only two more chapters to go after this! I'm still looking for a beta or anyone that just wants to help with feedback to make my stories even better :) email me if you want to help (and get the chapters before anyone else) hope you like - sorry for any soppiness

Tony coughed and then winced loudly as the movement sent shooting pains across his chest. He knew he had at least one broken rib.

"Are you okay?" Anthony asked quietly. It had only been a couple of hours after Alistair had left but it was already getting dark and the temperature had dropped severely.

"I'll live," Tony paused for a second, "Well, until we blow up."

"You don't sound okay."

"I've been worse."

"Well that makes me feel better," Anthony replied sarcastically.

"You're phoned every time I'm in the hospital which unfortunately is more than I would like, the problem is that the call doesn't get past your secretary and then I end up sitting in a hospital bed wondering why my father hasn't come to see me. I had the plague dad, I nearly died from a medieval disease and you wonder why my boss can't stand you."

"I thought he was jealous of my good looks."

"Now who's making jokes?"

"You're feeble excuse for wit has rubbed off."

"For a second there we were actually having a conversation."

"That's what you call a conversation?"

"What would you call it?"

"Cheap chat."

"I can't afford anything else."

"You still sour that I took away your trust fund?"

"I could use it; my mustang needs a new radiator."

"All you have to do is ask."

Tony snorted, "I'd rather strip naked and parade around DC then beg for money."

"I have money, I can arrange that."

Tony laughed and winced again, "Please, don't make me laugh."

"You shouldn't have had to go through that."

"Yes I did."

"Tony-" Anthony began.

"It's my job," Tony interrupted, "It's my job to beaten to a pulp if it means you aren't, it's my job to take bullets for strangers and risk my life so someone else doesn't have to. I chose to do this and I'm good at this."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"It's been a long time since I asked for approval. I'm not holding my breath."

"Do you know why I never accepted you choice to go into law enforcement?" Tony opened his mouth ready to retort with a sarcastic comment but froze almost a second later. There was apart of him that wanted to know in the inner workings of his father's mind, "The minute you were born I began making plans. You were going to go to the best schools, the best university, you were going to do every extra curricular activity under the sun and I was going to give you the office next to mine. We'd buy out companies together and have dinner meetings with CEO's of every major company in the state. We'd be the unstoppable father and son duo. We'd arrive back from work and share cigars and brandy, as we'd talk about the successes of the day. You'd meet a nice girl and you'd ask her for her hand in marriage and before long you'd be running the company by yourself, waiting for your own son to grow up and work for you" Anthony paused. "You mother died before she could give me any more children and I learnt to live with the grief by placing all the pressure on you. Expecting too much of you. After you told me that you wanted nothing to do with everything I was it took me a long long time to accept it. I was angry with myself, I felt stupid for believing in my fantasy. I was disappointed in you and in myself. Maybe if hadn't pushed so much, drank so much," Anthony hung his head.

"I know I was never the son you wanted."

"You are the son I have, and I should have accepted that from the very beginning,"

"Shoulda, woulda coulda," Tony replied with a small shrug, "I can't tell you what I would have done if things had happened differently, if mom was still alive, I had done a business degree instead of phys-ed. But I can tell you that if I had really worked for you, I wouldn't be as happy as I am right now. I have a job I love, I have great friends, I have my own apartment and my mustang and I did it all by myself."

"That's all your mother ever wanted for you. As we watched you sleep I would tell her all the great plans for you. She sat there patiently and just listened. When I was finished all she said was "as long as he's happy"," The pair fell silent.

"Dad?" Tony asked a couple of minutes later.

"Yes?"

"What did they blackmail you with?" He asked, wanting the answer the question that had been bugging him for the last two days.

Anthony didn't answer straight away and Tony wondered if his father had heard him, "You," He answered.

"Me?" Tony breathed in.

"They had photos of you. Shopping, jogging in the park, driving to work. They wanted me to know that they could get to you whenever they wanted. Alistair said that if I didn't do as he asked or if I went to the police then they would kill you."

"You know," Tony began, "I think this is the first time that we've actually had a proper conversation."

"Scary isn't it?"

"Why has it taken us so long?"

"Pride," Anthony answered honestly "dignity, ego-

"-stupidity," Tony added, "Although that's more you than me."

Anthony laughed, "You wish," The laughter died when they heard a loud explosion from below them, "What was that?" Anthony asked, his heart beating faster.

"The sound of our imminent deaths," Tony replied seriously, "Sounds like it was three floors down. Won't be long before the fire reaches us or the supports holding this building up crack and the whole building falls on top of us."

"I thought you said Gibbs would find us!" Anthony shouted over the roar of secondary explosions.

"There's a first for everything!" Tony shouted back.

"What!" Anthony cried. "I don't want to die!"

"There's still time."

"How much?!"

"Enough."

"How can you be so calm?" Anthony asked in a panicked tone.

"Panicking doesn't solve anything. If I die then I die. I came to terms with my death along time ago."

"Well I haven't!"

Tony could already feel the heat from the fire, "It's going to get smoky in here, if you start to hyperventilate you will die sooner," He spoke evenly, hoping his father understood, "Just breathe dad," He said, "He'll find us."

"And if he doesn't?"

"He'll find us," Tony repeated with more force, "Gibbs will be here soon," He added quieter, "Gibbs will find us," He repeated, letting it become a silent mantra.