i'm so so sorry for being so long! I've just been sooo busy but i now have another three chapters waiting to be posted so i hope they make up for the wait :) enjoy
Gibbs heard his cell phone ring from his pocket. He dipped his hand in and pulled out the offensive object. "Gibbs." He answered in his usually abrupt tone.
"Boss, it's me."
"DiNozzo? You alright?" Gibbs asked, sensing the tension in Tony's voice. The team looked up instantly in shock at Gibbs talked to Tony.
"I'm fine. For now."
"Cut to the chase, DiNozzo," Gibbs normalcy was a comfort. "What's going on?"
"You never actually liked, Fornell, right, Boss?"
Gibbs frowned "Why'd you ask?"
"Things-" Tony tried to word it properly "- have changed". He finished. He felt his father's eyes on him as he spoke.
"Define changed, DiNozzo", Gibbs asked impatiently. He hated it when people didn't just cut to the chase.
"My cover's been blown"
Gibbs' heart started to beat faster, adrenaline taking effect as he began to gear up "Are you in danger?"
"No." Gibbs forced himself to breathe. "Let's just say that I was caught with my hand in the cookie jar."
"DiNozzo!"
"My father's being blackmailed to ship the guns", Tony explained. He heard his father sigh behind him and he did his best to ignore it.
"What do you need?" Gibbs asked instantly.
"I need your help and I need Fornell far away from everything."
"Done and Done, we'll be on the next plane"
"Thanks, Boss." Gibbs couldn't help but the hear the surprise in Tony's voice that Gibbs was dropping everything to help him.
"What was that about?" Ziva asked curiously as Gibbs hung up the phone. She leant forward and raised an eyebrow.
"Not here", Gibbs shushed Ziva. He began to walk toward the elevator, gesturing to McGee and Ziva to follow him. They followed without question. When the elevator closed Gibbs pressed the button for Abby's lab. Gibbs stayed silent until the elevator car reached Abby's floor. "Go get Abs", Gibbs ordered McGee. He nodded dumbly and left to get Abby whilst Gibbs held the elevator open.
"Timmy!" Abby exclaimed, as he pulled her into the elevator. "What's this about?" Gibbs started the elevator again and pulled the emergency stop. Gibbs, Abby, Ziva and McGee stood facing each other in the darkened elevator. "Cool!" Abby said excitedly, her eyes as wide as her smile. "I've never got to go to the secret meetings before!" Gibbs gave her a look and she quickly quietened down.
"What about Ducky?" McGee asked. "Shouldn't he be here for this?"
Gibbs turned to McGee. "He already knows what I'm about to tell you". He saw the curious looks on the faces of his team when they realised how serious he was. "Tony didn't quit."
Abby let out a gasp.
"He went to investigate his father concerning a shipment of weapons to Iraq."
"His father?" Ziva asked. She hadn't heard a lot about Tony's father but what she had, hadn't been good. It wasn't what Tony had said about his father that worried her, it was the haunted look in his eyes as the memories surfaced.
"Fornell and the FBI had intel that made them believe a shipment of weapons was leaving the country soon. Further intel found that the company shipping the weapons was DiNozzo Enterprises."
Abby suppressed the urge to shout at Gibbs for not telling her sooner "Why are you telling us now?"
"He needs help, and we're going to give it to him."
"What do you need us to do?" McGee asked. Tony might tease him incessantly but he was still his friend. He still remembered how he'd felt when Tony was drugged and kidnapped, when he had the plague, when he was nearly blown up, when he was trapped in the shipping container, McGee couldn't remember a time when Tony wasn't in trouble.
"Pack your bags." Gibbs ordered.
"What about me?" Abby asked. It was obvious she was worried about her friend.
Gibbs placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Plane tickets."
She smiled instantly, suddenly feeling more in control of things. "Plane tickets I can do!"
Gibbs flicked the emergency switch off. Before the elevator reached the squad room he addressed his team again. "No word to anyone, not even the director." They nodded. When the elevator opened the team spread out to collect bags. They wouldn't have long to get home, pack, and be back again. Abby went to Tony's desk and began to book the tickets. As Gibbs watched his team leave he pulled out his cell phone and dialled Fornell's number.
"Fornell", he answered.
"It's me", Gibbs replied.
"What do you want?" Fornell demanded in his usual gruff voice.
Gibbs laughed. "What makes you think I want something?"
"Good guess?"
"Okay, I do need a favour"
"Name it, doesn't mean I'll be able to help."
"Give me the DiNozzo case."
"Jethro", Fornell warned, "You're too close to this."
"Tony needs help. I'm going there to help him. Tobias and I need the FBI to stay away."
"What do I get in return for risking my job by handing over one of your biggest cases in the last two years?"
"I'll give you the perp, full recognition."
"Tempting."
"Look, I'm not interested in the catch, I'm interested in DiNozzo getting out of it in one piece, we'll hand everything over to you when we catch the perp in the act."
"The perp? You don't think DiNozzo Sr is involved?"
"I know he's involved but he's not the one you want."
"You know this how?"
"He's being blackmailed."
"By who?"
"Tell me you'll back off, and I'll tell you who's blackmailing DiNozzo Sr."
Fornell groaned. "Fine." He gave in. "It's all yours, now tell me what I want to know."
"As soon I as know, Tobias, you'll know", he answered with a laugh. He hung up quickly. He scanned the empty squad room. Abby must have finished up quickly and disappeared back to her lab for another caff-pow fix. He looked up at the balcony to see the director leaning against the handrail, one eyebrow raised.
"Where is your team, Jethro? Fired them all?" She smirked.
"Inportant case. We'll be out of the office till the end of the week, maybe longer."
"And what case is that, Jethro?"
"Don't you trust me, Director?"
She gave him a look and after a second, she answered "You know I do."
"Then trust me", he replied, before walking away. He pressed the button for the elevator and got in. He reached the garage level and stepped out. He paused when he saw McGee, Ziva and Abby huddled by a car chatting. He using his trained sniper skills to sneak up on the trio.
"Why are you excited about this, Abs?" McGee asked, confused as to her wide smile that hadn't left her face since Gibbs had let them in on the undercover operation.
"Don't you see?"
"See what Abby?" Ziva was equally exasperated.
"Daddy DiNozzo is going to have a run in with Poppa bear." She smiled evilly. McGee and Ziva still didn't understand. Abby sighed "He's not going to know what hit him when Gibbs gets a hold of him", she translated, "and I can't believe I'll miss it! Timmy, I want all the details!" she ordered.
"None of you will be going if you don't leave right now", Gibbs said, from behind them. The trio jumped and spun to face Gibbs, knowing they'd been caught. "Now!" He repeated and they scattered. Gibbs smiled. Abby was right, he was definitely going to be having words with Anthony DiNozzo Sr.