"What are you thinking?"
"He's not involved."
"But?"
"But he's got an agenda."
"Agreed."
Anthony DiNozzo was a curious person. It was part of who he was. Kate had always complained to Gibbs that he was prying. McGee called him DiNosy, Ziva simply threatened to disembowel him with a paper clip if he ever touched her stuff. Tony's lofty claim was always that it made him a better investigator. The plain truth was he wanted to be part of their lives, to know the names of their siblings, their favourite foods, what they did in their spare time and if they wouldn't share those details with him then it was his duty as their partner to find them out. He refused to accept that it was because his own father had always been such a mystery to him. Although, he figured the reason Gibbs didn't reign him in as much as he should had something to do with his Boss knowing what it was like to yearn to be part of a family.
Standing out the interview room, not knowing what was going on, as his Boss spoke with his Dad was killing him. It was the longest two minutes and twelve seconds of his life. Fearing the worst, he didn't even bother to straighten up as Gibbs came out. But the former Marine's calm demeanour, followed by the almost clinical instruction to keep his father away from the Ibn Alwaan family was not what he was expecting at all. He had snapped off his responses by rote even as his emotions churned. He knew he should be glad that there weren't enough grounds for NCIS to arrest his father, or even hold him for further questioning. But making him his father's keeper felt like a lot like Gibbs version of a reprimand.
Putting all his frustrations into channelling his Boss's driving skills the ride back to the Adams House was a hell of a lot quicker and a whole lot quieter.
"Excuse me," His father managed, as he exited the Agency Sedan looking a little green around the gills. "I just need a few minutes to freshen up."
"It's almost cocktail hour," Tony made a show of looking at his watch. "How about I get the drinks in and meet you in the lobby bar in about five minutes?"
Tony barely waited for his father to weakly nod his agreement and disappear inside the revolving doors, before he reached into the back seat and retrieved the Agency laptop, powering it up and clicking the icons to active the web cam link to Abby's lab. Whilst he was waiting for the connection to go live a quick scowl and a flash of his badge sent the hovering valet parkers scattering and it was with some relief that Tony turned his attention to the screen
"Abs, I need a favour."
Five minutes and eight seconds later, Tony was collecting his order from the barman at the Adams Hotel, taking a moment to check out a very attractive brunette before joining his father at his table. Once upon a time, he would have swallowed his feelings, desperately hoping that if he could be smart or funny, or just good enough company his father would want to spend more time with him, instead of chasing after the next rich widow or must have business deal. Tonight all the different emotions he was feeling gave him the courage to speak his mind in a way that he had never dared before.
"You've always been disappointed I became a cop."
In a way, his father's reassurances cut more deeply than his disapproval might have done. Words of anger or reprimand would at least mean that the man had some yard stick he wanted to measure his son's achievements by. His Dad's lack of comment seemed more like disinterest. And there was nothing Anthony DiNozzo Junior hated more than being overlooked. The sharp, hot, surge of fury he felt forced the anger bubbling underneath to the surface and words long unsaid past his lips, with a depth of feeling he rarely felt comfortable showing.
"I needed a closer relationship."
His father's excuses rang hollowly in his ears and for the first time Tony realised he was not the same person he had been last time the two of them had met. Ten years ago he would never have dared challenge his father, not over the Maui vacation, not over his unknown step-mother. All for fear that that the man would simply walk out of his life without a backward glance and this time wouldn't care enough to ever come back. Except that over the past decade he had not only managed without the man, he had begun to understand what it was like to be part of a family and at this precise moment, Tony would almost be glad to see the back of his father.
"Listen, you stay away from the Ibn Alwaaan's. Please?"
As he walked away he hoped that the fervent request, made by the man's only son would carry some weight. But in his heart he knew different. His feelings had never carried the slightest bit of weight if they interfered with his father's plans when he was growing up. Why should that change now? Which meant Gibbs would be pissed at him again, because that man would never understand that that the wants and needs of a child didn't necessarily out weight a parent's agenda.
At least that's what Tony had always figured.
He closed his eyes against the wave of bitterness that engulfed him as he called the elevator. Over the last nine years he and Gibbs had forged a bond of trust and affection that had been the closest thing to a 'real' family Tony had known outside of "Leave it to Beaver." Yet when Abby had sent him the video feed of his interview with DiNozzo Snr it the events which unfolded had been nothing like he had expected. Biting the inside of his cheek against that memory he wondered bleakly if Gibbs had figured he was finally out of head slap territory and had cut him loose to stand on his own two feet.
That thought wasn't nearly as pleasing to him as his team-mates might imagine.
Gibbs' good mood at establishing that they weren't dealing with a terrorist threat, coupled with the fact that Prince Sayif would soon pass his check flight and be out of their jurisdiction, evaporated quickly when he caught sight of DiNozzo Snr loitering in the lobby of the Adams House Hotel. He narrowly avoided rolling his eyes at the man's thinly veiled attempts at subterfuge. Gibbs took a moment to reflect that if Tony had been that damned obvious he would never have survived his first undercover operation. It was clear to the veteran NCIS Agent that the only reason DiNozzo Snr would be waiting there was to catch his former business associate Prince "Al" as soon as he arrived at the Hotel.
And that meant Gibbs needed to have words with his senior field Agent.
Already pissed that he was going to have to come down hard on DiNozzo again, less than 24 hours after his previous dressing down, Gibbs jabbed a little harder at the elevator call button than was strictly necessary. Reading his change in mood, Ziva wisely held her peace as the elevator ascended. Leaving Gibbs to dwell on the fact that his usual easy rapport with Tony seemed to have gone to hell in a hand basket since his father arrived in town. On entering the suite, his blood pressure rose a notch higher, as he took in his senior field Agent being manipulated by an attractive female as the Prince, wearing only a towelling robe, entertained a nubile young woman on his lap, whilst another attractive female lolled on the floor wearing what looked suspiciously like a pair of NCIS regulation handcuffs. Not quite believing his eyes Gibbs blinked.
"DiNozzo?"
The response was nothing like he expected. Oh sure, Tony acknowledged his presence and drew himself to his feet. But his words were of excuse rather than apology and his movements were leisurely, hardly the reaction of a man caught embarrassingly unawares. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Gibbs realised that he was being goaded to re-act. The realisation made the blood in his veins run ice cold. It had been a long time since DiNozzo had felt the need to 'act out' purely to get his attention. And even longer since Gibbs had mis-read his senior field Agent so completely, yanking the stupid cowboy hat off his Agent's head he forgot everything. He forgot about all the resolutions he had made to show restraint whilst Tony's father was in town. He forgot about DiNozzo Snr lurking in the lobby. He forgot about the watching audience of Ziva and Prince Sayif and he focused solely on what the hell was wrong with his senior field Agent.
"Party's over."
He knew even the repeated swats with the hat wouldn't actually hurt. Even though DiNozzo cringed and made like they did it was more like tapping a puppy with a rolled up newspaper. A gesture of authority without any actual physical pain, Lord knows, Gibbs was sufficiently aware of how unsettled DiNozzo was, simply having his father in town, to risk an honest to goodness head slap. He also realised that DiNozzo had been lying through his teeth when he said he hadn't expected Gibbs for another hour. This whole scenario had been less of a command decision and more of a set up. DiNozzo had been practically begging to be brought back into line.
Still, he had to admit, he didn't much appreciate being tested. After all this time, didn't DiNozzo know him better than that? Even as the other part of his brain reluctantly acknowledged that the play boy Prince was probably safer partying in his suite than going out clubbing in DC the fact that DiNozzo had chosen now to act like an overgrown frat boy grated. So that when DiNozzo Snr emerge from the elevator chatting with Prince Omar Ibn Alween all his fury, at the Ibn Alween's for landing their mess in his lap,. At DiNozzo Snr for being the man he was, at Tony for everything that had happened since his father had set foot in DC, bubbled over.
"Give me a reason not to bench you."
Afterwards, Gibbs would curse himself for being a damned fool. The way Tony instantly sobered at his threat, the way his expression quickly became deadly serious was every clue the former Marine should ever have required. The younger man had never needed to be handled with kid gloves. If anything he distrusted gentleness. What DiNozzo wantded was to understand that Gibbs had his six. Come hell or high water he would not be dealing with any of this crap alone. He had a team who relied on him, but equally he had a team on whom he could rely. Putting every ounce of that conviction into his eyes, Gibbs gaze bore into that of his senior field Agent. In return something seemed to shift in DiNozzo's expression and the younger man's tone carried nothing but honest sincerity when he vowed not to let his father out of his sight.
As Gibbs watched him go, he cursed himself for being such a damned idiot. And in that moment, the former Marine knew that he had really screwed up to think that his senior field Agent didn't need him now his father was here. With that man around Tony needed him more than ever.
AN – Apologies that not much 'new' happens in this chapter, I needed to get into Tony and Gibbs heads a little for what is to come to make any sense. Hence getting two chapters at once!