Additional Spoilers: Cloak & Dagger

Slowly, Tony's smile faded. The warmth from the familiar banter cooling as reality seeped its way back into his awareness. "There are parts of my childhood I've never spoken aloud to anyone, Kate. I don't know that I ever would have told you were you still alive; it would have changed everything. You wouldn't have been able to look at me the same way. It's hard for me to break past that barrier, even now, when what I tell you will never change the way you see me."

Tony looked off into the distance, debating if he could continue. His mind was racing in a thousand directions, like an animal sensing a trap closing around it. Years of instinct were telling him to flee as fast as he could.

"Tony," Kate smirked, "I'll take your secret with me to the grave."

"Oh, ha, ha," he replied drily, "very original." He studied her in the fading sunlight. He swallowed hard. It suddenly was very clear to him why he had come here today. Family.

"I know why Adrianna's death hit me so hard today. I lost my family again this year, Kate. NCIS has been my home for eight years now. The team has become more of a family to me than my blood family ever was. When Jenny died, it tore the team apart. Suddenly I was five again, I couldn't save Adrianna, and I couldn't save Jenny. It was my fault we were split up. It wasn't rational thought, but damn it, that's sure what it felt like."

Recognition dawned in Kate's eyes, "That sense of loss is still so fresh for you; Adrianna's anniversary tore the scab off the wound."

Tony closed his eyes and nodded. "Fear of losing family is what kept me from staying any one place too long, from letting anyone get that close. I don't know how or why it happened at NCIS, but when it did I couldn't give it up. For the first time in my longest memories, I started feeling like I was home.

"When I went afloat, there were nights I swore I heard my father screaming at me how worthless I was, that I poisoned everything I touched. It almost drove me mad, because I had heard it all before after my mother died."

Be-beep…be-beep…be-beep… Tony's hand went to his right pocket to retrieve his work cell. He glanced at the text display, Gibbs team on stand-by alert. On-Call team has been called into field.

He sighed, hoping that it would stay a quiet night and returned his phone his pocket. Then his brain caught up. He had heard six beeps, not three. Pages were always three beeps. He felt his blood turn cold. Glancing around, his mind coming to only one logical conclusion, "How long have you been standing there, Boss?"

*~*~*~*

"Never get caught, huh, Gibbs?" Kate mocked.

Gibbs gave her the stare. She simply shrugged and walked off towards DiNozzo. The former Marine cursed his luck. He knew this was the only cover within earshot of DiNozzo, and he knew DiNozzo would know it too. He stepped out from the cover of the mausoleum, fastening a carefully neutral expression on his face.

Tony had risen to his feet. "Boss, how long… how much…" the agent stammered.

Gibbs' breath caught in his chest. He'd never seen DiNozzo looking as vulnerable as he did at that moment, barriers vaporized. He was suddenly filled with doubt that he had done the right thing by listening to his agent's story. Kate, in her dark suit standing between Gibbs and DiNozzo pointed at the younger man and ordered, "Make it right."

Tony fought for equilibrium. What had Gibbs heard? What would he think if Gibbs knew he talked to a ghost? The plaid of Kate's uniform swept by his peripheral vision as she moved to stand in front of him. "He's Gibbs, Tony. Not your father. He's your family, your real family, don't push him away," she urged.

Gibbs steeled himself and walked towards Tony. When he was within a few steps of his senior agent he stopped. "So," he began casually, "You talk to Kate, too?"

Tony blinked. Of the thousand things he thought Gibbs was going to say, that was certainly not one of them. He found he couldn't voice a response, he simply nodded.

Gibbs gave Tony a shrewd little smile, "Don't tell her I told you, but I think Abby talks to her too."

In spite of himself, Tony laughed. "Of all of us, Abby is the one that would surprise me the least. Well, next to Ducky of course, I think he's the charter member of the 'Talking to the Dead' club."

Both men fell silent. The silence became heavy, and Tony's expression darkened. "How much did you hear, Boss?"

Gibbs calculated the how he should respond to that question. He concluded that if he lied and said very little that Tony would forever wonder. He feared that would only push the younger man deeper into his protective layers of masks.

"He'll leave you, Gibbs," Kate said matter-of-factly, smoothing out the crease in her tailored pants. "You don't tell him the truth on this, he's going to question every decision you make about him. He won't be live with suspecting you pity him."

"All of it, DiNozzo," Gibbs said softly.

Tony closed his eyes. The ice that had chilled his blood seemed to gravitate into his gut. He wanted to feel angry, betrayed. But all he felt was drained. He opened his eyes, not bothering to try and hide the turmoil. "Boss, I…" he aborted.

"Tell him what you were going to tell me, Tony," Kate said gently. "Tell him for the same reasons you were going to tell me. Tell someone who can actually make a difference in your life. You've been carrying this burden too long on your own; you need to share it before it breaks you."

Gibbs waited patiently while Tony determined his path. He already had a greater understanding of Tony's actions the last several months. His intense desire to get off Agent Afloat duty, to come home, his almost irrational outburst at being out of the loop trying to weed out the NCIS mole, it started to make sense.

"Gibbs, I had more I was going to tell Kate," he said quietly. "I think I need you to hear it also."

A/N: Unless something drastic happens while the next chapter shapes itself, I think there will be just one more part to this story. I apologize for any mistakes, this work is proofread but unbeta'd.