(Not sure where I am going with this. I felt so bad for Tony after this last episode in season 12, we thought he was getting over Ziva. Not sure where this story is going and for how long it will but I had this wild plot bunny that needed to roam free. Thank you for reading!)

Tony sat holding Ziva's star of David pendant, he couldn't stop the sting of tears in his eyes. He absent-mindedly ran his thumb over the tarnished gold and he couldn't stop his mind from wondering; what was wrong with him? What did he do to make every woman in his life leave him? Is anyone ever going to think Anthony DiNozzo is worth sticking around for?

He quickly dried his eyes before anyone saw and replaced the necklace and gathered his backpack and left the bull pin. He never saw the two blue eyes watching his quiet reverie.

Gibbs watched the young man, who was for all purposes his eldest son, so filled with pain and it broke his heart.

It had been over a year and he started to date again, he thought that he was getting over Ziva, but he guessed he was wrong. He stood for another minute looking at Tony's empty desk then he made a decision and went down to autopsy to see if Ducky was still there, maybe he could help him figure out how to perk up his loyal St. Bernard.

Gibbs rushed through the automatic doors of autopsy he found the only inhabitant to be Jimmy Palmer finishing up some last minute chores. He gruffly asked if Ducky was around and when he was told Ducky left about an hour ago he turned to leave but was stopped by a timid Jimmy, "Agent Gibbs, can I ask you something sir?"

Gibbs tried to hide it but he sighed, he had more important things on his mind than the endless paddling of Ducky's assistant but he manned up, "Sure Palmer, what's up?"

Jimmy did not like talking with Gibbs. He had gotten over the stuttering but the man still scared the stuffing out of him but he had to ask, " Sir, I was wondering if you, I mean have you noticed anything off with Tony? I have been really worried about him and he has started to loose a lot of weight and I know he is dating again but you never hear about any lady more than a date or two, I have even thought of introducing him to a couple of my Gay friends thinking maybe he would have better luck with a dude, he told me once that he thought everyone deserved a crack at the DiNozzo experience but I don't think he is really Bi I just think he likes to …."

"PALMER! Take a breath before you sprain your tongue. I have noticed the same thing that is why I was looking for Ducky. I will talk to Ducky tomorrow and maybe between the three of us we can think of a way to help Tony. Go home to Brianna, I will see you tomorrow."

Gibbs made his way to his yellow charger and he started to head home he couldn't shake the bad feeling; his gut was screaming at him to check on Tony. He sat at the intersection where right would take him home but left would take him to Tony's.

He shook his head and went right to his house, "Its late, I wont bother Tony tonight I will pull him to a conference room in the morning " He convinced himself and went home to his empty quiet house.

Sitting in his basement a few hours latter he couldn't get his mind off of Tony. He thought about the young man who was not so young anymore but he was still his boy. He was a good son sticking by his old man through thick and thin and helping to protect his younger siblings and he smiled thinking how he has really helped to mold Ellie and how Tim was such a good agent that he will probably leave their little family soon and head up his own team. Tony was ready for that many years ago but it is the job of the eldest son to look after his Dad. He fondly thought, "what he would do with a day that didn't have Tony on his six."

He was about to shut it down for the night when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and his gut started screaming at him, it was Tony calling. He answered it with his usual gruff manner, "Gibbs". For a few minutes all he could hear was quiet sobbing then a slurred voice came over the speaker, "Boss, I just wanted to say, I love you boss, you are a great boss and I love working with you but boss I just cant do it anymore. I am so tired, I can't sleep, I can't eat, I am so freaking alone and I just can't stand it anymore. I don't know what's wrong with me. Other people half my age have been married and divorced all ready and no one has ever stuck around me long enough to get one marriage in. Hell boss you have had FOUR marriages and me…. What is wrong with me boss, why cant anyone love me. My own Dad barely gives me the time of day. I…" (the rest of what he was saying was drowned out by his sobs)

By the time Tony got "I love you" out Gibbs was in the car on the way to his apartment. When Tony stopped talking Gibbs yelled over the phone, "Where are you Tony? You are not alone son I promise you are not alone. I am five minutes away from your apartment."

Tony heard what his boss said and panicked, "Oh God no Boss you can't see me like this. I just couldn't leave without telling you how much you mean to me but I have to go now, tell the others I love them and tell Probie that he is going to make a great 2 IC and tell Ultra Probie to enjoy training her very own Probie. Goodbye Boss"

Tony hung up the phone as Gibbs was pulling up to the apartments and when he got out of the car he heard a gun shot. His eyes became big as saucers and he took off running toward Tony's apartment. He didn't pick the lock or use his key when he made it to the door with one experienced kick the door gave way and his heart stopped. Tony was sitting on the brown leather couch with a bullet wound in the side of his face and half his face was covered in blood.

"Oh Jesus no, Oh God…" He went to the still body of his senior agent and with shaky hands he reached to feel for a pulse. He amazingly found a weak one but it was there. He whipped out his phone to call EMS when paramedics and police came into the door. Gibbs looked at them odd, "I was just about to call you, how are you all ready here?"

The paramedics brushed Gibbs aside and the police officer answered, "A neighbor heard the shot and saw you bust in the door and called us. What happened here?"

Gibbs sighed and showed him his badge and told him that this was his second and he had been struggling with depression and he had tried to take his own life and damn near almost succeeded. He told him that he had called to tell him goodbye and that is when he high tailed it over here right as this happened.

Gibbs never took his eyes off of Tony while he recounted the tale to the police officer. The older officer touched Gibbs arm to get his attention, "Being a cop isn't easy no matter if you are on the force or you are a Navy cop and I can tell this young fella is more than just another officer for you, you go to the hospital with him and I will finish up here and call your team okay?"

Gibbs just shook his head and followed the gurney holding his boy into the waiting ambulance. In the ambulance Gibbs was sat at Tony's feet while the paramedics worked to stop the bleeding in his head wound. The paramedics where conversing with the waiting doctors at Bethesda. There was a lot of medical jargon he did not understand but that is okay he could see the bleep of the heart monitor, as long as Tony was still with us they could over come anything.

They made it to Bethesda and Gibbs was ushered into a waiting room and given a clipboard with forms to fill out. He sat holding the clipboard and just took a moment to catch his breath and gather his senses. Once the forms were all filled out and returned to the nurse he went down the hall to the coffee machine and got a cup of crappy hospital coffee. When he got back to the waiting room Tim, Abby, Ducky and Ellie were waiting for him and Abby was holding a really big cup of his favorite coffee. Gibbs saw the gift Abby had and threw the cup of brown water he had just gotten himself away and took the offered cup from Abby that came with a hug. Ducky spoke for the group, "Dispatch called us all Gibbs, what happened?"

Gibbs sat down with Abby snuggled close, he made sure to wrap a protective arm around Abby, he knew what he was going to tell them would be hard on them all but especially Abby, "Well tonight I got a call from Tony, he had been sobbing and he basically told me that he loved me and that he was glad he had a chance to work for me and told me to tell you Abby that he loved you. (Giving her an extra squeeze of comfort before he continued) and he told me to tell you Tim that he was proud of you and that you would make a great lead one day and Ellie he told me he was proud of you and told you to enjoy torturing your own probie soon." He was quiet a moment letting all that settle in their minds before he continued, "I pulled up at the apartment and heard the gun shot I kicked in his door and found him, thankfully he was still breathing and a neighbor called rescue and they arrived within five minutes of me kicking in the door. I rode with him here and now we are waiting to hear something."