As Gibbs pulled onto the drive, Tony was already awake and had fished his box out of his bag so that he could show Shannon what he had made. No sooner had the car pulled up onto the driveway than his door was open and he was out and running up to the front porch. Swinging the door open, he yelled, "Hi Shannon, we're back and I've got loads to tell you and …."
Tony came to a shuddering and sudden stop. In the living room with a worried looking Shannon and her equally apprehensive mother was none other than the sum of all his fears.
"Junior what do you mean by running screaming at the top of your lungs into these good peoples home?"
Senior stood there, large as life, clad in the finest Armani suit, tailored shirt, silk tie, gold cuff links and a camel coat over the top, despite the heat.
"Sorry Sir," stuttered Tony, all of his previous exuberance gone.
"Sorry is fine Junior if this was the first time I'd told you but its not is it," he narrowed his eyes at the boy.
"N…no, s..sir," Tony responded lowering his gaze, his spirit seemingly broken.
"And you know what happens don't you when you disobey me?" his voice chillingly the very air in the room.
Tony nodded, but couldn't speak, tears formed but were too frightened to drop.
"Go fetch it," he ordered waiting for Tony to disappear, and then turning to Shannon and Joanne, "might I borrow your kitchen ladies, I am sorry for my son's behaviour."
"No you may not, and Tony is not going to give you that belt if I have anything to do with it," stated Shannon through gritted teeth.
Before Senior had a chance to reply, they were interrupted by Gibbs and Jackson coming in through the front door with all of the luggage.
"Hi Shan," he greeted from the doorway, "I'd kill for a coffee," and walking into the room, "Has Tony showed you…". He stopped.
"I'm sorry we've not met, I'm Gibbs and this is my father Jackson Gibbs," he held his hand out.
"Anthony DiNozzo, I've come to collect my son, sorry he has caused you all such trouble, I can assure you I will correct that," he responded.
"We weren't expecting you for another week and a half," stated Gibbs, "we thought you were in Europe."
"Deal didn't quite go ahead as planned, that's often the way with these multi-million pound deals, but Prince Al is over from the Emirates at the end of the week, we're good friends the Prince and I and I'm sure we will manage to get the financing together to pull it off," he smugly told the group, not thinking it would take too much to impress these people who were clearly not of the same background and breeding.
"Well you sure as anything don't need to have an eight year old getting in the way of that," Jackson spoke up, "we're happy to look after him until the deal is over, keep him out of your hair, kids that age they can be handfuls."
Joanne noticed Tony reappear at the top of the stairs, the kid had clearly climbed up to get the case with the belt in it and was stopped still trying to summon the courage to take the first step down.
Diverting attention away from there, Joanne suddenly acted, "Well Prince Al hey, you must be a very well connected man, I was saying to Shannon when you arrived how handsomely dressed you were, tell me is this suit Armani?"
"Why yes, you clearly have an eye for detail ma'am," he was easily distracted by her fake charms.
"You know Dean Martin always used to wear the most exquisite suits like you, you very much remind me of him, he just loved my home-made cherry pie," she said.
"You knew Dean Martin?" asked Senior flattered that he had been likened to this man.
"Oh yes he and I were quite close at one time, him and his friends," she said, "I tell you what, I have found this charming little bistro downtown, I would just love to tell you all about him over a fillet steak and a bottle of something red and juicy." She took his arm and started leading him out to his car. Quickly looking back over her shoulder to Gibbs and indicating towards Tony.
Gibbs looked in the direction Joanne had nodded as she took Senior out of the house in the hope of keeping him out of there for a few hours at least in the hope that her daughter and son in law could get Tony some help.
At the top of the stairs Tony was frozen, all expression gone from his face that only moments before had carried fun and excitement. Running up the stairs to him Gibbs guided the frightened little boy down, his hand gripped so tight around the belt in his hand that the knuckles had turned whiter than his face if that was humanly possible.
"Tony son, give me that belt, let me take it away," Gibbs coaxed him as he sat him on the couch, "let me get rid of it."
The kid said nothing, his grip tightened further on the implement of his own torture.
"Shannon I think we should call a doctor," he whispered, "this is well beyond anything we know."
"I'll ring the hospital," said Shannon, "but I think we need more help than this."
"What about that CO of yours Leroy?" asked his father, "didn't you say he'd spoken to the boys father at the start of all this, maybe he can do something, I mean this is his base."
"I'm not leaving here to go and see him," answered Gibbs, "I'm not leaving Tony."
"Then give me the car keys and some directions, I'll go," stated Jackson.
"Dad, you can't," said Gibbs horrified at the thought.
"Leroy you have said that to me all of your life when I have tried to help you," argued Jackson, "and not once did I listen to you, and rightly so, I sorted out those kids who bullied you by going to their daddies, I sorted out that Sherriff who seemed to think you were Satan risen from Hell when you were 15 by going to his boss, I sorted out that bastard of a teacher who used to paddle you each day at school for no good reason by going to the headteacher. Now there is a little boy that needs all of our help and if you think I'm going to choose now to listen to your whining, you're wrong. Now give me the keys Son and let me do what I can. That little boy needs you and Shannon here."
Gibbs knew better than to argue.
That left him and Shannon alone with Tony. Tony was silent, not a whimper or moan, not a tear left his eye. Shannon hugged him to her whilst Gibbs paced waiting to open the door to the Doctor. All he wanted to do was bundle Tony back into his car with Shannon and drive; but Tony needed long term help, not a life on the run.