"How's Tony doing?" Kate asked as Gibbs approached.

If the grim set of his jaw didn't communicate enough then he didn't have an answer for her.

Kate let the camera she'd being holding drop to her chest. "Have you spoken to him?"

"Focus on the scene Kate," Gibbs grabbed a couple more evidence bags from her bag and snapped on a pair of gloves.

"Gibbs it's okay that you're worried about him, looking at the state of this car I'm worried too-"

"Kate!"

"Photograph the scene, yes Gibbs." Kate took hold of the camera again and started clicking.

Gibbs watched every shot with a permanent scowl. He marked the position of each piece of evidence as she captured it and then he bagged and tagged. When it came to retrieving the knife he hesitated, knowing the blood that coated the blade was going to be Tony's. He carefully leaned over the body and plucked the sharp weapon off the back seat, dropping it into the evidence bag as quickly as possible.

"Are you interfering with my body Jethro?" Ducky said, announcing his presence.

Gibbs stood back and to the side, allowing Ducky a look at the body of Jeffery white. "Wouldn't dream of it Duck."

Ducky poked his head in the car and back out again, looking at Gibbs he asked, "Tony do this?" Gibbs nodded grimly, "well is he alright?"

Gibbs avoided eye contact. "A cut to his neck, I haven't got the details yet."

"Well go be with him Jethro, I'm sure Kate and I can take things from here…"

Gibbs shook his head, indicating the scene, "he's with the paramedics-"

"Jethro! Go be with the boy, if what I'm thinking you're thinking, happened here, then he'll need more than a stranger with a band aid." Ducky's stern tone had Kate looking over at them.

"Everything okay?"

Gibbs huffed and turned away, breaking the stare off with Ducky. "I'm taking DiNozzo back to the Navy yard. You finish up here and hitch a ride back with Ducky."

Gibbs stormed away before either of them could say anything more. Kate had been pushing him to admit his concern since Tony went AWOL, he didn't need Ducky joining in now Tony was actually hurt. Tony was relatively fine, he was safe and he was alive. It was a better outcome than he had been imagining since Kate had found Lanes body near the cabin, plus they had their bad guys in the way Gibbs liked best. Dead.

"He done?" Gibbs asked the approaching paramedic.

"He's okay, blood pressures a little high," the paramedic hefted his bag, "checked out the cut on his neck and put some strips on it but he'll need stitches," he shrugged, "want us to take him in?"

Gibbs glanced over the paramedics shoulder to see Tony looking sad and knew without a doubt he couldn't do it to him. "No, we'll take him," the paramedic nodded his assent and was about to walk away when Gibbs' hand on his shoulder halted him, "you sure he's okay?"

"Physically, sure… close call I'm guessing?"

"Something like that…" Gibbs said as he shouldered past him.

"Boss?" Tony looked up when he saw Gibbs walking over, "They said I need stitches!" The indignation in Tony's voice gave Gibbs hope that all would be well with his young agent, "Ducky can do that right? I mean I'm fine to go but they're probably going to take me to the local hospital and that means one hell of a cab ride back home-"

"With me DiNozzo," Gibbs moved around the Sedan to the driver's side.

"You're taking me-"

"Back to the Navy Yard," Gibbs clarified, allowing Tony time to get in and close the door. "Ducky will look at you when he gets back."

"Best news I've heard all day." He heard Tony mutter.

Pulling out of the crime scene Gibbs flashed his badge and the Leo let him pass, they were barely on the road when Tony opened his mouth.

"Boss about earlier…"

Gibbs waited but nothing more was forthcoming, "Yes?"

"Sorry… I thought… you know usually I when I speak without being asked you interrupt me and tell me to shut up or something."

Gibbs gave him a soft smile, "I said we'd talk later. Now is later."

"Ye-ah. But I thought that meant later… you know… as in never." Tony laughed nervously. "You're Gibbs!"

"I say things I don't mean?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow at him, attention briefly taken off the road.

"No." Tony instantly revoked. "Just… well, you don't talk… much…"

"I talk when it's important." Gibbs clarified, looking him in the eye. "And I always listen."

"Does that make us polar opposites then?" Tony smiled brightly.

Gibbs really wanted to laugh, but held it in, spotting his moment he asked, "What happened in the car Tony?"

"Nothing…" Tony replied quickly and looked away, "I mean…"

"You said you shot White."

"Yeah… I did."

"So how'd that happen?"

Like the last time he'd asked the question, Tony flushed, eyes glistening with unshed tears, only this time he could see Tony wasn't so dazed as not to notice what he was doing.

"Tony-"

Tony angrily swiped his eyes clear with shaky hands. "We pulled up and I knew we were out of time. The buyer had arrived, there was no Lane…"

"You guessed he'd killed him?"

"Was I right?" Tony looked to Gibbs.

"You were." Gibbs assured.

There was silence for at least a minute and Gibbs' gut told him he was about to be told something he really didn't want to hear.

"Boss, you have to get that I had no idea you guys were nearby" Tony looked at him in earnest and Gibbs did his best to keep his expression passive, "or that you even knew the dropped calls were from me." Gibbs wanted to kick himself over that Probie mistake. "So when Jeffery handed me a gun, told me to watch his back… I… I identified myself, told him we could cut a deal-"

"You what?-" Gibbs gripped the steering wheel, only just keeping his hands to himself.

"He told me he'd suspected I was a cop! And that's when I asked about Lane…" Tony swiped at his face again, "He told me he was sorry, he had a grip on my neck, I had a loaded gun in my hands, he pulled my head back and I-"

"Shot the bastard." Gibbs was angrier than all hell. "He's killed before Tony, he'd have killed you."

"I figured…" Tony ducked and looked out the window. "…Eventually. I didn't want to believe it, I really did like him…"

Gibbs pulled the car over, crossing lanes and causing horns to be honked at them, bringing the car to a dead stop on the hard shoulder.

Gibbs undid his seat belt and turned in his seat looking Tony dead in the eye. "I like you more."

Tony perked up.

"Tell Kate I said that and you'll be on cold cases for a month."

Tony smiled gently, "of course not boss."

"Good boy," Gibbs lent over, tapped Tony's cheek and then lifted his chin, pointing across the street, "coffee."

Gibbs jumped out of the car and walked across the road towards the small coffee shop he'd spotted. Looking back over his shoulder he could see the stunned but not unhappy look on Tony's face and felt his gut unknott a little. Gibbs allowed himself a small satisfied grin, sighing out his pent up frustration and long held in worry. He'd be getting a lot done on his boat tonight.