When Gibbs arrived at the apartment complex, he headed straight to Tony's place. De didn't bother to knock. Tony had given him a key long ago.

Gibbs was almost ashamed at his senior agents form form slumped against the wall. He was huddled in a fetal position clutching a half-full bottle of vodka.

Gibbs walked over to the ma n and knelt down beside him.

"DiNozzo?"

Tony's eyes lazily opened, revealing bloodshot, contracted pupils.

"Boss?"

His voice was slightly slurred, but he wasn't too drunk yet.

"DiNozzo? What the hell are you doing?"

Tony's face was covered in hurt, the alcohol not allowing him to mask it. Tony didn't answer. He knew that when he was drunk, or on painkillers, he tended to ramble incessantly and reveal things he'd rather have kept private.

Gibbs wasn't going to let him remain silent, He needed answers.

"Tony, what's been going on with you lately?"

Tony stared past Gibbs at the door, as if he were trying to telepathically send Gibbs away.

"I'm fine." He stated bluntly.

"DiNozzo, cut the act, you're not fine."

When Tony faced Gibbs with unshed tears, the previously distracted exmarine finally realized how distraught his senior agent was. Tony's entire body was wracked by shakes and silent sobs. Part of this could be side effects of the alcohol, but there was definitely something very wrong.

Gibbs slumped down against the wall beside Tony, ignoring the protest from his knees. Gibbs repeated himself, with the edge of anger now nonexistent.

"You're not fine."

Tony knew he had no way around this. But he didn't want to risk digging too deep into his past. So he made it short and simple.

"Bad reunion. That's all."

He hoped Gibbs would leave it at that, but being Gibbs, he didn't.

Gibbs rubbed a gentle finger over the scar on his neck.

"Apparently."

Tony tried a new approach. He completely stone walled Gibbs. He gave no response. Instead he prayed the phone would ring or someone would knock. Anything to make it stop.

As if God hear him, Gibbs' cell phone rang.

Gibbs seemed like he was about to ignore it, but knowing it could be important, he flipped it open.

"This better be important!" Gibbs shouted into the phone.

It was McGee.

"Well…uh…boss..we…uh…they…" McGee stuttered.

"Spit it out, McGee!"

"Sorry Boss. They found two more dead girls. One was off-base near Quantico. The other was buried in a child's sandbox behind a house on base."

Gibbs immediately snapped into protect-mode. He pushed Tony completely out of his mind. He snapped his phone shut and grabbed his coat.

"They found two more bodies. When you're sober, get your ass to NCIS." Gibbs yelled at Tony as he headed out.

Tony was relieved the conversation was over, but still hurt at how Gibbs immediately stopped caring as soon as he found out that two strangers were dead. That was how it always was. People pretended that they really cared, but as soon as someone of something more important comes along, they were gone.

He was used to it.

The door slammed shut.

Tony slid down the wall a little more, and took a final swig of vodka, awaiting the hangover that was soon to come.

_________

Gibbs arrived at the first crime scene in record time. It was the girl found in the sandbox.

McGee was pulling something out of the victims pocket. He looked at it for a moment before bringing it over to Gibbs.

"The killer shoved a note in her pocket, boss." McGee stated.

Gibbs took the note and read it over quickly, noting that it was written on the back of a picture.

(Note:)

NCIS-

I know what you're thinking, but I had nothing to do with that dead Navy guy in the park. He was in the dumpster. That's where I wanted to dump the girls body, so I moved him out. I put his dog tags out just for you. Have fun with this investigation. Catch me if you can.

(End note.)

Gibbs stopped reading and flipped over to the front of the picture. It was crinkled and folded several times with the picture was clear as day.

It was a girl. She was tied with heavy ropes to a chair in the middle of a shadowed room. Her hair was matted together, her eyes bloodshot.

McGee had just registered the beginning of the note. This person hadn't killed the Navy Lieutenant.

"Boss, we have another killer."

A/N: Ok that was the part where in the show they go gray and then cut to commercial. Ha ha. Ok I know that this was a short chapter but I have midterms starting Tuesday and I need to study. And sorry for any spelling or grammar errors in my story. I have no editor. Please leave reviews! Thanks!