"You're still troubled," Ducky said, having followed Gibbs upstairs into the kitchen sensing something was amiss.
After he'd told them all about his most recent conversation with Senior, why Miller was most likely heading to New York and more specifically Long Island, to the previous childhood home of one Anthony DiNozzo Jr. he'd left them with orders to work on a plan to get him back unharmed. Knowing Jethro as well as he did, he felt it only prudent to put his own skills to equally good use too. The agents and Abby didn't need his help, but he sensed his old friend did.
"He threatened to quit once already Duck." Gibbs sighed, prepping and turning on his coffee maker.
"Jethro," Ducky stressed softly, not believing his ears "you yourself have threatened to fire him many times and not once have you followed through."
Gibbs reached into a cupboard and picked out several mugs, dropping them on the side without due care.
"He's always corrected himself." He shrugged.
"Always?" Ducky chuckled, a light smile gracing his lips.
He could count on one hand the number of times Anthony hadn't pushed the limits of Gibbs' tight rein on him. He'd heard many excuses over the years, ranging from a complete lack of faith to a 'it's for his own good', but as Ducky had pointed out many times, it always came down to a severe case of overprotectiveness, the likes of which he'd not seen Jethro inflict on anyone else other than Abigail.
"Or ended up in so much trouble I'm just grateful he isn't dead…" Gibbs replied seeming to understand the irony.
He knew Jethro was referring to the incident with the waitress in the sewers and chose to ignore that comment for now. He could only deal with one crisis at time.
"You think Anthony went ahead with this because he has no intention of staying?" Gibbs gave him a raised eyebrow look, telling Ducky it had crossed his mind. "Tony is probably relying on your capacity for forgiveness and has every intention of coming back to us." He pointed out, not wanting Gibbs to lose faith in Tony or himself. "I even believe it's one of your many rules is it not?"
"Better to seek forgiveness than ask permission, rule eighteen." Gibbs recited with a small nostalgic smile.
"He's your boy, can't complain when he does as you taught him." Ducky poured the coffee and handed Gibbs a full mug, pleased it hadn't taken much to turn his mood around.
Unfortunately that good mood didn't last long, watching the distant and searching look he could sense trouble was brewing.
"Ah Duck," Gibbs sighed on cue, "this is all my fault. I could have prevented this."
The defeated tone and body posture spoke to his state of mind. It was difficult to see and Ducky now knew why Gibbs had removed himself from the basement. He didn't want his team to see him fall apart.
"That's the reaction of a father Jethro, not an agent." Ducky said softly, hoping he'd see it as sympathetic understanding, not pity.
"One minute I'm being a bastard the next I'm too soft I don't know what you want from me!" Gibbs snapped, anger and frustration burning brightly behind intense blue eyes.
"I want nothing from you." Ducky snapped back at him. "Tony on the other hand needs your help. He's obviously scared and not thinking straight, otherwise he wouldn't have been so foolish as to put himself in danger like this. He needs you to bring him home Jethro and you are no good to him if you're blaming yourself."
"And what do you suggest I do until then?" Gibbs said judiciously after a brief pause, clearly forcing his tone to remain level.
"When this is over and he's safe you can be the father to him you so clearly desire to be." Eyes sparkling Ducky leaned in, a knowing smile teasing his lips. Gibbs looked about ready to deck him, but Ducky knew he was probably one of very few people who could get away with pointing out the truth. "Until then he needs you to do your job, be the Leroy Jethro Gibbs people fear."
His eyes flashed and Ducky knew Gibbsknew exactly how to be a bastard.
…..
"You think Gibbs is okay?" Kate asked the room at large while McGee unpacked and plugged in his laptop.
"He's fine." Abby insisted from her perch on the boat. "Or he will be, once we get Tony back."
"You know until this happened, I'd swear Gibbs only tolerated Tony, but he's been a real bear since this started and that's saying something."
"Gibbs loves Tony." Abby said with a huge smile. "Like he loves us all."
"All of us?" McGee questioned drolly, watching Abby close her eyes and lift her arms pretending to give them all a hug.
"He hasn't known you that long, give it time. I've been here a long time."
"As long as Ducky?"
"No one's been here as long as Ducky," Abby debunked, "Anyway, what I was saying is we're family. He brought Tony home from Baltimore like this cute little lost puppy and he'll bring him home again." She finished forcefully.
Kate grinned at the image. She had to admit, if only to herself, she could well imagine Tony with his big green vulnerable eyes and wide smile pulling at even the toughest marine's heart strings.
"You know why Gibbs hired him?" Kate asked, "Because all he'll tell me is 'he smiled'."
"I know some." Abby shrugged and avoided eye contact with them, suddenly subdued.
McGee and Kate glared.
"Ok I know what happened way after. His fiancée and…"
"Fiancée?" Kate echoed.
"DiNozzo engaged?" McGee's jaw dropped, "Oh my god."
"Forget I said that. My point is Tony is family." She smiled proudly, "Only he doesn't quite get the whole being loved thing..."
"Dead mom, absent dad," Kate nodded sagely.
The room fell silent. It was a sad and not something she thought about when Tony was being his bright happy childish self. Anyone who didn't know the truth would assume DiNozzo grew up happy and rich, never wanting for anything because that was the façade he put across. Shame the reality was so far from truth.
"You know it's really hard to be annoyed by him when you put it like that." McGee frowned at her, breaking the sombre mood. "And if Gibbs cares so much why is he always slapping us in the head?"
"Well I guess it makes Tony feel wanted." Abby smiled sadly. "You'll see. Gibbs will be all soft and gooey when we get him back." Kate looked at her, "after he tears into him enough to make a marine cry of course.
"Sounds more like Gibbs." McGee agreed.
…
"Gibbs we have a lead." Kate entered the kitchen with McGee on her heels.
"A plane was just chartered from Pax River. Pilot logged a flight plan for New York for three passengers, a family named Becket." McGee informed him.
"Shauna Miller's married name." Gibbs added.
"Seems she's using her soon to be ex's credit card." Kate said smiling, "bad sign is they aren't trying to hide where they're going which means-"
"We're running out of time." Gibbs pulled out his cell.
"I'll call the base get them to hold all flights until we get there." Kate matched his action, retrieving her own cell from her belt.
"No." Gibbs grabbed her hand, halting the action.
"No?" McGee echoed.
"Did I stutter?" Gibbs snapped.
"Boss, we need to do something, there's no way we'll make it there before they take off." McGee completely ignored him.
"We need to let them go, McGee." Gibbs sighed, his focus back on his own cell and dialled a familiar number. "Tony started this, he might as well finish it..."
His voice trailed when the cell connected and they all heard the corresponding ringing. Everyone turned around as one to see Fornell walk into the lounge.
"Seems my timing's impeccable," he regarded each of them, his quizzical gaze landing finally on Gibbs, "Funny, I heard you were shot?"
"What you doing here Tobias?" Gibbs levelled his gaze making it clear he was in no mood for games.
"Depends," Fornell raised an eyebrow, advancing into the kitchen looking to see who else was hiding around the corner, "what did you want with me?"
Fornell waggled his phone in the air, reminding him who had called whom first. If he didn't need his help right now Gibbs would have been tempted to deck him.
"They got DiNozzo." He said succinctly.
Seeing regret and not surprise in his FBI counterparts face only confirmed what Gibbs already suspected.
"How long have they known?"
"Gibbs-"
"HOW LONG?" He shouted, his cool completely ran out.
Fornell gave him a telling looking, an apology, or as close to one as either of them would ever get to verbalising one at any rate.
"That's why I'm here," he said eventually.
"To gloat?" Gibbs snapped.
"To help!" Fornell shouted back.
"You can help by getting us a flight to New York."
"Gibbs you need to hold off on that."
"You going to help or not?"
"We are," A Man in a dark suit stepped forward from behind Fornell, putting an end to the shouting match. "Believe me no one wants this case closed more."
"I doubt that." Gibbs replied sarcastically.
"And who are you?" Ducky asked while the rest of them eyed up and assessed the newcomer.
"FBI Assistant Deputy Director Wilkes. Agent Gibbs I presume?" The man flashed his badge.
"Special Agent," Gibbs corrected, ignoring the offered hand.
He didn't usually give much consideration to title, but this guy stood so straight, he felt he needed to push every advantage he had. Fornell must have seen his distrusting look because he immediately tried to forge a peace.
"Gibbs I wouldn't have brought him here if it wasn't important, you want to get DiNozzo back safe you need to hear him out."
"What I need is to get to New York."
"Yes you do," Wilkes nodded to Fornell who, without question, immediately signalled someone waiting outside. "What say we talk on the way?"
Wilkes rested his stance, hands coming together to clasp neatly behind his back as he stood aside the front door indicating those coming were to join him. Gibbs turned and nodded to Ducky, then with a glare at Kate and McGee followed Wilkes and Fornell to the limousine parked outside.
"So how can we help you Agent Wilkes?" Kate asked once inside the car.
"I think it's more how can I help you." Wilkes produced a file marked classified and Gibbs nudged McGee who took it immediately.
"You're reading us in?" He leaned back in his seat as the car pulled away, using the sudden motion to disguise his disbelief.
The FBI never gave information away for free. Even Fornell had a motive whenever their paths crossed, this case being the noted exception of course where Gibbs had actually asked for his assistance without offering anything in return.
"Fornell must be a good friend to you Gibbs he doesn't put his neck on the line for just anyone and believe me, I don't usually do house calls" Wilkes chuckled, his manner over friendly.
Gibbs looked at Fornell who was sitting opposite him on Wilkes' left, but he stealthily managed to avoid his gaze. Switching back to the Assistant Deputy Director Gibbs caught the slight tensing around his eyes and a few puzzle pieces quickly clicked into place.
"But there's another reason." He let his lip quirk just enough to set Wilkes at ease.
Like a poor poker player out of luck Wilkes folded, dropping his own fake smile and relaxed charm he sat up straight giving them his full attention.
"This mess landed on my desk from the Deputy Director with strict orders to close as quickly and quietly as possible." He swallowed, shifting his gaze away from Gibbs to Fornell momentarily, "which we were doing until Fornell brought certain facts to my attention regarding the involvement of your Agent DiNozzo."
Gibbs held his reaction in, utilising all his skills as a marine and an agent to keep the stoic look on his face.
"Boss this says Agent Bell was diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic. It's dated a month before the beginning of Element 79." McGee butted in, head still buried in the file.
Gibbs glared at Wilkes, not talking his eyes off him as he flipped out his cell and pressed speed dial. "Duck, paranoid schizophrenia…"
There was a beat of silence before Ducky's distinctive tone travelled to them through the speaker phone. "Jethro though I am used to your minimalist ways of communicating I'm afraid I need a little more."
"Ducky Bell was a paranoid schizophrenic," Kate began, peeking over McGee's shoulder to read the report, "Seems while undercover he was required to go off his meds-"
"Oh my," Ducky breathed.
"Duck?"
"Well I'm no expert but for a man whose work required him to maintain alternate personalities for a living the stresses involved would certainly be enough to feed a paranoid schizophrenics deluded state even with the help of powerful medications, without he'd almost certainly succumb to the disorder."
"Gibbs," Abby's nervous voice filled the car over the speaker, "ECT is a form of therapy for schizophrenia."
Gibbs, Kate, McGee and Fornell collectively dropped their heads. That little nugget unfortunately explained quite a bit.
"Bell was undercover with the Bonanno family. Hannigan was his handler. In June of '78 FBI funds went missing then not long after Bell went dark. Hannigan was sent in to find the money and pull Bell out."
"So what went wrong?" Gibbs asked when Wilkes hesitated.
"As you already know an official report regarding the time the child was missing was never filed. The only persons who knew the full details of what happened that night are Agent's Bell and Hannigan."
"And Tony," Kate added.
Gibbs glared at her and quickly changed the subject. "What about Bell now?"
"We believe Bell has recently suffered a second psychotic break."
"Second?"
"After the FBI cleaned up Bell was removed from the FBI and committed. He was being treated as a voluntary inpatient up until ten days ago when he received this through the mail." Wilkes produced a letter from his jacket pocket and handed it to Gibbs.
He didn't need to open it to guess what was inside. It was the same handwriting on the same kind of beige envelope that Shauna Miller had held in her possession.
"Let me guess, he checked himself out."
Wilkes nodded, "He's considered dangerous, which was why we brought Hannigan back in as soon as we were aware he was in Washington."
"And Miller?"
"Bringing Miller in was a choice of the team responsible for closing this, his involvement's been problematic, but was manageable."
"Was?" McGee asked when no one else spoke.
"His recent actions towards NCIS, and Hannigan's death, have complicated things."
Gibbs snorted, a disbelieving smile plastered to his face. "So the FBI put an unstable agent undercover twenty-five years ago, and now's it's come back to bite you on the ass you want our help to clean up your mess, that about the size of it?"
"Jethro," Fornell warned.
Gibbs looked over at him and with an eye roll surrendered, a hand gesture indicating Wilkes to continue.
"Special Agent DiNozzo," Wilkes' sigh was too reminiscent of Senior's when he spoke his son's name and it was just enough to push him over the edge.
"What about him?" Gibbs' tone turned hard.
"We believe Bell believes Agent DiNozzo knows where the money is."
Gibbs dropped what was left of his passive aggressive attitude and sat forward, leaning into Wilkes' personal space, making it clear if the FBI got in the way of their rescue they'd be answering to his fist. He needed to protect Tony, confident he was still unaware of the danger he'd stupidly put himself in.
"Well he doesn't." He denied flatly.
"If there's a chance-"
"There isn't."
Wilkes huffed clearly annoyed with his infamous pig-headedness, before checking himself and forcing the fake smile back on his face. "Fornell warned me that you'd be very protective of him."
Gibbs quirked an eyebrow at Fornell, who caught his eye and shrugged back.
"If we stumble across the money when we find Tony NCIS with definitely share the information with the FBI..." Gibbs smiled politely.
"You will?" Wilkes sounded unsure.
"Oh yeah," Gibbs cheered, "I'll send you an email."
He could see by the reaction his reputation as a technophobe preceded him
"Look Gibbs, whatever he knows can only help us, help him." Wilkes snapped, showing his irritation.
"Okay, say I agree to help you. Help me understand something," Gibbs started coyly, getting a small head bob from Wilkes. "Tell me how Tony ended up in that alleyway near dying, after being beaten and tortured, and why Hannigan, a god damn FBI agent, was arrested for it?"
Gibbs was as clear as he could be, though even he couldn't hide the desperate wanting in his voice. He needed to know why this happened, for him and for Tony.
"We'd like to know that too." Abby interrupted, shouting down the phone Gibbs hadn't remembered to disconnect.
Wilkes leaned forward, hands clasped and Gibbs prepared himself to hear something he wouldn't like.
"The team did what they thought was best in order to deal with Bell." Wilkes then looked away, ashamed.
Several thoughts flitted through Gibbs mind concerning what he knew about the events that occurred and what Wilkes was saying. According to Tony Hannigan was hurt as well. Hannigan saved him…
Gibbs head snapped up.
"You're telling me it was all sanctioned?" He hissed, fighting to keep calm.
"The FBI team involved in Element 79 were apparently fully informed of events preceding the incident at the DiNozzo house where your boy was unfortunately injured." He nodded, looking genuinely mortified.
"Tony." Gibbs reminded him, choosing to ignore the display of emotion.
"Let me guess, the informant was Henry Miller." Kate interjected.
"Correct." Wilkes answered with a resigned nod.
It didn't need spelling out to Gibbs that the FBI had chosen to protect themselves over the innocent life caught up in their little mafia hunt. In war it was called collateral damage. In the marines? Well they only had one rule…
Semper Fi.
"Son of a bitch," Gibbs whispered under his breath.
"The team did what they believed was best for everyone at the time, the fewer people that knew the truth the better, including the boy…"
"Tony!" Gibbs nearly jumped out of his seat, his fist pressing into the leather seats, inches away from punching Wilkes the same way Tony would have to have been hit to break his nose the way he had. "And you're okay with that?!"
"No I'm not okay with that Agent Gibbs. The FBI does not routinely hold children hostage or perform experimental therapies on them, but I wasn't responsible then and there's not much I can do about it now." Wilkes snapped, sounding as equally perturbed by the disturbing truths.
Gibbs chewed on his cheek, mad as hell, and tempted once this was over to look up and hunt down all those remaining who had been directly responsible for putting a child in danger
"We're assuming Hannigan was killed by Bell?" Kate said into the lingering silence.
"It's seems likely," Fornell spoke for the first time.
"Well that's another one off my list." Gibbs leaned back with chagrin.
"You should know it was Hannigan who made the anonymous call and left the child where he'd be found. I'm not condoning what they did Gibbs, but if he wasn't for him your agent may not have ever grown up to become your agent."
Gibbs couldn't work out if the guy was stupid or really thought telling him this would make him feel indebted to the FBI.
"And that makes up for everything? He was a six!" Gibbs screamed at him, disappointed when Wilkes didn't react.
Gibbs threw his hands up in frustration. He'd had enough. That was it. He was done. Done with the lies, done with people thinking the life of a child was less important than their jobs. Just done.
"People would have been fired, the bureau embarrassed, a case down the drain, but none of that can compare to the life a child-" Gibbs stopped himself short, before the words my child slipped out.
"I wasn't there Gibbs." Wilkes said quietly.
"No you weren't, but you're here now and someone needs to pay." Gibbs looked Wilkes dead in the eye, making it perfectly clear that if the FBI let anyone slide this time around Gibbs fully intended to see justice done his way.
The car came to a stop, the side door opening seconds later.
"I'll see to it personally that those still within the FBI are held responsible." Wilkes nodded, holding his gaze.
He didn't know exactly why, but as he exited the limo to step onto the runway their ride to New York ready to go, Gibbs believed Wilkes actually meant that.
Tbc…