~*Authors Notes*~
I was half expecting "crickets" after my post. I'm thrilled to still have some fellow Gabby Shippers out there. Anyway, here's another chapter to say: "I missed you and missed my Gabby bunnies that hop around in my mind that have been gathering some Gabby things to inspire this fic." So, on behalf of me and my bunnies: We miss messing with your shipper hearts!
Alaska
"Seen him before?" Tony asked as he held up his phone with Gibbs photo on it.
The two men that stood before him simply shared glances and smiled as they walked off from the irritated man that showed up to town three hours ago.
"Does anybody speak around here?" Tony mumble to himself as he watched the men walk off. Just like the rest of the people he encountered over the past three hours. No answers. No one said a word, besides the indigenous woman who mumbled something to him but he didn't try to ask her to translate her native language for him. Instead, he had walked off in search of someone who could possibly show him where to find Gibbs.
Annoyed he went over to a bench that sat outside what he assumed was the general store in this tiny town that was the closest to where McGee told him that he could find Gibbs. Shutting his eyes, he leaned back. Resting his head on the wall he pictured himself going into the Alaska wilderness alone and being ravaged by a grizzly or a pack of wolves, but he knew he wasn't destined to go out heroic like that because, with his luck, he would probably be taken out by a sprang ankle or a moose. He chuckled at the thought.
"Why are you still here?" A voice said as Tony felt a nudge on his feet, where the stranger had kicked him lightly.
His eyes darting open he sat up quickly. "Finally, someone that speaks!" He exclaimed as he looked at the middle-aged indigenous man standing before him.
"You should go." The man replied.
Tony ignored the warning. Instead, he rose to his feet and faced the only person who said a thing to him since he arrived.
"Can you help me?" Tony asked. "I'm looking for him..." Tony trailed off as he showed his phone to the uninterested man. "He's, my fri- my brother." Tony smiled.
The man tilted his head causing Tony to notice the beautiful earrings he wore. White ivory-colored feathers with a hit of bright blue seem to bring out his indigenous features to Tony. The way his long beautiful hair was pulled back and the long braid that hung behind him. The chiseled jaw and those eyes that seem to be brown but speckled with hints of a greyish blue.
Tony cleared his throat, now that he suddenly felt intimated by the man that stood before him.
"We were adopted..." DiNozzo, stammered. "My dad... our dad is sick, so I came to find him. Dad – we call him ducky. He would like to see us." Tony smiled brighter, hoping he would be believed.
Unimpressed, the quiet man simply raised an eyebrow at him.
Defeated, Tony dropped his arm that held up the phone and walked away. "Of course he would come here. Everyone speaks his language. Stoic silence, eyebrow raises and..." Tony let out a deep breath. "Look have you seen him before?" He asked as he turned around.
There was no one.
"What the?..." Tony trailed off as he looked around to see where the man went.
Scanning the area he saw nothing. "They even move like him here... freaking ninjas." Tony huffed.
A truck coming around the store and then down the rugged road caught his attention. One of the only trucks he had seen since he got here. He watched it as it made it's way toward him. Silently he watched as the man he met earlier drove up next to him and parked. He nodded in the direction of the passenger seat.
A bit hesitant he contemplated whether or not he should go with him. Then the slight hope entered his mind. Maybe this is his way of showing him where to go, he thought. Without another word, he got in the truck.
The drive was silent for the first minute, but Tony broke it with another question.
"Have you seen him?"
He said nothing.
Shaking his head, Tony looked out the window. "Where exactly are we going?" He asked.
"Plane leaves in two hours." He replied casually.
"What?! NO! I'm not leaving, I'm here looking for my bos- brother!" Tony exclaimed.
The man simply continued to drive.
"You do realize I had to hitch a ride from the pilot to get here, don't you? When we get there, I'm getting off and walking back. I'm not giving up. Just stop the truck." Tony said as he continued to open the door on the truck.
"I wouldn't do that." He heard the man say as he felt the barrel of what he assumed was a sawed-off shotgun being pressed against the base of his neck. The cold barrel on his skin cause his heart to race. The pounding in his chest seem to cause him to go deaf.
"Hey... ok, hold up." Tony begged as he raised his hand. "I'm just looking for my-"
"Brother, yeah you said that." The man with the gun replied.
With his voice trembling he slowly turned toward the man. "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble or-"
"What oil company are you with? Or what are you planning on mining? Maybe cut down some trees?" The man responded as he slowed down and parked the truck by the side of the road and face Tony as he continue to hold the gun on him.
"What? No, I'm not with anyone like that." Tony's voice shook. "I'm here to find my brother. That's the truth."
"Why should I believe you?" The man responded.
"I don't know, but I'm not with any company." Tony begged.
"That's what they all say until the chemicals seep into our waters, the trees are gone and the earth is made sick by your-"
"I swear, I'm not here for any of that..." Tony stammered as he slowly reached for his phone. "I'm just going to get my phone, ok?" He let the man know.
With a bright smile, he looked at the scared man in the passenger seat. "I know you have one gun on your left side under your coat, a backup... probably a small-caliber revolver strapped on your right ankle, and a knife on your right side."
Tony's eyes widen at his accuracy. "Uh, well... I also have a phone. Right pocket. Cracked screen top right corner..." Tony forced a smile. "My daughter dropped it last month."
The man simply cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not mocking you, I swear." Tony said defending himself. "Here, this is my family." He showed him a picture of Ziva and Tali.
"Should go back to them." He replied.
Tony shook his head. "I'm showing you so you won't kill me."
The man chuckled. His low booming voice and his bright smile confused Tony. Without a word, the laughing man tossed the sawed-off shotgun at him. That Tony had a little trouble grabbing.
Taken by surprise, he looked down at the gun. "It's empty." He stated as he felt the weight of it.
"Doesn't work too. Found it last year. Keep it in the truck in case I need to scare silly white suits like you out of town." He said as he shook his laughter from words.
"Suits?" Tony asked confused.
"You seem like you were crisp designer clothes and maybe own a pair of Louboutin shoes... plus, wearing those Ray-Bans aren't helping much." He smiled at Tony.
Tony nervously chuckled as he removed is shades.
After his laughter subsided, the man cleared his throat. "You're not going to find him here." He said as he pointed at the phone Tony had dropped when he caught the shotgun.
Swallowing down his fear, Tony laid down the gun between them. "Where can I find him?"
"Not here." He simply replied.
"Have you seen him before?" He asked again and again he got no response. "He might have been here, maybe last year? It's important that I find him." Tony pled.
"You and your brother don't talk?" The man asked.
"Well, we haven't seen each other in a long time." He admitted to the still smiling man. Knowing he wasn't going to get any answers Tony groaned as he picked up his phone. Then he suddenly remembered the coordinates that McGee sent him. "Ok, take me to the plane." He said as he leaned back in the seat and put his sunglasses back on.
The driver did not argue. He started up the truck and down the rugged road they went toward the bush plane that was set to leave soon if the weather had permitted. Roughly nine miles down the road Tony quietly pulled out his phone and looked at the coordinates again. For a minute or two, he said nothing. Then when he felt like they were in a good spot he sat up.
"Can you pull over?" Tony pointed to the side of the road. "Need to take a leak." He lied.
Without hesitation, the man pulled to the side of the road, where Tony exited. Looking at his phone he assumed this was the closest spot indicated by McGee on the map. No cell reception wasn't helping him. Maybe he should have bought that GPS he was looking at in Anchorage, he thought to himself as he looked out over at the towering mountains and skyscraper looking pines slowly swaying in the breeze.
Taking a shaky breath he turned around toward the man in the truck. "What's your name?"
With a hint of smile, he looked at Tony. "Why?"
"Just give me your name." Tony said quietly. "I'm Tony, Anthony DiNozzo, Jr."
A bit annoyed the man in the truck replied. "Edison."
"Hi, Edison. Can you help me look for my brother?" Tony smiled. "Then I'll be out of here. I promise. I just need to find my brother." He begged.
"No." He said as he turned away from Tony.
"Come on!" Tony exclaimed annoyed. "You know this place better than I do. You can help me a lot. I mean you can probably talk to the trees or listen to the wind or something, right?" Tony smiled back at the man.
Irritated, Edison shook his head. "Oh yeah, I even talk to bears too." He laughed. "Are you really going to stereotype me in the same sentence you ask for my help?" He replied annoyed.
Tony groaned. "I'm sorry, I just really need to find my brother. Look if you don't want to help, fine. But, I'm going to look for him." Tony said as he walked off in the rough direction of where McGee said he might be.
"You do you know you're going to die out there, right?" Edison called out from his truck.
"Then help me or sit there and shut up, but either way I'm going to find my brother." Tony called back as he stumbled through the tall grass and shrubs.
Edison watched him disappear through the shrub. "Out of two brothers, I get stuck with the stupid one." He breathed as he started his truck and pulled away.
Tony wiped the droplets of sweat that had already formed on his forehead and listened to the sound of the truck fade away. His lungs already felt like it was on fire from the few meters he had trekked through. Looking down at his phone he scanned the area and made a rough estimate that what he was looking for was about a mile through the shrubs. Putting his phone away he pulled out the small compass from his shirt pocket and began walking.
He stumbled through the uneven ground. Down creek beds and had to cut himself free from shrubs a couple of times. His sweat caused his shirt to cling to his body but the cold wind had also made his body temperature slowly drop as it hit the sweat on his body. With a shiver, he stumble through more woods as he assumed that he should be making it to some water soon. His ankle hurt from when he rolled it earlier stepping over a log, which caused him to limp a little as saw a small hill before him. He swore that this was the last obstacle he needed to cross before reaching the water. His lungs were a fire and muscle sore from what seemed like hours of trekking he crawled up the small hill, that could have very well have been Mount Everest.
His legs trembling while he made it up the steep little hill he stopped. Looking up he saw a figure of a man sitting on a log. Squinting he groaned as his vision came into focus.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Tony yelled, which caused him to stumble. "What the fuck man!" He said loudly as he crawled up the last bit of hill.
Eidson only smiled at him. He looked like he didn't even break a sweat.
"How the fuck did you find me and get here before me?" Tony said annoyed as he collapsed onto the ground.
"Eagle flew by and said to wait right here, the idiot making too much noise in the forest will be here soon." Edison replied to Tony with a smile.
"Fuck you." Tony breathed as he tried to catch his breath.
"Heard your panting on the wind too. The trees are laughing, can you hear them?" Edison said as he looked up.
"Ha ha." Tony said exhausted. "Now, you're just fucking with me."
Edison chuckled. "You might want to look that way." He told Tony who was finally catching his breath.
Lazily, Tony raised his head to see what Edison was pointing at. Getting up off the ground he stood up to get a better look. There camouflaged in the trees and shrubs was a lightly worn path cutting through the woods.
"Anyone can miss it if you don't know where to look." Edison smirked.
How long have you been waiting?" Tony asked.
"45 minutes?" The native man shrugged.
Groaning, Tony turned around to face him. "See, you could have helped. But noooo, you decided to go laugh about me with your tree friends." He said annoyed.
Edison laughed. "Still wouldn't have helped you. I would have taken you straight to the plane." Looking at his watch he looked back up at Tony. "We can still make it."
Tired Tony shook his head and leaned up against a large tree. "Be honest, have you seen him before?"
Edison looked off over the field that Tony had trekked through. "Winters are getting shorter..." He trailed off causing Tony to groan. "Salmon runs are getting less too. Did you know when I was a kid-"
"Edison, stop... please." Tony interrupted.
Quietly Edison turned to him. "Let me guess, your brother is the kind that would have listened to the things I speak of..."
Tony looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, I just really need to-"
"Find him." The calm man finished for him. Taking a deep breath he rose to his feet and stood by Tony beneath the tree. Silently he took a piece of Starbust from his pocket.
"Candy?" He quietly asked.
"You're good at evading questions, have you ever considered becoming a politician or lawyer perhaps?" Tony smiled as he took the candy from Edison.
"I'd be feared." Edison continued to smile. "...but I like my candy and hunting too. Salmon runs too." He said as he quietly unwrapped a candy of his own. "The orange ones are my favorite." He calmly said as he popped one in his mouth.
Chuckling Tony unwrapped his. "Is that why you gave me the yellow one?" He asked as he popped the candy in his mouth.
The moment he could taste the lemon-flavored candy in his mouth, the wrapper he was holding in his hand closest to the tree he was leaning up against was suddenly pinned to the bark by a hunting knife that had come flying out of nowhere. The terror overtook him as he saw how close the knife had come to his face and mere millimeters from his hand that once held the wrapper. He had nearly choked on the candy as he took in a quick breath.
Unphased by the knife that so accurately hit the tiny candy wrapper. Edison chewed his candy and looked at Tony and asked nonchalantly.
"Are you sure, he's your brother?"
His heart nearly beat out of his chest as Tony spat the candy out as he searched the face of the calm Native man looking at him.
Still chewing his candy, Edison stuff his own candy wrapper in the front pocket of his jeans.
"I don't like to litter. Respect mother earth, you know." He stated calmly as he pulled the knife from the tree between them. Tony continued to look with horror at him. "He's almost as good as I am with a knife." He said as he pulled the candy wrapper from the sharp blade.
Tony's breath began to shake. "What?" He asked quietly.
"Gave this to him about..." Edison trailed off as he looked at the hunting knife he held in his hand. "...4 months ago?"
After the shock and terror of what had just happened, Tony started to finally piece together what was happening. As his thoughts came together he watched Edison wipe the sap away from the knife on his pant leg and casually toss it in the direction from which the knife first came flying out from.
Tony's breathing settled, while his heart still seemed to pound beneath his chest walls as he notice slight movement from the corner of his eye. Suddenly, his mouth had gone dry. The tension he felt in his gut had come back tenfold. Slowly he began to face in the direction that Edison had tossed the knife... and there in the shadows of the trees stood the silhouette of a man.
The large branches swaying in the wind creaked overhead and the gentle rustle of pine needles crunching beneath the feet of the man stepping out from the darkness was all Tony heard. From the darkness he watched him step into the light.
He watched the man tuck the knife away behind him as he looked up at him. A half-smirk and those piercing blue eyes he would know anywhere. The fear subsided as Tony watched him approach. His silver hair seem to glow in what light came through the treetops as he came close to Tony.
Tony opened his mouth to speak, instead, he was interrupted by Edison saying something in his native language to the quiet Marine that now stood in front of him.
Suddenly, he watched that rare million-watt smile beam from the man he came to find. He watched him chuckle as he looked over at the Native man standing next to him.
"What?, What did you tell him?" Tony asked as he looked at Edison.
He didn't answer, instead, the Marine did.
"He said you're loud." Gibbs smiled at him.
Tony was in shock when he turned his attention back to Gibbs. He didn't think he would actually find him. Yet, here he stood face to face with a familiar friend. McGee was right, he did look happy. More than ever before, but he still was badass and just as scary... if not more, he thought to himself. No, he didn't actually find him. He admitted. It was he who was found by...
"G- Gibbs." Tony managed to say.
The Marine only smiled.
~*Next Chapter*~
"Worth Killing For"
"Not sure how often I'll post but I couldn't hold this one back. Had to share. Hope you liked it. I'm ready to shake things up."
*laughs wickedly*
TGE
