Title: Second Wind (Sequel to Seeds of discord) (Part 1/2)
Author: Nightchild78
Characters: Anthony DiNozzo, OFC
Rating: K+
Warning/Spoilers: Post Season 13
Summary : A possible way Tony could have left NCIS and a glimpse of his future life (with a dash of romance, because Tony deserves to be happy).

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's note: Hello, faithful readers. After a long and painful writer's block, I seem to be back on the horse and I intend to finish all my WIP, including Providence.
Due to the unexpected length of this chapter, it will be posted in two parts.

Today is the birthday of my dear and talented friend Juliet (aka ThePeachyMonkey) and, I decided it would be a nice gift to offer her the final chapter of Slip-up instead to the usual webcard. I hope you'll like it. Happy birthday sweetie, from the bottom of my heart!

To Luthorchickv2: Thank you for your review. I hope this new chapter will be worth the wait.

Feet crossed on his large mahogany desk, Tony leaned back in his chair, absentmindedly fiddling with the business card in his hands. It still amazed him that an item so small could at the same time be both the symbol of his greatest achievement and a reminder of his most disgraceful failure.

Tony lowered his eyes and glanced at the words elegantly engraved on the thick white card adorned with two discreet silver vertical lines.

"AD Consulting- Anthony D. DiNozzo, CEO".

Knowing Gibbs' utter disdain for pompous titles, the former Marine certainly wouldn't have missed an opportunity to favor Tony with one of his famous scathing remarks.

Tony's mouth twisted into a bitter rictus. Years ago, the mere idea of his mentor's disapproval would have bothered him to no end. Not anymore. In fact, Tony couldn't care less now.

"AD Consulting" was his baby. A flourishing company he had set up from scratch and which he could be proud of. Making the best use of his years in law enforcement and military field, his job now consisted of providing a tidily selected clientele with a wide range of services, including security consulting and background checks, along with deep character investigation.

After only one year, the company was already making profits and kept growing nicely, with no less than a dozen people working under Tony. And this was all due to his hard work and personal skills.

Nobody would have bet a cent on him when he started it, so he didn't see any reason to humble brag now.

Tony's eyes turned towards the large window of his office and the snowy landscape outside. His offices might not be particularly big or luxurious, but they offered a nice view of the banks of the Potomac, which usually managed to impress his visitors.

It was the middle of January and, for a moment, Tony lost himself in contemplation of the big blocks of ice carried along by the river, as his musings brought him back a year ago.

In all honesty, he didn't remember which snarky remark or umpteenth humiliation finally sent him over the edge. All he remembered was waking up one day in the wee hours of the morning, overcome with the realization that he couldn't keep going like this, unless he wanted to end up insane or, worse, dead.

His relationship with Gibbs had only deteriorated through the years, going from distant to sour, and it was pretty obvious that the older man had no intention of resigning any time soon. By the time, Gibbs would be forced to leave active service, Tony knew he would be too old himself to take charge of the MCRT. He was perfectly aware that McGee would be a better candidate, younger and entitled with Vance's support. He didn't hold a grudge against the younger man for that. But, on the other hand, he refused to sit through the ultimate humiliation of a new demotion. Even another leading position would have looked like a disgrace, and anyway, he truly doubted the Director would have supported any application from him.

All things considered, he was at a dead-end, and it seemed high time to make good use of the trust fund his mother had left him. After all, he had enough years of service for an early retirement, and his scarred lungs provided the perfect excuse to leave.

Unsurprisingly, Vance was more than willing to accept Tony's resignation. The bastard even managed to look magnanimous by half-heartedly offering to recommend him. But Tony politely declined his offer. He didn't need pity, least of all from a man who had never respected him.

The news of Tony's retirement came as a bombshell, generating varied reactions.

Abby was very upset, mostly because she refused to see her well-oiled little world spin out of its axis. For days, she tried to coax Tony into changing his mind, until she finally realized it was to no avail and gave up. Since then, they hadn't seen each other much, and though it saddened him to see her hold a grudge against him, he wasn't going to apologize for merely living his life.

Ellie and Tim seemed genuinely sorry for Tony, and he couldn't help wondering if they were the only ones at NCIS who kept expecting him to take over from Gibbs after all those years.

Ducky and Jimmy were more supportive. Sad that he left, but also happy and thrilled to see him fly away from the stale air of the MCRT. They were also the only ones with whom he still hung out regularly.

As for Gibbs, true to form, he had shown no reaction at the news of Tony's early retirement.

Their last meeting in Gibbs' basement was anything but pleasant, and only served to drive the last nail in the coffin of their relationship. As the varnish finally cracked, things were said that none of them could ever forget nor forgive. Among other things, Gibbs accused him of letting down his team for the lure of profit. To that, Tony couldn't help but retort that this team had never been his and would never have been anyway. After all, Gibbs had made a point of reminding him that at every opportunity.

There had been a lot of shouting, and a few tools thrown across the room. When Tony finally left the house after getting years of frustration and anger off his chest, he knew with absolute certainty that it was the last time the two men would speak to each other. Which, indeed, had proven to be true.

A soft rasp at the door snapped Tony out of his reverie. He looked up and saw his secretary, Judith, standing at the doorway. The light in her office was on, making her white hair glow like a halo around her head. "Saint Judith, prey for us," he chuckled inwardly.

Without a word, the older woman walked into the room and switched on Tony's desk lamp.

"You're going to strain your eyes, my boy," she said in an affectionate tone, making Tony realize that the night had fallen and the room was now plunged in the dark.

"What would I do without you?" Tony teased her with a half-smile.

"Well..." she said, pretending to think hard. "I guess, you'd forget to sleep, and to eat and then you'd slowly work yourself to death."

He returned her smile and sat up, putting the card back down.

"You're a true mother hen, you know that?"

She gently squeezed his shoulder and Tony reveled in her touch.

Judith Baker was a gem, and Tony had no idea of how he would have succeeded without her precious help and support. Before she retired, she was one of Tom Morrow's assistants at Homeland for years. Smart and energetic, she was divorced for a few years and her only daughter was living with her family in Michigan. It only took her a couple of months to realize that idleness wasn't her cup of tea. When Morrow told her one of his friends was looking for a part-time assistant for his newly built company, she didn't hesitate for long before accepting the offer.

Tony knew he would never be grateful enough to the former Director of NCIS for playing matchmaker. Morrow was one of the few people who had shown genuine respect to him along his career, and the only one whom Tony had sought help from after he left. Not only did Morrow introduce Tony to Judith, but he also provided him with his first clients, thereby giving him a chance to prove himself.

Some offers of help were less welcome, though. Such as the one from his father.

As expected, as soon as Senior heard his son was going into business, he had tried to get involved, offering his contacts and "experience." But Tony politely yet firmly declined. He wanted his business to be 100% clean and legal, which would be nearly impossible, knowing his father's shady acquaintances.

Senior had been pretty upset, and had given Tony the cold shoulder since then. But it didn't really matter. For once, Tony was doing something for himself. Not to please his father, or to fulfill Gibbs' unattainable expectations.

The time for letting others decide for him was over.

"The person from Ricoletti Inc. is here," Judith informed Tony. "Do you want me to stay?"

Tony shook his head.

"No, thanks. Just a first contact meeting. Go home. It's already late."

She nodded and affectionately patted his shoulder.

"All right. I'll tell them you'll be ready in a minute," she said before heading, as quiet as a mouse, to the door.

"Goodnight Tony."

"'Night, Judy."

Standing up, Tony straightened his tie and checked his reflection in the window. Not bad for a retired cop. Surprisingly enough, he was in better shape now than when he was still in active service. Less junk food and more time to exercise had helped him lose weight and get back in shape. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and mentally prepared himself for his meeting.

Ricoletti Inc. was the largest importing company of Italian food products on the East Coast, and to have them as a client would be very good publicity for AD Consulting. The assistant who had set the appointment hadn't told him much, but according to what Tony had managed to dig up so far, it seemed that Giorgio Ricoletti, the founder of the company, was a self-made man, and someone who wasn't easily taken in. Whatever the purpose of this appointment, Tony doubted middling responses would be tolerated.

With one last look in his improvised mirror, he plastered his best self-assured smile on his face and strode to the door, determined to win over his new client.

To be continued