Thank you for your kind reviews. I think I've mentioned that I post from my phone and for some reason the FF app doesn't let me respond to p.ms for the most part. Just so you know I'm not ignoring you all. Also, before the "quit being mean to Abby" reviews start. She was a brat. Not the first couple of seasons, but yeah, eventually they turned her into a spoiled 5 yr old, so I'm using that part of canon here. Epilogue to follow.
If Gibbs woke up from his impromptu nap in a decidedly crankier mood than when he'd arrived at Tony's, his host kept schtum about it. The younger man was all too aware of what it was like to rouse from sleep and realize you were hungry, hungover, and had revealed too much to your partner. He'd had it happen enough times at Gibbs' place, and the lead agent had quietly tolerated the surly behavior. Now it was Tony's turn.
"Wanna take a shower before we eat?" Tony asked as he set places at the table.
"M' good. Maybe later." Gibbs mumbled, heading down the hallway to use the bathroom.
Tony shrugged. He'd find some clothes for the man later on if he didn't have his go-bag in his car, which Tony couldn't fathom ever happening. Pouring water for the table glasses and putting on the top of the line coffee-maker, Tony set out a couple of dishes that he felt might appeal more to an unsettled stomach - mashed potatoes and gravy, baked chicken, and a fruit tart.
"Jesus, DiNozzo, how long was I asleep?" Gibbs grouched when he saw all the food
"A little over an hour. Rotisserie chicken, but real potatoes and gravy. Bakery tart. "
Gibbs closed his eyes, and Tony wondered if the man was contemplating projectile vomiting across all the food. The older man caught a glimpse of his panicked face and favored him with a smirk.
"I'm okay. Just…sometimes I have to take a minute and be thankful for what I have. I was sure I'd wrecked everything after last night."
"Honestly, so was I. But the fact that you're trying to make things right means a lot to me. I'm not gonna have many allies at the agency after this. Ziva and the Director will be sure to poison the well with their own version of what happened, and frankly, if anyone is inclined to believe them over me, well, I'm not inclined to try to persuade them differently. I'm sure McGee is already angling for my job."
"He won't get it " Gibbs started bluntly, sitting down at the table and resting his forehead on his clasped hands. "He's not anywhere near being ready for it. I'll put the word out and find one myself - someone Ms. David can't manipulate to do her bidding."
Without looking up, he squelched the protest on Tony's lips.
"I know damned well you didn't let her do that, Tony. But I gotta make sure that Madame Director doesn't slot in someone who does. You'll hear the fireworks in Guam if she tries it."
"Anyone in particular you have in mind?"
"I was considering Alexa Bolding. Former Marine, TAD on Balboa's team until his regular one is back on duty. She could handle working for the likes of me, and she could sure as hell put David in her place."
Tony's face fell with that pronouncement.
"What? She's an excellent agent, DiNozzo, she'll have my six."
"I know, boss, it's just - I was - " Tony struggled to find words, which Gibbs knew for a fact rarely happened. "It's just hard to know that it won't be me having your six."
"Ahh, Tony." Gibbs groaned, rubbing his face hard with both hands "Yer killin' me here." He reached out and rubbed the younger man's forearm, knowing anything like a chin tap would do in his friend. "I always planned on retiring in a few years and handing the team over to you. Kate would've made you a decent SFA by then, McGee would've taken her slot for a while and then headed to another team as their SFA. I can't…I'm sorry things turned to shit, you didn't deserve it. But I can't see any way out of this mess. I can go over Jen's head to Sec Nav, hell, I can get the President himself in on it - but it'll only make things worse for both of us. By now you understand that Jen Shepard is on some kind of mission, and Ziva, or her father is helping her. Until I can figure it out, we're screwed. And it may not even be anything I can nail them on. She was my probie, she learned to be cagey from the best."
"I get that, I do. It's just…working so hard to come back from the plague…so I wouldn't lose my spot on your team…then trying to keep my cool and work on cases when you were in Captain Ahab mode…all that effort into growing the Probie a backbone, and for what? So some know-it-all Mossad "liaison" can worm her way onto the team via the new Director and get me booted off, with the help of the Probie and his newfound spine? What the hell, Boss? What was it all for?"
"I dunno, Tony. I guess you have to ask yourself what you learned from it all. You don't go through all that without learning at least a few important things. Hell, I learned more from you the last three and half years than I did in my entire time here. And I learned a helluva lot about myself as a team leader with you as my second. Don't discount what you've gone through just because you're not my SFA anymore. You've got tons of potential, you can work anywhere you want in this town, you've got the creds. Hell, Fornell has tried poaching you a half dozen times since I hired you. But you probably knew that, didn't you?"
"Yeah. Anytime he heard you and I were butting heads, he'd "accidentally" call me, saying he mixed up my number with yours. Wouldn't work for the Fibbies. I like Tobias well enough, though I'll shoot you if you ever repeat it - but I can't work with Sacks, and I'm sure as not coming in as a Probie, which is what would happen with Fornell's team. Tom Morrow calls me sometimes, supposedly to get my input on something he's got cooking, but he's not very subtle about it. Always turns to how we're getting along, and am I getting enough downtime. Feeling me out to see if I'm unhappy."
"He was a good director, DiNozzo, you could do a lot worse than him as your boss."
"I know. And he'll be the first one I call when I get my head together enough to think about going back to work. Right now I'm gonna lie low and get my bearings. It's never good making life-changing decisions when you've been up against the wall."
"You got enough money to get you through for a while?"
"I'm fine. I don't spend all of my paycheck on shoes and ties. I've invested wisely, and still have my trust fund from my mom."
"Figured as much. Just making sure. C'mon, let's eat before it's all cold. I'm starving. We can talk some more afterwards when I'm not half in the bag."
Tony chuckled and dug in to the potatoes, then passed them to Gibbs. The next half hour was spent sating their appetites, and not much was said. There'd be plenty of time for that later. Neither realized how hungry they were, and most of the dishes were empty by the time they were done.
"That was great, Tony. Thanks. Wouldn't mind topping it off with another glass of that MaCallan."
Tony smiled, gathering up the dishes and rinsing them for the dishwasher.
"Help yourself, Boss. Find a good movie, why don't you, I'll be right in."
Fifteen minutes into the film, Gibbs looked over at his second and wasn't surprised to see that the young man was staring off into the distance instead of being engrossed in the movie. He grabbed the remote and clicked off the TV.
"Talk to me, DiNozzo."
The words were an order, though he tried to soften them a bit with a less gruff voice than normal.
"I haven't told Abby or McGee yet."
"You think they don't know by now?"
"I think that it should have been me to tell them, not the office scuttlebutt."
"Has Abby called you?"
"I dunno. Have my phone turned off. Didn't figure it mattered at this point, and I didn't want to hear the screeching."
He grabbed his phone off the coffee table, and sure enough, there were several missed calls, most of them from Abby.
"I should call her, but…"
"But what? She's gotta understand what's really happening here, Tony."
"Boss, you know her. She's made Ziva a surrogate Kate, and in her world - well, let's just say she usually took Kate's side in any of our skirmishes."
"I know she can be headstrong, but she's smart, she'll understand if you - "
"Tony DiNozzo, open this door, now!"
Both men's eyebrows rose at that thunderous pounding on Tony's apartment door, along with the yell behind it.
"You were saying, Boss?"
Once at the door, Tony stood without opening it. He wasn't willing to deal with a full-on tirade, even from Abby.
"Abby, stop!" he shouted at her, gritting his teeth at what his neighbors were probably thinking of him. "I'm not opening this door until you calm down, and promise to stay calm. I'm not kidding. You lower your voice and your attitude or you're not coming in here."
He looked through the peephole and could see her pacing and fuming, trying to get a grip on herself.
"I'm serious, Abs. No more hysterics. I open this door and you talk to me in a civil tongue. I'm not in the mood for anybody's crap right now, even yours."
She flumped against the hallway's far wall and started performing what seemed to be breathing exercises, so he waited for her. Gibbs watched from the sofa in amused anticipation. Finally he heard her quieted voice.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. It's just that I had to find out you - "
"Abs, not in the hallway. The building doesn't need to know my personal business.'
"Right. Sorry. Please open the door? Please?"
He studied her and decided she was being upfront with her new behavior and let her in.
"Why didn't you tell me yourself, Tony? Maybe I could've talked you out of it, 'cause really, things aren't as bad as - "
Tony put a finger to her lips to shush her.
"First of all, I couldn't exactly announce it to everyone while security was escorting me out."
Her eyes widened at the proclamation.
"They fired you?"
"I resigned. And then I pissed off the Director, and she had security walk me out. Second of all, no, you couldn't have talked me out of it. Nor can you now."
"But you can't leave us! What will Gibbs do? And Timmy and Ziva?"
"Gibbs will do fine." the lead agent informed her, coming out of the kitchen with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. As for 'Timmy' and Ziva, that's up to them how they handle it."
"Gibbs! Tony, why didn't you tell me he was here!"
"Couldn't get a word in edgewise, Abby."
"Wasn't real fond of your performance at the door, Abs." Gibbs admonished her with a stern look. "This is a private home. You don't get to go banging on people's doors and yelling at them. You know better than that."
She went crimson with embarrassment, and that it was Gibbs who'd scolded her.
"I do know better, Gibbs. I let myself get fired up, and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry, Tony." Then she stomped her booted foot, hard nearly impaling Tony's right foot.
"Hey!" he scolded her again. "Enough with the stomping, too!"
"Sorry." she mumbled. "I heard from McGee who'd heard it from Ziva who heard it from a security guard."
"Ree-ally." Tony mocked. "Ms. David has a direct line in from security. How fascinating."
"Well, I don't know if it's a direct line, just - that someone called her. It might have been the Director."
"Hmmm." Tony chewed over that tidbit while Abby fidgeted, pulling at her purse strings.
"Tony, why did you quit? You love your job, and I thought you loved working for Gibbs!"
"I do, but sometimes things change unexpectedly."
"Ziva said you were "ass-hurt" because she didn't invite you to her dinner party and that's why you quit."
Tony blinked at her, gobsmacked. Gibbs filled in for him, instead of just reffing the heated discussion.
"Seriously, Abs? You really believe that DiNozzo would quit over something that stupid?"
"I don't know what to believe anymore, Gibbs! Everything's been upside down since Kate was killed, and it's like Tony is purposely trying to piss off Ziva! Maybe that's why she didn't invite you, Tony! You've been kinda mean to her, according to McGee."
Amazingly, Tony held his temper and tongue with her and looked over to Gibbs.
"I'm gonna go make some cookies. Gibbs, either get her sorted, or she's not staying."
"Ton-y!" she gasped.
"I'm at my bullshit limit, Abby. Let Gibbs explain it, no one listens to me anyway."
He disappeared into the small kitchen and started bringing out ingredients for gingersnaps, ignoring her hurt look. She turned to the older man, a shocked look on her face.
"Gibbs, he's never shut me out! Never!"
"He's never been shut out by his friends before, Abs. What you said was wrong and unfair. C'mon, let's go out on the deck and talk. And I mean talk. No yelling. He doesn't need his neighbors thinking he's got whack jobs for guests."
She slumped out behind him and plopped into a patio chair, arms crossed defiantly, clearly still in a snit. He stood in front of her, Marine ready, unwilling to take even her disrespect.
"Abs. Lighten up, or you'll get more than a headslap from me. Don't think I won't do it, either, I've reached my limit just like DiNozzo."
She gaped up at him, eyes wide when she saw the absolute truth in his eyes. He knew then that she saw how serious he was.
"There's a lot of shit that's been going down the past few months, and I know that sometimes you don't get all the facts of a situation when you're tucked away in the lab working long hours. Part of that is on me, I've had my head stuck up my ass since Ari came into our lives. Not gonna make excuses. I wasn't paying attention to things, and they went sideways, and now I can't fix them . Again, on me. I didn't ask for Ziva to be put on my team. I fought it, but the Director overruled me."
"But - why did you not want her?"
Dearest Abby, unable to find fault with anyone not trying to murder someone, he mused..
"I had, and still have, my reasons. Solid ones. And no, they're not up for discussion here, it's team business."
"Because Tony doesn't like her!" she stomped a foot again, making Gibbs raise an eyebrow and go silent until she finally got the hint and looked up at his stormy face.
"Abby…how many people, besides criminals, have you known Tony to not like? He even likes Fornell, and the guy doesn't make it easy for anyone to like him. Hell, he still likes me, and I've let him down plenty the past year. How many chances did he give Blackadder before I canned her? He has never not welcomed anyone into his circle without a damned good reason. Now I know you know a lot about us, but you don't know what goes on in the field, or the bullpen on a minute to minute basis. Did you know that Ziva fired her weapon inside that shipping container yesterday?"
"Gibbs, noo, she wouldn't !"
"So Tony is lying about that to get her in trouble?" Now Gibbs was yelling, incensed that the forensics scientist was being so obtuse. "Go check out the container, Abby, you'll find her caliber slug somewhere in there! Who the hell fires their weapon in a closed metal container, it's a wonder she didn't kill one of them!"
Gibbs heard the patio door open and looked up.
"Do I need to toss a bucket of water on you guys?" he asked drolly, but his eyes showed irritation.
"No. No, we're good. Just explaining to the forensic scientist how dangerous it is to fire a weapon in a shipping container."
"Her judgement sucks, Abs." Tony said quietly. "She's impulsive, she questions my orders, questions my ability as an SFA, and now she has McGee doing the same thing. I gave her plenty of chances to correct her behavior. She still insists on doing things the Mossad way. I won't work with someone like her, I don't care who her father is. The Director won't send her back to Israel. What the hell do you want me to do, keep going out in the field with her until she gets me killed?"
Abby pursed her lips, trying like hell not to break down.
"I wanted things to be like they were! I wanted us to go back to being happy, no more plague or Ari or Kate being dead! I wanted her to work out, to - to…"
"We all do, Abs, but that's not reality. " Tony soothed, understanding her motives but still hurt by her methods. "We have to go forward from where we are now. And I can't go forward with Ziva on the team. She's just too unpredictable. I won't put my sanity or safety on the line for some make-believe repeat of the old days. For whatever reason, she won't listen to me, and that's an absolute no-go in our line of work."
"But you'll stay here? I mean at NCIS? Get on another team?"
"No." he answered quietly. "The Director has made it clear she wants me nowhere near the building. But I'll be here in D.C. I won't let what's happened drive me out of my home. I'll put in my resume at Homeland, maybe the Pentagon. Not sure yet. I've got options."
Abby sighed, completely drained of the fiery energy she'd carried to Tony's door.
"This all started with that stupid dinner party. Tony, I swear I didn't know she'd purposely not invited you, I never would have gone - "
"It started before that, Abs, it just happened to be the match that lit the fuse. And I know you wouldn't have gone if you'd known."
"She told us all that you had other plans. We didn't have any reason to doubt her. I just don't understand why!"
"You don't need to understand, Abby. It's done. All we can do now is damage control. Gibbs is probably going to get Alexa Bolding for his new SFA."
"Oh! She's fierce, Gibbs! I mean, yeah, Tony can be plenty fierce when he needs to be, but Ally is just plain scary, like you, Gibbs! There might be some bitch fights!"
"Abby…" Gibbs growled.
"Well, sorry, Bossman, but it's gonna be a battle of the wills with those two! And Tim will be peeing his pants with both of you ordering him around!"
"So be it, Abs!" Tony squeezed her shoulder. "He's going to have to toughen up for real now. Alex won't pull any punches with him. If he thought I was a bully, he'll finally understand that I was a big old pussycat. And just to be clear, I don't feel any sympathy for him. He spent more time following Ziva's lead than mine. She'd convinced him I wasn't worth the chair I sat my ass on, and he went along with it. Another reason I won't come back."
"But why didn't you say anything, Tony?"
"Abby, I did, plenty of times. And I wrote both of them up at one point, and it only made things uglier. My job is to reinforce the chain of command and keep everyone safe. Ziva felt free to undermine that chain, consistently, I might add, and Tim felt free to follow her. They'll either get with the program or not. It's up to them. Truthfully, I think it'll be a freaking miracle of she doesn't end up killing a suspect, when she holds so little regard for the lives of her own teammates."
"Tony, don't say such a thing, that's bad ju ju!"
"How long have I been in law enforcement, Abby?" Tony asked patiently.
"Umm…" she counted on her fingers. "Almost ten years."
"And you don't think I can spot an overzealous officer from any branch of law enforcement? Abby, she cannot separate herself from Mossad, and the Director doesn't seem to care. Somewhere along the line, it's going to come back and bite them both in the ass, and her father won't be able to do a damned thing about it. Believe me, she's not a good fit for the agency, even if she went through FLETC. She'd spend all of her time schooling the instructors. Bad, bad idea. "
Gibbs sat down next to Abby and patted her arm, exhausted from the endless drama of the last two days.
"Abs, I'm expecting you to keep this conversation private. Not even Ducky needs to be part of it. You know I love the man, but I can't handle one more opinion or any supposed helpful advice. I made an enemy of the Director today, and I don't imagine Ziva won't be too happy with me that I tried getting her tossed off the team again. I can only fight just so many battles at one time. Things might calm down if I can get Bolding on my six, but until then, I need to tread carefully. I'm taking some personal days, and McGee's going to be working cold cases. I have no clue what David will be assigned, but that's the Director's problem, she's her liaison."
"Got it, Gibbs. I'll keep my nose in my work."
She dabbed at her dripping eyes with a wadded up tissue until Tony went and retrieved a full box for her.
"Thanks, Tony. I'm sorry I was such a - witch. I was hearing all sorts of rumors and neither of you would answer your phones - it scared me after we've already lost so much."
"I understand, Abs, but next time, wait until you have the actual facts before you go off on a tear. You will not get accurate information from Ms. David, and I'd consider anything from McGee to be questionable. For someone with such an analytical mind, he doesn't always think things through properly. And you don't need to repeat that to him. I'm gonna put my cookies in the oven. Coffee is still hot, Abs, there's leftovers from dinner if you want."
"Thanks, Tony, but I think I'm just going to go home and veg for the night. I feel like a limp noodle now." she answered quietly, gathering up her purse and wadded up tissues and heading for the door.
"You can camp out here."
"No, but thanks. I just want to be around myself for a while. My head is all over the place."
"Understood. Drive safely. I'll turn my personal phone back on, but it's only for something drastic. I'm turning in early tonight, I've had all I can stand of today."
She gave him a full Abby hug and he hugged her back.
"Use that brilliant brain and amazing intuition of yours to get you through this, Abs. Don't let your emotions get you all messed up. I tried that route, it didn't get me very far."
She gave Gibbs a silent hug and he kissed her chastely on the cheek.
"Listen to Tony. He knows what he's talking about. We're going to have some rough waters ahead, and you need to keep an open mind about what's really happening."
She nodded tearfully, but still managed a smile.
"Ok. I promise. And I'm really glad that you two are still talking to each other. Everyone made it seem like you were going for a knock-down-drag-out fight."
"Again, don't listen to the scuttlebutt. You know how accurate it is, which is zilch."
She headed down the hallway at a much slower pace than she had arrived, and Gibbs was confident that she'd make her way home safely and spend some time rethinking what she'd first assumed. Tony turned and headed back to the kitchen.
" That was enlightening. I wasn't wrong about the grip Ziva has on that place. She's subtle, but very efficient. Knows how to work the crowd without letting anyone know that she's behind the curtain."
Gibbs was turned away from him, pouring a finger of bourbon for the night. He didn't see the pain mixed with anger that flitted across the lead agent's face. He'd trusted her, had thought she'd killed Ari to save him from certain death. Now he was even questioning her motives for that. She owed him nothing, she didn't even know him. If Ari had murdered him in his basement, what was it to her? Death was as much a part of her life as breathing. How many had she killed besides her own brother? Why wait until just that moment to kill the bastard, when she knew damned well what he was doing?
He sank back down onto the couch with a heaved sigh, and Tony knew enough of his body language to let him be. They could talk in the morning if Gibbs chose to. Right now Tony was going to bake cookies and have a cup of tea. Tomorrow would come soon enough.
