Chapter Nine- "That Hill Over There"

Tony sat at the table in Vance's office. He felt like he has been sent to the principle office. All he knew was when Ziva and he got back with Heidi he was told Vance wanted to see him right away. He had watched Ziva bring Heidi to interrogation and headed up to Vance's office and now here he sat with no Vance in sight. Tony was just about to get up and leave to see how the team was doing with getting a confession when Vance walked through the door.

"Agent DiNozzo" Vance said as he walked over to his desk.

"You're sending me back aren't you?" Tony questioned him. He knew his current placement wasn't going to last long, but he thought it last longer than it did.

"No, they have actually requested that you stay. Seems you left quit the impression on them Agent DiNozzo" Vance said to Tony.

"Then what is this about Director?" Tony asked him as he stood up and walked over to Vance's desk.

"It has recently come to my attention another team is requesting you. " Vance started to say. "So I'm asking you where you'd like to go"

"We both know it doesn't work like that" Tony said to him. "So that means its Agent Gibbs asking if he can have me back, right" Tony said to him. "Here's my choice, this team was my home, my family for seven years. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else"

"So you want to be transferred back to Gibb's team" Vance questioned. "You know that means giving up so much"

"Had you asked me 24 hours ago I would have told you yes. Agent Gibbs will have my report when the case is closed and I'm going to LA." Tony said to him. "I don't belong here anymore" Tony said to Vance before he walked out of his office.

"So that's it?" McGee asked as he and Ziva walked out of the observation room. "She just confessed there has got to be more to it" McGee said as they walked walking back to their desks.

"McGee it is Gibbs." Ziva said to him.

"You have a point. I just figured she's stone wall, or ask for a deal. Not just come right out and confess." McGee said.

"Maybe she knew she had nothing left…." Ziva started to stay before she trailed off.

"You okay Ziva?" McGee asked her.

"I am fine." Ziva responded back to him. The two walked back to the bullpen without another single word. Once they reached it, there was Tony sitting at the desk he was giving for the time he was going to be there, doing paper work. McGee and Ziva walked over to their desks and looked at each other. McGee then moved away from his desk and walked over to Tony.

"Tony can we talk? McGee asked him.

"I was just leaving" Ziva said. She walked out from behind her desk and headed towards the elevator.

"What would you like Agent McGee?" Tony asked as he looked up as McGee.

"To say I'm sorry" McGee said to him. Tony got up from his chair and turned to face McGee completely. "You've always been Senior Field Agent and when you left, sorry when you transferred, it felt more like you were abandoning us, me, the team. And I hate you for it, but I realize now I was wrong."

"I didn't want to leave." Tony said he knew he said it many times before, but yet it still came out. "So much happened and I guess when it came down to it, there was only so much to be done. In the end I was the one who had to make the biggest change." Tony started to say to him. "But Probie I'd never abandon you. I got your back, just like I know you have mine. We were a team and no matter how much I teased you or annoyed you, at the end of the day if you needed help or saving I'd be there"

"That's what partners do, they have each other's back" McGee said to him.

"I'm sorry McGee" Tony said to him.

"I am to Tony" McGee said. "You know things really haven't been the same around here since you left."

"They look like things haven't changed much" Tony said to him.

"Gibbs doesn't smack us in the back of the head anymore. It's been a lot quieter since you've been gone. We all seem to get more paperwork done." McGee said naming off different things that had changed.

"So you are all, all work and no play" Tony said teasing. "Just like you all."

"To be honest, the first couple of months you were gone Gibbs was yelling at us all. Mackenzie had just joined and if we didn't move fast enough he'd yell. We didn't have the answers right away he'd yell." McGee said to him. "It was like when Kate was killed, only instead of being nice, he was extremely pissed off."

"You know what happens when things don't go his way" Tony said to him.

"This… This was different" McGee said.

"McGee have you seen Gibbs" McGee and Tony heard a voice say. They both looked over to see Mack walking into the bullpen looking down at and opened folder in her hand. She then stopped and looked up. "I wasn't interrupting something was I?"

"Nope Agent McGee here was just telling me that Heidi Richardson confessed. So I'm guessing you'll find Agent Gibbs in interrogation." Tony said to her.

"Thank you" Mack said before closing the folder and walking past them and heading off to interrogation.

"You've known Mack how long?" McGee asked him.

"I knew her brother and like she said only met her a couple times why?" Tony asked back.

"She's been working here two years now. Gibbs hired her right after meeting her. But it was more of we had interviewed a lot of people and she comes in and was hired" McGee said to him. "She's a great Agent, and maybe I'm just being paranoid or something, but there have been times, when we have been working on a case she'll take off and come back with all this information. Gibbs never questioned it and next thing you know everything's falling into place."

"Maybe she just knows a lot of high up people. Connections McGee it's nice to have them" Tony said to him.

Mack walked down the hall to Interrogation and just as she reached the door, Gibbs walked out. He closed the door and turned to face her.

"I have all the information you wanted" Mack started to tell him as she handed him the file. "There is one small problem" Gibbs looked down at the files as he opened it and started reading it. He looked up at Mack.

"I was afraid of that" Gibbs said. He then handed the file back to Mack. "Go see Abby. Hopefully the two of you can fix this" Gibbs said before he headed off.

"On it" Mack said after Gibbs was already gone. She then headed towards Abby's Lab.

Later That Night

Tony walked up to the front down and turned the door knob and just like in the past Gibbs door was opened. 'Something's never change' Tony thought to himself as he walked into the house. He knew Gibbs wouldn't be upstairs, he was never upstairs. Tony continued in after he closed the door, to the basement door. That was wise open like always. He walked through and headed down the stairs to the basement were Gibbs was once again working on yet another boat. Once he reached the bottom he stopped and looked at Gibbs. "We need to talk" Tony said to him. Gibbs stopped what he was doing and turned to face Tony.

Going to the last one for a while. Having issues with the next couple of chapters, trying to figure out what to do. The next chapter is written and completed, I just like being a certain number of chapters ahead before I post a new one. So going to get those all figured out then you'll get the next chapter. hopefully the next chapter will be worth the wait for you all.