A/N: Sorry this took a while but my project kept me up for like 48 hours straight and then he to actually sleep…so yeah this is just a little Thanksgiving present.

"But, boss!"

"No 'buts', DiNozzo. You are hurt, you need to go to Ducky. Now go."

Tony pouted as Gibbs gently pushed him towards the elevators.

"And if you even think of lying to me about going, I'll have your ass doing paperwork for the next two months. As a precaution, of course."

Tony sighed as he walked into the elevator and pressed the number for Autopsy. I mean, what was he supposed to tell him? He sure as hell wasn't going to open his heart to the guy. Not now. Not after what just happened, anyway.

As the elevator doors opened, he was preparing for the worst but instead he saw his favorite goth speaking with Ducky.

"…be here soon, cuz you know Gibbs, he'll probably order Tony down here and-"

"Hello, Anthony." Ducky greeted. "Oh my, Abby was right you do look terrible. Well, come here. Let's take a look at you."

Tony looked over at Abby and mouthed the words "thank you". Abby smiled back gently and nodded before going to the elevators.

Tony stayed quiet throughout Ducky's gentle ministrations but eventually he broke the silence.

"Duck…I'm sorry, but…I don't think I'm ready to talk about…what happened or, what happened back then."

"That's quite alright, Anthony. I understand. It's a natural response. No one wants to talk about traumatic events, but if I may, I suggest that you do talk to someone. It really does help."

"He's got me, Duck."

Tony jumped slightly as he heard Gibbs' voice. He attempted to pull his shirt back on, before Gibbs could see the bruising but ended up failing miserably.

As Gibbs walked up to them he addressed Ducky.

"He cleared, Duck?"

"Ah, hello, Jethro. And yes, he is mostly fine. There don't appear to be any internal injuries, so he should just take it a little easier the next few weeks. Well, as much as he can."

As Tony and Gibbs left Autopsy and entered the elevator Gibbs turned to Tony.

"You're sure you're fine?"

"Yeah, boss…I think Ducky was right. Talking about it might help…maybe…"

Gibbs smirked.

"Let's hope it does."

The elevator doors dinged open and the two Special Agents walked to their desks to gather their stuff.

McGee and Ziva noticed this and decided to pack up their own stuff.

"Good night, boss." "Night, Gibbs." They said as they left the bullpen.

Gibbs checked his watch: 8:00.

"You should go back to your place before coming to mine. I'll be there." Gibbs told Tony before walking out of the bullpen himself.

Tony sighed. It's been one hell of a day. He had about 25 minutes before he had to leave to make it to Gibbs' in time.

He looked at his hands. They were still shaking from this afternoon. He could still feel his father's hands—no it was the other guy's…right? Hyland's?

Now they were mixing. He could feel the pain from his father. The pain from Hyland.

He needed to stop remembering. He knew it was a bad idea but he needed the alcohol. Even if the alcohol made him a lot more talkative about subjects he'd usually stay away from, he needed it. It wasn't quite an addiction; it was more of a safety harness.

It helped him stay alive, it protected him. It kept him from falling into nothingness and losing himself. It sounded crazy to rely on alcohol and compare it to something keeping you grounded, since it made you act…differently.

But still…he couldn't help but crave it at times like these. When he was reminded of things best forgotten; when he felt…alone. He knew that he wasn't, he had Ducky, Abby, Ziva, McGee, and Gibbs, but sometimes he felt so incredibly alone that it was overwhelming.

It made him do irrational things. Like when he went to Gibbs' place; drunk. He knew he shouldn't have gotten drunk that night, but as always, he ignored his better judgment and did it anyway. He should have known that one day he'd do something he'd regret when he was sober again.

By the time he'd finally calmed down it was 8:30. Shit! He was going to be late and Gibbs was going to kill him.

He hastily packed his things and basically ran to the elevator.

When he got to his apartment, he jogged to his bedroom took off his suit and quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a grey sweatshirt. On his way out a certain clear bottle caught his eye.

It was a bottle of vodka.

He knew he shouldn't; really shouldn't. But the temptation proved too much, he grabbed the bottle and put it in his backpack. He could always lock himself in his car after he was done talking with Gibbs. Hopefully then, he wouldn't do anything he regretted.

He just hoped he didn't give into the temptation while at Gibbs' place.

Tony sighed as he left his apartment. This night isn't going to be pretty.

Gibbs was sitting in his boat waiting for Tony.

He was already 15 minutes late and Gibbs just hoped he didn't do anything stupid.

Maybe he should have driven Tony here himself. He wasn't quite sure Tony was together enough to drive, let alone drive knowing that when he reached his destination he may have to relive some painful events again.

He decided it would be best to just rely on his Senior Field Agent. I mean, seriously, he's a grown man, and a damn good agent he should be able to power through this.

He believed in Tony to be strong and clear headed in the most emotionally and physically stressful situations. He just needed to back him up. They always had each other's six, now, he needed to have Tony's. He wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation, but he figured that he would read how Tony was feeling and give him what he needed.

He would assist Tony any way he needed. He didn't know what this exact situation was like, but he knew ways to handle traumatic events (more specifically how not to). He would also look for signs that Tony was handling this wrong, self-inflicted injuries, drugs, alcohol, etc. He knew Tony wasn't one to admit that he needed help so he would have to look for the signs.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Gibbs began walking up the stairs.

Show time.

A/N: So yeah, not the 'The Talk' chapter, but the pre-talk chapter… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted to go more into what the two were thinking about these things. Well, Happy Thanksgiving! Will probably update soon (hopefully).