Tony POV
I wake up to Gibbs kissing me on the back of my neck and register him saying good morning in my ear. I roll over and return his kiss, starting gently but it, as expected, gets more heated but I restrain myself and pull back returning his good morning wishes. We kiss until 11 before I realise that Abby will be there at least an hour earlier than the time we set and launch myself out of bed, knowing that getting ready is now going to be a rush. What the hell am I going to wear?
"Tony, it's only 11, no-one's going to be here till 1"
"Nope Abby will be here in an hour because she will want to help getting everything ready, you know what she's like."
"Ok so you got an hour, what's the big deal, it's not like you're going to be late."
"What's the big deal? Jesus Jethro." I walk off to the bathroom, nose in the air for dramatic effect, and jump in the shower. Oh shit, the reality that we're about to tell everyone is setting in. I shower quickly, no time to think DiNozzo, get a grip. I get out the shower and towel off before going through to the bedroom naked and getting out all the outfit choices and laying them out on the bed. Jethro walks through and wraps his arms around my waist telling me to wear the dark green one. I put it on and vaguely register him getting in the shower.
"Tony, it's nearly 12; you need to hurry up and chose pants, unless of course you want Abby to find out exactly where you stayed before we announce it." Startled out of my own head I quickly choose my dark jeans and leather shoes before spritzing on some aftershave and then modelling my hair to look appropriately casual. Jethro makes some remark and I slap him playfully on the butt. I leave the room and go down to the kitchen to get coffee. I've barely poured us both a cup of coffee before I hear a knock on the door and then Abby bursts in, a grin from ear to ear, plastered across her face.
Gibbs comes down just as she opens the door and steps straight up to her, seemingly knowing that I need a moment to pull myself together. He hugs her and deals with the usual pleasantries. He gets her into the living room saying he'll bring water through. He comes through and walks up to me, hand on my shoulder and turns me around from the counter I've not moved from.
"Hey, you ok?"
"Yeah Jethro, just, I don't know, it feels off, not the right time. I don't know why, I know I said it was right but, no Abby already knows, we should, Jethro, Err I, err" I know I'm rambling but I can't do it. I can't tell everyone yet. My self-preservation is kicking in, but I'm rambling, I don't ramble.
"Tony, it's ok, if you're not ready we don't have to do this, not yet." He looks at me concerned as he says his, and I know I'm worrying him.
"But what do we tell them? Everyone is coming over here in less than an hour".
"We'll tell them it's a well done lunch for all the hard work they've been doing, and that they've got a week off, not on call, I'll clear it with Vance later on"
"But Boss, the others might buy it but Abby wont, she knows something is going on"
"You can talk to her on her own a little later, just pull yourself together and come through, she knows you're here, she already asked where you were, I told her you were in the kitchen getting coffee, now move your arse before she comes looking for you". I feel better already, more settled so I know it's the right choice, but I feel bad for Jethro.
He gives me a quick peck on the cheek, before walking back out and I hear him saying that I'll be right through. I take a couple of deep breathes, grab both coffees, plaster my usual smile on my face, and walk through to the living room.
Gibbs POV
I come downstairs and get to the door just as Abby opens it, and am, as expected pulled into a bear hug that I take purely because it's Abby.
"Hey Abbs, you're early. Thought I said 1?"
"You did Gibbs, but I know you don't throw lunches so I thought I'd come and help set up, but I see Tony is already here" She says it as a question, even though I know she's seen his car on my driveway.
"He's just in the kitchen getting coffee, go through to living room, you want water?"
"Please Gibbs, oh I'm excited, do you have enough food? Where are we eating?" I roll my eyes at her enthusiasm and note she definitely knows something but I'm also wondering why Tony hasn't come through yet.
"Abbs, go sit down, I'll be through in a second. See whether you reckon we'll have room on the couch/arm chairs to sit or whether I need to bring some chairs through" I know they'll be enough seats so we won't need to come and request more. I walk through to the kitchen noting Abbs is making herself comfortable on the couch as opposed to bouncing around. I notice Tony standing at the counter where he was when I first came downstairs. I walk up and touch his shoulder, noting the tension before turning him gently to face me. "Hey, you ok?"
"Yeah Jethro, just, I don't know, it feels off, not the right time. I don't know why, I know I said it was right but, no Abby already knows, we should, Jethro, Err I, err" He's rambling so I know what's coming. He's not comfortable doing this. I stop him mid-ramble otherwise we'll be there all day.
"Tony, it's ok, if you're not ready we don't have to do this, not yet."
"But what do we tell them? Everyone is coming over here in less than an hour".
"We'll tell them it's a well done lunch for all the hard work they've been doing, and that they've got a week off, not on call, I'll clear it with Vance later on" I hope against hope as I say it that I can clear it but I need to give them something and it's all I can think of right now. I need to make Tony more comfortable otherwise everyone will know something's off anyway and it won't take much propping to work out what.
"But Boss, the others might buy it but Abby wont, she knows something is going on"
"You can talk to her on her own a little later, just pull yourself together and come through, she knows you're here, she already asked where you were, I told her you were in the kitchen getting coffee, now move your arse before she comes looking for you". I notice he's already relaxing, He looks better already so I know it was the right move to call it off. I give him a quick peck on the cheek, before walking back out and I tell Abbs that Tony will be right through.
"Hey Abbs, here's that water. Now you reckon we're ok on the chair front in here? I was thinking I'd just lay some bits out on the kitchen table then everyone can help themselves and eat off their laps." I almost sense Tony walk in the room behind me and Abby notices him immediately.
"TONY!" She practically screams at him and launches herself towards him before realising that he's holding two cups of hot coffee and pulls herself back just in time.
"Hey Abbs, how are you? You're early." He makes the same remark as me, knowing it's stating the obvious and winding Abby up.
"Hey Tony, you know what's going on? Why we're here? And why are you here so early?"
"I bought the food over Abbs, didn't think Gibbs was going to just have food here did you?" I slap him upside the head, more gently than usual but the effect was to not show anything has changed and it worked. Tony grinned from ear to ear and pulled Abbs towards the kitchen to help set up all the food. He shouted back over his shoulder telling me to relax and that he and Abbs would sort everything. I knew Tony was going to catch an earful about lying to her last night but something told me that he'd taken her into the kitchen deliberately so that they were alone. It was the last thing I was going to do to jump in the middle of that. I sat down and switched on the TV, for lack of anything else to do. I realised I hadn't even been out to get a paper this morning. I couldn't hear much noise coming m the kitchen so I figured Tony didn't require any situation diffusing. Picking up my coffee I tried to relax back into the sofa but Tony suddenly getting so worked up about telling everyone was nagging on my mind. Something wasn't right there and I needed to find out what but now wasn't the time. I'd clearly been in my own head too long because the next thing I knew someone had knocked on the door and then my entire team walked into the room.