Tony was exhausted. He'd never admit it but Gibbs knew, in fact Ziva and McGee had probably picked up on it as well. The young man had crashed on one of the beds as soon as they'd finished the interviews that day. He would have more than likely gone to sleep like that had Gibbs not instructed him to remove his boots and BDU shirt, leaving him in just his trousers and the t-shirt he wore under the shirt, and curling up on the bed again. Shaking his head at the younger man's actions Gibbs sighed and yanked the bedsheets out from under him, gently covering him. McGee and Ziva watched, shocked by his uncharacteristically caring behaviour - both having expected him to demand a report before he let Tony sleep. Gibbs looked over at them, he knew he would need to get a report from them but at the same time he didn't want everything to have to be repeated the following morning for Tony and he didn't have the heart to wake the younger man. He understood that the day had been hard on his senior field agent and couldn't bring himself to prolong the young man's suffering. Sighing he told McGee and Ziva to get some rest, they could give their reports, and be filled in on everything the interviews had revealed, the following morning. Nodding they rushed to turn in for the night - expecting Gibbs to wake them up early the next day.

Tony didn't sleep well. Recently his nightmares had been fewer and less disturbing but that night they came back, full force. His nightmares had always been vivid but he never cried out. Gibbs had commented on it once, when his dreams had been particularly bad, and he had admitted that his father had hated it when he cried so he had learned to stifle his screams. The older man awoke when he began tossing and turning. Silently slipping out of his own bed Gibbs approached the younger man. Kneeling by Tony's side he gently shook his senior field agent awake, mindful of the younger man's flying fists. Tony's eyes fluttered open causing tears to stream down his face and Gibbs quickly gathered him up in a comforting embrace, sitting beside him on the bed. He clung to his boss, breathing in the older man's scent, as Gibbs comforted him. Rubbing his back Gibbs whispered soothingly in his ear until he calmed down. Sniffling quietly he apologised but made no attempt to leave the security of the older man's arms. Soon he drifted back to sleep, a thankfully dreamless one as Gibbs embrace comforted him. It wasn't long before Gibbs too drifted off to sleep.

Tony awoke early the following morning, to an unusual feeling of safety. He was surprised, and slghtly embarrassed to find that he was curled up in Gibbs' arms, head resting on the older man's shoulder. Yawning he sat up and stretched, accidently waking his boss as he did so. The older man frowned in confusion before realisation dawned in his eyes and he smiled reassuringly down at Tony, reaching out to ruffle his senior field agents hair. Smiling in return Tony suggested he should return to his own bed before the others awoke, and brushing a kiss across the younger man's brow, he agreed. By the time Ziva awoke a short while later both were sitting on their own beds ready for the day. Politely they looked away whilst she got dressed before waking McGee.

"Report," Gibbs ordered, once they were awake and alert.

McGee and Ziva quietly informed him that after they had left the barracks to interrogate the soldiers individually those who were left had followed Tony's orders to the point. They'd all sat on their beds, not talking to or even looking at each other and made no attemp to make contact with those returning from beeing interviewed. Adding that those who returned had also remained remarkably quiet. When they finished Tony spoke up telling them about what the interviews had revealed, none of them would have been able to kill Harvey as they were all on manouvers. He also told them that, despite being unable to be the killer, Fisher, who was african-american and who couldn't have been their suspect, had been hiding something. The special agent speculated that perhaps he knew why Harvey had gone AWOL. They nodded but still looked to Gibbs for his view. To their surprise he simply nodded, agreeing with their assessment, and congratulating them on a job well done.

"McGee, link up your laptop and contact Abby, see what she and Ducky have got for us," Gibbs instructed. "Ziva you and I are going to talk to Fisher again. Tony I want you to interview Colonel Johnson."

"Sure boss," Tony smiled. "After breakfast, right?"

"Yeah alright," Gibbs agreed.

"Although," Tony continued. "I wouldn't call the crap in this place food."

"You got something against marine food DiNozzo," Gibbs growled playfully.

"Nah boss," Tony smirked. "Never tried marine FOOD, tried the slop they try to pass off as food, but not the actual food," he danced out of the way of the way of the expected headslap.

Shaking his head at the younger man's antics Gibbs led them to the mess hall. After they had eaten the team headed to follow Gibbs' previous orders. Following her boss to Harvey's group's barracks Ziva watched Tony saunter off towards the colonel's office, his shoulders slumped. McGee returned to their own barracks to hook up the internet connection, not noticing his teammate's reserved demeanour.

Abby had been able to clear up the picture of the suspect on the CCTV from the hospital. Eyes widening McGee called Gibbs, "Boss, I think we have problem."
"You think?" Gibbs demanded.

"It's Tony boss, I think he's in danger," on the screen in front of McGee was a picture of Colonel Johnson in Bethesda's psychiatric ward.