Another Moment
"I love you McGee!" He whispered hoarsely, slapping Tim's knee lightly. He shook his head slightly, still gasping for breath. "I promise never to give you a hard time again."
McGee chuckled slightly. "Yeah, right."
……
Tony tossed back the bottle with a sigh, letting the few last drops fall into his mouth before throwing the bottle carelessly over his shoulder. He glanced down at his hand vaguely, his mind feeling a little hazy. He frowned slightly when he realised it was still shaking. "Funny." He muttered, shaking his head to himself. "Been doin' that since…th' wall…" He slurred, glancing around his apartment where several discarded empty beer bottles could be seen floating around the place. He reached blindly out for the table in front of him, frowning when he encountered nothing but the T.V remote.
"Hm." He murmured, glancing down to see that he had, indeed, finished all his beer.
His eyes fell on his cell phone, which lay on the couch beside him. The screen was lit up, the words "Missed Call" flashing across it every other second. He flipped it open absently staring at the name for a few moments before it registered. Gibbs. Hmm… He thought, still staring at the phone curiously. Should probably call him back… Instead, he found his fingers pressing he button for the address book. He scrolled down a little, stopping when he got to 'M'. He stared blankly at the screen for a moment, before seeing the name that jumped out at him.
McGee.
Without truly knowing why, he pressed the green button. The phone rang in his hand a few times, before a voice answered, muffled by the distance from the phone's speakers to Tony's ears.
"Hello? Agent McGee speaking." There was a moment of silence as Tony slowly lifted it to his ear, frowning slightly.
"Is anyone there?"
"McGee." Tony breathed, massaging his forehead with his free hand as a headache made itself known.
"Tony? That you?" Tony didn't feel the need to reply. Infact, he was still a little sketchy on why he'd called in the first place. "Are you okay?" Tony grunted slightly in response. "Okay…where are you?"
"…Home." Tony replied after a fraction-too-long pause.
"Okay…" McGee sounded a little sceptical, Tony noted vaguely. He wondered briefly why he was having so much trouble focussing…He figured it may have to do with the seven or eight bottles of beer he'd downed after his near death experience earlier in the evening. "Any particular reason why you're calling, or do you just feel like bugging me?" Tony pondered this question – apparently for too long, as McGee began to sound worried. "Tony, are you alright?" A brief pause. "Tony? You want me to come over there? Do you want me to call Gibbs?"
"Hm." Tony grunted. "No…Don't call Gibbs…" He muttered slowly. "See…Gibbs called me…'n' I maya not called 'im back…" He muttered unintelligibly for a few moments. "…'n' he's Cranky?" The end sounded more like a question then a statement.
"Alright Tony, I won't call him…but I'm coming over, okay?" Silence again. "That okay, Tony?"
"Yer alright…" He muttered, before pressing the little red button. He threw the phone down beside him, his eyes drooping slightly. "Where was I…" He murmured. "Oh yeah…ninety-one bottles of beer on th' wall…"
…….
Tom frowned as he put down his phone, his mind reeling from the considerably odd phone call. He grabbed his car keys quickly and left his apartment, getting in the car with haste. He was a little worried about him – that was decisively odd behaviour, even for Tony. Tim didn't need a psychology degree to know that much. He didn't live all that far away from Tony, he was there in just under ten minutes. He went up to Tony's apartment and knocked loudly on the door.
No response. He waited a few moments before knocking again. "Tony?" He called, rapping on the wood a third time. "You in there?" He heard a muffled groan, and then the faint sound of slow foot steps making their way to the door. Very slow foot steps. Eventually, they reached the door.
"…tha' you McGee?" The voice was muffled through the door, and a little slurred, but unmistakably Tony.
"Yeah. You gonna Let me in?" The door swung open slowly, to reveal a very dishevelled looking Tony. He was still dressed in his work clothes, despite it being a good eight or so hours after they'd been released. The shirt was halfway unbuttoned and there were a damp patches on the front. His hair was a mess, looking even more ruffled and scare-crow like then when Tony had spent the night at the office. And his breath! Tim waved a hand across his nose, scrunching it up slightly. He immediately recognised the strong odour of alcohol.
"You're drunk." He said flatly, shouldering past the intoxicated man and letting himself in.
"Am not…" Tony protested weakly, swinging the door shut before stumbling a little. "…Well…maybe a little…" He slurred, making his way back to the couch. McGee helped him over when Tony nearly fell over, pushing him onto the couch.
They sat in silence for a few moments, before Tim finally turned to Tony. "So what's got you in such a state, then?"
Tony didn't answer for a while, and Tim began to think he wasn't going to. "Dunno." He said finally, giving McGee a look before contradicting himself. "Wait…yeah I do." He laughed slightly to himself, scratching his head. "Think it maybe…maybe's the wall thing. Maybe."
"You've been in near death experiences before, Tony." McGee said slowly, peering carefully at his partner. "Heck, in our job? I'd have thought you'd be used to it."
"Mm…I know." He muttered, shaking his head. "But this time…" he sighed, a hand sliding up almost of its own accord to mess up his hair even more. "This time…I dun think I coulda saved myself, ya know?" He paused, thinking on his words carefully. "Normally…normally I save myself. This time, if you…if you hadn't been there….Another moment…" He shook his head. "I'd…be dead." He glanced down at his hand, which was still shaking a little.
He pointed with his other hand, watching it carefully. "See that? Tha' never happ'ned before neither. Hasn' stopped since…since it."
"It's natural, Tony." McGee said in what he hoped was a comforting tone. "It's your body's reaction to the shock. Your muscles are probably a little upset too – you were holding onto that ledge for a while with just your arms. It'll stop, probably by tomorrow."
Tony stared at him for a few moments, considering his words carefully. "'Kay." He said finally, moving his hand out of his line of sight. They sat in a somewhat companionable silence for a little while, before Tony turned back to McGee.
"Listen." He waited for McGee to meet his eyes, staring as seriously as he could manage. "Wanted…" His eyes drifted shut as he grimaced slightly. "Wanted to apologise. Fer all the teasin' an' the names…the bullying." His eyes snapped open, meeting McGee's gaze seriously. "I'm sorry. Real Sorry. You saved my ass…" he shook his head rapidly. "God, I'm so sorry."
Tim laid his hand on Tony's shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay Tony, honestly."
"No!" Tony snapped, glaring at McGee. "It's not okay...but it will be. Don' worry. It's not gonna happen again. Promise. It won't."
McGee shook his head. "Honestly Tony, I don't mind it. Truthfully, it would be a little weird if you stopped."
Shocked, McGee watched as Tony's eyes began to well up slightly, he blinked rapidly to quell the tears. "Tim…You saved my life." He whispered, his voice growing a little hoarse. Suddenly, he grabbed Tim's wrist tightly, looking into his eyes. "Thank you." He said solemnly, his eyes betraying nothing but absolute sincerity. "Thank you. And I mean that. Thank you."
"It's okay Tony. I would do it anytime." McGee said quietly, grasping his arm back in turn. "You would do the same for me."
Tony held his gaze for a moment, before nodding uncertainly. "I hope so…I really hope I would."
"I know you would."
Tony nodded once more, much more confidently this time. "But thank you anyway, Probie." He said with a weak smile. "Whatever you want…you got it."
"Well…" McGee began, a glint forming in his eye. "About that photo…"
… ….
A/N: After seeing Leap of Faith again tonight, I just had to write this. It's my version of what might have gone down that night following the whole 'dangling off the ledge' incident. Leap pf Faith is definitely one of my all time favourite episodes – the moments between Tony and McGee are just priceless! (-cough- Couples counselling, anyone?-cough-) Hope you liked my little story, I might be adding another chapter that I have a muse for, but it's by no means going to be an epic. Thanks for reading.
The part in italics at the beginning is taken directly from the episode "Leap of Faith". Copy Wright to DPB.
-AquaRias