The figure moved, revealing Gibbs. The older man gave Tony a pointed stare and he merely said, "Been there long, boss?" The older man merely quirked an eyebrow, and crossed his arms, obviously wanting Tony to explain himself. "Look, boss, I know I'm not supposed to be working this case, but I know where Cooper is going to be." DiNozzo dug the page from his pocket, holding it up.

"I'm finishing this, Gibbs. Everything that happened-from Tim's kidnapping to my arrest- is my fault. This is my fight, win or lose, and I'm going to see it to the end, boss."

Gibbs was quiet for a while, obviously pondering what Tony had just said, but finally he nodded his head towards the door and stated, "My car's out front, DiNozzo."

"Thank you, boss," Tony whispered and followed the older man out of the apartment.

As the two headed towards Jethro's car, Gibbs softly said, "None of this is your fault, Tony." And he left it at that, the rest of the ride lapsing into a heavy silence.

When they reached the bus station, Tony barely let the car come to a stop before tearing the door open and sprinting inside. He was very much aware of Gibbs following him, the older man's phone ringing, but the younger man ignored it, his eyes scanning the area, looking for someone who matched the framed photos in Cooper's apartment.

"I don't see him," Tony muttered turning to see his boss already running towards the exit. "Where are you going?!"

"He's not here!" Gibbs called back and Tony quickly followed him, realizing he had been duped. This kid was getting on Tony's last nerve.

NCIS

After a following one frustrating dead-end after another, Tony let himself into his apartment that night. He tossed his keys on the counter, threw his jacket on top of them, and proceeded to get a beer from the fridge.

He dropped in a chair, running a hand through his hair, sighing deeply. He popped the top off, taking a long swig of his drink, only to lower the bottle when he felt cool metal rest against his neck.

"Surprise," a familiar voice said. Slowly, Tony turned his head, catching a glimpse of a younger guy before his head was jerked forwards again. "Not so fast, Agent DiNozzo."

"Beer," Tony offered holding up his beverage. "I've got plenty."

"You should have seen this coming, DiNozzo," Cooper sneered ignoring Tony's proffered beer. "I figured why go after the brother when I can go after the man responsible."

"Yeah, I figured you would," Tony responded just as his kitchen door flew open. Three agents rushed inside, Gibbs leading the trio.

Cooper panicked and dragged Tony to his feet, forcing the agent to back away with him. "I'll shoot him," he snapped digging the gun into the back of Tony's head.

"No you won't," Gibbs replied softly, meeting the kid's eyes.

"I would like to see you try. You will be dead before you hit the floor," Ziva snarled, training her gun between the kid's eyes.

"Hey, Cooper," Tony said softly, watching Ziva, Gibbs, and McGee closely.

"What?"

"This is for my brother." DiNozzo threw his elbow back, slamming it into the kid's stomach. He doubled over, dropping the gun in surprise, and Tony moved out-of-the-way as his teammates moved in to arrest the kid.

"I won't tell them anything," Cooper exclaimed as Ziva hauled him out of Tony's apartment. Tony heard him scream, smirking slightly at the thought of Ziva doing something to hurt him. It was the least the kid deserved.

Gibbs met DiNozzo's eyes for a moment before slowly following Ziva out, leaving the two brothers alone. They were quiet for a long moment, but finally Tony said, "Thanks for tracking his laptop."

"Abby helped," McGee muttered running a hand through his hair. "Besides, you figured out he'd probably still have it on him." Another long silence settled between the two, Tim breaking it this time. "I don't blame you, you know, for what happened. This wasn't…"

"I know," Tony whispered nodding. "It's just…"

"Yeah, but still…"

"I won't let anything else happen to you," Tony vowed meeting Tim's green eyes.

"You can't make that promise," McGee responded smiling sadly. "No one can, Tony. Not with our jobs."

"Yeah, well, I am going to damn well try."

"I can respect that."

Another long silence filled the room, this one less uncomfortable. With a more natural smile, Tony stepped forward and said, "We should go see if Gibbs needs any help."

"When has Gibbs ever needed help?"

"Good point," Tony retorted wrapping an arm around his brother and guiding him towards the door. Cooper may have been a psycho hell-bent on getting revenge for his brother's death, but he did have one thing right. Brothers really were forever.

Sempiternum Fratres.

The End


That's it folks. I know the ending is rushed, but I just wanted this story over with. I know, I am a terrible person.

So, thanks for all the reveiws, alerts, and favorites for this story. I'm not exactly sure when my next NCIS story will be (unless you count the crossover I am in the middle of then an update is coming), but I'll probably end up writing a new one soon.

So, thanks for reading, leave me a comment if you can, and see ya in the next story.

Bye!