Long time reader, first time writer; please read, review and be nice! This hasn't been beta'd so all mistakes are mine.

Oh, and I have no experience in death, so all medical mistakes are also mine. *smiles innocently*

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, only in my dreams, and possibly in an AU.

"Hey DiNozzo, you're driving." Gibbs ordered as he threw the keys over to where Tony was standing blinking incredulously.

"Err...sure thing boss, but since when do you let us normal people drive?" Tony teased hoped to ease the tense atmosphere that had been building in the bull pen all morning.

"Just shut it and get in the car unless you want Ziva to drive" Came a growled response. With Ziva and McGee in the back seat, Gibbs in the passenger seat and Tony driving, it took a lot longer than it would have to get to a crime scene but Gibbs didn't complain, and only stared nonchalantly out of the window. Any one of Tony's attempt to make conversation was met with a glare and heavy silence.

They soon reached the crime scene and got out, getting to work quickly. The body of a young Petty Officer named Greg Thomas had been discovered outside an abandoned building in a large dumpster in the parking lot. The scene had soon been processed. Tony snapped the crime scene pictures, Ziva took the witness statement of the homeless man who had found the body, and McGee bagged and tagged all the evidence. Ducky had arrived with Jimmy and had started to prepare the body for the gurney. They worked in silence and didn't dare to even look at Gibbs as he stormed around the parking lot, glaring at every LEO who dared to cross his path.

"Maybe he got out of the wrong side of the chair this morning..." Ziva suggested unhelpfully.

"Well no kidding Agent David." Tony drawled sarcastically. "You think he got out of the wrong side of the bed as well do ya?" he corrected, receiving a smug grin from McGee and a glare from Ziva.

"Well yes, maybe that too" Ziva snapped back "but I think that something might be seriously wrong with him. Tony, you should go and talk to him, he likes you and you have had so many head slaps, another won't damage your ego!"

"Yeah!" agreed McGee, saying anything to get himself out of the firing line. "Go talk to him Tony, I don't fancy having to stay late tonight because Gibbs is in one of his moods." And so Tony, haven been given no choice, slowly strolled over to where Gibbs stood at the far side of the parking lot.

"Hey boss, you okay there?" he chirped. "Y'know, I'm pretty sure Ducky wouldn't appreciate another body in the morgue tonight and the way you're glaring at everyone is kinda..." He was cut short when Gibbs wheeled round and gave him his infamous glare, hand already lifting in a head slap.

"Kinda what DiNozzo?" he snapped. "You my personal counselor now? Want me to spill my guts and hold my hand? Well it's none of your goddamm business so back off or find another job." Gibbs accented his statement with a sharp slap to the back of Tony's head. The slap was so hard that he winced and turned his head to the side to shake away the sting. In that moment, he saw a glint of something bright in one of the building windows across the parking lot. A brief second passed in which he saw the glint of an eye and the black end of a gun, pointing directly at Gibbs.

In a split second Tony yelled "GIBBS!" and threw himself at his boss. In the same moment a gunshot was heard and the parking lot sprang into action. As Gibbs jumped to his feet he aimed his Sig in the direction of the shooter and fired several times. With a grunt he saw the masked shooter fall to the ground; his death confirmed when Ziva, McGee and a dozen cops ran into the building to take out the threat.
Gibbs wheeled around and to give Tony a walloping for saving his life but instead saw the limp form of his Senior Field Agent on the concrete floor. With shaking hands he rolled him over, but any relief at finding him still breathing vanished when he saw the red stain blooming over Tony's chest.

"McGee called 911" Gibbs yelled. "Ziva, clear the perimeter and Duck get here NOW!" His thundering voice broke everyone out of their shock and they all set into action. Gibbs ripped of his jacket and jammed it into the bullet hole in Tony's chest. His eyes fell on his ashen face and he growled in anger, and disbelief that DiNozzo had saved his life, once again.

"Boss, I th...think someone just...tried to...to shoot you." Tony gasped as he wrung for his breathe as it hitched painfully with every word. He groaned in pain as Ducky started dressing the wound and applying as much pressure as possible.

"Hang there Tony, EMT's are on the way, ETA is 15 minutes because of traffic." McGee called.

"Well that'll be 15 minutes too late McGee, get them here faster!" Gibbs ordered.

"Boss... ya think someone... has a hit...on you?" Tony panted, his breathing becoming more labored with every breath.

"Just shut it Tony will ya, and focus on breathing rather than solving the case, shooter's dead, doesn't matter now." Came the reply, but anyone who knew him could hear the emotion and concern in his voice.

"You don't look so hot Tony..." he said.

"Well... no kidding... Gibbs, I'm... kinda dying... here." came Tony's feeble response.

"Oh nonsense Anthony." Ducky chastised. "I will not tolerate any negative thoughts, besides, I don't think you are allowed to die, Jethro would be lost without you, he always said..." But he got no further as blood started to run from the corner of Tony's mouth.

"Bullet...nipped a lung...or something...boss...I can't breathe!" Tony rasped.

"MCGEE! AMBULANCE?!" Yelled Gibbs across the parking lot. The group of people stood around in a stunned silence, collectively praying for the agent down.

McGee jumped from his stupor and called back "Err...uh, 5 minutes boss, um...I should call Abby, she'll want to know what's going on..."

His words were drowned out with splutters and coughs from Tony, more blood leaking from his mouth. "Don't think...I'm gonna make it...boss." He choked.

"No DiNozzo, you WILL make it. Ducky was right, we need you, you cannot and you will not die ya hear me?!" Gibbs shook Tony's shoulders to bring him back from his coughing fit. More softly, Gibbs pulled Tony's head onto his lap and wiped the blood from his chin. He leaned forward and whispered in Tony's ear "Come one DiNozzo, don't make me say please. Tony, listen, we need you, I need you!"

"Aw boss...what a time to...develop...a sentiment...I'm so...proud of you." Tony's teased in a horse whisper. Tony's eyes started to glaze over, but Gibbs shook him back to reality. The team had slowly gathered round, all standing in fearful silence.

"Come on...McGoo, Zee-vah...Duckman... Gremlin...don't look so sad..."Tony spluttered, using the last of his energy to make this easier on his friends. "I'm the one who...should be sad...c...cause...I can't think of...a movie...this sucks..." His breathing went from choked to shallow, his limbs became heavier and somehow he knew he didn't have long.

"I'm sorry... guys... b...boss, shoulda... been more ...c...careful!" he whispered but Gibbs' reply cut him short.

"Tony if you weren't hurt I'd head slap ya into the next galaxy! You have nothing to be sorry for ya hear me? Nothing! I'm the one that's sorry. You saved my life...thank you..."

Wow Tony thought I must be far gone, Gibbs just apollogised and thanked me...

"Hey boss...what's with the... long face? There's n...nothing...I'd rather do...than save y...your life...well...maybe a pepperoni...pizza but you...can't always have...everything...right?" he gasped. Tony closed his eyes and for a terrible moment everybody thought he was dead, and hung their heads in grief until more blood splurted out of Tony's mouth in an attempt to speak.

"B...boss...I need to...to say..." came a horse whisper. Gibbs stroked Tony's hair out of his face and leaned in to hear. " I never wanted to...disappoint you...only make you proud...you're my dad...all I ever wanted...I hope...I..." he had no energy left to speak so he weakly took Gibbs hand and held onto it as if it were his lifeline.

"Hey Tony, you never disappointed me, ever. And I'm proud of you, ya hear me? I'm so, so proud of you Tony, my Son." chocked Gibbs in a broken, barely audible voice. Tony's gaze fixed upon his mentors' and despite his pain, his stuttered reply was strong, and determined. "I know, Dad, I know". Gibbs looked into Tony's eyes; he saw no fear, but acceptance, love and strength. So when Tony looked into Gibbs' eyes, all he saw was immeasurable pride and fierce love. This was all Tony ever wanted, ever needed, now he was happy, now he was home.

So when his last breath shuddered from his body, when his eyes closed, his head rolled to the side and his father held him close, Anthony DiNozzo was finally at peace.

"I love you Son, I love you Son" was the only thing that could be heard in the parking lot outside the empty building, the muttered mantra echoing off the walls.
Not a word was said as Ziva's silent tears stained her clothes, and McGee's hands shook as he failed to hold back violent sobs. Nobody spoke when Ducky sighed in grief, waiting to take his friend home. Nobody could speak as Abby's arrival came with a heart-broken shriek that filled the area, and she collapsed in gut-wrenching sobs. The pain and loss they all felt was beyond words, beyond anything they had ever felt.
And for the first time in 20 years, Leroy Jethro Gibbs cried, but the tears on his face had little to do with weakness, they were tears of pride, and utmost love and respect for one late Anthony DiNozzo junior, son of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

A/N Oh dear, I cried when I wrote this, but no, I'm not sorry! Like I said in the intro, this is my first fanfic so please please review and tell me everything that I did wrong so I can be better next time round!

Hope you like it,

Nox