**Chapter Seven - Should've Known Better**
**January 20, 2014 - 2000 Hours**
Abby jerked herself awake when she heard her brother shouting in Jack's hospital room. Pulling away from Tony's chest, she jumped up and ran into the room to see that her nephew was awake with Britty's arms around him.
"What're you thinkin'?" Bradley growled. "Y'know better!"
"Bradley, stop it!" His wife cried, holding her son close. "It wasn't his fault!"
Gibbs entered the room and grabbed the younger man by the collar, practically dragging him out of the room. Once they were in the waiting room, he shoved him into a chair and stood over him with his arms crossed over his chest.
"What do you think you're accomplishing in there by yellin' at him?"
"I...I was jus'..."
"Yeah. That's what I thought. You need to get yourself under control. Goin' in there and yellin' at your son isn't gonna change anything."
Tony chuckled drunkenly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "You go in an' yell, Boss. It always works."
Gibbs turned around and fixed the Italian with a fierce glare.
"Right. Sorry, Boss."
He looked back to the sandy-haired man and frowned deeply. "He's gonna have enough goin' on with everything that happened today, Bradley. You need to calm down or I'm gonna have to send you home."
Bradley held his gaze for a few moments longer before giving in, nodding in agreement with the older man's demands. "Yeah. Okay."
"Good. I'm glad we have an understanding." Gibbs said, leaving the two drunken men sitting in the waiting room and heading back to where Jack was being checked out by his doctor. As soon as the petite blonde left the room, he approached Abby and Britty, offering them both a reassuring smile. "I'm gonna need to talk to Jack. Alone."
"Gibbs I really don't think..." The redhead started, only to have Abby stop her.
*He won't push him too far.* She signed, promising her sister-in-law that her son's best interests were being kept in mind. Taking her gently by the arm, she led her friend out of the room, leaving her boss alone with the teen.
"Hey, Jack."
"Hi." He mumbled, not making eye contact with him.
Making his way across the room, he sank into the chair next to his bed and rested his hands in his lap. "You wanna tell me what happened?"
"I don't know what happened. I was just running back to my Auntie's, and then...I really don't remember, Sir."
"You don't have to call me sir, Jack." He said, giving the boy a small smile. "And I believe you. I'm not surprised that you don't know what happened tonight, but I was talkin' about the parking garage."
The teenager looked away, pretending as if he didn't hear what the NCIS Agent said.
"Jack. I don't know what you saw or heard in the garage that day, but whatever it was, I swear to you I can protect you and your family. You just have to be honest with me."
The teenager could feel his stomach turning, tears pricking the backs of his eyes as he slouched down on the bed. "I can't...I can't tell you."
"Jack, let me help you."
He hesitated, swallowing hard as he played with the edge of his blanket. "I...I saw them kill him. They...they argued...then they shot him."
Gibbs opened his mouth to respond to the boy, though before he could say anything, his Senior Field Agent stumbled into the room, pointing his finger at the teenager accusingly. "You...you lied t'us!"
"DiNozzo." Gibbs growled in warning, pushing himself to his feet.
"He...he put m'whole fuckin' family in danger b'cause he lied t'us!"
Jack sobbed audibly as his Uncle yelled, accusing him of putting his aunt and cousin in danger. "I...I'm sorry, Uncle Tony! I...I..."
"I don' wanna hear it! They know where we live! Y'shoulda told us the truth!" The Italian growled, attempting to make his way over to his nephew's bed when Gibbs stepped in his way.
"Out."
"Boss, I..."
He reached up and hit the younger man upside the head quickly. "Not a discussion. Out. Now." He followed Tony out of the room and watched as he angrily made his way back to the waiting room to sit with his girl.
"Britty, gonna need you in here." Gibbs called, motioning for the younger woman to join him. Standing up, she made her way over to her son's room and immediately went to his side, crushing herself against him in an effort to stop his tears.
Catching sight of the detectives that were working the scene from the corner of his eye, he excused himself from the hospital room and walked over to where Abby was sitting.
"I have to deal with the Metro detectives. Take your brother and Tony home. They're not gonna do any good bein' here, as drunk as they are."
The Goth nodded. "C'mon, you two."
"'M not goin' an'where, Abs." Bradley protested, watching as Tony stood up obediently to follow his fiancee out, knowing better than to mess with Gibbs when an order was given.
The silver-haired agent stepped in front of the younger man and pulled him to his feet before leaning in to whisper in his ear. "You will go with your sister. And if I find out that you gave her any trouble...well, you ask Tony what'll happen."
He stood his ground, barely refraining from rolling his eyes at the older man. "You don' scare me, Gibbs."
"Get your head on straight, Sciuto!" Britty yelled, punching her husband on the shoulder. "You may not be afraid of him but you damn well better be afraid of me."
He turned and glared at her, his anger holding on by a thread. "B...you better not..."
"C'mon, man." Tony said, stepping between the couple. "You don' wanna get on their bad sides, trus' me."
The redhead turned and slapped the Italian across the face. "And you! What the hell did you think you were doin', goin' in there and upsetting him like that? You really think he deserved that?" She cried, moving to slap him again when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"B..." Abby said quietly. "Go back and be with him, okay? I'll take care of these two."
"Uh oh." Tony frowned, rubbing his cheek where Britty had slapped him. "We're in for it now, Bradley."
The Goth waited patiently until her sister-in-law was back in the hospital room before she turned back to her soon-to-be husband and brother.
"I don't wanna hear a peep out of either of you for the rest of the night. Do I make myself clear? I can't even stand to look at you." She said, turning her back to them as she stalked out of the waiting room, the men following her like scolded puppies.
They made their way silently to the parking lot, though when Tony made a move to climb into the passenger seat to sit next to his girl, she wordlessly pointed to the back seat, not having the strength to deal with him in his drunken state.
After getting them both situated, Abby took a deep breath and climbed into the driver's seat of her Explorer, grabbing her cell phone from the center console as she called Ziva to check on the babies. She'd promised the Israeli that she'd call as soon as they arrived at the hospital, but it had completely slipped her mind.
"Zee?" She greeted quietly when the other woman picked up.
"Abby. How is Jack?"
"He's...he's pretty hurt and seriously shaken up but he's gonna be okay. I'm so sorry I didn't call earlier. How are the kids?"
"They are fine. They have fallen asleep in the living room with Tim and I did not have the heart to wake them." She admitted, glancing over her shoulder at her lover as he laid on the couch with the toddlers, sleeping soundly. "I can take them to bed if you want."
"No, no. Don't worry about it. I'm on my way back with Tony and Bradley. We should be there in a little while."
Ziva nodded. "Alright. Drive carefully, Abby."
"I will." She said, snapping the device shut and dropping it onto the passenger seat.
"So...how's Em?" Tony asked, leaning forward in his seat.
The Goth didn't respond, instead holding her hand up and motioning for him to sit back. He did so, sighing quietly as he ran a hand through his hair before leaning over to Bradley.
"Told you. Knew I'd get in trouble." He slurred, shaking his head at the older man.
The remainder of their drive home was silent, save for Bradley's obnoxious snoring. When they finally pulled into the driveway at the house nearly 45 minutes later, Abby climbed out of the car and walked around to her brother's door only to open it and smack him upside the head.
"Wha' the fuck?"
"You know, I had almost forgotten how loudly you snore when you've been drinkin'."
He narrowed his eyes at her, rubbing his head. "I forgot wha' a bitch you are when I've been drinkin'."
She reached out again and socked him in the shoulder, surprised when Tony did the same thing on his other side.
"Don' talk t'her like that."
Bradley turned back to glare at Tony when Abby pulled him from the Explorer before shoving him in the direction of the house.
"C'mon, T." She sighed, helping her fiancé from the car before leading him up the front walkway slowly, rolling her eyes when he stumbled and nearly fell.
She followed her brother inside and somehow managed to wrangle both men toward the stairs. "Would you like some help?" Ziva asked, stepping into the hallway from the living room.
"Nah. I think I got it. They're kittens when they're like this. Big, 200 pound kittens." Abby teased, receiving glares from both of the men. "I'll be right back down, Zee."
Reaching the top of the stairs, she pushed her brother into his bedroom. "Go to bed and sleep it off. You know that B and I can't stand you when you're like this."
He opened his mouth to argue when his sister fixed him with a firm glare. "Yeah. Yeah, 'kay." He agreed, closing the door behind him.
Shaking her head, she turned away from the door to see her fiance leaning against the wall next to her. Grabbing his arm, she tugged him toward the master bedroom. "C'mon."
"Abs..." Tony tried, reaching for his girl when she sat him on the edge of the bed and frowning when she pulled away. "Baby...please."
"Tony, don't." She said, struggling to stay calm. She hated that she was irritated with him, as she knew the whole issue with Jack was mainly because of the alcohol, but try as she might, she couldn't forget the sound of her nephew's cries. "Just...get ready for bed, please."
Taking a deep breath, she headed into the bathroom and got a glass of water and a few aspirin before going back in to her lover. She was pleased to see that he had taken his clothes off, even going as far as putting them into the hamper himself, in an attempt to make her happy.
Looking up at her, he offered a sad smile and patted the bed next to him. "Abs...c'mere, please?"
The Goth nodded silently, making her way across the room and sitting next to him, pressing the glass of water and the pills into his hand. "Take."
He did as he was told, sitting the glass on the nightstand and reaching for her hand, grasping it in his lightly. Dropping his eyes, he sighed heavily before speaking. "'M...sorry, baby. I...the guys bought the lapdance, I..." He paused, running a hand over his face. "Don' be mad."
She felt the irritation she felt toward him disappear when she saw the look of grief on his face. Softening her expression, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips, cupping his face in her hand.
"Tony...if you think that lapdance is the reason I'm upset, you don't know me as well as you think."
"Then...if it's not that..."
Abby gave him another kiss, running her fingers through his hair. "Look, we'll talk in the morning, okay? When you're sober. I'm gonna go back to the hospital." She said, pushing herself off the bed and walking out the door.
Closing the door behind her, she took another deep breath before she headed downstairs, stopping in the doorway of the living room and smiling. McGee was leaning against the arm of the couch with Ziva in his arms, resting against his chest as they watched TV.
"Hey." She said quietly, stepping into the room. The couple started moving to get up when she protested. "No, no. I...I was actually gonna ask you guys for a favor."
"Don't worry about it, Abs. We'll stay." McGee smiled, pulling the Israeli back against him. "You go back and be with Jack and Britty."
"Thanks, guys. I owe you."
Ziva smiled. "Do not worry about it. I put Jeremy in Emma's room, I hope that won't be a problem."
The Goth shook her head. "Nah. They'll be fine in there. There's blankets in the laundry room above the washer, and the baby monitor is on the counter in the kitchen. You probably won't need it though, Emma doesn't hesitate to let you know when she's awake."
"We've got it under control, Abs. Go on. We'll see you in the morning." McGee assured her, offering a sympathetic smile. "And before you say it, we'll keep an eye on Bradley and DiNozzo."
She chuckled, smiling at the couple. "Thanks again. Just..."
"Go!"
"Okay, okay!" Turning around, she walked out the front door and got back into the car, intent on returning to the hospital and apologizing to her sister-in-law and nephew for her fiancee's outburst.
**The Next Morning - 0600 Hours**
Gibbs used his spare key to unlock the front door of the house Abby and Tony shared and stepped inside, unsurprised to hear nothing but silence in the house.
"Good morning, Gibbs." Ziva said as he passed the kitchen. He poked his head in and saw her sitting at the table, sipping a cup of tea. "Would you like some coffee? I just started a pot."
"No." The older man growled, turning around and heading up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
Once he reached the door to the master bedroom, he didn't waste any time pushing it open and stepping inside. He rolled his eyes at the sight of his senior agent sprawled out on top of the disheveled sheets, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs.
"DiNozzo!"
The Italian jumped up, clearly startled by the sudden noise in the otherwise quiet room. "'M in position, Boss!"
The silver-haired man simply stared at him, an eyebrow cocked as the younger man became aware of his surroundings. "Get dressed. Now."
"I...uh...Boss?"
The older man simply glared, leaning against the wall as Tony climbed out of the bed and made his way over to the dresser. He pulled on a pair of sweats and a tshirt before heading back to the bed and sitting down.
"Boss, I..."
"Stop."
He froze, watching as his boss continued to stand against the wall, glaring at him quietly.
"You know better than to treat a witness that way. How can you expect him to be honest with us if he knows how upset you are with him?"
Tony dropped his head, staring into his lap like a scolded child. ""M sorry, Boss. I..."
"You're gonna apologize to him."
"But...he won't listen..."
Gibbs crossed the room in a few long strides and smacked the younger man upside the head. "Do I look like I care if he listens to you or not, DiNozzo? This is not a discussion."
In the next room, Bradley growled angrily at the sound of Gibbs' raised voice. Rolling out of the bed, he rubbed his tired eyes and stumbled into the hallway, making his way down to Tony's room.
"The fuck you yellin' for?" He slurred.
"Havin' a conversation with one of my Agents." The older man said, studying him carefully. "Go get a cup of coffee."
The sandy-haired man considered arguing for a moment, deciding ultimately to let it drop. Waving him off, he exited the bedroom, leaving Tony and his boss alone.
Gibbs sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Can't deal with this right now." He left the room and headed downstairs, entering the kitchen to see Bradley grumbling as he poured a cup of coffee.
Both of the men turned around as the front door swung open, revealing Jack limping into the house with the help of his aunt and mother. Britty took over, leading her son into the living room, as Abby made her way into the kitchen.
"Oh, hey, Gibbs. Didn't expect to see you here." She grinned, pulling a glass out of the cabinet and filling it with water for her nephew.
He nodded. "Had to come by and have a talk with your husband. He needed some straightening out."
"I was gonna talk to him today, Gibbs. You didn't have to come all the way out here."
"Good t'know I'm not the only one you mouth off to like that." Bradley bit out, sipping his coffee.
She narrowed her eyes at her brother. "You know, you really are a miserable drunk, BB. I don't know how Britty manages to put up with you at all when you're like this."
"I don't." Britty said simply, reaching for the glass of water that her sister-in-law was holding while completely ignoring her husband.
"You don' wanna start with me today, B." He warned, moving to follow her as she headed back to the living room when Gibbs stepped in his way.
"You'd better watch it, or you will find out what I do to men who disrespect the women in their lives. Now, sit your ass down."
The younger man sat down at the table, sending his sister a glare that she returned with a roll of her eyes before walking out of the kitchen.
"Are you hungry, Jackie? I can make you some toast or something if you want." She offered, running her hand through her nephew's hair lightly.
Britty looked up and offered the younger woman a smile. "You go get some rest. I'll make him somethin' if he gets hungry."
The Goth frowned, though Britty glared when she opened her mouth to protest. "Really, Abby. Go lay down. I'll keep an eye on Em until you've gotten some rest."
"Are you positive?"
"Absolutely. Go."
Nodding at her sister-in-law, Abby turned her attention to Ziva and McGee as they picked up the blankets they had used the night before, offering them both a genuine smile. "I can't thank you guys enough for staying here with the babies."
"It was not a problem." Ziva assured her, leaning over to peck her cheek. "Do not hesitate to call if you need anything."
"Thanks again, Zee. I'll see you guys at work on Monday." She smiled, giving McGee a hug before heading upstairs.
She had to admit that she was tired, despite her hesitancy to leave her equally exhausted sister-in-law downstairs with the kids. Entering the bedroom she shared with her fiancé, she stripped her clothes off before slipping under the blankets on the unmade bed.
Usually she would be upset because Tony failed to make the bed, but she found that she was too tired at the moment to care. Resting her head on the pillow, she closed her eyes and fell asleep quickly not even noticing the sound of water running in the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, Tony walked out of the bathroom with his towel wrapped around his waist, surprised when he noticed that his girl was in their bed. He smiled, running a hand through his hair to make sure it was dry before dropping the towel and climbing onto the bed behind the Goth.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder, smiling when she moaned quietly.
"Hey Sunshine."
Abby woke up at the feeling of her lover's lips on her shoulder, cursing herself for releasing the nearly silent moan. She kept her eyes closed, deciding that she didn't want to get into an argument with him at the moment.
He released a sigh, nuzzling his nose against her neck. "'M sorry, Abby. I..." He stopped, shaking his head. "I'll tell you when you wake up." Settling in beside her, he pulled her closer against his chest and closed his eyes, breathing in her scent.
After a moment, the Goth turned in his arms, her green eyes showing her disappointment. "You let me down last night, T."
"I'm really sorry about the lapdance, baby. I shouldn't have tried to blame..."
Shushing him, she placed a finger against his lips. "Like I told you last night, Tony, I'm not upset about the lapdance."
His brow furrowed with confusion as he looked into her eyes. "Then...what? I mean..."
"You're seriously gonna tell me you don't know what I'm upset about?"
Pulling back from her slightly, he started shaking his head when realization finally dawned on him. "Oh..."
"Yeah. Oh."
"Abby...you know that I was..."
She closed her eyes, frowning deeply as she tried to remain calm. "You really think that I want excuses from you?"
The Italian dropped his gaze to the mattress, playing with the edge of the sheet that covered their bodies.
"Yeah." Releasing a heavy sigh, she flopped back against the pillows. "I don't wanna fight, Tony. We...we shouldn't fight."
"I'm sorry."
Abby didn't acknowledge him right away, and he opened his mouth to repeat himself when she rolled onto her side and crushed herself against his chest, her eyes damp with tears. "You
have to apologize." She mumbled, her face buried against his firm chest.
"I will. I promise." He reassured her, wrapping his arms around her thin body and pulling her close, pressing a kiss into her hair.
**Downstairs**
Gibbs closed the door behind McGee and Ziva as they left the house before walking into the living room and sitting on the edge of the coffee table.
"Jack, we need to talk." He said firmly, glancing over at the teen's mother. "Britty, can I get a minute with him?"
The redhead shook her head. "No, Gibbs. I'm not leavin' him to deal with this alone."
The older man sighed, running a hand through his hair as he studied the silent boy. "Okay, that's fine. But if you start interferin', I'm gonna have to ask you to go."
"Understood." She nodded, slipping her hand around Jack's and squeezing lightly.
Nodding briefly at the boy's mother, he turned his attention back to him. "Jack, I know tellin' me what you saw that day isn't gonna be easy, but like I told you in the hospital, I can protect you and your family. But you have to be honest with me."
Glancing over at his mother for a second, he looked at Gibbs and nodded. "I can...I can try."
"Good boy." The older man said with a nod of approval. "Let's start from the beginning. Tell me everything that happened after you left the restaurant."
"I don't...I don't remember everything. I just...I just wanted to get to the car so I could lay down because I wasn't feelin' so good. I didn't even wanna go that day, but my dad made me."
"I know. I remember." Gibbs said.
Swallowing hard, Jack looked down at his bruised hands, closing his eyes. "I heard 'em yellin' before I saw 'em. It was three guys...two of them were...they were yellin' at the one guy. I think they said he was a Marine. Pretty positive that's what they said 'cause I couldn't figure out why he was just standin' there taking it. He coulda kicked their butts if he wanted to."
Gibbs could barely suppress a smile. "Do you remember what they were arguing about, Jack?"
"Money, I think. I don't...I don't know much more than that, Agent Gibbs. He...the Marine...he begged them. He begged them not to kill him and they...they did. They shot him right in the head."
Barely stifling a sob at her son's recounting of the shooting, Britty crushed herself against him, holding him in her arms. He was trembling against her, though he made no move to pull away.
"That's good, Jack. I'm gonna get Tony to type up what you just told me and then I'll need you to sign it, but that's the last time I'm gonna have to ask you about it for awhile, alright?"
He said nothing, closing his eyes as he moved closer to his mother.
"Do you remember what the men looked like? Would you be able to help Abby come up with a computer drawn sketch of them?"
"I...I think so."
"Good. As soon as she wakes up, we'll get that taken care of and then you leave the rest to us, okay?"
**1630 Hours - NCIS Headquarters**
"This is pretty cool, Auntie. Think I could work here next summer?" Jack asked, looking closely at the Mass Spectrometer in Abby's lab.
"Uh, I don't see why not." She smiled, turning around on her stool. "You'd have to ask your Mama first. C'mon over here, J. We need to finish this so we can get it up to your Uncle for the BOLO."
He released a heavy sigh and moved back over to the computer, sitting on the stool next to his aunt. "How is this gonna help get these guys?"
"Well..." She started, watching as he picked out a nose from the pictures that came up on the screen. "When we're done, we'll run it through a facial recognition program. Tony and Gibbs are
pretty sure at least one of the guys has been arrested before, so we should be able to get a match fairly quickly."
"Of course you will, Abs. You make magic happen down here." The Italian teased, walking into the lab and pecking his fiancee on the cheek. He set a piece of paper on the desk in front of
Jack and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Need you to read over this to make sure it's correct, then sign at the bottom, okay?"
He shrugged away from the older man, scowling at him. The agent had apologized to him earlier, but he was still upset. "That's him, Auntie." Jack said, looking at the computer animation.
"That's the guy that shot him."
"Good work, Jackie." The Goth smiled. "I'll run this through facial recognition, but it'll be a little while before we get a hit. Wanna go get some dinner?"
He teen nodded, standing up from the stool after scribbling his name on the bottom of the statement. "Just the signature?" He asked, handing the paper to Abby.
"Yeah. Just the signature." She said, watching her lover carefully as their nephew walked to the elevator. "It's just a phase, T. He holds grudges, he'll be over it in a few days." Handing him the paper, she patted him reassuringly on the chest before following after the teenager.
Tony released a quiet sigh, dropping his head back. "Yeah. Just a grudge. The ending of that movie sucked."
**Bullpen**
"I just wanna check if anyone else wants food first, okay?" Abby asked, stepping off the elevator on the third floor. Leading Jack over to the bullpen, she smiled when she saw McGee and
Ziva sitting at their desks, talking to a new agent.
"I gotta get back downstairs. I'll see you guys later?" The blonde haired man asked, making his way toward the elevator when Abby approached.
McGee waved to him. "Alright. Later, Chris."
The teenager froze, the color draining from his cheeks. At his side, Abby stopped, glancing at him curiously. "Jackie?"
"Chris."
"What?"
"That's the...that's the name of one of the men. Chris."
She frowned, resting a hand on her nephew's shoulder. "Are you sure, J?"
Jack swallowed hard, nodding his head vigorously. "Yes. I'm positive. The...the second guy...he said it twice. Chris...he's...he's the one who shot the Marine."
The Goth moved over to Tony's desk and sat down, pulling up the facial recognition search she was running in her lab. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she changed the parameters to reflect the man's name, and almost immediately there was a match.
"We found him. Chris Meyers."
Chapter End Notes:
"Should've Known Better" by Sick Puppies