I am back with another story. Sorry I haven't updated the others but I have actually be busy writing my novel which is not fan fiction based. During a bit of writers block I have gone back over some stories and found this little gem which is actually complete! Yes this story is FINISHED and I will be posting chapters regularly until it is all done.

As always I love to hear any comments or questions you have about the story. This one was written fairly early in Season 12 so it was after Tony met Zoe but before Ned was killed so technically I suppose this is now an AU story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1:

Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo had parked his rental car outside of his NCIS provided apartment and was walking towards his favourite Italian takeaway shop, Toscano's, when his phone buzzed.

He checked it and saw a text message from McGee; Dorneget just tripped over one of Bishops bags, ran into Gibbs who dropped his coffee and now I think Dorneget may just wet his pants if Gibbs doesn't hit him first. There was also a photo attached which showed a 6 foot 4 ruffle haired Ned Dorneget standing in front of Gibbs and although Ned had a 3 inch height advantage, he looked like a kid about to be reprimanded by the headmaster. Tony couldn't help but feel sorry for him. After all Tony had been on the receiving end of that Gibbs stare way to many times to remember.

Tony simply replied with Ouch! :0.

Considering Washington DC was three hours ahead of this Washington the team must have been having another late night. He could relate, as this was the first Friday in Seattle that he had managed to close the office at 1800 hours. The team was still on call for the weekend, but going home this early was a treat.

Tony had just finished the ninth week in a twelve-week stint as acting Supervisory Special Agent of the Northeast Field Office in Seattle. Well Silverdale technically but no one knew where Silverdale was. It was easier to say Seattle … to anyone other than a Silverdalian. While he had enjoyed his time, he was really starting to miss home. McGee, Abby and Bishop were doing their best to keep him up to date with events in the office, and they video chatted when they could, but it wasn't the same as being there.

Gibbs would call if he needed to ask Tony a question about a case but hang up as soon as Tony responded. Gibbs wasn't one for small talk although he did surprise Tony a couple of weeks ago when he called up out of the blue and asked, "You good?" After Tony got over the initial shock he told him about his work, and the people he was working which but when there was a slight pause in the conversation, Gibbs went, "Ok then," and ended the call, obviously satisfied that Tony was fine. Tony was amazed that something so small could make him feel all warm and fuzzy. That one comment from Gibbs was akin to Abby hugging and holding you and saying "there, there, there; you're going to be ok and we all love you and want you to feel better." Well that is how it felt to him.

Both Ducky and Jimmy Palmer kept in contact, usually by email, Ducky preferring the artistry of the written word, while Palmer would just send off a joke he received, or even a dirty picture or two. Tony was kind of proud of the Autopsy Gremlin being a closeted porn fan. Well that was until he noticed that Breena was the one who had forwarded one of the ruder pictures to Palmer! Jimmy's sweet blonde, butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth, wife was sending him porn. Tony didn't know weather to be impressed or horrified. He would definitely need to talk to Palmer about this when he got back home. It couldn't help but make him think about what the Palmer's sex life was like. Sex … he missed sex.

His new Seattle team consisted of Rebecca Cameron, a good agent with brains and guts and a single mum to a three-year-old girl. He could tell her heart was no longer in the job and knew he would need to report that to Vance when his tenure was up.

Then there was Liam O'Malley, a young probationary agent who had a great natural instinct and Tony had a feeling O'Malley was going to go far at NCIS assuming the FBI or another alphabet agency didn't poach him first. He also liked that fact that he was able to use all his best McNicknames and recycle them as O'Nicknames. Made him feel more at home. He also liked O'Malley's sense of humour. You see O'Malley was gay and not a day goes past that he doesn't try to hit on Tony knowing full well that Tony is straight. It usually ends with a sigh and, "are you sure you don't want to try being gay … just this once."

Tony response was always, "are you sure you don't want to go to another Sexual Harassment Seminar?" but Tony's smile always gave the game away.

McGee thought it was hilarious, "You know what he is don't you?" he asked Tony one day.

"No what?"

"He's your DiNozzo!" Tony hung up while Tim was still laughing.

He also had a forensic tech who was OK but certainly no Abby. Treyvon Diggs was so nerdy he made McGee look like … well Magnum PI. He was African American and his hair was longer which formed a bit of an afro, which he then lacquered down with some super hold gel and he wore thick black glasses and yes, there was white tape holding the nose piece together. He also had a stutter that got worse when he was nervous and he was always nervous around Tony even thought Tony had done nothing, he thought, to cause that. O'Malley told him that the whole "Gibbs Team" were like living legends and Treyvon was especially nervous because not only was Tony "that DiNozzo!" he was actually friends, not just work mates, with Abigail Scuito. In Treyvon's eyes, Tony was a friend with his Goddess, and how could he not be nervous in that situation.

There were also a couple of female administration workers who job shared and to be honest, they looked so much alike Tony was still not sure to this day which one was Laura and which one was Lara. Yes that was really their names. They assured him they were not related but he seriously had his doubts. He was sure it was some huge practical joke being played on him.

The Northwest office was quite busy, not as busy as Washington but their area was pretty expansive covering Canada and Alaska to the north, down to Oregon to the south and out to the eastern borders of Montana and Wyoming.

His phone buzzed again and it was a text from Abby Whatcha doin?

He smiled at Abby's standard question she sent off at any time, day or night. Sometimes he was too busy to answer but tonight he shot back straight away Think I am coming down with a cold so quiet weekend ahead. About to pick up my order of pizza, grab a bottle of wine, toss down a couple of cold and flu tables and settle in for a weekend of Bond… James Bond.

No hot date? A little cold never stopped you before!

He grimaced. That was one reason he had been so keen to take this job. After the last year of moping around following Ziva's departure, he had finally picked himself up, dusted himself off and got back out there into the dating world. And not just to screw around like he used to. He was ready for a real relationship. And he thought he had found it with Zoe, his old partner from his days in Philadelphia. They quickly moved from reacquainted friends to having a romantic relationship.

They had been dating steadily for months and Tony was ready to take it to the next level. Sadly, Zoe apparently wasn't on the same page and decided to break it off the same weekend that Tony had decided to ask her to move in with him. Apparently she thought he was to "closed off" and wouldn't "show his true feelings," and wasn't "the same guy I knew in Philly." And Tony had tried, really tried with Zoe. He had told her more than he had told anyone about himself although he if he was honest with himself, he knew there was more to give but it was so damn hard to trust someone that much after all the times he had been let down by those he trusted through is life. Once again Anthony DiNozzo was left reeling and broken hearted so when this opportunity to move across the country came up a week later, he thought it would be a great place to go and lick his wounds away from the caring yet prying eyes of his friends. It had worked to a degree but he still wasn't ready to date. He responded to Abby, Nope, still considering taking up O'Malley's offer to go gay … straight no longer seem to be working for me!

LOL Well have a good one and hope you don't get sick. I will try and call this weekend but the nuns and I have a charity bowling event so I might not get time. Miss you xxx

Miss you too Abs xxx

Tony hit send and then felt a pain explode on the right side of his head. He fell and felt another harder blow to his left temple and then … nothing. The world turned off.