Chapter: 3: The Reason is You
Setting: during season eight, episode tag 'Dead Air', AU after that
Summary: What if when Ziva and McGee had turned off the radio, Tony had ended up in a deadly situation and needed their help? Will his teammates realize something is wrong in time to save both their partner and the victim? And what happens when the real reason why Tony didn't have any back-up is revealed? Will Team Gibbs survive the truth? Or will it be the end of them?
Chapter Word Count: 7,495
A/N: thanks to everyone that has reviewed and loved this story and who has it on alert/favourite. Again, I really can't believe this story is so popular and well-liked! You guys are the best.
A/N 2: special thanks again to AlexDN who is my Italian translator. I really appreciate it!
NOTE: ok...this is a repost; apparently, my math sucks! lol. I had to change the date of Tony's mom...hopefully it's good now...
Reviewers for last chapter:
angelscatie; DS2010; chinapps22; Paw Print Pajamas; blueimmortal; guest; smush68; PheonixWytch; Luvliacd; Megth; Popsnouck (guest); Midnightstarlight23; tansysam; prince-bishop; Lisa (guest); kbotr (guest); lulubell76; NCIS fan (guest); keembur; vinkunwildflowerqueen; CriticalThinker (guest); newgal; Jebeth; guest; fan (guest); karlii; moira4eku; camcampgirl; Kzaboutu; jessieliegh528; Scat210; One More Disaster; Corala; Magpiel1600; gibbstony; julie250; isis182; Jadedlady6; narnia365;
NCIS fan (guest): the reason why the story is tagged as "Family" is because the team is a family, even if Gibbs and Tony are a couple (or will be) and as such, they will rally together and rely on each other like family. I hope this explanation soothes you.
CriticalThinker (guest); I was going to reply to your statement, but then I got a review and I think their reply is pretty straight forward, so here it is (the reviewer was One More Disaster):
You were trying to explain to CriticalThinker your reasoning for having Tony drop his gun.
You said that it's not standard procedure and that Tony knows he shouldn't have dropped the gun, but that's not necessarily true.
There's this thing called the "Use of Force Continuum," that helps police officers determine what level of force they should use in any given situation. There are seven levels:
1) the physical presence of the officer based on the officer's authority as a police officer.
2) the soft handed approach of physically grabbing a suspect to control them.
3) the use of mace or pepper spray.
4) the hard handed approach of actually fighting with a suspect.
5) the use of the police baton.
6) the threat of deadly force.
7) the use of deadly force.
After ten years at NCIS and six years on the police force, Tony would be well aware of the continuum, and while you said he wasn't thinking when he dropped his gun, I'm sure, on some subconscious level, he was remembering his training.
When Tony entered the house, he was on level 6, the threat of deadly force, since he had his weapon drawn. But he deescalated to level 4 by dropping the gun when he engaged the suspect. Since the man didn't have a weapon other than his own hands and feet, I actually think Tony made the right choice. If he had fired, he could have been dragged in front of an IA board for excessive force.
Based on Vance's dislike of Tony, he probably would have used that as an excuse to fire him, or at the very least, kick him off the MCRT again.
Anyway, I didn't find anything out of order with dropping his gun. In fact, I think I would have been thrown out of the story if he HAD fired. Then again, I'm also a Criminal Justice major, so I have that background. The average person probably wouldn't have known that.
I hope this review helps you. And not to be a bitch, but so far, you seem to be the only that has a problem with that particular plot point. Most of us don't really come here because of canon; we come here because it's fanfiction, meaning we create our own worlds, something we want to see different from canon. I also did say this was AU. I am not blatantly disregarding real life situations, but I'm not about to go all "Nazi" and have every little thing be on point.
I am doing this for fun and I really don't think it's as big a deal as you're making it to be. If that one point is going to continue bothering you, then, maybe it's best if you stop reading.
I am not about to be explaining myself over and over and over again. I'm not saying this to be harsh, but it is what it is.
Guest: the reason why the story is under "Family" is because, like I told a previous reviewer, even though Gibbs and Tony are the main characters, it focuses on the whole team and how they see each other, which is like a family. Just because Tony and Gibbs are a couple (or will be) doesn't mean the familial relationship will be between them. And I had, at one point, thought that when you have a certain genre and two specific characters, then the genre applies to them personally, but it was explained to me and I understood; the genre is for the tone of the story and the main characters are who the story mostly focuses on, it doesn't have to apply to them.
As for Ziva and Tim, they believe that Tony won't remember what really happened and that Gibbs would be too concerned about Tony right now to really think about dealing with Morrison. Even if it is for a few hours, they bought themselves time; they're not thinking things through. Right now, they're basically in panic mode where they have to cover their tracks. They know they're going to get caught; they just want to prolong the inevitable.
A/N 3: The "Family" is not for Gibbs and Tony, but for the team as a whole. The "Hurt/Comfort" can be applied to Gibbs and Tony or to everyone rallying around Tony. I hope this helps you, and any future reviewer who has questions about the genre, understand why I did it.
I'm not going to change it because I do have reasons, which are explained above—twice—so, please, everyone read the above responses and understand.
Disclaimer: NCIS and all its affiliates belong to its creators Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill, and CBS Television. No trademark or copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made from this. In other words, I DO NOT own.
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
"Speaking over the phone"
Original Posting Date: Friday 7th September, '12.
The choices we make affect not only us, but the people around us—Unknown
"Antonio!" a woman's voice called out.
Seconds later, childish giggles reached her ear, making her smile.
"Antonio," the woman called as she followed the giggles. She smiled even wider when she saw the noise led her to the rose garden, "Dove sei tesoro?" (Where are you sweetheart?)
More giggles.
The woman let out a laugh and soon after, found where the giggles were coming from. It was a medium size rosebush that was covered in roses. "Il mio piccolo 'Tonio e' tornato?" (Is my little Tony back here?)
"No," a child's voice sounded and the woman laughed as she stepped behind the bush, spotting her three year old son.
"Eccoti qui!" she reached down and lifted him into her arms, tickling him as she did so. (There you are!)
"No!" the little boy squealed with laughter, "Mamma…fermati…" (Mama…stop…)
"Non credo bambino," the woman laughed as she continued to tickle her son, delighting in his laughter. (I don't think so baby)
"Mama!" the boy giggled uncontrollably as he twisted and turned in his mother's arms.
The woman grinned and stopped her tickle attack and twisted her son so that she was looking into his eyes. She reached up and gently brushed his hair from his face before searching the green eyes identical to her own. "Ti voglio bene Tony." (I love you Tony.)
Tony grinned and reached up tiny hands to frame his mother's face, "Ti voglio bene anch'io mamma." (I love you too mommy.)
(Scene change)
An eight year old boy sat on a couch, holding a placard tightly in his hands. His eyes took in the words without really seeing them
Elisabeth Victoria Paddington-DiNozzo
April 25th 1950 – August 16th 1978
Beloved Wife and Mother
Green eyes radiating pain and sadness as tears ran down his cheeks.
"Anthony, stop that crying this instant!" a man's voice boomed.
The boy jumped a little and wiped his tears quickly, knowing much his father hated it; after all, DiNozzo men do not cry.
"Sorry father," Anthony replied, voice subdued as he straightened out his body. DiNozzo men didn't slouch either. He wished his mother was still there. He wished she hadn't left, that she had taken him with her.
Why did his mommy have to die and leave him alone?
(Scene change)
Thirteen year old Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo stood in his father's study, looking at the man in shock.
"What?" Tony said softly.
"Are you deaf?" his father glared at him, "I do not want you here, so I'm sending you away. You are going to Rhode Island Military Academy where I don't have to see your worthless face."
The words stung, but Tony had learn a long time ago not show any emotion to his father. Instead, he schooled his features into a mask of stone.
"You leave tomorrow," his father continued. "Now, get out of my study."
Without saying anything, Tony turned and left his father's study. It wasn't until he was in the safety of his room did he let the tears fall. But they weren't tears of sadness, no, they were tears of joy for he was not going to be around his father anymore.
"Anthony…Anthony…"
He looked up and gasped when he saw her. "Mama?"
"Hello my sweet boy," Elisabeth smiled at him as she drew him into her arms.
"I miss you mom," Tony whispered as he buried his head in his mother's chest. He always felt safe and loved when he did this.
"I miss you too baby," Elisabeth replied as she drew back from the hug. She framed his face in her hands. "Come…we don't have much time."
Tony turned confused eyes to her, "What do you mean?"
"You shouldn't be here Tony," Elisabeth said, "Do you remember what happened?"
Tony's brows furrowed as he thought about it. "I remember going on a scouting mission with Ziva and Tim," he bit his lip, "but that's it."
"Honey, you need to go back," Elisabeth said gently, cupping his face in her hand.
"I don't want to," Tony shook his head, "Mom, there's so much I have to tell you."
"I know baby," Elisabeth smiled sadly, "and you can always tell me, but you cannot stay here."
"Why not?" Tony demanded.
"Because they still need you…he still needs you," Elisabeth replied.
"Who mom?" Tony asked, "who are you talking about?"
"Go back Tony," Elisabeth pulled away and slowly, she started drifting away from him, "It's not your time yet. Go home…go to him."
As his mother got farther away, Tony ran after her. "Mom!"
"BP's dropping," a nurse said as she read the numbers on the monitor in front of her, "We're losing him!"
"Come on Tony," Dr. Pitt said softly, "don't give up now."
Beep…beep…beep…beep…beeeeeeep
"Damnit Tony!" Dr. Pitt swore.
Tony was breathing heavily as he chased his mom. He didn't want her to leave. He watched as she disappeared into a bright white door and he was almost to it when a woman stepped in front of him.
He came to a stop and stared at her. His eyes took in her bright red hair and the easy smile on her face. "Who are you?"
The woman grinned, "You don't know me. Or rather, you've never met me, but you do know of me."
Tony shook his head.
"Mommy." A little girl, around nine, ran over and grabbed the woman's hand.
Tony's gaze dropped from mother to daughter; both looked familiar to him, but he couldn't say where he'd seen them before. The little girl smiled up at him, and he staggered back when he recognized her smile. His eyes moved to her eyes and he saw familiar steel blue eyes looking at him. "Kelly?"
Kelly giggled in response.
Tony looked up at the woman, "Shannon."
"Right you are," Shannon smiled. She lost it as she stepped closer to him. "I know you want to go with her, but you can't. You're still needed. Jethro needs you Tony."
Images of his boss flashed through his mind. "Why?"
"Because you have done something I thought would never happen," Shannon replied, "you opened his heart back up. He loves you Tony; for the first time since losing me, Jethro is able to fully and truly love someone again."
"Why me?" Tony whispered.
"Because you taught him that it was ok to smile, really smile, again," Shannon grinned, "you showed him that it was ok to laugh, to have fun, that it was ok to miss us, that he could move on without forgetting me and because you accept his love for me instead of being intimidated by it."
Tony's eyes dropped in embarrassment, unable to believe he had done all that for his boss, the man he secretly loved.
Shannon laughed and reached out to tip his chin up so his eyes would meet her, "Don't be shy. I'm happy that it's you because I know you love him just as much and that you'll take care of him. You won't put up with his stubbornness or let him push you away. You and I are alike in that way." She kissed his cheek, "take care of him, and yourself."
"How?" Tony asked.
"You go back," Shannon said as she gently pushed him away.
Tony turned towards where he had come from. He could hear someone calling his name. He turned back towards Shannon.
"It's time to go," Shannon smiled.
Tony nodded and knelt in front of Kelly. "I'll take care of your daddy for you. I promise."
"I know," Kelly grinned, looking remarkably like her father. She threw her arms around Tony's neck for a tight hug before pulling back.
He stood up and looked at Shannon. "I-," he stopped, not knowing what to say.
"It's ok," Shannon hugged him briefly. "Now go, he needs you."
Tony smiled at her, "thank you."
"Tell him we love him," Shannon said.
"I will," Tony said, "Bye." And with that, he turned and ran towards the voice.
Beeeeeeep...beep…beep…beep…beep
"We got him back," the female nurse let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank God," Dr. Hale breathed out.
"Good job Tony," Dr. Pitt looked down at the man unconscious on the table. "Alright, let's finish. Carefully. We do not want to lose him again."
The team of doctors and nurses worked on Tony diligently. An hour later, they were done.
"Ok," Dr. Pitt nodded and let out a weary sigh, "let's get him cleaned up and up to a room. Call ICU and let them know you're on the way. I'm going to go and talk to his teammates."
~…~
Gibbs ignored the others as he took off towards where he knew Tony was. He went through the double doors and was about to go into the operating room when he was stopped by a nurse.
"I'm sorry sir but you can't go in there," the nurse.
Gibbs glared at her with such iciness that the woman took a step back. "Try and stop me."
The others had jumped at Gibbs' shout and without even thinking, they took off after him. They got to him just in time to hear the exchange and they saw the fear in the nurse's eyes.
Ducky decided to intervene before the woman started crying. "Jethro, she's right. If you enter that room, you'll be introducing harmful pathogens and our dear Anthony will be in even more trouble."
Gibbs let out a growl as he turned from the nurse to look through the doors where he saw the doctors trying to keep Tony alive. He was barely aware of the others behind him, or Abby crying. His heart was pounding as fear danced through him. He couldn't lose Tony, not now.
Losing his girls had nearly destroyed him, but losing Tony would break him. The Italian had come to mean so much to him, more than he thought possible. From the moment they first met, he had felt a connection with the younger man. He had tried to play it off, but that hadn't worked. Instead, the connection grew stronger and he had found himself having feelings for his Senior Field Agent.
The feelings had shocked him because the last time he had felt that way had been with Shannon and he had never expected to feel that way about anyone again, least of all a man. So instead, he had buried the feelings, had pushed them away and had distracted himself with countless women to do so, but it hadn't worked.
Then Tony had caught the plague. And things had changed; he always knew that their job didn't come with a guarantee, but suddenly, he had had to come face to face with that fact. Watching Tony lying in that hospital bed, fighting to breathe had made his heart ached with pain and fear and anger. That moment had forced him to admit just how deeply he felt about his agent. And instead of opening up to Tony, he had forced them back down and this time, he had hid behind rule twelve.
And now, Tony was once again fighting for his life and he could do nothing but watch; watch as the man he loved slowly faded away, as did his chances of finally admitting out loud what Tony really meant to him.
'NO!' he gave a mental snarl, unable to process the idea of losing Tony, 'I can't lose him; not now…not ever! Shannon…if you can hear me, please, send him back. I…I need him here with me.'
Gibbs ran a hand over his face, as he watched the doctors. For a split second, he froze. He could've sworn he just heard Shannon's voice. Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought.
A touch on his arm had him turning and he saw Abby staring at him.
"He's ok," Abby whispered, her heart in her throat when she saw the turbulent emotions in his eyes. She knew he was scared for Tony, just like she was, but she suspected that his fear went deeper. "They got him back. They had to."
Gibbs believed her because he had to; he wanted to. Shifting Vitalia in his arms, he freed one and wrapped it around Abby.
The others shifted closer to them, bonding and hoping their teammate and friend was ok.
Almost an hour later, the double doors opened and Dr. Pitt walked.
"Bradley," Ducky called out when he saw the man, "How's Anthony?"
Brad looked at all of them and sighed, "We'd better sit down."
They all froze at his words.
"Please?" Brad gestured to the chairs on the opposite side of the wall.
When they had all taken seats, he looked at them, "It was bad. Dr. Hale already explained Tony's injuries to you, so I'm not going to go over them. Tony's heart stopped, which I'm sure you know because of the Code Blue that came over the speakers."
"Is he alive?" Abby interrupted tearfully, "He's ok, right? You got him? He didn't die?"
"That is the only good news," Brad sighed, "Thankfully we were able to get him back."
Sighs of relief echoed from everyone and Brad had to smile. Tony had a good support system and was loved. He would need it. He hated to rain on their parade, but there were things they still needed to know.
"However," Brad continued, "He's not out of the woods just yet. Right now, he's getting cleaned up and heading up to ICU. He's stable, but that could change. The next twenty-four hours are critical. If Tony makes it through the night, then his chances of recovering from this will improve. Because of his multitude of injuries and the threat they were to him, we had to place him in a medically-induced coma. We'll keep him in just for the first few days and then, take him out."
He stood up, "I know it may not seem like it, but Tony pulled through the surgery, and he's going to pull through this. When he had the plague, none of the doctors—myself included—thought he would survive, but he did. Don't count him out just yet."
"We won't," Ducky said, "Thank you Dr. Pitt, for taking care of him."
"You're welcome," Brad nodded, "when he's settled, I'll come back and let you know, and then take you there." He turned to Gibbs, "Since I know you're not going to leave his side, I'll make arrangements for you to stay with him and make it possible for at least one other person to be able to spend the night."
"Thanks doc," Gibbs nodded. He shifted Vitalia, looking down at her instinctually and paused when he saw that her eyes were open. "Well hey there."
Vitalia said nothing; she only stared up at Gibbs, completely ignoring everyone else.
"We're going to see Tony," Gibbs told her, "he's the one who saved you."
Vitalia relaxed and placed her head back on the man's shoulder and let him continue holding her. She felt safe around him, just like she had felt safe with the man who tried to help her.
~…~
Just over an hour later, they were headed up to the ICU. When they got to where Tony was, they saw that the nurses and doctors were finishing up settling him in. They stayed in the waiting room, giving the medical team the space they needed. When Dr. Hale, the last one in the room, came out, they all stepped forward.
"He's stable, but like I'm sure Dr. Pitt has already you told you," Dr. Hale explained, "he's not out of the woods as yet." He gestured for them to enter the room.
As they stepped inside, they all gasped, Gibbs included, at the sight of Tony filled with wires and bandages.
"I wish I could say it looks a lot worse than it is," Dr. Hale said, "but I can't."
Ducky, having more medical knowledge than the others, walked over to Tony's bedside to read his charts. He picked it up, but didn't open it; instead, he looked at Tony, "Oh dear Anthony. It seems as if you are always the one to be held in fate's cruel grasp."
"Why-why is he intubated?" McGee asked. He had to swallow over the heavy lump in his throat to get his words out, "Wouldn't that be a bad thing because of his lungs?"
"Normally we wouldn't have," Brad explained, "but because Tony suffered a pierced lung, he cannot breathe on his own."
"Oh God," McGee collapsed into the chair behind him and buried his face in his hands. The guilt that he had pushed away earlier came back full force. They had done this; all because of a stupid prank Tony was like this.
Ziva's eyes darted around the room, unable to stay on Tony's still form. It was unnatural seeing Tony lying there unmoving. And she knew, if she stared at him for too long, her guilt would overwhelm her. She was good at hiding her emotions, but this, keeping this secret from Gibbs and the others, and her guilt at what her actions had resulted in was too much. She was deeply afraid that one of the others would see what she was desperately trying to hide.
Abby let out a sob and on shaky legs, she walked over to Tony's side. She wanted so badly to touch him but she couldn't. There were wires everywhere; his left shoulder was in a sling while his right one was bandaged; there was another bandage around his head and one around his stomach; his right wrist was in a cast and his eyes looked swollen. All over his upper body were bruises. The only part of Tony that seemed untouched had been his legs.
Being as careful, and gentle, as she could, Abby rested her hand on Tony's right arm. "Tony; you listen to me. You can't die, ok? I need you here. You're my big brother and I need you to get better." Another sob, "You have to be ok. So fight to stay with us."
Everyone had tears in their eyes as they listened to Abby.
Ziva stared at the Goth before she left the room abruptly. They watched her leave with understanding.
"Is she ok?" Dr. Hale asked, watching Ziva's departure with concern.
"She'll be alright," Ducky nodded as he wiped his tears. "This is hard for us; to see young Anthony in such a state."
Dr. Hale's eyes were filled with compassion. "Understandable." He sighed, "Well, visiting hours are over at six."
"I've made arrangements for Agent Gibbs to stay as I know he'll not want to leave Tony by himself," Dr. Pitt said, coming into the room. They started a bit as they hadn't noticed when he left. "And one other person can stay as well, that way each of the others has time with Agent DiNozzo."
"Thank you," Ducky nodded and watched as the two doctors left the room. He turned to his friend, a little surprised at the fact that he hadn't heard Gibbs say anything at all since they entered the room. He watched with sad eyes as Gibbs sat down in the chair on Tony's left side, being careful of the little girl still clinging to him and watched as blue eyes traced Tony's form.
He could read the emotions swirling in his friend's eyes and what he saw confirmed what he had long suspected. Smiling genuinely for the first time since hearing about Tony, he turned away, giving his friend his privacy.
His gaze landed on the final member of their family and he frowned slightly; there was something off about his reaction. It wasn't that he thought it wasn't genuine, because he knew it was, but there was something more surrounding it.
So, he walked over to the young man, "Are you alright Timothy?" he asked.
McGee looked up at Ducky and let out a heavy sigh. "I'm fine. Is Ziva ok?"
Ducky looked up and saw Ziva leaning against the wall opposite the room, "I do believe so. I suppose though that it is very hard to see our Anthony in such a state."
Guilt flashed across McGee's face and Ducky frowned when he saw it. 'What on Earth? Why is Timothy feeling guilty? He had nothing to do with Anthony getting attacked.'
A thought unfurled in Ducky's mind, but he dismissed it immediately. There was no way that had happened. No way.
Shaking his head, he stepped out of the room and walked over to Ziva, "He is going to be fine, you know?"
Ziva looked up at him and for the first time Ducky was able to read the girl fully. He knew she had learned at an early age to hide all emotions, but right now, she couldn't; he could read the pain and fear in her eyes.
"I hope so," Ziva said as she clutched her Star of David pendant in her hand. "I am…unused to seeing Tony like that."
Ducky sighed and leaned against the wall next to her, "Understandable. Anthony is so full of life and is always on the move, that it is a bit disconcerting to see him so still. But not to worry Ziva dear; he will pull through this. Now come, let's remind our friend that he has too much to live for and that he has people counting on him to recover."
Ziva looked up at Ducky and nodded as she leaned off the wall and the two headed to Tony's room. She stopped just before entering; her dark eyes took in the sight of her boss staring at their fallen teammate with an intensity that surprised, the way Abby repeatedly reached out a hand to touch Tony only to pull back at the last second and McGee's slumped posture.
"We never should've done it," the words slipped from her mouth without warning as she thought once again on her part in Tony's attack.
Ducky frowned at her words. 'What an odd thing to say. What does she mean by that?'
He pushed the words out of his mind however and stepped back inside Tony's room. Just as the door closed, Vitalia spoke up.
"Lui sta bene?" she asked and they all turned to look at her. (He ok?)
While Ducky, McGee and Ziva were confused as they did not understand Italian, Abby and Gibbs weren't, and it was Abby who answered.
"E' stato ferito molto gravamente ," Abby replied softly, "E in questo momento sta dormendo così puo' guarire." (He's hurt really bad. And right now he's sleeping so that he can get better.)
"Dove e' la mamma?" Vitalia asked as she looked around the room. (Where's mommy?)
Abby's eyes slipped shut in sadness before she opened them up. She had no idea how to answer the girl's question, and so, she turned pleading eyes to Gibbs.
Gibbs gave Abby and quick nod and then shifted the girl so that he could look her in her eyes, "La tua mamma ha dovuto andare via. Non voleta, ma ha dovuto." (Your mommy had to leave. She didn't want to, but she had to.)
Vitalia bowed her head and her hands clutched Gibbs' shirt tighter. "La mamma e' congli angeli adesso?" (Is mommy with angels now?)
Abby let out a gasp and Gibbs' eyes widened.
"What is it?" McGee asked, looking at Abby in concern.
"She asked," Abby paused to clear her throat, "she asked if her mother was with the angels."
All eyes turned to Gibbs.
"What's Gibbs saying now?" Palmer asked, watching Gibbs speak gently to the little girl.
"He's asking her why she said that," Abby told them. When Vitalia replied, she gasped again and then, started translating before they could ask, "She said that her mother told her that one day angels would come and she would go with them and that she wasn't supposed to cry because the angels would leave someone to take care of her. She said that Tony stopped her dad from hurting her mother and that he protected her and she knows she's safe because it was just like her mommy had told her; the angels left Tony for her."
Everyone remained quiet, in awe of the little girl and her words; they were shocked by insight that her mother had to prepare for what she knew was her inevitable death at the hands of her husband.
Palmer turned to Abby, "I didn't know you spoke Italian."
"Tony taught me," Abby admitted with a smile, "He said my name could pass as Italian, and people would assume, so he'd teach me and I can fool people into thinking I am." She looked back at Tony. "I've also been teaching him sign language."
"He can sign?" McGee asked looking at Tony in shock.
"Yeah," Abby nodded, "He picked it up really quickly and now, he's practically fluent in it."
They went silent after that, each other them just staring at the man that meant so much to them.
Almost two hours passed since they had entered Tony's room. Sometime around the first hour, they had all fallen asleep.
Gibbs was the first to stir. He looked over at Abby and saw that she was still asleep. "Abbs…Abby."
Abby let out a soft groan as she woke. She twisted to pop her back before looking over at Gibbs. "Yeah?"
"Can you stay with her?" Gibbs asked as he gestured to the sleeping Vitalia in his hands.
"Sure," Abby nodded, "but why?"
"The Director called," Gibbs told her as he stood up. He walked over and placed Vitalia in her arms, being careful not wake her.
"What about Timmy and Ziva?" Abby asked as she shifted Vitalia to be more comfortable.
Gibbs glanced at his agents as well as Ducky and Palmer, seeing that they were still sleeping. "They're coming with; they still need to write up their reports on today."
"Ok," Abby nodded.
Gibbs bent down and kissed her head. "Help him fight Abbs."
"I will," Abby said, her green eyes shining with determination.
He walked over to his two agents and woke them up. "Let's go."
Ducky and Palmer woke as well.
"What's going on?" Palmer yawned out.
"The Director called," Gibbs replied, "We're heading back to NCIS. Abby is gonna stay with Tony." He turned to Ducky, "Duck—
"We will stay as well," Ducky interrupted with a smile. We would've been doing nothing but inventory, nothing that can't be done tomorrow.
"Thanks Duck," Gibbs nodded. He turned to Ziva and McGee, "Let's go."
The three agents left the room leaving, Ducky, Palmer, Abby and a sleeping Vitalia.
When the door closed, Abby turned back to her friend, "It's just us now. We're here Tony, and we're not going anywhere. So come back to us."
"She's right my dear boy," Ducky added on as he took Gibbs' seat. "You have a fight ahead of you, but it is one I have high hopes you will win. Do not prove me wrong."
~…~
Vance stood against the railing, looking down at the bullpen; his gaze moving over the agents on the floor before it rested on the area that belonged to Gibbs and his team.
When he had heard about DiNozzo being attacked, he could honestly say that while a part of him had been shocked, the other part had only mumbled 'of course he was'. From what he knew, the Italian had a penchant of getting into the worst of situations; case in point, the plague.
He had never met anyone so unlucky before…or lucky if you look at it another way; because as much as DiNozzo got into situations, somehow, he was able to get out of them. Which is why he was agitated; ever since the two agents had left a few hours ago, he had heard nothing from either Gibbs or his team.
He would be damned if he would ever admit this, but he was worried about DiNozzo. It wasn't a secret that when they first met he didn't like the other man; he had thought him too lazy, too invested in flirting with every woman he met or playing pranks and he honestly couldn't believe just why it was Gibbs had kept the man around when he was known for not having tolerance for anyone who couldn't do their jobs.
It's one of the main reasons why he had assigned DiNozzo as an Agent Afloat when he had first started here. He had thought that the agent was a carbon copy of his father and hadn't think NCIS needed a playboy like him. At the time, as far as he was concerned, Agents McGee and David were better choices for NCIS.
But things changed. It had been his wife and kids actually who had made him realize that there was more to Anthony DiNozzo that he had first thought; so, he decided to observe and what he had seen had finally shown him just why Gibbs kept the man around.
DiNozzo might act like a frat boy, but when it came down to it, he was someone you could count on in a tough situation; his love of movies and talking about them may be annoying, but more often than not, it was that love of movies and applying them to life that had helped the team solve their crimes. And, he had an ability to think outside the box and see things that others wouldn't normally see.
But the biggest find was the fact that DiNozzo was the only one that seemed able to go toe to toe with Gibbs, and seemed to be the only one that could handle the man when he was in one of his dark moods. The boy seemed to have a knack of deflecting Gibbs' wrath from the other team members and focus it on himself.
It had taken a while, but he Vance had come to realize that despite his first impression of the man, DiNozzo was very valuable to Gibbs.
And if all that hadn't been enough to convince him of that, just watching the agents on the floor did; by now, news of what had happened had already circulated NCIS, so everyone knew and that meant that everyone wanted a go at the man, but he couldn't allow that to happen. He had to declare that the interrogation room holding Morrison was off-limits and no one was to go there.
Everyone on the floor was quiet, more quiet than normal and they would all periodically cast looks towards Gibbs' section.
The ding of the elevator drew Vance from his thoughts and he looked up to see Gibbs, McGee and Ziva step off the elevator. The look on the lead agent's face had him wincing and thankful that he wasn't the one on the receiving end. And by the looks on all the other agents' faces, they felt the same.
Knowing he couldn't let Gibbs go into the same room as Morrison with how he was feeling now, he decided to intervene, "Agent Gibbs, my office…now!"
With that he turned and walked away, hoping to prepare himself mentally for dealing with a pissed off Gibbs.
~…~
Gibbs growled as he watched Vance head back to his office. He turned back to his agents, "Write up your reports. I want to know everything that happened; no detail is to be left out. That bastard is not going to get away with this."
He turned back and started for the stairs leading to MTAC and the director's office, and therefore, missed the panicked looks that McGee and Ziva exchanged.
When he got to the top of the stairs, he headed directly for Vance's office, ignoring the secretary who was watching and went straight inside.
"Close the door," Vance sat as he leaned back in his chair, unconsciously putting more space between him and Gibbs. "Now, do you want to tell me exactly what happened that caused Agent DiNozzo to end up in the hospital?"
Gibbs glared at his boss for a few minutes before explaining everything that had happened through gritted teeth.
When he was done, Vance stared at impassively, though inside, he was reeling with shock. 'I didn't realize it was so serious. It's a wonder DiNozzo is still alive.'
"Are we done?" Gibbs growled; he was itching to get his hands on Morrison. No one messed with his team; no one.
"No," Vance said, "you've been at the hospital for four hours and not once in that time, did you think to call and let me know what was going on with my agent?"
"Your agent?" Gibbs snarled at the man as he took a step closer, "since when is DiNozzo your agent?"
"Since I became the director of this agency," Vance fired back; anger was good. It was better than showing the fear that took hold the moment Gibbs had stepped closer. "I was to be kept in the loop at all times. Besides, isn't it one of your infamous rules 'never be unreachable'?"
Hands clenched into tights fists, Gibbs took a step back and turned around as he suppressed the urge to punch his boss.
"I am so sorry director," Gibbs mocked, his back still turned, "but making sure that my agent was alive was a bigger priority that soothing your ruffled feathers."
Gibbs said nothing more as headed towards the door.
Vance stood up, "Gibbs, you are not speaking to Morrison until you are under control!"
Gibbs didn't even stop, "Try and stop me." And he opened the door and stepped out, letting it slam shut behind him.
"Shit!" Vance cursed as he quickly moved from around his desk and after the agent.
~…~
Gibbs stormed down the stairs, oblivious to the looks he was receiving from the other agents. He turned and headed directly to where he knew Morrison was, and the people in the way, moved immediately. Whispers started up as they all knew where he was going.
When Gibbs entered the interrogation room, he saw Morrison sitting there with a smirk on his face and the control that he had tried to kept, shattered.
In seconds, he was across the room, hauling the man out of his seat and onto the table. "You think this is funny?!" Gibbs yelled. He pulled him off the table and threw him on the floor.
Morrison groaned as he felt the pain shot up his spine. Before he could even move though, he was grabbed again.
"You think it's funny that a woman is dead, a little girl is traumatized and my agent is fighting for his life?! HUH?!" Gibbs roared as he pulled him off the floor and slammed him back into the wall.
"GIBBS!" Vance rushed into the room and grabbed hold of Gibbs and tried to pull him off of Morrison, but to no avail. "DAMNIT JETHRO LET HIM GO!"
Gibbs ignored Vance's words. Instead, he cocked his arm back and then sent his fist flying straight into Morrison's nose, breaking it. The noise it made left him satisfied.
"HELP ME GET HIM OFF!" Vance turned to look at the two agents he had brought with him. He watched in disbelief as they stood there looking at the scene, almost as if they were thinking about just letting Gibbs keep attacking the man. He was about to yell at them again when they finally moved and came over to help him with Gibbs.
It took about five minutes for them to pry Gibbs' hands from Morrison and then another five to pull him away.
"I'm fine," Gibbs said gruffly as he shoved them away. Glaring one more time at the man, he turned to leave the room.
"If you care so much about that agent," Morrison spoke up, stopping Gibbs in his tracks, "then where were you when he was calling for help?" He started laughing, "He must've called for back-up five or six times and no one came."
Gibbs slowly turned around; his steel blue eyes held cold fury while his face looked like it was carved from granite.
Morrison gulped and backed away.
Gibbs walked forward slowly, like a predator that scented its prey and was closing in on the kill. He kept going until Morrison was pressed against the wall. He got close enough without touching and then, he stared and stared and stared until Morrison started shaking and he saw nothing but fear, and then, he smirked.
Keeping the smirk, Gibbs stepped away and then turned and headed for the door. When he got to the doorway, he stopped to say something and when he spoke, his voice silky and dangerous, "I wonder if you'll still be laughing in prison when it gets out that you abused your daughter and killed your wife?"
With that, he walked away. As he got further away from the interrogation room, the smirk disappeared and his face, and eyes, relaxed into a frown.
Morrison's words echoed in his mind.
…where were you when he was calling for help… called for back-up five or six times and no one came…
'Why didn't Ziva or McGee respond? What were they doing so they didn't hear Tony? Did the radio break?'
Shaking his head, Gibbs headed directly to his desk. As he sat down, he pulled out his cell and dialled Abby's number. "Abby, I need you to come back here. (pause). There's something I need you to do for me. Call me when you get here."
He hung up and stared at his cell for a few minutes before looking up at Ziva and McGee, neither one aware he was watching them.
'I hope I'm wrong. I really do.'
~…~
Abby sighed as she hung up after talking to Gibbs. She didn't want to leave, but she knew it had to be important.
"What did Gibbs want?" Palmer asked.
"He didn't say," Abby told him, "He just said there was something he needed me to do." She looked down at Vitalia. "Hey baby girl, I have to go for a little while."
Vitalia's eyes grew wide with shock and she clutched at Abby. "No, I don't want you to go."
All three were shocked to hear her speak English; they had thought she only spoke Italian.
"I know," Abby soothed, quickly getting over her shock, "I don't want to go either, but bossman needs me."
"I think it would be wise if you took her with you Abigail," Ducky said, "I don't think she'll stay calm if you leave her here."
Abby looked at Ducky and then back at Vitalia, "Do you want to come with me? We're going to go see where Tony works."
Vitalia bit her lip and ducked her head. She didn't want to leave. She didn't want the angels to leave with Tony.
Abby gently guided her chin upwards so that she could see her eyes, "Hey, it's ok. I promise you though, we will come right back here, ok? We won't stay too long."
After a few minutes, Vitalia nodded.
"Ok," Abby smiled and stood up, shifting the girl to her hips. She turned to Tony, "Gibbs called, and you know when bossman calls, you gotta go. But don't worry, I'll be back, so keep holding on."
She turned to Ducky and Palmer, "make sure he doesn't give up."
Ducky smiled, "We won't."
After one last smile, Abby left the room.
~…~
When Abby got down to her lab, she called Gibbs to let him know. "Gibbs, I'm here."
"I need you to go to your lab and check the radio that McGee and the others were using," Gibbs said, "I need to know if the radio malfunctioned."
"Got it," Abby nodded, forgetting he couldn't see her, and hung up. She looked at Vitalia and walked over to a chair sitting against the wall. "I'm going to put you here, ok? I can still see you, so you don't have to be afraid."
She went into her office and grabbed Bert. Walking back out, she gave him to Vitalia. "This is my friend Bert. You can hold him until I'm done."
"Ok," Vitalia replied softly as she took the hippo.
Abby smiled briefly before going to do what Gibbs had asked of her. She was still smiling as she went through the recordings, but soon, a frowned replaced her smile and she bit her lip.
"What the hell?" she mumbled under her breath.
Her fingers clicking across the keyboard was the only sound in the lab. A few minutes later, her frown deepened.
"That can't be right," she muttered. She turned to Vitalia, "V."
Vitalia looked up from the hippo to stare at the woman who had been taking care of her, "Yes?"
Abby walked over and knelt in front of the little girl, "I'm going to run downstairs to the car for something. I'll be back real quick, ok? Just five minutes."
Vitalia stared at her for a few minutes before she nodded slowly, "Ok…I stay here."
Abby smiled and leaned forward to kiss her forehead, "good girl. Bert will keep you company. Don't touch anything because I don't want you to get hurt." She stood up, "I'll be back."
With that, she hurried from the room, and headed down to their garage. When she got there, she called out to the few workers around as she headed directly to the car. She quickly got in and checked the radio, frowning as she did so.
"Ok," Abby murmured as she looked over the radio, "It's not broken, but that doesn't make any sense."
Hoping to make sense out of what her eyes were seeing, Abby grabbed the radio and headed back to her lab.
When she got back, she heard a loud fart and giggling and saw Vitalia still sitting in the chair, but she was squeezing Bert.
"I'm back," she announced as she walked into the room.
Vitalia's head flew up from the hippo and settled on Abby and her body relaxed back into her chair.
"We're almost done," Abby said as she walked over to her computer, "and then, we can go back and see Tony again."
Hearing the man's name, Vitalia smiled. She wanted to be near him; he kept her safe and protected her from her daddy. The angels gave him to her so he was hers to keep. She was to stay with him.
Abby turned her focus on her computers and reran the recording from earlier. As she listened, her gaze moved back to the radio and then back to the computer.
'Ok…so the radio obviously isn't broken, and it didn't malfunction either. So then, why are there a couple of hours missing?'
Abby's eyes widened in disbelief and horror as realization struck her. She tried to dismiss the idea.
"No," Abby shook her head, "that can't be true. I mean, it's not possible! NO! No way did they do that!"
But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't deny the obvious truth. Her eyes filled with tears and a hand came up to cover her mouth, "Oh God."
Her mind drifted as she recalled being at the hospital; suddenly, everything made sense. The looks on both of their faces, the way Ziva had left the room, Gibbs' words; it was true.
"How could they do this?" Abby question as her tears spilled over. Tony had been out there, expecting his teammates to have his six, but they hadn't. Instead, they left him alone and Tony had ended up in trouble with no one to help. He had ended up needing their help, but he didn't get it and now, he was in the hospital fighting to stay alive.
She had to tell Gibbs.
She picked up her phone and dialled his number, her fingers shaking the entire time.
"Gibbs."
"Gibbs," Abby cried softly.
"What is it Abby? Are you ok? Is Vitalia ok?" Gibbs straightened up in his seat at the distress in her voice.
"It's not-it's not us," Abby assured him as she tried to get her tears under control. "I did what you asked me to."
"You found something?" Gibbs asked.
"I did," Abby nodded, "Gibbs, I can't believe this."
"What did you find Abby?" Gibbs asked.
Her tears clogged her throat and she had to swallow a few times before she could talk. The betrayal of what they did was too much, "It's their fault. What happened to Tony, it's their fault."
"What are you talking about Abbs?" Gibbs' voice hardened slowly.
Abby spoke again, the pain in her voice coming through clearly, "The radio didn't break, and it didn't malfunction either. The only explanation is, is—
"Is what Abbs?" Gibbs demanded gently.
Abby sniffled, "Gibbs, the only explanation is that the radio was turned off." A sob escaped, "They turned it off Gibbs."
Gibbs froze for a split second before rage took him over, "They did WHAT?"
A/N 4: So now we're just about ready to really get into it. For Vitalia, she does speak, and understand, English, but she spoke Italian because she was scared. Now though, she's comfortable around Abby, so she says little things in English. She'll more than likely go back and forth between Italian and English for a while.
Next Update: Friday 21st September, '12.
Kila