AN: Not really sure what compelled me to do this, but you can't fight what the muse wants. I just needed to get these sad ones out of my system, I guess. Thanks to those of you who read the first one. Same warnings apply here.

Thanks to my anonymous reviewers for the firs tpart: Agnes, djmichaels, Janet Brow, Ares, Annabelle.

xxxxx

It should have been a simple, routine call. They had only gone there to ask some questions. There was no hard evidence, no real reason to be suspicious. It had been a fact finding mission more than anything. But it had gone so horribly, impossibly wrong. One minute they were knocking on the door of the old country home... Seconds later, there was a hail of gunfire leaving one Leroy Jethro Gibbs, lying on the front porch in a pool of his own blood.

"Boss?" Tony stared down at him for a moment, a mixture of shock and horror on his face. Another shot went off and he was pulling Gibbs away from the door, his arms shaking badly as he did so. He could see that the wound was bad...really bad. He wasn't even sure how many shots had hit him. There was just so much blood. Gibbs' chest was covered in it. He heard a car door slam from somewhere behind the house and the screeching of a car as it peeled down the driveway. Tony took aim and fired numerous shots at the vehicle, but the driver got away. "Bastard." He pulled out his phone and frantically called for help, barely managing to keep his voice from shaking as he did so.

"Shoulda...shoulda gone after him, DiNozzo," Gibbs said. He started to cough harshly and some blood trickled out from the side of his mouth.

"Wasn't leaving you," Tony stated determinedly. "Don't worry...we'll get the bastard." He pulled off his suit jacket, draping it over Gibbs' shivering form. Shock was setting in fast...too damn fast.

"You...you shouldn't have done that," Gibbs muttered as Tony pulled the older man into his lap and Gibbs felt the pressure of Tony's hands on his chest. He knew the gesture was futile, but he appreciated DiNozzo's effort. He always had.

"Shouldn't have done what, boss?" Tony asked, a slight tremor in his voice, the only evidence of the fear he was trying desperately to hide.

"Your...your suit," Gibbs said, unable to hold back a gasp as a jolt of pain shot through him. "Its ruined now."

"Don't care about my suit," Tony replied. The blood was seeping through his fingers at an alarming rate. He increased the pressure, then lessened it again when Gibbs grimaced in obvious pain. The realization that this was not going to end well was starting to dawn on Tony even as he still desperately tried to deny it.

"Tony..."

The younger man stared back at Gibbs, his eyes beginning to well when he heard the tone of Gibbs' voice, so caring and full of open affection. He mutely shook his head. He didn't want this Gibbs. He wanted ferocious, healthy Gibbs, barking at him and smacking the back of his head. "Do...don't try to talk, boss," he whispered.

"Ha...have to...not much time..." Gibbs said. "You...you have to listen."

Tony shook his head again. He didn't want to listen. He didn't want this to be happening. He felt himself recalling long forgotten childhood beliefs - If you just wish hard enough, you can make the bad stuff go away. "You...you're going to be okay..."

"You know better."

The simple words cut through Tony like a knife and shook him to his core. It took every ounce of will and determination that he had not to totally break down. He started to wish they were in a time travel movie. Then, they could just go back in time a few minutes and they would have been wearing their flak vests. He realized Gibbs was speaking again and forced himself to listen.

"I just finished the boat I was working on this past weekend...just in time. She's yours. Her...her name is Tony's Treasure...I...I would have changed the name if...if you wanted...

"I love the name..." Tony gazed back at Gibbs in confusion. "But, I...I don't understand...why?"

"Your...your birthday is next week...she...she's your present..." He hated telling him this way. He'd wanted to see the look of surprise on his face when he showed him. He'd been looking forward to it for so long.

"I...you...why?" Tony still couldn't begin to understand the magnitude and meaning behind such a gesture. Gibbs had rarely even acknowledged his birthday in the past. For him to do something like this was beyond Tony's comprehension.

"Cat got your tongue?" Gibbs smirked, but then quickly turned serious. "Thou...thought you'd like to learn to sail...I...I was going to teach you."

"Thank you so much...I...I would have loved that..." Tony swallowed hard, his head filling with thoughts of what should have been. This was so damn unfair, but he had to accept what was happening. He knew help would not be coming in time. They were too far out in the country. The wounds would have likely been fatal even if help had been close at hand. He took his hands from Gibbs chest and wrapped them around the older man in a tight embrace, feeling his shivering body underneath his touch. He couldn't save Gibbs, but he would sure as hell be there for him now.

"Me...me too..." There was a moment of silence as Gibbs felt himself beginning to drift then forced himself to focus. "Tell...tell the team how proud I am of them...You take care of them, especially Abby and Ducky...this is going to hit them hard. Tell them...tell them I love them."

"Don't worry...I...I will..." Tony barely managed to choke back a sob.

"I...I know you will. I'm proud of you, Anthony...so proud. Its been a real honor having you on my team and in my life. You...you'll make a fine team leader."

"I'm not going to be the team leader...Vance..." He shook his head. Vance would never make him team leader. In any case, he didn't really care about it right now. It just didn't seem to matter. "Anyhow, I don't care, its not important."

"It is important," Gibbs insisted. He started coughing again and took a moment to catch his breath before going on. "Le...Leon and I have talked about this before...you...you will be the team leader, DiNozzo."

Tony bowed his head, biting his lip hard. This was too hard, much too hard. He had to keep it together though. He had to.

"Tony...Tony listen to me." Gibbs spoke urgently. He could feel himself weakening, knew his time was growing short. "My will. Its upstairs in my bedroom, top drawer in my dresser. I am leaving you my house and my car. The house is paid for. You just need to pay taxes and upkeep."

"Your house? You're leaving me your house?" Tony didn't understand, couldn't have been more shocked. "I...I..." he shook his head woefully. "Why boss? Why me?"

"Be...because you're my son, Tony...you're my boy and I love you."

"You...you love me?" His tears were flowing freely now. Tony knew there was no way to hold them back at this point. He had always known that Gibbs cared about him, but he had never expected to hear the words. It was just one of those things that didn't need to be said. "I...I love you too. You...you were the father I never had. I...I'm sorry I never told you before now how...how much that meant to me..."

"I knew, Tony," Gibbs assured him softly. "I always knew." He took a shuddering breath before continuing. "Prom...promise me you'll try to find someone, Tony...Don't be afraid to love. I want you to be happy. Wa...want my house to be filled wi...with little DiNozzos running around. I...I'll be watching and lau...laughing my ass off when they give you hell."

Tony tried to smile, but couldn't quite pull it off through his tears. "I...I promise, boss..."

"One more thing..."

"Anything...whatever you want."

"My...my dad...If you can tell him...it...it'll be a little easier coming from you...he...he really likes you...and...and tell him...tell him I love him...I love him so much..."

"I...I will...I'll tell him...I'll go to him..." It wasn't the kind of news he wanted to tell Jackson over the phone. It was the least that he could do, though maybe the hardest...telling Jackson Gibbs he had lost his son.

"Thank you," Gibbs whispered with relief. He was starting to drift again, his eyes taking on a far away look. He appeared to be somewhere else, somewhere out of the scope of Tony's realm of understanding. Tony had never seen Gibbs' eyes appear so vibrantly blue before and then he smiled, a smile of pure joy. "Tony? I can see my girls...Shannon and Kelly...they're waiting for me... There's a lake too. It's beautiful..the colors are so vivid and dazzling...nev...never saw anything like it before...and...and there's a boat...I...I'll be looking out for you...Some...someday we'll take a sailing trip together...maybe...maybe you can teach me a thing or two by then..."

Gibbs gave a small gasp then and looked up at Tony intently, almost as if he was trying to commit his face to memory. He reached his hand up and gave Tony one final light slap to the back of his head, then ruffled his hair playfully before his arm dropped weakly to his side. He then gave one last smile before his eyes closed and Tony knew that he was gone.

Much too late, the sounds of approaching sirens filtered through the air. Still holding Gibbs tightly in his arms, Tony finally let go of the sobs he had been holding back. His mentor...his father...was gone...