More Things In Heaven And Earth. by Ashleigh Anpilova
TITLE: More Things In Heaven And Earth
AUTHOR: Ashleigh Anpilova
PAIRING: Anthony/DiNozzo/Maddie Tyler
GENRE: Het
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Set after Requiem. DiNozzo gets a surprise visitor.
CHALLENGE Amnesty 2008 - 'More Things In Heaven And Earth'
WORD COUNT: 937
SPOILERS: Requiem
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, nor am I making any money from them. I merely borrow them from time to time.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
HAMLET - ACT I SCENE V
Tony sprawled on the couch, a bottle of beer in one hand, the TV remote in the other. He'd been sitting there for half an hour and the beer was still untouched and he'd seen nothing on the TV, even though he'd spent the time flicking from channel to channel.
Following Ducky's suggestion, make that order, he'd reluctantly gone to the hospital to be checked over to see if the filthy, cold water he'd plunged into - twice - had caused any problems to his lungs. It hadn't. In fact according to the ER doctor, there had no evidence to show that he had leaped into the freezing, dirty water.
Which had to be good, didn't it?
Suddenly he wasn't so sure. Suddenly, irrationally, absurdly, stupidly, he wanted some kind of evidence that the events of the day had actually happened.
He shook himself; what the hell was he thinking?
He was about to . . . He wasn't sure what he'd been about to do, when the door bell rang. Unsure as to whether he wanted to see anyone, but telling himself it might be important - he wouldn't put it past Ducky to pay him a visit to make sure he had been to the hospital and was still alive and kicking - he went to open the door.
"Oh," he said, blinking in surprise as he stared down at his visitor.
"Special delivery!" she chirped, smiling up at him as she held a large take-out pizza box for him to see. After a few seconds of him just staring at her, she said, her tone no longer chirpy, "Um, is this a bad time?"
"What? No. No. Come in. I was just surprised to see you. How did you know where I lived?" He moved back and let her come in, shutting and locking the door behind her, noting that she was even more attractive up close than she'd been in the squad room.
"Jethro," she said, smiling again.
"Gibbs? You asked Gibbs where I lived?"
"Of course."
"But why?"
"Well, I wanted to come and say thank you and -"
"Thank you?" He led the way into his living room. "Beer?"
"Yes, thanks, that'd be nice. Er, for saving my life. Tony?" She put a tentative hand on his arm as he gave a harsh laugh.
"Sorry," he said, gently shaking her off as he strode into the kitchen and grabbed two beers from the icebox. He flipped the top of both, took them back and handed one to her. "I suppose I should say 'you're welcome'."
She took the bottle but didn't drink. "I think I had better go. I've obviously come at a bad time and -"
"Don't go." He found himself saying the words without thinking.
She looked at him. "Look, maybe I'm out of line, but you don't look or sound like a man who saved two people's lives today."
"Maybe that's because I didn't."
"Tony?"
"Look, Maddie, I didn't save you or Gibbs. Not really. Sure I got you both out of the water, but everything else I screwed up. I don't know why. God I'm trained in CPR, but . . . I screwed up, Maddie, big time. And yet you're both still alive. And Gibbs certainly shouldn't be. You, maybe, but . . ." He trailed off and took a long swallow. "I did everything wrong," he whispered. "Why are you both alive?"
She looked at him and then, without being invited, sat down on the couch and said quietly, "'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.'"
"Huh?"
"Hamlet said it. Hamlet; Shakespeare."
"Oh, yeah. Of course. But, I don't . . . I was a jock, Maddie. A Phys Ed major; never cared much for Literature."
She smiled. "Basically he was saying that human knowledge is limited; we don't know everything. There is more to many things, more to humanity, than we can even dream of, let alone understand, believe in, accept even."
"Okay, but I still don't get why you quoted that after what I said."
She shrugged and sipped her beer. "Maybe Kelly was looking out for her daddy and her best friend." She spoke quietly, but her tone was serious.
He looked at her, not sure if to laugh or scoff at what she'd said. Then memories of how badly he'd performed flooded back to him, as did the ER doctor's comments. It couldn't be? Kelly was dead, had been dead for years, and yet . . .
And yet there was no way on this earth that Gibbs should be alive - he knew that. Every part of him knew that. But the boss was alive. As was the beautiful young woman sitting opposite him. Very much alive.
He shook himself. "Maybe she was. Yeah, why not? Gibbs is alive and you're alive, that's all that matters; not why you're alive. Now did you mention something about a special delivery?"
She smiled and looked at the box she'd tossed onto the coffee table. "I did. But I'm afraid it might be rather cold by now." She opened the box. "Ooops," she said. "I knew I should have secured it when I put it on the back seat."
He looked down at what he knew was meant to be some kind of pizza, but actually looked like a piece of abstract art. "I tell you what," he said, standing up. "How about I buy you dinner."
She smiled up at him. "I'd like that, Tony," she said. "I'd like that very much indeed."
AUTHOR: Ashleigh Anpilova
PAIRING: Anthony/DiNozzo/Maddie Tyler
GENRE: Het
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Set after Requiem. DiNozzo gets a surprise visitor.
CHALLENGE Amnesty 2008 - 'More Things In Heaven And Earth'
WORD COUNT: 937
SPOILERS: Requiem
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, nor am I making any money from them. I merely borrow them from time to time.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
HAMLET - ACT I SCENE V
Tony sprawled on the couch, a bottle of beer in one hand, the TV remote in the other. He'd been sitting there for half an hour and the beer was still untouched and he'd seen nothing on the TV, even though he'd spent the time flicking from channel to channel.
Following Ducky's suggestion, make that order, he'd reluctantly gone to the hospital to be checked over to see if the filthy, cold water he'd plunged into - twice - had caused any problems to his lungs. It hadn't. In fact according to the ER doctor, there had no evidence to show that he had leaped into the freezing, dirty water.
Which had to be good, didn't it?
Suddenly he wasn't so sure. Suddenly, irrationally, absurdly, stupidly, he wanted some kind of evidence that the events of the day had actually happened.
He shook himself; what the hell was he thinking?
He was about to . . . He wasn't sure what he'd been about to do, when the door bell rang. Unsure as to whether he wanted to see anyone, but telling himself it might be important - he wouldn't put it past Ducky to pay him a visit to make sure he had been to the hospital and was still alive and kicking - he went to open the door.
"Oh," he said, blinking in surprise as he stared down at his visitor.
"Special delivery!" she chirped, smiling up at him as she held a large take-out pizza box for him to see. After a few seconds of him just staring at her, she said, her tone no longer chirpy, "Um, is this a bad time?"
"What? No. No. Come in. I was just surprised to see you. How did you know where I lived?" He moved back and let her come in, shutting and locking the door behind her, noting that she was even more attractive up close than she'd been in the squad room.
"Jethro," she said, smiling again.
"Gibbs? You asked Gibbs where I lived?"
"Of course."
"But why?"
"Well, I wanted to come and say thank you and -"
"Thank you?" He led the way into his living room. "Beer?"
"Yes, thanks, that'd be nice. Er, for saving my life. Tony?" She put a tentative hand on his arm as he gave a harsh laugh.
"Sorry," he said, gently shaking her off as he strode into the kitchen and grabbed two beers from the icebox. He flipped the top of both, took them back and handed one to her. "I suppose I should say 'you're welcome'."
She took the bottle but didn't drink. "I think I had better go. I've obviously come at a bad time and -"
"Don't go." He found himself saying the words without thinking.
She looked at him. "Look, maybe I'm out of line, but you don't look or sound like a man who saved two people's lives today."
"Maybe that's because I didn't."
"Tony?"
"Look, Maddie, I didn't save you or Gibbs. Not really. Sure I got you both out of the water, but everything else I screwed up. I don't know why. God I'm trained in CPR, but . . . I screwed up, Maddie, big time. And yet you're both still alive. And Gibbs certainly shouldn't be. You, maybe, but . . ." He trailed off and took a long swallow. "I did everything wrong," he whispered. "Why are you both alive?"
She looked at him and then, without being invited, sat down on the couch and said quietly, "'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.'"
"Huh?"
"Hamlet said it. Hamlet; Shakespeare."
"Oh, yeah. Of course. But, I don't . . . I was a jock, Maddie. A Phys Ed major; never cared much for Literature."
She smiled. "Basically he was saying that human knowledge is limited; we don't know everything. There is more to many things, more to humanity, than we can even dream of, let alone understand, believe in, accept even."
"Okay, but I still don't get why you quoted that after what I said."
She shrugged and sipped her beer. "Maybe Kelly was looking out for her daddy and her best friend." She spoke quietly, but her tone was serious.
He looked at her, not sure if to laugh or scoff at what she'd said. Then memories of how badly he'd performed flooded back to him, as did the ER doctor's comments. It couldn't be? Kelly was dead, had been dead for years, and yet . . .
And yet there was no way on this earth that Gibbs should be alive - he knew that. Every part of him knew that. But the boss was alive. As was the beautiful young woman sitting opposite him. Very much alive.
He shook himself. "Maybe she was. Yeah, why not? Gibbs is alive and you're alive, that's all that matters; not why you're alive. Now did you mention something about a special delivery?"
She smiled and looked at the box she'd tossed onto the coffee table. "I did. But I'm afraid it might be rather cold by now." She opened the box. "Ooops," she said. "I knew I should have secured it when I put it on the back seat."
He looked down at what he knew was meant to be some kind of pizza, but actually looked like a piece of abstract art. "I tell you what," he said, standing up. "How about I buy you dinner."
She smiled up at him. "I'd like that, Tony," she said. "I'd like that very much indeed."