Chapter 9:
The reasons for Tony’s behavior and his insistence on a deal were revealed the moment the younger man had spoken. Gibbs had to admit, if only to himself, that he was shocked. He had never given thought to what he would do if Tony had ever found out. Now that it was out in the open, Gibbs wasn’t sure exactly how to handle the situation.
Luckily for him Tony had expected that, and after giving him a small smile, said, “Told you so.”
He reached over and got the elevator moving again. “We’ve got a list of names to check out, Boss.”
Gibbs loved and hated the fact that they still had a job to do. On one hand, it provided the much need distraction and time he would need to sort things out before talking to Tony. On the other hand, Gibbs hated to put something like this on hold.
‘Tony’s right, we will be having a long conversation,’ Gibbs thought to himself.
Both agents left the elevator when it stopped and went to their respective desks to gather up their gear. They left the office in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts, contemplating on what was to come.
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After Gibbs and Tony had left, Abby headed down to autopsy to talk to Ducky to share what she had learned. She wasn’t sure if she should be angry or not at Tony for keeping it a secret that he had known all along about the confrontation that had occurred between Gibbs and Starks years ago.
Entering autopsy she found Ducky sitting at his computer reading over a file of some sort. He turned around hearing someone enter and smiled a greeting at his visitor. “What brings you down here? I don’t have any more samples to send to you for analysis,” Ducky said as Abby walked up to the nearby table and hopped up.
“Gibbs and Tony just left, but before Gibbs came down to my lab Tony was there and he told me that he knows what Gibbs did to Starks and that he’s known for years,” Abby said in a rush, nervous about how Gibbs was going to react when he found out.
Ducky stared at her as he digested what he had just been told. Immediately he was able to relate to Abby’s worry, for it was not a simple topic to discuss. It had only been chance that had allowed the two of them to be privileged to the knowledge that they had about that night.
“So I take it Jethro doesn’t know, yet?” Ducky asked, wanting to be sure.
“Tony asked me not to tell him that he knows, but he didn’t say I couldn’t tell you. I’m not sure if Tony knows that you know or not, but given the fact that he knew that I knew, it’s a good bet that he suspects you know too,” Abby said as she swung her legs back and forth in a fast motion. “I told him he has to tell Gibbs, but then he said he didn’t want to talk about it right now, so I had to let it go. I hinted to Gibbs to talk to him before they left, and the elevator wasn’t working for a while, either…”
“Gibbs most likely took your hint and pulled it out of Tony, then,” Ducky concluded. “There isn’t much that we can do. This is for the two of them to work out on their own.”
“I know, Duck-man, but I hate not being able to do anything,” Abby sighed as her legs started to slow down a bit.
“All we can do is be there to listen and offer advice if they need it, but we cannot tell them how to handle things. It would only make things more difficult,” Ducky advised. “They’ll get through this, Abby.”
“But things have been going so well between them. I mean, not to say that things weren’t good before, but after they came back from that rafting mission, things have changed, for the better,” Abby reflected. “I just don’t want to see all that get ruined, ya know?”
Ducky nodded his head in understanding. “I do, but Gibbs isn’t blind to how things have changed since then. If anything, it might help improve things even more so now that it will be out in the open.”
Abby wasn’t so sure. “Tony said he didn’t understand why Gibbs did what he did back then. Gibbs has his work cut out for him if he wants to improve things even more.”
Ducky gave her a reassuring smile and pointed out, “This is Tony Dinozzo we are talking about here. Since when has he ever understood?”
Abby sighed. “I just can’t wait for this whole thing to be over and done with.”
“You’re not alone, there, my dear,” Ducky said.
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“I know what you did to Starks after he came to visit me in the hospital.”
Gibbs had a hard time pushing Tony’s words to the back of his mind once they had left the office. He had a few questions to ask Tony in regards to how he had found out and why had never mentioned anything about it before now. The fact that Tony had been able to keep this information to himself all this time did not sit well with Gibbs, either. It made him wonder what else the younger man kept under wraps.
The two agents worked quickly through the names on the list that Tony had compiled. A few of the men turned out to be clean for the most part, with the exception that they were on parole and had lied in order to get the job. In spite of that fact, none of the men fit the profile of a multi-talented assassin.
The other five names on the list were going to require further investigation. Either they were no longer living at their last known address or they never had one to begin with. Ziva had called to update Gibbs on their progress. Vaughn still seemed to be an unlucky victim of chance. Since Vaughn only fit the profile of a target for the assassin on the surface, Tony suggested that they were being lured into some sort of twisted game or trap.
That’s all any of them felt like they were doing, tossing out ideas and possibilities that couldn’t be proved or refuted. Deciding that everyone needed a break, Gibbs sent everyone home for the night with the hope that something would come up the next day after a decent night’s sleep. In the morning they would start with the five names and go from there.
Abby had snatched Tony before he had the chance to leave, saying that she wanted company for dinner. Gibbs knew better and the look Abby gave him as they left only confirmed it. It seemed as though Tony was due to have a long conversation with Abby as well.
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Abby took Tony to a near-by local restaurant and requested a booth so that they could have a little bit of privacy to talk. It was obvious to her that Gibbs had gotten Tony to tell him what was currently on his mind. Knowing that Gibbs would need time to figure out how to approach Tony on the subject, she had decided to intervene, and what better way to do that than dinner. It was common knowledge that Tony didn’t always eat a decent meal, especially when working on a case. Abby always tried to see to it that Tony ate something, even if it was just pizza. This case was no exception.
After ordering their food, Abby wasted no time in starting up conversation. “So how did Gibbs take it?”
Tony gave her a cautious look. “What, you install cameras or something in the elevator? How do you know I told him anything?”
Abby grinned. “I know both of you too well, and its written all over your faces. Now answer my question.”
Tony sighed. He knew it was pointless to try to argue with Abby when she got this way. “Well I’m sure it took him by surprise. We haven’t really discussed anything yet.”
Abby nodded and waved her hand in the air, gesturing for him to continue.
“I made him promise that after I told him we wouldn’t talk about it until after we were out of the office, because I didn’t feel like talking about it there, especially not in the elevator,” Tony said with a small laugh. “Plus I figured he would want some time to figure stuff out. He agreed, I told him I knew, and then we went back to work.”
“And then after dinner you’re going over his house to talk,” Abby stated as she glared at him, daring for him to argue.
The food arrived just then, giving Tony a minute to think about what he was going to say next.
“You think Gibbs will be ready?” Tony asked her quietly as he started in on his dinner.
“Please, this is Gibbs we’re talking about. He’s a marine, he’s always ready,” Abby said in between bites.
Tony gave her a look that said, ‘well duh’.
Abby groaned to herself. “You two are the most stubborn men I have ever met. Look, if you let things sit too long you will both start over-thinking things and that will just lead to trouble. By the time you get over to Gibbs’ house he will have done just the right amount of reflecting and so will you.”
Tony smiled at her. “If it were anyone else but you saying that I wouldn’t believe it, Abs.”
“Which is why you are sitting here talking to me and not someone else,” Abby said with a grin. “Plus the fact that I know you didn’t get lunch today so someone has to make sure you don’t pass out from manly hunger and all that.”
Tony could only laugh as he responded, “Does that mean I get more dessert?”
“Only if you clean your plate,” Abby teased.
“Yes, oh great Princess of the Dark,” Tony jested as he gave a slight tip of his head, mimicking a bow. The two friends laughed as they enjoyed each other’s company over the rest of the meal.
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Gibbs was glad that Abby was looking after Tony for the moment. It gave him time to sort things out on his own. He went home and changed into more comfortable clothes before heading down to the basement to work on his boat.
As he let himself fall into the rhythm of working on the frame of his boat, Gibbs let his mind wander back to that fateful day in the hospital.
Flashback
Gibbs took a drink from his cup of fresh coffee that Abby had just brought him as he settled into the seat beside the hospital bed. She had also brought him a copy of one Detective Tony Dinozzo’s file, who was currently occupying said hospital bed.
She hadn’t been able to stay long, having a lot of evidence to process from the warehouse. After fussing over Tony for a little bit, she left with the promise to return as soon as she was free. Ducky had also stopped by earlier to explain the detective’s condition and his own prognosis. It seemed that the Baltimore cop had made quite the impression on several key members of NCIS.
Even Director Morrow had called to check in Dinozzo.
“You’ve gone through a hell of a lot of agents, Gibbs, and you didn’t even want them on your team. When you tell me that you actually wantto work with someone, I have an invested interest,” he had said.
Gibbs knew that the Director had a point and there was no use denying it. As far as he was concerned, if people couldn’t put up with him being a bastard in the office, how could he expect them to deal with criminals out on the street?
Setting down the coffee, Gibbs looked over at the still form on the bed. Even after only working with the younger man a short time, he had noticed that Dinozzo always seemed to be in motion in some form or another. Seeing him unconscious surrounded by hospital monitors and the like was unsettling, and Gibbs wasn’t exactly sure why.
He had worked with plenty of people from various agencies and departments, had seen injuries occur in the field, and none of those times had he felt the need to personally visit them in the hospital instead of going back to work while waiting for a phone call to hear the results of surgery and the like.
Dinozzo had received a bullet in the shoulder, he had found out later, that had been stopped by his vest. It left a bruise, but nothing to write home about. It was the other injury that was causing the most worry. The twenty stitches on the left side of his head were covered up with a white bandage. He practically blended in with the hospital sheets and the bandage, being so pale. Add minor swelling of the brain as a result of a severe concussion into the mix and you had an under-appreciated young detective with no one around to care if he ever woke up again
Both the hospital doctor and Ducky had said that he would be fine, but it was highly unlikely Dinozzo would wake up anytime soon. Despite that fact, Gibbs still felt the need to sit there all the same.
Opening the file that Abby had prepared for him, Gibbs started to read. While he had read over some of it beforehand, this was the first chance that he had to examine the file more in depth. The first page was a brief summary, listing the schools Dinozzo had attended and his law enforcement experience prior to working in Baltimore. Gibbs had immediately noticed the repetitive timestamp of two years in each city. He also didn’t fail to notice that Dinozzo had just about reached his so-called personal limit in Baltimore.
Gibbs took that as a good sign in favor of getting Dinozzo to accept the offer of joining NCIS when he made it. He had more than enough experience to be signed on as an agent without the need of a probationary period. Based on how his captain and so-called partner treated him, Gibbs doubted that Dinozzo had any sort of loyalty to them. It was another thing that impressed him, the fact that Dinozzo was not afraid to stand up to his superiors when he felt the need to and didn’t back down when he was dismissed for thinking outside the box.
Examining the file further revealed a few commendations from the various police departments Dinozzo had previously worked at. He had graduated from the academy at the top of his class and an instructor from the academy had inserted a letter of praise and stating that “Dinozzo has the right kind of attitude for this kind of work. He has his own way of doing things, and while at the time you may want to question his sanity, once you have your results you will be nothing but impressed. Anyone who feels otherwise can call me, I’ll set you straight.”
The contact information of the instructor was listed at the end of the letter. Clearly someone else saw what Gibbs was seeing now, the potential to become a damn fine investigator. He filed the number away for later, planning to call the man to let him know that he was right about Dinozzo.
Unfortunately, there were far more complaints and reprimands in the file that seemed to be trying to downplay the commendations. As he read through them Gibbs found the majority of them to be personal in nature, as though someone were hoping to put a black mark on Dinozzo’s record to ensure that he would never get very far in the police force.
Only a small handful actually had merit and was worth more than a cursory glance. While they had showed an error of some sort on Dinozzo’s part, Gibbs did not ignore the fact that they were not repeated. It seemed that Dinozzo was capable of listening to warnings when it counted and let everything else float into the background.
Following that was a list of injuries that Dinozzo had received. The variety of wounds that he had obtained in only a few years was remarkable. They ranged from stab wounds to getting shot. He had even had concussions more than once. Apparently while he had a great desire to protect the public and his partners, he had little regard for his own safety. One psychologist had made the notation that if he wasn’t careful he was going to burn out from exhaustion or get himself killed.
Looking up to examine the younger man, and indeed he was much younger than Gibbs had originally thought. He’d met agents older than Dinozzo with less experience or training. The more Gibbs learned about him, the more confident he felt in his intention to hire the detective. What Dinozzo needed was someone who could give him focus, respect of his capabilities on the job and the knowledge that someone was watching his back. Working at NCIS would give him the opportunity to do all of that without having to deal with someone’s political agenda or personal dislike.
Gibbs finished reading the file, stillfrustrated by the fact that the emergency contact and next of kin information was left blank. He had hoped that further scrutiny of Dinozzo’s profile would reveal some kind of information on his family, but apparently not. There was a brief mention that his mother was dead and his father owned a bank in Rhode Island, but beyond that there was nothing.
Gibbs knew he would have to ask Abby to put his own information down as Dinozzo’s emergency contact and next of kin later. Dinozzo gave off the impression that he was used to being alone and probably wouldn’t know how to handle someone wanting to know if something had happened to him. Gibbs wouldn’t want to send the other man running by asking himself, so Abby it was.
The knock on the door pulled Gibbs from his thoughts. Setting the file aside, he turned around to find Starks standing at the door. Immediately Gibbs was up and shoving Starks out of the room.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” Gibbs yelled at the other man as he followed him out into the hallway, blocking the path back to Tony’s room.
Starks’ eyes were wide with shock as he shouted back, “He’s my partner! I have more right to be here than you do!”
Gibbs glared at him. “You’re the reason he’s here in the first place! If you had done your job Morris would have been caught and Tony wouldn’t be here!”
“You think because you’re a fed that gives you the right to tell me how to do my job?!” Starks shouted back. By now they were drawing the attention of everyone in the hospital.
Ducky and Abby had also just walked in, and Gibbs saw them standing off to the side. Making a decision, Gibbs grabbed Starks’ arm and started dragging him towards the exit.
“Hey, let go! Just who do you think you are?” Starks continued to shout as he struggled to get free of Gibbs’ grip.
“We are going to finish this conversation in private,” Gibbs told him in a quiet voice laced with steal. As he passed by Ducky and Abby, he told them, “Keep an eye on Tony ‘til I get back.”
Not waiting for them to respond, Gibbs continued to drag Starks alongside him.
The sound of his door opening and shutting pulled Gibbs from his memories. Listening, he heard someone move to the kitchen, open and close the refrigerator, and then head towards the top of the basement stairs.
Gibbs couldn’t help but grin as he turned to find Tony making his way down.
“Abby made me bring you dinner,” Tony said by way of greeting as he paused once he reached the last of the steps.
Gibbs nodded his head in acknowledgement. “Sandpaper’s right where you left it,” Gibbs said by way of invitation.
Tony laughed as he approached the boat. “Didn’t we start a conversation just like this the other day?”
“We always start a conversation the same way down here, Tony,” Gibbs said with a chuckle. “And until you get it through your thick skull that you are welcome down here anytime, we are going to continue to repeat things.”
“Yeah, well…” Tony said with a shrug as he got to work.
Gibbs was willing to let that go for the time being, knowing that one conversation wasn’t going to fix anything. There was another conversation that they had to have, one that couldn’t be put on hold much longer.
Looking over at Tony, he saw that he had gotten lost in the pace of moving the sandpaper over the boat. Gibbs followed in Tony’s example, deciding that they both needed the peace that came with working silently together before they brought the past up front and center again.
Chapter End Notes:
Yes, I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark more about the big "confrontation" and all, but I'm not satisfied with what I have yet, and then this chapter just sorta came out so I figured I would post it as an early Happy New Year's present lol. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and has fun stuff planned for New Year's. I will be working all day and night New Year's Eve, so cheer me up with some reviews please!!! Thanks for all who keep reading! See, I am trying to post more often again!