Fox's Den

L'amore è Sempre di valore Esso

Author : Sinopa Ariyana (I have three names depending on where this is posted. I usually go by Sinopa though)

Beta: DragonHeart25

Rating : NC-17/FRAO

Pairing: Gibbs/DiNozzo

Warnings: Slash, Romance, Angst, OOC, AU/AT, Smut, Minor Char Death,

 

Summary:  Tony saves Kelly; years later he meets her dad and falls in love with him.

 

EDIT: I made several changes to this chapter and have been going back through and trying to clean it up a bit to make it flow better and be a little more realistic considering this IS an AU/AT fic.

 

AN/Disclaimer:  This fic is more AT because of the ages. I don’t own anything recognizable. NCIS belongs to DPB and CBS. Just playing around with their creations. I have Kelly being born in ‘96 instead of dying so be forewarned. Also I know very little when it comes to Medicine, racing and cars is my particular Forte. This is my first NCIS fic ever so please be nice? HUGE thanks go out to dragonheart for the beta and for keeping me on track and not letting me quit when I hit a roadblock. It was a long process to figure out the Timeline for this fic and work out any kinks that would later cause major plot holes and without dragonheart I wouldn’t have been able to do it.

 

Prologue

 

Philadelphia PA 1997

 

As Tony pulled up to the crime scene with his partner he shrugged. He’d barely settled in at his new Precinct after his stint in Peoria and already he was being called to a Homicide Incited Vehicular Accident. Two Females. Thankfully no other passing motorists were injured or the fatalities could have been worse.

 

Upon arriving at the scene Tony and his partner went to get the full details of what happened. After almost a half hour of taking witness statements they had learned that witnesses had seen the woman driving sedately and then the window was shattered and she was careening off of the road and into a nearby tree. The front end of the car was smashed. There would be no repairing this vehicle. The car was a twisted piece of wreckage and EMT’S had just barely managed to get the Female Driver’s body out. Other witnesses had said they saw a man with a gun flee the scene and gave some very sketchy descriptions.

 

Moving on to the next witness Tony was glad in a morbid sort of way to be called away by the EMT’s. None of the EMT’s or Officers were Flexible enough nor lean enough to crawl into the wreckage and retrieve the child that was still strapped into the carrier and the seat. Striding over Tony made some jokes about them being lucky he used to play Basketball. It wasn’t his first time crawling into wreckage seeing as he’d been a Volunteer EMT before he went to college.* Upon crawling into the wreckage he managed to get right up to the seat the child was strapped into, with some creative twisting on his part.

 

Hitting the seatbelt release he gently pulled the carrier away from the seat. Pausing he thought he’d heard a soft whimper.

 

‘No the EMT’s pronounced both Mother and Child dead upon their arrival to the scene.’ He thought before continuing to make his way out of the wreckage.

 

Managing to contort his body back into something resembling normalcy he paused as the same noise caught his attention. It was a soft, barely audible whimpering and it sounded like it was coming from the child seat he had in his arms. Moving into a position where he could check the baby for a pulse, even though she was pronounced dead, he got the shock of his life when he felt the barely there and erratic pulse of the child’s heartbeat. Scrambling around and out of the wreckage he started undoing the belts holding her as he went all the while yelling at the Emergency workers.

 

“Get a Goddamn Oxygen tank ready, cause the baby girl is still alive if barely! You stupid idiots! You jackoff’s need to learn how to check for a fucking pulse! What did you do just assume that the baby was dead because the mother was?!?!?” Tony ranted at the emergency worker that had declared the child Dead.

 

“Now see here detective. I followed pro…” the EMT said before being cut off.

 

 “The Hell You DID!!!You Dumbasses should have fucking asked someone to crawl in to properly check the little girl’s pulse if you couldn’t fucking reach her!!!”

 

“I am calling my supervisor detective.”

 

“Good call your supervisor! I’ll tell you right now that it will be on YOUR head if this little girl dies or is brain damaged because you didn’t fucking check her pulse properly!!! She didn’t have proper oxygen for god knows how long. Stupid idiots.” Tony stated as he crawled into the other ambulance after the EMT’s that were treating the child.

 

“Hey, Jace! Gonna ride along to the hospital. Keep me updated will ya?” Tony yelled just as the Emergency Medical Staff was closing the ambulance doors. Thankfully it was a different one than the one that had the idiots in it.

Upon arriving at the Ambulance Bay and being hurried into the ER Tony was asked to step aside and wait in the waiting room by the doctor.

 

“No. I am staying with her.”

 

“Sir. I cannot allow a non-family member to be in the treatment room with a child.” The doctor said.

 

“One it’s DETECTIVE  Tony DiNozzo. Two her mother was just fucking MURDERED and as far as we know this child has no father that is in the picture. Three the bastard that killed her mother is out there somewhere and I damn well ain’t going to let him get in and kill her so she is now in protective custody. Four she almost fucking DIED because some idiotic EMT didn’t properly check her fucking pulse and it was almost an HOUR before they asked me to go in and retrieve what I was told was her lifeless body! Now, you can either do your fucking job and treat her OR I will have another doctor assigned to do it.”

 

“Understood Detective.” The doctor said before walking away and telling the nurses to assign Dr. Kamiya to the case because he refuses to violate protocol no matter the circumstances, even if the child was in protective custody and there were protocols in place for that.

 

As Tony sat on the edge of the bed looking down at this beautiful child that had just lost her mother his normally bright and lively eyes dulled a bit that this child should have such a tragedy happen to her. Suddenly a nurse was asking for him stating he had a Detective Walker calling on line 3. He took the phone by the bed and spoke to his partner Jace. Learning that this child was only one and her name was Kelly Gibbs. Thanking Jace he said to call if anything else came up and to tell the chief that Tony would be at the hospital with Kelly.

 

“So Little one. Your name is Kelly. Such a beautiful name for such a pretty little girl. Hopefully we can find your Daddy soon.” Tony murmured to the little girl whose hand he held softly in his own, mindful of all of the machines that she was hooked up to,

 

“Ahem… Detective DiNozzo?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“My name is Dr. Kamiya. I’ll be treating… you said she was a Jane Doe?”

 

“Kelly. Her name’s Kelly.”

 

“Okay I’ll be treating Kelly. Now can you tell me what happened so I know all of the pertinent facts?” The doctor asked kindly. As Tony explained what he knew of what had happened and how the vehicle was a twisted wreck and he’d had to contort to get her down from the seats and then out of her carrier upon realizing she was alive.

 

“She was probably tossed around a lot doc. If her getting tossed around is anything like getting tossed around in a stock car after hitting the wall at 250+ mph then flipping and rolling halfway across the infield then she probably has bruised ribs if not cracked or broken ones, there could be brain damage from lack of oxygen, and internal bleeding seeing as she’s so small and young. That I do know.” Tony finished rubbing lightly at his chest as if in remembrance.

 

“I take it you’ve experience something similar?” The doctor questioned while taking Kelly’s Blood Pressure, checking her pulse and listening to her lungs and heart.

 

“Mmmhmm. When I was a kid my Aunt used to take me out to the track that was near where she lived. She knew the owners so she managed to get me into a full size stock car first as a passenger then into one once I was old enough as a driver. There was some fundraising event and the sponsors wanted a race or two. So the drivers including me hopped into our cars and got ready to race. The first race I did fine.  Placed in the top 5; the second one…not so much. Someone tapped my rear bumper right as I went into a turn…barely managed to keep it off the wall. Then the same idiot did it again.  Only this time I wasn’t able to keep it off the wall. Slammed into the wall which bounced me back out got slammed in the driver side by another driver and ended up flipping and rolling across the infield. I had several cracked and broken ribs, bruising galore, a major headache and a twisted ankle…though that happened crawling out of the wreckage. Damn near gave my Aunt a heart attack though. Plus I worked as a Volunteer EMT for two years before going to college.”

 

The doctor smiled at Tony. “Nervous?” he asked.

 

“Yeah a bit. More anxious anxiety. Wanna make sure she’s gonna be okay so that when we find her father or any remaining family they can be assured of her condition.” Tony replied smiling slightly at the doctor.

 

“Well. We need to get her into X-ray and get a good look at those ribs and make sure there is nothing else wrong internally. We also need to get her a CT scan or MRI to check for internal bleeding. As for Brain Damage, that’s gonna be trickier seeing as she’s so young.”

 

Turning to the nurse he said, “I want blood work done stat. I want to get more fluids into her and make sure nothing else is wrong. Set a catheter up as well. Get her set up to have an X-ray and MRI.”

 

He turned back to Tony “If she awakens page a nurse or if there is any change in her breathing. We’ll have her transferred up to NICU as soon as possible. They are more equipped to deal with infants and young children than we are here in the ER.”

 

“Thanks Dr.Kamiya.”

 

A few hours later Tony sighed as he watched Kelly sleep. She did indeed have some minor fracturing of three of her ribs and plenty of bruising. Also because of the position she was in and the hindered breathing she had slight oxygen depravation. Thankfully there was no internal bleeding. They’d know whether she would have any permanent brain damage when she awoke.

 

Once Kelly had been transferred and settled into the Children’s ICU ward Tony had called his Chief who had said to stay with the child. So Tony did. He sat on the edge of Kelly’s bed holding her hand and murmuring encouragements. Hopefully they would be able to find her father.

 

For the next two weeks the nurses were treated to the same visitor. Tony would come by after work and sit with Kelly and talk to her and read to her. Once evening fell and Kelly was asleep he would sit with her until visiting hours were over. He knew that the nurses would have no problems with him staying with her full time but since he wasn’t family he would respect the visiting hours; even if he was Kelly’s only visitor.

 

The case had gone cold a week into the investigation. And two weeks into the investigation it was learned that Kelly’s dad was in the military because they were listed as Military dependants. Tony had recused himself early on of participating in the case because he had formed an attachment to Kelly and she needed someone to be there for her as much as possible and he wouldn’t have been able to do that if he was still working the case. She was always smiling and laughing. It made his often stressful days seem inconsequential to see her smile and laugh even though such a tragedy had befallen her. The case had been shipped over to NIS because of the nature of the case.

Day after day; Tony would walk in hoping to see a man other than the doctor and nurses sitting with Kelly but also dreading it as well. He’d become attached to Kelly and would miss her infectious smile when her dad did show up.

Eventually a month after Kelly’s admittance into the hospital Tony got news of the hospital’s policy on children whom are left there to contact Children and Youth. Tony knew what the system was like. That same day after work he went to the District Magistrate and requested to be given Temporary Guardianship of Kelly. He stated that her father was a Marine and it was possible that he had not yet received news of the accident. The Magistrate Awarded him Temporary Guardianship over Kelly Gibbs but stated that should the father appear Tony was to hand the child over willingly and also that he would need to reappear for either a continuation on the Temporary guardianship after four months or Request that he be Given Full Guardianship over Kelly.

 

It was with a smile on his face that he walked into the hospital. He was a little late but he could protect Kelly until someone stepped forward claiming her. He smiled and greeted the nurses who seemed a little upset if not frantic.

“Maria. What’s got your scrubs all in a twist?” he asked of the head nurse Maria. She was the one whom was always there from the time Tony arrived to the time he left.

 

“Oh, Señor DiNozzo! Thank God you are here. Children and Youth has already been called and are in with niñita Kelly.” Maria said. Tony could tell she was upset because she only slipped into Spanish when she was upset.

Tony walked to Kelly’s room and saw the doctor that had refused to treat Kelly smiling off to the side as one of the younger nurses tried to delay Children and Youth from gaining too much information.

 

“What is going on here?” Tony asked as if he didn’t know and was confused. “Detective DiNozzo! You are late. Is everything okay?”

 

“Everything is just perfect Shelly. And how is my favorite angel today?” Tony asked as he pushed his way over to stand by Kelly’s bed before leaning down and placing a kiss on Kelly’s cheek. “Aw. Was my Angel crying? I’m sorry Angel. I had some urgent business to take care of and it couldn’t wait. Forgive Me?” Tony asked as Kelly seeing who it was smiled and laughed waving her hand as If to say “Hi”

 

“Was there something you needed Doctor? Miss?”

 

“Yes. My name’s Maggie Carter and I’m a representative from Children and Youth. I am here to do an intake of information so that once this little girl is released from the hospital she can be placed with a foster family until her own family is located.” She said haughtily.

 

“Well I’m sorry that you made this trip for nothing then Miss Carter. You see I will be taking her home when she is released. My home. This document should give you all the information you need. Now if you’d be so kind as to leave?” Tony smiled as if he really was apologetic while silently fuming. “Oh and Miss? Who called you?” Tony questioned almost as if it was an afterthought and inconsequential.

 

“Her Doctor. A Doctor….Lexington. Why?” she asked.

 

“Did he specifically state that he was her doctor?” Tony asked ignoring her question in favor of his own.

 

“Yes. Again Why?”

 

“Oh you know; so that I can speak with the Dean of Medicine pertaining to a Doctor lying to a government Employee not to mention attempting to have a child kidnapped. You see Miss Carter, Dr. Lexington is NOT nor has he ever been one of her treating physicians. As a matter of fact he refused to treat her when I refused to leave her side. This was even AFTER I explained that I am a Homicide Detective and she was under Protective Custody due to the fact her mother’s murderer was still on the loose.” Tony smiled sweetly at the Social Worker while Maria had two security guards hold Dr. Lexington and another escort the social worker out of the hospital.

 

Tony smiled and turned to the Dean of Medicine and Dr. Tomiyo who was Kelly’s Doctor and had just arrived to hear Tony’s final statement. The Dean looked at Dr. Lexington and told him he was being suspended pending review by the Hospital Board and the Medical Board. His privileges would also be revoked until a decision had been made since this was not the first complaint that had been brought against him.

 

Once things had calmed down Tony asked when Kelly would be released. She was breathing fine and walking and talking just fine. Though walking was more like running. Thankfully Kelly would be able to go home soon. Two weeks after the incident Kelly was released from the Hospital into Tony’s care and custody. He’d asked his College Coach’s Wife about what he would need and had gotten a good long lecture that was not only amusing but informative as well as orders to visit and bring the little one with him.

 

Kelly was lucky. She would still get to go Trick or Treating. Tony smiled remembering the little Angel costume that he’d bought her. He planned to take as many photos as possible. Maybe, depending on how long it took for her dad to show up he’d make a scrap book of events that he could give the man when he did.

 

Halloween passed and then Thanksgiving. Tony had been invited to his former coach’s house and he agreed. He made sure to get plenty of pictures and video as well. When Christmas rolled around Tony was unsure as to whether Kelly’s dad would show. That and how he’d take the news of Kelly calling him Papà. Maybe he shouldn’t have let the coach start teaching her Italian. He had tried to correct her and teach her to call him Tony or Tonio but she was a very stubborn child even at only one years of age.  He still made sure to take plenty of pictures and video of Kelly’s first Christmas with him. Soon enough January rolled around and the debate he’d been dreading arose. Did he go for a continuance or go for Full Guardianship. He father still hadn’t shown up and NIS hadn’t sent them anything just that the killer had fled the country. Tony had eventually resorted to hiring a PI to try and find Kelly’s father shortly before Christmas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He’d chosen. Now he had another choice to make. Fight for Kelly or willingly let her be taken. Spring had just started and with it came a notarized letter. Joann Fielding wanted parental custody of Kelly. She’d lost too much already. He would not let her go. Not without a fight; Maternal Grandmother or not. She hadn’t been there when Kelly really needed her family. She hadn’t shown up until Tony had been Granted Full Guardianship.

 

Soon enough the date to appear in Family Court appeared. It was an unusually warm day in May. Tony had brought all of the documents he needed as well as information on how detrimental it would be to Kelly were she to have another person ripped from her the way her mother had been. After several hours the judge had finally made a decision. She would give Joann Supervised Visitations to see how they progress and review the information at the next hearing. It wasn’t the verdict Tony was hoping for but at least he still would have Kelly most of the time. After making a new appointment for sometime in June Tony left. He had left his contact information with the Lady from Social Services and specifically stated that Joann was NOT to have it. All contact would be made through Miss. Whiteknight.

 

Tony received progress reports on how Kelly did with Joann. So far she was okay but the visits had only been a few hours at most. Now, Once again he was dressing nice to appear in Family Court again. Judge Winters seemed like a fair judge so hopefully she wouldn’t place Kelly with Joann permanently just yet. Tony was still gathering evidence supporting his case that removing her from his care would be bad. Apparently insofar the Judge agreed with Tony at least partly. Joann would have Unsupervised Visitation with Kelly every Friday Night to Sunday Night or Monday Morning. Thankfully it was a Monday so Joann wouldn’t be able to have Kelly for Several more days yet.

 

Tony was furious. ‘How that wretch could claim to love Kelly I’ll never know. Once I could understand since Kelly is in an unfamiliar setting but this is the third fucking time she’s come home unwashed and hungry.’ As Tony documented through photo and video evidence the conditions Kelly had returned to him yet again. As he helped Kelly into the tub he noticed something on her back.

 

“Kelly honey. Can you turn around for Papà?” he asked of his angel. He had eventually given up the battle for her to call him Tony and had allowed her use of Papà. Tony was just glad that he had the foresight to bring his camera with him. There on Kelly’s lower back was what looked like someone had knelt over her with one knee resting on her back.

 

Documenting the bruising and noting it down as less than 15 minutes after Kelly had been returned to his care. Being an EMT and then a cop had taught him to know how old bruises were and this one looked to be about two days old. After Kelly was in the tub and getting clean and playing he smiled and called Kelly’s pediatrician. Kelly had said it hurt to go pee so Tony wanted to make sure that there were no other nasty surprises. Getting an appointment with Dr. Kim for three hours from now Tony hung up the phone before washing Kelly’s hair and helping her into a warm fluffy towel. Once Kelly was dressed in warm pj’s Tony went and made something for her to eat. After Kelly was fed Tony sat with her reading to her and smiling as she tried to repeat after him.

 

Finally it was time to leave. Once Tony had Kelly ready and in the car he drove to the doctor’s office. Once checked in Tony sat with Kelly while she slept lightly in his arms. Waking Kelly when they were called back he told the nurse why he was bringing her in and Nurse Shelly took Kelly to the bathroom so she could get a urine specimen. Once Kelly was back in the doctor’s office and all pertinent information had been recorded Nurse Shelly said Dr.Kim would be in shortly. Around 5 minutes or so later Dr. Kim came in frowning.

 

“Mr. DiNozzo. Kelly has a UTI which is easy enough to treat. What is more concerning is her slight dehydration.”

Tony’s eyes widened and he quickly explained to Dr. Kim about the custody battle and Kelly having just returned home from her Mandatory visits with her Maternal Grandmother. He also mentioned that Every time Kelly returned unfed and unwashed and this time it looks as if she had been held down by someone. As Dr.Kim listened she asked him to help Kelly up onto the table and pull her shirt up so she could see her back. Once Dr. Kim had finished her exam she said she wanted to run some more tests.

 

When the doctor came back in after drawing blood samples from Kelly she told Tony that she was going to make a note and that if Kelly came back the same next week to bring her in immediately. Dr. Kim was going to write up her professional opinion on what she knew and anything else she would find out from Kelly’s blood. Tony thanked her and once Kelly had gotten a sticker and lollipop from the nurses at the checkout desk they left.

 

Tony had about had it. Joann was damn lucky that they would be in Family court in two days. Not only had Kelly returned dehydrated and with a UTI but new bruises had appeared as well. A few on Kelly’s arms and legs. One that had been just starting when Tony had taken her in to see Dr. Kim. It had showed up under fluorescents. Dr. Kim had not only written a letter of recommendation against Kelly going with her Grandmother she had also sent in Kelly’s medical files as well as requesting to be there.

 

Tony like every other court appearance had left Kelly with the neighbor who was a stay at home mother of two.

 

“All rise.” Judge Winters entered and took her seat. “We are here in the case of Parental custody of One Kelly Gibbs. The plaintiff is the maternal grandmother and the defendant her court approved legal guardian. Will the plaintiff please speak her name for the record.”

 

“Joann Fielding. Maternal Grandmother.”

 

“Do you bring with you any witnesses?”

 

“No, Your Honor.” Joann smiled.

 

“Will the defendant please rise and speak his name for the record?”

 

“Anthony DiNozzo Jr. Legal Guardian.”

 

“Does the defendant bring with him any witnesses?”

“Yes, Your Honor. Dr. Kim, Kelly’s pediatrician, ADA Casey Novak, Psychiatrist Dr. Langerly, and a photo expert.” Tony stated with neutrality.

 

The Judge raised an eyebrow at the list of witnesses before continuing on. “Is there any information that I should be made aware of?”

 

“Yes Your Honor” Tony and Joann said.

 

“The plaintiff may go ahead.”

 

“I want to bring to your attention the fact that Kelly is unclean and underfed when she comes to me on Friday Nights. I also want you to be made aware of the fact that as a Detective Mr. DiNozzo is required to be available around the clock. I also want to bring to your attention that I am financially stable as compared to Mr. DiNozzo. I have here a PI’s notes pertaining to Mr. DiNozzo.” Joann knew that no matter what that bastard said she’d have her granddaughter for sure.

 

Once the bailiff had handed the Judge the papers and looked at them she just nodded and moved on. “Does the defendant wish to counter these claims?”

 

“I do your Honor.”

 

“Go Ahead”

 

“Firstly I want to address the issue of my financial stability. I have here a SEALED document from my Financial Advisor and another SEALED document from the president of my personal bank as well as the trusts I have received and their amounts.” Tony handed the documents to the bailiff and waited patiently for the judge to finish her observations.

 

“You may continue”.

 

“Thank you Your Honor. Secondly I want to address the fact that I am a Homicide Detective and I am not required to be on call 24/7/365. I also wish to begin addressing the health of the minor in question. Firstly I would like to bring your attention to the photo documentation of how the minor was returned to my care. As you can see she is unclean in all of these photos. I would also like for you to note the bruises that I found upon the minor after her mandated visit with the plaintiff. I would also like to take this moment to direct your attention to Dr. Kim’s observations as well as the medical ailments the minor returned to me with.” Pausing Tony took a deep breath.

 

“I would also like to point out that the photo expert is here to authenticate that the photos have in no way been altered. Dr. Kim is also here in case there are any questions pertaining to the medical health of the minor. Finally I am handing the stage to ADA Novak.”

 

“Your honor. I am here to inform you that no matter what the decision you make the state is filing charges of Child Endangerment, Child Abuse, and Attempted Murder of a Minor." As she stepped back letting that sink into the Judge’s brain she took a brief look over to the plaintiff’s side.

 

“I have a lot of information to investigate so I am calling a recess. Court will resume in two hours.” Judge Winters left the court while Tony and his troupe went for some light lunch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two hours later and the courts were now back in session. Tony hoped that the verdict would be favorable for not only his sake but Kelly’s as well.

 

“I have come to a decision regarding Parental Custody of Kelly Gibbs.”

 

As everyone waited with bated breath for the verdict the judge continued “Normally in cases such as these those with blood ties are awarded custody. I debated long and hard on this and after weighing all of the evidence I have come to my decision. I am awarding Full Parental Custody of the Minor, Kelly Gibbs, to the defendant Anthony DiNozzo Jr. Case Dismissed!” and with a bang of her gavel she leaned back to watch the fireworks.

 

“WHAT!?!?!? You can’t!!! YOU HAVE TO GIVE ME CUSTODY!!!” Joann yelled as two armed officers walked over and proceeded to arrest her “YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!!!” She screamed as she was cuffed.

 

Tony stood there wide-eyed and slack jawed before managing to slump into his seat. “I won… Full Parental Custody…”

 

“PAPÀ!!!” Kelly yelled as she bowled into him only to be caught up in his arms as he spun her around. “No more worries my angel. You don’t ever have to see the mean old lady again.” Tony stated as Kelly, with all of the conviction a Two year old has said “Good. I miss Papà and she’s reawwy meen and reawwy owd.” Which caused several court officials to cover up their snickering at her statement. As Tony went to walk out a thought struck him ‘Full Parental Custody?!?! How the Hell does that work?’ Turning back around he moved to the front of the court hoping the judge was still there. Luckily she was.

 

“Judge Winters? I have a question?”

 

“Ask it?”

 

“What exactly did you mean by Full Parental Custody?”

 

Smiling she said “Basically Kelly will be seen as your daughter now no matter what. Due to the plaintiff asking for Full Parental Custody you in essence were being named as a parent even though you weren’t. With her losing you immediately gain Custody and this is something that can’t be revoked. Basically you have just adopted this beautiful little angel.”**

 

Tony’s eyes widened. “Me. Being listed as her father? Wow! Thank you Judge Winters.”

 

“Don’t thank me. You can thank the plaintiff for not reading the fine print.”

 

Upon leaving the courthouse he called those who were important enough to have known about Kelly and the Custody Battle and gave them the good news. One of his frat brothers, Steve, asked if she would have his last name. Tony said he wasn’t sure yet. Once he had hung up he kept thinking of what Steve had said. Steve was a Frat Brother. One of the few he still talked to. He was smart and had common sense. Something he himself sometimes lacked. Steve was the one to patch up their minor injuries from that lack of common sense.

 

Three months later Tony just couldn’t get what Steve had said out of his head. He’d been over this a thousand times with himself and had even called Vinnie, another Frat Brother, to ask his opinion. Vinnie had just opened his own Legal Practice and had been a godsend for Tony so far. It was a running joke that Vinnie was only a Lawyer so he could bail them out when they got in over their heads.

 

Vinnie had always been straightforward. He told Tony that he could legally have Kelly’s name changed and if her father did ever show up they could probably work out some kind of deal without another court battle. Vinnie even said he’d help if need be. He also helped Tony to update his Will. Just in case Tony were to ever die before Kelly was 18. He had asked Dom and Brian if they would take Kelly in such an event and they’d agreed. Once he’d finished his business with Vinnie he called the number Vinnie had given him so he could set up a time to have Kelly’s name changed.

One week before Christmas everything had been finalized. This would be Kelly’s third Christmas but Kelly Gibbs-DiNozzo’s first. Tony hadn’t wanted to completely change Kelly’s name. This way if they ever found out what had happened to Kelly’s dad she would still have his last name as well as her Papa’s. He wanted Kelly to have some form of connection with her parents other than her looks and some vague memories.

 

Two Months later Tony was transferring from Philly to Baltimore. Extenuating Circumstances necessitated his transfer. That and he wanted to make it harder for Joann to find them when and if she ever got out. After arriving and meeting his new partner, Danny, he asked about daycare’s and schools for his little girl. The men and women in the precinct with kids had been extremely helpful in his search.  He just hadn’t expected the questions about why Kelly had two last names and where her mother was. All of the questions and odd looks when he mentioned her having another father and trying to explain why she had two last names led to him enrolling Kelly in daycare as Kelly G. DiNozzo. When it was time for Kelly to start Pre-school/Head start Tony enrolled her as Kelly G. DiNozzo. By this point he had pretty much forgotten what the G meant and he never explained it and they never asked. Oh sure, he still had Vinnie checking into finding Kelly’s dad and a PI courtesy of Vinnie but they never got anywhere.

 

It was shortly after Tony had moved to Baltimore that Vinnie had called and mentioned hiring a PI to find Kelly’s “”other father“” as Vinnie had referred to him. Tony had agreed and was given a progress report that never seemed to change. Tony had hired a PI shortly after Kelly came to stay with him as his temporary ward but they hadn’t found anything and had given up after a few months. Eventually Tony had just figured that the man had been killed while serving and decided that when Kelly got older he would tell her that her father had been killed in action and hopefully by then they might have a grave they could visit other than her mother’s, which was in the DC area somewhere.

 

TBC…

AN: ninitas is Spanish for Little one or Little girl.

"L'amore è Sempre di valore Esso" is Italian for "Love is Always Worth It"
Also I suck at coming up with names so if there are any recognizable names I'm sorry. Also I know that the actress who plays Casey Novak on Law & Order: SVU also plays CGIS Agent Borin but I honestly just needed a name and as neither character will actually show up I just didn't change it.

*This gives Tony a little more leeway and knowledge when it comes to medical situations and explains why vehicular accidents don’t really affect him. (Unless you count his freaking about his car)

**I’m not very clear on Parental Custody battles (Though I do know that a person can be awarded Full or Parental Custody even if they aren’t a blood relative.)