Filler and tag for "Pop Life."

This whole story is based on what the episode treated as sort of a throwaway line from Ducky, but one I've always thought to be an insightful observation.

"Labels"

"Uh….hey, Dad," Tony uttered awkwardly to his father's voice mail, all the while thinking about how much he hated the adolescent tone he inevitably heard in his voice whenever speaking with the elder DiNozzo. For some reason, he felt it necessary to add, "It's me, Junior." Well, no kidding, Einstein. Who else calls him Dad?...Then again for all I know maybe someone else does call him Dad… "Uh, I'm sure you're busy. Probably on some business trip. Maybe not even in the U.S. Anyway, it's not an emergency or anything. It's just that…" Just that what, DiNozzo? I called cause I panicked this morning after my colleague suggested I was so desperate for a father figure that he thinks I'm trying to replace you with my boss, a man I'm quite certain isn't exactly volunteering to take on the position. "Well, you know, it's just that I haven't talked to you in a while and I thought maybe we could…catch up sometime. No hurry though. Um, just call me sometime whenever you get the chance." Maybe he doesn't even still have my number. "I'm sure you have my cell phone number, and it's on your caller id and all. But just in case, it's 555-595-7034. Hope you're doing well and, uh, say hello to…." Uh-oh. I don't even know if he and Helen are still together… "everyone." Well that was lame. Like there are a bunch of other family members just holding their breath waiting to hear from me. "Bye….Dad."

Letting out a long-held breath, Tony hung up his cell and tossed it across the couch in frustration. What was he doing? One well-intentioned observation that both Ducky and Kate had likely forgotten all about by now, and he was running back to Daddy?

Nevertheless, he had been deeply disturbed all day by the comment. As a result, he'd been hypersensitive for most of the day, analyzing his every interaction with his boss. Was he striving too hard for the other man's approval, above and beyond what is expected of a subordinate employee? Was he too compliant? Too eager to obey? Did he cross the line at any point, treating Gibbs with an inappropriate degree of familiarity?

He'd found himself studying his other coworkers. What did they think? The same thing as Ducky? Was his constant competition with Kate and McGee founded on some unspoken need to be the favorite? He remembered past instances of jealousy, particularly towards McGee. When the younger agent had first started, Gibbs had given him several open displays of approval and encouragement, and Tony had been undoubtedly jealous, craving that kind of affirmation and approval from the other man, something he was convinced he'd never received from him, even as a new agent on the team.

In a word, he'd been paranoid all day. And as he was now ruefully recalling his own strange behavior, he was realizing with increasing embarrassment that he'd turned into a complete head case of the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" variety. One minute, he'd been his usual self. Then, he'd catch himself doing something that might be interpreted the wrong way, and quickly backed off. He wasn't certain that his other coworkers had caught on, but one thing was a certainty. Gibbs always knew when something was off, particularly when it was off with him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. Digging between the cushions where the phone had fallen, he fished out the phone and glanced at the screen. Nope, not his dad. Truthfully, he could have guessed that. He didn't expect to hear from the man for several days, if at all.

In fact, he knew who was calling before he even checked. Sure enough, it was Gibbs.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs had always hated phones. The reasons were obvious. Phones require words, minus the benefit of facial expressions. He was great with the latter, but an almost complete failure with the former. Therefore, he avoided them until the use of one became an absolute and indisputable necessity.

Yet, here he was actually trying to come up with an excuse to call his agent. DiNozzo, what are you doing to me?

But Tony's behavior that day had been so inexplicably bizarre. His team had spent most of their day researching the victim and their only current suspect in the Manda King murder case. That generally meant he could expect to see his agents falling over each other, and practically stampeding each other in some instances, in order to be the first to give him valuable information in the case. And Tony, with his competitive nature and sharp investigative skills, could usually be counted on to lead the contest. Today, however, he'd been almost subdued.

He'd seen the younger man subdued before, generally out of either some underlying anger or personal issues. But he was almost certain there was nothing like that going on today. It had been more like Tony was forcefully restraining himself, fighting to appear indifferent. But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. Which was why he was currently calling the younger man with what he knew was a pretty flimsy excuse.

The phone had rung three times already, and Gibbs was wondering if Tony was just about to break one of his rules, when finally his agent answered. Instead, of the usual, "Hey, Boss," he simply got a guarded, "Hello?"

"DiNozzo. Hope I'm not interrupting something."

"Oh, hey, Boss," Tony said casually, in a clear effort to sound nonchalant. "Uh, no. Did something happen with the case?"

"Not exactly. What do you think about Willie Taylor's story?"

He's calling me after-hours to ask me this? Definitely calling to check up on me. "Actually, I kind of believed him. But shouldn't you be asking Abby? Since she's the one who can run a DNA test."

Knew it was flimsy. "I'm gonna have her run the DNA first thing in the morning. Just wanted to get your take."

He was met with an awkward silence, before DiNozzo finally asked, "Anything else, Boss?"

It was all the confirmation he needed that something was off with the other man. Under regular circumstances, Tony wouldn't pass up the opportunity to either offer his opinion or tease his boss about calling to check up on him with a really dumb excuse. "Everything ok, Tony?"

"Fine. Why wouldn't it be?" There was absolutely no way he was sharing Ducky's "father figure" comment with Gibbs. No matter how guilty he felt right now for making the older man think something was wrong.

Gibbs knew better than to push too hard. Whatever was going on, he'd gotten too far in breaking down Tony's barriers to risk making a misstep now. He'd get to the bottom of this eventually. Just not tonight. "Okay, Tony. I'll see you in the morning."

If Tony wasn't going to share whatever was going through his head, the Lead Agent was just going to have to do what he did best. Investigate.

"Jethro…" Ducky said in surprise, with just a touch of irritation. "If you're here to inquire after further information regarding Ms. King, I'm afraid I have nothing new to note since we spoke this morning…"

"Not here about the autopsy, Duck," Gibbs responded with a grin. He knew his friend didn't appreciate being rushed, though he'd been guilty of doing just that to his ME on numerous occasions in the past. He couldn't blame the other man for the assumption.

"Oh. I do apologize then," Ducky responded in a conciliatory tone. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"I heard a rumor you might be 'counseling' my agents." Gibbs knew if he'd listened and observed closely enough, he'd most likely obtain some clue about Tony's recent strange demeanor. Sure enough, Kate and DiNozzo had been bickering earlier, and the agent in question had pulled out his PDA to make notes for some future meeting with the ME. What Gibbs needed from Ducky was some indication as to how all this related to himself.

The doctor chuckled. "Ahh, so Caitlin and Anthony are still at odds I take it."

"Are Kate and Tony ever not at odds?"

"Mmmm, yes, an excellent point. But I'm still uncertain as to what precisely you are asking of me."

Dr. Mallard always saw right through him. "DiNozzo's been acting funny since yesterday. Thought you might know something about that."

Ducky frowned, recalling the details of their conversation from the previous morning. "I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific, Jethro."

"Seems like he's been keeping his distance from me."

The light bulb went off in the older man's head as he realized the explanation for Agent DiNozzo's behavior. It had very little to do with Kate, and likely everything to do with his reference to Gibbs as a father figure. "I see. Jethro, I'm afraid you've put me in a delicate position."

"How so?"

"Well, I'm afraid I don't feel comfortable revealing what Anthony and I may have discussed in confidence. It isn't relevant to the case, and I suspect he wouldn't appreciate me sharing details of a private conversation, particularly with you."

Now Gibbs was annoyed. "What's that supposed to mean, Duck?"

With a slightly exasperated sigh, the older man answered, "I would like for Anthony to continue to feel he can trust me. If I share the details of our private conversations with you, he is not likely to continue to do so."

Ducky was right. Gibbs was still annoyed. "What do you suggest I do?"

"Nothing, Jethro. There are times when the most appropriate response is to simply allow the other person to work things out for themselves."

Dr. Mallard watched his friend leave autopsy in frustration, knowing that answer wasn't going to be enough.

"I can't believe you're sending me undercover with DiNozzo again. I think you enjoy torturing me," Kate teased, as she was being fitted with her glasses. Though she pretended otherwise, Gibbs had come to believe that Agent Todd enjoyed the occasional undercover assignment almost as much as Tony.

"Can't really send DiNozzo undercover to a nightclub with Agent McGee as his date, can I?" Gibbs teased back.

"I suppose not. I don't really see McGee fitting in at Teaz too well. But I could be wrong about that. McGee did seem to know all about the club and the hot dancers there. Can you imagine the look on Tony's face if you'd sent McGee instead of him?" Kate laughed.

"Would've given you more notes to take to your meeting with Ducky," Gibbs observed slyly. If he couldn't get the info out of Ducky, he felt somewhat confident he could get it from Kate. He felt a little sneaky, but Tony had been the one to bring the whole thing up in front of him earlier.

"We're just teasing about that, Gibbs. We aren't really planning to go to Ducky for counseling," Kate explained, embarrassed.

"How did that even get started?" the Lead Agent asked, trying his best to make the inquiry sound like casual curiosity.

Kate laughed nervously. "Tony ate my sandwich and I was mad, I guess. I was kind of fed up and suggested we go to Ducky to mediate."

"Did it help?" Gibbs smirked.

Now Kate laughed out loud. "No, I think it made things worse. He came up with this ridiculous explanation about Tony and I have some weird sexually charged kind of sibling rivalry and trying to please a father figure…" she stopped abruptly as she realized who she was talking to. She quickly explained, "I mean, we both insisted there was no father figure. Like I said, the whole thing was ridiculous. Tony and I taking notes – it's just a game. Really, there's no problem." Kate noticed Gibbs had sort of zoned out on her, a highly unusual occurrence.

Just then Tony came in wearing his glasses. In a very businesslike tone, he told both the other agents, "I'm all set whenever Kate's ready."

Gibbs quickly recovered, turning his attention back to the undercover mission at hand. It wouldn't do to allow Tony to notice anything different in his demeanor.

Even if he'd been every bit as thrown by the comment as Tony had been the day before.

Gibbs used his woodworking hobby for many purposes. To think, to vent frustration, to work out particularly challenging cases in his head. Tonight, it had initially been to unwind after sending Kate and Tony into the club undercover. His agents had had a slightly tense confrontation with three of Hitch's men. Fortunately, Kate and Tony had kept their cool and managed to maintain their covers, but Gibbs always found himself tense after sending his agents into potentially dangerous situation, however skilled or well-prepared they may be.

After a while, his thoughts turned to his earlier conversation with Kate. There was no doubt in his mind that he now knew what had Tony so unsettled. The word "father" held some very complex connotations for the younger man, most of them not so good. The comparison of Gibbs with his father, even though it was not necessarily intended as such, must have given Tony pause.

The Lead Agent wasn't feeling too comfortable with the idea himself. He'd certainly never intended to be a father figure to the younger man, and the idea made him feel as if he was somehow betraying Kelly. And he wondered if Tony wasn't feeling as if he'd betrayed his own father. The man admittedly hadn't been much of a father, but his existence couldn't be denied and neither could Tony's feelings for the him, deserved or not.

But if he couldn't be considered a father figure to Tony, what was their relationship exactly? It was certainly more than boss and subordinate – they'd crossed that line quite some time ago. Yes, it could be described as a mentor/student relationship, but it had become far more personal than that as well. Friendship? Perhaps, in a way. But not along the lines of his relationships with Ducky or Tobias Fornell. There was the matter of Gibbs' position of authority over the younger man to consider, combined with the age difference between them. And there was the way Tony looked up to him. And the undeniable protectiveness that had always been present in himself towards the other man. It was different than any friendship he'd ever experienced.

He was at a loss as to what to call it. And Tony was likely having the same problem.

But whatever it was, he wasn't about to let it slip away over a stupid label.

Of all the times for my father to pick to call me back….Tony was stuck in the sedan with Gibbs, Kate, and Samantha King, who they'd just taken into custody, when his phone rang and he saw "Dad" flashing across the caller id. He allowed it to continue to ring as he waged an internal battle with himself…I can't talk to my father here…I'd rather no one even know he's calling me…But if I don't answer it might be months before I hear from him again…Not to mention how annoyed Gibbs is getting….

"Answer it or silence it, DiNozzo," his boss growled impatiently, having no idea who was on the other end of the line.

Slowly Tony put the phone to his ear and answered, as quietly as possible, with, "Dad, this really isn't a good time. Can I call you back in 20 minutes?"

Not quietly enough, it seemed, as he saw Gibbs and Kate both unable to hide the startled stares they sent in his direction. But, instead of his father, he was greeted with a rather unpleasant and impatient female voice.

"This isn't Tony, this is Linda, his assistant. Your father is in Spain on a very important business trip but he asked me to call you to find out if it's an emergency. Cause he's going to be out of the country for a while."

Assistant. Yeah, right. "Oh, uh, hello Linda. I apologize. That's ok. Tell him there's no rush. It really wasn't important, anyway."

"I'll be sure to tell him that. And to send him your love." The lovely Linda decided to abruptly end their introductory conversation at that. Tony held the phone to his ear for a few seconds longer than necessary.

Rather than make it obvious that his father's new girlfriend had just dismissed him, he continued talking. "Well, thank you very much, Linda. Please give Dad my best and let him know we'll talk soon. And I look forward to meeting you next time Dad and I see each other. Have a great time in Spain."

Kate at least had the good sense to try to appear as if she wasn't listening, though Tony knew she'd heard every word. But she wouldn't bring it up. She at least knew him well enough now to know that some things were off-limits unless he brought them up.

But Gibbs, who knew him even better, would most certainly be bringing it up.

And he'd better start thinking up an explanation.

Just as expected, Gibbs had waited until they were alone. Tony had even tried leaving before Kate so the older man wouldn't have an opportunity to ask any questions, but he would swear his boss gave him extra work to do for no other reason than to keep him there.

"So, when's the last time to spoke to your father?" Gibbs asked conversationally.

Here we go. "Christmas," Tony answered quickly.

Something about that answer didn't sound right to Gibbs. Tony had worked Christmas and hadn't said a thing about talking to his father. "Couple of months ago, then?"

It was no use lying to Gibbs. He would know. He always knew. "Last Christmas. 2003."

Over a year ago. That was more consistent with what the Lead Agent knew about the man's relationship with his son. "This the first time you've tried calling him since then?"

"What if it is?" Tony asked defensively. He didn't owe Gibbs an explanation anyway. The man wasn't his….he left that thought hanging.

"Just wondering, Tony. You seemed embarrassed about it earlier. Nothing wrong with wanting to talk to your dad," the older man assured. He had to ignore the voice of his conscience, which was currently informing him as to how long it had been since he'd spoken with his own father, telling the irritating voice that it was irrelevant and that this was about Tony and not about himself.

"I just called him to catch up. But I guess he's really busy. It can wait. It wasn't a big deal," Tony justified, more to himself than to his boss.

"It's always important if it involves your kid," Gibbs answered definitively.

Tony wondered what Gibbs knew on the subject. But, then again, this was the man who had a rule about never being unreachable. And he made Tony adhere to it very strictly. Come to think of it, Gibbs adhered to it pretty strictly himself. The older man almost always answered when he called, and on the rare occasion he didn't, always called right back. It was a thought that gave Tony an inexplicable feeling of comfort and reassurance. A feeling he'd always looked to his father for but had never received from him.

Not when his mother had died. Not when he'd broken his leg. Certainly not when he'd decided to become a cop. And when he remembered more recent events, he realized Gibbs had been the one providing the comfort and the reassurance for quite some time now. Because he was always there – no need to wonder if he could find the man when he was needed. Or if the other man would respond, because he always did, and Tony had learned he could take at least that much for granted.

And if neither he or Gibbs minded that the Lead Agent had begun to fill that role in his life, then why did it matter what someone else chose to call it? No, Gibbs wasn't his father. But if Gibbs was willing to do what his own father wasn't, they could call it whatever they liked. A simple word wasn't going to make it any more or less than what it was.

Tony finally relaxed. "Night, Boss," he said with a smile of gratitude.

"Night, Tony," Gibbs responded in relief. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but suddenly things were back to normal. And as long as Tony was comfortable with the way things were, then so was he.

It seemed Tony had worked it all out for himself this time. Just like Ducky said.