As they rode into work together the next morning, DiNozzo was unusually silent. Gibbs shot a covert look at him, frowning when he saw the tight, closed, expression on his face and the haunted look in his eyes. When they came to a halt in the parking garage and Tony still didn't react Gibbs shook his head.

"Let it go, DiNozzo." He counselled mildly.

As Tony turned to face him, his anguished expression told Gibbs that he was a long way from putting last night's events, behind him. Swallowing hard, he struggled to put his feelings into words.

"Boss, I .."

"I swear, DiNozzo," Gibbs commented, without heat, as he exited the car. "If you apologise one more time, I will kick your ass."

"Yes sir." Tony replied despondently.

Taking in the hunched shoulders and the defensive body language as Tony dragged himself out of the car. Gibbs realised he should have expected this, it seemed like the kid always had to make things difficult for himself, do things the hard way. Squaring his shoulders, Gibbs came swiftly around the vehicle bracing himself for what he knew had to be done as he stepped right up into his personal space.

"Hey! You walk in there looking like a kicked puppy and Viv will be all over you with questions, not to mention the attention you'll attract from Abby and Ducky and a whole building full of trained federal Agents. Is that what you want?"

He watched as a look of alarm flashed across Tony's face, they both knew he would rather die than let the whole world know his business, especially, when it came to something like this. Shaking his head the younger man visibly gathered himself together, straightening his shoulders and resolutely pushing his feelings down, before forcing a somewhat chagrined smile at letting his emotions so obviously get the better of him.

"Sorry, Boss."

Gibbs gave him a level look for the apology, which caused DiNozzo to wince and search around for a more suitable re-joiner as they crossed the parking garage together.

"I'm good."

Gibbs knew better. They weren't going to fix this overnight. He wondered if it was wrong of him to wish for a case. Without something else to focus on the kid was just going to carry on torturing himself about last night and there wasn't a dammed thing Gibbs could do about it until DiNozzo was ready to listen to him. But maybe he could throw in enough of a curve ball to serve as a distraction.

"That's good," He smiled thinly, as he pressed the button to call the elevator. "Because, once Dawn finds out that you're staying at my place I'm guessing you're going to have your hands full .."

"Oh no," Tony's jaw dropped comically, as he imagined her reaction. "Boss, we don't actually have to tell her do we?"

"No, DiNozzo we don't have to tell her," Gibbs said with exaggerated patience, giving the younger man's all too obvious relief the withering look it deserved. "Pretty sure Abby will already have done that for us."

As DiNozzo slumped dramatically against the back wall of the elevator Gibbs hid his smile. He knew it wasn't a solution, but it wouldn't hurt the kid to be pre-occupied with something else for a while. To her credit Roberts bided her time, restricting her curiosity to pointed sideways glances in Tony's direction as her partner did his level best to ignore her. But as soon as Gibbs got a call up to MTAC she was out of her chair and in front of DiNozzo's desk before he was halfway up the stairs.

"So, is it true, are you really staying with Gibbs?" He heard her ask. "At his house?"

It was sheer bad luck that DiNozzo came back from a coffee run, just as Mallard stopped by Gibbs desk to drop off some results. Listening with half an ear to the MDs report, Gibbs' radar tracked DiNozzo's movements as placed a coffee, first on his own desk, and then another on Roberts' workspace, not fooling Gibbs' for a second as he strained his sensitive hearing to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Oh my," Mallard eyed the bright white bandage showing under the cuff of Gibbs long sleeved t-shirt. "Jethro, please don't tell me you have been maiming yourself with those hand tools of yours again."

Across the room he saw DiNozzo pause as he waited for his Boss' response.

"At least, I still have my hand," Gibbs answered blandly, hoping to encourage the MD to drop this line of questioning. "Power tools would have taken it straight off."

"Even so, Jethro, perhaps I should take a look at it. The human arm is a very delicate piece of engineering, it is all too easy to damage a tendon and left untreated that could cause permanent injury."

Gibbs resisted the temptation to close his eyes in dismay. That was not something DiNozzo needed to hear. Risking a glance over the MD's shoulder, he saw that Tony had edged closer, holding Gibbs coffee like a talisman as he swallowed hard, his eyes wide with dismay.

"Boss, maybe you should let Ducky take a look at it." He managed.

Gibbs raised a brow at him, not underestimating the amount of courage it must have taken for the kid to make the suggestion. One look under the bandage and it wouldn't take long for the MD to work out what had really happened. He had no intention of putting DiNozzo through that.

"It's not that deep. Barely scratched the surface," Gibbs looked from one to the other. "Now will both of you just drop it?"

"Well," Mallard pursed his lips. "I suppose you have more than enough experience of such happenstances to know whether or not you need stitches. I'm prepared to take your word for it for now. But if it's not healing in a day or so, I reserve the right to insist."

"It'll be fine, Duck."

Turning his attention back to his work Gibbs listened to the MDs soft footfalls as he took his leave. It didn't escape his notice that DiNozzo's steps edged closer.

"Told you to drop it, DiNozzo." Gibbs reminded him, before he could even open his mouth.

"Yeah, I know, but maybe you should just let Ducky take a quick look," Tony didn't want to admit how much all that talk of tendons and permanent injury had unsettled him. "It's not like it's a straightforward cut. Do you have any idea how many bacteria there are in the average human mouth? What if it gets infected?"

"Tony," Gibbs gave him a stern look. The junior Agent had had already stood anxiously by watching as the ex-marine had doused the wound with iodine, checking that all his shots were up to date and reluctantly agreeing that none of the incisions were deep enough to need stitches. "Quit worrying."

"But," Tony looked around to make sure no-one could overhear before he leaned in and hissed with soft misery. "Boss, I bit you."

"My office," Gibbs decided. "Now."

He waited until the privacy of the small silver car, before rolling up his other sleeve, and thrusting his bare arm into DiNozzo's line of sight, rotating his elbow so that the long, curling, silver scar caught the light.

"See that? That was a screwdriver that got away from me."

Bending down he rolled up his pants leg and pulled down his sock to expose a long healed burn on his leg.

"That time, I dropped the soldering iron."

Reaching up, to find the tell tale raised tisse on the back of his head, he leaned forward, parting his hair so Tony could see the long, ragged, scar where the nine iron had made contact with his scull.

"This one, my third ex-wife hit me with a nine iron. You need to see any more?"

"No," Tony assured him hastily, a little nervous about what Gibbs might decide to reveal next. "I get the picture."

"Do you?" Gibbs demanded. "Each one of these injuries was entirely my own fault. I got careless, I didn't pay enough attention, or I screwed up. There was no-one to blame but myself," He held up his newly bandaged arm. "This is no different."

"Boss, I was the one who bit you I kind of think that's my fault."

Gibbs felt his frustration rise. The younger man had been writhing in fear, his face contorting with the physical or mental pain his nightmare was inflicting upon him. Gibbs had been very much afraid that he was going to make his existing injuries worse. So, when trying to reach him with his voice had had no effect, he had thrown caution to the winds and pinned him to the bed.

He should have known better. He did know better.

Even so, he had been surprised and somewhat taken aback by the ferocity with which DiNozzo had fought him. It had taken all his Marine training to hold him down, even as he hollered his name. The only response he got was a string of expletives as Tony, realised he was trapped, before he turned his head to the side and bit hard into one of the arms restraining him.

"Did you know it was me?" He asked now.

"No, but that just makes it worse," Tony protested. "It could have been anyone. What if it's a civilian next time? Or a woman? How can I ever trust myself again?"

"You ever do anything like this before?" Gibbs asked calmly.

"No," Tony admitted slowly after some consideration. "It's not like the nightmares come out of nowhere and if its been that kind of a week I generally don't feel all that sociable. Besides, .." He hesitated, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"Spit it out." Gibbs encouraged.

"I might not have been through Paris Island. But I've taken enough self-defences courses as a cop," Tony couldn't meet his eyes. "There's not many people who could pin me like that. I guess, I kind of panicked."

Gibbs tipped his head on one side as he regarded his junior Agent. He had been the one who insisted DiNozzo came home with him. He had been the one who had pressed the younger man to talk about his father. He had been the one who had forcibly held him down and scared the hell out of him.

"Still think it's your fault?"

"You were trying to do the right thing," Tony was quick to excuse his action. He couldn't quite shake his own feelings of guilt that Gibbs had shown him nothing but kindness and he had repaid his hospitality with nothing but problems. "Look, maybe it would be best if I just checked back into a Hotel."

Gibbs stepped forward, as he searched his expression intently.

"That really what you want?

"No." Tony replied honestly, even as he stood braced for rejection.

Gibbs smiled, a warm, genuine, smile, as he reached forward and tapped DiNozzo lightly under the chin, eliciting an answering grin in response to the unorthodox show of affection.

"Then stay."