A/N: Once again, thank you so much for your support; all your comments, faves and alerts.

As it was the norm with Tony's luck, he didn't get to have the quiet night he'd thought he would have after the annoyingly long and frustrating day he'd had. After dropping Abby off, he'd sighed with relief that at least that hellish day was over; but soon, he cursed himself and his luck as it became clear that the confrontation with Abby hadn't been the ending of the tiring day he'd had.

Once he arrived to his temporary home, he found Gibbs leaning against the wall of his room, next to the door, drinking from a bottle of beer in his right hand, while holding a box of pizza and an opened pack of beer with his other hand.

"I left the building after you did and I stopped on the way for pizza and beer and I still got here before you. How slowly do you drive?"

Rolling his eyes, Tony pushed his key into the lock and opened the door; "First of all, Abby needed a ride, so I went to her place first; second of all, it's already past midnight and tomorrow we still gotta be at the office early morning; don't you need rest?"

"I brought dinner."

"Yeah, I can see that." Tony growled as he put his weapon and badge in a drawer next to his bed and locked it. "What's the occasion?" He asked, even though he was sure he knew the answer.

Gibbs, for his part, was playing casual. "It's time for dinner."

Tony almost laughed at that, but as it was, he was way too tired for even a laugh, so he just sank into his bed and let Gibbs drag a chair next to the bed and sit down. "It's closer to the time for breakfast." He pointed out.

Offering him a beer, Gibbs was glad that Tony was less hostile than the night before; which was strange, because with what had happened at work, he was pretty much ready for Tony to close the door in his face and just leave him in the parking lot. But then again, Tony'd probably never do that to anyone; not even his dirty ex-partner; he'd always give everyone another chance. Despite the fact that he was the one with his door always unlocked, Tony was actually the one with his door always open.

"How are your burns?" Gibbs finally decided to start with the most obvious question.

"Healing nicely." Tony replied almost truthfully; because in all honesty, he himself wasn't happy with the way they were healing and he felt like they'd leave scars at some places; not that he minded them of themselves; he had others scars, too; but burn marks were a little harder to hide or explain and as someone who did a lot of undercover work, he needed to be able to cover the scars as much as possible.

"Didn't see you putting any ointment on them, today." In fact, Gibbs couldn't remember seeing Tony doing that any other day of the past week either, but those other days, he hadn't been aware and so he hadn't paid attention either.

"Took my pills." The younger man replied. "And put the cream on them before coming to work."

Gibbs really wanted to see the injuries for himself to be sure that they were actually healing nicely; God knew Tony never paid much attention to his own health, probably because he never realized how important it was.

"Want me to help you with them tonight?"

"What?" Tony's eyes widened. "No. I've got it. Thanks." Who did Gibbs think had taken care of those wounds the past 8 days?

Mentally shrugging, Gibbs told himself that it'd been worth a shot.

The next few minutes were spent in silence and not exactly a comfortable one; it wasn't awkward, but Tony's set face told Gibbs that he most probably wished the older man would finish his beer and dinner sooner and just leave. So, before he'd be, politely of course, kicked out, he decided to bring up what he'd come here for tonight; the more he waited the harder it'd get and although normally he'd just ignore the issues and let them either fester or get resolved on their own, or by other people, this couldn't be one of those occasion; because for once, the Lead Agent was actually concerned about the outcome of this situation and he did feel guilty over the whole thing.

"When I tell you that my door is open, I mean it, DiNozzo." He finally said, glancing at his SFA over the beer bottle. "And when you say 'I know', I assume that you actually know."

Tony suppressed the urge to glare at his boss for assuming he was stupid; instead he just opted to use words. "And I've always assumed you know I'm not stupid. Have I been breaking rule number 8?" He didn't even look up from the spot on the pizza box that had caught his attention.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, Gibbs," He finally looked up, "that actions speak louder than words and let's not forget that you'd already refused my request twice, in public I might add, before you took pity on me and offered me a place and I'm not stupid, I know when I'm not welcome and before you say anything, I don't blame you and I'm not upset over it; I'm not accusing you of not caring or anything else either. I'm just saying that I'm not stupid and that when I said I knew, I meant it. I know your door is always open; everyone knows that; doesn't mean everyone is welcome in your house all the time." He added with a half shrug, not uttering his thoughts over the fact that apparently the door was open, but not to him.

Gibbs was remorseful and surprised at the same time; both for having conveyed that message, merely because he was grumpy and impatient, always preferring to be alone, and for Tony to have received it so clearly; he couldn't talk about that part, though; so he chose something else in Tony's speech to address. "I didn't offer my place out of pity! I'd thought you would find somewhere else and when you didn't-"

Rolling his eyes, Tony interrupted him. "Yeah, sure, you thought I'd find another place when you couldn't even let me finish asking to stay at your place. Why would anyone else let me stay with them when you were clearly announcing that it'd be a disaster if they let me in their places?"

Gibbs barely stopped himself from cringing; 'damn' he thought when he realized he'd played an even bigger role in the younger man getting rejected by everyone else. There was no way around it; he had to swallow his pride and say it; "I'm sorry." Not that it'd magically fix anything, but it'd be a start; right? "I didn't realize." He added forlornly.

"Doesn't matter." Tony shook his head. "Like I said, I actually understand; I'm not even upset. I just don't like it when you think I'm a fool, hence, the argument." He shrugged and winced slightly. "Besides, it's in the past."

"It's not in the past when you hide the fact that you've lost your home and everything in it to a fire and the fact that you've had nowhere to stay at for a week and only talk about it when we accidentally find out about the fire on our own. It's not in the past when you refuse any and every kind of help."

"God, why does everyone like to make such a big deal out of this?" Tony growled and got up from his bed, pacing the room up and down. "The fire didn't happen last night; I've gotten over it and I do have a place to go to after work; you're in it, right now, in case you haven't noticed. So yes, those days are in the past and so is this incident really. Would you just let it go? Please?"

"Would you've told us if the fire had happened before the whole thing that followed the boiler in your place blowing?"

"Of course you wouldn't let it go; what was I thinking?" Tony grumbled with frustration as he threw his head back.

"Tony!"

"What?!" The younger man snapped. "I don't know, OK? Yes, I probably would've mentioned it but it doesn't make that right or this, the not saying anything, wrong. I probably would've mentioned it; hell, I probably would've called you the moment I was hit with the reality and the truth of what has happened, but that would've been wrong; because you've got your own life and your own problems; you're not my keeper and you don't deserve to be stuck with someone like me. It's not your fault that there's always something going on in my life. It's always been like this and I've always managed to find a way to pull myself out of the mess that's come up, only to land in a new mess, I guess; but that's not the point here; the point is that I'm not your problem and now would you please stop acting like I didn't call you because I've been upset or wanted to hurt you or something? It's not that."

"No. It's not that." Gibbs conceded, before adding, "It's that you've lost your trust in us."

"Jesus Christ! Gibbs! Leave it alone." Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly and absently wondered how his boss would react if he just crawled under the sheets and went to sleep, ignoring the presence of the other man altogether. "It's not about trust. What does it have anything to do with trust, anyway?"

"Do I have to spell everything out for you?" Gibbs growled. "I've spent months to show you we were different than other people in your life; that here you can trust us and not just with having your six but with your problems as well and here you say it's not about trust? I know we've broken that trust, but you can't say it's not about that." He didn't know why he was getting so worked up, maybe because Tony wouldn't just admit that he was mad at them for turning their backs on him; if he'd admit and accept that, they could apologize, even though he believed it fixed nothing and was just a sign of weakness; and start to move on and do better; but when the younger man actually believed that he deserved to be hung out to dry and no one but himself was at fault, then he didn't know what to do or how to fix it; he was at his wit's end and it infuriated him. Because Tony wasn't the one making the mistake; Tony didn't deserve this; dammit!

"Yeah, go on; you're one to talk!" Tony sounded drained of all energy, but his words hit home.

Gibbs didn't show anything, but he knew what Tony was talking about.

"You always hide everything, Gibbs; never ask for help or anything; I bet if you'd lost your place you would've done just the same; wouldn't you? Would you have actually told anyone about it? Would you have come to my place to stay because you didn't have a home anymore?" Tony inquired and his tone of voice showed that he already knew the answers and if Gibbs was honest with himself, he'd admit that the younger man was right, too.

"That's different."

"How?"

"It's my job to look out for you."

Tilting his head, Tony shook his head to indicate his confusion. "You're the boss, sure; but what happens outside of the job isn't on you."

"You're my responsibility."

"No, we're not. We're grownups and we're all perfectly capable of dealing with our problems; as we should be."

"Asking for help doesn't make you less of a grownup."

"Oh come on, Gibbs. You can't ask for help yourself; why do you expect it to be easy for everyone else?"

"It is easy for everyone but you." Gibbs pointed out.

"Or you!" Tony insisted and then sighed. "And everyone else is not a menace." He murmured quietly and with such conviction that it was clear that he believed every word and wasn't saying it to attract sympathy; louder, he added, "Believe it or not, I know how annoying some of my habits are and like I said, I don't think less of you or the others for turning my request down. I'm too old to rely on the others and I'm actually glad I was reminded of it before getting too weak."

'Weak? And... Menace? Really?' This time, Gibbs was merely shocked; he knew that Tony didn't think that highly of himself, but he hadn't suspected that the ex-cop had such a low opinion of himself, either. "Shut up before I slap you to the next week." He finally growled, unable to censor himself. "How am I gonna get you to put this through your head? Asking for help doesn't make you weak. I'll ask for help if that makes you believe me."

Tony's eyebrows rose. "Really?"

"Yes, dammit!"

"Huh! Yeah, we'll see." Clearly, Tony wasn't convinced.

"And menace? Who the hell has put that idea into your head?" He growled.

Tony stared at him for a second and was about to say 'how about everyone?', but then shook his head and said, "It's just a word."

Gibbs could clearly see what the younger man was thinking about and mentally head-slapped himself when he realized that while they hadn't been the first ones giving him that idea, they sure had given it some weight. "You're not." He uttered firmly. "Now, will you just grab your stuff and come to my place?"

Tony snorted, like it was the most absurd thing that had left Gibbs' mouth, "No. I'm actually good here. Thanks, but really, I'm doing well."

Gibbs hadn't felt this defeated in the last few years. "Have I been talking to the walls this whole time?"

"I heard you, Boss and thanks for the offer; but I'm really OK. Would you please stop with this weird conversation? Despite what you think I don't like the sound of my voice and I hate repeating myself."

That told Gibbs that Tony was still firm on all his opinions.

Yes, apparently he had been talking to the walls!

Not that Gibbs was surprised; years of dealing with people who couldn't care less about him and then having new people in life who said otherwise and then just treated him as bad as the others had thought Tony the hard way that he was on his own; no matter what and that he should be strong and shouldn't bother the others with his problems; Gibbs didn't think anyone could erase that much of self-doubt in one day, or even one year!

So what? Giving up wasn't an option!

What was next? He needed to be persistent? Fine; he could do that; he could be like a dog with a bone if he wanted to.

For now, though, it seemed like he needed to give it a rest before trying again; maybe he could come and steal Tony's stuff and take them to his place one day when he wasn't around. No; to Tony that'd probably look like he wasn't trusted to fix his problems and then he'd feel he had no control over his life, either. That would only backfire. This was going to be a long-term project; one going beyond this incident and Tony not having a place to call home for a while. If he wanted to stay here, Gibbs was going to let him; because it seemed like the right thing to do, at that moment; but little by little, he had to bring the younger man around, again and then make sure not to create another mess.

"Abby's not gonna give up." He pointed out.

Tony shrugged, "I don't know what to say anymore. I can only repeat myself at this point."

"And I'll repeat myself; you're wrong about yourself." Gibbs retorted calmly, but firmly.

Tony averted his gaze; wishing he could disappear.

"Kate's not gonna change her attitude." Gibbs added, and both men knew that he didn't mean it like with Abby; that, this time, he was talking about her general behavior.

"No, she's not. She's too full of herself to change for anyone or to see the truth of things after she's made up her mind about them."

"You want her gone?"

Tony was surprised to hear that; Gibbs would actually send her away if Tony couldn't work with her? He thanked his years of experience for being able to hide his surprise and then actually pondered Gibbs' question for a few seconds. Did he want to be free of the constant negative criticism and jabs from the newest member of the team? Sure! Did he want her gone for good, though? No. She was good for the team and she needed a place to belong, too; he couldn't do that to her; he knew he would never get the respect he deserved from her; but he didn't think he could ask the boss to get rid of her just because of that. "No. She could be good for the team."

Gibbs studied him for a couple of seconds and finally nodded. "Yes, but we don't need her. We were a good team before her."

"True." Tony acknowledged, "But Morrow was always on our case."

"She probably will never learn some stuff." Gibbs offered, referring to her taking the SFA seriously or respecting him the way he deserved. "I could interfere, but-"

"No, don't." Tony shook his head quickly. "Too late."

Gibbs winced. "Would've changed it if I could."

"Thanks." The younger man nodded; at least it was something; the Lead Agent was admitting that it was partly his fault for adding fuel to the fire and for not reminding her of her place, sooner; and Tony know he, himself, was also partly at fault.

"Will do my best to remind her of her place; but she's a woman." He said, like it explained everything and with Gibbs it kind of did.

Tony smiled lopsidedly; he knew his boss well enough to understand what it meant when he said things like that. "I know. It's OK. I'll have my own ways to get revenge."

Hearing that made Gibbs smirk. "Do what you gotta do."

"Thanks, Boss."

"And in the meantime," Gibbs continued, "remember that you're not alone. We make mistakes, but..." He trailed off and shook his head.

Tony wanted to smile and thank the older man and say 'sure', but he couldn't; he really couldn't fool himself and he knew it wasn't right to ask people to carry his burden for him; so no, he didn't think he could ever ask for help again, and he doubted he could change his way of thinking.

Gibbs saw the lack of reaction and acknowledgement for what it was and silently cursed himself again; he needed to be less of a bastard sometimes. "You're not a burden, DiNozzo!" He had to add, because he was sure it was what Tony was thinking; it was what everyone in Tony's life had made him think.

'Oh, but I am.' Tony smiled bitterly to himself; on the outside, though, he just closed his eyes to hide his feelings that he knew the Lead Agent could easily read in his eyes and then took a gulp of his beer. "Not gonna make it to work before noon, tomorrow." He changed the subject.

"We already have the morning off." Gibbs replied nonchalantly.

Turning his head towards the older man and studying him, Tony smirked, "And you're gonna let Kate come early!"

"She didn't earn the time off."

Chuckling, Tony said, "She didn't, did she?"

"Nope."

"I'd drink to some more hours of sleep."

Surprisingly, Gibbs clinked his bottle to Tony's and said, "so would I."

Eying his boss, Tony raised any eyebrow, but didn't comment on it.

Gibbs just smirked into his drink and kept quiet. He'd also drink to easy and slow. He wouldn't push the issue; if Tony wanted to take it slow and pretend like nothing had happened, he'd let him for now and slowly, step by step, he'd once again gain the younger man's trust and show him that this time, he really would be there for him; no matter what. Because not having that complete trust was not an option. He just wished he, they, hadn't screwed up so royally in the first place; because until he could make Tony trust them again, the younger man would keep believing that he deserved to be on his own and would keep hiding behind his walls and masks; more importantly, now that he'd lost everything he'd owned, he'd need help more than ever; yet, he wouldn't accept it from anyone and maybe it was the punishment for Gibbs that he had to step aside, try to offer help and watch as his young protégé struggled, yet refused to accept his help. Yes, he'd screwed up and now he was paying for it. Life did suck!

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The End...

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A/N: Let me know what you think.

This one is finished; but in our heads, it could go either way from here; Gibbs could actually change and become supportive, which means the following days, weeks, months and years would be easier on Tony (and probably a lot different from what we saw on the show); or he could forget what he'd had in mind, at this point, and they'd all go down the same path!
(The third option, my personal favorite, is that Gibbs does change and then shows more support, but occasionally makes mistakes again, kinda like, one step forward, two steps back; which is something that could create opportunities for other stories if you have an unstoppable imagination. We could go on forever!)

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I don't own the show and its characters and all mistakes are mine.