Jason Miller stood outside Tony DiNozzo’s apartment building, watching the tenants pour into the street, confusion and panic etched in their features. There was something invigorating about the chaos that he had created by simply pulling the fire alarm. Within a few minutes, most of the building had been evacuated except for two people. Miller waited patiently, vowing that he was not going to leave until he saw Agent Gibbs dragging DiNozzo’s unconscious form out of the building. His plan was brilliant. Sending Anthony DiNozzo spiraling into his own personal hell and forcing him to relive that fateful night was only one part of his master design.
After Gibbs had left the apartment, he had slipped back in and started a small fire in the spare bedroom. He didn’t have to wait long before DiNozzo had entered the room and with the butt of his gun, had rendered his enemy defenseless. Miller had enjoyed watching DiNozzo struggle to stay conscious but the agent had ultimately lost that battle. Of course, he had taken great pleasure in tormenting his nemesis, reminding him of the fact that this was only the beginning.
Miller had departed, making sure that the doors had been locked. He wasn’t going to make it too easy for Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs; if Gibbs wanted to save his friend, he was going to have to risk his own life to do it. There wasn’t a doubt in Jason Miller’s mind that the two agents would make it out alive; if they didn’t, then the game that he was playing would be over and he wasn’t prepared for that to happen.
He heard the sirens from the fire trucks in the distance. The police had already arrived and were securing the scene and he knew that he was going to have to leave soon before someone spotted him. He couldn’t take the chance of being seen if he were going to implement the next step of his plan.
As he turned to leave, he saw Gibbs and DiNozzo finally emerge from the entrance of the apartment building. The older man was all but bearing DiNozzo’s weight as they stumbled out of the doorway and onto the ground. A couple of men helped them over to a grassy area where he watched Gibbs insist that the younger agent stay awake.
Jason Miller smiled. The fact that he was ripping Tony DiNozzo’s soul apart bit by bit only motivated him to create ways to further torment the man that he hated with every fiber of his being. Everyone would see Anthony DiNozzo for what he truly was; a weak man who hid behind a mask of deception. He would make sure that DiNozzo suffered in every way imaginable, leaving behind a shattered life that could not be put back together again.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Taking his handkerchief from his pocket and placing it over his nose and mouth, Jethro Gibbs began to feverishly search the room for his missing agent. A growing sense of urgency formed in the pit of his stomach as the flames began to dance across the wall. Dropping to his hands and knees, he crawled through the doorway, simultaneously calling out his senior agent’s name. He was not leaving this apartment without Tony.
Within just a few seconds, he came across DiNozzo’s unconscious form. He sighed in relief as he checked for a pulse; it was rapid, but still strong. Knowing that he was running out of time, Gibbs threw down his handkerchief and took a deep breath. He then proceeded to drag Tony out of the bedroom and into the living room. Rising to his feet, the former Marine shut the door to the bedroom and then pulled Tony up, placing the younger man’s arm around his shoulder, purposefully taking Tony’s weight.
The movement seemed to force Tony back to a sense of awareness. Gibbs could hear him trying to speak, but the only sound that came from his agent was a hacking cough. “Don’t try and talk right now, DiNozzo,” he ordered. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“Right, Boss,” he rasped.
Gibbs shook his head, wondering if DiNozzo could ever resist the urge to have the last word in a conversation.
The two men made their way down the stairs towards the front entrance to the apartment building. Tony was leaning heavily on the team leader, barely able to stand. Gibbs tightened his hold on Tony as they stumbled down the last few stairs onto the concrete.
Two strangers helped them over to a grassy area where Gibbs gently deposited Tony on the ground. Grateful for the assistance, he nodded his thanks. Turning his attention back to his injured man, he gently shook Tony’s shoulder and called out his name.
“Tony, you need to stay awake,” he insisted.
“I’m still…here,” Tony replied between bouts of coughing.
“Good to know, DiNozzo.”
“Miller.”
Gibbs tensed at the mention of the man’s name. “Did you see him?”
Tony nodded. “Think so. His face…was blurry. I’m sure it…was him though. I’ll never forget that voice.”
Gibbs held DiNozzo steady as his body was wracked by another coughing fit. “Sounds like you inhaled quite a bit of smoke. Just take it easy,” he said. “The paramedics are on their way.” The sound of sirens in the distance confirmed his declaration.
“I’m fine,” Tony protested.
“Then why do you sound like you’re about ready to hack up lung, DiNozzo?”
“Just need…some fresh…air.”
“No arguments, Tony. You let them check you out.”
As Tony drew his knees up to his chest and rested his head, Gibbs noticed blood matted in his hair. He carefully probed Tony’s head to discover a knot forming on the back of his head. “That looks like it smarts,” he observed.
“Actually, it hurts like hell,” DiNozzo mumbled. “I don’t know what he hit me with.”
“We’ll find it later,” Gibbs assured the agent.
He watched with mixed emotions as Tony looked up at the flames now leaping out his bedroom window. Gibbs was grateful that DiNozzo was alive, but his anger at Jason Miller was now approaching a state of rage. He wanted that bastard and he was not going to rest until he helped Tony put that man six feet under. Gibbs would not deny DiNozzo the opportunity of seeing justice done; he knew from experience that it was the only way that Tony would be able to find rest.
“Was anybody hurt?” Tony asked.
The exhaustion in DiNozzo’s voice unnerved him. “No, everyone got out.”
He sat down beside Tony, one arm around still around the younger man’s shoulders, silently wishing for the paramedics to arrive. Whether or not Tony wanted to admit it, he needed medical attention; at the very least he had a concussion and a case of smoke inhalation that needed to be treated. “You doing okay?” he asked, not bothering to attempt to hide the concern in his voice.
“Yeah,” DiNozzo weakly replied.
“You don’t sound too convinced, DiNozzo.”
“I’m not. I just thought that if I keep telling myself I’m okay, I might start to believe it.”
“Doesn’t work that way.”
“Sounds like you know what you’re talking about.”
Gibbs squeezed Tony’s shoulder. “I guess I do,” he quietly admitted.
He met DiNozzo’s confused gaze. Gibbs owed the younger man an explanation, but now wasn’t the time; his first concern was getting Tony the medical attention he needed. “Later,” he said, knowing that his senior agent would certainly hold him accountable to his word.
“Okay.”
The fact that Tony gave up so easily spoke volumes as to his current mental state. He knew exactly how DiNozzo felt; torn between the life of what could have been and the life that he was forced to live in the present. Gibbs wondered what the agent’s life would have been like if Tony’s wife and son had not been brutally murdered. Would Tony have stayed in Ohio? Would they have even met? Of course, the team leader had often had similar thoughts about his own life had Shannon and Kelly lived. Fate had dealt them both a cruel hand, but somehow, the two of them had managed to survive.
Sirens blared as the different emergency vehicles came to a halt in front of the apartment building. Within just a few seconds, two paramedics came running over towards them.
“Are you two gentleman hurt?” the first EMT inquired.
Gibbs stood up and nodded towards Tony. “I’m fine, but you need to have a look at Agent DiNozzo.”
“I’m all right,” Tony said, his voice laced with a weariness that Gibbs wasn’t used to hearing. “Just took in a little smoke.”
“Don’t forget about being knocked unconscious,” Gibbs reminded him.
“But I’m awake now.”
“Why don’t we just check your vitals and give you a little oxygen?” the paramedic suggested. “Then we’ll go from there.”
“No hospital,” DiNozzo firmly stated.
“We’ll see how everything checks out.”
Gibbs knelt down beside Tony. “If you’re going to catch Miller, you’re going to have to be at the top of your game and right now, you’re not. Let these two guys look you over and if they feel like you should go to the hospital, then you’ll go.”
Tony sighed in frustration. “All right.”
Nodding in satisfaction, the team leader stood back up, allowing the paramedics access to the injured man. He watched from a distance as Tony attempted to joke with the two men who were working on him. It was amazing at how easily DiNozzo managed to slip behind that carefree persona that he wore from day to day. Gibbs understood why Tony wore that mask; he was afraid to show people the real Anthony DiNozzo.
His gaze remained fixed on his senior agent. Tony was in pain. Not from the injuries he had just sustained, but the kind of agony that tears into your soul. He wished more than anything that he could spare his son that kind of anguish.
His cell phone rang, interrupting his private thoughts. “Gibbs,” he answered.
“Gibbs? What’s going on?”
It was Kate. He was surprised that she had waited this long to call. “Well right now, Tony’s being checked over by the paramedics and the fire department is putting out the fire in his apartment.” Gibbs realized that his tone was sharper than usual, but at the moment, DiNozzo needed his full attention; he wanted Kate to realize that now was not the time to play twenty questions.
“What? What happened?” she demanded to know.
“I’ll fill you in when I get back. Right now, I want you and McGee to dig up everything on Jason Miller. I want to know everything Kate!”
“Is this the same guy that made the call you had McGee to trace?”
“Yeah, he is. I’ve got to go. DiNozzo’s trying to pull one over on the medics.”
“We’ll have something for you when you get back. Are you going with Tony if he goes to the hospital?”
“Not if, Kate. When he goes to the hospital?”
“How badly is he hurt?”
“I don’t know.”
The team leader snapped shut his phone and slipped it back in his pocket as he walked over to where Tony still sat on the ground. DiNozzo was already on a first name basis with the two men attending him; with Tony’s history, Gibbs figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a couple of EMT’s on speed dial.
“So what’s the verdict, Ben?” DiNozzo asked, pushing away the oxygen mask that the paramedic was trying to place over his mouth and nose.
“I’ve already delivered the verdict, Agent DiNozzo; you need to go to the hospital.”
“But I’m…”
“So help me, DiNozzo, if you tell him you’re fine, I’ll head slap you so hard that your grandkids will feel it,” Gibbs threatened.
“Got it, Boss.”
“Good.”
Gibbs glanced at the paramedic. “How is he?”
“He’s definitely showing signs of a concussion and some moderate smoke inhalation. Danny and I both this that he needs to be checked over at the hospital.”
“So actually Boss, you shouldn’t head slap me since I probably have a concussion,” Tony pointed out.
The team leader was forced to bite back a retort when the agent erupted into another coughing fit. “That settles it. You’re going,” Gibbs informed his senior agent, his firm, no nonsense tone leaving no room for argument.
“We have room for you up front if you want to ride in with him,” Ben offered, placing the oxygen mask on Tony’s face.
Gibbs nodded his thanks as the two paramedics lifted DiNozzo onto the gurney and into the ambulance. He could tell by the disgusted expression on Tony’s face that he wasn’t happy with the team leader’s orders, but Gibbs knew that he would follow them without hesitation. The younger agent was not afraid of challenging Gibbs if he felt it was warranted, but when DiNozzo knew the Marine was right, he obeyed without question, even when others doubted his instincts. That was one of the characteristics that made Tony such a gifted investigator and the one person he could always count on to have his six.
Opening the door to the cab of the ambulance, he wearily climbed in; glancing over his shoulder to make sure that DiNozzo was situated in the back.
“He’s in good hands, Agent Gibbs,” Danny assured him.
“I know,” he sighed. “DiNozzo’s just have had a rough day.”
“Are you two related?”
Gibbs was caught off guard by the other man’s question. “Uh…”
“I know you have different last names, but you sure act like you’re his dad or something like that.”
“No, I’m not his dad; I look after my team and DiNozzo’s one of mine.”
Truthfully, DiNozzo was like a son to him, but he would not admit something that personal to a complete stranger. Ducky was always pointing out how much he and Tony were alike; even Fornell had made the same comment once or twice. “”He’s a good man and doesn’t deserve the hell he’s going through.”
He didn’t offer any other comment as the ambulance pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the hospital. The events of the day were replaying in his mind as a familiar hatred began creeping into his soul. He understood the anger fueling Tony’s desire for revenge. It was a thirst that would not be quenched until Jason Miller was dead. Gibbs just hoped that in DiNozzo’s quest for vengeance, he didn’t lose sight of who he was. He knew from experience that once you lost a piece of yourself, it was almost impossible to get it back.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kate sat at her desk, her attention drawn to the empty desk of her partner. She had just hung up with Gibbs, actually Gibbs had hung up on her, but technicalities aside, he had ordered her and McGee to find out everything about Jason Miller. The conversation with the former Marine had been short, leaving her with more questions that answers. Although she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, she was worried for Tony.
In the past few hours, she had learned more about Anthony DiNozzo than she had ever thought possible. Ever since she and Tony had met, their relationship had gone through many different stages resulting in an unusual friendship that was reminiscent of a brother and sister who constantly got on each other’s nerves, but always had each other’s backs.
They had shared many things this past year and half, but Tony had never mentioned being married. He always went to great lengths to convince her and everyone else around him that he was nothing more than an overgrown frat boy, but she had managed to see through his deception, or at least she thought she had. Part of her job was to profile individuals and it unnerved her to learn that so many of her observations and assumptions about Tony had been wrong.
“Kate?”
She looked up to discover McGee standing over her desk. “What, McGee?”
“Did you get a hold of Gibbs?” the junior agent inquired.
“Yes and as usual, the conversation was pretty much once sided,” she stated, not bothering to hide the frustration that she was feeling at the moment.
“What did he say?”
“Tony’s apartment is on fire and DiNozzo’s on his way to the hospital.”
“What?” Tim exclaimed. “What happened? What does he want us to do?”
“He wouldn’t go into any details” she replied. “He wants us to dig up everything we can on Jason Miller.”
“Jason Miller?”
The two agents were joined by Abby, who had caught the tail end of their conversation.
“Yeah. Why?”
“I’ve already told Gibbs that his prints matched the ones I lifted from the letter that he had given me this morning.”
“What letter?” McGee wanted to know.
“He didn’t mention receiving a mysterious letter and a picture of a young woman?”’
“No, he didn’t.”
“Maybe he just hasn’t gotten around to it.”
“He’s been a little occupied this morning,” Kate said. “I think that we should sit down and compare notes while we’re gathering up information on this Jason Miller. I have a feeling that there’s a lot more going on than we realize.”
“Something is definitely hinky,” Abby agreed.
“Hey, turn up the news, they’re talking about the fire,” Tim stated.
“Fire? What fire?” the Goth asked.
“The fire at Tony’s.”
“What?” Abby cried out in disbelief. “There’s a fire at Tony’s?”
The three friends listened as the newscaster reported on the fire in Tony’s building. Other than some minor smoke and water damage, the only apartment that had been a total loss was Tony’s. They saw the ambulance pull away from the scene and they knew that the senior agent was on his way to the hospital. The reporter had not given any names when he had reported that only one individual suffered from minor injuries, but they had known it was their colleague.
“We better have something by the time Gibbs gets back or we’ll all be looking for new jobs,” Kate said, breaking the silence in the bullpen.
Abby and McGee nodded in agreement. Tim returned to his desk and Abby sat at Tony’s as they began their search for Jason Miller. They would not let down Gibbs and more importantly, they were not going to let down Tony.
The phone on Tony’s desk rang, prompting Kate, Tim, and Abby to stop what they were doing and stare at the phone. Kate nodded towards the scientist, encouraging her to answer the phone.
“You’ve reached the desk of Very Special Agent DiNozzo,” Abby answered.
“Tell DiNozzo that he’s a long way from this nightmare being over…”
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