Tony was silent for a while before finally answering with, "he just, you know…was a fan of corporal punishment."

"Yeah? That all he was a 'fan' of?"

Tony was a little startled by the unanticipated question and he was less than eager to answer it, so he simply decided not to.

"Tony…Tony!…DiNozzo!…Anthony!" It was uncommon for Gibbs to use Tony's first name, but it was downright bizarre for him to say Anthony. The command sent Tony spiraling into a horrible memory.

"ANTHONY!" The booming voice came from his father. 15 year old Tony was unsure of what he had done to bring on his father's wrath, but had little time to contemplate it when strong hands roughly grabbed his arms. He was forcefully dragged from the kitchen to his father's study. His heart was pounding wildly against his chest when he saw his father lock the door. He wasn't sure what to expect, but years of dealing with his father's temper had taught him it would be bad. He was standing in front of his father's desk, trying not to show his fear as his father glared at him from in front of the door. Tony's flight instinct had kicked in, but there was simply no where to go. Tony's father took a menacing step closer to him and another, and another, until he was standing but a few inches away from his son. Tony had instinctively backed away as his father got closer, but had to stop when his legs hit the desk. The older DiNozzo slowly began undoing his belt and Tony knew what was coming.

The flashback turned into random snippets of memory, all terrifying.

No!

Stop!

Please don't!

Don't do this!

Gibbs watched as Tony seemed to zone out. He had gotten off the stool and gone to the stairs. There he sat with his knees to his chest and his head down. He was shaking hard and Gibbs was at a loss for what to do. Tony wouldn't respond to his name, but when he started screaming, Gibbs knew it was time to take action. He moved quickly to the stair and crouched down so he was at eye level with Tony, though Tony wasn't looking. He put his hand on Tony's shoulder which he regretted when Tony violently flinched and looked up, his eyes full of fear. Gibbs' heart broke a little when he noticed the fear was directed at him.

"Tony, it's okay, it's me. You're safe."

Tony noticeably calmed down as Gibbs' voice pulled him back to the present. Gibbs once again grabbed Tony by the shoulders. This time Tony relaxed into his touch. "Sorry, boss."

"No reason to be sorry. What just happened?"

Tony paused momentarily. "I - I'm not sure. Bad memory, I guess."

"What were you remembering?"

"Um, this one time my father got pretty pissed at me. It didn't really end well for me, as I'm sure you could imagine."

"I bet. What did he do to you?"

"You know I kept telling him to stop. He didn't listen. I was telling him to stop!"

By this time Tony was getting pretty worked up and Gibbs noticed his breathing was beginning to hitch.

"Hey, Tony, calm down. It's okay."

"It's not okay! It will never be okay! I didn't want him to do it! I told him I didn't!"

"What didn't you want him to do? Hey, look at me. What didn't you want him to do?"

"I told him not to…"

Tony began crying and tried to curl into himself. Gibbs moved to sit next to the man he'd come to think of as his son and held him tightly. Tony had a death grip on a fistful of Gibbs' old NIS sweater and his head rested against Gibbs' strong chest as he sobbed. Gibbs wasn't the touchy feely type, nor was Tony, but this was what he needed at the moment and Gibbs would damn well give it to him. He whispered comforting words to Tony as he held him close. After a few minutes, Tony's breaths evened out and Gibbs stopped holding him so tight, but didn't let go. He realized Tony had fallen asleep and wasn't looking forward to trying to move him. He briefly considered staying there, but decided against it. He gently shook Tony, hoping to rouse him from his slumber.

"Tony. Come on, let's go upstairs."

Tony moved a little and grunted. When Gibbs stood up, he slumped back against the wall, not wanting to move. He was adamant on staying exactly where he was when strong arms began to haul him to his feet. He stood up, barely balanced, and leaned heavily on the ex marine as he was led up the stairs. Tony was out cold the instant he reached the couch. Gibbs knew he mustn't have been sleeping for a lot longer than he had let on to be that tired. Gibbs went to his linen closet and pulled out a blanket. He unfolded it and carefully draped it over his agent. He ruffled Tony's hair before heading upstairs. He showered quickly and was about to lay down when he heard a whimper coming from his living room. He was at Tony's side in a matter of seconds.

"NO!" Tony was thrashing around on the couch and Gibbs grabbed onto him before he threw himself onto the floor. Tony shot up and was looking around wildly.

"Tony, are you okay?"

Tony shook his head frantically. "No, no, no, no. Boss, I can't - I can't do this. It's too much. It's just too much."

"What's too much, Tony? What can't you do?"

"I can't. They won't stop. They just won't stop. I just want them to stop! Make them stop, Gibbs, please make them stop!"

"What won't stop? Tony you have to tell me what you're talking about. I can't help you if I don't know what you're talking about. What won't stop?"

"The nightmares! They won't go away! I can't get them to go away!"

"Okay. Breathe. Calm down." Gibbs waited for Tony to slow his erratic breathing. When Tony seemed somewhat in control of his emotions, he continued, "What's happening in the nightmares?"

"He's…every time I close my eyes, he's there. No matter what. He's always there."

"Your father?" it was more of a statement then a question. Tony nodded.

"Okay. What is he doing?"

Tony's breathing became more shallow and Gibbs knew he needed to calm him back down, but he wanted - no needed - some answers.

"He used to hit you a lot?"

Tony nodded slightly.

"Is that all he did, Tony?"

Tony remained silent and had his eyes cast downward.

"Tony, did your father touch you?"

At the question Tony looked up at Gibbs before quickly looking back down at the floor.

He nodded. A movement so small, it would have gone undetected by anyone other than Gibbs.

And just like that both their worlds came crashing down.

Let me know if you're still interested in this. Will continue, if it's wanted.

Tell me if this is to unrealistic.