Title: Providence
Summary: AU. Between McGee and Ziva's constant bashing and Gibbs' coldness, Tony finally reaches the point of no return and quits, leaving NCIS and DC behind him. On the road again, he stops by the town of Providence, Missouri, and makes a series of meetings which might change his life, whilst Gibbs moves heaven and earth to find him. But isn't it too late?
Categories: NCIS
Rating: K+
Characters: Tony DiNozzo, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Abby Sciuto, Tim McGee, Ziva David, Dr Donald Mallard, Jimmy Palmer, Leon Vance, Agent Balboa, Original characters (Tillie Hackerman, Harvey Jackson, Father Henry Richmond, Sheriff Elliot Green, Dottie Ferris, Christina Lake, Jake Petersen, Doctor Adam Beltram).
Pairing: Tony/OFC (in the late chapters), no other pairing.
Genres: Alternate universe/friendship/hurt and comfort.
Warnings: Middle swearing, OOC and major team bashing, especially Ziva and McGee.
Spoilers: Set at the beginning of season 6. Spoilers for Dead man talking, Hiatus, Boxed in, Bury your dead, Judgment Day, Agent afloat and various other episodes.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's note: Thanks to the wonderful badly_knitted for her help and support under any circumstances.
A huge thank you to those who have reviewed my work or added it to their favorites list and story alerts. I still can't believe I reached 200 reviews and almost 400 alerts. :D
At last, the long awaited part where Gibbs and the team find out about Tony's departure. I hope you won't be disappointed. This will be a three-chapters scene with shifting points of view.
To emmybaby, Guest (Fred) and Guest (1 and 3): Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you like this story and hope the next chapters won't disappoint you.
To Guest (2): Thank you. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but indeed, along the way, Tony is going to have a few opportunities to show them what he's capable of. ;D
Chapter 9 – Impending cataclysm
Washington, D.C. - September 18th – Monday early morning
In spite of the early hour, a palpable tension was already hovering above the bullpen, reminding McGee of those moments of stillness usually preceding the outburst of devastating storms.
Gibbs had obviously got up on the wrong side of the bed and was doing his best to let the rest of the universe know it through countless slams of drawers and even more numerous angry growls and exasperated sighs.
Trying to make himself as small as possible behind his computer screen, McGee sent another surreptitious glance at the elevator, in the hope of seeing Tony's familiar figure stepping out of it. Things were getting worse with each passing minute and his patent lateness was doing nothing to improve the situation. On the contrary.
"Does DiNozzo have any reason I wouldn't know of for not already being here?" Gibbs finally asked harshly, not even bothering to look up from his screen.
McGee winced and shrank even more in his chair, praying to all the Saints that the question wasn't specifically addressed to him.
"McGee!"
Though almost expected, Gibbs' barking made him startle nevertheless. Of course, he couldn't have been so lucky. He cursed inwardly. Count on DiNozzo to piss off the Boss, even before the week had time to start.
"Huh... Not that I know of, Boss," he replied lamely.
"Maybe he's nursing a hangover in a chick's bed," muttered Ziva between her teeth, "Once again."
Gibbs merely glared at her, then turned back towards McGee.
"Call him and let him know that if his ass isn't behind his desk in ten, he's fired."
McGee grabbed his phone and was already dialing when Vance's quiet voice stopped him in his tracks.
"That won't be necessary, Agent McGee."
Three heads simultaneously turned towards the catwalk, where the Director was leaning against the railing, sporting an indecipherable look.
"What do you mean, Leon?" Gibbs immediately asked with a frown. "If this is another of your tricks and you sent him on one of your undercover…"
"Agent DiNozzo is not late," Vance cut him off. "He resigned."
He paused and watched the effect of his words before adding matter-of-factly: "With immediate effect."
There were audible gasps from around the bullpen, followed by a stony silence, all the agents from other teams eavesdropping shamelessly on the current conversation between the MRCT and the Director.
"But, he can't," protested Ziva fiercely.
She looked around for McGee's support, but the young man was too stunned to react, frozen opened-mouthed, the receiver of the phone still in hand.
"He has to serve a notice at least," she insisted. "He can't be allowed to quit, just… like that."
Vance looked at her and slowly shook his head.
"I'm afraid you're wrong, Officer David. I checked with the HR and it seems that Agent DiNozzo has built up far more leave than needed to cover his notice."
"It's bullshit, Leon," Gibbs burst out. "And you know it."
He stood up and without taking his eyes off of Vance, shouted at McGee.
"I said 'call him', so do it!"
Jumping out of his daze, McGee immediately resumed dialing Tony's phone number, whilst Vance leisurely went downstairs and placed himself just in front of Gibbs, the two men glaring at each other like stags about to butt antlers.
"Don't try too hard to hide your joy, Leon. You've been wanting to get rid of DiNozzo for a long time."
Vance smirked and pressed the folder he had in hand against Gibbs' chest, forcing the other man to take it.
"Oh, don't worry Jethro. I know exactly how I feel about Agent DiNozzo's departure. I'm not so sure about your feelings."
"What is that supposed to mean, Leon?" McGee looked up at the icy tone of Gibbs' voice, but Vance didn't seem in the least impressed.
"Well, after having seen you fight so hard over him, I expected you to show more... enthusiasm at having him around again. But instead, you seemed like you could barely stand next to him. I meant it when I said that sending him afloat wasn't a punishment. However, I'm not so sure about your motives for having him back."
"My motives regarding DiNozzo are none of your business, Leon."
Vance smirked again and nodded.
"You're right, Jethro. Since he's not part of NCIS anymore, this is no longer my case. But you can't blame me for wondering why, after more than eight years of loyal service and having battled so hard to stay on your team, DiNozzo suddenly felt the urge to push off without notice."
With that, he turned on his heel and headed back to his office, leaving a fuming Gibbs standing in the middle of the bullpen. As Vance reached the last step of the stairs, he glanced over his shoulder and nodded at the folder still in Gibbs' hands.
"Oh, I forgot. Those are some application files for Agent DiNozzo's replacement."
"You can take them back. I don't need them," retorted Gibbs, throwing the folder across his desk.
Vance merely raised an eyebrow.
"If you say so," he said quietly before walking away.
Gritting his teeth, Gibbs turned towards McGee's desk.
"McGee! Are you planning on making that call today or at Christmas?" he snarled.
The Junior Agent blanched as he hung up for the fourth time.
"I'm sorry, Boss." The glare coming from Gibbs made him visibly gulp. "Hmm, I... I tried, but…"
He glanced sideways at Ziva, who was pretending to be lost in thought, applying herself to avoiding his gaze.
Definitely no help from that side.
Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and stuttered lamely:
"Um, he d... doesn't answer."
"How surprising," mocked his boss sarcastically before raising his voice once again. "What are you waiting for? Trace his cell!"
McGee cleared his throat once again and wiped his clammy hands on his trousers as discreetly as possible.
"That's the problem. I already tried, but… it seems that his land line and his cell line have been… terminated. I'll have to find the serial number of his phone and…"
He broke off and flinched as Gibbs leant over his desk and pushed his face close to his.
"Find him, McGee. Now."
"Y…yes, of course, Sir... Huh, Boss," mumbled the young man, as he started typing furiously on his keyboard in order to locate Tony's cell phone or his car, or whatever could tell him where he was, before his boss decided to take it out on him and bite his head off.
He had barely started to work his way through the various databases he usually used to track perps when a chuckle coming from a nearby cubicle made him lift his head. He looked around, trying to figure out who in the bullpen had suddenly developed suicidal tendencies and met the gaze of Agent Balboa, leaning arms crossed against one of the shutters, a sly smile dancing on his lips.
"Something funny you'd like to share with us, Balboa?" growled Gibbs, narrowing his eyes.
Balboa's gaze slowly drifted from McGee to Ziva and finally locked on Gibbs.
"You should see your faces right now," he sneered, his smirk enlarging to a sly smile. "It's priceless."
A deafening silence fell on the bullpen whilst McGee felt his jaw hit the floor at the man's foolhardiness. How could he not realize that teasing Gibbs at such a moment was tantamount to putting his head into the mouth of a starved crocodile? No one in his right mind would antagonize the former Marine when he was so obviously upset. But the other SSA didn't seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation. On the contrary, it really looked like he was enjoying the prospect of the impending cataclysm.
Gibbs didn't reply, but McGee could feel wrath radiating in waves from him and for a second he really thought his boss was about to rip the other man's throat out.
"The least we can say is that it's about time," Balboa carried on relentlessly, ignoring all the warning signs. "Come on, Gibbs. I don't wanna gloat, but just between us, you've had it coming to you for ages."
Gibbs quickly closed the distance between them, stopping barely an inch from the other man's face, his hands balled into tight fists.
"Really?" he said in a quiet but kind of dangerous tone. "Go ahead. Enlighten me. Why should I have seen it coming, since you're so well-informed?"
Balboa was about to open his mouth to answer when they heard the Director's voice coming from the gallery once again.
"Gentlemen," Vance said in a no-nonsense tone, his expression sullen. "If you intend to carry on this... conversation, I'd strongly suggest you do it in a more private place. There are people in here who are actually working. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal clear, Leon," said Gibbs, his eyes still boring into Balboa. "Conference room."
"Yours or the normal one, for once?" quipped Balboa as Gibbs turned on his heel.
Already halfway to the stairs, Gibbs favored him with one of his best death glares over his shoulder.
"Don't push your luck, Balboa or I might forget where we are," he threatened.
Balboa merely raised an eyebrow before striding in his wake.
"I'm sick with fear," he muttered under his breath.
McGee and Ziva shared a concerned look as he disappeared around the landing, unsure of what they should do. They hadn't been invited to join the two men in the conference room, but after all this was about Tony and the team. There was no way they could stay out of the loop, if only for a matter of principle. Not to mention that God only knew what could happen if those two hotheads were left unattended. Nodding in sync towards the catwalk, they left their desks and followed in the two men's footsteps, the hostile gazes of the other agents boring holes in their backs.
As he reached the landing, McGee stopped and let out a heavy sigh as reality hit him with full force for the first time since Vance had given them the news.
Tony was gone. He had left. Much in the same way Gibbs had left for Mexico almost a year ago. With the difference that Gibbs had at least managed to say his goodbyes, as laconic as they might have been. Instead, Tony seemed to have just… packed and vanished into thin air. And now Gibbs was mad and people looked at them as if they had killed their puppy.
"Are you coming?" called Ziva impatiently, already a few steps ahead.
"Yep. I'm coming."
He shook his head. What a mess.
He reluctantly went after her, trying his best to ignore the nagging little voice in his head whispering to him that whether he liked it or not, he, amongst others, had his share of responsibility in said mess.
To be continued.