~Georgetown University, Washington DC

Gibbs exited the stairwell and turned down a long hallway, following the directions he was given by the security guard at the building entrance, thoughts turning to Tony as he walked. He'd been pleasantly surprised that Tony had called out of the blue, but the unexpected contact wasn't a social call. Tony's request was serious and to the point, leaving Gibbs uneasy about what drove him to insist on meeting in person. Add in the fact that Tony wanted to meet at a time and place that lent itself to secrecy had his gut churning. Even so, there was never a moment when he considered refusing. He owed Tony that, and much more.

He'd swallowed his disappointment at the unexpected coolness of the brief exchange and agreed, figuring he had no one to blame for that but himself. He'd created the distance years ago, through his own less than flattering behavior. Left with no reason to stay, and every reason to go, Tony cut ties and moved on, committed to caring for the small child he'd been led to believe he fathered.

Once again and even in death, Ziva had the power to turn all their lives upside down, no one more so than Tony. True to his character and in typical Tony fashion, he'd gone searching for the truth, which only brought further heartbreak. Having found the answers he was looking for, he'd been set adrift and focused on finding himself and his place in the world again. Tony's journey ultimately brought him back to DC a few months ago, where he set about putting down roots and building a new life that didn't include orbiting around Gibbs and NCIS.

It saddened him that Tony had never returned to the house after that first visit, when he'd told the painful story of discovering Ziva's deceit, and the truth about Tali's parentage. While they saw each other socially from time to time, it had only been at group gatherings with the other long-time members of his team. Things were no longer frosty as they'd been when Tony first came back to live in DC, and they were back on friendly terms. Beyond that, Tony held himself at arms' length and they'd never quite returned to the bond of easy familiarity and mutual affection they'd once shared.

Gibbs glanced from side to side as he walked, reading the signs indicating names and titles of the office occupants, finally finding the one he was looking for at the end of the hall. Gibbs paused and smiled to himself on seeing the plaque on the door bearing the name of one A. DiNozzo, Associate Professor of Law. The engraved plaque was a tangible sign that his former senior field agent was now firmly ensconced in the halls of academia, teaching criminal justice courses to undergraduate law students. Who would've thought? As he lifted his hand to knock on the mahogany door, the pride he felt in his former protégé was replaced by melancholy. The plaque was also evidence of the once broken bonds of trust and friendship; repaired after a fashion yet irrevocably changed. He had no idea what prompted it, but given the somber tone of Tony's call, he hoped that things between them weren't about reverse course.

Tony hung up the phone and drummed his fingers nervously on the desk. His visitor had just cleared security. Best not to leave anything to chance, he thought to himself as he stood and crossed to look out the windows, satisfied to see the quad was empty. He was probably being overly cautious but closed the blinds anyway. It was close to midnight and there was no one left in the building but him.

Tony tried to quell the agitation he felt; he'd made the call and there was no going back now. He paced distractedly until the soft knock on the office door pulled him from his thoughts.

"Come in, Gibbs."

Tony waited as Gibbs entered and closed the door behind him.

"Hey Prof," Gibbs ventured with a smile, giving Tony a quick scan. "You're looking well."

Tony's lips quirked in amusement, both at the new nickname and at the Gibbs once-over. Old habits still died hard.

"You too. Refill?" he asked, with a nod at Gibbs' ever-present coffee cup.

A small shake of the head and steady look told him Gibbs knew they weren't here to drink coffee and talk about old times.

"Right," Tony nodded, mostly to himself. "Down to business," he said, gesturing at the seating area on one side of the office.

Gibbs lowered himself into a comfortable leather chair and waited for Tony to sit in the one opposite before turning to the younger man with an expectant look. "You said we needed to talk," he prompted.

"Yeah," Tony muttered, looking away and scratching the back of his neck distractedly. Now that Gibbs was actually here, he didn't know how to start.

Gibbs frowned in concern. Tony was stalling, obviously tied up in knots about whatever he wanted to discuss.

"You called me, Tony. You bent over backward to make sure this would be a private meeting, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about the why. I'm here now…just tell me."

Tony snorted. "That simple, huh?" Gibbs just gave him that old sideways glance that said 'well, yeah'.

Gibbs had no idea just how not simple as this was going to be. Tony's features changed as he steeled himself for the conversation to come; the nervousness fading and a determined look taking its' place as he began.

"Here's the thing, Gibbs. In spite of the fact that we aren't as close as we used to be, your good opinion and trying to recover our friendship means something to me," he admitted.

"Tony, I feel the same. Nothing you could tell me is going to change that."

Tony gave a disbelieving snort. I guess we'll just find out, won't we?

"What I have to tell you will come as a shock," Tony warned. "You're also going to be pissed, but I need you to hear me out."

"And this is something you couldn't tell me over the phone, or just stop by the house to talk about?"

Tony gave a harsh-sounding laugh. "I definitely wasn't doing this over the phone or at the house, but not for the reasons you might think. This isn't about you and me, at least not completely. Believe me, it's just safer this way."

Safer? Gibbs leaned forward at the implication and studied Tony intently. That got his attention.

"Safer for who? What the hell is this about, Tony?"

There was no way to sugar coat it. Heart racing in his chest, Tony returned Gibbs' stare and gave voice to the secret he'd been carrying for some time.

"Ziva isn't dead."

~.~

Chapter 3 coming soon.