Slow Burn

A/N: Spoilers for Extreme Prejudice, with some bits taken directly from the episode. These last 3 chapters will be mostly dealing with the fallout from events in canon… tackling Dearing for the final time. Well, you didn't expect it to be all sweetness and light, did you? ;)

Chapter 17 – Into the Fire

Gibbs paused in the doorway of the lab, taking in the familiar scene as he watched Abby work, her head bobbing to the noise she called music… a fleeting thought crossing his mind that this might be one of many cherished parts of his life he could be seeing for the last time today.

But he had to believe what he was going to do was worth it… and it was if it kept the people he loved from harm.

Kept his family safe.

That is, if Abby or Tony didn't kill him first before he even got out of the building.

Gibbs had been tempted to leave without seeing Abby but she'd never forgive him if he did. And he wanted to see her, to say goodbye in his own way, even if this wasn't going to be easy for either of them… and he had a fair idea what her reaction would be.

While Abby's back was turned, he moved up quietly behind her, planting a Caf!Pow next to her on the workbench.

Abby jumped when she realised he was there and spun round, grabbing for the remote to mute her music, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Hey, Bossman! You're here! This is early for one of these babies, even for me but…" She grabbed the drink as he made to move it away, "not that I'm going to say no." She took a slurp of the drink and then slammed it down on her workbench turning to him with an expectant smile. "Do you need something, Gibbs? Coz I'm drowning in evidence from Balboa but just say the word and I'll squeeeeeze you in."

Gibbs shook his head. "Don't need anything, Abbs. Not this time. Just heading out."

"Oh… okay. McGee didn't mention a break in a case." She eyed him warily, something in his face obviously giving her pause. "Where are you going?"

"Dearing."

Abby's eyes widened. "Oh… So you figured out where he is?"

Gibbs nodded but didn't reply.

Abby stared for a moment, gnawing her lip, before launching herself at him and he patted her back as she hugged him tightly. "Then be careful, Gibbs, you and my three musketeers, you watch each others' sixes and come back safe, you hear me? I'd better go and see them before you all go."

Abby stepped back but Gibbs caught her arm as she made to leave. "No need, Abbs. They're staying."

Her eyes narrowed as Abby studied him for a long moment before she shook her head and turned back to her workbench, her arms crossed and a familiar mutinous expression taking over her face. "Are you crazy?"

Gibbs sighed inwardly, unsurprised at her reaction but feeling a flicker of irritation, his voice a warning. "Abbs…"

She held her hand up in his face, keeping her gaze averted. "No! I don't wanna hear it."

He waited her out and it only took a short time of standing quietly and staring at her before she broke and turned to face him again, hands on her hips, glaring angrily. "Okay, I do wanna hear it but you're gonna listen first. I can't believe you're doing this, Gibbs… again. Going all Lone Ranger again, and without Tonto… without several Tontos."

Gibbs kept his face impassive. "It's necessary."

Abby was never happy with him going on his own, whatever the case. It was a familiar argument they'd had many times and the outcome rarely varied.

She ripped him a new one.

He glared.

She got upset.

And he did it anyway.

Abby narrowed her eyes and punched him on the arm. "No… no, it's not necessary."

"Hey!" Gibbs rubbed his arm, glaring back but it just made her jaw set in a stubborn line and amid his feelings of irritation, there was more than a sliver of pride that she always stood up to him.

"You're going after him and you're going alone! How can that be necessary?" Abby waved her hands. "You should be going in there with your team at your back… or preferably an entire platoon of beefy Marines. I mean it always goes sooo well when you go off on your own, doesn't it?"

Gibbs felt his own jaw clenching at her sarcasm. "Have to."

"It's not worth it, Gibbs, to risk your life like this… I mean I know you risk your lives all the time, it's part of the job but this… this is different, however important it is to get… him. It could be a trap."

"S'why I'm going alone."

Abby stared at him, her eyes clearly showing her distress and worry. "If one of the team pulled this, you'd head slap them into the next state."

Gibbs stepped close, putting his hands on her shoulders and squeezing. "That's why I need to go alone, Abbs." When she opened her mouth to speak again, he held up his finger and Abby subsided. "Whether we all go or it's just me, if it's a trap, the outcome's the same. Somebody dies. Not gonna risk everyone else." He paused, holding her gaze. "Need to know they're all safe."

He waited while Abby turned that over in her mind and she eventually sighed, her shoulders slumping, her angry expression softening and when she spoke again, her voice sounded resigned. "And what do they say to that? What does Tony say? You can't tell me they like it… they never do when you do this… and I hate it."

"They don't know yet. Gonna tell 'em now."

"Well, good luck with that… Just… just come back safe, Gibbs… Promise me you'll try to come back safe." Abby's eyes filled with tears as she hurled herself at him again, wrapping her arms around his neck in a bone crushing hug. "I'm scared."

He held her until she pulled back and he cupped her cheek, swiping a tear with his thumb. "No tears, Abbs." He kissed her cheek, allowing himself one last look in case it was the last, letting his eyes take in her familiar features. "Look after yourself."

Abby sniffed, wiping her eyes as she composed herself before staring at him seriously. "And you've got to take care of yourself too, Gibbs… for Tony."

In the bullpen, Tony watched while Gibbs threw a few things into his backpack, conscious of Ziva at her desk almost vibrating with anxiety and exasperation, and Tim doing the same thing… but more quietly.

"Don't give it to him, McGee. He's being a stubborn fool."

Tony inwardly winced at the look Gibbs shot Ziva in response to her remark.

Not the way to handle the bear, Ziver.

Ziva rolled her eyes before conceding reluctantly, "Okay… he's being stubborn."

"Ziva is upset." Tony put in.

Gibbs shot him a look and Tony got the feeling the Marine knew he'd meant Tony was as upset as the rest of them.

McGee approached Gibbs' desk, holding out a piece of paper. "You sure you don't want me to go with you, Boss?"

Tony felt a glow of pride at the offer his Probie was making in all seriousness, even though if anyone was going to be on Gibbs' six today, it was going to be him.

But Tony could sympathize with the worry being exhibited so openly by his teammates for their Boss as he shared it, in spades.

Shouldering his backpack, Gibbs strode away from his desk, turning as he reached the corner, and Tony got the feeling he was carefully avoiding eye contact with him as the Marine's gaze moved swiftly over Ziva and McGee before nodding.

"Watch out for each other."

Rising to his feet, Tony trotted after Gibbs as he headed for the elevator, slipping inside just as the doors were closing, not caring what Ziva and McGee thought of his actions. Hopefully, they'd just figure he was going to give Gibbs a hard time professionally and not realize the very real personal fear that was gripping him by the throat.

Gibbs eyed him briefly, his face expressionless, and Tony stood at his side, facing front, without speaking. Tony waited until the elevator began moving before reaching out to flip the switch and braced automatically against the jolt of it coming to a stop, both of them bathed in the familiar blue light.

If Tony hadn't been so worried about Gibbs, he might have spared more than a thought about triggering an emergency stop in Gibbs' 'office' for the first time since the bombing.

Tony stayed facing forward, aware of Gibbs' gaze as he tried to order his thoughts and work out the best way to tackle the Marine. He didn't want to trigger Gibbs' temper as that would get him nowhere, but Tony was equally resolved to make the man realize how worried he was by this unwelcome turn of events.

Gibbs' distraction last week had been explained when the body down in autopsy was revealed to be not Harper Dearing but his brother. Ever since then, Tony had seen this coming and he didn't like it one bit… even if he understood it and knew how much it fitted Gibbs' psyche what he was about to do now.

All that didn't make it any easier to accept.

Gibbs was going Lone Wolf on them all again.

He was going to confront Dearing on his own.

They hadn't spent a lot of time together outside of work this week as they'd been too busy and he'd also given him the space Tony sensed Gibbs needed, even though he worried if that was the right thing to do this time.

No good usually came of Gibbs going off grid.

Yeah, right, Anthony… you going for understatement of the decade there?

As his Senior Field Agent, Tony had no problem getting in Gibbs' face to challenge him. But as he was still finding his feet as a partner in this very new, very tentative, very precious relationship, Tony was less sure how to handle things… when to push Gibbs and when to back off without damaging them.

But if Gibbs was putting himself in harm's way again, then all bets were off and there was no point holding back.

He might never see the guy again.

An impatient growl brought him out of his thoughts. "Spit it out, DiNozzo."

Tony turned to face Gibbs. "Okay, Boss, I get it. I get what you need to do and why you're going after Dearing and hey, I even understand why you want to do it this way… but it doesn't mean I have to like it."

Conscious of Gibbs' increasing glare, Tony held up a hand to try to forestall any comments before he got it all out. "In fact, I'll go further. I hate it. And I know I can't stop you coz that's not gonna work… it never does, but I really don't like not being on your six. In case you've forgotten, it's my job… both on and off… the job."

Gibbs had hoped that Tony would leave it, this time… would not tackle him but it was perhaps naïve to think he wouldn't, especially given how Abby had reacted just now.

Tony had never been afraid to confront him when they were merely boss and subordinate, and then friends. Now they were more, it would be out of character if Tony didn't make it clear that he was pissed at what was happening.

Gibbs hoped he wasn't about to screw things up… again, and before they'd even gotten started.

He knew Tony understood more than most of the women in his life ever had about his job as an agent, his life. Being in the same profession helped in that way at least.

But it also made Tony more aware of the dangers and less likely to let Gibbs get away with too much. He'd been able to hide a lot of what went on at work and the risks he took from his wives as they were never exposed to it in the same way. They just had to deal with the aftermath.

Tony was different, in so many ways.

"You done?"

"Yes… and no." Tony stepped right into Gibbs' personal space, meeting the steel blue glare steadily as they stood almost nose to nose. "Do you really have to go alone?"

Gibbs suppressed his exasperation at going over the same ground he'd just covered with Abby. "He'll vanish again if I don't."

"And you know this how?" Tony demanded.

"I know."

Some days Tony hated Gibbs' deep down, visceral, in-his-gut certainty and this was one of them.

"He'll be waiting for you, you know that, right?" Tony tried a change of tack, knowing already by the stubborn set of Gibbs' jaw that he was wasting his breath.

Gibbs nodded. "Countin' on it."

"So he'll have had time to work out a trap. He's had plenty of time to work out how to take you out, along with himself, the house and half the surrounding countryside."

Gibbs just stared at Tony with an unreadable expression. "Worth the risk."

Tony ran his hand over his head, feeling his anger warring with his worry and sadness as he turned away. "Not sure I agree with you on that one either, Gibbs. You ever gonna realize that you're also worth saving?"

When he got no answer, Tony braced his arms on the railing around the elevator, leaning forward with his head down as he tried to bring himself under control again, fighting down a sense of loss before it had even happened.

Gibbs just stood there, shifting slightly on his feet, trying to keep his own anger in check. He wanted to reach out to Tony but wasn't sure the younger man would welcome it, and was unsure what to say to make it right anyway, and afraid he'd just make it worse.

He usually did.

After a long minute, Tony eventually glanced over, surprising Gibbs by switching direction. "You seen Abby yet?"

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah."

Tony smiled briefly, guessing her reaction. "She's pissed, right?"

"Very." Gibbs paused. "Look after her Tony and… yourself."

Tony stepped forward again, crowding Gibbs against the elevator wall. He came to a stop, arms braced on either side of Gibbs' head, staring at him, taking in the slightly startled expression in the blue eyes.

He laid his palm against Gibbs' cheek. "You come home to me, you hear me, Marine."

Gibbs' expression softened, his heart squeezing in his chest at the raw emotion on Tony's face and in his voice. "Copy that." He pulled the younger man into a hug, folding his arms around him tightly and pressing a soft kiss to his hair. "Planning to, Tony."

Tony closed his eyes, dropping his forehead to Gibbs' shoulder, trying to control the pain that rose up at the thought of losing Gibbs… that this could be the last time he held him or saw him like this.

Tony turned his head and pressed a kiss to Gibbs' neck, wanting to nuzzle against that strength and warmth and not let him go but forcing himself to step back. He drew in a deep breath, holding Gibbs' eyes. "Gonna hold you to that, Jethro… I… I just found you, don't wanna lose you now."

Gibbs reached up, squeezing the side of Tony's neck. "Got a reason to come home now."

TBC…