AN: Thanks to all of you for the great show of support you have given this story. As always, it is very much appreciated.
Also to Rose, you just need to put this story into story alerts and then you will automatically receive an email whenever I update it. :)
**Warning: Cliff-hanger ahead!
xxxxx
Gibbs awoke to find Tony sitting up in bed, staring back at him with an unwavering gaze. "Something wrong?" Gibbs asked, a little bit grumpily, not particularly pleased to find himself being watched while he'd been asleep.
"Sleep well, boss?" Tony asked with a smirk, pointedly ignoring the question.
"Evidently better than you," Gibbs replied. "How are you feeling?"
"Pretty good actually," Tony replied. He definitely wasn't one hundred percent, but considering how close he had come to being killed, he was surprised that he didn't feel much worse. "How are you?"
"I'm doing well," Gibbs answered His headache had dulled considerably and he was antsy to get out of the hospital. He didn't want to stay there a second longer than necessary. "What time is it anyway?"
"Ten past seven."
Gibbs sighed. It was still early. Time had a way of standing still in hospitals. He just wanted to leave. There was a lot that needed to be taken care of. He also wanted to get over to his house, or rather what was left of his house. He wanted to see the damage in the light of day and see if there was anything left that could be salvaged.
"I know how you feel about apologies, boss, but..."
Gibbs looked back at Tony and realized he just needed to let the other man speak his mind. "Alright, DiNozzo...go ahead, get it off your chest."
"I really am sorry about your house, boss...I know how much it meant to you and I'm sorry that my being there caused this to happen..."
"What did you ever do to Bittner, Tony?" Gibbs asked quietly after a few moments. He wanted to get the words just right, wanting them to sink into his agent's head once and for all.
"What? I...I didn't do anything to him," Tony admitted, having a good idea where Gibbs was going with this.
"That's right," Gibbs said, nodding. "You did nothing. You weren't involved in the original case where he was wrongly imprisoned. You never even knew this guy. You did nothing except almost become murder victim number three of a sick, twisted man. It was totally random...not your fault. I wanted you at my house, DiNozzo and I do not regret that decision. Yes, I'm upset about what happened, but I will get over it and I'd much rather have lost my house than to have lost you."
"I know you're right, boss, but..."
"There are no buts," Gibbs interrupted. "This is all on Bittner. This was in no way your fault."
Tony said nothing, but still looked doubtful. "Come on, Tony," Gibbs coaxed. "If this was anyone else would you think it was their fault?"
"I...I guess not," Tony replied reluctantly.
"Good answer." Gibbs nodded, realizing he would have to be satisfied with that for now. They were both going to need time to come to terms with all that had happened. At least Bittner was safely behind bars which was more than could be said for the convenience store holdup men. "Now about what happened in the holdup last night. We have to deal with the possibility that these guys from the convenience store could come after you."
Tony's first instinct was to deny what Gibbs said, but he knew in his heart it was a likely possibility. "Hopefully they won't find out who I am until we get them." He had every intention of getting them. It wasn't an NCIS case, but he didn't care. It was personal now.
"You can't even shoot a gun," Gibbs reminded him.
I can learn to shoot with my left hand, boss."
Gibbs shook his head, "Sorry, but once you're cleared to go back to work, you're on desk duty until your arm is healed. No arguments." He was not about to let DiNozzo out in the field with his arm in a cast. It could result in him or someone else being hurt.
"Yeah, I know that, boss. I'm not stupid." Tony retorted, rolling his eyes.
Gibbs held back from slapping Tony's head, which was his first instinct at the show of disrespect from his agent. Tony saw the icy look in Gibbs' eyes and immediately apologized. "Sorry."
"Forget it," Gibbs said gruffly. He knew that neither of them were in the best of moods at the moment. Just then, the doctor and a pair of eager-appearing interns came into the room. After questioning them and performing examinations, he pronounced that they were both fit to be released. He just needed to get their discharge papers taken care of and they would be good to go.
xxxxx
Lou was getting nowhere fast. He had been wandering around the hospital all morning, but still had no idea who the man in the store was or what his condition might be. He was getting more and more aggravated. He had been sure someone would be gossiping about what had happened. He had even spent a good deal of time drinking coffee in the hospital cafeteria, trying to eavesdrop, but it hadn't helped at all. No one had spoken a word about the events of the previous night. Maybe the guy was already dead and it just hadn't been announced yet. He found that possibility to be very cheering. Hopefully it was true. Realizing he wasn't going to have any luck within the confines of the hospital, he headed outside and parked himself on a bench to contemplate his next move.
He couldn't believe his good fortune with what happened next. Two men in wheelchairs were brought out of the hospital, one of whom was the man he had shot. He had no idea who his companion was, but they obviously knew each other as they were chatting easily to each other. "You're losing your touch, Lou, old boy," he muttered to himself as he observed them. He was shocked that the guy hadn't been hurt worse, but at least he had him in his sights now. He automatically reached for his gun, but then pulled back. He couldn't just shoot the guy out in front of a hospital in broad daylight. There were people milling about everywhere. Too many witnesses. He would never get away with it.
He looked across the street where his car was illegally parked. There was a ticket on the windshield, but luckily it hadn't been towed. He decided his best course of action was to simply follow the guy and see what opportunities presented themselves. He trotted over to his car and waited, never taking his eyes from the man he had shot. He didn't have long to wait. A car finally approached and stopped in front of where they were waiting. An elderly man then got out of the car and patiently waited while the men got inside. He closed the door after Lou's victim had gotten into the back seat of the car and then made his way back to the driver's seat. Lou gave them a small head start and then began his pursuit, his heart pounding in excitement.
The chase was on!
xxxxx
"Ducky?" Gibbs, who was seated in the front passenger side of Ducky's car turned towards the older gentleman and spoke very quietly. "Do you mind if we stop at McGee's place first?"
"Of course not, Jethro. May I ask why though?"
"I want to drop Tony off there before we go do that other thing. We'll pick him up a little bit later."
"What do you need to do?" Tony asked. Even though Gibbs had kept his voice down, he hadn't missed a word. "I don't want to go to McGee's." He couldn't help but be irritated, feeling like an unwanted kid who was about to be dropped off with the babysitter.
"Well then you'll go to Ziva's. Your choice. I don't want you staying alone...just in case..."
"I choose to go with you."
"Not an option."
"Where are you going? What's the big secret anyway?" Tony asked suspiciously.
"Its not a big secret...I just need to take care of something...alone..."
"You won't be alone...Ducky will be with you..."
"Yeah well..." Gibbs couldn't really think of anything to say to that. He managed to stop himself from just telling DiNozzo that it was none of his business. This was for his own good. "Its personal. Can't you just do what I'm asking?"
"Fine." Tony didn't like being kept out of the loop, but he wasn't going to continue to pester Gibbs about whatever big secret he was keeping. They rode along for a few minutes in silence and then Tony was suddenly struck by exactly where it was that Gibbs was going. "You're going back to your house, aren't you?"
Gibbs and Ducky exchanged a look, but Gibbs didn't say anything.
"I want to go too," Tony said.
"Not a good idea, DiNozzo," Gibbs stated.
"Why not?"
"It just isn't." He knew that being at the house was just going to cause Tony more guilt.
"Come on, I want to go boss...please?"
Gibbs tried to steel himself against Tony's plea, but he found he just didn't have the heart to do so. "Alright...but this is against my better judgment."
"It'll be fine," Tony said.
"Jethro? Are you sure?" Ducky asked, a concerned expression on his face.
Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, Duck...I'm sure..." In actuality, he wasn't sure at all, but he knew that Tony would very likely go to the house alone if he was denied the opportunity to go there now. Better to have him there when he and Ducky could keep an eye on him.
Very few words were spoken during the remainder of the drive. All three men were lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Ducky pulled his car up in front of Gibbs' house, or rather what remained of Gibbs' house. Gibbs slowly got out of the car and was unable to hide the deep sadness in his eyes as he stared at the charred shell of his house. Tony put his hand on the door handle and was about to follow Gibbs out of the car when Ducky turned around and shook his head. "Give him a few minutes by himself, Anthony," he said solemnly.
Gibbs slowly made his way through the ruins of his home. He caught sight of a broken plate from his wife's good china set, which they had received as a wedding gift, and tears slowly began to spill down his cheeks. She had loved that china, had only used it for holidays and special occasions, but each time she had set it out, her face had lit up with excitement. She had loved cooking and entertaining for their family and friends. This was even harder than he had imagined it would be. He continued his search and his heart skipped a beat when he saw a familiar face smiling up at him. It was a framed photograph from his daughter's very first dance recital. The frame was cracked, but the picture inside appeared to be intact.
"We need to get some help," Tony said from inside Ducky's car. He was trying very hard to ward off guilt as he watched Gibbs' devastated figure walking through the wreckage, searching for pieces of his life that hadn't been destroyed. It wasn't easy though and in spite of what Gibbs had told him earlier, he couldn't help but feel responsible for this. "Can I borrow your phone?" he asked and Ducky handed it over to him. Tony then proceeded to dial Abby's number.
xxxxx
"What the fuck is this?" Lou asked himself as he watched the silver-haired man walking through what remained of a house that had been destroyed by fire. He was parked across the street, gun in his lap, waiting for the opportunity to use it.
"Why the hell don't you get your asses out there and help him?" he urged the two men remaining in the car. What kind of friends were they anyway? Were they just going to sit there like lumps of shit while this guy was walking around looking for stuff? "Jerks." He considered just shooting up the car, Godfather-style, but he would need a machine gun for that idea to really be effective. The car had tinted windows and there was too good a chance he would miss his target. He sat back and continued to watch and wait, hoping he would get his chance to finish off his victim momentarily.
xxxxx
"They're going to be here soon," Tony informed Ducky unnecessarily as the older gentleman had heard each of Tony's conversations with the members of the team.
"That was very good thinking, Anthony," Ducky said approvingly.
"Hopefully it will do some good and we can find some of his things," Tony said, his eyes following Gibbs as he bent down and picked something up off the ground. "Can we go help him now?"
Ducky nodded. "Yes, I think that will be fine. Let's go give Jethro a hand."
xxxxx
Lou's eyes lit up as the two men finally got out of the car and he could feel his adrenaline rising. It was the heady feeling of excitement he always got when he was about to finish off his prey. Glancing around to make sure there was no one watching him, he ensured that the coast was clear and aimed his gun carefully at his unsuspecting victim...