Chapter 4:

When Gibbs arrived early the next morning, he found that Tony was there already. Gibbs had only had one cup of coffee this morning, and wasn't looking forward to the confrontation with his Senior Field Agent at all. He still had to react to the mess from yesterday. He was more concerned than angry, but he couldn't just let it go, he had his role to play. Showdown.

"DiNozzo!" he barked in his meanest drill instructor tone that actually made the other man jump. "Cut the crap!" he added his sternest glare.

No, he wasn't a man of many words. This would do. He had worked with DiNozzo for nearly two years now and he knew Tony could read him better than any of his other agents before. He had not been very subtle anyway.

The message was received, he knew that when he heard the silent "Yes, Sir!" of DiNozzo.

He cursed the habit of the younger man, always when he felt put down, miserable and insecure would he be submissive and 'Sir' him. The first few weeks of Tony working at NCIS had been full of 'Yes, Sir' and 'No, Sir', that was, until Gibbs had made a rule about it.

Now, he took in the attire of his agent.

He had gone through quite an effort to make it seem like he had just arrived.

But Gibbs was Gibbs, the skilled investigator, and had come to know Tony's strategies and deflections quite well. There were subtle signs. The half open desk drawer, where there was a cup with water and a toothbrush visible, the full trashcan, that had not been emptied, because the cleaning staff didn't want to wake him.

He had slept here.

There was also something 'hinky' about his clothes.

They weren't the ones he had worn yesterday, no, he was way too careful and practiced in covering up than that.

But they weren't fresh ones either. If Gibbs remembered right, they were the clothes he kept as spares in his car mixed up with the shirt from the day before yesterday. The clothes were not dirty nor did they smell; it was just that they didn't look as sharp as they normally did. Tony paid a lot of attention to his outward appearance, but today he looked more like one of Fornell's men than his usual, carefully dressed self. That's a first.

"You come up with anything?" he asked, knowing Tony had spent a good part of the night working. He wasn't too impressed with Tony's timing, but he knew he had put in some hard work on the case.

"There are some possible connections at Quantico, which might be a new lead. There is a report on your desk."

"Okay! I'll send Kate and McGee down there. You'll stay here and do probie's work. Check, restock and clean the truck. And that's only the beginning."

"Yes, Sir, that's okay."

It crossed Gibbs mind that he might prefer a Tony that is acting out over one without his spirit.

"You'll have to apologize to Kate and McGee!"

"Yes, Sir"

"Now, move!"

Tony DiNozzo without his spirit was all he got to see the entire day. It was even more nerve- racking, than the day before. He'd apologized and he did the probie's chores, without complaining; but who would have known, as he was not speaking to anyone, keeping his distance and a hostile air around him all day.

It was painfully obvious for Gibbs that something was seriously wrong with Tony, but his efforts to give him the chance to confide in him were futile. He grew increasingly frustrated with his stubborn agent over the course of the day.

They had actually gotten some decisive leads and crucial information from Kate's and McGee's visit at Quantico. But then, there had never been any doubts in Tony's abilities, at least not on Gibbs' side.

The young agent had a special way of thinking outside the box, of discovering connections no one had seen before, and intuition, that made him a brilliant investigator, only topped by his skills on undercover operations.

Gibbs was ready to call it a day. "Go home; the whole thing can wait till tomorrow morning."

McGee was obviously very eager to escape, the tension that had been building up was begging to become visible in the bullpen over the last couple of hours. Kate sent a final glance to Tony; she hadn't spoken to him all day. She had claimed to still be angry, but Gibbs was pretty sure she already missed their usual light hearted banter and Tony's silly, childish but good natured foolery. He missed it for sure.

Tony didn't answer, didn't move and Gibbs lost his patience, "DiNozzo! I told you this morning: Cut the crap!" Now the young man actually looked confused. "Yeah, you still behave like an idiot! Now go home, sleep, come in tomorrow with the right attitude! And I swear if I find you spending the night here, I'll suspend you for a week or even fire your sorry ass!"

"Yes, Sir!" Tony grabbed his stuff reluctantly and left.

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