Jethro and Abby left fairly early Sunday morning. Jethro was dropping her off at her best friend's before he drove himself to Pennsylvania. Tony had appeared attentive and cooperative as Gibbs gave him last minute instructions, so once on the road, Gibbs began to relax. The conference was to be attended by several acquaintances, and it would be good to catch up with them. Also, a visit to his dad was long overdue, and he welcomed the opportunity to spend some time with Jack.
As he drove Gibbs reviewed Abby's itinerary in his mind. She would get home a half day after he did. His thoughts turned to Tony then, and he recalled how serious Tony had appeared to be the past couple of days as the trip drew nearer. Maybe he was maturing after all.
Sunday night two of Tony's best friends and their dates joined Tony and Amber, his latest girlfriend, at the House of Gibbs. The three couples stayed together until nearly two in the morning, then four of them left Tony and Amber alone. Amber didn't make her departure until the following morning when Tony headed out to NCIS.
With Gibbs away, he was in charge of the team. One of Tony's character strengths was his leadership quality, which he took seriously. By lunch he had worked the team so hard that they had solved a case that had just been assigned them just that morning. Tony was pleased. The afternoon progressed smoothly, and when Gibbs called at three to check on the team, his pride in Tony's management was evident.
Monday night Tony hosted a group of friends at the House of Gibbs who were male, rowdy, and fun loving. They cooked out and stayed up late watching sports on ESPN. Tony made it to bed after two, and slept a few hours before heading to NCIS.
The days began to blur. Though Tony kept his work life separate from his private life, he was still not at his best at work. He definitely began to look tired and sleep deprived. Thursday afternoon Ducky demanded his presence in autopsy over a personal matter. Tony had avoided the good doctor as much as he could during the week, knowing that Ducky would not hesitate to report any concerns to Gibbs. This invitation was not one he could decline, however. Ducky was already suspicious.
Tony bounced into Autopsy, trying his best to appear sunny and well rested, not exhausted because he had become a delightful nightly party host. Ducky would feel it his duty to alert Jethro should he suspect something amiss, which would then lead to Gibbs confronting Tony.
When Ducky saw him he turned to his assistant, Jimmy Palmer. "Mr. Palmer, be so good as to go down and check on the progress Abby's substitute has made on those last blood samples." Seeing Tony standing there, Jimmy nodded and left the two alone.
Ducky turned and regarded Tony, staring so long that Tony finally laughed nervously. "Dr. Mallard, are you ok?"
"I'm just fine, Anthony, but you are not." The good doctor removed his glasses and rubbed them on his sleeve before putting them back on his face.
Tony tried to look shocked at the pronouncement. "Whatever do you mean? I feel fantastic!"
Ducky raised his eyebrows, then pointed towards the chair by his desk. "Sit down right now, Anthony."
Tony started to argue, then changed his mind and sat down. Ducky perched on the edge of the desk and regarded him.
"You had better watch yourself. This running around with no sleep is taking its toll on you."
"Ducky, I have been sleeping like a baby every single night. I have no idea what you mean."
"No, that is an obvious exaggeration. You have been staying up, or out, late every night since Jethro has been gone."
Tony decided to not respond.
"We both know that you would not be up to any of these nocturnal activities were he here," Dr. Mallard continued.
Tony tried to appear confused, and looked at Ducky quizzically.
"I am not falling for that look, Anthony. Whether Jehtro is here or not, you always perform your job superbly. However, away from the agency, it is indisputable that you are far calmer and better behaved when Jethro keeps you in his radar. I called you down here to warn you. If I don't see an improvement in your general appearance quickly, meaning you are not socializing until the early morning hours, I have every intention of notifying Jethro."
There it was, the ultimate threat, dangling the potential response of the big gun over Tony's head.
Tony squared his shoulders and stood. "I understand, Ducky. I'll take care of it."
With that, he turned and left, and for the remainder of the afternoon he pledged to himself that he would heed the warning. Then he spent some time mentally evaluating whether anything he had done could actually be proved to Jethro. He had completely dismissed Ducky's warning by the time Amber called, and managed to sound busy and doing what he was supposed to be doing when his boss made his daily call.
That night he didn't go home at all, but went straight from work to Amber's.
Friday night the house of Gibbs was lit up like a Christmas decoration, and there were people in every room. Tony was the perfect party host, entertaining and welcoming, and the festivities continued into the wee hours of Saturday morning. The guests spilled out into the backyard, and just enjoyed the thrill of a great party. Several couples elected to stay and spend the night, having consumed a little too much to allow safe driving conditions. Tony himself was feeling no pain, and he was out the minute his head touched the pillow.
He woke at two in the afternoon on Saturday with a splitting headache and feeling nauseous. He untangled himself from the sheets and from Amber, who mumbled a bit in her sleep as he edged off of the bed. Quickly pulling on a pair of jeans he made his way downstairs, stepping over pallets and sleeping party guests. He peeped outside the front door and noted the number of cars on the street. It was practically a parking lot for Tony's guests.
Taking a long swallow of water he looked around. The entire residence resembled a tornado site, and he knew it would take hours of manpower to get the house into shape. Running his hand through his hair he mentally kicked himself. He had less than twenty four hours before Gibbs would walk back through the door.
With that thought, Tony was suddenly galvanized. He mentally made a list of what had to occur before his boss made it back. It took less than a half hour to get rid of all of the guests and send them on their way. Amber begged to stay after the others and help but Tony refused, making the first mature decision he had made concerning the home front all week. She would do nothing but distract him, and that was the last thing that he needed. So, he insisted that she leave when the others did.
It took the rest of the afternoon and then until right after midnight to put the house back to rights. Tony's head throbbed throughout, and his nausea didn't slow for several hours. Regarding himself in the mirror after one of his trips to the bathroom he realized he was definitely the worse for wear. If Ducky could see him now he would summon Jethro immediately. Nevertheless, he tended to business, and finally, finally, the house looked the way it should have.