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Thank you to my precious BR, usa123!
And special thanks to all of you, my faithful and patient readers! :)
"Regrets and..."
Chapter 53.
"Damn!" Ziva hissed, hitting the steering wheel. A large yellow sign reading 'road closed' was blocking her path. She looked in her rearview mirror and saw other three cars: a red Dodge, a white pick-up and a black SUV.
A man got out of the red Dodge and went to talk to the men working behind the sign. A few minutes later, he came back, shaking his head. Ziva rolled down the driver's side window and asked him what was going on.
"There's a landslide blocking the road," the man explained. "Caused by last night's storm."
"How long before they reopen the road?"
"Two or three days, at least," he grimaced.
"Oh, no," Ziva sighed. "I need to get to my friends." She grabbed the map from the passenger's seat, held it up so the man could see, and pointed at the town closest to Gibbs' cabin. "Do you know another way to get there?"
"I'm sorry. I'm not from this area," he replied. "But there is a gas station two miles back—I guess you saw it." Ziva nodded and he added, "The owner claims he knows every road in the area. I'm sure he can help you, ma'am."
"Thank you so much," Ziva smiled.
"My pleasure." The man touched the brim of his cap as Ziva slid the car into reverse and headed back toward the gas station.
"Jack, Ducky, this fish is delicious," Tony said as he shoved another forkful into his mouth.
"He's right. It's perfectly cooked and the sauce is fabulous," Tim mumbled around a big piece of bread that he had dipped in a bowl containing oil, parsley, salt, pepper, a bit of garlic, and fish juices.
"Thank you, my dear lads. It's such a pleasure to see you eating with so much gusto," Ducky smiled.
"You caught this big trout so we should thank you, Tony," Jack winked and they all saw Tony blushing.
"And what about the pasta? It was awesome!" Abby bounced up and down on her chair.
"Thanks to Timothy and Jethro's white perch," Ducky praised the other two men who beamed.
"Did you save some for the other agents?" Tony asked. He didn't want the two NCIS Agents who were risking their lives to protect him, to feel excluded from their family.
"Sure did," Jack reassured him. "As soon as they finish their rounds and we lock up the house, Ducky and I will feed them properly."
"Ya know, boss," Tony turned to Gibbs. "I think we could let them go home…" He saw Gibbs slowly turning towards him, "Do not say no without list—"
"No," Gibbs stared him.
"Come on, Gibbs!"
"Tony," McGee whispered, trying to 'save' his friend from their boss' fury, but unfortunately Tony didn't stop.
"If you give me a gun, we could protect ourselves and..."
"DiNozzo," Gibbs warned.
"I know," Tony nodded. "I need to take all the psych evals and weapon safety tests to carry a gun at work, but..."
"'But' nothing!" Gibbs' patience was fading very quickly.
Tim, Abby, Ducky and Jack exchanged quick glances then focused on Tony and Gibbs, two of the most stubborn people any of them had ever met. They knew this argument wasn't going to be over until someone else intervened.
Meanwhile Tony and Gibbs had fallen silent and were continuing their fight through just glares.
Before Tony could respond, Ducky cleared his throat. "Gentlemen. Why don't we save this conversation for later and enjoy the rest of our dinner?"
"Jethro," his father murmured.
"Tony," McGee whispered again.
Neither man turned away until Abby quietly spoke up, "Please,"
Tony and Gibbs stared each other for a few more seconds. Then they both nodded and DiNozzo said, "Okay." He turned to Abby and, in a flash, his smile and happy mood was back.
The conversation resumed as if nothing had happened, but while Abby, Jack, Ducky and McGee were chatting about the things they wanted to do next day, Tony hissed at Gibbs, "This is not over."
"You can bet on that," Gibbs growled.
McGee had heard everything from his place next to Tony and shook his head. I wonder who's going to win this time...
Ziva entered the store, took a sandwich and a bottle of water from the fridge and headed to the cash register.
"Good evening," smiled the white-bearded man.
"Good evening," Ziva replied as she took five dollars from her pocket and handed it to him. "Are you the owner?"
"Yes, I'm Chuck," he nodded as he pointed to the sign on the wall behind him.
"I've been told you know every road in the area," she began.
"You were told correctly. What can I help you find?"
There were other two men in the store. They were both Chuck's longtime friends and they were waiting for him to close up so they could play their weekly poker game at his house, which was behind the store. Because they had lived here their entire lives, they knew everyone who had a place in the area. They had never seen this woman before, so her question piqued their interest.
"I need to see my friends but the main road is closed due to a landslide," Ziva sighed.
"Do your friends have a name?" Chuck joked.
"Gibbs," she answered without thinking that she was revealing too much to a stranger, especially knowing why her friends were hiding in a cabin in the middle of nowhere.
At the name, Chuck opened his mouth, but he immediately closed it as he saw one of his friends, who was standing behind Ziva, shake his head.
"He lives here," Ziva pointed to the map. "Do you know if there is another way to get there?"
Chuck looked at the map and stayed silent for a few minutes, pretending he was thinking about a new way to get Ziva to Gibbs' cabin. In reality, he was just waiting for one of his friends to exit the store.
When the man had left, Chuck started explaining to Ziva how to get to Gibbs' cabin... he just forgot to tell her that the directions he was giving her would make her trip one hour longer.
Outside the store, Chuck's friend immediately made a call with his cellphone.
The phone in the living room rang and they all looked at each other, both surprised and worried. That phone hadn't rung since they arrived. All communications went through the protected NCIS phone.
"I'll get it," Gibbs said, standing up and heading to the living room.
A few seconds later, they heard him bark, "WHAT?!"
They all left the table and entered the living room just in time to see Gibbs slamming down the receiver and cursing.
"What's going on, Boss?" Tony asked.
"We've got a problem," he answered gravely.
"What happened, Jethro?" Ducky asked.
"That was my Uncle Bob," Gibbs gestured with his head at the phone. "He's at Chuck's store and a pretty foreign woman with long black hair is asking for directions to the cabin."
"What?" Tony and McGee asked in disbelief.
"Who could be? Do you know her?" Jack asked.
"Ziva!" his son, Abby, Tony and McGee answered in unison.
"Doesn't she realize that the guys who are looking for Tony could follow her? Can she actually be that careless?" Jack questioned and received five firm nods.
"What now?" Abby asked, anger present in her tone.
Gibbs took a deep breath. "Uncle Bob said they're going to buy us some time, but we need to get ready for the worst," he answered as he looked at a too-silent Tony. The former Marine had worked with Tony long enough to know that his happy face and relaxed demeanor were often just a façade. Painfully aware of every nightmare Tony had suffered in the last two weeks, Gibbs was not surprised to see a pale Tony staring the wall in front of him as if he were trapped in a bad memory.
The other people in the room followed Gibbs' concerned stare and, when they saw Tony, they exchanged worried looks.
"Anthony, are you alright?" Ducky asked, sotto voce, but received no answer.
Abby, who was standing next to Tony, touched his arm as she whispered his name.
Tony immediately flinched, blinked, and finally refocused on the people around him.
"Anthony..." Ducky tried again.
Suddenly Tony blushed, ashamed of his reaction, and choked out, "Sorry," before hurrying out of the room. His hands and legs were shaking and, if he hadn't used the wall as support, he likely would have fallen down.
"Tony, do you...?" McGee trailed off as Tony shook his head and kept walking. A few seconds later, they heard the door to his room slam shut.
"Gibbs, I didn't mean to scare him," Abby sniffled, on the verge of tears.
"Not your fault, Abs," her boss reassured her. "Give us a minute," he added as he headed to Tony's room.
Alone in his bedroom, Tony was staring out of the window. He could hear the pounding of his heart echoing in his ears. I can't... I can't do it again... what if they...
A soft knock on the door made Tony jump. "Tony, may I come in?" Gibbs asked tentatively.
"Yeah," he answered as he sat up on the bed. When his boss entered, Tony raised his eyes and whispered, "You were right, Boss."
"Right about what?" Gibbs asked as he crouched in front of DiNozzo.
"I'm not ready to carry a gun," Tony admitted sadly, looking down at his shaking hands.
"Why do you think that?" the older man asked patiently while he stood up and sat on the bed next to his SFA.
"Why?!" Tony suddenly raised his voice and stood up. He headed to the window once again, checking the area for possible danger. "Look at me!" he turned to Gibbs. "I almost freaked out at the thought of those bastards following Ziva here!" he shouted.
"Tony, it's normal," Gibbs said gently as he stood up and walked over to his friend.
The older man reached out to touch his shoulder, but Tony stepped back and turned to the window again. Gibbs didn't give up. "You've been through the hell and it takes time to heal, but you'll get through it."
"What if I don't?" Tony murmured.
"You're already doing it," Gibbs answered and Tony snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. "Tony, you're one of the strongest people I've ever met and..."
"Bullsh*t!" Tony snapped.
"Did Ducky say that your concussion is healed?"
"Yes, why?" Tony was taken aback by Gibbs' query, but, before he could ask any further questions, a gentle but firm slap connected his crown. "Ouch! What was that for?!"
"Have I ever lied to you, DiNozzo?"
"No," the SFA choked out.
"So, if I say that you're one of the strongest people I've ever met, I must be telling the truth. Got it?"
"Yes, Boss!"
"Good," Gibbs nodded, tapping his SFA under his chin.
"So... you don't think I'm weak?" Tony asked tentatively as he turned away from the window.
"No, Tony," Gibbs sighed. "A weak man would have died in Mexico. You made it through. Soon you'll be back at NCIS."
"NCIS? You think I can still do my job?" Tony's childlike voice broke Gibbs' heart.
The former Marine looked at the man in front of him for a long moment and saw, not only his SFA and his best friend, but also his son.
Tony was asking for reassurance: he needed Gibbs' strength and faith in him.
"You're the best agent I've ever worked with and..." Gibbs swallowed hard. "Much more," he took Tony's face in his hands and whispered, "Never doubt that, Anthony."
Tony just nodded, a relieved smile gracing his face, his eyes shining with unshed tears. He leaned forward and rested his head on Gibbs' shoulder.
The Marine rested his hand against the back of Tony's head and gently ruffled his hair.
The younger man took a deep breath, feeling the warm of Gibbs' proximity touching his still healing soul.
The sound of a car stopping in front of their cabin ended the Hallmark moment.
"Ready to kick Ziva's a**?" Gibbs whispered.
Tony raised his head, a wide grin splitting his face in two. "Sure!" he responded and headed to the door, followed by a proud Gibbs.
TBC
I hope you liked this chapter :)
