This is a Milsom Bay story … I don't think it matters if you haven't read the earlier ones: I'll introduce the characters as we go along.

Special Jethro Gibbs was in thoughtful mood as he rode the elevator to the squad room. It was four days since Jackson Gibbs' funeral in Stillwater and he had spent those days doing the final clearance of the family home and completing the formalities of handing the shop to his father's former assistant. It had turned out that simply handing the key over had not been enough so he had had to break a number of his rules and involve a lawyer. Despite this, and despite the sadness involved in going through Jackson's stuff, the Stillwater sojourn had proved to be therapeutic. Many of the town's residents had taken the time to visit with Gibbs and tell him how much they had respected his father and also how fondly Jackson had spoken of his only son.

Gibbs was unsure whether he would ever go back to Stillwater but he felt a certain satisfaction in feeling that he had done what his Dad would have wanted and also that father and son had reconciled in recent years. As the elevator doors opened he fancied that they were opening to a new stage of life, a new beginning. He felt an unaccustomed optimism: even though he had disagreed with Vance's actions in trying to side-line him from the team's active case once the news had come from Stillwater, he thought it showed a softer and more sympathetic side to the Director and might mean a better working relationship in the future.

Tim McGee and Ellie Bishop were already at their desks. Gibbs suppressed a smirk at their worried expressions: he guessed they had been agonising over how to welcome their bereaved Boss back to work and he wondered what Abby was planning. He resolved to try not to be irritated by their attempts at sympathy but rather to focus on the fact it showed they cared; with the loss of Jackson his co-workers would take the place of family even more.

Gibbs strode to his desk and noticed that DiNozzo's desk was uncharacteristically clear and tidy with no jacket slung over the chair or backpack waiting by the desk.

"Where's DiNozzo?" he demanded, surprised that he wasn't waiting with a cup of coffee or slightly inappropriate comment.

"Um," said Ellie, looking desperately towards McGee.

"Well, Boss," said McGee nervously, "it's like this …"

NCISNCIS

Tony DiNozzo was sitting by the window of his beach side cabin in Milsom Bay, North Carolina. The sky and the sea were both grey and therefore matched Tony's mood as he stared glumly out. After pacing his DC apartment for hours the previous evening, he had, on a whim, jumped into his car and driven through the night to Milsom Bay. Ever since he had happened on the place almost by accident the beauty of the Bay and the kindness of its inhabitants had never yet failed to lift his spirits: he wasn't sure it would weave its magic this time.

A gentle tap on the door startled him out of his reverie and he got up to open the door.

"Tony! I didn't know you were coming down," said his visitor.

Tony produced a smile. Not his best one but not a bad attempt. It was John Sutherland, a local artist, his nearest neighbour and one of his first friends in Milsom Bay.

"Last minute decision," said Tony.

"When did you get here?" asked Sutherland. "I didn't get home till midnight and I didn't see your car then."

"About 3am," said Tony, "didn't leave DC until after 10pm."

"Rough case?" asked John, knowing that Tony sometimes needed to come to the coast to forget a particularly hard investigation.

"Not really," said Tony noncommittally but then, thinking he needed to explain a certain listlessness, "Gibbs' Dad died."

"Oh," said John, wondering if perhaps Tony had been close to Gibbs senior. "How did Gibbs take it?"

Tony shrugged, "much like you'd expect. Stoic. Although he might have teared up a bit when they gave him the flag at the funeral."

John didn't quite know what to say. Tony seemed a bit down, almost shell shocked. "Was it sudden?" he asked, thinking perhaps this was the reason for the odd look on Tony's face.

"Guess so," said Tony distractedly, "although this is Gibbs we're talking about. He's not exactly into sharing so who knows? Took us by surprise anyway."

"Right," said Sutherland, unsure how to continue, "Gibbs on leave then?" He thought that perhaps the whole team was off rotation while Gibbs was on compassionate leave and that Tony had seized the chance to use up some of his accumulated vacation time.

"For a while," said Tony vaguely.

John gazed at his neighbour in perplexity: he and Tony had got on well right from the beginning and he had never struggled to know what to say to him before. He reached for normality, "Coming down to Millie's?" he asked.

"Of course," said Tony with exaggerated enthusiasm as he leapt up.

Millie Lacey ran a café a half mile or so down the coast from Tony and John's properties. She was another of the reasons Tony loved Milsom Bay: a superb cook and also possibly the kindest person he had ever met. Neither he nor John were keen on cooking and, as John had once said, what was the point of doing it themselves when the finest cook in the Carolinas was within sniffing distance?

Tony and John didn't always need to talk when they were together but Tony's silence during their walk felt uncomfortable to John and he was grateful when they reached the café.

"Tony!" said Millie delightedly when she saw the new arrival, "I didn't know you were coming!" Tony gave her his customary hug but the perceptive John noticed that he held it a little longer than usual as if he needed some comfort.

Millie also noticed the change and was about to ask if everything was all right when Ruskin realised that Tony had arrived and came barrelling in to give his own welcome. Ruskin was a dog who Tony had 'acquired' during a case but who spent his time at Millie's where he was a favourite with all her customers. Ruskin was a friendly dog who was happy to see everyone but he retained a particular fondness for Tony and was apt to go a bit crazy when he saw him.

"Hello, boy," said Tony, bending down to pick him up. He buried his face in Ruskin's fur for a moment or two and then let him lick his face ecstatically. Millie and John exchanged significant looks at this behaviour: Tony was always affectionate with Ruskin but there was something different about this.

"Well, sit down," said Millie briskly, as she decided that her food would probably cure most of what ailed Tony. She knew he had a hard job and that sometimes he sought relief and solace from the pressures of DC. "Your usual?" she asked.

"Absolutely," said Tony with enthusiasm and one of his blinding smiles.

It wasn't long before Millie had provided Tony and John with bacon and scrambled eggs along with freshly brewed coffee. It also didn't take long for her to notice that, despite his professed eagerness, Tony was shuffling his food round the plate rather than eating it. Other people might have taken a circuitous route but Millie cared too much about Tony to waste time,

"What's wrong?" she asked, taking a seat opposite Tony.

"Wrong?" he replied innocently.

"You're playing with your food," she pointed out sternly.

For answer, Tony took a big forkful of bacon and eggs but, under her gaze, then struggled to swallow it. "You know, I never realised how like Gibbs you are," he complained after a moment or two.

Millie frowned. She had met Gibbs on a couple of occasions and wasn't sure if the comparison was complimentary or not.

"It's early," said Tony in an apparent attempt at an excuse.

"Never known you not hungry for Millie's food," commented John.

Tony shrugged in reply. He took another forkful, stared at it and then laid it back down uneaten. He picked up his coffee instead.

"How long you down for?" asked John, trying a different tack.

"Not sure," mumbled Tony, "couple weeks."

"Weeks?" said Millie in surprise. Apart from Tony's first visit, he had rarely stayed more than a few days.

"Yep," confirmed Tony.

"That's good …" said John with a hint of doubt.

Tony nodded distractedly. He picked up his fork again but then put it back down again with an air of finality. "Sorry," he said, "not hungry after all."

"That's all right, sweetheart," said Millie.

Tony looked up in surprise. Millie was always briskly kind but this endearment was new. She laid a hand on his, "is something wrong?" she asked.

Tony's eyes glittered with some strange emotion, "Wrong?" he said with an attempt at airiness, "what could be wrong? I've got four weeks leave … and I get to spend it here. What could be better?"

"Tony?" said Millie and John in worried unison.

"Why do you have four weeks' leave?" continued John.

"Because I've been suspended," said Tony.

"What?" said John and Millie again.

NCISNCIS

"So, McGee," said Gibbs as Tim still struggled to say anything, "what's it like? And where's DiNozzo?"

"I don't know. We don't know," said Tim.

"What you mean 'you don't know'?" said Gibbs.

"He's not allowed to talk to us," said Ellie, "and we're not allowed to talk to him."

"What's going on?" demanded Gibbs.

"And you're not supposed to contact him either," said Tim gloomily.

"What you mean?" said Gibbs fiercely, "one of you … tell me what's happened."

"Agent DiNozzo has been suspended," said Director Vance; he had come down the staircase unobserved.

"What?" said Gibbs. "What for?" Gibbs wondered what trouble Tony could have got into in just four days.

Vance stared emotionlessly at Gibbs. "DiNozzo disobeyed a direct order," he said.

"What order?" asked Gibbs, trying to keep his anger under control.

"I specifically told DiNozzo not to contact you while you were in Stillwater attending to your father's affairs."

"So?" said Gibbs.

"And he disobeyed that order and contacted you."

"He was doing what I wanted him to do," said Gibbs with a hint of a sneer.

"He disobeyed the order of his Director," said Vance coolly, "last time I checked, I outrank you, Gibbs."

"Then suspend me," said Gibbs.

"No," said Vance maintaining his stare, "it's time your team learned what the chain of command means, Gibbs."

"How long is he out for?" said Gibbs as he struggled to keep his temper.

"Four weeks," said Vance.

"Four weeks," demanded Gibbs, "four weeks? Are you mad?"

"At the end of that period …" began Vance.

"What?" said Gibbs beginning to walk towards the Director, "what then, Leon? You think we'll all be toeing your line by then?"

"No," said Vance. "At the end of four weeks Agent DiNozzo will attend a disciplinary hearing at which I will recommend that his service with NCIS be terminated on the grounds of his misconduct." He paused, letting his gaze sweep over the faces of the MCRT, "Agent Gibbs, I suggest you start looking for a new team member. You're going to be one short."

AN: so I was wondering what the Director's reaction would be when Tony went against orders and phoned Gibbs in this episode. I may have overreacted!