Hey guys, I'm back! I know I promised to add a few chapters of my story "Late Night Confession", but I felt the need to work on this one, since I've been writing it for some time. So, don't worry, you'll get your promised drunk and hurting Tony again and of course, the next chapter of this story is in the state of being produced. I just have no idea when it will be finished, because I'll probably not send it to my beta until the story is close to being done, just to keep myself working. I actually am writing several stories right now, so imagine I have a lot of work to do. Just to clear things - this story is not supposed to contain any pairing between the characters. I'm a cautious Tiva shipper (yes, I don't like the character of EJ Barrett - not (only) because she rips the team off but also because I've got a bad feeling about her, she just doesn't seem all that sincere and pure. No offense there, it's just my personal view. And no offense against the actress, Sarah Jane Morris - I strongly believe in the goodness of her character. The role just didn't meet my liking. On the other hand, I think that's just what the screenwriters want us to feel...) Beside that, my life is catching up on me - I'm finishing the high school in less than a month and the tests and exams are probably going to kill me off. If any of you rememberes, please wish me a good luck tomorrow, since it's the day of one of my entrance exams to an university.

Okay, enough rambling about me, more about the fic. Again, all my thanks go to LD100 and Drama-Duchess - the first inspires me and delivers the ideas, while the second shares her knowledge and language skills and figures as the most lovely beta you can imagine.

This story will provide more trips to the minds of our favourite team and inspect the strenght of their mutual friendship. Well, what exactly wouldn't have you done for your best friend?

If you like it, please leave a review. I knoe I'm terrible at the feedback, but I promise I'll try to answer all of your reviews this time, I swear.

Enjoy!

Prologue

Tony's vision blurred when he opened his eyes. To be honest, he felt pretty awful. There was a stubborn pain growing in the back of his head. Everything was fuzzy and appeared unrealistic, making it extremely hard to focus. It was like seeing things through mucky water. His head was swimming. For a second, he was convinced that he was indeed swimming, but then he realized that swimming usually wasn't so painful. No, swimming was an easy task. It was natural, liberating, and didn't involve a crushing sensation by water mass. Swimming made him feel free and unrestrained by gravity. It was like flying. That was probably why he always loved the water so much. Back in school, he was the best swimmer of his class. Kids used to call him "Gills" because he could hold his breath for more than four minutes under water. He never had a fear of drowning, well, until his lungs filled up with liquid after contracting the pneumonic plague.

Swimming was definitely not how he felt right then. Tony felt numb and detached from his body, like as if his flesh had been replaced by Jello. There was a sensitive, tingling feeling in his right shoulder. He suddenly remembered it was the same feeling he felt after waking from anesthesia. But he also quite often woke to see a white ceiling above him and a concerned face of one of his teammates, which was most likely Gibbs.

There were neither hospital ceilings nor familiar faces this time. He was alone and lying upon a mass of black rock. He turned his head to see something white drifting in the air around him and something that looked like the shape of trees? Well, he wasn't sure, since his vision sucked.

He tried to sit up, but cried out in agony as pain bit into his shoulder. He couldn't prevent the sharp yelp from escaping from his lips. His head felt like a ton of lead, pulling him back downwards. He had no clue on his whereabouts. He did not know why he was there or how he'd gotten there. It was so hard to think straight.

He only knew that something really bad happened. He was lying on the rocks, injured and feeling sick. To make matters worse, it was snowing.

He saw a vision of his father approaching him. The man looked no older than thirty, with wild dark curls (something that Tony Jr. supposed many women found highly attractive), almond-shaped sea-green eyes (which both father and son shared), and a kind smile on his lips. Tony never remembered his father looking at him with a kind smile. That was the type of thing Dad reserved for the ladies, but never for his only son. No exceptions.

"Dad..." Tony whispered, but as soon as the words slipped out of his lips he broke into a coughing fit. He made an attempt to sit up, but his weakness gave in. He had only the feeble strength of a newborn kitten. Tears filled his eyes as he tried to clear his lungs, though without much success. His heartbeat thumped fiercely in his ears. Barely able to hold himself up, he fell back onto the ground and curled his knees to his chest. The oxygen flow seemed scarce and diminished around him way too fast.

After what seemed like an eternity times three, Tony was finally able to inhale without his lungs exerting all its power. He was exhausted and literally spent. Somehow, he felt his father's eyes still watching him.

"Go 'way, Dad," Tony whispered softly, not wanting his father to see weakness. Vulnerability was not something Tony wanted to show. "Leave me."

"DiNozzo," a voice called. Tony was pretty sure it didn't belong to his father, but he didn't care. Nothing made sense anymore. "Look at me." A hand grabbed his elbow firmly.

"No...," he moaned. "Leave me...'lone."

"Tony," the voice said again. Someone was turning him on his back. He saw the stern face of his grey-haired boss, Gibbs. "What are you saying?"

Tony had to close his eyes, unable to keep them open anymore. "Want him...out, Gibbs. Make...'im leave. Please... please..," he mumbled.

Tony felt Gibbs pull him to an upright sitting position. He didn't understand anything the man said. Words were choppy. Tony was too busy trying to survive. In his suffocation, Tony gulped for air. The sound of it was too similar – no, absolutely identical – to sobbing. He knew that when or if he got out of this alive, he would never be able to look his boss in the eyes again. He'd die from embarrassment. But right then, he could care less.

He ignored the arm creeping up his body. At least, until it came down to his throat with strength only a Marine could possess. Tony's his eyes shot open. Too weak to fight back, Tony struggled with all his might to free himself from the hold. By the looks of it, Tony was sorely losing the battle. He was going to die. He just couldn't understand it. Why was he doing this? Out of all the people to end his life, why must it be Gibbs? Why must he be betrayed by the one person whom he admired and looked up to all these years? Gibbs was like a father to him. This was wrong.

He heard soft, regrettable words that sounded something like "I'm so sorry, Tony."

Gibbs was killing him and apologizing for it?

All Tony could see before his vision finally faded to black was his father's cruel smile as the old man turned to leave.

12 hours earlier

"Hey Timmy, come here," called Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo.

"Okay, Tony. What is it this time?" Tim McGee asked in annoyance. "Another half-naked poster of some woman, like the one you showed me yesterday?"

"Hey, I resent that comment. It was not a half-naked poster of some woman. It was only the best fan-made movie poster of Star Wars: Episode VI ever," Tony defended. "And don't pretend you didn't know what that is. You're an IT, a computer geek, a cyber dweeb. There's no nerd on the face of the Earth who hasn't seen Star Wars."

Ziva laughed from her desk. "Yes, absolutely, DiNozzo."

"I never said I haven't seen Star Wars," McGee replied. "And I actually did have a semi-crush on Princess Leia back in the day, but I found R2-D2 to be more compelling and humorous."

"Humorous, maybe, but definitely not hotter," Tony said. His eyes had the far-away glow of reminiscing the days gone by. "She was my childhood heroine, the beautiful and fearless Princess Leia..."

"Keep dreaming if you want to be unemployed," Gibbs' voice sounded behind the two agents as he walked from the stairs leading to Director Vance's office. His right hand flew forward and slapped the back of Tony's head.

"Sure, Boss," Tony said quickly and straightened in his chair. "On it, Boss."

"Grab your gear," Gibbs ordered. He put down his cup of coffee and retrieved his backpack from behind his desk. "A dead Marine found in a factory hall in Maryland. Ducky will meet us there." He took his coffee off the table and took a sip as he walked to the elevator.

"Let us hope Palmer will not get lost again," Ziva muttered as she got up from behind her desk.

"What was it that you wanted me to see?" McGee asked Tony as they walked towards the elevator.

"It's just another picture of Leia Organa in a bikini, McGee." Gibbs answered before Tony had even the chance to take in a breath. The younger man just hung his mouth in awe.

"Hey Boss, I didn't know were a fellow fan," Tony said jokingly. "Bet you liked Princess Leia, too? You know, she was so..."

The elevator opened and Gibbs' hand smacked Tony's head again. Ziva's grin grew wider.

"Ouch," Tony grunted. "Yeah, of course you liked Mara Jade better. She was a redhead."

"I've seen something like this once in Edinburgh," Ducky said.

The team gathered in an old abandoned factory hall in the suburb of a small Maryland town about twenty minutes from DC. They stood together in the middle of the hall and were looking up at a dead body hanging from the ceiling by its feet.

"I did too," Tony replied. "Only the guy wasn't hanging from the ceiling but from a tree. And it wasn't in Edinburgh, but in The Pirates of the Caribbean. The second movie."

"Did they show how to get the body down?" McGee asked.

"Nope," Tony said. "In fact, Will Turner was still alive at the time."

"Ziva," Gibbs called. The former Mossad officer immediately stood attentive, waiting for orders. "Climb up there and get the body down."

"I'll help you up," Tony offered. "I can...give you a boost. Maybe hold your feet."

"You would not dare," Ziva hissed. "Not if you are happy about having your..."

"McGee, help Ziva up," Gibbs ordered. "DiNozzo, come with me."

"Okay, but I'm calling Amnesty International right now," Tony mumbled, unaware that Gibbs heard him.

"Stop that whining or you'll definitely need to call Amnesty International, unless you want to be head-slapped again."

"Right, boss," Tony said sheepishly and walked outside through the back door with Gibbs.

They discovered tire tracks in the mud, so Tony began photographing and documenting it. The air was cold and the forecast called for snow, due to start drifting any second. Tony shivered.

"The mud has hardened from the cold weather." Gibbs observed, standing right behind his subordinate. "Go to the truck and get the plaster. Take prints for Abby to analyze. I'm gonna question the kids who found the body."

"Sure, Boss," Tony nodded. Then he remembered something and jumped to his feet. "Hey Boss, you know..."

At the same moment, the sound of a gunshot filled the air, followed by Tony's painful scream and then a loud thump of a body hitting the ground.

... surprise? Any guess? Thanks for reading!