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Spoilers of Jetlag.

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"Why Gibbs Is Nice?"

Chapter 11

Gibbs, Tony and McGee spent the following days planning, discussing, drawing and erasing. The younger men drove Gibbs crazy more than once and the former Marine threatened to fire them if they didn't stop fighting about 'tech crap' (Gibbs' words).

Though Tony and Tim's discussions about the right colors for the interior or about the name of their boat looked serious, Gibbs knew that the boys' main purpose was to distract him from his illness and keep their minds occupied. He was extremely grateful that those two young men had his six.

Monday arrived too quickly and they had to get back to their job. In the morning Gibbs found Tony and McGee in his kitchen silently drinking a cup of coffee.

"So, you've driven me crazy for days with your chats and fights, and now that we finally get back to work, you're all silent and gloomy?" he startled them as he entered the room.

"We were... I mean," Tim stuttered.

"We were thinking about today," Tony helped him.

"Yes?" Gibb poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter facing his agents.

"Are you sure you're up to going back to work, boss?" Tony asked looking straight in Gibbs's eyes, concern clear in his voice.

"Sure. I've enough of staying home with you two mothering me like a child. I did everything you and the doctors told me to do," he answered seriously. "I even wore those stupid surgical masks McGee stole from NCIS every time we've worked in the basement," the older man glared at his younger agent.

McGee blushed and lowered his eyes as he shot Tony a quick glance.

The SFA regaled him with one of his famous lopsided grin and said, "It was a very good call, Gibbs. Those masks prevented you and me from breathing sawdust and worsening our lungs. You should thank our probie and not make him blush like a shy little girl," Tony teased.

"I'm not a little girl!" Tim protested.

"Okay... a shy little boy then," Tony laughed.

"Tony!" McGee cried and rolled his eyes.

"Ya know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you both were two annoying little boys," Gibbs smirked as he headed to the kitchen door. "Come on, kids! We've a job waiting for us!"

"On it, Boss!" They both hurried out of the house to find Gibbs already pulling out of the driveway.

"How..." McGee sighed.

"It's Gibbs, McSurprise. He's faster than Superman," Tony patted the younger man's shoulder and headed to his car.

"Tony?" Tim called him as he chased after the Senior Agent.

"Yeah?" Tony turned and became serious when he saw his friend's face.

"Do you think he'll be fine? I mean... should we have kept him home? Isn't it too soon to go back to work?"

Tony took a deep breath. "Do you think we'd be able to keep him home?" he asked and saw McGee shaking his head. "I'm worried too, but we can't treat him like a sick man," Tony stared down the street in the direction Gibbs had taken just a few minutes ago. "At least, until we know what... ya know..."

"Yeah," Tim whispered. "You said that Dr. Pitt would try to get the results more quickly, so maybe..." he trailed off.

"Yep," Tony sighed as he opened the car door. "Maybe today, we will know."

"Maybe we should ask Gibbs to work on cold cases today, just in case Brad calls."

"No," Tony whispered smiling softly at McGee's concern. "Gibbs would hate it," he explained as he took a deep breath and added, "So, now we get back to NCIS and our job. We'll act as usual, but we'll watch his six more carefully than usual without..."

"Without Gibbs noticing," Tim finished with a half-smile. "Do you think it's possible?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Nope, but Gibbs will appreciate it," Tony winked as he got into his car.


When Tony and McGee arrived in the bullpen, they found Gibbs on the phone.

Saying the Gibbs was angry was an understatement. If the glare the younger men received was any indication of what the call was about, something bad had happened.

DiNozzo and Tim went to their desks as the elevator doors opened and a very relaxed and smiling Ziva entered the bullpen. "Hi, guys! How was..." she began happily, but Tony stopped her, shaking his head and gesturing to Gibbs. "What is going on?" she whispered.

No one answered her.

Tony took his gun from his holster and opened his desk drawer but Gibbs shook his head and said to whoever was on the phone, "We're coming!"

The Team Leader put down the receiver and commanded, "Gear up!"

"What is going on, Gibbs?" Ziva asked as she followed him into the elevator with Tony and McGee.

"Explosion in Quantico," Gibbs growled, barely hiding his fury.

His agents looked at each other in shock.

"Where in Quantico?" Tony asked as they exited the elevator and headed toward an NCIS truck.

"Dormitories of the base," Gibbs shortly answered.

His cell rang and, after checking it, Gibbs slammed it closed with a shrug. Then he got into the truck and ordered, "Ziva, you're with me. DiNozzo!"

"Yes, Boss!"

"You and McGee take the sedan," he said as he started the engine.

"On it!" Tony answered and headed to the parking lot with McGee.

"Why did he make us to take the car?" McGee asked as he got into the vehicle.

"Likely because we'll need to go around the Base for interrogations and research," Tony answered starting the engine and following Gibbs towards I-395.


In the truck, the tension was palpable. Ziva kept switching her gaze between her boss and the road.

As soon as Gibbs had informed them about the case, they'd understood that what they would find at Quantico would be horrible, but the tension the Israeli woman saw in her boss' body language went beyond the norm.

I am wondering what is going on... we have investigated other explosions, but Gibbs has never been so... so... I don't know... worried... maybe it's because it happened at a Marine Corps base.

Ziva glanced at the side mirror and smiled. Tony and McGee were just behind her and Gibbs.

Tony is keeping up with Gibbs' driving... I guess McGee feels sick. Thank God, he is in not in the rear of this truck without safety belts... or he would have died when Gibbs took that turn on two wheels.


"Probie, if you throw up, I'll shoot you!" Tony shouted over the noise of the engine and the screech of tires on the asphalt.

"I'm not sick!" Tim snapped as he put a hand over his mouth.

"No?" Tony raised his eyebrows and looked at him grinning. "You're as green as an alien. Open the window, now!"

McGee glared at his SFA, but then his eyes widened as he looked back at the road in front of them. "Tony! The cat!"

With a sharp turn Tony avoided the cat, but the abrupt movement was too much for McGee's stomach and his breakfast ended up on the road to Quantico.

"Disgusting," Tony growled, rolling his eyes.


"Ooops!" Ziva exclaimed with a small smile on her face.

"What?" Gibbs asked surprised.

"McGee has just left his breakfast on the asphalt," she laughed softly and the Boss finally relaxed.

A trademark smirk appeared on Gibbs' face. "We're lucky that both Tony and McGee aren't in this truck."

"Definitely!" Ziva nodded and looked out of the front window. Then she checked her watch and exclaimed, "Gibbs, you improved your record! Thirty minutes and ten seconds, without killing anyone," she joked.

Her mood changed as soon as they crossed the gate nearest to the dormitories and the explosion. "Oh, my God," she whispered as she covered her mouth with a hand. Ziva had seen the devastating effects of an explosion in Israel many times, but the scene in front of them looked like the Hell on hearth.

She turned to Gibbs and, for the first time since she had joined NCIS, Ziva saw her Boss paling.

Gibbs was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white. He was clenching his jaw with such force that Ziva was afraid he was going to break some of his teeth.


"Do we have some water in this car, Tony? I need to rinse my month or I..." Tim said, searching the glove compartment of the car, but Tony's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Look," Tony said barely audible.

"Oh, crap!" McGee exclaimed completely forgetting the water and his aching stomach. "I've never seen... Tony," he turned to his friend who was slowly driving behind the NCIS truck.

Tony just shook his head without looking at him.

The joking environment of a few minutes earlier was quickly forgotten, the horror in front of them taking its place.

DiNozzo's heart was beating as fast as drum during a hard rock session as he stopped the sedan next to the NCIS truck.

"What the hell happened here?!" Tim cursed.

Tony turned to his colleague and McGee was scared by his cold look full of anger and determination. "You're going to do whatever it takes to find out who did this," his voice, just a bit louder than a whisper, echoed in the car like a cry of pain.

McGee nodded and together they got out of the car and joined Gibbs and Ziva.

Half of the building didn't exist anymore and the remnants were in flame. Only a tiny section on the left, furthest from the explosion, looked untouched by the disaster. There were bodies everywhere and, for the most part, the Agents couldn't tell if they were men or women. Looking around, they saw body parts in the smoking rubble and people still running out of the building with flames licking their clothes.

There were paramedics and doctors everywhere while the firefighters were trying to extinguish the blaze that was polluting the air with a thick, black, acrid smoke.

It seemed that everything was happening in silence and in slow motion, though the team could hear cries, sirens, people shouting orders and others asking for help.

In that chaos, the NCIS Agents saw a Sergeant running towards them. His camouflage was burnt and torn. His face was black from the smoke and he had a harsh red burn on his cheek.

But what really shocked Gibbs, Tony, McGee and Ziva were his eyes. The man in front of them looked like a scared child seeking help and safety, not a trained Marine.

"Sir!" he panted, stopping in front of Gibbs. "Are you NCIS?"

Tony shook his head; he kid was so shocked that hadn't even seen the logo on their caps.

They all nodded and saw the Sergeant sigh in relief. "Commander Nolte wants to see you ASAP, sir," he told Gibbs.

The older man just nodded before turning to his SFA and looking straight into his eyes. Tony returned the nod and Gibbs left with the young Sergeant as his cell rang.

The former Marine checked the phone and closed it. This was the second time he had refused a call.

Maybe an ex-wife...Tony thought, but today isn't one of his wedding anniversaries.

"Ziva, call the Headquarters and tell them to send us all of the available Agents. Ask for Agent Balboa's team. Absolute priority," Tony ordered, focusing back on work ahead of them.

"On it!" Ziva answered, picking up her cell.

"McGee, we need surveillance footage of the entire base. Inside and outside," the SFA told his colleague.

"Yes, Tony!" Tim nodded and headed to the Base Security Office.

Tony looked at the building in front of him and felt the heat of the fire on his face. Only God knows what we'll find when we get inside.

The SFA stopped a fireman and asked him where he could find their Commander. "He's behind that truck," the man answered and Tony thanked him.


Gibbs found Commander Nolte in front of the untouched part of the building busy barking orders while a paramedic was trying to treat a large burn on his right arm.

"NCIS! Finally!" the Commander exclaimed when Gibbs stopped in front of him.

"Special Agent Gibbs, sir."

"Are you alone?" the older man asked surprised.

"No, Commander. My team is already at work and other Agents are en route," Gibbs answered calmly, certain Tony had already called for reinforcements.

"Yeah, sorry," Nolte sighed. "Ya know, we are..."

"You wanted to see me, sir," Gibbs reminded him.

"Yes. I wanted to reassure you that you'll have my support and cooperation. You'll have free access to the base and building. All our resources are at your service as well as all the people on base."

Gibbs nodded and saw the Commander's eyes become stormy and icy, "I want the bastards who did this and I want you to not let him kill himself and have the easy way out."

"You have my word, Commander," Gibbs answered firmly and extended his hand.

"Marine?" Nolte asked as he took Gibbs' hand in his.

"Gunnery Sergeant."

"Where?"

"Panama and Desert Storm."

"You're the right man for this job."

"And I've the best team."

"I trust you, Gibbs."

The men looked at each other for a brief moment, but it was enough to promise each other that the person behind the attack would pay and regret his action for the rest of his miserable life.


The Fire Department Commander John Morris told Tony that they needed at least two hours to extinguish the fire and examine the stability of the building before the Agents could begin their investigation.

Agent DiNozzo asked Commander Morris to help investigate the possible causes of the explosion and the man willing accepted.

"Agent DiNozzo," the Commander began.

"Tony, please."

"John," the Commander nodded. "I've investigated many fires in my career but this is, by far, the worst."

"You don't think it was an accident, don't you?" Tony raised his eyebrow.

"No. In this building there were only dormitories, showers, bathrooms, a few offices and the boiler room. There should have been only one explosion if the boiler had exploded."

"But we have multiple explosions," Tony said, sotto voce.

"How do you know that?" the firefighter asked surprised.

"I've seen some explosions too," Tony smiled sadly.

In that moment McGee and Ziva arrived with some news. Tim had been at the Base Survelliance Center and had asked them to send all their videos to Abby. Ziva informed Tony that Agent Balboa, his team and ten other agents were on their way.

Tony thanked them and introduced his colleagues to Commander Morris before the man returned to work.

"We need to question the witnesses," Tony told his agents as he raised his eyes from his pad and saw Gibbs walking towards them.

The Team Leader's cell rang and after a quick check, Gibbs ignored the call, his eyes even darker than before.

And that makes three, Tony thought.

"Sit rep?!" Gibbs said gruffly as soon as he stopped in front of his Agents.

McGee and then Ziva told him all they had discovered while Tony read a text on his cell: Where's Gibbs?! CALL ME!

DiNozzo frowned as he read the name of the sender. He looked at Gibbs and the older man stared back at him with a blank face.

"Problems, Tony?" Ziva asked but her SFA didn't answer. He kept staring at Gibbs. "Tony?" she tried again but her question was met with silence.

"I need a minute," Tony finally said and turned to find a more private place.

"Tony... no," Gibbs ordered, guessing what Tony was going to do.

"Yes, Gibbs," Tony replied without stopping.

"Tony?" the older man got to him, grabbed his arm and made him turn. "We've got work to do," he said in an unusual dim tone.

"I know, but this is important too." Tony was extremely serious.

"Later," the team leader squeezed his arm but Tony shook his head without stepping back.

"It's Brad, Gibbs," Tony hissed and saw his boss shake his head slightly.

"Why not now?" the SFA lowered his voice to a whisper.

Gibbs didn't answer him. Instead, he stared at him with such sad eyes that Tony's heart ached. "Are you scared?" he asked in an even lower voice and could read a 'yes' in Gibbs' body language.

"Boss, I..."

"Okay, call him and..." the older man sighed and released Tony's arm.

"And then you'll talk to him," Tony added.

"No... I... I want you to tell me the diagnosis," Gibbs said seriously and looked away. He was a tough, stubborn Marine who had been to war but now he was scared and he didn't know what to do.

Gibbs knew that Tony could read him like an open book and he didn't want his friend to see the turmoil in his expression.

"Me?" Tony was completely stunned by Gibbs' words. He could see that his mentor was upset but the Gibbs he knew was a very private man who had kept his health problem secret for almost a month. "Why?"

"Because…"the Team Leader swallowed hard, showing all his vulnerability in that moment. "Because there is no one that I trust more than you. If... if Brad tells you that I'm... I have..."

Tony understood that Gibbs couldn't say that word, so he nodded to encourage him to continue, "I want you to tell me... 'cause... I know you'll know what to do after that. I mean, if I felt... if I didn't know what to do, you'll know how to manage..."

"Okay," Tony whispered and squeezed his friend's shoulder, a soft smile graced his face. "I'll be in the car if you need me."

Gibbs just nodded and stared at Tony's back as he walked towards the sedan.


"Brad, this is Tony... we're at a crime scene in Quantico and... I know... no... listen to me just a minute... Gibbs wants you to tell me... because... no... he wants me to tell him the verdict... yes, he's scared and I can't blame him... so?... yeah... yes... and?... Really?! Are you sure?... Oh, God!" Tony took a deep breath and rubbed his face with his hand. "What now? I mean, what are we going to do now?... yes... sure! When?... Hours... many hours... let me handle it. I'll knock him out and drag him to Bethesda if it's necessary... okay... yes... Thanks for everything, Brad."

Tony closed his cell and leaned his head against the car headrest. He inhaled as much air as he could and let it go in a slow long sigh. "Oh, God!" he whispered as he closed his eyes.


Gibbs was barking orders and glaring at Ziva and McGee so vehemently that the two agents didn't have even the guts to look at him or ask questions.

"What is going on with him?" Ziva whispered in Tim's ear while they were taking out some evidence bags.

"I don't know," her colleague whispered back, obviously lying.

Tim understood that the text Tony had received a few minutes earlier was not work-related and he knew Tony and Gibbs well enough to know that the private talk they had had was about something extremely important. And, these days, there was only one thing more important than the crime scene: the results of Gibbs' tests.

So, when Gibbs' cell rang signaling a text, Tim didn't ask his boss where he was going, but only nodded to Gibbs and distracted Ziva by asking her for help with the cameras and other items.


Gibbs found Tony leaning against the car truck waiting for him. DiNozzo had a strange expression on his face and Gibbs couldn't understand if he was happy, worried or upset. One thing was sure: there were tears in Tony's eyes.


"What is going on between Tony and Gibbs?" Ziva asked McGee but didn't receive an answer. "McGee!"

"Yes?" he answered still taking pictures of the building from afar, while the firefighters were extinguishing the flames.

"Gibbs, Tony and you too look distracted and worried," she said as she put some debris stained with an oily substance into a box.

"Well, I guess this crime scene would distract, worry and upset even the toughest man in the world!" McGee snapped and walked away, knowing that if he stayed, Ziva would have interrogated him and he wouldn't have been able to shut up.

The Israeli woman was shocked by McGee's reaction and stared at his back in disbelief as he headed closer to the collapsed part of the building.


"So?" Gibbs asked and saw his SFA raising his eyes to heaven and snuffling. "Tony?" he called softly, his heart racing in his chest.

Tony looked straight in Gibbs' eyes and a small smile appeared on his face. "You're fine," he whispered, his voice filled with relief and emotion.

"Ya mean…" Gibbs choked out.

"No cancer, Gibbs," Tony's smile widened.

"But... the cough, the blood and the spot on my lung," Gibbs said. He couldn't believe what Tony had just said. He felt confused, happy but still scared.

"Benign nodules worsened by the cough and a small blood clot caused by the hit you took when you saved McGee from the car," Tony explained what Brad had told him. "I guess, I'll need to headslap McGee silly," he joked.

"So I'm fine," Gibbs softly said and finally started breathing again as one of his rare smile appeared on his face.

"Yes," Tony swallowed hard and nodded.

They looked at each other for a long moment until Tony engulfed Gibbs in a tight hug and the older man didn't resist. He hugged Tony back as a sign of gratitude and friendship.

"Thank you, Tony," Gibbs whispered and felt DiNozzo nod on his shoulder.

They let go and looked at each other once again before Gibbs said, "I guess we've got to tell McGee and..."

"Get back to work," Tony grinned and received a nod. "But tomorrow you've to go to Bethesda and see Brad," he added as he headed back to the crime scene with Gibbs.

"Why?!" The fear was back in Gibbs' eyes.

"He needs to give you stronger antibiotics and something to help your lung absorb the blood clot."

"But we've got an investigation and..."

"Or you go there voluntarily or I'll knock you out and personally drag your a** to Bethesda so Brad can shove a long needle into your lung and drain the blood," Tony seriously said as he stopped abruptly and turned to face his boss. "Your choice, Gibbs."

"You wouldn't dare," the former Marine smirked.

"Try me," Tony challenged him.

"Okay," Gibbs chuckled, shook his head and walked away, followed by a grinning DiNozzo.


The fire was finally extinguished by the time Tony and Gibbs returned to the scene and they were met with Ziva's curious look and McGee's scared eyes.

"Take McGee. I'll handle Ziva," Gibbs whispered to Tony.

"Ziva! What do you have in that box?!" Gibbs barked as he stopped in front of her and regaled her with a glare that didn't allow for any off-topic questions.

While Agent David was busy explaining what she had collected, Tony met McGee half-way to what remained of the base dormitories.

"Tony, it was Dr. Pitt, wasn't it? Did you talk to him?" Tim asked in one breath.

"Yes, I talked to him and he had Gibbs' test results."

"And?" McGee was so pale that Tony was worried he was going to faint.

"No cancer. Gibbs' fine," he smiled.

"Really?" Tim asked as some tears filled his green eyes and relief flashed across his face.

"Really," Tony nodded. "Though..."

"What?!"

"I should headslap you," the SFA teased.

"Why?" his friend frowned.

"Gibbs has some benign nodules on his lung that worsened with the bad cough and the hit he took saving you from the car, Probie," Tony glared good-naturedly.

"Oh, no," Tim whispered, truly worried and apologetic.

"Hey! I was kidding! It's not your fault. Gibbs would have done the same thing for anyone of us. If it wasn't the hit by the car, it would have been something else. Don't worry, Tim," Tony squeezed his friend's shoulders and gave him a soft shake.

"Do you think Gibbs is mad at me?" Tim asked, looking at their boss standing not far from them.

In the moment Gibbs' voice echoed over the noise and chaos of the crime scene. "Hey! DiNozzo! McGee! Stop chatting and get here! Now!"

"On it, Boss!" they both answered as they headed toward Gibbs and Ziva.

"We've got work to do!" Gibbs commanded.

"And a boat to build," Tony and McGee whispered in unison as they followed their boss into the building.

Gibbs heard them and turned, glaring at his Agents with a half-smile before he got back to his task. "Move your a**!"

Tony and McGee grinned and shook their heads. "Coming, Boss!"

They were going to investigate one of the worst cases they had ever encountered but their world was right again.

This last scare had proved to them, once again, that, together, they could face anything.

THE END


Thanks for reading this story until the end. I hope you liked it.

Grazie! :)