"Where did you go, Tony?"

Tony hesitated. He knew the answer, but he also knew that he hadn't enjoyed the experience. He wasn't sure if he wanted to discuss that right then, especially now that he had remembered that Jenny was dead.

"Tony," said a deep, gruff voice. "Tony, it's okay to talk about it."

Tony looked up into his boss' face, and the compassion he found there helped him to calm down slightly. "Are you sure?" he asked in a whisper.

"I am. I know it wasn't the best time for you, and I know what you were feeling and what you believed. But, I also know that you got through it. I know you can again."

Tony nodded slowly. "Can you stay in here?"

"I'm not going anywhere." Gibbs sat on the couch with Tony, ignoring the reprimanding look Rachel was giving him. If Tony needed him, he was going to be there, and nobody would get in his way.

Completely out of character for him, Tony leaned against his boss. He had let his guard down when he started talking to Rachel in the hospital, and he was yet to rebuild his walls. Right then, his emotions were in control, and they had him completely upset and a little afraid, just as he had been when he had originally been punished for Jenny's death.

"It's alright, Tony," whispered Gibbs comfortingly. "Just talk about it."

Finally, Tony sighed and looked back at Rachel. "I went to the USS Seahawk..."

"Is that a naval ship?" Rachel asked.

"Yes. A really horrible one... The crew don't like NCIS, and they really didn't like me. I didn't care that they hated me- it meant I was doing my job- but I didn't appreciate what they did to me either."

"How long where you there?"

"Almost four months. I wasn't allowed to contact anyone at home, so I didn't have any support. The crew loved that I was the only NCIS agent on board, because they knew that whatever they did to me, I wouldn't have any witnesses."

"When did you come back to DC?"

"I think it was either the second or the third of October, 2008."

"Can you give me a quick run down of what happened on that ship?"

"I don't want to." Tony looked at Gibbs. "I don't want to relive that, boss. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is, Tony. You don't have to talk about something if you don't want to." Gibbs looked at Rachel. "Is that understood?"

Rachel nodded. "That's alright. Let's talk about what happened when you came home, Tony. Did you return to Gibbs' team?"

"Yes. Gibbs forced Vance to put me back in my old job."

"Were you happy to be back?"

"Yes. Of course I was- I got to be back with Gibbs."

Rachel smiled. "How did you feel, Gibbs?"

"Relieved. I know what Tony went through on that ship. It killed me to know that he was being hurt and targeted and there was nothing I could do. I spent those four months that he was gone arguing with Vance to get Tony back," said Gibbs. "Having him back helped me feel a lot better too. I had my best agent back and I felt safe again. I trust everyone on my team, otherwise they wouldn't be on my team, but I know that Tony always has my six, and I'll always have his."

"That's good to know." Rachel turned back to Tony. "What happened when you came back?"

"Abby squashed me." Tony grinned at the memory. "Everyone had missed me, but Abby's the only person on the planet that would bear hug a person until they can't breathe. She filled me in on the four months I missed in roughly an hour."

"I meant after that, although it is good to know that the team missed you. Tell me about your first case back."

"It started with a dead woman in Rock Creek Park. She was having an affair with a senator. Turned out to be the senator's wife that killed the woman after finding out about the affair. And Abby found out that McGee stole her cupcake that Ziva had gotten for her as a gift."

"Okay. Keep going. What came next?"

"We had a case where Gibbs and I went to Arizona and had to ride horses. I hate riding horses."

"Why?"

"I don't like the bumpy ride. If I wanted that, I'd get an off-roader and ride around the desert."

"How long did you spend in Arizona?"

"A couple of days. We were going to get a witness and bring her back to DC."


Tony was glad that his memory was starting to return at a faster rate. While he thought it was February, 2009, he knew that he was getting more of his memory back and was confident that he would be alright in just a few days.

"Hey, Tony," said Gibbs. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking about how quickly things are coming back to me now. I'm surprised by it, but relieved at the same time," answered Tony. "Is that a good thing?"

"Yeah, it is. Listen, memories come back when we're ready for them to return. The more you rest, the more memories will come back to you, alright?"

Tony nodded. "Thank you, Gibbs. It's a relief to know that I can rely on you when I need help."

"I'm always here, bud. Always." Gibbs sat down next to Tony. "Let's see if there's a movie on TV, alright?"