ÂHe’s going to be alright
It was one of these sentences. Tony had heard that sentence too often and by now it never sounded really honest. Just one of those lame reassurances people give eachother without really knowing for sure. It was a phrase and by now Tony knew the true meaning of nearly all phrases. In this job you can’t work without phrases. Too often you meet relatives, spouses or children of people missing and you can’t tell them the truth. You’ll say something like „we’ll try everything to find you husband/brother/sister/wife/mother/father/son/daughter.“ And actually you mean, the chances to find them are actually too small to even notice and we’ll be lucky if we find their body. Those phrases helped family and friends, but they didn’t help Tony. It was no reassurance that Jethro put two Marines at the door to Stuard’s room. It was no reassurance that Abby and McGee were staying with Jimmy, so neither the ME nor the Forensic Specialist would be without an agent. It didn’t even help that Jethro ordered protection detail for Ducky. Maybe it seemed as if they had thought of everything, but Tony knew there was something.
Tony chewed his lowed lip as he prepared lunch. He had thought about it all the time and now he was sure that it was the only way of solving this. Jethro entered the kitchen and pecked Tony on the cheek.
„You didn’t have to cook. We could have ordered something.“
„Yeah...Jethro, could you sit down, for a moment?“
After a very long gaze Jethro nodded and sat at the kitchen table. Tony followed suit but then gazed at his fingers.
„I want to go back to work. Now, I mean. I know that we have the agreement with Ziva, but I can’t let somebody else work this case, Jethro. I need to be in the office, I need to see that there is progress or if there isn’t I need to know why there is no progress. If I’m sitting here, dependend on reports from Tim I’ll go crazy!“
Again Jethro looked very long at him.
„Alright, you’re starting tomorrow.“
Tony’s jaw dropped.
„What?“
He had expected it to be much more difficult to convince his husband.
„Well, I expected you to say this so I talked to Ziva this morning. Whereas she wasn’t fond of the idea of staying at home all the time she agreed that you need to work this case. However, she said that you’ll have to finish you’re six months anyway.“
The next morning when Tony stepped out of the elevator he felt, for the first time since he became teamleader, insecure. What was he going to do about Jason? Sure, he had a lead, he could start where Jason vanished and Kramer appeared. But then they’d be more or less at the same point as before. Some higher-ups were protecting him and suddenly Tony knew very well how Jethro felt with Ari.
He sat behind his desk and looked around. Everything was still on its place, since Tim didn’t want to use his desk. The bullpen was still empty because Tony had decided to come in early. He didn’t really thought he could do some work before he had talked to Tim and Abby about what they had found in their unofficial investigation but he wanted to get used to idea of being back.
And then there was Burley. Quite a good part of the sleepless night Tony had spent with trying to find an annoying nickname. It was his try to get his mind off Jason, though that thought didn’t help him sleep either. And the way Jethro only mumbled something when Tony left the house he hadn’t slept very well either. He sighed and powered up his computer. As he waited he thought about how ridiculus this was. He remembered only too well how he had graved revenge when Kate had died and all the time he had looked up at Jethro, and nothing came. He didn’t know how Tim thought about it, but Abby definitely wanted Jason â€" Kramer â€" down. He needed a plan. He needed to know what to do as soon as his team was here.
He glanced at the clock and saw that it was only minutes until Jethro would arrive. Without noticing he had sitten here for half an hour, dwelling in his thoughts â€" and it had him brought nowhere. He opened the FBI file about Jason Crow, and wasn’t surprised that it was classified. Although there was only one man in entire NCIS who had a higher classification than he had he couldn’t open it, so he took the phone and dialed a number he hadn’t thought he would dial voluntarily.
„Ron Sacks?“
„Hey, it’s DiNozzo.“
„Hi...what do you want...?“
Tony laughed shortly.
„This is definitely a using relationship, isn’t it? I need you to do me a favour.“
„What’s in it for me, then?“
„How about that? I’ll forget that you tried to bust me, Ziva and that you couldn’t find my daughter?“
Silence.
„Deal, what can I do?“
„I need a file. Jason Crow, or Alexander T. Kramer.“
„No deal. Tony, I can’t do that.“
„Yeah? Why?“
„Because it’s highly classified, only FBI Agents with a high classification have access to that file â€" and no, I don’t have.“
Tony closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose.
„Alright...thanks anyway.“
„Tony? Why are you working that case again?“
„Because he shot one of my people and he keeps calling me on my cell phone.“
He heard low talking.
„I’ll talk to Fornell, see what I can do. I’ll call you later.“
Tony hung up and checked his watch. It was ten minutes after Jethro’s usual time of arrival. He frowned but then turned to his computer and found that he had nothing to do. Just as the elevator opened and Tim came into the bullpen Tony’s cell phone rang. Home.
„Hey, what’s going on?“
„Well, Anthony.“
Tony jumped off his seat.
„You fucking bastard. How the hell did you get into my house?“
„It was quite easy. I shot the agent who should pick up you husband after your husband had opened the door and now I’m here. I was waiting for this moment, Anthony. The moment you leave the house.“
„You filthy son of a bitch. You want war? Fine! You can have it! But don’t think you’ll see me in despair! You’ll see me in anger, rage, hatred, fury, and about every other mood I can kill you without even blinking. I swear to God if you do anything to my family you’ll be suffering the thousandth time of what you did to them.“
„Is that how NCIS Agents talk to hostage taker? I don’t think so. Well, I think it is my turn to tell you under which conditions I will let your family go unharmed, isn’t it?“
Tony took a deep breath and glanced at Tim, who seemed to be nailed to the spot.
„What do you want?“
„All I want is you, without anybody else. Come to your house and I will let them go.“
With that Tony slammed the phone onto the desk. He wanted to yell, he wanted to cry out because this was worse than any physical pain he could imagine. But instead he sank into his chair and buried his face in his hands.
„Tony?“
„He’s in my house. He has Jethro and the kids...Grap your gear. You’re driving me there.“
„What? Er...should I call a unit?“
„No, we’re going alone. I’ll go in, they come out and you’ll bring them here. And don’t stop, not even at a red light. You got that?“
Tim gaped at him.
„Tony, that’s suicidal.“
„So? I would die for them a thousand times. But I can’t survive them.“
Without waiting for an answer Tony went to the elevator, and in every other moment he would have been proud on Tim. Not only that he found the courage to stand up to him, he also knew when he had to be loyal and followed him into the elevator. The drive was mostly silent.
„What have you planned?“
Tim finally asked. Within five minutes they would arrive at the house and there wasn’t much time left to talk everything through.
„Plan? I’m gonig in, they come out. That’s the plan.“
„That cannot be it! I can’t let you walk in there!“
„Tim! I won’t let him do anything to my family. I will go in there and once you got Jethro and the kids save you can call Jimmy because I’m pretty sure that by the time you’re back at the HQ one of us will be dead.“
Tim stopped in front of the house and Tony got out.
„JASON!!“
He called. No answer.
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