Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of their storylines, characters ect….. bugger
Chapter Five
All of Tony's dreams appeared to be coming true at once. He was lying on the beach, in the middle of a workday while a gorgeous woman rubbed sunscreen onto his back "Can you do me next?" she asked and rolled onto her belly, glancing over her shoulder at him, mischief igniting her midnight-blue eyes "I'm in heaven" Tony mumbled as he rubbed sunscreen between Tia's shoulder blades "Not yet, but you will be" Tiana purred and stood up, grabbed Tony's hand with one hand and scooping her stuff with the other and leading Tony towards the motel where they were staying.
Much later Tony was finishing dressing for dinner in the bedroom, listening to Tiana as she sang off key while she was getting ready and ran over his mental checklist for the evening. He couldn't remember exactly when he had felt so nervous, as he checked his pocket for the jewelers box he had stashed in his suitcase and he tapped on the bathroom door "Nearly ready, Tia?" he asked and she laughed "You can't rush perfection, babe" she told him and he reached for the doorknob "Don't even think about it, baby. I'm nearly done" she said as she applied a final coat of lipgloss and fluffed out her curly hair.
Tony turned around as he heard the bathroom door open and felt like the wind had been knocked from his lungs. Tiana stood a few feet away from him, dressed in a short, pale pink sparkly dress and silver sandals. Tony peeked over her shoulder "What are you doing?" she asked as she picked up her white cashmere cardigan and Tony looked at her with a goofy look in his eyes "I'm checking for the fairy wings" he announced and opened the motel room door and leading Tia from their room.
Later that night, after the romantic candlelit dinner, Tia walked with Tony on the beach and she could tell he had something on his mind 'Oh Goddess he's going to break up with me' she thought for a minute as Tony led her up to a nearby bench and sat next to her. Her brain was racing through a million depressing scenarios as Tony pressed his lips to hers and all her thoughts drifted away like wisps of smoke as she felt Tony's arms slide around her, and she felt safe "Marry me?" Tony whispered as he broke the kiss "Mmm. What?" Tia asked, warm fuzzy thoughts vanishing only to be replaced with panic "Marry me?" Tony repeated and pulled a tiny box from his pocket "Why?" Tia asked dazedly and happiness faded from Tony's eyes and he pulled away from her "Because I'm in love with you and I thought you felt the same way" he said and began to stand before Tia grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the bench. "You've known me for a week" Tia began and annoyance crossed his face "I knew I loved you from the minute I saw you beat the crap out of two guys in an alley" Tony explained and stood up, and began to pace, frustrated "I wasn't finished" Tia tried again and Tony just shook his head "It doesn't matter, obviously you don't feel the same way" he said as he began to walk away.
It took Tia a few seconds before she realized what she had to do, and another few seconds to push past the pain in her heart as she watched Tony walk away from her. She kicked off her sandals and jogged up to Tony and grabbed his hand, spinning him around to face her "I wasn't finished" she said as she pushed him to sit on the sand, and kneeled between his legs "I love you, you idiot" she told him as she grabbed his chin and forced him to look into her eyes "I just think you should know the truth about me before you ask me questions like that" she settled into a more comfortable position beside Tony and held onto his hand in a vice grip.
"You already know I was a navy baby, and that I was raised on various navy bases around the world" Tony nodded, wondering what exactly this had to do with his marriage proposal "When I was ten, I fell out of a tree and ended up needing a blood transfusion. My dad's blood didn't match mine and he discovered I wasn't really his daughter. After that, I was fair game. He took his frustration at my mother's deception out on me by beating the crap out of us both. Over the next six years he put me in hospital nine times. He broke my both of my arms on separate occasions and dislocated my shoulder once. He broke five of my ribs and my jaw once. I had numerous concussions and once he pushed me through a glass sliding door – while it was closed. For years I thought that it was my fault he was hitting me, but then I found out the truth when I was seventeen. My mom had kept a few photos of my real father and some of the letters he sent her. She had fallen pregnant to one of the marines under her husband's command and the poor guy was transferred to another part of the world before Mom could tell him I was coming." Tia stopped and took a deep breath "A few months before I turned eighteen I overheard my stepdad - the General - talking to one of his friends. They were arranging a marriage – mine. The General was bartering me off to the highest bidder, and that's when I knew I had to leave. So I ran away. I changed my name as soon as I could and I worked really hard to avoid The General finding me. The thing is I know who my dad is, and so do you. And it will seriously impact on you wanting to marry me" Tia explained and Tony gently stroked her cheek before pressing his lips to her forehead "I love you, Tiana and I don't really care who your real dad is. Now do you love me?" he asked and she nodded "Yes but-" she began "No buts. Do you want to marry me?" he asked again "Yeah of course but-" she tried to speak but Tony pressed a finger to her lips "No buts, I love you and you love me. I want to marry you and you want to marry me. Now if that's all, lets get back to the motel because I don't feel like a midnight swim" Tony announced as he stood up and swung Tiana over his shoulder and carried her back to the room, happily.
Tony was asleep when he felt Tiana shake him awake "Umm yeah" he mumbled as he rolled towards his fiancé "Are you sure it won't matter who my real father is?" Tia asked nervously "Yeah Tia, I'm sure" he assured her and she rested her lips next to his ear "His name is Special Agent Leroy Gibbs" Tiana announced and Tony sat straight up in bed as though he had been shot "WHAT!" he yelled.