DISCLAIMER: I do not own NCIS.
Gibbs responded, "Anthony DiNozzo."
A quick glance to his cousin caused Gibbs to ask, "What? Do you know him?"
"Yes," Mac said. "At least I know of him. A cold case dealing with the family from several years ago. My mentor's partner was obsessed with it."
The attention swung wholly onto Gibbs' friend. He nodded before continuing.
"Mrs. Felicity DiNozzo was killed in a boating accident under mysterious circumstances. The husband, Angelo DiNozzo, wouldn't let the authorities look into it saying it was just an accident. The detective leading the case, the partner of my mentor, he thought something was going on with the son, Anthony DiNozzo. Abused, wouldn't say a thing…"
Mac shrugged, "He didn't think the kid killed his mother or even accidently killed his mother. But, something happened on that boat that didn't sit well with Bernie."
Ava clucked her tongue softly, "He was at Rhode Island Military Academy with me. We all knew something like that was going on."
"What do you mean," Gibbs said sharply.
Ava sighed, "He came back from summer break one time messed up. It took him months before he felt comfortable with us again. Had a nervous tick whenever someone was too close."
"Let me call in to work and get one of my people to pull together everything we know about the DiNozzo's," Mac said pulling his cell phone out. "Hey, Kendall, get some time to compile everything on DiNozzo Enterprises and Angelo DiNozzo. Thanks.
"I'll swing by on my way back from picking up dinner. Anything?"
The three told him whatever he got was fine with them before he nodded and left. Ava told them to get comfortable before sitting on the couch and pulling out a pack and unloading it.
"Is that your gear," Gibbs asked, looking at the stuff interestedly.
She nodded, "Yes. Sometimes I have to jump from one building to another. Got to make sure everything is in top condition or it's more than just my life that is taken. If you would like my rifle is over there. I know a Marine sniper when I see one. Go ahead and inspect it."
"You bring your rifle home with you," McGee blurted out.
Ava shrugged, "Hm. Once a week to take it apart thoroughly and clean every crevice, my daily swipe is pretty thorough but I prefer to spend a couple hours with it just to make sure."
McGee saw Gibbs nod praising her, before sticking his nose close to the handle. Restraining from rolling his eyes when he saw Ziva pull out her gun and begin to clean it, McGee grabbed the first book he saw and began reading.
When Mac came back, he had a small stack of files and a large bag of take out. They gathered around the table, each grabbing a carton of food and a file.
***
Angelo DiNozzo shuffled into the basement of his mansion, passing the racks of vintage wine; he made his way to the small room at the end. Pausing to take a sip of water before opening the door, he curled his fists.
Pushing the door, he watched as his son sat still and undefeated. Feeling the rage course through his veins, Angelo DiNozzo slammed the door shut. Anthony barely flinched.
"Hey," Tony said disapprovingly to whoever thought it was fun to slam a heavy metal door when he had the worst headache. Once his eyes adjusted he recognized his father, "Oh, well father what is it this time? Was I getting too happy? Because let me tell you I wasn't, in fact it was not going well at all."
"Be quiet," Angelo DiNozzo shouted. "You always spoke too much-"
He was cut off by Tony's laughter, "You think I talked too much back then? You have no idea how much I talk now! You know, to make up for being silent for the first half of my life."
"Quiet!"
"Why'd you take me this time," Tony brushed the command aside, he only had so much courage and he was going to use as much as he could before his father could slap it away from him.
Angelo DiNozzo scowled, "Don't you know what this week is, Anthony? This is the week that killed your mother. In fact today is the day you killed her, all those years ago."
Tony sat stunned. He knew what week it was, but he never expected his father to remember something about a wife he didn't truly love. A wife who didn't truly love him in return. And after all these years, Tony was shocked.
"You two never loved each other!"
A hand smacked into Tony's face, "We had an understanding! No one else was like her! And it's your fault she is gone."
Tony felt tears threaten to fill his eyes, "It wasn't me! She went running after her alcohol and fell over!"
"The alcohol which you hid under the bow seats!"
"I just wanted her to stop drinking and fish with me!"
"Unacceptable! You killed her!"
"She was already drunk at nine in the morning," Tony choked out. He hadn't thought about that day in so long, instead blocking the memories. They now threatened to flash in front of his eyes forevermore. Unperturbed by his son's hysterics, Angelo DiNozzo swung his hand again. Tony slumped forward and fought his tears,
"DiNozzo's don't cry," his father said harshly.
"We're at the summer house aren't we," Tony said, small. He had recognized the smell of the wine basement when the door opened. In fact he recognized the room; he had hid in it for two days when he was five. Then it was filled with boxes from his mother's youth, now it was empty.
"I'll let you go," his father abruptly said. "As soon as I feel up to it."
Tony's lip quivered the minutest, however he faked indifference.
"I doubt it matters much to your team," Angelo DiNozzo sneered. "I wonder if they even notice you are gone."
"They do," Tony said, doubt edging his words. He had been wondering the same thing. Just because he and Ziva were going to lunch doesn't mean she didn't forget about him. It definitely wouldn't be the first time nor the last time, he thought negatively.
"No," his father said resolutely. "They don't. You are worthless. I have no doubt you will wind up in the gutter, penniless and all alone."
Tony hung his head, his worst dreams he couldn't even wake up and escape from.
Ziva watched McGee sigh and lean back from the corner of her eye. They had been going through and re-reading the few files for hours. For awhile, they all were confused when Ava would say nose when she spoke, but when Mac said DiNozzo, they quickly realized it must have been his nick name.
They had at first all eyed the cold case file, not wanting to read what it was that happened to Tony's mother and wanting to know something from his pre-college days. Inevitably, Ziva and McGee waited for Gibbs to grab the file and look it over.
After perusing it, he tossed it over to Ziva. McGee pulled in close to her to read over her shoulder. Warily, they began to read it, both eagerly and reluctantly. Once they finished it, they both looked at Gibbs. A shake of the head and they all picked up a file to read.
"His business looks like it's on the up and up," Mac said finally, empty cartons forgotton on the floor.
"Unfortunately," Ziva groused. "If it had not been, we could have shut it out."
"Down," McGee said absentmindedly.
Ziva flicked her fist wearily. Ava tossed a file on the floor,
"Looks like there are plenty of places he could be, that we know Noz's father has."
"Not to mention things he could've gotten under other names," McGee agreed.
Gibbs barked, "Keep looking!"
Ziva and McGee immediately set back to work, but Mac and Ava looked at Gibbs through half-closed eyes.
"Get some sleep Mac," Ava said quietly. "I'll keep helping them."
Mac looked too tired to argue with her; rather he padded to his room. Gibbs barely acknowledged his friends' reassuring tap. Ziva felt that Gibbs was beginning to get the need to just drive through the city shouting Tony's name out the window. While Tony was remarkably amazing at coming to Gibbs' every call, she didn't feel that Tony would be able to this time.
"Gibbs, can we not just go to his houses?"
McGee perked up, and then said thinking of the way New York spread out under his feet, "Yeah, he seems the type to keep things under his thumb."
Ava stiffened suddenly, grabbing the attention of the others.
"You know," she started out slow, "Noz always hated his house. In our military history class, our instructor was talking about the mansions he had to patrol one month because of an ambassador. Noz, he didn't react so well when he described what I assume was his place.
"We had never seen Noz afraid, always the first to jump," Ava continued thoughtfully. "But that is what he looked like…"
Abruptly, Gibbs stood, "Then that's where he'll be. His father likes him afraid."
Ziva shook her head, "Perhaps not. He has summer homes, yes? And a city apartment, a house on the west coast, one in Switzerland. It could take us too long to figure out which one."
"We'll just start at the ones here and go from there," Gibbs began walking to the door.
"Uh, boss?"
"What McGee!"
McGee scrunched his face, sorrowfully, "Uh, well boss, it's four in the morning. If Mister DiNozzo is at one of his places he would definitely be there now. Maybe the one with Tony. Can't we just find him on the GPS from his car?"
He gulped silently when Gibbs drew up close.
"Good thinking McGee," Gibbs lightly patted him on the shoulder. "Do it."
McGee nodded and speedily made his way onto his laptop. A few moments of tapping and,
"Got it boss. Are we going now?"
Ziva, McGee, and Ava all looked expectantly at Gibbs who finally began to look tired. He shook his head and explained,
"No, we're exhausted. We aren't going into a fight dead on our feet."
McGee winced at the expression as well as Ziva.
"And besides, those files need to be returned and us leave here before we get Mac and her in trouble," gesturing towards Ava.
Smiling, Ava said, "I think he forgets what I do for a living. I get people out of trouble. You know we can do this in a way to lessen the difficulty of this all."
Nodding at the responsiveness on their faces, she continued, "You guys stake the place out and if you can tell me positively that Tony is there, my team and I will back you up as a hostage situation. And we can get some buddies of mine on the West Coast to check out the places over there. East coast is on you though my team has limited time off."
Ziva and McGee nodded their heads, secretly glad to have back up. Gibbs, too, nodded. Getting her phone out, Ava made a call,
"Hey Scar. Yeah, yeah, listen; we may have a hostage situation. An old buddy of mine from RIMA, Tony DiNozzo, got it? As soon as his team finds out where he is, let's go get him," making her way to her bedroom she continued,
"Just tell him that just because he's temporary team leader of swing shift doesn't mean he has any seniority over you. That's right…"
They filtered the rest out as she finished her call and headed back to them with extra sheets and pillows.
"Someone can take my bed; I have to go into work in a couple so I'll just grab some shut eye there. You have my number, call me."
Becoming stern she glared at Gibbs, then, not unkindly, "Don't try to do anything heroic alright Marine? You've got the I'll call in and rush in just as quick attitude."
She spun around and left the apartment quickly. Avoiding looking at Gibbs, McGee grabbed a pillow and a sheet. Laying the sheet on one of the chairs, he pulled an ottoman close and arranged himself, feet propped up and pillow under his neck. The last thing he saw before slumber closed his eyes was Ziva situating herself underneath the counter between the kitchen and the living room. The memory of the team all asleep at a crime scene filled his mind, visions of Ziva's head on Tony's shoulder, before they seeped into blackness.
A/N: A couple more tonight...