A/N: OK, enough people have asked after McGee that I feel compelled to assure you all that he is coming, and will be making his entrance in Chapter 7 - that would be the one following this one. So not too much longer to wait.

This is a somewhat short chapter, but I couldn't really find any way around that, so here we go! :-)

They drove the rest of the way to Tony and Ziva's home in a silence that was not awkward, but wasn't exactly comfortable either. Tony didn't get out of the car right away when they arrived, and Gibbs didn't wait for him, knowing that he would find his own way out, when he was ready. Six minutes later, DiNozzo found the older man crouched in the kitchen, looking across the smooth tiled floor to the shattered glass door that had already been temporarily closed up with a large piece of plywood. Without a word, Gibbs pushed himself upright and clapped Tony on the shoulder gently as he headed back for the front door. Tony wanted to follow, but he couldn't quite make himself look away from the plywood or the crack in the wall beside him or the place where he knew Ziva's blood had been before some nameless, faceless people had come to clean up the mess.

When he had come here yesterday afternoon, when the dead bodies and the broken glass and the evidence of a fight had still been all around, he had fought to control the rage that was boiling inside him, but now there was nothing to be angry at. Everything was clean and quiet and so very empty, and there was nothing to distract him from the other emotions that had been lurking under the surface. All the life and warmth had gone out of this place, and what if it never came back? What if they didn't come home? What if everything he had loved and lived for was lost forever?

Gibbs was on the porch when he heard a crash inside. If it hadn't been for the fact that he had been waiting for just such a sound, he might have been surprised. He might have hurried inside to see what was wrong, but he already knew what was wrong so he took a moment to brace himself for what was about to come. He'd already seen the outrage and the fury, and he didn't really want to see what came next. If DiNozzo was going to go there, however - and it appeared that he was - then Gibbs would go there with him and drag him out the other side. With a sigh, the retired agent headed back inside.

"Hey," Gibbs murmured as he re-entered the kitchen. DiNozzo was holding the edge of the kitchen island, half bent over, head between his arms. On the floor to his right, Gibbs saw drenched flowers and shattered glass, the remains of a vase that had been stationed on the island. Approaching softly, Gibbs put a hand on Tony's left shoulder and squeezed gently. For all the response Tony offered, one might have thought that Gibbs didn't even exist. Gibbs waited.

"The Director was right," Tony said at last, "I can't do this."

"You can," Gibbs answered, without hesitation.

Tony's left hand parted company with the island, swatting an unlucky drinking glass onto the floor to join the vase. He turned, then grabbed the counter again, leaning against the island much as he had braced himself against his desk in the bullpen. "No, Gibbs," he growled. "I can't. I can't see. I can't think. I can't breathe." As if to prove his point, Tony drew a rattling, harsh breath through his teeth. Gibbs watched the skin around DiNozzo's knuckles go white and his green eyes darken. Tony looked down for a moment, but Gibbs was patient, and at last the younger man pulled his gaze back up and looked his mentor in the eye.

"I've never been so scared in my entire life."

Silently, Gibbs took one step forward. He put a hand on the back of Tony's neck, closing his fingers firmly over the younger man's over-heated skin. He paused, for once uncertain that it was the best thing to do, because he didn't know what DiNozzo was going through, not really. He hadn't had time to be afraid for Kelly and Shannon. The time for fear had already passed when he'd found out, leaving nothing but the time for revenge.

"Tony," he said, hesitating again before continuing. "Be grateful for your fear." Tony's eyes jumped back to his - surprised, confused. "It means that something can still be done."

For a prolonged moment, Tony just stared at Gibbs, and Gibbs hoped that the younger man was following the implications of his words - following them all the way back to their roots. Tony had the chance that Gibbs had never had, and he was going to make damn sure that DiNozzo didn't waste it.

"We're going to do something," Gibbs promised. "We're going to find them."

"I feel like I must be missing something - I must be screwing up," Tony admitted unsteadily. "How can there be nothing here? How can there be no clues?"

"I don't see anything either," Gibbs said.

"I left the scene to Sanders," Tony went on, his words beginning to run together and his eyes shifting blindly around the room as he pulled away from Gibbs' hand on his neck. "What if she missed something? What if there was evidence that was missed and thrown away and cleaned up, just because I couldn't stand to see Ziva's blood on the floor, or dead bodies in our kitchen? There could have been something, Gibbs, and now it could be gone." His hands released the counter, and he moved a step away from Gibbs before the older man grabbed his arm and pulled Tony around to face him again. Without a second thought, Gibbs reached around and slapped Tony on the back of the head, hard.

Holding the younger agent's eyes in his own, Gibbs scowled, "Get a grip, DiNozzo. Get your act together. Because second-guessing yourself is NOT going to bring Ziva and Adi home." When Tony didn't respond, his expression frozen and his brain drawing God knows what kind of not-good conclusions, Gibbs tried again.

"I just told the Director that locking you up for the duration of this investigation wasn't necessary," he hissed, closing his fingers tightly over Tony's arm again and giving the younger man a sharp shake. "Do NOT prove me wrong, DiNozzo."

It took another few moments, but Gibbs could see the hardness in Tony's eyes thawing and moving and processing again, so he waited. At last, Tony's gaze found the older man, and Gibbs knew that Tony was really seeing him again. "On it, Boss," DiNozzo said slowly, but with the beginnings of the determination that Gibbs had been hoping to spark.

"C'mon," Gibbs said, pushing Tony ahead of him as he started for the door - he didn't want to give the younger agent a chance to get lost again. "There's nothing more to see here."

Tony allowed himself to be guided outside. He followed Gibbs back to the car in silence, but by the time they were pulling away from the house, Gibbs could tell that Tony had done as he had asked. DiNozzo's green eyes were hard again, but clear, and his expression was one of fierce resolution just tinged by anger. Gibbs nodded to himself; that was precisely what would bring Ziva and Adi back safely.

A/N: This was one of the hardest scenes for me to write and it took a lot of revision before I was content with it, so please won't you leave a review??? I'll be holding my breath waiting to hear what you think. Working on this scene made me realize what this story is really all about - in my mind, anyway - so it's pretty important and I hope it reads well.