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 very helpful assistance and support and to penumbria who made a beautiful art for my fic, that can be seen on my LJ account and on AO3. Thank you also to ThePeachyMonkey for her constant and unwavering support.
As always thank you to those who have reviewed my work or added it to their favorites list and story alerts. Sorry for the too long delay. No real RL excuse this time, only a massive writer's block which I hope will only be a bad memory from now on.
To Psyche53: Thanks for your comment and your very accurate analysis of Harvey's character. Let's see if the future will prove you right.
To Hells Bells: Thank you for your unwavering support. I heard about your loss and I hope this new chapter is going to give you some comfort.
To mandy153 and the guests who posted positive reviews: Thank you for your support. I hope you'll like this new chapter.
To the guests who didn't like the way I handled Tony's reaction to Harvey's character: I'm sorry you didn't like it, but this is the way I need to handle it. Everything will be explain in due course. Incidentally, I can hardly imagine Tony sending his new "superior" packing after only a few moments. It wouldn't be very professional and rather disrespectful towards Tillie.
Chapter 14 – Callie
Tony parked the Camaro not far from a vast public park in the city center and decided to explore his new surroundings on foot.
He walked past the City Hall, an imposing building of cream bricks standing in front of the northern entrance of the park, then turned onto a side street towards what looked like the main shopping district of the town.
The streets were a lot busier than the day before, when he arrived in town, and he couldn't help noticing that a lot of license plates came from other states, thus confirming what Tillie had told him the day before about the abundance of tourist traffic in the area.
Working his way through the passers-by, he walked past a series of shops dedicated to outdoor activities which were already buzzing with intense activity. Leaving behind him the crowded shops and their bunches of hunters in fake combat uniform and hikers in flashy Gore Tex®, he spotted a small souvenir shop a bit further away.
The place was tidy and a lot quieter than the other shops with only a handful of customers wandering among the brimming shelves, under the benevolent watch of a middle aged woman sitting at the checkout counter.
The woman greeted Tony with a wide smile that he returned politely and for a few minutes, he casually strolled through the decorated cups and key rings neatly lined up on the shelves, until he finally picked up a bottle of spring water and a guide book for the region.
The cheerful owner of the shop whose name, he learnt, was Ellen, turned out to also be an incorrigible chatterbox and it took him a few minutes before he managed to escape her genuine yet unquenchable curiosity.
Once finally outside, he hesitated for a moment, then decided to retrace his steps and go back to the park. Once there, he slumped onto a bench set slightly apart. For a moment, he did nothing but sit there, under the shade of reddening maples, enjoying the relative quietness of the morning and watching people stroll along the pathways.
It felt so weird to Tony to be there, doing nothing, whilst normally, by that time, he would already have been at work or, if off duty, lying in his bed and more than likely nursing a hell of a hangover. Thinking about it, he could hardly remember the last time he had done anything else but work or drink like a fish over the last few months.
It was so pathetic how, day after day, his life had become an empty shell, filled only with regrets and bitterness.
Taking a deep breath, he uncapped the lid of his bottle and took a sip of water, before turning his attention to the guide book next to him.
He skimmed through it for a moment and soon it became obvious that the town of Providence wasn't as remote as he thought at first.
Taking advantage of its strategic position in the valley and the proximity of several rivers, the small town, founded in the middle of the eighteenth century by Irish immigrants, had nicely expanded over the years as the textile industry set up a lot of factories, until the area was stricken by the economic crisis and a series of relocations. Fortunately, the geographical location of the town, situated between a state park and a hunting reserve had helped Providence to negotiate the switch to eco-tourism and after a few years of lean times, the tourist business was now flourishing.
Though the town had no proper mall, it was endowed with two supermarkets and a plethora of shops and restaurants of all kinds. Tony noted that there was also a multiplex cinema and a community theatre.
A few pages were dedicated to the outdoor activities which could be enjoyed: horse riding, hiking, canyoning, mountain biking… It also appeared that an artificial lake had been created in the 80s which was renowned for being especially bountiful in fish and attracted hundreds of anglers on the occasion of an annual competition.
Tony raised an eyebrow. For a town which looked so remote and quiet at first sight, it obliviously had more to offer than what met the eyes.
A few pages further, he couldn't help smiling at the sight of the full color page touting the "Dragons of Providence", as the sports teams of the Saint Patrick High School called themselves. God, they looked so young and carefree in their white and bronze outfit. Sometimes, Tony really wished he could go back in time and recover the innocence and ardor of his youth. Those blessed times seemed forever ago.
Closing the book with a loud clap, Tony stood up and stretched himself. He looked around and a small smile spread on his lips. From what he had seen and read so far, Providence looked like a good enough place to start afresh. So why not try to fill his life again? And not just metaphorically.
Heading to his car, he drove to the closest of the two supermarkets and once he had bought a sandwich, he stopped by the electronics department to purchase a small coffee marker and a microwave. It was a significant investment, but this way, he wouldn't be dependent on anyone for drinking and eating when he wasn't at work.
Then he went back to Tillie's house to set up his purchases. Her pick-up was nowhere to be seen. It was almost lunch time so he just assumed the older lady had gone to the Silver Fox.
Once the coffee maker was set, he sat on his bed and unwrapped his "roast beef-crudités" sandwich, already regretting having turned down Harvey's offer of a meal as he took a first bite of his tasteless snack. Not that it was the worst thing he had eaten in his life, not by a long way, but the tough meat could hardly compete with Tillie's cooking.
After having disposed of the last crumbs, he set the alarm of his watch and prepared himself to take a short nap in anticipation of his first night of work.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
A few hours later, Tony woke up with a start from a disturbing dream he could only vaguely recall. Scrubbing his face wearily, he checked his watch only to discover that he hadn't heard the ringing of the alarm and had overslept by more than two hours.
Heaving himself up with a groan, he plugged in the coffee maker and brewed himself a fresh cup of coffee which he livened up with a healthy dose of hazelnut cream before heading to the bathroom. He splashed some cold water on his face then brushed his teeth in hope of clearing his befuddled brain and getting rid of the bad taste his unpleasant dream had left in his mouth.
After that he returned to the bedroom and slumped back on his bed, slowly sipping the sweet beverage whilst pondering about what he should do next.
He looked around in search of any kind of occupation to kill time, but the bookshelves of his room were desperately empty and Tony himself hadn't brought books with him, with the exception of the guide book he had bought that morning. The room concealed no TV or Dvd player, so he couldn't even watch the movies tucked in his suitcase.
He still had a couple of hours ahead of him before he was due to start work, but though he didn't feel like going back into town and playing tourist again, waiting in his small room with the sole company of his inner demons wasn't a wise idea either. He hadn't felt the need to drink alcohol all day, but idleness was the root of all evil and he didn't want to take that risk.
He gulped the rest of his coffee and went to wash his cup in the sink before grabbing his wallet and keys and going out. Maybe he would have a chance to chat with Tillie before he took his shift and to test the waters with Harvey. Hopefully the guy was in a better mood.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Half a dozen cars were parked along the facade of the Silver Fox when Tony arrived. Once again though, he didn't see Tillie's pickup amongst them and he really started to wonder if the elderly woman was avoiding him.
He switched the engine off, but hesitated to get out of the car. The prospect of ending up once again head to head with Harvey wasn't exactly thrilling, but on the other hand, he didn't want to let the other man's dislike dictate his actions. After all, it was a free country and he had every right to spend time in the bar outside working hours.
Filled with renewed determination, Tony pushed open the door of the Silver Fox for the second time that day and reflexively scanned the room.
A group of men in fishing jackets were gathered around their beer at one of the tables on the left, apparently retelling their day by the lake, whilst another group of three men were squatting on the stools at the far end of the counter, eyes glued to the baseball match broadcast on the plasma screen above them.
In the dining room, two booths were occupied. One by a couple of old ladies eating pastries and the second one further down the row by a family with two young kids enjoying an assortment of colorful smoothies and milkshakes.
Nobody spared Tony more than a glance, but as he walked through the door, Harvey immediately abandoned his post behind the bar and strode towards him.
"Ah, you've come just at the right time," said the older man without preamble. "Callie's car refuses to start. Tillie has gone to pick her up. She should be back soon, but I have to go. I have an appointment and I'm already late. In the meantime, you're in charge."
He grabbed a heavy leather jacket off the coat rack whilst handing a bunch of keys to Tony.
"The one with the red mark is for the till and the green one is for the reserve. For now, you won't need the other ones."
Utterly taken aback, all Tony could do was to stare at the bunch of keys in his hand, gaping like a goldfish.
"You listening to me?" asked Harvey, his sharp tone startling Tony.
"Huh, yes… but, are you sure it's a good idea? I've just started working here. And you don't even know me…"
Harvey raised a dubious eyebrow before asking matter-of-factly, "You intend to do a runner with the cash?"
Tony's eyes widened almost comically at the blatant accusation.
"What? No! Of course, not. But…"
Harvey didn't even bother to let him finish before turning on his heels with a huff and heading towards the exit.
"Okay, in that case, that's enough chatter. See you tomorrow."
Too flabbergasted to react, Tony watched the door close behind him and ran his hands down his face with a long sigh, wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into.
He didn't have much time to dwell on his situation though, because the door almost immediately reopened to give way to a new group of customers who headed straight to the bar. Taking a deep breath and schooling his features into an affable mask, Tony quickly passed behind the bar to take over until Tillie came back.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Although he didn't have the slightest clue of what the man was telling him, Tony found that he had no other choice but to patiently listen to Elmer Barnes' expert advice on the best choice for a wet fly.
Tony had tried to explain to the charming old fisherman that his only experience with fly fishing came down to the movie "A River Runs Through It" and that he might as well be talking to him about nuclear fusion, but Elmer hadn't seemed to give a hoot. Beer in hand, he had launched into a highly detailed, yet abstruse lecture and all Tony could do was to meekly nod and hum from time to time, whilst keeping an eye on the other customers in case someone wanted a refill.
"For Crissake, Elmer," growled Tillie as she barged into the bar and slammed her purse on the counter. "Stop torturing my staff as soon as I turn my back, will you."
"I ain't torturing him, ignorant woman," balked Elmer, unfazed. "I'm educating him. Fly fishing isn't only a fine sport. It's also an art. And whoever pretends to be a gentleman should at least know the basics."
Tillie rolled her eyes in mock annoyance and Tony couldn't hide a smirk.
"I haven't hired a gentleman, but a bartender. And I pay the kid to serve drinks, not to listen to your rambling, alright?"
Elmer turned towards Tony with a wounded expression.
"Do you think I'm boring?" he asked.
"Not at all," said Tony diplomatically, unwilling to upset the older man. "But Tillie is right. I should go back to work. Wouldn't want to get myself fired on my first day."
Elmer pursed his lips and reluctantly nodded.
"Of course not," he pouted before glaring indignantly at Tillie. "Don't wanna get you in trouble with the tyrant you work for."
"We can carry on later," offered Tony with a gentle pat on the arm in hope of soothing his deception.
At the same time, one of the men at the other end of the bar beckoned to Tony for a refill and he seized his chance to take his leave without looking impolite.
As he bent to grab a pint from under the counter, he noticed for the first time a petite young woman standing behind Tillie, almost completely hidden by her large figure.
Following his gaze, Tillie stepped aside and undertook to make the introductions.
"Tony, this is Callie, our waitress. Callie, this is Tony, the new bartender I told you about."
Busy with using the pump, Tony greeted the young woman with a bow of his head and a warm smile.
"Nice to meet you."
The young woman didn't return the favor though, keeping her eyes glued to the floor as she waved at him without a word.
Tony's brow furrowed. He sent a questioning look at Tillie, wondering what the hell he had done this time to get the silent treatment, but the elderly woman merely shrugged it off with a reassuring look.
He glanced over at the mousy woman whose eyes remained stubbornly downcast, avoiding his gaze.
In her late twenties, she was of medium height, slim, wearing a white and peach waitress uniform which showed off her nice curves. Though her features were partially concealed behind a thick curtain of blonde hair, Tony could still make out enough of her face to say she was rather pretty.
Contrary to Harvey, she didn't look hostile, but for some reason Tony's presence obviously made her uncomfortable and she seemed about to bolt at any moment. Harvey's earlier lecture about how "she wasn't on the menu" came back to his mind and Tony started to wonder if the fact that Tillie went to pick her up wasn't more some strategic move by the older woman than an actual necessity.
Until further notice, it seemed wiser to him to let it slide, so he just nodded his head and got back to work without further comment.
As Callie finally moved away from Tillie's side and hurried towards the lockers, Tony saw the man who had ordered another beer a moment ago nudge the guy on his right and point at her with a lecherous smile. The other man snickered, offhandedly ogling her up and down.
The pint hit the counter before them so forcefully that its contents spilled over.
"Your order, Sir."
Heads lifted amongst the clientele and the temperature of the room suddenly seemed to have dropped a few degrees. Stopping mid step, Callie turned back around and stood there like a deer caught in headlights.
The first man let out a loud growl. Lifting his hands, he seemed about to vehemently express his discontent, but whatever he intended to say died on his lips when his gaze met Tony's steely green eyes boring into him.
Tony's tone had already been sharp enough to cut diamonds, but his glare was just murderous, denying the politeness of his words. The guy didn't stand a chance in the face of such a glare. It was one Tony had perfected over the years. One he reserved for the worst scumbags and which had made countless cold blooded murderers literally pee themselves in interrogation.
They stared at each other for a very brief moment, until the man realized he didn't measure up and dropped his gaze.
"Thanks," he said between gritted teeth.
"At you service," Tony replied curtly. "Come to me if you want something else," he added for the benefit of the two men, making sure to get the message across.
With this he turned around and grabbed an empty keg.
"Gonna get a refill. Anything you need while I'm there?" he asked Tillie, who had been watching the whole exchange with much interest.
She smirked and gave him a knowing look. "No, thanks. I think we're good."
With no further ado, Tony passed before Callie, still rooted to the spot, and disappeared into the dimly lit corridor, all the time sensing the weight of the young waitress' eyes on him.
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Sitting face to face at one of the booths, Tony and Callie ate in silence whilst Tillie kept the bar until the first customers arrived for dinner.
Whereas Callie was more picking at her food than really eating, Tony was literally eating his way through. His frugal lunch was long forgotten and he was more than happy to do justice to Tillie's cooking skills. They hadn't shared a word since the incident at the bar, so at least having their mouths full was a good excuse for the lack of conversation.
Callie didn't seem to be ill-disposed towards him, but rather wary, keeping her head down and avoiding him most of the time. Following Tillie's silent advice, Tony had decided that the best approach was to not approach, to keep his distance too and see what happened.
The young woman tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, and Tony seized the opportunity to surreptitiously cast a glance at her delicate features and stunning baby blue eyes. She was a classic beauty, like those blonde actresses Hitchcock loved so much. With the exception of a small scar above her right eyebrow, her face was flawless and he wouldn't have been surprised at all to hear that she had won more than her share of beauty contests in her youth.
But given Harvey's earlier comment and what had happened with the guys at the bar, it didn't take a rocket scientist to guess her stunning beauty was more a curse than a blessing.
Swallowing the last mouthful of his dinner, Tony put his cutlery back on his plate and slumped back in his seat with a contented sigh.
Callie immediately stood up and started to clear the dishes.
"Let me help you," offered Tony, getting up from the table in turn, but she ignored him and swiftly stacked up plates and glasses on her forearm. Tony sighed wearily.
She was already halfway to the kitchen when one of the knives fell from the plate with a clattering noise. In three long strides, Tony was by Callie's side. Without a word, he reached down to pick the knife up and replaced it on the plate.
He was about to turn on his heels when her soft voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Thank you."
He slowly turned around and their eyes met for the first time.
"You're welcome," he said with a curt nod after a few moments.
She slightly shook her head and averted her gaze.
"No … I meant…" She hesitated, then her expression hardened. "That man was a pig," she said, almost spitting the last word. "What you did... It was nice."
Tony bit back a smirk. There was something in Callie which made him think of Jenny's character in Forrest Gump, a strange mix of fragility and resilience that was rather endearing.
"Nothing nice in that," he said with a shrug. "It's only normal. Anybody would have done the same."
"Thanks anyway," repeated Callie in a softer tone.
"Anytime," Tony assured her with a curt nod.
She shyly smiled up and, for the first time, Tony was under the impression that they were finally taking a step towards each other.
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To say that the bar was crowed would have been the understatement of the year. People of all ages and all styles were mingling in a joyous commotion. For a school day, the place was literally crammed and Tony preferred not to imagine what it would be like on Saturday night.
Bustling around behind the bar, he tried his best to keep up with the stream of orders going on whilst Tillie was busy serving the tables. From the corner of his eye, he saw her coming back to the bar, her tray tucked under her arm, and prepared himself to serve another round of drinks. But instead of handing him a new handful of orders, she walked past him and went straight to the other extremity of the bar where she firmly grabbed the rope of the antique bell which served to announce closing time and shook it vigorously.
The ringing of the bell resounded through the room, instantly shutting the customers up. All heads turned expectantly towards Tillie, who grinned, visibly pleased with herself.
"Ladies and gentlemen! May I have you attention, please? Don't worry, I don't intend to close early. But I'd like to borrow a few seconds of your precious time to make an announcement."
A low murmur spread through the crowd then quickly faded, everybody falling under Tillie's glare.
"Okay. As some of the most observant of you may have already noticed, our staff has gained a new member. I'd like you to say 'hello' to Tony who comes from New York and has done us the favor of stopping by and putting down his suitcases in our town."
'Hellos' rang out around the room, some of the customers raising their glasses in Tony's direction. The young man waved in return, his ears turning slightly pink under the unexpected focus put on him.
"I'm counting on you to provide him with an overview of the famous southern sense of hospitality," Tillie continued, unaware of his discomfort. "Now, you can go back to what you were doing, which means drinking like fishes so I can keep paying the bills."
A round of cheers and laughter greeted her last witty remark, before the conversations started up again with renewed vigor. Tillie passed behind Tony as a group of customers went to greet him in person and she favored him with a pat on the shoulder and a reassuring smile, before melting into the crowd once again.
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Working her way through the crowd, Tillie went straight to the other side of the room, where Harvey was casually leaning against the wall, a can of Dr Pepper in hand.
"So… What do you think of him?" she asked without preamble.
Harvey set his eyes on Tony walking up and down behind the counter and pulled a dubious face.
"Don't know yet."
She crossed her arms and smirked.
"You'll be happy to know that he defended Callie's honor early," she informed him with a sly smile.
Harvey took a swig of his drink and sighed.
"So I've heard."
"That should put your mind at rest," Tillie insisted with a scowl. "At least as far as Callie is concerned."
Harvey let out a noncommittal grunt.
"Yeah. And he didn't sneak off with the cash. I guess that's something."
The elderly lady raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"So that was the reason for your hasty departure this afternoon?"
Harvey shrugged and looked away.
"Got an appointment with my chiropractor."
"Yeah," snorted Tillie. "At six thirty, not four." She shook her head. "I thought that trick got old long ago." Her eyebrow slowly went higher. "Please, tell me you didn't wait for him outside with a bat."
Harvey grunted.
"You have to admit that method has proved itself in the past."
Tillie ran her hand across her face and sighed.
"Alright, so now that he's successfully passed your stupid test, doesn't it mean he has your approval?"
The bartender clicked his tongue with a grimace.
"He looks okay," he conceded before giving her a pointed look. "If you ignore the fact that he is reeking of cop."
Tillie's brow furrowed.
"Is that going to be a problem?"
Harvey's look hardened and he defiantly lifted his chin.
"No. As long as he minds his own business and doesn't stick his nose in mine."
"Don't think it's gonna be a problem," muttered Tillie, darting a sideways glance towards the bar.
"If you say so," shrugged Harvey.
He drained the rest of his drink and put on his jacket.
"It's getting late. I'm going home." He gave her a quick kiss on her hair and squeezed her shoulder. "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah. Have a safe trip back," she said absently, her gaze still fixed on Tony as he went back and forth along the bar.
She pensively watched him for a moment. His smile was as fake as a three-dollar bill, as he diligently served the bunch of groupies which had already formed at one extremity of the counter. Tillie could still see the disturbing hollowness haunting his emerald eyes, but the tension in his shoulders seemed to have eased a little.
It was still far from perfect, but at least it was a good sign.
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Later that night, when Tony finally crashed down on his bed, still fully clothed, he couldn't help heaving a deep sigh as his head met the soft pillow. His face resting in the crook of his arm, he started to list the pros and cons of his first day.
On the cons' side, his back was hurting like hell. His hands were dry and sore from all the washing-up he had done. He had to fight to keep his eyes open all through the drive back to his place and it would certainly take him a while to get accustomed to his new place of work.
But, on the other hand, people had turned out to be friendly and welcoming towards him. As expected, they had been understandably curious about his reasons for accepting Tillie's job offer, but also surprisingly respectful, contenting themselves with the vague answers he had served them along with their drinks, without pushing further.
In spite of Harvey's chilly reception, working at the Silver Fox was a rather pleasant experience. Tillie gave him every latitude in doing his job, acting as if he had always belonged there, and Tony had to admit that it was a nice change not to have a cranky boss permanently breathing down his neck. Icing on the cake, if the warm smile Callie favored him with at the end of her shift was any indication, the ice was melting between the young waitress and him, which was definitely good news. Working with one emotionally disturbed co-worker was already enough, thanks.
Added to that, the tips were much better than what he remembered from his past experience as a student, and no less than three attractive women had given him their numbers. Numbers which he had politely accepted, though he had no intention of calling them back anytime soon.
Yeah. All in all, it wasn't so bad, he decided, before drifting off to dreamless sleep.
To be continued.