Year Seven

"How was your trip to the park, Tony?"

"Um…good, Boss. Really fun."

"What did you two do?"

"Well we swung. Swinged. Whatever. And then we did the teeter-totter; I used to love that thing, it seemed a lot smaller this time… and then she had to be a big girl and play by herself for a bit, so I sat and watched her. Easy as that."

"Really?"

"Really. Now if you don't mind letting me get back to work…" Tony DiNozzo squirmed uncomfortably as Gibbs raised an eyebrow at him. As they spoke they were in Interrogation room four, the farthest room away from the rest of NCIS and what was now being used to get some very valuable information out of Tony.

"Sit, DiNozzo."

"Alright Boss."

"Now, why did Ria tell me she looked over and you were gone?"

"Maybe she looked at the wrong bench, and panicked?" Tony said, wondering what this was about. He knew he was in trouble- Ria had fallen off of the monkey bars and Ducky was checking her now- but he didn't get this part of Gibbs' 'interrogation.'

"I highly doubt it. Ria said that she saw you chasing some woman who was jogging in the park…" Gibbs looked at him sternly, eyes narrowed. Tony gulped.

"Oh, yeah…that," he mumbled, blushing crimson. "Boss, it was just a few minutes."

"That is not what I want to hear, DiNozzo."

A rap came at the door and Abby came in. "Here's the tape, Gibbs," the black-haired girl said, giving a sympathetic look in Tony's direction.

"Thanks Abbs." Gibbs leaned back on his chair and pressed play.

It was Ducky's autopsy room. Ria was on a cold metal table, her pants dirty. Ducky was lightly prodding her arm, and she was flinching ever-so-slightly.

"What on earth did you do, my dear?" Ducky mumbled.

"I was trying to do the monkey bars all by myself," the girl said, with the quiet dignity of a seven year old.

"I thought your father told you not to do that yourself?"

"It doesn't matter," Ria said, gazing at him. "I wanted to."

"Ah, alright. Why didn't you ask Tony?"

"Mr. Tony wasn't there."

"Indeed?"

"Yeah, he wasn't on the bench, he was chasing some woman…"

Ducky covered his mouth with his hand and feigned coughing for a bit. "Well, that certainly does sound like Mr. Tony."

The video froze, and Gibbs looked up.

"Boss, I didn't mean…"

"DiNozzo. Whatever possessed you to do that?"

"C'mon Boss you know me…" Tony trailed off. This wasn't a joke; not to Gibbs.

"Daddy…" Ria's voice sounded outside. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, sweetie. Come on in," Gibbs said, fixing Tony with a look.

Ria walked in, and Tony bit his lip. She was still in her play-clothes, her hair wisping out of her ponytail. Her arm… her arm was in a small sling, wrapped in a bandage. She looked up at Tony. "Hi, Mr. Tony. What are you doing in here?"

This is my fault this is my fault this is my fault. The words circled around Tony's head. This is my fault, and she acts like there's nothing wrong.

"Just talking to your Daddy, Ria." The words wrenched out of his mouth.

"Oh..okay. Daddy, Ducky says that I need to not go to the playground much until my arm feels better. Yeah."

"Alright, hun. Go and tell Abby you're feeling better; she almost had a heart attack."

"Okay."

As Ria left, Tony turned to his boss. "Gibbs, I'm so sorry…"

"It's fine Tony."

Eh? Tony was expecting rage and fire and Gibbs-slaps, not just 'it's okay.' "Listen, I'll do paperwork this week. No missions…unless you want me too… nothing. I'm so-"

"DiNozzo, I said it's fine. If you must punish yourself, do it." Gibbs' voice was oddly distant.

"Alright, well…bye, Boss."

Tony slumped as he walked out of the interrogation room. Along the hallway, he passed Ducky.

"Is she really bad, Duck?"

"She'll be fine in a week or two. How's Gibbs?" the clipped British accent asked.

"I've never seen him like this. Not since-" Shannon and Kelly, he wanted to say.

"Oh dear. We do have a problem, I'd best go speak to him."

XXXXXXX

Gibbs was sitting at the interrogation table when Ducky came in.

"How are you, Jethro?"

"I'll be okay, Ducky."

Silence reigned for a few moments. And then…both men burst into laughter.

"I have no idea how you kept a straight face, my friend."

"Me? You have no idea, Duck. You were amazing."

"I'll be surprised if he ever goes after a woman whilst on the job again!"

"Really?"

"…No."

Both men chuckled slightly. "Alright, are you going to tell him?"

"That she's fine? Not for a while. We need that paperwork done," Gibbs said with a smile.