Tony smiled as he walked into the dining room. He sat down across from his wife.
"Good morning, Mr. Dinozzo," Katrina smirked in his direction.
He smirked back, "Good morning, Mrs. Dinozzo." She started to throw him seductive glances across the table and he wanted nothing more than to grab her, pin her down, and take her right then and there. He was seriously considering it too, until...
"What about me?" a small voice asked. It came from the side of the table. The father looked down into the precocious face of the little boy sitting beside him. His jet-black hair curled around his head like a halo, indicating his mother's influence and the telltale emerald eyes revealed his father's. The handsome son of Tony Dinozzo and Katrina Bennet was watching him with an expectant expression.
He may have quite a few of Katrina's personality traits, in fact Tony calls him "mini-Katrina", but Jasοn walks like him, laughs like him, glares like him, smiles like him...he even has a touch of his arrogance. But, thanks mainly in part to Katrina, she has a reason to be...Jason 's brilliant, very well-spoken, adventurous, very curious, and loves to read...
Every time he flashed his big green eyes and asked for a new book, or new toy, or new anything, they had folded.
The young boy had all the arrogance of Katrina with playfulness and recklessness of Tony. He was smart too, and sassy, and it made him challenging to a lot of boys his age. Though he went to school, he never really connected with those children. H knew he was destined for more, and almost looked down on them.
They couldn't blame gim though, he was a Wolf through and through.
Jason Nikolai DiNozzo was living up to his reputation as being the most incorrigible child ever conceived, at least in Amy's learned though affectionate estimation. Having just turned three years old, "J" was not only the center of his parents' world but he was adored by everyone who had been a part of his life since birth, and he damn well knew it. He had figured out very early on who he could manipulate and bend to his will and took advantage of it at every opportunity. Jason's number one mark was Katrina, of course, who didn't possess Tony's unwavering discipline when it came to putting his foot down and firmly saying "no" when necessary. Bastiana declared her nephew to be "spoiled damn near rotten," but she couldn't really talk since she was just as guilty as Katrina.
Katrina laughed before she smiled at her son, "Good morning, Jason."
Jason turned towards his father, "Well?"
The famous Wolf's sarcasm, they decicded that they wanted to rose their son their son to be kind, strong, and daring. I would never take shit from anyone, ever.
Tony laughed, "Good morning, Jason.''
" Hellooooo brother! "a female voice said arrogantly. Tony groaned stepping away from his wife.
"What are you doing here?"The Agent said looking at his twin sister and her husband, Amy and Travis Tanner.
"It's good to see you Amy, I missed you, my beautiful girl, I am soo happy that you are here, "Amy remarked, looking at her fingernails instead of Tony.
"Bitch." He grumbles.
"Jerk." She shoots back.
Travis looked at Katrina who was smiling amused. How was this their lives? Why what was this their lives? What bus full of nuns and orphans did they rob in a past life?
"Coffee? The pot's still warm."
"Yeah, please." Travis sat in the chair Tony nudged forward with her foot.
"Just keepin it warm for you, babe." Tony smiled sweetly at him. Amy muttered something under her breath.
"Travis, how do you take your eggs?" Katrina set down her mug and grabbed a large pan out of a cabinet.
"Oh I-"
"Scrambled it is," she interrupted. She reached into the fridge and pulled out some eggs and various veggies from the crisper. She opened another cabinet and got a cutting board and began chopping some chives and green onions. "You bought more pepper right, amor?" Tony grabbed a plastic bottle from the spice rack by the stove, handing it to Katrina.
"Hey honey, we still have any of that weird hippie syrup left? Travis, go grab some plates" Amy flipped the pancake he was working on.
"Jason" Katrina yelled making the kid look at his mother confused. "Time for school"
Jason jumped up from his seat. "Shit, " He then ran up the staircase. Katrina threw her husband another glare as she noticed her son's new, colorful language.
"Any news from the Golden trio of Wolf-Peaeson-Specter? " Katrina set a plate with a stack of fresh pancakes in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves to.
Travis answered her. "Bastiana and Specter got on Jessica's nerves because of their fights, Jessica put up with Specter's behavior and trying to keep Bastiana from murder him. Jessica informed Amy and Donna that they must be in the next meeting with them to keep from killing each other. :
Katrian could see which way the wind was blowing, and could do no more or less than warn the secretaries . You did not need to be a fortune teller to know that by putting Bastiana Wolf and Harvey Specter in the same area you would probably see it burn to the ground.
Tony watched them while he ate. Watched how they bonding with each other. Laughing and teasing and sharing stories around. All of this made Tony smile and feel at ease despite everything.
She tried to talk her way out but he was shut down. She tried to beg and plead her way out but she was silenced. She tried to slip past but she was stopped, hands gripped his arms tightly enough to leave a bruise. There was no way she was getting out of here, out of this. She was at the mercy of this person, her kidnapper. The fight or flight response began to kick in, she thrashed in her attackers hold, heart speeding up. Head pounding as she scratched, kicked and tried to maneuver out of the stronger mans arms but was quickly pinned against the wall. Trying to get out of this position she fought harder until he felt wandering hands and froze. It was so sudden she just froze and the fight left her. That didn't stop his hands from moving, removing her armor. Her only protection, she couldn't fight it and when she protested he was punched in the face to shut him up. The hands weren't gentle they were rough and demanding. Touching every piece of skin they could, bruising each bit they could reach. As this happened she stopped. Stopped seeing, stopped feeling, stopped existing. In that moment she was no longer in the dark room alone with the monster she was with hiler parents. Sitting with hiler mum and her dad in her room. Flashes of reality threatened to break through but she pushed them away. After a while, her parents left her and she was back in the dark room, but luckily this time she was alone. She couldn't move as the reality of what had just happened hit her. All she could do was lay there on the floor, her clothes in pile next to her.
"Bastiana"
Bastiana startled from her thoughts and looked up at the concerned face of one of her friend, best woman and her name co-partner , Jessica Pearson-Benson. By the way the woman was looking at her, she had clearly attempted to gain her attention several times, but her head was elsewhere, and she hadn't even noticed him entering the room. How long had she been sitting there looking at the paper?
While these thought were going through Bastiana's head Jessica had looked up, after the silenced had dragged on for a while and had seen the eyes of her friend. Her eyes were unfocused, unseeing, emotionless. Questions swarmed her head as he continued to look at Bastiana's tired face waiting for an answer as to what was in the files. When one wasn't given she asked."Bastiana, are you OK?"
"Of course I am, I just find how we are going to stop this from going to court." Bastiana eplied quietly hanging her head down. Her usual confidence non existent as she presented the idea. It was as if she was expecting Jessica to disregard it. And it wasn't just that she seemed hesitant with her own knowledge, which Jessica knew was wrong. She wasn't just hesitant she appeared scared. Scared of what Jessica know but there was no reason for Bastiana to be scared of her.
3 years had passed since that day that Bastiana Wolf have been taken by Alan Woodford and being tortured , raped, but Bastiana still hadn't recovered. Everyone knew that, her brothers knew that, her siblings-in-law knew that.
Now no one in the office would even look at her without wincing and she could feel the pity in their stares. Of course she could tell they were trying, but that didn't stop her from noticing the way Mike Ross-Sanders kept glancing at her, Dana Caffrey avoided her, and Jessica and Harvey Specter looked at her as if she was a hurt puppy.
Jessica, Travis, Katrina and Amy often have seen her sitting in her office and and stared at the beige walls feeling absolutely nothing. Everyone was so concerned about her feelings and she had none, she was numb. stop...
Even a month after her capture, Bastiana was still doing poorly. Sure she put on a show for her friends, but inside she was screaming. But Jessica and Olivia Pearson - Benson knew better than everyone as they had been spent a lot of time with Bastiana after she come out of the hospital, they stay with her making sure that she eat and sleep well, they were the only people who were able to touch her without having her to flinch - even her brothers were not able to to touch her something they make them sad - Dana, Katrina Bennet, Amy Tanner and Lola Reid came often to see her but they were not able to have a reaction from Bastiana.. As they spent a lot of time in the same house the three women creation a strong bond which was been envies by every single person in their lives.
They stayed with her during the trial against Alan Woodford, they stayed at her side during her testimony as described all those things Woodford have done to her. They saw her bruises in the courtroom and her tears behind her walls of her bedroom. They heard the screamings of Neal, Mike, Spencer and Sonnh begging and demanding to see her but most of all they saw the horror in the face of Amy and Antony Wolf.
That Bastiana Wolf have been a mother was a shock to everyone outside of the family. The cold iron woman of Wolf-Pearson-Specter law firm was a mother to a NCIS Special Agent and a secretary with a master in psychology and media was the understatement of the century.
Amy and Antony Wolf. Twins. They had their family in them, their uncle Mike's heart , their uncle Spencer's intelligence , their uncle Neal's protective instincts for their family, their uncle Sonny's kindness and of course they were well dressed, sarcastic, full of themselves, fierce, c harismatic and ambitious, ; exactly what Jessica and everyone had expected from Bastiana's children . Bastiana's children ... she still wasn't used to that, not like Jessica'd had any time to get used to it and can't help but become a little hurt that Bastiana didn't tell her.
Speaking of hurt, she turned her head to look into Harvey's office . From an outsider perspective nothing had changed since Bastiana Wolf became a name and manager partner – Harvey was still the same arrogant, cocky bastard who won every case he took on – but Jessica had been at Harvey's side for years and so she recognized the signs of how down Harvey felt. The sudden bouts of silence whenever he was alone in his office, looking sullenly out of the windows, playing with his signed balls or browsing through his records. The periods of aggression where nothing was enough to satisfy the great Harvey Specter's demands.
Everyone had noticed as well, but she didn't have dare to talk him after the thing she had done to him.
She broke his heart.
She remembered the day that Bastiana had disappeared for almost a whole day having all the siblings and friends alarmed because this shit was more code red than The Battle of Hogwarts. Sonny, Spencer, Olivia, Dodds - junior and Senior- and Neal had their guys tracking down the whole Manhattan for their sister while Mike, Dana, Lola and Logan spoke with all the people Bastiana had known.
Most of them thought that Bastiana left them and no one of them couldn't blame her after all this shit she had been through but thank for the heart of the siblings, her clothes and things were untouched in her closet. Bastiana may had money to buy new things but she couldn't never leave the family's photos, letters, all the things that make her, Bastiana Ross behind and without a letter to explain why she left.
It had been passed almost 15 hours since Bastiana had walked out of her house and all the family was almost two minutes away from calling the army and the government for their sister, Bastiana walked into the house with a cold-stone expression storming into her room locking herself in and ignored the protest of her family. She locked herself until the next day ,came to the office like the other day never happened, wearing the same mask as Jessica during her divorce, looked as put together as always in her white costume and the immaculate nails but the one of the two Irons Ladies of Wolf, Pearson & Specter was able to read the other.
The empty look in her eyes, the shaking hands and the fact that she couldn't look at Harvey Specter, was the only thing that Jessica needed to know. Bastiana Wolf had rejected Harvey Specter.
The great Harvey Specter had finally found love only for it to be unrequited.
Jessica saw it the next day, she sees the moment Harvey walked into the office the next day and Basriana didn't glance at him. Harvey looked broken by it, a thousand emotions moved over his face as he catched Jessica's eye and holds his stare. Helpless, vulnerable and weakened by the loss.
This scene (specifically that look) broke her heart because every single fucking person Harvey Specter meets is in awe of him because he's perfect. He's the best of the best; the best lawyer, the best-looking, with the best apartment and the best cars and the best suits and the best alcohol. And they tell him that, and he knows they're being truthful, but it doesn't matter because they're all ants to him. He doesn't give a shit about them. They're just more of New York City's ladder-climbers, trying to get to where he is, with money and women and a devil-may-care attitude. And then this woman came in his life and destroyed him.
Jessica thought that Bastiana choose the agent Hotchner but learned from Olivia who told her Lola, who had been learned from Spencer that Bastiana rejected the agent to. Lola said that Bastiana after all this horrible experience has been through she couldn't be in a relationship soo soon, that Bastiana couldn't stood to be in the same room with males even her own flesh and blood, how can be in a relationship with someone. Dana thought Bastiana didn't love either of them, Amy informed them that her boss and mother must been alone and calm, that no one of them could understand what is going on with her mind and a relationship is not what she need right now.
Jessica pushed the matter aside: her firm needed her full attention.
"So who has got you so excited?" Ziva sneered. There was something different about Tony today. He seemed happier which meant he was keeping secrets. Secrets were bad news for her as that meant she had incomplete information and that would make it harder to manipulate him if necessary.
Tony normally would engage Ziva to annoy her as it amused him greatly. Not today though, his mind was currently focussing on the more pleasant things in life - like his family. "I was doing my paperwork to get it done on time. You should try it sometime." He finished with a sweet smile that did not reach his eyes.
McGee looked up in shock. Tony very rarely bit back in that way and even less since Gibbs' return. It was noticeable that Ziva had no retort. Tim felt like he should try to defend Ziva. "There is no need to be like that, Tony."
Tony wondered how someone who had gone through FLETC and been on the MCRT for so long could still be so alive with his trusting nature. Tony wasn't willing to let this go, not anymore. "Oh, there is. You need to know that as SFA, I have every right to remind you when you are not doing your damn job. And I am still the SFA, McGee."
Gibbs stared at his second for a moment longer but said nothing. Whatever his thoughts, he wasn't sharing them with his team, so really nothing had changed. Unlike the others, he did know this version of Tony - only he hadn't seen this since the very beginning when Wendy, the ex-fiance, was on the scene. He would love to know who'd managed to get close to Tony's skittish heart.
There are many ways to protect a heart - after wife number 3 and the tire iron, Gibbs went for the prickly bastard. For Tony, after Wendy and his broken heart, he went for cheap and shallow encounters. There was a logic there; if you don't offer your heart to someone then it can't be broken. So it begged the question - who had managed to batter through Tony's defences?
Maybe it was the woman from the other day.. He remembers seeing the woman walk into the room and his heart stopping. He couldn't take his eyes off her, seeing her talking to his Agent and makes him laugh and seeing Dinozzo touches her and for some reason this annoyed him..The fire in her eyes when he smacked Dinozzo's head and how they caught a glance at each other for twenty seconds before she opens her mouth threatening him , he still remembers Dinozzo 's small smirk from the corner of his eye.
He tried to find her. He had become obsessed. Not with just finding her identity, but he refused to be beaten in any challenge. This had gone from wanting her, to proving that he was capable of succeeding.
His old friend Tobias demanded that Gibbs stop and just forget about it.
Gibbs buried his face in his hands. Nothing came up about her. It was as if she did not exist.
Something about her makes him feel like...
And the way she spoke to him it almost makes his blood boil in anger, God, he hates when people questions him. Especially so publicly, it was embarrassing and he hates having his authority challenged. Why did he let this woman get under his skin so much?
Any other thoughts stopped when Tony saw his sister entering the bullpen. He paled on sight because she was too busy as a secretary of Bastiana Wolf, to be here for just any old reason. Tony stood and excused himself from any further conversations with McGee or Ziva. "I need to take this conversation."
''Tell me that they did not kill each other''Was the first thing that came out of Tony's mouth seeing his sister at the office.
''I took all the sharp things away!''She scoffed.
Everyone turned to her, hearing her voice first time since they had entered there. No one could understand what she was saying; even Tony took a moment before it clicked.
''And I use to think that Jessica is the only person who has the gut to fight her!''He said.
''Katrina just get away because she is your wife!''
McGee snorted. "Well," he huffed, sitting back in his chair. "Tony may be many things," he made a significant pause. "But married sure isn't one of them."
Amu stared at them and then smiled. "Oh, you're Mc uh."
"McGee, Tim McGee." He snapped.
"Yes, that was it, and you're..." Her voice faded off. "I'm sorry I don't even remember any of it."
"Ziva David, so Tony talked about us."
"Yes, he mentioned you, briefly."
"Why didn't you remember it then, we are very important in his life. He needs our help all the time." Ziva grinned and could see Tim do the same.
"Darlings, I don't remember anything that isn't important," Amy replied snidely.
"And NCIS isn't important to him?" McGee looked disbelievingly
"Oh, NCIS is essential to him, you two aren't."
Once again showing that she was born with balls of steel but missing even a modicum of common sense, Ziva didn't back down. "I don't know who you are," she hissed, getting right up in Amy's face, "but I won't be talked down to by anyone, and certainly not by a glorified grunt that probably wouldn't last a day in Mossad."
Tony moved before the last word had left her lips, pushing in between them just as Amy was about to do something stupid. "Hey, there, Amy," he murmured, close enough to the woman to feel her muscles coil. "Don't do anything you'll regret, huh?"
Amy's stance didn't relax, but she shot Tony a narrowed glare. It said a lot, this diversion of attention. Leaving Ziva out of her sight, even for a second, when she clearly considered her a threat, was a huge concession on the lawyer's part. "I don't have much patience for brats," Amy growled, "especially ones with too much training and not enough brains to go with it."
Ziva sucked in an audible breath, but then Gibbs decided to enter the fray. "Ziver," was all he said.
The nickname had the desired effect. Turning to Gibbs as if pulled by invisible strings, she fixed a wounded but determined gaze on the older marine, a combination Gibbs had never been able to resist very well. "I didn't say anything that wasn't true, right? We'd know if Tony was with someone." She pulled her lips into a pout, and in that moment, Tony asked himself how he'd ever found her attractive. "I don't understand why I'm the one being reprimanded."
Tony was keenly aware of the silence in the rest of the bullpen. Every pair of eyes seemed to rest on the MCRT. At any other time, Tony would have been embarrassed by the spectacle, but all he could think was that he needed to be with Katrina.
"Ziva's right," Gibbs grunted, glaring at each of them in turn. "DiNozzo isn't in a relationship, let alone married. Can't be." The I'd know if he was hung there in the air between them, unsaid, but almost tangible.
"Yeah, uh, about that," Tony hedged, not quite sure how to explain. Now his tendency for secrets was coming around to bite him in the ass. Nothing about Gibbs' behavior of late had given him any inclination that the man was particularly interested in his personal life, and still he couldn't help but feel guilty. "I kind of am?"
The look on Gibbs' face almost made Tony laugh. The man was completely stunned, and for once, there was no hiding his surprise. "You're married," he said after a long pause, a statement rather than a question.
"Yeah." There wasn't much Tony could add without giving away more than he was ready to in front of Ziva and McGee. "Three years and counting."
Ziva was frowning. "If you're married, who were all the women you've been with."
Tony chuckled. "She is an operative, Ziva, they were all her ."
Her eyes widened as Tony watched her opinion on him shatter before his eyes. "Sorry for killing your opinions of me but you really need to look beneath the surface."
He turned to Gibbs who was paying close attention to the facts. Tony was married for three years. And he still hadn't heard about her. But the way things were going it wouldn't surprise him to know that Tony had just decided to not tell him.
''And you are!''McGee deciced to pop up the question.
Tony scrubbed a hand over his face. He really didn't want to get into this. "Amy is my twin sister," he answered, despite his better judgement.
"Sister? You have a sister? You told us that you were an only child!" Ziva demanded in shock and Tony pulled a sheepishly embarrassed expression.
Tony was fine with them knowing a few titbits of his personal life and childhood but he didn't want them to know his entire life story. There were things about his life that Tony liked to keep private and he noted the irony of that given that he had no understanding of the word boundaries when it come to other people's private lives.
"Yea didn't you say you didn't have any?" McGee added.
"Yes teams do not keep secrets from each other," Ziva expressed.
"Right like you two don't keep secrets. Like you shared about Rivkin and McGee like you shared about your sister possibly being a murder suspect! Yea real team sharing there." Tony practically yelled and turned back to Gibbs, who was looking at Amy. They had the same eyes and the same soft looking strands of chestnut brown hair. Gibbs could imagine they would have the same smile too if Amy wasn't angry.
" May ask why are your here miss Dinozzo!" Gibbs asks in a sort of breathless tone. Amy's smirk grows even more sadistic. Something in this smile was very familiar but couldn't put his finger on. It sends a chill down him spine.
"First of all it Wolf!" Amy stated, and he quirked an eyebrow." Thought my brother would like to try Angelini's for lunch today."
"Angelini's? You mean that five-star restaurant in Manhattan that takes months to get a table?" Ziva asked in awe.
"The one and only. He's a friend, so he'll always deliver for me," Amy said slyly.
McGee sniffed before turning to look at Gibbs. "Wolf?"
"They don't know?" Amy asked, sniffing loudly.
Before Tony could reply , their friend and best man of Tony , Jimmy Palmer the Medical Examiner Assistant entered the bullpen with Abby Sciuto behind him. Tony groans watching the Chief Forensic Scientist looking at his twin sister as she was some kind of enemy and of course he can feel the headache that will come for her whining. Blah blah you could you keep secret blah blah you are family blah blah..Sometimes he wondered why he still here and not work with his uncles at SVU or some other law ciminal Investigative Service department.
''My hansome and sexy Autopsy Gremlin''Amy flashed him a flirty smile, full of that undeniable Wolf charm.
''Oh hey Amy!''Jimmy began cheerfully, ''What are doing here?''
Abby, Ziva, McGee and Gibbs shared a bewildered expression as the two got reacquainted with one another.
''What the ..''Abby murmured.
Tonny watched as Abby moved forward he tensed as she got close to his sister.
''Nice to meet you I am Abby'' The woman extended a slightly trembling hand to Amy.
''I am here to keep my dear brother of mine out of troubles!''Amy replied to Gibbs 'question looking at the goth.
''Hey''Tony portest making Jimmy laughs.
''Amy Wolf!''Amy responded , still refused to shake Abby's hand.
Abby stared at Amy criticisingly before saying. "Wolf?"
Amy gave her a patented Wolf-style bitch face. Tony thought it might be a new model, and decided to deem it the "you are stupid " face. He liked it immediately. Then again, he liked all of his sister 's bitch faces.
"Yes, Wolf!" Amy quirked an eyebrow."Our name!"
"But what Dino..."
"Say that name again and I dare you!" The words were always had a way to silently add the 'or else' at the end of every order. Just like a Wolf. "I refuse to be a Dinozzo, not while this scum of man wore it."
Abby stared at the other woman, mouth agape. "Is this a joke?" She blurted out after several moments."But the Senior..."
Amy let out a short laugh. "This man is not father of mine, just a sperm donor. He is a liar, a thief, a scum, he likes to manipulate people and don't care about the others only if they have nomey. "Amy responded flatly, completely serious." I still don't know how the fuck this man is still alive after his last visit "
" Mother threatened to shot him in his head, the next time he dare to show up. "Tony grinned at Amy.
" Your mother is dead"McGee queried, giving the female Dinozzo (Wolf?) a pointed look.
"You know her!"
Gibbs blinked, snapping back to the present." What? "He licked his lips." What do you mean?"
Dinozzo blinked, staring at the older man. "The woman from the other day.."
Gibbs inhaled deeply, scrubbing his hands down his face.
Gibbs was staring at the window of the NCIS bullpen down the road, watching as Tony was walking with a beautiful blonde woman. She moved closer to him, wrapping an arm around Tony's waist when a family of four crowded around them. For just a moment Gibbs felt an irrational surge of jealousy . No wonder Tony was so relaxed and happy.
Gibbs observed Tony as he was working on the coffee; he didn't look or act any different. How could he have missed that Tony had a family: a wife to begin with . 'So much for being a good investigator' Gibbs thought grudgingly to himself.
He watched the woman put a kiss on Dinozzo cheek before pulled away from him laughing. Watched as Dinozzo grapped her by her hand pulling her toward him making her screaming from happiness and joy, his twin sister and a unfamiliar man standing next to them smiling at them.
He had always believed that Tony could have the best of both worlds: the job he loved and a family. Only now he realized Tony already had both and seemed happy with it. He saw Tony's whole face lit up when the blonde woman touch his nose with her finger ,Gibbs' eyes got that far away look they usually got when he looked at Shannon and Kelly.
Gibbs wanted to know who had stolen the green-eyed italian's heart but refused to demand any information. While he was burning to know who had taken his place as Dinozzo (Wolf?) right hand he knew he had no right to demand—ask anything after all he had done.
He no longer had the right, he had treated Tony like shit since his return from Mexico and had allowed the others to as well.
The idea of Tony not trusting him was humorous. The kid looked up to him. Had him on a pedestal; may be not as high as Abby's, but a pedestal non the less. Anthony Di'nozzo was his SFA. His loyal st. Bernard. And the closest thing he had to family. His protege; hell his son in many ways, who trusted him with his life.
"He lied to us" Abby voice brought Gibbs back to the room. "He has a whole secret family and said nothing!" She looked scandalized. Like Dinozzo had let her down.
"Of course!" Jimmy said patiently. The had started the day with one single agenda: 'let the team know that they had well and truly messed up.'After all this shit you lulled at him like' Tony, you are not Gibbs' or "Tony is not my boss and I am to listen to him' I think that is was very wise of him. To kept them secret. You all mock him and accused him of a bad and childish behavior but no one of you have see the real Tony, Antony Wolf. You all see only his mask and.. "
He was not really surprised seeing Amy at the bullpen looking for her brother. He knew that all the family of Tony's hate his job and especially the team,they know everything about what happens in the office even all the terrible things that Abby, Ziva and McGee have done to him, all the pranks, the harsh words , all the physical and psychological pain he have been through during his time at NCIS. At first hand Jimmu have seen the anger in Katrina's eyes when Brenna accidentally let slip that Ziva flirts with Dinozzo all the time or when Amy found out that Abby threated her brother like crap but the most scary things of all was the mother. Because a calm Bastiana is a scary one.
''He didn't trust any of you!''
The silence after that seemed to stretch between the team.
"After all he learned from the best"Jimmy nods. 'He's paranoid like that, he's afraid that if he mentions them his enemy's might overhear something and come after like their family doesn't have it's own enemy's with their line of work.'
'And what is it exactly that they do?', Gibbs asks slightly afraid to know the answer.
'His mother, wife and some of his aunties and uncles are lawyers, some of them are detectives and others... "McGee eyed Palmer as he said this.
'That explains Tony's patience with lawyers,' Gibbs growls.
Jimmy laughs at that.
'That must depend on the lawyer because he has absolute no patience with his aunt Dana or uncle Mike when they go on one of their law related lectures.'
" Uncles, aunties?"Ziva gaze flew to him, pleading and angry.
"You knew?" Gibbs question threw everyone off guard. Everyone in the room turned their heads towards him.
Gibbs wasn't blind he was aware of the friendship between his SFA and Palmer. He had no doubt that it has started when he was in Mexico. Whenever their friendship started it was sure that Palmer was a good friend.
''I was his best man at his wedding with Katrina!'' Jimmy said. Every eye was on him as he words sunk into the team's mind. ''I was at every family dinner, at every birthday at every happy and bad momentof his life, Breena and Katrina have swore over their friendship to make our lives hell every time they want especially when they want us together for shopping. I was there when Katrina foudn out her pregnancy...''
''WHAT!''Abby was pouting now,
Gibbs was starting to get frustrated with Abby. He was already at his wits end and now he had to deal with a temperamental Abby. He tried to answer quietly.
"His wife?"
Gibbs looked over at Ziva, who looked down at her the blonde. Her jaw tightened with tension. She is far too young for him. And too fawning. He needs a stronger woman. Someone who can make him stronger, better.
Without a reply, Gibbs Gibbs stormed back down from the stairs. Nobody in the bullpen dared to look at the furious man as Gibbs stopped his march briefly.
"Interrogate those four we brought in, and finish your reports. Get out of here after you put them on my desk." Not waiting for his two remaining team members' replies, Gibbs strode into the elevator, once again disappeared from the office.
It seems what was supposed to be an easy day just turned a lot more complicated.
Katrina ledaed back in her chair and allowed the waiter to set his coffee in front of her as Amy was telling everyone at the table about a day when she decided to help Dana Caffrey-Wolf with th a case.
Travis chuckled and kissed Amy's cheek. "And I would like to remind you what happened the last time you two team up"
Katrina giggled as she sipped her coffee. "Nobody died !
Tony let out a loud snort." WHAT KIND OF ANSWER IS THAT ?
Everybody laughed so loud that the other patrons were beginning to glare at them. Not that they could do anything. The Wolf family could've easily bought and sold Maison'Cafe and everybody in it.
Tony reached for his wife's hand and kissed it."How is going your progress with the Newton's case?"
Katrina glared at him for a long moment before sighing softly and shaking his head. "Fine," she admitted. "But it will be better if Amy gives me a hand!"
Amy seemed to perk up."Give me a reason to help you"
"I'm your favorite in-law." Katrina smiled at Amy while Travis tried his best not to laugh.
And Katrina wasn't wrong. Amy was, admittedly, Bastiana's favorite. She was good at balancing Tony's temperamental personality, being a caring denmaker, an extremely talented researcher, and one of the only ones who was able to keep up with Amy - both in attitude and intelligence. They caused mischief together that drove their husbands up the wall, which was pretty much Amy's favorite pastime.
Tony groaned and covered his face with his hands. "You guys going to blow up the whole firm!"
"There are approximately 1,013,913 words in the English language but I could never string any of them together to explain how much this is going to be a terrible disaster than to have Harvey Specter and Bastiana in the same room!"
Katrina sat her coffee down, crossed her arms and raised a brow.
" They had a meeting today "
The three names managers had a meeting on Safe Territory. Given that if Bastiana and Harvey both were in the same room no one want to be around them when the 3 WW break but, they had no place in the world that was Safe Territory. They had migrated to Jessica 's office , mostly because of Jessica Pearson , who was definitely Safe Territory.
Jessica was the only thing preventing the other two lawyers from killing one another, most of the time.
They met, Jessica become a referee, Bastiana and Harvey occasionally swapped curses , Jessica and Bastiana were condescending towards the male lawyer , Harvey and Bastiana both bullied Jessica for being a bitch. They didn't need further reasons.
Tony subtly turned to Katrina , a nervous smile gracing his face again, "I don't want to know who sent whom to the hospital!"
Travis looks at Tony like . . . well, like he just said someone in right minds would have hurt Bastiana. I mean, come on, how is Dana supposed to do anything but agree with his judgmental face? The Wolf's is just fucking weird sometimes.
"Probably your mother," Dana scoffs as though Mike's the one who said some outrageous shit.
"Anyway. How was the dinner last Friday, I am so sorry that I couldn't make it but the last case hit very close."Tony grumbles.
"Like mother like son" Tony hears Amy say under her breath but she has those red lips curled in satisfaction.
"You know the usual!" Dana says, taking her finished drinks. "Neal and Mike fight oner the last piece of cake, Spencer told us about his first day a a Unit Chief, Lola spoke with Logan about their weekly siblings-in-law trip, Michael complain about Barba and Sonny tried to keep himself for hit him."
"Bastiana must had a big headache from this dinner!"
After those words come out of his mouth, the silent fall in their table, Dana, Travis and Amy look at each other while Tony was stuck between wanting to scream at someone to explain what the fuck is happening and wanting to just leave before he can find out. Ignorance might be bliss in this instance.
Amy narrows her eyes at the other twin. "She was not at the dinner"
"Really?" Tony asks. It's clear he's interested in this new information, it was the third time in a row that she was absent from their Friday 's family dinners.
Stunned silence filled the bay. Amy's face never changed.
"Travis,"Dana says, taking Travis attention away from Amy, where it usually is nowadays. "I want an iced latte with oat milk and caramel swirl."
Before she smacks Travis on the shoulder and snaps her fingers. Travis grumbles bossy as he get up from the chair.
"You couldn't have said this while we were in the bar?"
bats his eyes. Not that he has to in order to be pretty. Those bambi eyes only pop further with the shimmering gold that blends into ruby red around them and the way his eyelashes curl. He has to look away and think about something else immediately.
He tries to think about his dad in a speedo, the world's wrinkliest grandma, Greensburg in a speedo, using gas station bathrooms, Finstock in a speedo.
And Amy smiles at him, loose and goofy and so damn beautiful. "I want one too."
"You are so whipped! " Dana says following after Travis wanting to leave the twins to talk. "It's honestly quite impressive."
Travis normally would respond that he is most certainly not whipped. But Amy is standing at the table ready to call him out his lying at any second. So instead he grunts as he makes his way to take her another cup of coffee.
" The nightmares is back? "Tony asked, knowing full well how that question would be received.
Amy doesn't look up from the table as she finally takes the step. " Night terrors! "
Tony can feel his blood freeze in his veins.
The nightmares
The sleeplessness
The hands ' tremble
Black cycles
Fuck, why did that make sense?
Fuck.
FUCK.
Amy props a hand across her forehead, shielding her eyes from having to look at her brother. ''I found out three days ago. I forget something at the office and been back , I saw her standing in front of her desk!''
''Amy' Tony's voice sounds warning.
"Her hands were shaking with all her body and I just stood there doing nothing."
Amy cursed at herself for being such a shitty daughter while Tony cursed at himself forgetting Bastiana.
"I watched her throw things all over the place and cursing." Even with the threat of losing Amy looming, Tony can't help but touch the twin to calm hrr down. It's amazingly pathetic how something as simple as a hand on a shoulder soothes his senses. It seems to help Amy as well though, as she wipes at her forehead and lowers the hand there before she continues. Her eyes are red and glassy. "I heard all the things crushed by the own hands, vases, phone, books, her laptop." She laughs bitterly. "I failed as a daughter and secretary, I didn't noticed her, I had been blind to the fact that she was in deep pain because of my happiness..."
"You were not the only one" Tony says gently. He cautiously stretches a hand out across the table. He offers comfort for Amy to take if she needs it.
"I run away!" Amy sounds on the verge of hysterics."I run away, I couldn't find away to help her soo I ran, just like a fucking coward!"
"No," Tony says. The objection feels a little too desperate to be fully convincing. "You were the only one!"
Even if we wanted to help, she wouldn't have let us !" Tony said calmly."She wore that mask, she try to be calm and collected around us, because of her pride and the fact that she doesn't want to worry us"
Amy was silent for a moment. The wind blew through the trees on this cold and beautiful New Work day.
Amy's statement shocked him.
"For the love of God I am a have a fucking degree in psychology and.."
"And I am an agent, uncle Spencer is a freaking profile and uncle Neal is her twin, no one of them can understand her" Tony butts back in before Amy could fumble his way to end her thoughts.
"You want to know why she refuses to ask for help" Tony asks. He shakes his head and licks his lips. "Because every one who know her story, it end up look at her with pity and picture her as a victim!"
"She is not a victim" Amy says. Her voice is progressively more wet and shaky. "People, men, women, children, everyone how have been thought something bad and cruel like kidnapping and rape and be alive after that is not a victim but a survivor!"
Silence reigned once again.
"Can I ask you something?" Amy asked,. "What have been said behind the door of the courtroom during her case?"
Amy was speaking about the trial between Bastiana Wolf versus Alan Woodford. The trial take place without people, only the lawyers, the judge and Bastiana with Woodford, no one of Bastiana'd family members were on her side by her's demands to stay away. Bastiana didn't wanted her family to be aware of all the things she had been through because of Woodford, she didn't wanted her brothers to hear how the man hit her head over a wall or how his hands were over her body every day and night for two weeks and for Dana, Amy and Lola to see the naked pictures of her body been full of bruises and cuts.
Only two people had the permission to be in the room was Jessica Pearson and Olivia Benson.
Jessica was the lawyer who represented Bastiana and Olivia was the main witness of the case as the Captain of the SVU team. They stayed with Bastiana during the trial and after that, some members of the family were offended that Bastiana had chosen to take support from some strangers than her own family.
Only Tony, Spencer, Lola understood why Bastiana wanted those two women with her in the courtroom. The three of them were the same they were in the same page ftom the fitst time they met, they were not afraid to be the real shelf around the other, to drop the act and mask, to act like a huma being and not a lawyer or sister or captain or name manager, they could be just three friends. It was very easy for Bastiana to find comfort in the arms of Jessica and Olivia, to fast and to easy for her that make Lola and Dana been jealous and envy of the couple.
Ii was not a secret Bastiana listen the opinions of Jessica or Olivia on a matter or that Bastiana prefered their company than her sisters-in-law, Bastiana thought of Jessica and Olivia been eque, been worth of her time and attention.
Anyway, Amy asks her brother not because he was in the courtroom with the other's but because he found the documents of the trials, every word, every single breath of Bastiana have been written in those papers.
"I didn't have the guts to read it!"
Amy jumped at the abrupt statement.
"Reading this files is like I betray her trust she have in me." Green eyes drilled into Amy's soul,"If she wants to talk, she knows where I will be!"
"Ok," Amy said after a moment and with that, Tony stood to join the other two at the bar. Amy sat for a moment ilto collect herself.
To the other side of New York, Bastina Wolf was walking through the crowd the phone still pressed to her ear, chatting away with a sour expression on her face, and the clicking sound of her heels echoed through the street.
She had a appointment with a big client two hpurs ago and decided thta it ha a beautiful day to take the car back to the firm but the truth was that she didn't go back there, with all those people.
Following the revelation that Alan Woodford was impersonating Bastiana Wolf for some time, and all the things that did to her come to light ,people started to talk the behind her back giving her looks of pity and treatened her like she was a fragile flower.
After she had been released from the hospital three years ago ,she locked herself away from everyone and 2 weeks after that a front page story came out about her being abused and raped , her life, ther real name and her family, people form nowhere talked about her and all the bad thgings she had done in her carreer, people talked about her private life and gossiped.
She had refused to see everyone after that, endless nights her brothers had begged her to open the door just to see her, Olivia and Jessica trying to get her to eat ,as they were the only people who were able to go near her , Michael's father once threated to kick her door down if she didn't open the door ,and it's almost broken her heart hearing her beautiful son crying to reach his mother behind the wood wall.
She wanted but she couldn't be near them, face them while they were looked with those looks of pity and only thought she had back when was to pack her things and leave but Bastiana Wolf was not a coward. So she had forced herself to be collected and went back to be a Wolf.
The day she came back to the real world was a new chapter for her. The first thing she done was to buy a new house away from the blood, the memories, the screams, to everyone suprise she bought a small but comfy and luxury apartment away from the heart of Manhattan, she found out that she couldn't stand the noises anyore and been surrounded by people,especially men. She painted and decorated it all alone, wanting to feel the future every time that the brush had touched the walls, the balcony had fulled from roses and tulips something that her former condo never had, almost every room had a printing of Neal , and for the first time Bastiana secided to put picture if the family over the walls.
She decided to spent more tim with her family and less at work, trusting Jessica , Dana , Katrina and Mike with her most precious clients and cases ,trusting Amy be her career's keeper, stopped call in the office almsot every two hours to check. She gave Mike and Katrina some of her clienst as an effort to gave them mpore experience but at the same time Bastiana to have more free time for herself while Dana took some of her most rich and important clients.
She stopped drinking, eat fast food and cut the smoking, water and tea became the new drug for her and the gym her second home especially the boxing ring. She fucusing all the stress and the anger of a bad day at the bag and not a person it made her feel better ,it nade her more calmer and collected someting ta people had been noticed back then.
They had noticed the changes in her behaviour or her leaving from work early or coming in late. Flinched every time someone was near. Or had very noticeable limp. Everyone noticed there wasn't the same degree of manipulation, of careful, conniving collusion behind her eyes when talked to new clients , insteand be in courtrooms she prefered to sent Mike or Dana , she became more opened in others people' opinios especially from their new recruiting. She withdrawed herself form the position of the managing partner leaving Travis or Amy speak for her , Mike became her representative having to travell around the world to meet the clients instead of her. Jessica had no problem with that believing that it will be for a short time but after three years nothing had changed.
She still had prefered to spent her morning with her children's instead been in a empty and cold office alone, prefered to spoild her grandson every Friday with a walk to the park and ice cream, prefered the company of her siblings instead of meetings and appointments with clients. Wanting to hear her sister-in-law talking about her day at the university or hearing how Logan managed to kick Michael's ass at uno, judging people with Neal at her balcony laughing and yelling , be proud of Sony at his new career as a A.D.A. to the Sex Crimes Bureau replacing Rafael Barba. Babysitting her three years old niece Zenobia Vestia Caffrey and helping Mike to be the greatest lawyer in the whole Manhattan.
Spending time with her family Bastiana figure out who much time she had missed , all those years be away from them because of her grandmother became more years because of Bastiana , because she put the work over her family, That she prefered to be in a cold office alone with all those files instead to be in the comfort of her family, she missed a lot of birthdays, parties and anniversary's because of the stupindness.
It's not love, at first. It's just - fascination. Harvey Specter was the was the first person no the first fucking person who stand up to her and pushed her buttons. He was challenge. The man was stubborn, compassionate. He didn't back down from any challenge. He was dangerous but he had a huge heart. He was beautiful, but he also has brains.
It's just... exciting.
But it was not love.
Remembering Harvey coming into her hospital room every day begging her to wake up, saying that he love her and what it she made him feel.
It was not love, it wasn't
She could felt his eyes on her every day in the office lusting after her, wanting to talk her, wanting to touch her. He made a lot of attempts to each her without results, having Bastiana ignore him or yelling at him to leave her alone.
Remember Harvey knocking her door at 4 pm wanting to see her, crying, telling her 'I love you, again and again until the sun came out. Pouring his heart out just for her, Bastiana to the other side of the door siting to the floor with her back against the wood hearing him, tears in the eyes, glass around the floor.
Remembered the pause of his and those words
His last words.
I'm done trying to get you. I can't do it anymore. I'm sorry it's taken me this long to figure it out, but I promise... I'm done making a fool of myself.
Those words where the last things that say to her. The next day the man that Bastiana met wasn't Harvey Specter, this man was was focused. He wasn't cruel or mean persay. His attitude could be classified as cordial. But other than greetings or responses to questions, while he didn't go out of his way to avoid her, he didn't seek her out either.
He was polite and cordial. He answered questions or engaged in conversation. But as soon as he saw her, his spine would straighten and he would excuse himself.
He stopped calling her Bastiana, hearing his calling her 'Miss Wolf' was like a knife in the heart, It was like the chasm that separated Harvey from her all just got wider. Bastiana knew she deserved what she got.
Still have in her ears the sound of her heart breaking when she saw them. Holding hands, kissing and laughing like those couple of romantic movies. Shhe may never returned the feeling because of fear but it was hard for her knowing he'd had been with Donna, despite how much he claimed he loved her but it was better for everyone as Harvey and Donna fit together like puzzle pieces, or that's what she's tried to tell herself anyway.
It was better for everyone. Better for her.
Walking out of a cafeteria intentionally ran into someone's back.
Gibbs thinking about the last hous of his life. Thinking about his first Agent.
Tony had changed over the years, not something too noticeable for most, but glaringly obvious for Gibbs. The young man was always around, only a step away in case Gibbs needed anything. So, of course AGubbs would notice the downward tilt of his lips, the tired bags under his eyes and his forced smiles.
He noticed all those things. But what got to him the most were his eyes: no longer bright blue-green with mischief but dulled with a darkness Gibbs could not understand. He wished he could. Something had clearly happened to cheat his agent of his happiness and no matter how much he tried Gibbs could not pinpoint it. Asking was no use either, gone were the days the Gibbs had thought his agent an open book.
He didn't blame him after all, after the Mexico, Gibbs Gibbs started to depend more on the other members of his team. Teaming them up together even, when it would have been smarter for either of them to have been teamed up with a seasoned agent. He and Tony stopped teaming up as much. Gibbs didn't ask for Tony's input as much. He stopped relying on the expertise of one of his greatest resources.
The man was so deep in his thought that he didn't saw her.
"He watch your.." she began but he cut her off.
"You'' Gibbs growled unable to hide his anger. That got him Bastiana's attention back.
Bastiana licked her lips and casually swept ice blue eyes quickly over the man's sleek muscular form before giving a charming smile," ' Agent Gibbs, what a nice surprise ''
The way she spoke his name send shivers through his spine.
" You shouldn't be in a court room doing your job? "Gibbs asks carefully, trying to keep his voice steady." You know!. Let the bad guys walks out, the bad guys which I caught!'
Bastiana's smile faltered as she looked Gibbs in the eyes
'' Only that ? And here I thought you would look... a little more... terrifying.'' Bastiana mocked.
Through Gibbs shoked face an little smile slipped through.
Now it was unbearable from where Tony took his sense of humor. The young man had always an talent to never lose his humor and keep his sass attitude.
Bastiana glanced back at Gibbs, laughing when she saw his shocked expression.
When he looking at her like that, she was trying hard to hold in her laughter.
A moment passes before their eyes meet, the glimmer in Gibbs' eyes falling onto the smirk pulling on Bastiana 's lips.
"I needed a good laugh!" she smirked down at her before she turned her face to Gibbs again."But my behavior was so rude and I would like to ap..."
"Never apologize," Gibbs said gruffly. "It's-"
"-a sign of weakness?" Bastiana finished the sentence, managing a small smile.
Silence ran through the air again, almost making Bastiana laugh.
The corner on his mouth twitched upward. "Jethro Gibbs"
"Bastiana Wolf ."She said.
Gibbs' gaze flashed in her direction, amusement wrote all over his usually stoic face. "A pleasure, I'm sure."
"Likewise."
Gibbs looked at her like she was an enigma. appeared to be a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. In a word, she was just the sort of challenge that appealed to Gibbs.
A challenge that saw fit to face him directly.