Chapter Eight

Walking swiftly back over to Ziva and the elder, bloodier, DiNozzo, Gibbs stopped and cocked his head.

Senior, holding a handkerchief to his nose, snapped, "What are you starring at Special Agent Gibbs?" He said the name like a curse.

Gibbs smirked, "Just realized I don't need to hit you, Tony handled that pretty well."

Outraged, Senior pointed in the direction his son had walked off, "That ungrateful little bastard…"

"Could have cleaned your clock before you even knew what hit you. We don't just use guns to stop the bad guys, and Tony's been doing this for seventeen years, you dumbass." Gibbs looked the disheveled man up and down, finding it hard to believe the idiocy and arrogance that had brought this man here today.

He stepped closer, as Ziva slid to the side while smiling wickedly, "Now here's what you're going to do. Go get cleaned up in this bathroom. Then get the hell out of NCIS and off the Navy yard, and don't ever come back."

"Like I'd bother to! And what if I want to press charges? He assaulted me!"

"I heard the end of the argument, sounded like you struck first." Gibbs pointed up over his shoulder, "And I'm sure the security footage will confirm that."

"That was nothing but a minor correction from a parent to a child - having had a girl you wouldn't understand."

Gibbs had had more than enough. He abruptly crowded the other man back up against the wall. "No, that was assault on a Federal Agent. My agent." He said a great deal more than just agent with that word. He forced the other man to drop his eyes; the elder DiNozzo apparently realized getting to walk out of the building might be his best option.

"It addition to getting the hell out of here, you no longer contact my agent again. Period. There's a restraining order going through now to enforce that. Any further communication is through his lawyer or me, his power of attorney, and…" he leaned right by Senior's ear, " a better father than you could ever, ever be."

"Ziva, escort this man to the wash room, then make sure security helps him leave the yard. I'll be calling them up here now, loudly in Mallick's case. Meet us in One after." He scooped up the envelope on the floor on his way back to his desk.

"Of course Gibbs. This way Mr. DiNozzo. I will make sure your nose is set correctly." She assisted Senior with a firm grip on his elbow pressure point.

Ziva cut him off as he started to open his mouth, "If you speak, at all, you will not leave the washroom alive. Do you understand me?" Her eyes dared him to speak now. He stared at her wide-eyed; this cute little slip of a woman he'd enjoyed flirting with... was sending chills up his spine. He nodded mutely.

Tony paced rhythmically in the long conference room, reminding McGee of a large cat in a small cage. After vomiting in the bathroom, Tony had washed up thoroughly and repeatedly, even going so far as to rinse his mouth with soapy water. He hadn't looked at his reflection once - something Tim didn't think was possible. He then asked McGee to report what he had seen from his own perspective. Tim finally felt free to blot the tear on Tony's face and lip as he gave his sit rep; luckily the bleeding had stopped on it's own. Tony had listened and then finally looked up to the mirror from where he was braced on the countertop. After a long stare at himself, Tony had shaken his head with a wince and deep sigh, and not another word had been spoken on the way to the conference room.

Tim kept quiet for now, feeling a little out of his depths, and pretty sure 'At least you didn't actually kill him' wouldn't go over too well. He was pretty sure this could only be untangled by Gibbs and was eager for the senior agent to arrive. Tim couldn't really tell if Tony was working himself up or calming down at the moment… just wished he'd take a seat already. In bizarre good news, McGee now felt he'd just done the work of every cop that had ever walked a beat, in breaking up an ugly domestic disturbance that could have turned out much worse. Looking forward to pointing this out to Tony, he wisely decided that was another observation that could wait.

He wasn't nearly as bothered by what had almost happened as Tony obviously was. It was a known quantity, Tony himself had put a safeguard in place to deal with it, and the safeguard worked. By a close, close margin, sure, but Tim was no stranger to half seconds making all the difference sometimes.

Breaking the silence, and pausing to the side of McGee, Tony said, "Just in case Tim, thank you."

"Sure Tony, but just in case of what?"

"Just in case I get fired. Or suspended. Or transferred to a submarine off the coast of Alaska or something. I didn't leave Gibbs a lot of options."

Gibbs naturally walked in at that moment. Sitting at the head of the table, he indicated Tony should sit at his right hand, Tim staying on his left. He might have preferred having this conversation with Tony alone, but the situation had blossomed into a team event, and might be a useful 'teaching moment' for his other two agents.

"Everything's handled DiNozzo. Relax."

Elbows on the table, hands clasped, Tony looked dumbfounded at Gibbs. "Boss? You can't... I'm… we…" He shook his head and took a breath before trying again, "LEO's of all people can't…" He ran his hands thru still-drying hair as Ziva quietly came in and sat next to the partner than needed her support.

"If you had been five seconds later Boss… I'd be sitting here with…" he held up his hands, wrists together.

"Maybe. But it didn't come to that and I'm damn glad of it. You deserved to tell the bastard off, and he deserved his broken nose. You put it behind you, and you move on."

"But Boss, I didn't even feel myself… I don't remember making a conscious choice to..." Tony sighed, not really wanting to put this into words, but feeling honor-bound to do so. "I mean what if something's… wrong inside, now? I carry weapons for God's sake."

Gibbs stopped him, blue eyes piercing him right to the core, "DiNozzo, you really think you're likely to try and kill the next person that pisses you off? Hunt that dumbass with a broken nose down and finish what you started?"

Tony shook his head softly as an idea suddenly occurred to him, "No... actually that was unbelievably satisfying 'closure' I guess they'd call it." He rubbed his jaw with one hand. "And like you said, that's over. Feels a lot better in that area at the moment. But what if…"

Ziva chimed in, finding the unusual self-doubt in her partner difficult to listen to. "Tony, you are one of the least likely people I know to snap and accidentally murder someone."

Raised eyebrows and a skeptical look answered her, his voice serious, "Even after today?"

"Yes." Holding his eyes, she thought a push back to his comfort zone of levity was in order. "You are vastly more likely to eviscerate and torture those around you with your words. Both intentionally and accidentally. It is something I have always admired about you."

Maybe it was a touch of hysteria, but Tony smiled, he was touched. As he snorted and rubbed the back of his neck, he heard the other two men laugh lightly as well. He pretended not to hear McGee's muttered, "Lord knows that's the truth."

An audible growling noise was heard. Tony and Tim looked down, then at each other across the table. Gibbs said, "Don't think I've ever heard that in stereo before. Let's go get some lunch, then get some work done."

As the other two filed out, Tony hung back with Gibbs, needing something more. But Gibbs apparently needed to get something off his chest too. Shaking his head, he said quietly, "Let you down there Tony. Broke Rule#8. Took it for granted the dumbass would never come back here. Won't happen again."

"Christ Boss, I did the same thing and I should have known better with him. Besides... you saved me, more than made up for it. Might have looked like you saved him, but it was really me you saved. Thank you... so much."

Tony looked at the floor as his eyes started to burn. He spoke so quietly Gibbs had to strain to hear the hoarse words. "I wanted to do it Boss. Burned like fire inside."

Gibbs was almost as quiet as he replied slowly, "I know. You're human son. I've been there too. It's ok."

Tony bit his lip as he blinked rapidly. Taking a shaky breath, he nodded his acceptance.

Gibbs gripped him at the base of his neck, pulling him in for a hard hug. Unsurprising considering Tony's upbringing, his second was never particularly comfortable with physical displays of affection. But given his oddly grateful reaction to headslaps, Gibbs had long ago clued in to how much DiNozzo nonetheless craved it. And right now, seeing the tremors running through Tony's body, Gibbs couldn't have stopped himself.

Releasing Tony when the shaking finally stopped, Gibbs pulled back and shook him lightly. "Come on, let's go eat. Then you can catch us up on what you're following on the Anderson case."

Only the tiniest bit embarrassed by the hug, Tony's eyes actually looked worlds better, more settled Gibbs was glad to see. He took a deep breath and let it out while smiling gently, "Thanks Boss."

Patting DiNozzo's back a couple of times as he ushered him out of the room first, Gibbs flashed back on the look in Tony's eyes across from his father, hand raised for another strike… and sent a thank you to any deity listening.