Gibbs whipped around to see McGee in the doorway and quietly turned back to the mirror again.
"You look better Tony" McGee said. "Boss, I thought you wanted to know we found a lead on the case" McGee said, "The other ME, Winnie, figured out who the dead woman was, her name is Carmen Stuttgart, a backpacker from Germany" McGee said, "We have no Idea why they took her" McGee said.
"And the lead?" Gibbs asked.
"Someone saw her being taken" McGee said, "Ziva's questioning him now" McGee continued. Gibbs brought up the razor to his chin. "Abby's going over everything we found when we found Tony, but she hasn't come up with anything" McGee said, "Not yet anyway, but she'll find something, I'm sure of it" McGee finished.
"Make sure Ziva doesn't kill the witness and report back if Abby or Ziva finds anything interesting" Gibbs said and started shaving.
"Yes Boss, bye Tony" McGee said with a smile at Tony, and then left. Gibbs finished shaving and turned around, Tony was still shivering and he was staring a hole in the floor. Gibbs wiped his face with a towel, tossed it in the hamper, and crouched down in front of Tony. He tilted Tony's head up with a finger and smiled at him.
"You don't have to be afraid anymore Tony, everything's okay now" Gibbs said. But Tony didn't relax at all and Gibbs sighed, running a hand through his own hair. "Come on, let's get some food in you" Gibbs said and took Tony's hand, pulling him up from the toilet seat. Tony's knees buckled and Gibbs grabbed him under the arms and pulled him up again. But Tony's knees was shaking so badly that he couldn't stand up straight, and Gibbs scooped him up into his arms. "You're not going to believe this, but I've carried you like this before" Gibbs said, "Only you were a LOT heavier" Gibbs said and smirked. Tony said nothing and Gibbs carried him downstairs and sat him down in the sofa.
"I've made some broth for him, a much smaller portion. I suspect he ate all of it to please you" Ducky said and placed the bowl in front of Tony. "Here, Anthony, have this" Ducky said. Gibbs helped Tony sit up. Tony took the spoon, but his hands shook so badly that most of the broth got spilled on the table. Gibbs looked up at Ducky.
"He's been like this ever since I helped him change his clothes" Gibbs said. Ducky sat down in front of Tony and took out his penlight, shining it into Tony's eyes one by one. He grabbed Tony's wrist and pressed it against Tony's chest.
"He's a little panicked" Ducky said and released Tony's hand, "He should be okay in a while" Ducky said. "Anthony, there is nothing to fear here, you are safe, we are not here to harm you, we are here to help" Ducky said and smiled at Tony. But Tony didn't relax, instead he pulled his knees to his chest, put his right hand in his now short hair, put his left arm around his knees and began rocking. Gibbs shared a look of worry with Ducky. "This isn't working very well.. if he doesn't eat within the hour, we have to forcefeed him, he needs the nutrition" Ducky said. Gibbs gave a short nod. Ducky disappeared back into the kitchen to clean up the plates from breakfast and make Gibbs something to eat.
"Tony, I know you're scared, but I need you to eat this broth, or else we're going to have to shove a tube down your throat and pour it into you, you don't want that, do you?" Gibbs asked. "It's not good for any of us if we have to do that, we're going to have to drug you, and force you, and we really don't want to do it" Gibbs said, "Please eat?" He asked. Tony stopped rocking and looked at Gibbs. "Now that I have your attention, please eat?" Gibbs asked again, holding up the bowl of broth. Tony grabbed the bowl and started eating. Gibbs smirked. "That's very good Tony, but eat slower or you're going to throw up again. Ducky came in with food for Gibbs.
"You got him to eat I see" Ducky said. "That's good" he continued and smiled. He placed food in front of Gibbs. "Now you eat too or I'm forcefeeding you instead" Ducky said with a smile. Gibbs smirked and ate his sandwich. When he was done, Tony held out his bowl to him and Gibbs placed it on the table. "What do you want to do today Tony?" Gibbs asked. Tony looked at him before looking at his knees and then he begun rocking back and forth again. Several minutes passed before Gibbs understood that Tony was actually half singing, half humming some kind of song. Gibbs put his hand on Tony's head, ruffling the short hair, before he got up and carried the plates into the kitchen. Gibbs's phone rang and he picked up.
"Gibbs" he barked into the phone.
"Boss, we have a solid lead on one of the people that kidnapped the Stuttgart woman, should we bring him in if we find him?" McGee asked.
"What do you think?" Gibbs asked.
"That we'll call you when we find him?"
"Good boy" Gibbs said and hung up. "They have a solid lead Duck, we might be able to get some answers" Gibbs said. "If only Jen had gone through with the deal three months ago, Tony wouldn't be sitting in the livingroom rocking back and forth right now" Gibbs said and sighed, "He would be safe and sound, working like all the others" Gibbs continued as he sat down by the kitchen table.
"Do you really believe that?" Ducky asked. Gibbs smirked and shook his head, looking down into the table. "We do not negotiate with terrorists Jethro, you know that. Anthony would have been killed the moment the deal went through, the only thing keeping him alive was that the deal never went through. Remember one month ago when we got that call?" Ducky asked. Gibbs nodded. "They were willing to exchange him for three million dollars and a lot of C4" Ducky said. Gibbs nodded again. "Would you want them to do that if you were the one who had been taken? Would you want those people to get their hands on explosives?" Ducky asked and sat down at the kitchen table.
"Tony was probably too far gone to notice anything" Gibbs said, "He probably doesn't even know what C4 is anymore" Gibbs said.
"Need C4, got to blow up the building, we exchange him for the C4, we need the C4" came a voice from the livingroom. Gibbs and Ducky shot up from their chairs and went into the livingroom. Tony was rocking back and forth in the sofa. "We need the C4, train him to say we need the C4, let him talk to them and tell them we'll kill him if we don't get the C4.. we need those explosives, kill him if he doesn't cooperate" Tony mumbled and started tugging on his short hair, rocking more violently now. "Throw him in the cell and leave him if we don't get the C4, leave Carmen to die if he doesn't cooperate, we don't want that do we? No, you be a good little boy and she'll live, for Carmen's sake, be a good boy" Tony mumbled. Gibbs swallowed and looked down into the floor before going over to Tony.
"Hey you" Gibbs said and grabbed Tony's hands, "Don't pull out all your hair" Gibbs said and gently pushed Tony's arms down. Tony tilted his head and lay the left side of his face down on his knees, arms around his knees and continued rocking back and forth. Gibbs ran a hand through Tony's hair. "You did good Tony.. you tried to save her life, but she was already dead, wasn't she?" Gibbs asked. No reply. Gibbs ran his hand through Tony's hair again. "You tried your best Tony" Gibbs said and kissed the top of Tony's head. "You tried your best, and we'll get whoever did this to you" Gibbs said, "We'll get those bastards"
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AN: Yeeeeeees? It's nice and warm here, in the days I mean, like five degrees celsius or something, VERY unusual in February :D :D :D By the way, thank you for all the delicious reviews, they brighten my day and makes me want to write even faster than I'm currently writing :D :D :D hugsies to all my reviewers You are appreciated!!!!
Disclaimer: All hail DPB