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 and 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, "McGee 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?"

Again 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 getting. 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."

Abby glared at Gibbs and turned to face the computer screen, effectively turning her back on Gibbs and the Caf-Pow. She was determined to get her point across and Tony was worth the sacrifice.

"Abs," Gibbs sighed.

"No Gibbs," Abby started typing. "How could you abandon Tony? At his most dire time of need?"

Abby turned her head and pleaded that he would give her an answer.

Gibbs set the Caf-Pow down, "He shouldn't come in if he's unstable."

"Unstable Gibbs? You make him sound like he's crazy!"

"He is!"

Abby's mouth dropped in shock. Staring at him, she conveyed her absolute disbelief that Gibbs could say something like that. Gibbs scowled darkly.

"I didn't mean that the way it sounded Abby."

"How could you Gibbs? When he needs you most…. Tony's been through hell Gibbs. So much more than you or I could handle," Abby cocked her head as she spoke, eyes filling with tears.

"I know," Gibbs said quietly. "I do. But there was nothing I could do for him in so short amount time."

"You could've taken a minute to explain that you weren't abandoning him," Abby said resolutely.

Gibbs blinked.

"Abandoning him?"

"Yeah Gibbs, like his dad did."

Gibbs shook his head, "I'll go over and check on him."

Abby nodded her head and turned away from him, "Good. I'm still disappointed in you, though."

Gibbs sighed again before leaving. When he strode into the bull pen moments later he stopped and watched his two agents work silently. He immediately noticed the emptiness and lack of ease. McGee sat working at his computer too stiffly and very obviously upset. Ziva, on the other side of the bull pen, was trying too hard to keep the air of indifference, which was often replaced by a moment of looking at Tony's desk expectantly and swiftly slumping in disappointment.

The two obviously were dependant on Tony's presence and their previous perception of him. Now that they saw another dark side to him, they would undoubtedly be forever reminded of his mortality and their quick judgment. Gibbs had thought that after realizing Tony was in love with Jeanne, the two would see that Tony was a man with secrets and weaknesses. And they did, for awhile. But all too quickly the affair with Jenny sent them in opposite directions. And when they returned to each other the teammates clung to the masks each had built.

Sighing, Gibbs marched into the bull pen and barked, "What've you got!"

The two agents reported what they found out without preamble or insight. They threw ideas out, but none of them sat well with Gibbs. Ziva glanced back at Tony's desk and said,

"I bet Tony would see something from one of his movies."

That was when Gibbs figured they realized that Tony's insight was crucial to the team's dynamics. Without him they deflated.

"Alright," Gibbs said as he grabbed his keys and coffee, "let's go sort out DiNozzo."

Ziva quickly went to her desk to grab her things, but McGee stood unsure.

"Um, boss? Are you sure all of us should…," McGee stuttered to a halt when both Gibbs and Ziva glared at him. "I just wasn't sure he would want all of us to be there."

"We're a team MahGee," Gibbs stated. "We take care of our own."

McGee nodded then and proceeded to his desk. Ziva was already waiting impatiently by the elevator as McGee and Gibbs strode over. After glaring at the two Ziva hit the call button a third time with excessive force. Gibbs mentally sighed hoping the three of them could fix DiNozzo, or else the three of them may need help.

As they approached Tony's apartment, they all slowed down prolonging the time before they would see what Tony was doing. All Ziva could think was he better not be watching a movie, but then she quickly changed her mind. If he was watching a movie it wasn't as bad as she had been imagining all day.

Without knowing they all held their breath as Gibbs hit the door once before unlocking it with his keys.

"Tony," he called. He let his eyes sweep the apartment as Ziva and McGee followed him in. This time though the three catalogued what they saw. The kitchen was clean except for the bottled water and cereal bar that lay on the floor. Troubled Ziva surged forward to the dining room seeing the chair pulled out as it was when Tony had sat there. Next she swept into the living room where the box still sat on the table, but now papers and pictures had been taken out a placed about the room.

"Tony," she called again as she headed into his bedroom. She passed a picture of the team with Kate and a picture of the team with her in the hallway.

"Tony," she called again. "Do not make me call your name again or so help you…"

She heard a sniff and searched the room. Tony looked up at her from the floor next to the toilet. Quickly she called Gibbs and sank to her knees.

"Watch out," Tony slurred. "Don' get puke on your cargos."

Gibbs showed up and hissed, "You okay DiNozzo? You look like hell."

McGee inwardly rolled his eyes at Gibbs' brusque manner. But he had a point, Tony did look like hell. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy, shadows formed under and in his eyes, and his normally immaculate clothing was rumpled and out of place.

Tony winced at Gibbs' tone and pulled himself up unsteadily, "By the way, no I haven't been drinkin'. Don' have anything left."

He shuddered and started crawling pass them into his bedroom.

"Tony would you like help," Ziva asked.

Tony started laughing heavily. He continued crawling until he made it to his bedside table, laughing uncontrollably. Ziva stood and followed him angrily, about to say something until Tony grunted in pain as he pulled himself up.

"Help," Tony said contemptuously and shook his head disbelievingly. "Yeah, oh."

He groaned as he pulled out a knee brace from the table drawer. McGee looked surprised when he saw the contents of the drawer. Tony saw him and snarled,

"What? Did you think I would have porn in there? Condoms? Sorry to disappoint Probie. Just knee braces, back braces, back-up weapons, and my medley of prescription medicines."

"Don't get mad at McGee," Gibbs said calmly. "What medication do you need?"

Tony closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, "The bottle with the red sticker."

Gibbs perused the drawer before picking out the right one and handing it to Tony. He popped of the top and dry swallowed a couple pills, eyes still closed. Ziva returned from the kitchen with an ice pack and pulled Tony up. McGee quickly took his other shoulder and they dragged him into the living room.

"Don't bother guys," Tony said through clenched teeth. "It gets worse when you try to help."

Ziva snorted as she wrapped his knee, "Usually when you help an injury it gets better Tony."

Tony shook his head as she placed the ice pack on his knee. Resting his head on the back of the couch, he mumbled,

"Wasn't what I was talking about."

"Then what were you talking about," Gibbs questioned.

Tony snarled again, "Don't treat me like one of your suspects Gibbs. Leave me alone. You know where the door is."

McGee opened his mouth in shock and he could see the same expression on Ziva and Gibbs' faces. Never before had he heard DiNozzo openly defiant to Gibbs. Maybe to others but never to Gibbs. A flicker of something passed over Gibbs face making McGee even more confused.

A/N: I really am on a roll today. Anyway, I'm not sure where I want to go with this next, but I do know how it ends. Let me know how I did! :)