A/N: So sorry for the long delay. Had some horrible couple of days with no time for anything but trying to make the best of a terrible situation. I didn't have any time for myself or for writing. Hope you understand. xo

Chapter Ten: 3

Sometimes life was kind – even to Anthony DiNozzo. When he woke up the next day, he didn't have a clue what to say to Gibbs about why he had left the way he had. He still didn't know much less had an explanation for it. Be that as it may, he was scheduled for a dentist appointment that morning, giving him another couple of hours to think it through. He had first been relieved, knowing he had bought himself some time to think, but as he sat in the waiting room, he couldn't help but feel slightly lonely. He was surrounded by people, heard them chat and turn the pages of the magazines, but it didn't feel right, this wasn't where he wanted to be. It wasn't just because he didn't like dentists, but because he really wanted to be at work – and with Gibbs.

The thought made him halt his line of thinking. He was pretty sure that he still wasn't thinking exactly straight, that the bourbon was still slowing down his brain cells, but the thought had popped up more than once during the night and even in his restless sleep. He didn't know if he wanted to actually be with Gibbs, if it was just a phase or a dumb idea. He wasn't even certain if he just wanted to keep the status quo and was simply panicking. That was probably it, Tony decided as he was called by a pretty dental nurse. He had just panicked. It was as simple as that.

Except – it wasn't. Because when Tony walked into the bullpen an hour and a half later, he couldn't help but acknowledge the feeling of utter relief when he saw Gibbs sit behind his desk. It was like he had been afraid that he wouldn't be there and hadn't even realized it. He shook his head at himself and then greeted McGee and Ellie with a quick hello and Gibbs with a nod. Only when he switched on his computer, did Tony realize that he also had a bright smile on his lips. Subtly shaking his head, Tony forced himself to stop smiling and start working. He wouldn't let the others know how confused he was about all of it.

#

"Grab your gear," Gibbs' voice sounded through the bullpen a little while later. "Dead sailor in Quantico. Bishop, McGee, you take the van. DiNozzo with me."

They scrambled to follow their boss to the elevators, inwardly happy about a distraction from the cold cases and in Tony's case from his own thoughts. The drive to the crime scene was mostly silent and Tony wasn't entirely sure if that was a good or a bad thing. He debated internally if he should say something about his own behavior the night before, but decided to stay quiet for the time being. Gibbs didn't seem like he needed an explanation and Tony suddenly felt grounded again, felt like it would all turn out okay because Gibbs was just there with him. He didn't indulge in that thought for too long though, knowing that it would just lead to other unwanted thoughts.

A little while later, they had photographed the crime scene, had turned over the corpse of Lt. Fox to Ducky and Palmer and were currently following up a lead a neighbor had provided when Gibbs suddenly stopped dead next to Tony, motioning his three team members to do the same. They were standing in front of Lt. Fox's son' house, their guns drawn, wondering what had made Gibbs stop. Then Tony heard them, too. Silent footsteps just inside the door.

"Federal agents, open the door," Tony shouted, inching a little closer.

There was no reaction from the house for a moment and Tony was just about to push open the door forcefully when it suddenly opened from inside. He stared into the crystal blue eyes of their young suspect, who was barely nineteen years old, for a split of a second before he realized that the kid had a gun drawn at Gibbs.

"Woah," Tony breathed out, trying to keep the sudden rush of adrenaline in check. "We've got four guns pointing at you. You don't want to do anything stupid now."

"You mean something stupider than killing my own dad?" the kid asked, his eyes not leaving Gibbs. "You can kill me, but I'll take him with me," he continued, dipping his head into Gibbs' direction.

Tony stared at the young man for a second longer, wondering what he was supposed to do now. He chanced a glance at Gibbs who had gone a little pale. He wasn't looking at Fox, though, but right back at Tony. Their eyes locked for a second or two and Tony felt something like regret hitting him at full speed. He had no idea why that had happened, but he wouldn't let himself think of it. Not now. So, he turned towards Fox junior again.

"I'll only tell you one more time. Put down your gun and you walk out of this alive. Trust me we won't hesitate to shoot if you don't."

"I second that," McGee joined the conversation, highlighting Tony's point as he stepped just a little closer, the gun steadily pointed right at Fox's heart.

Tony could see a sudden flicker in the young man's eyes, saw them darting from Gibbs to Tim to Tony and back to Gibbs.

"Put it down, man," Tony tried again, the pulse rushing loudly through his ears. "Just put it down."

"No," the younger man shook his head. "Just kill me, please."

"No, there's always another way," Gibbs finally spoke, too, as he reached out his hand. "Put it down and we'll help you. Promise."

Tony watched Fox's bottom lip quiver ever so slightly. He knew that the next few seconds would be decisive. Either Fox would give in and hand over his gun or he would shoot and Tony wasn't quite sure how Gibbs could be saved if Fox chose the latter one. He continued to stare intently at the younger man, carefully avoiding Gibbs' eyes. He needed to think fast, needed to get the fear of losing his boss under control. This was his job. He had to watch Gibbs' six. Nothing more and nothing less.
A few seconds went by and still the youth was just standing there, looking at Gibbs.

Tony exchanged a quick glance with Ellie and McGee, who looked just as strained as he felt and then decided it was now or never. He simply couldn't risk losing Gibbs – not when… not when… not when he had only just realized why regret had bubbled up inside him before.

He took a deep breath, intently looking at Gibbs who apparently knew what he was about to do and nodded once, and then leapt forward, effectively tackling their suspect. He pushed him down towards the concrete and just when he thought that it was all done now, he heard a shot ring through the air. He felt his heart miss a beat as he turned towards Gibbs, only to see him go down right beside him.

Sheer panic grabbed his heart, as he heard himself cry out for his boss. He was vaguely aware that McGee wrenched the gun out of Fox's hand and that Ellie cuffed him. Tony simply let go of the murderer without a second thought, knowing that the other two had it under control, and kneed down beside Gibbs, whose blue eyes stared right back at him.

"'m fine," Gibbs mumbled. "Just my arm."

Tony let out a relieved sigh, searched for the entry wound and then put pressure on it. He exhaled again as he leaned over the older man, watching him closely for any signs of pain. But Gibbs just stared back at him, bringing the hand of his uninjured arm towards Tony arm, grabbing it with much more force than Tony thought a man who had just been shot should possess.

"Goddamnit, Gibbs." Tony all but whispered. "I hate this part of the job."

The older man just looked at him, staying silent for a moment. As if from far away Tony heard Bishop call for an ambulance.

"It's not too late," Gibbs answered quietly, his hand leaving Tony's arm as he scrunched up his face in apparent pain.

McGee took this exact moment to reemerge from the car where he had just put their suspect, asking Gibbs how he was and replacing Tony's rather shaky hands on the wound with his own. Tony stood up and wiped away Gibbs' blood from his hands, ruining his jeans in the course. Somehow, he wasn't able to look away from his boss, whose eyes were still fixed on him and whose words echoed in his mind, despite the dreadfulness of the situation.

In the distance he could hear the sirens of the ambulance as he wiped his hands on his jeans once more. His glance fell on his clock and, for the what felt like the thousandth of time in the last few minutes, his heart started to beat much fast than before. One of these days, he was sure he'd have a heart attack if it kept going like that. Despite having just watched Gibbs getting shot, he was still taken by surprise by what he saw on his arm. The clock had changed again. It now read only a little over 12 hours.

He stared at it for a second or two before he brushed away the thought for the time being. Gibbs needed his attention now, he needed someone to come to the hospital with him, fill out the forms and all that stuff and he sure as hell wasn't interested in Tony's feelings at the moment.

But Gibbs' words didn't stop resounding in his head.

It's not too late. It's not too late.

Not this time, Tony carried on in his thoughts. It's not too late for now.

Whatever that meant.