Jackson Gibbs had pulled in his parking space just in time to see his son storming out of the main entrance of the hospital. He quickly put his car in park and got out, hoping to get Leroy's attention before he reached the sidewalk. "Leroy," he called out, his baritone voice resonating through the semi-deserted parking lot.

The younger man continued walking towards his car. Jack decided that either Leroy was making a conscious decision to ignore him or something was weighing heavily on his son's mind. He increased his pace in an effort to catch up to the young man. "Leroy!" he shouted.

He stopped mid-stride as Leroy wheeled around. "What?"

Jack swallowed hard. It had been a long time since he had seen this much anger radiating from his son; the last time being Shannon and Kelly's funeral. Leroy's eyes were burning with rage and hatred and it frightened the elder Gibbs to his core. "Son, what's wrong?"

"Everything," came the curt reply.

"Such as?"

"Dad, I don't have time to go into details," the agent seethed. "I've got to get back to D.C."

"Why?" Jack pressed.

"I've just got some things to take care of."

"What about Tony?"

"He's resting now, Abby is with him."

"How long are you going to be?" Jack grinned and shook his head as his son glared at him. "Your infamous stare may work on your agents, but it doesn't work on me. I just asked a reasonable question, son. How long are you going to be gone?"

"I don't know," Gibbs answered.

"When will you be back?"

"I don't know."

"Don't you think that whatever this is can wait? I think Tony's welfare is a bit more important that some personal crusade, Leroy."

"Tony's not going to get better until I take care of the source of his problems. No one gets away with using a member of my team like they were a piece of yesterday's garbage."

Jack was more than familiar with his son's sense of responsibility to his team. Whenever Leroy called, he was always regaling the senior Gibbs with details of their last case or the latest antics of his team. He spoke of them all fondly, but there was always more than a hint of pride in his voice when he spoke of Tony. But lately, his son had said very little about DiNozzo after the agent had returned from the Seahawk. He wondered if his son realized that he had apparently been distancing himself from Tony.

"Leroy, maybe you should wait," he suggested. "Talk to Tony some more before you go off half cocked and make things worse for him."

"I have to make a move before Vance does."

"Vance? The Director? You're boss?"

"The one and the same."

Jack scrubbed his face with his hand. "Boy, this is big, isn't it?"

"It could be."

"I still think you should wait, son," Jack encouraged. "Give Tony another couple of days to get his strength back and you need a couple of days to cool off."

"What I need is irrelevant, but what Tony needs is for me to get to the bottom of this," Jethro growled. "Vance has been causing trouble for Tony for far too long and I didn't know anything about it! I'm not letting that bastard get away with it!"

"Vance is only part of Tony's problems and you know it!" Jack argued. "Why else would he have come running to Stillwater? Why would I have to force him to call you and tell you where he is? Leroy, that boy worships the ground you walk on and you're just going to…"

"That's enough," the agent warned. "This is not open for discussion. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Jack started to protest, but he knew that Leroy wouldn't listen. He couldn't help but notice that his son had the same look on his face the day that the two of them had argued, prompting Leroy to join the Marines. His son had been furious, just as he was now, and Jack had to admit that he was worried that Leroy would do something foolish. Of course, he could empathize with the younger man; if the situation was reversed and someone had hurt his son, nothing on this earth would stop Jack from getting his revenge.

As Leroy started his car and peeled out of the parking lot, Jack had to believe that his son could look after himself and that he would be back. Until then, he would do what he could to help the young man lying in ICU. Jack knew that he was no substitute for Leroy in Tony's eyes, but he would be whatever the agent needed him to be. He already felt like he was DiNozzo's grandfather in a sense; but he was also his friend and if Tony needed someone to listen, Jack would be his confidante.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Abby gently traced the outline of Tony's fingers as she held his hand while he slept. She was glad that her friend was finally resting but part of her just wanted him to wake up and talk to her. She missed hearing his voice and his smile when he started to ramble on about some movie or the latest episode of his favorite TV show. It bothered Abby to see Tony so vulnerable. She wanted desperately to give him a hug; he always told her that her hugs made him feel better.

"How's he doing, Mrs. DiNozzo?"

Abby glanced up to see Dr. Katherine Marshal leaning against the doorframe with what she assumed to be Tony's chart in her hand. "Uh, he's sleeping."

"That's good," the doctor replied. "He needs to rest."

"Yeah. I just don't understand how he could get so sick. I mean the last time he looked this bad, he had the plague and it took him a long time to recover from that. Of course, it didn't help that at the time a terrorist was after Gibbs and Tony was as determined as Gibbs to find Kate's killer and…I'm not Mrs. DiNozzo," Abby blurted out.

"I know, Ms. Scuito," Katherine assured her. "Your secret is safe with me."

"I'm sorry I lied about being married to Tony, but I just had to see him," she tried to reason.

"It's all right. Tony is fortunate to have you as a friend. He seems to rest easier knowing that you're here with him."

"Does that mean that I can stay?"

"Absolutely. I have a feeling that when Mr. DiNozzo begins to get his strength back, that I'm going to have my hands full. He listens to you, so you be sure and stay close."

Abby smiled. She was relieved that Dr. Marshall wasn't angry with her and that she would get to stay with Tony, at least until Gibbs returned. At some point, she knew that she was going to have to go back to work, but hopefully, Tony would be doing better before she had to head back to D.C.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Marshall. I'll take good care of Tony," Abby promised.

"I know you will. By the way, thank you for getting him to agree to take something for pain."

"You're welcome. It wasn't that hard; he never has been able to say no to me."

"What about his boss?" Katherine asked. "Has he ever been able to say no to Special Agent Gibbs?"

"Tony will stand up to him if the need arises," Abby reluctantly answered.

"You didn't answer my question, Ms. Scuito."

"It's Abby and I'd rather not answer it. The relationship between Gibbs and Tony is a bit unusual; Tony worries when Gibbs is nice to him or if he feels like he has to complete for Bossman's attention. It's very complicated. Gibbs is the father that Tony never had and Tony is like a son to him, but they would never admit it to each other or anyone else for that matter."

"Have things been strained between them lately?"

Abby thought for a moment. "Why are you asking me these questions? Shouldn't you be talking to Tony or Gibbs?"

"I was just trying to get a handle on Tony's mental and emotional state," the doctor explained. "Sometimes, it's better to get a more objective view."

"I don't feel comfortable doing this. I mean, Tony and I have shared a lot of secrets and I even know his MOAS and he knows mine."

"MOAS?" Katherine curiously inquired.

"Mother of all secrets," the Goth clarified.

Katherine nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry, Abby. I shouldn't have put you on the spot; I was just trying to figure out how to help Tony."

"I know. You know, he was right about you," she stated.

"Who?"

"Tony. He said that you were a lot like Kate."

"Who's Kate?"

"She was his partner," Abby informed her. "Kate was killed almost four years ago."

"I'm sorry. So, how do I remind Tony of this Kate?" Katherine wanted to know.

"Your determination and compassion; I know that you're just doing your job, but I can tell that you really do care about your patients. Tony is lucky to have you as his doctor."

Katherine grinned as she studied the monitors. "Tell that to him when he wakes up."

"I will."

She watched as the doctor made a note in Tony's chart. "So, when is Agent Gibbs coming back?" Katherine inquired. "There's something I need to talk to him about."

Abby shrugged. "I don't know. But if it's an emergency, I'll get in contact with him and have him call you."

"No, it'll wait until he gets back. I have a feeling that he won't be gone too long."

"Nope, not as long as Tony's in the hospital," Abby said.

The scientist barely caught Katherine's almost imperceptible nod. "Let the nurses know if you need anything. I'm going to catch a nap in the doctor's lounge."

"Thank you, Kate."

"You're welcome, Abby."

Abby watched the doctor leave and she settled back in her chair, still holding Tony's hand in her own. She was glad that she had finally been able to talk to the doctor; it made her feel better knowing that Dr. Marshall was genuinely concerned about her friend. "It's good to know that someone's looking out for you, Tony," she whispered. "We haven't certainly been doing a good job of it."

She wished that Ziva, McGee, and Ducky were here so they could all show Tony how much they care about him. Despite the constant teasing and the often childish pranks, there was no doubt that Tony cared for them. DiNozzo would never come and verbally say that he cared, but his actions always spoke louder than his words ever could. Why didn't they notice he was hurting? Had Tony become that much of an expert at hiding his feelings?

She sighed in frustration. "I hope you know that we're not through with our conversation from earlier. Just because you fell asleep doesn't mean you get out of talking."

"I know," Tony moaned as he squeezed her hand.

"How long have you been awake?" Abby demanded to know.

"Since Kate left," he admitted.

"You just let me sit here and talk to myself?"

"I didn't want to interrupt."

"Very funny, DiNozzo."

"I try."

"Well, you better try and go back to sleep or I'm going to get in trouble."

Tony obediently closed his eyes. Within a minute, Abby could hear him snoring softly once again. She leaned over and laid her head on his arm. Before long, her eyes began to close as she gave into the sweet embrace of slumber. Her last thought before sleep claimed her was Tony's voice in her mind saying, "This reminds me of a movie…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Director Leon Vance stormed into his office and slammed the door, giving orders to his personal assistant that he was not to be bothered. He poured himself a drink and quickly downed it. Damn DiNozzo! That man was going to regret the day that he crossed his path. SecNav was demanding answers and the only person who could supply those answers was missing.

If only Tompkins and Currin had stuck to the plan, DiNozzo would no longer be a thorn in his side. Instead, Anthony DiNozzo was holed up somewhere and Gibbs and his team were refusing to give up the whereabouts of their teammate. Whenever he found the wayward agent, there would be hell to pay, starting with DiNozzo.

His cell phone rang. Vance looked at the caller ID and cursed under his breath. Flipping his phone opened, he answered, "Yes, Mr. Secretary?"

"Have you found him yet?"

"No sir. I'm still working on it. It shouldn't be much longer."

"Define much longer, Leon."

Vance pulled out a toothpick and placed it in his mouth. "I'm not sure, Mr. Secretary. I…"

"Twenty four hours, Leon. You have twenty four hours to find Agent DiNozzo and then I'll be looking for a new director to fill your chair. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir, you have. However sir, if you would just give…"

"Leon, have you forgotten what's at stake here?"

"No sir, I have not."

"Good," the SecNav growled. "Twenty four hours, Leon."

Vance slowly closed his phone and laid it on his desk. He poured himself another drink and made his way over towards the window. The Director stared out across the Navy Yard, his mind reeling of possibilities of where DiNozzo could be hiding. He glanced at his watch. He now had twenty three hours and fifty eight minutes.

He went to his desk and began to pull out his file on Anthony DiNozzo. There had to be something in the dossier that he had missed; something that would give him a clue as to where the agent was. His cell phone rang again, looking at the caller ID, he saw that it was Agent Tobias Fornell of the FBI.

"This is Vance."

"Hello, Director."

Vance bit his toothpick in half; it was not Agent Fornell. "Agent Gibbs, what are you doing with Agent Fornell's phone?"

"It doesn't matter. We need to meet."

"I agree."

"Be at my house in three hours," Gibbs instructed him.

"Why three hours? Why not now?"

"Because it'll give you time to come up with some damn good answers as to why the hell you were blackmailing my senior field agent into doing undercover operations for you."

"I'll be there."

"You better. Don't make me come looking for you."

"I wouldn't dream of it agent Gibbs."

The connection went dead and Vance knew that the team leader had hung up on him. He smiled as he realized that within three hours, he would know where DiNozzo was and that Gibbs would not be there to protect his agent. Vance laughed as he felt the burden of the past couple of days lift from his shoulders. Everything was going to be fine. DiNozzo would be gone, Gibbs would be taken down a couple of notches, and he would be well on his way to greater things.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gibbs snapped his phone shut and threw it on the seat beside him. He figured that as soon as the call was disconnected, the Director would be attempting to locate him through the GPS tracker in Fornell's phone. Fortunately, the team leader had enough insight into the way that Vance operated, that he had called McGee before he called the Director and ordered him to scramble the GPS signal. He would like to see Leon's face when he discovered that he had been outsmarted once again by Gibbs and his team.

He was a couple hours away from home and yet it seemed like an eternity. Ever since he had left Stillwater, his thoughts had been consumed by his last conversation with Tony, as well as with what he was going to say to Vance. Gibbs would never forget the expression on DiNozzo's face when he had told him that Vance had declared him expendable. He knew that Tony would take that comment to heart, dredging up memories of the past that his senior agent would rather leave buried in the recesses of his mind. Damn Vance! The former Marine vowed to uncover the reason for the Director's hatred for his agent.

The look of defeat on Tony's face was utterly heartbreaking. DiNozzo was infamous for being able to push his feelings aside and act if nothing were wrong; but now, Tony had reached his breaking point and Gibbs wasn't sure how to help the younger man pick up the pieces of his shattered life. He had been angry at Jack when he had all but said that he was part of Tony's problems; maybe his dad was right.

Gibbs had to admit that their relationship had changed over the past couple of years, but he wasn't sure when it started to happen. Was it when he returned from Mexico, or was it when he discovered that Tony had been working undercover for Jenny? Could it have been the unspoken blame that he placed on DiNozzo's shoulders when Jen had died? So much had happened, especially in the last couple of years. Had he just assumed that Tony was dealing with the various situations as he normally did? "God, Tony, how could I've been so blind?" he mumbled to himself.

"Because you didn't want to see what was happening," Gibbs answered. "Great, I'm talking to myself now. Wouldn't DiNozzo like to see this?"

He could almost hear Tony saying, "Boss, you know what talking to yourself is a sign of, don't you?"

Normally, that would earn the agent a head slap, but lately, those had been few and far between. He knew that Tony preferred Gibbs growling at him and giving him head slaps every day, but the team leader had not been as free with them since DiNozzo's return. Tony had returned a changed man; Ziva had been right when she said that DiNozzo seemed older. Gibbs recalled the image of Tony lying in the bed in ICU and he realized that Ziva had been right; his senior field agent looked as if he had aged ten years. Again, Gibbs silently cursed the Director for the sheer hell he had been putting DiNozzo through.

His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. He recognized the number as belonging to Ducky. He flipped the phone open, "Yeah, Gibbs," he grunted.

"Jethro, I hope you don't mind me calling you. I spoke with young Timothy and he told me that it would be all right to call you at this number," the ME explained.

"It's all right, Duck," Gibbs assured the Scotsman. "What do you need?"

"I just wanted you to know that I've had several conversations with Dr. Marshall regarding Tony."

"Is something wrong?" Jethro anxiously inquired. "He was resting when I left."

"She assured me that he's still resting and that Mrs. DiNozzo was by his side. Of course, I was relieved to learn that Anthony's bride was none other than Abigail."

"It's a long story, Ducky."

"I can't wait to hear it."

Gibbs sensed that his long time friend was trying to avoid telling him something. "So, how long am I going to have to wait until you tell me the real reason that you called me."

"You know me too well, Jethro."

"So, are you going to tell me?" the team leader pressed.

"My last conversation with the lovely Dr. Marshall was just over a couple of hours ago. She had just come from checking on Tony and he was doing very well. Katherine was looking for you to talk to you about something, but you had long since left."

"Get to the point, Duck."

"I'm getting there, Jethro," the ME stated. "She called me since I'm his doctor and told me that she'd like to recommend a psychiatric consultation for Tony once he's out of ICU."

"What?"

"She wants to recommend a…"

"I heard you," the ex-Marine snapped. "He doesn't need a shrink, Ducky. He needs to be able to get back to his normal life without having Vance breathing down his neck and telling him that he's expendable."

"Jethro, I see your point, but I do think the consult is a good idea. It certainly couldn't hurt," Ducky tried to reason.

"All that's going to do is make DiNozzo think that he's lost it. I know how Tony thinks, Duck. This isn't a good idea."

"You don't know Tony as well as you think you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the team leader challenged.

"In case you haven't noticed, Tony isn't the same person that he was a year ago," Ducky pointed out. "He still wants to please you, but now it doesn't seem to be as important to him; I'm not sure if he is just simply too tired to care or if he's decided that he's never going to get your approval and has accepted it."

Gripping the steering wheel, he fought the urge to yell at the ME. Through gritted teeth, he said, "You are the third person who has implied that I am in some way responsible for Tony's condition."

"Are you?" Ducky asked.

Gibbs remained silent for a moment. He knew that Katherine believed him to be partly responsible for Tony's fragile state of mind, but to hear the same thing from his father and one of his oldest friends, forced Jethro to consider their words. What was he missing? What did they see that he could not? He sighed in frustration; he really didn't need to think about this now. He had to be focused for his confrontation with Vance. "No psych evaluation, at least for now."

"But Jethro," Ducky started to protest.

"At least not until I get back. Understand?"

"I'll pass that along to Dr. Marshall," the ME promised.

Gibbs closed his phone and tossed it over his shoulder. He didn't want to talk to anyone else right at the moment; for now, he was content to silently contemplate what he was going to say to Director Leon Vance. However, he was finding it difficult to concentrate due to the fact that Ducky and Jack's words kept replaying in his mind.

Tony had to know that Gibbs was proud of him. He had told his senior agent just how proud he was of him not too long ago, but apparently, it had been too little, too late. DiNozzo had already been well on his way to self-destructing thanks to Vance's covert operations. "Aw, Tony," he whispered. "I wish that you could have felt like you could have come to me. I let you down."

He knew that when he got back to Stillwater, Gibbs would have to break one of his infamous rules. The team leader was going to have to apologize to Tony; a father was going to have to tell his son he was sorry. Expressing regret was not something that came easily to Jethro Gibbs, but for Tony's sake, he found himself willing to put aside his uneasiness and acknowledge the fact that he had messed up by ignoring Tony's silent pleas for help.

Gibbs pulled Fornell's car in his driveway and cut off the engine. He glanced at his watch. Vance would be here soon, possibly before his three hour deadline. The toothpick, as Tony often called the Director, had a habit of showing up early and Gibbs was going to be ready for him. The gauntlet had been thrown when Vance had blackmailed Tony into working undercover for him; Gibbs was now prepared to pick up that gauntlet and slay the dragon that had taken on the form of NCIS Director Leon Vance.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tony felt something tickling his arm. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked down to see a black pigtail lying across his arm. He smiled to himself. Abby. He should have known that she would still be here; she was always there for him even when he denied needing anybody. It frightened him that she seemed to be able to see beyond the façade that he constantly hid behind. Of course, he knew a lot about her as well; he even knew things about Abby that Gibbs didn't know.

With his other hand, he slowly reached across and laid it on top of Abby's head and softly called her name. "Abby?"

She sat straight up, panic etched on her normally pale features. "Oh my gosh! I didn't mean to sleep that long!" she exclaimed.

"How long were you asleep, Abs?" Tony wearily asked.

"At least three hours."

"That's about two more hours than you usually get. You must be really tired."

"Just worried," Abby replied. "Plus, I haven't had a Caf-Pow in quite a while. Jack was going out to see if he could find me one. If not, he said that he'd get me some Red Bull."

"Maybe you could put one of those Red Bulls in my IV so I can get some energy," Tony playfully suggested.

Abby winked at him. "I'll see what I can do."

"Right now, I'd settle for something to eat."

"You're hungry! That's a good sign; it means you're getting better."

"Yeah, I guess." Hunger was probably a good sign that he was actually getting better physically, but he still couldn't shake the growing feeling of guilt that was starting to consume him; guilt for not being strong enough to stand up to Vance, guilt for dragging his friends into the mess that his life had become, and guilt for not measuring up to his own expectations.

He smiled as Abby ran her fingers through his hair. "It needs washing. Whenever they move you to a regular room, I'll go and get your favorite shampoo and help you wash it."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know. I want to."

"Thanks."

He watched as Abby reached across him and grabbed the call button. "I'll tell the nurse that you're hungry; maybe she can get you a tray."

"Thanks, Abs," he whispered.

"You're welcome."

He listened as Abby told the nurse that he needed something to eat. "Don't take too long," she warned the nurse. "A hungry DiNozzo is not someone you want to deal with."

Tony rolled his eyes, silently amused by Abby's directness. "So, are you trying to make me sound like I'm a difficult patient?"

Abby shook her head. "Oh, they already know that. I'm just trying to give them pointers on how to keep you happy."

He eyed the pitcher of water sitting next to his ice chips. Before he could ask for a drink, Abby was pouring him some water in a cup. She put the straw up to his lips and he greedily drank. "Not too much at one time," she fussed.

"I'm thirsty."

"So I noticed." She set the cup back down on the nightstand. "By the way, I really like your doctor."

"I knew you would. Doesn't she remind you of Kate?"

"Yeah, a little. She really is worried about you."

"I know," he sighed. "I'm worried about me, too."

"What do you mean?" Abby wanted to know.

"Nothing," he answered a bit too quickly. "You know that you can't pay attention to what I say when I'm taking any kind of pain medication."

"You seem pretty with it to me," she observed.

"You're just saying that."

"Don't try and pull your charm on me, DiNozzo. It won't work."

"It wouldn't do me any good, you always see right through me," he reminded her.

"Yep. So, you want to tell me what you and Gibbs talked about?"

Tony was used to Abby jumping from one train of thought to another, often switching tracks in the middle of a conversation; he usually could keep up with her, but this time, it took him by surprise. Damn medication!

"Not really," he muttered.

"Tony, please," she begged. "It'll make you feel better."

"I'm all talked out, Abs."

"Are you ever going to tell me what you two talked about?" she pressed.

Tony shrugged. "Maybe one day. Just not right now." The young man looked out the door. "By the way, where is Gibbs?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Where he was going?"

"No." Tony found the button that would raise him up to a sitting position.

"What are you doing?"

Abby started to lower him back down, but he grabbed her hand. "Where is Gibbs? You've never lied to me before Abs, don't start now."

"Okay, I'll tell you," she said. "But you have to promise me that you will stay calm."

"Just tell me."

"He went back to D.C., but he said that he would be back as soon as he could."

"He went to D.C.?" Tony felt like he had been punched in the stomach. "He's going to see Vance, isn't he?"

He didn't have to see Abby nod to know the answer to his question. He laid his head back on his pillow and closed his eyes. "This can't be happening. This is exactly what I didn't want!"

"Tony? What are you talking about?"

Opening his eyes, he met Abby's concerned glaze. "Gibbs and Vance," Tony barked, knowing later that he would have to apologize to Abby for his rudeness. "If Gibbs confronts Vance, all hell is going to break loose and…" He forced himself to slow his breathing. "Get me a phone," he instructed the Goth.

"Tony, you're still in ICU," Abby said.

"Get me a phone, now."

"But Tony, you need to rest."

Tony reached for his IV, threatening to pull it out. "Abby, you either get me a phone or I'll check myself out of here AMA and find one."

Abby put her hands on her hips. "Tony, that's not fair."

"Your choice."

Tony never took his eyes off of his friend as she dumped out her purse on his bed. He reached out and grabbed her cell phone.

"You're not supposed to use it in ICU. It'll interfere with the monitors," she stated.

Ignoring Abby's warning, he turned on the cell phone and began to dial the number that he unfortunately had become all too familiar with.

"Who are you calling anyway?" Abby inquired.

Tony looked straight ahead, ignoring Abby's question. She would find out soon enough. He swallowed nervously as he heard the one voice that he had come to fear more than his father's. He took a deep breath and said, "Director Vance? It's me…"