Guilt And Past Regret

Summary: Gibbs was okay, but still, some of them felt very guilty

Pairing: Slight slight Tate

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Zero. Zip. Nada. DiNozzo quote

A/N: My one and only post Hiatus fic. It's pretty boring, but I had to write one. Hiatus part 1&2 were both such emotional episodes. I loved them.

Tony's POV

He'd heard them all. The clichés and the expressions. The one he hated the most was that time would heal all wounds. Maybe it was true but wounds always left a scar. A reminder of the moment of pain. If it wasn't physical, it was often mental. And sometimes, the scar made itself acknowledged again.

Tony DiNozzo's wound was so deep that he and especially others doubted that it would ever heal. And now the wound was torn open again. The wound that had inserted itself into his mind and soul, more than a year ago. May 24th. He still remembered the date. So clearly. Tony sighed and took seat on his couch. This past days had been like déjà vu.

The same dates, the same hard work, the terrorists and the same constant feeling of unease. And according to Tony, things were no as screwed up as a year ago. When he'd seen Gibbs leave the bullpen…it was like déjà vu. The same feeling crept in. The same feeling that had bothered him ever since Kate's funeral.

The feeling of guilt. Tony still felt that he'd betrayed Kate, for not protecting her, and now he'd betrayed Gibbs too. Gibbs, who Tony, in some strange way, almost saw as a fathers figure. Gibbs had left him to take care of the team, their team. That almost was like a family, which by now had lost two of its members within a year. Things were changing, and according to Tony, they were changing to fast. A tear trickled down his cheek and he angrily wiped it away. It wasn't like him to cry, but he had to admit that he needed it. He hadn't shed a tear when Kate died. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't make himself to cry. But now he did and soon he fell asleep from pure exhaustion, with that nagging feeling of guilt still hovering over him.

A/N: Well, hope you liked this short little POV ;) Please review!