Firstly, I want to apologise for confusing some readers lol ;) From now on, I'm gonna say 'cast' rather than 'pot' when referring to Toy's arm lol. Tbh I don't know why I call it a pot, I just do 0.o Anywho, thanks for all the amazing reviews and hope you enjoy this chapter ^^
Gibbs grunted slightly in his sleep and rolled over... before falling off the sofa and catching his back on the sharp corner of a toy that hadn't been put away. Instead of anger flaring up inside him, he felt horrified (And obviously was in a fair amount of pain). What if Tony had caught himself on it? Cursing at himself for being so stupid, Gibbs immediately took the toy and put it on top of a cabinet, rather than binning it.
He gave a small jolt as a sudden peal of thunder came from outside, the rain had already been hammering down for a few hours, and it looked ot be like an all-out thunder storm. Gibbs sat down with a cup of bourbon and sighed softly. He loved nights like this. It could be absolute chaos outside, cold and rainy - but it was so tranquil in here, and Gibbs thought it might have been something to do with the fact that he felt so calm now that there was a baby upstairs.
He remembered how Kelly had been in thunderstorms, and shook his head. She'd had this irrational fear that the lightning would somehow get in the house and electrocute her, and nothing he or Shannon had said had swayed her. Lost in this memory, it took him a while to register what was happening elsewhere in the house. The baby monitor which had been sat on the side had given several bleats and Gibbs was only just hearing them. He glanced upwards and started the dutiful tramp upstairs to calm Tony.
The baby was huddled up under his blanket and was giving out small cries now and again. It always coincided with either a flash of lightning or roll of thunder. Of course, the rain hammering on the windows was doing nothing to help, so all in all - Tony was feeling jittery. He didn't poke his head out from underneath his blanket until he felt certain that it was Gibbs in the room. He didn't feel like trusting anyone else right now, even if Abby had come in and offered him a hug.
For some reason he just felt terrified, which was stupid - he hadn't been scared of thunderstorms since he was small, and had certainly never cried out in them. If his father was disturbed in his work, then he'd be punished, of course he would, it was just one of those things. But right now, he felt safe. He felt like, even if Gibbs was working on something really big and important, he wouldn't mind oif Tony started wailing.
So he'd started, and soon Gibbs had indeed appeared, as Tony knew he would. Like so many other times, the older man gently scooped ihm up and shushed him, bouncing him up and down and rubbing his back soothingly. Soon, Tony had just started to hiccough, which Gibbs took as a good sign, but instead of putting him back in the crib, he took the baby downstairs instead, hoping to calm him by sitting down there. Maybe - if the kid really wanted - he would even consent to playing a game with him.
It wasn't that he didn't want to play with Tony, if that's what the baby needed to be happy then Gibbs was damn sure he would do it, it was just... all that pretendy crap - he'd never been good at it, even with Kelly. Shannon was always the one who did that, played along with her being the Princess or her being a doctor or...
Hadn't Gibbs played doctors with Tony though?
Even if he didn't like playing pretend games, Gibbs was fine with the other stuff. Jigsaws, no problem. Colouring in, sure. He'd even agree to signing nursery rhymes and playing little games like the 'got your nose' thing he'd started a few days ago. He just didn't like the whole pretend scene. He thought that kids should learn pretty early on that life never goes how you want it, it will never end up with those happy endings in their games. Not that he told them that, he just wouldn't take any part in it. He definitely wouldn't tell Tony that. The kid was already pretty emotionally unstable, and Gibbs didn't want to seem...
Heck, was he no worse than the kid's father?
He'd thought that before, yes. But he'd been reassured by Tony that time. However, he doubted the baby would change his mind this second time. He could just picture Tony sitting down on the floor, toy stethoscope in hand... no, toy gun. Definitely a toy gun. Tony would definitely be the type of kid who knew from an early age that he wanted to be a cop. He could picture him sat there, and then looking up at Daddy DiNozzo, and asking cutely if he wanted to be the bad guy. That's where Gibbs guessed Daddy DiNozzo flared up, immediately ripping the toy from the kid's hands and yelling to stop with the 'pretend nonsense crap' because it would get him nowhere in life.
But that was exactly what GIbbs thought too.
Although, he thought panicking, that was just his idea of how it might have went. Maybe DiNozzo Sr hadn't been like that. Maybe he'd played games of pretend with his son all the time. Hell, Gibbs wouldn't be surprised if the guy had tried to get Tony to play businesses, and try to get him interested in the family business.
Tony gave another small whimper, bringing Gibbs back to reality. Now was not the time or the place to ponder Tony's Father's ethics. Glancing down to the baby in his lap, Gibbs said softly,
"How about we put the other movie on?" Tony gave a small nod, trying hard to be a brave boy and not flinch when the lightning flashed, seeming to come nearer and nearer to the house. He was even more nervous when Gibbs left his side to turn the DVD player on, and it got to the stage that, when the next roll of thunder passed, he had to be taken back upstairs to be changed.
Finally back downstairs, Gibbs shut the curtains and made sure most of his lights were on, hoping Tony wouldn't be able to see the next lightning strike. He also pumped the volume up, making it increasingly louder as the thunder came closer. Tony slowly forgot about the storm outside and became engrossed in the movie, smiling slightly as Simba and Nala started to sing, colourful birds of every shape and size flocking around them.
Soon though, it got to that bit that all kids hate in The Lion King. Mufasa was slowly slipping off the rock face, trying to claw his way back up, begging Scar to help him. Gibbs quickly glanced down at Tony, who cocked his head, thinking,
''Y'know, I think you're alot like that Boss,'' He said mildly, pointing to Scar, ''In interrogation. You keep pushing 'em, and pushing 'em, until you're their last hope, and if they confess to you, you can offer them a way out. Or that's what you say. Sometimes you just let them...'' He tailed off, as they both watch Mufasa plummet into hordes of wilderbeast below him. Gibbs quirked an eyebrow, not realising his interrogation techniques were being watched and taken in quite so thoroughly.
Gibbs was about to reply, but saw the tears sliding down Tony's face as Simba softly crept up to his Dad, begging him to wake up, they had to go home. Tony softly gripped Gibbs' hand, as if proving he was still there. He clung to the blanket he'd brought down (Bringing Gibbs to the conclusion that this was definitely his 'safety blanket') and sniffed, his thumb going to his mouth, before getting a face full of plaster and remembered his cast. He settled for the corner of his blanket instead, before Gibbs sighed one of those paternal sighs when Father's see their kid eating dirt or something, and carefully took it out of Tony's mouth.
He popped the dummy he constantly carried around with him into the baby's mouth instead, and lightly stroked his hair as he started to suck it without question and continued to watch the film, both fear of the storm and sadness at Mufasa's death long forgotten as Timone and Pumba made their entrance, singing about 'no worries', which Gibbs snorted at, resulting in getting a black look off Tony, who was obviously used to his movies being uninterrupted.
Gibbs grinned and rolled his eyes, getting a mini-elbow in his stomach, before lapsing into silence. It was fascinating to watch Tony when his attention wandered. The kid was focussing on the film, but at the same time, he was focussing on neither Tony nor Tony Junior. It was as if his body found a state of equilibrium between the two. He started to snuggle in Gibbs peacefully, but at the same time, Gibbs could almost feel the adult mind picking the movie apart, finding some jokes that would also keep parents entertained as well. He felt truly happy and peaceful, and Gibbs almost didn't want to move when the movie finished, but he could sense that the storm was now over, and even though Tony wasn't that sleepy, he'd would still be able to catch a few more hours of sleep before they had to go into work,
"Come on you," He murmured, standing up and rumpling his hair, before doing the same with Tony's, "I reckon you should sleep for a while longer." Tony frowned, but didn't say anything against it. Maybe he was more tired than Gibbs thought he was. He stayed completely silent until Gibbs was about to walk out the door, before whispering,
"Hey Gibbs?" The older man hung back, and glanced at the baby in the crib. He shifted, embarrassed, for a second, before looking up resolutely and saying, "You're not gonna... die, any time are you?"
Gibbs raised and eyebrow at the odd question. He knew that normal Tony was scared for his well-being, for all their well-beings, but this question was slightly out of the blue. He knew the kid was serious and although Tony knew that the question was ridiculous, Tony Junior needed to be reassured,
"Of course not kiddo. Anything else on your mind?" Tony shook his head, smiling sleepily, instantly reassured as Gibbs knew he would be by this statement. The older man nodded and turned the light off,
"Sleep tight." He whispered before leaving the door slightly ajar and wandering along the landing, hoping for a bit of sleep himself.
--
Tony stood up happily, rubbing his eyes with small, balled-up fists. After getting a bit of a knock on his forehead, he remembered his cast again and scowled. It looked reasonably sunny, so Gibbs wouldn't mind if he got up now, would he?
After a few attempts, Tony managed to actually grab the latch that pulled the bars of the crib down. A normal 18 month old wouldn't have had a hope, but Tony was feeling quite adult today, as, even though he had never done it before, he's worked out quite quickly how to open it. Grinning, he managed to slip out without tripping over and toddled over to the door, frowning as he saw it had closed overnight.
Gazing around the room, he realised he'd have to get out. All of the toys he accumulated were downstairs, as he only used this room for sleeping in, so he would be very bored waiting in here until Gibbs got up. Having a thought, he glanced up to the shelf where the baby monitor was, before remembering seeing it downstairs, and he knew Gibbs had gone straight to his room after setting Tony down for the night.
Gritting his teeth, Tony hopped up a couple of times, hoping to grab the handle. He finally managed, and guessed his agility was due to his little extra boost of hyperness he'd gotten on discovering he could get out of the crib. He managed to open the door, the handle turning easily and the door swinging open. He grinned as looked down the landing to Gibbs' room, the door open slightly.
As he toddled down there, he slowed, thinking. What if Gibbs was mad? What if he got angry about it? He'd be worried that Tony might have hurt himself when going down there. He almost turned back, but shook his head at the thought of sitting in the boring room. Even if there were no toys in Gibbs' room, they still had fun together. So he continued until he got into the room, blinking at the light coming in from the window, where Gibbs had presumably not been bothered to close the curtains of.
Tony saw the figure of his Boss asleep on the bed, and decided he wanted to be up there too. It would be easier than opening a door, as Gibbs' bed was quite low, and Tony guessed he's be able to clamber up, even with a broken arm. Clutching at the sheets, he set his face determinedly and pulled himself up, barely pulling them anywhere as he was quite a light baby. When he settled himself comfortably on the bed, he pondered the different ways in which to wake his Boss up. Eventually, he settled for prodding him.
Gibbs blinked his eyes open slowly, feeling something poking him in the shoulder. He flipped over quickly, cursing himself that his marine instincts had failed him, before almost yelling in shock. Tony was sat on his bed, his eyes wide and shining, his mouth upturned in an unsure smile,
"M-morning..." He stuttered, now sure he'd be in trouble. However, Gibbs stared at him wide-eyes, before laughing,
"Nothing can keep you in, huh kid?" Tony smiled brightly, glad that the older man approved. Gibbs glanced at the clock, wondering what time they should start getting ready, before his eyes widened and he stared back at Tony, who shrunk slightly, not knowing whether he would be shouted at or praised.
"Tony it's... it's 6 in the morning. We don't need to be in until 8." Adult Tony broke through, and shrugged, giving the cheeky reply,
"Oh well, you're up now. At least you have loads of time to get ready, put on your day face." Gibbs spluttered and said,
"You know I can still head-slap you, baby or not." Tony knew he was serious, and asked,
"Can I play the broken arm card?" Gibbs rolled his eyes fondly and sat up, now feeling as bright and happy as if it was the middle of the day and he'd had at least two cups of his favourite coffee. He guessed it was the influence of Tony's mood, and shrugged to himself. Tony mimicked him before asking,
"So can we get ready? Nothing wrong with being in early. And I'm hungry." Gibbs smiled at his outright statement, and guessed adult Tony was out to play for a while. He couldn't believe he was about to admit this, even to himself, but he'd missed him. Those cheeky replies, those charming, fleeting smiles to various colleagues. Not that he didn't like Tony Junior either, he loved kids, obviously, and he like half adult Tony and Tony Junior. Making a mental note to talk to Abby about it and ask her to come up with a name for it, Gibbs got out of bed and picked Tony up, supporting his arm, which was drooping depressingly with the weight of the plaster.
''I'll make you a sling for that kiddo,'' He told him, ''Or else your arm'll most likely drop off.'' Tony grinned and asked,
"What is there for breakfast?"
"You've got a one track mind kid."
"That's what all my college girlfriends told me."
--
They were halfway through breakfast, Tony successfully managing to drop at least half a packet of Frosties on the floor, when the phone rang. As Gibbs got up to answer, he snorted as he heard Tony shout through,
"Now aren't you glad I woke you up? Might have missed this call..."
Gibbs picked up the phone and said, in an uncharacteristically chirpy voice, "Gibbs."
"Agent Gibbs, it's me, Melissa Morrow, the Director's niece?" Gibbs heart stopped for a moment, before replying,
"Hey Mrs Morrow, what can I do for you?"
"I know that Tony's been in hospital, and he's got a cast on, and I have to tell you right now - I won't be able to change him until that's fixed." Gibbs nodded and asked,
''You said something back at NCIS about having to take a look at him before completing the antidote?'' He felt her nod and she replied,
"Yeah, would it be ok if I dropped in the office sometime today? It's not much, I just need to do a couple of things, ask him a couple of questions, it won't be that hard." Gibbs glanced back into the kitchen, where Tony was flicking Frosties with his spoon across onto Gibbs' plate while he was out the room,
"I can see that Tony!" He warned, the kid immediately blushing and Melissa laughing,
"Kids!" She chirped happily, "What are you going to do?"
"Tell me about it," He chuckled, "So I'll see you sometime today then." She agreed and they said their goodbyes. Gibbs put the phone down, a feeling he couldn't quite place washing over him.
"Who was it Boss?" Tony asked, his spoon in his mouth as he swung his legs about happily, looking at Gibbs with that childlike curiosity. That was what got the older man. Even though Tony was in no doubt his entirely adult mind, his eyes were purely childish. After a moments hesitation, in which he pondered whether the kid's eyes would actually change when he did, Gibbs replied,
"No one Tony, just... no one at all."
Hmmm, Gibbs is feeling conflicted! Lol, also, Dummy=Pacifier. I'm afraid that is staying stubbornly British lol ;) Review? xx