Disclaimer: no legal rights to NCIS, no money being made.

Beta: Mike91848. So all mistakes are mine.

Warnings: same as Chapter One

DETERMINED TO HOLD

Chapter Four, Straight faced joke

Previously on NCIS

"That's basically all there was to it. I haven't seen or heard from Peggy Ringold since that last encounter."

NCIS NCIS NCIS

"Where'd ya get this information, Fornell, or better yet, who gave it to you? Who's this woman you haven't told us anything about? How do you get from Peggy Ringold's scrap of paper note to DiNozzo to a woman's warning about some mysterious something going to happen?"

Gibbs fired questions at the FBI agent and Tony was holding his breath for some answers too. What was going on?

"Hold your horses, Gibbs! I'll tell you what I know. An anonymous female caller using an untraceable phone even with the FBI's resources contacted us on the FBI's hotline...and yes we have a hotline, similar to NCIS's hotline except dealing with the Country not the military. She said three things; a deal was being brokered from a prison, sale of a nuclear bomb, and that, I quote, 'Anthony DiNozzo has been informed, why isn't he doing something?'"

All three men turned to stare at the hapless SFA who looked back blankly at them.

"Me!? I swear to god I don't know what she's talking about. There was nothing on that paper except what I told you. Look I have it here..." He pulled a folded piece of paper from his wallet and handed it to Fornell. "That's it, that's all there was."

Fornell passed the paper to Gibbs who commented sarcastically, "Maybe we should be looking for a secret message in invisible ink. You got a UV light or a decoder ring, Leon?"

Vance paused a beat..."Not here in the office, Gibbs. I'll call home, see if Jared or Kayla still have theirs."

Fornell saw the look that passed between Gibbs and Vance. Pull his leg would they? He blurted out irritably, "What the he...is this a joke, because..."

"Hold your horses, Fornell, a moment of lightness won't kill you. I'm taking this seriously although we don't have anything to go on except some anonymous woman, who is probably pulling our leg.

"And, all kidding aside, Gibbs, that's not a bad idea," Vance said thoughtfully.

"DiNozzo, see that the note gets to Ms Sciuto just on the off chance that there is something hidden on that paper. I'm sure she'll find it if anyone can and without the Decoder ring.

Gibbs handed the paper back to DiNozzo while looking at him speculatively.

"Something I find mighty peculiar. The messenger specifically said Anthony DiNozzo, not Junior or Tony, the name most people would know you by. Strange."

Tony had been thinking the same thing. That son of a...if he's involved in this, I'll kill him myself for real this time. When can I expect him to be out of my life permanently? Damn him! Shoulda contacted him about the two million dollars before this, maybe could have prevented what he's up to now but just the thought of being in the same space as him or having to listen to his sniveling verbal attacks and foul-mouthed abuse...just...

"DiNozzo!" That was Gibbs calling him on his absent presence.

"He's in DC." Tony blurted out. "Damn him, he was at the ball, a slimy companion escort to an elderly dowager, Lady Mathilde, senility must have set in, surprised the hell out of me, didn't talk to him so don't know what...what the...!"

DiNozzo's disjointed, choppy speech had been interrupted by Gibbs as he diverted from his well-worn path to the coffee pot to the back of Tony's chair where he swatted him on the head in a wake-up call. But a surprised Gibbs was taken aback when DiNozzo reared back around to glare daggers at him.

"Don't do that!"

Gibbs prided himself on keeping a cool head, one of his relatively few vices, so he didn't react in spite of his disturbed surprise at what he thought was DiNozzo's out-of-place hostility. Usually, DiNozzo took the tap with some humor certainly not the mule-headedness and...aggression? he was showing now.

Gibbs didn't know it but DiNozzo's memories of being Senior's whipping boy had been paramount in his mind since seeing him at the ball. There'd been no contact although Tony had waited for some sign from the man. He had even put fifty thousand dollars in the one account of his that Senior knew about in hopes of flushing him out, but nothing.

And now Gibbs knocking him around just reminded him of his cruddy childhood before and after his mother died. Even though Gibbs' hits to the head didn't hurt, still, it was the principle of the thing and he had warned Gibbs not to do it.

His father hadn't learned when he yelled at him he wasn't going to take it any more and had whaled on him once too often until Tony had finally whaled back. Once the brutal altercation that ensued was over, Tony had some cracked ribs and a sprained wrist and was disinherited and banished to Rhode Island Military Academy.

Senior hadn't gotten off easy either. He had a busted head, split lip, several teeth missing, his shoulder was never the same and his ego was bruised beyond repair after being bested by his twelve-year-old son. Most of his injuries, granted, were from being falling-down drunk and crashing into pieces of furniture and running into the glass patio doors in his relentless pursuit of the agile boy but Tony got his punches in too.

"Okay," Gibbs said mildly. He didn't apologize but he made a vow to himself that the head slaps would stop. DiNozzo had stopped receiving them in the spirit they were given, time to move on.

"Now, who was at the ball?" Gibbs got back to the case they were working.

But memories too close to the surface had Tony rising from his seat and moving away less he do something senseless like hitting Gibbs back but he recognized that Gibbs had backed down and now he needed to get his wayward temper back in control.

Tony walked over to the coffee pot but wasn't interested in coffee and didn't see anything stronger he could sneakily grub off Vance to rinse the bitter taste of thoughts of violence and revenge, past and present, from his mouth. He turned to face the other three men.

"My father's in DC. He was at the ball escorting a senior citizen old enough to be his grandmother. No idea what he's up to as we didn't talk but if the name Anthony DiNozzo was thrown about and it wasn't me, well you figure it out."

"I knew I should have locked that slimy bast...excuse me DiNozzo, that bastion of privileged elite the minute I laid eyes on him."

"You did." Gibbs reminded.

"But I didn't keep him, did I? That's where I made my mistake."

"Look, don't hold back on my account," Tony said feeling himself calming down from the moment at the triviality. Were they doing it on purpose? Whatever, he took the time to get his thoughts and emotions together.

"He is a slimy bast...ass and he needs to be found at least to question. I've left cheese in the amount of fifty thousand dollars in an account I know he's tried getting into before but he's not biting."

"Very well then. First on the list is to find Senior," instructed Director Vance.

"Second, find this woman. I think you're going to have to question Margaret Ringold, DiNozzo, push her along somehow, accidentally bump into her. We need what she knows, if anything, if we're going to stop whatever is happening from happening. Since we don't know what's happening, it could all be a coincidence and she doesn't know anything."

Vance looked disgusted. He profoundly disapproved of the gobbledygook he had just spoken because all the words meant were, 'we got nothin', regarding the progress on this case.

And Gibbs', "don't believe in coincidences," wasn't helping.

"Fine, I guess you'll do your thing, Fornell, we'll do ours, keep in touch." The meeting was over.

Gibbs walked with Fornell to the elevator and they spoke a few words while Tony waited on the top stairs. Their discussion was short and sweet, a quick goodbye and Gibbs approached Tony at the stairs.

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs leaned against the railing and waited for Tony to say his piece.

"Yeah, look sorry about earlier. I have some things on my mind and..."

"Nothing wrong with expressing how you feel. Head slaps are obsolete anyway since your head is made of steel mixed with granite. I'm surprised you can even feel them anymore."

"Yeah, well thanks, Gibbs, how very observant, at least you didn't say it was empty," Tony answered dryly.

"Nope. Never said it was empty."

The insult appeared incongruous with the smirk and easy stance Gibbs affected and Tony was willing to let the incident go if Gibbs was.

Gibbs started down the stairs but Tony called him back.

"Gibbs, wait..." Tony stood there looking determined.

"What is it now, DiNozzo?" Gibbs was short one cup of coffee for the day and he needed to catch up.

"You need to or someone needs to talk to Ziva about Senior's whereabouts, just not me."

"You still don't trust her." Gibbs stated, not a question.

"Do you?"

"She's your partner, DiNozzo." Gibbs turned and headed down the stairs.

That was not an answer, Gibbs, Tony thought with a bit of heat, and almost yelled it out to Gibbs' retreating back but he was glad he'd held his tongue as Gibbs threw over his shoulder at him.

"I'll talk to her."

NCIS NCIS NCIS

In the meantime, Timothy McGee met up with Abby Sciuto for a quick, all-you-can eat lunch buffet.

"Not hungry, Abby, or at least not this hungry. Why'd you insist on eating here?"

"Timmy, you're too skinny. I liked you pleasantly plump and sorta out of shape. This dieting and exercising you're doing, it's too much, too soon. You've got to take it slow so any weight you lose is more than just water, and the exercise, lifting weights? Not everybody can go that route, Timmy, it's just not for you."

"Well, thank you Dr Sciuto.

"No, really, Timmy. I can devise a menu plan that would work for you much better than a nutritionist could. All they want is your money, they don't care about you the individual."

While talking she had leveled a mound of mashed potatoes next to an already obscene amount of home-fries, biscuits and gravy-smothered pork chops on his plate completing the meal. A tall glass of sweet tea and a hunk of chocolate cake on the tray and she was satisfied

Tim looked at the tray in front of him with disgust. Where'd she get off telling him what he could eat while her tray was filled with rabbit food, cottage cheese and jello?"

"Be right back, Abby." Rather than argue, he knew actions spoke louder than words with her so he just left her standing there with two trays full of food that ten starving people would cry over and odd looks from the other customers. When he came back he was greeted with dark looks and pouts for leaving her stranded there. His tray contained a fruit salad, quinoa salad, yogurt, a muffin, bottle of water and coffee.

"Timmy McGee!" Abby looked at his plate disapprovingly. "You're going to eat more than that, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not, Abby, and it's Tim or McGee not Timmy."

Abby frowned mightily, crossed her arms, jutted out her chin and looked about to have a temper tantrum, maybe rolling around on the floor or stomping her foot. But the shock of McGee's steady determined stare and hard stance finally brought her to her senses.

Her pale skin flushed with embarrassment. She'd been about to make an utter fool of herself scolding McGee for being a naughty little boy not wanting to eat his carrots or in this case his five thousand calories.

"I've done it again, haven't I?"

Tim just nodded.

Not knowing what to say in her moment of awkwardness, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "Who's going to eat all this food, Timmy, sorry, Tim? It'll be a shame to throw it out."

"Get a to-go box, they'll weigh it by the pound. Tony'll eat it."

They looked at the plate of food then at each other and back at the food and burst into laughter and the awkward moment passed.

"I am so sorry, Tim. I'm trying, I really am." Abby said remorsefully as they sat down to their meal. The box of food for Tony was on the table next to her plate along with two wrapped turkey and cranberry sandwiches for Ziva and Gibbs.

"And, I didn't mean any of that crap I was spouting. You're looking pretty good, much healthier. I'm just a sore looser, I guess. You and Tony are getting along, which is great, really, but I feel left out. We use to be so close but you're kind of distant nowadays and, well..." Abby's words petered out in a sigh.

"It's okay, Abby. Things have changed but I hope we're still friends. I couldn't go on the way I was so, yeah, I'm not that same guy to be led around by his privates anymore, by you or Ziva, or at least I'm trying not to be. I'm dating now, someone Tony introduced me to. She's nice but I don't think our relationship is going anywhere, we're just friends, but it's fun trying."

Abby looked down for a moment then confessed, "Yeah, I guess misery loves company and I was so obsessed with the concept of Stan and me becoming a couple that when he...well, rejected me, might as well own up to it. He rejected me for someone else and now they're expecting their second child, and no, McGee, I'm not stalking him. I'm done with that. It's just that we know some of the same people and word gets around."

"So you're over that crazy, obsessive, about to get your ass fired, phase?"

"Under the bridge, Tim, under the bridge! And I really wasn't in love with him, it was the thought of love that I was in love with, if you know what I mean. Besides, Stan threatened to come back and cut off my pigtails...with an ax." They both laughed, Stan would have done it, too.

"Anyway, he deserves to be happy." Abby had truly let it go.

"Yeah."

"Uh huh. So, am I forgiven for those mean things I said earlier? And if I ever forget and try to do something like that again, I will force feed a ton of my least favorite food, that's two thousand pounds of horseradish down my gullet with a bullhorn, I could do it, too, it..."

"Abby, it's okay. It's just that if I'd kept on gaining weight the way I was and not working out, I don't know how much longer I'd of been a Field agent, much less on Gibbs' team. He was already giving me the evil eye when I showed up out of breath and shaking after running down a perp. You've seen what great shape he and Tony are in, and Ziva is literally a Super Ninja. At least now I can keep up with them when we're chasing the bad guys."

"It means a lot to you doesn't it, Tim, being on Gibbs' team?"

"Yeah, a dream come true. Now, I just wish Tony and Ziva were getting along better. I don't know what's going on between the two of them and it's irksome. Nothing overt though they can get into it sometimes. But ever since Tony put the brakes on what he'll put up with from her in the field, well, it's gotten pretty tense, but it's more than that."

Tim looked at her curiously, "Do you know what's going on?"

"McGee!" Abby reared back in indignation. "Don't ask me to reveal things Ziva may have told me in private. You know better than that, and besides," she smiled into her cup sheepishly, "she hasn't told me anything."

"Yeah, me neither." They finished up their lunch and threw away the trash and headed back to the navy yard.

"Wait, there is something, McGee." Abby remembered as they walked along.

"Remember that case with the ex-senator when Tony's father showed up?"

"Who could forget that?"

"McGee!" Abby stopped in the middle of the foot traffic, garnering a few dirty looks, and turned to the agent.

"That could be it. Tony's father shows up and causes all that trouble. Well, Ziva told me something, made it out like it was a big secret and no one else could know but she felt sorry for the man when he had no place to stay so she let him stay at her place even though she knew Tony and Senior couldn't stand each other and, I'm ashamed to say now but I agreed with her because, well, you know, family is everything. Until, that is, when I found out what a scumbag he was, Senior not Tony. Did you know that he disinherited Tony when he was twelve and now he's broke and has been trying to steal every penny Tony tries to save?"

When she paused to take a breath, Tim asked suspiciously, "Tony told you that?"

Her eyes widened and she turned and started walking again.

"Abbee?!"

"Oh, McGee, you know he didn't tell me, I was curious about him so I did some research." Suddenly, she turned to him again, insulted.

"You don't think I would do or say anything to hurt him, do you McGee, because I wouldn't. Tony's a nice guy and I jumped to conclusions about him and he admitted he did the same about me. But enough of that, so..."

McGee just shook his head at her chatter as they arrived at the navy yard and entered their building. Another warning not to spill his guts of any secrets to her. She was a blabber-mouth, plain and simple, nothing was sacrosanct.

He hadn't known that Senior had been a guest at Ziva's place. When was he a guest? After the case was over or...before then when they were searching for him early in the case? Had she known where he was when Tony got beaten up? No, couldn't be. Where was he going with this? She wouldn't have done that, would she? Could that be...? The elevator doors closed on his musings.

"Turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches for you, Ziva, and here's yours, Boss."

Tim walked over to Tony's desk, who looked up expectantly. "Here you go, Tony."

A few seconds later, "Oh, holy shi...starving children everywhere, what the hell is this, McGlutton?"

McGee looked up from his computer. "Abby fixed a plate for me, portion-size wise, she used a shovel so..."

"So, what am I, a garbage dump?" Tony looked affronted.

"No, but Ziva doesn't eat pork and Gibbs, well, I know he likes turkey so...come on, Tony, you love pork chops."

"Well, there is that and since you put it that way...I'm just going to heat this up, be right back, Boss." Tony made a beeline for the break room with his carton of food when he was stopped by Director Vance as he came down the stairs.

"Hold up, DiNozzo."

At the same time, the elevator doors opened. Vance stopped his descent to stare and they all turned to see what had caught his attention. A security guard exited the conveyance followed by an older man along with a youngish woman with a toy poodle peeking out from her handbag.

"We found your father, DiNozzo, or rather, he found us."

NCIS NCIS NCIS