Gibbs strode with purpose out of the elevator, McGee on his heels chattering nervously about how Miller had managed to once again infiltrate the Navy Yard. Any other day and he'd have shut him up with just a look, but as they neared the bullpen his keen senses told him he'd be glad for the distraction before long. The first thing he noticed walking into the bullpen was Kate sitting at her desk, not working. Following her gaze his eyes rested on Tony, sitting at his own desk across the way, chair turned around with his back to the team, legs up, feet planted flat against the divide. Everything about his scrunched up posture shouted 'leave me alone'.
Sighing heavily Gibbs slipped behind his desk and sat down. If the body language hadn't clue him in, the presence of the trusted Rubik's cube nestled in his shaking hands being violently twisted back and forth sure did. Clearly the kid was mad. Mad at him, his father, the FBI, heck probably the whole damn world right now. Yelling at him in front of Palmer had probably been embarrassing, however, by the apologetic looks Kate was throwing Tony's way Gibbs would bet the reappearance of that infernal cube game was all her doing this time.
"What did you do?" He asked wearily, without taking eyes off his computer screen.
"Gibbs?" She frowned, clueless.
"Kate?" He matched her tone for tone, still refusing to look her way.
He flicked his gaze momentarily towards Tony, heard Kate huff at his side before she slammed her notebook shut and swivelled her chair to face him.
"I asked him about what you two discussed in autopsy. That's all." She stated irritably.
"That's all?" He mimicked, knowing it was a sure fire way to not only piss her off, but get the answers quicker.
He could see she was thinking something over, her tight lipped expression indicating a complicated internal debate was going on.
"Well he didn't want to tell me," Kate paused, but continued when he moved his gaze away from the screen and aimed it squarely on her, "I may have pushed him a little."
"What happened?" He sighed again, the team falling out was all he needed right now.
"I called him a baby when he refused to talk to me," she admitted cagily, "I didn't think he'd take it so... I've called him a lot worse!"
Kate shrugged, looking hopefully at him to explain the odd reaction.
Gibbs simply shook his head. She didn't get it. Probably never would. He certainly wasn't going to tell her, because to her right now Tony was being a little sulky and she'd forget about it once he was back to his usual exuberant self, but if he told her DiNozzo had literary broken down in tears and cried like a baby in his arms, there was no way she would ever forget that.
Looking around the squad room he saw everyone else was either purposefully avoiding eye contact or sending flickering glances their way. The good news concerning DiNozzo, his father and certain mafia connections travelling fast as usual no doubt. Gibbs waited a beat, looked to Tony who was still refusing to look at him and snapped into double-b mode.
"McGee!"
McGee jumped, but before Gibbs finished bellowing his name his crime scene pictures from the NCIS parking lot flashed up on the big screen.
"I haven't had chance to access the security cameras, but the car Miller left behind is a-"
"DeTomaso Pantera." Tony interjected, spinning his chair around to face them.
Kate smiled at him, but Gibbs could see DiNozzo wasn't impressed with her efforts to suck up. He didn't even try to smile back, mustering only enough energy to give her the stink eye. Shaking his head in amusement Gibbs turned away to look at McGee. This was one battle Tony could definitely fight on his own.
"So who does it belong to? Miller?" He asked, indicating if he didn't already know he was to check.
"Well-"
"It belongs…" Tony interrupted McGee again, "to my father. Or it at least did."
Gibbs filed away Tony's use of the word father for later reflection. Things were bound to be confusing for a time, and right now they had bigger concerns than DiNozzo's mental state.
"Did?" McGee repeated, latching onto to that very telling word.
"I don't remember seeing it again after we moved out of our first house, but Senior had a few cars, so it was hard to keep track..." Tony sat forward, his sentence drifting as he stared at the image on the plasma.
He looked like a shell of who he used to be. Outside Ducky had voiced his concerns over how poorly he looked and Gibbs didn't know how he'd missed it before now. DiNozzo was pale, except for the dark bags surrounding each eye. The bruise on his cheek where Bower hit him had reduced after the first day, but there was still a feint hint of yellow lingering on his cheek bone. The hand Palmer had treated was heeling, but still looked painful. What was worrying him most was his hair, it was lacking its usual coiffed look because Gibbs didn't stock any of that infernal gel he used on a daily basis and he'd forgotten to pick it up when they'd visited Tony's apartment to fetch a bag. So instead of being neatly combed back Tony was sporting a quiff so high it looked like it was taking on a life of its own and made him want to shoot at it. The worrying part about it was DiNozzo didn't seem to care…
"Gibbs," Kate whispered, pulling him out of his head. "I made the call. She'll be here after she closes her practice this afternoon."
"That quick?"
"I told her it was important, plus she owes me."
Kate shrugged it off as being no big deal and Gibbs smiled, humbled by her willingness to go out of her way for someone who annoyed and irritated her on a daily basis.
"I love him too Gibbs," She smiled back, and then dropping the hushed tone resumed discussion of the case with rest of the team. "Tony if that is your dad's car what's Miller doing with it?"
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs yelled when Tony didn't snap out of his little trance.
"Boss?"
"Stay with us," he said not unkindly, redirecting his attention, "McGee, the car?"
"It's still registered to Mr DiNozzo but…" McGee scowled at his computer, giving Tony random looks.
"What?!"
"I'm not sure. It's going to take time." McGee winced like he expected Gibbs to get up and hit him in the head.
All Gibbs did do was throw his pen down and growl in frustration. Rubbing both hands over his tired eyes he attempted to channel his anger inward for a change, maybe he should buy himself a Rubik's cube, seemed to work well for DiNozzo.
The case was going nowhere fast and right now would normally be when Tony jumped in with one of his movie comparisons that sometimes led to him or one of the others having an idea. Gibbs looked over at Tony to see he was only barely back with them, suggesting the unnatural lingering silence was set to continue until further notice. It only emphasised what a large role he played in getting the others to think better, but the case didn't stop because Tony wasn't on his game…
"Okay. What do we got?" Gibbs demanded from his team as he rose out of his chair and walked around his desk to stand in the middle of the bullpen, eyeing each of his agents in turn.
Kate stared at him in confusion.
"Gibbs?"
McGee was looking at him too.
"We need a new perspective." Gibbs clarified.
If they didn't get he was filling Tony's shoes right now he'd fire them on the spot.
"Well we know Mr DiNozzo didn't kill Craig Bower," Kate spoke up after a brief pause and rummaged around her desk, "he has an alibi."
"Miller Killed him?"
"Is that a question McGee?" Gibbs walked up to his desk.
"Erm…"
"No," Kate spoke up with authority, "according to Abby there were no other finger prints at the scene, only Mr DiNozzo's on the scotch glass."
"Isn't that a little strange?" McGee asked, unthinkingly and everyone including Tony turned to stare at him, "I mean why wipe down the entire room and leave behind a glass that places you at the scene?"
"Maybe he wasn't the one who wiped down the room?" Kate suggested.
Gibbs Kept his gaze on McGee while Kate spoke and he could see by the effort it took to control his facial expressions that McGee knew Kate was being patronising.
"Someone really is trying to frame him." Tony said quietly into the silence.
Gibbs couldn't tell if that was relief he heard or disappointment. He guessed if it turned out Senior was a lying SOB about everything then it would be much easier to hate him, but if he really was in danger like he claimed then Gibbs knew no matter what Tony would feel obligated to help him, because that was the type of person Tony was, he didn't judge who deserved saving.
"McGee, what do we know about Miller?"
McGee jumped up and joined Gibbs standing in front of the plasma. Clicker in hand, a photo of Henry Miller appeared on the screen.
"Henry Miller, former US resident and close friend and business partner of Anthony DiNozzo Senior." McGee presented, "He originally left the states in 1981 when the FBI tried to arrest him on laundering chargers. Upon landing in New York he made first contact with the FBI."
"Why?"
Kate stood up, having found what she was looking for and took the clicker from McGee.
"Miller entered New York, so we assumed his first contact was with Mr DiNozzo, but after McGee hacked the FBI we discovered we were wrong."
Kate brought up airport security footage.
"That," She pointed at the man standing in the corner of the screen, "is Arman Santiago."
"Mafia?" Gibbs guessed.
"Try FBI handler." Kate smiled proudly. "He paid for the flight and cleared Miller through immigration."
"Any ideas on what he's doing here yet?" Gibbs growled, annoyed beyond words that not only had the FBI failed to keep tabs on their supposed informant, they were the ones who brought him here in the first place.
"Abby's still looking, but after meeting with his handler the next thing Miller did was arrange a meeting with Mr DiNozzo here in D.C. We have phone records." Kate nodded gravely, handing him the print out she'd searched her desk for.
"And the FBI were tracking Senior at the same time." Gibbs stated, reiterating what Senior had told him down in interrogation.
"So if whatever we're dealing with here is centred around a bad money bust in '81 where does Bower fit in? He was in prison when this went down and couldn't have had anything to do with it." Kate asked, frustrated.
"Any Mafia connections?"
"None. In or out of prison."
Everyone fell silent again, the missing puzzle piece that connected these two separate events together hovering just out of reach.
"It's personal." Gibbs nodded at the screen image of Miller, imagining all the ways he could make the man suffer when he finally caught up with him.
His gut was telling him this man was guilty of something to do with Tony and with Bower dead and Senior in custody already, he was the unlucky recipient of all of Gibbs' pent up aggression.
"He wants me to help, willing this time." Tony repeated sombrely what Miller had said to him in the parking lot.
Gibbs looked over his shoulder at him and they shared a meaningful look. He'd promised Tony he wouldn't let anything happen to him, now he was promising to make the bastards pay for what they'd done.
"Am I missing something?" Kate asked expectantly, glancing between them in concern.
"No, but the FBI are!" Abby ran in, her jewellery clanging together, coming to a standstill before Gibbs, unintentional breaking his contact with Tony. "Element 79!" She announced proudly.
"That's a short story by Fred Hoyle" McGee answered when everyone remained quiet, awaiting an explanation.
Abby glared at him before turning back to Gibbs with a smile.
"It's the code name of a classified FBI operation that involved the Bonanno's and missing FBI cash, a lot of it."
"Element 79?" Kate asked the question they were all thinking.
"79 is the atomic number for gold." Abby specified as if that explained everything.
"Gold?"
"Money Gibbs! The FBI lost track of agency money they were using in a long term undercover mafia operation along with one of their agents!" She squealed with excitement. "Miller and DiNozzo were helping the Bonanno family launder money, that's how they came to be involved with the FBI. A sort of help us or 'you go to jail' thing."
"How much?" He asked.
"Oh only around $700,000."
"Wow." McGee's jaw dropped.
"That's a pretty big screw up, how come Fornell didn't know about it, he must have been around then."
"Just how old do you think I am agent Todd?" Fornell barked when he appeared as if by magic from around the corner.
Kate spun around to face him. McGee and Abby exchanged surprised looks, while Tony didn't even look up at his entrance. Gibbs wasn't surprised of course since he'd been the one to call him in after locking down the yard and failing to find Miller. He was hoping the FBI had had eyes on him, and Fornell was here to give him good news, but in response to his steadily aimed glare Fornell signalled that was a definitive no.
"Anyone get in trouble?" Gibbs asked turning back to Abby.
"Well the file says the undercover agent was killed, and the person who leaked his identity was fired, but it doesn't say who that was or about how the money went missing." She winced in apology.
"Good work Abs, -"
"Wait Gibbs that's not the best part! This didn't happen in '81." She paused for dramatic effect, "The Element 79 file was sealed July 4rd 1978."
She stepped back in anticipation, hands covering her mouth to hide the pleased as punched smile swallowing her face.
"Whoa," Kate stepped up, "That can't be a coincidence."
"Something else about the money though," Abby interrupted, still vibrating with excitement that she'd found the missing link between Tony's kidnapping and Henry Miller. "That figure is based on the actual amount missing, if it's been hiding out in an off shore bank account somewhere…"
"Boss that could be worth over a million with interest," McGee added, having quickly done the math in his head.
"Worth Killing for." Fornell agreed.
Sly looks were aimed at Tony, who was resolutely not paying anyone any attention again. And while they waited for him to respond Gibbs nodded at Fornell, a silent thank you for not making an issue about them having more information about a classified FBI operation than they should.
"So if Miller laundered money for the Bonanno's through businesses set up by Mr DiNozzo then is it possible one of them still has the missing money…" Kate surmised first instead.
"That might be why the FBI went after them in '81 and froze their assets, the Bonanno case was dead in the water a year later," Fornell added.
"Erm, one of those assets is sat in our parking lot." McGee chimed in, both excited and worried by his discovery. "The car Miller left in our parking lot, it does still belong to Mr DiNozzo, but it's listed under items seized by the FBI."
Gibbs looked to Fornell and could almost see the vein about to blow in his forehead.
"Are you sure it was Miller, he doesn't have permission to use anything like that, how would he get it?"
"Still think all is fine Tobias?" He grinned snidely, moving back to sit behind his desk.
"Hey I do work for them, Gibbs. I kind of have to believe it when my superior tells me its being handled." Fornell hissed back following him.
"If the money's been missing all this time why bring Miller back now?"
"Information. He knows something, about the money and its connection to DiNozzo," Gibbs nudged his head at their Tony.
They didn't have all the pieces yet but they were certainly getting there. The money went missing only days' after Tony was 'held for ransom.' Miller returns to the States for the first time since going on the run and one of the first things he does is contact the man that went down for the kidnapping? He's always said; no such thing as coincidences…
"Yes, but why now?" Kate spoke up suddenly, looking like she'd been sucking on a lemon.
"She's right, twenty-five years is a long time, even for the FBI." Fornell leaned against his desk, arms folded, clearly unhappy that yet again his agency was being out smarted by NCIS.
"Wait," Kate called out, "twenty-five years! That's it!"
"Freedom of information Act!" Abby joined in, catching onto what Kate had worked out.
"Exactly," The girls grinned at each other maddeningly, before Kate turned to the rest of them and explained, "The details of the operation are due to be declassified twenty-five years after being sealed. Not only is it going to become public knowledge that the FBI lost thousands of dollars, all the seized assets will be returned."
"And the FBI are using Miller to recover the money before that happens." Gibbs nodded in approval.
"July 4th is in two days." McGee announced.
Any other time Gibbs would've tossed out a 'Ya think McGee', but despite outward appearances he was practically giddy with excitement. They were finally getting somewhere, now all they needed was to get the bastard in custody so Gibbs could interrogate him to within an inch of his life. Gibbs didn't give a damn about the FBI lost money they could lose face and suffer for being the idiots they are. All he cared about was getting answers and justice for Tony.
"Miller doesn't know where the money is," Tony offered tiredly, still sat feet up behind his desk.
He'd shown little more than a passing interest in the discussion, choosing to continue playing with his toy while the rest of them had been heavily engaged in the discovery process.
"How'd you know that DiNutso?" Fornell jumped up from his slouch and marched over to stand before him.
"Because, Agent Fornell, if he did he wouldn't need my help." Tony said smugly, but without any of his usual charm to take the sting out of his tone.
Gibbs' senses went on high alert, but he maintained his position by the big screen watching the scene unfold.
"You're saying you know where the money is then?" Fornell turned and looked at him, one eyebrow raised.
Gibbs just shook his head in frustration, he could see what Tobias was suggesting again and could see that Tony's attitude wasn't helping any.
Tony paused in his game to look everyone single one of them in the eye.
"No, I have no clue where the money is."
Obviously Fornell didn't by the line, hell the way he said it Gibbs wouldn't either if this was an interrogation. He didn't know what DiNozzo was playing at, but he was going to get one hell of a headslap if he starting acting up now.
"You sure about that, maybe your father told you?" Fornell continued, holding his out his hand behind his back when Gibbs took a step forward.
"Firstly he isn't my father."
"DiNozzo…" Gibbs warned.
"Secondly, my father rarely shared dinner with me, why the hell would he tell me where he hid $700,000?" Tony snapped, baring a temper they all knew existed but very rarely saw outside the integration rooms.
"Why are you so sure Miller doesn't have the money?" Fornell pressed.
"Because I got kidnapped Agent Fornell, or had you forgotten about that?" Tony shot up out of his chair and smiled with false sweetness.
Gibbs stepped between them, in front of Tobias when he looked set to lay into Tony again, shaking his head telling him to drop it.
"If he knows something…" Fornell whispered pointing at Tony behind him.
"He doesn't." Gibbs promised.
"Jethro-"
"He doesn't." He reiterated, nudging his head, fighting to keep his tone light, "Kid's tired, found out some stuff and is taking it hard, I'll deal with him."
There was a beat of silence where Gibbs wasn't certain if Fornell would accept his assurances.
"You find anything out..."
"I'll let you know." Gibbs agreed, though he'd agree to sell his own mother if it got Tobias to leave right now, and walked with him towards the elevators.
"He mean that, about his dad not being his dad?"
"We're checking it out," Gibbs pushed him through the metal doors.
Fornell nodded, he could clearly see he was being pacified, but left peacefully anyway. Once he was away in the elevator Gibbs returned to the bullpen and focused his infamous glare on Tony who had retaken his seat.
"What?" Tony asked innocently after an intense minute of mutual staring.
"Mr DiNozzo claimed to the police and FBI there was a ransom. Did he actually pay it?" Gibbs asked McGee his glare on Tony unwavering.
"Yes, I have it here." McGee jumped up from his desk.
"Put it up." Gibbs finally turned away from Tony to face the plasma.
McGee hit several keys on his keyboard in quick succession and the bank statement appeared on screen seconds later.
"A payment was made from Mr DiNozzo's business account on July 1st. The receiving bank account was off shore."
Gibbs gazed at the details on the screen. Something wasn't sitting right in his gut.
"$20,000," Gibbs read the line McGee had highlighted with his mouse.
A low whistle emanating from Tony's desk drew the bullpen's attention to him.
"Not exactly the missing millions is it? But at least now we know what he meant when I was 12 and he told me, and I quote… 'I will not pay for you ever again'!" Tony spun a 360 in his chair, smiling at them madly, "another mystery solved."
"He's right it's not millions." McGee didn't smile.
"I think our house was worth more." Tony muttered to himself, his attention back on the Rubik's cube in his hands when no one rose to his bait.
"It was paid on July 1st?" Kate interjected, ignoring Tony.
"Tony wasn't found until July 2nd." Gibbs caught on to her point, realising that was what was bothering him about it, as well as the low amount.
McGee looked puzzled. Tony slapped his heels on his desk, finding the ceiling interesting as soon as Gibbs mentioned him by name in context of the victim.
"They kept him a day after receiving the money? How come the FBI didn't pick up on that?" He whispered, rechecking the details a second and third time confirming that indeed the timing of the payment wasn't even mentioned.
"It's the FBI Probie. They only cared about their money." Tony spoke glumly, lacking the hyperactivity of just a few seconds ago.
Gibbs grunted, looking expectantly between all three of them and Abby for answers.
"Why would they release him for $20,000, if they had wanted the missing money it wasn't enough," McGee asked.
Kate was shaking her head even before he'd finished his sentence.
"Your assuming the kidnappers released him, sounds more like they took the money and…" she cut her herself off, snapping her head up stunned by the realisation of her own statement and stared at DiNozzo.
Tony caught her eye, one step ahead as always and planting his feet firmly on the floor, leaned forward, folding his hands on his desk looking serious.
"Can you say body dump?" he teased, a wide painfully false smile forced across his face.
"I'm afraid I must concur my dear boy," Ducky interrupted the gathering, coming up slowly behind Abby who was closed to tears just thinking about it. "Judging from the photographs and the doctors notes the odds were against you surviving your injures."
Ducky patted Tony on the shoulder, offering a modicum of comfort in the face of such a revelation. Without warning Tony raised sad green eyes to meet his and Gibbs found he couldn't move. How close had they come to losing him, once, twice, or more times than he'd care to count? The incident with the waitress that was still so fresh in all their minds was just one of many times Tony had gotten in trouble and managed to get himself out in the nick of time. Gibbs always suspected Tony's drive to survive was ingrained in him from childhood, but he'd imagined playground brawls, not fighting for his life at six years old.
It was difficult to imagine his life without Tony in it, even after only three years. Before meeting him in Baltimore Gibbs had been on a path of systematic self-destruction, on his third divorce and would have likely been working on his forth by now if wasn't for Tony and his almost pathological need for attention. Looking out for him, training him to become an Agent and now teaching him to be a better Agent, gave Gibbs a purpose in life that case solving and boat building just didn't entirely fulfil. In fact DiNozzo had taken up so much of his free time once he'd joined NCIS Gibbs hadn't even thought about seriously dating anyone, let alone marriage.
Tony's young vulnerable persona had been the catalyst that prompted Gibbs to build a permanent team, one with people that would really care for each other, not just work together. He'd wanted to give the lonely loveable kid a family and without realising it, had created one of his own at the same time. Looking around the bullpen, everyone he really cared about was standing right there with him, even McGee was proving to be a sound fit to their little group.
Letting whatever Ducky was saying in his soothing tones wash over him Tony locked his gaze with his, making Gibbs feel obligated to wipe that mournful look from his face. Whether he'd admit it to anyone or not, he had people who depended on him now and was going to do everything in his power to keep them safe.
"Abby, work with McGee and trace the money, I want to know exactly who received it." Gibbs ordered breaking the contemplative mood of the room.
Abby nodded, she had tears in her eyes and left without a word, not even waiting for McGee who was still at his desk, staring intently at something on his computer.
"Kate, find out who called in that anonymous tip." He snapped, then breaking the secretive atmosphere, shouted "McGee, you still here?!"
"Umm Boss I'm going, I just needed to find the security footage from the parking … going-" McGee swallowed, freezing up in the face of Gibbs' stone cold glare.
"You know what I don't get?" Tony asked suddenly.
Gibbs looked to Ducky, nodding his head in the direction of the elevators indicating he was to leave and thankfully the doctor understood his silent message, wasting no time in ushering McGee out as quickly as possible with him.
"Kate-" He was about to send Kate away too, in hopes that eliminating DiNozzo's audience would contain the meltdown he sensed coming, but he wasn't quick enough.
"Why everyone keeps giving me the pitying looks, you know? I mean come on! How many people can say they were kidnapped?" Tony continued his voice a notch louder than before, boarding on the hysterical. "Sure sounds like fun, like a movie even, which you'd think I'd enjoy right?" Tony laughed and launched himself up out of his chair, opening his desk draw he threw the Rubik's cube inside before slamming it shut
If Gibbs was the type to panic he'd start right now, because the minute his little tirade stopped Tony gave up on staring at him and Kate and moved into the middle of the bullpen, looking ready to use the entire squad room as his open forum.
"…But surprisingly not, and what was that other thing? Oh yeah," he started to shout, pacing the floor, "I find out my father is nothing but a big fat poser who only carried on the charade of pretending to be my dad so he could live off my mother's money." He paused, but only long enough to suck in breath, "but then who can blame him, who would be happy," he frowned, faking understanding, "I'm not the son he thought he was getting, nobody wants a stupid, nosy little brat who can't keep his mouth shut. You don't even want me, not really. I should just pack up my stuff now and let you find someone who isn't completely screwed up, because let's face it, I'm definitely more trouble then I'm worth." Out of breath, voice horse, Tony finished with the worst kind of self-recrimination. "I should have died in that damn alley."
Almost everyone in the squad room who was listening daren't move, let alone breathe, but Gibbs stepped forward.
"You finished?" He asked dangerously.
Tony glared at him, his normally bright eyes hard and cold.
"The mob, my dad, his friend, hell maybe even the FBI for all I know, they tried to kill me!" He snapped, "Might actually be trying again in fact given recent events, because let's face it," he smiled insincerely, "the FBI do like to send crazy killers our way in the name of national security."
"Tony-"
Kate injected, which only served to transfer his anger onto her.
"No Kate!" he shouted in her face, "I think I'm entitled to be a little pissed off! Now why don't you all go do something useful so I can get my life back and EVERYONE can mind their own GOD DAMN business!"
Reminding Gibbs of Ari was not Tony's best move, but what sent Gibbs into a proper tailspin was Tony acting like a spoiled brat. After all the self-pity and accusations that hit his final nerve.
"DINOZZO!" Gibbs shouted so loud everyone who had been watching the outburst around the squad room suddenly had other places to be, "my office, NOW!"
Gibbs immediately walked away without waiting for a response, leaving Tony to chew on his cheek, flaming with embarrassment. He sent his own steely eyed glare to the other agents in the office as he headed towards the elevator, making it clear they were to get on with what they were doing and mind their own business. Mad as hell didn't even scratch the surface of describing how he was feeling and motivated to put an end to this ridiculous behaviour Gibbs decided he was done with the softly, softly approach. He'd tried it Ducky's way, sat down and talked to him. Now, now he was going to deal with Tony his way.
Entering the elevator with an air of privilege and calm as if none of this was tearing him up inside was the easy part. Calming down after he'd stripped Tony a new one, that was going to take some doing. Tony was right behind him, entering the car head down, obviously still angry, but very aware of the idiot he'd just made out of himself. The elevator started moving as soon as the doors closed, almost as if summoned by Gibbs' will and not someone pressing the button a level up. Regardless, he slammed on the emergency stop, sending the car into temporary darkness before the back-up light kicked in. Tony was practically vibrating in front of him, lip trembling with the effort of holding everything in, looks of hurt, confusion and betrayal all warring for dominance on his face.
The slap rocked Tony's head forward and back, his hair flying away with it.
"Thank you, boss." Tony uttered in his usual overly grateful way.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Gibbs whispered into his ear, his face up close to Tony's clearly making him feel very uncomfortable.
"I'm fine." Tony snapped, wrapping his arms across his chest in a protective stance.
Gibbs studied him and laughed humourlessly, leaning back.
"I doubt that." He said with a sad smile, amazed at just how stubborn his boy could be sometimes and seeing why Ducky always claimed they were so very much alike.
"Okay I'm losing it," he said soundly, "that what you want to hear?!"
"No … DiNozzo." Gibbs said with feeling, eyebrows raised.
It took only seconds for Tony to crumple upon realising he'd just snapped at him again. For all the time they'd worked and lived together Tony hadn't once spoken to him with anything less than the utmost respect.
"Crap Boss, I'm – I didn't-" Tony cut himself off with a wince, dropping to the floor in a crouch and covering his face with both hands, "What the hell am I supposed to do now?" He whined.
Well aware Tony was talking on a grander scale than he could even begin to approach with a cool head, Gibbs sort to minimalize the damage. Knees be damned he lowered himself to the floor, getting eye level with Tony.
"We find out what happened to you and why. We find Miller." He stated evenly, pulling one palm away from Tony's face so he'd see the sincerity in what he was saying.
Tony's face was still firmly hidden under the other hand though, and not liking the defeated body language Gibbs grasped the palm in his hand tighter and dragged him up again.
"I'm sure if it really were that simple, we'd have him in interrogation by now instead of the man that's been masquerading as my father for the last thirty years." Tony let go of Gibbs' hand and backed up, leaning against the elevator wall to create some distance.
Gibbs considered his next words carefully. He had originally dragged him in here to yell some sense into him, but since Tony had done the yelling and instantly felt guilty Gibbs hadn't the heart to hurt him anymore than he already was.
"Do you trust me DiNozzo?"
"Of course Boss," Tony replied instantly. "You know I didn't mean any of that…" He shrugged self-consciously.
He did, but it was nice to hear it.
"Then let me help you." He stated firmly, making it very clear with his tone that the tantrums had to stop.
Tony looked at the closed doors, knowing the squad room was on the other side.
"This is worse than a nightmare." He said distantly. "I just want to go home, get everything back to normal."
"Miller's going to make a mistake soon, when he does we'll take him down," Gibbs closed the gap between them, refusing Tony the advantage of personal space.
"Your gut telling you that boss?" Tony's tone altered on 'boss' managing to once again add a more familial connotation to the title.
Gibbs stepped forward again, leaving only a few inches between them now and looked Tony directly in the eye so he could see he wasn't bull-shitting him.
"It never lies."
Tony smiled sadly and shied away.
"Well maybe you should ask your gut what he wants from me, because I'm kind of afraid to."
Gibbs flinched slightly at the fearful admission coming from his normally resilient young agent. Taking a step back, Gibbs restarted the elevator and regarded him seriously.
"Well Kate knows a way we can find out."
…
It didn't take much for Tony to agree to a meeting with Kate's friend's hypnotising shrink. Aside from Gibbs possibly not letting him out of the elevator until he agreed to try, he really wanted to know what happened to him and didn't trust Senior to tell them the truth, which was their only other option at the moment. The fact that Gibbs was willing to make the deal for protection with him if Tony had wanted was touching, but no matter how desperate he was for answers, giving that man what he wanted was the last thing he intended to do and Gibbs compromising his work ethic in the process wouldn't be worth it. He wasn't worth it.
Gibbs had slapped him silly when he'd actually said that. He could still feel the sting in the back of his head, but guessed he deserved to, self-pity wasn't a pretty look and Tony should have known the boss wasn't about to coddle him, especially not after his soapbox moment in the bullpen.
But now that he'd had time to think things through, his options were looking pretty bleak, and it only got worse when Tony clapped eyes on the middle aged strawberry-blonde beauty with the visitors badge stepping off the elevator into the squad room.
"A redhead Kate?" Tony whined, and stomped his feet, "You're killing me here!"
"DiNozzo get your mind out of the gutter," Kate chastised him, glancing over the divide to take a look.
"It's not my mind that's going to be in the gutter," he groused indicating Gibbs who was walking across the mezzanine towards MTAC.
The woman Tony had rightly pegged as the psychiatrist headed their way and he jumped up from his perch against Kate's desk and ran, skidding to a stop behind McGee's and sitting in the Probie's chair, randomly hitting the keyboard pretending to type.
"I'm looking for Special Agent DiNozzo?" The redhead questioned pleasantly upon entering the bullpen. "I was told this was his desk."
"Ah, yes, he… err… he'll be right back." Tony did his best Probie impression.
Kate glared at him with that chastising kindergarten teacher look she often had and opened her mouth to say something, but before a syllable could leave her lips the fates aligned in Tony's favour.
"Agent DiNozzo!" Tony called out, waving his arms at the unsuspecting McGee as he rounded the corner.
"What?" McGee blurted, realising Tony was talking to him. "Why are you-"
"T-o-n-y," he over enunciated, nodding. "This lady is here to see you."
McGee screwed his face up looking very confused, firstly at Tony, sitting behind his desk and then at the woman stood by Tony's.
"Okay… Pro-bie." McGee replied awkwardly, catching on.
Kate dropped her head into her hands, clearly not knowing whether to laugh or cry at the situation. Tony didn't care which as long as she kept it shut until he could convince McGee to be hypnotised in his place. He may have reasoned with himself that this was a necessary evil, but that didn't make him any less reluctant to the idea and right now he'd pay a million dollars to not have to go through with it.
"Agent DiNozzo?" The redhead asked McGee, holding out her hand.
McGee nodded nervously, eyeing Tony as he lifted his own hand and opened his mouth.
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked.
"Yes boss!" Tony replied on auto pilot.
He grimaced and cursed under his breath, Gibbs had been sneaky. He'd taken the elevator down instead of the stairs and so Tony hadn't seen him approach. He was now leaning over the partition behind McGee's desk looking down on where he was currently sitting.
"Erm boss…" Tony squeaked, shoulders hunched up to his ears not turning around. "I can explain."
Tony prepared for a slap, but luckily the presence of a pretty red head saved him from the impending headache.
"McGee! Get back to work." Gibbs walked into the bullpen and greeted the amused shrink by Tony's desk, holding out his hand. "Agent Gibbs."
"Mary, I believe you're expecting me." She returned sweetly, with pleasure.
Tony gave McGee the death stare as he approached his own desk. Behind him he could see Gibbs smiling at the shrink, then after a brief word they set off together towards the stairs.
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked again, indicating with just a look that Tony should hurry up and follow like a good boy.
Tony stood up, kicking McGee's chair away. He sneered at Kate who was grinning maddeningly as he passed her desk.
"Yeah, Kate, thanks, thanks so much, my boss and the woman I'm supposed to tell all my secrets to… I'll be having those images in my head for weeks." He stormed off after them, "They'll probably bond over their mutual acquaintance, I'll tell her everything, they'll date, get married and then she'll tell him everything…"
"Di-No-zzo!" Gibbs all out shouted from the top of the stairs, his anger emphasised in each syllable.
"Coming boss!" Tony launched into a sprint, ignoring his smirking teammates and leaving the bullpen with far less grace than he'd planned.
He caught up with Gibbs and Mary the shrink outside the briefing room nearest the director's office. They entered the room together, Tony with some trepidation and Gibbs glaring at him with that 'don't you dare embarrass me in front of the pretty lady' look. He knew all too well that Kids could make or break a potential date. Tony just wasn't too happy about his role as the 'kid' in this twisted little scenario.
"Make yourself comfy Agent DiNozzo." Mary offered him, setting her handbag down and rifling through it.
Tony chose to hover in the middle of the room instead, arms hanging limply by his sides, feeling like a man being asked to confession before the electric chair.
"You know, actually," Tony stepped backwards, aiming for the door, "I think I'm good, I'll probably remember everything in a couple days anyway, why rush?"
He laughed nervously, and was halfway to backing out the room when too very strong hands grabbed his shoulders from behind and pushed him forward then down into a waiting chair.
"Or I could just take a seat right here, thank-you boss…"
Despite his inner thoughts Tony smiled broadly, in no doubt everyone in the room could see just how false it was.
"It's okay to be a little scared." Mary comforted, taking the seat opposite him, seemingly having found what she wanted in her purse in the form of a notepad and pen.
He had to give it to her she had one of those voices. If she weren't a shrink Mary could have been a radio agony aunt, all smooth talking and relaxing to put you at ease … or asleep.
"You're doing it already?" Tony blurted his sudden scary thought.
"Doing what Special Agent-"
"Tony." He interrupted her, hoping to avoid the 'you can call me such in such' rouse to friendliness.
"Doing what Tony?" She smiled pleasantly.
The pleased smile stunned him at first, but then it registered. Great, personal connection made. She'd tricked him into that. Taking her time over saying his name had made him want to quicken her up, sooner done, sooner gone, but now they were on first name basis and you couldn't just run out on someone that was calling you by your first name. He usually loved it when people called him Special Agent too, actually made him feel special for a change. Damn her.
"Think we can get this over with then?" He snapped, annoyed with himself, her and Gibbs for getting him to agree to this.
Tony hadn't noticed, but his leg was bouncing up and down rapidly. Gibbs had though because he gave up his perch across the room to sit down next to him. The first Tony knew of his intention was when one strong hand landed on his knee, stilling his nervous ministrations just like he had in the restaurant with Senior earlier this morning. And oh God was that only this morning? The day had been long and without an end in sight, not in the least because Senior was still sat down stairs in interrogation. Whether he got set free or not probably rested on what he remembered. Not too much pressure then…
"We aren't going to rush this, we're going to chat first, I'll ask a few questions, then we'll take it from there okay?"
"So no hypnotising?" He confirmed wanting to be clear what was going to happen, because if he went back down to the bullpen and starting barking or clucking there was going to be hell to pay.
"No, I promise." Mary answered sincerely, folding her hands on her lap.
That settled him, knowing she wasn't going to do a sneaky on him and put him under without him realising. After everything that had happened today he really wasn't sure this was such a good idea, but Gibbs' reassuring presence by his side convinced him to go through with it. People wanted answers and he was responsible for providing them, he could do this.
"Okay then, ask away…"
…
Kate slammed the receiver down yet again. Another dead end. She'd been working solidly on trying to either confirm or deny Senior as the one who made the anonymous tip, but had come up empty. She'd been going through witnesses spoken to that day in the hopes someone would remember seeing him in the area, but that was her last lead and the number was out of service. Dishearten she was ready to get up and fetch another coffee when a shadow crossed her desk, blocking out the low early evening sunshine.
"Katelyn?"
She looked up to see Ducky hovering over her desk.
"What are you doing up here Ducky?"
"I have a favour to ask," he glanced around the room before returning his attention to her, "is Tony with the psychiatrist?"
"Yeah, and Gibbs is in with him."
"Good." Ducky nodded. "I need your help with something."
"What?"
Ducky looked thoughtful for a moment, causing Kate to think he was up to something, something Gibbs definitely wasn't going like.
"When Tony came to see me early this morning he wanted a look at Mr Bower's body." He said cagily.
Kate frowned and stopped what she was doing to focus solely on Ducky.
"Did you let him?"
"I could hardly stop him, but rest assured he did very well, no signs of distress like we've witnessed previously." He smiled proudly, "but I fear it wasn't a simple test of one's resolve."
"What then?"
"He was looking for something, I asked him of course and he described a tattoo that he claims to remember seeing on his assailant's forearm, two wavy lines to be precise."
"He saw? Or he saw?" She asked with air quotes.
Ducky nodded at her insinuation, but wasn't deterred by her scepticism.
"It had to do with a dream he had, I'm assuming about the night he was kidnapped given the subject of his interest. Did he say anything to you?"
"No," Kate shook her head sadly and then remembered what he'd said when he'd first walked in "I mean yeah, he mentioned something about having nightmares all night, but… I didn't ask further."
"Well his reaction after checking the body was peculiar, if anything he seemed more afraid…"
"I don't understand."
"I did the autopsy. Mr Bower had no tattoos on his arms, wavy lines or otherwise."
Kate didn't quite know what to say to that.
"Well could they have been removed?" She suggested as a long shot.
"No, I'd have noticed." Ducky looked even more pensive.
"So Tony's dream was wrong." She shrugged.
Kate knew Ducky was one for taking theories to their limits, but she doubted even he'd believe a dream over cold hard facts. Abby on the other hand…
"Or he was right." Ducky said with a twinkle in his eye that both excited and terrified her.
"Ducky what do you know?" Kate whispered, coming to the understanding that Ducky had already formulated a theory before coming up here and was merely using her to confirm his facts.
For a moment she didn't think he was going to share. However giving him a Gibbs worthy glare paid off tenfold when he bent low to her desk, whispering under his breath so only she could hear.
"Did you happen to notice when in interrogation Mr DiNozzo rolled his shirt sleeve part way?"
"No," Kate shrugged.
"Well while Anthony was in autopsy and you, McGee and Jethro were outside with that car I checked on something…"
Kate's eyes widened, this was what they'd been talking about when Gibbs had sent her away to fetch Tony.
"What did you find?" She asked with bated breath.
"Mr DiNozzo has a small tattoo on his inner forearm, exactly where Anthony described in his dream," Ducky pointed at the exact spot on his own arm.
"Don't tell me." Kate sighed dismayed that she may already know the answer.
"Two wavy lines," Ducky confirmed apologetically.
Kate sat back and mentally ran through the possibilities. Up to now they'd been working on the basis of his father being involved somehow, but despite having found his DNA at the crime scene, Kate still wasn't convince he was capable of hurting a child in the way Tony had been hurt. All the evidence, physical and profiled suggested Mr DiNozzo was possibly one of the sleaziest people she'd ever met, but incapable of taking any kind of action himself. If anything he was more likely to pay someone to do the dirty work, but even that seemed like a stretch considering he seemed to value his own life over everything else. Her working theory at the moment was that whatever happened to Tony, Senior just didn't have the balls to stop it.
"Ducky, that could mean anything." Kate hated to dismiss his theory, but it just didn't fit, "Tony could have super imposed that image onto his kidnapper subconsciously for all we know, his dream wouldn't stand up in court."
"This isn't about court." Ducky dismissed her rationale like a wise old grandfather humouring anyone who disagreed with him. "It's about Anthony remembering."
"Ok, so he's remembered his dad's tattoo. Even if what you're suggesting is true. That would mean Mr DiNozzo orchestrated all of this, successfully fooling both the local police and FBI." She wanted to add even Gibbs, knowing that his thoughts most likely mirrored her own otherwise Gibbs would have said something as soon as Ducky told him. "Tony's father maybe many things, but one thing I'm sure he isn't is a criminal mastermind."
"You don't have to be a criminal mastermind to convince people a lie is the truth Katelyn." Ducky winked at her.
She had no idea what he meant by that, but was certain it had something insightful to do with their DiNozzo.
"Well that's all well and good, but right now Miller is out there after him and Tony still remembers nothing useful about why, that's why he's doing this, he wouldn't be up there if he remembered." She was getting irritated just thinking about it and offered Ducky a wan smile in apology for that little outburst.
Ducky of course didn't take it personally and continued undeterred from his point.
"On the contrary my dear, I fear Anthony may remember more than he realises."
…
Tony made to leave the room after answering a lot of personal questions that had taken the fight right out of him. Gibbs saw him to the door and noticing he was looking a little pale ordered him to seek out Ducky. When Tony paused on the threshold looking panicked that he wouldn't be leaving to, Gibbs assured him with a light tap under his chin that he wouldn't be far behind. He watched Tony walk slowly down the corridor, eventually shutting the door when he reached the stairs and turning back to Mary.
"Well he's not what I expected." She spoke with a smile, standing up and smoothing down her tight skirt.
Gibbs didn't need to say anything, a small lopsided grin would tell anyone looking he knew what she was talking about.
"Will he remember what we need him too?" He asked her.
"He'll remember as much or as little as he wants to, I have no control over that." Mary answered him cryptically.
"What do you have control over?" He unintentionally snapped, her seemingly carefree attitude towards the problem annoying him.
"Where I have dinner tonight," she said suggestively in response, not taking his tone personally.
Gibbs' fleeting anger melted away at the sound of her soothing voice and he chuckled to himself, recognising that hot under the collar feeling.
"Doc," he shook his head.
"Agent Gibbs…" She purred, confident and flirty.
Gibbs met her gaze and they stood face to face, the sexual tension simmering between them. He coughed and backed away, breaking the staring contest, he needed to get his mind off her skirt and back onto their case.
"Can you help him?" He asked again, determined to get a useful answer out of her.
"That depends on several factors" she smiled kindly, backing off, but letting him know she wasn't giving up on him yet, "hypnotism doesn't work unless the person being hypnotised is open to the idea and I sense underneath the smiles he is quite a tense young man that won't give up control easily."
"You have good senses." He commended her profiling skills, a lot of people underestimated DiNozzo because of that very reason.
"Of course the younger the person at the time of the event the more difficult it is for them to successfully separate fact from fiction," She started conversationally, "His behavioural age is going to be a factor, after speaking with him I'd say behaviourally Tony's barely old enough to drive a car." She paused upon noticing his amused expression. "This doesn't surprise you?"
"I wasn't sure he'd reached puberty yet." Gibbs joked, recalling the many times he'd questioned Tony's maturity over the years.
Mary shared his grin briefly before suddenly turning serious, which sent Gibbs' gut into a nose dive.
"I can see he has an immature side, but that's not exactly what I'm referring to." Mary indicated they should sit.
Gibbs pulled out a chair, sat down and waited patiently for her to explain.
"Behavioural age is different to chronological age because it focuses on a person's mental and emotional development and not how old their physical body is."
Gibbs' unease with the new turn of their conversation must have shown on his face because Mary leaned across the table and touched his hand before continuing to explain.
"I betting Tony can often behave and react childishly, beyond what could be considered normal for his base personality." Seeing he wasn't getting it she hastened to explain further, "Does he get easily upset when you chose another agent over him for a task? Fights others for your attention and approval, wants constant reassurance that you care about him?"
You do care right? I want you to say you care…
"That's just DiNozzo." Gibbs shrugged uneasily, shoving the memory of rescuing Tony from the sewers far out of his mind, along with the many other memories her words had invoked.
"No," she said teasingly, "that's the behaviour of someone who is emotionally underdeveloped."
"You saying there's something wrong with him?" Gibbs snapped, annoyed with her pandering yet again.
"Absolutely not," she assured, her frown suggesting she was offended by his presumptuousness, which given her ease of flirting had to take some doing, while her tone remained smooth as if everything was just fine. "What I am suggesting is that sometimes his inappropriate or juvenile behaviour may not be preventable."
How many times had he growled at Tony? Hit him in the head? Been generally frustrated with his childishness? Now this shrink was telling him he didn't know any better, Gibbs didn't know how to respond to that.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you," Mary patted his arm, and left her hand there. "I get a little carried away with my theories sometimes."
"I should introduce you to Dr Mallard." Gibbs deadpanned, still a little in shock.
"I can tell you care about him" she smiled, interpreting his comment as acceptance of her apology.
Mary nodded at him approvingly and it unnerved him how this woman he had known for less than an hour could already read him so well.
"You know what's strange here though," she stood up, reaching for her things and slipping easily back into arrogant professional mode, "For him to be so far behind his chronological age Tony would had to have suffered a trauma at an early age, I've only ever seen a gap this pronounced in children who were institutionalised or spent time in jail, but given his position those both seem doubtful scenarios so..."
Gibbs smiled nervously.
"He was sent to boarding school when he was eleven." He offered, silently wondering if he had bothered to look deeper, would he have discovered this long ago.
"I could debate the merit of boarding schools," Mary frowned, "but even then the child has interactions with peers and authority figures, they don't usually cause such stunted emotional development…"
"His mom died when he was eight and his dad," Gibbs bit down on the word, knowing the titled didn't hold true anymore, if it ever did, "was mostly absent. Aside from a holiday when he was twelve, where he left him alone in a hotel room for two days, Tony didn't have much contact. He spent a lot of time alone."
"How is it you know all this Agent Gibbs?" Mary eyed him speculatively.
"Would you believe he told me?" Gibbs replied cautiously, keeping his tone light.
"You've only known each other a few years, there's no way the personality I just interviewed," she pointed decisively towards the door, "even acknowledges the neglect, let alone be able to share the details with anyone."
Gibbs remained silent. For some reason knowing Tony's lack of truthfulness when it came to personal topics wasn't anything to do with trust made him feel better. As much as he disliked shrinks he was steadily warming up to this one. And it wasn't just because of the red hair.
"Agent Gibbs, you are an enigma." She said, turning her tone back to flirting.
"You going to help him doc?" Gibbs shifted the conversation back to Tony.
"I can certainly try."
…
"Gibbs, Ducky wants you." Kate shouted as soon as she saw him coming down the stairs, "how'd it go?"
"She's getting set up in the family room," he said arriving at his desk and glancing back up the stairs.
"And Tony?" She asked hopefully, given she'd watched him walked across the mezzanine and enter the elevator looking out of it, but fail to appear in the bullpen.
Gibbs gave her a look she couldn't quite qualify, if pushed she'd say it was somewhere between fear and cluelessness, which just wasn't right for Gibbs.
"Where are we on the case?" He ignored her question.
"I've had no luck tracking down any of the witnesses or those canvased during the police investigation of Bower." Kate retook her seat and pointed at her screen with a pen, Gibbs gave her a sideways glare. "However I'm sure I can find something."
"Jethro, thank god I found you in time." Ducky interrupted, walking quickly through the squad room to stand in front of Gibbs' desk.
Kate shuffled a few papers, alternately turning back to her computer screen pretending to work while watching the interaction between the two.
"In time for what, Duck?" Gibbs stood and tried to move around the doctor, but somehow, for such a small guy he managed to block his way effectively.
"Don't let him go through with this." Ducky said with passion.
Kate gave up pretending to work and gave the men her full concentration.
"Duck what are you talking about?"
Gibbs sounded like he'd had enough, like the rest of them. In fact if they kept working at this pace it wouldn't only be Tony in danger, one of them was going to crack eventually and Kate was trying very hard to make sure it wasn't her.
"Tony of course, let the lad be, you can get the information another way."
Gibbs drew his lips into a tight line.
"We need to know what happened to him Duck. He needs to know."
"He can't do this Jethro," Ducky shook his head frantically.
"Yes Duck, he can." Gibbs nodded and moved Ducky aside so he could pass, "Tony's strong, he can handle it."
"Normally I'd trust to your judgement, but not this time, you must stop him." Ducky practically chased Gibbs from the bullpen. "He'd do anything you asked of him and you know it."
Kate watched Gibbs begin to ascend the stairs.
"Not anything Duck." He called back, loud enough for her and Ducky to hear.
"Jethro think about it, you're asking him to remember in detail a traumatic experience." Ducky shouted, causing yet another scene in the usually uneventful squad room.
Kate had the sudden thought that if this was any other situation Tony would be selling tickets and waited with baited breath as Gibbs turned and walked back down the stairs to stand in front of Ducky in front of her desk.
"I have." He stared Ducky down, "and so has he."
"Then are you really willing to put him through it again?" Ducky snapped, braver than she'd be in his shoes.
In the nearly year she'd been at NCIS not once had Kate known Gibbs to so blatantly go against Ducky's advice, but there was always a first time for everything.
"His life is in danger Duck and he wants to why." Gibbs said softly.
Done with this conversation Gibbs patted Ducky on his shoulder and walked away. Kate watched him retreat and saw Ducky's shoulders fall. There was absolutely nothing she could say.
…
Tony snuck into the small room hoping Gibbs and the shrink were too busy flirting with each other to notice him or the time. Gibbs had called him 30 minutes ago ordering him to the family room, which as the name suggested was usually reserved for breaking bad news to families, but despite saying he'd be right there Tony had found his feet firmly planted unable to move from the sidewalk outside the NCIS building. Unfortunately both Gibbs and Mary the shrink were standing in the middle of the room eagle eyeing the door with twin expressions of exasperation.
"Am I late?" He asked apprehensively, adding a small nervous chuckle when he didn't receive a verbal response.
Gibbs held his gaze, face blank and making it near impossible for Tony to believe he wasn't already in trouble for disappearing on them.
"I needed some air." He excused lamely, subconsciously patting his jacket pocket to ensure the cigarettes he'd bummed off Mark at security were still safely hidden from view.
Mary looked the least bothered by his tardiness so Tony focused on her, offering one of his brightest, if not most sincere smiles. She gave him a knowing smile back, which gave him pause. Even more reason to dread what was to come. The woman was clearly a quick study and he had no doubt she'd already classified him as having some kind of untreatable syndrome, all that remained was for her to file his commitment papers.
She pulled a chair away from the table and placed it next to the narrow couch positioned under the window.
"Tony I want you to lie down here," Mary sat down and patted the seat cushion.
"Really?" He laughed, couldn't help it.
"Too cliché?"
"Well-"
"DiNozzo."
Gibbs' low growl had him dropping the movie quote he was about to wow them with and reverting to the more often used staple, 'yes boss'.
"Okay Tony, I want you to relax." Mary said once he'd settled, albeit uncomfortably on the hard couch.
It seemed whoever had the budget for furniture at NCIS was all about the looks, not comfort. Swedish furniture was not meant for the long term that was for sure.
"I can do that." He eventually answered her, keeping his thoughts on the upholstery to himself.
Tony sensed despite this being all about him Gibbs would have even less tolerance for his inane babbling than usual. He'd noticed that the boss seemed to be dealing with this about as well as him, which was odd. He got that as a member of team Gibbs this was not a cake walk, but the level of upset it seemed to be causing just didn't make much sense. To the point that he felt he needed to make Gibbs feel better and if shutting up and getting on with it helped, Tony would be willing to try.
"Now close your eyes, relax, and count backwards from 100…"
Tony coughed nervously, rolled his eyes to the side and caught sight of Gibbs perched against the table. He nodded and smiled, the simple act instilling hope into Tony that had been lacking of late. Taking one deep breath he shifted, relaxed and closed his eyes…
When Tony opened his eyes again it was to darkness. Lying still for a moment to centre himself he felt around. He was lying down and could feel the carpet fibres beneath his finger nails as he ran them over the floor. Branching out his hand touched something slick and wet, it warmed his hand and without thinking Tony raised the hand to his face. Lightening flashed outside, illuminating the room and the immediate grumble of thunder that followed drowned out the scream which sprang forth from his throat. Tony quickly wiped the blood from his hands onto his pant leg. It was then he noticed how small he looked and that he was wearing losing fitting long shorts instead of his usual suit. Gazing around Tony took in the familiar French décor and recognised it as the scene from his dream the night before. Standing up in what he now knew was his childhood bedroom Tony turned to step around the blood pooled on the floor, freezing when he caught sight of a man stood in the doorway brandishing a knife…
TBC…
A/N: thanks for all your reviews, favourites and follows. Guess you can tell I've been watching too much Criminal Minds while writing this chapter, gotta love Dr Reid! As usual hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing, cheers - till next time, which I hope to be sooner than later ;) xxx