Tony ordered in Chinese food and popped in an old James Bond movie while he waited for the guy to deliver it. He thought of the conversation he'd had with Gibbs just a few hours earlier.
"You need to talk, DiNozzo. My door is always open."
He'd laughed it off, but maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. After 3 failed marriages, and who knows how many other relationships that didn't work, Gibbs wasn't exactly a stranger to the pain Tony was experiencing. Gibbs had even slept with girl to get information for a case. Tony wondered if Gibbs had as hard a time dealing with her as he was having getting over Jeanne. Only one way to find out, Tony decided.
Tony waited another half-hour until the delivery boy arrived. He paid for his order, tipped the boy and then grabbed his keys. He eased into his old Mustang. It looked just like the one that had blown up in the explosion. It was almost as if that day had never happened. But it had. Tony could still remember the fear. For the first time, he'd had something in common with an arms dealer. They both feared for Jeanne's life and would do anything to protect her.
Boom
Tony saw his car go up in flames. The car he and Jeanne should have been in. No matter how bad things went with Rene, Tony was grateful for his intervention this morning. If her father hadn't shown up, both of them would be dead.
They rushed Jeanne out of the car, both protecting her with their bodies. Tony desperately wished he had his cell phone on him. Any phone would have done, really, just something that he could use to call for back up. The thought of something happening to Jeanne terrified him. Wasn't once in 24-hours enough? First the druggies, now this?
She'd been fine, at least physically. Tony felt bad for her. Not only had she discovered that she'd been a job, she'd also learned that her father was a ruthless lawbreaker. Not any girl's idea of a good day. She'd lost her boyfriend, but her father wasn't there to comfort her. She lost her father, but Tony hadn't been there to comfort her. He didn't blame her for thinking he was a jerk, his actions, while under the Director's orders, had caused her an incredible amount of pain. No woman deserved that.
Tony pulled up in front of a specialty wines store and parked the car. He went inside and looked at their bourbon. He didn't know a whole lot about the drink, but he knew Gibbs' liked it. He stared at a couple bottles before choosing the Booker's True Barrel Bourbon. At 125+ proof, he thought Gibbs would like it. He paid for the bourbon and hurried back to the car, hoping to get to Gibbs' place before the food got too cold. But then again, they could always re-heat it if they had to.
A/N Please review. Thank you to those of you who left reviews on the first chapter. Abby Hugs to all of you.