Disclaimer: No. I still don't own NCIS.
Yeah, so it's been a while since I last updated, so sorry, but I had some stuff going on...
Also, I changed it to four people because five people didn't fit with my storyline.
Beleive me, this has a point.
Enjoy.
And please review.
The next time Tony awoke he was standing on the NCIS 'catwalk', looking out over the bullpen. To his left was the door leading to MTAC, and to the right was the director's office. Tony shut his eyes as tight as he could and curled his hands around the railing, feeling the cold metal on his skin. He didn't want to be here. Ever. There were some things that he just couldn't erase from his mind, and this was definitely one of them. He took a few deep breaths and opened his eyes again, looking down at his old place of work. It held his best and worst memories. It was too bad that the worst memories were all his fault. That was why he had to leave. He had to go far away. And all those years ago that is exactly what he did.
Tony looked down at himself, noting that he was indeed still young and his NCIS badge was sitting next to his SIG. What the hell was going on here? Couldn't he just die? Tony shook his head. Heaven was so overrated.
I deserve to die. He thought to himself. I deserved to die years ago. The others didn't.
"It wasn't your fault." A familiar red head made their way into Tony's peripheral vision.
Tony laughed bitterly and leant against the railing. "Always be specific when you lie, Jenny," he quoted rule seven, turning to face her. "I screwed up way too many times."
Jenny smiled. "I'm not lying, Tony, but no matter what I say I don't think you're going to believe me."
"You're right. I won't believe you," Tony looked into Jenny's eyes seriously. "Everything that happened was my fault."
"It wasn't, Tony. You have to stop blaming yourself."
"I'm the reason you died, Jenny!" Tony almost yelled, throwing his arms into the air. "Everything that happened after that was just a chain reaction!"
"I'm not going to deny that you screwed up a few things after that, but my death was definitely not your fault." Jenny stated calmly.
Tony laughed bitterly. "I wanted to explore L.A.," he stressed out the letters angrily. Not many people knew it, but Tony had never returned to L.A. after that incident. It was all too much. "I knew something was up, but I was too wrapped up in myself to do anything about it. I completely ignored Zi…" Tony trailed off as he felt a blow of guilt hit him.
Ziva…
Tony swallowed the guilt, trying to ignore it as it ate away at his insides. "I just screwed up, okay?" he muttered. "I should have followed my gut."
Jenny chose to ignore Tony's obvious guilt about Ziva. It was not the time to address that issue. That would come later. "Follow me, Tony."
Tony looked up as Jenny walked into MTAC, the door closing behind her. He took a breath, composed himself, and followed. When he got in the room was just as he remembered it, only more eerie. Alot more eerie. The lights off, and the only sound was a faint buzzing that the equipment to the left of him was emitting.
"Jenny?" Tony asked cautiously, looking around at the bare chairs in the darkness. There was no reply. "Jenn-" he was cut off as the screen in front of him suddenly whirred to life. Memories of that day flicked across the screen.
At the pool…arguing…
Stuck in traffic… she just wanted to call her …
At the parking lot, by Sasha's body… she was trying to convince him…
At the gas station…they were fighting…
At the diner…guns drawn…
Then…they saw her body…
She was long gone…
Tony stared at the screen, transfixed by what he saw. It was all happening again, just much more vividly. Suddenly, the images changed. Now he was seeing the untold tale.
Jenny and Franks… at Sasha's house…
At the diner…talking…
Franks leaving to get water…
Unwanted guests arriving…
Gunshots…
The smell of death in the air…
Tony sat staring at the screen, long after it shut off, until a voice echoed into the darkness.
"I was sick, Tony," Jenny stated, coming into view and standing front of the screen.
Tony looked at Jenny. "I know. We found out after."
"So you know that I was dying anyway."
Tony shook his head. "I still killed you."
Jenny chose her words carefully. "You have to understand this, Tony. This is very important."
Tony sighed and flopped into one of the MTAC seats. "I know, I know, you were dying anyway," he muttered flatly. "So I've been told. You still could have lived longer, told Gib…" Tony trailed off again at his casual use of his former boss's name, guilt building up inside of him.
Gibbs…
He swallowed and continued as if nothing had happened. "You could have told him how you felt."
Jenny laughed softly. "The time for that had come and gone, Tony," she said, the humor leaving her face. "Anyway, I would not have wanted to live longer. The disease would have slowly killed me. Slowly and painfully."
Slowly and painfully…
"I would not have wanted to die that way," she added, taking the seat next to Tony.
"I suppose you wanted to go out with a bang," Tony said with a touch of sarcasm.
Jenny laughed again, lightening the dense air. "Something like that," she suddenly turned serious again. "You need to know that you were not to blame Tony. I went out to that diner with the intentions of dying. Dying to save Gibbs."
To save the one she loved…
"If I had been there I could have helped. You may have lived," Tony argued, in a tone that was bordering on pleading.
"No," Jenny shook her head. "If you had been there, Tony, you and Ziva would both have been killed."
Tony felt another blow at the mention of Ziva. He swallowed the bile that was rising in his throat and shut his eyes tightly. "I deserved to die anyway," he muttered, before he felt a sharp blow connect with his cheek and a slap sounded loud in the air.
"Don't you ever say that, Tony," Jenny said sternly, lowering her hand.
Tony raised a hand to his cheek, pain still pulsing through his head. "Sorry," he mumbled softly, making a mental not to piss her off again. Then it hit him that he wouldn't really have the chance to ever piss her off again. "I am so sorry, Jenny," he muttered softly, putting his head in his hands.
"It wasn't your fault, Tony," Jenny gently reminded him.
"I know," Tony said, before realizing what he was saying. He looked up in shock and repeated the words as if to test them out. "I know it wasn't my fault."
Jenny nodded and smiled softly. "Good."
Tony mirrored Jenny's smile. He still believed that everything that happened after the protection detail in L.A. was entirely his fault, but now he at least understood that he wasn't to blame for Jenny's actual death.
For now, that would be enough.
Enough…
Tony was still smiling when a bright flash shone out around MTAC and it all disappeared.
It all disappeared…
A/N: So... What did you think? Review and tell me. And what do you think is going on? Why is Tony so guilty about Gibbs and Ziva? What 'chain reaction' happened after Jenny's death? Be prepared...
