Warnings: Slight spoilers for "Short Fuse", angst, some language

A/N: Oh boy, I feel like everyone just needs to take a deep breath... ok... better now... I never meant to stir the pot lol or divide everyone into Team Tony or Team Natalie. I wanted to show that couples fight and argue and say stupid, hurtful stuff, and I wanted to show that Tony and Natalie aren't immune to it, they're human like everyone else. Guess I just made a poor writing decision with the whole break-up thing...

NCIS Fan- Maybe Tony was a bit OOC in this, but I thought back to "Double Blind" when he found out that Ziva had slept with Adam and he reacted way over the top, like she had cheated on him when they weren't even dating. Natalie is going to leave, honestly think Gibbs is going to let her? LOL I think she's definitely going to be more mindful of what she says, fearing that Tony is going to leave her again, which is going to bring up some interesting things when EJ arrives...

amaia- Hope you didn't lose too much sleep :) I really hate to be the cause of sleep deprivation lol. Gibbs will, in a way, have Tony's six in this chapter, even if it doesn't appear that way to him. Hope I did fixing Tony and Natalie justice :)

E- Tony is overreacting, but this is his natural reaction. Not sure what happened in Philly and why he suddenly left, we all have theories, but in Baltimore he wasn't sure he could go back there and as soon as Gibbs offered him an out, he took it. I think he's the same with relationships since Wendy left him.

Gibbs sat on the front step of Natalie's apartment building and watched as his agent approached from down the street, a canvas bag of groceries in her hand. He sipped his coffee. "Could have used you today, Callahan," he called to her. "Dempsey was sleeping around with Tolin to find out where the guy who shot her brother was being kept... strapped him up with a fake bomb..."

Natalie stopped just in front of the steps. She was dressed in yoga pants and a loose fitting gray sweatshirt, running shoes, and she sure as hell didn't look like she was sick as the Director had informed the team leader that morning. "Was he the one that ordered the hit on Dempsey?"

"Yeah. Found out she was snooping around looking for him," Gibbs said, stilling drinking his coffee. He pat the step next to him and silently requested that she sit down. "You take this sick day because of what's going on between you and DiNozzo?"

"Couldn't think clearly this morning, Gibbs," Natalie confessed as she sat down with him. "I didn't think it was a good place for me to be, in the office, or even out in the field where someone could get hurt."

Gibbs sighed and reached out to lovingly stroke the back of her head. "I'm sorry, kid."

Natalie shook her head, fighting her tears. "It's not your fault, Gibbs. I destroyed Tony's trust in me and he... he did what he thought was best to protect himself."

"Give him space, time," Gibbs said, gently. He kissed her cheek and handed her something. "He'll come around once this whole brochure thing settles."

"You really think that's it?" Natalie asked, looking down at the cover of the NCIS recruiting brochure with Tony sliding down the steps on the U.S.S Barry, strength and determination on his face. They had been rushing to assist Dempsey after the bomb exploded. "You really think that this brochure is messing with his head that much?"

Gibbs sipped his coffee. "I think he's feeling things he doesn't want to deal with..."

Natalie ran her thumb over Tony's face. "I love him, Gibbs..."

"I know, kid."

"So, why? Why did he break up with me? Wasn't I worth fighting for?"

Aw hell, DiNozzo, Gibbs thought as he watched the tears stream down Natalie's cheeks. First real fight with her and you split? Make her feel like garbage. Don't care what she said, or did, you should have tried... "I don't know, Natalie. All I know is that he's had his heart broken so many times in the past... his trust in women is easily damaged. All it can take is one little thing..."

Natalie watched as her tears fell onto the brochure as the ink began to run on Tony's jacket. "He was being an ass about the whole cover thing... and I told him such... I told him that it was no wonder Wendy left him at the altar. I broke his trust with one moment of anger... you should have seen his face... it was like I threw acid in his eyes..."

Gibbs continued to stroke the back of her head. He sighed, heavily. "Often times we say the worst things to the people we care about the most. He still loves you... you just have to keep telling him that so he'll see...

"I don't know how. I tried to apologize..."

"Wish I knew the secret, kid."

"I feel like such a bitch, Gibbs."

"Not a bitch, just said a bitchy comment."

She clung tightly to the brochure. She wanted more than a photograph. She wanted Tony and knew it was going to take a lot to get him back... if ever. Her heart broke all over again at that thought. Tony would probably go out this weekend and find some hook-up and forget all about her...

Gibbs wiped her tears and kissed her cheek. He hated the mess that his team was suddenly in and he had to find a way to clean it up.

Tony couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Natalie—her face contorted in heart break, tears filling her eyes and running freely down her cheeks as he threw everything they had worked hard for in her face and ran—almost three days ago now. He hadn't seen her since. She hadn't shown up at work...

Rolling over he glanced at the clock. In eight hours he was going to have to get up and face Gibbs, McGee—even Abby all over again. Abby was convinced that he was the sole reason for the break-up, for pushing Natalie away from him... he couldn't bring up Wendy with her, even though she knew about his failed attempt at getting married... that would just send Abby on the warpath against Natalie even more. She didn't need that.

He noticed on the nightstand there was a hair elastic. Tony felt tears fighting to be released. He loved her, damn it, he loved her so much that it was killing him that he had to end the relationship. She hurt him. Something he never thought she'd do... betrayed you... that's what she did. Wiping at his eyes he swept the tears away. No matter how angry his brain told him he should be with her... his heart... his heart was telling him something different. It ached for her...

Someone was knocking on the door. Tony perked up. He didn't bother to put on his robe, just padded to the door in nothing but his boxer briefs. Unlatching the locks he was surprised to see Gibbs. "Boss? Did I miss a phone call?"

"Nope," Gibbs said stepping into the apartment. "Just thought I'd bring these by," he said, handing the brochure over to him. "You look good, DiNozzo. It's a nice photo."

"Yeah," Tony spat, "A lot of good this did me. Damn brochure cost me the best damn thing that's happened to me in years."

"Did it, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, raising an eyebrow as he sat down on the sofa. "Have you talked to her? Is it really over?"

Tony looked at his boss, incredulously. "I know you've been to see her. I know she told you exactly what happened. So, don't play coy with me, boss. Yes, it's over. There's no way to work things out now. I slammed that door shut."

Gibbs sighed and looked at the senior field agent, solemnly. "Yeah, I went to see her, Tony. She's pretty messed up. Furious with herself for what she said to you... but even more confused why you don't seem to think she's worth fighting for, worth trying to get through this."

"Boss... I just... I can't," Tony said, feeling the tears coming again. "I just... I returned the favor and hurt her pretty good... how can she forgive me?"

"Don't think she's angry at you," Gibbs said, honestly. "She loves you. Even when you're being a total asshole."

"And God only knows why she loves me, right?" the senior field agent snapped.

"You're a good man, Tony. But not when you're hiding behind these masks and walls," the former marine countered.

Tony scoffed. Letting his guard down had been what got him into this mess and for a while he had liked that someone knew him, the real him, and that intimately, but now, now it was coming back to bite him in the ass.

Gibbs got up from the sofa and headed towards the door. "Ball is in your court, Tony. It's up to you. So, you can either sit around and wallow, push her further away, until it really is too late and she won't forgive you or you can do something about it."

He didn't respond. He kept his back to Gibbs as the older man let himself out of the apartment. Tony tossed the recruiting brochure onto his coffee table, bile in his throat. He wished he had never said yes to that stupid project. It had gone to his head, it had given him a chance to hide behind the masks, to run from the fear he was feeling of falling so completely in love with Natalie... you can either sit around and wallow, push her further away, until it really is too late and she won't forgive you... or you can do something about it...

Setting his jaw Tony went back into his bedroom and flopped into the bed, reaching out to the empty side where Natalie would normally be sleeping. Somehow the space felt cold and empty... lonely. I don't want her further away... I want her here.

You can either sit around and wallow, push her further away... or you can do something about it.

Tony yanked the blankets off, found his sweats and sneakers, grabbed his gun and badge and headed out. He didn't care if it was after ten... there was something that he needed to get off his chest...

"You know, that was pretty shitty of you, boss," Tony yelled, storming into Gibbs house half an hour later. "To automatically assume that this entire thing was my fault! Everyone is so worried about Natalie and her feelings but no one has stopped yet to see how I feel! It hurts, it hurts like hell, boss! So, thanks for asking!"

"DiNozzo," Gibbs snarled from the sofa. He pushed himself up and the movement finally revealed that Natalie was sitting on the sofa, dressed in sweats, with a red nose from crying, "Stop with the asshole shtick. It's getting old, real fast."

Tony glared at Gibbs and clenched his fists. He wasn't surprised that Natalie had come here, that she had sought Gibbs comfort—hell he might have too if the boss hadn't treated him like a piece of scum for the last three days. And then something dawned on him... "You tricked me. You knew that I would be furious at you for taking her side, for not listening to mine... you knew I'd come here to mess with you about it... and since she's staying here, you knew I'd have to talk to her!"

Gibbs pointed towards the sofa. "Sit down," he snapped. "I told you both to work this out three days ago! Tucking tail and running, DiNozzo, was not the solution—and hiding from it, taking two sick days, Callahan—wasn't it either! Now, sit here, work it out, or I'm going to fire both your asses!"

Natalie glanced away as Gibbs left the room, leaving Tony and her behind. She hadn't been able to sleep the night before, coming to Gibbs' house had been second nature to her, behind going to Tony's apartment. Well, Tony's apartment had not been a choice. Gibbs had been silent, he listened, he let her stay, let her borrow some sweats... it was only now that she realized he was crafting his plan. Should have known...

Suddenly the sofa shifted as Tony sat down next to her, safely tucked on the other end away from her, however. "Guess we should talk... or Gibbs is going to lock us up down in the basement..."

"Being locked up in the basement doesn't sound like such a bad thing right now," Natalie whispered.

"He means well," Tony told her with a little chuckle. Gibbs rant about how their solutions to the problem weren't really the answers had deflated his anger. "He doesn't want us hurting."

Natalie glanced at him, her eyes filling with tears again. "It's too late for that, isn't it?"

Tony swallowed, anxiously, cursing himself—he had taken the coward's way out. "I don't know, is it?"

"I don't want it to be," she said, letting her tears fall.

"Neither do I," he whispered.

Silence lingered between them as they both had a sudden loss of words. In the kitchen Gibbs slammed a few cabinets. It was his way of telling them that what they had said so far was unsatisfactory. Tony laughed, quietly and dropped his head. Gibbs the matchmaker, Gibbs the couples' therapist... the man who had been through three failed marriages—if anyone knew what tore people apart it was Gibbs. "It hurt, Natalie, that you think I'm the reason Wendy walked away. I beat myself up over that for years and to hear you say it... it stung because maybe... maybe it was the truth. Maybe I am an ass."

Natalie listened the sounds of Gibbs shuffling around in the kitchen, like she was listening for a sign as to what to say. "It was still terrible of me to say it. I don't think you pushed her away, I think you loved her and wanted to spend your life with her and that... that scared her... and she left... I don't really think you're an ass. I just... I was tired and frustrated and when I get that way... I have no filter."

Tony moved closer to her on the sofa. He let his fingers brush against her leg but he didn't make a move to touch her. "I was clearly an ass afterwards. You wanted to talk, you wanted to work it out and I shoved you away—hard." He watched as a few tears ran down her cheeks. Now, he moved to touch her, to wipe the tears away. "What if we both come to the agreement that we were idiots?"

"And what would that accomplish?" Natalie asked, honestly.

"That we're both to blame for this mess," Tony stated. "I should have told you... how afraid I am about how much I love you. Instead, I put on masks and played a game so I wouldn't have to talk to you about it."

"I should have been... nicer when trying to get you to talk to me," Natalie whimpered, "I pushed too hard."

Tony gazed at her, softly, lovingly. He'd been having trouble sleeping too—tossing and turning, going over his decision to walk away from the relationship instead of fighting for it. God, he'd missed her, in the seventy-two hours since this argument had ripped them to pieces, he had realized how much he hated being without her. "Do you forgive me, Natalie?"

Natalie looked at him, with wide eyes. She was the one that should be asking for forgiveness, not him. He had done what he thought was best to keep himself from getting hurt anymore. "I was never angry at you," she sighed. "I should be the one seeking forgiveness."

He grabbed her hands and pulled them close to his chest. "I forgive you," Tony told her, using her hands to guide her towards him and gently kissing her forehead. She collapsed against his chest, softly crying and he wrapped her into his arms, tightly. "I love you, Natalie. I don't want us to do this anymore, I don't want us to tear each other to pieces."

She snuggled against him, feeling her exhaustion from not being able to sleep since they broke up starting to win the battle she had been fighting all day. " I love you, too. I don't want us to fight like this, either, Tony. I want us to be open with one another... when we do argue that when we're calm we can talk about it."

This time when they fell silent Gibbs didn't slam cabinets to get them to talk. Moving away from the table, beer in hand, Gibbs wandered back into the living room to find his agents curled up in each other's arms, fast asleep.

Behind him he heard the back door creak open, and Ducky's voice, "Jethro? It's awfully quiet... did your intervention not go well?"

Gibbs chuckled and gestured for Ducky to join him. "Nope. Think it went just fine," he said as they stood there watching Natalie and Tony sleep.

Ducky let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, I'm happy to see this. It was breaking my heart thinking about how much they were hurting one another. Sometimes we do the worst things to the people we love the most. But we must learn forgiveness if we want love to last."

"Hopefully they got that lesson, Duck," Gibbs said, softly. "Care for a drink? Got some bourbon down in the basement."

"Jethro, after the last two days, I would love a drink," Ducky replied with a smile.

Natalie and Tony's healing process isn't quite over yet... but this is a start...