A/N: I know, I know, it's been awhile since I've updated…but I gad to think of something epic to happen! Major cliffy at the end! But please, don't hate me…now, on with the story!

As the weeks went on, Tony started to become his old self again. It took awhile, but, he finally started to rebuild his trust in Kate.

It had been a few months since they had officially started dating, when everything that had been repaired, came crashing down once more.

"Tony that was probably one of the best dates ever." Kate said as Tony led her to her door.

"Thanks. I was really trying to make it something special." Tony said, cheeks turning a very faint shade of pink.

"Why try to make it special?"

"Well, because," he stumbled for the right words. Great! Now I'm McGee! he thought to himself. "because we've been together for six months now. That's the longest relationship I've ever had. And I'm real happy it's with you." his cheeks were turning a brighter pink now.

"And I'm real glad I've been with you this long." She whispered into his ear.

He was full-out blushing now. A trademark DiNozzo grin plastered on his face.

"I'd love for you to spend the night." a glimmer of hope in both her tone and eyes.

His smile faltered.

"I'd love too, but I have the cleaning lady coming Tuesday, and what would happen if I didn't go home a single time this week? I'd have to pay her for nothing. I have to make my place look lived in."

Kate sighed.

"I'm gonna miss you not being next to me."

"I'm gonna miss you too." He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I have to go though."

"I love you." She said as he pulled away.

"I love you too."

She watched as he climbed in his car and drove off in the direction of his apartment.

Tony sprinted up the stairs that would take him to his third story apartment.

He took out his keys, unlocked the door, and entered the apartment, humming a random tune he had made up. He hung up his coat and placed his keys, along with his cell phone, on the coffee table.

He was just about to turn on the lights, when something hard connected with his skull. His hands flew up to where he had been hit just as he sunk down to his knees.

There was the sound of someone behind him.

"Well Anthony, it's been quite a long time since I last saw you." Anthony DiNozzo Sr. said as he watched his son clutch his bloody head. "Still a pathetic and weak disgrace to the DiNozzo name I see." he kicked Tony in the ribs.

"Why- how-" Tony was cut-off by another blow to the ribs. This time he doubled over as he tried to painfully get air into his unwilling lungs.

"Do you not remember anything from when you were a boy? You speak when spoken too!" his father bellowed as he kicked Tony's side once again. Smiling when he heard a rib break.

"How-did you- find-me?" Tony painfully managed to wheeze out.

"Shut up!" DiNozzo Sr. punched his son square in the jaw. "Get up."

Tony sat there. A hand holding his face where he had been hit.

"I said get up you ungreatful son of a bitch!" he punched Tony's face again.

Tony started to get up, in fear of what his father might do next, when there was a crippling pain sent through his body. He couldn't help but let a small cry of pain escape past his lips as he crumpled to the floor once again.

He regretted it at once. As a small boy, he was taught to never show weakness. For if he did, it only caused more pain.

"GET UP!" his father yelled. He grabbed a handful of Tony's hair and lifted him off the ground.

Tony cried out in pain as he was brought up off the floor. His eyes met his father's unforgiving, steely gaze.

"You will listen to me Anthony. Understood?"

Tony nodded. Greatful that his father had released his hair.

He was slapped across the face.

"I said, understood?"

"Yes." Was all Tony could say. He was almost positive that his father had done some severe damage to his jaw.

"Yes what?" he was punched in the jaw once more. Yep, defiantly broken now. Tony thought to himself.

"Yes sir."

DiNozzo Sr. smiled and kicked Tony's left knee. Quickly followed by the right. It grew bigger as he watched his only son's knees give way, causing the man to fall to the ground.

The beating continued. Punching and kicking.

As Tony lay there, he heard his father go into the kitchen and start to rummage around, obviously looking for something.

He heard him shut everything up and walk back out into the living-room.

The sound was heard before he felt the pain from the belt coming in contact with the skin on his back.

A small scream was escaped past his clenched teeth and was regretted immediately. He felt the cold knife penetrate his skin and the warm blood ooze through the open flesh.

"Time to catch up on all the years I've missed." His father said wickedly.

Monday morning Kate walked into the squad-room, anxious to see Tony after a weekend without him.

"Morning Kate!" McGee happily said from his desk.

"Morning Tim, Ziva." She replied as Ziva entered the room.

"Good morning Kate." Ziva smiled and walked to her desk.

Kate sat down and looked longingly at the desk across from hers.

Gibbs walked in about fifteen minutes later, his ever present coffee cup in hand.

"Kate," he stopped abruptly at the entrance to the squad-room and turned to her. "where's DiNozzo?"

"I don't know."

"How do you not know? You two are practically glued at the hip. How is it possible for you not to know where he is?" Gibbs was getting annoyed.

"Said he needed to make his apartment looked lived in. The cleaning lady was coming on Tuesday and he was going to spend the weekend at his place."

Gibbs nodded.

"Called?"

"No. he always calls. I haven't heard from him since our date Friday night."

He turned to McGee.

"Trace his cell."

"On it boss." The junior agent started to type at his computer.

"Morning Team Gibbs!" Abby said in her usual happy, up-beat tone.

She received a few mumbled 'hello's. She looked at everyone working at their desks. Everyone except Tony.

"Where's Tony?" she wondered out loud.

"Hasn't been heard from since Friday night." Gibbs walked over to McGee's desk and looked over the agent's shoulder.

"Got it boss." He turned to Gibbs. "It's at his apartment."

"So he over slept." Abby stated. "No worries."

"Abbs," Gibbs turned to the young Goth. "has there ever been a time when we shouldn't worry? Especially when it concerns Tony?"

"You have a point there." concern flooded her face.

Gibbs turned back to the team.

"Grab your gear!" he went over to his desk and geared up.

"Boss?" McGee was confused.

"Hasn't been heard from in four days. Something's up."

"But what if Abby is right?" Ziva asked.

"He's never not called his girlfriend." He headed towards the elevator. "Let's go!"

The four agents went up the stairs cautiously, approaching the door the same way.

"Kate, door." Gibbs quietly ordered.

Kate nodded and inserted her spare key. Before twisting it, she tried the door-knob.

"It's already unlocked." she whispered.

This made Gibbs' gut scream that something was defiantly wrong on the other side of the door.

"On my call…" he said quietly.

Gibbs listened for any type of sound coming from the other side of the door. Hearing none was un-nerving. He silently opened the door and they all filed in the same way.

The smell of alcohol was strong inside. Gibbs noticed several discarded bottled of various liquor on the coffee table.

"McGee, master. Ziva, guest. Kate, kitchen." the ex-marine instructed.

The three silently nodded. All hoping that they would find some trace of their friend and colleague.

Gibbs took a careful look around the living-room. He saw Tony's keys and cell lying on the coffee table. His jacket was hung-up by the door. No signs of a struggle. Most likely knew who his possible attacker was. Gibbs mentally noted.

McGee and Ziva came from down the hall together.

"Nothing down there boss."

"Nothing in here either." Kate exited the kitchen.

Gibbs' gut was telling him that Tony was here. But where are you Tony? he wondered.

"Gibbs?" Ziva called from the was at her side in a matter of seconds.

"Yeah?"

"Where does this door lead?"

Gibbs turned his gaze from the Mossad officer, to the locked door in front of her.

"Second walk-in closet." he whispered.

The four drew their weapons. Gibbs picked the lock with ease and then proceeded to carefully and quietly open the door, while the others prepared to back him up if needed.

The team leader placed his face in the door-way and listened.

He heard what he thought to be a small and faint whimper coming from the back of the closet. He slowly advanced towards the sound. He pulled out his flashlight and shined it in the direction of the noise.

The sight he saw made his blood run cold. Tony was hugging his knees to his chest and lightly rocking back and forth on the floor.

"Tony" he called out quietly.

His gut clenched as he saw how Tony reacted. He watched as Tony tried to shrink farther back into the corner of the closet. Whimpering a little more now. Gibbs barely heard the man in front of him as he started to speak quietly.

"No, please." Tony quietly begged. "please don't hurt me. Don't hurt me anymore." his plea was near silent. Gibbs nearly missed it.

He crouched down so that he was level with the young man.

"Tony, hey Tony. Are you hurt?" he asked.

He tried his best to hide his sharp intake of breath when Tony lifted his head and revealed the bruised and bloody mess of his face. His green eyes filled with fear.

"B-b-bosss?" the young man wasn't sure if this was the real deal, or just another figment of his imagination.

Gibbs noticed the slur in his agent's voice. He also saw the damage that had been done to the man's jaw line. Broken. he thought.

"Yeah, Tony, it's me." he noticed how uneasy, confused and frightened the agent was. "What happened?"

"Boss?" McGee called from his place in the hall. He had heard their boss speaking quietly and gently. He wondered if he had found their missing friend. Gibbs had been in there a while.

"Everything's fine McGee." Gibbs said, never taking his eyes off the man in front of him. "Can we get you outta here so we can get a better look at you?" he asked, again, in a gentle voice.

He nearly missed the small, faint nod of Tony's head.

Gibbs stood up and offered a hand to his injured friend.

He noticed how stiffly Tony moved, as well as how long it took him to get into a some-what upright position.

Gibbs almost missed catching Tony, as his legs gave way under him.

"Easy there Tony-boy, nice and easy." Gibbs helped him up again.

Slowly, they made their way out of the closet.

As they exited the closet, McGee's face lost all color. Ziva was speechless. A single, silent tear rolled down Kate's face.

Slowly and painfully, Tony had made his way to the couch. It took some gentle, reassuring words to get Tony to finally release the death-grip he had on Gibbs' shirt. He was now sitting down, one arm wrapped around his mid-section, the other cradling his broken jaw.

"Tony, can I get this shirt off? I need to get a look at you. I'll be as gentle as I can." Gibbs looked at what remained of the dress-shirt the young man was wearing.

Again, the barely readable nod.

Gibbs quickly undid the buttons on the front and on the cuffs of the shirt. Without taking a full look at the man in front of him, he as quickly and carefully as he could, removed the shirt.

Tony let out a hiss of pain as the article of clothing was removed.

"Sorry." Gibbs finished getting the shirt off and was horrified at the sight he saw.

Tony's back was like one, large, molten bruise, with many long welts, as well as many long gashes.

His front was a different story. His abdomen was covered with many large bruises, Gibbs could see where his ribs had been broken. He took a look at his side and saw what looked like a bruise in the shape of a shoe print.

"Tony, do you know who did this to you?" Gibbs didn't want to ask him now, but he needed to know.

Tony nodded. He was on the verge of tears. He hopped that Gibbs wouldn't press the matter any farther right now. He was pretty sure that he would breakdown if he spoke about it now. But, knowing Gibbs, he was going to have too.

"Who Tony?"

Tony lifted his head and looked into the eyes of each of his worried team-mates.

"My father." his voice was barely auditable, even to his own ears.

"Who?"

"My freakin' father!" he burst. "My father did this to me!" the tears were starting to spill over. He made no attempt to brush them away.

Even with a broken jaw and slurring of his words, everyone felt pain for their friend-no-family.

Tentatively, Kate went over and sat next to him. As carefully as she could, she wrapped an arm around him and held him close.

Tony leaned into her embrace and cried. The continuous reassuring words that she whispered in his ear helped him calm down.

Gibbs went over to his other side and sat down. He placed a hand on the younger man's knee and gave it a light squeeze. Afraid that if too hard, it would break the already frail man.

"McGee, call Ducky." Gibbs said to the junior agent who was taken aback by Tony's outburst.

"On it boss." he left the apartment. He felt like he was going to cry from the pain he felt for the man he thought was invincible. Tony wasn't supposed to cry. He was immortal to Tim. Nothing could break him.

"Gibbs?" Ziva had a single tear slide down her face. She couldn't believe what had happened to Tony.

"Go wait with McGee."

She nodded and left the apartment.

"When was he here?" Gibbs looked at the damage that had been done. It made him sick that any parent would inflict, not only psychological, but physical harm onto their children. He couldn't even begin to imagine harming Kelly.

"Friday- night-when I- got home." he managed to choke out before another wave of pain assaulted his body. He let out a small groan and tightened the grip around his abdomen just a little more.

"What happened?"

Gibbs didn't know what to say Tony reviled the events of Friday night. He glanced at Kate, who was becoming increasingly paler.

"..And then he dragged me by my hair and threw me into the closet." memories from when he was young started to assault his mind. He pushed them aside. "And locked the door." his voice never above a whisper. Considering his broken jaw, it was almost impossible to figure out what he was saying because of the slur. "I've been there ever since." his gaze never left the floor, even though is head was resting on Kate's shoulder.

"He left you in the closet for four days?" Gibbs said a bit loudly. He immediately regretted it, as he watched Tony move, rather quickly considering his injuries, and curl into a ball and protect his head. Defensive position. Gibbs noted. It made him wonder what the young man had suffered as a child.

"Tony, Tony I'm sorry." Gibbs knelt down next to the couch, ignoring the protest from his joints and lightly placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. Mindful of the bruises that had to be from being pushed down or gripped to hard.

In miniscule movements, Tony started to uncurl his body.

"Boss, Ducky's here." McGee said in a rather loud voice.

Tony immediately curled back up. This time, refusing to come out of his position.

"Nice McGee. Send him in."

Ducky had no idea what was wrong at DiNozzo's apartment, but the urgency in Tim's voice telling him to hurry before the EMTs arrived, made him leave Palmer in-charge and rush to the young lad's home.

Upon entering Tony's home, Ducky saw Gibbs kneeling down in-front of the couch, trying to coax Tony out of his protective ball.

As he got closer to the couch, he could faintly make out the muffled pleas coming from the frail man on the couch.

"No please," Tony begged.

"Tony, come on. You're safe now. No one's gonna hurt you." Gibbs pleaded to no avail.

"Please don't hurt me." he continued his quiet pleas. His constant beg drowned out Gibbs' words. "I'll be good. Please don't hurt me anymore."

"No one's going to hurt you Tony." Kate ran a hand gently over Tonys.

"Jethro?" Ducky finally managed to ask.

Gibbs turned to his friend.

"What's going on?" the concern was evident.

"I'll explain later." Gibbs got up and motioned the ME over. "Right now, he just needs to be checked over before the damn EMTs arrive."

Ducky nodded and walked over to the group.

After some more reassuring words and a little more coaxing, Tony finally uncurled and let Ducky do his examination. But he never released the iron-clad grip he had on Kate's hand.

He threatened to retreat into his protective ball several times, whenever the ME's actions were to quick.

Once Ducky was through, he stood up and motioned Gibbs to follow.

"How is he Duck?" Gibbs was worried. As worried as he could get with his surrogate son. Tony was the only one that could bring out the parental side in the gruff man.

"I'm not going to sugar-coat this Jethro," he looked at his friend. "his physical injuries will heal in time. The psychological ones however," he shook his head. "well, it seems that he may retreat inside himself again. With this much trauma in such a short period of time, we might not be able to get him back."

"Boss," McGee walked in. Careful with how loud he was. "EMTs are on their way up."

Gibbs nodded.

"Gibbs!" Kate frantically called from her spot on the couch.

He was at her side instantly.

He looked down at Tony, his head was resting in Kate's lap. His eyes had fallen shut. His breathing had become more labored.

"Shit." he whispered just as the EMTs entered the apartment.

"Ma'am, we need you to move." one said to Kate.

"Multiple lacerations to the back," another started to list off Tony's injuries.

The team watched as Tony was placed in a neck-brace. Once he was transferred to the backboard, an oxygen mask was placed onto his face.

Gibbs couldn't believe how much Tony had deteriorated in such a short time.

"Kate," he turned to see her looking at her partners ashen features.

She turned to Gibbs.

"Go with him." he whispered.

She nodded and followed the EMTs out.

"Minor concussion. Looks like a beating."

…beep…beep…beep…beep….beep…beep….beep…

Kate listened to steady beat of Tony's heart.

The sound from the heart-monitor was the only thing reassuring her that Tony was alive.

"Ma'am," Kate was brought out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what happened?"

Kate nodded.

"It looks like he took a beating. Can you-"

......Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep...

"Heart-rate increasing. O2 levels dropping."

Kate had Tony's limp hand in hers. She gave it a gentle squeeze. Please Tony… she tried to will him not to give up.

......

"He's crashing!" Kate looked at the flat-line on the monitor. Then Tony's face.

"Tony!" she cried out as the paddles were set to his chest.

A/N: I know, I'm just that evil for leaving that for a cliff-hanger…XD but come on, you know you love me… (: Next chapter we find out about the rest of the ambulance ride! And possibly what happened in Tony's childhood. Please review! They make me happyful! :D THE NEXT HOSTAGE WILL BE...umm, I think i'll let you guys try to come up with reviews before I take anyone else hostage...sound good? I'm going to tell you this... the '...' is him flat-lining...it wouldnt do a ...beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... it's just being retarded... sorryt for the inconvinience...