Tony swung on the rickety swing with little energy. The wooden swing was tied to the branch of a tree in the grounds. It was an old hiding place of Tony's; his father never ventured further than the patio, so the swing and the makeshift tree-house above were a refuge from the disappointing looks and passive-aggressive comments that had ruled his childhood. He gripped the fraying rope tightly, and sighed.
From here he could see the house and the driveway. The uncomfortable silence in the house was getting to Tony, and if he had to sit and wait outside in the cold for Gibbs then so be it.
The swing held a lot of memories. As an only child, Tony had no-one to play games with. Instead he'd escape to his tree and pretend the tree house was filled with all his friends. He'd swing as high as he could and pretend that someone was pushing him. He'd play hide and seek and pretend he was found last. Once a maid had joined him and he'd made her play catch with him, until she was found out and promptly fired. He remembered a time when he was seven and he'd come to the tree to hide from a party his father was holding. He'd been called into the house and on his way back in he'd tripped and fallen in the mud. His clothes were totally ruined and his father had never been so angry with him. He'd been sent up to bed straight away without dinner.
Tony shook his head to push the memory away. He could never seem to remember good memories as easily. He did have them. Birthday parties, staying up late when his father was away on business and watching movies, taking advantage of room service when his father took him with him abroad. Tony smiled.
"How much further?" McGee asked, as he swallowed. Being in the car while Gibbs drove was fine for short journeys, but anything longer than an hour was a bad idea.
"Is it natural to be that green?" Ziva asked, as she frowned at McGee. He didn't answer.
"Another five minutes, McGee", Gibbs answered, as they turned a corner harshly. They turned into a gated community where every house was as big as NCIS headquarters. They slowed down as they neared the DiNozzo mansion. McGee's jaw dropped.
"Tony lives here?"
"No." Gibbs shook his head. "Tony's father lives here. Tony still lives in DC", he corrected.
"But still -" Ziva spoke with eyes as wide as saucers, " - that place is huge!"
"I knew Tony came from money but I didn't realise it was that much money!" McGee added. Gibbs smiled at his team. He knew from Tony that the outside was nothing compared to the inside. Gibbs rolled down the window and pressed the button for the intercom.
"Yes?" A posh voice answered.
"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I'm here to see Tony DiNozzo."
"One moment", the voice said. The gates opened automatically a moment later. They drove down the driveway and parked outside the door. They slowly climbed out of the car and looked up. McGee had never seen anything so large. Gibbs led his team to the porch and held up his hand, ready to knock on the large wooden door when a voice from behind them stopped him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you..."
The team spun round to come face to face with Tony.
"...unless you want a confrontation with Lila the unbelievably terrible."
"DiNozzo." Gibbs stepped down off the porch and walked up to his senior field agent. "You look like crap."
Tony looked down. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."
"Lila?" Ziva asked. Tony had never been so grateful that Ziva's interruption stopped Gibbs from interrogating him further.
"The new wife", Tony explained. "A beast of a woman. She's in a huff because my father's not in the mood to give her what she wants."
Gibbs ignored Tony's comment. "Where's your father?"
Tony shrugged. "His study? The living room? The wine cellar?"
"You have a wine cellar?" McGee asked. Gibbs gave him a pointed stare and he shut up quickly.
"We need to talk to him, DiNozzo."
"Well, good luck! He hasn't spoken to me since yesterday" ,Tony retorted. He pushed past them and opened the door. "Come on." He gestured into the house. "I'll show you where you can put your bags."
Gibbs nodded at McGee and Ziva to grab all the gear from the car and watched in amusement as they rushed to get the bulky load out and carry it all without dropping it. Tony led the team into the house and smiled at the amazement on Ziva and McGee's faces. He led them up the main staircase to the second floor bedrooms. The room furthest away from his went to Ziva, the next to McGee and the closest to Gibbs. "I'm right next door",he told Gibbs. He watched as Gibbs dumped his bags ceremoniously on the four poster bed. "So what now?"
"Now you show me where your father is, DiNozzo."
"It's a big house, boss."
"Then you better start looking", Gibbs replied.
Tony sighed. "I'll call you when I find him."
"You do that, DiNozzo."
Tony exited the room and walked back down the stairs. He checked his father's bedroom first, but it was empty. He then went down the other set of stairs. He ducked his head inside the dining room, the living room and then the study. All were empty. He then searched the kitchen. Amid the bustle of the kitchen was his father, sitting at the small table sipping on a glass of wine. In all the years he'd known his father, he'd never seen him in the kitchen. To him the kitchen was for the help only. He cleared his throat to get his father's attention. Anthony looked up and Tony was surprised how forlorn his father looked. Maybe it was the fear that he could lose everything.
"My team's here", Tony said. "My boss wants to speak with you." Tony watched in amazement as his father's expression instantly turned cold. It was the unreadable mask Tony had lived with since he was a child.
"In the living room, Anthony. I don't want the help listening in to a private conversation", he said irritably. He downed the last of the wine in one gulp and stood up. He walked past Tony and out of the kitchen. Tony pulled out his phone as he followed his father.
"It's me", he said, as Gibbs answered. "The living room, ground floor, to the right of the staircase." He snapped the phone shut and entered the living room. His father was sitting in his usual chair and had already poured himself a glass of whiskey. "He'll be here in a second", he told his father, ignoring the drink he was gulping. He'd learnt not to comment about his father's drinking; it only led to shouting and being locked into his bedroom for a couple of hours.
Gibbs appeared from behind him a minute later and Tony watched with interest as the older men eyed each other up. Gibbs staring at Anthony with disdain and Anthony looking at Gibbs with what Tony could only call jealousy. Jealous of what, Tony didn't know.
"Anthony DiNozzo." Gibbs greeted in a strictly business manner, trying to keep himself under control.
"You must be Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs", Anthony almost spat.
Gibbs stepped further into the room and sat down in the opposite chair. He needed to get at eye level with Anthony. His best advantage was his stare. He eyed the man with one of his soul searing stares, the one he normally saved for murderers and rapists. Anthony returned his own stare; his was more mocking, his way of saying you stare and me and I'll stare right back. Tony cleared his throat to break up the staring competition that seemed to be happening in front of him. The pair snapped out of it and turned to Tony.
"Tell Gibbs what you told me", he asked his father.
Anthony turned back to Gibbs. He raised an eyebrow and sighed, as if to say, "Who are you, and how are you qualified to help me?"
"His name's Alistair Fields. He has a pile of weapons stored in a warehouse somewhere. He thought he would make more money selling them to terrorists in Iraq. He's been blackmailing me into shipping them for him."
"Do you know where the warehouse is?"
Anthony shook his head. "If I did, do you think I would be going through all of this?"
Gibbs ignored Anthony's scathing remark and carried on with the questioning. "When are the weapons to be shipped out?"
"Tomorrow."
Gibbs looked surprised and glanced up at Tony. Tony shrugged. "I didn't know, boss."
"We don't have a lot of time."
"What do you suggest we do, boss?" Tony asked.
"Get Ziva and McGee on phone records, and any paperwork that connects Alistair Fields to criminal activities."
"What about me, boss?"
"Do you have an in?"
Anthony frowned, confused at the terminology. Finally Tony thought, some jargon he knew and his father didn't. It was a nice feeling to be an expert in a field instead of completely lost. Tony thought about Gibbs' question for a second. A light bulb went off in his head.
"Jessica", he answered.
"Oh, please!" Anthony muttered.
"Who's Jessica?" Gibbs asked, ignoring Anthony's mutterings.
"Alistair's daughter, took a liking to me", he explained. " Not a surprise there, I have to say", he added, with a cheeky smile. "I'll phone her up and take her out on a date, see if she knows anything."
"Okay, but I'm going to be listening in."
"Of course" ,Tony said, as if he wouldn't have it any other way.