Special Thanks to GotGoats for betaing my chapter!

Blank Slate
Chapter 21

Gibbs and Tony sat in the basement, listening to Senior speak with Jack for a long time. It was quite obvious to Tony that his old man was bluffing, lying through is teeth, trying to deflect any suspicion that Jack may have about what Senior was actually up to. After nearly an hour of listening to his father's bullshit, Tony turned to Gibbs. "Gibbs," he hissed, "I know what he's here for! I know what he's after."

Gibbs blinked. "You do? You're…you're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Tony whispered indignantly. "I have to go up there."

"First you tell me what's going on," Gibbs insisted. "Then we'll go up there."

"There's a file," Tony murmured. "I started it after the Macaluso case. While I was in Peoria. I started investigating my father and all of his activities."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Does your father know this?"

"Oh yeah," Tony nodded. "He knows alright. He knows I have enough evidence to put him away for money laundering, accessory to murder, communicating threats, embezzlement, bribery—you name it. I've got tons of it."

"Where?" Gibbs' eyes were wide now. "Where's the file?"

Tony sat still for a moment, thinking. Gibbs knew he was trying to remember. Finally the younger man looked up at him with a pained, and slightly guilty, expression. "I don't—I don't know," he murmured. His eyes grew glassy and his hands knotted into frustrated fists. "I had the file in Peoria. I had it in Baltimore. So when I moved here I must have brought it with me, but…I would have hidden it somewhere and I have no idea where that would be…" he dipped his head in shame.

"Could it be at your apartment?" Gibbs wondered out loud.

"What?" Tony asked, sounding surprised. "I have an apartment? I thought—I thought I lived here with you?"

"You stay here probably 95% of the time," Gibbs reassured him. "But…we hadn't made the final step of you getting rid of your place yet. You still have an apartment in the Georgetown district."

Tony recoiled slightly. "Why didn't you tell me that?" he sputtered. "Why didn't you take me there? Gibbs that's my home! Not—not here! Why—I don't understand," Tony shook his head nervously and ran a hand up and down the outside of his arm. "Why would you keep something like that from me?"

"You were letting your lease expire. You keep most of your clothes and things here Tony. You were just hanging onto your apartment in case things didn't work out between us, waiting on your lease to expire."

"You lied to me," Tony said in a horrified whisper. "Why would you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to tell you. I just didn't want to overwhelm you with having two homes straight out of the hospital. I wanted to give you time to heal up a bit more, see what all you remembered on your own, and help you regain some stability before I told you about it. I'm…I'm sorry Tony. I didn't know it would upset you so badly."

"What else have you not told me about?" Tony crossed his arms.

Gibbs grimaced internally, thinking of all the things Tony still had not remembered. All of the people Tony had still not remembered. "Tony, I—"

"No!" Tony pushed himself to his feet. "No I don't want to hear you tell me about how sorry you are that I don't remember anything. I don't want to hear about 'Poor Tony' who can't remember the last ten years of his life. I don't want to hear you tell me I should be patient while I wait and see if my brain comes back or if I have to completely rebuild my whole life. I don't want to see that look of pity in your eyes when you tell me you wish you could tell me what I need to know. You're supposed to be a bastard Gibbs; that's what that second B is for, right?" He had no idea where he was getting this from, or why he was so angry, but he was absolutely positively furious. "I know you're a bastard—I don't know how I know it, but I know that as well as I know my name. You haven't told me. Guess what? I remembered it on my own. I also know this isn't the first time you've lied to me. When did I fall for you? How did I fall for someone who would lie to me? What else have you not told me about? Or skewed so that I only remember it the way you think I should?! What the hell Gibbs? What is wrong with you?"

Gibbs' eyes were wide, completely flayed by the onslaught of anger his partner was unleashing on him. He supposed he'd known it would all come to a head; eventually Tony would become frustrated with his lack of memory and something would set him off.

When the older man didn't answer for a long moment, Tony shook his head. "I'm outta here," he growled, turning and heading for the stairs.

"You can't Tony," Gibbs finally kickstarted his brain into action and he hurried after Tony and grabbed his arm. "You've gotta stay here where I can keep you safe. Your father—and the hit out on you—you have to stay here, DiNozzo!"

Tony looked disdainfully at the hand on his arm before turning his fiery gaze onto his lover. "Let go of my arm," his voice was so quiet Gibbs nearly didn't hear him.

"Tony—"

Tony jerked his arm away from the strong grip and his gaze darkened. "I said. Let. Go. You can't make me stay here. I'm not your prisoner."

"No! You're not! You're my damn partner and I'd like to see you stay alive! I'd like to see you not be hurt anymore! I'd like to keep you safe!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"You'd like to see me not hurt anymore? Then quit lying to me Gibbs. Just…just tell me the freakin' truth. When I ask questions, don't give me half answers, or the answers you want me to know. Tell me straight or I'll find someone else to fill me in."

"Tony—I—" Gibbs was completely blindsided by Tony's outburst. He'd known it would come, but he hadn't expected it to be directed at him. "If you leave, where will you go?"

"To this apartment I allegedly have," Tony sniped.

"Do you want me to tell you how to get there?" Gibbs mumbled brokenly. God he didn't know how to fix this.

Tony almost—almost—said yes. But he stopped. "I can't figure it out for myself," he said instead, needing to prove his independence.

"Tony…there is a hit out against you. By the Israeli Mossad. It…It's not safe for you to be out on your own right now. You're under protection, remember?"

Tony's gaze darkened. "Am I under protection because I don't remember? Or because I need protecting?"

"You're under protection because someone wants you dead and someone needs to watch your six. It'd be the same if the situation was reversed between us. It'd be the same if the hit was out on any other agent. It'd be the same if you knew everything that happened in the last ten years. Any of us would be under protection in this situation."

Tony thought about it for a long moment. "I want to go to my apartment," he said quietly. "If I was living there…I must have hidden the file on my dad somewhere there."

Gibbs nodded. "Alright. I can go along with that. Would you mind if I come with you? As protection? In case something happens? Just to watch your six?"

There was a pause. Tony thought it over carefully. It really did make sense for him to have someone with him. If someone was gunning for him, and he had to admit, they would be able to walk right up to him because he would never recognize them, he needed someone to watch his six.

"Yes," he finally agreed. "But…Jesus Gibbs please don't lie to me anymore! No more half truths, ok?"

Gibbs stepped closer and reached out and took Tony's hand. He squeezed it gently and tugged him into a warm embrace. "I promise. I'm sorry."

Tony looked at him. "You never apologize. Rule number six. Sign of weakness."

Gibbs smiled. "You're so much more than a pretty face," he chuckled and patted Tony's cheek. "That's right though. That's one of my rules."

The basement door opened unexpectedly and Gibbs immediately moved between Tony and the door and shoved Tony behind him, gun drawn and pointed instantly.

"Easy son, it's just me," Jack said from the landing. "Wanted to let ya know Senior's gone."

"Did he say where he's going? Or what he's looking for?" Tony asked.

"He did not, but he's definitely up to something," Jack said.

Tony turned to Gibbs. "Has he heard about me losing my memory?"

Gibbs' burn phone rang before he could answer. "It's the Director, Tony," he said. "Hang on. Yeah, Gibbs?" he answered.

He listened for a moment and his face darkened into a frown. "Did McGee say what all he told Senior?" he listened some more. "And what all did you tell Senior when you spoke with him?"

After another moment of listening, Gibbs ran a hand over his forehead. "Ok, probably shouldn't have done that, but there's no turning back on it now. I'll be in touch. Any word on the Mossad?" A pause. "Really! Keep us posted on that as it unfolds. We're heading to Tony's apartment." He snapped the phone shut.

"Ok," Gibbs said, looking at Tony and Jack. "McGee didn't rat out your amnesia to your father," Tony let out a sigh of relief. "But Vance did," Gibbs continued. "It's possible that Senior was here to find out if you remember that file you have on him or not. We need to get our hands on it before he does so we can make sure it doesn't get destroyed."

"I would have backed everything up electronically," Tony murmured. "But we still need that file. I mean, it's better to have hard evidence, right?"

"What about the hit, Leroy?" Jack asked.

"There was a murder last night. Someone took out the guy who was here to make sure the hit got taken out on you."

Tony blinked. "I thought Ziva was the one who was supposed to take the hit?" he asked.

"She is. This was her handler."

"Who would have killed him?" Tony wondered.

Gibbs looked at Tony and Jack for a long moment, trying to work it out. "The only person I know of who would have done it is Ziva," Gibbs murmured. "If she knew she was being tailed…she would eliminate it."

"Is Ziva going to take the hit on me?" Tony asked. "Isn't she on our team?"

"She was on our team. She resigned and has gone back to work for the Mossad. They sent her here to eliminate you as a means of proving her loyalty. I don't think she'll take the hit though. She is the one who informed me of the hit to begin with. She's the reason we knew to hide."

"That's so twisted. And why me?"

"Because you've been a thorn in the Mossad's side for several years now. Because some people think the two of you should have been romantically involved. Because a few years ago you killed her boyfriend and it's questionable as to whether or not she actually forgave you for that."

"Wow ok, ok," Tony put his hands up, chuckling. "Wait, people think we should have hooked up? Who thinks this? And why would they think that since I'm obviously with you?"

Gibbs smiled. "That's another story for another time. The general population seems to think the two of you should have gotten together. At any rate. We need to go to your apartment. We need to get that file and we need to get our heads back down. We need to move quickly. We don't know who's watching us, who they're from, if they're still out there or what. We don't know how many people Eli David has commissioned to watch Ziva."

"This is overwhelming as shit," Tony said quietly, sitting down heavily on the stairs. "My father, the Mossad. Jesus, I'm lucky the CIA isn't in on this."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Gibbs said mildly. At Tony surprised look, Gibbs shook his head and smiled. "C'mon. I'll tell you about it on the way to your apartment. It's one hell of a story. Another time we thought you'd been blown up. We thought you were dead. Let's motor and I'll fill you in."

Tony stood up and looked at Jack. "Is he serious?" he whispered.

Jack nodded. "Oh yes. Quite serious. You won't believe it when he tells you."

Tony rubbed his forehead. "My life feels like a live-action comic book."

"I can see why," Jack said sympathetically. "Now run along with Leroy. I'll have lunch ready when you all get back."

xxx

Ziva left the airport in Paris and moved quickly down the street. She had a six hour layover in Paris before she would board the next plane for Tel Aviv. She wondered, as she headed for the nearest hair salon, if she should contact Gibbs, but thought it may be too risky. She'd wait until everything was done, then she'd let him know it was safe. She entered the salon and ordered her hair colored and cut differently than she'd cut it a couple of days earlier.

Once that was finished, she grabbed a quick bite to eat (she'd always loved the bakeries in France) and headed back to the airport, wearing a different outfit than she'd arrived in. She produced a fake ID and matching boarding pass and quickly boarded the plane bound for Tel Aviv. She assumed by now that word may have made it back to Eli that Malachi was dead. She wondered if he'd figure out she was behind it. She'd have to watch her six particularly closely in order to escape suspicion as she made her way through the labyrinth of her father's offices and secretaries in order to get to him. She weighed options in her head as to how to go about that without being discovered. She had four and a half hours on the plane to work out a plan.

After she was on the ground, she'd need to move quickly. She had to get to her father and eliminate him before he could order another hit against Tony. She had to get to her father before her father got to her.

The stakes were very high. It was truly a game of life and death, and Ziva was determined that she and her true family—the ones she was not related to by blood—they would emerge victorious, or she'd die trying to make it so.

xxx

After leaving Gibbs' house, Senior decided he'd head straight to Tony's apartment. He knew that Tony had lost the last decade or so of his memory. All he needed to do was get inside his son's apartment, then he could figure out where that damn file was hidden. If he didn't remember the last ten years, he wouldn't remember where he put it. Senior wasn't even sure Tony still actually had the file, but he knew his son had been conducting an investigation of him and his activities for years. There had to be a file, and knowing his son, it would be thorough and filled with damning evidence that could put him away for a long time.

With Tony and Gibbs away on vacation for Tony to recuperate, this was the perfect time to get inside his son's home and dig for it. He'd visited many times before, but hadn't ever been successful in finding out where it was.

If Senior was lucky, this time he'd locate the file and take it with him. That way he could destroy it and his son would be none the wiser.

And if, for some reason, Tony found out? Well. There were ways to make sure he never remembered anything again. He'd do whatever it took to keep his name in the clear and maintain his safety and the safety of his associates. Tony should have gone to work for him in the family business. Then they wouldn't be in this mess. Unfortunately, though, Tony had been blessed with his mother's sense of morality and he felt somehow obligated to rid the world of evil. For some reason, Tony seemed to think his father fell into that category.

He climbed the stairs to his son's walk up apartment and politely knocked on the neighbor's door. He remembered her; he'd had a good screw with her in Tony's own bed one night! She answered the door and her eyes widened.

"I'm so sorry to bother you," he said gallantly, having not a clue what the woman's name was. "I don't know if you remember me or not, but I'm—"

"—Tony's father! Of course I remember you! How are you?"

Senior smiled. "Oh I'm fantastic, my dear. But I've run into a bit of a snag…I need to get into Tony's apartment. He asked me to feed his goldfish for him while he's away and I'm afraid he forgot to leave me his key."

The neighbor smiled, "I wish I could help you," she said sympathetically. "But after you and I…well Tony asked for his spare key back. He wasn't too happy with us. But…if you're interested," her gaze turned sultry. "I could entertain you at my place."

"I need to get inside his place first, but after that I may just take you up on that offer," Senior said smoothly, his charm completely disarming her. "Do you know if any of his other neighbors have a key?"

"Miss Shirley does. On the other side of Tony's apartment there," she pointed.

"You're a peach," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

"See you soon," she purred.

Several minutes later, the cute little old lady who lived next door to Tony was letting Senior into the apartment. "Here you are dear," she said.

"Would it be possible for me to borrow that key while I'm in town?" Senior asked. "Tony asked me to care for his fish while he's away and it seems horribly inconvenient for me to continuously knock on your door to borrow your key."

Miss Shirley was no fool. "No inconvenience at all," she said cheerfully. "I enjoy the company!" That being said, she turned, with the key still in her hand, and walked back inside her own apartment. Senior's eyes narrowed when he heard the door lock and the deadbolt flip.

"Dammit," Senior muttered. "Suspicious old bitch."

xxx

Miss Shirley hurried inside her apartment and moved straight to her phone. She dialed the home number for the other agent that she'd been given when Gibbs asked her to watch Tony's apartment. She knew Tony's father was lying to her. Tony had told her enough over the years to pick up on that. Still, it would have been more suspicious for her to balk at letting him in and she knew that.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard someone pick up the phone at Gibbs' house. "Yello?"

"This is Shirley, Tony's next door neighbor in the apartment," she said. "I need to let Agent Gibbs know that Mr. DiNozzo just showed up here and asked to get inside Tony's apartment."

"Did you let him in?" Jack asked.

"Yes. Seemed suspicious for me not to. He's up to no good though."

"Tony and Gibbs are on their way over there now. Should be resolved soon. Thank you Miss Shirlely; I'll let them know you called."

"Thank you dear."

xxx

Gibbs and Tony were just pulling into the parking lot of the building when Gibbs' burn phone rang. "Yeah Gibbs?" he answered.

"Leroy," Jack said as soon as his son answered. "Watch your sixes son. Senior's at the apartment and you're walking right into a shitstorm."

"On it Dad," Gibbs said. They were sitting in the parking lot at Tony's apartment building. "We're here now and we'll be in touch when we leave."

"Be careful son. Sonofabitch is crazy as a loon. No telling what he'd do."

Gibbs glanced at Tony, whose face seemed set in steel. He was not afraid of what was going to happen. "Call you soon. Stay by the phone."

"You got it."

Gibbs hung up the phone and looked at Tony. "You ready?"

Tony nodded and glanced up at the building, wondering which one of the windows was his. "Home, sweet home," he said grimly.

TBC…