AN/ This is the story with the Russians. The time line can be a little wrong and there will be some surprises, but hey, it's fiction ;) (This is because of my difficulties with math I tried to be as accurate as possible so I hope it matches if not you know why the story is how it is).

Prologue

Tony stormed into the bullpen.

'McGee, I want you to trace this man,' He threw a set of papers on McGee's desk. 'His name is Vasily Arkadi, I want to know if he's still in prison if yes where and who is visitors were, if no I want to know where he is, where he's been and who his visitors were while in prison.' McGee looked strange at Tony.

'Why?', he asked.

'Just do it.'

'You don't get to order me around Tony, your not my boss and your not Gibbs.' Tony who was already losing his patience walked over to McGee and stood close.

'No, I'm not Gibbs, thank you for reminding me, but I am your senior field agent and so your superior now do as I told you before I write you down for insubordination.' Gibbs who had heard Tony when he came back from MTAC looked worried. For Tony to act like this there had to be something wrong big time!

'DiNozzo, with me, McGee do it.' Tony walked without another word to the elevator and as soon as the doors closed Gibbs flipped the switch.

'You care telling me about what that was about?' Tony remained silent, thinking if he should tell Gibbs.

'You don't trust me?'

'It's not that boss...it's sorta personal.'

'Then why bring it to work?', Gibbs asked.

'It didn't start out that way Gibbs...there are things...that happened that I never told anyone about.'

'How long are we talking about?'

'Your not going to give this up, are you?' Gibbs smiled, knowing he had won.

'When I was in Philly I worked a undercover case with Russian arms dealers, I worked my way up and became the go to guy for Vasily Arkadi, the boss.'

'You became his second?'

'Yeah, we became rather close and he saw me as a really dear friend, the night their whole organization was about to go down it went all to hell. I spoke to my contact person while being under and we agreed I wouldn't break cover, I would be arrested with everyone. But there was made an mistake in communication, some of the guys didn't know I would be arrested with the dealers and approached me smiling, saying what a good job we all did. Arkadi heard him and swore revenge, he paid someone while he was in prison to...' This was the part he didn't want to talk about. The part where he failed to protect the people most dearest for him.

'To do what Tony?', Gibbs gently pushed.

'To kill my family Gibbs, my wife and my little daughter.' Gibbs blinked rapidly, Tony had a wife and daughter? He would still have been what? Somewhere twenty?

'Y-you...family?'

'Yeah, Lisa and I got married after college, we had been together since high school and decided is was time, when we got pregnant we were so happy, we were concerned about money and me being a cop but we worked things out, I asked to be transferred to Peoria since I could get a raise there, after two years we left, and after two years in Philly they got killed, on the day she became five years old. They thought it to be poetic if they were to die on the most happy day of our lives.' Gibbs couldn't believe what he had just heard. Tony had a family just like him, and just like him they had been taken away from him.

'That when it became personal?'

'Yeah, damn right. But it wasn't enough for Arkadi, I had to die to...slowly.'

'What brought this up now, DiNozzo?' Tony grabbed in his pocket and showed a picture to Gibbs. The picture showed him with a little girl in the sun, they were both asleep. The little girl let her head rest on Tony's chest. Next to them sat a woman with long blond hair and she smiled at the duo while trying to wake Tony up.

'That them?'

'Lisa and Kiara, my baby girl.' Tony smiled sadly.

'This picture was taken the day they died Gibbs, and it wasn't us who took the picture, it had been Arkadi's man.'

'They were beautiful Tony, I'm so sorry.'

'It's been a long time Gibbs, she would have become twelve...today.' Gibbs eyes widened in shock.

'And you got that picture today?'

'Read the backside Gibbs', Tony said. Gibbs did as Tony told him to.

"Hello, Aleks Petrenko. Or should I say, Anthony D DiNozzo? Big difference being Russian or Italian. Do you remember this day? I sure do, this was only part of my revenge, soon you shall be joining them. Your old friend, A." Gibbs read out loud.

'Jesus DiNozzo, were you ever going to come to me about this if I hadn't pushed you?'

'No, probably not, this guy is dangerous Gibbs, I don't want to place you guys in any more danger.'

'Damn it Tony, I thought we were friends. Do you really think we mind?'

'That's just it Gibbs. You guys wouldn't mind but I do mind, if you guys get hurt or killed by this...'

'Any of us can die anytime Tony, we are going to help you and I don't want to hear a thing about it...that reminds me to have a little talk with McGee.'

'Not needed boss. I was being an ass.'

'Yes you were but you still are his superior, he has no reason to question your orders' Tony shrugs and flips the switch.