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 épisodes.
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 who made it readable.
As always thank you to those who have reviewed my work or added it to their favorites list and story alerts. I truly apologize for the long delay, but RL kept throwing things in my face over and over again and I ended up being completely overwhelmed. I hope you'll enjoy this new small chapter.
To Jennie, mandy153, Laurie, Cat, Kris, RLMW and Pamsie 123: Thank you for your support. I hope you'll like this new chapter.
To Guest (1): Thank you. I'm glad you like the characterization. Don't worry, there is no risk that Tony forgives them anytime soon. The road to salvation is going to be very, very long.
To Guest (2): Thank you. I really loved writing Jimmy's part. It was so much fun to make him lose his temper.
To Hells Bells: Thanks. Sorry, but the confrontation will take place only in the latest chapters. I hope it'll be worth the wait.
Chapter 12 – Interlude: Stopover in a Quiet Town
Providence, Missouri - September 18th – Monday early morning
Tony slowly woke up at the sound of birdsong. The room was still plunged into darkness and as he became aware of his surroundings and realized that he wasn't in his usual single bed, he indulged in believing for a second that they had been called out of town for a case. The illusion didn't last long though and almost immediately the events of the last few days cut through the haze clouding his mind. Keeping his eyes closed, he burrowed a little further into the pillow and let out a groan, when he finally fully remembered where he was and how he had ended up here.
He stretched widely and yawned. The bed was really comfy and he didn't recall having slept this well for weeks, even months. He briefly contemplated going back to sleep for an hour or two, but as soon as the idea crossed his mind, the ringing of his watch alarm jolted him into full awareness, reminding him that he was due early to his first day of work.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he got up and went lumbering to the window to open the curtains. The pale light of the dawn that suddenly flooded the room was enough to make him squint and it took a few seconds for his vision to adjust.
Outside, a thick fog was swathing the empty street, creating a surrealistic atmosphere which made him wonder if actually, he hadn't been accidently sucked up into the Twilight Zone. Like in the episode where a couple woke up after a drunken party and found themselves in a strange town devoid of life – except for the distant laughter of a child. At the end, it was revealed that they had been abducted by a giant humanoid alien who brought them home from Earth for his daughter as "pets" and that said town was in fact the neighborhood of her dollhouse. He could still remember how much he had been particularly disturbed, at the time, by the complete helplessness of the two characters, reduced to the condition of defenseless ants in the hands of the giant girl.
Closing his eyes, he leant his forehead against the cool glass of the window and let out a deep sigh which left a little patch of condensation on the windowpane.
Over the years, life had taken great care in teaching him that it needed a lot less than to be trapped in a giant's den to feel helpless and scared. Sometimes, he felt like a piece of driftwood tossed about by the waves.
Oh, come on, DiNozzo! he scolded himself. Stop being such a wuss and get a grip. It could be worse!
Taking a deep breath, he straightened and squared his shoulders.
It could be a lot worse indeed. Like that time, not long after his mother's death, when his father's chauffeur had unceremoniously dumped him in front of a boarding school without further explanations. That had been a terrifying moment. At least, now, he wasn't a frightened and introverted kid anymore. Despite most people's opinion of him, he was a grown man in full possession of his faculties. A former top athlete and a seasoned cop.
Don't forget to put the term 'former' before that too, he added bitterly to himself.
And to think that, only months ago, he had been offered his own team and a position for which other agents would have killed, as Jenny had pointed out. His own team, a chance to prove himself. Yet another dream left behind, along with his promising career as a pro.
No. This was definitely nothing new. Just another twist in the road leading him in a new direction and towards another unknown destination. All he had to do was to find his bearings and adjust for the time being. After all, adjusting had always been something Tony DiNozzo was very good at. Tony Hamilton, he berated himself immediately. DiNozzo was history, now. He'd better get used to it, and the sooner the better.
He glanced at his watch and his thoughts drifted back to D.C. In less than two hours, Gibbs would be at work and Tony didn't even want to try to picture his ex-boss' reaction at the news of his resignation. Anger? Disappointment? Or relief? Sadly, more than likely an absolute indifference.
McGee would certainly be quickly promoted to SFA afterwards, since he had already held the post and had the required experience. Soon, everybody would forgot Tony and all that would remain of his time at NCIS would be his faded signature at the bottom of old forms and a thick dusty file in the archives of HR. Before the end of the year, the eight years he had devoted to NCIS would be nothing more than a distant memory.
His gaze fell on his car parked in front of the house behind Tillie's, then on the house itself. No light was coming from it, so he presumed the old lady hadn't got up yet.
He scratched the back of his head and looked down.
In spite of their conversation the day before, he still had trouble wrapping his mind around the idea that she was spontaneously willing to help a perfect stranger like him. Gratuitous acts of kindness weren't so common, and if Tony had sometimes yielded to the temptation to believe he could be on the receiving end of some of them, the fact remained that he had been disappointed more often than not.
He had wasted a lot of time and energy trying to conform to other people's expectations in the hope that they would love him in return. From the perfect little boy in the sailor suit his mother loved so much to parade around like a puppy, to the confident and devoted agent he had striven to become under Gibbs' leadership, the performances had varied over the years and the circumstances, but the result had always been the same: a complete and woeful failure. No matter how much he gave, it was never enough.
The corner of his mouth twitched bitterly.
He was tired of being the King's jester. Whatever Tillie was expecting from him, she would have to be content with the 'real' Tony. Even though, he now realized with some dismay, it had been so long since he'd let him show up that he would have trouble defining who he was exactly.
Shaking off the gloom that threatened to overwhelm him, he turned away from the window and fetched a set of clean clothes from his suitcase before heading towards the bathroom. From now on, his only concern should be to arrive on time for his new job and to manage not to screw it up before it even started.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he studied himself carefully. The dark circles around his eyes had lessened slightly, but his features were still marked with deep lines of stress and his skin remained paler than his usual complexion.
He scratched the beginning of a beard adorning his cheeks and pondered about shaving it. Except as required while undercover, he had made a point of always being clean-shaven. He hesitated. The stubble was hardening his features and he couldn't deny a beard made him look older and more mature, which wasn't a bad thing. Besides, the place Tillie was running obviously had nothing to do with the kind of fancy places where the staff were dressed up to the nines and he really doubted Tillie would mind if he showed up unshaven.
Maybe it was the right time for a change. At least, looking different could help him with slipping into his new identity as Tony Hamilton. A new name, a new face, a new job… A new beginning.
Leaving aside the idea of shaving for now, he splashed some cold water on his face and summarily combed his hair, before getting dressed in faded jeans, a black long-sleeved t-shirt and a grey hoody. After one last quick look in the mirror, he went back to the bedroom and neatly made his bed.
Whilst he was busy putting his shoes on, he looked idly around and, without even thinking, took a mental note of some small arrangements he would have to make if he intended to stay more than a few days. The first of all would be a coffee marker, he thought as he stifled another yawn. A cup of fresh coffee really wouldn't have gone amiss but, as well as the lie-in, it would have to wait. If he wanted to be on time, he needed to move along. Hopefully he would be able to find his way back to the Silver Fox through this peasoup.
Grabbing his keys and wallet off the nightstand, he slammed the door behind him and rushed downstairs.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
As the rear lights of the Camaro faded away, literally swallowed by the thick mist, Tillie drew the curtain of her bedroom and let out a heavy sigh. At least, he hadn't taken his suitcase with him. That was something.
To be continued
Author note: Stopover in a Quiet Town is episode 150 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone starring Barry Nelson and Nancy Malone. It originally aired on April 24, 1964.