Chapter 12
"What?" Kate cried out in shock.
"You heard me, Agent Todd," Gibbs said sternly. "If you are incapable of showing common courtesy towards Tony, then you can leave right now, and I will gladly sign your transfer orders."
"Good Lord, Gibbs." Kate jumped to her feet and glared over at Tony. "He doesn't deserve any kind of courtesy. He's nothing more than a terrorist slave."
"That, my dear Caitlin, is where you are wrong," Ducky said as he sat next to her on the couch.
"What is that supposed to mean, Ducky?" Kate asked.
"It means, young lady, that not everything is as it seems." Ducky looked with worried eyes at Tony, who still sat on the floor with his head down.
"Ducky, would you mind explaining this to me, instead of being so cryptic," Kate snapped, her frustration growing.
"All will be explained in good time, my dear." Ducky nodded wisely.
"All right," Gibbs began. "I was going to wait until we had eaten to bring this up, but I think we need to get right to it."
"What is wrong, Gibbs?" Ziva asked.
"Does this have anything to do with that incident a couple of days ago?" McGee asked, looking up from the floor, his laptop teetering on the edge of the coffee table in front of him.
"What incident?" Kate looked from McGee to Gibbs. Although she was Gibbs' senior field agent, McGee knew more about what was going on and it was obvious that it was a point of contention.
Gibbs ignored Kate and kept his focus on McGee. "Yeah, Tim, it had everything to do with it."
"With what?" Kate shouted.
"Tony needs our help," Gibbs continued, still not acknowledging Kate.
"I do not help terrorists," Kate said, shaking her head as she sat down on the couch.
"Well that's good to hear, Caitlin," Ducky said with a smile. "Because Anthony is no terrorist."
"What do you mean, 'he's no terrorist'?" Kate was quickly becoming confused. "He's a slave, and only terrorists are made slaves."
"What he means, Agent Todd…" Gibbs started but was suddenly interrupted by Tony, who spoke over him.
"Don't, Jethro," Tony said quietly. "It's not worth you or Ducky getting into trouble."
"See," Kate shouted as she jumped to her feet and pointed at Tony. "That is what I'm talking about! He called you Jethro."
"Well, that is my name, Agent Todd," Gibbs said sarcastically.
"That may be, Gibbs, but he has no right to use it," Kate argued, angry at Gibbs for letting this slave such freedoms. "He's a low-life, enemy terrorist."
"Enough!" Gibbs shouted at his agent. "It's time you leave, now!"
"That is indeed enough," Ducky snapped. "From both of you. Jethro, I think it is time for the rest of the team to learn the truth behind young Anthony's enslavement. Perhaps Caitlin's opinion will improve after hearing his story."
"I wouldn't count on that," Kate mumbled under her breath.
"You can't, Ducky," Tony pleaded, his fear for the two men he cared so much for churning in his gut. "You and Jethro are risking not only your own freedom but theirs as well if you tell them anything." Tony rose and looked from Gibbs to Ducky and back again. "I'm not worth that kind of risk."
Gibbs watched Tony headed out of the room, his eyes filled with sadness and it broke his heart. He reached for Tony's shoulder as he passed by and gave it a comforting squeeze, stopping him from leaving. "That's where you're wrong, Tony. You're worth my freedom and more. I would gladly give up my life, if it would keep you safe."
Tony turned back with tears in his eyes, and he hugged Gibbs tightly. "That's why I love you so much," Tony said softly against Gibbs' neck. "You tell such wonderful lies." Tony couldn't help but laugh at the head slap he received.
"Tony," Abby called as she stood, too. "I don't know your whole story, but I know you, and I, for one, will risk my freedom or anything else to help keep you safe."
"That goes for me too, Tony." McGee stepped up and extended his hand, which Tony gladly shook. "After what I saw here the other day, well, that just wasn't right and I want to help set things straight."
"Thanks, McGee." Tony smiled, grateful for the man support.
"You can call me Tim," McGee said, smiling back.
"I will also help," Ziva added. "I hate terrorists, too, like Kate here, but I have never believed they should be enslaved. Killed yes, enslaved no." Ziva saw Tony grow pale, his eyes wide with shock. "Oh, no, not you Tony. I trust Gibbs, and do not believe he would become involve with a known terrorist."
"Oh, give me a break," Kate said sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you all are falling for this…this story of his."
"You know, Kate, it wouldn't hurt you to listen to what Gibbs and Ducky have to say," McGee said, giving Kate a glare that Gibbs himself would be proud of. "You might just learn something."
"How dare you talk to me like that…"
"Sit down and shut up, for once in your life," McGee yelled back.
"All right, that's enough." Gibbs stepped between the two agents. "McGee is right, Kate, you need to sit down and listen. I have a story to tell you and you need to listen to it." Gibbs felt it was vital that Kate understood the situation, or she could cause trouble, and that would put them all in danger.
Kate opened her mouth to reply, but the look on Gibbs' face made her stop and sit down. Gibbs could see the conflicting emotions on Kate's face. He had a strong impression that she was proud that McGee had stood up to her, even if she didn't agree with him, or understand why he had taken up Tony's cause.
Gibbs waited until everyone was settled again. McGee patted Tony on the back and went with him to sit next to Abby on the floor. Palmer, who had been keeping quiet in the kitchen, finally entered the living room and sat on the arm of the couch, next to Ducky. Now everyone was looking to Gibbs for an explanation.
"Okay, first off, Ducky is right. Tony is no terrorist," Gibbs began. "He was never involved in any way, with any kind of terrorist activity." Gibbs carefully watched each person's reaction as he told them Tony's story. "In fact, he was actually a Baltimore police detective, and from what I've been told, a damn good one."
"So he was a dirty cop," Kate sneered. "It's not like we've never seen one before."
"Caitlin, if you will just allow Jethro to finish," Ducky said disapprovingly.
After seeing Kate shake her head and half-heartedly wave for him to continue, Gibbs spoke again. "As I said, he was a damn good detective, and that is why he is now a slave."
Over the next hour Gibbs told his team the entire story, including his own involvement, not leaving one detail out. "I took Tony as my own property to keep him from being sold to God-knows-who."
The room grew eerily silent, each and every one of them contemplating what they had just heard. No one knew what to say or how to react to such news, except Kate. She began to shake her head, a low murmuring of "no" could barely be heard and then grew louder.
"No, that's not true," Kate insisted as her body shook. "If those are the lies this-this creature is telling you…"
"I was there, Kate," Gibbs calmly said. He could tell she was struggling. He knew her loyalty to the President was going to be hard to overcome. "You remember the day the President came to NCIS and I was called to the Director's office?" When Kate nodded, but kept her eyes averted from Gibbs', he continued. "Right after that meeting I left on 'special assignment' and was gone close to three months, remember?" Again Kate nodded. "Those three months was spent at the NCIS safe house cabin training Tony to be a slave, despite the fact he was innocent of all charges."
Kate slowly raised her eyes to meet Gibbs'. "You expect me to believe that the President of the United States, the man I personally protected during his first term, framed not only an innocent man, but a cop on top of it? No way will I ever believe that."
Gibbs walked over to his bookcase and opened his gun safe. He removed a piece of paper and then returned to stand in front of Kate. "Kate, did you know the President to ever sign or put his seal to anything that he felt was false or a fraud?"
"No, never."
"Then why would he sign this as well as place his seal on it?" Gibbs handed the document to Kate.
Kate read the document not just once but three times. Her eyes filled with tears when she finally accepted the fact that what had been said in this room tonight was indeed a fact. "But, why? Why would he do something so horrible to an innocent man?" Kate wiped away the tears that were falling down her face as she grew angry again, only this time it was towards her government. "No, not just an innocent man, but a law enforcement officer who was doing his damn job."
"He thought he was protecting the American people." Tony's quiet voice could be heard and everyone turned to look at him. He sat next to Abby, his head still lowered as he spoke. "I guess he just didn't consider me part of the American people."
"This is not a usual thing for your government, no?" Ziva asked innocently.
"No, Ziva," McGee sighed his answer. "To my knowledge this has never happened before."
"This was considered a matter of National Security," Duck answered.
"That's no excuse," Abby snapped. "What they did to Tony is-is inexcusable."
Tony couldn't help but chuckle at Abby's outburst. "Abby, I think I love you."
"I love you too, Tony." Abby hugged Tony as she fought the tears that threatened to fall. She looked up at Gibbs and quickly let Tony go at the glare she was receiving. "No worries, Bossman, he still loves you too."
This caused everyone to laugh, and Gibbs and Tony to blush- everyone but Kate, who sat on the couch, her head in her hands.
Ducky placed a hand on her shoulder and said gently, "It can be very difficult to accept that the basis for our beliefs is flawed."
She met his eyes and asked wryly, "So you're saying I've backed the wrong horse?"
Ducky smiled understandingly. "So it appears, my dear."
Kate lifted her head and watched Gibbs and Tony's interaction.
"Anyone can see that they deeply care for each other," Ducky said with a smile.
Kate may have agreed with Ducky but she shook her head slightly and turned to Gibbs. "Gibbs, there is one thing I don't understand."
"What's that, Kate?" Gibbs turned his attention from Tony to Kate.
"If you knew Tony was innocent, why would you put him through the hell of being trained?" Kate demanded. "I would have told them to go to hell, but you-you take a man who you know is innocent, and not only train him to be a slave, but make him your very own, personal sex toy. How could you?"
Gibbs' stomach flipped at hearing Kate's question and he quickly surveyed all the faces around him. Kate was more than angry and it showed. Ziva, McGee, Palmer and Abby sat staring at him, just awaiting his response. Ducky was the only one who showed any understanding on his face. Gibbs took a deep breath to respond when he heard an angry voice speak up.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Agent Todd," Tony said as he jumped to his feet and went to stand beside Gibbs. When he spoke again his eyes stayed on Gibbs' face. "This man is trying to save me, and I love him for it."
Gibbs laid his hand on Tony's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze, a small smile on his face.
Tony smiled at Gibbs and then turned to face Kate. "Yes, he did take me away and train me, and yes, it was hell at first. I had never been with a man. Hell, I had never even thought about being with another guy. When Jethro first started my training, well, let's just say I didn't make it easy for him."
Gibbs wrapped his arms around Tony's waist and pulled him close. He laid his chin on Tony's shoulder and gave a small laugh. "You could say that again." Gibbs let out an exaggerated oomph when Tony teasingly elbowed his stomach and then laughed at Abby's giggle.
"I won't deny that I truly thought I was in hell when the training started." Tony continued. "Christ, I even tried to escape."
"And you were quite lucky to have survived," Ducky broke in. "If you had actually landed on that electric fence instead of just grazing it-well, let's just say this would all be a moot point."
"Yeah, thank you for that memory, Ducky." Tony shook his head when Ducky saluted him and Gibbs chuckled behind him. "Anyway, after my botched escape attempt, I came to realize that I would have to accept my fate if I was going to survive. I also realized that it would be better to be owned by someone who knew I was innocent and would, maybe, treat me like a human being. Lord knows what or who I would have ended up with had I been brought back here and sold on the open market."
Tony stopped and looked at Abby when he heard her gasp. She had tears in her eyes and her hand covering her mouth. He drew Gibbs' attention to Abby and was pleased when Gibbs released him and went to Abby's side and wrapped her in a hug.
"That is not all, I think," Ziva stated.
"No, no that's not all," Tony said as she gave out a heavy sigh. "I'm the one who pushed Gibbs to take me as his own property." Tony heard several intakes of breath in surprise at his confession. "I tried to seduce him and when that didn't work I started pushing him- sexually- trying to get him to lose control. I wanted him to claim me so that he would have to become my master."
"But why?" Kate asked, still stunned at all the information she had learned today. "Why would you want anyone, especially Gibbs, to use you like that?"
"Because, I didn't want to end up my father's sex slave," Tony snapped angrily.
"Tony," Gibbs called out, trying to calm the younger man. He kissed Abby on the temple and then rose to pull Tony into a hug. Gibbs could feel him trembling and decided it was time for him to take over the story. He glanced around the room and saw everyone but Ducky and Abby had a look of shock on their faces.
"While we were at the cabin, Tony told me some things that were hard to comprehend," Gibbs began, pulling Tony tightly against him. "He was terrified he would be sold to his father, who is a very wealthy businessman. When he was a child his father attempted to molest him, but was interrupted. He was sent away to boarding school after that."
"Well, if he sent him away, why would he then try to get him back?" Ziva asked.
"Because I was eight years old and he didn't want to be listed as a pedophile." Tony said sadly. "Now, he can have what he wants and it would legal. No one will come down on him for fucking his slave."
"Can I ask you what makes you think your father wants you as his slave?" Kate asked hesitantly. Tony wasn't sure if he should answer her at first. His fear of what she would say holding him back, but because her demeanor had changed over the last hour he decided to take the risk.
"From the day I graduated college he has tried to force me to come home," Tony said disgustedly. "He kept sending me letters saying that since it was my fault my mother died, it was now my duty to take her place in his bed. Every time I received one, I would move on. Within two years he found me and sent another letter. He followed me from Ohio, to Peoria, to Philly and onto Baltimore. That's where I was arrested and sent into slavery."
"Are you saying you think your father is behind your slavery?" McGee asked.
Tony and Gibbs looked at each other, the meaning clear to everyone, but Gibbs still responded, "We have no proof of anything. We only have suspicions right now."
"But you believe his father was behind the incident the other day." It was more of a statement from McGee than a question.
"We do."
"Why?" Kate asked. "From what I heard, it was a warrant issued by the courts. If people knew the freedom you give your slave, anyone could have reported you."
"You weren't here, Kate, I was," McGee spoke up. "There was something very hinky about that whole scenario. Even the cop who came to serve the warrant, Lane, I think was his name, said something wasn't right about it."
"In what way, McGee?" Ziva ask.
"Well, for one thing, the head of the slave reclamation center, himself, came to serve the warrant," McGee explained. "Since when does the head of any agency do anything even close to that. If you had seen his face when Gibbs gave him that document and he realized he couldn't remove Tony, he wasn't angry or upset. He was terrified. Like he was going to be in big trouble with someone and it sure wasn't going to be the courts."
"And that wasn't the first attempt to get Tony away from me," Gibbs added. "I had a man come to the house and offer me an enormous amount of money to buy Tony. When I asked who his client was, he refused to tell me. By the time I threw his ass out he was up to a million dollars."
"A million dollars, for a slave?" Kate asked shocked.
"Yeah, now tell me that isn't suspicious," Gibbs said. "Not that he isn't worth that much, at least to me, but something or someone is behind that offer, and I'm telling you it's far from a legal reason."
"Gibbs asked me to look into Tony's father's background," Abby said as she rose to stand next to her new friend. "And I couldn't believe what I found." Abby looked to Tony as if to ask for his permission to continue. Seeing the slight nod to his head, she said, "Anthony DiNozzo Senior is beyond wealthy. He is worth millions, but his business dealings are shrouded in mystery. In fact his entire background is more than hinky."
"In what way, Abs?" Gibbs asked.
"Several years ago he orchestrated a multi-million dollar deal," Abby explained. "It teetered on the edge of legal. So much so that he ended up on the FBI radar. I can trace the investigation right up to the obtaining of the warrant and then nothing, nada, zilch…"
"Abs," Gibbs growled, stopping Abby's rambling.
"Sorry." Abby softly said. "Anywho, after that it was like he was free to do what he wanted, when he wanted. But the thing that upset me the most…" Abby hesitated glancing at Tony before meeting Gibbs's eyes. "I can find several documents where he had purchased slaves, lots of slave, always male. Within a month, if not sooner, he is purchasing another and the documents say he no longer owns the previous slave. Not once has the slave reclamation center ever launched an investigation into where the slaves are, nor have they checked up on them to see how they are being treated. I thought there were laws in place to prevent such things?"
"There are, but that means nothing to my father," Tony angrily said. "My father's sexual tastes have always leaned towards the, shall we say, the more painful side of pleasure. I would bet the slaves never survived long. If you were able to dig deep enough you would probably find they have been buried somewhere on his property. Of course knowing my father it's probably more likely they were weighed down with cement and thrown in the river." At everyone's shock expression, he explained further. "Hey, we're Italian. He's old school." The smack to the back of his head was actually very gentle.
"So what do you need us to do, Boss?" McGee asked, ready and willing to do whatever he could to help.
"Now, just hold on there." Tony took a step forward, his hand raised to stop everyone talking. "There is something you all need to think about here. My old man is very wealthy and very powerful. He is not going to just sit by and let you investigate him, especially if he does have something you can use against him. He'll do everything in his power to keep you, or anyone, from taking him down." Tony looked at each and every one of the people in the room. He needed them to understand what they could be getting themselves into. "I have known people who have crossed my father in the past and let's just say that they weren't around long. If you do this, you will be placing yourself in a considerable amount of danger. You need to think long and hard on this. Is helping a lowly slave worth your safety and possibly your life?"
Gibbs looked around the room at the looks of confusion and indecision on the faces of his team. He was nervous about what their reaction might be. When it appeared no one was going to respond, Gibbs began to grow angry. He thought, maybe, the team would refuse to help him and Tony. After all, it wasn't like he could order them to help, it had to be voluntary and he didn't know what he would do if they didn't want to help.
After what seemed like forever, Kate stood. Her eyes held determination as she looked at Tony. "I, for one, would be honored to help you, Tony, in any way I can. Tell us what you need us to do, Gibbs and we'll do it."
Author's Chapter Notes:
Kate learns the truth
Chapter End Notes:
Sorry this took so long. Next chapter may take a while as I am trying to finish up a story for an auction I agreed to write for.