Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandoms:
Relationship:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Collections:
Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
Stats:
Published:
2020-11-05
Words:
9,356
Chapters:
1/1
Comments:
15
Kudos:
126
Bookmarks:
25
Hits:
21,917

Movements towards life

Summary:

Gibbs and Tony find themselves in an unusual situation.

The second part will be posted seperately as "Snapshots of a life"

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Gibbs looked up from reading his email to bark a question at DiNozzo about the budget for the team and how quickly Abby seemed to be getting through it. Something in the younger man’s expression as he read his mail made him pause.

 

“DiNozzo.” Gibbs called. Tony looked up, shaking himself as though he had been daydreaming. “If you opened another letter with a biohazard in it you don’t need to worry about blue lights because I’ll kill you right now.”

 

“What?” Tony looked confused and then shook his head once more. “There’s nothing like that in it.” He promised.

 

“Then why do you look so pale?” Ziva and McGee were both watching the exchange now and Tony glanced at them both before shrugging. Gibbs frowned, Tony would normally smile, try to cover it up with a joke.

 

“I just got some news. I…” He paused. “I need to take the afternoon off.” He said, as though it was the last thing he really wanted to do. Tony never took time off; he was almost as bad as Gibbs. He certainly never asked for it at such short notice and it was clear to Gibbs that whatever was in the letter had upset his senior agent.

 

“Fine.” He nodded, they were only reviewing cold cases anyway. It would be good for Ziva and McGee to have to rely solely on the case papers without drawing from Tony’s amazingly good memory on the cases he had been involved with. Tony gathered his things together slowly, the letter he had received was carefully tucked away in the breast of his jacket pocket. Just as he was about to get into the elevator Gibbs stepped up next to him.

 

“Need a refill, boss?” Tony had finally managed to muster up a smile but it was nothing compared to his usual offerings. Gibbs just nodded, letting Tony get away with it for a few moments until the doors slid shut. At the point when Gibbs knew the elevator was between floors he flipped the switch stopping the elevator dead. Tony swallowed. “Look, if you’re going to rip me a new one can it wait until tomorrow? I’ve got a lot of vacation time saved up and we weren’t busy anyway and I really need to try and deal with this today.”

 

“Finished now?” Gibbs asked. Tony sighed and nodded. “Show me.” He held out his hand for the letter. Tony shook his head a little.

 

“It’s nothing, boss.” The lie sounded weak to both of them.

 

“You’re almost 35, Tony.” Gibbs said.

 

“I know.” Tony snapped. “I know.” He repeated, his tone resigned.

 

“So do they.” Gibbs jerked his thumb towards Tony’s pocket. “It’s not just going to go away, Tony. What were you planning to do this afternoon?”

 

“I don’t know.” Tony replied, heatedly, but then all the fight seemed to drain out of him and he slumped back against the wall of the elevator. “I don’t know.” He sighed. “It’s just so unfair. It breaches nearly every human rights act in existence. Just because I never knocked up some girl….”

“Why didn’t you?”

“What?”

“You knew this day was going to come. Why didn’t you just get one of your girlfriends pregnant?” Gibbs asked.

 

“Because…” Tony paused. “Because that’s not fair to them. Having a kid by a guy you barely even know…I know how disturbing the idea of it is.”

 

“What are your options?”

“My what?”

“Options, Tony.” Gibbs said softly. “There must be some.”

 

“I could hope I’m infertile.” Tony replied with a bitter twist of his lips. “But I wasn’t last time I had a medical.”

 

“What else?”

 

“I could find some guy that’s willing to knock me up, or one that isn’t and just get him wasted.” Tony looked resolutely at the floor. “Or I could go along with what they want, let them knock me up with some random guy’s sperm, go through 8 months of pregnancy, hours of labour and then hand over the kid at the end.” Tony stopped and took a shaky breath. “The letter says they want to discuss my ‘fertility’ options but what they mean is that if I’m not pregnant, or at least with someone who meets their standards and planning to get pregnant, by the time I’m 35 then the choice is out of my hands.” Tony’s voice was barely a whisper by the time he had finished telling Gibbs his options.

 

“We’ll figure something out.” Gibbs promised, gripping the younger man’s neck to force him to pay attention. Tony just shook his head with a smile.

 

“This is one mess even you can’t fix, boss.” He said ruefully. “One way or another I’m going to have to have a baby. You should probably start looking.”

“Looking for what?”

 

“Someone to take my place on the team while I’m out on maternity.” Tony shrugged.

 

“It’s a little premature to be talking about that now.” Gibbs reprimanded. He flipped the switch, aware that they had been hogging the elevator for a while. “Go home, Tony. Think things over. We can talk more tomorrow. Don’t even think about running, I will track you down and pregnancy will be the least of your issues.” The elevator doors opened into the parking garage.

 

“I know boss. There’s no point anyway. This is one problem running away won’t solve.”

 

“Did it ever solve any of them?”

 

“No.” Tony admitted.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Abs.” Gibbs caught her just as she was about to leave.

 

“Tony got his letter?” She read him with amazing accuracy, a task only DiNozzo seemed better at. Gibbs just nodded. “Shit.” Gibbs nodded as the young woman cursed, he could understand where she was coming from. “Is he ok?”

 

“He took the afternoon off. Went home to think.”

 

“Is Ducky going to meet us?”

 

“I thought we could discuss it in his office.” Gibbs corrected. “Less people wander into the morgue.” She nodded her agreement and they made their way silently to the morgue, ending up in Ducky’s office where the older gentleman was waiting patiently.

 

“You look like you’re the one who’s had the bad news, Jethro.” He commented. Having finally softened after Gibbs’ return from Mexico, although it had taken a while, Gibbs and Ducky’s easy friendship was almost back to where it had been.

 

“He is.” Abby replied. Gibbs glared at her but there was no real heat behind it.

 

“I don’t like to see my people hurt.”

 

“No one’s going to hurt Tony.” Ducky promised, as though he were trying to soothe a child.

 

“They’re going to impregnate him with sperm from a guy he’s never met, make him have the baby and then take it away from him. Which part of this situation isn’t going to hurt him?” Gibbs demanded.

 

“You know the reasoning behind this, Jethro.” Ducky tutted.

 

“I do.” Gibbs agreed. “Doesn’t mean I agree with it. It’s not Tony’s fault that he has whatever gene mutation this is. It’s also not his fault that he’s decided not to have kids yet or that the government has made it compulsory for people who carry the gene to procreate.

 

“You carry it.” Abby said suddenly.

 

“What?” Gibbs asked irritably.

 

“You carry the gene.”

 

“Yeah, but only one.” He frowned. “The law doesn’t apply to me, I’m only a carrier.”

“You only need to be a carrier, Jethro.” Ducky twigged on to Abby’s reasoning.

 

“For what?” Gibbs didn’t like where this was going. Abby sighed.

 

“If Tony doesn’t want to get pregnant by someone he doesn’t even know and have to give up the baby then the only criteria the council can impose is that the person who does get him pregnant is a carrier.”

 

“You want me to get him pregnant?” Gibbs asked.

 

“Don’t tell me it hasn’t crossed your mind, Gibbs.” Abby winked at him, ignoring the dangerous glare she was receiving. “And don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it. Everyone’s thought about sleeping with Tony, he has that effect on people. Even straight guys like McGee, and you are not straight.” Gibbs glare increased tenfold. “Being bi is not straight.” Abby replied, reading him accurately again. “You’re bi, Tony’s bi, you’ve both been lusting after each other for years. Just do it.” She grinned, her pigtails bouncing happily as she celebrated the solution she had found.

 

“Lust is not necessarily a good precursor for parenthood, Abby.” Ducky reprimanded. “Although there is merit to her plan, Jethro.” He added softly.

 

“It’s not a good idea.” Gibbs shook his head.

 

“Why not?” Abby asked. “You don’t want to see Tony hurt. You can help him not get hurt. All the two of you have to do is convince the fertility council that you’ve been together for a while, knock Tony up and voila!” She gave a little flourish. “You and Tony get to deal with all the UST that’s always contaminating the atmosphere whenever you’re around each other, and the council get off Tony’s back.”

 

“And we have a baby together.” Gibbs reminded her.

 

“Yeah. Just think how cute a little Gibbs-DiNozzo baby would be!” She grinned. “Your eyes, his smile. Good at sports, good with people. Good at everything! You and Tony could produce the perfect child!”

 

“Any child the two of them produced would also be sarcastic beyond belief and stubborn as an ox.” Ducky added with a smile. His face became serious suddenly. “What Abby’s suggesting is certainly an option but it is not something to be entered into lightly as you well know, Jethro.” He said, carefully. “You can’t offer this to Tony unless you’re absolutely sure, to take it away from him would be a terrible thing to do.”

 

“You sound like he’s already said yes. He might prefer to take his chances with the council.” Gibbs sighed.

 

“Do you really think young Anthony could carry a child for 8 months and then willingly hand it over. What the council are suggesting is cruel, both to Anthony and the child. What we’re suggesting is a commitment for the rest of your life.” His words were extremely grave. “Think about it carefully. Abby and I won’t breathe a word to anyone. Let us know what you decide though, you’re going to need our help if you decide to go ahead.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Despite what Tony had said Gibbs was still anxiously watching the clock the next morning, hoping that his senior agent had kept his promise not to run. When Tony did step off the elevator he looked like he had barely slept a wink and sat down at his desk heavily.

 

“We got a case?” He asked Gibbs, almost sounding hopeful. Gibbs just shook his head. He’d done a lot of thinking the night before whilst working on his boat and the idea of having a child with Tony had grown on him. The memory of his daughter was still fresh in his mind and although he knew another child could never replace the one he had lost it might come close to healing the damage caused by Kelly’s death. Now he just had to broach the idea to Tony. Gibbs actually found himself felling nervous, this was more than a proposal of marriage. Creating a life together was not something a lawyer could undo a few years down the line.

 

“Did you call the council yesterday?” Gibbs asked, curiously.

 

“No.” Tony looked at his computer screen resolutely, although Gibbs knew it was just powering up. “I was considering my options.”

“How many plane tickets did you nearly buy?”

 

“4.” Tony admitted with a sigh. “I hear the Dominican Republic’s a real nice place to run away to.”

 

“And you have the advantage of being fluent in the language.” Gibbs nodded.

 

“That too.” Tony said brightly. “Unfortunately someone threatened to hunt me down and kick my ass if I ran away so I’m stuck here.”

 

“I don’t make threats, DiNozzo.”

 

“I know, boss. That’s why I’m still here.”

 

“Actually you’re not.”

 

“What?” Tony looked confused.

 

“We’re both taking the day off. We have some things to discuss.” Gibbs explained. “Get your stuff, I cleared it with the director.”

 

“You told her what it’s about?” Tony asked, looking worried.

 

“What do you think?” Gibbs asked.

 

“Sorry, boss.” Tony looked contrite. “Look, I’m fine, honestly. I don’t need you to baby-sit me. I don’t have any other options than to do what they want.”

 

“That’s what we’re going to discuss.” Gibbs stood by DiNozzo’s desk. “I’m not going to say it again, Tony, get your stuff.”

 

“On it, boss.” Tony couldn’t help but respond when Gibbs used that tone of voice and the older man shook his head with a fond smile.

 

“Good, McGee, you’re here.” Gibbs nodded as his youngest agent arrived at his desk. “You and Ziva keep working on those cold cases. Tony and I will see you tomorrow. I don’t want to hear from you unless there’s an emergency. And by that I mean someone very important dies or something gets blown up. Got it?”

 

“Sure thing, boss.” McGee, to his credit, managed to mask his curiosity fairly well.

 

“Let’s go.” Gibbs insisted, ushering DiNozzo ahead of him as though he was afraid the younger man might bolt.

 

“Where’re we going?” Tony asked when they reached the parking lot. Gibbs hadn’t really thought that far, he realised, cursing himself.

 

“Where do you want to go, Tony?” He asked. Tony looked confused. “Look, we’re going to talk this out so you might as well be comfortable.” Tony frowned for a moment.

 

“Can we go to your place?” He asked almost shyly.

 

“Sure.” Gibbs opened his car door. “I’ll follow you.”

 

“I’m not going to run, Gibbs.” Tony called as he opened his own car. Gibbs just raised an eyebrow and climbed into his car. 20 minutes later they had arrived at Gibbs’ house. Tony had stayed there a few times when his own apartment had needed work doing to it, something that happened more often than not. Tony liked to spend his money on expensive shoes and clothes, which didn’t leave much for rent in a decent apartment complex. Gibbs ushered Tony inside and made him take a seat while he got them drinks. Coffee for himself, of course, and a bottle of water for Tony.

 

“I spoke to Abby and Ducky about this yesterday.” Gibbs began. Tony sighed. “They were expecting it, Tony. We all were.” Gibbs reminded him.

 

“Everyone knows?” Tony asked.

 

“Abby and Ducky do obviously. The Director will know if she’s reviewed your files which we both know she has.” Tony nodded. “Ziva probably knows because of the dossiers she compiled on all of us. McGee…”

“He knows.” Tony said quietly.

 

“You told him?”

 

“Didn’t have much choice.” The younger man sighed. “While you were in Mexico things kind of got on top of me. I wasn’t looking after myself properly, I guess. I started cramping and McGee freaked out. He wanted to take me to the hospital. I made him get Ducky and he gave me a shot. I had to explain after that.”

 

“I didn’t know about that.” Gibbs frowned. He was surprised Abby at least hadn’t mentioned it.

 

“It’s not something I’ve been broadcasting. Some people have negative views on…people like me anyway. I don’t want to add fuel to the fire by making out like I can’t take care of myself.” Tony sighed.

 

“People like you?” Gibbs asked gently. “You’re not some kind of freak, Tony.”

 

“That’s exactly what I am, Gibbs. A genetic mutation. An anomaly.”

 

“One that the government is desperate to encourage.” Gibbs reminded him. “To the extent that the UN wrote a special clause into the Human Rights Act.”

 

“Yeah. A special clause precluding me from the protection offered to 95% of the population.” Tony argued. “Men who can carry children basically don’t count as human.”

 

“That’s not true, Tony.” Gibbs frowned. “Fertility is decreasing in women, the birth rate is decreasing in the developed world. Encouraging the gene mutation that allows men to carry children is a way of combating those things.”

 

“Whose side are you on?” Tony demanded suddenly.

 

“I’m not on anyone’s side.” Gibbs soothed. “If it was up to me that special clause would not have been put in the Human Rights Act. What they’re allowed to force you to do isn’t fair but they are allowed to force you to do it and getting angry about it won’t help.”

 

“I have a right to feel angry.”

“You have a right to feel however you want to feel, Tony.” Gibbs agreed. “I just don’t want you to believe that having this gene makes you different.”

“Everyone else believes it.”

 

“People are fascinated by it.” Gibbs agreed. “You know my father could have had kids himself?”

“Yeah but he went the easy way and got a woman to do the hard work.” Tony replied bitterly. “Sorry, boss.” He apologised as soon as he realised what he had just said. “I didn’t mean that.”

 

“I know.” Gibbs forgave him easily. “What I’m trying to say is that no one thinks any less of you because you can carry children without the help of a woman. Do you think any less of Ziva because she could carry a child?” Tony raised his eyebrows and Gibbs laughed. “Ok, bad example. Does your dad have it?”

 

“Oh no, he’s all man.” Tony replied bitterly and everything suddenly clicked into place for Gibbs.

 

“He must be at least a carrier.” He commented.

 

“I guess.” Tony shrugged.

 

“I’m a carrier.”

 

“I know.” Tony sat back, slumping against the back of the sofa. “So?”

 

“So, I was talking to Abby and Ducky about you situation.” Gibbs started again. Tony smiled and shook his head. Gibbs was like a dog with a bone when he had his mind set on something.

 

“And what genius plan did those two trouble makers come up with?” He asked.

 

“Can’t you guess?” Gibbs asked. Tony frowned. “You’re an investigator, Tony.”

 

“I’m off the clock.”

 

“I just told you I’m a carrier.” Gibbs watched as a familiar look of realisation crossed Tony’s face and his eyes widened.

 

“They said…they said you should…that we should…” Tony sputtered a little. “I couldn’t ask you to do that, boss.”

 

“What if I said I wanted to?” Gibbs asked softly.

 

“What?” Now Tony looked confused. Usually that look irritated Gibbs as it meant his senior agent was probably missing something on a case but at that moment it was actually kind of cute.

 

“It makes sense, Tony.” Gibbs said gently. “The only way the council will agree not to force you to get pregnant is if you agree to do it on your own terms. Then they’ll only agree if the other person is a carrier, which I am. We just have to convince them that this wasn’t a snap decision because you received the letter ordering you to report to them.”

 

“And how would we do that?” Tony asked tiredly.

 

“It’d be pretty easy.” Gibbs shrugged. “We’re both good at undercover work. We’ve worked together for a long time now, could have started a relationship at any point in that time.”

 

“If the council agree to let you get me pregnant they’ll expect me to move here.” Tony warned.

 

“If you’re carrying my child there’s no way you’re staying in that rat infested hell hole you call an apartment anyway.” Gibbs replied. Tony actually managed a real smile then.

 

“It’s not that bad.” He defended lamely.

 

“The elevator working this week?” Gibbs asked, knowing full well what the answer would be. “How about the hot water? Electricity still a bit temperamental?”

 

“Point made.” Tony sighed, unable to hide his smile.

 

“Wait until you’re 7 months pregnant. Negotiating six flights of stairs and taking cold showers won’t be fun then.”

 

“It’s not fun now.” Tony corrected. “You still haven’t explained why you want to do this.” He reminded the older man, looking straight at him, as though daring him to lie.

 

“You know about Kelly.” Gibbs said quietly. It still hurt to say her name a little. Tony just nodded. “I know another baby could never replace her but…” He trailed off and Tony nodded his understanding. Gibbs would be a fantastic father. He would dote on any children he had without spoiling them, giving them strength to be who they wanted to be but letting them know he was always there for them. Kind of like the way he treated his team.

 

“I don’t know if I’m the right person though, boss.” Tony offered shakily. He couldn’t lie when it was obvious Gibbs was doing his best to be honest. “I’d be a terrible father. You know I’m horrible with kids, I don’t know the first thing about them.”

 

“Most people don’t until they have kids of their own.” Gibbs soothed. “And other people’s kids are always a pain in the ass.” He smiled a little, remembering some of Kelly’s school friends. “I know you, Tony. You put your all into anything you do. If you let the council impregnate you you’ll carry the baby to term and then they’ll take it away from you. You honestly think you can handle that?”

 

“I don’t know.” Tony replied. “I just don’t think I could handle a…a baby.”

 

“You wouldn’t be on your own though, Tony.” Gibbs assured him. “I’d be there every step of the way. And can you imagine how happy Abby would be to be an Aunt?”

 

“God, if we had a girl she’d take her to get her ears pierced and then you’d go crazy.” Tony laughed. “I can see it now. World war three in suburbia.” His face became serious again. “You’re serious about this?” he checked.

 

“Do you think I would have suggested it if I hadn’t thought it through?”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Where’s Gibbs?” Abby sauntered into the squad room.

 

“With the director.” Tony muttered, not looking up from the case he was reviewing.

 

“Doesn’t waste anytime does he?”

 

“We were going to have to break the news to her sooner or later.” Tony shrugged. “Now seemed as good a time as any to do it.”

 

“What news?” Ziva asked suspiciously. Tony sighed and glanced from Abby to McGee. McGee had already been informed of the ruse since he was only a good liar if he knew exactly what was going on. Although Gibbs trusted Ziva with his life he didn’t trust her loyalty when it came to a choice between Tony or the Director and he knew full well that the Director would not support the lie he and Tony were trying to pass off as the truth. Since this was the case Gibbs was going to do his damndest to convince the Director that he and Tony had been in a relationship since shortly after Gibbs returned to NCIS. This meant Ziva needed to believe the same thing.

 

“You know the letter I got earlier this week?” Tony queried. Ziva nodded. “It was from the Mpreg council. You know what that is, right?”

 

“I am familiar with it.” Ziva replied, clearly a little affronted at DiNozzo implying she might be ignorant of something. “And the legislation.” She added.

 

“Yeah, well, I’m 35 in 2 months so they just wanted to know how close I am to getting knocked up or whether they need to do it for me.” Tony explained. Ziva shook her head at his terminology.

 

“And how close are you?”

“A hell of a lot closer than he was before Gibbs got back from Mexico.” Abby said with a wide grin. Tony tried to glare at her but a grin soon surfaced.

 

“You’re saying you and Gibbs…” Ziva looked disbelieving. Tony shrugged, standing and walking over to Ziva’s desk.

 

“Come on, what did you really think all those head slaps were about?” He asked with a grin. “That’s Gibbs’ form of foreplay.” He laughed. Gibbs suddenly appeared behind him and cuffed him on the back of the head. Tony turned and growled playfully causing Gibbs to actually laugh. Ziva looked amazed. “We’re at work, Jethro.” Tony admonished with a grin. “I mean boss.” He corrected when Gibbs levelled The Look on him.

 

“Of course you did.” Gibbs agreed.

 

“You and Tony are going to have a baby?” Ziva asked incredulously.

 

“Say it a little louder, Ziva. I don’t think the people in the lobby quite caught that.” Tony glared at her. She winced apologetically.

 

“We have to meet with the council.” Gibbs answered her question. “But if all goes well then yeah, we’re having a baby.” He gave Tony a soft look before remembering where he was and shuttering his emotions properly. Ziva just looked confused while Abby bounced on the balls of her feet happily and McGee sat in his workstation quietly watching the scene unfold before him. He knew better than to enter into these kinds of things without an invitation. If he didn’t say anything he couldn’t get in trouble.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“This is stupid.” Tony complained. Abby just gave him an exasperated look. “C’mon, Abs. I’ve worked with Gibbs for 5 years now. I know him. Besides, they’re not going to ask me his date of birth or how he likes his steak cooked. They’re more likely to ask about the age difference and that fact that he’s been married before.”

 

“Tony’s probably right, Abby.” Gibbs stuck his head in from the kitchen. “As much as it pains me to say it.” He added before leaving again. Tony just grinned.

 

“Fine.” Abby sighed. “So tell me about those things.”

 

“We already practiced this.” Gibbs came back into the room again, taking a seat next to Tony this time.

 

“You did?” She asked.

 

“Have you ever known Gibbs to be unprepared?” Tony asked. Abby laughed and stood up. Tony walked with her to the door.

 

“I just want it to go well. I’ve got my heart set on getting a baby out of you two.”

 

“You’re not the only one.” Tony replied softly, smiling a little.

 

“It’ll be fine.” She promised, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “You can charm them senseless and Gibbs can frighten them into signing the paperwork. Call me?”

 

“Sure.” Tony promised. She hugged him suddenly and then disappeared. “She gets weirder every time I see her.” Tony grinned, resuming his seat next to Gibbs who just shook his head with a smile. Abby probably would have taken the comment as a compliment.

 

“You ok?” He asked.

 

“Nervous.” Tony admitted.

 

“Me too.” Gibbs sighed. Tony looked surprised at his honesty. “We’re going to have to be a lot more honest with each other than that if we’re having a kid together, Tony.” Gibbs sighed, reading the younger man easily.

 

“I know.” Tony nodded. “What if they ask a question we can’t answer?” He asked quietly.

 

“They won’t. Their main goal is for you to have a baby. If we take a lot of the work out of it for them they’re not going to complain.” Gibbs assured the younger man. “They already have my blood sample so they know I’m a carrier. Your medical showed you as fertile. They just want to see where the baby would be living and check I’m not some guy you found on the street.”

“I don’t see how it matters. If I had just met you on the street I’d still know you a hell of a lot better than I know the donors they were planning to use.” Tony sighed and then froze as there was a knock on the door.

 

“Come on.” Gibbs pulled him to his feet. “Go get it.

 

“It’s your house.” Tony grumbled, heading for the door nonetheless. He opened the door with a bright smile, ushering the man and woman inside.

 

“Mr. DiNozzo?” They checked.

 

“Please call me Tony.” He requested. “When people say Mr. DiNozzo I keep looking over my shoulder for my father.” They nodded and shook his hand as they introduced themselves as Jack Barns and Colleen Pritchard. Gibbs came to join them in the foyer and Tony finished off the introductions before leading the visitors through to the living room of the house.

 

The purpose of Abby’s visit had been to make the seldom-used room feel lived in, something she had excelled at. The throw and pillows on the sofas made the room look inviting. The soft rug in front of the fire spoke of cosy nights in and she had managed to find a few photographs that Gibbs would let her display, including one of himself, Tony and Kate at one event or another. Gibbs brought in cups of coffee for their visitors and himself and water for Tony, before finally taking a seat next to the younger man.

 

“Tony was just telling us about your trip to Mexico.” Colleen smiled prettily. Tony fought not to glare at the red headed woman. Gibbs nodded.

 

“I needed some time away.” He agreed.

 

“You were injured badly?”

“I was in a coma for a short while.” He replied. “When I woke up I didn’t remember anything of the past 15 years for a few days. I had to get away to clear my head after I finally did remember.” He didn’t let on about the events at NCIS that had actually led to his self-imposed exile.

 

“What made you come back?” Jack queried.

 

“Work.” Gibbs admitted with a wry smile.

 

“Not Tony?”

 

“Why do you think I really ran to Mexico? Realising you have feelings for a man…It was something I’d been dealing with by not thinking about it. After I came out of the coma and it all came flooding back to me…It’s not something I was expecting.” He admitted.

 

“Relationships between carriers and men who can carry children are not forbidden in the armed forces.” Colleen reminded him.

 

“In theory.” Gibbs agreed with a smile. “It took some getting used to.”

 

“So you came back for work?” Jack asked. Gibbs nodded. “Why did you stay?”

 

“Because I finally figured out that there was no point punishing myself for something I’d never had. Might as well try to get it and see what happened.” Gibbs smiled wryly. “Tony’s the reason I stayed.”

 

“When did you come back?”

 

“Close to six months ago. It took me a few weeks to let Tony know why I was sticking around.” He admitted.

 

“It’s our five month anniversary on Sunday.” Tony piped up enthusiastically. Abby had worked out a complicated timeline.

 

“Do your work colleagues know about your relationship?” Colleen asked curiously.

 

“The members of our team know.” Tony nodded. “And we told the director a few weeks ago. She needs time to make contingency plans for when I get pregnant. I’ll probably be consigned to desk duty as soon as I conceive.” He wrinkled his nose and Gibbs sighed a little.

 

“For your own good.” He reminded Tony.

 

“I know.” Tony grinned again. “Employers aren’t allowed to discriminate when a carrier and an Mpreg are in a relationship.” He ignored the way the two council members winced when he used the slang term they were trying desperately to eradicate. “And there’s nothing in our contracts forbidding us from being in a relationship.” He shrugged. “It wasn’t a problem. We only hadn’t told her already because it’s private.” The two visitors nodded their understanding.

 

“Are you concerned about the age difference between the two of you?” Jack asked, taking a sip of his coffee. Tony noted that the guy would make a good interviewer at NCIS, the question was asked so casually.

 

“10 years isn’t that big of a deal.” Tony replied, keeping his tone just as casual. “Michael Douglas is 25 years older than Catherine Zeta Jones.” Gibbs shook his head with a smile. “What?” Tony asked as their visitors chuckled quietly.

 

“You’ve been married a couple of times before.” Colleen commented to Gibbs. Tony snorted at the use of the word couple and Gibbs nudged him gently. “Why didn’t those marriages work out?”

 

“He’s sitting here trying to convince you to let him have a kid with a guy.” Tony reminded her before Gibbs could reply. “Do you really need to ask why his marriages to women didn’t work out?”

 

“I guess not.” Colleen admitted with a smile. “You don’t have any children though?” She asked Gibbs. Tony stilled.

 

“I had one.” Gibbs replied. “With my first wife. They were both killed in a car accident.” Tony was surprised Gibbs told them that.

 

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Colleen said softly. Gibbs just nodded.

 

The four of them chatted for a while longer, about where they would live, if Tony would continue to work and also the council’s wish that Tony conceive shortly after his 35 birthday, which was now only a month away, if not before.

 

Gibbs showed them to the door roughly an hour and a half after they had arrived. He paused, just as they were about to say goodbye.

 

“Listen.” He said softly. “I know we might not be the ideal candidates for a kid.” He smiled wryly. “And if you decide you still want Tony to carry a donor child I just want you to know I’ll stick by him.” He assured them. “I just don’t think it’s fair to make him go through all the…all the work of pregnancy and labour and then have to give up the child.”

 

“It’s obvious that you care about him a great deal.” Colleen said softly. “Our recommendation to the council will be that the two of you should be allowed to conceive a child naturally.” She assured him, while her partner nodded his agreement. Gibbs let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding. “But I didn’t tell you that.” She warned.

 

“I understand.” Gibbs nodded.

 

“We’ll be in touch in the next few days.”

 

“Thank you.” Gibbs showed them out before going back into the living room.

 

“Did they say anything?” He queried. Gibbs, for one cruel moment, thought about not letting on, before he realised how much fun Abby would have torturing him if she ever found out he’d done that to Tony.

 

“She said their recommendation to the council will be that we be allowed to conceive naturally. They’ll be in touch in a few days.”

 

“Really?” Tony grinned, standing up. “Abby will be stoked.” He bounced on the balls of his feet a little. “You know what this means, boss?” He asked, his smile turning a little darker.

 

“What?” Gibbs asked.

 

“We have to have sex.”

 

“That’s kind of how this works.” Gibbs agreed.

 

“And you know how they said that conception probably won’t happen first time?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Well, it sounds like it might be a bit tricky.” Tony grinned, stepping closer to Gibbs, eyes narrowed seductively. “And like I said to Abby, you don’t like to do anything unprepared. I think we should practice.”

 

“Practice?” Gibbs asked, biting back his smile. Tony was incorrigible.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You propositioning me, DiNozzo?”

“Was I being too subtle about it?” Tony asked. Gibbs was still laughing when Tony kissed him.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“How’d it go?” McGee asked anxiously.

 

“Timmy, if you really need to ask that Gibbs needs to slap you more often.” Abby tutted.

 

“What?” McGee edged away from Gibbs carefully.

 

“Tony’s wearing his hickey shirt.” Abby grinned.

 

“Hickey shirt?” McGee asked.

 

“Yeah. He only ever wears turtle necks when he’s had a good date and you know Gibbs is the type to mark his territory.” She grinned. Gibbs sighed while Tony just laughed. “They said yes?” She checked.

 

“We got the call this morning.” Tony agreed.

 

“Wow, you must have made a good impression.” Abby commented as Ziva joined them gathered around Gibbs’ desk. “They usually take a week to make their decision.”

 

“You got the council’s permission?” Ziva asked curiously. Tony nodded. “Congratulations.” She smiled happily. “You’ll make a wonderful father.” She told Gibbs. He nodded, trying to hide the grin that was about to burst forth. He wasn’t really fooling anyone though.

 

“What about me?” Tony demanded.

 

“You’ll make a wonderful mother.” Ziva replied before sauntering off to her own desk.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Tony looked nervously at the little stick that had the potential to change his life. He and Gibbs had kept their promise to the council to at least try and conceive before Tony’s birthday, which was only a few days away. After ‘practicing’ for two weeks they had thrown themselves whole-heartedly into an attempt to conceive, culminating in a weekend of love making that had left both of them exhausted. It had been two weeks since they had begun trying to conceive and it was Gibbs who had tentatively suggested Tony take the test to see if they had succeeded. They would return to work the next morning after a rare weekend undisturbed and Gibbs wanted to know whether he was free to send Tony into all situations or needed to begin to curtail his activity.

 

Gibbs was waiting impatiently outside the door after Tony refused to let him in while he took the test.

 

“I’ve seen you pee before, DiNozzo.” Gibbs had commented in exasperation.

 

“Not this time.” Tony had shut the door in his face.

 

He counted the seconds slowly in his head, not sure which result he’d be most pleased with.

 

“Tony.” Gibbs tapped on the door softly. “What’s it say?”

 

“It’s blue.” Tony replied.

 

“What does that mean?”

 

“I don’t know, you’re the one with the instructions.” There was a brief rustling of paper as Gibbs unfolded the instructions to look at the results. Tony opened the door just in time to see Gibbs look up at him with a strange look in his eyes.

 

“It’s positive.” He said quietly.

 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

 

“Cool.”

 

“Yeah.” Gibbs agreed, smiling. He leaned in to kiss Tony, something that was happily accepted. “Desk duty tomorrow.” Gibbs warned, as they walked to the kitchen together, having disposed of the pregnancy test.

 

“Not completely.” Tony argued.

 

“No.” Gibbs agreed. “I discussed it with the director. You got 4 months on limited duties, 2 months on restricted and if you still feel up to coming to work after that you’ll be on office based desk duty.” He listed.

 

“I didn’t know you’d spoken to her about it.” Tony frowned a little.

 

“She needed to know whether I was going to need a new agent temporarily.” Gibbs shrugged. “People don’t like to lend me theirs.”

 

“Because you either refuse to return them or give them back broken.” Tony grinned.

 

“I never broke you.”

 

“You never gave me back either.”

 

“True. I didn’t see the point in telling you until it was necessary.” Gibbs explained.

 

“It’s ok.” Tony shrugged. “I need to make a doctor’s appointment to confirm the result before we tell anyone.” He warned Gibbs.

 

“You can take tomorrow afternoon off.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Tony leaned back against the cool tile of Gibbs’ master bathroom, swallowing convulsively and suppressing the need to retch.

 

“There’s nothing left in there except you.” He spoke to his abdomen tiredly. Gibbs wiped his mouth softly with a cool cloth and handed him a glass of water. Tony took it but didn’t make any attempt to move.

 

“You’ll feel better once you wash your mouth out.” Gibbs said gently, helping Tony get up on his knees to spit the water into the bath. He closed the lid on the toilet and flushed it before helping Tony to stand and leading him into the bedroom. “Better?” He asked, settling the younger man on the bed carefully. Tony shook his head and buried his face in Gibbs’ neck when the older man sat down next to him.

 

“I feel horrible.” He complained. “I’ve felt like this everyday for the past three weeks.” He sighed.

 

“Ducky said it should ease off soon.” Gibbs stroked his hair softly.

 

“Yeah, either that or I’ll have it for the whole pregnancy.” Tony grumbled. “I keep being sick, I’m getting fat, I’m tired all the time and I feel horrible.” He took a deep breath and Gibbs assumed he was warding off tears although he still couldn’t see Tony’s face.

 

“It’ll get better.” Gibbs promised. “We’ve got the scan to look forward to in a few weeks.”

 

“You think it’ll be ok?” Tony asked.

 

“There’s no reason why not.” Gibbs assured him. “Morning sickness is normal, it doesn’t mean anything’s wrong. You’re tired because your body’s working hard and you feel horrible because of your hormones. Welcome to the ups and downs of pregnancy.”

 

“Did your wife have bad morning sickness?” Tony asked tentatively.

 

“I don’t know.” Gibbs sighed. “I was away for most of the pregnancy. I arrived 15 minutes too late to see the birth.”

“You’re going to be at this birth.” Tony told him certainly. “Or I’ll cut your balls off and let Abby use them as Christmas decorations.”

 

“Hormones.” Gibbs sighed softly. Tony laughed a little. “I’ll be there.” Gibbs promised. “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.”

“It’s wild naval personnel that tend to get in the way.” Tony reminded him.

 

“I’ll be there, Tony. I’m not going to miss a single second.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“I am so excited!” Abby bounced on the balls of her feet.

 

“I can tell.” Gibbs sighed.

 

“How many Caffpows did you give her today?” Tony asked. “No offence Abs but you’re driving me nuts.” He couldn’t focus with her bouncing around in front of him.

 

“But you’re going for your first scan today!” She reminded him. “We’re finally going to get to see the little sucker.”

 

“Don’t call him a sucker, Abby.” Gibbs reprimanded.

 

“It might be a girl, boss.” McGee reminded him with a grin.

 

“I don’t care what it is.” Tony replied. “I just wish it wouldn’t grow so quick.” He had been dismayed to find that his favourite designer suit no longer fit comfortably around the middle.

 

“You’re 12 weeks, Tony. You’re supposed to have a bump.” McGee assured him.

 

“This is more than a bump.” Tony complained. “It’s all the food Gibbs keeps feeding me.”

 

“You’re eating healthier now than you have for years.” Gibbs argued. “Stop complaining and get back to work. I need that report before we leave.”

 

“On it, boss.” Tony sighed, tapping away at his computer.

 

“Were you sick this morning?” Abby asked suddenly.

 

“No.” Tony replied without looking up. She opened her mouth to ask another question.

 

“His morning sickness only lasted a few weeks, Abs. Ducky said he should be past it now.” Gibbs told her. “Go down to the lab and do some work or he’ll have high blood pressure when we go for the scan and they’ll make him take time off work.” He warned.

 

“Fine.” Abby sighed. “But I want to see the pictures first thing tomorrow.” She insisted.

 

“First thing.” Tony promised with a grin.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Stop flirting.” Gibbs glared at Tony.

 

“I’m not.” Tony replied innocently, sighing as Gibbs insisted on helping him to get up onto the examination table.

 

“You are.” Gibbs shook his head.

 

“Can’t help it, boss.” Tony grinned. “I don’t mean anything by it.” He assured the older man. Gibbs just sighed as the nurse entered the room and got Tony to open his pants.

 

“All you had to do was ask.” Tony laughed. The young nurse shook her head with a smile and gave Gibbs a sympathetic look.

 

“This will be a little cold.” The nurse warned as she applied some jelly to Tony’s stomach. He winced a little but settled quickly as she turned the screen beside the bed on and began moving the ultra sound probe across his abdomen. A heartbeat could clearly be distinguished. Gibbs smiled as Tony gripped his hand, surprised when Tony suddenly frowned.

 

“Is there supposed to be an echo?” The younger man asked. Gibbs listened in surprise and realised Tony was correct, there was a faint sound of another heartbeat. “There’s nothing wrong with its heart right?”

 

“Hold on a moment.” She smiled reassuringly but Tony still gripped Gibbs’ hand harder. “There we go.” The two men watched in amazement as a second form appeared on the monitor. “Congratulations, gentlemen. You’re having twins.”

 

“Thank God for that.” Tony sighed. “I thought I was just getting fat.” Once again Gibbs couldn’t help but laugh, Tony seemed to have that effect on him often. The nurse was smiling too.

 

“I’ll print off some pictures for you.” She smiled warmly. “Then you can go through and tell the doctor the good news.”

 

“Are there any further health risks with twins?” Gibbs asked as Tony cleaned the gel off his stomach before fastening his trousers.

 

“A few.” The nurse admitted. “But the doctor will discuss those with you.” She promised. She led the two of them through to the doctor’s office after having a brief conversation with him herself. “I’ll see you two in 2 months for your next scan.” She promised.

 

“It’s a date.” Tony grinned. The young nurse rolled her eyes at Gibbs.

 

“Got your hands full with this one.”

 

“I know.” He smiled wryly and she watched in amusement as he steered Tony towards a chair, watching as the younger man allowed the attention patiently.

 

“Congratulations.” The doctor, a man similar in age to Gibbs, beamed at them. Tony grinned back. “The nurse has shown me some of the footage and both babies seem to be absolutely fine. There are risks with every pregnancy.” He warned. “And carrying twins does increase those risks slightly. However, your twins are fraternal and there is much less risk involved for yourself and the babies in those cases.”

“Fraternal?” Tony looked confused.

 

“Non-identical.” Gibbs explained quietly.

 

“Exactly.” The doctor nodded. “Identical twins are the result of one egg, which then splits in two. Fraternal twins are the result of two eggs being fertilised at the same time. As a result the babies develop separately and some of the risks involved with identical twins do not present themselves.”

 

“Good.” Gibbs nodded.

 

“Chances are that the pregnancy will be slightly shorter than planned. Male pregnancies are usually around 34 or 35 weeks, about 4 weeks shorter than female gestation periods. With twins we would expect delivery at around 30 to 32 weeks.”

 

“Are there any risks involved in the babies not being carried to full term?” Gibbs frowned.

 

“No.” The doctor assured them. “The gene mutation that allows Tony to carry children also speeds up the gestation period. The babies would be viable from around 20 weeks and by 30 they are completely formed and there are very few problems with babies born at that stage in the pregnancy.” He assured them. Gibbs nodded, settling back a little. Tony knew Gibbs would fire all these questions at Ducky the following day. He remained quiet, the fact that he was carrying two babies sinking in slowly.

 

After speaking to the doctor for a short while longer the two of them made their way to Gibbs’ car.

 

“Twins.” Tony said softly as they reached Gibbs’ house, having been silent for almost the whole ride.

 

“Yeah.” Gibbs agreed.

 

“What the hell am I supposed to do with two babies?” He asked.

 

“Same thing you do with one, Tony. Take care of ‘em. Love ‘em.”

 

“What if I don’t know how to?”

“It comes naturally.”

 

“Maybe to you.”

 

“Well, it’s a good job you’re a fast learner then.” Gibbs smiled, unlocking the front door and ushering Tony in. The younger man stopped suddenly.

 

“You think I should tell my parents?” He asked softly.

 

“I don’t know, Tony.” Gibbs took his arm gently and led him through to the living room until they were both sitting on the sofa, Tony’s head resting on Gibbs’ shoulder. “They know you’re 35.”

 

“They sent me a birthday present.” Tony nodded.

 

“Yeah?” Gibbs asked, trying not to sound too curious. Tony hadn’t mentioned that.

 

“Yeah. I exchanged it for credit.” Tony grinned. “Figured we could buy the baby something. Babies.” He corrected after a pause.

 

“Yeah.” Gibbs dropped a kiss on Tony’s head. It was getting easier to be casually intimate with Tony, and it seemed to both men that they were slipping into a real relationship. Not that either of them had broached the topic, afraid that speaking about it might shatter the fragile relationship they had created. “If you want to tell them that’s fine. If you don’t, that’s fine too.”

 

“Maybe I’ll wait and see how I feel about it.” Tony sighed.

 

“Ok.” Gibbs nodded. “I have been thinking, though.”

 

“About my parents?” Tony asked.

 

“No.” Gibbs replied, smiling. “Actually they never crossed my mind.” He admitted.

 

“Only just thought about them myself.” Tony replied with a slight shrug. “What were you thinking about?”

 

“You moving in here.” Gibbs knew he had to approach this subject carefully. “I don’t want us to be stuck rushing around when you’re 7 months pregnant, trying to get all your stuff in here. Especially now we know you might go into labour at 7 months.” He explained. “How much notice do you have to give?”

 

“One calendar month.” Tony replied.

 

“I think you should give it.” Gibbs suggested, trying his best not to sound like he was ordering Tony to do it. “It doesn’t make sense for you to keep paying rent when you’re here most of the time anyway.”

 

“True.” Tony was being surprisingly agreeable. Surprising to Gibbs anyway, he’d been expecting Tony to kick up a fuss about wanting his independence. He knew he’d been smothering the younger man a little. Perhaps seeing the scan pictures had brought home the fact that they didn’t have forever to figure this stuff out. “I guess we’ll need the money now we need to buy two of everything.” He added.

 

“Neither of us is strapped for cash, Tony.” Gibbs laughed.

 

“Oh, I don’t know. My parents cut me off years ago and I spent all my money on designer shoes. And you have all those alimony payments to make…” He trailed off when Gibbs poked him in the ribs.

 

“You know I don’t pay alimony.” Gibbs sighed. “Wives 1 and 2 remarried and number 3 earns more than I do.” He reminded Tony.

 

“So she pays you alimony?” Tony grinned. “That could come in handy.” He ignored the glare Gibbs sent him. “I suppose I have the money my grandparents left me.”

 

“You inherited money from your grandparents?” Gibbs asked.

 

“Yeah. My mom’s parents. They were thrilled when I became a cop. Said it showed strength of character to stray so far from what my father wanted. They left me more than they left my mom.” He shrugged. “Money, couple of properties that I rent out.”

 

“And still you choose to live in that dump?” Gibbs asked.

 

“I figured since I made such a big show of being able to live without my parents money I should try not to live above my means. I splurge on things now and then.” Tony admitted with a grin. “But mostly I was saving up for a rainy day. Guess I just found it.”

 

“Do I even want to know how much you have saved?” Gibbs asked.

 

“Most of it’s invested or tied up in property.” Tony shrugged. “But the houses bring in a lot of rent. In a year I make more through dividends and rent than my NCIS salary.”

 

“How much more?”

 

“About 5 times.” Tony shrugged.

 

“No wonder you struggle so much with your tax returns.” Gibbs sighed, remembering hearing Tony muttering about his returns every year since he had known him.

 

“I got someone to help me out now.” Tony replied brightly.

 

“Who? An accountant?”

 

“Not exactly.” Tony smiled. “McGee. I showed up on his doorstep with all my paperwork and begged him to help me. He gave in when I started crying.” Tony admitted sheepishly.

 

“Crying?” Gibbs asked. He had never seen Tony cry until a few weeks earlier when his pregnancy hormones had really kicked in and he had had a tantrum about missing a movie he had wanted to watch because Gibbs had made them work late, and again when he had found he couldn’t fasten the button on the trousers of his favourite designer suit.

 

“I was feeling hormonal.” Tony replied unapologetically.

 

“Don’t they have pills to control that?” Gibbs frowned. Men who could carry children did not menstruate in the same way women do but were still subject to similar changes in hormone levels.

 

“Yeah. I normally take one but like I said, when you were away I was busy with other things. You only have to forget to take it a couple of times and things kind of creep up on you.” He shrugged. “So, McGee helped me out. I bought him a new typewriter to replace the one Abby broke, as a thank you. He wasn’t going to take it but I reminded him that he had seen how much money I had coming in and that I’d be offended if he didn’t take it. And then I pretended I was going to cry again.”

 

“Don’t start crying to get what you want.” Gibbs warned.

 

“I wouldn’t dream of doing that to you, boss.” Tony grinned. “Only because I know it wouldn’t work. McGee’s more of a soft touch than you. He did a good job on my tax return though.” Tony yawned widely. “I’ll give my notice in at the end of this month. Gives us about 6 weeks to move all my stuff in here and we can get started with the nursery as soon as you want.” He snuggled a little closer to Gibbs.

 

“Why don’t you take a nap while I make us some dinner?” Gibbs offered. Tony nodded. “You’re going to have to move to let me up.” Gibbs pointed out. Tony shook his head and Gibbs sighed. The younger man sat up a little so Gibbs could slip out from under him.

 

“Fine.” Tony sighed. “But I’m not eating rabbit food again.” He pouted. “I’m craving red meat.” Gibbs rolled his eyes at that assertion.

 

“I’ll see what I’ve got in.” He promised. “Sleep.” He draped the throw from the back of the sofa over the younger man and kissed his forehead on a whim. By the time he had reached the kitchen Tony’s soft snores could be heard behind him. He shook his head with a smile. Life with Tony was never going to be dull. Life with Tony and two children…was going to be an adventure.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“You could have called me last night!” Abby pouted.

 

“I fell asleep as soon as we got home, Abs. I woke up to eat, take a bath and then go to bed, that’s it.”

 

“What about you?!” She pointed her finger accusingly at Gibbs.

 

“I was cooking, supervising bath time and then sleeping myself.”

 

“Supervising bath time?” Abby rolled her eyes. “You mean I was waiting by the phone and you guys were fooling around?”

 

“I told you I’d show you the pictures this morning.” Tony soothed. “We got you one of your own to keep.” He handed her the sonogram image. Shaking his head when McGee looked a little put out. “There’s one for you too, Probie.” He assured him, passing over another image. He handed one to Ziva who looked touched. Ducky had already been given his by Gibbs the previous night when he had gone out to get the red meat that Tony had requested and stopped by the M.E.s house to give him the good news and ask a few quick questions about the risks.

 

“So we could see them really soon?” Abby asked.

 

“It’s going to be at least another 4 months, Abs.” Tony replied. “I go for my next sonogram in 2 months and then we can find out the sex.” He grinned.

 

“You want to know?” Abby asked.

 

“Are you kidding? We need to know.” Tony replied. “We can’t buy the right stuff if we don’t and we won’t have time after they’re born to go and buy everything new.”

 

“I guess.” She agreed.

 

“You know you’d want to know.” Tony grinned. “You’re a scientist, you don’t like surprises.”

Notes:

This orphaned work was originally on Pejas WWOMB posted by author Tabitha Llewellyn.
If this work is yours and you would like to reclaim ownership, you can click on the Technical Support and Feedback link at the bottom fo the page.