The first day Anthony DiNozzo finally got back to work was a day to remember.

The Senior Field Agent hadn't seen his two junior agents during the whole time of his recovery and even though Gibbs was angry about it, Tony was glad, because the one time that they had shown up at the hospital had been awkward enough that he knew he didn't have energy for another such visit.

They didn't have anything to say to each other; well, Tony didn't have anything to say to them and if it wasn't for Abby chattering the whole 30 minutes that they were there and engaging Tony in the conversation, Tony would've feigned sleep, so that they'd just leave him alone.

Of course, both McGee and Ziva had tried to goad Tony into a banter, after claiming that they were very happy that he was alright; but Tony had kept his solemn persona up and his answers had been mostly restricted to nods or yes and nos and would glare when they were getting out of line. That had quickly brought an end to their attempt at levity and had fortunately silenced them.

Tony could see that Ziva was seething with anger and McGee looked unsure, upset and a bit angry at the same time. But apparently they'd been warned by Gibbs, or maybe they were merely not sure how to deal with him when he was like this, because they didn't voice their thoughts and both let Abby take control of the situation.

So, the first day back to work after such a long time would've been even more extraordinary, had Tony been his old self around his teammates. But, no. He was still distant and all business; so, aside from a very ordinary greeting, as if he'd been back just from a lunch break; he said nothing else to neither Ziva nor McGee.

What hurt the junior agents the most was the fact that Tony still did smile and joke with agents from other teams who stopped by to welcome him back and he still laughed when Abby jumped into his arm just as he was sitting behind his desk.

Nobody could say that Tony was quiet because the last case had affected him too much because it was clear that nobody but those two was getting the silent treatment.

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The bullpen was once again quiet as Tony tried to catch up with everything and the others, minus Gibbs, who'd gone to get another coffee, worked on whatever they had in hand when Ziva couldn't take it anymore.

"So, Tony-" She dropped all pretense and stared right at Tony with a smirk at the corner of her mouth. "We never found the chance to talk about that day."

Even though Tony knew what day she was referring to, he didn't show anything on the outside. "What day?" He said without looking up from the papers in front of him.

Rolling her eyes, she sneered, "The day Gibbs, once again, came to your rescue and cleaned up your mess. I cannot believe those parents were thinking you were the hero while it was actually you who had screwed up in the first place." She said smugly and smiled triumphantly when a quick look of hurt crossed Tony's face. "I guess Gibbs and Vance took pity on you and decided to let you have the..." She paused and searched her mind for the right word, "take the credit, right?"

McGee looked at them with open interest, but didn't say anything, waiting to see how Tony would react.

"I don't see how that is your business, Agent David." Tony still wouldn't look up and jotted down something on the paper before him.

"You could have gotten all those girls killed with your... What is it called? Hero-complex? Yes, that must be it." She looked at McGee for affirmation, but got nothing except for a surprised look from him.

Tony finally looked up from his work. Slowly, he stood up from his chair and walked to Ziva's desk. "Listen to me, and listen good, David, because this is the last time I'm repeating this; next time, you'll be out of here for insubordination and believe me, I can do that now. Gibbs will back me up." He said and hoped that he was right. "You. Have. No. Right. To talk to your superior like that. Your job here is to investigate the case that is handed to you, listen to your superiors, obey their orders and keep your stupid opinions to yourself. If we need your output, we'll ask for it. And, I. Am. Your. Superior. Behave or get out." The only sign that showed Tony was furious was the look in his eyes. His voice was firm and steely, filled with a quiet authority that honestly, was way scarier than a shout of anger. It was clear that he'd meant every single word and Ziva, who'd only seen that look on Tony's face a couple of times during the years, felt a bit threatened.

Before she could open her mouth to dig her grave deeper, though, Gibbs and Vance appeared behind Tony and she was sure they were going to put him in his place; so she smirked and crossed her arms in front of her chest; but she was surprised when Tony just turned around coolly and walked to his own desk again, not looking surprised at seeing Gibbs and the Director. Apparently he knew they were there.

"Agent David, I do not tolerate insubordination here. As valuable as you are to this agency, there are many other agents who can do your job better and they know what chain of command means. This will be your last warning as Agent DiNozzo said; another reprimand will be added to your file, as well. You better get your act together if you want to stay here." Vance's words startled Ziva; she couldn't believe that out of all the people there, it was Vance who was supporting Tony like that.

"Agent DiNozzo made a huge sacrifice that day and he kept his head which resulted in saving all those kids. Unfortunately, I can't say you or anyone else could easily manage to do what he did, you especially, since you seem to like to jump into action headfirst and act like you're a one-man team all the time." The Director added firmly before turning his head around to look at Tony, who appeared to be engrossed in his own work. "Agent DiNozzo." He called out and waited for Tony to look up. "Congratulation on a job well-done. We're proud to have you here." He said curtly, but loudly, wanting everyone around them to hear how he felt about the whole situation. He noticed how both McGee and Ziva looked surprised with their jaw dropped open. 'Good', he thought, sometimes, it was needed to set a few people straight. He couldn't let things get out of hand because of petty rivalry.

Tony nodded and said, "Thank you, Sir, but I just did my job."

"Then, I wish everyone here would do their jobs the way you do." He said pointedly before walking off.

Gibbs had a smirk on his face which disappeared the moment his eyes landed on the shook-up Ziva. "For your information, the reason those girls were taken was that Simmons had a grudge against me. Guess that makes me the one who screwed up in the first place, huh?" He said icily, using Ziva's own words to deliver the hit. "If it hadn't been for DiNozzo, they all would probably be dead now and it'd be on my conscience."

Ziva visibly paled this time; she'd never meant to hurt Gibbs. "Gibbs, I did not-"

"Can it." Gibbs growled and walked to Tony's desk to put a cup of coffee in front of his SFA. "You two better learn quickly how to respect your superior agents or I'll have DiNozzo look for new agents. That clear?"

McGee gulped before quickly saying, "Yes, Boss."

For the first time in years, he actually felt his position on the team wasn't secure and that scared him, because he actually loved his job and... And his teammates. He didn't want to lose the people who'd had his back, on so many levels, for so many years, including Tony. He knew it was too little too late to fix his mistakes, but he hoped with time he could prove that he wasn't all that disrespectful.

Ziva's tone was more clipped and strained when she muttered her 'Yes'; but she, too, had realized that she couldn't do whatever she wished, anymore. Not with both Vance and Gibbs backing Tony up. She sighed and moved her chair a little to the side to hide her face behind her monitor, so she could sulk privately.

Gibbs send Tony a look that would say, 'I meant it when I said I have your back'.

Tony grabbed his coffee and took a long sip, nodding his head towards his boss.

Well, at least working would be easier from then on; it probably wouldn't be as much fun as it used to be, but at least it was safer. He just wished personal issues could get fixed as easily; but sadly it wasn't the case. Unfortunately, he and Gibbs had a long way to go and in all honesty, he didn't think he could ever open up to his Boss the way he used to. But at least he knew, for now, Gibbs actually had his back and would show more respect to him and his position on the team.

That was a good start.

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... The END ...

A/N: And it's a wrap! Hope you've enjoyed it. :D

Thanks for all the comments, PMs, faves and alerts. They all mean a lot to me.

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All mistakes are mine.

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