𝐍𝐎 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 ━━ 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐳𝐳𝐨

FOUR | strip poker

"This is exactly like The Deep End of the Ocean."

"You mean the one with Michelle Pfeiffer? The one where her son is kidnapped and she reunites with him ten years later?"

Tony circles his arm around my waist seeing as we're the only two in the bullpen. "God, you're basically my soulmate."

"We should watch it again."

"So you can cry again?"

"Ass."

He pushes me away from him just as Gibbs and McGee walk in, the latter being dressed in his Young Scouts uniform.

"Seriously, Probie. I don't make enough fun of you?"

"Knock it off, DiNozzo."

"Everything points to the father." I display his driver's license on the monitor. "Brian Matthews, a native of the D.C. area, nineteen when he married Lisa, his high school sweetheart. Two short months later, Carson Matthews was born."

"Good old shotgun wedding."

"Six weeks after giving birth, Lisa drowned. Her death was ruled accidental."

"Matthews took it hard and ended up losing his crowd. Then, he started hanging with the wrong crowd."

"Dead wife's mother sued him for full custody of Carson and won."

"Explains why he took Carson and ran." McGee rests his hands at his waist.

"Somebody just earned their detective badge." Tony mockingly congratulates.

"You talk to the grandmother?"

"She died over a year ago from a heart attack."

"Brian Matthews became Brian Taylor, ended up living in Franklin where he and Carson started a new life."

"He's now married to Lieutenant Elaine Taylor, who works for the Naval Procurement in anti-fraud."

McGee and Gibbs leave to talk to Elaine while Tony and I search through Carson's bedroom, leaving Ziva and Abby alone with the minor.

"Tony. . .Carson is literally the child version of you."

"What do you mean?"

He examines the racecar bed Carson owns.

"You think this comes in a king?"

"I'm not going to let you pick a race car bed for our future home."

The words slip out before I can think about what I'm saying. With narrowed eyes, Tony turns around to face me.

"Future home, huh?" A giddy grin grows on his face.

"You can't make fun of me, Tony." I nudge him by his chest. "I'm your girlfriend."

"I think it's cute, honestly. How soon do you want to move in together?"

"Uh, how about next month from never?"

That night, I finally get to meet the infamous Carson Taylor, whom everyone knows is a replica of Tony.

"Metro's hand-delivering the cold case files, so they should be arriving soon."

"Metro? Hand-delivering?"

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Eva, they're gonna stay involved in the case. Why else would they hand deliver the files?"

"To see your pretty face, DiNozzo."

Three of Metro P.D.'s detectives arrive with a single box of case files, and the one in the front drops it on Tony's desk.