Tony didn’t argue when Gibbs insisted on driving; in his current state of mind, he would have unintentionally endangered the lives of innocent people and he would not have been able to live with that guilt on top of the burden he was already bearing. Of course, judging by the blaring horns, Gibbs wasn’t driving much better than he would have been. The only thing on both of their minds was getting to Tony’s apartment in hopes of discovering something that would lead them to Jason Miller.
He and Gibbs both realized that Miller would be long gone, but it didn’t stop Tony from hoping that he would carelessly leave a clue behind; he needed to find this bastard and he was prepared to go to any length to see justice done. Of course, his idea of justice involved making sure Jason Miller suffered greatly for murdering Sydney and Sean; he wanted to see the light fade from the man’s eyes as he took his last breath. Revenge was a dangerous game, but it was a game that Anthony DiNozzo vowed to win.
“Tony?” Gibbs called to him, bringing him out of his self-imposed reverie. “We’re almost there.”
“I know,” he quietly answered.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Tony, you’ve got to keep a clear head,” the team leader warned.
“I know. I’m fine.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Tony tiredly smiled at his mentor. He began to massage his temple in an effort to assuage the headache that was fast becoming a migraine. “Didn’t figure you would.”
“Are you sure you can handle this?” Gibbs wanted to know.
“No,” he truthfully admitted. “But I have to. I have to see this through for Sydney and Sean.”
“And for you,” Gibbs added.
The senior agent was amazed at how Gibbs seemed to understand exactly what he was feeling. The former marine had demonstrated an unexpected depth of compassion towards him; it was almost as if Gibbs had taken Tony’s pain as his own.
“And for me,” Tony whispered.
Staring out the window, he watched the familiar scenery pass by. As soon as Gibbs made the final turn on the street where Tony lived, both men were scanning the area for any sign of Jason Miller. DiNozzo was out of the car before Gibbs finished parking, determination evident in his every movement.
He was quickly joined by the ex-Marine. Tony was grateful for the presence of the older man; having Gibbs by his side kept him focused and hopefully would keep him out of trouble.
“Anything seem out of place?” Gibbs asked.
“Not out here.”
“Let’s go and check your apartment then.”
Tony nodded as he led Gibbs into the apartment building.
Slipping on a pair of gloves, Tony checked his mailbox to make sure Miller hadn’t left him any more letters or other unexpected surprised.
“Empty,” he informed the team leader.
Gibbs acknowledged him with a curt nod. “Let’s head upstairs.”
Opting to take the stairs instead of the elevator, it took the two men less than a minute before they were standing outside Tony’s door. The door was standing slightly ajar, prompting the agents to draw their weapons.
“Did you forget to lock the door, DiNozzo?” Gibbs inquired.
“Nope.”
Tony cautiously pushed open the door and the two men entered the living room. Gibbs motioned for him to check the back bedroom and bathroom while he checked the kitchen and the guest room.
He walked into his bedroom and looked around. After checking the closets and the bathroom, he was satisfied that the rooms were empty. “Clear!” he shouted down the hallway.
Within a few seconds, he heard Gibbs declare that the other rooms were clear as well. Securing his weapon, Tony began to look around his bedroom to see if anything was out of place. His gaze fell to his bed where Miller’s phone lay open; Jason Miller had made himself right at home, sitting on his bed while he was talking to him. “Gibbs! In here!”
“Did you find something?”
He pointed to the bed. “Miller’s phone. He was definitely here.”
“Looks that way. Bag it and we’ll take it to Abby,” Gibbs instructed. “Maybe she can pull something off of it. Did you find anything else?”
Tony sighed in frustration. “Not yet.”
“Keep looking. I’m going to check with your neighbors and see if they saw anything or anyone unusual hanging around your apartment.”
“All right. Be sure you ring the doorbell when you get to 408; Mrs. Carson doesn’t hear too well.”
“Kind of like my senior agent sometimes,” Gibbs quipped.
The younger man grinned; he appreciated Gibbs’ efforts in attempting to lighten his mood. “It’s probably all those head slaps you so freely give him; he’s suffering the effects of repeated head trauma.”
Gibbs returned his smile. “Call me if you find anything else.”
“Right, Boss.”
As soon as Gibbs left, Tony bagged the phone and continued to search his bedroom for anything unusual. Nothing seemed to be missing or out of its normal place, so he headed back towards the bathroom. He stopped in mid-stride when he noticed that one of the windows was opened about an inch. “I certainly didn’t do that,” he mumbled to himself.
Lifting the window, he peered outside. “You probably were in a hurry and decided the fire escape would be quicker and you wouldn’t be seen. You obviously don’t know my neighbors very well.”
Tony decided he’d call Gibbs after he checked the rest of his apartment. Entering the bathroom, his attention was immediately riveted to the remains of a charred hairbrush lying on his sink. With a trembling hand, he picked up the brush and gently held it; the intricate design on the back of the brush could still be seen despite the burnt appearance. He had given Sydney this hairbrush their first Christmas. They had been window shopping and she had seen it in one of the boutiques close to the university. Her eyes lit up as she went on about how beautiful that brush was and that her grandmother used to have one just like it. Sydney would have never bought it for herself and although money was tight, Tony made sure that the first thing she opened that morning had been that hairbrush.
He sat down on the edge of his bathtub, clutching the brush against his chest. Images of Sydney standing in front of the mirror brushing her hair began to replay in his mind. He would sometimes sit and just watch her beautiful reflection in the mirror as she carefully brushed her silken mane. Sometimes, she would let him brush it; those were the times that they would just sit around and talk about their day. It was during one of these special moments that she had told him that she was expecting.
***flashback***
“So, tell me about your day,” Sydney insisted as she handed him her hair brush.
Tony leaned forward and gently kissed his wife. Taking the brush, he motioned for her to sit down in front of him while he sat on the edge of the bed. He noticed that she was wearing the perfume that he had given to her for her birthday a few weeks ago. He had resorted to doing extra odd jobs in order to save enough for it, but when he saw the look on her face when she had opened the box, he knew that it had been worth every penny that he had earned. She kept it on the dresser next to the brush that he had given her last Christmas; Sydney deeply cherished those gifts and would never part with them even when they were no longer useful.
He savored the sweet smell of lilacs as he ran his fingers through her hair. “God, you smell good,” he said.
“Thank you,” she replied, a playful smile dancing on her lips. “Now, how was your day?”
“Well let’s see; I got an A- on my term paper and we had a short practice today, which means I get to spend a little extra time with you before I go to work. So all in all, I’d say it’s been a good day.”
“You probably should be taking a nap before you go into work. After all, you’ve been up late every night the past week trying to finish your paper and studying for exams.”
“I’m all right.”
“I just worry about you. I mean I’m going to school and working part time and I’m exhausted; you’re working two jobs on top football practice and going to school,” she pointed out. “You’re sacrificing a lot.”
He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Maybe, but you’re worth it.”
“I love you, Tony.”
“I love you, too.”
They sat in silence as he continued to brush her hair, each entranced in their own thoughts. He was taken back when she reached up and took the brush out of his hand. “Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, you could never hurt me.”
Something was wrong; he could hear it in her voice. Tony slid off the bed and sat beside her on the floor. Tears were flowing down her cheeks and he knew immediately that his instincts had been right. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
Tony took her trembling hands in his. “Syd? You’re scaring me. You know you can tell me anything. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.”
“I’m pregnant,” she sobbed.
“What?”
“I’m pregnant,” Sydney repeated.
“But I thought that you were on…”
“I was! I am! I don’t know how it happened,” she exclaimed. “Well, I know how it happened, I just don’t know why.”
Tony continued to hold her hands. He and Sydney had both agreed that they would wait until after college to start a family, but apparently, nature had other plans. Becoming a father was one of Tony’s greatest fears and he thought that he would have plenty of time to adjust to the idea. His own childhood had been less than ideal and he had vowed that if he ever had a child, his son or daughter would never doubt his love for them.
“Are you absolutely sure?”
“I took a home pregnancy test and then I went to the medical center on campus. They were both positive.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just don’t know what to do. I know we weren’t planning on having family just yet and money is so tight and you know that our parents won’t help us and…”
Tony cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. In that kiss, he wanted Sydney to know that he loved her and that he would love their baby with all his heart. Yes, he had been surprised by her announcement, but that didn’t change the fact that this baby was a product of their love. As he pulled away, he wiped her tears.
“It doesn’t matter. We can’t change what happened. What we can do is realize that we made this baby out of love and he or she will grow up feeling that love.”
Sydney threw her arms around him. “I was so afraid you were going to be mad.”
“Why would I be mad?”
“Like I said, the timing couldn’t be worse and…”
“Do you want this baby?’
“Yes, I do.”
“I do too. I promise you that everything else will work out,” he vowed.
“I believe you.”
“Have I ever been wrong before?”
She pulled back and smiled at him. “Do you really want me to answer that?”
“Let me rephrase that. Have I ever broken a promise to you?”
Sydney shook her head. “No. You always keep your word.”
“And that will never change.” He put his arm around her and she leaned her head on his shoulder. “So, do you think he’ll look like me?”
“Who said that she would like you?” she teased.
“She?”
“Yes, she.”
“Why do you think he’s a she?”
“I just do.”
“Well, I’ll bet you a dinner at Chez DiNozzo’s that she’ll be a he.”
“You’re on. But for now, why don’t we go out and celebrate?” she suggested.
Tony glanced at his watch. “I have exactly two hours before I have to be a work; I guess we can do that. Any place special you want to go?”
“How about the diner over on Jefferson? If we go now, we can get the early bird special.”
He stood up and held out his hand to help his wife off the floor. As she stood up, he pulled her into his embrace; their lips met as their passion exploded. He wasn’t sure that he could love her any more than he did right at this moment. Tony picked Sydney up and gently laid her on the bed. “How about we just go straight for dessert?”
“I’m not that hungry anyway,” she breathlessly replied as she began to unbutton his shirt.
“God, I love you,” he gasped.
“I love you, too…”
***end flashback***
Tony silently cursed for allowing his mind to be consumed by his memories. Gibbs had already warned him about keeping his wits about him and he was daydreaming about a life that was no longer in his grasp. Pulling out another evidence bag, Tony carefully placed the brush in it and sealed it. He took a towel and quickly wiped his own eyes, knowing that he still needed to look through the rest of the apartment.
Placing the bagged hairbrush beside the telephone, Tony made his way into the kitchen. Nothing seemed to be amiss, so he went into the spare guest room. He jokingly called this Abby’s room because of the numerous times that she ended up sleeping over after one of their infamous movie marathons.
As he entered the room, Tony fell to knees as something hard impacted with his head. Darkness was beckoning him with open arms and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to stay conscious much longer. He fumbled for his phone, but he could not get his fingers to dial the number that would summon help.
Tony collapsed in a heap on the floor, unable to focus on anything but the agony tearing through his skull. Someone was kneeling beside him and he didn’t need to open his eyes to see who it was.
“Bring back any memories, Tony?” Miller taunted.
“Miller,” he coughed. “You won’t get away with this.”
“I already have. Don’t worry, Tony. You’ll be fine; this is just another part of my plan to destroy you. I’m not ready for you to die just yet.”
“Son of a…” Tony couldn’t do anything but cough, which only exacerbated his aching head. He tried to crawl towards the door, but any movement was sheer agony. As the smoke grew heavier and the flames crackled, Tony lost the battle to stay awake; he welcomed the relief from the physical pain as well as the pain in his heart.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Gibbs was waiting for Mts. Carson to open her door, when the fire alarm sounded. People began pouring into the hall and the team leader quickly made sure that everyone was headed down the stairs, recruiting some of the younger adults to help with the older ones. The only person that he hadn’t seen was Tony.
He reached for Tony’s front door to discover that it was locked. Gibbs pounded on the door. “Tony! Are you in there?”
Without a second thought, Gibbs kicked in the door only to be greeted by a thick layer of smoke. Pulling out his handkerchief, he covered his mouth as he began a quick search of Tony’s apartment. Glancing around, he saw that the only other door that was closed was the one to the spare room. He cursed as he tried the locked door. There was no doubt in his mind that Tony was in that room.
Taking his hand, he felt the door; it was warm to the touch and the team leader knew that he was running out of time. He could hear the roar of the flames as the fire moved closer to the rest of the apartment. Gibbs kicked open the door and stared into the room, but he couldn’t see past the thick smoke that had taken over the room. Dropping to his knees, he began to search for his senior agent. There was no doubt in his mind who was responsible for this, but at the moment, his only concern was finding Tony and getting out alive.
Chapter End Notes:
Just in time for Thanksgiving! During this season of thanks, I just want to say how thankful I am to be blessed with such wonderful and loyal readers. I hope you enjoy this post and have a wonderful holiday!