Note - this story was written a year ago, for the 2016 Secret Santa (SESA), for gibbsandtonysbabe.

The whole team is coming for Thanksgiving dinner, including Tony's wayward father. Before anyone arrives, Tony barrels in, and tells Gibbs he thinks his father had something to do with a murder case they just solved.
Takes place right after 9x10 Sins of the Father. Bad!Senior. Good!Team.

CHAPTER 1 - Falling Apart

You Get What You Give

by the New Radicals

This whole damn world can fall apart
You'll be okay follow your heart
You're in harms way
I'm right behind
Now say you're mine

Thanksgiving, November 24, 2011

Gibbs ran Thanksgiving Day dinner like a military operation; everything was planned and executed according to a strict schedule. The stuffed and seasoned turkey would come out of the oven at 1400, the football game kickoff was at 1700, and promptly at 2100 the party was over. At 2100:01 Gibbs intended to bundle his dinner guests out the door and lock the door behind them. Just to make sure there were no questions, he posted the schedule, written in bold letters with a Sharpie, on the fridge.

Ducky was in charge of wine and cheese. Abby, McGee and Ziva had all been told to bring side dishes and beer – but nothing fancy. Last year, Jimmy Palmer had brought some concoction consisting of pink jello, canned fruit, mini marshmallows and shredded coconut. He called it Ambrosia salad. Gibbs tossed it straight in the garbage can. This Thanksgiving Jimmy's assignment was to bring cranberry jelly, and only cranberry jelly. "And don't mess it up," Gibbs had asserted.

Another issue, more serious than who was bringing what to the Thanksgiving meal, was what to do with Anthony DiNozzo Sr., who was going to join them.

For starters, Gibbs did not like the man. Between the way Senior consistently took advantage of Tony, and the way he insinuated himself into everyone's good graces – with that oily, con-man charm he switched on whenever he needed something – well, Gibbs didn't want him in his house a moment longer than was absolutely necessary. It irritated him that, despite everything Senior had done, Tony seemed to care for his father.

Gibbs didn't like the way Senior had boasted that Dorneget was a wonderful agent with a brilliant future, right there in the bull pen. DiNozzo Sr. had gone on about how Gibbs should appreciate the junior agent, and had practically insisted Gibbs oust Tony from his hard-earned position as his SFA in order to give Dorneget the chance he deserved.

What was the guy thinking? Senior's not-so-subtle way putting Tony down, the way he casually brushed him aside as being inconsequential, got Gibbs' back up like nothing else did. Dorneget might have promise, but the guy was a probie, and he had a hell of a lot to accomplish before he even came close to being a great agent. No matter what Senior's opinion might be, Dorneget definitely wasn't in the same league as any of Gibbs' team.

Another thing, Gibbs definitely didn't like the way Senior had breezed into the bullpen and hugged Ziva, while asking loudly when Tony was going to "come to your senses and sweep this ravishing creature off her feet?" Even Ziva had been discomfited by Senior's comments. What the hell was wrong with the man? Anyone could see that Tony wasn't interested in Ziva.

And what about the way Senior had rolled into town in a rented Rolls, trying to impress people when, according to his financial records, he had a long line of angry creditors snapping at his heels. DiNozzo Sr. was a user, a conman, a narcissist and a womanizer who, according to Tony's offhand remark made just yesterday, used to make the moves on girls the same age as his teenage son.

Then there were all the little things about Senior that Tony had revealed over the years. Most were casually spoken, offhanded remarks said for laughs. Nobody took it seriously when Tony had told stories about how badly his father treated him as a kid. Whether it was neglect or outright abuse, Gibbs wasn't certain, but it had started around the time Tony's mother died and, as far as he could tell, it had continued well into his teenage years. Individually, the little stories Tony told, half-truths at best, raised no alarms, After all, some parents do spank their kids, or forget to pick them up after school, or leave them behind in a store. As Tony pointed out, Home Alone was based upon someone's true story. But when added together, Tony's unguarded remarks about his relationship with his father suggested something more sinister, especially if you knew the senior DiNozzo.

Gibbs had known what DiNozzo Sr. was really like, right from the start. He'd seen beyond that veneer of expensive suits and slippery smiles: a man who was ugly and corrupted, and so unlike his son in character that it was a testament to Tony's natural character that he had grown up to be such an honest, brave and caring man.

Senior knew Gibbs didn't like him, even though Gibbs was civil to him – which was far more than the man deserved. Gibbs could see it bothered him, because the first rule of conning someone is getting to know them. But Senior couldn't figure him out, and that pleased Gibbs no end.

Despite Senior's recent efforts to win him over, Gibbs would never forget their first encounter, when he'd taken Senior aside to let him know what a fine agent Tony was, and how he should value his son. He'd even mentioned that Tony had recently recovered from the plague, and had been lucky to survive. Senior had accused him of interfering and snarled, "Piss off." Those few minutes alone with Tony's father had told Gibbs all he ever needed to know about the man, and at that moment he promised himself he would always be there for his young agent, and would mentor him and protect him to the very best of his ability.

It bothered Gibbs that Tony covered for his father, even making excuses for him while cleaning up whatever mess he left behind. How could he remain loyal to Senior, after all the shit he'd pulled? Tony knew exactly what his father was like, how he operated, Gibbs was sure of that. Yet Tony had risked his job trying to clear Senior of murder charges. Hell, he could have been brought up on charges himself, for interfering with the case. How far would he go for his father? Farther than the man would ever deserve, that was for sure.

Despite being ordered by Director Vance to keep his nose out of the case, Tony had done a back-end run and managed to dig up some evidence of his own. Even though his dad had the motive, means and opportunity, Tony wasn't about to let them arrest him without a fight.

Thanks Tony's his investigative skills – and convincing Abby to do a more specific tox screen, which revealed traces of sedatives in Senior's system – Senior was cleared of killing Lt. Dean Massey. Together, Gibbs' team was able to produce evidence that proved Lt. Massey had been killed by his own lawyer, Morgan Hunt. In addition, they discovered that Hunt had enlisted his assistant Linda to frame DiNozzo Sr. for the murder.

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