"Jen?" he knew those sobs anywhere.
He flipped on a light to see his wife, in her nightgown and robe and a tissue stuffing her nose. She was sitting in the Laz-E-Boy staring down at a picture. He knew what picture it was.
He went over to hug Jen, like he had been for the past 12 hours. The worst of his life.
She crumpled into him, and sobbed. No words necessary, and Jethro was all out of them. Just then he heard two sets of footsteps coming from the front hall.
Tim and Abby. They came around the corner, and Jethro could see that they had already been crying... again. He opened up his arm that wasn't holding Jenny and they fell into it. Seeking comfort from the strength of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Strength he didn't feel. He cried hard as Tim and Abby and Jenny did. There family was not complete.
They needed Kate and Tony here. And they needed it now.
Jenny clutched the picture even harder into her chest as if the two faces in it were actually hugging her back, and joining in on their family bear hugs.
She was exhausted and hadn't slept a wink in days, only cried and tormented her mind with the pictures they had seen and the videos they had watched.
How could someone do this to them? They were just kids.
Abby grabbed he picture in her moms hands and looked at it, she needed to. In it she saw a Tony holding Kate, both in their varsity uniforms, in his arms and they smiled happily and beautifully. She cried even harder at the thought of never talking to them again, or seeing either of their beautiful smiles.
"Tony, Tony?." Kate cried as she shook his shoulder gently. Her hands were covered in blood and dirt, Tony's blood.
"Kate? jus-- gimme a.. m'nute," Tony mumbled from his spot on the ground.
"Tony?" He hadn't answered her for ten minutes. "Thank God."
"No, thank those assholes in the other room," Tony still hadn't opened his eyes.
Kate and Tony were being held. Kate was twenty one and Tony eighteen. It was the summer, and it was hott. Kate was sure they were being kept in a sauna? a dirty cement one.
"Kate, I don't know how many more rounds of this I can take?" Tony huffed. Now that she noticed it his breathing sounded pretty bad, ragged maybe. She looked at the rest of him.
He was in his favorite jeans, white briefs showing above the belt. He was stripped of his shirt and socks and shoes. His hair was sweaty and amuck, his body covered in grime and blood. His chest had huge bruising around it, and his abdomen just the same. His jaw was spotted with bruises, his eyebrow was split and bleeding, his other eye puffy and sealed shut and the cheek extremely swollen, he had a large gash on his temple that was making his hair sticky, and his lip and mouth had bloodstains pouring from it.
"Tony? I know. I don't know what to do," Kate began to cry again. "They won't hit me, I tried to tell them to hit me instead, you cant take-- anymore" she sobbed even harder. "Im sorry" Kate gently nestled into her brothers side, wrapping an arm around his tender chest gently.
Though she needed the hug back, she knew he was too weak. This contact would have to be enough and it was far better than nothing.
"It'll be okay Kate.." the limp body beneath her managed to say before falling back into the darkness he came from.
Two days ago ....
"Kate, Tony settle down!" Jethro had had a tough day at NCIS and wasn't in the mood to hear Kate screaming at Tony when he wrestled her into the couch way out in the living room for the remote.
Even though they were laughing hysterically throughout it, Jethro was still angrier than ever at Tony. Their conversations were far from over, and his patience was nonexistent with him.
Matter of fact, "Tony! Get in here!"
Jethro heard Kate giggle from the other room, probably over some smart aleck comment Tony made as he got up from it.
Tony came into the room, his face serious. For once.
"Yeah?"
"Back porch."Jethro led the way through the screen door and sat at the table, Tony followed suit.
"Tony, I still cant believe you," Jethro stared him straight in the eye. "Do you know what you could be throwing away?"
"Dad--"
"You do NOT get to talk!" Jethro raised his voice ten-fold. "I have tried, hard, to keep you in line over the years. You were always WAY irresponsible and immature for your age. When I tried to yell at you, cause I knew we would end up here someday, your mom told me I was wrong, she thought she saw something good in you."
Tony dropped his head.
"But it has been an act, Anthony. You've lied to us! I don't know for how long, but it happened and it makes me sick!" Dad was really pissed. "You don't have to be in this house anymore. You are eighteen, and you ought to be out there on your own doing what you do best. Smoking pot and having sex! Am I right?"
Tony felt his cheeks grow hot and his teeth clenched. If only his dad would let him talk instead of cutting him off and giving him the death glare...
"You think life is just a game, Anthony, and its not! You cant just go out and have fun and drink and do drugs and get girls pregnant! These things have consequences, and they are consequences you cant handle! Your just a little boy in that thick skull of yours! Not this macho man you think you are. You don't know the first thing about being a man!"
Tony got up from his chair silently and began to walk off the back porch and into the backyard. He was headed for the gate. "Don't you DARE walk away from me!"
Tony put his hands in his pockets and strutted across the lawn, Tony didn't know what to do when he heard his father's steps fall right behind his own. He closed his eyes in anticipation.
"Whack!" That was most definitely the biggest head slap he'd ever gotten. He stopped in his tracks, then he felt a hand grab the back of his neck. Hard.
"You think you can just walk away from me?" Jethro didn't really know what he was doing. His temper was getting the best of him, the buildup of finding a backpack in Tony's room with a fifth of alcohol, an ounce of weed, and about a hundred condoms, and also from these anonymous threats he was getting at work about his family had him completely on edge.
"Dad, you wont listen to me, Im not gonna listen to you and your old school 'let me teach you a lesson, boy' shit--"
He didn't realize he'd done it until he felt the pain in his knuckles, and saw Tony fall back against the fence. He'd just punched his son.
Jethro stared at his hand in shock, and went to go help Tony up, hug him or something but as he moved forward, he saw Tony wince and flinch, his green eyes full of a fear he had never seen before. He thought he was going to hit him again. What had he done?
He moved forward again, and as Tony put his hands up to block the hit, Jethro was blindsided by a furious push.
It was Kate. She looked her Dad in the eye with fury before turning to Tony and ushering him quickly out the back gait.
Jethro sat on the ground right there and ran his hands through his hair forcefully. He looked at the grass, in disbelief of what he had just done. He really was a bastard.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"We are taking them today," the man with the binoculars said to the two others accompanying him in the van.
He peered through them and saw a boy and a girl wrestling on a couch in a living room, having fun. The last of the fun they would be having for a while. He was about to tear their family apart. Piece by piece.
"When do we go," the man in the back said, thick with a Russian accent.
"When I say. Either in the night, or if they are alone. We will sit and wait." The driver of the van made the rules.
"Who are we taking again?"
"Don't matter... there are four. We get the easiest two." The driver handed back a family photo.
"Hey Addison, I say we get pig tails and baby face?" The Russian accented man commented. "They'll have a soft spot for the babies of the family.."
"Ahh, but what is a family without it's leaders, the older siblings." man in the passenger seat, Jacobs said.
"Or we just take what we get," Addison said growing annoyed.
"Sounds good, Boss." No argument there.
They waited in the alleyway behind the house. Their eyes watching the reprimand on the back porch followed by the walking towards them, then some commotion by the back fence that they couldn't see from it's height.
A few seconds later, they saw the girl from inside run out towards the back fence, then they saw it open and the two young adults walked out of it.
"This is it!" The leader said, and he laughed out loud at his luck, their targets were walking right towards their van.
"Duck when they get here, and we'll get them from behind. All of us." They all ducked in the van as the somberly talking kids walked by the 'empty' van.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx
"Dad?" Tim asked concerned when he got back from his summer tutoring session with the boy down the street. His dad was sitting in the backyard...crying? "What, what's wrong?"
"Tim--" Jethro was ashamed. But this was his family, and he didn't want there to be any separation, meaning secrets. "I messed up."
Tim had always thought of his Dad as God, never really screwing up. He was perfect? or so he had thought.
"What?" Tim stood awkwardly looking down at his dad on the ground.
"I just lost my temper, and Tony was talking back, and I -- hit him." Jethro confessed.
Tim was confused. Jethro had hit Tony plenty of times. In the back of the head, spankings when they were little, it didn't seem worth crying over.
"Well, Tony always shakes it off, he'll be fine. There's no--" Tim reasoned
"It was a fist. I -- punched him." Jethro never would have believed those words would come out of his mouth in that order pertaining to his kid. He really was a bastard.
Tim's eyes grew wide at that. That was different. "Ohh."
"Jethro? Tim, whats going on?" Jenny was back from the grocery store. She walked through the screen door, the scene she saw at the back fence scared her, Jethro was never this upset if something wasn't seriously wrong.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Daaaadd!" Abby shrieked so loud Jethro nearly had a coronary from the living room from where he was throwing himself a pity party in the dark waiting for Kate and Tony to get back from their walk, which was two hours long as of ten minutes ago, when he heard Abby yell from the kitchen in fear.
He remember the phone ringing, and he shot up from the couch and ran towards the kitchen as his gut dropped in fear.
"What?" His eyes hiding nothing, the fear clearly evident. He saw Abby standing with the phone in her ear as she looked like she was about to cry, but her eyes were in shock more than anything.
She simply held out the phone slowly.
"Hello?" Jethro asked, his voice shaky.
"Well hello there, Jethro. How are things?" The voice said in a taunting way, more like creepy actually.
"Who is this?" Jethro asked in the same scared tone.
"In due time, you will remember." the man taunted.
"What do you want?"
"It is more of a question of what 'you' want, Jethro." the voice was irritatingly calm.
"What are you talking about?" His gut didn't like this.
"Well, you have some options. You can choose to pay me, or you can bury your children." He finished with a sneer.
"You will ne--" Jethro was in disbelief. His kids were right her--- Kate and Tony.
"Oh God," he whispered to himself as he thought he was going to throw up.
"Yes, in chair number one we have a beautiful Miss ..Cassie is it?"
"Kate! Don't you dare touch her!" Jethro didn't even want to think about the things that this guy might do to his daughter.
"Ahh, Jethro, I cant make any promises, Im not usually one to keep my hands to myself?" Jethro swore he felt a vessell blow in his temple.
"I swear to God if you touch her --" Jethro commanded into the phone. Abby started crying, she knew what was going on, or at least had an idea.
"Yes, Jethro we will get to that, the choice will be up to you.. I told you, it is what you want." The man was growing more aggravating by the second. "And in chair number two? my personal favorite. A dashing young man, good looks, strong build-- uh, what's this? A swollen cheek? Jethro I believe you have damaged my merchandise, what's his name again? The son you hit the last time you will ever see him alive agai--"
"Oh god, Tony.." Jethro couldn't stifle the sob. "Don't you dare hurt him!" Jethro kept his voice low and dangerous as he growled through the tears.
"No more than what his own father does to him? right? I am disappointed in you, Mr. American Hero Leroy Jethro Gibbs. You are certainly not getting my vote for father of the year" The voice taunted menacingly.
"What do you want? I will do anything ?" Jethro began to plead.
"Well first of all, you will make a decision. A verrrry important one."
Jethro didn't like the sound of this.
"Pick one."
"For what? I will no--" Jethro started, a hand running stressfully through his hair.
"I said!" The man yelled. "Pick one. One will not be touched, the other will be. Option One?"
"You will not touch either of them!" Jethro screamed
Jethro listened for a retort, but he heard something else, then he heard Kate. It was a muffled horrified scream followed by whimpers and muffled sobs and 'stops'. Jethro was furious. He could hear muffled cries of someone in the backround for the man to stop as well...Tony.
"Stop! Stop!" Jethro yelled.
Then he heard Kate calm down a bit,
"Or Option two?" the voice was in the phone again.
Jethro didn't want to listen, but he couldn't pull the phone away.
He heard the unmistakable sound of flesh hitting flesh followed by a barely audible grunt, and a muffled cry from Kate in the background.
"Make your choice or it will be both of them!"
The man was suddenly furious. The guy was a psychopath, for real.
"The very sexy miss Kate? Or the golden boy Tony whom you have already scarred enough?"
It wasn't really a question. Jethro knew this man wanted to sexually assault Kate, which would not happen under any decision he had the power over.
"Don't you touch Kate." Jethro said defeated.
"Ahh. Now I want you to say it, say 'You can hit Tony'," the voice was smiling
"Go to Hell." Jethro snapped. But he heard the sound of flesh on flesh again.
"SAY IT!"
"You--you can h-h ..Tony," his voice was small. He knew that it was the better decision. Tony was strong, he could take a punch. He was a.... a man. Jethro's heart sank. Tony was everything he had told his son he wasn't earlier.
"Ahh, very well. Now call the FBI and NCIS all you want. We are done here, for a while at least." the phone line went dead.
He quickly hung up the phone, and with eyes wide in fear and desperation he called the familiar number.
"Hello?"
"Tobias, some--someone got my kids." Jethro couldn't hide the emotions.
"Who Jethro? Who do they have?" This was personal.
"They got .. Kate and uh --and they got Tony." Jethro didn't believe the words as he said them. Kate and Tony should be helping him cook dinner right now. He should be yelling at them for throwing food at each other, or for bickering about something, anything.
"Im on it. I will be right over!" Fornell hung up for the first time before the emotionally stunned Jethro did.
He dialed the next number he knew he must.
"Hey, we are still in the movie I will call you ba--" the hushed tone of Jenny filled the speaker.
"Jenny, Jen.. They're gone." Jethro sobbed hard. It was his fault.
"Okay, now when the phone rings put it on speaker. This guy knows you called us, and he knows we are listening anyway. The call is probably going to be untraceable, but we are going to try our hardest anyway." Fornell filled them in on the game plan.
It was midnight, but they had gotten a call earlier that said that he would call again around midnight with another 'choice' for them to make.
Tim and Abby had been filled in on what was happening, and they were sent up to bed at midnight, their parents not wanting them to hear anything on the call that was too disturbing.
It rang and Jethro put it on speaker for the audience to hear. "Hello?"
"Dad?" It was the upset voice of Kate.
"Kate! Are you okay? Where are you, baby?" Jenny jumped all over it, her own tears spurring at the sound of her daughters voice.
"Mom, Dad please help us," Kate cried again. "I--I don't know where we are, I don't remember how we got here, or anything. I'm sorry.." she cried at how little help she was.
"Kate it's okay. We are looking for you guys right now," Jethro spoke up. "Are you okay?" He needed to know that his word was being kept. He needed it.
"Yeah.. I'm fine." Kate sniffled. "He didn't touch me. But--" she cried again.
"But what Kate?" Jethro made eye contact with Fornell who sat and listened intently.
"But they .. hit Tony. A lot..." she cried as she remembered as she was forced to watch every punch.
Jethro let his breath blow out in angst. He rubbed his hands stressfully over his face. Jenny began to sob even harder, trying to keep Kate from hearing it Tobias moved her from her chair to the corner. Juanita, their NCIS team member embraced her in a hug.
"Where is he Kate? Can you see him? Is he awake?" Jethro asked.
"Yeah, he's right here. He's ..no, he's waking up finally." Kate gave the play by play. "What, Tony?"
"Dad?" his voice, usually vibrant and full of flavor, was weak and raspy.
"Tony! Son--" He heard Tony struggling to speak something to him. It must be important.
"White-- Chevy, AstroVan.. alley,facing East..was prolly '02, '03." Tony rasped through the phone. "Thr--three men? Russian Tattoos.."
Jethro looked at Tobias who's face grew into an ecstatic grin at the break Tony had just given them. Tobias raced around, silently appointing people to look at traffic cams across the town to get them in the direction this dirt bag was keeping the kids.
Then he had someone cross referencing the database with Russians, and any that are of any particular interest of the Gibbs'.
"Attaboy, Tony," Jethro was so happy they finally had something to go off of. "That's my boy."
Jethro felt the tears begin to fall again. He needed his son back. And his daughter, but more than anything he needed his boy. He needed Tony.
"Great work Tony!" Tobias couldn't help the outburst as he leaned over the speaker. He was impressed, Kate hadn't remembered anything. Tony had always been well aware of his surroundings, and he was always smarter than he led off to be.
"S'no prob."
"Tony, I'm so sorry" Jethro sobbed into the phone, he didn't know if this would be the last time he would talk to him, so he had better let him know ? "I didn't mean it. I love you so much.."
"S'okay Dad. Just get us, outta here."
A powerful sobbed wracked his body as he tried to keep it under control for Tony, "I will, bud. You stay strong okay?" his voice shook and cracked.
"I--I can try," they could all hear the pain and the exhaustion in the teen's voice, he sounded so much older than he was. His courage and toughness incorporating into the factor.
"Dad?" Kate grabbed the phone. "They gave me the phone, and said to call. They've been really careful. They gassed us from behind, and we never saw their faces, they are always wearing masks.I don't think they knew that Tony saw their car or tattoos or he wouldn't have left us unattended like this ..."
"Yeah well, you know your brother, he never follows the rules..." Gibbs realized again his lack of fair argument against Tony earlier today. He had said that Tony was a liar for making them think he was a 'good kid', when that had clearly never been the case. Tony was always bedning rules and pushing limits, this recent encounter should have been no different. Jethro really messed up.
"He said he'd be back in ten minutes for it. I think he is doing it like this, giving us alone time, for dramatic effect. What do you think?" Kate asked.
"That's exactly it Kate, but don't tell him we know those things your brother said. All he needs to know is how much you want to keep talking to us, alright? You keep getting that phone back and calling okay?" Tobias piped in.
"Alright, I can do that." Kate said. "How much time do we have left?"
"Four minutes." the phone call recorder said aloud for all to hear.
"Dad, I know that you told them not to touch me, and to hit Tony instead, but he..he is pretty banged up already. I can...I can take--"
"No, no Kate" They all heard Tony protest weakly. "No..."
"Kate, it was a onetime decision. I don't get another chance, and if I could I wouldn't change a thing. There is no way that dirt bag is putting a hand on you, okay. So don't you worry. We are going to be there soon, your brother helped us out big time, and he is tough. Tougher than most. He will be okay, he always is."
"He is tough," Kate cried, her sniffled wrenching the hearts of the listeners surrounding the dining room table. "But Dad, they-- they have a bat. A baseball bat they said they are using next time. I cant watch that.. I cant watch them hit him again." she sobbed harder once again.
Tobias exhaled noisily, that was rough, a hand brushing back thinning hair that didn't need to be brushed back. Jenny cried in fear into Juanita's shoulder once more. Jethro dropped his head and kept his voice together for Kate.
"Kate, don't worry, Tony can take it. I know he can," Jethro didn't think he could. A beating by a baseball bat was often a death sentence, especially if A) help wasn't nearby for immediate care, and B) if you have already been beaten to a pulp.
"Dad--no" Kate cried hysterically.
"Yes! You will be there telling him he can! You stay strong for him, Kate. You're his big sister, and he needs you."
Kate remembered her role as his protector, and her tears stopped suddenly. Tears never helped anybody.
"Okay." The voice was still a bit shaky, but resonated strongly..
"TIMES UP!" A voice boomed through the speaker on the table.
"Why hello, room full of people!" The sadistic voice yelled into the phone.
"We can give you the money. Just tell us where you are.." Jethro tried.
"Oh no, that wasn't a choice yet. We still have weeks to go until I want my money and am done playing with my beautiful children" He sounded like a sick clown as he laughed hysterically.
Jethro felt the blood drip from his outer ear and down his neck, or so he swore.
The line went dead.
"Jenny, Jethro we have a huge lead now and we will get them back. Soon. Not in weeks! This psycho doesn't know what's coming." Fornell was confident.
"Boss, we've tracked the white van through ten traffic lights, it got on the expressway at Lincoln and Townsend heading North East at around 330," an FBI agent came into the room to report. They had set up loads of equipment with their mobile lab in the Gibbs' family room.
"Excellent," Fornell nodded his thanks as he walked over to the map that was now being laid across the dining room table following Jethro.
"First call came in around 5:15," Jethro reminded him.
"And you said he had them in chairs already.." fornell thought out loud. "So im gonna say fifteen minutes to get settled in the house.."
"That leaves a half an hour since the expressway to wherever they are," Jethro finished his sentence.
"There are only four exits that lead to neighborhoods or out of town," Fornell marked on the map and drew a few big circles. "These two are neighborhood areas, and these two have a few farm houses."
"Hey, we got a lead," an FBI agent came into the room with a handful of papers. "Three years ago NCIS got a case of a dead petty officer and discovered a group of Russian immigrants illegally living on the naval base."
Jethro remembered the case now, it was his teams case.
"And when we went to investigate, their were families begging to let them stay" Jenny's eyes held a blank stare as she retorted the information. This had been a tough case.
"But we couldn't let them, and they didn't speak English," Jethro added, his eyes holding a reminiscent, but dark gaze.
"We made them leave, and the next day a two of them were found slaughtered "Jenny said.
"Two kids... Fifteen and Sixteen year olds. Beaten and tortured under a bridge." Jethro filled in the rest of the room.
"Yeah," the FBI reading the paper said. "And it was Mikhail and Leva Putin who were the parents of both of those Putin was killed in a car accident in Baltimore two weeks ago."
"He's delusional now. Pissed cause he lost his family, displacing it on you guys." Fornell said. "Can we get a property listing from him?"
"Got it right-" Another FBI agent was walking into the dining room from the porta-lab family room when the phone rang again. It was around one fifteen now, and they hadn't been expecting another call.
Jethro looked at Fornell who nodded for him to answer.
"Hello?" Jethro asked cautiously as he leaned over the speaker.
They could immediately hear crying and loud background noises.
Huffing was heard on the line, they were out of breath. "Agent Gibbs, how are you?"
Fornell quickly hit the mute button, "Jethro you need to play it like you don't know who he is or where they are. Stay calm and don't give it away, no matter what he tells you." He hit the unmute button.
"I'd be better if I could talk to my children" Jethro said loud and clear.
"Ahhh." The man probably wanted to do the same, but didn't want to give away any hints of who he was. "Well, they are right here. We are having such a great time though." Kate screaming, men yelling and grunting could be heard.
Jethro felt his blood boil. "Whatever you're doing," He yelled. "Stop, please!" He pleaded.
"You know, your Tony here, he looks like he was pretty strong. Like he had been good at sports... and miss Kate, well we've gotten pretty close you see, and she was telling me about how good he was and how he was planning on playing in college this fall. Division I! That would have probably made you pretty proud, huh Dad?" Mikhail spoke into the phone, his Russian accent only audible if you were looking for it.
"Wha--what do you mean was?" Why was he talking in past tense. Jenny ran to the phone in panic. Her voice emotional and her eyes welling up once again.
Kate was still screaming 'Nooo' in her cries in the background.
"And Jethro, he was going places by the sounds of things. But you weren't the proud Dad you should have been, you were too busy abusing him, punching his face in!" Mikhail grew angry.
"That's not true!" Jethro yelled. "I-" He was cut off by Putin.
"You did so! But he is of noo annoyance to you any longer my dear Jethro."
The cries of Kate's were really starting to tear at his heart. She really sounded upset, more than before. Much more...
He wouldn't believe it, "What do you mean?" his voice was low.
"Well he lasted honorably long, your little boy. But the baseball bat reaaaally took a toll on the kid. Im afraid he is no longer with us. I think he would have wanted a cremation, we will be taking care of the handsome carcass for you, charge-free..." The man just plunged a dagger into Jethro's heart.
Jenny collapsed onto the floor, and Jethro refused to believe it as people in the room, various agents form both agencies, started to choke up.
"No. No..no no. Not Tony, he... he's fine. He'll be fine," Jethro said the mantra as he fought the tears and shook his head quickly. He wouldn't believe it.
"Mmm but its true." the man faked sympathy. "Your Katie is quite upset about it, they must have been close?"
Kate stilled screamed in the background in sadness.
Click. The line went dead.
"Jethro, I--I'm so sorry," Tobias said as he gripped his hair like he was about to pull it out.
"Tony" he sobbed as he remembered the contagious smile that had ruled his world up until a few days ago. Jethro looked over and saw Jenny, she was an absolute wreck sitting on the floor rocking, gripping a Kleenex to her nose as she bawled with force.
He went over and pulled Jenny up into a big hug and they stood and cried into each others arms for what seemed like hours. The room was all an emotional wreck, most of them sitting in silence staring at the ground at the loss of the kid they heard stories about over the years as he grew up, the women crying.
"Boss we have a property" someone spoke up quietly. "Right here.." The agent pointed to a farmhouse and barn twenty miles from the Gibbs house.
"Okay, let's--" Fornell began to command the team to get a move on but was interrupted by a small timid voice.
"Mom? Dad?" Abby stood in the middle of the doorway next to Tim as they stared, looking extremely scared, at their parents who were an absolute wreck on the other side of the room.
The room grew silent, a pin could be heard. The room full of people sort of backed away from them, as well as the huddled couple. Jethro and Jenny slowly peered over their shoulders at the two in the doorway.
Jenny shook her head and turned back into Jethro's chest, "I cant do it. I wont..." She still couldnt get enough air as she weezed screamed and sobbed.
Jethro cried hard, "Jen, we have to."
"Tim, take your sister into the living room." Fornell had Jenny and Jethro's back. "Mom and Dad will be there in a minute."
Tim turned teary-eyed and grabbed his twin's hand. Abby sniffled and her face crumpled into tears as she knew what was coming... really bad news she didn't want to hear. Tim pulled her by hand into the living room grimly.
A few minutes later Jethro and Jenny went hand in hand into the dimly lit living room. They took a seat on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Jenny was still sobbing uncontrollably but she had to be there when Jethro told them.
"Kids, we... we got a call from the guy a few minutes ago. He... he said Kate was fine, and we could hear her in the back." Jethro choked on his next words. "Tony... Tony's been... he was-" Jethro caught his breath and swallowed the sobs. "Tony died."
Shock. Shock and silence was all their faces read. "No." Tim said plainly. "No, Tony's okay. Tony's not dead, he's gonna be just--" Tim lost it.
Abby finally was able to draw in a breath after it had been kicked out of her by the initial shock. She screamed.
Jethro pulled Tim roughly into his chest as they cried together, and Jenny did the same with Abby. They hugged and cried together for the idea that the light of the family's life would never talk to them again, or laugh, or make them laugh, or play or...
"Jethro!" Fornell ran into the room. "We just got another call! And we forwarded it to the mobile because we know where they are at!"
Jethro stood abruptly and followed Fornell into the other room.
"Hello?" he answered in a shaky voice.
"Dad?" It was Kate.
"Kate, are--"
"Jethro! Are you still a bit upset about how your little baby boy was brutally murdered. His face beaten in with a baseball bat?"
Jethro didn't answer. He let the tears silently fall. The dagger in his heart turned painfully..
"Yes well, I have an offer for you." Mikhail said.
"What?" Jethro sounded defeated.
"I may have told you a little white lie earlier.... Your boy is still alive."
Every head in the room snapped to attention, and he heard Jenny behind him gasp.
"Barely... but he's still kickin. You will get me two million dollars on Friday if you want it to stay that way, or I will finish him off and let my men have great fun with dear Kate."
Fornell motioned for him to get out to the car that they had loaded up while jethro was talking before. Jethro practically ran out of the house, fornell hott on his heels.
"Jen, you stay here with the kids. We will fill you in as soon as we get there and get Kate AND Tony alive and safe, okay?" Fornell whispered to Jenny as they walked out the front door.
Jenny nodded. She had been soo crushed to hear Tony was dead, but now that he was alive, but barely, she didn't know what to think.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I figured telling you Tony was already dead, then bringin him back would really give you the incentive to get me my money. And it was ohh so fun." Mikhail laughed cynically.
"Don't you lay another hand on him." Jethro looked out the SUV window as he was speeding down the expressway on the way to get his kids back, and kill this bastard.
"Well, we havent technically. Just the bat..."
"Fuck you!" he yelled into the phone. Now that he knew what it was like to lose Tony, he was going to do everything in his power to make sure it never happened again.
"Hmm." Jethro heard a door open. "Hello children..." he greeted. "Or should I just say Kate?"
"You bastard, stop!" He knew Tony was going to get it. He felt it in his gut.
Jethro heard Kate protest again in the background.
"Louisville Slugger, I bet Tony used to play with a bat just like this," Mikhail egged Jethro on. "Here is a lesson for you, Jethro. Don't (whack) yell at the person (whack) holding your kids (whack) captive. He won't be walking on that leg for a while?" Mikhail said casually.
Jethro fought the urge to throw up.
"I suggest you bring me the money on Friday." Friday was in two days. "Tony looks like he could really use some medical attention" click.
"Five minutes, Jethro!" Fornell looked back form the front seat.
Double tap to the thigh. Jethro did it on purpose, and everyone in the room knew it.
The two other Russians were head shots from other agents, but Jethro had taken the man down, not wanting to kill him just yet.
"Cuff him!" Fornell yelled to his agents as he and Jethro began to clear the rest of the house and search for the kids.
"Kate!" Jethro yelled.
"Down here!" he heard her voice.
They saw a door at the bottom of a flight of stairs and flew down them.
Jethro kicked down the door in one motion and his eyes fell on Kate. She was tied to a wooden chair. He ran forward quickly and untied her and gave her a big, teary eyed hug. She cried in relief.
"Kate where's Tony?" he looked her in the eyes.
"He's over there." She pointed to the other side of the large basement.
Slumped in a chair, head hanging to his shirtless chest, held up by his restraints to the chair was a filthy, bloody, and bruised Tony.
Jethro ran forward quickly, Tobias hott on his heels.
Jethro whipped out his knife and cut the matieral holding him. Tony immediately fell limply forward, caught by Jethro.
He laid him gently on the ground with Fornell's help. And they got their first look at the kid.
"Holy shit" Jethro put a hand on his mouth.
Tony looked bad.
He had a huge gash on his eyebrow. His left eye was swollen completely shut. His cheek huge and split open from the swelling. His Jaw was a blue and purple mess, his lips bubbled and cut. His nose had dried blood coming from it. His chest was covered in large, angry bruises. They were the size of small nations.
"Oh, Tony" Jethro started to cry again.
"Ambulance is five minutes out, Jethro. They'll be here soon." Fornell filled him in.
Kate slowly joined them at his side, nearly scream-crying when she saw his face up close for the first time in a while. "Oh my god!" She knelt down and cried hard, and Fornell wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
Jethro took his coat of and draped it over Tony's shirtless abdomen. Fornell did the same and bundled it up and gave it to Jethro who put it under Tony's head.
Jethro then ran his hand soothingly over his forehead and brushed his messy and matted brown hair back. He continued to rub his hand through his son's hair, something he always did when he was injured or sick.
"Tony? Can you hear me?" Jethro thought he'd try. He gently tapped on Tony's cheek with one finger, and then jostled his shoulder.
"He hasn't woken up for a really long time, Dad." She grabbed Tony's hand and began rubbing it with the other.
"Tony! Wake up!" Fornell wanted to try.
"Come one Tony.." Jethro tapped the less swollen cheek with a finger again.
Tony began to moan pitifully.
"Tony! Hey, bud wake up!" Fornell shook the other shoulder.
He moaned a lot louder this time. "Mmmm."
"Tony!" Jethro didn't want to wait any longer, he pulled open the eye that wasn't sealed shut and peered into it.
He blinked and a tired and hazy eye met his.
"Dad?" it was barely audible. All of the sudden his breathing became erratic and had a thick wheeze/
"Hang in there, Tony. You're okay. Help's gonna be here soon, bud." He ran his hand through the hair.
"Kate?" it was more mouthed than spoken. His tongue poked around his dry lips and mouth as he attempted to soothe them, and get air into his lungs.
"Im here, Tony." She cried, and leant forward into his line of sight. "Im fine!"
"Good," he closed his green eye sleepily.
"Hey, hey, hey ?" Jethro tapped the cheek.
"EMT!" A team of two announced themselves as they came through the door to the basement.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Here for Tony Gibbs?" the doctor came into the room that was half asleep.
"Yeah," Jethro shut up from the chair like he hadn't just been nodding off for the past hour, desperately keeping himself awake. Jenny came up and warily joined him at his side as they met the doctor.
"I'm Dr. Cole Pitt, Ive been working on Tony. As you know he had a collapsed lung, which we fixed, from some busted ribs. We also found he has a ruptured spleen and some internal bleeding. We took him up to emergency surgery, as I had informed you. It was very risky because of his weakened lungs, and unfortunately Tony went into respiratory arrest on the table." The doctor spoke directly into the parent's eyes.
Jethro and Jenny's expression grew from one of concern to one of panic.
"We got him back, but he was under great duress, his condition very weak. We quickly repaired the bleed, as it was pertinent to survival, and then closed him up to try and get him off the anesthesia as soon as possible." The doctor said.
"He is in recovery right now, and I am going to keep the ventilator in until he gets a lot stronger. His lungs need to heal, and his body needs the oxygen. Tony has a very severe concussion, which I found was far from his first. Each time you get a traumatic brain injury the greater the risk of permanent brain damage becomes."
Jethro and Jenny nodded solemnly as they took in this information.
"Because of his head injury and respiratory failure, I can not put him on any pain meds. His brain is very swollen, and his lungs very weak. He is going to, hopefully, wake up soon when the anesthesia wears off, and is going to be in immense pain, and have the discomfort of the tube in his throat."
Jenny teared up at this and leaned into Jethro's side as he nodded his understanding.
"The facial wounds are serious but there is no fractures or eye damage that I can tell. We put in some stitches that you will see and have an ice pack one of his eye's which is continuing to swell almost uncontrollably. I am going to allow you to stay with him throughout, to try and keep him calm and hopefully under less stress."
Jethro acknowledge a thank you with his eye contact.
"His right leg will not need surgery, but it's pretty shattered. We have it in an immobilizer though and eventually there will be a cast.... much like the one he just got out of, unfortunately." One month ago Tony had finally gotten the cast off of the leg broken from the drunk driving accident.
The bastard had told him that his leg was broken, so this came to no shock.
"We have to put your son in soft restraints. He needs them." He held his hands up in anticipation for the protest he was about to hear. "He is going to wake up and be thrashing around, trying to pull the tube out, and it will be very unhealthy for him. If you want him to make a recovery, he needs to be kept still. I know it's hard to hear."
"He was just tied to a damn chair for almost two days straight!" Jethro was mad.
"Jethro" Jenny spoke calmly. "Tony needs them, it will be okay."
Jethro huffed in defeat, he ran a hand through his hair, "Fine."
"It is a very wise choice." Dr. Pitt said. "I am very sorry for what has happened here, but your son is fighter and he has done remarkably well under the circumstances. I have a son, Bradley, just his age, and I can't imagine how hard this has been."
Jethro nodded his thanks for the condolences, and the statement about Tony.
"Now, if you follow me this way I will take you to the ICU where Tony is being moved to soon." The doctor said.
"Let's go kids, we are going to see Tony," Jethro gestured with his hand for them to join them. They all got up and followed their parents out the door sleepily. It was five in the morning.
As the group walked down the hall it was so weird to think that just a few hours ago he had never thought he would have the chance to see Tony again.
They walked into an empty room, with an extra bed shoved into the corner. "We put a bed in here for you, and the recliner tips pretty far back as well. I'm sorry that's all we could arrange."
"That's kind, thank you," Jenny smiled. The sheer emotional and physical exhaustion of the past few days was evident in her eyes and on her face. She wasn't going to rest though until she saw that Tony was alive with her own eyes.
"Tony will be wheeled in here soon, I should be back in a minute." The doctor left.
A few moments later there was a clink at the door frame as a bed was being pushed through it. There were IV poles and bags and tubes and wires and people surrounding the bed as it was calmly pushed into the dimmed room.
The nurses pushed the bed to the wall, and all they could see from the lump under the covers was a pair of feet. They stared at them until the nurses finished hooking things up
"He's all yours," The nurse turned with a sad smile and said quietly.
Jethro was the first to the side of the bed, choosing the side opposite where he knew Jen would soon be approaching. He pulled a chair up closer towards his son, and took hold of a limp hand and rested his head against the bed rail, his eyes locked on the beaten boy, his mind reeling in guilt.
Jenny was much more apprehensive in approaching the bed. She slowly crept up. Jethro and Kate had told her he looked bad, but nothing could prepare her for this.
As she got closer, the bruises grew darker and the swelling and cuts more prominent.
His face was ... ruined. He lay shirtless on the bed, the blankets pulled up to his waist. The tube down his throat rhythmically making his bruised chest rise and fall. The bandages of where surgical sutures lie beneath standing out painfully against his tanned stomach. His wrists were wrapped in the restraints. He looked pitiful, and Jenny couldn't help the loud cry escape as she took it all in.
She wept as she leaned over Tony who was still asleep, and rubbed a hand through his soft hair and planted a tender kiss on his forehead between stitches.
She pulled up a chair and took up a similar post-up as Jethro who couldn't look at his wife yet, not in the eye at least. He felt too damn guilty. The same thought was going through their mind, of how young Tony looked while he lay so helplessly in the bed. He wasn't often still or quiet, and when he was he was hurt. Right now he looked like a ten year old boy, and it pulled at their hearts how hurt he was.
Jenny turned her head to see where the rest of the kids were, and she saw them hovering about ten feet away from the bed in a line. They hadn't wanted to come any closer either.
"Kids...its okay. He's okay, come see him." She kept her face strong and confident for her kids. They needed it. "He needs it." She turned back and rubbed the arm in her hand.
Kate was the first to step closer, and she went up to Tony's head and she slowly petted his hair back. It was soothing to her. To feel his hair was her reassurance that he was in fact still alive, because a few hours ago that bastard had convinced her that he wasn't.
She blinked the tears and they dropped down her face. She couldn't stop staring at the tube down his throat. Or at his deeply bruised chest and abdomen. She couldn't help remember every one of the hits that had left that mark. She felt more tears drop.
"He... he didn't make it seem like he was getting this hurt." Kate said as she wiped a tear. "He didn't scream or... or cry or do anything but take it. I didn't know it was this bad.. Until they said he was dead," she sobbed. "Then I really looked at him, and he was barely recognizable."
They all let her get it out, to talk. It was what she needed and it was what she did best. They hated the previous silence anyways, all of them.
"He always was a tough little guy" Jenny smiled as she gazed at the sleeping face.
"Very tough," Jethro said indefinitely.
They waited a few moments in silence, and Abby and Tim finally came to the side of the bed to stand vigil. Their eyes shocked at the state of their stronger, older brother.
"Do you think he will be ready for football in the fall?" Tim spoke up sadly. By what he saw before him, it did not look like it. He knew how important football had been to Tony all of his life, and especially since he accepted a scholarship to Ohio State for it. It was a big deal.
Jenny felt hot tears roll at that comment. She hadn't thought of that. She was about to shake her head 'no' to Tim, because she wouldn't be able to say it out loud, but Jethro interrupted the process.
"Yes," Jethros head never left its resting place on the rail, his eyes on Tony's face, unwaveringly.
Tim knew if his Dad said it, it was like law. He felt his shoulders relax in relief, almost.
"Jethro... His leg-" Jenny began tearfully before Jethro's head turned.
"He will be ready, Jen. I--" Jethro lost his handle on the emotions as the tears fell again.
The whole room sniffled and teared at their Dad's choke on words. It was always hard to see their Dad, the marine and the hard ass, so broken.
"I'll make sure of it," he finished, finally.
Jethro and Tony had played football together since as long as Tim could recall. It was all they would do on weekends, and he would work with Tony on training and their goal together was to play Division I, and together they had reached it and more. Tony and his Dad had grown so close over the years because of this. Like best friends at times, always playing. Tony was the apple of his eye, his golden child really. Tony would only show his pain to his Dad, and stay strong and immature in front of the rest of em.
Just then Jethro felt a twinge of the fingers he held so dearly.
Jethro was on his feet at once, but his hand never leaving Tony's. Jenny as well.
"Tony?" Jenny asked quietly...hopefully. She saw his hand squeeze her husband's.
The hand squeezing Jethro's squeezed harder, as Tony's brows furrowed slightly.
His back arched quickly and his eye sleepily blinked open. Jenny pushed the call button.
"Tony, its Dad, your okay." He couldn't get Tony's eye to focus on him. He decided to run his hand through his hair like he always did when Tony was sick in bed, or in the hospital.
Tony stopped wriggling in the bed and just stared up at the ceiling. He remembered where he was and how he got there, and he realized what was in his throat, Jethro could tell.
"That's my boy, Tony." Jethro kept rubbing his hair. Tony turned his head slowly to meet Jethro. At the eye contact Jethro couldn't help the tears that threatened to spill.
Tony was still squeezing Jethro's hand pretty hard, but all of the sudden it got ten-fold worse, and Tony pinched his eye shut hard.
"I know it hurts, Tony. I know it" He squeezed his hand back reassuringly. "Squeeze as hard as you have to, alright?" The grimacing and pitiful face gave the slightest of nods.
Jethro looked over to see Jenny's grip on Tony's hand and saw that Tony wasn't squeezing it hard, just barely. He realized that Tony knew it was his mom's hand and didn't want to hurt her.
Tony opened his eye again and turned his head a bit to the left, searching for his mom.
He made eye contact with her and made the corner of his taped shut mouth curl up in a smile. She smiled brightly back, "That's my boy." She cried with a proud grin.
He knew she always worried too much about him, and so he always did something extra to prove he was okay, to put her at ease.
Jethro smiled, glad Tony knew how much Jenny needed that.
"Ahh, great of you to join us, Son!" The doctor walked up to the bed, and leaned over the supine figure in bed. He had an incredulous look on his face, and then he turned to ask the audience, "Did he not fight to get the tube out?"
"Nope, not at all," Jenny said. "Does he really need them on still?"
"Uhm, no. That is most unusual" he began to remove them at once. Then he got right back in the patient's face.
"Tony, Im Dr. Pitt. You have a tube down your throat to help your lung, which collapsed heal. Blink twice if you understand."
Two blinks.
"Very good. We had to have surgery to repair some internal bleeding. Your leg is broken in two places. You broke a few ribs too. The rest of you is very, very bruised and tender. Also, you have a severe concussion. Im going to run a few test real quick, okay?" The doctor grabbed a pen light, and shined it methodically into Tony's open eye.
"Hmm. Your pupil's are not reacting still, unfortunately. Which means your brain is either still swelling further or it is still not going down. Either way it leads me to my next statement" he looked grim. "We can not give you anything for the pain quite yet. So as I am sure you feel, it is going to be very intense. I am going to bring in some ice packs to try and help you out until we can. Okay?"
Two blinks.
"Very good. You are doing very well, Tony. Stay strong. "
Two blinks.
The doctor left and brought back some ice packs and put them on a table, "I will let you guys place them where needed. I must attend to another patient," the doctor was off.
Abby walked over to the table and grabbed the ice packs and handed them to her Dad.
She quickly turned to walk back away from the bed when Jethro and Jenny felt their hands squeezed hard at once to grab their attention.
"What Tony?" jenny asked concerned.
His eye was hazed with pain but he motioned it downwards, twice.
"He wants Abby?"
Two blinks.
"Abs, come back over here. Tony wants to see you." Jethro said to his daughter. Jethro felt his hand squeezed again and released, then squeezed. Two? "Tim ?" Jethro asked the green eye, which blinked twice. "Tim, Tony wants you over here."
Abby turned around, kind of shocked. She was scared, but she slowly walked over towards the bed, Tim joining her. Tony let go Jethro's hand, and slowly moved it out towards Abby, to which she grabbed it with a tear.
He gently squeezed her hand. She smiled sweetly as he pulled it in, and Abby gently leaned over Tony and gave him the softest hug she had ever given. She was famous for her hugs, and Tony loved them. She knew that was what he wanted. As she backed away and went to drop his hand to let Tim in, she felt it being pulled again, this time harder. Tony's mouth was curled up slightly around the tape.
He pulled hard on her hand until she leaned in again. Abby knew what he wanted, and she gave him a real hug this time. Though it killed Tony, Jethro saw the slight grimace, he wanted it, needed it. He had really missed them as much as they had missed him.
Abby was finally allowed to leave, a large smile on her face at her brother's antics.
Tim stepped close to the bed and immediately felt really awkward. They all picked up on it, including Tony. Tony balled his hand into a fist and held it out towards Tim.
Tim smiled as he looked at Tony. He made his own fist and bumped it into Tony's knuckles. Then they went through a very, very slow version of the various movements that made up the handshake they have had since Tim was five and Tony was seven.
Tim laughed out loud as they finished it, Tim making his the rocker sign-- he was pretty embarrassed about it, but did it anyway, hey, he was five, okay?-- and Tony made his a gun and slowly brought it towards his mouth, where if he were indeed breathing on his own he would blow the smoke from it. Tony's lip still curled in a smile, and a gentle tear rolled down his cheek.
The room smiled back, their own tears falling once again. That was ... priceless.
His pain was getting almost unbearable, now. His face was pinched in pain, his eye showed every ounce of the agony, and had been screwed shut for minutes now. His unbroken leg would shift every once in a while, and his back would arch a bit every once in a while, tears falling from his eyes occasionally.
Jethro had his hand, and although the blood was gone from his fingers, he wasn't moving or letting go for anything.
Jenny had fallen asleep on the bed, with Tim and Abby. And Kate was still standing on the wall crying, where she had been since Tony first woke up.
Jetho hadn't moved, and hadn't been able to break Kate of her spot on the wall yet as he tried to talk to her.
Just then Tony's eye opened sleepily. He tried to turn his head, but closed his eye in pain abruptly, slowly opening it back up again. Jethro was rubbing his hair repetitively, the kid needed rest, but he couldn't because he was in so much damn pain.
"What is it Tony?" Jethro stood to get in his line of vision so he didn't have to go through that again. Tony lifted his other hand and found Jethro's arm which held his other hand. Tony drew a K on it before it dropped in exhaustion.
"Kate." Jethro turned to her. "He wants you."
She shook her head solemnly. "No, Dad." Her voice cracked.
He dropped Tony's hand and walked over to Kate who leaned against the wall.
"Kate, it's okay... C'mon," He put an arm around her shoulders, and then began to move them forward.
She complied easily. It wasn't that she didn't want to go see Tony, it was just she was scared. Seeing him like this scared her.
Kate walked up the side of the bed, and looked into the hazy green eye that was peering up at him. She could tell he was in a lot of pain, and she just wished he could get some sleep.
"Hey, Tony." She smiled down.
Tony held out his hand and she grabbed it. Kate swallowed the lump rising in her throat.
Then, Tony slowly scooted his hips and butt first, his eye squeezed shut in pain as he did so, then he continued to slowly move his shoulders over on the bed.
He had made room on the bed for Kate.
Kate smiled and she slowly made her way gently on to the bed next to him. She nestled gently into her little brother, and rested her head on his shoulder.
Gibbs saw the pain that crossed even more severely on Tony's face, but figured Tony knew what he had gotten himself into when he had invited Kate to sleep under his arm.
Jethro sat back in his chair as he smiled to himself at the sight before him. It is his father's worst fear that his children will grow old and apart as time goes on, and to see the often bickering and playful Kate and Tony sleeping together on a bed as young adults was the best sight he's seen in all his life.
He saw Tony lay his head on Kate's, careful of the protruding tube sticking out of his mouth, and he saw Tony relax for the first time since he had awoke.
He looked at Kate and saw she was already asleep, a single tear falling down her cheek as she nestled further under the comfort of her stronger little brothers arm. He looked back at Tony and saw a tear falling slowly down the battered cheek.
He knew that they had probably never thought this would happen after what they had gone through while the dirt bag held them captive.
Jethro leaned back against the recliner he was in, and let himself succumb the ever calling slumber, just as the rest of the room- his family- had. They were all safe, and on the road to recovery. Jethro could finally rest.
One week later.
"Hey Tony, do you want to play cards with us?" Abby came running into the living room. The healing living room was what they should nick name it. It was always where Tony would end up at least once a year, nursing some sort of injury.
"Uhh, no thanks. Dad said that we need to finish our 'talk' when he gets back..." Tony said with a sigh. "Sorry."
"That's okay, its still pretty nice outside, I think we will go for a walk instead.." Abby smiled and left the room.
Tony heard the front door open, and looked at the clock. Six. It was definitely mom and dad home from work.
"Hey, Tony, how ya doin?" Jenny walked in to the living room and gave him a kiss on the forehead.
"M'fine mom." Tony smiled back.
"Did Kate feed you today?" She asked concernedly. "Your looking thin?"
"Haha, yeah mom. She fed me" Tony laughed. "Wasn't very good, but-" he joked.
"Hey!" Kate came into the room. "I heard that!" She smiled.
"Wasn't the pot pie again was it?" Jethro walked into the room with a pizza in his hand.
"Oh, it was.." Tony joked. "With a surprise!" Tony's nose picked up the scent of the pizza. "ohhhh Dad. Sausage and extra cheese, you shouldn't have." He smiled glutinously.
"Eat up," he handed over the entire box.
Tony opened the box on his lap and wafted the greatness into his nostrils. "With pleasure..."
"Come on Kate, let's go cook some real dinner for everyone else..." Jenny pushed Kate out the door as she glared back at her husband for spoiling Tony.
Jethro just wanted Tony to eat, instead of wasting away in the Laz E Boy like he was.
He pulled an ottoman up close to the recliner where Tony sat with his large, leg length cast up on a extra pillows as it reclined. Tony swallowed all the food in his mouth a little too soon. He was kind of nervous... the last time they had they conversation he got socked in the face.
"Tony... I'm sorry for hitting you. There is no excuse and I need to have a much higher control on my temper."
"It's okay, Dad." Tony said around a mouth full of half chewed pizza. His bruised face admitted truthfully
"No, it's not. I was out of line." Jethro ran a hand over his face as he remembered the moment it happened. "It will never happen again, I promise. Ever.."
Tony just locked eyes with his Dad. He knew not to answer.
"Do you know why I was so upset, Tony?" Jethro asked.
Damnit, Tony hated when he asked these kinds of questions. "Uhhm." Tony swallowed the food in his mouth. "Yeah."
"Why?" Jethro said his face flat.
Tony exhaled. He hated admitting things he did wrong. "Because... you found drugs and drugs are illegal." Tony moved his eyes from side to side as he spoke it like it wasn't an admission of guilt, but a casual statement.
"Yes, and..." The same flat face.
"And....you didn't know I was doing those things and it made you mad."
"Disappointed." Jethro corrected.
Tony gave a blank look at his Dad.
"And mad..." Jethro realized his son was right. "But Tony its not just that I didn't know.. I just know that you are better than some burn out. I just kept picturing you laying in the gutter, some druggie."
Tony huffed a small laugh. "Dad. Those things aren't mine. I know you didn't believe me before, but hopefully now when you arent so angry you can hear me out. Those are Matt's...I swear."
Jethro looked Tony square in the eye. The battered face drew stern and honest. Tony had never lied to him before, because Jethro could sniff out a lie like it was his job. Oh, wait .. It IS his job.
He exhaled when he realized his mistake, and dropped his head into his hands.
Tony took another bite of pizza. "Well..." he took another bite. "The weed is matt's and the booze."
Jethro looked up. That left the condoms. Jethro had already caught Tony and his girlfriend Kat in the act last summer, so it wasn't much of a shock. Tony was always popular with girls... always.
"Son, just use them....please." Jethro's mouth formed a smile.
Tony smirked at that around a split lip. "Sure thing, Dad."
The last thing Tony needed was a lecture on sexual education. He was well informed.
"Don't you dare make me a grandpa until you at least thirty.." jethro deadpanned as he took a piece of pizza from the box.
"Im sorry, Tony. I didn't mean to assume that those were yours." Jethro said as he bit his slice of pizza. "It's just, I found those in your room, and .."
"It's cool, Dad. I shouldn't have them in their, but Matt left them the last time he came over, when we went to that concert, and I just figured Id put em in my backpack til I hung out with him again. Sorry, I just didn't want to take them to him, cause I didn't want to get caught and lose my scholarship or whatever..." Tony told his dad what had been going through his mind.
"I understand, Tony. You were just being a good friend." Jethro understood. "Just.... don't get caught up in those things. In college, or wherever... I know your personality Tony. You could get caught a good distance in a bad way quick if ya do..."
"I know, Dad." Tony said genuinely. He knew his Dad was just worried about him.
"You need to eat two more pieces..." Jethro nodded to Tony who had already laid his head back against the head rest, making a face that said he was full.
"Oh, yeah right...im about to blow.." Tony said ridiculously.
"Unless your planning on playing the kicker next fall, you better work on gaining some of that weight back or you'll get pulverized. D-One baby... you gotta be a beast if you wanna survive it..." Jethro knew that would get to him.
Tony loved a good challenge, as they didn't come often to him. He smiled and he picked up another piece and folded in half and took a huge bite for show, "Oh imma bring it..." he said with a full mouth. "Imma show you.. How great I am.." he made gestures with his hands and a pretend serious face that made jethro laugh out loud. He always loved it when Tony pulled out the Ali speech, "Im gonna float like a butterfly.. And sting like bee!" Tony mumbled further as Jethro turned with a smile to leave the room.
"If you even dream about beating me, you better wake up and apologize.." Tony mumbled another quote, yelling to make sure his retreating father heard it.
Jethro just smiled as he joined his wife in the kitchen.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Abby, do you want to switch seats?" Tim asked in a yell from his spot on the end of the bleachers amongst the loud and rowdy sea of red.
"No, thanks!" Abby was seated in between Tim and her mom. Tim frowned but turned his attention back to the field where the game was soon to start.
"Jethro, turn the camera on. I want to get all of this!" Jenny leaned forward and spoke around Kate to her husband.
"Sure thing," This was the day he had been waiting for for a long time coming now. Ever since he saw Tony run the football back from the kickoff all the way to the end zone in his first pee-wee football game. Three times.
Jethro turned on the camcorder, and began filming the field and the cheerleaders and the crowd, before he turned the camera on Kate.
"Dadddd. Why are you filming me?" Kate said through her smile as she looked at the camera.
"Say something to your brother..." Jethro smiled back. The sun was shining on them in the afternoon heat that still came with the lingering ends of summer.
"Uhmm. Okay.. Tony, I wish you would have picked a different Big Ten school to play for, because red is so not my color." She smiled curtly into the lens sarcastically.
"Kate, cant you say something nice, for once?" Jethro poked with a smile.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Tony, im very proud of you for getting this far playing sports, and for actually going to college.." Kate had to add a remark. "And I know that you are gonna do great!"
"Jenny, your next," Jethro said with a smile.
"Tony, good luck! We are all so proud of you, honey! I love you so much!" She waved her Ohio State mini flag and gave a cheeky smile.
"Abby! Say something to your brother," Jethro zoomed the camera in on the Goth's face.
"Tony, I cant wait for you to win this game so I can give you a bigggg hug!" She said like she was eleven again. Jethro couldn't help the giggle.
"Timmy, you're up!" He shifted the camera to his youngest son's face. He had an Ohio State baseball cap on and a matching red shirt.
"Uhh. Well I-uhm. Tony, good luck!" Tim gave a genuine smile into the camera.
Jethro smiled as he watched the face on the camera, then turned it towards the tunnel where the Buckeyes were about to careen out of, Tony Gibbs being one of them.
"What number is he again?" Abby yelled to anyone who could hear.
"Twenty-three!" The group answered at once.
"The same number he's been since, forever!" Tim informed Abby.
"Okay, just checking!" Abby recovered.
"And now.. Here comes your Ohio State Buckeyes!" The stadium erupted, the Gibbs family as well.
Halfway back in the train of large and padded red jerseys that rallied out of the tunnel was number 23. Jethro kept the camera locked on him, and felt so proud when he saw Tony turn around for the national anthem to see the name on he back of the jersey.
'Gibbs'. It was his name. His families name, and Tony was carrying it on quite well.