Gibbs had abruptly left the room after Tony's comment, leaving Ducky with that look of complete dumbfoundedness. Tony's head was leaning against the back wall, his eyes were closed as they were trying hard to let the water that was welled up in them flow free. It was the first time he had stood up to Gibbs like that, the first time he had told him that he wasn't his father though he knew thats what Gibbs thought himself to be. And hell, so did Tony. Gibbs was more of a father to him than the man whose seed had produced him.

Gibbs was the one that had taught him how to be a person, how to breath without thinking that someone was going to steal that breath. And how to live without worrying about someone coming home drunk and degrading your existance. Though Gibbs knew more about him than any other, he still didn't know it all. He didn't know that when his father came home drunk he did more then degrade him, he beat him. There was always a lead pipe or a fist that Tony was guarenteed to have against his abdomen or head. Then there were the times that Tony would wake up with a pillow on his face, the very breath being stollen from him. If he fought his father would keep it here, he remembered the time he had passed out after he had fought his father and he had only pushed it upon him more. Then there were the promised nights where his father would come in drunker then the town's homeless and molest him.

Tony was a fighter, but not in the conventional way. He could never admit that he had been molested, nor that he had been beaten. But they all knew from the scarred tissue that lingered on his body that he had a rough life. Gibbs' especially knew about it, but only that he had been infact beaten on occasion. The rest he was told, came from being a cop.

Tony opened his eyes, they fell on Ducky as his mouth opened to release the pained voice. "Ducky, can you leave me alone for a while?"

Ducky sighed, pushing himself up. It probably wasn't the best idea to leave the young man alone but he knew better then to tell him no. So he walked out of the room, a defeated look upon his face. Though it disappeared when he saw Gibbs sitting on the floor opposite Tony's room.

"Jethro..."

"Go away Duck."

"Jethro, you really should go back in there. Anthony didn't mean it the way you think he did..."

"That may be so, but if that's how he wants it then fine."

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, listen to yourself. You sound like you did when I first found you after Rebecca abandoned you and your boat. Come off it, get in there and be the father that boy needs."

"He isn't a boy, and he isn't my son."

"You don't know that Jethro, Rebecca love you but she loved Dinozzo just the same. When she found out she was pregnant she left the person she thought was not the father, that being you she went to Dinozzo and married him. But she never knew if he was the father or not, and you don't know if Anthony isn't Anthony Gibbs. So you have to be his father, you know how Dinozzo was and you know what that boy had to live through. How many times did Rebecca come to you saying that Tony was in the hospital, or that he had been attacked by Dinozzo?"

"Too many.." Gibbs growled slamming his fist against the floor as he pushed himself up. The only one that knew about Gibbs and his first wife Rebecca Murchioli was Ducky, it was soon after their divorce that Gibbs was found by the coroner and brought to NCIS as a young agent. The two of them had been friends for years and though Rebecca had cheated on Gibbs it didn't change how he loved her. She was the light of his life, the voice in his head for better or for worse and he had no intention of drowning her out.

So now as he stood looking at Ducky he could hear her soft tones, they were telling him to go back to Tony to take his hand and tell him he wasn't angry and that everything would work out in time.

note -- In the last chapter I had said that collectively they had known each other for 15 years. I suppose I should expand on that since this chapter has risen. Ducky and Gibbs have known each other since Dinozzo was concieved. While the three of them had been together for only 15 years in total. Not saying that Gibbs did not know Dinozzo when he was a kid, he in fact did as you can tell by the end. Though Ducky did not know Dinozzo until Gibbs started talking about him and did not see him on the job until he joined the team a few years before the show started they did infact have a bond. Thought I would clarify that before someone asked about it!

Six