Tony was wearing a goofy, poleaxed look as he headed back to the bedroom on autopilot to dust for prints. He didn't hear Gibbs approach behind him and was startled when Gibbs' voice seemingly out of nowhere asked, "What is that look for, DiNozzo?"
Tony turned towards Gibbs. "I talked to Abby."
"And?"
The smile that Tony couldn't hide was real and blinding as he said, "We're having a baby, Boss."
---------------
Step by step they worked the case through the night. No one had ever seen Tony work with quite so much determination before, he was simply driven. The evidence finally lead them to a greedy and mentally unstable cousin of Mrs. Gleason. And in the end, it was Tony that took the kill shot without hesitation when that cousin put a gun to Mrs. Gleason's head.
With the Gleason's reunited, and the suspect on the way to the morgue, Tony finally found himself alone with Gibbs for the first time since he had told him about the results of Abby's test.
Gibbs was driving a little slower than his normal racing speed, they were all tired. He turned to Tony and teased, "So I guess I should start building a crib, huh?"
Tony grinned sheepishly and replied, "Abby'd love that, Boss. I don't even know where to start on a list of what the baby is gonna need."
"You've got plenty of time to figure that out, DiNozzo. Besides, you've got to get through a wedding first."
"Oh, god."
---------------
They got back to the office and Tony didn't even bother heading for his desk, he just went straight for the other elevator.
Down in Abby's lab the room was quiet and the lights dimmed. Abby was at her desk with Bert in her lap browsing on the computer. She looked tired.
"Hey," he said softly as he approached.
She looked up at him and gave him a smile. "Hey. Gibbs must be really be tired if it took you that long to get back."
"We're all running on fumes. Were you able to catch a nap earlier?"
"Yeah. Two actually. Duck insisted."
"Good. By the way, Gibbs knows about everything, the baby, us getting married."
"And? Is he okay with it?"
"If I didn't know better I'd say he's happy for us. Maybe even a little excited."
"Really?"
Gibbs said from behind Tony, "Really."
---------------
Two Months Later
In a beautiful black and red rose-filled candlelit ceremony Tony and Abby exchanged rings and vows. Abby was stunning in a bustled antique Victorian wedding gown that was snowy white satin embellished with black ribbons and and embroidery. Sister Rosita was standing beside Abby in her full habit and Gibbs was beside Tony, the two men wearing tailed-tuxedos and waistcoats. From the outside looking in, it made for a strange tableau.
The party following was a joyous celebration. It was odd mashing of people- nuns and cops, and goths and frat boys. But they were all the people that mattered to Tony and Abby the most.
They honeymooned in Italy and stayed in a real castle. Abby's only disappointment that she didn't get to meet the ghost that supposedly lived in said castle.
Tony had given up his apartment before the wedding and had moved into Abby's house. The little renovated Victorian was in a decent neighborhood with good schools nearby and would be the ideal place to start their little family, something they were both starting to really look forward to as Abby's pregnancy moved along.
---------------
Five and a Half Months Later
None of the florists in D.C. could figure out why there was a sudden rush on black roses. The answer was obvious to anyone visiting Abby's hospital room. There were enormous bouquets of them tied with light blue ribbon and adorned with silly balloons welcoming their new son.
The baby was in a clear bassinet near the bed as Tony helped Abby get ready to go home.
He sat on the bed next to her and pulled a little gift box out of his pocket and handed it to her.
"What's this?"
"Just something I picked up for you in Italy."
Abby opened the box with childlike glee to find a very old and stunning ruby encrusted crucifix. Abby was speechless.
Tony took it out of the box and slipped the long chain over Abby's head. "It's from the Renaissance. I wanted to give you something special to celebrate the birth of our first child."
Abby looked down at the lovely gift on her chest for a moment, then threw her arms around Tony. "I love it. And I love you."
"I love you too, Abs," he whispered back emotionally and gave her a little squeeze.
The baby woke up and made a little gurgling noise. They pulled back from each other and looked towards the bassinet.
Abby said, "I can't believe we're parents. Are we ready to be parents?"
Tony chuckled and teased, "I don't know, are we?"
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the end.
Chapter End Notes:
Note: As of the posting of the final section of this story, I have gone back through the entire thing and edited and made corrections to the previous sections. -CJ