Tony cast a fleeting glance back at his bed mate, a stunning 25 year-old brunette with a stunning 25-year-old body. He smiled at his latest conquest, not wanting to wake her up. He dressed quietly, left her a note to help herself to whatever was in the fridge, and to lock up after herself. Tony then left for work.

Tony’s workday was uneventful and he actually got off on time. He was really looking forward to a quiet evening at home with beer, pizza, and Magnum, P.I.

There was something off. Tony knew it as soon as he opened the door to his apartment. His hand went instinctively to his gun. He listened intently. He heard nothing out of the ordinarily and closed his apartment door behind him. He took a quick glance into his living room and kitchen. He ducked his head into the bathroom. All were clear. He then noticed the closed bedroom door. He had closed it because…Carren, Carol…Sharon. That was it; Sharon was still in there when he left. He opened the door and quickly checked behind it, but not before he stopped and stared a second at the shocking scene before him.

Sharon had indeed not left. She was lying completely naked in Tony’s bed. The sheet and blanket pulled up to her waist. There was a small, neat hole in the center of her forehead. The pillow under her head, which used to be white, was now crimson with her blood. Tony knew, from experience, the back of Sharon’s head would be gone, not blown away like Kate’s. Sharon from all appearances seemed to have been shot while in bed. So, the back of her head, as he spoke, was leaking into his mattress. He shuttered involuntarily at the thought.

Tony holstered his gun and reached for his phone.

“Yes, Gibbs!” Tony said, running his hands though his hair for the hundredth time in the past hour. He had called Gibbs when he found Sharon’s body. The whole team was there. Gibbs questioning the suspect, one Anthony DiNozzo. Ziva and McGee were taking pictures. Jason Lewis’s team would be taking over the scene and Gibbs was determined not to break procedure and protocol anymore than they had already.

“Yes, Gibbs that’s her name, Sharon Hawley.” Tony snapped back, letting his frustration show. He had not really remembered her name and had had to think very hard to come up with it.

“You’re sure?” Gibbs asked, studying his Senior Field Agent’s face.

“I’m sure.” Tony snapped again. “Look, Gibbs. I didn’t run her through the NCIS database. I didn’t do a credit check. I just…did her.” Tony said. “Besides hasn’t McGruff over there already looked in her purse?” He pointed to the black handbag that was lying on the floor beside the bed. Tim had not checked the bag, not wanting to break procedure.

Gibbs looked at Tony intently and shook his head. “We're waiting on Lewis and his team” Gibbs explained.

Tony nodded. “Look, Gibbs, I’m guilty of a lot of things. But I’m no murderer.” Tony felt as if his legs were going to collapse and he sat down in the only chair in his bedroom. Tony tried to look at the scene before him with the professional detachment he used out in the field, but failed miserably.

Gibb knelt down in front of Tony, his eyes full of concern. When Tony had called him that evening Tony sounded scared. That terrified Gibbs. Gibbs knew he had to come. Even more so when Tony told him what he had walked in on when he had gotten home that evening. He had to take care of Tony. He couldn’t just say no. Tony needed his help. “Tony,” Gibbs said quietly. “…there is not sign of forced entry.” Gibbs had made of point of looking when he first entered the apartment after Tony called. “There is no sign of anything. It worries me, Tony. You know you didn’t do it. I know you didn’t do it.”

Tony nodded. “But the fact remains….”

“All roads point to you.” Gibbs stated.

“All roads point to me.” Tony repeated, sighing.

“You pissed anyone off lately?” Gibbs asked.

Tony stuck out his hand to Gibbs. “Perhaps we haven’t met. My name is Special Agent Anthony, I-piss-people-off-daily, DiNozzo.” Tony said with a mixture of sarcasm and tiredness.

“Tony ….” Gibbs started.

Tony knew what he was going to say and finished his statement for him. “No Gibbs, this is not funny. It sure as hell is not. It is as far from funny as you can get.” Tony restlessly pushed himself up out of the chair. He began to pace the floor at the foot of his bed.

Jason Lewis and his team arrived at Tony’s apartment 10 minutes after Gibbs and his team. Gibbs turned all their photos over to Jason and his team and exited the apartment, with Tony, just as Ducky and Jimmy were bringing the stretcher in to collect the body.

"How did you manage it?" Tony asked, sitting at Gibbs' kitchen table as he reached for his third slice of pizza.

"Director Shepard knows you're no killer. She knows you aren't a flight risk." Gibbs stated, taking a quick swallow of his beer before reaching into the pizza box again himself.

Tony nodded and chewed his pizza thoughtfully. "I have to get rid of everything. The bed, the furniture, all of it."

Gibb shook his head. "You have plenty of time for that. You're going to say here until we find out what happened to Sharon."

"Thanks, Boss. I can't handle going back there."

"We have a busy day tomorrow. Agent Lewis needs a formal statement from you and we have a meeting with the director in the morning." Gibbs stated as he cleaned the pizza box and the beer bottles off the table.

Tony nodded, stretched and yawned. It was now 1 a.m. He had not slept for nearly 20 hours, since he had woken up beside Sharon. Besides struggling with the actual incident, he was struggling with his feelings for Sharon. They were not officially dating. They frequented the same bar and had talked at the times when neither one came in or picked up a date. Which, by Tony's count, was twice. Though he had seen her in the bar, he guessed close to a dozen times. She had been a really nice woman. She worked, he thought she had said, in a congressman's office. She was, well, he was unsure of her job. He was as unsure of her job as he was about his feelings for her. He would tell as much as he could remember to Jason Lewis and his team when he gave his formal statement. Tony stood up and headed off to the spare bedroom.

Gibb finished cleaning up the kitchen. He couldn't figure out this case. He knew his friend, his senior field agent. Tony was no murderer. A womanizer, maybe, but not a murderer. But there had been no forced entry. Tony had confirmed to him that few people had his key. The locks didn't look as though they had been picked. Agent Lewis's team had picked up no fingerprints besides Tony's and Sharon's. But there was a easy explanation for that. The intruder could have worn gloves. There had been evidence of sexual activity on Sharon's body. But there was no semen, Tony had admitted to wearing a condom. She had had Tony's DNA under her fingernails. Which Ducky had told Gibbs could be very easily explained. Ducky had put the time of death for anywhere from an hour before Tony left for work, until an hour after, a two hour span of time. Gibbs mulled all these things over and nothing was making sense. It seemed to be a half-hearted attempt to frame Tony for murder. It made Gibbs 'gut' work overtime.

The next morning in the car on the way to NCIS Tony voiced Gibbs concerns. "Why shoot her like Kate was shot? Ari's dead, we know that. The guy would have had to stand directly over her and shoot her to get the angle Ducky said the bullet traveled. I don't think it was a coincidence, Gibbs. He could shot her anywhere in the head. Why walk up to her, risk waking her up? Risk struggling with her and leaving DNA evidence behind."

"He wanted her to know who was going to kill her?" Gibbs said simply.

"Okay." Tony agreed. "But why at my apartment?"

"Her husband, her boyfriend found she was cheating, followed the two of you...." Gibbs started.

"And sat in his car and waited until I left in the morning?" Tony asked.

"Found out where you lived, came back, and waited until you were gone."

"Why not just kill me when I left in the morning?" Tony reasoned.

"He kills you, she just finds another guy. He kills her...."

Tony nodded. "She never cheats again."

"We're still missing something here. He would have had to break into my apartment. This random guy. We both know my apartment was not broken into. The locks weren't picked either. I have a dead-bolt. You can't pick a dead bolt."

"So, you're sure you threw the dead bolt when you left."

Tony nodded. "I always lock the dead bolt when I have 'company,' just so they will be safe when I'm not there."

"Then the murderer has keys."

"I don't give out keys to girlfriends, well, not anymore, anyway. I learned my lesson after I came home to a couple of ruined Armani suits and having my apartment trashed a couple of times. I've changed locks since the last one, too." Tony sighed.

"I think we have discounted the boyfriend theory." Tony paused, thinking out loud. "So what, somebody came in to kill me. I wasn't there, so they killed Sharon? Wouldn't someone who wanted to kill me at least take the time to get to know my schedule?"

Gibbs sighed. "How long has it been since we had anything that even resembled a regular schedule?" Gibbs stated, speaking of the long nights and equally long cases.

Tony nodded.

"Things aren't looking good for me, are they Boss?"

Gibbs couldn't do anything but shake his head.

Tony gave his statement to Lewis's team, he and Gibbs then met with the director. Later, Gibbs sent Tony down to the lab. Abby had been anxious to see Tony ever since the evidence had come in.

"Tony!" Abby ran toward him and jumped into his arms.

"Hi, Abby." Tony huffed out, struggling under her weight.

"Glad you're here." Abby let go of Tony. She had sent all but one piece of evidence she had taken out of Sharon's purse to the evidence locker. She sat it aside to ask Tony about. "I have something wanted to ask you about."

Abby picked a small book, purse size, about the size of an address book. It was still in the evidence bag. She showed it to Tony. She was grinning as he took it out of her hands and read the title, Kama Sutra.

"Abby, come on! Rule 12! I think of you as a sister!" Tony backed up and put his hands up in front of him.

Abby took the bag out of his hands and laid it on the table. "It was in Sharon's purse." Abby explained.

"Oh!" Tony said, the look of horror replaced by a grin. "Let's take a look. Shall we?" Tony said as he took a pair of gloves out of a box on Abby's lab table and slipped them on. He opened the bag and took out the book.

Sharon had flagged several pages. Tony opened the book to one of those pages.

"Wow!" Tony said studying the picture and reading the description. "How flexible did she think I was?"

Abby stood and looked sort of over Tony's shoulder. "Pretty damn flexible." She tilted her head one way and then another. "It wouldn't have thought that humanly possible. But then, those people are doing it." Abby said, regarding the picture.

"Yeah." Tony said, he flipped several pages over to another bookmarked page. "Okay, now this one...I could do. We probably would end up on the floor. But I think I could do it."

Abby nodded. That one didn't seem too complicated. "Where do these names come from?" Abby laughed after reading several of the titles given.

Tony turned the page again. "Not even...." Tony said, shaking his head.

Abby looked at the picture and then studied him for a moment. "Yeah, I never pictured you being into S&M, maybe some kinky stuff, but not this."

"That's not S&M." Tony replied.

"I can't see anyone getting into that position voluntarily or without help." Abby explained.

Tony tilted the book to one side and then tilted his head. He nodded. "Yeah, I can see your point."

Tony and Abby had no clue that Gibbs was behind them until he spoke. "Need I remind you of Rule 12?"

Both Tony and Abby jumped at the sound of his voice, their faces reddening involuntarily. Abby quickly grabbed the book out of Tony's hand. She put it back into the evidence bag and resealed it. She laid it back on the table.

"I feel like dad just caught me looking at my Playboy magazine." Tony said in his embarrassment.

"I assume there would be a GOOD reason for the both of you to be looking at that. An attempt to develop a character profile, motives." Gibbs said smiling. "To see, perhaps, which pages were dog-eared." He looked at Tony on that one.

"Apparently Ms. Hawley deflowered our young, innocent, Agent DiNozzo." Abby explained, her hands behind her back and a huge grin on her face. She started laughing. "He is now a man."

Tony pouted for a second before he too burst out laughing.

Gibb regarding Abby and Tony for a moment, waiting for the laughter to stop. He moved to the table to get a closer look at the 'evidence.'

"Yeah." Gibbs mumbled looking at the cover of the book and reading the title. "Ex number 2. Thank God for illustrations."

Abby and Tony just stared.

The house was strangely quiet when Gibbs returned. He sat the groceries and Tony’s duffel bag full of clothes down on the floor. He could not hear the TV and it was only when he looked down at the floor that he saw the blood trail. He felt his stomach rise into this throat and he paused for a second before he continued into his home. He began to follow the blood trail as he closed the door behind him.

“Tony?!” Gibbs called. He pulled out his gun and slowly and carefully followed the trail, being careful not to smear the drops. “Tony, answer me!”

The drops stopped at the bathroom door, which was closed. “Tony?” Gibbs said cautiously. He stood to the side and pushed the door open with the nose of his gun.

Gibbs found Tony sitting on the floor. He had backed himself into a corner against the bathtub and a wall. He was holding his gun very steadily in his left hand, considering he predominately shot with his right. Gibbs immediately saw the reason, Tony had a huge red stain, which was spreading, over his right shoulder.

Seeing who his visitor was, Tony quickly lowered his arm. The gun slide out of his hand onto the floor, then his eyes closed and his head fell back against the wall.

“Tony!” Gibbs said, not caring if Tony heard the panic in his voice. He unbuttoned Tony’s shirt and pulled it off his shoulder. Tony looked to have 2 bullet wounds. Both in his right shoulder.

Tony moaned and opened his eyes as Gibbs grabbed a towel and pressed it to the wounds. “No…windows.”

Gibbs looked at Tony confused. “What windows?”

“Room…no…windows.” Tony repeated, trying to make Gibbs understand.

Gibbs looked around him, unsure of what Tony was trying to tell him. It was then he looked into his living room. For the first time since coming home he noticed his one of the windows was broken. The way the sun was shining through the window and reflecting, he could tell that there were shards of broken glass on his couch too.

Gibbs looked at his agent. “They shot you through the window?”

Tony nodded and then Gibbs understood why Tony had chosen one of the few rooms in his house with no windows. Gibbs took out his phone and began to dial.

Tony reached out his left hand and pulled on Gibbs arm, the one holding the phone. He got Gibbs’ attention.

Tony shook his head as vigorously as he could. “No!” Tony explained. “Ducky…hurt.”

“I won’t let that happen, Tony. I’ll tell him to park down the street and come in the back door. He will be fine. I’ll make sure Ziva is with him.” He patted Tony’s arm reassuringly.

Tony shook his head again. “Too many…involved…no more!”

“You know what this is about, with Sharon?” Gibbs asked.

Tony shook his head. He had no idea. He only knew it was personal, his problem. “My problem.” He then made a move to get up off the floor of the bathroom.

Gibbs put his hand on Tony’s uninjured shoulder and gently, easily pushed him back down.

Gibbs sighed and put his hands to both sides of Tony neck in a fatherly gesture. “I will only say this to you once, DiNozzo. And I mean only once, so listen up. We are family. You’re my surrogate son. I take care of my family, damn good care of my family.”

Gibbs gave Tony an appraising look. “You are too weak to handle this alone. You go out that door now and you are a slow-moving target. You need Ducky. We need him to remove those bullets.”

“You…do it.” Tony replied.

Gibbs could tell by the look on Tony’s face that Tony had full faith in him that he could. “It’s been a long time….”

“Once a…marine….” Tony started. He was beginning to fade, getting weaker and weaker by the second.

Gibbs had performed surgery out in the field once. He had been shot in the leg, a relatively minor wound. But he was miles from an aid station and he knew he had to do something before infection set in. So he had operated on himself. It had hurt like hell and he had had a time finding something to bind the wound with until he could get the proper help. But this was different, Tony wounds were deep and he was bleeding too much for Gibbs to chance digging around in the wound looking for the bullet. Plus, if he nicked a blood vessel and Tony bleed to death…. He couldn’t even finish the thought.

“What makes you think he is still out there?” Gibbs asked.

“Figures…go..for help.”

“OK.” Gibbs reasoned. He had resumed his pressure on Tony’s wound and was sitting on the lip of the tub. “But it’s been….” Gibbs looked at his watch. He had left 2 hours ago. He had had to go by the office and extend his leave. He had gotten some things from Tony’s apartment and he had picked some things up at the grocery store.

“…about 45 minutes before you came back.” Tony said completing his sentence and answering his question about how long ago Tony had been shot.

“We need Ducky…” Gibbs reiterated. “…the wound is too deep. I can’t. If you got an infection…. You need pain medication, Tony.” Gibbs explained. “I can’t hold you down and operate on you at the same time. And trust me, it is going to hurt like hell once I start digging around in there, looking for a bullet.”

Tony shook his head. “Can’t risk it.” Tony said grimacing. He pulled his right arm into his lap and tried to change position.

“Tony…!”

Tony shook his head again. “Too many …people involved.”

“We aren’t just ‘people.’” Gibbs said, trying to get it through Tony’s thick head to make him understand. “We are your friends. We care about you. If you’re involved, then we’re involved.”

“Won’t let …die…for me.” Tony said just before he passed out.


Gibbs took advantage of Tony’s condition and called Ducky anyway. He told Ducky to get Ziva to accompany him. Ducky grabbed all the instruments and medication he would need. Plus all the extra he could fit into his bag.

Ducky and Ziva arrived about 10 minutes after Gibbs’s call. Gibbs, meanwhile, had chosen the only other room in his house with no windows. The room he used as a den. He found a blow-up mattress and made a make-shift platform bed. He, Ducky and Ziva roused Tony and then got him out of the bathroom and onto the mattress, which Gibbs had covered with sheets and a blanket.

Ducky instructed Ziva to get water in a basin, washcloths and towels. She would act as his assistant during the operation. Ducky instructed Gibbs to position himself on Tony’s legs. Ducky explained he had muscles relaxers with him, but he was not sure he had enough to last the entire operation. Gibbs needed to be in place in case his assistance was needed. Ducky administered the medication, waited for it to take effect. Then he began the surgery.

Tony lay still until Ducky began to sew up the incisions he had made. Tony opened his eyes. He moaned and began to move his arms and his legs causing Gibbs to lean forward to pin Tony’s arms to the mattress with his weight. He sat on Tony’s legs also, to keep him from moving around on the mattress.

“Tony!” Gibbs said firmly in an attempt to orient Tony and to calm him down. “You’re OK, Tony. Ducky and Ziva are here. They got here safely. Ducky removed the bullet.”

Tony looked around panicked. “…windows….”

Gibbs shook his head. “There are no windows in here. You’re in the den. You’re OK. You’re going to be OK.”

Tony seemed to calm down. He nodded and closed his eyes again. He was exhausted and he had lost a lot of blood in the span of about an hour.

“Ducky?” Gibbs said as he felt Tony relax and he climbed down off the mattress.

Ducky motioned for him to step out into the hall. “I have given him enough pain medicine to help him sleep for awhile. The muscle relaxers didn’t last as long as I had hoped. But they lasted long enough. I have given him antibiotics, also.” Ducky paused. “Young Anthony should be out for several hours.”

Gibbs nodded. He looked back at Tony as Ziva covered him with the blanket and wiped the sweat off his brow.


TBC

Ducky left the den and found Gibbs making a groove in the floor out in the hallway. “He will be fine, Jethro. Anthony just needs a little time to rest and recuperate. He will be fine.” Ducky repeated reassuringly, misunderstanding the reason for Gibbs’ pacing.

Gibbs nodded. “I know, Duck. I know.” He ran his fingers through his hair.

Ducky watched his friend, unsure what was going on in Gibbs’ s mind.

“I can’t protect him, Duck, not if I don’t know who or what is after him. If I don’t know what is going on….”

“Does Tony?” Ducky asked.

“I don’t think so. I sent Ziva back so that she and Tim could check out Tony’s cases in Baltimore. If something happened while he was a detective there…. If not, I will move on to Peoria.”

“Aren’t you kind of ignoring the obvious?”

Gibbs shook his head. “It’s not NCIS related…” Gibbs paused. “…gut feeling.”

Ducky nodded, understanding slightly, the famous Gibbs gut-feeling.

“I have called to have agents stationed as lookouts. I will need you to stay here. I need to get back to the office and find this bastard.” Gibbs said, checking to make sure he had his weapon and grabbing his coat.


NCIS


Gibbs has just rounded the corner and entered the bullpen when McGee called out to him. “Gibbs, Boss?”

“Yeah, McGee.”

“Somebody just called for Tony, well, in regards to Tony. Ziva answered.” Tim replied.

Ziva finished her current call before she filled Gibbs in. “The man asked about Former Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. He said was sure Tony would be missed. He talked for a little while. He was under the impression Tony was dead, and I did not correct him. He was feeling cocky. He mentioned Baltimore. I do not even think he realized it, he was so snug.”

“It’s smug, Ziva.” McGee corrected.

Ziva nodded and continued. “He did not give me his name. But he talked a little about Tony becoming detective; you could tell he was very…sour about it.”

“Bitter.” Tim corrected again.

Gibbs turned his attention to Tim. “I tried to trace the call, Boss. But he used a burn phone. There was no way. But at least there is one good thing that came out of this…” Tim stated. “…as long as this guy thinks Tony’s dead, he’s safe.”

Gibbs nodded.

“I recorded the call, as much as I could. I didn’t get the first few seconds. I thought maybe Tony could listen to it and see if he recognizes the voice.”

Gibbs nodded and Tim got the pleasure of seeing one of his rare smiles. “Good job, Tim.”

“I do not understand…” Ziva said. “…Tony did something wrong in Baltimore?”

“Yeah, Ziva.” Gibbs said sounding a little sarcastic, but not meaning it. “He made detective in a year. It pissed a lot of the older cops off, especially those who had not made that ranking yet.”

Ziva just looked at Gibbs, not quite understanding.

“Usually it takes YEARS to make detective, making it in a year is practically unheard of. There are only so many open spots to move up, which is what happens when you achieve that ranking. If they are filled then your name goes on a list. You are listed according to the date you made detective. So not only did these people not make detective, when they did, they had to be behind him on the promotion list. Or, and this is much worse, this NEW detective could possibly supervise them on a case.” Gibbs explained. Ziva didn’t think he had said that much at one time since she had first met him. “Fertile breeding ground for a lot of contempt and resentment.”

Gibbs then lowered his voice. “It does not leave this building that Tony is alive. That is an order. You tell no one outside this place. We don’t know who this guy is or who he knows.” Gibbs paused, thinking maybe this guy knew people inside NCIS. “It may be to our benefit to declare him officially dead here too. If this guy knows someone here…we can’t chance it. Only Abby, Jimmy and the director, besides us, will know the truth.”

Tim and Ziva nodded and Gibbs headed up to the director’s office to inform Shepard of his plan.

Tony closed his eyes and concentrated on the recording. He had had Tim replay it several times. He shook his head. “Sorry, Boss.” Tony sighed and looked up at Gibbs from his position on the bed.

“You’re sure, Tony…” Gibbs asked, frustrated. He paced the small room. “…you don’t know that voice?”

Tony shook his head again. “It’s been years, Gibbs. It could have been anybody at the precinct. It’s big news when someone made detective. The entire police force knew of the promotions.”

Gibbs shook his head.

“You know me, Boss. I’m so good, I can piss people off long distance.” Tony paused. “It could have been anybody in the police department.”

“NOT funny, DiNozzo,” Gibbs stated. “…not funny.”

“No, it’s not. I thought being dead would be so much different. I was kind of hoping for the 77-virgins thing.” Tony said, winking at Ziva.

“Tim is a virgin, no?” Ziva said, on the verge of laughter.

McGee said nothing, but he gave both Ziva and Tony dirty looks.

Tony’s grin changed to a look of horror. “NOT my type, Zee-va.”

“Yes, Tim is too pretty. You and Tobey would make a cute couple.” Ziva reasoned.

Gibbs loved the banter between his agents and even he could not help but smile at Ziva’s statement.

“Keep that little bald-headed bastard out of this.” Tony said, pouting.

“Oh, come on DiNotezo.” Tim chimed in.

“You remembering anything yet, Tony?” Gibbs asked, putting an end to the banter and refocusing the team on the case.

Tony shook his head. “It really could have been anybody in the department, Gibbs. The older guys really, really hated it when the young cops made detective before they did. There were many guys there that fit that description. Thought they should have made detective because they had been with the PD even before God flipped the switch.”

“That narrows it down.” Gibbs stated.

“Not really,” Tony stated. “…these were not ambitious people. They were the stereotypical donut-eating, coffee-swilling cops.”

“That leaves us with the recording. The voice.” Gibbs stated.

“I’m trying, Boss. I really am.”

“I know, Tony. I know.”

Gibbs had called off the protection detail. He swore the two agents to secrecy through threat of death. Gibbs was now alone with his thoughts. He had sent Ziva and Tim home for the day. He had then given Tony his pain medication, so he knew Tony would be out for several hours.

Gibbs had been putting it off for hours. The mere thought of planning a funeral for Tony, even a fake one, tore at his heart. He knew it was selfish of him, but he hoped to hell he died before Tony did. He didn’t think he could stand to loose another child. Gibbs shook off the feelings and went to work. He had to get some sort of plan, for lack of a better word, to the director. The director had already given Team Gibbs time off, which was usual practice when a team lost a member. They would have to see a counselor, which was also procedure. Shepard and Gibbs wanted to make sure everything was covered, in case this guy had eyes inside NCIS.

Plus, they were all hoping, against hope, that the bastard would have the balls to show up at the funeral. Gibbs knew he, Tim and Ziva had heard the recording enough times to have the guy’s voice memorized. They would know him immediately, if he chanced to talk to someone.

Gibbs was brought back to the present, by sounds coming from the spare bedroom. They had moved Tony there as soon as he was able. They all knew he would be more comfortable in an actual bed instead of on a blow-up matress.

“Gibbs…Boss…” Tony called.

“I think I have a couple of names for you…” Tony said when Gibbs appeared in the bedroom doorway.

TBC

HINKY. It’s Abby’s word, but it fit.

Gibbs and Abby were walking hand in hand through the graveyard. Gibbs was unconsciously squeezing Abby’s hand. She had thrown him fleeting looks. He looked a little worried. He was preoccupied and she could tell his gut was working overtime.

Tim and the rest of the team were also making their way to the gravesite. They had parked away from one another on purpose. To walk into the cemetary at different points to get a good look at as many of the mourners as possible. They, of course, recognized many, many NCIS agents. There were uniformed police officers and many plain-clothed officers.

The service had been planned as graveside only, mainly to hide the fact that there was no body to bury. The majority of the morners, Gibbs suspected, had been coraled by the higher-ups. Who knew there were ‘graveyard groupies.’

Gibbs eyes continuously scanned the scene as he and Abby walked to the gravesite. His gut was churning. The guy was here. They each had pictures of the two men Tony had named, Guy Edwards and Harold Jacobs.

The team saw several people wearing sunglasses and hats. This was due to the chill in the air and the glare the new fallen snow produced in the bright sunshine. This could give this guy an extra advantage, making it easier for him to conceal his identity. They might have to rely on their memories of the voice recording after all.

The team believed he would think he was very safe, being a person from Tony’s past and having no connection to Tony’s life now or work at NCIS. They thought he might mill around in the crowd, taking sick pleasure in the grief he as seeing. They hoped he would chat. Tim and Ziva also tried to mingle. Staying out of conversations, but still, physically close enough to hear the voices of the people chatting, and hopfully close enough to recognize a voice. The service had not started yet and a small, stocky man with gray, thinning hair stood off to the side of a group of mourners. He had a hat on, but had not worn sunglasses. He seemed to be smilling, taking pleasure in the apparent pain he had caused.

Tim moved closer. He quickly made the ID, Guy Edwards. Gibbs gave the order to stand down until after the service was over. He then sat Abby down beside Ducky under the tent reserved for family. He, Tim and Ziva moved in behind Edwards, in a wide perimeter, blocking his escape.

The service ended and the crowd began to slip away. Care was taken to make sure Edwards had moved far away from the rest of the crowd before anyone approached. Ziva then moved ahead of him, walking faster. She pretended to drop her purse and bent down to pick it up, dabbing her eyes with the tissue she held in her gloved hand. Edwards soon caught up with Ziva. He bent down to help her.

“Lovely service, wasn’t it?” Ziva said, dabbing her eyes again with the tissue.

Edwards nodded. “Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.” He muttered under his breath.

“I’m sorry?” Ziva enquired.

Edwards shook his hand. “Nothing.” He said as they both straightened up. He handed the purse back to Ziva.

Ziva thanked him, opened the purse and pulled out her gun. She pointed it at him. “Federal Agents… you’re under arrest.”

Edwards began to protest…loudly.

Gibbs came up behind him and cuffed him. He whispered, Gibbs-like, in Edwards’s ear. “You will not do this here. Agent DiNozzo deserved more respect.”

“AGENT DiNozzo!” Edwards said,struggling and getting loud again. “Punk-ass rich kid, you know his daddy bought him his job. Probably bought him his promotion, too. “

Gibbs whispered, again in Edwards’s ear as he tighted his grip on Edwards and tightened the cuffs round Edwards’s wrists. “I SAID you will not do this here.”

“Punk, smart-ass, rich kid.” Edwards ranted. “He deserved what he got.”

Gibbs tightened his grip a little more and Edwards winced. “Police brutality!”

Gibbs whispered in his ear. “I’m a Marine, you Jack-Ass!” Gibbs fought the urge to accidently-on purpose, bang Edwards head against the door frame as he put Edwards in their vehicle.


TBC

Guy Edwards had been in the infamous NCIS interrogation room for about an hour, just waiting, and he had begun to complain.

"What a shrimp!" Ziva exclaimed, staring at him through the two-way mirror.

"Actually, I think you mean whimp." Tim said. "And I agree."

"What is Gibbs waiting for?" Ziva asked.

"He went home to get Tony. Didn't want him to miss this." Tim explained.

Tony had been officially declared to be among the land of the living just hours ago. Edwards had confessed to Gibbs in the car. Gibbs wanted to get the confession on tape. And Edwards was still under the very mistaken impression that Tony was dead.

Gibbs and Tony arrived. Tony came into the observation room with Tim and Ziva. Gibbs went into the interrogation room.

"State your name for our records, please." Gibbs said, sitting in the seat across from Edwards.

"You know my name." Edwards said.

Gibbs remained silent. Tony, Tim and Ziva could all imagine the look Gibbs was giving Edwards. They had each gotten it many times.

Edwards sighed. "My name is Guy Harvey Edwards."

"What is your title?" Gibbs asked.

"Jailbait?" Edwards said sighing and running his fingers through what was left of his hair.

Gibbs let out a breath. "Can't argue there. But what is your official title?"

"You know I never made detective." Edwards stated. "Are you trying to rub it in?"

Gibbs came up off his seat and leaned on the table. He came within inches of Edwards' face. "I just went to a funeral for one of my agents. Do you really want to know how little I care about you right now?" Gibbs paused. "Because I will be very glad to tell you."

Edwards was obviously intimidated and scooted back in his chair. "I know intimidation when I see it."

"Yes, I read your file." Gibbs said, referring to the folder he had carried in with him and laid on the table. "I am aware of a lot of things about you, Former Officer Edwards. Well, it will be former by the time I finish with you."

Edwards didn't respond.

Gibbs sat back down. "You admitted you have been following Tony's career since he left Baltimore. That was how you knew he worked for NCIS. That was how you knew my name and how you got my address. I'm sure using police resources in such a way is a strict violation of police procedure."

"It wasn't bad enough he made detective, then he became a federal agent...." Edwards shook his head.

Gibbs leaned back in his chair. "Man, you've been holding a grudge for...." Gibbs pretended to calculate in his head. He then got up from his chair and flipped a switch on the wall. It didn't light up the observation room, but it turned on a intercom system so that anybody who spoke in the room could be heard.

"Oh, I'd say about..." Tony paused. "...6 years."

Gibbs waited to see if Edwards recognized the voice, he didn't. Gibbs turned the intercom system off and returned to his seat.

"That is a hell of a long time to hold a grudge...6 years." Gibbs said. "And Tony said you had no ambition." Gibbs grinned and shook his head, enjoying his little mind game.

"DiNozzo got all the high-profile cases. He was always getting his name in local paper, always talking to the press. It didn't matter who else was on the scene or which team actually solved the crime. If he was on the scene, the reporters automatically talked to him and his partner."

"The captain played favorites?" Gibbs offered, encouraging Edwards to talk.

Edwards nodded. "Yeah, big time. It was DiNozzo this, DiNozzo that."



Tony couldn't believe his ears. "Yeah, it was 'DiNozzo solve this case'. Edwards dropped the ball. 'DiNozzo help Green out', that was Edwards partner, Andrew Green. Edwards routinely had Green do the leg work and run down the leads." Tony explained to Tim and Ziva. "Then he would swoop in at the last minute and take the credit for all of Green's work."

"That must have pissed Green off." Tim stated.

"It did. Green ask for and got transferred after only 6 months." Tony explained.

"How did that help?" Ziva asked. "They would have only given Edwards another green antler."

"Actually it's green horn..." Tony explained. "...and no they didn't. They moved him to the Cold-Case Division, which he saw as a definite demotion."

"Which he, of course, blamed on you." Tim reasoned.

Tony nodded. "Yep, he was NOT going to make Detective working a bunch of dead-end, cold cases." Tony paused. "Never knew I had such power to affect people's lives.

They all then turned their attention back to the scene in interrogation.



"So DiNozzo just bullied his way in, demanded all this stuff, and got all he asked for?" Gibbs asked.

Edwards nodded. "You worked with him...."

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, I find him to be a pain-in-the-ass, but not all that demanding." Gibbs was messing with Edwards again, using Tony's actions in the present tense.

Edwards still didn't catch on.

"How did you get into DiNozzo's apartment?" Gibbs asked, steering the interview.

"That was easy, he lived in a dump. I just dressed up as a repairman. Told the super I had gotten a call from DiNozzo, but had forgotten the apartment number. Said he had called about having his locks changed. The super bought it hook, line and sinker, said Tony was bad about giving his keys out to women and then having his apartment trashed. Super said Tony had gotten tired of waiting on him to get around to it and had started hiring outside people. The super was glad for my help..." Edwards grinned. "..said that was one less thing he would have to do. I dismantled both locks and went in. I put the locks back in place before I left. I took my time. Once I got in and saw DiNozzo gone, I knew he would be at work for hours and no one would question my being there."

"If he had been there...?" Gibbs asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Edwards had obviously already thought about that. "I would have told him the super sent me, then I would have shot him." Edwards said simply.

Gibbs anger flared. He balled his hands into a fist. His fingernails were cutting into his palms. "And Sharon..." Gibbs asked after he had calmed down a little.

"Oh yeah, the broad, bitch in Tony's bed. Good body, nice tits. A shame to shoot her, but she was a nice bonus." Edwards explained. "I was willing to settle for life in prison, or the death penalty. If he had lived long enough to be executed," Edwards leaned in towards Gibbs. "...I was going to make sure everybody on 'the joint' knew he was a cop."

Edwards leaned back in his chair, smug.

Gibbs wanted to jump across the table and strangle him, but he resisted.

"But then," Edwards sighed. "...I had been watching your house and I saw him there. I couldn't help it." Edwards smiled. "I couldn't help myself. He's dead. He's dead and I'm glad. He ruined my life and he deserved to die."

Gibbs had to get up. He was furious and he could only imagine how angry Tony was. Gibbs turned to the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair. It was his and Tony's prearranged signal for Tony to enter interrogation.

TBC

Tony stilled himself outside interrogation. He took several deep breaths and then pushed open the door.

Inside Gibbs was preparing Edwards for Tony's arrival. "Someone really wants to see you."

At that moment, Tony entered the room. It only took a second for Edwards to fly into a rage. "You're supposed to be dead! You bastard! I went to your funeral!!" Edwards was standing by this time. His face was red and he was yelling.

"Yeah, well, Boss says I have nine lives, must be true." Tony smiled, but there was no humor in his eyes.

"You bastard! You're supposed to be dead!" Edwards repeated.

"You know, Boss," Tony said, looking at Gibbs. "...I think I've heard this tune before."

Edwards collapsed back into the seat. He put his head in his hands. "Damn You!" He said, then beating his fists on the table. Edwards then stood up, he advanced on Tony. Tony had him on height, being 5 inches taller, but Edwards outweighed Tony by about 30 pounds.

Seconds later Tony had Edwards pinned, face first, against the wall. His arm twisted at a strange angle behind him. Tony winced. He had pulled stitches in his shoulder and his wounds were bleeding.

Tony whispered in Edwards' ear. "You try that again and I'll break your arm." Tony leaned in closer, pressing hard against Edwards' shoulder and causing more pain. "And Sharon was not a 'broad.' She was not a 'bitch.' She was somebody's daughter, somebody's sister." Tony let go and stepped back, having made his point.

Edwards then turned and took a swing at Tony. It happened in a flash, Tony had the fingers of his right hand around Edwards throat. Edwards was standing, back to the wall and Tony was squeezing. Edwards was struggling, trying to pry Tony's hands from around his neck. He was having no luck.

"You MURDERED Sharon in cold blood. She had NOTHING to do with this. SHE was not YOUR problem. I WAS." Tony pressed even harder on Edwards' neck.

Gibbs had seen his agent's eyes darken, going from green to black. The changes he saw in Tony's manner terrified him. He had never seen Tony that angry.

"DiNozzo?!" Gibbs said, approaching Tony carefully. Tony tightened his grip on Edwards and Gibbs was beginning to fear for Edwards' life. Gibbs had also noticed the blood on the dress shirt at Tony's right shoulder.

"TONY!" Gibbs said again.

Tony snapped out of it. He blinked and released his grip.

Edwards slide down the wall, still conscious, but gasping for breath and holding his throat.

Tony swayed on his feet, the adrenaline high spent. Gibbs came up behind him, steadying him. Tony looked down at his shoulder and then looked at Gibbs. "I've ruined Ducky's handiwork."

Gibbs held onto Tony until he felt him regain his balance. "I think he'll forgive you."

Tony put his hand to his shoulder and dropped into one of the chairs. He leaned back and closed his eyes, leaving Gibbs to deal with Edwards. Gibbs then called Ziva and Tim into the room. They took custody of Edwards and lead him to a holding cell.

Edwards pleaded guilty. He received 25 years for Sharon's murder and 10 years for the attempted murder of a federal agent.




Tony had stood staring down at the smooth marble for what seemed like hours. He then bent down. He slowly and carefully traced the letters with his index finger.

Sharon Faye Hawley, 1982-2007, Beloved Daughter and Sister, Rest In Peace.

"I'm sorry, Sharon." Tony said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I'm so sorry. You deserved so much better than this." Tony paused. "I wish I had had more time to get to know you." Tony laid the flowers he had brought with him on top of the grave. He ran his fingers over the smooth marble one more time before he stood and walked away.

THE END