I cannot take credit for this chapter! The credit belongs Richfic who turned my averagely written chapter into something really cool. Enjoy:)

He dug deeper into the drawer, Cuban cigars, a hip flask probably filled with expensive whiskey, a gun.

Not just any gun.

Tony's breath caught in his throat as he checked out the weapon. A Sig Sauer P228, 9mm, semiautomatic, holding twice the ammo of the 1911, easily one of the best pistols ever made, world-class reliable, accurate, ergonomic, easily controllable and only available to federal agents.

What was his father doing with it?

Footsteps along the corridor alerted him to his father's imminent return. Thinking quickly he swung the chair around and settled himself into his father's chair, looking as nonchalant as possible.

"New game plan." He murmured.

He'd told Fornell his father wasn't a criminal. He wasn't about to be proved wrong. He needed answers and he wasn't going to get those from Anthony DiNozzo by sneaking around.

"What the hell are you doing?" His father demanded from the doorway.

Tony stifled his automatic flinch when his father used that tone and forced himself to look up slowly to meet his glare.

"I was about to ask you the same question."

"What are you talking ..?" His father moved further into the room, his face going white with anger as he caught sight of the partially open drawer. "Is that why you came back here, to steal from me? Get out of this house!"

Tony bit the inside of his cheek hard as he refused to let his hurt show in his expression. "Trust me, you don't have anything I want."

A small mocking small spread across his father's face as he surveyed him, scorn evident in his expression.

"Liar."

Tony looked away as the truth of those words hit home. He'd told Kate that he really missed the money and the life style that went with it. But all he had ever really wanted was this man's affection and approval and his father knew it.

Except if that was all he had ever wanted, he would had swallowed his pride and his ambition when his father had first offered him a job in the company. He had always cared more about doing the right thing than most people realised.

Including his father.

"This is a nice piece," He hefted the gun casually, his handling as he expertly checked the clip leaving no doubt as to his competent. "Where did you get it?"

"I have connections." Anthony replied cryptically. Anyone else might have missed the faint tremor of unease below those words. But Tony had always been good at reading people, even before he met Gibbs. Now he was even better.

"I have connections too," Tony eyed him seriously. "And the word is you're in way over your head."

"Connections? You?" His father scoffed. "You mean your frat brothers at Ohio State? Or those women you keep dating? I always knew that 'career' of yours wouldn't last. You never were any good at seeing things through. It was only a matter of time before you'd come running back here with your tail between yours legs."

"Believe me," Tony snapped. "None of this was my idea. I only thing I missed about this place was Rosa's chicken soup."

"So, why are you here?"

"Because I'm under orders from the FBI to investigate you."

"You lied to me?" Anthony frowned, a grudging admiration in his voice. He could have sworn that his son would find it impossible to lie to him, but Tony had seemed contrite and sincere, with just a hint of desperate.

Even Tony didn't seem to believe that he had actually fallen for his lies. "Oh come on Dad, you must have been suspicious of my timely arrival"

"But I had you checked out, I have a dozen sources who saw you fight with your boss and then quit." Anthony said incredulously.

"I do my best work undercover." Tony shrugged.

"Give me one good reason not to kick you out on your ass." Anthony demanded.

"Because you can talk to me or you can talk to the FBI. Your choice."

"I don't know what you are talking about." Anthony blustered.

"They think you are getting ready to ship weapons to Al-Qaeda. They have been watching you for weeks. I have the FBI on speed dial just ready to bring you down. You may not think much of my career choices. You may not approve of the women I date and I know that you'd never understood why I didn't want the life you offered me, but your name is my name too and I'll be dammed if I'll let you use it to slaughter innocent people. So, start talking."

"I can't." Anthony admitted quietly. To Tony's surprise his eyes were dark with fear.

"Can't what?" Tony pushed.

"I can't talk about it. They said they'd kill me if I did."

"They?" Tony queried, not giving an inch.

"You remember Alistair Fields?"

"The Texan?" Tony asked and his father nodded.

"He has a deal going with some Iraqis; he has the weapons but no way to get them to Iraq."

"So, you though you'd skip Vermont this winter and try for a little vacation in a Federal Prison?" Tony scoffed.

"I had no choice!" Anthony snapped, looking up at Tony. "He's been blackmailing me."

Tony tipped his head on one side, wondering exactly what it was that his father had been up to that gave Fields the power to blackmail him. Whatever it was it couldn't possibly be as bad as this.

"Why not just go to the cops?"

"He said he'd kill me if I did"

"You could have come to me." Tony offered quietly. He wasn't surprised when his father didn't answer. Anthony DiNozzo would rather commit a felony than go to his son and admit weakness. "Well it's lucky I came to you. I can fix this."

"You? How can you possibly fix this mess?" Anthony sneered.

"By doing my job!" Tony snapped back. He picked up the phone and went to dial with his thumb, never taking his eyes off his father.

"Who are you calling?"

"My boss. Usually, he doesn't have much time for arms dealers, but he might be prepared to make an exception in your case."

"No" Anthony reached for the phone. "No one else can know. We have to keep this within the family."

Tony looked at him, his eyes hard and flat. "My team is more of a family to me than you've ever been and if they help it won't be because of your name, or reputation or even your bank account, it will be because I asked them to."

Turning away from his father's slack jawed expression Tony tucked the phone to his ear. He wasn't remotely surprised when it was answered on the first ring.

"Gibbs."

"Boss, its me."

"DiNozzo? You alright?" Gibbs asked, sensing the tension in Tony's voice.

"I'm fine. For now." Tony sighed. Gibbs was going to kill him.

"Cut to the chase, DiNozzo," Gibbs normalcy was a comfort. "What's going on?"

"You never actually liked, Fornell, right, Boss?"