FAMILY PORTRAIT, FAMILY SHADOWS

CHAPTER 4

Two weeks later…..

It was late evening, and Kaity was supposed to be asleep already, but it was summer and she didn't have school tomorrow, so she liked to play on her computer under the sheet, that way mommy and daddy would think she was still asleep. But even if she wanted to sleep, she couldn't, not with mommy and daddy yelling at each other downstairs. She put her computer aside and slid out of bed, making her way quietly to her door. She wanted to hear what they were saying, even if she didn't like them yelling at each other.

"I didn't say that, Abby. All I said was….."

"All you said was that I should have asked your permission first! Since when do I need your permission to do something for our kids?"

"I never said you needed my permission! I just said that you should have asked me first before spending that much!"

"You know how much this means to Kaity, she couldn't wait to turn six so she could join gymnastics. You're really going to deny her this?"

They were arguing about her? Shame filled her, but she had to keep listening.

"I never said I was going to deny her anything, Abby! I know how much she wants this, and I want her to have it! You know I would never deny our kids anything they wanted this badly. I'm just saying that you should have…."

"Asked your permission, like a good little wifey, who has to ask her husband for everything. Next you'll be wanting me to wear dresses and pearls around my neck when I'm cleaning the house!"

"(Sigh) You know that's not true, Abby. It's just that this class is expensive…"

S'pensive? She knew that meant it cost a lot of money. She didn't know exactly how much her gymnastics class cost, but she knew her friend Clarissa couldn't go because her mommy said it cost too much, and they just didn't have the money. Did mommy and daddy not have the money for her to go? She felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"All I'm saying is, she's six years old. What happens if she doesn't like it after the first or second class, or even the third? Then we just wasted six more weeks of payments."

"So you're saying you don't think Kaity can stick with it?"

"You're twisting my words, Abby. I said that there's no harm in paying week to week! That way, should she decide she doesn't like it, we're not out anything. And before you say another word, I think our babe can do anything she sets her mind to, and I'll do anything and everything to make it happen for her. You know that."

"Well, pardon me, dear. I'm just a l'il ol' housewife, money matters are taken care of by my big, strong, smart husband. All I do is cook and clean, those are my only jobs."

"Oh would you knock it off already? I don't think like that! I'd just like you to use some common sense for a change!"

"Common sense? Common sense? YOU want ME to use common sense? Oh that's rich! This from the guy who bought a rusted out 1966 Mustang chassis for $3,500 - that you never 'asked' me about - on Craig's List, because he was going to rebuild it. That was over four years ago, and it's still sitting, untouched, in the garage. You haven't put a days' worth of work - hell, an hour's worth of work into it. $3,500, wasted, I believe was the word you used."

"That's different! That's…"

"How is that different, Tony? You spent all that money, without discussing it with me, on something you haven't even touched since the day it was delivered! At least, if Kaity goes to a few lessons, she's already way ahead of you! And I think $500 is a bit more reasonable to waste - if it gets wasted - than $3,500!"

With tears running down her cheeks, Kaity slunk back to bed. She curled up with her new Princess Pony and cried her heart out. Yes, she'd begged and pleaded for almost a whole year - since she was five - to take gymnastics. Mommy and daddy had never said it was too e' spensive, just that she had to wait 'til she was six, cuz that was the starting age. She didn't want to take gymnastics anymore, if it was going to make mommy and daddy yell at each other. She hugged Princess Pony tight, wishing she was real so Kaity could just ride away and not cost any more money to anyone.

Kitchen of DiNozzo home

Minutes later…..

Tony slammed the dishwasher door shut, because he needed to slam something. Abby stomped out of the kitchen to go to the living room. "Don't walk away in the middle of this, Abby!"

"It's not the middle!" She yelled from the living room. "It's the end, and I'm the one ending it!"

"Running away, Abby?" he taunted. If anything was going to get her back in here, it would be that. And he was right. Moments later she came stomping back in.

"You want me to end it in person? Fine." She scowled at him, eyes narrowed in anger. "The gymnastics class is paid for in full. If Kaity goes to one class or goes all summer, it's taken care of. If you're going to continue to complain, I'm going to take that '66 chassis in the garage and put it on E-bay and Craig's List. Of course, you probably won't get what you paid for it, depreciation, you know. In fact, I may just take the lowest bid, just to get rid of it faster. Or, better yet, I'll call the salvage yard and have them come and take it. I bet it makes a ree-e-e-e-e-al pretty noise when the it gets compressed into a big, metal square."

They stood there, toe to toe, eye to eye, neither wanting to give an inch. Tony's nostrils flared. "You can be such a bitch. You always have to be right, always have to have the last word. Do what you want. You'll just do it anyway." He turned and walked out the back door, slamming it behind him.

Abby waited until she saw Tony walk down off the porch before she let the tears build in her eyes. A second later, she heard AJ calling from upstairs. No doubt the slamming door had woken him, probably Kaity, too. She walked with a heavy heart up to her son's room. "Hey big boy, what're you doing up, hm? Need to go potty?"

AJ held his hands up for his mother to pick him up. When he was in her arms, he snuggled and shook his head. "Sumptin' woked me up."

"Oh, my poor boy. I'm sorry, baby. The back door just shut a bit too hard. I'm sorry it woke you up. You want me to sit with you 'til you go back to sleep?" She kissed his forehead when AJ nodded.

"Ok, we'll do that, but first I want to look and see if that loud door woke Kaity, ok? Will you come help me look?" She smiled when AJ nodded sleepily against her shoulder. She carried him down the hall to Kaity's room and quietly nudged the door a bit so she could look in on her baby girl. She smiled to see Kaity all tangled up in stuffed animals, and was glad the slamming door hadn't woken her up, too. As Abby was about to turn and leave, she noticed that Kaity had her thumb in her mouth. She never did that anymore. Wanting to go and check on her, she remembered she had AJ to get to sleep first. With a sigh, she walked back down the hall to her son's room and sat in the wooden rocking chair - a handcrafted gift from Gibbs when AJ was born. It was painted blue and had pictures of cars and trucks on the headrest. AJ loved this chair, loved that grampa had made something special just for him. and many times Abby would find him curled up in it taking his nap.

Abby grabbed the quilt off AJ's bed and wrapped it around him as she sat in the chair and began to gently rock, her son snuggled to her chest. She rested her cheek on the top of AJ's head and gazed out at the stars, humming softly.

"Mommy?" he asked in an almost asleep voice. "Tell me story 'bout the stars."

She smiled. "The star story? Well, I don't know if I know it as well as daddy does, but I'll do my best. Will you help me tell it?"

AJ nodded sleepily. "Uhm-hmm." He snuggled closer as Abby began to tell a story that Tony had made up about how the stars got in the sky. Whe n she stumbled over a part, AJ added in the right word. He'd heard it so many times, he knew it word for word, by heart.

So engrossed were Abby and AJ in their story that they didn't see or hear Tony at the door, watching and listening. He had come upstairs looking for Abby, to apologize. Not finding her in their room, he knew she was with one of the kids. He felt bad, knowing that it was his slamming the door that had woken AJ up. Not wanting to interrupt, he left as quietly as he'd come and went back downstairs.

After flipping through the channels on TV for a couple of hours, Tony decided he'd go back upstairs and apologize to Abby. Once again, she wasn't in their bedroom. He found her once again in AJ's room, still sitting in the rocker with the boy asleep in her lap. He walked over and knelt down next to the chair, brushing a hand lightly over his son's hair. Although she hadn't been crying, he could see in her features that Abby was sad. With a sigh, he stood and, leaning over, picked up Abby in his arms, AJ still snuggled against her chest. He set them gently down on the little boy's bed, covering them with a sheet. Tony kissed his thumb and brushed it down Abby's cheek. "I'm sorry, baby," he whispered softly, and walked out of the room and down to his own. He kicked off his shoes, and lay on the bed, fully clothed, hands behind his head. The argument from earlier kept running through his mind, keeping him from sleeping. Dawn was just about breaking when he finally dozed off.

NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS

A/N - I know, I know, an angstsy chapter. But into each life a little rain must fall. A big THANK YOU to my friend, mandielouluvsewe, for helping me with this chapter - couldn't have done it without you!

PLEASE REVIEW and let me know what you think! I know, I know, you're all upset cuz Tony and Abby are fighting again, but please remember that I only write HAPPY ENDINGS, so be looking forward to that, ok?

DISCLAIMER - NOTHING IS MINE. NO COMPENSATION FOR ANY PRODUCT MENTIONED HEREIN.

A/N 2 - If you love Tony stories, give my pal mandielouluvsewe's stories a try! They're awesome!