"What's this? I thought you only used hand tools, Gibbs?"
Gibbs plucked the potentiality dangerous power tool out of her curious hands.
"Gift, from someone who didn't know better."
"Ex wife," Tony mouthed, while Abby nodded knowingly.
"No, actually DiNozzo, it was you."
"Huh," Tony picked it up and inspected it closer, remembering buying the item his first year at NCIS, "Guess it was. Thought you would have thrown it out by now."
"I would have, but then you two wouldn't have anything to do today."
Being bored might have been a step up from cleaning out his attic, but Gibbs was well aware of the consequences of leaving their hands idle.
"Why's this here?"
He looked up in time to see Abby lifting something out of a box of Diane's old office supplies.
"Why do you need an address book?"
Tony slid over to sit next to her.
"Yeah, boss. I didn't know you had friends."
Gibbs sighed. He would let that go for now, but any more comments like that would lead to a very sore behind.
"Behave," he called over his shoulder as he strode down the stairs.
He knew that he'd been ignored when not ten minutes later, Tony stumbled into the kitchen, bleeding from the forehead.
"She threw the address book at me," he mumbled in explanation.
"Did not!" Abby yelled, trailing in after him.
Toddlers. His house was being overrun by toddlers.
"DiNozzo, come here. Abbs, upstairs."
"Gibbs..." she whined.
"I don't want to hear it, Abby. Go upstairs and wait for me."
Abby stomped off, huffing under her breath that it wasn't her fault, while Tony made his way over to Gibbs.
Gibbs snatched a dish towel out of the nearest drawer and used it to sop up some of the blood on his agent's forehead. He sighed in barely concealed relief as he realized that it didn't need stitches.
"It should be fine. You need any help, or can you take care of it?"
"I'll be fine, boss."
The older man showed him where to get the supplies he needed before preparing himself to take care of Abby.
He pushed open the door to her room, and jumped in surprise when she wasn't there. His chest constricting as he thought about what could have happened if she slipped out into the snow, he called out for her, opening all the doors on the second floor on his way to the stairs. When he got to the final room, the guest room where Tony had stayed the night before, he finally breathed again when he saw her sitting on the bed.
"Hey Gibbs," she said, looking solemn.
"Abbs," he growled, relief gone, replaced by frustration that she would worry him like that, "Why are you in this room?"
Abby bit her lip.
"I wasn't sure if you wanted me there or not. I mean, I assumed that I would be back here tonight, as long as I was quiet. And-"
Gibbs didn't answer, he only pulled her up by her elbow, marching her gently into the other room.
Sitting down on the bed, he drew her forward so she was leaning against his knees.
"We don't have any way of getting to the hospital now, Abbs. You have to behave yourself, and throwing things at Tony doesn't count as doing that in my book."
He quickly tugged her down, over his knees, and flipped her skirt up. Delivering six quick swats to her behind, he let her up and kissed her forehead.
"No more, Abby."
The rest of the night went reasonably well, the only downside being that Abby wasn't acting like herself. If she wasn't curled up against Gibbs, then she had to be tucked into Tony's arms. What was even more unusual, was that they hadn't heard a single ramble all day. In fact, it was like pulling teeth to even get a few words out of their resident lab rat.
It wasn't that she was punished, as she usually got over a spanking quickly, barely giving herself time to recover before earning another. Gibbs couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, and it gnawed at him all night.
Tony noticed too, and tried to coax a smile out of her as often as he could. Finally, after he was ignored for what had to be the millionth time, he stood silent and hugged her to him, leaning his bandaged head on her pigtailed one.
Gibbs had been a good marine, and one of the rules that he'd been taught then stuck out in his mind now, keeping him on edge.
When you think you're in the clear, things are about to get a shitload worse.
Tony looked up, frowning.
"I think she has a fever, boss."
Like that. That was worse.
There we go!
I do plan to make this a long one. I also have a few plans for the upcoming months.
I want to do a tag to Voyeur's Web, concerning that little prank that Abby pulled with the knife.
There's one in the works with the whole team, one with just the boys, a Ziva and Abby one, and one with Jimmy, Abby, and McGee. I have lots more planned for Jimmy.
I should be putting out a series here soon, taking place when Gibbs is in Mexico, and discipline is left up to Tony. That'll be called Tony's Team.
I don't know how many of these that'll I'll get done before my daughter is born, but I'll try my hardest to keep up with them.
Thanks so much for reading and putting up with my authors note! If you have something that you'd like me to put out first, just let me know.