BY CHARLI

Disclaimer: I don't own the show NCIS or any of the characters. I write this work of fiction for entertainment purposes only and make no money. My only reward is the feedback and reviews of those who read and enjoy my work.

This is a semi-crossover with NCIS: LA, but only a minor one.

This is yet another Aliyah Alternate Ending. My version of: What if Gibbs had chosen Ziva over Tony when she gave him that ultimatum.

NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE A ZIVA FAN—if you decide to ready anyway, be warned, there is much Ziva-bashing. I make no apologies for that. If I'd had my way, Ziva would have been killed instead of Ari that night in Gibbs' basement. Just saying. Although her existence does give me someone to hate and write bad things about, so I guess she does serve a purpose. For those who like Ziva, there are a multitude of pro-Ziva stories out there for you. Just note that if you read this, after having been warned, and you don't like the story-tough beans. You brought it on yourself. I'm just glad we'll only have to deal with her for two more episodes at the beginning of next season.

Chapter One

Tony DiNozzo was numb. He never thought that he could be more shocked than he'd been when his boss, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, had 'retired' to Mexico. But Gibbs had just topped that particular moment, with an assist from Leon Vance.

The Director had just handed Tony transfer orders, reassigning him to the Los Angeles office, Office of Special Projects. Undercover. And trying to make it seem like it was a promotion. If it had been just Gibbs, Tony might have thought it was an elaborate prank. Not usually the other man's style, but Abby would have been able to convince him to try to get one over on Tony. But Vance would never have gotten involved in anything like that.

He stared down at the paper in his hand. One single sheet, yet it felt like it weighed a ton. His life...his future...all wrapped up in one little paragraph. Three sentences.

It took a minute before he realized that Vance was still talking to him.

"...three weeks, per agency policy, to report to Agent Lange. You'll need to complete this paperwork once you've arrived and got settled in." It took another long moment before DiNozzo was able to get his brain to realize that he had to lift his hand to take the large envelope Vance was holding out to him.

As he dropped his hand back to his lap, he turned to Gibbs, who was staring at the floor.

"You knew about this?" he asked, already knowing the answer, considering the other man's total lack of protest regarding the transfer, but he had to ask anyway. He had to hear the words from Gibbs' own lips.

It was several seconds before Gibbs raised his eyes to Tony's. And the message was clear as soon as they made contact. "We both think that it's time," Gibbs replied. "You've been ready to move on for awhile now."

Tony knew that wasn't the reason and his brain quickly ran through everything that had happened recently, and came to the only conclusion he could. "This is about Ziva, isn't it?" he asked softly.

"DiNozzo...Tony..." Gibbs began. "She...she's...uncomfortable working with you. She..." he stopped when DiNozzo raised his hand.

"She's uncomfortable?" he asked, a bitterness creeping into the question. "She lied to you. She betrayed the team, harbored a rogue Mossad agent who killed four people, including an NCIS agent. She shoved a loaded gun into my chest and she's uncomfortable?" His voice was nearly a whispered. Gibbs and Vance exchanged a glance when DiNozzo accused Ziva of pointing a gun at him, neither having heard about the incident. But before either could question him, Tony turned to Vance. "Is this a favor to her father?" he asked.

Vance shook his head. "No, it..."

Tony shook his head and closed his eyes briefly, then stood up. When he looked at Vance, the Director was shocked at the change in the man. The once sparkling green eyes, which normally held a bit of mischief, now lacked any emotion at all. It was like a curtain had been drawn across them, leaving them dull and blank. It disturbed Vance more than he wanted to admit.

"Is that all, Director?" Tony asked, blandly.

Leon leaned back in his chair. "I thought you'd put up more of a fight," he remarked.

"What's the point? Agent Gibbs has obviously made his choice."

Gibbs winced at words. Because that was exactly what had happened. Ziva David had asked him to choose. Her or DiNozzo. And even now he knew he'd made the wrong choice.

"If that's all, I have some calls to make," Tony said, leaving when Vance just nodded his agreement. DiNozzo never even glanced Gibbs' way as he walked out of the room.

Jethro watched him leave, seeing the way Tony squared his shoulders and softly pulled the door closed behind him.

"I think I just made one of the biggest mistakes of my life," Gibbs said, still watching the door as if hoping for DiNozzo to barrel back through, demanding an explanation and retraction. When it didn't occur he stood up and walked over to the window, noticing that the gloomy, rainy day outside perfectly matched his mood.

/

Tony walked downstairs, his orders clutched in one hand. As he descended the stairs, he caught the banter between his teammates...former teammates...Tim McGee and Ziva David. Moving behind his desk, he ignored them both as they greeted him. He set the orders and envelope down on his desk, then pulled a legal pad from his center desk drawer. Picking up a pen, he starting making a list of things he would need to do, not wanting to forget anything.

He was still somewhat in a daze, not really aware of anyone around him, concentrating on the pad of paper he was writing on. That is, until he noticed a small hand reaching for the envelope he'd placed beside him. He slammed his hand down on top of the envelope to prevent Ziva from picking it up off his desk. Dropping the pen, he reached over with his right hand and not so gently removed Ziva's, then slid the documentation into his suit pocket. Picking the pen back up, he returned to his task.

"Tony, what is wrong?" Ziva asked. When she didn't get a reply, she got frustrated. "Are you going to speak to us? Or are you going to pout?" she teased. "What's the matter, did the Director spank you?" she asked gleefully.

It was then that Tony finally realized just how spiteful Ziva had become. He had been attributing her recent nastiness to her grief over Rivkin's death and the issues with her father. But he knew, watching her eyes, that her hatred of him was deep and not likely to change anytime in the near future. He just looked at her blankly, not giving away any clue as to what he was thinking. Any desire he'd harbored to try to regain their friendship was trampled by the realization that they had truly never been friends.

He glanced over at McGee who was grinning like a loon at Ziva's comment...and came to the same conclusion about him. Any friendship Tony had thought existed was obviously one-sided. And Gibbs made it a trifecta. Seems like his entire team felt the same way. He stared at both of them for a few more seconds before turning his attention back to his list, ignoring them, since that was apparently what they wanted.

Before either McGee or Ziva could speak up, Gibbs hurried into their area. "Grab your gear," he ordered as he reached for his own weapon and slid it into the holster at his waist. Slipping his jacket from the back of his chair, he shrugged it onto his shoulders.

As McGee and David rushed to comply with his order, Gibbs stopped in front of Tony's desk. There was so much he wanted to say to the younger man, but knew he didn't have the time. And really, he didn't want to have this conversation in the office. When Tony didn't even bother to look up, Gibbs turned on his heel and joined the others by the elevator.

McGee and Ziva were just realizing that something was amiss when Tony didn't join them, didn't even bother to watch them leave. As the elevator door closed, Ziva turned and looked at her boss. Any question she might have voiced was silenced by the glare he sent her way.

/

Five hours later, the trio of agents wearily trudged their way back into the building. They were dirty, sweaty and exhausted. The scene had been a nightmare, with half a dozen bodies and a large amount of evidence to collect. And being an agent short hadn't helped. Gibbs had decided to make McGee and Ziva do the majority of the grunt work, while he interviewed the few witnesses that were still alive.

He had debated calling DiNozzo and having him join them at the scene, but after what had happened in Vance's office, he'd been sure that Tony wouldn't have even bothered to answer his phone once he knew who was calling. As he neared their area, he stopped short in front of DiNozzo's desk. His heart dropped to his stomach at the sight of the clean and uncluttered desktop. Nothing on it but the phone, keyboard and an empty in/out mail tray. The cushioned space divider behind the desk, which once held an assortment of photos, postcards and cartoons with a law enforcement bent, now held only NCIS documents and memos.

"Gibbs." He turned to see Ziva and McGee both looking behind him. When he turned, he saw a trash can sitting on his desk. He frowned, curious why someone would have left that there, smack dab in the middle of his work space. And he hoped it was just the janitor who got interrupted in the middle of the job. But his heart knew different.

Four steps later, he reached for the can, but when he picked it up, he realized how heavy it was. Glancing inside, it took everything in him not to cry out loud. He was glad his back was turned toward his remaining agents, since he knew he hadn't been able to keep the pain from showing on his face. He grasped the can to his chest and walked away, leaving McGee and David dumbfounded, glancing between his retreating form and Tony DiNozzo's empty desk.

/

Three days later, they had a killer in custody. But no confession could alleviate the somber mood that had settled over Team Gibbs. By now, it was common knowledge that DiNozzo had been reassigned, although the rumor mill was flying with a plethora of reasons why he'd left without so much as a goodbye to anyone.

The Director had put out a general announcement about his promotion and transfer, but Gibbs was close-mouthed about the lack of celebration. In fact, Gibbs was even quieter than usual. He barely spoke to his team, unless it was related to a case. Even their resident Forensic Tech, Abby Scuito, had commented to McGee and Ziva that whenever she brought up Tony's name, Gibbs just got this sad look on his face and left the room.

And when he was in the bullpen, he kept glancing over at Tony's old desk. He had heard McGee and Ziva speculating as to why no one was saying anything about DiNozzo's departure. They figured it had to do with the fact that Tony had joined the Spec Ops division. Special Operations was, by nature, very secretive. But that didn't explain the mood Gibbs had been in since he left. If he hadn't agreed with the transfer, they would have thought he'd been ranting and raving in the Director's office. They wondered if maybe the transfer was at Tony's request, which might be the reason for Gibbs' silence. It wasn't any secret how Gibbs felt about DiNozzo and he might be seeing Tony's defection as a betrayal.

But then, why wasn't he angry? The former Marine generally took that type of action personally and became a one-man wrecking crew, at least verbally. But he'd reverted to how he'd acted after Kate died. He was quiet...and nice. And he used to stare at her desk like that too, when he thought no one was looking. No one had heard him so much as raise his voice since Tony left. It was...abnormal.

/

Gibbs sighed and moved his head around on his shoulders, trying to work the kinks out. He hadn't slept much in the last few days, spending most of his off time in his basement. It had been a week since DiNozzo had left. Gibbs had wanted to speak to him before he left town, but had lost the opportunity. When they'd returned back to the Navy Yard that day and found DiNozzo's desk cleaned out and the trash can on Gibbs' desk, he knew that his chance was gone. Long gone.

He had spoken to no one about what that can had contained, but the pain he'd felt when he'd seen his medals and awards tossed away had been more than he could bear that day. He'd clutched the can to him and heading for the stairwell at the far end of the building. He knew from experience that people seldom used those stairs, so knew he'd have some privacy.

He'd climbed to the top of the staircase and out onto roof. It was an area that Tony came to when he wanted some time away from a tough case. The lawn chair that he'd dragged up there one day still sat off to the side. Gibbs dropped down onto the chair, placing the can on the ground beneath his feet. Pulling his cellphone from his belt, he quickly dialed Tony's number, only to hear the faint ring tone echoing from the plastic bin.

He reached into the can and pulled out the still ringing phone. Cutting off the call, he flung both phones against the brick wall that surrounding the air conditioning unit, pieces of black plastic flying in all directions as they smashed against the hard surface. Flopping against the back of the chair, he raised his face to the sun, rubbing a hand across his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Tony," he whispering. "I'm so sorry." This time he didn't try to wipe away the single tear that escaped.

/

Chapter Two

Tony DiNozzo entered the building and looked around. He'd left D.C. the same night he'd received his orders, having made arrangements to have his belongings moved into storage. His teammates used to laugh at his continuing connection with his fraternity brothers, but they came in handy when one owned a moving & storage company. Tony had made quick work of cleaning out his desk, only hesitating when he opened the bottom drawer which held all of the awards and military medals that he'd been honored to hold for his boss. But they were all tainted to him now...tainted by the betrayal he felt from the man he had once felt so much respect for.

He'd wanted to make a statement and hoped that tossing the medals and awards away, like he felt he'd been tossed away, would convey his feelings better than any words he could utter. He'd finished up any last minute reports he needed to do, but when it came to official paperwork, such as the requisition forms and other mundane documents that were his responsibility as Senior Field Agent, he dropped those into McGee's in-box. They were his problem now.

After finishing up any last minute items at the office, Tony had headed home. He knew that if he stuck around, he'd have to endure visits from everyone, knowing they'd want to gloat. And seeing as he really didn't want to be on the receiving end of that, he'd packed what clothing he'd need for the first few weeks and hit the road. He decided to drive to California, seeing as he'd need a vehicle anyway. And he wanted the time alone to come to terms with the hand he'd been dealt. Oh, he could have quit, resigned. Gone to work for his family's company.

No, not Senior. That man was still the con man he'd always been. But he'd never been able to successfully con Tony's maternal grandmother, who was one of the shrewdest women Tony had ever met. Also one of the best. Tony knew he always had a place in the business, but she respected that he wanted to make his own way and was proud of the work he did.

But she also reminded him regularly that he would be welcome no matter what, if he ever decided to get out of law enforcement. In the tough times he'd endured over the last twenty years, it was often the one comfort he had, and gave him the strength to carry on with his chosen profession. He knew he could call her anytime. And he'd come close to making that call on a number of occasions. He'd picked up the phone a dozen times on his road trip across the country, but something always stayed his hand.

He hadn't wanted to give either Vance or Gibbs, and especially not Ziva, the satisfaction of knowing he'd resign rather than take the 'promotion' they'd sprung on him. He'd give it some time, see how it went. After the last disastrous undercover op for Jenny Shepard, he wondered why Vance thought he could handle this one. But at least it got him away from D.C. and the duplicitous people who had called themselves a team. He'd debated talking to Abby and Ducky before he left, but considering the relationship each had with Gibbs, he figured it would be best to cut his losses and just make a clean break of it. They'd probably both side with Gibbs anyway. He'd start fresh, with a new outlook and new approach to his job and the people he would be forced to work beside.

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a dimiutive older woman, the infamous Hetty Lange. "Agent DiNozzo, welcome."

"Agent Lange." He shook her outstretched hand, then followed her over to a table in the middle of the room, around which four people were gathered.

"Hey, Hetty!" one of the men greeted her as she approached.

"Agent Callan, this is Agent Anthony DiNozzo. He will be joining the team." Tony felt like a bug specimen as all four turned to look at him, but he kept his face neutral as the rest of the team was introduced.

Agent Kensi Blye was the last to be introduced and she smiled as she shook his hand. "So, Agent DiNozzo...can I call you Tony?"

"Actually, I prefer Agent DiNozzo."

Sam Hanna took offense. "Hey, she's just trying to be friendly."

"With all due respect, Agent Hanna. I don't want to be friends. I tried that with my last team, and got stabbed in the back. I don't plan to let that happen again. If that's a problem, tell me now, and Agent Lange can request my transfer to another team before we get down to business." When the others didn't reply, Tony sat down. "So, I assume you need a new face on whatever case you're working on. If you want to read me in and tell me what it is you need me to do, we can get this show on the road."

The other team members exchanges glances before Callan pushed a file Tony's way and began explaining the situation. Hetty nodded her satisfaction before returning to her office.

An hour later, a loud curse shattered the relative silence of the room. The team had left Tony alone to go over the thick file, available if he had any questions, but letting him read the reports without interruption, taking the opportunity to discuss their newest teammate away from his hearing. Callan promised himself to call Gibbs and see what the deal was with his former SFA.

The curse drew the team back to the table to find DiNozzo shaking his head and muttering under his breath and quietly cursing 'that dumb sonofabitch, trying to get me killed'." Sam and G. exchange an amused glance before Callan spoke up.

"Problem?"

"Yeah. My Director wants me dead."

"Explain, Agent DiNozzo," Hetty said as she joined the group.

"Question first. Did Vance send you my complete file before he scluffed me off on you?"

Hetty frowned at the implication that Tony was sent to her team to get rid of a problem-child. "No, he said he'd send it along later. But he did assure me that you were a top-notch undercover agent and would be an asset to this office."

Tony just smiled bitterly at that remark. "I'm sure he wanted to wait until I was too deep in to pull out safely before he gave you the full information. Do you know if he's seen these photos?" The bitterness was obvious in his tone.

"Well, he does have a copy of the report, including copies of all the photos and surveillance evidence, but I can't guarantee that he's actually looked at it," she said, drily.

"Obviously we missed something," Callan said.

Tony flipped a photo across the table, Callan stopping it with his hand before it slid off the table, as he settled into a seat, Sam grabbed the chair beside him and looking at the picutre as well. Kensi and Deeks sat down on the other side of the big table.

"Constantine Martinelli," Callan remarked, recognizing the man in the photo.

"You know anything about him?" Tony asked, wanting to determine how thorough their intel was before he continued.

"From what we've found, he's been in L.A. for about ten years, give or take a few months. Came here from Philadelphia. He's muscle."

"Does your intel tell you what he did when he was in Philly?"

"Some loose affiliation to east coast Mafia."

Tony laughed, but with no humor involved. "Loose affiliation. He was the head enforcer for the Macaluso Family."

All four agents sat up at that declaration. "Macaluso!" Hanna exclaimed. "Weren't they taken down? How is he not in jail?"

"He happened to be out-of-state at his father's funeral when the raid went down. He slipped between the cracks," Tony explained.

"How do you know that?" Deeks asked.

Tony looked around the table, his eyes landing lastly on Hetty Lange. "Did any of the information Vance gave you cover my job history prior to becoming an agent?" he asked her.

"No," she replied. "We didn't really get into any part of your past before NCIS."

DiNozzo sighed. "Yeah, well my past is going to keep me from being able to participate in your little operation."

"Why?" Hanna asked, pissed that they wasted so much time with this guy who seemed like he didn't want to do his job.

"What do you know about the details of how the Macaluso family was brought down?" Tony asked him, his eyes cold and unrelenting.

"Philly PD sent in an undercover officer. He was able to get pretty deep in the organization. I heard he charmed the boss-man, to the point where Michael Macaluso wanted to marry him off to his only daughter."

At that Tony smiled wistfully, a true and genuine smile. "Ah, the fair Gabriella. Smart, feisty, beautiful."

"You talk like you know her," Kensi said with a smirk.

"I should. I almost married her." Silence felled the conversation as Tony glanced once again at Hetty, who smiled at him, waiting for her team to make the connection.

"Wait! You were the cop?!" Hanna cried. "You?!"

Tony frowned at the implication that he couldn't have handled the assignment. Seems like this team had no more respect for his abilities than his last team. Then he saw Callan smile.

"I guess Gibbs was right. You will be a good match for this team."

At the mention of Gibbs, the smile dropped quickly from DiNozzo's face. "I wouldn't put too much stock in Gibbs' opinion of anything."

Callan's eyes narrowed and Hanna leaned forward. "Gibbs is a good agent. And he was a good Marine."

Tony smirked. "You were a Navy SEAL, weren't you Agent Hanna?" When Hanna nodded, he continued. "In your time as a SEAL, I imagine you worked with a lot Marines." Again, a nod. "You ever known one to forget the meaning of Semper Fi?"

"You're kidding, right? Marines live and breath Semper Fi."

Tony gathered up the file and put it back together, sliding it toward Hanna. "Well, Gibbs seems to have forgotten what it means." He glanced at Hetty. "I can't help you with this case. Martinelli would recognize me the minute I walked into the room. And when you call Director Vance, let him know, that if he really wants me dead that badly, he should grow some balls and just shoot me himself."

Just before he stood up, he pulled a notepad toward him and jotted something down. As he walked toward the door, he handed the paper to Hetty. "My new cell number. Please don't share that with anyone. If it's all the same to you, I'd like to get settled into my new digs. I haven't had the chance to go by there yet and see what I'll need to get."

Hetty slipped his number in the pocket of her jacket. "You still have two weeks before you have to officially report, Agent DiNozzo. But I would like to reserve the right to call on your expertise if we have any questions that you might be able to assist us with in our research for this operation."

"Of course. Agents," he nodded as a way of acknowledging the others before leaving the building, sliding his sunglasses onto his nose as he left.

"Well, I'll be damed," G. muttered as he watched the man leave.

/

"...got a very bitter agent on our hands, Gibbs. What the hell did you guys do to him?" Callan was sitting on a bench at the beach, watching a young boy and his father finally get their kite up and flying high. "He mentioned being stabbed in the back...yeah...well, he told Sam that he thinks you forgot the meaning of Semper Fi..."

For the next couple minutes G. listened as Gibbs explained exactly what had happened back in D.C. and admitting his own culpability in the disaster. Callan was disappointed in his mentor and friend. "He gave you ten years, Gibbs, and that's how you treat him?...Hell, I'd be bitter too!...Yeah, I get that, but is she really worth it? ... Kensi said something to him about that. You want to know what his response was? He told her that it wasn't so much a promotion as a banishment. He said that if he didn't know you better, he thought you just might be pussy-whipped. But that, considering what happened, maybe he didn't know you all that well after all...Gibbs? Gibbs, you still there?"

The conversation continued for a few more minutes, until Gibbs assured G. that he intended to make things right between him and DiNozzo. Callan wasn't sure it could be done, considering all the bridges that had been burned, and the trust that had been lost. But Gibbs had been livid when he found out about the Macaluso connection on that first case Tony had been asked to participate in.

"I think I've only see him smile once since he's been here," G. continued, "and that was the very first day, when he was talking about a woman he almost married. We've invited him out for dinner, lunch, drinks...he's turned down every invitation we've extended...No, I'm not passing along any messages. You got something to say to him, Gibbs, get your ass out here and say it to his face...It's your screw-up, you need to fix it! "

Callan hungup before Gibbs could reply. DiNozzo had been in L.A. for just over three weeks, and had participated in two undercover operations since then and he'd been excellent in both, saving Sam's life just a few days ago. Even so, Hanna was still having trouble warming up to their newest agent, who was nothing at all like the mischievous and care-free man Gibbs had described whenever he talked about DiNozzo before the transfer. In his place was a no-nonsense, always serious and uber-professional federal agent.

Three-thousand miles away, Jethro Gibbs sighed as he heard the dial tone as Callan hungup on him. He knew that G. was right and Gibbs had finally, just that morning, told Vance that he would be gone for a week, maybe two, beginning the next morning. Things had been tense at the Navy Yard ever since DiNozzo left and Gibbs was tired of the bullshit.

When Vance had, once again, declined his request, Gibbs had started coughing, commenting about how he wasn't feeling well and thought he was coming down with something. Frowning at the obvious, overly dramatic, and very bad acting, the Director had finally signed off on a week's leave.

Gibbs smirked as he remembered the conversation that followed.

"And just what do you expect me to do with your team while you're 'sick'?" Vance had asked.

"Frankly, I don't really care. There's always cold cases. Or you could sign David up for some sensitivity training, since she obviously needs it," he replied. "Or maybe some classes in teamwork."

Ever since DiNozzo left, Ziva had been insufferable. Her catty remarks to each new temporary agent had sent two scurrying away on the first day. The only one that hadn't reacted adversely had left just the day before, deciding she'd rather be back in the Marines than deal with a woman who wasn't even an NCIS agent or, for that matter, a citizen of the country. She happened to mention to McGee that she thought the best place for Ziva David was right back in Mossad where she could put her lack of tact to good use.

Gibbs had smiled when McGee agreed with her, after glancing around to be sure they were alone, not seeing Gibbs in the shadows behind his cubicle. Gibbs had quickly regretted his decision to send Tony away and keep Ziva David on the team. And she was taking advantage of his goodwill, to the detriment of the team. He'd already written her up twice for disobeying an order, threatening that the next time would lead to a suspension and possible termination, which he reminded her, would likely end in her deportation.

That had apparently scared her enough to make her more cautious in her actions, at least while Gibbs was present. However, he was still hearing enough complaints from other agents, that she was on the fast track to losing her job. Gibbs had begun to wonder lately, if he got down on his knees and begged, if Tony would come back. He'd made numerous attempts to reach Tony by phone and email. The younger man had refused to come to the phone when he was in the office when Gibbs called and Jethro no longer had his cell number, since he'd changed it after moving to the West Coast, and he was loathe to ask McGee or Abby to find it for him. And none of his emails had been replied to. Gibbs had even written him two letters, but each had been returned unopened, with a big REFUSED written across it.

He didn't know if Tony had kept in touch with anyone else in the office. Abby and Ducky were both pissed at Jethro, talking to him only as it related to a case and wouldn't confirm whether they were in contact or not. In fact, neither had any use for Ziva either after they found out, from Gibbs, the reason he'd been such an idiot. He hadn't meant to say anything to them, but they'd caught him one Friday evening at home, after he'd finished most of a bottle of bourbon and was feeling sorry for himself.

When he'd told them that Ziva had asked him to choose between her and Tony, and that he'd chosen her, Abby had stormed off, refusing to even allow him in her lab for over a week. He'd finally been able to convince both of them that he was desperate to fix the problem. It wasn't until yesterday, when he'd told Abby that he was ready to resign in order to get time away from D.C. to go and speak to Tony face-to-face, that she deemed he was once again worthy of a hug from her. None of her hugs had ever felt so good, knowing that she was at least willing to forgive him...as long as he got Tony back.

He prayed that DiNozzo would be just as forgiving.

/

Chapter Three

Tony was having a quiet conversation with his grandmother when he heard the knock on the door. He promised to call her back in a few days, once he'd made a final decision about his future. They exchanged goodbyes and he disconnected, smiling wistfully.

She had some good arguments for leaving NCIS far behind, but he wasn't sure he was ready to leave law enforcement for good. However, he also didn't want to spend the next few years being constantly undercover. That was a young man's job and he could admit, at least to himself, that he wasn't that man anymore. He and his grandmother had been discussing an idea that had been rolling around in his head for several years. When he had first brought up the idea with her, she'd thought it had some merit and put some of her research and development people to work on it and they were coming up with some good suggestions.

He was startled out of his musings by another soft knock on the door. He sighed and stood up, setting the phone back down on the coffee table. He didn't get many visitors here, the property being quiet and secluded in the hills overlooking the ocean. It had surprised him to discover that he enjoyed being alone sometimes. He didn't know if that was due to getting older or more to the recent turmoil in his life.

It still pained him to think about that day. The day he'd been tossed aside like something that was no longer any use to anyone. He had yet to respond to any of the emails he'd received from anyone at the Navy Yard. The ones from Ziva he'd deleted without even looking at them. He read the messages from McGee, Abby and Ducky, saving them, but not replying, afraid to bare his soul to any of them just yet. He missed Abby and Ducky, and even McGee, although not as much.

The emails from Gibbs—well he was in a quandry about what to do with them. He couldn't bring himself to read them, but he also couldn't force his finger to hit the delete button. Like with his father, he wondered if he would forever hold out hope that things could be different in the future. He knew it was stupid. Gibbs was just as much to blame, if not more so, than Vance for Tony's….banishment. That's what he'd called it when Agent Blye had commented on his promotion, because that was what it had felt like.

The same emotions he'd felt when his father had shipped him off to the Rhode Island Military Academy as a twelve-year-old had resurfaced that day in Vance's office. His saving grace had been remembering that RIMA had actually led directly to a scholarship to Ohio State and later to the police academy and eventually NCIS. He'd met some great people along the way and put a lot of bad guys in jail. He'd saved several lives and brought justice to hundreds of families, both civilian and military. It was something to be proud of and he was. He just needed to get past this most recent set-back and get his life back on track.

His thoughts tumbled rapid-fire through his brain as he turned the knob to open his front door, fully expecting the real estate agent who had been coming by at least once a week since he'd taken up residence, trying to get him to sell this prime piece of real estate. But instead of a young, energetic thirty-something, he saw a gray-haired, blue-eyed, former Marine.

"Hey," Gibbs said softly, when it appeared that Tony wouldn't be the one to initiate the conversation.

"What do you want?" Tony asked, more harshly then he'd realized, until he saw Gibbs flinch.

Jehtro swallowed hard. "To apologize," he said.

"Thought that was against the rules."

"I'll make an exception for you," he said jokingly, but by the look on Tony's face, he knew that the younger man was not going to allow him any leeway.

"Don't do me any favors. What do you really want?"

"To talk...to explain."

The door shutting in his face shouldn't have surprised Gibbs, but it did. He never thought Tony would turn him away. A few seconds later, the door opened again and he thought DiNozzo had had a change of heart. He didn't expect the fist that connected with his jaw. The next thing he knew he was flat on this back and the door was being slammed shut again. It took a moment for the pain to register, but when it did, he jumped up to his feet. He was angry and ready to kick in the door and insist on the opportunity to explain his actions. He raised his foot, ready to do just that, but at the last second, he realized that would be the worst thing he could do.

Instead he knocked softly. "Okay, Tony. I understand. But I want you to know, I'm gonna be in town for a week. I flew out here only to talk to you. I know I screwed up. I don't think I've ever done anything so stupid in my life. And I'll never be able to forgive myself for doing that to you. I would like to talk to you. I'll...I'll try again tomorrow. Please think about it." He turned to leave, then spoke again. "Tony, I am so sorry." He turned and headed back down the long staircase to the street.

He glanced up briefly as he got down to street level and saw DiNozzo standing on his balcony staring down at him, but after just a few seconds, Tony turned around and walked back inside, closing the sliding glass door and closing the curtains. Gibbs sighed and keyed open the car door.

Inside, DiNozzo was fuming. How dare Gibbs just show up like that! And how the hell...he grabbed his phone and punched in an number. When the phone was picked up on the other end he growled out. "How the hell did Gibbs know where I live?...You had no right to give that information to anyone!...I don't care, Agent Lange. I'll be making a formal and official complaint that you are releasing my personal information...Because it's none of his damn business!" He slammed the phone down. Damn it!

The family business was looking more and more appealing.

/

Over the next few days, Gibbs went by Tony's place every evening, only to have the door slammed in his face yet again. He was frustrated and angry, and his tongue was sore from having to bite it so often in an effort not the lash out verbally everytime he saw DiNozzo. But he knew if he did that, he would lose any chance he had to made things right with the younger man.

He couldn't remember a time he'd had to be more patient and tolerant. Well, okay, maybe when Shannon was pregnant and her hormones kicked in. But at least at the end of that he'd had a beautiful baby daughter to show for it. But Gibbs was nothing if not stubborn. He didn't think DiNozzo had yet gotten to the point where he'd call the cops if he showed up again. But he didn't want to press his luck.

So he went over early, while Tony was still at work. He left a note on the door, letting his former SFA know that he'd been by and wasn't going to give up, but figured Tony might want an evening where Gibbs didn't bug him by knocking on his door. He left his cellphone number and the number to his hotel, in case Tony wanted to talk to him. He also told him he'd be by the next day again in an attempt to talk to him.

In the note, he outlined his reasons, crappy though they were, for doing what he did. He also apologized, and he smiled as he realized that DiNozzo...at the least the old DiNozzo...would keep the note, if only to prove that Gibbs was capable of saying he was sorry for something. He wasn't sure that this DiNozzo would even open the damn thing.

Gibbs had no illusions that Tony wasn't extremely pissed...and he had every right to be. He'd known that as soon as he'd seen the look on Tony's face when Vance had handed him his orders. What really surprised him was that Tony hadn't try to deck him. Hadn't argued. Hadn't even really demanded more of an explanation. Had basically ignored him after Gibbs had given him the brief and utterly inexplicable explanation for DiNozzo's reassignment.

But he'd seen the initial despair in Tony's eyes and it cut him to the quick. He'd been apprehensive about the move anyway, but when he'd seen those eyes go from devastation to dead in the literal blink of an eye, he'd wanted to jump up and admit that he'd made a terrible mistake. The fact was that he had just proved what a bastard he really was and he didn't really blame Tony for walking away like he did.

So now, he was trying to fix it, but wasn't sure it even was fixable. Over the next few days, he made at least one attempt every day to speak with Tony. He'd even begun camping out at the coffee shop across the street from Tony's driveway. He would get there early and snag one of the outdoor tables and wait for Tony to leave his house. He knew DiNozzo saw him there each morning, as he made eye contact each time.

During the day, Gibbs would return to his hotel, grab a book and go sit on the beach and read. If his stomach and his mind weren't in such turmoil over the situation with DiNozzo, he might have actually enjoyed his little impromtu vacation. Each evening he would return to the coffee shop and wait for Tony to return. A couple of nights he never came home and Gibbs had called Callan to make sure he hadn't gotten injured on a case, eliciting a promise from Callan that he not tell DiNozzo that Gibbs was checking up on him.

Finally, he got the nerve to once again approach Tony, this time at work. Knowing DiNozzo's work habits, he decided he might be able to find him doing some late night research or catching up on reports. He entered the building and glanced around. It was nearly empty, but he could see his former SFA sitting at a desk in the far end of the room, the small task light the only illumination in his area. He could hear Callan and Hanna talking from behind a partition to his right as he approached Tony's desk. And he knew at least one technician was in the room upstairs, as they monitored several intelligience sites around-the-clock.

He stopped in front of DiNozzo's desk, his presence detected immediately, even though it took several seconds before the younger man looked his way, his clenched jaw making Gibbs aware that his presence was far from welcome.

"What do you want?"

"To apologize. To grovel. To do whatever I need to do to prove to you how sorry I am for what I did."

A small but bitter smile flittered across DiNozzo's face. "Do you really expect me to forgive you?"

Gibbs sighed. "No, I don't."

"Guess you can leave then," Tony replied, turning his attention back to his report.

"Damn it, DiNozzo!" he hissed through clenched teeth.

Tony slammed his hands against his desk and stood up, his chair slamming against the wall behind him. "What the fuck do you want from me, Gibbs? Absolution? Well, I hate to disappoint you, but you've come to the wrong place for that! Try a church!"

Tony's actions and raised voice caught the attention of his two new teammates, who halted their conversation and moved to get an eye on the confrontation.

"I don't expect absolution or forgiveness!" Gibbs insisted. "I just want the chance to explain!" He was nearly pleading now, something that he never did.

"I really couldn't give a shit about your explanation," Tony snarled. "You made your choice! And now we both have to live with it! Just get the hell out and let me get on with my life, pitiful as it might be!"

DiNozzo stepped out from behind his desk, needed distance from his former boss. But Gibbs, in exasperation, reached out and grabbed his arm. He didn't expect the explosion that came.

Tony twisted his arm out of Gibbs' grasp and launched himself at his former boss, propelled by an anger that he'd kept bottled up for way too long. Gibbs was taken by surprise, although a thought skittered through his brain, that he really should have expected the attack. Tony was able to land three solid punches before Gibbs brain caught up to what was happening. It took every bit of restraint he could muster to go against his instincts that pushed him to fight back. He knew if he did, any chance he had with Tony would be irretrievable lost.

So, while he took a step back, he never raised his hands, never made a move, fighting every impulse he had to lash out, to strike back. Instead, he did something he'd never done in all his years as a Marine. He retreated.

Tony continued forward. "Come on, Gibbs, you bastard! Fight! Or did little Miss Mossad turn you into a coward?! Did she emasculate you?!" Every phrase was emphasized with a blow. His face...his stomach...a kick to his knee, which finally caused a grunt of pain to escape his lips. "Come on, Gibbs! What are you waiting for?! I know you've been wanting to smack me down for years...here's your chance!" One final kick to Gibb's stomach knocked him to the ground.

He waited for another blow, another kick...waited for Tony to take further advantage of Gibbs' lack of retaliation. When no additional blows came, he looked up to see DiNozzo standing over him, breathing heavily, fists clenched at his sides. Behind him, he could see Callan and Hanna holding Tony back, each with a hand wrapped around his biceps.

"You son-of-a-bitch," DiNozzo whispered. "Why didn't you fight back? Why did you make me do that!?" Tony bent forward, yank his arms out of the grip, putting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Gibbs, you need a medic?" Callan asked quietly.

Jethro shook his head as he took stock of his body. The punches to his face and body, while uncomfortable and likely to give him some colorful bruises, weren't significant. The kick to his knee was downright painful and he hoped he'd be able to walk once he made it to his feet... if he was able to get to his feet.

"Tony...I didn't fight back...because I deserved all that and more. I'm sorry..."

"Fuck you, Gibbs! Fuck you...and Ziva David...and that bastard, Vance! You can all go to hell!" He spun around and stalked toward the door, pulling it open with such force that it slammed against the wall, leaving a dent in the drywall.

Gibbs watched him leave, hoping his last chance wasn't leaving with him. He barely felt the pain from the blows to his body as he realized that he might have lost Tony from his life forever. He closed his eyes, feeling defeated. He hadn't felt this devastated since he'd learned that his family had been murdered or when Kate Todd had died.

He flinched when a hand landed on his shoulder. Opening his eyes, he saw Callan standing beside him, reaching a hand out. With a deep sigh, he grasped the outstretched hand, and painfully gained his feet, wincing as he put weight on the knee Tony had kicked.

"You need a hospital, Gibbs?" Hanna asked.

Gibbs just shook his head. "I'm good," he assured the two men, though he knew he'd be walking with a limp for a few days.

Callan reached down for his ringing phone. "Yeah," he said. He glanced at Gibbs while listening to the voice on the other end of the phone. "Got it, thanks...I will." He flipped the phone shut. "I have orders to take you to the hospital for x-rays," he told Gibbs.

"Orders?" Gibbs asked, grimacing as he tried to move.

"Yeah. Seems Agent DiNozzo, even though he pretty much hates your guts right now, also is aware that you would refuse treatment. Says, and I quote, 'that stubborn bastard will tell you he's okay, even if he can't walk, so drag him to the hospital for x-rays even if you have to knock him unconscious to do it', end quote."

Callan and Hanna exchanged grins at the frown that flickered across Gibbs' face. "Guess he doesn't hate you completely then," Sam remarked.

Gibbs looked at him, his thoughts racing. Even though Tony had inflicted some damage to his former boss, he cared enough to call and make sure Gibbs got medical help. A small spark of hope flickered through Jethro. He was so distracted, he didn't even realize that Sam and G had pulled his arms over their shoulders and were nearly carrying him out the door to Callan's car. He was brought back to awareness when Hanna closed the door and Callan started up the car, the protest dying on his lips as Callan drove away in the direction of the closest hospital.

He might be stubborn, but he was also realistic. He knee was throbbing and he could feel it already beginning to swell up. Reaching a hand up to his face, he lightly touched his right cheek. Flipping down the sun visor and looking in the mirror, he could see the bruise forming already. He sighed, not looking forward to the explanation he knew he'd have to give to Abby and Ducky when he returned to D.C. with a black eye, and probably on crutches. He pushed the visor back up and leaned his head back against the headrest. He had never seen Tony that angry before. He admitted to himself that it had frightened him a bit. But the fact that Tony had called Callan to be sure that Gibbs got treated gave him hope. And right now, that was all he could ask for.

/

Chapter Four

Three days later, Gibbs painfully and determinedly made his way up the long flight of stairs to Tony's front door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked. It was a full minute before the he heard footsteps approached from inside and the door was flung open.

He sighed at the immediately frown that came over DiNozzzo's face. "What do you want?"

"Can I please come in?" the older man asked, more softly then Tony had ever heard him talk to anyone who wasn't a child or the victim of a crime they were investigating."I know I have no right to barge in on you like this…"

"Then why are you?" DiNozzo asked, frost gathering on his words.

"I'd like the chance to apologize and to beg your forgiveness," he admitted. At the raise of a surprised eyebrow on Tony's face. "Please?"

Time passed in an eternity, before, surprisingly, Tony opened the door wider and allowed the former Marine to enter his home, only then noticing that he had once again brought food with him, the plastic bag dangling from the hand that wasn't wrapped around the metal cane Gibbs was leaning on. Tony shut the door and led the way to the balcony. He watched Gibbs place the bag of food onto the table. The logo on the side of the bag, not to mention the aroma, told Tony that he was being treated to some good Chinese and some microbrew.

"You got a lot of nerve coming here after what you did," he stated, the anger obvious in the statement, not ready to forgive just yet, even if he did feel a smidgen of guilt at the black eye gracing Gibbs' face and limp as he trudged across the room.

"I know. I made a mistake, Tony." Leaning on the cane and his uninjured leg, he listened to the ocean, letting the calming waves settle his mind…as least as much as it could settle considering that he was about to open his heart and soul to the younger man. "Ya know, the biggest mistake I've every made in my life was re-enlisting for my third tour. If I hadn't done that, I would have been home with Shannon and Kelly. Forcing you to leave was the second biggest mistake I've ever made. I was an idiot."

A few moments of silence were followed by DiNozzo snatching a beer and twisting of the lid. "I hope you don't expect me to disagree," he snarled.

"No. I regretted that choice as soon as you walked out the door. I was on my way downstairs to talk to you, to tell you that I'd changed my mind...when we got that case. By the time we got back to the Yard, you were already gone. From the Yard, from D.C...I tried to call...was sitting on the roof, with the trash can..." He took a deep breath, remembering what else had been in that plastic bin. "...heard your phone ringing inside..."

Gibbs voice was soft and painful to listen to. Tony's jaw ached, he was clenching it so tightly. Over the last few weeks, his pure hatred of the man had tapered off some, but hadn't bled away completely, as the outburst at the office proved to him. He still felt horribly betrayed by the man he had trusted not only with his life, but with his soul.

"I know how badly I hurt you," Gibbs continued. "I know how stupid I was, how I threw away one of the best things that had happened to me since Shannon and Kelly." When Gibbs' voice cracked, Tony glanced over at him. And was surprised to see the tears in the older man's eyes and anguish on his face. "Damn it!" Gibbs growled, swiping a hand across his eyes. "I swore to myself that I would at least get my confession out before I started blubbering again, " he admonished himself.

"Again?"

Gibbs looked up, a sheepish expression on his face. He reluctantly admitted, "The waterworks haven't stopped since you left. I've at least been able to avoid embarassing myself at work, but it's been a close thing. Everytime I see someone else sitting at your desk..." He shook his head to banish the vision from his head. "But at night, in my own home...I realize what I lost...what I threw away...what I did to you...I see her sitting there, smirking...knowing she ..." Gibbs shook his head. "No, no I won't blame her for this... this was all my doing...my fault..."

He moved over to the railing, staring out at the waves rolling in across the beach. "It hasn't been the same since you left. It's like the life went out of the place. At least for me. I can barely drag myself to work most days," he admitted. "It's hard, doing the job without you there. Having to look at her everyday, knowing that I made the wrong choice."

"I never would have asked you to choose," Tony stated.

Gibbs dropped his head. "I know. I know. And that just makes it worse. I should have left her on that tarmac in Tel Aviv when she made that demand. But I looked at her father and ...I got this bad feeling that if I left her there...we would never see her alive again...I couldn't..."

"Okay, I get that. But why me? If she was so damn uncomfortable that she couldn't work with me anymore...why not transfer her?" he asked bitterly.

Gibbs turned around to face Tony, then slid painfully down the thick glass wall of the balcony, until his ass met the floor, rubbing his hand on the thigh above his injured knee. "Because I was afraid that if I sent her to another team, she'd get someone killed," he said, flatly. "She was so angry, so hurt...I think she truly loved Rivkin and to find out that not only had he betrayed her, lied to her...but so did her father...she needed someone to lash out at. I saw what she was doing to you and I wanted to get her away from you. But I couldn't, in good conscience, hoist her off on another team."

"So you hoisted me off instead," Tony remarked, bitterly.

"Yes. To my eternal shame, yes, that's exactly what I did. I thought...god, Tony!" He rubbed his hands across his face. "I begged Vance to let me be the one to tell you, hoping to let you know that it wasn't meant as a punishment...or a...a banishment. To explain...I never meant to hurt you, Tony."

"But you did." Gibbs could see the pain on DiNozzo's face, in his eyes.

"Yes, I did. I hurt everyone. You. Abby. Ducky. McGee. Even Ziva. I thought she'd settle in, finally let go of some of her pain. But she got worse. Once she got her way, she thought she'd won. And in a way, I guess she had. And she's made everyone as miserable as she is. My stupid mistake just made everything worse...for all of us...but especially for you." He raised his eyes to capture those of his former senior agent. "I am so sorry I hurt you. So sorry I allowed myself to be manipulated, allowed her to dictate what I did." He bashed his head against the glass behind him. "I haven't been that blinded by a woman since Jenny. And I let her hurt you too. God, I'm such an idiot. I don't think I can do this anymore."

"You gonna quit, Agent Gibbs?" Tony challenged. "Let her win?" Tony was still very bitter, but he was shocked to see Gibbs so...so depressed? Self-flagellating? So un-Gibbs-like.

"She's already won, Tony. I allowed her to let me push away a man I respected, a man I enjoyed working with, a man I was proud to call friend. Except I wasn't a very good friend in return."

"No, you weren't. And you weren't much of a leader either." Tony felt some amount of satisfaction when Gibbs flinched.

"You're right, I wasn't. And there is nothing I can do to change that. I fucked up so badly and I can never apologize enough. I hope that someday you'll be able to forgive me."

Several long minutes passed in silence, Gibbs watching Tony while Tony watched the water. DiNozzo was torn. For so long, he'd hated what Gibbs had done, hated how he'd been treated. Hated Gibbs. Hated that, once again, he'd been shoved aside...found wanting...not good enough. The place...the family...he thought that he'd found had been ripped from him by the one person he'd come to depend on. The one man he'd trusted enough to share some of his innermost feelings.

The foundation that he'd been able to build up and rely upon had been dynamited out from underneath him, blown to smithereens. He wanted to continue to hate Gibbs, to banish him from Tony's life. He sighed. But he'd missed Gibbs. He'd missed the solid and stoic strength he had depended on for years. He missed the twinkle he was always able to see in the older man's eyes whenever Tony cracked a joke, even when the man refused to smile or laugh. How pathetic was he?

But he was so tired of being alone...no, not alone...lonely. The OPS team had tried to befriend him, but he had rebuffed them at every turn. He didn't want to make friends again, didn't want to trust them or get close to them. He didn't want them to have the opportunity to betray him as well. He took a long look at Gibbs, who was now sitting back against the balcony wall, with his eyes closed. The man looked like he'd aged a decade in just a few weeks. The situation was wearing on the former Marine, weighing him down. Burning him out. And Tony had only ever seen that one time before...just before Gibbs headed to Mexico.

"What are you gonna do now, Gibbs?"

Jethro stirred, as if Tony had woken him from a doze. And maybe he had. Reaching up and rubbing his eyes, Gibbs shook his head. "I don't know. I'm so tired, Tony. I can barely drag myself to work most days, anymore. I can't tell you how many times I've picked up the phone, wanting to call in sick. Or how many times I've pulled up the paperwork to put in for retirement."

Now that surprised DiNozzo. Gibbs didn't call in sick. And after Mexico, Tony figured he'd never retire again. "You need a long vacation," Tony suggested. "How, ah...how long are you here for?"

"I took a week of vacation time. And I had to threaten to quit to even get that. Vance has been an ass."

"Tell me about it," DiNozzo mumbled.

"I heard about Martinelli," Gibbs told him. "I can't believe the man was gonna let you go in blind!"

Tony allowed a small smile. "Callan told me that you called Vance out on that. Thanks."

"It was stupid on his part. He's been undercover himself, he should have known better!" After a minute Gibbs continued. "So, I took a week, but now," he said raising the cane in his hand, "it'll be at least three weeks before I can go back to work." He stood up, pushing against the cane, forced to grab hold of the railing to get his legs to cooperate. He limped over to the table and turned to look at his former Senior Field Agent, sliding his unencumbered hand into his pocket. "Tony, I know how badly I've screwed up. And I'll understand if you can't forgive me. But I needed to come out here and face you, and apologize. I would like to salvage whatever part of our friendship that I can, but I know how badly I betrayed you. I just...I needed to tell you..." He sighed. "I should just go. It was wrong of me to come out here and expect you to forget what I did. For what it's worth, Hetty's team...you can trust them. Callan has never let me down. I...I'll, ah, I guess I should go, let you get back to whatever you were doing."

Gibbs turned and began to walk toward the door. And as much as Tony wanted to just let him leave, he couldn't. The man was making an effort and Tony could at least meet him partway. He just hoped he wasn't make a huge mistake.

"So, you bring over dinner and just leave without eating?" Gibbs stopped and looked back to see DiNozzo pulling the cartons from the Chinese restaurant from the bag. "And grab a fork from the drawer by the fridge. You know I don't do chopsticks."

Gibbs grinned, even if it was a bit shaky, and moved to do as Tony asked before joining the younger man at the table. As he handed over the requested utensil, he smiled. And although DiNozzo didn't smile back, Gibbs still felt as if a small step had been accomplished in rebuilding this particular bridge that he'd thought had been burned beyond repair.

Pulling another of the cartons to him, he picked up a pair of the wooden chopsticks. "I could teach you how to use them," he offered.

Tony shook his head. "Kate tried, more than once. It was a total disaster," he said, sliding a beer Gibbs' way, before taking a bite of the sweet and sour pork. "Good choice on the restaurant. They're the best one in the area."

"Hetty told me. Oh, and, ah, she said to tell you...ah, that she's sorry, but that she felt that we needed to talk. Tony, please don't be mad at her. I literally had to beg her to give me your address. I was getting ready to get on my knees when she finally relented. Said she figured it would be best if you were the one to benefit from any groveling I had to do," he remarked with a grimace.

Tony laughed, the sound like music to Gibbs' ears. He grinned behind the bite he was shoveling in his mouth, a small bit of the tension unraveling. He knew he had a long way to go before they could hopefully get back to some semblance of their former friendship, but he prayed that Tony would give him that chance.

"I've already given Agent Lange my thoughts on that particular issue. Even made a formal complaint about it. Not that Vance will care," he said, bitterly.

The two men finished off the food and the beer as they settled back to watch the sunset, both silently wondered what would happen now. Gibbs didn't interrupt the silence, content to just be there, and not tossed over the balcony. He knew that Tony had every reason to not even let him through the door and was grateful that he'd even gotten that far. The fact that he'd been allowed to share a meal with the man was a huge step and Gibbs had no plans to make Tony sorry that he'd offered.

Once they were finished, Gibbs cleaned up the empty cartons, tossing the trash in the bin under the kitchen sink. When he returned to the table, he discovered that Tony had retrieved a bottle and two glasses. As Gibbs sat back down, Tony filled both glasses, pushing one toward his former boss. They clinked their glasses together, both taking a sip.

Gibbs moaned, causing a smile to grace DiNozzo's lips. "Grandmother only stocks the very best," Tony remarked.

"Grandmother?"

"You don't think I could afford this place on my NCIS salary."

Gibbs shrugged. "I figured you just were able to get a good deal. Maybe one of your frat buddies or something."

"No, this house is Nana's...when I told her I was being transferred to Los Angeles, she insisted. It's quite a distance from work, but worth it."

"I can see that. It's beautiful here."

After a full five minutes more of silence, Tony finished his bourbon and set the empty glass down. "I'm not making any promises, Gibbs. What you did...it was the worst betrayal since Danny Price." Gibbs grimaced at the comparison to the dirty cop who had been Tony's last partner in Baltimore.

He just nodded, not sure he could even voice a reply. After a minute, he cleared his throat. "I'm just grateful for the chance to apologize, Tony. I don't deserve your forgiveness and you're a better man than me for allowing me to speak my peace. I hope that I can regain your trust. You're important to me...more important than I've been willing to admit, even to myself. I'd like to be friends, but I'll understand if you can't or don't want my friendship. I just couldn't let it go without trying to let you know how sorry I am."

Tony nodded. "I appreciate that, more than you know."

Gibbs stood. "I should go."

DiNozzo nodded and walked to the door with his former boss, watching as he walked down the long flight of stairs to the road. He had a lot of thinking to do and knew he wouldn't get any sleep that night.

/

Chapter Five

Over the next couple weeks, Tony and Jethro had the chance to sit down and talk more, get a few more things ironed out. Due to the injury to his knee, Gibbs wouldn't be able to work anyway, so he changed his vacation time to medical leave. When he'd informed Vance of the injury, he hadn't told him the truth about how it happened, not wanting Vance to have any more ammuntion to use against DiNozzo. He knew he would be incapacitated for several weeks, so he decided to spend those weeks mending fences. He wasn't surprised that Vance had called Hetty to verify that Gibbs really was injured, and luckily Hetty perpetuated the lie that he had hurt his knee by accident, even though she'd been briefed about the altercation by Callan and Hanna.

A few days after Gibbs had shared Chinese with him, Tony invited Jethro over for dinner. They had been able to get a lot of things worked out between them since Gibbs arrived, and while Tony was still upset about how everything had gone down, he was past the bitter anger he'd once felt. The fact that Gibbs had made such a monumental effort to make amends went a long way toward Tony being willing to eventually forgive him. Trust would take a bit longer.

The two men worked their way through most of a bottle of scotch as they talked out more of the issues between them, sometimes laughing, sometimes yelling. In the end, Gibbs ended up crashing in Tony's guest room, while the younger man staggered off to his own soft bed.

The next morning, Tony woke to the smell of bacon. It confused him until he remembered his visitor. Gibbs was at least being a good guest. Tony lay in bed for a few minutes before heading to take a long shower, his mind going in circles, trying to come to terms with Gibbs' visit.

On one hand, he was surprised and gratified that the older man was making the effort. On the other hand, he wasn't sure the damage that was done could be completely forgiven. But, he could totally understand the exhaustion and disillusionment that Gibbs was feeling. He was suddenly shocked by the thought of discussing an idea with Gibbs, wondering if he would be interesting in joining him in an endeavor that Tony had been working on for over a decade. He shook his head, water flung from his eyes.

His grandmother was the only one he'd ever talked to about his crazy idea. But she would pretty much agree to anything that would get Tony away from the dangers he faced on the job. Was it really feasible? Logistically, was it doable? It had been something he'd thought about over the years, every time he had a case that went cold. Especially when he worked for police departments that didn't have the state-of-the-art equipment that was necessary for quick evidence processing.

NCIS had spoiled him somewhat. Or rather, Abby Scuito had spoiled him. She was so good at her job, and so fast. He smiled as the crazy thought raced through his head that if he ended up going ahead with his idea, he wondered if he'd be able to tempt her away from NCIS with a promise of getting her any piece of equipment she could ever imagine.

A blast of cold water startled him. He reached down to turn of the faucet. He stepped out and dried off, then dressed casually in a tshirt and blue jeans. It was one of the few things he enjoyed about being here, he never had to wear a suit. Trodding barefoot down the hallway, he entered the kitchen just as Gibbs was dishing up the eggs, bacon and toast. The former Marine glanced up and smiled.

"Dining room or balcony?" he asked.

"Balcony," Tony replied. "Weather is too nice here not to take advantage."

"Can you grab the coffee and mugs?"

"Sure."

Neither spoke during the meal, content to just enjoy the fresh air and ocean waves. It was still early, just after dawn and the beach below was empty, save one lone runner and his dog. He waved at Tony as he passed, as he had every morning since the NCIS agent had moved in. They'd never met, as Tony tended to run at night after work, but still waved at each other during their runs, the other man living in a house about half a mile north.

"I don't know how you pull yourself away from here to go to work every day," Gibbs remarked.

"It's tough sometimes. It's funny. I've always been the type to love living in the city, close to the clubs and the nightlife. But lately, I just enjoy being out here, with the peace and quiet...and all the seagulls. Once in awhile, I see a whale in the distance."

"Major change from D.C."

"Yeah, in more ways than one."

Gibbs winced, mentally kicking himself. "Sorry. Didn't mean to remind you of what I stole from you."

"You've been apologizing a lot."

Gibbs snorted. "I have a lot to apologize for. I don't think I've ever done so many stupid things in so short a period of time before."

"I don't think I've ever heard you be so hard on yourself, either. It wasn't just you, ya know. David and Vance had a lot to do with it, too." Tony couldn't believe he was letting Gibbs off the hook. "And I could have fought it. Probably wouldn't have done any good, but I could have tried."

Gibbs shook his head. "I should have insisted on her being reassigned, Tony. I will never be able to change what I did, but I promise you that I will never make that kind of mistake again. And I would never hurt you like that again."

"Don't make promises you might not be able to keep," DiNozzo demanded.

"Tony...you know about Kelly. When she died, it about tore my heart out of my chest. I thought I would never recover. It was the worst thing I've ever been through. When you walked out that door, it felt like I was losing another child."

Too shocked to reply, Tony could only stare at Gibbs. At first the former Marine kept his gaze toward the ocean, but eventually he turned his head, meeting Tony's eyes, allowing the younger man to see the truth that lay within. It was like a blow to the chest for DiNozzo, but one that filled him with warmth. The shock gave way to the first tendrils of joy.

But he wasn't sure he could chance reaching out for the lifeline that was being offered. As much as he wanted his life back; as much as he wanted his 'family' back; he didn't think he had it in him to have it pulled away from him again. He didn't think he'd survive that.

The two men were silent for the rest of the meal. Gibbs knew that his words had surprised the younger man, but when he landed in California, he'd vowed to himself to be totally and completely honest with DiNozzo. He wanted the younger man back in life. And he'd do it on Tony's terms. He'd go as slow as Tony needed to go and he'd prove his determination every chance he could. He knew that DiNozzo might decide he wanted nothing more to do with him. Or that he'd let him back in, but only on a limited basis. Gibbs hoped he could let the man go, if that's what Tony decided he wanted. But he didn't know if he had that kind of strength left.

The silence was shattered by the ringing of a phone. Jethro realized it was his. Yanking it off his belt, he flipped it open. His face turned sour. As he debated whether to answer or not, Tony cleared away the breakfast dishes. Whether to give Gibbs privacy or just to give himself some breathing room, Jethro wasn't sure. He hit the answer button and put the phone to his ear. "Gibbs,' he muttered.

"When are you coming back?" Abby's voice whined over the line. Gibbs hadn't told anyone where he was going, not sure what his reception would be and not wanting Abby, in particular, to continue to call him for updates. "The witch is driving me crazy and won't leave me alone. If you don't do something about her, I am going to shoot her and bury her body so deep the Chinese will find it."

"Go ahead," Gibbs gave her permission. "Might actually solve more problems than it would create."

"I miss you, Gibbs. I miss Tony. I miss how it used to be."

"Me too, Abs, me too. I wish...I'm sorry, Abby. I know I hurt you, too. I..." He stopped when he saw a hand in front of his face. He looked up. Tony stood there, a tiny smile on his face, his fingers wiggling in demand. Gibbs handed his phone over.

"Dishes need to be done," Tony ordered softly as he walk over to where the wide deck railing met the wall, perching on top, his back against the wall. Gibbs stood up and headed into the kitchen, even though his curiosity was eating him up and he so wanted to stay on the balcony.

Tony waited until Gibbs closed the door to the balcony before he put the phone to his ear. "...Gibbs! Gibbs, are you there? Gibbs, please, if you don't answer me...I'm doing a GPS search on your phone now!" He could hear her fingers flying over her keyboard. Her voice caused his chest to tighten. And he instantly regretted not answering her emails or phone calls. He knew he'd likely be in for a lecture, but he smiled anyway.

"Hey, Abs." The silence was so loud. Finally, just barely heard over the distant waves, he heard her.

"Tony?" Her voice was so quiet, so timid. So un-Abby. It pained him to think he had anything to do with her being so un-like herself. "Oh, I miss you so much!" He could hear her tears and it broke his heart.

"I miss you too, Abs," he said, his voice catching.

"Why didn't you call, or email, or...something?" she asked. She sounded defeated.

"I should have...it just...it hurt, Abs. It hurt so much." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall behind him.

"I know, Tony-bear. I hated him for a long time, Tony. I still do, sometimes."

Tony opened his eyes and looked toward his kitchen. He saw Gibbs watching him. He'd only seen pain like that on the former Marine's face a handful of times...when Kate died, when he came out of his coma and realized his family was dead...and when Jenny Shepard died. He never thought he'd see it directed his way. He shook his head, trying to wrap his head around the fact that Gibbs was being so open, allowing his emotions to show.

Tony smiled at him, the answering grin something he didn't see often, even though the pain still held on in the crystal blue eyes. Tony was beginning to wonder if maybe everything that had happened wasn't really a good thing, forcing all of them to really analyse their feelings. And, wow, wasn't that something!

He tuned back in to the the phone, closing his eyes and settling back as the sound of Abby's voice washed over him like one of the waves in the nearby ocean. "...so should have told me he was coming to see you! I would have hidden in his luggage. I could've done it, you know. Oh, Tony, I found this great new tattoo place. I keep trying to talk McGee into getting another one. I think I have McNulty convinced...oh, sorry, I probably shouldn't talk about the new guy..."

"It's okay, Abs, I hear he's a good guy."

"He is, Tony." He heard a deep sigh over the phone. "But he's not you. I miss you so much. When are you coming home?"

"Maybe soon, at least for a visit."

"Really? Oh, Tony, you can so stay with me. I found a new club that I know you'd just love!"

"I can't wait."

Abby's voice got all quiet again. "I want to give you a big hug," she whispered.

"Are you at work?" he asked. When she replied that she was, he told her, "Get Bert."

"Got him."

"Squeeze him really, really tight," he instructed, grinning as he heard the signature flatulent noise over the phone. "I can feel that from here Abby."

"Where's here?"

"In Malibu."

"Whoa...nice digs?"

"The best. Can you hear the ocean?" he asked, pulling the phone away from his mouth and holding it out toward the beach for a couple seconds before putting it back to his ear.

"You need to send me a picture," she ordered. He lifted to phone again and pushed a couple of buttons. A minute later she was saying "Oh, wow, Tony how did you find a place like that?"

"Family owned," was all he'd say. Several long moments of silence followed until he finally heard a small voice.

"When are you coming home?"

"I don't know, Abs. Soon, maybe." He looked up to see Gibbs pacing the kitchen, obviously done with the dishes, but not wanting to intrude. "I gotta go, Abs."

"No! No, Tony, wait! You gotta promise to keep in touch! Please."

"I promise, Abby. I'll sit down tonight and send you a long email, okay?"

She sighed again. "Okay. Early!"

"Remember there's a three hour time difference. Early my time."

"Okay," she replied, reluctantly. "I love you, Tony. And...don't be too harsh on Gibbs. I think he realized his mistake right away, but...well, the bitch, she...well, you know."

"Yeah. Hey, he's trying, so the least I can do is meet him partway."

"Make him grovel, Tony...but not too much."

He laughed and it felt so good. "I will. I don't think I'll have to force it. He's already apologized a dozen times."

"Wow, he must really feel bad. That's a good thing."

"Yep. I'll talk to you later, Abs."

"I love you, Tony, never forget that."

"Love you, too, Abby. Bye." He shut the phone after her goodbye and leaned his head back, a smile still on his face. He heard the door slide open.

"Everything okay?" Tony just nodded, hearing Gibbs approached. "Coffee?" the older man said. He held out his hand, keeping his eyes closed, and the mug was placed against the palm. He lifted his other hand to give Gibbs his phone back.

The two men enjoyed the moment, Tony feeling a bit of contentment return and Gibbs allowing another smidgen of hope to flare.

/

Over the next three days, Gibbs spent the time when Tony was working, walking the beach and exploring the town, picking up gifts for Abby and Ducky. He'd managed to get some good sleep while he was here, attributing it to the fact the DiNozzo was nearby and seemingly willing to give him a chance to make things right between them...or at least, better.

Tony had invited him to stay for the reminder of his time in California, so he'd been doing all the cooking, surprising DiNozzo with his basic skills in the kitchen. He hadn't made anything fancy, a meatloaf one night, pot roast the next. He was in the grocery store, debating on what to make that night, when his phone rang. He answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Tony's been hurt," Callen said.

"How bad?"

"He's on his way to the hospital. Took a bullet to the shoulder. Should be fine. Are you at his place?"

"Just down the street, at a Raley's grocery store."

He heard Callen talking to someone else, then "Someone will be there in ten to get you, wait out front."

Gibbs closed the phone, no more conversation needed. He was relieved that Callen knew enough to let him know the seriousness of DiNozzo's condition, but it still worried him that the man was once again injured on the job.

Twenty minutes later he was walking into the Emergency Room of the local trauma center, his eyes searching for any of the team, finally spotting Kensi and heading toward her.

"How is he?" he asked.

Smiling, she turned his way. "Grouchy, wanting to know when he can leave," she replied. "Small caliber bullet, through and through, won't even need to spend the night."

Just as Gibbs was about to reply, he heard the familiar voice. "I'm fine. I can rest at home." Gibbs shook his head and moved toward the exam room. Standing in the doorway, he watched as Tony convinced the doctor to release him. As the doctor left, an exasperated frown on his face, Gibbs moved further into the room, catching DiNozzo's attention.

"Ya know, boss," the younger man said, obviously not realizing his slip, even though Gibbs couldn't resist the grin at the familiar monikor, "I never put it together before, but I think you're bad luck for me."

"How so?" Gibbs asked.

"I almost never got hurt at my old police departments, before I met you. And once I got here, I did good, not even a scratch. Then you show up, and here I am again in a hospital!"

Gibbs froze as he reached for the chair that sat in the corner, intending to pull it closer to the bed that DiNozzo was laying on. His mind was racing. Was that true? He tried to remember what was in Tony's file from his previous jobs, hardly any mention of injuries on the job. How many times had he been injured since he joined NCIS? A dozen? More?

"Gibbs? Gibbs!" The former Marine looked up. "Hey, boss, you okay?" Tony asked.

Gibbs pulled the chair over to the bed and dropped heavily down on it, his eyes searching Tony's. "You think that's it?"

"What?"

"I thought it was you, all these years. Maybe it's me. Shannon, Kelly, Kate, Jenny..."

"Whoa! Whoa, Gibbs, what the hell? I was just joking."

"But..."

"No! No buts, you are not a jinx, trust me on that one. I once worked with a guy who truly was a jinx, it doesn't even compare."

"But, you're right. You hardly had any injuries until you came to NCIS..."

"And you want to know why? Because I dealt with common street thugs, most of whom played at being hard-core, but really weren't much more than penny-ante. It wasn't until I got to NCIS that I started dealing with the real hard core types, like, oh I don't know, terrorists!"

When Gibbs still didn't look convinced, Tony frowned. "Hey, Gibbs, can you give me hand here?" he asked, fiddling with the sling that secured his arm. Gibbs stood up and leaned in to lend an assist, only to back up when pain flared at the back of his head. He reached up and rubbed the spot, spotting the grin on DiNozzo's face. "I always wanted to do that!" he cackled.

"You head slapped me?!"

"Focus, Gibbs, focus!" he ordered.

Gibbs' eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Just want kind of drugs are they giving you?" he asked.

DiNozzo's grin got wider. "The good stuff," he replied.

"Yeah, I can see that," Gibbs remarked, resigned to the fact that his former Senior Field Agent was high as a kite.

Tony tilted his head and stared at Jethro, his gaze lingering so long that Gibbs glanced over his shoulder. DiNozzo started a series of fast blinks, then squinted both eyes, then went back to blinking. "DiNozzo, what the hell are you doing?" Gibbs asked.

"Your shirt has wiggling snakes on it," Tony said, raising the index finger at the end of his uninjured arm, waving it around in a curvy line, then turned his attention to the finger. "Hey, I can write in the air, just like a sparkler when I was little," he said, he grin returned to full force. "I used to write my name. Did you ever do that, boss? Did you ever write with a sparkler?"

"You mean, like in fireworks, that kind of sparkler?" When Tony nodded, then closed his eyes and put his hand to his forehead, Gibbs stepped closer. "You okay?" he asked.

"Room started moving and the pictures were bouncing off the wall," DiNozzo said, as he opened his eyes slightly, peeking to see if the room had stopped yet.

"DiNozzo, that's the drugs. Just close your eyes and rest. I'll wake you when the doc comes back with your discharge orders."

"Orders. Waiting for orders?"

"Yeah."

"But, but Gibbs, I'm not a Marine."

"No, but NCIS agents take orders too."

Tony grinned, his eyes closed as he laid his head back against the pillow. "Waiting for orders, Sir!" he said, throwing a sloppy salute, before dropping off to sleep.

Gibbs said down just as a voice asked from the doorway, "He always like that when he's hurt?"

Jethro smiled at Hetty. "It's the drugs. He has funny reactions. We always have to have someone with him to be sure he doesn't just wander off."

"Good thing you're here, then," she replied.

"What happened?" he asked, wanting to be reassured that Hetty's team hadn't screwed up and gotten his ag...his friend...hurt. Hetty seemed to understand and quietly explained that it was an unforeseen happenstance. It seemed a patrol unit had stumbled upon the meet, and thinking a narcotics exchange was going down, the two police officers tried to intervene. Their suspect was dead, but DiNozzo was the only good guy that had gotten hurt, and that had occurred as he was saving one of the uniformed officers.

Gibbs knew he needed to call Abby and Ducky before they heard the news via the NCIS gravevine, so while DiNozzo slept, he ventured out to get some coffee and make some calls. He called Ducky first, giving him the details that he knew after speaking with the doctor on his way outside. Ducky headed straight to Abby's lab so he would be there when Gibbs called.

In all, Jethro was away from the room for only fifteen minutes, and when he returned Hetty's entire team was there. He only wished DiNozzo was awake to see that they were all here to support him. They stayed there for the next hour, talking over the incident and Gibbs was assured by their narrative that every precaution had been taken, it was just a fluke that the police officers had happened upon the scene.

Finally, about three hours later, the doctor came in for a final check. When he was assured that Tony would have someone with him, he agreed to sign the discharge papers. Kensi offered to get his prescriptions filled, but Gibbs was adamant that no one follow them home. There was a reason that Tony had never invited any of the team to his house and Gibbs was not going to betray him again, by allowing them to visit if Tony didn't want them there.

They didn't argue, agreeing that it needed to be Tony's decision, but made Gibbs promised to at least address the subject with the younger man. They all stuck around until Tony was completely awake, wanting to let him know they were there and to call if he needed anything, then calling out 'get well' and 'get better soon', the team left, leaving only Hetty and Gibbs behind with the injured agent. Callen told Gibbs he'd wait for them downstairs, as he'd be driving them home, as he left the room.

Hetty assured DiNozzo that she would handle his medical leave paperwork, not taking any guff from him when he insisted he could work. She told him, in no uncertain terms, that he would be taking medical leave, and that he would not be allowed back into the office until such times as his doctor signed off on him returning to desk duty. Gibbs was amazed that DiNozzo had given in so easily, shaking his head, wondering why he hadn't tried that himself long ago.

She was a dynamo, Hetty Lange, he thought as the diminutive but powerful woman walked out the door.

"I think that's gonna be Abby in about thirty years," Tony remarked, ruefully.

Gibbs chuckled, nodding his agreement. "You ready to get out of here?"

"I am sooo ready."

The two men were just shuffling toward the door when the nurse arrived with the prescribed wheelchair. After a stern glare at both men, Tony decided to just sit and ride, since he really just wanted to go home. Gibbs helped him into the agency sedan and Callen set off, following the softly worded instructions from Tony in the back seat.

/

Chapter Six

"So, you're heading back to D.C. tomorrow?" Tony asked, although he already knew the answer.

Gibbs sighed. "Yeah. Not looking foward to it."

"You still thinking of quitting?"

Jethro shrugged. "Probably not right away, but likely soon. Mandatory in two years anyway and I already have the time in."

"You don't really want to leave it though, do you?"

Gibbs wrapped his hand around his coffee mug, pushed his empty dinner plate away, and leaned back in his chair. "I still feel like I can do the job, but the tension around the office...around Ziva...I'm just not sure I want to deal with that anymore."

Tony nodded and for the next five minutes neither man spoke, then Tony made a decision. And prayed he wasn't making a huge mistake. He set his cup down and turned to face his old boss. "Gibbs, have you ever thought what you'd do when they forced you to stop working in the field?"

"Work full time on my boat," he stated decisively. "Can't work a desk."

Tony smiled. "What if you had other options that would keep you doing what you do, but not with NCIS?"

"FBI? Homeland Security? Tony, they all have the same mandatory cut-off age for field agents."

"None of the above, but a private company."

Jethro turned to face the younger man, intrigued. "Tell me," he ordered, garnering a chuckle from DiNozzo.

"I've been knocking an idea around for severals years and have the financial backing to do it, but I'm not sure how feasible it would be." At Gibbs expression, he continued. "You know that most small towns have to rely on larger cities, states or even the feds to get any kind of forensic work done, and even then it usually takes a long time, and often they get put on the back burner as those agencies handle their own cases first."

Gibbs nodded, but didn't speak. The fact had often been a topic of discussion between veteran agents who found themselves away from their own forensics labs and dependent on local agencies, many of which were often ill-equiped to do even basic blood work or fingerprint searches. And at least NCIS agents had the option to courier their evidence to Abby or another NCIS or FBI lab.

"When I was in Baltimore, we often had outlying towns using our labs. If their case was a hot one, we had to wait. Even then, our lab was ill equipped and understaffed. We still had to send some things to the state crime lab. One night, while I was sitting watching a movie..." he stopped as Gibbs grinned..."yeah, yeah, yeah, I got this idea while watching a movie, so sue me," he said with a smile. "Anyway, what if there was a fleet of mobile crime labs, dotted around the country, could be anywhere within a day and could do any type of test needed, on site. You wouldn't have to depend on another agency, you wouldn't have to depend on couriers to get the evidence to a lab, thereby eliminating the chance of lost, contaminated or compromised evidence."

Gibbs blinked. It was such a ludicrous and incredible idea...and yet so simple...he had visions of the team...him, Tony, McGee, Abby, Ducky, Palmer, racing around the country in these mobile crime labs, going from town to town, city to city, solving cases in a fraction of the time. He shook his head. The vision was so clear, so...but ...

"Is something like that even possible?" he asked.

Tony shrugged. He had been expecting Gibbs to dismiss the idea outright. "I don't know. The logistics would be a nightmare. And just getting it up and running, getting people to trust us, getting judges to agree to allow our findings to be used in court...but wouldn't it be something?" he grinned.

"You said you've been working on this? How close are you to having any kind of proposal or working prototype?"

"I started playing with the idea while in Baltimore, when we lost some evidence that was being transported to the FBI lab. The courier had an accident and lost the evidence chain when he lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital, and the evidence was overlooked and left in the vehicle overnight, unsecured. It allowed a child rapist to go free at least long enough to rape two more little girls before we caught him again."

"You'd have to have a pretty big truck, with a generator, refrigeration for evidence that requires it, someway to secure evidence inside..." Gibbs' voice tapered off as he thought of all the things Abby had in her lab and how all the machinery would have to become mobile. Tony could see the wheels spinning inside the former Marine's brain. He sometimes forgot that Gibbs was used to handling strategic planning. He sat back and waited to see what the man would come up with. He had his own ideas and wondered if they'd mesh at all.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Gibbs mumbled. "It would almost have to be a semi." Tony grinned and stood up, walking into the room he used for an office and unlocking his safe, he pulled out a file and walked back outside. Handing Gibbs the file, he picked up both coffee cups and returned inside to replenish their drinks. Curious, Jethro opened the file.

Three cups of coffee and a piece of apple-crumb pie later, he sat back. "You've done a helluva lot of work on this," he stated.

"Eleven years worth of ideas, diagrams, research, and wondering if I wasn't crazy thinking this would work."

"With the proper vehicle and scientific equipment, it would be an interesting experiment. You said you had financing. I assume your family."

"Nana, yes. She's already dedicated some money to it. And, well, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but part of the Paddington fortune is in Kenworth stock."

Gibbs burst out laughing. "Oh, DiNozzo, you never cease to amaze me. They would definitely be the ones who could put the proper vehicle together. You'd need to speak to someone, like Abby, to see exactly what kind of equipment would be needed to be in there and what kind of power system it would need."

"It's still a long ways off from being a sure thing."

"Maybe, but I think it's doable."

"What about the legal aspect?" Tony asked. "Do you think we'd have trouble with that part of it?"

Gibbs was overjoyed at the 'we', but tried not to get too excited at the prospect of working with DiNozzo again. "I would think it would just be a matter of getting accreditation, like any other lab. You might have to start out with a brick and mortar building, then branch out from there."

Tony fiddled with his sling, sipping on his coffee. "What time do you leave tomorrow?" he asked.

"Noon."

"You mind some company?"

Gibbs grinned. "I'd love the company. And you're welcome to stay with me, if you want. That guest room has always had your name on it anyway."

Tony looked out at the ocean. "Can I, ah, can I think about that one?"

Gibbs tried not to show his disappointment. "Sure. I know Abby would love to have you stay with her, too. It's okay, Tony. I still have a lot of ground to make up for. I know that."

Tony nodded but didn't say anything more. And Gibbs knew he'd have to settle for that. And he really didn't mind. Just the fact that Tony was coming back to D.C. with him, if only for a visit with Abby, and had allowed him back into his life, even a little, was a huge step in the right direction as far as Jethro was concerned. When he'd first come to California, he hadn't known what to expect. He was at the stage now where he would accept any amount of inclusion that Tony allowed him into his life.

"You have any plans today?" Tony asked, capturing Gibbs' attention once again.

"No, nothing specific."

"Good, let's go."

"Where to?" Gibbs asked, as he gathered the coffee cups and set them in the kitchen sink.

"You'll see," DiNozzo said as he followed Gibbs out the door, pulling it closed behind him and jiggling the knob to make sure it locked.

An hour later, Gibbs had a huge grin on his face as he felt the sail catch the wind of the small sailboat Tony had shown him. Nana apparently had made other purchases in Malibu aside from the beach house that DiNozzo was currently living in. Tony was sitting on a deck chair on the bow of the boat, the breeze fluttering his hair.

Along the way, they had stopped at the marina office and picked up a large picnic basket that DiNozzo had obviously arranged for ahead of time. Gibbs hoped this outing was Tony's way of accepting his apology and allowing Gibbs back into his life. And he vowed not to squander his second chance. He liked to think he was the type of man who learned from his mistakes and never repeated them. He knew that he would never again do anything like this to Tony DiNozzo.

/

"McGee! Stop that!" Gibbs and DiNozzo exchanged grins as they walked down the hall toward Abby's lab. As they got close, Tony stopped and peered around the door, while Gibbs continued on into the room.

"McGee! Stop bothering Abby!"

"Gibbs! You're back!"

In the hall, Tony heard Gibbs grunt, and took a quick peek to see Abby wrapped around her Silver-Fox. He almost laughed as she began to ramble.

"When did you get back? How's Tony? Why didn't you tell me you were going to see him? Is he coming back? He is coming back, right? Tell me he's coming back!"

Slightly breathless, Gibbs began to answer her quickfire questions. "I got back this morning. Tony's doing okay now, although he will have to wear a sling for a few days. I didn't want anyone to know where I was going in case Tony wouldn't see me. He's coming back for a visit, not sure about anything past that."

"He has to come back!" Abby insisted. "You have to get rid of the witch!"

Her tirade was stopped when her phone rang. When she glanced at the caller's name, she screamed as she hit the answer button. "Tony! We were just talking about you! What are you doing?! How are you?"

"I'm good, Abs, the injury wasn't serious. What are you doing now?" Tony asked, trying to stay quiet as he spoke on his phone, peering slyly around the door. "Isn't it lunch time?"

Checking her watch, she noticed that it was nearly noon. "Yeah. As a matter of fact, I am kind of hungry."

"Make Gibbs take you to lunch," he suggested.

She smiled as she looked at the former Marine. "I think I might just do that. He owes me one!"

"And make sure he takes you somewhere nice, like that Italian place down on Sycamore. They love you down there and Mama Ciccero will gush over that new outfit you're wearing."

Abby looked down and smile, then froze. "How do you know what I'm wearing?" She began to spin around, first staring at her computer to see if Tony was on her webcam. But then she heard a noise behind her and took a look over her shoulder. "Toneeeeeeee!" she screamed as she started for him, only to be stop by an arm wrapping around her waist.

"Easy, Abs," Gibbs said softly. "His arm is hurt."

It was only then that she noticed the sling on the man who stood just inside the door of her lab. Once Gibbs released her, she approached him quickly, but then gave him one of her gentlest hugs. She sighed as he pulled her close with his uninjured arm. "You're here," was all she said as she sunk into his embrace.

Tony and Gibbs exchanged smiles over her head as Abby seemed to settle in for a long time.

"Hey, Tony," McGee said from across the room.

"McGee." Tony nodded at him. "Connor," he acknowledged the man standing next to Tim.

"Hey, Tony."

McGee looked between the two men. "You two know each other?" he asked Dennis Connor, who was Balboa's new Senior Field Agent.

"Yeah," his newest teammate replied. "We were in FLETC together. Tony helped me get through the crime scene investigation classes and recommended me for Balboa's team."

"And I hear you're doing great!" Tony said, as he extricated himself from Abby, but kept his arm around her shoulders.

"I think I've found my place," Connor said with a grin. He slapped McGee on the arm. "We better get going. Abby, thanks for your help," he said as he and McGee walked out.

"See ya, Tony. If you're in town for awhile, maybe we could get together for a drink or something," Tim said, walking backward to the elevator.

"I'll call ya," Tony told him.

As the elevator closed on the two men, Tony turned to Abby. "So, lunch?"

Abby grinned and clapped her hands together. "Yes! I'm done with all the tests I had running, so I'm free."

Gibbs headed out the door, leaning in to kiss Abby on the cheek. "I'll get Ducky and Palmer, meet you in the garage," he said, smiling at the pair. As he walked down the hall, he was relieved to hear Abby's laughter. It had been too long.

/

Chapter Seven

"So, what do you think, Abby? Can it be done?" Tony asked, taking a big bite from his hot fudge sundae. Tony had been discussing his idea with the others as they had lunch in a back room at the restaurant.

"These plans are fantastic, Tony!"

"My grandmother's company has been helping me with that part of it. We have a couple of scientists that we've consulted with, but I wanted your input, too. I waited to talk to all of you until we got the patents secured."

"You patented this?" Ducky asked, impressed.

Tony smiled. "Yeah. Nana's lawyers recommended it. That way we'll have exclusive rights for ten years. Although we are going to take Gibbs' advice and start with a building to get certification and branch out." He smiled at his ex-boss.

"We?" Abby asked. "Does that mean you're leaving NCIS?" she asked, sadly.

"Eventually, yes. Although, when I do, I'll moving back to the D.C. area. We've decided to get everything started on the east coast. I'm gonna do some scouting of locations while I'm here. We want to find a building with lab and office space, but also with warehouses nearby that we can house the vehicles in once we start that part of the production up."

"What kind of time frame are you looking at?" Gibbs asked, taking the last bite of his pie, then leaning back with coffee cup in hand.

"We want to move quick once we find a location, get the lab set up within six months. Accreditation with probably take another year to eighteen months. But I don't see any problem getting accredited. We have some smaller labs connected with the company that are already accredited, so we're just going to treat this as an expansion. The labs we have are mostly for the purposes of cosmetics research and development, but it's a foot in the door and one less hurdle to deal with."

"But why the patent?" Jimmy asked.

"I couldn't begin to discuss this with anyone until we had the patent secured. If any word had leaked out that we had these plans, we would have lost the exclusivity of the idea. Outside of a handful of people at the company, no one knew, until I told Gibbs a few days ago."

"Anthony, this is a wonderful idea!" Ducky remarked. "So many small police departments would benefit from this."

"I agree," Gibbs said. "I can think of several cases that we had that we could have benefitted from this type of thing, because we were so far away from our own lab."

Tony gathered up the plans that Abby had been looking at and smiled. He waited as the waitress cleared away their used dishes, then leaned forward. "I just want you all to know, to give you a formal invitation to join me in this endeavor," he said. "I will be leaving NCIS, probably within the year, to devote myself to this full time. Each of you is welcome to join me, either when I leave or at anytime in the future."

"You can count me in," Gibbs said.

"You're leaving?" Abby asked, shocked that Gibbs would leave NCIS.

Gibbs put an arm around her shoulders as she sat between him and Tony. "Not right away, Abs. But I only have two years before mandatory retirement anyway, at least from field duty. And you know I won't stick around and sit behind a desk all day. I'd go crazy. At least, with Tony's idea, I'd still have the opportunity to do some good."

"Abs," Tony leaned in. "This will all be kicked off here, in D.C. and in this tri-state area, to begin with. So even if we're not with NCIS anymore, we'll still be nearby. If we're successful, we'll branch out into other counties and states. But by that time, we'll have more people in place to handle the new areas."

"I believe that I will pass, Anthony," Ducky said. "But, I would dearly love to be a part of getting things set up." He glanced at Gibbs, then Palmer before he continued. "Only Jethro and Mr. Palmer are aware of this, but I have decided to retire at the end of this year. I plan to speak to the Director next month and recommend Mr. Palmer... James... to take over. I have already started delegating many of my duties to him so that he will be ready when I leave. I want to do some traveling before I get too old to enjoy it. I plan to travel back to Scotland for several weeks next year and then see a bit more of this wonderful country. I have always wanted to visit several of America's National Parks and do some hiking."

"That sounds like a great plan, Ducky," Tony said with a smile. "I don't blame you one bit. But, maybe, you could come on board as a consultant. Available if we have questions?"

"Certainly, dear boy. I would be honored to assist in any way I can," Ducky agreed with an answering smile.

When neither Jimmy nor Abby said anything, Tony leaned forward, putting his arms on the table. "You don't have to join us, you know. You both have great jobs, with huge responsibilities, and our Marines and Sailors still need you. I only put the offer out there so that you know you would both be welcomed. I will totally understand if you decide to stay with NCIS. Especially you, Jimmy. You'll be the lead Medical Examiner in a Federal Agency. Not bad for someone so young." He leaned a shoulder against Abby's. "And you have found your niche, my goth princess. No need for you to leave unless you want to. Just know, both of you, that it is a standing invitation. If either of you ever decide you want a change, all you have to do is call me."

"You'll stay in touch?" Palmer asked.

"Of course. I'll be moving back here. In fact, the real estate agent who is looking into the commercial property is also looking for a residence for me."

"A house this time, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, signalling to the waitress for a coffee refill.

"I think so. I want something more permanent this time around."

Gibbs smiled. "There's a couple places on my street with For Sale signs in the yard."

Tony laughed. "Do you really want to be neighbors, Gibbs?"

Jethro face became serious. "And, as I mentioned before, I also have a spare room, in the meantime, if you'd like."

No one spoke for full minute. "Well, I don't have a hotel room yet..." he said, causing the grin to return to Gibbs' face. Tony had decided on the plane ride out to take Gibbs up on his offer, figuring they could work some more on their friendship.

"I am so spending the night with the both of you," Abby declared. "We have so much to catch up on, Tony." She leaned her head against Tony's shoulder, even as Jethro adjusted him around around her. She had her two most favorite people next to her now and was going to enjoy it while it lasted. "I'm so glad Gibbs went out to see you," she said.

"Me too, Abs, me too." He looked over at his former boss, letting Gibbs know that he truly was happy that they'd rebuilt some of those burned bridges. Gibbs lifted his hand briefly from Abby's shoulder to lay it on Tony's. He was glad too. It had definitely been the smartest thing he'd done all year.

/

Six months later

DiNozzo stepped off the elevator and strode into the bullpen, walking past a startled Ziva without acknowledging her, but waving at McGee, putting a finger to his lips to keep Tim from announcing his arrival. Stepping up to Gibbs desk, he waited for the man to look up. Jethro signed the report and tossed it into his out box before glancing his way, the frown on his face quickly turning into a huge grin.

"Tony!" he exclaimed, moving quickly around his desk to pulling his former SFA into a hug. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? Does Abby know? Ducky?"

Tony grinned. "No. I wasn't sure when I'd be able to make it in, so thought I'd surprise all of you!" he said, returning the hug.

"Well, it's a great surprise! Let's go see Ducky and Abby."

"I thought I'd take you all to lunch," Tony said.

Gibbs glanced at his watch. "Great idea." Both men started down the hall as McGee, Ziva and McNulty watched them.

"Wait!" Tony put out his arm to stop Gibbs and turned around. "McGee, McNulty, you two care to join us?"

"Sure!" McGee said, jumping up. "Thanks! Come on, Mac!" Both men quickly grabbed their badges and weapons, saved what they were working on, and logged off their computers before joining Gibbs and DiNozzo.

As the four men headed down the hall, Ziva sat at her desk, her hands resting on her keyboard where she'd been in the process of fixing her report for the second time. She was alone in her team's area and realized that Tony hadn't even glanced her way. And the fact that he'd invited not only McGee but McNulty to lunch with them, but completely ignored her, told her just how he still felt about her, even now.

When DiNozzo had first left, she'd been elated that Gibbs had chosen her after she'd delivered her ultimatum. But her boss had become very distant toward her, even angry with her. She knew that he had quickly regretted his decision to transfer DiNozzo to another team. And he'd taken his anger at himself out on her. And once Abby and McGee had discovered why Tony had left, neither of them would speak to her for days. Abby was still very cold toward her, speaking to her only when she was forced to.

Although things with the team had finally settled down and become more civil, they never returned to how they had been. McGee and Gibbs seldom joked or bantered with her anymore...not that Gibbs had done much of that before. No one on the team, including Abby and Ducky, ever invited her out to drinks or dinner. Hell, most of the time she even ate lunch alone. It was nothing like she thought it would be once DiNozzo left.

Once Gibbs had chosen to keep Ziva on his team, she was sure that he would promote her to Senior Field Agent. Unfortunately, the Team Leader had quickly informed her that she wasn't qualified for that position, since she wasn't even an agent. So she applied to be an agent. But for that to happen, she needed to be a US citizen. So, she began studying for her citizenship exam. She was still months away from either goal. It was so very frustrating!

And the greeting that Gibbs had given DiNozzo...he hugged the man! He grinned and hugged him! That was so out of character for Leroy Jethro Gibbs, especially since she knew that when DiNozzo left the two men had been terribly estranged, in no small part thanks to her and her ultimatum. At first, she'd been overjoyed by that, since she was still so angry at Tony for killing Michael Rivkin.

She had heard that Tony was doing well with the team in Los Angeles, but she hadn't realized that he and Gibbs had even spoken to each other since he had left D.C. She had seen DiNozzo in the building a few months back, but didn't know why he was there. He hadn't ventured up to the bullpen, so she had not had the chance to speak with him, and the others claimed not to know why he was back in town. Although she had noticed that he appeared to be injured, so maybe he was just there to visit Abby while he recovered.

She couldn't ask, since all of them refused to talk to her about Tony DiNozzo, like it was her fault that he left! Well, okay, she supposed it was her fault, sort of...but it had been Gibbs' decision! And hadn't it been about time that DiNozzo moved on, anyway. He had been with Gibbs' team for nearly ten years! The man had no ambition whatsoever!

But, something had happened in the last few months, obviously, that had drawn the two men close again. She wished she knew what Gibbs had said or done to get Tony to forgive him, because she had been so sure that the younger man would never speak with his former boss again, much less act like the best of friends or...dare she say...brothers? Father and son?

She decided to head to lunch herself, seeing as how her entire team was gone. Gibbs hadn't even given her the courtesy of letting her know that she could grab some lunch, he'd been so excited about Tony's visit! She shook her head as she pulled open her drawer and slid her weapon out and onto her hip. She decided to approach Tony while he was here this time. She wanted him to know that she bore no grudge against him any longer. She would be the better person and make the first step.

/

Once everyone had returned from lunch, Gibbs called his team into a conference room, along with Abby, Ducky and Jimmy Palmer. DiNozzo had returned as well, but as soon as he'd come back, he headed upstairs for a meeting with Director Vance. Once everyone was gathered together, Gibbs got to the point of the meeting.

"There are several changes coming and I wanted to make everyone aware of what's going on, as all of you will be affected. Most of what we discuss here will be common knowledge within the next few weeks anyway, but we felt that we should tell you all personally. Some of you are already aware of a lot of what I'll tell you, some of it is new. First off, Ducky will be leaving us at the end of next month. He's decided to retire."

Gibbs looked at the elderly doctor as everyone gave Ducky his congratulations and well wishes. "Jimmy Palmer will assume the lead position and during the next few weeks, Ducky, Jimmy and the Director will select an assistant for him. Congratulations, Palmer."

Palmer grinned. "Thank you, Agent Gibbs. I look forward to taking over the duties."

"You'll do fine, Mr. Palmer," Ducky assured him, before turning to the others. "I will be taking an extended holiday to my native Scotland, but once I return I will be available to consult if needed. But I believe that Mr. Palmer will do an excellent job, as he has been handling most of the day to day duties for the last few months anyway."

Just then, the door swung open and Tony joined the group. "What did I miss?"

"Ducky's retirement announcement," Jimmy said.

"Ah, and your promotion," Tony added, sitting down next to Jimmy and slapping him on the shoulder. "You're gonna be a great M.E."

Palmer frowned. "You know, I always kinda hoped you'd be around when that happened," he said with a sigh. "I pictured us as the next Ducky and Gibbs."

Tony frowned. "Sorry, man. I once thought that too. But you know we'll stay friends, right? I'll still be in town, at least most of the time."

He exchanged a look with Gibbs and both smiled. At the end of the table, Ziva felt like she'd missed everything going on around her. Ducky leaving? Palmer promoted? When had all this happened? And what was up with that last exchange between Palmer and DiNozzo? What was going on!?

"What did Vance say?" Gibbs asked Tony.

DiNozzo laughed again. "What could he say? I think he's jealous!" Gibbs just shook his head, amused. "He finally gets what he's been wanting for years and he's not sure what to do about it!"

"It's a big step," Gibbs said, as everyone stared at the two men. "But things are getting to the point where you need to devote all your time and efforts into it."

"Can I tell Tim, now?" Abby asked, anxious to let McGee in on her secret.

"When you're alone," Tony told her. "And remember what I told you," he insisted, waving a finger at her.

She smiled and turned to McGee. "I can't wait to tell you what Tony's been up to!"

"Settle down, Abby, we're not done yet," Gibbs said with a smile at her enthusiasm. He knew she was happy for Tony, after initially being upset that he was leaving NCIS when DiNozzo had told them about his new venture. But now that he was moving back to town permanently, she was happier because he was going to be around more.

"What else?" she asked. Seeing the look on Gibbs' face, she shook her head. "No, it's too soon."

"It's time, Abs." He looked around at the people he'd spent most of his hours with over the years. "All of you probably know that in the next year, I'll be at the age of mandatory step-down from field work. Since I can't see myself riding a desk, I'll be putting in for retirement in the next few days. I just have to finish the paperwork. I have an appointment with Vance this afternoon to let him know and talk about my replacement on the MCRT."

Ziva felt as if she'd been punched. Gibbs was leaving? She looked around the table. Ducky leaving, Gibbs leaving. Tony...why was Tony even here? And what was this news that Abby had been keeping a secret?

"Why is everyone leaving now?" she thought, unaware that she had voiced the question out loud.

"Everyone isn't leaving, Ziva," Gibbs told her. "At least not right away. Ducky will be here for another month or so. I won't be leaving for at least nine months. Abby, Tim, Palmer and McNulty will still be around. Change is inevitable."

"Do you know who'll be taking over the team yet, Boss?" McGee asked.

"That will be up to Vance, but I'm going to recommend Balboa. Vance might have other ideas, though. He could pull someone in from outside D.C."

McGee nodded. "Balboa would be good." He smiled at DiNozzo. "Tony would be better."

DiNozzo grinned. "No. I appreciate the compliment, Tim, but my time at NCIS is over. I resigned an hour ago."

Now that surprised everyone...almost. Gibbs sat back, a smug smile on his face.

"Anthony, so soon?" Ducky asked.

Tony nodded. "Things are ramping up faster than we thought they would, Ducky. I've been putting out some feelers to some small agencies and getting some great feedback in return. We've also heard back on some of the government grants we applied for and it looks like we'll be able to get things up and running sooner than planned, thanks to all the help you, Abby and Palmer have given us. We already have four counties in Maryland and Virginia who are on board to be test agencies and three others who are interested."

The confusion on the faces of McGee, McNulty and David was countered by the excitement that Ducky, Jimmy and Abby were showing. Gibbs...well, the pride was obvious as he watched Tony talk about his project. Abby would bring McGee in the loop, but it was up to Tony if he wanted Ziva or McNulty to know about it before they went live. When Tony caught his eye and shook his head, that answered the question for him. He would keep his silence.

Tim seemed okay with it, as Abby squeezed his hand and promised to tell him what was going on. McNulty didn't seem all that concerned, since he didn't really know Tony all that well anyway. Ziva was not only confused, but now getting angry that she was being kept out of the loop. She had not been told about Ducky's pending retirement or Palmer's promotion. And now Gibbs had decided to retire without any input from the team. It was obvious by his lack of surprise that DiNozzo knew about Gibbs announcement.

The MCRT without Gibbs? She wasn't sure how that would work. She knew Balboa, of course..had worked with his team in the past. But was she ready to have him as her Team Leader? And why had DiNozzo resigned? He implied that it was his own idea and not forced on him by the Director. What would make him leave NCIS after all this time? What was this thing he was talking about, something that obviously Abby, Ducky, Palmer and Gibbs knew a lot about?

She hated not knowing what was going on! And she hated all the changes that seemed to be occurring all at once. She realized that the others were all standing up, ready to leave.

"So, no other surprises, right?" McGee with a shocked look still on his face.

"I think that's enough for one day, don't you, McGee?" Gibbs asked, tossing his now-empty coffee cup into the trash.

"More than enough, Boss," he agreed.

"Since I'll likely be with the Director for awhile this afternoon, I've requested that the team be put on stand down for the rest of the day," Gibbs told them, glancing at his watch. "McGee, I know you and Tony have something you need to do. Ziva, Mac, if you want you can have the time off or just work on reports or go over cold cases. Your choice. Abby, sorry, but you'll need to stay. Cooper's team got dispatched to a big call just before we came in, so he'll likely be needing your expertise."

Abby shrugged. "That's okay."

"Okay, well, let's get on with it then," Tony said, rubbing his hands together. "Jethro, we still on for tonight?" he asked.

"Yep. Be back here by eighteen-hundred. Call if that changes." He tossed Tony his keys. "And there better not be a scratch on her when I get her back!" he ordered.

Tony clutched the keys with a huge grin. "Let's go, McGee. We have places to be and things to do! And I have the cool car!" He hurried out the door, as if wanting to get out before Gibbs changed his mind. Tim leaned in to kiss Abby goodbye, then hurried after him. The others slowly made their way out of the room as well, until only Ziva and Gibbs were left. When it looked like Ziva had no plans to leave, Gibbs closed the door and sat back down.

"I know it's a lot of changes," he offered.

"He called you Jethro," she said, surprising herself that that would be the one thing that stuck in her mind.

"He's not my agent anymore. In two weeks, he won't be an agent at all. But he is my friend."

"The two of you have made amends?"

"Yes. I was very lucky that Tony was willing to listen and forgive. You might want to try it, too." Her head jerked up. "We were both at fault, Ziva. You for giving me the ultimatum...and me for letting you. Tony would have never asked me to choose. He did nothing wrong when he shot Rivkin. And he was following my orders to continue looking into Rivkin's activities here. He went to your place to talk to you, give you a chance to explain. You screwed up by allowing Michael to stay at your apartment after he'd been ordered to leave the country. It led directly to his death. I screwed up by pushing Tony away. It won't happen again. He's too important to me."

With that said, Gibbs stood up and walked out the door, leaving Ziva to her thoughts. He had never heard Gibbs talk about Tony that way before and she knew that the two men had obviously had some deep conversations about their relationship. Incredulously, she realized that Gibbs had even give Tony the keys to his Charger! That said more than anything else about Gibbs' feelings toward the younger man.

She had a lot to think about and some decisions to make.

/

Ziva was still at her desk later that evening when Tony and Tim returned. She had spent part of the afternoon speaking to Ducky about his travel plans and trying to get him to tell her about Tony's plans. He very tactfully told her that it was Tony's business and not his to tell. He shared some tea and biscuits with her and changed the subject to his coming trip to Scotland.

McNulty had no clue about Tony's plans, not surprisingly. She imagined that Tim knew now, having spent the afternoon with Tony doing some secret errand. Again with the secrets, she frowned. As McGee and DiNozzo came back into the bullpen, Tony was joking with Tim about something. Tim continued through the bullpen, grabbing something from his desk along the way, calling out a 'thanks for all the help, Tony' as he continued down the hall.

"She'll love it!" DiNozzo yelled after him, a huge grin on his face. He turned around, tossing Gibbs' keys up and catching them again, before settling behind Gibbs' desk and putting his feet up on his former boss' desk. A few passing agents stopped to say hello and shoot the breeze, and in between Tony made several calls on his cellphone, never once looking Ziva's way, even though she was trying to catch his eye.

It irritated her and she decided to force him to pay attention to her. He had his back to her and was laughing at a text he'd just received on his phone. Trying to be stealthy, she leaned in slowly, than her hand darted out, reaching for his phone. He nonchalantly moved it out of reach, pushing himself away from her, his feet moving to the floor, but never taking his eyes from his phone.

As she began to speak, his phone rang. "DiNozzo!...yep...nope..." he glanced at his watch. "Yes, seven o'clock...perfect...I can't tell you how much this means to me, Sophia...very special..." He laughed. "I will, I promise. Ciao!"

"Everything set?" Ziva spun around. She hadn't even heard Gibbs walk up behind her.

"Yep. All set. You ready to go?"

Gibbs nodded as grabbed his keys, which Tony had put down on his desk. "Turn that off, will you," he said, pointing to the computer. After Tony did as requested, he reached into the drawer and pulled out Gibbs' weapon and badge, handing both to the older man and standing up to join him. As he moved around the desk, he stopped next to Ziva.

"I'll only say this once. What you did, while I sort of understand it, was reprehensible. If you had a problem with me, you should have come to me and we could have worked it out. At any time during the last year, you had the chance to apologize, or at the very least, state your case. If I had known that you felt that uncomfortable around me, we could have worked through it. I will never forgive you for taking your friendship with Gibbs and stomping it into the ground. You should not have forced that choice on him. I hate you for putting that on him, almost as much as I do for what you nearly cost me. And while my anger toward you has tempered somewhat over the last year or so, you and I will never again be friends. In fact, I'm not sure we ever really were. It was one-sided at best."

Gibbs had walked away and was standing next to the elevator, watching the pair, but not interfering. This was their problem and he would no longer get in the middle. Those days were long over. He could hear the conversation, but wouldn't get involved unless it got physical.

"I cared about you, Ziva, as my friend and as my partner. And while I wish you well, and hope you stay safe, I no longer want you in my life. I went to your apartment that night to talk to you. I didn't know Michael was there. He was drunk and he attacked me. I did what I had to do, to stay alive against a better trained operative."

She smirked. "So, you admit that he was better than you."

Tony sighed. "I admit he had more training, not that he was better. He was a killer who should have listened to Gibbs and left the country. He could have made things very difficult for you, Ziva. At the very least, you were harboring a rogue agent."

"So, I don't get the chance to speak with you, to say anything on my behalf?" she asked, her mouth a thin line and her tone defensive.

"You had that chance in Israel, but instead you knocked me to the ground, shoved a loaded gun in my chest and admitted you wished that I had died instead of Rivkin. You had the chance when we got back here, but instead you demanded that Gibbs choose between us. You had the chance the last time I came to town, but instead you chose to glare at me every time you saw me. You had a chance today, here and now, but instead of asking to talk, you stood there and glared at me and tried to snatch my phone because you felt left out when you weren't consulted about Gibbs' retirement and you're pissed that you weren't told what's going on with me. Even though you forced me to leave, you can't stand the idea that you don't know what's going on!"

His words stung, because that was exactly how she felt. "I have a right to know what's happening with my team!" she insisted.

"And you were told today what was happening."

"After everyone else already knew!"

"No, not everyone. McGee didn't know, neither did McNulty. That is pretty much everyone else on the team."

"Abby knew!"

"And you know how Gibbs feels about Abby. It was right that she knew before anyone else. There was no reason for you to know about Gibbs' retirement before the rest of the team."

"And you?" Ziva folded her arms across her chest, raising an indignant eyebrow.

"I've known for a long time, because Gibbs asked for my opinion about his replacement."

"You are no longer on his team! Why not ask me?"

"Because you don't know as many of the senior agents as I do. I've worked here longer and done operations with several of those he had in mind. You don't even know most of them. Plus, I was his Senior Field Agent for a lot of years. We've had several discussions like this in the past."

"He still should have consulted me."

Tony laughed and briefly glanced over at Gibbs before turning his attention back to Ziva. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" he asked, his voice getting just slightly louder. "You might have been Miss High and Mighty in Mossad, with daddy dearest at your fingertips, but here at NCIS, you are just another agent, and a probationary agent at that. No one has to consult you about anything, much less who is going to be your new boss. If you don't like that, the door is that way!" he said, pointing to the stairs. "I'd suggest you go to work for the FBI, but even Fornell doesn't deserve your arrogance and ego!"

With that he strode past her and walked over to the elevator. He stabbed the button as Gibbs spoke quietly to him, then both entered to car and turned to face out. While Tony didn't look her way, Gibbs did, shaking his head. The disappointment was apparent on his face as the door closed, shutting him off from her.

/

Epilogue

In the end, more changes occurred than anyone anticipated. Leon Vance agreed with Gibbs' recommendation and put Balboa in charge of the MCRT. Since the new Team Leader was already a good agent and well used to the way the D.C. office ran, he didn't need a great deal of overview or training. With everything running so smoothly, Gibbs decided to leave earlier than planned and actually accompanied Ducky on his trip to Scotland, the two men thoroughly enjoying the time together.

Of course, it helped that they spent at least a portion of the trip hitting as many pubs as possible, sampling the local brews and liquors, especially the regional whisky of each place they visited. Gibbs had been amazed how just how easily Ducky had been able to drink him under the table! It was embarassing for the former Marine who had always felt he could drink with the best of them.

Ducky had managed to reconnect with several relatives, as well as some former schoolmates, and they all regaled Jethro with tales of their younger school days. Gibbs learned a great deal more about his elderly friend and discovered a new respect and love for him. They visited museums and castles, and walked the green hills and the large cities. By the time they returned home, Ducky's accent was showing more and more of the brogue that his time in America had softened. They'd even played a round of golf at one of Scotland's oldest golf courses.

He still laughed at the photos he'd taken of an irate Ducky tossing his club into the water hazard on the ninth hole.

The highlight of the trip, aside from just spending time with his friend, had been a trip to Loch Ness. They'd taken a boat onto the lake and spent some time at a small lodge there, tipping back with a man who claimed to have had several run-ins with Nessie, the mythical creature who supposedly inhabited the water of the deep and narrow lake. He vowed to one day bring Tony here...the man would be in his element talking to the locals who swore that Nessie actually existed!

They'd kept in touch with the others while they were away, and knew that Balboa's team had closed their biggest case to date; that Palmer had managed to isolate, with Abby's help, a rare and unusual poison that had been the cause of death for a decorated Marine, who was murdered by his own wife, who didn't want to lose the death benefits she would have lost if she divorced him, which the Marine had been in the process of doing.

Ducky had been so proud of his protege. Gibbs was able to relax, finally realizing that he and the old M.E. were leaving the Sailors and Marines in good hands.

As they exited the concourse into the main area of the concourse where arriving passengers met family and friends, they couldn't help but notice the large sign at the rear of the crowd that bid them "Welcome Home Intrepid Scottish Travelers", and in smaller print "We Missed You". Behind the sign, Abby and McGee stood, each holding one side and smiling widely. Neither of them missed the ring on Abby's left hand.

Tim had popped the question while they were on their trip and neither of them was surprised that she'd said yes. She'd called them that night to squeal about the proposal and the ring. She'd been so excited, they couldn't even complain that it was two o'clock in the morning in Scotland when she called.

The ring had been a custom design, using black and white diamonds, set in platinum. They'd seen the drawing of the design, but the ring hadn't been ready before they left. That was the errand that Tim and Tony had gone on following the meeting that day in the conference room. Tony had a friend who owned an exclusive jewelry store in Georgetown and offered to help Tim to design a one-of-a-kind ring for Abby.

Gibbs had known Tim had planned to ask Abby to marry him. He had, in fact, asked for Jethro's blessing, in a way. And Abby, after she'd agreed to be Tim's wife, had tearfully asked Gibbs to walk her down the aisle, a wish he had readily agreed to honor. It was bittersweet for him, not having been given that opportunity with his own daughter, but he looked forward to doing it for Abby. Tony was to be Tim's best man and Ducky offered the beautiful garden behind his home for the ceremony. They planned to be married in the spring, which gave them several months to finalize any plans.

The biggest change upon their return was the discovery that Ziva had decided to leave NCIS. Gibbs was saddened that she'd left without saying goodbye, especially since she'd opted to take a position with the CIA. Although he had to admit, the Central Intelligience Agency was a much better fit for her skills and temperament. And he was grateful that Trent Kort was no longer with the agency.

His feelings toward her were still ambivalent at best. While he thought she was a good person at heart, her actions spoke of a selfishness and anger that he hadn't realized was so deep. He cared about her well-being, but hated her for the position she'd put him in, forcing him to make a choice he'd known in his heart had been the wrong one. But the blame was not solely her's. He'd been the one to cave in to her. He wished her well and hoped that someday they might be able to at least salvage some sort of friendship between them.

He knew that she and Tony would likely never have more than a nodding tolerance of each other. But he also knew that Tony would not begrudge Gibbs for wanting to keep in touch. The turmoil that Gibbs' stupid decision had caused had been tough on everyone. In the end, though, things had worked out. His mother once told him that bad things often happened so that good things came along. And he had to admit, for all the pain and heartache that had occurred over the last year, the end result was much more than he could have hoped for. While the upheaval had seen tremendous change come to all of their lives, he felt content now, more content than he'd felt in a long time.

Tony's new endeavor was risky, but everything he'd heard from the younger man during their infrequent contact over the last couple months proved that there was a niche there that needed to be filled. And Gibbs knew that DiNozzo was more then up for the job. The excitement that was obvious every time they talked gladdened Gibbs' heart and was slowly lifting that burden of guilt he'd been dragging around with him since Tony had walked out of Vance's office with orders in hand.

Gibbs reached up and rubbed his jaw, smiling as he remembered the surprise and pain as Tony's fist met his face that day in Los Angeles. Eventually, Tony had forgiven him. And now, finally, he was able to forgive himself. He was looking forward to this new adventure. He and Tony had grown closer, their bond even stronger than it had been before. He felt like a proud papa, who's son had accomplished a nearly unattainable feat.

Tony's calls and emails over the last few weeks had been nothing but positive. Although they were still awaiting the final review for their accreditation, which could take months, things were rolling along. The feelers that Tony had made to a few of the law enforcement agencies in the area had returned a flood of calls back to him, from other agencies who had gotten wind of his inovative idea and wanted in. They were still working out some of the logistics, especially concerning the costs those departments would pay for the services. Balancing the need to keep the price low for small departments who didn't have a lot of excess money against the need to stay in the black, was a fine line.

Grants and other government assistance would help, but they couldn't do the work for free, as much as they would love to be able to do so. Now that they were back in the U.S., Gibbs felt an excitement for the adventure ahead. When he'd thought about his retirement, he'd often dreamed of being able to spend more time with his boat, maybe even finishing one and actually getting it on the water! But he'd always known in his heart that he would eventually get bored. When Tony took the chance to tell him about his idea and invited Gibbs along for the ride, Jethro had felt a lick of anticipation that he hadn't felt in quite awhile.

The former Marine normally hated change, preferring things to run smoothly and to his exacting standards. But surprisingly, the monumental changes that were occurring in his life right now, just felt right, even comfortable.

He smiled as Abby released her side of the big sign, and ran toward him. He opened his arms and drew her in for a hug, at the same time laughing as McGee tried to control the sign and keep it from hitting any of the other passenger moving around him. So many changes, but the most important things hadn't changed. The people in his life. He was about to move on to another chapter.

And Gibbs looked forward to the journey to come.

THE END