Disclaimer: NCIS is not my creation or property- I own all the DVDs though.

AN. Just to address a few reviews:

Suze- I'm sorry you wanted to see Christmas with Jemma's family. The point was I wanted to get Tony and Jemma's relationship to a certain point before I bring in Team Gibbs, and 5 chapters already seemed a bit much, so I didn't want to draw it out too much. And there is Team Gibbs in this chapter, the next and then it's a bit more balanced between the team and the Tony/Jemma relationship.

And NCISer- I'm sorry you're not a Wicked fan. That was (I think) the heaviest Wicked chapter in the story. It's still mentioned a bit throughout, but not to the degree of the chapter you're referring to. And Jemma is definitely not a "can do it all woman"- she's far from perfect. Yes, she had a tragic past, but so has Tony, and Gibbs. The point of her background was to give you a sense of who she is and what she's been through.

Chapter 6

One day in January, Gibbs entered Abby's lab, usual coffee cup and Caff- Pow! In his hands, and stopped dead in his tracks.

Ziva, McGee and Abby were all standing before him, all looking unusually solemn and apprehensive.

"What?" he asked defensively.

Abby crept forward tentatively to tug her beloved Caff- Pow! From his hand.

"Um, Gibbs, we wanted to talk to you."

Gibbs stared at the forensic scientist with a raised eyebrow. "About the case?"

"No, I'm still running the prints McGee lifted from AFIS," Abby said, gesturing behind her.

"Then what do you need to talk to me about? And where's DiNozzo?"

"We made him go pick up lunch," Ziva explained and Gibbs frowned.

"Why?"

McGee glanced at the other two before speaking. "Well, we- we wanted to talk to you, Boss. Without Tony around."

Gibbs sighed. Sometimes he really felt like a high school principal.

"What did he do, McGee? Put superglue on your computer again?"

"No, that's just it, Boss. He hasn't done anything like that!" McGee said in a rush and Gibbs frowned again, not understanding.

"You want him to superglue your computer, McGee?"

"No!" McGee exclaimed, looking alarmed at that thought.

"Then what?" Gibbs demanded impatiently.

"We are worried about him," Ziva replied. "Surely you have noticed that Tony has changed in recent months, Gibbs?"

Gibbs thought about that. He had noticed his Senior Field Agent seemed more grounded and work-focused in the past few months, but he also knew Tony was still blaming himself for Jenny's death.

"Tony went through a lot, Ziva," he said quietly, thinking of the months Tony had been Agent Afloat, left to stew in his misplaced guilt alone on a ship of five thousand sailors. "You don't go through anything like that without changing. You of all people should know that. Tony's just…. growing up. And some would say it's about damn time."

Ziva did know how feeling responsible for someone's death, whether those feelings were right or not, could change someone. But she wasn't convinced.

"That's what I said, Gibbs!" Abby said in a rush. "I mean, not that it was damn time Tony grew up, because I don't think he should have to grow up. If he grew up too much, he wouldn't be our Tony. I mean, that's part of his charm, he's like Peter Pan…. Although not really, because I don't think Peter Pan was into dating because he was like twelve- although there were a lot of implications that there was something going on between him and Wendy…. And anyway, I'm sure these days it's not a big deal for twelve year olds to date, but when I was twelve, dating someone meant you held hands in the cafeteria and walked to class together, but I think these days twelve year olds still wouldn't be dating like Tony dates-"

"Abby!" Gibbs finally interrupted and Abby stopped.

"Right. Sorry, Gibbs. McGee, talk!"

McGee looked alarmed for a moment about being tagged into the conversation, but at a sharp poke from Abby, he began to speak.

"Boss, we noticed Tony's been acting strange for a few weeks now. He doesn't come out with us as much after work, he's getting a lot of phone calls and text messages… and we couldn't help but remember the last time he was acting like this- when he working the La Grenouille case for Director Shepard."

Gibbs raised a sceptical eyebrow at McGee. "You think Vance has Tony doing undercover work?"

They all knew Tony wasn't Leon Vance's favourite person in the world and McGee hesitated.

"Well, no… but we were just thinking…. Ziva, tell Gibbs about this morning."

The Mossad Liaison Officer turned to Gibbs, her face serious. "Tony made a phone call this morning and I couldn't help but overhear. I do not know who he was talking to, but he was getting directions to a hospital in New York."

Abby jumped in again. "I did some research, Gibbs. The hospital he mentioned, St. Jerome's? They are renowned for having the best respiratory experts on staff in the country. The country, Gibbs!"

"What does that mean?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, we all know Tony had the pneumonic plague, and Ducky's always telling Tony that he has to be careful with his health in case he relapses or something. Why else would he be going to a hospital renowned for respiratory experts?"

Gibbs said nothing. He could have responded with a number of answers, that Tony could be going to visit someone and that nothing was actually wrong with Tony himself; that the fact the hospital was a respiratory specialist was merely a coincidence.

But they had all heard it often enough to know that Gibbs didn't believe in coincidences. And if Gibbs was really, truly honest with himself, he could admit that there was something odd about Tony's behaviour as of late. He had almost completely stopped coming into the office in the middle of the night, was arriving at work earlier than usual, and Gibbs couldn't remember the last time Tony had turned up in his basement to talk or hang out.

On their own, this wasn't much to be concerned about. But Tony had been quieter, and a quiet Tony was almost always a bad sign.

"So, what do you want me to do?" he asked them.

Abby held her hands up. "Nothing. Just be here while we talk to Tony. Ducky and Palmer are coming down too. We've already talked to them."

"You're staging an intervention?"

"Not an intervention," McGee protested.

Ziva shook her head. "We are just going to let Tony know that we are all worried about him, and we care for him."

"Because you know Tony," Abby chimed in. "He'll whine about a paper cut but hide a broken bone and be all "DiNozzo's don't pass out'," she tried to mimic Tony's voice. "We just want him to know that we love him and if he is sick, we're going to be there for him. And you can roll your eyes Gibbs," she said, raising her voice and pointing a finger at Gibbs as he did just that.

"But Tony's family. And family stand by each other, even if some people will never actually tell people that they love them."

"I love you, Abby," Gibbs said with a fond smile and she beamed.

"I know you do, and I love you too, Bossman. But I'm talking about Tony. Tony needs to know that we love him- that you love him."

"Abby, I'm not telling Tony I love him!" McGee interjected but blinked as Abby whirled around to face him, one long finger a mere inch away from his nose.

"Timmy, there are many different kinds of love. And you wouldn't be here if you didn't have one kind of love for Tony, and I know he loves you. So, be a real man and tell Tony how you feel and promise to support him until he's better. Understood?"

McGee wasn't game to say no to Abby.

"Fine. But do I actually have to say the words 'I love you'?" he asked apprehensively and Ziva stifled laughter at the expression on Abby's face.

"Ah, Jethro," Ducky announced as he and Palmer entered the lab. "Is young Anthony on his way down?"

"He should be here any moment, Ducky," Ziva answered.

Gibbs sighed and turned to face his old friend. "What do you think about this, Duck?"

Ducky smiled as he took his glasses off to clean them. "I agree that Anthony's character has altered somewhat in recent months, Jethro. And whilst I'm not sure that a mention of a hospital is quite the cause for alarm your team seem to see it as, I'm sure Tony will appreciate the support and to know that his family stands behind him.

I do believe something is troubling the lad, but I couldn't say what. I've tried to engage him in conversation a few times in order to perhaps promote a confidence from him, but he's never mentioned anything."

They all heard the elevator door open and turned in unison towards the door as Tony entered the lab, his arms full of food.

He looked as alarmed and confused as Gibbs had to see everyone in there.

"Hey. What's going on? Case stuff? 'Cause Boss, I swear I was only gone so long because I got like every red light between here and the Chinese place."

Abby darted forward and took Tony's arm, leading him to her seat. "Come here and sit down, Tony. We want to talk to you."

Tony frowned, even as he sat down. "We? As in, all of you?"

Abby took the food from Tony's hands and handed it to McGee, then she leaned down and put her hands on Tony's shoulders, looking him in the eye.

"We want you to know Tony," she said, speaking slowly and calmly. "That we love you and we're here for you."

Tony's confusion increased. "Uh, thank you?"

Suddenly, he wondered if perhaps something had happened while he was gone, bad news that they were here to deliver to him. And his first thought was that something had happened to Jemma.

Worried, he looked at Gibbs. "Boss? Did my desk phone ring while I was out? Is that what this is about?"

"No, DiNozzo," Gibbs assured him, his curiosity deepening by the look of panic in his SFA's eyes which was immediately replaced by a look of relief at his reply.

"Then what is going on?" he demanded. "I feel like Ethan Hawke's character in Dead Poet's Society being woken up to tell him that Neil's dead. Wait- is someone dead?"

Gibbs slapped Tony on the back of his head, not as hard as usual, but enough to keep Tony from further attempting to guess why they were all here.

"DiNozzo, shut up and listen."

"Yes, Boss," Tony said obediently.

Abby looked upset as she turned to Tony. "Tony, we're worried about you. And if there's something wrong, we want to know so we can help you get through it."

Tony looked alarmed. "Wrong? Abs, what do you think is going on?"

Ziva took over, because Abby looked like she might cry. "Tony, I heard you on the phone this morning. Asking for directions to a hospital in New York."

Tony frowned in confusion, and then he relaxed, shaking his head as realisation dawned. "Guys, I'm not sick."

"Well, to be fair Tony, you'd say that even if you were," Palmer interjected and Tony glared at him.

"Thanks Autopsy Gremlin."

"He's right, Tony," McGee defended the medical assistant and Tony sighed.

"I'm not sick," he repeated patiently, directing his words at Abby. "I'm going to New York next weekend and I made reservations at a restaurant I haven't been before. It's near the hospital, I was just checking I knew where it was. That's all," he assured her and Abby regarded him closely.

"You're going to New York? Alone?"

"No," Tony said, but didn't elaborate. "Why would you think I was sick? Just because I mentioned a hospital and Miss Mossad picked it up with her ninja senses?"

Ziva rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide the relief in her eyes that Tony was well.

"You've been acting… different, lately. Quieter," she specified.

"Yeah, and you haven't been supergluing my computer keyboard, or stealing my stuff," McGee chimed in and Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Do you want me to superglue your computer, Probie? Because if you do, just say the word and I can-"

He cut himself off with a yelp as Gibbs' hand made contact with the back of his head again. Rubbing the spot and grimacing, Tony shrugged at his teammates.

"I don't know what to tell you guys," he said simply.

Silence fell and Ducky sighed deeply, clasping Tony on the shoulder. "Well I must say I am relieved. You're quite sure that there are no health problems we need to know about?"

"Only a rumbling stomach from being kept from my lunch, Ducky," Tony assured him and Ducky chuckled.

"Very well then. Come along, Mr Palmer. I think we'll take our leave."

Palmer waved to the group as he followed the ME out of Abby's lab, and then Tony looked at the others expectantly.

"So, can we eat now? I'm starved."

AN. Next chapter- Gibbs' gut doesn't buy Tony's explanation.