"Bar fight, Tony?"
"No," he fired back quickly. Then he sighed. "No. My dad came up for the weekend, and we had a good ol' time." He forced a smile.
Kate gave him a concerned look. The left side of his jaw was black and blue and swelling slightly. "Your dad hit you?"
"Kate, it's not a big deal. He's a big fan of 'tough love' is all."
"Tony, that's not 'tough love'; that's abuse."
"I'm a big boy, Kate. I can deal with it."
"You shouldn't have to deal with it."
"Drop it," interrupted a gruff voice. Gibbs brushed past them on his way to his desk, coffee in hand, his face an expressionless mask.
Kate wisely obeyed, but she continued to watch both Tony and Gibbs surreptitiously. Gibbs was poring over a file, scowling; Tony was whistling as he typed a report. How could two men with such similar backgrounds be so different?
Tony's cell phone chirped and he answered it, glancing furtively at Gibbs. The boss didn't seem to have noticed, but Tony knew better. Gibbs noticed everything. Tony figured that since Gibbs hadn't said anything, he was free to answer.
"Hey," he said in a low voice. Despite the volume, Kate could not mistake the charm in his tone. "We still on for tonight?"
Kate rolled her eyes. Figures, she thought. A woman. Tony continued, oblivious to his colleague's disgust. Gibbs, however, was also beginning to take notice of his conversation.
"Oh, yeah," Tony moaned. "Sounds great."
"Get off the phone, DiNozzo," Gibbs barked, fed up. Kate detected a note of something other than the usual annoyance in his voice. His eyes were blazing and she remembered the unusually bad mood he'd been in lately.
"Yes, boss," Tony replied, hanging up instantly.
"Didn't your father teach you not to take personal time at work?"
Kate gasped. Gibbs could be tough, strict, and bull-headed, but he was never cruel. His comment though, was decidedly nasty, a kill-shot, intended to inflict maximum damage. It worked. Kate saw a flash of pain in Tony's eyes, followed quickly by anger. He stood quickly, almost upending his chair, and fled the room, muttering some excuse about the restroom.
"That was a little harsh, don't you think?" Kate said quietly.
"He needs to learn." Gibbs replied easily, though Kate thought she saw a fleeting look of regret in his eyes.
"But to say that, about his father..."
"He's too glib about his childhood. He doesn't take it seriously enough. Somebody's got to teach him that not everyone needs to know –" he stopped abruptly, realizing he'd said more than he intended. "Never mind."
"Not everyone needs to know what? That his father hit him? That he was a child who needed help? That –"
"Stop!"
Kate did, stunned. She had never heard Gibbs shout. He was too calm, too calculating. He never acted on emotion; she sometimes wondered if he even had emotions. Now, however, he was seething.
"You don't understand! You can't just go around talking about something like that! It's a family matter, a private issue. You deal with it by yourself, because it's your problem!"
Kate sensed that they were no longer talking about Tony. She wondered if they ever had been. She watched Gibbs, fascinated, not daring to speak for fear of being shut out again.
"He needs to learn to keep things to himself. He's never been able to do that. Ever notice that every date, every girl, everything that happens in his life we get a blow-by-blow account? He needs to learn how to shut up and deal with it by himself!"
"Like you?" Kate asked, despite herself. His eyes narrowed, getting her between his sights. She knew he was about to explode, to ream her out for invading his privacy, but he didn't. He kept his voice barely controlled, but controlled nonetheless.
"Yes, like me."
"But Tony's not you, Gibbs. He deals with things his own way. You turn in; he turns out. You bottle it up; he gets it out. That's how it is. You can't expect him to be just like you." Kate surprised herself. She hadn't meant to say so much, or be so confrontational, but she guessed it needed to be said. Gibbs, to her surprise, did not look outraged. He seemed, instead, almost defeated. It was rather disconcerting to see the indomitable Gibbs looking so beaten.
"You're right," he whispered. "He is different. Thank God," he laughed shakily. "We don't need another me around here."
"That's for sure," Kate smiled with him.
"Look, Kate, I'm tough on Tony because I know he can do better. I know about his father, and tell you the truth, that's part of it. He doesn't need a soft hand; he needs to know that all discipline isn't like that. I," he hesitated, as if wondering whether to open himself up any more than he already had. "I didn't learn that till it was too late."
Kate was shocked. She knew most of this already, instinctively, but to hear it from Gibbs' own mouth was incredible. She was honored that he would open up to her, but she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Gibbs got up to get more coffee, leaving Kate to process the events of the day.
"Agent Todd! Why aren't you working on that report?"
Kate smiled slightly as she got back to work. Same old Gibbs.
"No," he fired back quickly. Then he sighed. "No. My dad came up for the weekend, and we had a good ol' time." He forced a smile.
Kate gave him a concerned look. The left side of his jaw was black and blue and swelling slightly. "Your dad hit you?"
"Kate, it's not a big deal. He's a big fan of 'tough love' is all."
"Tony, that's not 'tough love'; that's abuse."
"I'm a big boy, Kate. I can deal with it."
"You shouldn't have to deal with it."
"Drop it," interrupted a gruff voice. Gibbs brushed past them on his way to his desk, coffee in hand, his face an expressionless mask.
Kate wisely obeyed, but she continued to watch both Tony and Gibbs surreptitiously. Gibbs was poring over a file, scowling; Tony was whistling as he typed a report. How could two men with such similar backgrounds be so different?
Tony's cell phone chirped and he answered it, glancing furtively at Gibbs. The boss didn't seem to have noticed, but Tony knew better. Gibbs noticed everything. Tony figured that since Gibbs hadn't said anything, he was free to answer.
"Hey," he said in a low voice. Despite the volume, Kate could not mistake the charm in his tone. "We still on for tonight?"
Kate rolled her eyes. Figures, she thought. A woman. Tony continued, oblivious to his colleague's disgust. Gibbs, however, was also beginning to take notice of his conversation.
"Oh, yeah," Tony moaned. "Sounds great."
"Get off the phone, DiNozzo," Gibbs barked, fed up. Kate detected a note of something other than the usual annoyance in his voice. His eyes were blazing and she remembered the unusually bad mood he'd been in lately.
"Yes, boss," Tony replied, hanging up instantly.
"Didn't your father teach you not to take personal time at work?"
Kate gasped. Gibbs could be tough, strict, and bull-headed, but he was never cruel. His comment though, was decidedly nasty, a kill-shot, intended to inflict maximum damage. It worked. Kate saw a flash of pain in Tony's eyes, followed quickly by anger. He stood quickly, almost upending his chair, and fled the room, muttering some excuse about the restroom.
"That was a little harsh, don't you think?" Kate said quietly.
"He needs to learn." Gibbs replied easily, though Kate thought she saw a fleeting look of regret in his eyes.
"But to say that, about his father..."
"He's too glib about his childhood. He doesn't take it seriously enough. Somebody's got to teach him that not everyone needs to know –" he stopped abruptly, realizing he'd said more than he intended. "Never mind."
"Not everyone needs to know what? That his father hit him? That he was a child who needed help? That –"
"Stop!"
Kate did, stunned. She had never heard Gibbs shout. He was too calm, too calculating. He never acted on emotion; she sometimes wondered if he even had emotions. Now, however, he was seething.
"You don't understand! You can't just go around talking about something like that! It's a family matter, a private issue. You deal with it by yourself, because it's your problem!"
Kate sensed that they were no longer talking about Tony. She wondered if they ever had been. She watched Gibbs, fascinated, not daring to speak for fear of being shut out again.
"He needs to learn to keep things to himself. He's never been able to do that. Ever notice that every date, every girl, everything that happens in his life we get a blow-by-blow account? He needs to learn how to shut up and deal with it by himself!"
"Like you?" Kate asked, despite herself. His eyes narrowed, getting her between his sights. She knew he was about to explode, to ream her out for invading his privacy, but he didn't. He kept his voice barely controlled, but controlled nonetheless.
"Yes, like me."
"But Tony's not you, Gibbs. He deals with things his own way. You turn in; he turns out. You bottle it up; he gets it out. That's how it is. You can't expect him to be just like you." Kate surprised herself. She hadn't meant to say so much, or be so confrontational, but she guessed it needed to be said. Gibbs, to her surprise, did not look outraged. He seemed, instead, almost defeated. It was rather disconcerting to see the indomitable Gibbs looking so beaten.
"You're right," he whispered. "He is different. Thank God," he laughed shakily. "We don't need another me around here."
"That's for sure," Kate smiled with him.
"Look, Kate, I'm tough on Tony because I know he can do better. I know about his father, and tell you the truth, that's part of it. He doesn't need a soft hand; he needs to know that all discipline isn't like that. I," he hesitated, as if wondering whether to open himself up any more than he already had. "I didn't learn that till it was too late."
Kate was shocked. She knew most of this already, instinctively, but to hear it from Gibbs' own mouth was incredible. She was honored that he would open up to her, but she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Gibbs got up to get more coffee, leaving Kate to process the events of the day.
"Agent Todd! Why aren't you working on that report?"
Kate smiled slightly as she got back to work. Same old Gibbs.