AN: Again, I must thank, as well as the people who left their names, those who left kind reviews but were not signed in. I'd love to be able to thank you personally, but as I naturally respect your desire for anonymity, I have to thank you this way for your continuing, lovely support.

Also an apology... Regular friends will know that one of the things I'm paranoid about is credibility – reading back over chapter 6 I think having someone black out at the bottom of a river then come back to the surface anyway may be hoping for a lot... in my efforts to be dramatic I think I went OTT there. I meekly ask you, rather than me having to go back in and change it all, to remember I know nothing about hydrodynamics, and to ASSUME that the current brought him back up... (blushes)

Thanks to to Angel for a great phrase, which I shamelessly borrowed!

Cowboy Tony Rides Again

Chapter 7

Huddled under his blanket, shivering and thinking he should get up and walk round to warm himself, Simon chose to stay down on the grass beside Tony instead. He looked at him with his head on one side. "What? Hey, you tell me, cuz I don't know where to begin. Not sure either of us have the energy anyway..."

Tony nodded. "Mmm... 'bout... out myself... you OK?"

"I expect I will be with some dry underwear. You were floating... your face kept going under and you didn't stop it. I thought you were dead, dammit."

"So'd I..." His chest heaved constantly with the effort of just drawing breath, let alone speaking. Two words, gasp, another two words, damn, he hated it. The bout of retching had dislodged the blanket, and he was grateful to have the warmth back when Simon reached over again and pulled it round him. "Decided I wanted... t'live... on way down..."

Simon's eyes widened, and rather than explode, he got up slowly and deliberately onto his knees, got his hands under Tony's shoulders and hauled him over to a half-buried boulder. He propped him up against it, and then this time had to re-wrap both of them in their blankets that had been dragged off. His feeling of unease was growing, but he kept his face expressionless. "Decided you wanted to live on the way down... so... stop me if I'm wrong, but up to then you wanted to die?"

Tony coughed and spluttered again, as more river came up. "No, not... not that specific... just didn't care." Why was he opening his big mouth like this?

"I really want to know what's going on with you, Tony. So... you were sinking, and you didn't care... and then you just decided, hey, no problem, changed my mind... to swim back up again..."

The agent leaned his head back against the rock and looked vaguely up at the clear sky. "No... no... tried to... too late... blacked out."

"Then how..."

"No idea." He'd let his guard down, and already said far too much; OK, he wasn't so far gone that he actively wanted to die, whatever the watery river nymph Jeanne had told him, but now he'd gone and put that anxious tone in the Marine's voice. He didn't deserve to be worried over. His vision began to blur and he didn't fight it, but drifted off again. Simon heaved at his shoulders to prevent him keeling over, just as a bright red, glaringly overdressed Buick Enclave came blundering up the hill. Driven by Mary Lesniak, it stopped some yards away in deference to Doris's feelings.

NCISNCISNCIS

Harvey Eames was beginning to get his bluster back now that the Israeli woman who'd scared him so thoroughly was doing other things. These new guys who'd appeared on the scene were FBI, and he heard their leader giving orders, after a suggestion from McGee for his business records to be taken as evidence. Eames knew it was only a matter of time before his creative accounting was discovered, including what he'd extracted to pay his 'terrorists', and as his heart sank sickly into his boots, he had to lash out at someone. Scott Milner, waiting patiently to give his statement to the FBI, was an easy target. As an FBI agent began to steer Eames towards the door, he stopped and got in his face.

"You yellow, chicken livered jerk... if you'd had the guts to take your chance, you could have been rich! They'd never have found out if you hadn't come running down here crying your eyes out, wetting your pants – I swear I'll get you somehow for this you asshole... you ruined -"

"Excuse me," Tim McGee said coldly, as he stepped between the two, "You do realise, don't you, that we knew exactly what you were doing way before Mr. Milner came to warn us -"

"You couldn't have -"

"Well, Mr. Eames, what do you think we were doing here? We've arrested your men up at Beaver, we know about the accords, we know about all that land you've been buying, and we have a witness who heard you up on New Dam last night -"

"What? You're lying... There wasn't anyone up there – I mean – "

Tim was allowing himself a little enjoyment now he knew the dam, and Tony, were safe, (although of course 'safe' still needed to be quantified where the SFA was concerned,) and he said cheerfully, "Oh yes, two if you count the horse. But thank you for confirming that you were there." Poor Harvey was starting to look slightly wild-eyed, and Tim went cold again. "Mr. Eames, you've just attempted to murder a Federal Agent and a resident of the town, to cause the destruction of that town, without any regard for its citizens, and planned to kill all of us here in this room. So now I'm adding threatening behaviour to Mr. Milner to the list of charges, and if I ever hear of any hint of harm coming to him, you'll be the first person I visit in prison – I hope that's clear." He didn't wait for an answer, and smiled wolfishly. "You can take him now, Agent Rawdon." The FBI man returned the predatory grin, and pushed Eames towards the door.

Ziva smiled her approval at Tim, holding her phone out from her ear, as a male voice, strident with anxiety, emerged from it. "Please wait. I will find out." She looked across at Ty Frodsham. "Your Police Chief wishes to know if it is really safe for people to return to the town," she said.

"I think," Ty replied thoughtfully, "that we should boost the levels up at Beaver and New Dam, and keep running it down here, until Old Lake's as low as we can get away with, just to reassure everyone." He looked over at Mary, who grinned, if a little tensely. She made no secret of the fact that she deferred to his judgement on such things, and her mind was a bit elsewhere. Ty grinned back, and added, "Yes, it's safe." As Ziva nodded her thanks, and turned back to her phone, the engineer looked Mary in the eye. "Well, go on then."

"Go on?"

"You know what I mean. Me and Joel'll look after the system. Tim and Ziva are dealing with the rest of it... you get up to New Dam and find out how Simon is." His tone was loaded, and she pretended to look blank. "He says he's proud of Adam... let him tell him himself."

Mary frowned slightly. "Mmm... Gibbs has got our truck... my car's at home..."

A gravelly voice said airily from the doorway, "There's a big red thing out there you could take, its owner won't be needing it today, keys are in it." Tobias Fornell jerked his thumb back towards the door as he walked in. "No wonder that poor thing's bright red. I'd be embarrassed if I was tarted up like that."

NCISNCISNCIS

With a quick glance at Tony to check that he didn't simply flop over on his side again, Simon stood up as the Flying Tomato lurched to a halt. Mary and Adam piled out, and flung themselves into his arms. It was almost enough to knock him over, and he leaned into the hug to keep himself upright, as they all spoke at once of their relief, and their pride.

The blanket had fallen from his shoulders yet again as he stood up; after a long moment Mary realised she was clinging to a very damp, half-naked, well muscled former Marine, and enjoying the sensation. She went a bit pink, and backed off hastily; so did Simon. If they could have read each other's thoughts they'd have saved themselves a bit of time, and Adam a lot of hinting...

'Is it too soon, Jess? Should I even be thinking about another woman? You know I loved you...'

'Back off, Lesniak... you can't be all over him... you can't replace his wife...'

Adam broke the moment by exclaiming "Tony!" and dropping down beside the man slumped on the ground. His father knelt back down on the other side of the agent's legs, and found himself regarded sleepily. He read accurately the lazy glance of amusement in DiNozzo's eyes, and the quirk to the corner of his mouth; damn, the guy was observant, even on his back... and clearly he didn't think it was too soon. Neither did Adam, but... focus, Townley.

"We have to get you two down the mountain," Mary said with a calmness she didn't feel, taking in Simon's white face and slight tremor, and Tony's lethargy. "The ambulance can't get up here... I shouldn't even have brought that thing... the suspension can't take it..."

"And it's... enough to scare... Doris into fits..." Tony muttered. "Don't need an amb...

"The hell you don't, DiNozzo," Gibbs said from somewhere above their heads. No-one had noticed the truck rolling quietly to a halt on the grass, or the Boss's quiet approach. Tony didn't argue; his head lolled, he was out of it again. Simon suppressed a frown of annoyance, and tried to figure out what it was about, but Gibbs was barking orders. "Leave it here. Eames's car, right? Leave it here until someone can be bothered to fetch it. Let's get DiNozzo in the back of the truck. You need to get yourself checked out too, Townley."

"I'm fine," Simon said flatly, and Gibbs winced inside himself. Dammitall, another one...

Tony roused himself enough to try, unsuccessfully, to help as they manhandled him into the back of the truck, and Gibbs was forcibly reminded of a scene at Belinda's Secret, a year ago. Here they were again... Tony talking to his horse instead of him... he thought they'd been finding their way back to the working relationship – hell, the friendship they'd had before he'd taken off for Mexico... but Jen's scheming, and DiNozzo's determination to – for once – just blindly follow orders and not tell him – had set things back so far that another talk was needed – the one he'd been steadfastly avoiding.

He'd thought they were doing fine up at Beaver Dam this morning, but it didn't mean he could put things off. He'd thought things would be fine after Tony burned that letter, but he'd not stopped to consider, because he didn't deal with such things any more - that broken-hearted doesn't vanish overnight. And hell, Jethro, you should have remembered that!

He looked at the white face, labouring chest and screwed up eyes, and reminded himself that urgency was the thing here, not wandering, guilty thoughts. DiNozzo's lungs, the suspect damn things that were fine as long as he was, but that went AWOL first sign of a cough or a cold, how much water might be still in there? And there was the busted arm they'd tried not to jar as they moved him. He'd ride to the hospital with him, wait, with no patience at all for as long as it took until the medics said it was OK, and then finally try to talk up some damage repair. Yeah, that's talk, Jethro. He folded his jacket, put it under Tony's head, tucked the errant blanket in yet again, and barked at Mary, "I'll drive."

Three hot pairs of eyes turned on him. "My truck, Agent Gibbs. You think I don't know how to drive it down my mountain?"

Adam just glared.

Simon began to figure what he was annoyed about. I really want to know what's going on with you, Tony'...

He liked Tony... his son liked him, and Adam was a real good judge of character. So was Mary... After the Fed had saved his son up on that mountain... no, couple of months before that, in that diner... he'd actually been reminded of his brother Marines. Here was a guy who once he became your friend, would be a good one... an enduring one... the best. But all their efforts to become, and then stay friends, had been frustrated by DiNozzo's job... long hours, undercover stuff... a boss who made heavy demands on his team, (and from the little Tony had said, a director who made impossible ones;) and what had finally got a good guy to the state where he hit rock bottom at the bottom of a river, where only some trick of the current had saved him, was anybody's guess.

They'd kept in touch, but they'd last managed to actually meet for a coffee during a school break of Adam's, almost a year ago now; and just now Tony had been about to give him a clue as to what had ground him so far down in the time since then. Well, Simon Townley could be a good friend too, and he was going to help, whether DiNozzo liked it or not. And now was the time to start – until the demanding boss had showed up. Barking orders... didn't he know Mary had claws? As the tiny engineer unsheathed them, and Simon wondered whether to step in or step back and watch, it was the exhausted man in the back of the truck who intervened.

"Boss..." It was thready and weak, and Gibbs had to lean over to hear. "Doris..." The patient Morgan stood as close as she dared to the truck, looking across, ears pricked.

Simon was astonished at the instant understanding, and Gibbs' reaction. He squeezed his SFA's shoulder reassuringly, and spoke gently. "Sure, Tony. Don't worry, I'll take her home. Take good care of her for you. I'll come soon as I've done that, OK?"

"Thanks, Boss..."

Gibbs patted the other man's shoulder again, and turned back to Mary, his attitude completely different. "No, Ma'am, don't think that at all." He looked at Simon. "You do need to get checked out, Marine," he said quietly. "Will you go with him?"

Somewhere way down at the bottom of the track, an ambulance siren was switched on briefly, then off again. The EMTs were waiting. "I intend to," Simon said just as softly, climbed into the truck-bed, and sat down gratefully, hoping the tremor in his legs would stop. Hell, he hurt all over. Adam went to join him, but he put his hand on his boy's shoulder and said, "Son, I'm fine. I'll look after Tony. Will you look after Mary for me?" Adam looked dubious; he knew he was being played, but didn't know why – but he trusted his Dad so he didn't argue. As he got into the cab, Gibbs closed the tailgate and went to rub Doris's nose, and Mary moved the truck off down the trail. The last Simon saw of Gibbs was as the big brown mare headed up the trail over the ridge to the Duet side of the mountain and home.

Tony coughed, and threw up a small amount of water, but didn't attempt to talk, too miserable to bother. Simon braced himself against the side of the truck, as Mary found the smoothest way down the trail, and wrapped his arms around Tony from behind to act as a human shock absorber. That produced a reaction.

"I'm OK... look after... yourself..."

Simon snorted. He was quiet for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Don't talk. You'll be more comfortable in a minute, there'll be oxygen available and lots of people who know how to deal with klutzes who try to inhale a whole river." He went for funny, because he knew it was how his unwilling listener dealt with things, and anyway there was no point in even thinking of what he knew about untreated freshwater drowning. They'd be in time. He hoped they'd be in time.

"I'll tell you a story to keep you occupied... so don't interrupt. A bit over a year ago, a grieving Marine, with a grieving son who refused to relate to him, or anyone, met a helpful stranger in a diner. This friendly Fed understood how the Marine was feeling, and promptly, out of the blue, gave him a way back to relating with his son. Few weeks later... same Fed rescues the Marine's son, when no-one else even knows where to look. Have I got your attention? A grunt will do..."

"Grunt," Tony whispered.

"Smartarse. O-Kay... So it's only in the aftermath of all that that the Marine realises the Fed's got issues of his own. That he never breathed a word about." He went serious. "Tony, when Mary called me and said you were here, I really hoped to see things had changed – although the fact that every time we tried to meet up for a beer, one of your higher-ups had urgent need of you should have told me something... anyways, the story so far is that I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

"This?"

"Don't talk, breathe. I don't mean now, we need to get you fixed... and I'd quite like to avoid contracting pneumonia myself..." he had no idea why the other man shuddered, "but – I want to know why you got close to wanting to die today."

Tony shook his head. "I said... not that... specific..."

"I know."

There were blue lights flashing at the bottom of the trail, as Mary brought the truck gently to a halt. The back doors of the ambulance were open, with a highly competent pair of paramedics sitting on the step. As the truck stopped the man and woman sprang to their feet. "I remember. Shh. Stop moving that arm. OK, didn't care. I'm giving you fair warning, as a friend, that I'm going to find out. And I'm going to help. Whether you like it or not. Even if it's Gibbs who's responsible. Hell... especially if it's Gibbs who's responsible."

As Mary and the EMTs lowered the tailgate, Tony shook his head again, and raised cloudy green eyes to meet Simon's defiant blue ones.

"No... not Gibbs' fault..."

TBC