Whoop! Another chapter down! I am so happy to get another one posted, sorry about the wait! I hope you all enjoy! Please review and tell me what you think!
~Renee
P.S.- The random thought process that Tony goes through, the one that starts with Tony breathing in and out, is exactly how I think. Just jumping from one thought to another, each thing barely connected and then you reach something that isn't funny in the slightest, but for some odd reason it's really funny to you.
Anyway, just thought I would share. :) Enjoy.
Abby stared at the picture in shock before turning to the director.
"NCIS. He was NCIS. NCIS?! One of us did this?"
Abby waved her hand out as if one of the two other NCIS agents in the room had dragged Gibbs and Tony out of the apartment at gunpoint.
The director clenched his jaw and nodded, his eyes narrowed.
"Patrick Wilson. He was fired from the department and was unable to work for any other branch of law enforcement."
Don stepped forward, moving past his agents and brother.
"Why? What happened?"
The director sighed and turned, leaning against Abby's computer desk.
"A murder suspect in his care was found badly beaten after he refused to talk. Someone had attempted to destroy the security footage, but the forensics team was able to bring it back."
Colby and David shared a disgusted glance before Colby spoke up.
"He attacked a suspect?"
The director nodded.
"He was suspended pending an investigation and then disappeared. The suspect was found guilty and never ended up pressing charges, and other than making sure he couldn't work in law enforcement again, he was forgotten about. Most people didn't even know what had happened, it was kept pretty quiet, I'm not even sure if Gibbs was aware. I don't think they ever interacted once. Gibbs wouldn't have ever spoken to him, there shouldn't be any history between them...and he wouldn't even know DiNozzo. He wasn't here yet, he would have no reason to..."
The director closed his eyes and sighed.
"Excuse me."
He walked from the room at a fast pace.
Don watched him go, his mind quickly filling in what the director didn't say. He may have never interacted personally with Gibbs or DiNozzo, but NCIS destroyed his career, and he was holding it's top agents. And that didn't bode well for them.
He shook his head clear of those thoughts and forced himself to focus.
"Well NCIS may have forgotten him, but Wilson certainly didn't forget his time here. So this changes things. Abby, McGee- run everything you have on Patrick Wilson, find any new movement, any properties he or his family may own that could be used to hold Gibbs and DiNozzo."
McGee jumped into a chair and his momentum carried him over to the computers where Abby was already typing away, hope lighting up her face.
"Sinclair, Granger, you're going to keep up on Allen, see if you can find anything more between him and Wilson, maybe now that we have a name things will become clearer. Todd- "
A computer to the side played a cheery tune and Abby's attention turned to it.
"Hey, I've got a hit on one of the goons! A...Lawrence Diaz."
Don nodded and pointed at the computer.
"Perfect. Agent Todd, see what you can find on Mr. Diaz. Charlie you're with me."
Charlie hurried to catch up with his brother who was rushing out of the lab.
"Where are we going?"
"To get you set up, it's time that this game is back on our field."
Xxx
Gibbs hurried to the truck and opened the door, easing Tony into the damaged interior.
"Wait here Tony, I'm going to get us out of here."
Tony nodded and sank into the seat while Gibbs began ripping the truck apart for the keys.
Finally he cursed under his breath and turned to his agent with tortured eyes.
"Nothing DiNozzo, we're going to have to keep moving."
Tony sighed and pushed himself up, wincing as the movement aggravated his battered body.
"That's where you're wrong Gibbs, leave the truck to me, you look around for fuel. There seems to be a little bit of everything around here, maybe you'll find something that'll work."
Gibbs stared at him incredulously.
"Tony, there are no keys, what is gas going to do?"
Tony rolled his eyes and dragged himself over to the drivers side.
A slight moan escaped his lips as he lost his balance and fell towards the seat. Gibbs lurched forward, his arms extended to catch his friend. Tony twisted so he landed on his back and was staring up at Gibbs, and their eyes met. Tony stared at him determinedly.
"Boss, trust me. Go find some fuel."
Gibbs hesitated for a brief second, unwilling to leave Tony alone for a single moment, but finally nodded and helped the younger man sit up.
"Stay."
Tony chuckled.
"Don't see myself going too far Boss, but don't worry, I'll behave."
"Oh I really doubt that DiNozzo, but stay put."
Tony nodded and began studying the Chevy curiously.
Gibbs stepped away from the truck and began searching the large space, looking for anything that could be of use. The space held a big lot of nothing, so he turned to a small hallway that led to a small bunch of rooms. He ended up in a dilapidated office, with wallpaper pealing off the wall and desk with only three legs. A mini refrigerator stood in the corner with the door hanging off the side. He pulled the door the rest of the way open and saw several bottles of water sitting on the shelves among containers of spoiled food. Apparently whoever had been here had left in a hurry and hadn't thought that their take-out was worth coming back for. He pulled out the water and began stuffing them into an old briefcase. His eyes ran over the office again and lit upon the telephone sitting on the desk. He all but jumped onto the phone and jerked up the receiver, praying for a dial tone.
Please please please.
Nothing.
Line was cut.
Gibbs sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead before continuing his search. He certainly hoped Tony was having better luck than he was.
…
Gibbs hurried back into the main room, the briefcase full of water under his arm and the small gas containers of diesel clutched in both hands.
"Tony?"
He was answered by the sound of a revving engine.
He broke out into a run and jerked the truck door open.
"Tony?"
He was breathing heavily and leaning his head back against the seats, but when he heard Gibbs open the door, he opened his eyes and smiled at the older man.
"Hey boss, what took you so long?"
Gibbs smiled and set his burdens down.
"Decided to stop for pizza along the way. How did you get the truck running?"
Tony laughed quietly to himself.
"Don't know if I should tell you, you might arrest me for hot-wiring a car. Especially considering that the car is about to be stolen."
Gibbs' eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as he considered that.
Where on earth did DiNozzo learn how to hot-wire a car?
Tony heard the unasked question, but ignored it in favor of a more important issue.
"Did you find anything?"
Gibbs nodded and lifted the gas container.
"Some diesel. Looks like it's been here a while, might very well explode when we load it in, but it's all we got."
Tony nodded and began to shift himself over to the other side of the car.
"Good, cause what's left in here isn't going to get us far. And at least if it blows up, it'll be fiery death. Something interesting. Nothing worse than a boring death."
Gibbs rolled his eyes.
"No one's dying right now DiNozzo. We're going home. Now hold on, I'm filling her up, and we're getting the hell out of here."
Tony nodded and settled himself against the door. His body shuddered and he closed his eyes, concentrating on breathing deeply.
In. Out. In. Out. Simple. Like math. One plus one equals two. Breathing in plus breathing out equals life. Life is good. Life is great. Life means not dying. If I die Gibbs would kill me than fire me and I really don't want to go job hunting again. I like working here. This is the best job ever. I love about it. Except for the color of the walls. Those orange walls got to go. Abby hates them too...I wonder if she would object to breaking in the building with me so we could repaint. I bet everyone would thank us. Make them a nice green or blue. Something soothing or maybe something to spark creativity. What color is supposed to spark creativity? I know not to put blue in the kitchen because that will stifle your appetite and red will make you hungry and...why do I know this? Red. I really don't like that color. Makes me think of blood. I've seen enough blood. No more blood. No red. Never red. I like blue. Blue is a good color. We should paint it blue. I should call Abby and have her help me repaint NCIS blue. Navy blue. Ha! That's pretty good. Naval Criminal Investigative Services, now featuring navy blue walls. Naval Criminal Investigative Services...that sound like a good tv show. I wonder who would play me? Maybe James Franco. Loved him in Spider Man. Spider-man...Spider-man...does whatever a spider can...
"DiNozzo!"
Tony jerked forward and opened his eyes, looking at Gibbs who was staring at him with a mixture of concern and anger. It sounded like that wasn't the first time his name had been called.
"Yeah Boss?"
"You with me?"
"Of course. Aren't you going to put the gas in?"
Gibbs gave him a curious look.
"I already did Tony. We're-"
Gibbs was cut off by something that sounded like firecrackers and he ducked instinctively, diving towards Tony, shielding him with his own body.
"DiNozzo?"
Tony pained grunt came from underneath him, his words strained.
"Think Patty caught up with us Boss, time to get moving."
Gibbs shifted himself off Tony and popped the truck into gear, the clutch protesting, sending a prayer to the heavens that it would get them out of the building. He looked behind them and saw Lawrence and Steven pushing open the wide door, making an opening large enough for the old truck. The men spotted them immediately and aimed for the back of the vehicle, spouting off shots that ricochetted off the metal and embedded themselves into the truck. They were shouting something in Spanish he couldn't quite catch, but made Tony's lips quirk in a slight smile.
"They aren't very happy with us."
"The feeling's mutual."
Tony smiled over at the man as Gibbs slammed his foot on the accelerator.
"Love a good car chase boss."
Gibbs smiled despite himself and steered the truck directly towards the men.
"Especially when the car is chasing someone else."
Lawrence and Steven both leaped out of the way as the old trucked barreled its way by.
Tony clung to the door as they bounced past and crashed through the open doorway.
"Gibbs, you might want to take it easy. This baby's pretty old, it can't quite handle your normal stuff. We don't know how long it's been sitting in there, or the last time it was actually taken out for a drive. Don't push it too hard."
"Doesn't have to get us too far Tony, just somewhere with a phone. Preferably a hospital."
Tony narrowed his eyes.
"Boss I-"
Gibbs reached out and swatted him on the back of the head.
"Don't start."
"I was just going to say-"
"Don't. Start."
"I-"
"DiNozzo."
Tony put his hands up, and winced.
"Okay boss, whatever you say."
Gibbs nodded once.
That's what I thought.
Tony smiled slightly and began working on twisting around in the seat so he could see out the window.
"What are you doing?"
"Keeping an eye out for our friends boss, would like to know if they're coming up behind us."
Gibbs glanced over at him, Tony's face was pale, sweat was gathering on his forehead and he was blinking every couple seconds as if trying to force his eyes to focus.
"Tony, you need to rest."
Tony shook his head and continued to stare out the window.
"I will boss, promise. Let's just get out of this mess first alright?"
Gibbs sighed and nodded, pressing a little more speed from the truck.
Tony stared out the back window, the road going in and out of focus as his eyes struggled not to close. He was so tired. And everything hurt. He took a deep breath and held it, counting to six before letting it out in a long draw. He repeated the motion over again, forcing himself to focus on the feeling of his own chest rising and falling instead of the pain that got an idea in his toes, traveled up his legs, had a rave in his abdomen and then crawled up his spine to nurse a hangover in his head. He clenched his fists into his ruined shirt and tried desperatly to stay awake. He had to stay awake. His thoughts were already scattered but he wasn't going to pass out. He wasn't going to leave Gibbs alone again. He absolutely refused.
He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rising, and he turned slightly to see Gibbs staring at him. Tony felt a small brush of worry at the fact was staring him down rather than watching the road, but pushed it aside. The day Gibbs got in a traffic accident is the day that Tony couldn't find a movie quote. It simply wouldn't happen. Tony blinked a couple times and looked at Gibbs closer, the man seemed to be waiting on something.
"You say something boss?"
"Yeah Tony, when did you learn to hot-wire a car?"
Tony flinched slightly at the question, then a slight smile danced upon his lips.
"When I was nine."
Gibbs foot came off the accelerator.
"Nine?"
Tony nodded and turned back towards the window.
"How did you learn?"
Tony's smile widened.
"Saw it in a movie, then found a book at the library that taught me how. Did you know that they have books on that? In public libraries? It's like asking people to become criminals. I picked it up pretty quickly. Wasn't very hard."
Gibbs stared at him for a long moment before turning back towards the road, his eyes darting between the long stretch of pavement and his senior field agent.
Picked it up pretty quickly. Wasn't very hard? He was nine and it wasn't very hard to learn how to hot wire a car? Did he ever...
"Did you ever use it?"
Tony chuckled.
"I just did."
"Not what I meant."
Tony chewed on his lip.
"I know. Yeah I used it once or twice. Came in handy."
Gibbs carefully didn't look at Tony.
"You don't have a record..."
"There a question in there boss?"
Gibbs opened his mouth to ask, but Tony's hand suddenly shot out, resting on his forearm, and Gibbs was distracted by the faint tremor running through the younger man's grip.
"Boss, we have company."
He looked out the back window and saw the black SUV coming up over the horizon.
"Okay boss, plan C?"
Gibbs nodded.
"Plan C."
"Right."
Tony huddled down farther in the seat while the SUV gained speed.
Gibbs looked around himself and smiled when he the gas station a few blocks down.
"Can you hot wire anything other than old Chevy's?"
Tony looked over at him and smiled.
"We're in a '53 Chevy, running from armed maniacs who want to blow up NCIS and would quite cheerfully kill us if they had the chance and you want to know if I can help you commit grand theft auto? I love you boss."
Gibbs smiled and jerked the truck into the lot, causing it to spin and slam to a halt unceremoniously next to a gas pump.
A short young woman stood next to black mustang, her tousled, shoulder length brown hair was wind blown and her wide green eyes looked at the men curiously as Gibbs burst from the truck and carefully eased Tony from the other side.
They hurried over to her and she took a half step back, her eyes careful.
"Miss, I'm Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs and I'm afraid we're going to have to borrow your car."
"And your cell." Tony piped up from where he was leaning against Gibbs.
The girl opened her mouth as if to argue then took a closer look at Tony. She bit her lip and nodded slowly, passing her keys over and fishing a battered cel phone out of her pocket.
"Anything you want out of the car?"
She nodded and walked around to the back seat of the car, pulled out a backpack that was full of books and the corner of a MacBook sticking out, and a camera bag. She paused before taking a step back and looked at them worriedly.
"Are you alright?"
Tony smiled widely at her, and even with his face battered and bruised, it still dazzled her enough to make her smile back.
"I'm fine Miss, thank you."
Her eyebrows furrowed.
"You don't look alright."
Gibbs chuckled and gave Tony a gentle push towards the passenger side.
"I'm getting him to a hospital now miss. Thank you."
She nodded and smiled slightly, wrapping her arms around herself as they climbed in.
"Are you going to bring my car back in one piece?"
Tony and Gibbs exchanged glances as Gibbs turned the car on and revved the engine.
"More or less."
With that, they drove off, leaving her staring and wondering what just happened.
Tony looked over at Gibbs with laughing eyes.
"Well...that was easy."
Okay, so the girl with the mustang, I really couldn't resist putting myself in the story. And that is how I would react. If Tony came up to me all beat up and needing my car, more than likely I would just give it to him. Especially if Gibbs was there. Can you imagine saying no to the Gibbs glare? Cause I can't. Besides, it was the perfect opportunity to give myself a Mustang. I've always wanted one. Wouldn't you figure the moment I get one, it's stolen by two Federal Agents?
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!
Oh! One last thing, I can totally picture Tony being able to hot-wire car. Don't know if he can, but I can see it.