A/N: Disclaimer see chapter one… Thanks to ncislover1111, Mc7ism, nikita6725, olympianchef213 for reviewing. As you can see, this is another chapter of Tony's thoughts but we'll finally enter the dialogue stage and see Special Agent DiNozzo in charge. I guess it is AU since last Thursday.

Faces

Tony kept busy the next few days. He finished up the paperwork for the MCRT, filing all the papers, calculating this year's budget, preparing the requisitions for next quarter, updating the vacation overview, preparing the employee assessments for Ziva and McGee and making sure that the evidence log was up to par.

This way team Gibbs could start with a clean sheet next year – save for any mayor catastrophes that needed all Agents on deck. He fielded all the MTAC calls, as the second team leader – Christa Maloney had no patience for them at all – there was a reason why she was a team leader for the petty crimes, and a damn good one at that. She wasn't into politics and terrorism threats. Instead she was a feared force in the Navy.

Being a fifty year old widow with three kids all well over 18, she was a force to reckon with. She was his predecessor on the Reagan, and damn, were the kids afraid of her and in retrospect him. He was there for a month, while Christa took a three week holiday and within the first three days she taught him the tricks to be Agent Afloat. Without her and her help he would have drowned helplessly.

They stayed in contact and she took him under her wing after the Jenny disaster and pulled him out of a hole after their trip to Israel. She was strict but a good soul and her motherly instincts were right what he needed.

So they maintained a nice co-worker relationship and with her kids off to college and university they helped each other squelching their loneliness in a pure non-romantic way. He helped her with her car and small repairs around the house and she accompanied him to classical concerts or the one or other game.

So while he, as Agent in charge, took care of the red-tape, Christa made sure that everyone was happy and up to date with everything else. With seven Agents and one stand-in forensic scientist as well as a techie, both of them ensured to that all work was done before noon. Afterwards they started training exercises in different work-related matter such as new programs, logic leaping or just quality team work, such as playing scrabble, clue or watching movies on the MTAC screen.

Today - two days before Christmas his father called him and asked about his plans and for the first time in the DiNozzo family history Junior blew off Senior. His father mentioned that he was free over Christmas and Tony's only reply was that he had to work and after exchanged pleasantries the call was over.

Of course did Tony have the wish to spend Christmas with his dad, but after years of being put second and being put off time after time he was weary of putting his heart out. That didn't stop his childish hope to spend Christmas with his dad; just like they did more than thirty years ago and he felt still loved and cherished by his parents.

That was why he watched "It's a Wonderful Life" year after year, why he had every ingredient for to freshly prepare the traditional DiNozzo dinner from scratch since he lived on his own - rocket salad with tomato, fresh white mushrooms and pine nuts and bruschetta as a appetizer, lasagna as a main dish and fresh tiramisu a dessert. For the last twenty years he bought and cooked enough for three, and year after year he cooked and ate alone.

If they didn't have a case he visited midnight mass in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, standing in the shadows hidden next a stone pillar. After the breaking of the bread and over an hour remembering his mother, Kate, Paula and Jenny and contemplating the past and his future - each and every year silent tears made their way down his face after the lights dimmed and over a hundred people joined together and sang 'Holy Night, Silent Night'.

He remembered the past – when they spent Christmas in New York or the manor. When his father and his mother played the piano together, with him sitting on his father's lap and they sang that same song right before watching their movie.

Eight eves of his parents cuddling with him on the couch, eight eves of his parents telling him that they loved him, eight eves of being loved unconditionally and after thirty years he still waited and hoped for a repeat – even if it will never be the same.

Tony shook his head to get rid his sad musings, but not before wishing that his dead ignored that he blew him of with work and still chose him for Christmas and drop by for a – non work related visit.

Checking his watch he bounded up the steps to MTAC – the Agents afloat on the Reagan, Lincoln, Seahawk and Washington were scheduled for their weekly report. Tony's job was to listen to their reports and evaluate if there's anything the Director needs to be informed for. He wished the four a Merry Christmas and went back to his desk. Making sure that the Director had all the facts and was up to date and had all the reasons from his side, he wrote the news he received in his data sheet with all the MTAC calls he fielded.

Fifteen minutes later he rushed up to MTAC again, when the Techie informed him of an emergency call from the USS Iwo Jima. Agent Matthews reported that as of yesterday evening nearly a third of the crew reported in sickbay with different symptoms, such as constant upchucking, shortness of breath, diarrhea, fever and chill. It started quite sudden and no obvious reason was transparent.

The ship was supposed to dock in Norfolk on Christmas Eve, with a three week shore leave. With a possible bio-attack on his hands, Tony ordered Matthews to get him Captain Reed on a secure channel ASAP, before rushed out of MTAC, the Techie close behind.

Standing on the Mezzanine, he let out a sharp whistle and every head flew up to look at him. Tony took a deep breath before sprouting out orders.

"Alright everyone, we've got a code red – possible bio attack on the USS Iwo Jima – nearly a third of them came down with the following symptoms in the last 14 to 16 hours - constant upchucking, shortness of breath, diarrhea, fever and chill. This situation is a matter of national security and highly confidential." he could see them gulping.