Chapter two

Anthony DiNozzo was standing in his father's office and waited for him to be done with the paperwork. He couldn't remember how many times he had been standing here, but he had never been this nervous. He hadn't thought he could be this nervous. All the times on the basketball court, when it all came down to him and his ability to throw the ball just right, he had never been this nervous. Nothing could compare to this, standing before his father with the thought about telling him that he decided not to be a part of the family business anymore.

Tony, as most people called him, had always done what his father wanted. It wasn't necessary a bad thing. He had learned a lot and he had to some degree even enjoyed working alongside his father.

The two of them always had had a strange relationship. Strange yes but not necessarily bad. After his mother's death they had both grieved. Each in their own way and during that time the relationship had been strained. But after a while his father had realized that he still had his son. The son who hadn't died in that car crash who had gotten away with just a few bruises. They had talked then. Shared stories about his mother and had gotten closer again.

His father always just wanted what was best for Tony and for the most part Tony agreed with the things his father wanted him to do. And it wasn't as if he wasn't allowed to voice his own opinions. He had gone to college at Ohio states on a sports scholarship. That was something he had wanted to do because he loved playing sports. He had enjoyed his time there immensely. He had met great people, his frat brothers were just a few of them, and he had the best time on the basketball court. But not only that but also the opportunity to learn so much about physical education, about all the muscles and how the body works…he had enjoyed that as well. Tony was a fast learner and would never let an opportunity slide to learn new things. It had been fun. Good times with good people and the chance to get out a bit, to see how other people lived their lives and to get away from Long Island for a while. The time had been good for him, and his father recognized that and had fully supported his son.

But Tony had known that he would go to business school after that. He had known that his father wanted him to take over the family business and at that time that was perfectly alright with him. He even wanted to, wanted to do the things his father did, learn all the things his father knew and maybe most importantly not disappoint his dad. And really, he would never regret that decision, he had learned a great deal from his father; how to read people and how to manipulate them into doing what you wanted them to do. Not that Tony would ever really use that skill, but he certainly could, if he wanted to.

But in his heart Tony always knew that he wouldn't be able to take over from his father because his heart was not all the way into it.

Even as a young boy Tony had always wanted to become a cop or even better a detective. To investigate crimes that no one else could solve and to help the families to get closure, to get justice for their loved ones. That thought had solidified after his mother had died because Tony now knew how it was to lose someone close to you and he wanted to help the people who were left behind.

But for a long time, he hadn't pursued this dream. Hadn't been able to tell his dad that he wasn't able to do as his father wished. But today was that day. He would tell his father that he wanted to move on. That he wanted to become a cop and make his own way in life.

That was why he was standing here, before his father's desk, nervous as hell and waiting for is father to acknowledge him.

When his father finally looked up from his paperwork, their eyes met, and his father heaved a heavy sigh.

"It's time, isn't it?", he asked his only child.

"What do you mean, dad? Time for what?", Tony asked perplexed.

"Time for you to move on. Time for you to spread your wings and do the things you always wanted to do. Time for you to become that detective you have always dreamed of becoming"

Tony stared at his father. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Ehm… dad, would you mind repeating that please? I think the connection between my ears and my brain was broken there for a short moment", he said only half joking.

"Anthony, your ears work just fine and there is nothing wrong with your hearing. I knew this day would come, although I had hoped it would come later rather than sooner. But I always knew some day you would come into my office and tell me that you couldn't do this anymore and had to follow your heart and become a detective. And although I do not necessarily like it and I certainly would like you to stay here with me and take over the business that I have built, I know that this is not what you truly want."

Tony was speechless as he stared at his father with wide eyes and an open mouth. He couldn't believe that his father had known all along. He had been so afraid to tell him, to disappoint him and now the guy was telling him he had known… all the time, probably even before Tony had known.

"Dad? How? How did you know that was what I wanted to talk about and how are you this calm, I thought I had to fight with you about this for sure… not that I don't appreciated the easy way and the support, but you always gave me the impression that nothing else could be good enough for a DiNozzo man."

"Son, I know you. I've known you for years and I can tell just by looking at you how you feel. You've not been happy with your job and your responsibilities lately. You always get this look on your face when something is bothering you or something is not going the way you'd like it to be going. And yes… for a while I truly believed that there was no better thing for a 'DiNozzo man', as you put it, than working for the family business. But after your mother died, I swore that I would do anything to make you happy and to do anything with your best interest at heart. And if that means letting you go and discover your own way in this world then I am prepared to do so and will fully support you."

"Wow, thanks dad. I am so glad you see it that way. I truly didn't want to fight you on this because I really want to do my thing. You see I have already applied at the police academy in Washington D.C., and I was totally prepared to just show you my acceptance letter and then walk out and wait till you either accepted my decision or cut me out of your life. Ehm… not that I think of you that way dad… I mean it crossed my mind but only briefly… honest", Tony knew he was rambling. That was a specialty of his. He could talk someone's ear off if he wanted to with just meaningless chatter. He also knew that right now the rambling came for the shock over the fact that his father had just told him he would fully support whatever decision he made.
"it's fine son. Maybe we haven't communicated as clearly as I thought we had. But that's a DiNozzo problem, misunderstandings are inevitable."

"Okay wow, dad, I truly do not know what to say."

"You could tell me about your plans, about the fact that you have been accepted into the police academy. Congratulations son! I am happy for you! Have you thought about where to live yet?", his father asked, and Tony was again speechless for a moment.

"Thanks dad, I honestly haven't thought about all this too much, was too busy thinking about how to tell you. I thought I'd go look at a few apartments, something nice but not overly expensive, you know?!", he answered slowly. He was not at all prepared for the turn the conversation had taken.

"No. No child of mine will live in an apartment building with so many other people and no chance of privacy. No that won't do."

"Dad!", Tony said exasperated, "It's fine, honestly, I'm perfectly fine with a small apartment somewhere in the city." He knew his father liked to overreact when it came to the standards of living, but Tony thought that it would be nice to have a few neighbors you could talk to and gossip with.

"No. I tell you what, Junior. I will look into it. I will find you the perfect place and you can consider that my birthday present to you for the next few years.", his father said grinning, suddenly all excited.

Tony knew he shouldn't but when his father used that tone of voice there was no use in arguing with him and so he agreed to let his father search for a place as long as it wasn't too flashy and too exclusive.

He should have known his father didn't do things half-way. He absolutely should have known it was not a good idea to let his father do as he pleases! 'It's your own fault', he thought to himself while staring at the house…the HOUSE… his father had bought…BOUGHT…. A few weeks later, 'you should have never agreed to this', he chided himself. But what was done was done and he was now the owner of a property in a street in Alexandria near Washington D.C. Although he had to hand it to his dad, he had honored Tony's wishes and it wasn't flashy or exclusive.

It was kinda nice. It was a nice quiet neighborhood form what Tony had gathered, and it wasn't too far away from the city. The only problem was… it was a goddamn house and he had absolutely no idea what to do with this much space. Although as he thought about it… there certainly was enough space to fit all his DVDs, his big plasma screen and his mother's piano in there. The piano where he had learned how to play, where his mother had taught him and where, even now, he could hear her soft voice whispering in his ear and her singing voice as she sang along. The piano where he would often sit at night and play to relax, to order his thoughts and clear his mind.

Well… maybe it wasn't all that bad. Maybe his father was right and that's exactly what he needed. He just hoped the neighbors were alright.

That was something he would find out soon enough.