Tony and Gibbs had just finished eating the Chinese food Gibbs had brought home when the storm started. Gibbs could see how tired Tony was, which made him wonder whether the younger man had gotten any sleep the night before.

"Tony, why don't you go find something to watch on TV. I'll clean up and come join you in a couple of minutes."

"Are you sure, Gibbs? I can help."

"I'm sure." Gibbs watched Tony leave as he washed the forks they had been using. He was glad that Tony was starting to listen to him and take his advice.

Tony was falling asleep on the couch when Gibbs came and sat next to him. He smiled a little as he forced himself into a seated position and looked at his boss.

"Something wrong, Tony?"

"I need to ask you something."

"You can ask me anything, you know that."

"Well... I need some time off tomorrow morning. I know that I just came back and all, so it's okay if you say no..."

"Appointment with Rachel?" Gibbs asked, knowing he was right.

"Yes."

"Go to the appointment, Tony. It's helping you, and as long as I know you're getting through everything, that's all that I want."

Tony looked up, relieved. "Thank you."

"Just promise me something."

"Anything."

"Don't ever feel like you need to justify yourself, especially to me. Okay?"

Tony nodded, giving Gibbs the impression that Tony still did not understand that he was an equal, not a piece of dirt that someone stood on. Gibbs left it alone though, seeing that Tony was falling asleep again. His confidence was something that was getting better, but his self-worth clearly needed to be developed. Gibbs would never push Tony, but he knew that the younger man was going to have a very long road ahead of him.

Gibbs had just fallen asleep after taking a shower when he heard a scream coming from his guest bedroom. Suddenly worried about Tony, he abandoned his water glass and hurried to the room across from his. Without knocking, Gibbs opened the door and walked in. He could see that Tony was in the midst of a nightmare, so he went over and gently shook the shoulder that had not been injured. It was something he had become familiar with in the last week and a half- Tony had had several nightmares since telling his whole story to so many different people, and it didn't seem to matter where he was. The nightmares would just strike out of the blue, and they often left Tony shaking in fear and pain that was only in his mind. Sadly, Gibbs had even become familiar with Tony's reactions. Depending on how quickly Gibbs managed to rouse him from a nightmare, Tony would lash out, thinking he was attacking his father. Gibbs had bruises on his arms from where Tony had woken up one night in the worst way he had ever been and grabbed onto the first thing he touched. That had been directly after giving Matt the second half of his statement, when the memories were still fresh, and he had gripped Gibbs' in such a tight hold until he could calm down. Gibbs had ended up whispering soothing words to Tony for nearly an hour following that nightmare, trying to get Tony to realise that he was safe enough to relax and sleep.

Now, Gibbs realised that he wasn't going to wake Tony easily. This was the worst nightmare he had had since the beginning of this mess. Gibbs moved his hand to Tony's left shoulder. He knew that he was going to cause pain like this, but he was hoping the pain would help wake Tony. Squeezing as gently as possible, Gibbs finally managed to wake his friend.

Tony woke up in a cold sweat. He was shaking and afraid, and hadn't even noticed Gibbs yet. He could still feel his father's hands on his body, could see the evil smirk on his father's face as he molested Tony. He couldn't see past his ten year old self at that moment, and the fear and pain from that day was as fresh as the day it happened.

"Tony! Tony! Come back to me!"

Tony continued to shake, but his glazed eyes finally slid up to look at his boss. After a moment, Tony's eyes returned to their normal green colour. He felt tears burning his eyes as Gibbs reached out and carefully pulled him into a tight embrace.

"You're okay, Tony," Gibbs whispered into his ear, "you're okay. It's okay."

"S...Sorry, G...Gibbs," Tony finally stammered out.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Tony. You're alright."

"It was really bad this time."

"I know, bud, I know. Talk to me, tell me about it." Gibbs already knew what the problem was, but Tony needed to voice it if he was going to be able get some sleep. He would remind Tony in the morning to talk to Rachel about it too.

"He was rubbing his hands all over me... And there was nothing I could do to stop him."

"How old were you in this one?"

"Ten," Tony whispered. He was still clinging to Gibbs, but his tears had slowed to sobs.

Gibbs rubbed Tony's back, allowing him to cling to the t-shirt he was wearing. He was quiet for a little while, giving Tony some time to relax.

After a while, Tony calmed down. His breathing evened out, and Tony loosened his grip on Gibbs' shirt. After a minute more, Tony let his eyes close. His head was resting on Gibbs' shoulder, making him feel much safer.

"Get a peaceful rest now, Tony," Gibbs whispered as he laid Tony back on the bed and covered him with the blankets.