It was the worst of times.
The "Port To Port" killer was still on the loose and, despite Director Vances' dire warnings, Gibbs and EJ were still butting heads. Only Tony didn't like it anymore, the way he was with her.
It wasn't the first time too that He'd been this way with outsiders,interlopers, call them what you will. Now he was being like it with EJ and it had to stop.
He'd tried to be nice about it that time at Gibbs' house. That hadn't worked.
Now it was time to be the opposite of nice, to be Quint in "Jaws". No, not Quint, Chief Brody. He'd taken out TWO "Great Whites" and lived to talk about it. It was time to grow a pair, stop being scared and stand up to "Dad".
Tony was careful to collar Gibbs somewhere quiet. No point everyone knowing the way he felt.
"Hey, Boss. Isn't it funny how every woman you haven't liked all that much have ended up dead."
"Excuse me, DiNozzo?" said Gibbs, appearing rather bemused.
"I just wondered, way things are between you, maybe EJ will wind up wrapped in plastic with her throat slit. Would that be horses for courses?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"How about we go back a few years and start with Paula, Paula Cassidy. Blown up in the line of duty. Or Michelle Lee. Don't tell me you weren't glad to see the back of her. Poor kid stood no chance, even before she became a "Mole", being a Lawyer and all."
Now Tony could plainly see Gibbs was getting riled.
"Back off, DiNozzo."
"Oh, did that strike a nerve? I hope so. I mean, I like to think you lost just one nights sleep over Lee, or Paula, or anybody."
"You've been around that woman too long."
"Or maybe I've just been around you too long, Boss."
Tony wondered just how much longer he could get away with this. Maybe Gibbs was impressed by all of it. Impressed enough to give him one more chance anyhow.
"Climb down, now." whispered Gibbs between his teeth.
But Tony had gone too far to back down now.
"Or what,Boss?."
Gibbs smiled. Except it was only half a smile and half something else. Something to be really worried about if you had any sense.
"Don't go there."
In for a penny, in for a pound, thought Tony.
"Maybe I want to, how about that?"
"How about what?"
A gruff voice, direct and to the point cut in. Leon Vance was standing there, having caught just the last few words spoken. His arrival far from ill-timed.
"Nothing, Director." said Tony. "There's nothing going on here."
"Nothing that wont keep." drawled Gibbs, making DiNozzo nervous.
Vance, of course, wasn't born yesterday. He looked from one to the other.
"Whatever this is, stow it, right now, the both of you. Do I make myself
clear?"
"Perfectly clear sir." replied Tony, noting with some trepidation, that Gibbs hadn't taken his eyes off him the whole time.
"Gibbs?." asked Vance.
Gibbs remained quiet, forcing Vance to ask again.
"Am I clear?"
"Perfectly, Leon."
"Good I'm glad that's settled then. Now play nice, or not at all."
With that Vance left and Gibbs moved away too, pausing long enough to whisper in Tonys' ear.
"Interrogation room. Thirty minutes."
"Look forward to it." replied Tony.
Gibbs response chilled Tony more than a little.
"I wouldn't."
Tony would have been lying if he'd said that he wasn't nervous and that the next thirty minutes didn't feel like three hours, but he wasn't going to chicken out and exactly half an hour later, he was there in the interrogation room alone with Gibbs.
"So how are we doing this? Marquess of Queensbury rules?"
The room was layed out just at it always was. A table in the middle and two chairs facing each other.
"Sit down." said Gibbs.
"Don't we usually fight standing up?" asked Tony.
Gibbs just pointed to one of the chairs. "Sit."
Tony complied, wondering what was going to happen next.
Gibbs produced two buff colored folders and threw one,open, onto the desk, right under Tony's nose. It was a personnel file of someone he once knew and respected. There was her picture on the first page.
"Paula Cassidy." said Gibbs, his voice wavering a little. "She was a damn good agent. I only wish now that I'd told her that."
Gibbs threw a second open file onto the table. On it a photograph of a young Asian woman in her mid twenties.
Again, Tony recognised her.
"Michelle Lee." If anything, Gibbs voice seemed higher, more emotional.
"I've lost more sleep over that girl than anyone. I thought you might like to know that."
Tony had felt foolish before but never as foolish as in that moment. Now it was Tonys' voice wavering. "I'm sorry Boss. I should've known that."
Gibbs picked up the two open files and looked at them both. Tony wasn't sure but he thought there might actually be tears in Gibbs' eyes.
"Never say you're sorry, even when you are." said Gibbs.
"And EJ?" asked Tony.
Gibbs thought about what to say. "I don't want anything to happen to her, but I know I'm right and you need to trust me. So, for now, let's just see how things shape up shall we?" he paused, "Before we do anything like this again."
"Alright" Tony replied, reluctantly.
Gibbs motioned to Tony to get up and started for the door. He raised his hand but the expected "Gibbs slap" never came. Instead, Gibbs just ruffled his hair a little.
Things may not have been resolved entirely, but at least Tony was aware Gibbs knew full well how he felt.
"Call it a draw." thought Tony. "And let the cooling off begin."
"Now let's get back to work and catch this son of a bitch."
"Yes, Boss."
Story Notes:
This scene may never play out before season 8 ends, but I feel it should, which is why I wrote it. The very point of fanfiction.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony Vs Gibbs
Chapter End Notes:
This scene may never play out before season 8 ends, but I feel it should, which is why I wrote it. The very point of fanfiction.