So I originally was going to try to stick somewhat to the real time frame but I've decided to use my creative license and introduce Gibbs father into the story. In "real time" they had not reconciled.

Thanks for your on going show of support. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

CHAPTER 14

Walking back down stairs Gibbs found Tobias still in the kitchen. "If you're going to hang out in there at least put on some more coffee. I'll get the door, one of our guest has just arrived."

"Guest? Since when do you have guest?" Tobias was confused. He couldn't imagine who was going to show up. He thought he would be able to get his director and Gibbs in a room and try to resolve this situation.

"Since you decided to invite the Director of the FBI over to my house without talking to me about it first." Gibbs turned and walked away before Tobias could even ask how he knew about the Director. Looking around the kitchen, Tobias talked to himself, "Got to be bugged. He couldn't have known about the Director if it weren't bugged. Who in their right mind bugs their own kitchen?"

"No one." Gibbs chuckled as Tobias jumped from being startled. "If you were worth your salt as an agent you would know better than to yell into your phone when standing in a nearly vacant home." The harshness of the words were eased by the smirk on Gibbs face. He knew he wasn't in the clear yet, but it seemed as if he may have a chance of salvaging their friendship.

Gibbs watched as Tobias noticed who was standing behind him. "Tobias Fornell FBI, meet Rob Harm…Tony's attorney."

"Tony's…attorney?" Fornell shook his head. "I thought we were trying to keep this on the down low?"

"Well you thought wrong!" Gibbs had had enough. What in the hell were these people thinking? He stalked up to Fornell and backed him into the wall. He placed one palm forcefully on Fornell's chest to pin him in place. Fornell didn't know what to do. The one thing he knew for sure was this was not a Gibbs he wanted to screw with on any given day of the week. He had never seen Gibbs so angry or so intimidating. At this given moment he had no difficulty seeing Gibbs as a trained sniper. Rob stood off to the side he didn't want to get into the middle of this, he knew he was no match for Gibbs.

"You should have thought about that before you called your director to come to my home without talking to me. You should have thought about it before you came into a federal agency and took out one of the finest men I know out in handcuffs as if he were some low life. You should have thought about that before you and your agency allowed your agents to treat an innocent man like a piece of crap. You should have thought about it before your guards and agents degraded him, humiliated him, beat him and endangered his LIFE."

Gibbs shook himself, he needed to calm down before he woke Tony up. But God did he want to hit Fornell right in the mouth for all the stupid shit he had said. It had taken all his strength to not do it before but now with Fornell up against the wall he really wanted to throw just one punch. He had been swinging his right hand around as he talked but now the anger in him was at a boiling point. He reached back and threw the punch with all his might but at the last second he had the presence of mind to hit the wall beside Fornell's head. Pieces of plaster fell to Fornell's shoulder. Gibbs stepped back and took a deep breath. His hand and arm hurt. He hoped he hadn't broken his hand but he didn't care right now. He had to get control of himself. He wouldn't be of any use to Tony if he ended up in jail, and rightfully so.

Rob was standing there dumbfounded. He knew Fornell and Gibbs were friends (shared misery and all that) but what he had just witnessed showed where Tobias Fornell stood in this ordeal. Tony was number one and everyone else could go to hell.

"You should have thought of it before you put my son behind bars and thought you were going to get away with doing a half-assed job of investigating. It was me and my team who had to investigate and prove his innocents because you and your lackeys were to inept to do the job right. And if I ever, and I do mean ever, see you so much as look cross-eyed at him, or if Slacks is breathing within 10 feet of my son…you had better hope Tony is there holding me back because I will not tolerate you and your bullshit towards my son ever again!"

Again his temper was getting the better of him, he needed to keep calm. He needed to be able to protect his son without going to jail for shooting the asshole in front of him. God, he was glad he had locked away his gun in the upstairs safe. His hand throbbed with each beat of his pulse.

"So, to answer your question no this isn't going to be kept on the down low. We are going to meet with our directors and Tony's attorney. Rob and I are going to make sure nothing like this happens again. And I am going to protect Tony with my life if necessary to keep him safe from you and your agency. We may have been friends for years, hell we even share an ex-wife but Tony…is my son. Maybe not by blood but by all the ways that truly count. And don't ever forget that! He's the only reason I am still functioning today." As had become his habit of late, he turned and walked away. To afraid he would take his anger out on the other man in any more of physical way. He stopped in the kitchen briefly to grab a bag of peas out of the freezer. He needed to try to stop the swelling.

Gibbs walked again into his back yard. He couldn't stand to be in the same house with these people. He would have much preferred to have had this conversation while sitting in a conference or interrogation room at NCIS. He felt their presence in his house was unnecessary and vulgar. He wanted them gone as soon as possible.

Gibbs pulled his cell phone out again. He knew it was late but God he wanted to call his dad. He needed family with him and obviously his current family was having more dysfunctional issues than he had realized. Gibbs stared at the phone for several moments before replacing it in his pocket. His hand throbbed, he wasn't sure if it was broken but maybe it would be the only thing to keep him from strangling the assholes responsible for this mess. There was no way he was calling his father at this hour. Hell, I'd probably give him a heart attack having the phone ring at this hour. I'll wait until I know he's awake. God Dad, this is all so screwed up.

04:00

Director Patterson's driver was forced to park on the street as Gibbs drive was filled with other vehicles already. As he exited his vehicle he noticed Jen Sheppard exiting her own. He hadn't expected nor did he desire to have this confrontation in front of a fellow agency's director.

"Jen, good to see you. What brings you out here this morning?" He was hoping he was wrong and Jen was her for other reasons.

Jen sensed the other man's unease and was happy to see it. He may not know what all had happened but he was about to get an ear full if she had read the situation right. Jethro had let it slip that he looked upon Tony as his son, if that were the case Patterson was in for one hell of an ass chewing. She almost wished she could have popcorn for this but figured the ringside seats would have to suffice. "I would think it would be quite obvious why I am here. I am the NCIS director and the charges pending against your agents are being filed by my agents. Why don't we move this into the house, I don't think this is an appropriate venue for this discussion." Taking a page from Jethro's book she turned and walked away.