A/N: Changed my mind. Hey, if women can do it, so can I.
Chapter 5. New Information
The ride to the Bethesda was made in silence, broken only by the sobs of the goth woman in the passenger seat. Tony's hand held hers while Palmer, in the backseat, laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. If it hadn't been for them, she would have broken down completely.
As they stepped into the waiting room, they found Ducky waiting for them, sitting in a chair. To the side was Vance, in conference with Special Agent Fornell of the FBI and another FBI agent who Tony had seen, but not met before.
He deposited Abby with Ducky, who took her into his lap, and Palmer sat at Ducky's side, holding her hand. DiNozzo went over to talk to Vance.
"Director, Toby, bland FBI Agent, how is everyone this evening," DiNozzo asked. Only Fornell grinned, Vance looked ready to chew on DiNozzo and spit him out. The other agent didn't make a comment, aside from a barely concealed sigh.
"DiNozzo, good to see you again," Fornell said, shaking his hand. "This is Agent Matthews from my team. Your Director," he motioned to Vance, who nodded, "has asked us to look into Gibbs' accident while you finish up your last case. Then we're to turn it over to you, when you're ready."
DiNozzo nodded. "Agent Matthews, can you get us some coffee, I know I need some. Any for you gentlemen," he asked. When they shook their heads 'no', Matthews moved off toward the cafeteria.
When he was gone, DiNozzo turned to Vance. "Director, would you like an update?" When Vance nodded, he continued, "Reynolds didn't kill him. He hit him with a shovel, but didn't kill him. His hands and shirt came back negative for GSR, and he admitted to the shovel. I asked Officer David to stop off at the warehouse to see if she can find the shovel. Since it's Monday morning now, and this was a government job, I doubt any work has been done this weekend. Hopefully we'll be able to find something to corroborate his statement."
DiNozzo sighed and sat on a nearby chair. "Sorry, been a long night. David and McGee are working on Reynolds' car, McGee found some wood splinters that we may be able to match to the shovel, but Abby will have to check it." DiNozzo looked tauntingly into Vance's eyes. "I decided that she had more reason to be here than working on the car, so I brought her along."
Vance simply nodded, having seen Abby's tears when she walked in to the room. "Good idea. She doesn't look like she could do much through the tears." DiNozzo only nodded. Vance turned to Fornell. "Agent Fornell, I guess this would be a good time to find out where you are."
Fornell looked between the two men. "Basically, there was an eighteen wheeler that ran a red light. Seems a little fishy that the only thing it hit was a Federal Agent's car. We took the driver into custody when the bill of lading didn't match what was in the back of the truck. I also noticed the signature on the bill of lading, and Sacks is checking on the owner now," Fornell looked sideways at Vance.
DiNozzo noticed the look, but didn't have the right reason. He snickered slightly. "Slacks? You haven't turned him into your dog sitter?" Fornell grinned and shook his head. "Guess you're right. He is overqualified to do that." Fornell chuckled, knowing the history behind the two men.
He looked at them again, "As of ten minutes ago, both the truck and Gibbs' car are still there, waiting on the wreckers to separate them before they can move them. We're processing at the scene until they get moved. That's all I have so far, Director Vance. If you don't have anything else, I'll head back out and check on the progress. Matthews is going to stay here as a liaison."
Vance nodded, his ever-present toothpick shifting to the opposite side of his mouth. "Sounds good. Keep us informed, Fornell."
Fornell nodded and moved to DiNozzo, who had his head hanging down. He leaned down to the younger man and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry, Tony. We'll find who did this. If you'd like, I'll talk to Vance about putting us under your team once you take over the case." DiNozzo only nodded, and Fornell knew it was in appreciation of the offer, not in acceptance of it. Fornell stood and moved away, passing Matthews and taking his coffee as he did.
Vance stood, regarding DiNozzo for a moment. Matthews came up with the coffee and passed one to each man before, wisely, moving off toward the other three. Vance spoke softly. "Special Agent DiNozzo, you are not to involve your team in Fornell's investigation, is that clear?" DiNozzo nodded and stood. They both moved back toward the sounds of a sobbing goth, black make up in shambles after two hours of crying.
Tony walked up to Ducky, who looked up at him. In answer to Tony's unasked question, one he could see on his face, Ducky whispered, "She's fine. I'm not as decrepit as people seem to think I am." Tony chuckled quietly and squatted next to Abby.
He whispered in her ear, "Abs, Gibbs will be all right." He wasn't prepared for his long time surrogate sister to turn on him.
"You can't know that, Tony. The last time Gibbs was in the hospital, he didn't remember anyone, not even Ducky. If it happens again, what if it takes more than head slapping Ziva to snap him out of it? What if he forgets Shannon and Kelly?"
Tony smiled sympathetically. He rubbed her hand and said, "Just think, maybe this time he'll come out kissing me on the cheek and head slapping you." This made Abby chuckle, which Tony grinned at as he placed her hands back in Palmer's and stood, pulling out his cell phone.
Vance, sitting behind Abby, looked up at him. "Who are you calling, DiNozzo?"
DiNozzo didn't bat an eye. "Babysitter. Want to make sure I didn't leave the stove on." He walked out of the room.
Vance started to stand, but was held back by Ducky. "Let him go, Director."
Vance wasn't having any of it. "You know he's going to call David and McGee to check on the accident, and I specifically ordered him not to."
Ducky kissed Abby's cheek as he made for her to stand. She simply moved into a very surprised Palmer's lap, wrapping herself around him. Palmer, shakily, wrapped his arms around her back, his face making Ducky wish he had a camera with him.
Ducky stood and motioned to Vance to follow him. It wasn't until they left the room and stood outside the doorway that he began to speak. "Director, there's probably a few things about Anthony you don't realize. You weren't here the last time when Jethro retired and Anthony had to take over the team." Ducky chuckled. "Timothy and Ziva were in my autopsy probably twice a week, at least, complaining that Anthony was acting like Jethro again." The older man looked directly into Vance's eyes. "Be ready for the same thing.
"Be ready for a Gibbs clone with inappropriate humor stuck in. He'll drink coffee like Jethro, slap heads like Jethro, and get results like Jethro. He'll piss you off. If he had a basement, he'd probably try to build a boat." Ducky chuckled lightly before he continued. "And, he'll do this because Jethro is the only role model he has in leadership.
"At one time, he would have looked to how Jennifer handled herself, but the circumstances of her death, and how she made him walk away from her causing that death means that he won't look to her example.
"He could look to you, but he won't. You split up the team, sent him to the Seahawk. You're a divider." Vance opens his mouth to speak, but Ducky raises his hand. "Doesn't matter if it wasn't a punishment, you are the one that split them up. Anthony, as well as the rest of them, believes the mole would have been caught faster if they had been together and looking into the case."
Vance finally got in a word. "Okay, I can see all that. Don't agree with it, but I can see it. But, DiNozzo is, in a word, inept. If he's not playing a practical joke, he's chasing some skirt. How any of the last couple of directors didn't just fire him on the spot is beyond me. He doesn't have the computer skills of McGee, the physical skills of David, and he's not the leader Gibbs is."
"Why they didn't? Simple. They watched. Have you ever watched Anthony when he's with the team? He's the one who normally makes the break in the case, but he'll word it so someone else makes the connection. Jethro and I have talked about it before. Anthony cares more for the team, and their growth, than he does for his own.
"When he first arrived, he was far past arrogant, but he knew he was. He watched Jethro and how he would make the connection, and then give it to someone else. Anthony saw how he did it, and emulated it. Anthony, if you watch, will type with two fingers. When he doesn't know anyone is watching, his typing speed rivals any secretary anywhere.
You're right; he doesn't have the computer skills of Timothy. But, whom do you think brought up Timothy joining the team? It wasn't Jethro. Timothy welcomed Ziva, but who showed her the ropes? It wasn't Timothy. If Anthony knows how to make the team better, he does it."
Ducky placed a finger in Vance's face. "And don't think that he couldn't gain those skills. He's not better at computers than Timothy, only because that's Timothy's niche. He's not better at fighting and shooting than Ziva, because that's what she does. And, he's not the leader Jethro is, because of a conversation they had years ago. Anthony is the only back up Jethro has.
Have you ever noticed how when Anthony is on holiday or gone for a day for some reason? How does Jethro act?" Vance looked down for a moment, thinking. "Jethro's more tense, more irritable, and more prone to head slaps when Anthony isn't around. Anthony absorbs the abuse from Jethro because both of them know that when Anthony can't be there, Jethro will take it out on everyone else. So, he takes as much as he can, so when he can't stop it, it's not as bad as it could be."
Vance looked deep in thought. He'd never imagined this side of the Senior Field Agent. He'd glanced at his personnel folder, but never really looked in depth, safe in the knowledge that his ability to read people was far better than words on a page.
Ducky gave him a few seconds before he continued. "Back to my point from earlier. WWJD is a popular slogan, but in Anthony's case, it doesn't apply to the Son of God, but to the man he believes is God. He will follow Jethro to the ends of the earth, then take the step over first so he can try to catch him when Jethro goes over himself."
Ducky chuckled as he stated, "Anthony would probably make fun of me for the movie reference, and flat out deny the Brokeback Mountain allusion, but Anthony completes Jethro.
"So, before you go off half cocked on Anthony, take a look at it from the team perspective." With that, Ducky moved back to Abby and Jimmy. He sat beside them, and Abby immediately kissed Jimmy on the cheek, causing him to turn even more red, and moved back to Ducky's lap. Vance watched the dynamic for a few moments, turning away to see Tony walking back to the waiting room. Ducky's eyes met Vance's and Ducky nodded.
Vance turned to the approaching agent. "Special Agent DiNozzo, may I have a word with you." The order veiled as a suggestion caught DiNozzo off guard, but he only nodded and moved to the break room.
As they stepped in, DiNozzo walked up to a candy machine and hit it just right. The whirring sound was succeeded by the sound of a candy bar dropping. He bent down to retrieve it before turning to Vance, offering it to him. Vance simply took it and DiNozzo turned back to the machine and repeated his actions. "You know you've been in hospitals too long when you've figured out the vending machine." He chuckled before he turned back and saw the look on Vance's face. Any trace of a grin flew from his face.
"Special Agent DiNozzo, I believe I was quite clear when I ordered you to not involve your team in the investigation into Gibbs' accident. Was I not?" DiNozzo only nodded. "Would you like to explain yourself?"
DiNozzo exploded. "What do you want me to say, Director? That I involved my team in an investigation that they would have checked on anyway? When I called, McGee was already tracing where Gibbs called from when he let us know the locals found Reynolds. David was on her way, already picked up the shovel, and making her way to the accident to see what she could.
"So, yes, Director. I completely ignored your order to instruct my team to do their job. If you want, put David or McGee as Lead and I'll follow them. Or, I can just hand you my badge as soon as this investigation is over and that'll be that. I trusted my team to do what they do best, and they'll do it, not in spite of it being Gibbs, but because of it."
His voice turned low. "Right now, in my original case, the two people I need to confirm what we found are in there. One's crying her eyes out, and she's sitting in the lap of the other one. So, either let my team do their jobs, or fire me," DiNozzo finished, almost out of breath.
Vance simply nodded, removed his toothpick, and turned on his heel, walking back to the waiting room. Behind him, he heard the machine being hit multiple times.
DiNozzo came in moments later, handing a candy bar to Palmer, Abby, and Ducky, who refused. Tony sat down, eating his candy bar, glaring at Vance, who was looking at him with heavily veiled, but newly found, respect.