background…we're going to learn some dark and disturbing facts about Tony's step-mom. If you want to skip over parts of the chapter—ESPECIALLY THE FLASHBACK!, you can PM me and I'll fill you in. Content may be disturbing to some readers. I'm making the legal system bend to my needs here too, so if things are not all factual, that's why.
Special thanks to my wonderful friend for all of your help with this story.
No Chains Holding Me
Chapter 38: Bad Idea
Gibbs sipped his lukewarm coffee and glanced out the bedroom window. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon and it was nearly 7am. Tony was still asleep, likely exhausted after a fitfully restless night of nightmares and memories. His sleep had been reduced to catnaps, and he hadn't really noticed that each time he woke, Gibbs was beside him. Still dressed. Still wide awake. Still drinking coffee.
Oh yes, Leroy Jethro Gibbs got no sleep that night.
The senior agent let out a quiet sigh and got up off the bed. He carried with him a substantially large stack of papers that he'd printed off the computer the night before. While Gibbs was not sleeping, he'd managed to do some investigating on the computer. He didn't make it a habit, and he didn't let on to the others that he could, in fact, do a thorough internet search without McGee's help, only that he had enough skills to get by. He'd been looking into the background of Tony's step-mother. It hadn't taken much digging to learn that Anthony DiNozzo Senior was married to a woman named Mary Peterson. What was surprising, was that upon digging into Mary Peterson's life, he'd found financial information dating back to nine months before she married Tony's father…and then the trail stopped. It was as if Mary Peterson didn't exist before that time.
So Gibbs did what he does best. He'd growled at his computer, slapped some buttons on it and tried a different search. This time Gibbs took a chance and cross-referenced her birthdays with social security numbers. It was a bit of a stretch, but he'd smirked with satisfaction when he saw that there was another Mary, with the same hometown, born on the same day, whose social security number was merely one digit off from Mary Peterson's. Mary Lou Schwartz had mysteriously disappeared the same day that Mary Peterson had shown up. Interesting. Gibbs didn't believe in coincidences, and this was no exception. So he dug a little deeper into Mary Lou Schwartz's past.
What he found was quite disturbing. At the time of her "disappearance," Mary Lou Schwartz was a new divorcee, and the mother of a child…a little boy…whom she'd relinquished all rights to. She'd lost a great amount in the divorce settlement—her home, her car, her jewelry…but most of all her child. The little boy, Jason was his name, was only seven years old at the time. But Little Jason was the reason for his beloved parents' divorce. And what had come out in the civil hearing for the divorce had sent a chill up Gibbs' spine—something that was difficult to do. The boy's father, Mary Lou's ex-husband, was convinced and had proof that Mary Lou had acted inappropriately with their son. He'd gone so far as to hire a private investigator to find out just what all had happened. What the private investigator discovered led Mr. Schwartz to not only file for divorce, but to press charges against his wife on behalf of their son. Charges of sexual assault, molestation, sexual abuse…after the divorce was settled, Mary Lou was indicted on the charges against her child. She managed to work a deal with her lawyer and with the state. Relinquish all parental rights. Give up any hope for visitation—supervised or otherwise—with young Jason, and forget that he exists. In exchange, she served six months in prison—out of her two year sentence early for good behavior and an early parole. Once she was finished with her probation and community service, Mary Lou packed her bags and she moved away.
When she arrived in Long Island she lost a few pounds, colored and cut her hair, and got a new identity. And it wasn't long before she was hobnobbing with the local wealthy elite—taking a special shine on a young widower—Mr. Anthony DiNozzo Senior. He was a lovely man with a lovely fortune. And…the icing on the cake…he had a small son. Anthony Junior. It was all too perfect, really.
Gibbs lowered the papers and ran a hand over his forehead. He glanced at the clock and then at Tony who was still asleep. He'd rolled to his side and was curled up in a little ball, huddled beneath the covers. Gibbs felt sick every time he thought about the hellish things Tony had been through. His stepmother had done…God only knows what to him…but it had impacted Tony's entire upbringing and childhood. Then when he got to college he was drugged and raped by Marta, his girlfriend. After that he managed to get himself back on track, embrace his sexuality, get into a healthy relationship for once, only to be drugged and raped undercover without backup. Gibbs tossed the file on the foot of the bed and stood up. Jesus. What a mess. But…Gibbs was a man of action. And now he had a mission. His mission was to figure out a way for Tony to get the perfect life he'd always wanted—however Tony defined that—and to make sure that nothing ever stopped him from getting it and keeping it.
The phone rang at precisely 8am, and Gibbs knew without looking that it was Ducky calling to check on them. He looked at the phone and was surprised when he saw it was Abby calling. "Yeah Gibbs," he spoke softly. He didn't wanna leave the room, but he didn't want to take a chance of waking Tony up either.
"Hi Bossman!" Abby chirped.
"Hey Boss," Kate's voice rang through.
"G-goodmorning Gibbs," came McGee's nervous chuckle.
"Jethro! Goodmorning dear boy," Ducky added.
Gibbs smirked. His whole team called. He glanced at Tony again to make sure he was still sleeping, then stepped out into the hall. "Morning guys," he said tiredly, exhaustion suddenly washing over him like the tide on a beach. "What's up?"
"Well we called to see how you guys were doing," Kate said. "We haven't heard from you in a couple of days."
"It's uh…been a rough couple of days," Gibbs said uneasily.
"Is Tony alright?" McGee spoke up.
"He's…got some challenges. But we're working through them."
"Director said he took you a box of cold cases," Kate said. "Do you need anything else?"
"Thanks Kate. And no, I think for now we're alright. I'll be sure to give you a call if we need anything."
"Gibbs I sent Tony an email," Abby said.
"He hasn't been on the computer in a couple of days," Gibbs told her. "But I'll make sure he gets it."
"Thanks Bossman!"
"Jethro, have there been any more instances like yesterday?"
"No, not so far. He's gotten some rest, so hopefully he'll have a better day. We've got another appointment with his counselor later on today."
"Excellent," Ducky praised. "Sounds wonderful. Keep me posted, would you?"
"Sure Duck," Gibbs said. "I'm gonna go. I figure he'll be waking up soon. Gotta make more coffee."
All of them saw through the excuse, but no one said anything. They exchanged "call me's" and "talk to you laters" and Gibbs hung up the phone.
Tony was still asleep, but his sleep had grown restless again. Sweat had beaded on Tony's forehead and he looked worried. Even in his sleep he was getting no peace. Gibbs glanced back at the file on the bed; the pile of paper had so much damning evidence to explain some of what Tony seemed to not remember about his childhood. He remembered playing dress-up with Mommy…remembered sleeping in her bed if Daddy was away…but was there more? She grabbed his ass—two handfuls of it—in front of Tony's boss—that could have been career-ending! Gibbs wanted answers…he didn't know how to get them, but he thought it best to share his findings with Cheryl before the session today.
Before Gibbs could decide if he wanted to call and speak to Cheryl, his phone rang. A glance at it told him that it was not his phone that was ringing. It was Tony's phone ringing. Tony stirred slightly and blinked a couple of times as Gibbs pounced on the phone. He glanced at it and didn't recognize the number. He flipped it open.
"Agent DiNozzo's phone," he answered gruffly, his tone soft.
"Who is this? Why are you answering Tony's phone?"
"Who is this?" Gibbs answered. But he had a feeling he already knew.
"This is Tony's father. He was supposed to call me last night. Who is this?"
"This is Gibbs. Tony wasn't feeling well and turned in early last night. I was going to have him call you this morning."
"Well it's important that I speak with him. In fact, could you pass me over to him now?"
Gibbs glanced over at Tony. His younger lover was awake now, his eyes at half mast. He looked warm and snuggly and Gibbs wanted nothing more than to hop in the bed and have his way with Tony, doing him every way to Sunday and back, but he knew that would NOT fly. Tony didn't look fully aware yet, in fact, looked a bit like he could doze back off. Good. He needed the sleep. The dark circles under his eyes were getting too dark again.
"He's not awake yet," Gibbs said softly. "I'll have him call you later."
Senior must have realized that he couldn't move Gibbs on this, because he sighed. "Fine," he relented. "But it's very important that I talk to him."
"I understand," Gibbs said. "I'll pass along the message."
"See that you do." The line went dead. Gibbs smirked and closed the phone.
Gibbs set the phone on the table and turned back to Tony. He was watching his partner through a heavy-lidded gaze, blinking slowly. Gibbs laid down on the bed next to him and Tony moved slightly closer. "How you feelin?" he asked softly.
"Slee—py," Tony replied, his voice breaking off into a yawn halfway through the word.
Gibbs smiled and brushed his fingers over Tony's temple. Tony's eyes seemed to close reflexively when he did that, so he did it again, rubbing a soothing pattern of relaxation that quickly eased Tony back into sleep. "Get some sleep babe," Gibbs whispered. "I have a feeling you're going to need to be well rested to get through everything you're going to face today."
xxx
Tony sat huddled in the corner of the couch in Cheryl's office. How had things gotten so fucked up? Yesterday they'd been rejoicing over the progress that he'd been making…and now it felt as though he was back at square one again. He was exhausted by the one-step-forward two step backwards routine he seemed to be making. Gibbs had run out to get coffee while they were in the waiting room, leaving Tony alone with the two agents who were far more hovery today than they'd been in the past. When Cheryl called him back and looked around for Gibbs, Tony had shrugged and said he'd be back, but that he didn't mind coming back with her as long as there was the understanding that Gibbs would be allowed to join them as soon as he returned.
Cheryl was sitting in her chair, facing Tony, clipboard ready. There was a peaceful smile on her face that lied about how she was really feeling. She was dealing with a good bit of internal anguish over what she and Gibbs had discussed earlier…what she would now begin discussing with Tony.
"Ok Tony," she said, gently. "I heard your parents came to visit yesterday."
Tony nodded slowly and his eyes dropped to his lap. "Yeah they did," he said quietly. "Was good to see them, even though it was…unexpected."
"They didn't tell you they were coming?"
"They never tell me anything," Tony snorted softly.
"I heard from Gibbs last night that you got pretty upset while they were visiting," Cheryl said. "Wanna tell me about that?"
"I just…was stressed anyway. And they…my mom hugged me too tight. I don't like that so much, ya know?"
Cheryl made a note on her clipboard and nodded. "Yes," she said. "Did you ask her to stop?"
Tony rubbed the back of his neck and winced at the question. "Um…well…not—not exactly."
"It was making you feel uncomfortable though, right?"
"Yeah," Tony whispered.
"What happened when you got upset?" Cheryl was pressing a bit now.
Tony shrank back on the couch a bit. "I um…it got um…hard to breathe and stuff…and I kinda felt like I might be sick…and um…well I got dizzy…"
"Gibbs said he thought you were having a heart attack," Cheryl said. "Did you think you were having a heart attack?"
"I don't know," Tony shrugged noncommittally. "I've never had a heart attack to know what one feels like. I know I didn't feel well though."
"Works for me," Cheryl said with an easy smile.
At that moment there was a knock on the door. "That's Gibbs," Tony said nodding his head towards the door.
Cheryl got up and opened the door to see who was knocking. Sure enough, Gibbs was standing behind the door. She glanced at Tony. "How'd you know that was Gibbs?" she asked.
"I recognized his knock," Tony said with a smirk.
Gibbs shook his head and stepped into the room. He passed Tony a cup of coffee and sat down beside him.
Cheryl sat back down in her chair and looked at Tony. "You recognized his knock?"
"Oh sure," Gibbs said. "He can recognize people by their knocks, the way their keys jingle, all sorts of things. He's funny that way," Gibbs smiled affectionately at Tony.
"Gibbs we were just talking about how Tony was feeling yesterday afternoon when you thought he was having a heart attack," Cheryl said, bringing him up to speed. Gibbs took a sip of coffee and nodded. Cheryl turned her attention back to Tony. "I know you don't want to do this," she said, somewhat regretfully, "But we need to. We're going to have to address this before I can clear you. We're going to have to talk about your family Tony."
Tony took a long, nervous sip of coffee and didn't respond. Gibbs watched his reaction carefully, his gaze moving back and forth between Cheryl and Tony.
"Don't see why," Tony said softly. "It's fine. I'm fine today. Whatever I said yesterday was under the influence of drugs—which we will be discussing—" he said pointedly at Gibbs, "and I should not be held responsible for it!"
"Tony," Gibbs jumped in. "Your stepmom…she…"
"She's my mom Gibbs. Only mom I remember. I mean I know my bio-mom died when I was little, but she's my mom. You don't have to call her my stepmom."
"Your mom grabbed your ass Tony. Two hands full of your. ass. Right in your apartment," Gibbs said. "Doesn't that bother you?"
"It obviously bothers you more than it bothers me," Tony said coolly. "What's the matter? You can't handle my family?"
"That's not what I said Tony, and you know it," Gibbs said. Tony was trying to twist it around and get the focus off of him.
"Tony can you fill me in on your relationship with your parents?" Cheryl asked.
"No," Tony said mulishly, shaking his head. "It's not relevant to anything we're doing. It's not important. I don't even hardly see them or talk to them. They are busy, successful…they have lives—why do they need me?"
"Maybe because you're their son?" Gibbs asked.
"That's not what I meant," Tony said. "You're twisting my words around!" He was starting to get angry.
"No one is twisting words," Cheryl mediated gently. "We need to keep our focus here. Now Tony. I am concerned because you got upset enough with your parents visiting that you ended up in the Emergency Room. We need to figure out what caused that to happen and we need to work out ways for it to not happen in the future."
"It's never happened before," Tony said. He rose to his feet and he began pacing. "I don't understand why there's all the attack on my parents here, Doc," he said, whipping around to face Cheryl.
"I um…Tony there's something you need to know," Gibbs said, reluctance heavy in his tone, almost wincing, even as he spoke the words. "About your mom."
Tony's gaze snapped to Gibbs' face and his eyes darkened. Gibbs refused to back down, refused to let Tony's emotions overtake what he'd learned today. His partner could growl and snarl and bitch and moan all he wanted, but this…this was true, and Tony needed to hear it, whether he liked it or not.
"What the hell Gibbs?"
Cheryl looked at Tony. "I think you'd better sit down and listen to what Gibbs wants to tell you," she said. It sounded like she was making a suggestion, but Tony knew she wasn't.
"I'm not sitting down. Anything Gibbs wants to tell me he can tell me with me standing right here. I'm a big boy. I'm not interested in any lies though, so you'd better be able to prove anything that you're going to say against my family. My parents are weird and wacky but they're mine and they'd never hurt me," Tony said firmly.
"I need to tell you about a woman named Mary Lou Schwartz," Gibbs said.
"Who's that?" Tony snapped.
"Mary Lou lived in Cincinatti, Ohio. She was an attractive young woman, and got married at a relatively young age. While she was married, she and her husband had a child. A son. His name was Jason."
"Why are you doing this?" Tony's voice was cold and bitter. He knew this "Sit-Rep Game" that Gibbs was playing—they'd done it a thousand times in the bullpen if they'd done it once. He just couldn't figure out the catch.
"Jason was seven years old when his parents got a divorce. Mary Lou's husband filed for divorce from Mary Lou. He cited child endangerment and irreconcilable difference as his reasons."
"Child endangerment? What'd she do? Why are you telling me about some strange woman that I've never heard of?"
"It came out in the divorce that Mary Lou had been sexually abusing and molesting her son. She was charged and sentenced to jailtime for her crimes. Part of her punishment was relinquishing all of her parental rights to Jason. She served six months in jail before she was let out for good behavior. She got a good parole deal."
"Good for her," Tony said. "So what?"
"So after she got out of jail she moved away. Changed her name. Changed her hair. Lost some weight. She did all of that right before she met her second husband. He was a successful business man who was father to a small child. A little boy about five years old."
Tony was still trying to figure out why he was being told this twisted story. "You said Mary Lou changed her name," he said slowly. "What'd she change her name to?"
Gibbs looked levelly at Tony, regretting what he was about to do. "She changed her name from Mary Lou Schwartz to Mary Peterson. Once she got married she changed her name to—"
"Mary DiNozzo," Tony breathed. "But that's impossible. You've got it wrong."
"Ok," Gibbs said with a nod. "Where'd I screw up?"
"My mom isn't from Cincinnati," Tony said matter-of-factly.
"Where's she from?"
"She's from Cleveland," Tony said smartly.
"I'll double check to make sure I'm not wrong," Gibbs agreed, "But I am not sure I'm buying that Mary Lou Schwartz disappeared the same day Mary Peterson showed up in the same town—with the same birthday, and only one number difference in their social security numbers. Mary Peterson fit the description of Mary Lou Schwartz too," he said softly.
"So what, you're saying my mother is a child molester? That she's a pedophile?"
Gibbs took a deep breath and did not break Tony's steely gaze. "That's what I'm saying," he said firmly.
Cheryl reached under the paper on her clipboard and produced a manila folder. "Here Tony," she said. "Here's the information. You can look at it."
"You've already seen it?" Tony asked Cheryl incredulously. At Cheryl's nod, Tony whipped back around to Gibbs. "What the hell Gibbs? Are we back to keeping secrets from Tony? Is that what you're doing?! What the hell are you trying to prove?!"
"I'm not trying to prove anything Tony. I'm trying to help you," Gibbs said firmly.
"Oh yeah with help like this I might as well hand you a gun and let you blow my fucking head off," Tony snapped. "You know what," he raised his hands in resignation. "I'm not doing this. I'm outta here. Screw this, and screw you Gibbs. That's my family you're talking about. My goddamn family. You can go to hell!" He walked out the door without a backwards glance.
Gibbs looked at Cheryl. "Did I screw up?" he asked softly.
"No," Cheryl said, assuring Gibbs that he'd done the right thing. "Sometimes our loved ones aren't ready to hear what they need to hear. This is hard for Tony—and likely more difficult because, as you said, he doesn't remember a lot of what happened between him and his mom. This is going to be tough Gibbs. It's not an easy road."
"Have any of them been easy?" Gibbs snapped, rising to his feet and pacing where Tony had been only moments before.
"No," Cheryl agreed. "They haven't. But it's been worth it, hasn't it? All the work you've done?"
"Yea," Gibbs agreed. "I just hope…that in the end it doesn't end up costing me…everything," he said softly.
"I'm sure you and Tony will work things out," Cheryl said.
The speaker on the wall sounded off suddenly. Cheryl rose and hit the button, silencing the chime. "Yes?"
Dr. Hodges you are needed in the lobby immediately, came the voice of Cheryl's secretary.
"I'm in session," Cheryl responded. "I can't just—"
"It's your patient Doctor. He looks like he's having a panic attack. He stopped walking suddenly and grabbed his chest and—"
Gibbs was already on his feet, but Cheryl put her hand up. "He's too upset with you right now. I'm going to bring him back here, but you sit tight ok? Give me just a few moments with him to help calm him down. We'll be back."
Gibbs nodded and stood in the doorway, watching as Cheryl made her way to the waiting room. He wondered what had happened to set Tony off again, if he was the cause of it. Wondered if there was ever going to be a day when Tony would catch a break.
He sure hoped so.
xxx
Tony stormed down the hall and slammed open the door to the waiting room open. He stopped in the doorway when a young mother and her son looked up sharply at them. The young woman was straightening her child's school uniform—adjusting his little tie to be exact—and Tony froze. He was just as surprised by them as they were by him. The child looked at him and shrank back against his momma, his eyes wide and fearful.
"Jesus Christ," the boy's mother hissed. "What are you doing? Are you trying to scare him to death?" She turned the little boy back towards her so he was facing his mother. She straightened his tie and smoothed his collar and smiled at him as she brushed her fingers through his hair, shoving it back from his eyes. "Mommy's little man," she murmured affectionately and smiled.
Tony's jaw dropped open and his eyes widened. He leaned heavily against the wall as the memory washed over him.
Flashback
"You're growing into such a handsome little man Anthony."
Manicured hands reached for the tie on his shirt, straightening the sailor's collar before fingernails scratched lightly through his hair.
"You enjoy playing dress up with Mommy don't you baby boy?"
"Yes Mommy," Tony answered.
"Let's play a new game today," Mommy said.
"What game Mommy?" Tony liked that his mommy wanted to play but he didn't always understand the games that he and Mommy played.
"We're going to have a race," Mommy said.
Tony smiled. He enjoyed races! "I love races Mommy!" he exclaimed. "Where are we racing to?"
"We're going to stay in the bedroom and have a race," Mommy's voice was softer now and she had a funny look on her face.
Tony was confused. "How do we have a race if we don't go nowhere?"
His mommy laughed. "We're going to race…whoever can get all of their clothes off first wins!"
"But I just gotted dressed!" Tony giggled. Sometimes Mommy was funny.
"And Mommy will help you get dressed again when we're finished with our game," Mommy promised.
A little later, Tony was laying on the bed staring at the ceiling. Now they were playing a new game. They were playing the statue game—that's when Tony had to pretend to be a stone statue—he wasn't supposed to move or make any noise! And Mommy's job was to try to get him to make noise and move. If Mommy made him move then he lost. Tony always lost. He bit his lip today and stared harder at the ceiling.
He would win today. He. would. win.
End Flashback
Gibbs realized what was happening, just about the same time Cheryl was getting down the hall to where Tony was. He tore off after her, calling her name every step of the way. "Cheryl! Wait! Cheryl stop!"
Cheryl stopped in the doorway. It was obvious that Tony was not well, and it was obvious that he was making Cheryl's next clients in the waiting room uncomfortable.
"Elizabeth you might want to take Davy and get him a snack while we finish up here and then be back at the top of the hour," Cheryl said. "Or maybe a couple of minutes afterwards."
The young mother took her son by the hand and quickly hurried from the waiting room. Gibbs raced into the waiting room just as Cheryl was approaching Tony. She hadn't heard Gibbs' warning.
"Tony why don't you come back in here and we'll—"
"STAY AWAY!" Tony shrieked.
"It's alright Tony you are safe. C'mon now we'll make it right. We'll fix it," Cheryl pressed. She was standing right in front of Tony now. She raised her hands to touch his arms, but something slammed into her, knocking her out of the way. She stumbled to a stop and looked at Tony just in time to see him lash out in fear at whatever he was seeing in front of him. Tony's powerful arm swung wildly and Gibbs blocked the first arm, but didn't block Tony's other arm in time. The powerful swing caught Gibbs on the jaw and sent him sprawling. Quick as a flash he was back on his feet and grabbed Tony in a bear hug, facing him, getting in his space so that Tony couldn't block him out or get away.
"It's me Tony. It's Gibbs. You're safe. Come back now. C'mon. Calm down."
Tony struggled against him for just a moment before he froze, staring at Gibbs, his eyes and mouth wide with the horror of what he'd just done.
"Let's go back inside ok? We'll talk it out. It's alright. You're safe."
"I hurt you," Tony whispered, raising a shaking hand to Gibbs' face where he'd hit his lover.
"You didn't hurt me," Gibbs assured him. "I'm fine. I'm ok. C'mon Tony. Let's go talk to Cheryl."
"Cheryl…" Tony looked around. Cheryl was standing back a bit to give them some space, smoothing her hair back into place. Her face was filled with concern and a frown creased her features. "Cheryl," Tony whispered. "I'm…did I hurt you?"
"No Tony," Cheryl said, reassuring the young man. "I'm just fine. And so are you. Let's go talk ok?"
"I'm sorry," Tony whispered.
Gibbs relaxed the bear hug, but Tony shook his head. "No don't let go," he whispered, leaning towards Gibbs again. "Please. It's not safe."
Gibbs wrapped one arm around Tony's shoulders and hugged him to his side. "I've got you. You are not dangerous. It's fine. I promise."
Tony stared at him for a long moment before dropping his gaze with a resigned nod. Gibbs nodded at Cheryl and they moved back into her office. Tony sat down on the couch and stared out the window. He was very quiet and very still.
"We're having dinner with his father tonight," Gibbs said. "He said it's the entire reason they came to town—so he could meet with Tony."
Cheryl glanced at Tony who was still staring out the window. He seemed to have tuned them out. "Is that wise?" she asked in a low voice.
"I'm not sure but I'm fairly certain we're not going to get them to leave town until we do this," Gibbs said. "And I think you can understand why I'd want that woman far, far away from my partner."
"Can you press charges?"
"No," Gibbs said softly. "Not for Tony. There's a statute of limitations…the only way to press charges would be to find out she's molesting a kid now. Tony's experience, coupled with her past would give us probable cause to open an investigation. It'd have to go through the FBI though, because it crosses several state lines and involves a Federal Agent."
"Goodness," Cheryl said. "Sounds complicated."
"And exactly what he does not need right now," Gibbs said, looking pointedly at Tony.
They began working quietly on an action plan for ways to help Tony get through the rest of his day. Cheryl and Gibbs both invited Tony to help them with the slow process, but Tony adamantly refused. He sank lower into the couch and settled against the soft cushions. Gibbs and Cheryl were seated at the table in the middle of the room. They were making lists and plans and backup plans and backup plans to the backup plans. They wanted Tony to feel like a success at the end of the day.
"How can I tell if he needs out without causing a scene?" Gibbs asked finally. They were nearing the end of their hour and needed to wrap things up. They glanced at Tony occasionally, but he hadn't moved from his spot on the couch. He'd picked up the little rubber band ball off of Cheryl's toy shelf—something nobody was daring to point out—and he was fidgeting with the ball slightly. He stared out the window and his expression was bleak. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
He looked like he'd just realized that his whole life he'd been completely on his own and fending for himself.
"It might be good if you two came up with some sort of coded message that you could use to say if Tony needs to leave."
"I have an idea," Tony spoke up suddenly. "I know exactly what to say."
xxx
A couple of hours later, just as it was getting dark, Gibbs and Tony pulled into the Adam's House Restaurant. It was a swanky penthouse restaurant on the top floor of one of the prominent hotels in town—The Adams House. The valet stepped up to Gibbs' window but Gibbs waved him off when he felt Tony tense. He knew that his partner was nervous about the evening, but they'd told themselves that dinner would be fine—it would be short and simple, and since they were only meeting up with Tony's dad, it had helped Tony to relax a bit.
Tony had been excessively quiet all afternoon, conserving his energy and trying to get himself pulled together enough for what was coming. He stayed near Gibbs, but didn't want to be touched a great deal. He still felt incredibly guilty over what had happened at Cheryl's office earlier in the day. He still couldn't believe that he'd nearly struck her—if Gibbs hadn't shoved her out of the way then Tony likely would have hit her. And as hard as Tony was swinging, it probably would have hurt her too.
Gibbs parked his car and they stepped out together. Tony stayed close to Gibbs, and Gibbs stayed just behind Tony's left shoulder, hand resting lightly on his lower back, guiding him carefully through the car park and traffic to the entrance of the hotel. When they arrived they hopped on the elevator and headed for the penthouse. When they got there they gave the Maître d their reservation and with a smile, the young man led them to their table. Tony gasped and nearly stumbled when he saw his step-mother sitting at the table with his father. He heard Gibbs curse softly under his breath and could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves. Stepping out beside Gibbs he offered him a brilliant smile—the brightest smile Gibbs had seen in days—and he hooked his arm on Gibbs'.
"I'm so glad you're with me," Tony said genuinely.
Gibbs smiled and patted the hand that was hooked on his elbow. "Me too," he said. "I'm proud to be invited."
Tony's partner was intrigued by what he saw. Tony had been falling apart only moments before—it seemed to Gibbs that the only reason he'd made it inside the hotel at all was because Gibbs was propelling him. But now, in the face of his parents and their judgment and their inappropriate behavior, now Tony seemed to be drawing on an inner-strength. He was slipping into "undercover mode." Gibbs hadn't seen him do it—or do it this flawlessly—since just before the case with Jeffrey White began. His face lightened up, his eyes were bright, the brooding posture from earlier had straightened into a confident swagger.
Gibbs was impressed, to say the least.
"Darling!" Tony's mother exclaimed.
Gibbs had to give Tony credit. He didn't even flinch.
"Hi Mom," Tony said with a bright smile. He slid into the booth across the table from his mother and father.
"Oh Anthony trade places with your father so we can sit together and catch up," Mary DiNozzo gushed.
"Oh no it's ok, I'm going to sit with Jethro," Tony smiled. "We rarely get to sit on the same side of the booth! Usually it's just the two of us and we don't want to look like we are going to act inappropriately with each other," he said sweetly. "Isn't that right Jethro?"
Gibbs nearly choked on his tongue. "Yep," he said with a curt nod.
"Well," Mary said with a wistful sigh, "I suppose I'll just have to admire from afar then," she said.
"How've you been dad?" Tony asked, completely ignoring the comments Mary made.
"Well I've been doing really well, Junior, really well. But you know how things are…it's always an up and downhill slope—ya win some ya lose some."
Gibbs stared at Tony's parents intently wondering what the hell Senior wanted. The waiter showed up and took their drink orders and Senior ordered an appetizer. "Hope everyone likes mushrooms," he said with a plastered grin on his face.
"Tony's allergic," Gibbs said coldly.
"Ohhhhhh," Mary said. "Do you still get those icky awful hives all over you?"
"Yeah," Tony said tightly.
"Why don't you call the waiter back over here and order some food we can all eat?" Gibbs snapped at Senior.
"It's ok Jethro," Tony said, laying his hand on Gibbs' arm.
"No it's not! He knows you're allergic! What the hell?" Gibbs motioned for the waiter.
"Can I help you sir?"
"Cancel the mushrooms," Gibbs said. "And bring me a menu."
"Right away sir," the kid said and hurried off.
"Jet you don't have to scare the poor kid," Tony said.
Gibbs looked at him for a long moment. He was feeling so mightily protective tonight that it was a wonder he'd even allowed Tony to sit at the same table with his mother. He narrowed his eyes when he suddenly felt the unmistakable sensation of a pointed toe shoe tracing up the inside of his calf. "That's not your husband's leg," he growled at Mary.
Tony's eyes widened when he realized what had happened. "Take it easy Mom," he said snarkily. "Jethro's all mine. You can have Dad," he said, trying to break the ice at the table. Gibbs was getting angrier by the second. Honestly though, Tony was more than a little disturbed by how blatantly obvious she was making advances on him this evening. Why was she doing this? Had she always been this way and he'd just never noticed it before? He took a nervous sip of water. "So Dad," he said, swallowing hard. "Why'd you wanna go to dinner tonight?"
"Do I really need a reason to want to go to dinner with my only son?" Senior asked gallantly. It was almost believable. Almost.
"We've missed you so much, Anthony," Mary said. "We wanted to spend some time with you."
"You got lucky," Gibbs said. "If we'd been working I wouldn't have let him off to come."
As the meal progressed, Tony's thoughts drifted farther and farther away from the conversation at the table. He was going back over everything in his head. How many times had Mary abused and molested him? How many times had she performed acts on him that should only ever be done between consenting adults? Was she really the woman that Gibbs said she was? Was it really possible that his mom—his sweet, caring, many times inappropriately behaving mom—could she really be the child molesting pedophile that the evidence made her out to be? Had she done this to other kids? Did she really have a son named Jason who was taken from her by his father and the court system because she'd been so horribly inappropriate with him?
Tony's head spun with questions. He picked at his food, not really eating as much as scooting it around on his plate. He was tired. He wanted to go home. His hip was hurting where he'd shaved the skin off with the razor the other day.
Finally, the waiter brought dessert. Gibbs declined. "I don't like nuts," he said. Tony almost snorted out loud at the double intent of the statement his lover had made.
Gibbs took a sip of bourbon and set his glass on the table. "You never answered Tony's question," he said softly. "You lied to him instead."
Senior stopped and stared at Gibbs' blunt accusation. "What are you talking about?"
"When he asked you why you wanted to meet up and spend time and go to dinner. You didn't want to see him. So why'd you come?"
"Of course we wanted to see you!" Mary exclaimed, but Senior raised a hand to stop her.
"You're right," he said reluctantly and Tony's head shot up to stare at his father. "Seeing Tony is not the only reason we are here."
"Figures," Tony muttered. "How much?"
"What?" Gibbs asked. He hadn't wanted to think this before, but now…oh this was worse than he thought.
"How much money do you want Dad?" Tony asked resignedly.
"Just a little loan Junior," Senior said with a broad grin. "You heard about that dip in the market a couple of weeks ago? We lost a lot of money in a deal then. We just need…a little bit. You know, to hold us over. It's a loan Junior. We'll pay you right back as soon as this next deal goes through. I'm getting in on something really good now and the return on the loan is going to be magnificent."
"No way," Gibbs said firmly, shaking his head. "Not gonna happen."
"Now Gibbs," Senior said. "I understand that you and my son are quite close. But that does not give you the right to make financial decisions for him!"
"Oh but you see," Gibbs said with a predatory grin. "Tony and I have joint accounts. So his money is mine and mine is his. So if you get a loan from him you're getting a loan from me. And honestly I don't make bad investments, and you can't afford the interest I'd charge on the loan," Gibbs said with a triumphant smile.
"Is that true Junior?"
Tony was leaping for joy inside his head. He and Gibbs didn't have joint accounts anymore than he had a joint account with Ducky. But his father didn't know that. "Yep," he agreed with Gibbs, lying to his father's face. He felt relieved that he wasn't going to get screwed over this time. "It's true."
"Jethro couldn't you two slide us…just a small loan?" Mary asked, her voice as smooth as silk.
"Nope," Gibbs said.
"Hey Gibbs," Tony said, putting his hand on Jethro's arm.
"Yeah babe?" Gibbs asked sweetly, his blue eyes filled with concern and boring into Tony's emerald eyes.
Tony smiled. "I think it's time for Kate to go for a walk," he said.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Mary DiNozzo asked as Tony and Gibbs moved out of their side of the booth. "Where are you going?"
Tony turned around and smiled. "Goodbye Mom," he said. "Goodbye Dad."
"Where are you going?" Senior repeated Mary's question.
"We're going to take Kate for a walk," Tony repeated.
"Who is Kate?" Mary asked, exasperated.
Tony looked at Gibbs and smiled brilliantly. "She's our dog—a shih-tzu!"
"C'mon Lover Boy," Gibbs said affectionately. "Let's get outta here."
And together they turned and left Tony's parents sitting—broke—in the fancy restaurant—with no money to pay for the dinner they'd just eaten. The only time Gibbs stopped on the way to the door was to hand their waiter some money—enough to cover his and Tony's meal and a tip. Then they headed out the door without a backwards glance.
xxx
As soon as they reached the parking lot, Tony ducked into the bushes and threw up everything he'd just eaten. Gibbs, expecting this would likely happen, already had his handkerchief out and ready for him. "Ok," he said softly. "Here you go, let's get outta here yeah?"
Tony coughed and spit one last time then nodded.
"I've got you," Gibbs said, wrapping an arm around Tony's shoulders. "Just lean on me and we'll get there."
"We need to celebrate," Tony said as they got into the car. "Feel like we need to have a party or something."
"Yeah?" Gibbs asked curiously. "Why's that?"
"I've never not gotten screwed by my parents before." Gibbs smiled. "And that line about us having joint accounts was pure brilliance. I never woulda thought of that."
"You're learning from the master," Gibbs said with a wink. They drove for a little bit before an idea struck him. "Celebration eh?"
Tony smiled. He looked tired, but was still functioning. Gibbs figured it wouldn't last. "Yeah," he said softly.
Gibbs smiled. "Wanna stop for ice cream?"
xxx
The waiter returned to the table where Tony and Gibbs had been sitting with Tony's parents. "Alright, the two gentlemen who were just here settled up their half of the bill on their way out," the kid said with an easy smile. "Here's your check, I'll take it whenever you're ready."
Senior snatched the black leather folder from the kid and sneered at him. The waiter stood patiently by, waiting.
"What are you doing?" Senior snarled.
"I'll take your check whenever you're ready," the waiter replied politely.
"Maybe I don't want you to stand over me while I decide how to pay?" Senior snapped.
"Very well sir. I'll be back with you in a moment."
The waiter moved out of Senior's line of sight. He still had a full view of the table. He alerted the Maître D that there was a problem. He watched as Senior and Mary tried to sneak away from the table. The Maître D stopped them and asked them about their meal. The police had already been notified that there was a couple trying to leave without paying.
Senior and Mary tried to talk their way free of the wait staff, but it seemed everywhere they turned they ran into someone else who was trying to be helpful. They let out a long, collective sigh when the two police officers arrived. This was turning out to be a bad idea all around.
TBC…