By the time Gibbs made it back to NCIS headquarters it was past late and the bullpen was almost deserted. He had already sent Roberts home with instructions to file her report in the morning. Even by his standards it had been a long day and he didn't expect DiNozzo to be doing anything more than killing time with one of those computer games of his, as he waited for his Boss to return. The sight of the dark head bent diligently over a file, his eyes switching between the text and his computer monitor as he worked, tugged at Gibbs' heart.
For a moment, he stood silently in the shadows, biting back a sigh as he ran a practised eye over the bruised eye, the livid cut and the carefully bandaged hands. The kid should be at home in bed with a hot meal and a couple of those strong painkillers Ducky had recommended inside him. Not making do with a candy bar from the vending machine and a couple of headache pills from his desk drawer. The thin lines of pain and exhaustion around his eyes told their own story. Part of Gibbs just wanted to let the junior agent off the hook. But he knew that wasn't what DiNozzo needed. And if they were going to do this thing they were going to do it right.
"You find something in one of those?" Gibbs nodded at the cold case files as he stepped into the light.
"Maybe," DiNozzo looked up with a complete lack of surprise that suggested he'd known all along he was being watched. Picking up the open file he passed it over, carefully searching Gibbs' expression as he read. "It's not much, but it might be enough to break Saunder's alibi."
"Yeah, it might at that," Gibbs agreed. "We'll bring in him. That's good work, DiNozzo."
Tony felt a little awkward at the unexpected praise. In his experience when people were mad at you they generally stayed mad. That Gibbs could still give credit where it was due was both refreshing and a little disconcerting. For all his reputation as a hard ass, the ex-marine never reacted the way he expected.
"Yeah well," He managed an apologetic look. "I figured I should do something whilst I was sitting here on my ass like a good little Agent."
Gibbs almost smiled. No-one could say that DiNozzo didn't have the guts to face things head on. Hell, the kid was almost suicidal in that respect. It reminded Gibbs a whole lot of his younger self. He knew he'd been lucky to have a couple of good COs who had straightened him out and he was determined to repay that debt by doing the same for DiNozzo, whatever it took.
"You crossed a line, Tony." He spoke softly.
The younger man actually flinched, as much at the gentle tone as the use of his first name. The genuine concern cut through his defences more than any parade ground tirade could ever have done. Tony wanted to think it was co-incidence. But having seen Gibbs at work in interrogation he suspected the ex-Marine knew exactly what he was doing to him.
"If you ever disobey a direct order of mine ever again you will be off this team and out of this Agency so fast your head will spin and I'll make dammed sure not even the FBI will hire you. Are we clear?" Gibbs continued.
"Crystal," Tony acknowledged reluctantly. Inwardly he debated with himself. It might just be quicker to clear his desk now. Gibbs didn't just demand his loyalty he expected it. And as much as Tony wanted to believe in him, nothing in his life to date had ever justified placing that much faith in another human being. He took a deep breath. He had to be honest about this. He owed Gibbs that. "But I can't promise I'll follow your orders if I think you're wrong."
Gibbs looked at him for a long moment, his face completely expressionless. When the ex-marine took a step closer, lowering his voice so that only the two of them could hear Tony realised that he had actually stopped breathing.
"You never hear of the chain of command, DiNozzo?"
"Would you have hired me if I'd been following Lieutenant Sands' orders?" Tony countered. "That guy was an out and out asshole and Nuremburg defence makes for pretty shaky grounds."
"I give you a reason not to trust me?" Gibbs wanted to know.
"Not yet." Tony admitted guardedly.
That earned him a sharp look and Tony had the uncomfortable feeling that he had just revealed rather more than he had intended about himself to the senior Agent. He didn't break eye contact but he could feel the flush of embarrassment spread across his face, turning his ears bright pink. Which only made him madder at himself, if they had been undercover his lack of control could have got them both killed. How did this man break through his defences so easily?
When Gibbs looked away, giving him a moment to collect himself, Tony figured he had part of his answer. The ex-marine wasn't interested in humiliating him he wasn't even concerned about digging into the more painful parts of his past, Gibbs simply wanted to make him a better agent. And maybe not get him killed along the way.
"While we are in the field, you will follow my orders," Gibbs' tone was uncompromising. "I will not jeopardise lives or the security of an operation by wondering if your conscience is going to let you come to the party. Any other time you'd dammed well better speak freely or I will kick your ass."
"Did you just give me permission to tell you, you're full of crap?" Tony blinked.
"I might be your Boss, DiNozzo. But you're also my partner. If I thought I could do this job single-handed I wouldn't have bothered putting together a team. Like it or not, you are part of that team now. Did it ever occur to you to pick up the phone and ask if you could take the case?"
"You would have said no." Tony protested.
"It's not like you were in any real danger. Metro had already confirmed it as a straightforward suicide. There was a squad car at the scene to back you up. And I doubt the corpse was in any condition to start a fire fight." Gibbs shook his head.
"Oh," Tony pressed his lips together. It hadn't occurred to him that his Boss had actually grounded him for his own well being. He had honestly believed that it was punishment for letting Harris get the better of him. "I thought you'd say no."
"Yeah, I get that." Gibbs said dryly.
"C'mon Gibbs," Tony tried. "You would have done the same thing."
"I know," Gibbs agreed. "And my CO would have suspended me, just like I'm going to do to you."
"You're sending me home?" Tony's eyes widened.
Gibbs hadn't thought it was possible for the kid to get any paler. He'd been wrong about that. Looking at the stricken expression he was almost tempted to relent. DiNozzo looked liked he had been kicked in the gut. But he reminded himself that this was for the best. The headstrong young man needed a firm lesson and a couple of days at home would give his injuries a chance to heal properly. In many ways it was a greater kindness than keeping him chained to his desk.
Still, he doubted DiNozzo would see it that way.
"I don't need to see you here for 48 hours."
"Two days?" Tony protested.
"You want me to make it four?" Gibbs raised a brow in mild challenge.
"No sir," Tony instantly backed down, his abject submission only serving to underline how hard the punishment would be on him. Still, he had to admit that he had disobeyed a direct order and all in all Gibbs was being pretty reasonable about that. Even he realised it wasn't a good idea to push his luck on this one. "Two's just dandy."
"Go on then," Gibbs instructed, softening his tone a little. "The sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back."
As he watched the younger man slowly gather together his gear Gibbs felt a spark of fond affection. In truth, he admired DiNozzo's dedication to the job and his determination to do his best for the service men and women NCIS was here to serve. He just wasn't about to let his zeal get him killed. As reluctant as he was to admit it, DiNozzo was already way too important to him to allow that.
"Gibbs.." Tony began awkwardly.
"I know," Gibbs cut him off with a smile bordering on the paternal as he delivered the reassurance he knew DiNozzo needed. "Go home. Eat something. Get some rest. Do whatever you do when you have downtime. The job will still be here when you get back."
"Thank you, Boss." Tony nodded.