DISCLAIMER: I don't own NCIS
***
Silence filled the apartment after Ziva's question. Suddenly Tony stood up and walked to his living room. Gibbs, McGee, and Ziva followed him tentatively. When Tony opened a cabinet under the coffee table and pulled out a box Gibbs stirred uneasy. Whatever it was in that box had to be important to Tony.
Tony looked up at them ashamed before flipping the top off. The three all stretched their necks to look in. But all they saw were papers, envelopes, pictures. A sound came from Tony half-way between a choke and a sob.
But at that moment Gibbs' cell phone rang. Flipping it open he answered,
"Gibbs."
McGee and Ziva both were eyeing the box critically as Gibbs shut the phone with a snap,
"Let's go! We've got a body," Gibbs walked towards the front door. But before they exited, he held up his hand stopping Tony from leaving, "Not you DiNozzo. Stay here."
Tony opened his mouth as Gibbs shut the door behind him, leaving Tony standing alone in his apartment. And then Tony walked back to the box and pulled out various papers. Swallowing hard, Tony started sorting through them.
McGee glanced nervously at Gibbs as they processed the scene. He wasn't comfortable with leaving Tony alone after finding him that morning. Somehow McGee felt that in leaving Tony, it made the situation worse. But McGee valued his life, and his job, so he stayed quiet as Gibbs barked his way through preliminary investigations.
"Where is dear Anthony," Doctor Mallard questioned as soon as he and Palmer arrived. He watched Ziva tilt her head before answering,
"He is at home Ducky."
"Why on earth would Anthony be at home," Ducky persisted as he crouched by the body. He pointed at something on the victim's arm to Palmer before taking the liver probe and puncturing the skin.
"Because I told him to stay there," Gibbs said as he strode to the medical examiner. "What do you got Duck?"
"You told him? Gracious me Jethro-"
"Duck. The case."
Ducky frowned before turning to Palmer, "Liver temp says he died between four and six hours ago. Mister Palmer?"
"Ah, well my first guess is strangulation. Ligature marks on his neck make me believe it was most likely someone's hands wrapped around the neck."
Palmer put his hands close to the victim's neck showing the similarity in pattern of the bruising to his hand.
"Very good Mister Palmer," Ducky nodded.
"Thank you Doctor Mallard," Palmer grinned as he stood to get the gurney.
Gibbs nodded and moved away from Ducky and the body, "MahGee! What did the first on scene say."
McGee answered, "He said that the woman who found the body was running through the park when he was discovered. When he arrived the body wasn't moved or touched, except by him to find ID. As soon as he saw the military ID he called us in and proceeded to scout the area out."
"Ziva?"
"I did not find anything to indicate motive nor a struggle. I do not think he was killed here. And I found car keys but no car."
"Jethro," Ducky said lowly as Gibbs moved towards the car.
"What Ducky," Gibbs hoped, but didn't expect, that Ducky was going to talk about the victim.
Ducky sighed, "Why is Anthony at home?"
Gibbs shot Ducky a warning look, "How about we talk about this later Duck?"
Ducky shook his head and sighed, "Alright Jethro. But I intend to find out!"
Gibbs nodded before calling out, "Let's go!"
Abby bounced in her lab as music pounded through the sound system. After getting a call from Gibbs about the new case she spent the time clearing up the lab to ready for the influx of evidence. She grinned and bobbed her head as the vibrations rolled through her body.
"Abs!"
Abby spun around, "Hey McGee! Ziva! Got evidence for me!"
Both agents nodded and set it before her. Abby knew immediately something was wrong and shut off her music.
"What happened," she demanded. Both McGee and Ziva glanced at each other before Ziva started,
"It seems something is wrong with Tony and-"
"What! Is he in the hospital? Sick?"
McGee shook his head, "No. He's…he's at home. Something weird happened."
Abby perked up, "You mean like he was abducted or something?"
The two shook their heads before Ziva continued, "No. He," she hesitated before rushing on; "he seems to have had a sort of crash down."
"Breakdown," McGee corrected absentmindedly. Abby cocked her head and scrunched up her face.
"Tony doesn't have breakdowns."
"It seems he does," Ziva said. "Gibbs told him to stay home."
Abby's eyes widened, "Told him to stay home? Why would he do that? If Tony did indeed breakdown he would need someone with him at all times! And Gibbs told him to stay at home?"
Ziva and McGee didn't meet her glare, prompting Abby to snatch a piece of evidence and stomp to the computer. When she didn't say anything more they left the basement and made their way to the bull pen.
The rest of the afternoon they worked quietly, both periodically glancing over at Tony's empty desk. Director Vance visited them asking if Tony was going to be better tomorrow. Concluding Gibbs told him that Tony was sick, Ziva told him that she hoped so. Director Vance nodded and said he hoped so too.
"Ah, Jethro. I wondered when you would show up."
Palmer looked up and moved out of autopsy saying, "I'm going to go find something to eat Doctor Mallard. I didn't eat lunch."
Ducky nodded as Palmer hurried out, "He didn't you know. So he could have an excuse when you showed up."
Gibbs stared at Ducky, who in turn was staring at him. With a sigh Gibbs spoke,
"We found DiNozzo in his closet this morning."
"Oh dear," Ducky's face filled with sadness and understanding. "I wondered when this was going to happen. And you told him to stay home?"
Gibbs narrowed his eyes at Ducky accusing tone, "What do you mean 'when this was going to happen' Duck?"
"Well," Ducky bristled, "Anthony was abused as a child and had many horrific events take place in his life. Not all in the years we have known him, I might add. His personality shows that he was damaged in the early stages of his life and whenever things, as they say, 'pile up' he reverts back to this stage. In fact that is why he acts juvenile most of the time…
"It reminds me of a case I had in Sussex in 1963, but that's another story for another time," Ducky sternly looked at Gibbs. "He needs people, Jethro. Attention, specifically affection, but I think young Anthony has succumbed to the belief that attention is the only thing he is capable of recieving. And so, he does any and everything to get attention. Good or bad."
"What do you think I could do Duck," Gibbs growled. Ducky appraised him before deciding Gibbs' anger came from his concern over his agent. And from the reminder of the not so pleasant past Tony had experienced.
Ducky spoke slowly, "I think we can't really do anything for him Jethro. Except help Anthony pick himself back up after this all blows over."
A/N: So I was on a roll and finished another chapter. Let me know ho I did! :)