Thank you all once again. I do so love reading all your lovely reviews and messages. Makes me feel purdy special. :)
Huge thanks to Tiffany. XX
Tony was officially and totally one hundred percent bored. Bored with a capital B.
He'd been kicked out of the warm cocoon of Abby's bed at a ridiculously early hour when the team had been called out on a case, so there wasn't even anyone around he could bug for company. He found he couldn't even focus on a film for longer than ten minutes without fidgeting or thinking about things he didn't want in his head right now.
He reflected that the fact that he was bored was probably a good sign after weeks of complete ennui where he didn't care if he did nothing all day, but feeling like that today, when he was looking for a distraction, didn't help his situation.
No matter what he did, Tony felt antsy even though he was trying his best to relax. His mind kept mocking him; telling him any hope of a diversion was as good as pointless, and the panic over the damn evaluation kept creeping past all the careful barriers he was trying to erect.
It was probably his fault he was in this situation anyway. Maybe if he'd answered just one of Vance's incessant calls or messages then the guy might have backed off, but he'd deliberately ignored him. The way he'd been feeling he would have in all probability ended up telling the director to just fuck off.
Oh well, he couldn't change that now. All he could do was try to prepare himself for tomorrow. He needed to pass that evaluation if he didn't want to be put out to pasture. That meant he not only had to answer the damn questions without giving too much away, he also had to do so without getting twitchy and shaky, something he noticed still happened when he felt stressed or felt he was being pushed.
So he was currently lying sprawled out on his bed listening to Abby's homemade CD. He knew Abs had made it especially for him with a view to lulling him into an orgasmic state of calm and bliss, but to be honest it was having the exact opposite effect on him.
Okay, whale and dolphin song was just annoying. How the hell a cacophony of strange high pitched woops, whistles, and clicks was supposed to soothe anyone he didn't know.
He moved onto the next track Abby had chosen.
The sounds of a gushing waterfall invaded his room. Ten minutes in and instead of an inner calmness all he felt was a desperate needed to pee. He pressed pause on the remote and slumped his way to his bathroom to relieve his aching bladder.
Tony flopped back down on the bed.
The sounds of the Serengeti came next.
He sighed and moved onto the next track.
Gregorian chanting - good God. Not only did he find it totally monotonous, but instead of taking him to Nirvana all it made him think about were monks and enforced chastity. That then brought him onto the fact that he hadn't had sex for over three weeks, and that particular subject was definitely not something he wanted to be thinking about.
Tony skipped forward to the next track with a sense of trepidation. The way things were going he could be faced with the melodic sound of a pneumatic drill or someone having their fingernails pulled out.
Hmmm, the next track Abs had used wasn't too bad actually.
Tony plumped up his pillow and shuffled further down the bed. He crossed one arm over his eyes and let his mind drift as the sounds of the Brazilian rainforest echoed around his bedroom.
The sounds of soft exotic birdsong mixed with the gentle pitter-patter of rain helped him fall into a heavy doze.
Yup, this was working. He was just thinking that there might be something to this weird relaxation stuff when the bedroom filled with the god-awful screech of a howler monkey, making him sit bolt upright in fright with his heart racing.
He puffed out air from his lungs as he tried to calm himself.
Fucking monkey.
So much for relaxing. Not only did he feel like he was having a damn heart attack but he also had the distinct urge to go all Iggy Pop and throw his CD player out the window.
He stomped over and ejected the disk, throwing it carelessly on the side.
Thanks Abs. That stuff may be all the rage with the hemp-wearing, incense-sniffing brigade, but it clearly wasn't working on him.
He checked his watch for what seemed like the millionth time that day.
Twenty-two hours before he had to go in for his psych evaluation and counting.
Tony found himself restlessly pacing around his apartment like a caged animal.
Looking out the window held his attention for all of two minutes.
He made his way into the kitchen, opened the fridge and peered in, then closed it when he realized that he didn't actually want anything in there. He then walked into the den and sat down, only to get back up again and walk back to the fridge.
"I do not want anything to eat," he muttered as he slammed the door shut and made his way once more back into the bedroom. He argued with himself as he went.
Great, he was talking to himself now.
Tony felt like he was going quietly stir crazy. He couldn't help but make comparisons to the scene in American Werewolf in London where David Naughton prowled around Jenny Agutter's apartment whilst preparing to turn lupine for the first time.
Focus! How hard could it be to just freaking well relax?
He checked his watch again.
Twenty-one hours and forty six minutes to go.
Tony picked up a Sinatra CD and put it into the player. He jumped on the bed and laced his fingers behind his head as he settled down to listen to ol' blue eyes croon; might help loosen him up a little.
Apparently not even that was going to work, if his continued restlessness was anything to go by. He rudely stopped Frank halfway through his third song.
Tony pursed his lips and drummed his fingers on his chest as he did a sweep of the room. He spied the magazines Abby had given him the night before and picked them up from the floor. He lay back down and held the copy of Playboy up over his head and started to peruse the pages.
Tony growled.
Forget about the hippy relaxation shit; there was only one sure fire way he knew to relieve pent-up stress. And after gazing at the several glossy pages showcasing a perky Texan blond who wore only a Stetson, six inch stilettos, and a smile, Tony suddenly felt a very pressing need to partake in the good old tried and tested method. He slowly licked his bottom lip and slipped his right hand past the waistband of his sweats.
Twenty-five minutes later and he was feeling ready to take on the world, giving him the idea that maybe the only way he was going to be able to take his mind off the eval was to spent the next twenty-one odd hours frantically masturbating like a twelve year old who'd just seen his first real life pair of tits -- thanks step mom number one.
The downside to that plan was he'd probably end up going blind before tomorrow's evaluation. But it sure beat looking in the fridge every five minutes.
Gibbs was winding down from the day by doing a crossword at his kitchen table.
The case they'd been called out on had turned out to be a non-starter, but that didn't negate the mountain of paperwork that had still needed to be filled in. He suspected that he'd have to sign a form before he'd be able to die the way things were going.
The front door opened and he heard footsteps making their way towards the basement.
"I'm in here Fornell," he called without looking up from the paper.
The FBI agent appeared in the doorway.
"How the hell do you do that?" Fornell grumbled.
Gibbs gave a ghost of a smile and didn't reveal that he'd actually seen the car pull up from the den window before he'd sat down.
He filled in seventeen down. A pretentious official… Panjandrum
"It's late. What can I do for you Tobias?" he asked, looking up over his glasses.
"Just passing Jethro."
Gibbs snorted.
"Coffee in the jug or bourbon in the top cupboard," he stated blandly, not believing for a second that this visit was anything other than planned.
Fornell grabbed the bottle down from the cupboard then hunted around for a glass. He settled on a china mug that sat on the draining board, and poured a shot before pulling out a chair and sitting down opposite.
Gibbs watched as the man made a big show of sipping his drink. He waited for Fornell to get around to revealing the point of this impromptu appearance.
"So how is DiNutso these days?" he eventually asked, nonchalantly.
And there it was.
"He's good. Why?" Gibbs immediately felt defensive for some reason. Fornell had an agenda and he wanted to know why.
"Hmmm, heard on the grapevine that he has to pass a comprehensive psych test tomorrow or he's going to get canned. That's kind of unusual isn't it? Why not put him on extended medical leave if he's flipped."
Gibbs sighed.
"You'd have to ask Director Vance about that. I'll be damned if I know."
"But I can see from your face that you're pissed about it. You think he'll pass?"
"Why the hell are you so interested?" Gibbs growled and leaned forward.
Fornell held his hands up in a defensive pose.
"Hey, just concerned that's all. You know I like DiNutso, Jethro. Damn shame to see him fall by the wayside. Makes you think, there but for the grace of God."
Gibbs relaxed his stance a little.
"Breakdowns and law enforcement kinda go hand in hand Tobias."
"Amen, but DiNutso didn't seem like the type. Too damn confident and self-assured."
Gibbs snorted. It was a pity. Even though that was how everyone perceived Tony, it was so far from the truth as to be laughable. The guy had more neuroses than anyone he knew. He just didn't show them.
"Not sure there is a type."
Gibbs stood and grabbed a clean glass and the bottle from the side. He refreshed Fornell's mug and poured himself a shot.
They drank in silence for a while before Fornell spoke again.
"Do you think he'll climb out of the hole? He still looked pretty shaky last time I saw him."
"He needs more time but yeah, he'll bounce back, getting better each day. It's not going to happen overnight, but he'll get there," Gibbs said simply.
"You really want DiNutso back on the team Jethro?"
Gibbs glared at the FBI agent.
"I mean, do you really think he could he cope with all the shit that would get thrown at him again if he came back. Bouncing back is one thing, but working with a guy you might not be able to trust is another. You want to make sure this is about Tony and not thwarting Vance and his game playing."
Gibbs slammed his cup down on the table.
"DiNozzo is not only a damn good agent Tobias, he's also a friend and I don't want to lose him. If it were solely his decision to leave then I'd have to accept it, but it isn't. What I can't accept is the fact that he's not being given time to heal. That isn't right and hell yeah I'm pissed. Tossing agents like him on the scrapheap because he's human is wrong after all the shit he's been through for the agency. It smacks of politics and that sticks in my craw. Yeah, I don't want Vance to win this one, but I also know my agent. DiNozzo, for all of his easy ways, cares too damn much for his own good and that is never going to change. He lets it all build up until he blows. That's the real reason he left Peoria, and Baltimore. Oh, it may not be on his records but I spoke to a few people and it's a definite cycle with him. So yeah, I know he can bounce back and yeah, it is about not wanting Vance to win. I refuse to just sit back and let the agency chew Tony up and spit him out."
"Uh huh." Fornell nodded. "Well, we're all just toys Jethro, dispensable when our batteries run low. Do you think he'll pass the test?"
"Honestly?" Gibbs stared at the bottle in front of him. "Nope. Not a hope in hell unless the guy Vance has picked out is totally incompetent, which I doubt."
Fornell knocked his drink back and stood up.
"Damn shame. DiNutso may be a cocky little shit but he's also a pretty good guy. Sad to see another one bite the dust. How many is that now we've both lost, yet still us two old bastards cling on. Why is that?"
Gibbs grinned.
"Because we've both been around too long and know where the bodies are buried."
Fornell was still chuckling as he made his way out the front door.
Gibbs sat down and pulled the crossword towards him again.
Four across, the act of plotting. A crafty scheme, a cunning design or plot intended to accomplish some usually evil end.
Machination.
Gibbs filled it in with Vance in the forefront of his mind. The director wouldn't rest until he'd filled the agency with hundreds of identikit computer geeks. Not that there was anything wrong with McGee; he was a good agent and was invaluable when it came to the technical side of things, but in this job you needed street smarts to balance out the book smarts or you'd be totally screwed during an investigation.
He found he couldn't concentrate anymore and gave up after a couple of minutes. Gibbs picked up his phone from the table.
The cell the other end only rang twice before it was answered, giving him the impression that the person on the other end had not been sleeping.
"Hey Boss."
"How ya doing DiNozzo?"
Gibbs settled back down in the chair and listened as Tony started a long monologue about what he thought he should wear in the morning.
Tony checked his reflection in the cold steel of the elevator. He ran his hands over his hair, straightened his tie and shirt collar, then smoothed down his jacket.
It felt strange to be wearing a suit again after so many weeks of living in jeans and sweats. So what if the suit he wore was a little loose on him, giving him the appearance of a kid wearing his father's clothes? It was the best he could do. And anyway, it was about the image he was trying to project.
Look at me: I'm a fully functioning stable and responsible federal agent.
He tried to walk with his old easy confidence as he made his way through the navy yard. Strut, work it Tony. You can do it. Every step of the way people stopped him; from the security guards to the secretaries, agents to the tech guys. He wasn't sure if that was because they genuinely were pleased to see him or if they just wanted to get the inside gossip so they could rush away to the water cooler. He could just picture it.
'Hey, did you see DiNozzo this morning?'
'Yeah. Boy he looked like crap. Must all be true huh…total wack job.'
'Bring on the straight jacket.'
The elevator pinged and he stepped out onto his floor. He walked as casually as he could towards his team's bullpen ignoring the looks he was getting. He nodded to several people who called out greetings but he didn't stop until he reached his desk. Abby was sat behind it and she jumped up when she saw him.
"Tony!" She launched herself and enveloped him in a hug.
"I only saw you yesterday Abs!" he wheezed and looked at Gibbs in mock exasperation, but he hugged her back equally hard until she finally released him.
"Looking sharp Tony," McGee commented.
Ziva slinked over and ran her fingers over his lapels.
"You look very…"
"Handsome?" he finished for her.
"I was going to say professional."
"But handsome works too right." He grinned as she picked off some invisible lint from his shoulder.
"DiNozzo. With me when you've finished playing grab-ass." Gibbs stood.
Tony stepped away from Ziva and followed Gibbs.
Abby locked on like a cruise missile and planted a kiss onto his cheek before he got two paces.
"Good luck," she whispered.
"Gonna need it," he whispered back. "Gotta go Abs."
Gibbs was already at the elevator and he managed to slip through the doors before they shut.
"You might want to remove the lipstick from your cheek before you go in, DiNozzo." Gibbs said wryly as he hit the emergency break.
Tony looked at his reflection and saw that Abby had left a perfect cupids bow imprint on his face. He rubbed it with his fingers but only succeeded in smearing the crimson slick around his cheek.
Great, now he looked like a transvestite who'd gone overboard with the rouge. Gibbs was smirking at him, obviously thinking along the same lines.
"Gotta take a leak before I go in anyway. I'll get it off then."
The red cheek only enhanced how pale he looked, not surprising considering he hadn't slept a wink the previous night.
"You'll do fine DiNozzo," Gibbs said as if reading his mind.
"Yeah," he said, with more confidence than he really felt. Gibbs saw through that straight away.
"You'll. Do. Fine," Gibbs reiterated.
Tony snorted.
"Yeah, yeah. And if not, then I'll be applying for a private investigator license because there is fuck all else I can do Boss."
"If you don't insist on wearing Hawaiian shirts then I might just join you," Gibbs joked.
"Hey…did you just make a Magnum reference? If so count me impressed."
"Not just a pretty face DiNozzo- and I'd think very hard about the next words to come out your mouth unless you want a slap."
Tony gave his best innocent look.
He appreciated Gibbs adding a little levity before he went in. He checked his watch again.
"I better get going if I want to get this lipstick off." He shoved his hands in his pockets.
Gibbs flicked the switch and they started moving again.
"Which room are you in?"
"Conference 3a."
Gibbs nodded as the doors opened and squeezed his shoulder.
It was an act that meant more than any words could.
Tony straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath.
"Once more unto the breach…" he muttered as he walked down the corridor.
Gibbs was on his third coffee care of McGee. The cup sat at his feet as he propped himself up against the wall.
He'd been haunting the corridor outside the conference rooms for close to two hours now, and still there was no sign of any movement from inside the room. He wasn't sure if that was a good sign or bad.
He turned the page of the file he was reading, although reviewing a cold case when his mind was on other things was probably not a great idea.
He smiled as the sound of heavy footfalls clumped their way towards him. He looked up to see an anxious Goth and an equally worried medical examiner bearing down on him, followed by McGee and Ziva.
"Any news?" Abby bounced.
"Yup, DiNozzo left a half hour ago, but I discovered I absolutely love standing in the corridor like a dick so I stayed."
Ducky gave a stifled laugh.
"Awww, we all know sarcasm is just your way of saying you care, Gibbs!" Abby said, not remotely abashed by the comment, and gave him a brief hug.
Ziva handed over a fresh coffee whilst McGee took his old one. They were like a well-oiled machine. He had them so well trained.
"Two hours seems like a long time Duck. That a good sign or don't I want to know?" he asked.
Several people walked by and Ducky waited for them to disappear around the corner before answering.
"It's hard to say to be honest. Plus, we do have to factor in just how much young Anthony likes to talk. If he's avoiding certain topics or feeling nervous then I've noticed he begins to ramble a tad. He's probably reciting the whole of the history of cinematography to the poor man as we speak."
"Oh yeah, he totally does that." Abby nodded emphatically. "Once I had to listen as he gave an hour long lecture on Tommy Lee Jones films whilst he paced around his bedroom naked."
Ducky coughed and looked interested, McGee's face looked like thunder, and Ziva looked like she was picturing the scene.
"Do I even want to know why you were in DiNozzo's bedroom whilst he was buck naked Abs?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, I was helping him pick out his clothes before a date and he was really, really nervous. She was an Australian underwear model I think." Abby said, as if that explained why Tony had been naked.
Ducky and Ziva chuckled whilst McGee looked relieved at the explanation.
Gibbs smiled and just shook his head. He looked towards the conference room door. It occurred to him that the little committee that had gathered might overwhelm DiNozzo.
"Have you two finished your reports yet?" he questioned.
Both McGee and Ziva looked sheepish. He stared at them with a pointed expression that said 'why not' and they both scuttled off.
Gibbs then turned to Abby. She looked at him with big doe eyes.
"You're going to make me go too aren't you?"
"I think it might be best," he replied honestly.
Abby stared at him for a moment before she nodded sadly.
"Okay, but you'd better give him a hug from me when he comes out!" And she turned on her heels and marched away.
"You don't need to say anything Jethro, I was about to suggest the same thing." Ducky patted Gibbs' arm. "Go easy on him Jethro. Unfortunately I think young Anthony will be feeling more than a little exposed and raw after two hours of having his innermost thoughts analyzed."
The Scott began walking down the corridor; he turned back and gave a wave of his hand.
"I shall be in autopsy should you need me."
Gibbs went back to reading his file. It was another half an hour until the door to conference room 3b opened slightly.
Gibbs closed the file and pushed away from the wall. The sense of tight anticipation was settling in his stomach as he heard murmured voices from within.
DiNozzo eventually came striding out. He watched both men shake hands at the door before the psychiatrist retreated back into the room closing the door behind him.
Ducky was right. DiNozzo looked totally drawn and wiped out. Lines of tension were etched deep on his face. Gibbs could feel the stress radiate out of his body as he passed.
Tony didn't stop; he looked Gibbs' way but carried on down the corridor, long legs striding with a marked determination. Gibbs picked up his coffee and followed. He pushed open the door of the bathroom just as it closed behind Tony.
Gibbs laid the file on the side and checked that all the stalls were empty. He was just about to open his mouth when the door opened and a cleaner wheeled a mop bucket into the room.
Gibbs turned and glared, letting the guy know that now was not the time. DiNozzo added his own look of displeasure. The man got the message and quickly retreated. Gibbs turned back to Tony. He was running cold water into a sink; he splashed his face several times and turned to grab couple of paper towels from the dispenser.
"How'd it go?" Gibbs asked.
Tony wiped his face and screwed up the towels. He tossed them towards the trash. The ball bounced off the edge of the can and fell on the floor.
Tony stared at the bundle of soggy paper.
"Who knows? I did what I could but the guy just kept looking at me like he could see right through me. I guess it's in the lap of the gods, but I'm not holding out much hope Boss."
Tony leant forward on one of the sinks and peered at his reflection in the mirror. Gibbs let him talk; it seemed like he needed to.
"He was an okay guy actually, kinda reminded me of Ducky. Had that quiet, elderly statesman calmness that I don't know how to handle. I would have done better if he'd been a complete pompous asshole. I probably ended up saying too much because he was so damn nice. But hey, can't change anything now right?"
"You probably did better than you think, DiNozzo," Gibbs responded.
Tony turned and snorted.
"Boss, this isn't high school. It's not the fucking SAT's when I made a big show of telling my buddies I'd flunked because you couldn't be a jock and have brains but I actually scored the top 98 percentile."
He sighed and went back to staring at his reflection.
"I tried to deflect, but in the end I well and truly spilt my guts and it wasn't a pretty thing. Trust me, this time I've flunked for real, Boss."
"When will you find out for sure?" Gibbs asked quietly. He wasn't going to make a big deal over this. That was the last thing DiNozzo needed.
"The doc said he has to write the report and then he's going to e-mail it to Vance, so some time late this afternoon or maybe tomorrow he thinks. Can't wait. I bet Vance is practicing his 'don't bang your ass on the door as you leave' speech as we speak."
Gibbs watched the knuckles on Tony's hands turn white as he gripped the sink. He needed to get rid some of the pent-up energy DiNozzo held tight in his muscles, or he suspected that Vance might be getting more than he bargained for. If DiNozzo was going to get canned it would be with dignity. Not by getting dragged out of the yard by security for beating the director to a pulp.
"You got any gym gear here?" he asked.
Tony turned.
"Yeah, I think so…why?"
"I need a sparring partner and McGee and Ziva are busy. Get changed and meet me in ten," Gibbs said casually. He grabbed his file, not leaving DiNozzo with an option to say no. But the look on Tony's face told him that he understood the real reason behind the invitation.
"Thanks." He unfurled his hands from the sink and flexed his fingers. "I guess I could do with a good workout."
An hour later and Gibbs wasn't sure if it had been a wise idea going up against DiNozzo when he was as wired as he was.
Usually they matched each other well in the ring- when DiNozzo wasn't messing around that was - but today he was a powerhouse and damn aggressive with it. It was a side Gibbs didn't usually see unless it was directed towards a suspect but he could understand why Tony was like he was today. It didn't make it any easier though.
What should have been a simple sparring session to iron out the kinks had turned into a full-blown fight. Gibbs was aware that DiNozzo had also been working through a few latent 'boss' issues, going by the weight behind some of the punches, but that was okay too. He figured he owed Tony a few free hits so he'd gone easy.
By the end of the hour-long session Gibbs felt bruised and battered. His lip and left eye were certainly going to look colorful for a while, but Tony seemed to have discharged a lot of his anger so it had been worth it.
They left the ring in silence. Tony sat on one of the hard wooden chairs and wiped his face with a towel. He tossed one to Gibbs who gently patted his split lip.
"Sorry Boss… got a little carried away." Tony winced.
"Only because I went easy on you DiNozzo. You're still recovering from surgery, remember?" Not that you'd have known it the way the younger man lunged and twisted.
Gibbs rested a hand briefly on Tony's shoulder to let him know that there were no hard feelings. He'd actually enjoyed it.
He watched a slow smile spread across Tony's face.
"Going easy huh? Keep telling yourself that Gibbs, if it makes you feel better."
Gibbs snorted.
"Okay, I'll challenge you to a rematch in a couple of weeks and we'll see just how easy I can be then DiNozzo," he said as he made his way towards the locker room to the sound of DiNozzo's laughter.
Gibbs arrived back in the bullpen ahead of Tony.
McGee did a double take when he saw his face.
Gibbs quirked an eyebrow at him in amusement as he sat down. He could see the cogs turning in McGee's brain trying to work out which of the explanations he had in his head were correct as to why his boss was now sporting a black eye and a fat lip
Ziva had a more direct approach.
"What happened?" She stared at his face with a studied fascination.
Gibbs took a swig of his coffee and bit back a growl as the hot liquid met raw flesh.
"Walked into a door," he said simply and started to shuffle papers around his desk.
Wait until they saw the large colorful bruise on DiNozzo's jaw and cheek.
Gibbs figured the incorrect assumption that they'd had a brawl would sweep the agency in a nanosecond.
The elevator pinged and DiNozzo walked into the office. As predicted several agents nudged the person next to them as Tony walked by.
Tony sat behind his desk and started opening his drawers.
"Hey, I left a Hershey bar in here!" he said accusingly.
Both Ziva and McGee were swinging their heads from one side of the pen to the other as they checked out the injuries on the two men's faces.
Tony pulled a half eaten Snickers bar out of the drawer in triumph. He then caught both colleagues eyeballing him.
"What?" Tony questioned as if perplexed. He then made a show of rubbing his jaw. "Oh this…I walked into a door."
Gibbs smiled to himself. They hadn't even rehearsed that, but he could see from the look of amusement on DiNozzo's face that he knew what he was doing much as Gibbs himself had. It was so easy to yank people's chains. Gibbs had to concede, in some ways that they really were way, way too much alike.
Gibbs tried to settle down to do some work, but DiNozzo started to bitch and moan that all his passwords had expired, so he threw over a cold case file for him to read through.
DiNozzo grinned and looked happy.
Soon they were all working, either with heads bent over files or tapping away at keyboards.
Gibbs glanced around the bullpen; the office had a certain synergy again now that Tony was back at his desk.
He looked up to see that Vance was staring down at them, at DiNozzo in particular. There was a smug smile on his face.
Gibbs didn't give him the satisfaction and steadfastly ignored him.
This wasn't over by a long shot. He wouldn't let DiNozzo go without a fight.
Tony kept checking his watch even though he knew it would do no good. It certainly wouldn't make Dr. Stenhouse complete his report any quicker.
It was close to six when his line rang.
He picked it up.
"Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," he said automatically.
"Hi Tony. The director would like to see you at six-thirty if that is convenient."
His heart leapt into his mouth.
"Thanks Cynthia," he managed to choke out. He placed the receiver down gently, his hand shaking slightly.
He saw Gibbs' head shoot up when he heard Vance's secretary's name.
"I guess this is it, huh?" Tony tried to smile but Ziva and McGee both looked stricken.
In a short while he'd know for sure and for the first time in many years he'd be officially without a job.
Crap.
Somehow that scared him more than being labeled a burnout.
TBC
Big snogs with a cherry on top for anyone who comes and speaks to me!