Author's note:
Okay, I totally expect you to get annoyed by how slow this is proceeding, I start to be to. I planned to get to the explaining and revealing in this chapter, it just turned out different. Still, I think it is an important chapter (Nice and careing Gibbs plus some Abby and Ducky). Revelations coming up in Chapter 8, promised!
Have fun!
Chapter 7:
The case was wrapping up nicely. They had caught the whole group red handed. They had stormed the warehouse, while they were working on the stolen cars, the resistance was minimal. No one was wounded; it had been a clean bust.
When going in, he had trusted Tony to have his six like every day during the last two years. He had watched his Senior Field Agent closely though. It had been a long time until Tony had started to trust him equally.
Being partners, they depended on one another, this kind of trust was vital.
When he'd met the young detective in Baltimore, he had seen a kid underappreciated by his department and by himself. His colleges were giving him a hard time and he acted like a loose cannon.
Sure, he was talented, even gifted, but it was only a matter of time before he either left for yet another city, another force, or got killed.
Luckily, it had been the first.
In the field DiNozzo wasn't able to rely on his backup, he didn't dare count on others. He was constantly securing his own back, looking over his shoulder. That was a dangerous habit.
Gibbs constantly told him, after every operation in the field, those reassuring words: "I've got your six."
After about a year, they had gone into a meth-lab a marine was running at Norfolk. Gibbs had been right behind DiNozzo and he noticed that he didn't check his back, he didn't look back over his shoulder, and finally, he relied on Gibbs to be there no matter what.
Gibbs had been very pleased; he had showed one of his rare open smiles and said: "Good job, DiNozzo!" Tony had been taken off guard by the change of routine; he had flushed, mumbled something incoherent and avoided eye contact. It had taken a moment to compose himself, but then his face had lit up in a lopsided grin: "You had my six, boss!"
Shortly after this Gibbs had promoted him to Senior Field Agent.
He really wished that Tony would also rely on him with personal problems to. Seeing him sleep in a car, made it only too obvious that his trust-issues were still hindering the younger man.
He thought they had been getting there, when Tony had started to tell him about cases that troubled him. Mostly when children were involved or abuse against women. He had started to tell things from his past, even from his childhood. Still it was seldom more than a snappy one liner, that covered up the deeper revelation, but Gibbs was gaining bits of insights (on what he silently had suspected all the time?).
Now he was determined to find out what the problem was and to help.
After they had rounded up all the car thieves and brought them back to NCIS. The rest of the night passed with the interviews and all of them broke and confessed sooner rather than later.
He ordered a nice breakfast in for his team in the morning, before they started to work on their reports and the inevitable paperwork.
Gibbs couldn't stop himself from constantly watching his agent, searching him for a hint of what was wrong.
Tony did his best to act like nothing had ever happened. He was a damn good undercover agent. Obviously, he had mastered the art of pretending, he was very skillful in masking his feelings.
After calming down a little Gibbs had tried to get him to talk. He had skills to, and even though Tony tried to avoid him he got him rounded up alone a couple of times.
However, he had not been successful. He had tried understanding, pressuring, ordering, threatening, pleading, but had not gotten anything more than the "It's fine!" a sentence he had seriously begun to hate now. He had never hated a sentence so much before.
It was about noon when he was pacing up and down restlessly in autopsy. He had summoned Ducky and Abby. Abby was watching him with deep concern, biting her lower lip and nervously playing with one of Ducky's instruments. A clean one Gibbs hoped in passing.
The older ME was leaning against one of his autopsy tables. He was calm; he only rarely lost his calm. Gibbs had known him for years now and couldn't actually remember a time he had seen his friend lose his temper. It was reassuring and he was thankful for that.
Also Ducky was able to show compassion and concern, and he appreciated that to.
Both of them were caring people and he knew they were true friends of Tony and would be sharing his concern.
Finally, he stopped to face them. "Now spit it out! What do you guys know?"
Abby's eyes were pleading with him. "I really do know a lot. I know that flies are slower in the morning and night than during the day, because of thermal lift. I know loads of stuff about forensics, and computers, and music, and … But I don't know what you wanna hear, Boss man, I'm sorry." She was babbling.
She didn't do it to make him mad, she was genuinely trying. He did have a soft spot for his crazy Goth lab tech, but he still barked now. "DiNozzo!? Abby!"
"So, Jethro, you have indeed noticed that something…," he gave a small smile to Abby, "… something hinky is going on with our boy? I wondered about it."
"You bet I noticed!"
"Oh Tony! Yeah, he's been acting strange. He hasn't stopped by the whole week and he canceled our Tarantino movie night. He never cancels that! He loves to reenact the Desperados guitar scene and I like to do the Pulp Fiction dance. He hasn't been talking, has he? Oh, Gibbs what is going on?"
"Abbs! I'm happy I didn't understand what exactly you were planning there, but he has been distant, right? Did he tell you anything?"
"No."
"No, Jethro, he has not confided in either of us. He has kept mainly to himself these days, Caitlin and Timothy have complained about him though. I think he might be hiding something. The boy has quite a way of keeping people at arm's length."
"I found him sleeping in his car last night."
"What? Oh, Tony!" Abby cried out.
"Oh, dear! Well, we don't know about his predicament."
Gibbs started to pace again; he had hoped to gain some information. He would have to do some investigating. He was determined to find out, now, more than ever. If Tony couldn't confide in Ducky or even Abby, something was really going on and it couldn't be good.
"Okay, Abbs, Duck, we have to do something! I'll find out what's up. Duck, can you check him out, make sure he hasn't caught the flu or something, it was freezing last night. Maybe you can talk to him, tell him one of your stories, something about letting friends in, or something…"
Ducky smiled benignly. "I can do that!"
"What can I do? I want to help! Boss man, what do you want me to do?"
"You'll do what you do best."
"What's that?"
"You make a fuss about him." He squeezed her shoulders reassuringly and placed a small kiss on her forehead. "We will help."
Author's note: Please review!