Disclaimers disclaimed.

Chapter XVI - Boom


The ride to the safehouse was fairly quick. Tony had stopped once to pick up medication for Hunter and then to buy a few pizzas and soda. After that, he drove to the place where Hunter would be staying for the next few weeks to heal. When they arrived, Tony used a burn phone to check in with Ziva and the team then helped Hunter to get settled.

"How you feeling", he asked the younger man as he entered into the back bedroom of the safehouse with two plates of pizza and two sodas.

Hunter shifted himself on the bed, "I'm alright, Sir. Just some discomfort but I'll be fine."

"That's to be expected", he nodded knowingly. "Hungry?"

"Surprisingly, no. I should be, considering what I've been eating that last eleven days, but I don't really have an appetite."

"Well you have to take these meds, so you're going to have to eat at least a slice. You need to heal properly, not going to be able to do that without the meds."

Tony sounded completely fatherly. It was different for Hunter. He chuckled, "You know Sir, my father would have told me to just suck it up. He'd never talk to me about meds or cared if I took them for that matter. His response would probably be, 'Hunter you don't have time to rest. Get your shit together and get back to the mission". The young man shook his head.

For some reason, that didn't surprise Tony. "Well, I'm not your father but I'm sure he was just trying to train you up to be a good soldier. He still cares though. At least he seemed to care a lot the day he came to my office."

Hunter rolled his eyes, "he always cares in the company of others."

Tony handed him a plate then sat down in a chair next to the bed, "be honest with me, do you think Director Amadi is involved in all of this?"

"The more I think about it, the more I believe that he is", Hunter responded after taking a bite. "Somehow, it just makes sense to me. I mean, I'm not discrediting myself as a soldier nor am I discrediting my abilities, but what father actually trains and sends their 19 year old kid to another country to work as a spy of sorts?"

"Ziva's father", Tony chuckled. Hunter looked at him confused. "My wife, Agent Dinozzo, when she was your age she was already a highly trained and feared assasin. Her father was the one who trained her and sent her out on most of her ops."

"Wow", the young man was surprised. "I didn't read that part on Agent Dinozzo's dossier and Tali never mentioned that when she talked about you guys."

"Yeah, we don't really talk to our kids about our past too much. They of course know that we've been government officers for years and that we've killed but work is not usually what we discuss around our dinner table."

"Now Tali did tell me that. She said you and Agent Dinozzo are really protective of her and your son. My father has never been protective. He seems to always send me into the way of danger. When Tali talked about you, I couldn't help but to think how our lives are so different. How I would have loved to know that kind of sincerity within my parents growing up." Hunter paused then spoke again, "Sir, can I ask you something?" He took his final bite of pizza and washed it down with soda while he waited for Tony to respond.

"Ziva and I both come from broken homes, so we swore that we'd raise our children differently. We went through hell growing up. Ziva worse than I, but hell nonetheless. We never want our kids to know that kind of hell", he stopped to think about Tali. Guilt and anger washed over him as his mind wandered to what Hunter told him earlier about what Benjamin had done to his princess. Quickly, he tried to shake the feeling and focus back on Hunter, "what did you want to ask?"

"What do I do if my father really is behind all of this, Sir?"

It was a loaded question, one that the seasoned agent wasn't sure he could answer. Tony paused to give himself a moment to think. "To be honest, I don't know. I could tell you to forgive him and move on with your life but I know that's not simple. Only you can truly answer that question. You'll know the answer when we finally find out the truth."

Hunter shook his head in agreement. "Well, I hope we find the truth soon. Being confused feels worse than these broken ribs", although he laughed slightly, it was a serious statement.

For a moment, Tony felt sorry for the teenager. He saw a lot of himself within him. He tried to reassure him, "don't worry, my people will find the answers you need. If anyone can find the truth about your father, it's my wife. For now, just focus on getting some rest Officer Amadi. We'll be heading back to the Navy Yard at 0700."

"Yes Sir."

Tony nodded, grabbed the plates then went to exit the room. "If you need something, just holler", he said as he closed the door. Poor kid, we need the truth. Sooner than later, God.


Anthony sat in his father's dark office looking at his phone. It was 3AM and the 12 year old found it hard to sleep knowing that his 'protector' was missing. He cried silent tears and scrolled through pictures of him and Tali. It was overwhelming to think about what she could possibly be going through but he couldn't get his mind off it. I hope they're not hurting you Tal. He sighed heavily and sniffled.

Before he could wipe away the tears, Ziva was by his side and wiped his cheeks. He flinched slightly but then relaxed when he realized it was just his mother, "Ima you scared me."

"I'm sorry my little lamb", she spoke in Hebrew. Ziva had come to find years ago that speaking her nature tongue always soothed both Tali and Anthony. This moment was no different as Anthony shifted to lay in her arms.

"I miss Tali", the boy spoke as he lifted his phone for Ziva to see the picture he was looking at. It was him and Tali making goofy faces in front of the Eiffel Tower as Ziva and Tony kissed in the background.

"I remember that night", she laughed. "You and Tali argued all morning and through the entire plane ride but as soon as we landed in Paris you two went completely nuts and turned into total goof balls." She looked down at her son and realized he was crying again. Pulling him tighter, she kissed the top of his head and whispered, "I miss her too."

Anthony put his phone down and nestled into her embrace as Ziva started singing his favorite Hebrew lullaby. It didn't matter how old he got, Anthony loved it and always felt secure when she sung it. He mouthed the words as she sang until he slowly drifted off to sleep.


What the hell was that? Tony jumped up from the couch with his gun drawn. He quickly made his way to the room where Hunter was. The young man was leaning against the wall with a crutch in his hand. His stance showing he thought something was wrong.

"You heard it too", he asked the older man in a whisper.

Tony put his finger to his lips to signal Hunter to be quiet. He reached for his backup gun and handed it to Hunter but signaled for him to get down. Tony didn't want to take any chances with the young officer's ankle being broken. "Wait here", he whispered, "anyone other than me comes in this room, take the shot."

The young man nodded and watched as Tony went back out into the hall. Tony searched the entire safehouse but found nothing out of order. Maybe it was nothing. He shook his head and turned back to go to Hunter's room. It was when he turned that he saw an image run past in all black with a black ski mask.

"Federal Agent, stop", he yelled as he chased the figure out the door. He stopped in the middle of the dirt road and saw the intruder climbing into a black van. He let off shots until his clip was empty. Many of the rounds hitting the van as it pulled off but he was sure he hit the intruder too.

"Fuck", he yelled in frustration. How the fuck did someone find this place? He pulled his phone from his pocket and hit McGee's speed dial.

"McGee", he answered groggily.

"Tim, come to the safehouse now. We have a problem."

"What happened Boss?", Tony could hear him getting out of bed and shuffling to throw on clothes.

"There was an intruder. Dressed just like the guys from the video. He ran but I think I clipped him. Get over here asap and call your team in. They left tire tracks. Not sure what he touched in the house."

"And Amadi?"

"He's okay, just get over here."

"On my way Boss."

Tony ended the call and turned to walk back to the house then ... *BOOM*


CLIFFHANGERRRRRRRR! LoL

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