FF: Cross Roads 10
Title: Cross Roads
Chapter: 10
Summary: Life is never easy and is forever tossing curve balls. Gibbs has been caught in the explosion, but what is happening with everyone else. This is a SlashMPreg story, nothing to graphic but rating may change as the story continues.
TV Show: NCIS
Characters: DiNozzo/Gibbs, Ducky, Ziva, McGee, Abby, Jen
Disclaimer: I don't own them, only wish that I did.
A/N: This is a work in progress, not sure how far it will go, but hopefully it's worth the ride!
Chapter Ten.
She stood staring out the window of Tony’s hospital room as her mind wandered over the events of the past few months, and today’s revelations. She couldn’t believe that she had been so blind to what had been in front of her. How could she have missed something so important, she had been a damn good investigator, had had one of the best teachers, and yet when it had mattered most she had been oblivious.
Ok so Gibbs had always said that Tony was one of the best undercover operatives that he’d ever seen, and she’d seen it for herself, but even so.
Looking back she could see the signs, they had been there but she’d been so caught up in herself that she’d ignored them and had simply added to his load. Even when Ziva had come to her with her worries about Tony, she’d simply brushed her off and continued burying her head in the sand. She had to admit to herself now that she was hurting because of Gibbs leaving, and to stop herself dealing with his leaving and her feelings she’d buried herself in her work and her hunt for the Frog.
Yes she still had feelings for one Leroy Jethro Gibbs, second 'b' for bastard. What they had had together in Paris had been intense, and every lover that she'd had since him had been compared and found wantingly lacking. But their time had long since past and it had been her fault. When she'd come back as the director, she'd secretly hoped that she would be able to rekindle what they had shared, but he had told her that it wouldn't happen, and then she'd found out why.
It had hurt. Badly.
At first she had taken her feelings out on Tony, but it hadn't lasted long. She'd been able to see how happy Tony made Gibbs, and in the end that was too important to her. So she'd found herself running interference for them, not that there was even too much of that, they were both well respected.
She smiled as she remembered Ziva’s visit. She’d been shocked to discover that Tony was pregnant, but once the shock had warn off she was excited, and had spent a while stirring Tony up about being a father. Ziva had stayed for a while after Tony had fallen asleep again and then Jenny had had the chance to speak to Ziva had for a while. Ziva had told her everything that she knew had happened that day, and they’d spoken about Gibbs for a while as well.
But she had sent Ziva home to get some sleep, and now she found herself alone with a sleeping Tony and her thoughts.
She had much to do and plan, but she kept coming back to what both Ziva and Abby had told her about Gibbs not staying. It had taken her over two hours to calm Abby down enough to get the full story from her about what had happened in her lab, and she'd made a mental note to herself to make sure she never got on her bad side, she was almost scarier than Gibbs when she was pissed off at someone.
She knew that she couldn't let him go again, not without a fight. She knew she had to find a way to make him stay, Tony needed him more now than ever, even if he wouldn't admit it to anyone.
She was drawn out of her thoughts by a sound at the door, and the sight that greeted her was almost enough to make her smile. Gibbs was standing just inside the doorway looking over at the bed where Tony was sleeping. The look on his face was so tender, she wished that he'd look at her that way, but again, she knew that her time with him had long since past. She could also see the worry on his face as he took in the machines that were around Tony's bed, monitoring both him and the baby.
Even in sleep Tony had been restless and had kept waking up, but at the moment he looked to be at peace curled up on his side, one hand resting gently on his stomach and the other curled around the ultrasound picture and tucked under the pillow.
Jenny had been thrilled when he'd shown it to her first, knew that he hadn't shown anyone else yet, wanting to keep it to himself for just a little while. He'd also shown Abby later and she'd squealed happily and hugged him and then told him that she wanted a copy of the pictures for a scrap book she was making for him and the baby.
That had been them most relaxed Jenny could remember seeing Tony since before Gibbs had left and again she had wondered how she had missed that something had been so wrong with Tony.
But now as she watched Gibbs looking at Tony she wondered if her job might have just become that little bit easier.
"Jethro."
Gibbs looked at her briefly before turning his attention back to Tony. "What's wrong with him?"
He'd spoken so quietly that she almost hadn't heard him.
She moved from her position by the window back towards the bed as Tony stirred for the first time in an hour. She'd hoped that he'd rest peacefully for while longer. If he was having this much trouble getting some decent sleep with the drugs the doctors had him on then she wondered if he'd been sleeping at all on his own.
She was about to reach out to Tony but Gibbs had moved before she was close enough and she saw that Tony relaxed immediately at the feel of his lovers hand gently stroking his hair. To her it seemed like such a natural move for both of them, one that had been repeated often. Her resolve to not let Gibbs leave again hardened. There was no way in hell she was going to let him just walk out on them all again, on Tony especially.
Gibbs had barely taken his eyes off of Tony since he'd entered the room. He hadn't expected anyone to be there, it was well after visiting hours after all. He'd left it so long because he hadn't wanted to run into anyone. Especially not Abby or Ducky, he had a feeling that if he had seen either of them he would have been thrown out. He had to admit to himself that if he had to run into anyone here he was relieved that it was Jenny.
He hadn't been ready to see Tony laying there surrounded by all the medical equipment. He was never ready for that. But he was relieved that whatever was wrong didn't seem to be too serious. He saw Tony start to stir and reached out to sooth him. He knew that Tony rarely slept easily or well, but he'd learnt early on in their relationship that Tony tended to rest a lot easier whenever he was there by his side. A gentle touch or a whispered word were usually enough to keep the nightmares and dreams at bay.
The simple touch was again enough to quiet Tony's sleep, but it also had a calming effect on himself that he hadn't anticipated. For the first time since he'd woken up in the hospital he felt calm, at peace and more importantly, whole. He'd known that something was missing, and the brief touch he'd shared with Tony when he'd handed over his badge and gun had been almost electric and had haunted his dreams. But this was so much more. This was an affirmation, this was where he was meant to be.
He looked around the equipment as he waited for Jen to answer him. Taking it all in for the first time. When his attention was caught by a monitor.
"He's going to be fine Jethro." She spoke quietly so she wouldn't wake Tony. "Dr. Pitt said it was a combination of things, they're going to keep him in for a couple of days, just to keep an eye on him."
She watched him as he looked over the monitors that were beside Tony's bed, and noticed that his attention was held by the one that was monitoring both Tony's and the baby's heart rates.
"So Abby and Ziva were telling me that you aren't staying." She watched his face carefully and saw a flicker of something cross his face. "Can I ask why?"
"I had my reasons." Gibbs said, he tore his eyes away from the monitors. He needed some answers. "What's wrong with Tony, why all the monitors Jen?"
"Oh no you don't Jethro, you don't disappear in the middle of the night without a word to anyone and then simply say I had my reasons. And it's not up to me to tell you what is wrong with Tony. He deserves the opportunity to decide if he even wants you to know."
"But you know don't you Jen." Gibbs stared her in the eye. He waited for her nod before pointing to the monitors. "That's Tony's heart beat, and that's another one, a baby's? Is Tony pregnant?"
She knew she shouldn't have been surprised that he'd worked it out. But she couldn't help herself. She found herself nodding and glancing at Tony as he stirred again.
"How long have you known? Why didn't Ziva tell me?"
"Calm down Jethro," she moved around the bed so that she could reach out to him, Tony needed to sleep and he wasn't going to be able to do that if Jethro was getting so worked up where Tony could hear him. "The only people who knew before today were Abby and Ducky. The rest of us only found out today when Dr. Pitt told us what was wrong with Tony."
Gibbs laughed.
"I find that hard to believe, she was able to find me but she didn't know that Tony was pregnant? Do you really expect me to believe that none of you knew?"
"Jethro!" She knew that this wasn't helping anyone. "Ziva didn't know, she only found out a couple of hours ago, and I made her promise that she wouldn't tell you."
Gibbs shook his head.
"Look I know that her loyalty lies with you, and that she'd do just about anything for you, but this isn't just about you. As for her not knowing, she knew that there was something, as did you before your amnesia, but she didn't know what and he wouldn't tell her. That was why she called you instead of going to Tony for help. You have no idea how hard it's been for him without you there Jethro. You have no right to be angry at him. He's had so much to deal with since you ended up in hospital Jethro, and he's shouldered it all and more without a word. He's stepped up to the plate and led your team, kept them together after you left, taken their frustration and teasing without a word. Your leaving left a hole in not just your team, but the whole building, and Tony stepped up to fill that whole, and he did a damn fine job at it. Even when everyone kept comparing him to you, reminding him that he wasn't you and that you weren't there. He did you proud Jethro, don't you ever doubt it."
Gibbs was quiet for a moment as he took in what Jenny had just said. He felt his heart clench again as he realised just how hard it must have been for his lover. He wanted to go to Tony and crawl into bed with him and just hold him, but the knowledge of how much he'd hurt Tony was also there. And he hadn't just hurt him the once, he'd done it repeatedly. He wished to god that he had all of his memories, but he didn't, but there was something stirring at the edge of his memory, playing with him, telling him that fixing things with Tony was not going to be easy. But seeing Tony, touching him was so right, he knew that he had to fight for him, had to make it up to him and maybe, just maybe be with Tony again as his whole body and soul was screaming out for him to be.
"Tony is good at what he does, really good. That was part of the reason you hired him in the first place. And part of what he is really good at is undercover work Jethro. He's good at hiding in plain sight, even from those who love him. Do you really think that any of us would have known his secret without him wanting us to? When you left, Tony stepped up and took control, made sure that everyone else was ok, and we all let him down. While he was taking care of all of us, we forgot to look out for him. Apart from Abby and Ducky that is, but he never once complained or asked for someone else to do a job, never turned down any work that was thrown at him. He played his part well Jethro, to well, the only people who saw through his mask were Ducky and Abby. So now it's time for all of us to put him first."
Gibbs sank down onto a chair that was next to Tony's bed and looked closely at his lover. He didn't think he'd seen Tony look this bad since he'd been recovering from the plague just over a year ago. He looked so tired and fragile. He looked over at the monitors that were tracking Tony's and the baby's heart beats.
"You have a plan."
She smiled. Trust him to get straight to the point.
"What do you need me to do?"
"You need to stay."
Gibbs simply nodded and reached out to take Tony's hand.
"You need to come back to NCIS."
"I can't just come back Jen, he's the leader now, I can't just take that away from him."
"Jethro, we all need you to come back," she said gently, "yes he's earned the team, but there is more to think about now. Besides he'll have to start taking it easier, another couple of months and he'll have to ride a desk if he doesn't take early paternity leave. The team need you, Tony needs you, to come back and lead them."
Gibbs sighed and nodded.
Jenny felt like she had just won a war. She had gotten Gibbs to agree to stay. She stood behind him and laid her hands on his shoulders. Giving him support and comfort. She knew that this was going to be difficult, but ultimately she knew that it would be the best for both of them.
"I'm going to leave you two alone, I need some sleep." Jenny said as she gave Gibbs shoulders one last squeeze. She moved to collect her bag and coat from the other side of the room and looked once more at Tony who had settled back down again now that Gibbs was holding his hand. For the first time in over a month things felt right. "Abby will probably be here early, she said she was going to check on Tony before she went to work, and I wouldn't be surprised if the others didn't show up as well."
Gibbs looked at her and gave a small smile, he knew that she was giving him a warning, and he appreciated it.
Chapter: 10
Summary: Life is never easy and is forever tossing curve balls. Gibbs has been caught in the explosion, but what is happening with everyone else. This is a SlashMPreg story, nothing to graphic but rating may change as the story continues.
TV Show: NCIS
Characters: DiNozzo/Gibbs, Ducky, Ziva, McGee, Abby, Jen
Disclaimer: I don't own them, only wish that I did.
A/N: This is a work in progress, not sure how far it will go, but hopefully it's worth the ride!
Chapter Ten.
She stood staring out the window of Tony’s hospital room as her mind wandered over the events of the past few months, and today’s revelations. She couldn’t believe that she had been so blind to what had been in front of her. How could she have missed something so important, she had been a damn good investigator, had had one of the best teachers, and yet when it had mattered most she had been oblivious.
Ok so Gibbs had always said that Tony was one of the best undercover operatives that he’d ever seen, and she’d seen it for herself, but even so.
Looking back she could see the signs, they had been there but she’d been so caught up in herself that she’d ignored them and had simply added to his load. Even when Ziva had come to her with her worries about Tony, she’d simply brushed her off and continued burying her head in the sand. She had to admit to herself now that she was hurting because of Gibbs leaving, and to stop herself dealing with his leaving and her feelings she’d buried herself in her work and her hunt for the Frog.
Yes she still had feelings for one Leroy Jethro Gibbs, second 'b' for bastard. What they had had together in Paris had been intense, and every lover that she'd had since him had been compared and found wantingly lacking. But their time had long since past and it had been her fault. When she'd come back as the director, she'd secretly hoped that she would be able to rekindle what they had shared, but he had told her that it wouldn't happen, and then she'd found out why.
It had hurt. Badly.
At first she had taken her feelings out on Tony, but it hadn't lasted long. She'd been able to see how happy Tony made Gibbs, and in the end that was too important to her. So she'd found herself running interference for them, not that there was even too much of that, they were both well respected.
She smiled as she remembered Ziva’s visit. She’d been shocked to discover that Tony was pregnant, but once the shock had warn off she was excited, and had spent a while stirring Tony up about being a father. Ziva had stayed for a while after Tony had fallen asleep again and then Jenny had had the chance to speak to Ziva had for a while. Ziva had told her everything that she knew had happened that day, and they’d spoken about Gibbs for a while as well.
But she had sent Ziva home to get some sleep, and now she found herself alone with a sleeping Tony and her thoughts.
She had much to do and plan, but she kept coming back to what both Ziva and Abby had told her about Gibbs not staying. It had taken her over two hours to calm Abby down enough to get the full story from her about what had happened in her lab, and she'd made a mental note to herself to make sure she never got on her bad side, she was almost scarier than Gibbs when she was pissed off at someone.
She knew that she couldn't let him go again, not without a fight. She knew she had to find a way to make him stay, Tony needed him more now than ever, even if he wouldn't admit it to anyone.
She was drawn out of her thoughts by a sound at the door, and the sight that greeted her was almost enough to make her smile. Gibbs was standing just inside the doorway looking over at the bed where Tony was sleeping. The look on his face was so tender, she wished that he'd look at her that way, but again, she knew that her time with him had long since past. She could also see the worry on his face as he took in the machines that were around Tony's bed, monitoring both him and the baby.
Even in sleep Tony had been restless and had kept waking up, but at the moment he looked to be at peace curled up on his side, one hand resting gently on his stomach and the other curled around the ultrasound picture and tucked under the pillow.
Jenny had been thrilled when he'd shown it to her first, knew that he hadn't shown anyone else yet, wanting to keep it to himself for just a little while. He'd also shown Abby later and she'd squealed happily and hugged him and then told him that she wanted a copy of the pictures for a scrap book she was making for him and the baby.
That had been them most relaxed Jenny could remember seeing Tony since before Gibbs had left and again she had wondered how she had missed that something had been so wrong with Tony.
But now as she watched Gibbs looking at Tony she wondered if her job might have just become that little bit easier.
"Jethro."
Gibbs looked at her briefly before turning his attention back to Tony. "What's wrong with him?"
He'd spoken so quietly that she almost hadn't heard him.
She moved from her position by the window back towards the bed as Tony stirred for the first time in an hour. She'd hoped that he'd rest peacefully for while longer. If he was having this much trouble getting some decent sleep with the drugs the doctors had him on then she wondered if he'd been sleeping at all on his own.
She was about to reach out to Tony but Gibbs had moved before she was close enough and she saw that Tony relaxed immediately at the feel of his lovers hand gently stroking his hair. To her it seemed like such a natural move for both of them, one that had been repeated often. Her resolve to not let Gibbs leave again hardened. There was no way in hell she was going to let him just walk out on them all again, on Tony especially.
Gibbs had barely taken his eyes off of Tony since he'd entered the room. He hadn't expected anyone to be there, it was well after visiting hours after all. He'd left it so long because he hadn't wanted to run into anyone. Especially not Abby or Ducky, he had a feeling that if he had seen either of them he would have been thrown out. He had to admit to himself that if he had to run into anyone here he was relieved that it was Jenny.
He hadn't been ready to see Tony laying there surrounded by all the medical equipment. He was never ready for that. But he was relieved that whatever was wrong didn't seem to be too serious. He saw Tony start to stir and reached out to sooth him. He knew that Tony rarely slept easily or well, but he'd learnt early on in their relationship that Tony tended to rest a lot easier whenever he was there by his side. A gentle touch or a whispered word were usually enough to keep the nightmares and dreams at bay.
The simple touch was again enough to quiet Tony's sleep, but it also had a calming effect on himself that he hadn't anticipated. For the first time since he'd woken up in the hospital he felt calm, at peace and more importantly, whole. He'd known that something was missing, and the brief touch he'd shared with Tony when he'd handed over his badge and gun had been almost electric and had haunted his dreams. But this was so much more. This was an affirmation, this was where he was meant to be.
He looked around the equipment as he waited for Jen to answer him. Taking it all in for the first time. When his attention was caught by a monitor.
"He's going to be fine Jethro." She spoke quietly so she wouldn't wake Tony. "Dr. Pitt said it was a combination of things, they're going to keep him in for a couple of days, just to keep an eye on him."
She watched him as he looked over the monitors that were beside Tony's bed, and noticed that his attention was held by the one that was monitoring both Tony's and the baby's heart rates.
"So Abby and Ziva were telling me that you aren't staying." She watched his face carefully and saw a flicker of something cross his face. "Can I ask why?"
"I had my reasons." Gibbs said, he tore his eyes away from the monitors. He needed some answers. "What's wrong with Tony, why all the monitors Jen?"
"Oh no you don't Jethro, you don't disappear in the middle of the night without a word to anyone and then simply say I had my reasons. And it's not up to me to tell you what is wrong with Tony. He deserves the opportunity to decide if he even wants you to know."
"But you know don't you Jen." Gibbs stared her in the eye. He waited for her nod before pointing to the monitors. "That's Tony's heart beat, and that's another one, a baby's? Is Tony pregnant?"
She knew she shouldn't have been surprised that he'd worked it out. But she couldn't help herself. She found herself nodding and glancing at Tony as he stirred again.
"How long have you known? Why didn't Ziva tell me?"
"Calm down Jethro," she moved around the bed so that she could reach out to him, Tony needed to sleep and he wasn't going to be able to do that if Jethro was getting so worked up where Tony could hear him. "The only people who knew before today were Abby and Ducky. The rest of us only found out today when Dr. Pitt told us what was wrong with Tony."
Gibbs laughed.
"I find that hard to believe, she was able to find me but she didn't know that Tony was pregnant? Do you really expect me to believe that none of you knew?"
"Jethro!" She knew that this wasn't helping anyone. "Ziva didn't know, she only found out a couple of hours ago, and I made her promise that she wouldn't tell you."
Gibbs shook his head.
"Look I know that her loyalty lies with you, and that she'd do just about anything for you, but this isn't just about you. As for her not knowing, she knew that there was something, as did you before your amnesia, but she didn't know what and he wouldn't tell her. That was why she called you instead of going to Tony for help. You have no idea how hard it's been for him without you there Jethro. You have no right to be angry at him. He's had so much to deal with since you ended up in hospital Jethro, and he's shouldered it all and more without a word. He's stepped up to the plate and led your team, kept them together after you left, taken their frustration and teasing without a word. Your leaving left a hole in not just your team, but the whole building, and Tony stepped up to fill that whole, and he did a damn fine job at it. Even when everyone kept comparing him to you, reminding him that he wasn't you and that you weren't there. He did you proud Jethro, don't you ever doubt it."
Gibbs was quiet for a moment as he took in what Jenny had just said. He felt his heart clench again as he realised just how hard it must have been for his lover. He wanted to go to Tony and crawl into bed with him and just hold him, but the knowledge of how much he'd hurt Tony was also there. And he hadn't just hurt him the once, he'd done it repeatedly. He wished to god that he had all of his memories, but he didn't, but there was something stirring at the edge of his memory, playing with him, telling him that fixing things with Tony was not going to be easy. But seeing Tony, touching him was so right, he knew that he had to fight for him, had to make it up to him and maybe, just maybe be with Tony again as his whole body and soul was screaming out for him to be.
"Tony is good at what he does, really good. That was part of the reason you hired him in the first place. And part of what he is really good at is undercover work Jethro. He's good at hiding in plain sight, even from those who love him. Do you really think that any of us would have known his secret without him wanting us to? When you left, Tony stepped up and took control, made sure that everyone else was ok, and we all let him down. While he was taking care of all of us, we forgot to look out for him. Apart from Abby and Ducky that is, but he never once complained or asked for someone else to do a job, never turned down any work that was thrown at him. He played his part well Jethro, to well, the only people who saw through his mask were Ducky and Abby. So now it's time for all of us to put him first."
Gibbs sank down onto a chair that was next to Tony's bed and looked closely at his lover. He didn't think he'd seen Tony look this bad since he'd been recovering from the plague just over a year ago. He looked so tired and fragile. He looked over at the monitors that were tracking Tony's and the baby's heart beats.
"You have a plan."
She smiled. Trust him to get straight to the point.
"What do you need me to do?"
"You need to stay."
Gibbs simply nodded and reached out to take Tony's hand.
"You need to come back to NCIS."
"I can't just come back Jen, he's the leader now, I can't just take that away from him."
"Jethro, we all need you to come back," she said gently, "yes he's earned the team, but there is more to think about now. Besides he'll have to start taking it easier, another couple of months and he'll have to ride a desk if he doesn't take early paternity leave. The team need you, Tony needs you, to come back and lead them."
Gibbs sighed and nodded.
Jenny felt like she had just won a war. She had gotten Gibbs to agree to stay. She stood behind him and laid her hands on his shoulders. Giving him support and comfort. She knew that this was going to be difficult, but ultimately she knew that it would be the best for both of them.
"I'm going to leave you two alone, I need some sleep." Jenny said as she gave Gibbs shoulders one last squeeze. She moved to collect her bag and coat from the other side of the room and looked once more at Tony who had settled back down again now that Gibbs was holding his hand. For the first time in over a month things felt right. "Abby will probably be here early, she said she was going to check on Tony before she went to work, and I wouldn't be surprised if the others didn't show up as well."
Gibbs looked at her and gave a small smile, he knew that she was giving him a warning, and he appreciated it.