Author's Note: Back again! I hope you enjoy this chapter—some nice Papa Gibbs moments that lull the team into the calm before the storm. As usual, your reviews have been greatly appreciated. It confirms that people are reading and enjoying the story, which makes it more fun to continue writing and posting. Those of you that consistently review are so awesome and those that drop in for an occasional "good job" are so nice to see!
There is so much to still happen in this story that I wish I could tell you (I'm a bit impatient), but I don't want to spoil the surprises, so I'm trying to not just spill everything right now. So here's the next chapter and tell me what you think!
TLH
They passed only a few cars pulling into the heart of the warehouse district; the neighborhood reeked of desolation and abandonment. Broken windows and trash-littered sidewalks dotted the area. A wino lurched down the street, muttering softly and paying scant attention to the federal agents as they exited their government vehicle.
A dirty brick building jutted in front of them, tucked between a row of structures that had seen their zenith come and go years before. There were no stars or moonlight, the only illumination came from the streetlamps standing at intermittent spots along the block; a cold winter wind blew past, rustling piles of trash and making Tony pull his overcoat tighter around his body.
He forced himself not to shiver, since he knew the reaction wouldn't be to the cold, but to his own memory. The spot was as familiar as if he had stood there before, even though logically he knew it had all been in his mind.
"This is the place, Boss. This is the place where I saw the man die."
Gibbs' jaw was set; his face a mask of wariness. Tony watched the blue eyes dart around, assessing every window, door, and darkened alley for the possibility of attack. "Adrian's here. I can feel him."
"What about Gabriel?" Tony asked cautiously. He'd witnessed the vampire's viciousness firsthand, and was concerned about what he might try to do. In his opinion, Adrian seemed mild when compared to his Maker.
Shaking his head, the lead agent gave Tony a meaningful look. "I can't sense him; what about you?"
Hesitating, Tony glanced around, inwardly considering Gibbs' question. "I don't think so, but I really don't know what I'm trying to do." The idea of being able to insert himself in Gabriel's mind made his skin crawl, and he didn't think he would be up to it if Gibbs asked him to try to do more than determine if the vampire was in the general area.
"I can't explain it, but you'd know if he was here," Gibbs calmly informed him, not pushing the issue any further. "Come on; let's see what's waiting for us." They stepped away from the cracked sidewalk and toward the shadowed alley Tony had described earlier.
"Shouldn't the LEO's be here?" Tony questioned out loud, noticing how alone they were. "It's awfully quiet for a crime scene."
"Yeah, DiNozzo, I'd say it's kind of hinky, wouldn't you?" Gibbs supplied a wry grin.
"So it's a trap, right?" Tony pressed for confirmation, working to bring his uneasiness under control.
"Yup. Be ready." Gibbs was already snapping his own gun loose from its holster. Tony followed his lead and grasped the hilt of his weapon, unsure of its effectiveness against the enemies they were now facing but praying it would provide some level of protection.
A shuffling noise greeted them halfway down the alley. Several individuals moved from behind an overflowing dumpster to block their path. An icy ball of nerves gripped Tony's stomach, but he pushed it aside and reminded himself this was no different than squaring off with any of the hundreds of scumbags he'd gone toe to toe with over the years.
"Lost?" the tallest individual asked, smiling to reveal two rows of bright teeth accentuated by long pointy canines. He was dressed in head to toe black-skinny black jeans and a tight black t-shirt. His dirty blonde hair was greasy, parted in the middle and hanging limply to his shoulders. He trailed talon-like fingernails along the blackened brick wall, leaving small fissures in the surface as he passed.
Tony winced at the scratching sound, acutely aware that these vampires were much more like the ones he'd seen in the movies than the ones he had been hanging around with lately. Abby would definitely want to know.
A second vampire hissed at them, mouth stretched unnaturally wide in an aggressive move to showcase his impressively sharpened teeth. He too was wearing only black, and had a barely controlled maniacal glint in his eye that Tony usually associated with serial killers.
There was a feral quality about the vampires; they moved slowly and fluidly, displaying no fear. The eyes that tracked Gibbs' and Tony's every move were cold, flat, and dark. Tony didn't think he would have ever mistaken them for humans.
The blonde vampire closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before sending a scorching gaze at Tony. "The way you smell; damn it's hot. I've never smelled anything like it."
Tony had been checked out many times before in his life, but he couldn't ever recall anyone looking at him with as much lust as this vampire had etched on his face. He trembled at the realization and felt a pang of sympathy for beautiful women everywhere.
The vampires stopped a few feet from the federal agents; the tall one licked his lips and spoke again. "Our Maker wishes to speak with you." His dark eyes roamed up and down Tony's body with barely controlled desire. "You and your sweet smelling bellus," he added.
"I don't care what your Maker wants," Gibbs responded dryly, ignoring the vampire's actions. "We're here to investigate a dead marine, so I'd suggest you get out of my damn way."
"Your laws hold no relevance for us," the vampire stated simply. "A dead human does not matter to us. You will do as our Maker requests or we will make you comply." A deadly smile graced his lips with the statement.
Gibbs flicked a glance at Tony and whispered, "Aim for the heart. Anything else and it isn't a kill shot."
Tony adjusted his grip on the Sig, preparing for violence.
Long seconds passed as they stared at each other, waiting to see who would end the stalemate first. The blonde vampire snarled and leaped forward like a cat, deadly fingernails extended, aiming straight for Tony. The senior field agent reacted on instinct, firing several quick shots at the descending form, which writhed in the air and let out a guttural, inhuman scream before dropping to the pavement. Blood oozed from the wound in his chest; the creature gasped pitifully.
Gibbs swept into action, aiming his gun at the lunging second vampire who was bearing down on him with unnatural speed. The lead agent's shot tore through the vampire's neck, resulting in a stream of dark red blood that the attacker tried to stop with long, thin fingers. Staring at his own blood dripping from his fingertips, he uttered a frantic howl; the vampire pressed forward again, anger and fury turning his black eyes bright. A second shot from Gibbs' Sig entered his chest, causing him to grunt as he fell alongside his partner.
The federal agent walked up and nudged the bodies with his toe, satisfied when neither moved. "Good aim," he said, praising Tony's handiwork.
"Uh, yeah, I was too terrified to miss." Tony continued to point his Sig at the supposedly dead bodies. He'd seen enough movies where the heroes were attacked again by creatures who everyone thought were already dead.
Gibbs' holstered his weapon, apparently unconcerned about Tony's reanimation issues. "Guns are fairly ineffective against most vampires; you've seen the speed we can move. These two are half-breeds instead of first-borns, so they don't have the same level of speed as we do, but they should have anticipated the shots and gotten out of the way. They're either young or not very bright.
"Or both," Tony added; carefully prodding blondie with his own foot, relieved when the body stayed still. "Either way, I'm not complaining. Do you think there will be more?"
Gibbs walked past the bodies toward the metal door leading into the side of the warehouse. "Let's find out," he said, eyes narrowed.
Tony noted a hint of fang when the lead agent spoke. It appeared Gibbs was more than ready to fight Gabriel, Adrian or whoever they found inside.
"On your six, boss," Tony supplied, jogging behind Gibbs and taking up a supportive position. Tony held his gun ready, and wondered why Gibbs didn't do the same. Maybe it was some kind of vampire bravado. Even though the older man said firearms weren't always effective, they had worked during the attack in the alley and using one was, in Tony's opinion, better than nothing.
They entered the darkened warehouse slowly, Tony allowing his eyes time to adjust to the dim interior. Several windows were positioned high on the walls, along with rickety scaffolding from a time when the building had a productive purpose. The inside was empty, the only current occupants cobwebs and dirt. A few rats scurried away from a mass lying in the center of the room; Tony let out a slowly hissing breath, fairly certain he could guess what the rats had been snacking on.
Gibbs scanned the room prior to stepping forward; Tony kept sweeping his gaze behind them as they approached the pile of clothes that was rapidly taking the shape of a male body. Eventually Tony stared down at a twenty-something man whose face was marred by several large rodent bites; however, it was still unmistakable as the Marine from his memory.
"It's him," he said softly. A large, dark bite spreading across the Marine's neck confirmed Tony's statement. Gibbs bent low to study the victim and cursed.
"That's not a bite, that's a gash. They meant to hurt him." And you, Gibbs added silently. Gabriel would know that Tony experienced every tortured second of the man's agonizing death. It was a creative kind of torture for his senior field agent.
Tony slipped a pair of gloves out of his coat and put them on, going through the Marine's pockets and coming up with a wallet. "Corporal David Walters." He turned the identification for the lead agent to see.
Gibbs frowned. "I'm sure he's somebody's son. Isn't there a Congressman Walters who came to DC a few years back? Seems like I remember him getting a lot of talk as a potential Presidential candidate."
Tony closed his eyes and tried to block out visions of the man's face during his last moments of life; he could feel Gabriel's excitement as the Corporal's heart slowed down, the thickening blood forcing the vampire to suck harder to pull it into his mouth. He could feel Walter's fear when he sensed the end was near.
Tony swallowed bitterly at the visceral memory.
"Hey, you with me?" Gibbs asked with concern, his blue eyes crinkled.
"Ye…yeah," Tony replied hoarsely, clearing his throat several times.
Gibbs started to say something else, but froze instead. Slowly, he rose from his position crouched by the body to standing. Without bothering to turn around, he addressed the vampire he felt poised in the shadows.
"Adrian."
The younger vampire appeared, gliding preternaturally across the floor toward them. He was dressed in dark pants and a dark blue button-up shirt, a gold necklace gleaming at his neck and several gold earrings dangling from his ear. His hair was pulled into a messy ponytail. Elongated fangs pressed into his lips, and his fingernails were long, pointed, and flashing in the minimal light.
Tony felt a cold chill when he realized just how effectively these beings concealed their true natures. He glanced at Gibbs, whose own fangs had fully appeared, and contemplated just what this individual he had known so long would look like if he allowed himself to go "native." It wasn't a pleasant thought. Gibbs was scary enough when he was just being Gibbs; seeing him in full on vampire mode was probably a sight to behold.
Another shape moved out of the darkness; Maria casually walked behind her Maker and placed a hand on his arm. "Hello, Anthony," she acknowledged him. "It's a pleasure to see you again." She wore a white peasant blouse over black leather pants and stiletto heels with just a touch of red painted toenails peeking out. Tony thought she looked ready to go to a club instead of spending the night crawling around a warehouse murdering marines. Her own fangs made tiny indentions in her red lips. DiNozzo didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't deny that she was totally hot.
For God's sake, DiNozzo, stop it! He chastised his out-of-line libido, which always had a mind of its own. She's a fucking vampire!
Gibbs moved to stand between DiNozzo and the couple. He pressed himself against Tony and the field agent could literally feel the protectiveness spilling out of the lead agent. "Where'd Gabriel go?" he asked. "Didn't he want to stick around and say hello?"
"He had someplace to be. I believe someone from the Conclave is coming to see him and discuss our current….situation." Adrian drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes, savoring the smell. "How have you ever gotten used to his scent? Your self-control is truly amazing, Leroy."
"Enjoy the sniff, since you'll never get a chance to taste him again." Gibbs' point was clear.
"How do you intend to stop me, Leroy? There are two of us against only you. While you're distracted with me, I'm sure Maria can take care of dear, sweet Anthony."
"I'm right here, you know," Tony spoke up. "And I can take care of myself. I'm not afraid of you or the Queen of the Damned."
"Shut up, DiNozzo," Gibbs ordered, demanding Tony's silence.
"But, Boss, he's talking about me like I don't even exist, and I really don't appreciate it." This was definitely not the time or place to allow himself the luxury of petulance, but old habits die hard. Even knowing what these creatures were capable of, Tony had a hard time letting them have the upper hand. A part of him had always suspected he would get killed after some inane smart-ass comment that he couldn't force himself to hold inside. He bit his lip to stifle the flow of words that were threatening to bubble out.
Gibbs' eyes were glacial and warning. "I said to be quiet, now do what I tell you."
Tony was about to protest further when Adrian moved closer. "Would you kill me to protect him, Leroy? Would you end the life of your nephew, your flesh and blood who you helped raise? Is your allegiance to him that strong?"
The growl Gibbs made was low and animalistic and unlike anything Tony had heard come from Gibbs' throat before. "I won't hesitate to kill you Adrian. Don't even consider harming him."
Adrian fixed his eyes on Tony and spoke directly to him. "Typical Leroy; always so protective of his young. But his caring comes with a price. Does he ever make you feel inadequate Anthony? Like you just can't live up to his standards? The way he drops tiny nuggets of praise, worth a fortune because they're so rare?" He watched Tony's lips part and his gaze flick toward Gibbs. Adrian smiled, having hit his mark. "I see you understand. You would never be good enough for him to turn anyway, Anthony. No one's ever been worthy of Leroy Gibbs."
Maria glanced at Adrian out of the corner of her eyes, and attacked so abruptly there was little time for either agent to react. She knocked Tony from his feet and sent him sprawling to the floor, her claw-like nails slashing at his neck, tearing the already sensitive skin and leaving a trail of bright red blood that perfectly matched the color of her manicure. Tony yelled and grabbed for her arms, trying to fling the flailing vampire off him.
Gibbs had barely turned toward the struggling pair when Adrian curled a hand around his bicep and tossed him across the room, his body crashing into the wall on the other side. He could feel the bruises forming as he picked himself up, his own nails elongating and digging into the palms of his hands.
Adrian stood before him, his dark eyes simmering hotly. "Why do you care for that human so much?" The younger vampire struggled in his effort to find words to express his centuries old rage. "You were supposed to be my father! You were supposed to turn me. I could have been your Son, but you didn't want me." He paced a tight circle, face conflicted with unrepressed emotion. "I wasn't good enough, I never was! But he is? He's a joke, a clown! How could you choose him when you would never choose me!"
Adrian stopped walking and locked gazes with his former mentor. "You forced me to give myself to Gabriel; he was never like you Leroy. He took so much more than my soul and it's all your fault!"
Gibbs shook his head at hearing his nephew's accusations. "That's part of the difference between the two of you, Adrian. Tony doesn't want to be a vampire; never did. But he would take becoming like us; he'd let me turn him just to protect me. He doesn't care what happens to himself as long as I'm safe. You always put yourself first, Adrian; I should have seen that in you long ago." Gibbs voice was sad and filled with remorse.
Gibbs tried to focus on Adrian, while at the same time he watched in fear as across the room Maria reached down to pull Tony off the floor. DiNozzo fought her, jerking his arm free. Maria's nails sliced through the fabric of his shirt and into the skin of his forearm, red saturating the tattered sleeve. She wrapped her hand around the flesh and pulled again; lifting Tony up before clutching his neck in her perfectly polished grip and shoving him into the wall.
Adrian laughed bitterly. "Then stand here while Maria guts your beautiful bellus like a fish. When she's through, there won't be enough left of him for you to turn!"
A strangled cry escaped from Tony's lips.
Hang on, DiNozzo, Gibbs implored silently, throwing himself at Adrian's legs and knocking his opponent off balance. They rolled to the floor together, Gibbs feeling a fist connect with his jaw before he grasped a handful of hair and smashed Adrian's face to the ground, comforted by the satisfying crunch from bone on cement.
The blow didn't stop the struggling vampire, who reached behind, snared Gibbs' shirt and tossed him aside. Adrian swiftly regained his footing and kicked Gibbs in the stomach, but the silver-haired vampire quickly embedded his razor sharp nails in Adrian's calf, eliciting a scream from his rival.
As the vampires continued to fight, Tony slumped in Maria's grasp, his constricted airway allowing meager wisps of oxygen to pass into his lungs. He slowly stopped kicking and scrabbling against her hold on him, his strength ebbing away. Maria loosened her grip when his fighting ceased. She leaned in and sniffed him, sighing softly. "One more taste before I use my nails to tickle your kidneys."
She bent down and opened her mouth, once again breaking the skin on Tony's already abused shoulder.
Tony could feel the hypnotic warmth spreading through him when she began to suckle, but with every force of will he retained, he pushed the drowsy sensation aside. With his right hand he grasped his left forearm and reached under the loosened sleeve of his shirt, gripping a knife he had strapped there during his workout with Ziva and decided to hang on to as a precaution.
Contrary to the opinion of some, Tony was not a stupid man, and he wasn't the only one who could wield a blade.
Maria was completely oblivious to his actions, caught up in the taste and aroma of her victim's intoxicating blood. She remained unaware as Tony positioned the knife between them; he let his body go totally limp, sliding down the wall and creating a small cavity where Maria had been pressed tightly against him.
With a snarl she was forced to release her teeth from his skin to accommodate the change in position, and she looked down on what she assumed was the swooning man. To her surprise, the glint of metal caught her eye.
Tony didn't hesitate to drive the knife home, sliding the weapon deep into her chest until it was stopped by the hilt. He aimed precisely for her heart, keenly aware of the organ's position within the body. As a federal agent, he took pride in knowing exactly where to shoot or stab for maximum effect, since there might not be a second chance.
Maria stared down in disbelief, her hands circling the knife protruding from her chest, unable to process what had happened and decide what to do. She stumbled backwards away from Tony and looked around, eyes wide and bewildered.
"Adrian?" she whispered, confused by the abrupt turn of events.
Her Maker was currently circling his uncle, both vampires oozing blood from several cuts and gashes. Bruises bloomed on their faces from the repeated punishing blows, neither combatant willing to concede any ground to the other.
Adrian's head snapped toward his Mate. Ignoring Gibbs, he raced to her, reaching the female before she tumbled to the floor, steadying her fall in his embrace. "Maria!" The finality of the situation dawned on him as his lover's blood spilled onto her white blouse and into his hands. He could let her drink from him, but it would not be enough to staunch the flow from the wound in her heart. They both knew it.
Staring into her eyes, he wiped the tears that were streaming down her face. She placed a soft hand on his cheek and Adrian leaned into the touch. "My love," she said with all the tenderness and adoration she had felt for him over the years they had been together. "My life."
He kissed her hand; and then it fell lifelessly to her side. Within seconds her appearance changed; her voluptuous beauty lessened, and she slowly started to age-streaks of white appeared in her ebony hair and small wrinkles formed in the skin around her mouth and eyes.
Adrian threw his head back and screamed; Tony covered his ears, having never heard such a horrifying, gut-wrenching sound before.
Leaning against the wall, Tony's green eyes met the vampire's, and he was certain in that moment that his own short life was over. Hatred blazed toward him with a terrifying intensity; Adrian rushed forward in an uncontrolled frenzy.
Not knowing what else to do, Tony hunched over and covered his head, preparing for the vicious onslaught he couldn't avoid or fight off no matter how hard he tried.
The attack never came.
"Don't touch him, Adrian." Gibbs' matter-of-fact voice broke through his fear; Tony unscrewed his eyes and peered out.
Gibbs was standing between him and Adrian; when the growling vampire moved closer, Gibbs took both hands and shoved him back; Adrian stumbled a few feet and regained his stance. His hate filled eyes never left Tony.
"He killed her! I'll rip his head off with my bare hands!" Blood red spit flew from the vampire's mouth with each shouted word.
"You won't, Adrian." Gibbs' nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath and bent lower, hands extended, prepared to fight to the death to protect his agent. Tony was glad the wall was behind him to hold him up; he prayed Gibbs was as strong as he had always believed because Adrian was beyond fury, beyond rage—his eyes displayed barely controlled madness.
The sound of sirens and thudding footsteps interrupted the impending altercation. Adrian looked over his shoulder and then down at the dead woman he had loved.
"This is far from over." He looked past Gibbs at Tony. "One day soon you will beg me for your death as a release from the torment I will inflict as your punishment for what you have done. Leroy will not be able to stop me."
Adrian held the green eyes for a silent second; he turned and ran toward the metal frames lining the walls of the warehouse. He climbed the maze of steel like a spider; leaping from pipe to pipe with ease, landing near the ceiling of the building where a window waited. He sat on the ledge and stared down at the tableau beneath him, sorrow clouding his features, before shoving the window open and leaping into the night.
Gibbs turned toward Tony who was pressed against the rough bricks, face waxy and once again covered in blood; this time a mixture of his own and Maria's
The younger man blinked several times. "Can you climb like that, boss? I'll have to say it was impressive to watch Adrian go all Spiderman like that. How does that work, since you don't have webs or anything to hold you up? Maybe if you give me a demonstration I could figure it out…"
"DiNozzo," Gibbs interjected into the nerve-driven stream of consciousness spewing out of his senior field agent's mouth.
"The claws are awesome, too. You could have told me about those just so I wouldn't be shocked, I didn't realize you were kind of like your own version of Wolverine, but of course you have no idea who Wolverine is…."
"DiNozzo!" the louder use of his name was accompanied by a soft tap on the back of the head. "Sit!"
Tony's mouth snapped shut and he eased to the ground. "Sorry," he said quietly, eyes furtively scanning Maria's dead body and the window Adrian jumped from. "Sorry. It's a lot to take in."
Gibbs pulled the bloody collar back from Tony's shirt carefully, adding his own grimace when Tony winced. "I'm sure Ducky can fix this up; it doesn't look too deep." He let his hand rest on the back of Tony's neck, providing warmth and reassurance. "You did good, Tony. Not many humans can take on a vampire and win."
A lopsided grin appeared on Tony's pallid face. "Ziva will be impressed."
"Agent Gibbs!" someone yelled from the door of the warehouse. Gibbs lifted his head to see the LEO's had returned, which was the source of the noise that had scared Adrian away. An officer ran up to them. "I apologize, Agent Gibbs, I have no idea why my men left this scene. I found the officer who was supposed to be in charge back at the station with no explanation of what was going on; we've sent him and several other men who arrived on scene earlier to the ER to get checked out. They seem to be experiencing some kind of memory loss and we want to find out if they've been drugged." He gave the bloody body and Tony a critical once over. "What happened here?"
Gibbs proceeded to provide a fairly accurate account of the incident, merely leaving out details that pertained to vampirism. While he was talking, Ducky, Palmer, and Abby arrived with more than a little fanfare.
The Goth tore across the warehouse floor as fast as her platform boots would allow, chains on her collar rattling and arms outstretched. "Tony! What happened this time? You're a mess!"
"Not all this blood is mine, Abs. It's not as bad as it looks." He tried to calm her down before she went into all out overprotective worried big sister mode.
Ducky followed behind and raised his eyebrows apologetically. "I know this is highly unusual, but under the circumstances I could hardly leave Abigail at the lab unattended. I hope you don't mind, Jethro."
"It's ok, Duck. But Abby," he admonished. "Tony and his clothes are evidence so don't touch him yet."
"Oooh, right," she agreed. "How about if I take over collection detail?"
Gibbs nodded his assent, turning back to the LEO to finish their discussion.
Abby grinned. "I've always wanted the chance to order you to strip, Tony, and it looks like I've finally gotten my officially sanctioned opportunity. I'm going to take such good care of you."
Tony couldn't have looked more mortified if he'd tried.
NCISNCISNCIS
Leaning into the cushioned seat, Tony tried to relax. The soft grey NCIS sweatshirt and warm-up pants he had changed into were a lot more comfortable than the stiff blood crusted Zegna suit he would more than likely never see again.
Abby had been surprisingly gentle with her evidence collection, standing outside the shower while Tony removed his clothing and she placed it in plastic bags. She had swabbed the blood from his various cuts and then brought him fresh clothes while he washed away the grit and grime that had accumulated during their adventure in the warehouse. When they were finished she gave him a sweet kiss on the forehead and forced him over to autopsy where Ducky was waiting to contend with his newly acquired injuries. This part of the procedure was starting to feel a lot like groundhog's day.
He was once more drenched in antibiotic ointment and his cuts were bandaged. Ducky then insisted he take several painkillers, which Tony tried to protest, but accepted the futility of his argument once Ducky folded his arms and settled in for a long, drawn out fight. Tony was far too tired to take on the old vampire, so he acquiesced graciously.
DiNozzo wasn't nearly as conciliatory when Ducky asked him to sit down and receive an IV of blood. Tony had folded his own arms and flatly refused; the ME finally resorted to calling Gibbs to come down and provide what he called a "much needed kick in the pants."
Gibbs had taken one look at the dark ringed eyes and too pale face of his senior field agent and immediately thrown in with Ducky.
"Take a look at yourself, DiNozzo," Gibbs had admonished, propelling him in front of a shiny metallic cabinet in order to get a good image of his reflection. "Try and tell me you don't look like shit."
"Thanks for knowing how to make a guy feel good," Tony muttered, unfortunately agreeing that he had seen better days. Reluctantly he followed Ducky to the chair and let him hook up the tubing and rig a bag of blood. "Should I even ask why you have my blood type lying around in your refrigerator?" Tony asked the diminutive doctor while he taped down the port in his hand. Ducky merely patted his arm indulgently and went back to work.
He leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to stave off the exhaustion that ate at his frayed edges. Since this was being treated as an official case, he still had a report to write and Gibbs had already scheduled a meeting with Vance and the SecNav. The night didn't offer many options for rest.
The doors to autopsy opened and he reluctantly cracked an eye to see Jimmy Palmer standing next to him. A goofy smile lit up the autopsy gremlin's face when he saw that Tony was awake.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, but Dr. Mallard thought you might like some orange juice. He said it should help perk you up." Palmer handed Tony a plastic orange juice bottle.
"Thanks, Jimmy, I appreciate it." Tony opened the bottle and took a drink, hoping it really would provide him some energy.
"I've given blood a few times and it always helps me feel better." Palmer paused, his expressive face showing he was weighing his next words carefully. "I can't imagine what this has been like for you. All those vampires, never knowing when one is going to attack you again. And Gibbs! I mean Gibbs is like a father to you and all of the sudden you find out he's a vampire? I know it's been a real shock to accept that Dr. Mallard is one, too, but we aren't nearly as close as you and Gibbs. Is everything ok with the two of you now?"
Tony considered the question. "Yeah, I think I've accepted it; I'm still not happy about things, but nothing's going to change so I have to deal with the truth. He's still Gibbs, after all, just somewhat….enhanced." Adrian drifted into his memory momentarily. "You would never be good enough for him to turn anyway, Anthony. No one's ever been worthy of Leroy Gibbs."
His thoughts were interrupted when Jimmy continued. "What about your bête noire? Doesn't that make it hard, considering you've kind of got a phobia about vampires?" Palmer sounded genuinely concerned about Tony's ability to handle the problem.
"Well, Jimmy, that doesn't make it any easier." Tony laughed, giving the blood dripping into his arm a skeptical once-over. "Nothing good in life is ever easy, is it? Didn't somebody famous say that?"
Palmer chuckled. "I don't know, but I'm sure Dr. Mallard does, if you want to ask him."
"No, that's ok, I'm sure Ducky probably knew the guy and they had some incredibly riveting encounter at some point in the past. We can look it up on the internet later."
The young man started telling Tony about a new girl he was seeing, and Tony zoned out for a few minutes, picking at the band-aid holding the IV in place.
A thin hand covered his, stopping him. "You shouldn't do that." Palmer said quietly. "Why don't you let me get you a sandwich? You really need to eat something."
"Et tu, Palmer? Why does everyone want to feed me when something goes wrong? I'm not very hungry."
"Come on, Tony," Palmer cajoled. "Ham or turkey? Your pick. I'll even go down to that all-night deli on the corner you like so much."
Tony sighed, giving in to yet another team member's need to mother hen him. "Surprise me. And don't forget the kettle baked chips."
"You got it." Palmer grabbed his jacket and left excitedly. Tony didn't want a sandwich, he wasn't even sure he could drink the orange juice Jimmy had brought, but the kid was so eager to help he couldn't tell him no.
Noticing the IV bag was only half empty, Tony settled back and closed his eyes again, deciding the only thing he could do right now was take a much needed nap. The way things had been going, there was no telling when he'd get a chance for another one.
NCISNCISNCIS
"McGee, report," Gibbs requested when his junior agent answered the phone.
"Hey, Boss, we're on our way back."
"Did you run into any trouble?" Gibbs noted that Tony's desk was still empty; he wondered if he should check on DiNozzo since he'd been down in autopsy for a long time.
"No trouble, Boss. There was no one around at either location; it was kind of eerie. They must have cleared out before we arrived. I think Ziva was disappointed she didn't get to use her knives once." There was an exaggerated grunt as the lead agent assumed the Israeli punched McGee on the arm. "We did get some evidence that should help the case. There was a laptop that had background research on all the victims. I'm bringing it back to work on, but I'm guessing it will link to Maria. We also found dossiers on all the victims, as well as a few others that I guess they didn't get around to attacking yet."
"That's good work, McGee."
"Thanks, Boss."
"By the way, Maria's dead. DiNozzo killed her; tell Franks to watch out because Adrian's pissed."
"DiNozzo what?" McGee stammered, surprised by the new development.
"I'll explain when you get here." Gibbs shut the phone without further discussion.
The elevator doors opened and Tony entered the bullpen carrying a take-out bag. "Hey, Boss," he said, flopping into his chair and depositing the bag on his desk. "How's it going?"
"Not bad. You up to a meeting?" He approached the subject cautiously. "SecNav and Congressman Walters are in with Vance. They want to talk to us."
"Why?" Tony asked nervously. He really didn't feel much like putting on a song a dance routine right now.
"Maybe we ought to go find out." Gibbs stood and walked to the staircase, not waiting to see if Tony followed or not. A few seconds later he was aware of Tony's firm presence at his side.
Gibbs' mouth twitched up. He knew he could always count on DiNozzo without fail.
Vance's secretary smiled and nodded. "They're expecting you."
Tony stayed at Gibbs' heel as they entered the office, hands stuffed firmly into the pockets of his sweatshirt. Seeing the other suited men in the room he felt decidedly underdressed, a condition he didn't encounter very often and didn't particularly care for.
"Agent DiNozzo, I'm glad you feel well enough to join us." The SecNav beamed at him.
Tony shifted nervously and glanced at Vance, who chewed his toothpick noncommittally.
"I'm fine," Tony stated evenly, removing his hands from his sweatshirt and allowing one of them to unconsciously trace the bandage on his neck.
The SecNav raised his eyebrows at that and met eyes with Gibbs, who shrugged.
The Congressman moved toward Tony and gave him a wan smile, incongruous with the man's puffy eyes and haggard countenance. "I asked the Secretary and Director Vance if I could have a moment to thank you." He reached out and took Tony's hand in his own. "Nothing will ever bring my son back, but at least I have the comfort of knowing one of his killers has been punished. You have my deepest gratitude."
Tony let his green eyes find Gibbs before looking again at the Congressman. "Um, thank you. I was just doing my job."
"And doing it extremely well. I'll see there's a commendation in your file for your work in this. Now see that you get home and take care of yourself; I think a few days rest might be in order by the look of you." He briefly turned his gaze toward Gibbs. "I imagine you're someone's son, too." He let go of Tony's hand and patted him affectionately on the cheek.
DiNozzo's wide eyes moved back to Gibbs, who was staring at the floor, fully aware of just how uncomfortable the praise and attention would make his senior field agent. Tony might like to be noticed most of the time, but usually it wasn't on these intimate terms and in such a personal way. For reasons that were completely clear to only Tony himself, he preferred the court jester persona to the competent field agent that Gibbs counted on every day to watch his six.
Today, nobody in this room was buying that he was anything less than superb at his chosen profession, and they made sure he knew it.
Vance cleared his throat. "Agent Gibbs, we can continue looking for Maria's accomplice in the morning. Why don't you see to it that Agent DiNozzo gets some rest like the Congressman suggested? I'd rather he not pass out in my office."
"Of course, Director. Gentlemen." He took the somewhat stunned Tony by the elbow and herded him out the door.
NCISNCISNCIS
"Roll your eyes again and I'll smack your eyeballs into next week."
Tony crossed his arms and stared up at the former marine from the bed. "This is ab-so-fucking-ridiculous. I don't need the Florence Nightingale routine, Gibbs. I am, for the last time, perfectly fine."
Gibbs smirked. "Indulge me."
DiNozzo couldn't think of a response to that, so he allowed Gibbs to force feed him a glass of milk and more pain pills. The mattress in the guest room was comfy and covered with a soft downy blanket, so despite his feeble protests he snuggled down into the blissful nest. The comforter had appeared on the bed several years ago after Tony spent the night and complained about the rough and scratchy blanket that had been in the room previously. The much improved version had appeared the next time he came over; it was one of those actions that reminded Tony that despite Gibbs' lack of communication, their relationship was much more than merely a boss and his subordinate. Just knowing that was reassuring to him on so many levels.
The past few days, the medication, the damn vampires; it was all so exhausting he hadn't even realized how nice it would be to lie down, stretch out, and stop worrying for a while. His eyes were drooping closed before he could stop them.
"Thanks, boss," he whispered, no longer attempting fight the sleepiness that was overtaking him.
"For what?" Gibbs asked, resisting the urge to rub Tony's head. He had to keep reminding himself that, despite the hundreds of years in age difference, in Tony's mind he was a grown man and not a child.
"Watching out for me." He didn't open his eyes, but instead burrowed further into the blankets. "Not an easy job. Pay sucks. Long hours. Good benefits, though. Movie trivia, fashion advice…."
The lead agent smiled. "Go to sleep, DiNozzo."
"On it, boss," Tony replied wearily, too tired to think about much of anything beyond the fact that he was at Gibbs' house, in the soft bed that was almost as familiar as his own, and he was safe and warm. He'd worry about everything else tomorrow.
Gibbs turned out the light and waited until he heard DiNozzo's breathing even out. He let himself consider what it would be like to have the same kind of bond with Tony he had with Mike Franks. After several years of keeping Tony at arm's length he had opened back up to him over the last few days. He was by nature a protective and paternal man, and it had been good to release that side of his personality again. Now, even though he knew he would never break his promise to Tony, he couldn't help think the younger man would make a damn fine Son. The fact they would never have that connection gave him a small pang of heartache that he filed away with all the others he'd collected over the years, to be ignored and never spoken of out loud.
His phone rang as he shut the door; recognizing the number he answered the call.
"Julian," he greeted stiffly. The Conclave wasn't about to stay out of this.
"In light of Maria's death, Gabriel has agreed to mediation. We'll meet tomorrow; I'll text you the time and location."
An eight hundred year old vampire who texts. Just fucking great.
"Bring Mike Franks with you; we'd like all parties to be present."
The NCIS agent grunted in response, closed the phone, and headed for the basement. It was going to take several hours of bourbon and woodworking to get his head around Gabriel's latest move.
And, like he'd learned to do in chess and on the battlefield, plan his own.