Warnings:

-English is my second language, and I think it's pretty clear what that little piece of info implies (Uhm) No, honestly, if mistakes, lots of them, offend you, you might want to skip this one.

-This is a friendship ONLY story.

-If you're interested in more, please let me know.

Summary:

Tony gets captured and locked up for 4 years & when they finally knew his location,Gibbs was determined to rescue him, but the mission is more difficul than it seems, for on top of all the dangers and risks they must face, Gibbs must also fight to earn Tony's trustafter the young agent lost all memories of his past, which proves to be the most difficult task of all, but Gibbs vows to make Tony trust him again, for their survival depends on his success.

To Trust Again

Part 1

As the cold-savage slap of the water greeted his already sore body, Tony did nothing but gasp at the shocking encounter. After all, he didn't expect to be pushed from behind so abruptly. He didn't even have the chance to turn and see his pusher before his body flipped, his foot met space instead of solid as it tried to stop his fall, and his whole momentum pitched forward, and down his body went, flying in a seemingly blinding speed toward the unwelcoming clutches of the freezing river. Nor did Tony have the privilege of knowing what was going to hit him before it did; it was pitch-black, probably too dark to even recognize his own hand if it was in front of his eyes.

He was sinking, and in a far and tiny place in his sleepy mind, he knew he was going to die. The cold water slowly numbed his senses, and for one short moment, he was actually glad for the soothing peace. Tony welcomed the painless road that darkness promised him as it persistently tugged at his mind, invinting him to its eternal depth. But the peace did not last long, Tony was jolted back to reality by intense pain invading his lungs. He realised, with panic, that he could not breathe. His arms started to spin and his legs began to kick, yet, his wild moves did little to push him upward. The metals around his wrists and ankles were pulling him down. Fear and panic set in as he realised there was no hope, no escape. The vast emptiness of the river surrounded him with its death-grip, and just as his life started to fade, he suddenly felt arms grip him from both sides, and then, he was steered upward.

It seemed like eternity before Tony reached the surface. He gulped hungrily, almost aggressively at the sweet air greeting him after such awful despair. He was lifted shortly afterwards by strong arms, hauled, then rolled on a solid surface. He wondered for a second if it was a boat, but was too dazed and exhausted to care. His ears were ringing painfully and he thought he heared a voice wheezing excitedly before realising it was his own. Two figures swam in front of his blury vision, their lips were moving, he knew they were talking to him but the ringing in his ears prevented him from hearing what they were saying. He kept his eyes locked on one of the figures for a lengthy moment, thinking it was strangely familiar, before deciding to close his eyes tiredly. A second later, he felt his head being lifted slightly upward and a mask was placed over his nose and mouth, providing him with clear-delicious bites of oxygen.

Gibbs saw Tony's eyes hold his for a moment, and saw the flicker of recognition passing over the young man's pale features before he finally surrendered to exhaustion. Gibbs didn't help but feel rage build inside of him as he saw Tony lying still and vulnerable in front of his very eyes, thinking that he could have been, "must have been", the same way in front of his enemies. He turned to the man sitting beside him examining Tony. "Will he be all right?"

"I think he will." and he used two fingers forcing Tony's eye open to expose it to the light of the small flashlight he held, already realising that the young man lying in front of him had slipped into deep unconsciousness.

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"Tony! Can you hear me? Come on Kid, open your eyes for me!"

Tony grunted and turned his head away from the niggling voice that disturbed his peace, but it was useless, he was already awake, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not will the darkness to return, so instead, he cocked one eye open to stare carefully at the smiling face peering at him smugly.

"That a boy!"

Tony frowned at the old man standing before him, then blinked his eyes few times to clear his vision. "Whe..Where am I?" Pausing as he could hardly recognize his own voice, Tony took a moment to wet his throat, except it was useless, his throat was so dry, even swallowing proved to be difficult.

"I think the Kid needs a drink," a new voice suggested, but it was said in a tone firm with authority that made it clear it was no less than an order."

Tony shifted his head a little so he could see the other person occupying the room. Slightly old, but definitely younger than the other man, Tony decided as he eyed the new man carefully.

Accepting the cup of water from the older, much bigger man, Gibbs nodded his head, making a silent request for privacy. The old man nodded, then left the room with no more than half a glance toward Tony.

Gibbs walked to Tony's bed, studying the younger man's face as he pulled a chair near the bed and sat down. Although Gibbs made sure his face held no expression, Tony did not help but feel that Gibbs eyes were searching for something, demanding something of him. He gulped nervously.

"Can you get up?" extending the cup toward him, Gibbs questioned gruffly.

Tony nodded before he even tried. Using his arms, he pushed his weak body into an upright position, groaning in the process. Gibbs offered him the cup but Tony didn't take it. Puzzled, Gibbs looked up and frowned at the strange expression that haunted Tony's face.

"Where the hell are my clothes?" Tony demanded as he pulled the cover even tighter around his naked body.

Gibbs eyes were hard as he stared at him. "You must be kidding!"

When Tony's expression remained the same, Gibbs shook his head in wonder. "Chill out, we'll get you new ones. They were too ruined for a re-use."

Tony's eyes still regarded him with suspicion, but at least he seemed to loosen up a little. He accepted the cup then took long, hungry gulps of water. Gibbs sighed, stood up then went to the door to speak with someone hidden from Tony's view. "Do me a favor, get the kid new clothes, any you could find." Then he turned back to his seat and sat down.

"Who are you?" Gibbs froze. He expected the question, but nevertheless...

"My name is Gibbs."

"So, when will I be going back?"

"Back?" Gibbs regarded Tony with a puzzled look.

"You know," Tony shrugged, then added exasperately when Gibbs remained silent, "Back to prison."

Gibbs face remained expressionless. "I guess you were too out of it yesterday to realise it."

"Huh!"

"You're not going back Dinozzo," Gibbs stated, "Yesterday we busted you out of that hell-prison and now I'll make sure you return home safely."

Tony blinked, confused. "Why would, .."

"What do you remember, Tony?" Gibbs cut him off rather rudely.

"Remember?"

Gibbs nodded. "Tell me what you remember."

Tonny took a deep breath. "There was a riot, then.., then the lights were out. There was screaming, and bullets flying..I didn't want to leave, honest, but people started pushing me, and I couldn't really see what's going on and.."

"About your past Dinozzo. I meant, what do you remember about your past?"

Gibbs saw Tony stiffen then their eyes met. "Who cares! Not like it's any of your business."

"Right now it is."

"Cut the crap!" Tony snapped angrily, "Stop messing with me, and just spit it out! What is it that you want me to confess?"

Gibbs hand suddenly flew to Tony's face and grabbed his chin forcefully earning a surprised gasp from the younger man. Tony's hands went up to clutch at Gibbs' trying to prise the hand off, but Gibbs didn't budge.

"Listen, Dinozzo, yesterday I risked my neck and those of my friends to get you out, now the least you could do is trust me."

"I would never trust you, believe me!" Tony spat at him,"You're one of them, I'm sure of it."

Taken aback by Tony's outburst and the bitterness that laced his words, Gibbs let go.

"Don't touch me gain," Tony warned as he rubbed his sore chin, and as of defying him, Gibbs did just that. He grabbed his left wrist and pulledthe arm straight. Turning it, Gibbs stared at the various needle marks decorating the inside of Tony's left arm.

"They've been drugging you with God knows what," Gibbs muttered angrily.

Tony just stared at him.

"How often did they drug you?"

"Like you don't know!"

Gibbs ignored the statement. "How often?"

"Every day."

"It's either the drugs or the bumps on your head that affected your memory," Gibbs concluded as he stood up. "we'll know once we get you checked up."

"Enough of this, tell me what you want from me."

Gibbs shot him a fiery glare. "Whether you want to believe it or not, once upon a time we were..friends, and whether you're willing to trust me or not will not make a difference, I'll make sure you return home safely, even if I have to force you."

"Why bother yourself?"

Again, Gibbs ignored his derision. "Right now we're safe here. The man you saw earlier, his name is Martin, he's a...friend of mine, and we're in his house. I'm sure they already started looking for you, that's why it's too risky to take you to a hospital"

"I don't need a hospital."

"Talking to you is useless," And with that Gibbs left the room slamming the door not so gently behind him.

A few minutes later a middle-aged man with a light beard entered the room leaving Tony some food and new clothes. Tony was grateful for both.

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"So how did it go?" Martin asked as he sat beside Gibbs.

"Not so good."

"I thought so. You know the Kid must've gone through hell back there."

"You think I don't know that?" Gibbs growled.

Martin shrugged. "You can always quit, afterall, you're on your own in this."

"I won't quit."

"Gibbs, if you want this crazy plan of yours to work, you need his trust, and you saw it yourself, the Kid will not trust anyone."

"I'll make it happen." Martin looked at Gibbs and saw his eyes luster with determination.

"I'll make him trust me again."

TBC

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P.S. -Unfortunately, I never had the chance to watch the show since they don't air it here in Kuwait. True, I read lots about it, but still, so maybe it's better to consider this an AU story. Sorry if the characters seem out of character.