Thank you all for the incredible reviews. I hope you enjoy the next installment. Thanks again for the kind and encouraging words.
Tony was grateful when Ziva excused herself, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He was cherishing the quietness of the moment, knowing that this was literally the calm before the storm. Director Vance, SecNav, and Eli David all wanted to destroy not only his career, but his life as well and he truly had no idea why. He wished that he could go back in time to the point that his life had become so complicated and do things differently; of course, he surmised that he would probably have to go back to the day he was born.
He heard Gibbs and Vance in the other room and he suddenly had to fight the urge to throw up. Tony dreaded seeing the man that had caused him so much pain and distress. He wanted to run far way, but he knew that running would only make things worse, not only for him, but for everyone involved. Tony sat down on the couch and cradled his aching head with his hands, willing the pain to stop so he could think clearly. Of course, his body was beyond his control now; the only thing that was keeping him upright was his sheer determination not to appear weak in front of the Director.
A soft knock on the door interrupted his private musings. He looked at the door, momentarily debating on whether to answer it or not. Tony knew that on the other side Vance was waiting like a predator waiting to pounce on his prey. But DiNozzo was comforted by thought that Gibbs was there as well and the ex-Marine always took care of his own.
Clearing his throat, he called out, "Come in."
The door slowly opened and Gibbs walked in, followed by Director Vance. Tony rose from the couch, hoping that no one noticed his unsteadiness. He nodded a greeting to the two men. "Gibbs; Director Vance."
"Agent DiNozzo," Vance tersely replied. "I believe we have some things to discuss."
"It does appear that way, Director," Tony snapped.
He looked at Gibbs who with a slight shake of his head silently communicated the need for Tony to stay calm and focused. Tony nodded his understanding. The team leader was right; he couldn't let Vance rile him and catch him off guard.
"So, shall we begin?" the Director suggested. "Or are we simply going to stand here and stare at each other all day?"
"Where do you want to start, Director Vance?"
"Let's start with why you blew this last operation to hell," Vance growled.
Tony could feel the rage begin to build inside him. The man was arrogant and self serving and believed that he could still bully him into doing his bidding; DiNozzo was through letting this man control his life.
"I think we both know why that happened. You set me up, plain and simple."
"You shot and killed two men, one being an undercover agent."
"Well, you didn't bother telling me that, did you? This so called agent gave me away and he was under direct orders to do so, especially after I discovered the..."
"You don't know what you're talking about, Agent DiNozzo. I would be careful about making such ludicrous accusations," Vance warned.
Tony tightly clenched his fists; his nails biting into his palms. He didn't care if he was drawing blood; the pain was keeping him focused and right now, he needed to have all his wits about him. "Cut the crap, Director. It all makes sense now."
"What does?"
"The undercover missions, trying to get me killed; it came from someone higher than you and you were more than willing to oblige, weren't you? You made me agree to do these operations because I was afraid that you would split up the team again; but that was just your way of ensuring that I'd go along with the missions. These operations were designed to kill me and when the first one was unsuccessful, you sent me on another, thinking that if I wasn't killed in the line of duty, maybe I would just drop dead from sheer exhaustion! You were hoping that I'd get careless and screw up! Well it took four undercover missions, but you got your wish, you bastard! I screwed up!"
"Yes, you did," Vance agreed. "You ended up shooting two men, one who was a federal agent."
Tony sighed. Vance seemed to enjoy driving that point into the ground. "He was on the take," DiNozzo proclaimed.
"Trying to cover your ass?" Vance challenged. "Perhaps you were the agent on the take and you shot those two men in order to keep your secret safe."
DiNozzo shook his head in disbelief. He should have expected this from the Director; the man was determined to make him look guilty. "I have proof that says otherwise."
"What kind of proof?"
Tony grinned. "You actually think I'm turning that evidence over to you? You're out of your freakin' mind."
Out of the corner, he saw a tiny smile escape from the team leader's lips. Gibbs nodded his approval, giving Tony the strength to continue. Knowing that in some way, he had regained even a minute speck of trust from the man he regarded as a father figure, made his burden a little more bearable.
"You need to remember who you're talking to, Agent DiNozzo," Vance said. "I hold your future and your team's future in my hands."
"I already know I don't have a future and Gibbs will take care of the others; you might as well quit trying to play that card."
He watched as Vance pulled out a fresh toothpick and placed it in his mouth. Tony knew that the Director was trying to unnerve him, but he refused to be intimidated by this man any longer.
"You still have to answer for shooting those two men."
Tony shrugged. "I have no problem with that."
"You're a cocky little son of a bitch, aren't you DiNozzo?"
"So I've been told." Tony closed his eyes against a sudden wave of dizziness. He silently cursed his weakened body, knowing that in all probability, he wasn't going to be able to continue this conversation with the Director for much longer.
He felt Gibbs steady him and then the team leader whispered, "Easy, DiNozzo."
"I'm okay, Boss."
Tony pulled free of the ex-Marine's grasp. He stood tall to face Vance once again. "Like I said, Director Vance, I'm not the only one who will have some explaining to do. Somebody is going to have to explain the fact that several high paid officials and businessmen are receiving a cut of the profits from this gun running operation. Some of them are very close friends with SecNav, aren't they?"
"Once again DiNozzo, you're sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong," Vance seethed.
"Force of habit."
"That habit is going to get you killed."
"I'm kind of like a cat…you know the whole nine lives thing. It's going to take a whole lot more than the likes of you and Eli David to kill me."
DiNozzo saw a hint of uncertainly flicker across Vance's face. "Oh, I know about the contract, Director Vance. The only thing I don't know is why."
"And you'll probably never know unless Eli chooses to tell you," Vance said.
"I'm sure I'll eventually figure it out," Tony retorted. "Ask Gibbs. I'm pretty good at figuring things out right when it counts. The one thing that I know for sure is that I've got enough to take you and SecNav down and short of killing me yourself, there won't be a damn thing you can do about it."
"Don't be so sure, Agent DiNozzo. You'd be surprised at the aces that I have up my sleeve."
"Sadly, I wouldn't. You used me and I let you. That won't happen again," Tony vowed.
"We'll see about that."
"I'm sure we will. I hope you and SecNav are prepared to answer some questions, because if I go down, I'm dragging you with me. You want to frame me for killing those two men, go ahead; but I can guarantee, that I won't go alone."
"So, it seems we're at an impasse," Vance concluded.
"Maybe."
"Maybe I misjudged you. Perhaps you aren't as expendable as I thought. You seemed to have learned the art of blackmail to perfection. Tell me, who taught you how to be so devious?"
"What is it you told me a few months ago? Blackmail is such an ugly word. Why don't we call this a negotiation?" Tony asked.
"Very well, we'll negotiate." He watched as Vance sat down in the chair and motioned for him to take a seat. "So tell me, Agent DiNozzo, let's go back to the names on that list you saw. Did you recognize any of them?"
Damn Vance. Tony glared at the Director. "Maybe."
"Any of them related to you?"
"Maybe."
"So, is that why you called me up here? To cut a deal? Because you know that taking me and SecNav down, you would also destroy your father as well. He cut you off and now you're returning the favor," Vance taunted. "Is that it?"
"No."
Tony could feel Gibbs' piercing gaze fall upon him. Surely, the team leader knew him well enough to know that he didn't want to have any dealings with his father; he wanted to do the right thing, but DiNozzo was no longer sure what that was.
"Quit trying to take the heat off yourself, Director Vance. You knew that there was a contract on me and that SecNav sanctioned it; you coerced me into taking undercover assignments that were designed to fulfill the contract, but they didn't. So, information gets fed to an agent on the take and I almost get killed, but not before I learn that there are benefactors from this gunrunning operation and some of them are personal friends of the Secretary of the Navy, including…" Tony paused and exhaled. "Including my father. Actually, I'm surprised my father isn't the one who put the hit on me.
"I've got the proof to back up what I'm saying, plus I have a witness to this conversation and if I'm not mistaken, Gibbs already has a confession that you refused to pull me out of the operation when I told you my cover had been blown. So, if I was you, I wouldn't be worried about my father, I'd be worried about my own ass. Because I promise you that SecNav will try and cut the strings from all this and come out smelling squeaky clean and you know who's going to take the fall? It won't be SecNav. Crap tends to run downhill, Director.
Vance leaned forward in his chair. "What is it you want, Agent DiNozzo? What do you expect to gain from all this?"
Tony thought for a moment. "I want you to tell my why," he began. "I want you to tell me what I've done to piss you people off so much that you would want to kill me. I've been with NCIS for almost eight years and I'm a damn good agent, but yet for some reason, I'm suddenly expendable and this agency is willing to sacrifice me to the wolves and I don't even know why! How can I fix something when I don't know what I've done?"
Vance sat back in his chair. "Have you ever played chess, Agent DiNozzo?"
"Some."
"Good, then you'll understand this analogy. You see, every king has a pawn that must be sacrificed in order to win the game. You are that pawn."
"Why me?"
Vance took the toothpick out of his mouth and stared at him. "You are the only one who could get us what we wanted," he declared.
Tony's anger burned deep. He never thought that he could hate anyone more than he hated his father, but he was wrong. He had been betrayed by his superiors and for what? Gibbs placed his hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed. He appreciated the support but right now, all that he could think about was the fact that he wanted to pommel Vance and the SecNav into the ground. Tony briefly wondered how many years he would get for striking a high ranking federal agent.
"Tony," Gibbs whispered. "Let's take a break."
"No, I'm fine," he protested.
"No, you're not. Take a minute and get some fresh air," the team leader suggested. "You don't want to do anything rash."
He nodded and permitted Gibbs to guide him towards the door. Tony glanced over his shoulder to Vance still sitting in the chair with a satisfied smile on his face. "When I get back," Tony mumbled so only Gibbs could hear him, "I'm going to wipe that smirk off his face."
Gibbs opened the back door. "Come on, Tony."
DiNozzo nodded and went out the door. He heard Gibbs say something to the Director, but he really couldn't make out what he said. "What did you tell him?" he asked.
"I told him that he better be there when we get back."
Tony nodded as he began to pace. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He had already broken down once today; Tony knew that he couldn't afford to let it happen again, at least not right now. Raking his hands through his hair, he gathered a clump of hair in each fist and began to pull, knowing the pain would keep him centered.
The agent felt calloused hands envelope his. "Stop it, Tony," Gibbs softly ordered. "You've been hurt enough without adding any other self inflicted wounds."
DiNozzo stopped pacing and stared at his mentor. "What did Vance mean when he said that I was the only one who could get them what they wanted?"
"I don't know, Tony. But I swear to you that we'll find out," Gibbs vowed.
Despite everything that he had learned today, Gibbs was still on his side, at least for now. Tony was sure that the older man's opinion of him had significantly dropped, over the past few days, but at the moment, Gibbs still had his six. He quickly decided that he would take what he could get.
"Are you all right?" the team leader asked.
Tony shook his head. "No."
"At least you're being honest with yourself."
"For a change."
"Yeah. Do you want to…"
Tony never heard the rest of Gibbs' question. He clutched his stomach and doubled over, crying out in agony. DiNozzo fell to his knees and attempted to breathe through the pain, but his efforts were proving futile as he collapsed onto the ground. He could hear Gibbs frantically calling out to him, but he couldn't answer. The last thing that he saw before darkness claimed him was Gibbs reaching for his cell phone and calling for help.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Abby and Ziva were trying to keep busy by helping Jack in his store. The Goth was wielding the pricing gun, while Ziva was counting inventory. Both women found themselves distracted, wondering what was happening between Vance, Gibbs, and Tony. Judging by the shouting going on, things were not going well. Now, all they could hear was silence and that worried them even more.
"What do you think is going on?" Abby asked.
Ziva shrugged. "I do not know. I wish that I could be a mosquito on the wall."
"A fly," Abby corrected. "It's a fly on the wall."
"Whatever. I just wish I knew what was going on. The silence is unnerving."
"Yeah."
Abby finished pricing the last of the cans, her concern for Tony steadily increasing. Even after she had fixed him some soup, DiNozzo had refused to eat. He had attributed his queasy stomach to nerves, but she had a feeling that something else was wrong. Tony was still very sick and had no business being out of the hospital, but he had insisted on leaving against medical advice. She just hoped that the agent knew what he was doing.
"Maybe we should go and make sure that they haven't…you know, killed each other or something," Abby suggested.
"I'm sure that Gibbs will let us know if he needs us," Ziva tried to assure her. "I think that if we were to barge in there, that it would simply make things worse, especially for Tony."
"I know. I just need to do something."
"I understand Abby, but Gibbs told us to say put and we need to trust him on this," the Mossad officer reasoned.
"I do trust Gibbs and Tony; I just don't trust Director Vance."
"Neither do I."
The front door opened and Jackson Gibbs came hurrying in, concern etched in his distinguished features. Abby started to ask him what was wrong, but was cut off by the older man as he began to make a call. She didn't have to wait long to learn the identity of the person Jack was calling. Clutching his arm, Abby listened as Jack was forced to leave a message for Dr. Katherine Marshall.
"Katherine, it's Jack Gibbs. Tony just collapsed out behind my store; Leroy has called an ambulance and he wanted me to try and get in touch with you. We'll be taking him back to the hospital as soon as the ambulance gets here."
Abby and Ziva didn't need to hear anymore. They made their way through the back room and out the back door, purposefully ignoring the Director who was smugly sitting in a chair, apparently clueless as to what had just happened.
The two women found Tony lying on the ground, his head on Gibbs' lap. The stillness of their friend was disturbing. Abby looked at Ziva, whose gaze was still fixated on the ailing man. "What happened?" she nervously inquired.
"I don't know," Gibbs replied. "I've called an ambulance and I sent my dad to call Katherine."
"What can we do?"
"Find me a couple of blankets," he instructed them. "Then you can bring the car and meet us at the hospital."
"What about the Director?" Ziva finally managed to ask.
"Bring him with you," the former Marine ordered. "If something happens to DiNozzo, I want him where I can find him."
Abby nervously licked her lips. She had to believe that Tony was going to be all right, because any other alternative was unacceptable. DiNozzo had been close to dying before, but this time it was different. This time Abby wasn't convinced that Tony wanted to live and that thought scared her more than anything.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
McGee was waiting outside the door of the office of the Secretary of the Navy. He forced himself to breathe deeply in an effort to focus his thoughts. The past week had been filled with one surprise after another involving Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo and the secrecy was beginning to wear on everyone's nerves. It was hard to believe that the senior field agent was entangled in such a web of deceit and lies, but then again, he had learned long ago, that he should expect the unexpected.
Tony was his friend and although DiNozzo could be rather irritating at times with his constant teasing, McGee knew that there was no one that he'd rather have watching his back. The senior agent had helped him overcome his naivety, making him a better investigator. It had taken McGee a while to recognize the fact that Tony constantly took the brunt of Gibbs' wrath, deflecting it away from McGee and Ziva. Now, he was going to get the chance to repay the favor; he was going to get to deflect the SecNav's anger away from his friend.
The door opened and he was ordered to enter the SecNav's office. He tried not to let the massive size of the room overwhelm him as he approached the desk with an outward confidence that he did not feel on the inside. He stood before the Secretary's desk and waited to be acknowledged.
"Agent McGee, it's good to see you again," the older man greeted.
McGee nodded. "Mr. Secretary."
"Well, now that we have the formalities over with, let's get down to business."
"I have no problems with that," the young agent agreed.
"Good." The SecNav opened a box and offered McGee a cigar.
"No thank you. I don't smoke."
"I don't either, just on special occasions."
"And this is a special occasion?" McGee inquired.
"Of course it is," Davenport conceded. "It's not everyday that someone is able to hack into my personal files on my computer. I went to a lot of trouble to make sure that they were protected, but yet, you managed to open them. Congratulations."
That was the last thing that McGee had expected to hear. He wasn't sure if he should say 'thank you' or if the SecNav was just building him up in order to deliver the fatal blow. "I…uh…well, you see…"
"No wonder Gibbs wanted you for his team," the SecNav continued. "You're good. Actually, you're better than good; you're one of the best that I've seen."
"Thank you, Mr. Secretary."
"You're welcome, Agent McGee." The SecNav leaned back in his chair. "However, you've seen some things that are a matter of national security and now you've become a risk."
"I was only searching for anything that might pertain to Agent DiNozzo, nothing else," McGee informed him.
"Agent DiNozzo, huh? Well, right now, Agent DiNozzo is wanted by the FBI and NCIS for questioning. It seems to me that you would want to distance yourself as far as possible from him; he seems to have a penchant for attracting trouble."
"He would be doing the same for me if our situations were reversed."
"He wouldn't be able to hack into my computer. DiNozzo's not that smart."
"I beg to differ, Mr. Secretary. Tony, I mean Agent DiNozzo is one of the best agents I've ever seen, next to Agent Gibbs, of course. He may not have the computer skills that I do, but he has his own way of finding out information."
"You do realize that your loyalty to Agent DiNozzo has landed you in a lot of hot water."
McGee stood tall. "Yes sir, I do."
"And you're willing to risk your career for DiNozzo."
"Yes sir, I am. Like I said, he would do the same for me."
The agent stood his ground as the SecNav rose from his seat and slowly approached him. Davenport squeezed his shoulder. "Well, Agent McGee, I'm impressed. You certainly have developed a backbone over the years. I tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to offer you a deal."
"What kind of deal?" McGee wondered.
Davenport smiled. "The kind of deal that will benefit everybody involved, including Agent DiNozzo. And who knows, you may even get to keep your job."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Gibbs had just finished dialing 911 when his dad came out of the storage shed. He had instructed Jack to call Katherine and tell her what had happened. Within a few minutes, Abby and Ziva had come bursting through the back door, each one wanting to know what they could do to help their friend. Now, he was sitting on the ground, Tony's head still cradled in his lap as he watched the paramedics feverishly work on the young man.
The two paramedics had introduced themselves as Greg and Randy and had only spoken to him since then if they had a question about Tony. He heard enough of their conversation to know that DiNozzo was more than likely bleeding internally. Guilt began to plague the former Marine, but he forced these thoughts to the deep recesses of his mind; he would have to deal with these feelings later. Right now, he had to stay focused on Tony.
He absently stroked Tony's hair as Greg expertly started an IV in the agent's arm. Gibbs could tell by the grim expressions on the paramedics' faces that DiNozzo's condition was deteriorating fast.
"You can ride with us if you want," Randy informed him.
"Try and stop me," Gibbs replied, moving aside so the two men could lift DiNozzo onto the gurney.
"Just stay out of the way," Greg said.
"You won't even know I'm there."
Tony was loaded into the ambulance and Gibbs quickly followed, making sure to stay out of Randy's way. As they headed towards the hospital, Tony began to come around. The team leader placed his calloused hand on his forehead, hoping that the physical contact would keep his senior agent calm.
"Shh. It's all right, Tony," Gibbs whispered into his ear.
"What….wha…hap…pened?" Tony mumbled.
"You got sick, Tony. But Randy here is taking good care of you."
"Hos…pital?"
"Yeah, you're going to the hospital."
"Hurts…belly…hurts."
"I know, Tony. Just take it easy," he gently urged. "Everything will be all right."
Gibbs silently wished that he could take DiNozzo's pain upon himself. It was a parent's instinct when their child was hurting to want to take that hurt away, but he knew from experience that it didn't work that way. Why didn't he do more to stop Tony from leaving the hospital in the first place? Jack had told him to stay in Stillwater, that Tony had needed him; but he had ignored his father's warnings and went back to D.C., believing that he was helping DiNozzo. All that he had managed to do was cause Tony even more pain, both physically and emotionally.
"Vance?" Tony rasped, bringing Gibbs out of his private musings.
"Don't worry about Vance. You just concentrate on getting better."
"I'm…sor…ry. I screwed up."
The team leader choked back his anger. His wrath at Vance didn't need to be directed at Tony. "You've got nothing to be sorry for."
Tony didn't answer. Gibbs leaned down closer to the ailing man. "I said that you have nothing to be sorry for. Do you understand me?"
Gibbs' question was met with silence once again. Taking his hand that had been resting on Tony's forehead; he gently tapped the top of his head, just as he did when DiNozzo had been dying from the plague. "Do you understand me?" he repeated.
Tony weakly smiled. "Got it, B…Boss."
Satisfied, Gibbs sat back up in time to notice the concerned expression on the paramedic's face. "What's wrong?" he demanded to know.
"Pressure's still dropping," Randy explained as he started another IV. "Bleeding must be pretty bad."
The ex-Marine clenched his jaw, mentally willing DiNozzo to fight for his life. He watched intently as Randy listened to Tony's heart. The paramedic then radioed Greg who was driving wanting to know an ETA. Gibbs felt like he was going to be sick. The only person that he would ever call son was dying and he was helpless to stop it. He hadn't been there for Shannon and Kelly and now there was nothing he could do for DiNozzo.
Within a couple of minutes, the ambulance pulled into the emergency entrance of the hospital where Dr. Katherine Marshall was waiting. As Tony was whisked away into one of the trauma room, Gibbs attempted to follow. The nurse stopped him with a stern shake of her head and he was forced to stand and watch their efforts to save Tony through the small window in the door.
He saw Katherine coming towards the door and he stepped aside to let her out, hoping that she would be able to tell him something about DiNozzo's condition. "How is he?" he impatiently asked.
"He's headed straight for surgery," she snapped. "I don't have time to go into details; we'll have to talk later."
Before he could reply, the nurse who had previously prevented him from entering the room came rushing towards them. "He's crashing!" the nurse cried out.
Katherine and the nurse ran back into the room and began working desperately to start Tony's heart again. Gibbs stepped inside the door, knowing that his presence wouldn't be noticed for the moment. Tears were welling up in his eyes and he did nothing to prevent them from running down his cheeks.
He wasn't sure what the tears were for. Was he crying because DiNozzo was dying? Was he crying because he had never taken the opportunity to tell Tony that the young man had managed to fill a void left by Kelly and Shannon? Or was he crying because he had failed Tony and was afraid he wouldn't get a chance to make things right?
Gibbs would have to figure it out later. For right now, he would just have to cry and hope that his tears were enough to convince God to leave Anthony DiNozzo on this earth.
I honestly tried not to leave a cliffhanger this time, but it didn't work. Don't worry, I'll write my little heart out this weekend so that you won't have to wait too long to find out what happens!