As soon as Kate and McGee leave, Gibbs storms over, grabs the collar of my shirt and yanks me out of my chair. I almost fall over on my face when he uses it to haul me behind him towards the back elevator and throws me inside, stepping in after. He slams his palm on one of the floor buttons, but something tells me that it doesn't matter what floor we go to.

No sooner than we start to move does he stop the elevator, bathing us in dusk-like light.

He slams me into the elevator wall, his hands gripping handfuls of the front of my shirt, so hard a button pops off. The blow of my back hitting the elevator wall knocks the air out of me for a second.

"How dare you." Gibbs snarls in my face, and I can feel my blood run cold. I have never seen him angrier in my life, not once. "How dare you throw away everything you have?"

"I-I-" I stutter, unable to form a sentence with his cold, hard blue eyes blazing with fury in front of me.

"Do you love her?" he demands. When I hesitate, he pulls me forward and bangs me against the wall again. "Do you love Kate?"

"Yes!" I cry, "I do!"

"Don't you dare lie to me! I'll know." He growls

"I know. I really do love her. She's the love of my life. She's the most beautiful, intelligent and tough woman I have ever met and I fell for her the day I met her on Air Force 1!" I cry

"Then what are you doing?" he yells, "You're throwing away everything! I've trained you, Dinozzo, I know you. You've been with more women in a month then I've been with my life, but I put up with it, and I tried to keep you focused. Do you not see your luck? Of all the women you could have possibly gotten pregnant, you got the love of your life and the one of the few people in the world who has your back 24/7, no matter what. How could you ask for more? Yet it's still not enough for you." He brings his face as close to mine as it can get without our noses touching, "Because you're scared. You're scared of commitment. You're scared of failing your child the way your father failed you. You're scared that you wont have the courage to make it the long run with Kate. You're a coward, Tony, and you're getting rid of everything you could ever want. I lost mine, and I'm not letting you throw away yours."

Fury erupts within me, and I shove Gibbs off, so we're nose to nose in the middle of the elevator. "I am not a coward! I am scared Gibbs, but I doubt that is unreasonable! I want to marry Kate! I want to be a good father! I want to be committed! I'm sorry for the mistakes I've made, especially this past weekend, but you have no right to call me a coward. You sit in your basement with a coffee cup full of bourbon, and an over used wood sander trying to escape and forget the shitload of bad memories you have. I wont ever be like that Boss, like you, because from this second forward, whether she wants it or not I am going to protect her. I am going to protect our child and damn you and anyone else who thinks I can't do it to hell. So shut up Boss, because I am going to be the best father I can and from this minute forward I want you to watch me as I do." I yell in his face, and I watch as the anger in his eyes shifts to something else.

With a slight smile, he says "I'll hold you to that, Tony."

Then he turns the elevator back on, and leaves on the next floor, leaving me both relieved, thankful, and slightly confused.

(Two hours later)

Kate refuses to talk to me, and Gibbs hasn't said anything since our conversation in the elevator earlier. Seeking help, I head down to Abby's lab.

"Abby!" I yell as I walk in.

"I'm not speaking to you until you apologize to Kate." She says walking away

"You heard about that?" I groan

"Of course I heard! Everyone in the building heard!" she chastises.

"Abby. I need your help. I'm trying to clean up the mess I made but I can't do it alone."

She gives me a small smirk "Rule 45?"

"Yeah, Abs. Please? I want to take Kate out to dinner, but there's no way she will agree. She won't talk to me, but I want to apologize. I had a lot of sense knocked into me by Gibbs and I have the bump to prove it." I explain

Abby grins at me, her eyes sparkling.

"I'll help you, Tony." She squeals "I have just the plan. Follow me." She grins deviously and leads me into the back part of her lab.