Chapter Eleven- "Leave On One Goodbye"
Tony walked into the bullpen knowing it was the last time he would be here. It seemed almost anti-climatic to him. He walked over to Gibbs desk and placed the report on his desk. Tony then turned and walked out of the bullpen and towards Abby's Lab. He wanted to make sure he said goodbye to Abby and McGee before he left. They were the only ones he didn't want to leave behind. Abby was always someone he cared about and always would. Then there was McGee who he had made peace with and didn't want to lose that again.
Once the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Tony walked off. He was greeted with the sweet sounds of Abby's music. Something he had and would miss dearly. Tony continued on his way into Abby's lab only to find Abby, McGee and Mack all together working on something. Tony moved in more and coughed to get their attention. All three of them stopped what they were doing and turned to face him.
"Tony" Abby said as she moved over to him and hugged.
"Good morning to you too Abby" Tony said and hugged her back. Abby pulled back and looked at Tony.
"Ziva told us why you were transferred" Abby said to him. "It should never have happened"
"But it did Abby. Sometimes we need to go were life takes us and not question it" Tony said to her. "My life has taken me to Los Angles. It's where I need to be right now."
"No Tony you can't leave us" Abby said, with a pleading look in her eyes. Tony knew she didn't want him to leave and he didn't want to leave, or at least leave her behind again.
"I don't belong here, not anymore" Tony said.
"Of course you do" Abby said to him.
"No I don't" Tony said. "My plane leaves in a couple hours. I just wanted to tell you and McGee that I might be leaving, but I'm not leaving you two behind." Tony looked from Abby to McGee and then back at Abby. "I will come back and visit and I hope you'll both come out and visit me as well"
"You know I will" McGee said to him with a smile.
"You'd have to kill me to keep me away from you" Abby said to him.
"Good" Tony said smiling back at them.
"I got your message what do you got Abs" Gibbs said he walked into the room.
"Besides no Tony?" Abby snapped at him, before moved back over to her computer. "You were right as always"
"Do you have something you want to say Abby?" Gibbs questioned her.
"You choose Zee-va over Tony, because you wanted to keep her away from dear old daddy?" Abby said coldly to him. She turned and looked at him. "Her brother killed Kate and tried to kill you, who's to say she wouldn't turn on us and kill us all" Abby said. She knew that wouldn't happen after working with her for so long, but she was angry and just needed to vent.
"Abby you know that wouldn't happen" McGee said
"Who's to say" Abby snapped.
"Your right who's to say." Gibbs said agreeing with her. "But I chose Ziva because I knew Tony was safer then Ziva would ever be." Gibbs said. "Just like I choose Tony to take over the team, when I left, because I knew he could handle it."
"Still doesn't make it right. Tony's been on this team longer then Ziva, he didn't deserve what you did" Abby said to him.
"He didn't, but I made the choice and I have to live with it" Gibbs said.
"I have to go talk to the director, but I will be back to say goodbye to you and McGee, Abby" Tony said, before heading out of the lab.
"Yeah you do" Abby said to him. "You have to live with choosing Ziva over Tony. I just hope it was worth it Gibbs" Abby said before walking past him and over to her desk. She made sure to close the door and lock it before turning up her music.
"She's upset…" McGee started too said to Gibbs.
"I know" Gibbs said. "I would be too if I was her"
"Why'd you do it boss?" McGee asked.
"To protect her, from the person I knew Eli to be" Gibbs said. "Why aren't you yelling at me too?"
"When Tony left, or rather was forced to leave, I took it as Tony was abandoning this team, everything he stood for and me. Abby helped me realize since Tony has been back, that that wasn't it at all. I was wrong to jump to conclusions then to really questions things." McGee said to him. "So I'm giving you the chance I never gave Tony. I want to hear your side of the story and I know there was much more than protecting her from Eli"
"I wish I could give you answer, but I don't think I really have one" Gibbs said to him.
"You have a reason for everything you do" McGee said to him. "Before I join this team, I had heard so many different stories about Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and since working with you, I can say a lot of them aren't true. But the ones that are, are the ones that say you never do something without having a reason." McGee said. "So if you are going to stand here and tell me there was no reason, then yeah I'm going agree with Abby" Gibbs walked past Tim and over to the other side of the room. He stood there looking up and out the window.
"He was one of the best Agents I ever had" Gibbs started to stay. He turned and looked at Tim. "He might not have done things conventionally, but he got them done." Gibbs continued to say. Unknowing to them, that Tony walked up to the door of the lab. He had misplaced his phone and on his way to look for it in the lab, when he heard Gibbs talking to McGee and stopped. He stayed back and out of sight. "He was a pain in the ass, but when it came down it, he stepped up and did what needed to be done" Gibbs said to McGee. He moved a bit closer to McGee. "I was truly proud of Tony; I am truly Proud of Tony. He's deserved everything he's worked so hard for." Gibbs said to him. "When choosing between Ziva and Tony, I knew that where ever Tony landed it be on his feet and he'd be just fine. Ziva, I didn't trust her with her father. I didn't know what I'd be sending Ziva back to. Tony we would have seen again, but Ziva there is no doubt in my mind that said if she went back to Mossad, we would never have seen her again"
Tony moved away from the door and back towards the stairs. He wasn't sure what to think really, not even 24 hours ago he was ripping Gibbs a new one. Now he was hearing this? It didn't mean Tony forgave him for anything he had done, he just wondered if maybe he should have let him say something else. Gibbs was right about one thing that he did believe in him. It only came a little too late. There was no way to turn back now. Before Tony knew it he was standing outside the Directors office, with his secretary telling him he could go in. Tony walked in and closed the door before walking over to Director Vance's desk.
"You still have a chance to change your mind" Vance said to him.
"This is where I belong now. That team was the past, and this one is my future." Tony responded to him. "That's a good team in LA, a really good team. Couldn't have asked for a better team to be part of."
"I know you'll serve us well in LA" Vance said to them. "Agent DiNozzo, have a safe trip back" Tony gave him a small smile before heading out of the office. Vance then leaned over to phone and pushed the button to call his secretary "Lydia can you get Special Agent Gibbs in my office" He asked and Lydia responded right away.
Tony finally reached the airport, he thought he's miss his flight for sure, if Abby hadn't finally let him go. He knew she didn't want him to go and truthfully he didn't want to leave Abby or McGee again. They were his friends and he hated leaving them behind, but he knew this time McGee and him would keep in touch and Abby, well he couldn't get rid of Abby even if he wanted to, which he'd never wanted to do. He could still remember the day they met. She wasn't like any of the women he met before, there was just something about her, and he couldn't help but love. It wasn't till working with her for a while, that he finally realized why, she was caring, always saw the best in people. She always knew how to brighten up your day. He knew he'd miss her the most, after all he knew her the longest, besides Gibbs that was.
Tony shook the thoughts about what he heard out of his mind, as I headed towards the gate. He still had some time before the plane was to board. He pulled out his phone, looking to see if he had any messages, or and emails waiting for him. There was one from Hetty, he started to skim through it, and it was just her keeping him up to date and telling him to head right to the OSP center as soon as he had landed. There was much to do and little time to do it. As he was just about to call Callen, he heard a familiar voice. He turned to see Ziva standing next to the window on the phone, yelling at someone in Hebrew. Tony stood up and walked over to her, he reached her just as she was getting off the phone.
"Ziva?" Tony said almost questioned it like he was seeing things. "What are you doing here?"
"We need to talk" Ziva said, looking at him not all surprised he had found her.
AN: Sorry for the lack of updates. Trying to get back into the story and get it back to where I wanted it. I am thinking of maybe rebooting it. We'll see. still trying to figure things out. There is one thing in my head I know I want to get out, that I am kind of hoping with explain more to action taken, and what's going on. If I can't make it happen, they way I want it to, I will most likely reboot it.
