Chapter Four: Explain

Previously:

Suddenly, Gibbs' amused face was replaced with one of confusion and concern. "Tony," Gibbs ventured, "what happened to your arm?"

'Son...of...a...bitch,' Tony thought. He was wearing short sleeves.

Now:

"What do you mean?" Tony recovered quickly.

Gibbs wasn't playing. "With me, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he strode back to his room.

Tony felt his stomach drop as he walked down the hall to Gibbs' room.

'Son of a-!' It was a rookie mistake and he knew it. He had been so careful to hide his arms. The rest of the bruises hadn't mattered. Except his arms. It was summer. Arms normally would show. It was hot. People wore short sleeves. Except Tony. Tony had been wearing long sleeves for the past two days to work. He knew he couldn't let anyone see his bruises! But, he'd been so sleep deprived, he hadn't thought! He thought there was trouble for some reason and just darted out on the alert, not worrying about his bruised arms. Now Gibbs knew. What he would do was another question.

Tony walked in and closed the door behind himself. Gibbs was seated on the bed, just sitting. Then, he looked up at Tony and said, "I thought it was odd, you wearing long sleeves in June, not complaining about the heat. Turns out, you were just lying to me."

"I wasn't lying to you, boss. Okay? I just wasn't telling you anything. It's different. I...didn't want anyone to see," Tony admitted.

Gibbs sighed. "So, now you're saying you do realize your arms are covered with bruises?"
Tony looked at him. "Of course, how could I not? I just...you couldn't see. You, in particular. You, if you saw, you'd know. And, if you knew, you'd lose whatever faith you have in me, which may not be a lot, but it's all I got. And you would've thought I was incapable of doing anything. You would think I was an incompetent agent. You'd fire me and I wouldn't be able to find another job because I don't have a lot going for me. Then, I'd be evicted from my apartment because I wouldn't be able pay rent. And I'd have to live on the streets. And I don't wanna live on the streets!" he ranted, very close to panicking, if he was not already.

Gibbs put up a hand to halt his speech. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. Okay? As for what I believe happened, I have no idea. Honestly. I can't think of anything for your arms...maybe more of you...to be bruised like that. And as for me firing you and your life going to hell, who do you think I am? I'm not gonna fire you because you're covered in bruises. I am just...surprised that you'd rather continue to work in long sleeves in the middle of summer, than just come to me and tell me what happened. What did happen?"

"It's not that I don't trust you, okay? It's that I can't. I can't tell you or anyone. It's...complicated," Tony tried to explain.

"DiNozzo. Were you threatened?" Gibbs asked.

Tony contemplated that for a few seconds before Gibbs said, "DiNozzo!"

To which, Tony nodded. He said, "I-um-he said that if I told anyone what he did, he'd know. And he'd come back. He might be bluffing. I've considered that. But, I really don't want him to come back."

Gibbs nodded. "Anthony, you can tell me. You know who he was, right?"

Tony nodded. "I-I dunno. He's scary. That sounded pathetic but, you know, it's true."

Gibbs smiled at Tony's embarrassment of letting his guard down. "Yeah, I believe that."

"How? You're not afraid of anything, boss," Tony said.

"DiNozzo, I'm not fearless. I get scared plenty. But, I've learned to mask that fear. Something you know something about, I'm guessing," Gibbs said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it was ninety degrees and your arms were completely covered! I mean, in the three years I've known you, I've rarely seen you show any emotion, except happy. I know you're not happy all the time because that's impossible, DiNozzo," Gibbs told him.

Tony smiled shyly at the fact that his boss knew him that well. "No. But, if you're happy, people don't ask questions."

Gibbs smiled dropped at that. "Tell me, Tony. Who did this?"

"I can't say," Tony replied.

"DiNozzo, I really don't feel like tearing the answer out of you. Just, trust me," Gibbs said.

Tony sighed, "I do trust you. I do. I just…"

Gibbs nodded. "Complicated."

Tony nodded.

"DiNozzo. Frankly, I don't give a damn how complicated it is," Gibbs said, trying a different tactic. "I want a name and I want it now."

It worked. After a moment, Tony said, "Okay. Alright. A name. It was Anthony DiNozzo...Sr."

"Your father?"