Thank you so very much for all of the reviews and for the alerts and favorites. This should finish this arc.
He could hear Ziva's angry shouts coming from the bullpen, he stepped out of the outer office and onto the mezzanine being careful not to be seen. After Ziva was finished with her tirade he was surprised to hear DiNozzo's voice and not Gibbs'.
It was the tone of DiNozzo's voice that made him pay closer attention it was calm, but it was also full of anger, disappointment, with a touch of disgust.
He slipped back into his own office and locked the door, not long after Abby and Gibbs left. One of the advantages of being the director was he had access to every piece of information that came through every NCIS office no matter when it was.
If Miss Scuito was involved then he would start there with her and the computers in her lab. But first he called down to the main gate. He told them not to let Scuito go to tell her that he wanted to see her immediately.
Tony toed off his shoes when he entered Gibbs' house. He was balancing coffee, a box of muffins and his go-bag. He didn't call out to Gibbs he just made his way to the kitchen.
They both liked their muffins warm with a little bit of butter on them. Tony dug out the small pan for the toaster oven then set about toasting them. He knew Gibbs was already in the cellar sanding. He could smell the fresh sawdust in the air.
By the time the muffins were finished toasting he had changed out of his suit and into the sweats the he had in his go-bag. He wasn't worried about work clothes. He had emergency clothes at work, it would be a jeans and simple shirt day. To be honest he didn't feel like wearing one of his suits. His armor, he knew what they were he hid behind them it was all part of the package. A carefully constructed package that had taken him years to perfect.
He called down to Gibbs that the muffins and coffee were ready. Gibbs was up the stairs before Tony had finished putting the muffins and coffee on the table.
His boss carrying a bottle of bourbon sat in one of that chairs. Lifting the bottle to offer Tony.
"Not tonight boss, not tonight. There would have been a time when I would have joined you in finishing that Bourbon and put a good size dent in the spare in the cupboard."
Gibbs tilts his head understanding completely.
"You know I never thought that they would not have my six, I guess I was wrong. I mean after all I'm just a cop with a Phys. Ed degree."
"You're more than that Tony and you know it."
"Come on Jethro. You know as well as I do that I was given a free pass, The SecNav waved the requirement for a master's degree for me. That is after he read the sealed FBI file."
"That was damn good work Tony and you've earned your spot on my team don't you dare think otherwise." Gibbs informs him.
"Tony about your old partner?"
"I wasn't he one who found him if that's what your worried about. He lived alone his wife left him a few years before they never had any kids. That is a blessing in its self. When a parent commits suicide it does a number the kid."
Tony tosses his napkin on the table and exhales sharply. "You ever have a partner kill himself?"
" A partner no, two Marine buddies while on active duty and three more after they left the Corp."
Tony raised his cup and nodded his head no words were needed. "You know Tim was so green when he first came to us, like a scared little rabbit. Ziva, was different she was hard, desensitized from everything that she had seen and done."
Gibbs says nothing just watches Tony gather his thoughts. "I thought that by bringing some jokes and banter into the bullpen would lesson the horror for Tim. You have to admit some of the things that we see are worse than anything Hollywood could ever come up with. Maybe I went to far? I don't know I just couldn't see anymore of the people I care about or work with kill themselves. A little part of you dies with them every single time."
"Playing jokes on Ziva just has the opposite affect. She just gets angry and strikes back, violence begets violence. It's the way she was raised so it's understandable."
"But you do it anyway." Gibbs points out.
"I do. It lessons the stress in the bullpen for all of the teams and besides McGee laughs and you smile. So it's worth it, what's she going to do to me? Shoot me? I've been shot before."
"Too many times."
A ghost of a smile passes Tony's face as he sips his tea.
"Have you thought about what you're going to do?" Gibbs asks him.
"Nothing. What can I do? McGee and Ziva are both valuable to the team and the agency. Tim because of his computer skills an Ziva well she is Mossad, all those contacts come in handy. It's best to let sleeping dogs lie. Don't you think?"
"Go to bed Tony." Gibbs orders. As he watches Tony go up to the guest room he can't help but feel that Tony is dealing with more than his fair share of demons and darkness. The kind that plague all of them from time to time. He just can't help but wonder just how many people close to him have died that way, and how many he had witnessed.
They get to the office early since he is already in his sweats Tony takes advantage of it by hitting the treadmill for a quick three mile run. After a shower he changes into jeans and a light green shirt. A quick stop at the cafeteria he enters the bullpen ten minutes late carrying coffee for Gibbs and tea for himself.
"Sorry I'm late boss there was a line." Gibbs knows he's lying, he takes the coffee with a curt thanks.
"So what childish pranks do you have in store for us today Tony? Maybe super glue on Tim's keyboard that seems to be a favorite of yours. Or breaking all of my pencils? You haven't done that one yet." Ziva asks with a snarl on her face as she stands and starts to walk over to Tony's desk.
"Sit down Officer David." Vance says as he walks into the bullpen.
"DiNozzo good work yesterday. As for McGee and David you're suspended for two weeks no pay."
"What? Why should we be suspended he is the one that left us sitting there for hours without telling us he left." Ziva argues as she jumps to her feet.
Vance looks at her sharply so sharply that she sits down. "Yesterday I heard you yelling at Agent DiNozzo I stepped out of the outer office and onto the mezzanine. I heard what you said, I also heard his reply. I had Miss Scuito stopped and the gate and ordered back to talk to me. She was given a choice show me all of the evidence about the case especially about what happened to make you angry, or I would suspend her. He wasn't in the wrong, you were, you and Agent McGee."
"Director Vance." Tony says softly.
"Sit down Agent DiNozzo." Vance orders firmly but without a bite in his tone.
"You will hand your weapons to agent Gibbs, when you come back you both will be spending time learning about his agency from the ground up two weeks in every department as Probies. Your paths will not cross while you are learning about responsibility and working as a team. Especially covering each other six's. You will not be needing your weapons for some time. I will give you the a choice, take the punishment or you're fired."
Leaving them to stew Vance turns to Gibbs. I have some new agents that need some fine tuning, Smart people, former Mp's and cops. A few with no real field experience at all. Green as green can be. You and DiNozzo can start them on the right path. Two of them are going to Florida and two are going to Rhode Island."
"Yes Director." Gibbs replies.
Vance looks at Ziva and Tim as they each place their weapons on Gibbs' desk and leave without saying anything.
Gibbs and Tony say nothing as Vance leaves them, they just grab the closest cold case and get to work.