Warnings: Same as the last couple of chapters.

A/N: Hi everyone, sorry for the delay in updating. Work has been very busy and I've been spending a lot of my weekends just recouping and not getting a lot of writing done. I hope you enjoy this chapter!


The DiNozzos' house smelled like flowers; some tropical, manufactured air freshener that women were so found of, but despite the smell, it was a beautiful home.

Tommy Merchant felt an instant jealous rage boil inside of him. It wasn't fair that Anthony DiNozzo—the wise-cracking, good looking, down right obnoxious at times, federal agent—got all of this. Especially while he, Tommy Merchant, had sat in a jail cell, subjected to nasty prison guards and even nastier inmates.

On a nearby end table in the front entry way there was a baby picture, a boy, with dark brown hair and big blue eyes. He resisted the urge to take his pocket knife out and stab the picture. He was here for one thing—either DiNozzo himself, or DiNozzo's wife. Either way, someone in this house was going to pay for what he'd been through in prison. At this point he would be just as happy to watch DiNozzo grieve and suffer the loss of his wife as he would be if he killed DiNozzo.

Glancing up the ornate stairs, Merchant listened for any signs of movement. It was calm and still. He stepped on the bottom step and it creaked underneath his feet. Damn old house.

It was painstaking, climbing those creaky stairs, but it didn't wake anyone. DiNozzo had apparently lost his edge in his older years…

Upstairs all the bedrooms were empty. He became even more angry. Was DiNozzo toying with him? Playing some kind of game? Because if he was, Merchant didn't want to play. Furious, he darted, full force down the stairs, not caring how loud he was. He turned towards the back of the house and stormed down the hall.

"What's the matter?" a familiar voice said as a light flicked on. "Didn't find what you were looking for?"

Merchant turned in the hall, eyes dark with hatred fixated on DiNozzo.

Tony aimed his weapon at the younger man's chest. "She's not here. You didn't honestly think I'd let you get your hands on her, did you? Drop the weapon, Merchant. It's over."

"I'm not going back to prison," Merchant hissed.

"Okay, then, well six feet under the ground works just as well for me," Tony snapped. "You crossed a line, Merchant, when you set your sights on my wife and kid."

"I never would have hurt those adorable little boy," Merchant said with a sick smile. "Your wife was always the target—by the way, you have excellent taste in women. If I had never been caught… oh I would have loved to have her as prey."

Tony felt his skin crawl just picturing Merchant tormenting Leah and eventually killing her, and he felt an even stronger desire to protect her course through his veins. He resisted the urge to pull back on the trigger and put a bullet through the younger man's eyes right then and there. "Good thing I caught you then and sent you to jail."

Merchant continued to smile at him sadistically. "Guess it means I just get to play out my fantasy with you, Agent DiNozzo. I've been waiting a long time for this. And once I'm done with you… Agent Gibbs will be next."

"Don't count on it," Gibbs said from the entryway to the living room; his own weapon carefully aimed at the serial killer.

"Aw, you're together again," Merchant swooned in a mocking way. "How cute."

"I already asked you to drop the weapon," Tony warned.

Merchant's lip curled. "You need to pay for what happened to me in prison!"

Tony stood his ground, his gun still pointed at the intruder. "You killed those girls. Not me. As far as I'm concerned—you got what you deserved."

Despite being off the job for so many months, Tony was prepared for Merchant coming at him. Instinct kicked in and he easily took the other man down, firing a shot into Merchant's left thigh. As Merchant went down, taking a photo frame with him, which smashed on the hardwood floor, the knife flew from his grasp and Tony was quickly there to kick it away.

Gibbs swiftly holstered is weapon and moved in, face planting Merchant in the hallway before he pinned the serial killer's arms behind his back. "Don't move," the team leader snarled, "or it will be your neck that's broken."

Tony shoved his knee in Merchant's back while he produced his cuffs. "I don't suppose I have to tell you that you're under arrest, but you are. For murdering three innocent people, assaulting a federal agent, breaking into my home, and if I could add vandalism for breaking the frame on my wedding photo, I will."

"DiNozzo, tone it down a notch," Gibbs warned him as the cuffs clicked into place.

"Sorry, boss," Tony whispered, yanking Merchant to his feet. "Let's go, Tommy, you have a date with a jail cell."

On the front porch Tim and Ellie appeared, having been behind the house covering the back door. Tony pushed Merchant towards them. "Get him off my property."

Tim grabbed Merchant and headed towards the parked Charger out front, "Gladly," he told Tony as they walked away.

Gibbs joined Tony and Ellie on the front lawn. He studied Tony for a moment in the dim light of predawn, and asked, "You okay, Tony?"

"Fine, boss," Tony answered. "Glad it's over."

"Want to do the honors of booking Merchant?"

"No thanks, Gibbs. Someone else I have to go see."

The team leader smiled, slightly, and nodded. "Okay. Go see her. We'll wrap up here."

The SFA pulled the keys to his SUV out. As he moved towards his car, he heard Gibbs shout out to him, "Welcome back, Anthony!" Climbing into the car, Tony drove off with a big smile on his face.


Leah heard the gears of the hotel door lock clicking into place. She had barely slept a wink since Tony had placed them here to keep them safe. When he left, his eyes were filled with that same anger that had nearly consumed him over the summer. She was terrified that the man she had known all summer was going to show up, snuff out the Tony that she had grown to love that had been slowly returning to her over the last three days.

Tony stepped into the hotel room, though, without an ounce of anger in his eyes. He glanced at her, not surprised that she was still up, and let go of the door. It swung back on the hinges and clicked shut. "It's over," he sighed. "We got him."

She jumped off the bed and ran to him, collapsing into his arms with a silent sob.

He gently ran his fingers through her hair and whispered, "It's over, Leah. We can go home."


Home seemed like a foreign place to Tony.

The family hadn't been there in months. Lincoln made himself comfy, however, finding a spot in the den and curling up for nap. Tony stood there watching the dog, listening to Leah try to get Jack to sleep through baby monitor. It was true that hours ago when he had arrested Merchant he'd felt more like himself than he had in months, but, he also knew that he had a long road to travel.

He wasn't out of the woods yet. Tony sat down on the sofa. He knew that he had decisions to make and those decisions could not be made on his own.

"Jack's finally down for the night," Leah announced, stepping into the den. She flopped down onto the sofa with Tony. "It's nice to be home."

"I'd almost forgotten what it looked it," he whispered, running his fingers through her hair. "Lincoln looks comfortable."

Leah rested her head against his arm and smiled at the sleeping dog. "I think Lincoln would be comfortable anywhere. I mean, we've been to three different places since returning to D.C and he's been pretty good at all three."

Tony took a deep breath. "I've been thinking," he said, softly, "of taken more time off. I know Gibbs thought this case was going to jolt me and get the investigative bug to bite... but I'm not ready."

She listened to the quiet house for a moment before answering, "Okay."

He chuckled, uneasily. "Okay? For the last three months you've been pushing me to go back to work."

"Yes, before I fully understood...before I stopped denying that you needed help."

"I could still go to work and therapy."

Leah shook her head. "No. I want you to do what you feel is best for you not me. We'll be fine. We can manage on my salary."

Tony shifted and pulled her into his arms. "I'm going to get better, Leah; for you, for Jack...for me."