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Tony missed his date with Gibbs for a good reason. He was kidnapped and sat in a glass cube slowly filling with water. Twelve of the twenty-four hours are over and Gibbs only has a small lead.




Chapter 13

Gibbs buried his face. He was oblivious to the world outside his head. Tony was in the hands of Jenny Sheppard, couldn't get much worse. She knew a lot about investigation, hell he had trained her himself.

The only thing what was good was that they knew who had Tony, but to find Tony was a different story. Tony could be on a different planet and the chances to find him would be the same...


„Gibbs?.....Gibbs, please, look up."

He opened his eyes and took his hands down. Everybody except Abby and Ducky were gone.

„We will find him, Jethro. I know it. You have a strong bond, you two, you always found him."

„Yeah, I always found him. But the question is *will* I find him."

„Gibbs..."

„No, don't! Just forget what I said. Forget that it's Tony."

He took a deep breath. Knowing that it was Tony kept him from thinking clear. He needed to see the surface, the obvious.



„Ok, Tony is a trained Federal Agent, it surely wasn't easy to get him."

McGee said. But Ziva shook her head.

„Sheppard is also one. She surely had a plan."

Both Agents stopped as Gibbs entered the bullpen. He took a deep breath and looked at them.

„What do we have so far?"

„All we know is that Sheppard is Sellers' sister."

„And we know she's doing this because of me."


11h 05 min 41 sec...




Chapter 14



Gibbs stared at the MSN Messenger for quite a while now.

„You know, the water doesn't go down by your stare."

Gibbs ran his hand through his hair. He didn't look away from the screen, he didn't want to see.

„You know, drowning isn't as bad as everybody says. I mean, hell yeah, it wasn't a nice way to go, could think of better ones, but..."

Tony didn't go on. Gibbs still stared at the screen. Right under the messenger there was the countdown.

10 h 39 min 23 sec...

„Funny though, he told you it would be 24 hours, what a lie. I was dead before you got the video. It's a game Gibbs, it's all a game. Don't take it as real. You can't safe me."

„I can!"

Gibbs turned to Tony for the first time. His skin was pale, his lips, those Gibbs loved so much to kiss, were blue but his once so beautiful eyes were red.

„It was cold Gibbs. Icy cold, even if you had me out before I drowned, I would never live. You know my lungs, I couldn't take that."

„No! You're not dead! You're not dead! You will not DIE!"

Gibbs closed his eyes and murmered the words over and over again until he felt a warm hand on his arm. He looked up. It still was Tony, but like he used to know him. His skin lightly tanned and a soft smile on his lips.

„You're not dead?"

Tony shook his head.

„Times running up and you're the only one who can make the difference."

He bent down until his lips were only a hair breath away from Gibbs'.




„GIBBS!"

The cold water in his face startled Gibbs out of sleep. He looked around and saw Abby, McGee and Ziva looking worried at him.

„We have a new mail."

Abby said.

10 h 02 min 13 sec...





Chapter 15



„This is nothing personal. Maybe we can go and get some coffee one day, except...THIS IS VERY PERSONAL!"



„Fine, so, apparently he really wants to piss me off!"

He started again towards the elevator.

„Ziva! McGee! We're going to Sheppards apartment!"




„What do you expect to find? A note where they are?"

Ziva asked when Gibbs put on the gloves and he glared at her.

„I want everything. They need a room for the cube, so maybe they rent something, and the cube needed to be built, so look for a bill for six 2 on 2 meters glass."

„Gibbs, Sheppard wouldn't let those things lay around here."

„I know, just try to find anything."



„Peep, peep, peep, peep"

„What's that?"

McGee asked.

„My watch. We have 9 hours left."





Chapter 16:


„New email?"

Gibbs asked when he saw Abby standing in front of his desk. She nodded.

„You found something?"

Gibbs sighed.

„Show me the mail."



„You've been at my sister's apartment. Nice try. I give you a tip.
Take a break, sip your coffee, there's nothing you can do."

Abby watched Gibbs reading the mail over and over again.

„We can't find the computer?"

Abby shook her head.

„Ziva, I want you to check the mails. Maybe there's a code, or something."

„There were only two."

„Check the fucking MAILS!"

Gibbs yelled and left the lab. He went out. He needed coffee. He needed to think clear. He needed to cool down.

He went to his usual coffee shop next street but against his habit he drank a cup right there, away from his collegues, away from the office where Sheppard had planned all this for months probably.

He felt unable to go back there. Usually the office was like home to him, sometimes more than his house. He felt Tony, in the office, he felt it here in the shop. He felt Tony close, but yet so far...

Act 5

Chapter 17:

He sat behind his desk. The countdown showed him the change to hour 17. Nearly 8 hours left. Then he got a mail.

„Would never have figured you to get together with the hot sweetness DiNozzo. Leroy Jethro Gibbs likes sugar with his coffee in the morning."

Gibbs took a deep breath. He surpressed every urge to throw the monitor against the next wall. Instead he printed the newest mail and threw it on Ziva's desk.

„Now there are three!"

She took a look.

„The only constant is the coffee. But that could mean nothing. Sheppard knows about your coffee addiction."

„He plays games with me. Noone plays games with me!"




*Flashback*

„Sorry, boss, I've fell asleep, I didn't..."

„It's ok, Tony."

Tony stopped his babbling and took the seat on Gibbs‘ kitchen table. It was the first time in their, well, fling, that Tony had stayed over night. Gibbs often wanted him to stay but he never asked for it.

„Coffee?"

„Of yours? You have sugar?"

Gibbs grinned. Sitting at my table, he thought.

„You have plans for tonight?"

Gibbs asked and handed a cup to Tony.

„Nah, nothing. Do I have now?"

„Yeah, think so. Bring some cloths for tomorrow, tonight it'll get late, no need to drive..."



*End flashback*

„Boss? Boss! Gibbs!"

Gibbs snapped out of his thoughts and looked at McGee.

„The SecNav wants to talk to you, in the video conference room."




„Sir?"

„Is it true, what I've heard, Agent Gibbs?"

„That depense on what you've heard."

Gibbs said his old self.

„Is Director Sheppard involved in Agent DiNozzo's missing?"

„We have good reasons to think that, sir."

„What reasons?"

„We identified the man who took Tony. And she's his sister. Moreover the culprit knew that we searched her apartment."

The SecNav sighed.

„Ok, thank you, Agent Gibbs. And good luck."

„Thank you, sir."




Chapter 18:

6 h 58 min 23 sec...

„Ding! You've got mail."

Gibbs sighed. He didn't want to open the mail. He knew it would hurt and not help a bit. Anyway he clicked on it.

„I guess you like your lovers like your coffee. Hot, huge, with mediteran temperament."


*Flashback*

„Tony, I-..."

Gibbs was muted by more passionate kisses as Tony pressed him against the door.

„Shhh! Less talk, more..."

He kissed him again. Gibbs thought Tony's hands were everywhere. In the one second they were in his hair, pulling his head into hot kisses, the next seconds they were at his pants undoing the belt.

„Tony, ..."

No matter what he wanted to say his mind stopped working as Tony's right hand wrapped around his rock hard cock.

When Tony came out of that prison cell Gibbs had thought the other man would fall into bed like a dead man and sleep for three days, certainly he hadn't expect that.

„God, more..."

Gibbs whispered but Tony didn't put up speed. He kept stroking slowly and affectionately. Instead he went to his knees, kissing his way down.

Tony softly kissed Gibbs hip bones carefully radiating the hard dick in front of him. He kissed the top before he swallowed Gibbs completely.



A hour later they lay curled up in Gibbs bed, Tony kissing the nape of the other man's neck.

„That wasn't what I expected tonight."

Gibbs whispered and Tony stopped for a moment, then nipped on Gibbs‘ earlope.

„I guess that my Italian blood. The temperament."

*End flashback*


Gibbs stared at the words.

„WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME? WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT ME TO DO?"

He yelled at the screen and the whole office looked at him. He rubbed his hands over his face. Then he grapped a pair of gloves and get up to the office of Director Sheppard.

„Sir, Director Sheppard isn't there..."

„That's not a surprise!"

Gibbs barked and went past the secretary.

He searched everything but found nothing. All there was what hinted to it was a really detailed file of Tony.

McGee had followed him and stood in the door.

„She had looked for a way to get rid of him very carefully. This is her emergency plan. The plan if every other plan failed."

Gibbs said and McGee didn't even wondered how the other man knew he was there.

„She could have fired him."

„But then he still would have been with me."

„I thought she's clever enough to know that you wouldn't rest until Tony's murderer..."

Gibbs shot him a look. Then he stood up and looked McGee right in the eyes.

„There will never be somebody you can call Tony's murderer! You got that, McGee?"

„Yes, boss. Sorry, boss."

Gibbs turned and looked at the file again.

„And for what you tried to say, she first wanted to put him into prison. Clever plan. Tony would have been out of the way and she even helped me while investigating. She had nothing to do with it, except hiring Charles Sterling. It all seemed so innocent, it even blinded me."

„But if she wants to kill Tony, why not a bullet? She could have her brother kill Tony and tell the police she didn't hear of her brother in years."

„Yeah, McGee, that's the way it would be if she wanted me back. But I think she doesn't want me back anymore."

He had opened the last drawer, that one was locked and he had to break it open.

„I think she didn't want a faggot."

„Why do you think that?"

He showed him the pics he had found. One was of Gibbs and had with red „faggot" writen over it. The other was of Tony, „KILL!". McGee swallowed and nodded.

„I guess she blamed Tony for me playing for both teams."

Gibbs sighed and put the pics on the desk.

„Get the camera, McGee."






Chapter 19:

„What‘s the similiarity between the coffee on your desk and the federal Agent in my cube?
Both are getting cold fast!"

Gibbs sent the mail to Abby and shut the screen down. He didn't need to see this, at least not now. He didn't even consider the possibility that that asshole was watching him since Ziva was right, Sheppard knew about his coffee addiction and there was more or less always a cup of coffee standing on his desk, or in his hand, sometimes both.

He turned the screen back on. There was nothing new, not that it was a surprise. The mails came every hour, predictable. But the countdown start to make Gibbs nervous, yes, he hard ass Gibbs was nervous, maybe for the first time in his life.

He just couldn't deny it, all this scared the shit out of him. For many years he hadn't anybody close enough to be hurt, even his second and third wife he kept at distant, maybe a reason for the divorces.

But Tony he had let through the barriers without knowing. Not when they started to sleep with eachother, Gibbs had had a lot of meaningless sex, even with his second and third wife, but when Tony got him to talk. Gibbs had told him a lot more than anybody else, except Ducky.

But now he didn't knew what to do. Usually it was Tony coming up with an idea when the case seemed impossible to solve. But Tony was so much more. Tony was the one thing that kept Gibbs going. When they had a tough case it was Tony's look that made Gibbs go on. That look that told him that the younger man wouldn't get an eye shut if they didn't get the bastard. And Tony would roll his eyes when Gibbs told him to work harder, he would sigh, when Gibbs said they had to find anything, but he would work harder, he wouldn't sleep until he found anything they could go on with.

But this time Tony wasn't there. This time he couldn't tell his best Agent to concentrate and give him a head slap. This time they had to do it for Tony, again.

Again. They had done it too often in the past. Gibbs didn't blame Tony for it. Sometimes it was just what happens at the job but often, at least it seemed to Gibbs, it was his fault. Tony had opened the letter without a name, but he should have opened it, he had sent Tony undercover with Ziva without knowing what those assassins were up to, Tony was framed for murder because of him and now Tony was in a cube filling with water because of him. He already had lost his daughter because of the job, he wouldn't let the job take him Tony.

05 h 02 min 35 sec...



Chapter 20:

„Panic: You're breathing hard. Your heartbeat is ways too fast.
Reasons for Panic: Sitting in a cube slowly filling with water.
Heartattack: You're breathing hard. Your heart stops after beating too fast.
Reasons for Heartattacks: Having somebody sitting in a cube slowly filling with water ; and drinking too much coffee."


Ziva didn't find out anything about those mails and time was running out. Gibbs went down to Abby.

„You've got anything from that video?"

The goth just shook her head.

„But there's a new video."

She opened the file. The water was threatening high and Tony was now obviously shivering.

„Why is the picture that green?"

„It's night mode. I guess they have shut out the light from the window."

„So, now it is completely dark?"

Abby nodded.

„I need to talk to Ducky."






„Ahh, Jethro, anything new fron young Anthony?"

„I'm afraid, no, Duck."

The older man stopped at the autopsy he was doing and mentioned Gibbs over to his office.

„What is it, Jethro?"

„What are the effect this can have on Tony when we get him out in time?"

„Well, if you..."

Gibbs shot the ME a look.

„I mean, when you get him out he could have a hyperthemia, since the water is probably cold and with his lungs...but I think worse will be the psychic trauma."

„Psychic trauma?"

„Yes, he could have phobias from this, like claustrophobia,
hydrophobia, fear of darkness, these kind of things."

Gibbs sighed. That was what he'd expected.

„But, Anthony is a strong young man. All you should care about right now is to get him out of there. Everything else can come later."

Gibbs nodded. Ducky was right, he shouldn't worry about that.

„I'm...I'm scared, Ducky."

The other man looked surprised for a moment. Gibbs never was scared, or at least never admitted it.

„I can't lose him, Ducky. But there is nothing leading us to him!"

„You will find him, Jethro, I know that. You just have to keep a cool mind."

„Don't you have a better advice, ‘cause that's kinda difficult at the moment."

„Think small. I don't think she's taken him out to Mexico, so, stay close. You couldn't take it if you don't find him and he was close all the time."

Gibbs shook his head.

„I couldn't take it if I don't find him at all."

ACT 6:

Chapter 21:

03 h 57 min 14 sec...

Gibbs put the fresh cup of coffee on his desk. Annoyed he clicked on the new mail he had recieved in his absence.

„How are you holding up, Gibbs? Do you seem to follow the same footsteps you walk everyday? No? Hmmm...I guess things can change. Maybe the world is coming to an end...Nah...Just your little boy toy."

He threw the full cup against the next wall and again, all eyes were on him.

„WHAT?"

He barked and everybody turned back to their work.

„Ok, Gibbs, there must be a code. Follow the same footsteps...."

Gibbs thought hard but he didn't get anything out of it.



When he was at the door to Abby's lab he already heard her yelling.

„YOU FUCKING BASTARD! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

„I guess you still haven't found the computer."

Gibbs said toneless and put the oversize cup of Caff-Pow! on her desk.

„It's pointless, Gibbs! It's worse than when Tony was in jail, I mean, I have nothing, absolutey nothing!"

„I know, Abby. Something we both aren't used to."

She sniffed.

„You smell extremely after coffee today!"

He showed her his jacket.

„I threw it against the wall and it spayed back."

He shrugged. He didn't planned on wearing those things ever again anyway.

„The newest mail?"

Abby asked and Gibbs nodded.

„We only have three hopurs left and there's nothing but those mails leading us to Tony."

Abby nodded and tears showed in her eyes.

„We have to find him, Gibbs."

She said when she put herself in Gibbs‘ arms.

„We will."

He said and kissed the top of her head. He wished he would be convinced himself.



Chapter 22:

„I thought about drowning the fed in coffee instead of water. A bit expensive though. But then...It would kinda be like drowning in you...All hot and bothered..."

„I would really appreciate to wheigh his liver."

Ducky said as he read the mail over Gibbs shoulder.

„Prepare for two livers."

Gibbs said and stood up. Then again he stopped. He didn't really knew where he should go. Not even three hours were left and they still had no clue. He sat back down.



*Flashback*

„Kate wouldn't want you to sit around alone in the dark."

Tony said from the door of Gibbs‘ living room.

„Yeah? What do you think she'd wanted me to do?"

Tony fell next to Gibbs on the couch and showed him a bottle of Jack.

„She'd wanted you to drink in the dark with me!"

Gibbs laughed shortly.

„Yeah? You think so?"

„Yup!"

Tony said and gave Gibbs the bottle.

„So, and what are you gonna drink?"

Gibbs asked and opened the bottle without bothering for a glass.

„Haha! I brought my own!"

Tony said and pulled another bottle out of his bag.

„Sheers, boss. To Kate."

„To Kate."

Gibbs said and the two bottle made hard contact.



„I don't know if that's what Kate wanted us to do...."

Tony said when Gibbs gave him enough time to breath and form a sentence.

„Hell, that's exactly what she'd wanted!"

He said before taking Tony's mouth into yet another hot kiss.

„She'd want us to be happy, at least for a hour or so...."

„God, boss. I never expected you to taste that much like coffee. Nearly a bottle of Jack and you still taste after it!"

*end flashback*


„Thinking of old times?"

Gibbs looked up and saw Tom Morrow.

„Tom, what are you doing here?"

„My duty, Jethro. I'm back as the Director until they found a new one. I'm very sorry about Agent DiNozzo."

„He's not dead, Tom! Not yet anyway!"

„You've got a lead?"

Gibbs only sighed and shook his head.

„Good luck, Jethro."

Morrow said and left for the office. Gibbs looked at the countdown to check how long he had been in another universe.

02 h 01 min 58 sec...



Chapter 23:

„Water is transparent,
Blood is red,
coffee is black...
....just as death."


„Cryptic nonsense!"

Ziva said annoyed and threw the mails into the bin. Gibbs looked at McGee and the younger Agent nodded and printed the mails again. He carefully put them on her desk and she gave him a look of death.

Somewhere in his mind Gibbs started to give up. He didn't want to and fought with every bit of his heart against it but his mind kept telling him that there is no way to save Tony.

He rubbed his hands over his face and all he felt was regret. There was so much he regretted. Most of all that he never had told Tony what he meant for him. He never had said I love you. Gibbs thought of all he had never told him. He never had told him how Ari really had died. He had never told him about his life as a Marine, he never told him the reason why he had assigned. He regretted all the time he could have spent with Tony but didn't because he feared to let the younger man know that he cared. And he regretted those three years he had never tried anything with Tony.

Right now he regret that he ever slept with Jenny Sheppard. He regretted that he didn't listen to her when she wanted to talk. It could have saved Tony.





Chapter 24

00 h 59 min 29 sec...

„If you could ever choose a road which would you take? What would you choose? The one that leads to the family you lost and cool lemonade? Or to the fed in the cube and hot coffee?"


Gibbs nearly burst when he read the words. He already had that suspicion that there's something wrong with Jenny Sheppard but this!




„You never told me about your daughter."

Tony said looking at the picture.

„She really was lovely."

„I don't talk about my private life at office."

Gibbs looked at his lover just in time to see the hurt. Why did he say that? He knew that Tony meant that he hadn't told him after they'd hooked up.

„Yeah, right. There's only one place you're chatty."

Tony grinned.

„You really want to hear the story?"

Tony's grin vanished. He could see that this was serious and he nodded.

„Kelly was eight. She played the piano very good."

Tony nodded again, now he knew why Gibbs was so off at the Watson case.

„My marriage with Shannon was going well, I really loved her. And then, one day, one of those guys I arrested thought he'd need some revenge. Instead of shooting me, he chose Kelly..."

Tony saw tears in Gibbs‘ eyes but they would never fall. It was hard enough to let one wall fall, he couldn't expect them all to go down.

„After that Shannon and I couldn't go on. We both knew it was better to go seperate ways instead of waiting for all to go to hell."






Gibbs felt a tear rolling down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away.

„The one that leads to the family you lost and cool lemonade."

What the hell did that mean? Then it hit him.

„McGee! Ziva! Grap your gears!"

They went into the elevator.

„Where are we going, boss?"

„Coffee shop."

Ziva looked at her watch.

„We have only twenty minutes left and you want to get coffee?"

„Next to the coffee shop is an empty store. Sellers wrote in every mail something with coffee! Tony is there! In that store!"

Five minutes later they were at the store. McGee and Ziva took the back entrance and Gibbs the front. They cleared the ground level but no sign of Tony.

„Want to check the first floor?"

„No, the basement."

Gibbs answered and headed the way.

„Nice try, Jethro! Only you might go in!"

Sheppard stood at the door with a gun drawn at Gibbs.

„And no gun!"

He put his gun down and entered the room.

There, in the middle, stood the cube. It nearly was filled with water and Tony fought for the last bit of air at the top of it.

„I give him five minutes, what about you?"

Gibbs turned and spotted Sellers in a corner at the left.

„You fucking..."

„Now, now, now. Agent Gibbs. I told you that there's nothing you can do! How did you find us anyway?"

„I'm not as stupid as you think! Your mails, of course."

Sellers sighed.

„Yeah, Jen told me it's not a good idea, but hell, it was a lot of fun."

There was a shot. Gibbs saw Sellers falling and blood radiating his head. He looked at the door and McGee threw him his gun.

They all stood in front of the cube.

„On the count of three. One...Two...Three!"

All of them fired and the glass burst. The water shot out right over Gibbs and Tony landed right on him.

For a second Gibbs breathed through.

„Not breathing!"

He cried out when he realized that Tony's chest didn't raise and fall. He lay him flat on the floor and did mouth to mouth.

„C'mon Tony! Can't lose you!....C'mon, breath!"

He whispered when he tried to get his heart beating.

„Wake up! You can't leave me!...Fuck! Wake up, baby!"

„Cough, cough cough..."

„GOD!"

Gibbs threw himself in his lover‘s arms.

„Baby? You called me a lot but never baby!"

Oblivious to everybody else Gibbs just pulled Tony in for an aggressive kiss. After only seconds Tony broke the kiss and coughed again.

„So, is this how you want to end your career?"

Tony asked grinning and nodded at McGee and Ziva.

„Yeah, it is."

Gibbs answered and Tony looked shocked.

„Gibbs, that, that was just a joke, I didn't mean..."

„No, Tony. I'm gonna resign. We will talk about that later. Now we have to get you healty!"

„Peep peep, peep peep, peep peep..."

Gibbs hit the button at his watch.

„I don't think we need that anymore."





Chapter 25:

Countdown – 01 h 23 min 34 sec...

Gibbs shut the countdown and sighed.

„Hmm, I'm one hour and 23 minutes dead? Feels quite normal, though."

„Smart ass!"

Gibbs said and looked at Tony.

„Ducky cleared you?"

„You think I would be standing here if he didn't? He said everything seems fine. I just have to rest, to eat and to stay away from germs."

„So, no hyperthermia?"

„The water wasn't that cold."

Gibbs frowned.

„You shivered!"

„You ever were in panic? Your body does things you can't control then. You're ready here? And before you say something, Ducky said no report until monday."

„But it's thursday, DiNozzo!"

„Talk to my doc, boss."




Gibbs drove straight to his house. Tony didn't complained so he figured his intuition was right.

„You want to tell me what you meant?"

Tony asked when he sat at the kitchen table and Gibbs took some left over out of the fridge.

„What?"

„You said you want to end your career."

Gibbs didn't answer until he said down with two plates.

„I won't set you in danger anymore."

„That would mean I have to quit, not you."

But Gibbs waved it off.

„No, you can deal with the things coming up during the job. I mean those enemies I have. I already have enough and I don't need to make new ones."

Tony ran his hand through his hair.

„Ok, so you want to quit NCIS because you don't want me in danger? But you're the one always saving my ass."

„I'm the one always bringing your ass in danger."

They stared at eachother. Somehow Tony knew there was no point to argue. He knew Gibbs well enough to know that if that man had come to a decision it would need a lot more than words to change his mind.

„Ok, I'll accept that. But I want you to think about it, first. At least a day or two! But now, I'm really tired. You can think of a nice, warm, dry place I can get some sleep?"

Gibbs smiled and took Tony's hand before he pulled him up.

„I think we can arrange that."

He said and pulled Tony into an affectionate kiss.




THE END




AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This is the end of Cube, but there'll be a sequel about Gibbs and Tony's life after the incident. It'll be called „Effects" so keep your eyes open if you like this one. Thanks for all the positve feedback, and I hope there'll be more.