Hey you guys!

I have a confession! First off...I LIED.

There, I said it. And not just once, but a couple times. I'm on a lying roll in fact. ;P I did NOT publish this story's second chapter the day after like I promised and I do NOT, in fact, have a DVD collection of Avatar: The Last Airbender (as much as I wish I did all I have is Netflix *sighs*). So any threats you could have made, dear readers, would be invalid. Hahaha. And I lied AGAIN when I said that this would be the last chapter. Because it's not. It is NOT the last chapter.

God I'm terrible. (;


Team Gibbs was headed for the parking lot Tony had so irritatingly insisted upon investigating, even if it meant going himself apparently. He'd left in the middle of their search of the suspect's house and Gibbs was pissed. They were half way across the large field separating the suburban area from the lot. They were close enough to see the grimy details of the obviously decrepit building. It was a vast desert of black top with the desolate warehouse squatting next to it.

There was only one car in the parking lot.

Gibbs' heart beat a little faster. That wasn't Tony's car.

He noticed Ziva and McGee share an uncertain look and pick up the pace. A proud smile wormed its way onto Gibbs' face, that was good detective work for them to pick that up as quickly as they had. Then the worry washed over him and the calm, cool marine face replaced the grin. Tony could have been right and if he was right….

Gibbs' head snapped up and he stopped in his tracks as the vehicle exploded in a massive collection of shrapnel, smoke and furious red flames. Ziva and Tim were frozen, wide-eyed and staring at the sight before them. Tim's jaw was hang open in shock. The force of the explosion was so much that a blast of hot air whipped the silver hair from Gibbs' face. That was when Gibbs realized that he should move. He should be racing to the scene and suddenly he was. His feet pounding on the soft earth and shoving the tall blades of grass from his path.

Ziva and McGee snapped to attention and followed his lead, the tall grass whipping around their thighs and they created a trail through the brush. McGee and Ziva shouted for Tony, but as his arms pumped beside him Gibbs' gut told him Tony wouldn't be answering.

He covered distance fast. Panting and short of breath Gibbs broke through the jungle of weeds and his boots slapped solid ground. He didn't break stride, running straight for the opposite side of the wreckage. As he flew through the black smoke to re-emerge on the other side Gibbs saw him.

A small figure was crouched over a motionless form on the ground. It was the missing child, Brian, shaking violently; his one arm hung limply at his side and appeared to be bent at an odd angle. He was hovering over Gibbs' senior agent, screaming at the other to wake up through broken sobs.

Gibbs had stopped, apprehension almost overwhelming the older agent. McGee's footsteps came up behind him and woke the team leader from his trance. He took off at a dead sprint and sank to his hands and knees beside his agent, hands delicately running over his body as Ziva's strong , but gentle arms carefully removed the little boy from the situation, assuring Brian that Tony would be fine. The look in her eyes told a different story, but the boy's attention was focused on the broken man lying on the ground not the Isreali woman.

Gibbs gently picked Tony off the ground and lifted his head onto his lap, moving him as little as possible. A soft sigh escaped the younger man's lips and Gibbs' heart skipped a beat. His eyes fluttered open.

"Gibbzzz…?" A worried smile spread across his boss's face, but the relief was short-lived. Tony began to cough, deep, wet coughs that made chills go down Gibbs' back.

"Where's that damn ambulance?" He shouted. McGee was staring, frozen at his fallen senior agent in horror. Gibbs barked at him and repeated the question.

"Uh, th-they might've g-gotten l-l-lost, Boss." He replied, the stutter creeping into his voice.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me McGee? There's a car. ON FIRE behind us!" As the probationary agent stuttered a broken apology Gibbs propped his senior field agent up a bit to allow more air into his lungs, but drew his hand back in horror when a hot and sticky sensation reached his fingers.

Blood... A lot of it.

" 'm's—sorry." Tony slurred, eyes beginning to close.

Panic jumped into Gibbs' throat. "

Hey! DiNozzo! Get with the program! What're you sorry for? Tell me what you're sorry for, I wanna know."

The demanding tone in his voice begged no argument and he hoped Tony would respond to that as he always did. The usual action from his boss would be a clipped smack to the back of his agent's head, but that was so obviously out of the question Gibbs almost didn't know what to do. However, he wasn't disappointed. Tony struggled to take a deep breath, smiling painfully through cracked lips, he replied, "S-sorry Boss… can't obey tha' one."

Tony's voice was little more than a whisper, fading out as the sirens could be heard rushing through the neighborhood. Tony's smile vanished and a haunted look entered his eyes, "J-Jusss' ….like m'father…. boss…" .

Gibbs' eyes widened. Why would Tony -? The younger man was starting to relax. Just a little too much. Gibbs shook him.

"DiNozzo!" He shouted. McGee looked over fearfully.

"DiNozzo, come on, look at me!" He demanded. His boss reached to lift his chin, but realized that he shouldn't move Tony anymore than he already had with a serious head injury.

"Tony! You are nothing like your father! Ya hear me?" There was no response. The ambulances were pulling up to the curb as the doctors rushed out with a gurney and collectively began hauling ass for the flaming car. Tony's pulse was fading rapidly beneath Gibbs' crimson-stained fingers and by the time the paramedics arrived his agent had stopped breathing altogether.

The absence of DiNozzo's labored breathing only amplified the sound of the blazing red sirens from the ambulance in the distance.


Yeah, so again, NOT the last chapter. SHOUT OUT TO PUFFDADDER FOR ACTUALLY READING THE AUTHOR'S NOTE LAST CHAPTER! (: It was nice to have a conversation with him about his theivery of my non-existent DVD collection. ;P Thanks guys.
MAX.