Chapter 1:

Agent Fornell hated this. He really did. He couldn't believe that his director was having him do this. It was wrong, so very wrong on so many levels. Gibbs was never going to let him forget this, once he found out. 'Shit,' he thought, 'who am I kidding? Gibbs and his entire team are never going to let up about this.'

"The director will see you now, Agent Fornell," said Cynthia, the Director's secretary.

'Oh yea, I should just shoot myself and get it over with,' I thought as he rose from his seat and walked into the office.

"Agent Fornell, what can NCIS do for the FBI today?" asked Director Sheppard.

Meanwhile, Agent Gibbs and his team were just coming back from court, relieved to find that the perp was getting the maximum sentence for the murder of a Petty Officer and his wife. The kids, a brother and sister, had been fortunate enough to have been staying at their grandparents at the time of the murder. Naturally, Gibbs had taken this case to heart, as he normally did when kids were involved, and the second 'b' for bastard had really shown.

Everyone knew well enough to stay out of Gibbs' way, praying that nothing else would come up. "He'll be better tomorrow, once he's through it in is own way," Ducky had told the rest of the team.

"Yea, you mean once he's had the chance to fall asleep working on his boat again," Tony had replied. Course no one else could dispute that.

Ring. Picking up his desk phone, "Gibbs!"

Everyone held their breath. They did not need another case. But of course, since when do they ever get what the needed, or didn't need?

"We'll be right up." Gibbs' tone was flat, meaning he was not pleased with whatever had been said.

"Dinozzo!"

"Yea boss?"

"You wouldn't have any idea as to why the director want's to see the both of us in her office would you?"

"Uhhh no, should I?"

"Let's go!" and with that Gibbs grabbed his coffee and started towards the stairs. Ziva and McGee gave Tony both curious and sympathetic looks. Gibbs was in a state of mind where Abby would say, "Don't poke the bear!" Bear, indeed.

"Now, Dinozzo!"

"On your six, boss!" Tony sighed to himself as he followed Gibbs. Whatever was going to happen, it was not going to be pretty and it seemed that he was the lucky guy with front row seat to the explosion that was definitely bound to happen.

Gibbs groaned to himself, he knew he shouldn't have snapped at Tony like that. It wasn't fair, especially since he had been on the receiving end of more headslaps and comments on this latest case. Fortunately, by having worked for Gibbs for going on over 4 years now, Tony knew Gibbs well enough to not take it to heart when kids were involved. Course, from Gibbs point of view, the fact that Tony didn't take it personally when kids were involved, but seemed to the rest of the time baffled him.

Gibbs tried to, in his own way, make Tony see that he was valuable to the team and important to him, not just as a subordinate either. But then again, he was never good at dealing directly with people in matters like this. 'Hell, that's why I hired Tony in the first place,' thought Gibbs as he walked into the director's office.

He didn't know what to expect, but this was certainly not it. Agent Fornell was sitting in one of the chairs across from the director, and he did not look comfortable being there. In fact, if Gibbs were to guess, he would have even said that Fornell looked a tad bit embarrassed. 'Well, this should be interesting,' Gibbs thought with a smirk to himself. From behind him he could tell that Tony was more or less thinking on the same lines.

"Agent Gibbs, Agent Dinozzo, please come in. Take a seat." Director Sheppard said.

Chapter 2:

"No." Gibbs told both the director and Agent Fornell. 'Not just no, as in over my dead body no,' thought Gibbs to himself. Ignoring the curious look Tony was giving him, he stood up.

"Sit down, Jethro. We are not done. And it is not your decision to make," ordered Director Sheppard.

"He's my agent, on my team. I'd say I have more say than you," he argued.

"Gibbs, he is the best for the job. Do you really think I would be here if there were someone else I could use? If there is going to be shared jurisdiction on this, we need an NCIS agent in on this," said Fornell.

"But you don't want any other NCIS agents involved, just Dinozzo," I growled at Fornell. It was one thing to share jurisdiction, but what Fornell was asking was to 'borrow' Tony. I do not lend out agents for cases without having some sort of involvement myself, and he wasn't just asking for any agent. Nope, he was asking for Tony, my second-in-command, senior field agent. Jen really should know better, Director Morrow knew better than to ask me something like that.

"I am in no mood to get into a pissing contest with the director of the FBI, Jethro. They have been working this case for a while now and they are extending this invitation to us in light of interagency cooperation. Deal with it," Sheppard snapped back.

"Gibbs, I'll be fine. I can take care of myself," Dinozzo started.

"It's not a question of whether or not you can do the job, Dinozzo. It's a question of who you will have for back-up and whether or not they can do their job," I told him. The idea of sending Tony in on some undercover operation without really knowing who would be his back up was unsettling.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Fornell, his tone clearly indicating that he did not appreciate what I had said.

"What the hell do you think it means Fornell? I may trust you, but the rest of your so-called team? What gives me any reason to trust that anyone else on your team is competent enough to pull this off?" This was getting ridiculous. Jen used to be my partner, damn it! She should know better than to ask me to pass over an agent like a tool, Tony especially of all people. He's a magnet for trouble, not intentionally of course. The moment this conversation started, if that's what you wanted to call it, I had a gut feeling that something was gonna make me wish I had stopped for a refill of coffee before coming up.

Tony was wearing a curious expression on his face, and I couldn't blame him for it. I had gone from the snapping and slapping bastard towards him more than usual to a sort of over-protective paranoid, well something, preventing him from doing an undercover op. with the FBI. Hell, if I were in his position I would probably wonder what the hell was going on too. Course, Tony was probably thinking something along the lines of 'When the hell did the aliens get the chance to make a switch,' or something along those lines.

"Well, if you've got a suggestion, I'd be happy to take it under consideration," Fornell said, obviously resigned to the fact that the only way he would get Dinozzo was if I was satisfied. It's funny, Jen has known me longer and yet Fornell seems to be able to read me better. 'Guess being the director has gone to her head,' I think dryly.

"Well, you could start by placing me and my team as back-up. And I want to talk to your guy that you have in mind to send in with Tony as well," I answered.

"I can understand you wanting to be part of the back-up team, but I think my guy is fine, I don't need your stamp of approval," Fornell growled, clearly offended by the fact that I didn't trust his judgement.

"Yea, and when have you ever worked with Gibbs and not done something without his stamp of approval?" snickered Tony. By now it seemed that he was starting to become a bit amused by this whole thing. And if I weren't so busy arguing with Jen and Fornell, I probably would have had to laugh a bit myself. 'It's not every day the FBI walks in here asking for help, had to hurt,' I thought briefly to myself.

"So what are you gonna do if he doesn't meet your standards Gibbs? Go through every FBI agent that I have already passed over? That will waste too much time, time that we do not have. We need to have everything in place, this weekend may be our only shot for a while," questioned Fornell.

"Why do I get the feeling that you have already re-adjusted this operation to suit your liking in that stubborn head of yours, Gibbs?" said Sheppard.

"Gee, wonder what ever gave you that idea?" murmured Tony with a roll of his eyes. He got a glare from Jen and Fornell, and I had to hold in a smirk. He probably expected a slap on the head from me, but I figured I'd let it slide, after all, he did sort of have a point.

"Let an NCIS agent go in with Tony," I replied, noticing Tony's raised eyebrows out of the corner of my eye. From the grin he was trying to hide, it was clear that he had already guessed my line of thinking and was probably looking forward to seeing the reactions that would no doubt be priceless from Fornell and Sheppard.

"And who is it that you would recommend for this assignment?" questioned Sheppard.

"Me," I simply replied with a grin, and yes, both Tony and myself were treated to the most shocked expressions on their faces that we had ever seen and would undoubtedly soon forget.

Chapter 3:

I could practically feel the energy flowing off of Tony, no doubt he was holding in some smart-ass remarks about the entire thing, and I was torn with pride of his self-control and disappointment at not being able to prolong this further.

"You can't be serious," Fornell started. "You really want to…"

"Is there a reason why I wouldn't want to, Fornell?" I interrupted him.

"Jethro, you do realize what is involved here and…" Sheppard said.

"Do I look stupid to you? You are the one's who are saying we are short on time, so why do you keep wasting time asking me stupid questions? Me and Dinozzo will do the undercover op. and the rest of my team will assist your team in tracking us and providing back-up. Any questions?"

By now Tony had covered his face partially with his hand, trying not to laugh out loud. 'Oh yea,' I thought to myself, 'this was going to be fun.' And I definitely planned to use this little operation to my own advantage. It wasn't often I was given opportunities like this and I'd be damned if I was going to pass it up. Tony's father was a true bastard, having done serious damage to Tony's thoughts of himself in any aspect. It was a lot to undo damage like that, but being a Marine, I welcomed the challenge.

"Are you sure about this Jethro?" Jen asked me. Fornell gave me a look that clearly asked the same question. No doubt the rest of my team, save for Ducky, would probably have similar thoughts. With this sort of assignment, no one would question that Tony could pull off his part. The question would be that I was ready and willing to be the other half of this operation. No question, this was going to be fun on all accounts.

"Wouldn't of said so the first time if I hadn't meant it," I snapped back, leaving no room for argument.

"Alright. I have no objections, do you Fornell?" Jen gave me a curious look, and sooner or later I knew that she was going to want to talk to me about this.

"Yea sure. Like I said we are short on time. We have the rest of the day and tomorrow to get things in place before Friday," answered Fornell, resigned to the fact that if he wanted to get things moving, it was better to just go along with it.

"Well then I guess you had all better get started. Jethro, have your team keep me in the loop on this. Good luck," and with that Director Sheppard dismissed the three agents.

Chapter 4:

Abby and Ducky had joined McGee and Ziva in the bullpen not long after Gibbs and Tony had gone up to see the Director, which was over an hour ago. Curiosity had gotten to them all, which was why no one could concentrate on any paperwork. "You really think Tony did something?" asked McGee.

"Why else would both Gibbs and Tony be called into her office?" retorted Ziva. "Maybe someone finally decided to file a sexual harassment charge."

"Tony would never go that far! Maybe it has something to do with an old case of his before he started working here? Remember the list we had to go through with that whole Chip thing?" said Abby.

"Ugh, do not remind me. I hope we don't have to do that again, once was horrible enough," said Ziva.

"Well we haven't heard anything coming from the office, so it can't be that bad," said McGee.

"Ah, interesting point. But tell me, being a Marine, and a sniper at that, wouldn't Jethro know how to do things quietly without attracting attention?" Ducky pointed out with slight amusement.

They all grew quiet with thought as they looked up the stairs towards the Director's office, just in time to see Gibbs, Tony and Fornell walking towards the stairs. One thing was for certain; no one knew what to make of either man's expressions. Fornell seemed to be wearing one of resignation, Tony was smirking and Gibbs, well Gibbs had on his 'I am a bastard hear me roar' expression, which was nothing new. But no one had known that Fornell was there, so he was a new factor in the mystery meeting.

Glancing at everyone in the bullpen, Gibbs asked, "Is there a reason you all are standing around doing nothing?"

"Is there a reason the FBI is here?" asked Abby.

"Yep. Agent Fornell has requested our assistance in a case," answered Gibbs with a smirk.

"Really?" asked McGee.

"Since when does the FBI request our help?" inquired Ducky.

"Since the FBI doesn't have anyone fitting a certain profile to go undercover," supplied Tony with a laugh. "Otherwise they would have kept it to themselves, regardless of the fact that there are two Petty Officers involved."

Fornell glared at him, but didn't say anything.

"Oh cool. So you wanna borrow Tony then? What's your cover?" Abby asked. At that question Fornell seemed to withdraw into himself some, and Tony's grin got even wider.

"That's the best part, Abs. It's not just me who's going undercover."

"Ah, so I take it you're accompanying him Jethro? Must be an important assignment, you were upstairs for quite a while," stated Ducky.

"Yes Ducky, I'm going in too. Just had to convince the Director and Fornell. They don't seem to think I am the best suited for the job," answered Gibbs with a smirk.

"Now wait a minute, I never said that," retorted Fornell.

"No, but it was implied," snapped Gibbs.

"So is anyone going to tell us what it is you two are going to be doing, or is that need to know?" questioned Ziva.

"Don't worry, you are all going to be included in this. You will be providing back-up among other things," said Gibbs. Glancing towards Dinozzo, he asked "You want to tell them or should I?"

"I dunno, boss. I think maybe Fornell should," answered Tony with a snicker glancing at the FBI agent.

"Good idea. Fornell?" Gibbs looked expectantly towards Fornell.

"Oh all right fine, have it your way," growled Fornell.

"Well?" asked the rest of the team.

Fornell sighed. "We want Agent Gibbs and Dinozzo to go on a white water rafting trip…"

"Okay…and?" asked the team again.

"The white water rafting trip, it's a…father and son outing."

The team just stared at Fornell, looks of disbelief on their faces.

Chapter 5:

"Okay…don't forget to breathe guys," said Tony in an effort to break the silence. The team was still staring at Fornell like he had a third eye on his forehead.

"Hey! Snap out of it! Yes, before you ask, he is serious. We have work to do people," Gibbs shouted. It worked well enough, everyone seemed to come out of their dazed expressions and looked at him waiting for instructions. "Fornell, why don't you bring everyone up to speed?"

Nodding, Fornell took a deep breath before continuing. "We've been monitoring a drug-trafficking ring for the past few months. So far all my team and I have managed to do is catch the guys distributing heroin on the streets. We also know who supplies it, but what we are missing is the middle, that is, we don't know how the drugs are being transported from one location to another."

"And is there a specific reason as to why you need NCIS help?" asked McGee.

"Or do you not have any decent agents to do this sort of undercover work?" Abby said smartly.

"We have reason to believe that two Petty Officers have been using their jobs as tour guides on the Youghiogheny River to transport the drugs. They carry it down the river, and sometime during the trips they drop off their load to whoever is waiting to pick it up. This weekend is the first opportunity we have had to send anyone in," said Fornell.

"Why this weekend only? Sounds like you have been tracking these guys for a while now," observed Ziva.

"All of the trips are on weekends, usually specific group types, such as a father son outing, and require reservations. The only reason we were able to get in on this trip is because one father son team had to cancel at the last minute. Seems the son's wife went into labor early," continued Fornell.

"Talk about dumb luck," said Tony.

"No kidding," agreed Fornell. Looking at Gibbs, he asked, "Are you sure about this Jethro? My agent is more than capable…"

"For the last time, Fornell, yes. We finished this part of the conversation in the Director's office. Now when exactly does this trip start?" retorted Gibbs.

"The actual rafting trip doesn't start until Saturday, but there is a check-in on Friday evening. You stay in a cabin, you meet everyone else going along and the tour guides give you instructions and the like on what to expect on the water," answered Fornell.

"Alright. McGee, Ziva, I want you to work with Fornell on getting background information on the Petty Officers and the drug operation. Start making plans to keep track of everything and be ready to provide any necessary back up. Abby, you are going to need to provide Tony and me some fake ids. Let's go Dinozzo. We have to work on our background story," Gibbs barked out his orders. "We are on a timeline, people. Let's get moving!"

"Perhaps I could be of assistance on your background story Jethro?" asked Ducky, the amusement obvious in his voice.

"Sure thing Ducky," grinned Gibbs.

So Gibbs, Ducky, Tony and Abby headed for the elevator that would take them to Abby's lab as McGee and Ziva started questioning Fornell for more information.

'More like an interrogation,' thought Fornell with annoyance.

Chapter 6:

Down in the lab, Abby and Ducky were lending their creative minds to Gibbs and Tony to create convincing new identities.

"Ok, let's start with something simple. What kind of last name do you guys want?" said Abby, fingers flying over the keyboard.

"A name is a name, Abs. Just pick one," said Gibbs.

"Oh, come on bossman, your no fun. Besides, isn't your name like a way for you to identify with the character you are portraying or something?" inquired Abby.

"She has a point, boss. I mean, you don't want something too plain, cuz that's just boring. But you don't want something too flashy either, or it looks suspicious," said Tony.

"Why not just alter your own last name a bit, Jethro?" suggested Ducky.

"Alter it how?" Gibbs could not see very many ways to alter his name, it was short and to the point.

"How about Gibbson? Cleaver huh?" grinned Abby. "Or we could just sorta switch the letter 'b' into a 'd' and ta-dah! You've got Giddieon!"

"No way. Giddieon sounds way too close to giddy," said Tony.

"Gibbson works for me," said Gibbs, and Tony gave a nod in agreement.

"Alright! Now, for first names…You want to keep your name Tony? Gibbs, doesn't really matter," said Abby, moving along.

"It doesn't matter? How the hell do you figure that?" questioned Gibbs.

"Because all Anthony has to do is remember to call you 'Dad'," supplied Ducky with a chuckle.

The group all got a chuckle out of that remark, true as it was. Deciding it was best to keep their first names, Abby worked quickly to create new driver's licenses for the both of them.

"Now for the fun part," Abby said with a grin. "What do you two do for a living?"

"Well I think it's obvious for Gibbs, I mean, most people we talk to during cases guess right away he's a Marine. Might as well stick with that," suggested Tony.

Agreeing with Tony, Gibbs said, "Sounds good to me. Say I work at a base training new recruits."

"Got it. Not very adventurous are you Gibbs? How about you Tony?" asked Abby as she processed the new information into the computer.

"Why not just put him in the Marines too? Son follows in his father's footsteps. There is still a lot to do, we can't be here all afternoon," Gibbs said impatiently.

Detecting the impatience in Gibbs' tone, Tony just rolled his eyes. "Yea sure, cuz all sons follow in their father's footsteps," Tony said coldly.

Noticing how fast Tony had gone from relaxed to tense, Ducky thought it best to intervene before things got too off topic. "Anthony, what other jobs have you had in the past? Perhaps it would be best if your background consisted of something you are already familiar with?"

Tony turned towards Ducky and sighed. "Yea, used to be a bar tender at a club in college."

"Cool, I can so work with this," Abby jumped in excitedly. "Let me think, oh I got it! How do you feel about being a manager of a club?"

Tony thought about it, then nodded. "I can work with that. It's not like I forgot how to mix drinks or anything."

'Dodged a bullet with that one,' Gibbs thought with a sigh. 'I'm gonna have to watch myself with remarks like that.'

He hadn't meant anything by it, at least not in the way Tony seemed to take it. He just wanted to get things moving along. There was still a lot of information that they needed to get caught up on.

"Well, at least there's one thing between you two that you probably won't need to worry about changing for this assignment," said Ducky in an attempt to break the tension still present in the lab.

"Yea, what's that?" Gibbs asked, taking the bait.

Looking at each other and nodding, Abby and Ducky replied at the same time. "The headslaps!"

Thankfully, Tony just shook his head and started laughing along with Ducky and Abby. The tension gone from the room, but not forgotten, they got back to work.

Chapter 6:

Down in the lab, Abby and Ducky were lending their creative minds to Gibbs and Tony to create convincing new identities.

"Ok, let's start with something simple. What kind of last name do you guys want?" said Abby, fingers flying over the keyboard.

"A name is a name, Abs. Just pick one," said Gibbs.

"Oh, come on bossman, your no fun. Besides, isn't your name like a way for you to identify with the character you are portraying or something?" inquired Abby.

"She has a point, boss. I mean, you don't want something too plain, cuz that's just boring. But you don't want something too flashy either, or it looks suspicious," said Tony.

"Why not just alter your own last name a bit, Jethro?" suggested Ducky.

"Alter it how?" Gibbs could not see very many ways to alter his name, it was short and to the point.

"How about Gibbson? Cleaver huh?" grinned Abby. "Or we could just sorta switch the letter 'b' into a 'd' and ta-dah! You've got Giddieon!"

"No way. Giddieon sounds way too close to giddy," said Tony.

"Gibbson works for me," said Gibbs, and Tony gave a nod in agreement.

"Alright! Now, for first names…You want to keep your name Tony? Gibbs, doesn't really matter," said Abby, moving along.

"It doesn't matter? How the hell do you figure that?" questioned Gibbs.

"Because all Anthony has to do is remember to call you 'Dad'," supplied Ducky with a chuckle.

The group all got a chuckle out of that remark, true as it was. Deciding it was best to keep their first names, Abby worked quickly to create new driver's licenses for the both of them.

"Now for the fun part," Abby said with a grin. "What do you two do for a living?"

"Well I think it's obvious for Gibbs, I mean, most people we talk to during cases guess right away he's a Marine. Might as well stick with that," suggested Tony.

Agreeing with Tony, Gibbs said, "Sounds good to me. Say I work at a base training new recruits."

"Got it. Not very adventurous are you Gibbs? How about you Tony?" asked Abby as she processed the new information into the computer.

"Why not just put him in the Marines too? Son follows in his father's footsteps. There is still a lot to do, we can't be here all afternoon," Gibbs said impatiently.

Detecting the impatience in Gibbs' tone, Tony just rolled his eyes. "Yea sure, cuz all sons follow in their father's footsteps," Tony said coldly.

Noticing how fast Tony had gone from relaxed to tense, Ducky thought it best to intervene before things got too off topic. "Anthony, what other jobs have you had in the past? Perhaps it would be best if your background consisted of something you are already familiar with?"

Tony turned towards Ducky and sighed. "Yea, used to be a bar tender at a club in college."

"Cool, I can so work with this," Abby jumped in excitedly. "Let me think, oh I got it! How do you feel about being a manager of a club?"

Tony thought about it, then nodded. "I can work with that. It's not like I forgot how to mix drinks or anything."

'Dodged a bullet with that one,' Gibbs thought with a sigh. 'I'm gonna have to watch myself with remarks like that.'

He hadn't meant anything by it, at least not in the way Tony seemed to take it. He just wanted to get things moving along. There was still a lot of information that they needed to get caught up on.

"Well, at least there's one thing between you two that you probably won't need to worry about changing for this assignment," said Ducky in an attempt to break the tension still present in the lab.

"Yea, what's that?" Gibbs asked, taking the bait.

Looking at each other and nodding, Abby and Ducky replied at the same time. "The headslaps!"

Thankfully, Tony just shook his head and started laughing along with Ducky and Abby. The tension gone from the room, but not forgotten, they got back to work.

Chapter 7:

"Petty Officer Thomas Erikson and Petty Officer Brian Myers, both on leave after a tour in Iraq. Upon returning home they got jobs as tour guides and have been known to hang out at Zeus and Apollo, a local night club where the majority of the perps that we have arrested also hang out," said Fornell.

"Is this all you have to link them to the drug ring?" asked Ziva.

"No. Both Petty Officers have been to Carlos Sanatos's home numerous times throughout the week. He's the one with the brains to this whole drug trafficking scheme. We just don't have enough to tie him directly to anything," answered Fornell.

"And what were your reasons for suspecting them of transporting drugs during a rafting trip?" questioned McGee.

"They only do weekend tours for specific groups, usually no more than six people in a group. They often change their route at the halfway mark. Plus there is the fact that when they go to the bank they are depositing a hell of a lot more money than normal for tour guides," answered Fornell.

"That's really not to go on…" McGee started to say.

"No shit," interrupted Fornell with irritation. "Which is why my Director called your Director and suggested a joint investigation."

McGee and Ziva exchanged looks of amusement, enjoying the fact that the FBI agent was obviously annoyed and frustrated at the current situation.

"So you and our Director share the same skepticism on Gibbs playing Tony's father?" inquired Ziva with interest.

"Let's get something straight. Its not that I don't think that either Agent Dinozzo or Gibbs could not do this, its just that I am having a hard time seeing them pull this off together. I will not speak for your Director," snapped Fornell.

"So you don't think that Gibbs and Tony can pull this off together then, is that it?" teased McGee, enjoying the chance to bait the man.

"Or maybe he just wants to keep as few NCIS agents involved as possible, to maintain control over the case," countered Ziva.

"Yea, that would make it easier to take credit once its over. Be easier to hide the fact that he had to come here asking for help," replied McGee.

Fornell just glared at them. He honestly couldn't blame them, that if the situation were reversed he would be doing the exact same thing. That didn't mean he had to enjoy it though. Withholding a sigh, he wondered how much longer Gibbs and Dinozzo would be with the fake ids. The sooner they got this little exchange of information session over with, the better. They still had to go over tracking procedures and get Gibbs and Dinozzo the layout of the route that they were supposed to go on, and alternate routes that they may end up going on. It wasn't going to be easy to find out where the drop-points were, and even harder to try to gather enough evidence that it was the Petty Officers making the drops. As McGee and Ziva continued their banter, Fornell felt the beginnings of a migraine. 'Oh yea,' Fornell thought. ' I should of just shot myself while I had the chance.'

Chapter 7:

"Petty Officer Thomas Erikson and Petty Officer Brian Myers, both on leave after a tour in Iraq. Upon returning home they got jobs as tour guides and have been known to hang out at Zeus and Apollo, a local night club where the majority of the perps that we have arrested also hang out," said Fornell.

"Is this all you have to link them to the drug ring?" asked Ziva.

"No. Both Petty Officers have been to Carlos Sanatos's home numerous times throughout the week. He's the one with the brains to this whole drug trafficking scheme. We just don't have enough to tie him directly to anything," answered Fornell.

"And what were your reasons for suspecting them of transporting drugs during a rafting trip?" questioned McGee.

"They only do weekend tours for specific groups, usually no more than six people in a group. They often change their route at the halfway mark. Plus there is the fact that when they go to the bank they are depositing a hell of a lot more money than normal for tour guides," answered Fornell.

"That's really not to go on…" McGee started to say.

"No shit," interrupted Fornell with irritation. "Which is why my Director called your Director and suggested a joint investigation."

McGee and Ziva exchanged looks of amusement, enjoying the fact that the FBI agent was obviously annoyed and frustrated at the current situation.

"So you and our Director share the same skepticism on Gibbs playing Tony's father?" inquired Ziva with interest.

"Let's get something straight. Its not that I don't think that either Agent Dinozzo or Gibbs could not do this, its just that I am having a hard time seeing them pull this off together. I will not speak for your Director," snapped Fornell.

"So you don't think that Gibbs and Tony can pull this off together then, is that it?" teased McGee, enjoying the chance to bait the man.

"Or maybe he just wants to keep as few NCIS agents involved as possible, to maintain control over the case," countered Ziva.

"Yea, that would make it easier to take credit once its over. Be easier to hide the fact that he had to come here asking for help," replied McGee.

Fornell just glared at them. He honestly couldn't blame them, that if the situation were reversed he would be doing the exact same thing. That didn't mean he had to enjoy it though. Withholding a sigh, he wondered how much longer Gibbs and Dinozzo would be with the fake ids. The sooner they got this little exchange of information session over with, the better. They still had to go over tracking procedures and get Gibbs and Dinozzo the layout of the route that they were supposed to go on, and alternate routes that they may end up going on. It wasn't going to be easy to find out where the drop-points were, and even harder to try to gather enough evidence that it was the Petty Officers making the drops. As McGee and Ziva continued their banter, Fornell felt the beginnings of a migraine. 'Oh yea,' Fornell thought. ' I should of just shot myself while I had the chance.'

Chapter 8:

By the time Abby had finished with the fake ids, McGee and Ziva had finished reviewing the information provided by Fornell and had started mapping out the route which Gibbs and Tony would be traveling, highlighting possible detours that could be made during the course of the trip.

That in itself was not an easy task. There were several points along the Youghiogheny River, which broke off into separate areas. It would be impossible to guess which ones would be more likely to be used than others as alternates, as each route sooner or later re-routed back to the original course that had been plotted by the tour guides.

After going over the information with Tony supplied by Fornell, Gibbs decided to call it a night. Besides, McGee and Ziva seemed to be going cross-eyed from studying the map for as long as they had.

The next day began bright and early, as they still had a lot to do. When Fornell arrived, he had brought another agent with him, Agent Brian Cooper. He, like Fornell, was not happy about having to ask NCIS for help. Not liking his attitude, Gibbs sent him down to the lab with McGee to work with Abby on setting up GPS trackers.

Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and Fornell continued to work on the map of the area, making note of side roads and hiking trails that could be easily accessed. After lunch Gibbs and Tony headed down to Abby's lab for their GPS trackers. Ziva and Fornell started working on the details of surveillance of the tour group while they were at the cabins before leaving for the trip.

Entering the lab, instead of hearing the normal blast of music, Gibbs and Tony heard Abby arguing with Agent Cooper.

"It's not right! Are you trying to give them away!" she screamed.

"Please, it's a perfectly reasonable…"

"Piece of shit!"

"Abby!" yelled Gibbs. "What the hell is going on?"

"Fornell is going to want his agent back in one piece, after all," Tony said, and McGee shared a smirk.

"Agent Cooper was getting a car for you to drive tomorrow. Do you know what he got?" asked Abby, her voice giving away her frustration. Not waiting for an answer she continued, "A Saturn! Of all the vehicles out there, he gets a freakin' Saturn!"

"You have got to be kidding me," said Tony. "Exactly how long have you been working with the FBI?"

"Not very long, I don't think. I tried to tell him, but he didn't believe me," said McGee.

"Look, Saturn's are a very popular car. What is your problem? Or are you just looking for an excuse to make this difficult?" growled Agent Cooper.

"Yea, your right. Saturn's are a very popular car. In fact, they're too popular," Tony shot back.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Agent Cooper.

"Take it away, Probie!" Tony said with a dramatic wave of his arms.

"Most federal agencies drive Saturn's. You send them in driving one, you might as well broadcast it on TV that they are federal agents," supplied McGee, taking obvious delight in putting the FBI agent in his place.

"The car needs to fit their cover, you don't just pick one out of convenience," continued Abby.

Agent Cooper just stared at the three of them as Gibbs watched on in amusement. "Maybe you should join your boss upstairs. I'm sure he could use your expertise," Gibbs told him, and with that Agent Cooper stomped off towards the elevator.

"Thank God! I was beginning to think he was going to break something!" said Abby in relief.

"Don't you mean you were afraid that you were going to break him?" joked Tony.

"That too," she replied with a evil grin.

"Alright, FBI's not here, fun's over. What have you two got?" Gibbs intervened before they got carried away.

"More work apparently. Now we have to worry about arranging a car for you guys," said Abby.

"Abs, the GPS trackers?" said Gibbs.

"Right. Well, for you two, we've got watches."

"Water-proof watches. You'll be able to wear them while you're on the water and not have to worry about losing them in your bags," McGee said.

"No kidding," said Tony sarcastically.

Rolling his eyes, McGee continued, "You won't need to worry about going out of range since we will be using satellites to track your movements."

Nodding is head in approval, Gibbs asked, "What about the other trackers?"

"Right, we've got four. One for each Petty Officer, and I figured one for each of you to have handy to plant with the drugs in case you get the chance to look for them," said Abby. "They are your usual GPS trackers. Nothing fancy. Just keep them in their plastic containers so they don't get wet."

"Now why didn't we have these water-proof GPS trackers before I was chained to a killer?" questioned Tony.

"Director Morrow put in a request for them afterwards," answered Abby.

"Good work. How long until you can get a car ready?" asked Gibbs.

"Shouldn't take long, 2 hours tops," answered McGee.

"And what kind of car are you getting?" questioned Tony with a smirk.

Snickering, McGee replied, "Actually I was thinking of a truck, a Ford."

"Good choice McGee. You should give Agent Cooper a crash course in proper automotive usage for undercover ops," laughed Tony as he nodded his head in approval.

Gibbs just rolled his eyes. "Just as long as it runs. Last thing we need is to break down on the side of the road."

"Yea, but the way you drive Boss, you'll probably run the transmission raw anyways, no matter how good it runs," said Tony. All he got in reply was a headslap.

Chapter 9:

By the end of the day Abby and McGee had secured a vehicle and had tested all of the GPS locators to make sure that they were working properly. Fornell had sent Agent Cooper out to oversee the set-up of the surveillance van after he had returned from the lab muttering something about cars being too popular. He didn't understand the questionable looks he received from Dinozzo and McGee; but then again he wasn't sure he wanted to.

Fornell and Ziva worked reasonably well together, agreeing on the location of listening devices inside the cabins and where to park the surveillance van. Late in the afternoon everyone had gathered in the bullpen to make sure everyone was up to date on the operation from all angles. Eventually Gibbs decided to send everyone home to get some rest, as the next few days were going to be extremely busy. It also gave him and Tony time to pack and get their mind ready for the roles they were going to be playing. But what they both failed to realize was that neither one thought that their role-playing was going to be too different from the way they currently were with each other.

The next morning found everyone engrossed in going over last-minute instructions, making sure nothing was over-looked. After receiving a lecture from Abby on the handling of the GPS trackers, Gibbs was called up to the Director's office.

"So are you and Dinozzo all set?" asked Director Sheppard once Gibbs had taken a seat.

"As ready as we'll ever be," answered Gibbs. "But seeing as how closely you've been monitoring things you already know that. Something on your mind, Jen?"

She sighed. "This is just not something I was expecting you to do. Willingly working with the FBI without much complaint, well, at least once you were the one going in with Agent Dinozzo."

"And which has you more surprised, the fact that I'm cooperating with the FBI, or the fact that I wanted to work with Dinozzo on this?" questioned Gibbs, his tone neutral, giving nothing away.

The Director hesitated a moment before answering. "This is hardly a normal operation…" she began.

"Your right, its not. All we are going to be doing is observing. We are not planning to interact with the suspects in any way other than as tourists on a trip. Cut the crap, Jen. You obviously have your doubts, but is it with Dinozzo, or with me?" growled Gibbs.

"In comparison to your previous assignments, you and Dinozzo have always interacted as business partners of some kind. This is different. You will be acting as family. Are you sure you can treat him as a son instead of your senior field agent? Believe it or not, Jethro, there is a difference," she snapped back.

"Really? I expect the best from him; I push him so the best comes out. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that sounds like what a father son relationship should be, at least in part," said Gibbs calmly.

Staring at him in quiet shock she said, "You already think of him as a son."

"Yes, why is that so hard to believe?" asked Gibbs.

Giving him a soft smile, she answered, "It's just that I've never seen you so close to someone before, someone directly on your team that is."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Gibbs replied, "Jen, he's been on my team for nearly five years…"

"Stan Burley was on your team for five years," interrupted Jen. "I doubt you've kept in touch with him. No, it's different with Dinozzo, I can tell. I know you, Jethro. It's been a few years since we've worked together, but I can read between the lines."

Giving her a half smile, he admitted, "He reminds me of myself."

Chuckling softly, Jen said, "Well, at least now I have a better understanding of why you go all papa grizzly bear whenever something bad happens to him, and why you're listed as his next of kin."

"I see you've taken the time to read through some files," observed Gibbs. "Then you know that from the first time he was injured working here, that he doesn't have anyone who gives a damn about what happens to him."

"I do," Jen replied. "Just be careful, Jethro. Don't let your personal feelings distract you."

"And when have you ever known me not to be careful?" he asked.

"I'd bet good money that you have ulterior motives for this trip besides spying on some Petty Officers," Jen replied with a knowing grin.

Returning the grin, Gibbs answered, "I am neither confirming or denying anything."

"And please, please remember to keep the trackers in their cases! We don't want them to get wet!" lectured Abby as she sat monitoring her computer.

"I got it, Abs. Trust me, that's the last thing I'm going to forget," Tony told her. He had been busy checking out the truck with McGee earlier when Abby was lecturing Gibbs on the proper way to handle the new GPS trackers. The transmission looked questionable to him, but McGee assured him that it had just had a tune-up and was running smoothly. All the same, he took the keys McGee had in what he knew would be a futile effort to drive. Gibbs would want to drive just for the sole purpose of having something to do.

The drive itself would only take about 3 hours, depending on traffic, or in this instance, which one of them was driving. He knew Gibbs would want to start settling into their roles during the drive, and Tony had to agree that it was the smart thing to do. That way, when they arrived nothing about their father son status would seem forced.

'Well, with one exception,' Tony thought warily. It wasn't that he was dreading the assignment. Hell no, he loved his job, more importantly he loved working with Gibbs. 'It's just that I've…'

"Tooony. Earth to Tony!" said Abby as she snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Huh? Oh sorry Abby. I heard you, keep the trackers in their containers, no getting them wet," said Tony.

Looking at him curiously, she asked, "You ok? You kinda spaced out there for a minute."

"Yea, I'm good. Just running a mental check-list is all," Tony replied, hoping she would let it go.

"Liar." Apparently not. "What's going through that sexy head of yours?"

"You think I've got a sexy head?" Tony raised his eyebrows in a teasing manner in another effort to distract her.

"Don't make me hit you," she threatened. "Come on, spill. And don't you dare tell me its nothing either."

Tony sighed. Abby was a good friend, and she could read him like a book. He knew she wouldn't judge him. 'Probably wouldn't hurt to tell her anyway,' Tony thought. 'Best to get it out of my head before we leave.'

"It's kind of stupid, actually. I don't know why it's bothering me like this, it really shouldn't," he began.

"Yea, well better safe than sorry. Tell me so it doesn't distract you later when you're out there in the wild roughing it," Abby said with a grin.

Tony had to laugh at that. "I would hardly call it roughing it, but I see your point." Taking a deep breath he continued, "Well, it's just going to be weird calling Gibbs 'Dad'."

"You're used to calling him 'Boss', that's to be expected," Abby told him.

"No, it isn't that," he said, shaking his head.

Abby said nothing, waiting patiently for him to continue.

"It's just that, well, I've never actually…um," Tony paused.

"Never what, Tony?" Abby encouraged him.

Taking another deep breath he let it out. "I've never actually called anyone 'Dad' before."

Chapter 10:

Abby watched him quietly, almost as if she was waiting in the calm before the storm. She was right, and the storm was being released in full blast.

"I mean, growing up it was either 'Father' or 'Sir'. Anything else was seen as a sign of disrespect. I dunno, I might of said 'Dad' when I was first learning how to talk, but I don't remember that, not that I would be expected to or anything. Course, it wasn't until I got older that I realized that to call him 'Dad' would of implied something more than him just sharing a part of my DNA. 'Father' was just a designation, ya know? A statement of fact, cuz yea, he's my 'Father', but he sure as hell isn't my 'Dad'. And he sure as hell never showed any interest in being my 'Dad'. Maybe saw me as some sort of project, to sorta mold me into a clone of himself or something I guess. Does that make any sense? Ugh, I think I'm confusing myself." Tony finally stopped, suddenly realizing that he had been pacing. Taking deep breaths he tried to calm himself down.

Suddenly he was being surrounded by Abby as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a strong hug. Automatically returning it, Tony gave in to a deep sigh. It had honestly felt good to rant on like he had. 'Trust Abby to know when to push,' he thought gratefully. He began to feel a sense of calm that had seemed to elude him since last night.

"Damn Tony. What a bastard. He doesn't know what he's missing," Abby said softly.

Tony gave her a small quiet laugh. "Yea, he sure gives being a bastard a whole new meaning. Gibbs doesn't even come close."

"Speaking of Gibbs, maybe you should tell him," suggested Abby.

Pulling back a bit, Tony looked at her. "No. Promise you won't say anything Abby. I don't want him to think that I can't do my job just because I never got to say 'Dad' before. God, how pathetic does that make me?"

"First, it doesn't make you pathetic. You're far from it. And second, yes I promise I won't say anything to Gibbs," Abby told him as she pulled him in for another hug. "Just as long as you promise me something."

"Sounds fair," he said.

"You promise to come talk to me anytime you feel the need to rant on again, ok?" she said with an evident grin in her voice.

Smiling, Tony nodded. "I promise."

So engrossed in their hug, the two friends failed to notice as Ducky quietly left the lab, quietly pondering what he had overheard.

Gibbs stood waiting by the elevator, going over his talk with the director in his head. It still amazed him that she thought he was incapable of forming an emotional attachment of any kind, and not to be careful to let it interfere with the job when he did. He wasn't a complete bastard, he was capable of having emotions, he just had a different approach when it came to expressing those feelings.

Shaking his head, he brought himself back to the present. McGee had said that Abby had called Tony down to her lab to go over the proper care of the GPS trackers. He himself had had the privilege of that lecture already. But Tony had been down in the lab for a while now, and even he didn't need to take that long to understand how to handle GPS trackers, as much as he hated so many other forms of technology.

Gibbs was mildly surprised to find Ducky in the elevator when it opened.

"Ah Jethro, might I have a word with you?" he asked as Gibbs stepped into the elevator.

"Sure. I was just going to see what's keeping Dinozzo," Gibbs replied.

Reaching out, Ducky pulled the stop button. Gibbs raised his eyebrows in curiosity as he said, "I think we need to give Anthony a little more time with Abby."

Immediately sensing the level of seriousness from his friend, Gibbs immediately grew concerned. "Why would he need more time with Abby?"

Ducky sighed. "Jethro, I'm sure at some point you have thought about what this little adventure might mean to Anthony. But I doubt you realize just how much of an effect it will have on him. Lord knows, I didn't until a few moments ago. Although I have to admit I'm rather ashamed of myself, eavesdropping like…"

"I take it you heard something that Tony confided to Abby," guessed Gibbs.

"Quite right Jethro. It's good to see he can talk to someone about this sort of thing, but really, I think you need to know about this. Of course you must realize that you cannot give any indication that you know about what I am about to reveal to you, otherwise Tony may think Abby told you, and he swore her to secrecy," continued Ducky.

Now it was Gibbs' turn to sigh. "I knew that this arrangement might bring up some unpleasant memories for him. Since we are only observing, I was hoping to get the chance to rectify a few things that his so-called father did to him," Gibbs confided to Ducky.

"Indeed, although I dare say that it's the fact that it's the lack of memories that may be bothering him," replied Ducky.

"Care to elaborate on that, Ducky?" questioned Gibbs.

"What have you noticed about the few times that Anthony has ever said anything about his parents, about how he refers to them?" inquired Ducky.

Gibbs took a moment to think it over.

"My father was right, I'm gonna end up in the gutter."

"My father didn't realize he left me behind until he got the hotel bill and how much was being charged for room service."

"My father dragged me along on these Civil War reenactments. Got to carry around a bucket for the performers to take a crap. They called me 'little-poo-boy".

Realization dawned on him and came crashing down like a tidal wave. "He always refers to his parents as 'mother' and 'father', never 'mom' or 'dad'," Gibbs said softly.

"He's never called anyone 'Dad' before," confirmed Ducky.

"That son-of-a-bitch," growled Gibbs as he turned to slam his hand against the side of the elevator in frustration.

Ducky gave a small chuckle at that. "Actually, I believe the term Abby and Anthony used was 'bastard'. Anthony said you didn't even come close to being one."

And Gibbs couldn't help but give in to a smirk.

"You're going to have to tread carefully on this, Jethro. Not that you weren't going to before, but now…" advised Ducky.

"Yea, I know what you mean. Thanks for the heads up on this," said Gibbs.

"Of course," Ducky nodded, as he got the elevator moving again.

Chapter 11:

The rest of the morning and early afternoon went by quickly. After lunch Ziva headed out to meet up with Fornell's team to set up surveillance around the cabin where Gibbs and Tony would be spending the night. Abby was going to be monitoring them via the GPS trackers until McGee and Fornell finished setting up shop in a hotel not far from the cabin. Once they were set up Abby would be providing back-up servers for them.

With all of their equipment packed and loaded in the truck Gibbs thought it best to get on the road before traffic got too heavy. While doing a last-minute inventory check and testing the GPS trackers, both Gibbs and Tony received lectures on the importance of keeping the trackers dry again and to not get into any trouble that forced them to perform some heroic action that was equally dangerous.

"Please, please remember to keep them dry! I don't think I can stress this enough!" exclaimed Abby.

"Yes, you can," said Tony, and received a punch in the arm. "Ouch!"

"I'm serious Tony! And don't either one of you let curiosity get the better of you!" scolded Abby.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Tony.

"It means that BOTH of you have tendencies to get into trouble, so don't go looking for it!" declared Abby.

"Abs, relax. You will be keeping an eye on us the whole time, how can we get into trouble?" Gibbs said reasonably. "And besides, last I checked Tony was the one who kept finding trouble," he added with a smirk.

"Hey! I resent that! Trouble finds me, not the other way around!" exclaimed Tony.

"Ah good, I had thought you two had left already. Wouldn't want you to be driving without this," Ducky said as he approached the group, carrying a thermos filled with what had to be nothing other than Gibbs' coffee.

"Thanks," said Gibbs. "But I have driven without coffee before you know."

"Yea, and look at all that paperwork that came out of those 'incidents'," remarked Tony. Gibbs cuffed him upside the head as he took a drink.

Laughing, Ducky asked, "So how are you going to survive without coffee tomorrow Jethro?"

"Who says I'll be without?" Gibbs said, raising his eyebrows.

"Yea, cuz with all the development going on throughout the rest of the country they decided to hell with the park and built a Starbucks right along the river. They even installed drive through so you don't have to get out of the raft," said Abby, and with that both her and Tony burst out laughing, with Tony noticeably moving out of reach of Gibbs.

Gibbs just glared at the pair. "Give me the keys, Dinozzo. Let's get going."

Catching his breath, Tony replied "Uhh, why don't you let me drive boss?"

"The keys, Dinozzo. Now," growled Gibbs.

Resigned to his fate, Tony handed over the keys. "Let's go. I'd like to get there before we have to meet with the rest of the group to go over the area," said Gibbs as he headed towards the driver's side.

"If I were you I'd make sure that that thermos survives the rapids," advised Abby. "Your survival and of those surrounding you depend on it, not to mention the mission of course."

"Yea, well if you happen to see me take off at lightning speed in the opposite direction, then you know the coffee drowned," replied Tony.

Abby punched him in the arm again. "Tony! Don't even joke about something like that!"

"Dinozzo! Get in the truck, now!" ordered Gibbs.

"Best get going, Tony. Wouldn't want to push your luck, he hasn't even had half of what's in that thermos yet," Ducky said.

"See you guys later!" Tony called out as he climbed into the truck.

"Be careful!" Abby shouted with a wave as the truck pulled away.

Abby sighed. "You think they'll be ok?"

"Somehow I have a feeling that things will come out better between those two than when they left," answered Ducky cryptically. With that he turned and headed towards the elevator, leaving Abby to her thoughts.

Much to Gibb's annoyance, and one of the first things he noticed within the first five minutes of driving, was that the truck did not accelerate well. Tony knew better than to say anything, and once they got onto the beltway they couldn't go very fast due to traffic anyway. He also knew better than to try to play with the radio, which was why he turned on his IPod not long after pulling away from headquarters. He needed the time to clear his head and let himself soak in the mindset of what was to be his new role.

Although, he knew deep down that it wasn't going to be much of a switch as far as he was concerned. Gibbs had been more of a father, had shown that he really cared about what Tony did and what happened to him, more so than anyone else had before. Gibbs taught him how to be a better investigator, disciplined him when it was necessary without ever humiliating or degrading him. The hard part was going to be making sure that Gibbs didn't think he wasn't taking this assignment seriously. He knew Gibbs would pick up on the fact that some of his behavior hadn't changed.

And then of course there was the whole 'Dad' issue. He knew he was going to have to say it at some point. More than once, otherwise it would arouse suspicion. But it was all supposed to be part of the cover, an act. It shouldn't be this hard, after all. Seeing Gibbs as a father figure already should have made things easier, right?

Tony sighed to himself. Once they got there he was going to have to be in the role, no hesitation or second-guessing himself. He just wished…hey. Tony suddenly felt like a light bulb went off in his head. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Gibbs cursed as another driver cut him off while switching lanes. He had to hold in a laugh at that, usually it was Gibbs cutting people off.

Deciding that now would be a good a time as any, he decided to approach Gibbs with an idea that he couldn't say no to.

It had been a few hours since they had pulled out of the NCIS parking lot, and the entire time Tony had sat quietly, obviously lost in his own thoughts. Gibbs had been concerned at first, especially since he didn't even bother to try fiddling with the radio. But on closer examination, he noticed the headphones in Tony's ear. It seemed that Tony wanted to be left alone.

Gibbs could understand that to a certain extent. Often before going on undercover missions he himself found it easier to focus and get into character by sitting in quiet without any interruptions, doing a mental run-down of information. But Gibbs had never seen Tony go quiet for so long before, even with other undercover ops. For someone who was always talking and seemed to vibrate with energy, this stillness was unnerving. And it was starting to grate on Gibbs' nerves.

Keeping his conversation with Ducky in mind, Gibbs had been trying to find a safe way to start up a conversation about the upcoming events. After a while he would have settled for any kind of conversation. He wasn't even sure what to make of this silence, was it uncomfortable or not?

Finally Gibbs had had enough. This silence was going to end, even if all they ended up doing was re-stating what they already knew. It was a safe conversation starter as any and who knew what doors it might open…

"Hey, boss?" asked Tony suddenly. Apparently, Tony had beaten him to the punch.

"What?" replied Gibbs simply, but inside he gave a sigh a relief of not having to say anything first at all.

"You want to get a fresh cup of coffee?" Gibbs spared Tony a brief glance, raising his eyebrows. "It'll give the traffic a chance to clear up, too."

Gibbs mentally shook his head, trust Tony to appeal to his addiction of coffee. Quite the round-a-bout way of saying he wouldn't mind stopping to eat either.

"You have a place in mind?" asked Gibbs.

Suddenly an idea occurred to him. He hadn't had a chance to discuss how their cover was actually going to be played out. Taking a pit stop would provide the perfect opportunity for them to get in the swing of their new roles.

Tony shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me."

Gibbs looked at the signs on the side of the road. McDonald's, Taco Bell, ah perfect.

"I don't drink any of that fast-food joint crap," said Gibbs. "But Bob Evans looks good."

Tony raised his eyebrows at him. "You want to stop at Bob Evans?"

Nodding, Gibbs replied, "It will give us a chance to get settled into our cover more. Why wouldn't I want to stop at Bob Evans? They got bad coffee or something?"

Tony gave a small laugh at that. "Wouldn't know. It sort of gives off the whole 'home-cooked family restaurant' feeling."

Gibbs turned off at the exit. Taking a breath, he said, "And working together for nearly five years doesn't make us family of some sort?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Tony said quickly with a hint of surprise in his voice. "I just, umm…"

"I know what you meant, Tony," Gibbs said as he parked the truck outside of the restaurant. "I just hope you know what I meant, too."

And with that Gibbs got out and started walking towards the restaurant. After hesitating a moment to ponder over what Gibbs said, he got out and hurried to catch up.

Chapter 11:

The rest of the morning and early afternoon went by quickly. After lunch Ziva headed out to meet up with Fornell's team to set up surveillance around the cabin where Gibbs and Tony would be spending the night. Abby was going to be monitoring them via the GPS trackers until McGee and Fornell finished setting up shop in a hotel not far from the cabin. Once they were set up Abby would be providing back-up servers for them.

With all of their equipment packed and loaded in the truck Gibbs thought it best to get on the road before traffic got too heavy. While doing a last-minute inventory check and testing the GPS trackers, both Gibbs and Tony received lectures on the importance of keeping the trackers dry again and to not get into any trouble that forced them to perform some heroic action that was equally dangerous.

"Please, please remember to keep them dry! I don't think I can stress this enough!" exclaimed Abby.

"Yes, you can," said Tony, and received a punch in the arm. "Ouch!"

"I'm serious Tony! And don't either one of you let curiosity get the better of you!" scolded Abby.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Tony.

"It means that BOTH of you have tendencies to get into trouble, so don't go looking for it!" declared Abby.

"Abs, relax. You will be keeping an eye on us the whole time, how can we get into trouble?" Gibbs said reasonably. "And besides, last I checked Tony was the one who kept finding trouble," he added with a smirk.

"Hey! I resent that! Trouble finds me, not the other way around!" exclaimed Tony.

"Ah good, I had thought you two had left already. Wouldn't want you to be driving without this," Ducky said as he approached the group, carrying a thermos filled with what had to be nothing other than Gibbs' coffee.

"Thanks," said Gibbs. "But I have driven without coffee before you know."

"Yea, and look at all that paperwork that came out of those 'incidents'," remarked Tony. Gibbs cuffed him upside the head as he took a drink.

Laughing, Ducky asked, "So how are you going to survive without coffee tomorrow Jethro?"

"Who says I'll be without?" Gibbs said, raising his eyebrows.

"Yea, cuz with all the development going on throughout the rest of the country they decided to hell with the park and built a Starbucks right along the river. They even installed drive through so you don't have to get out of the raft," said Abby, and with that both her and Tony burst out laughing, with Tony noticeably moving out of reach of Gibbs.

Gibbs just glared at the pair. "Give me the keys, Dinozzo. Let's get going."

Catching his breath, Tony replied "Uhh, why don't you let me drive boss?"

"The keys, Dinozzo. Now," growled Gibbs.

Resigned to his fate, Tony handed over the keys. "Let's go. I'd like to get there before we have to meet with the rest of the group to go over the area," said Gibbs as he headed towards the driver's side.

"If I were you I'd make sure that that thermos survives the rapids," advised Abby. "Your survival and of those surrounding you depend on it, not to mention the mission of course."

"Yea, well if you happen to see me take off at lightning speed in the opposite direction, then you know the coffee drowned," replied Tony.

Abby punched him in the arm again. "Tony! Don't even joke about something like that!"

"Dinozzo! Get in the truck, now!" ordered Gibbs.

"Best get going, Tony. Wouldn't want to push your luck, he hasn't even had half of what's in that thermos yet," Ducky said.

"See you guys later!" Tony called out as he climbed into the truck.

"Be careful!" Abby shouted with a wave as the truck pulled away.

Abby sighed. "You think they'll be ok?"

"Somehow I have a feeling that things will come out better between those two than when they left," answered Ducky cryptically. With that he turned and headed towards the elevator, leaving Abby to her thoughts.

Much to Gibb's annoyance, and one of the first things he noticed within the first five minutes of driving, was that the truck did not accelerate well. Tony knew better than to say anything, and once they got onto the beltway they couldn't go very fast due to traffic anyway. He also knew better than to try to play with the radio, which was why he turned on his IPod not long after pulling away from headquarters. He needed the time to clear his head and let himself soak in the mindset of what was to be his new role.

Although, he knew deep down that it wasn't going to be much of a switch as far as he was concerned. Gibbs had been more of a father, had shown that he really cared about what Tony did and what happened to him, more so than anyone else had before. Gibbs taught him how to be a better investigator, disciplined him when it was necessary without ever humiliating or degrading him. The hard part was going to be making sure that Gibbs didn't think he wasn't taking this assignment seriously. He knew Gibbs would pick up on the fact that some of his behavior hadn't changed.

And then of course there was the whole 'Dad' issue. He knew he was going to have to say it at some point. More than once, otherwise it would arouse suspicion. But it was all supposed to be part of the cover, an act. It shouldn't be this hard, after all. Seeing Gibbs as a father figure already should have made things easier, right?

Tony sighed to himself. Once they got there he was going to have to be in the role, no hesitation or second-guessing himself. He just wished…hey. Tony suddenly felt like a light bulb went off in his head. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Gibbs cursed as another driver cut him off while switching lanes. He had to hold in a laugh at that, usually it was Gibbs cutting people off.

Deciding that now would be a good a time as any, he decided to approach Gibbs with an idea that he couldn't say no to.

It had been a few hours since they had pulled out of the NCIS parking lot, and the entire time Tony had sat quietly, obviously lost in his own thoughts. Gibbs had been concerned at first, especially since he didn't even bother to try fiddling with the radio. But on closer examination, he noticed the headphones in Tony's ear. It seemed that Tony wanted to be left alone.

Gibbs could understand that to a certain extent. Often before going on undercover missions he himself found it easier to focus and get into character by sitting in quiet without any interruptions, doing a mental run-down of information. But Gibbs had never seen Tony go quiet for so long before, even with other undercover ops. For someone who was always talking and seemed to vibrate with energy, this stillness was unnerving. And it was starting to grate on Gibbs' nerves.

Keeping his conversation with Ducky in mind, Gibbs had been trying to find a safe way to start up a conversation about the upcoming events. After a while he would have settled for any kind of conversation. He wasn't even sure what to make of this silence, was it uncomfortable or not?

Finally Gibbs had had enough. This silence was going to end, even if all they ended up doing was re-stating what they already knew. It was a safe conversation starter as any and who knew what doors it might open…

"Hey, boss?" asked Tony suddenly. Apparently, Tony had beaten him to the punch.

"What?" replied Gibbs simply, but inside he gave a sigh a relief of not having to say anything first at all.

"You want to get a fresh cup of coffee?" Gibbs spared Tony a brief glance, raising his eyebrows. "It'll give the traffic a chance to clear up, too."

Gibbs mentally shook his head, trust Tony to appeal to his addiction of coffee. Quite the round-a-bout way of saying he wouldn't mind stopping to eat either.

"You have a place in mind?" asked Gibbs.

Suddenly an idea occurred to him. He hadn't had a chance to discuss how their cover was actually going to be played out. Taking a pit stop would provide the perfect opportunity for them to get in the swing of their new roles.

Tony shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me."

Gibbs looked at the signs on the side of the road. McDonald's, Taco Bell, ah perfect.

"I don't drink any of that fast-food joint crap," said Gibbs. "But Bob Evans looks good."

Tony raised his eyebrows at him. "You want to stop at Bob Evans?"

Nodding, Gibbs replied, "It will give us a chance to get settled into our cover more. Why wouldn't I want to stop at Bob Evans? They got bad coffee or something?"

Tony gave a small laugh at that. "Wouldn't know. It sort of gives off the whole 'home-cooked family restaurant' feeling."

Gibbs turned off at the exit. Taking a breath, he said, "And working together for nearly five years doesn't make us family of some sort?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Tony said quickly with a hint of surprise in his voice. "I just, umm…"

"I know what you meant, Tony," Gibbs said as he parked the truck outside of the restaurant. "I just hope you know what I meant, too."

And with that Gibbs got out and started walking towards the restaurant. After hesitating a moment to ponder over what Gibbs said, he got out and hurried to catch up.

Chapter 12:

Gibbs had never been good at expressing his feelings, especially with words. He was the kind of guy that preferred to let his actions speak for him. It was the main reason he tended to head-slap Tony more than any one else on the team. Gibbs was trying to show him that he noticed and cared about what he was doing.

He knew that Tony had to be puzzled at the very least by what he had said to him in the truck. However, Gibbs was determined to his conversation with Ducky a secret. He wouldn't want Tony thinking that Abby had betrayed his trust either.

Behind him he heard the truck door open and close, Tony jogging to catch up to him. Gibbs just hoped he could eventually somehow get Tony to open up to him, to get him to talk about his relationship with his father, or lack there of as the case seemed to be.

Tony's mind was seized up in a whirlwind of thoughts as he moved to catch up with Gibbs. It had caught him off-guard hearing Gibbs say something like that. He honestly wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The only thing that he was certain of was the fact that Gibbs never said anything he didn't mean. He didn't like to waste his breath with false hopes and promises, it was one of the reasons why whenever Gibbs complimented him or gave him advice he took it to heart.

Gibbs opened the door just as Tony caught up with him. They walked inside and, much to their surprise, quickly seated at a booth.

"You would think it would be packed in here," said Gibbs.

"Nah, not at this hour. Maybe in another couple though," said a woman about Gibbs' age walked up. "My names Molly and I'll be your server today. Would you like something to drink while you look over the menu?"

"Coffee," said Gibbs. "And don't add any crap like milk or sugar in it."
"I'll have an iced tea, thanks," said Tony.

"No problem. Be right back with those," and the waitress left them to look over their menus.

"Did you really have to growl at her about the milk and sugar?" asked Tony as he opened the menu.

"I did not growl, I merely made a specific order," retorted Gibbs.

"Uh huh, and how long ago did you run out of your thermos coffee?" teased Tony, obviously enjoying himself.

Recognizing the teasing, Gibbs decided to continue the banter. "I wouldn't have run out so fast if I was able to drive the speed limit."

"Oh, don't tell me your one of those fellas that lives and breaths coffee as though his life depended on it," said Molly as she returned with their drinks.

"More like anyone around him depends on him having his coffee," muttered Tony. "You should just leave the pot and start up another one while you're at it."

Molly chuckled at that. "I'll see what I can do. Although I can't say I blame you, got to have something to keep you going, especially with kids. That what got you hooked?" she asked Gibbs.

Smiling, Gibbs nodded. "They do tend to keep you busy."

"From the looks of your son I'd say he was a handful," Molly said to Tony. "So have you boys made up your minds yet or would you like a few more minutes?"

"Still is. I'll have the roast beef dinner platter," answered Gibbs with a laugh.

"Yea, well, they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I'll have the hot turkey sandwich platter," replied Tony with a grin.

Molly laughed. "Good choices. Boy, you two are a breath of fresh air. Most people that stop in here are too grumpy to have a friendly conversation. Just give me a wave when you need a refill on that coffee," and she went to place their orders.

"So since you can't drive at your normal Daytona racing speed, you want me to drive the rest of the way?" asked Tony, still in a teasing mood.

Gibbs just rolled his eyes. "I swear, who ever said that damn thing runs good is insane. You'd never get anywhere at all at that pace."

"It does run good, I checked the transmission myself. It just doesn't run at your pace," stated Tony.

Gibbs gave him a curious look. "And since when did you become an expert on the mechanics of a vehicle other than a sports car?"

"Since I used to work part-time at an auto-repair shop during college," answered Tony smugly.

"I thought you worked as a bar tender?" questioned Gibbs.

"Yea, during the summer. It was easier to work out a schedule around practice, games and classes at the shop then at the club," replied Tony.

'Interesting,' Gibbs thought. Tony never gave much information away about his past, unless it was a girl. He had never stopped to wonder how Tony got by before being a cop. Gibbs realized that that was a mistake on his part. Tony did once mention that his father had cut him off, but never let on as to how bad. The athletic and academic scholarships that Tony had received, courtesy of an extensive background check, would have paid for anything he needed in relation to school. Anything else, it seemed, Tony had to provide for himself. It would seem that he played up his jock boy, goofball image a lot more than Gibbs realized.

"Any other careers that you taped into that I should know about?" Gibbs asked lightly.

Tony answered with a laugh. "I think we would need a hell of a lot more time than what this meal's gonna take to have that discussion."

"Later then," Gibbs said, his voice clearly stating he wouldn't forget to remind him about it.

"Ok," Tony said, trying to hide his surprise. Not many people wanted to know what he did before he became a cop, especially while in college. Most people only ever saw the typical jock. 'But then again,' Tony thought, 'Gibbs isn't most people.'

"Ok guys. One roast beef dinner for you," and she placed a plate in front of Gibbs. "And a hot turkey sandwich dinner for you. Anything else you need?"

"More coffee in a few minutes please," said Gibbs.

"I'm fine, thanks," Tony said.

"Ok, enjoy!" Molly said as she walked away.

The two started eating, enjoying the silence for a few minutes. Tony himself couldn't believe how easy things seemed to be going. Of course they weren't going full out, this was just a step to ease into things. But still, conversation wasn't difficult to form, and the teasing was welcoming enough as well. 'Maybe I was making a big deal earlier,' Tony thought. 'Things might actually be better than expected.'

If only he knew that Gibbs was having similar thoughts of his own, for he had noticed how comfortable it felt to just talk to Tony. Even with the mild teasing, it felt, well, normal, all things considered. At that thought Gibbs had to laugh inwardly. He had never thought he would use the word normal when describing a conversation with Tony. But that's what it was. They weren't on a case, or being forced to listen to the latest gossip going around the office.

Gibbs rather liked this type of communication with Tony. Already he had learned more about the younger man than he ever would have at the office. And Tony had agreed to tell him more. That was a big plus in Gibbs' book.

At that moment both of their cells decided to ring. Giving each other a look, they both flipped open their cells to see who was calling.

"Abby," they said at the same time with a laugh.

They hit the 'Answer' button, but before either of them could say anything Abby started talking. "Are you guys ok? You didn't break down on the side of the road, did you? I told McGee he should have gotten a newer model, but he kept insisting that it just had a tune-up and…"

"Abby!" Gibbs and Tony interrupted at the same time.

"What?" she asked.

"We stopped to get something to eat," Gibbs told her.

"And more coffee," added Tony.

"Oh, ok. Good," Abby answered, seeming to calm down.

"But you were right about one thing," Gibbs said.

"When am I not? What was I right about this time?" she said.

"The damn truck. It drives like…" Gibbs started to say, but Tony interrupted and finished for him. "It drives fine, just not up to his normal speed, Abs. Don't worry about it."

"Gotcha. Well, I'll let you get back to eating. Be careful! I'm watching you!" Abby teased.

"We will," both Gibbs and Tony promised before hanging up.

Molly came back to give Gibbs a refill, and asked if they wanted any dessert. They decided not to, not knowing how the traffic was and not wanting to get too far behind schedule, they asked for the check.

"Hey, Molly, maybe you could fill up my Dad's thermos for the road? Ya know, for the safety of other drivers since it doesn't look like he'll be giving up the keys anytime soon," Tony asked.

"Sure thing," Molly replied with a laugh.

"Just because you got me more coffee doesn't mean I'm letting you drive," Gibbs teased Tony with a smile. On the inside he was grinning from ear to ear. Tony had called him 'Dad', and there was no awkwardness about it, either. Gibbs couldn't help but feel as though they had crossed a turning point in their relationship.

Tony returned the smile. "And there's no way I'm letting you drive without your regular portion of coffee. Its called self-preservation." The opportunity came up unexpectedly, but being a well-trained field agent, he was not one to let such an opening pass. He found it oddly satisfying to be able to call Gibbs 'Dad' without any real thought to it. It felt almost as natural as it was to call him 'Boss' at the office.

Molly returned with the thermos and their check. They left her a nice tip, and headed back to the truck. Getting back out onto the highway, Gibbs figured they had another 2 hours or so left to drive, if traffic didn't let up. Not wanting to return to silence after having seemed to make some progress with Tony, Gibbs decided to use the time wisely.

"So you want to tell me about your previous occupations, however many there are?" asked Gibbs.

"You want to hear about all that now?" asked Tony.

'All of what?' Gibbs wondered to himself. Out loud he said, "Unless you've got a better idea of how to pass the time?"

"No, not really," said Tony with a shrug. He couldn't believe how insistent Gibbs was being on this, not that he minded. Although it wasn't exactly easy to surprise Gibbs, Tony had a feeling that some of the jobs he's had over the years might do just that.

"Ok, then," encouraged Gibbs. Somehow he got the feeling that this was going to be a very enlightening conversation.

Chapter 12:

Gibbs had never been good at expressing his feelings, especially with words. He was the kind of guy that preferred to let his actions speak for him. It was the main reason he tended to head-slap Tony more than any one else on the team. Gibbs was trying to show him that he noticed and cared about what he was doing.

He knew that Tony had to be puzzled at the very least by what he had said to him in the truck. However, Gibbs was determined to his conversation with Ducky a secret. He wouldn't want Tony thinking that Abby had betrayed his trust either.

Behind him he heard the truck door open and close, Tony jogging to catch up to him. Gibbs just hoped he could eventually somehow get Tony to open up to him, to get him to talk about his relationship with his father, or lack there of as the case seemed to be.

Tony's mind was seized up in a whirlwind of thoughts as he moved to catch up with Gibbs. It had caught him off-guard hearing Gibbs say something like that. He honestly wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The only thing that he was certain of was the fact that Gibbs never said anything he didn't mean. He didn't like to waste his breath with false hopes and promises, it was one of the reasons why whenever Gibbs complimented him or gave him advice he took it to heart.

Gibbs opened the door just as Tony caught up with him. They walked inside and, much to their surprise, quickly seated at a booth.

"You would think it would be packed in here," said Gibbs.

"Nah, not at this hour. Maybe in another couple though," said a woman about Gibbs' age walked up. "My names Molly and I'll be your server today. Would you like something to drink while you look over the menu?"

"Coffee," said Gibbs. "And don't add any crap like milk or sugar in it."
"I'll have an iced tea, thanks," said Tony.

"No problem. Be right back with those," and the waitress left them to look over their menus.

"Did you really have to growl at her about the milk and sugar?" asked Tony as he opened the menu.

"I did not growl, I merely made a specific order," retorted Gibbs.

"Uh huh, and how long ago did you run out of your thermos coffee?" teased Tony, obviously enjoying himself.

Recognizing the teasing, Gibbs decided to continue the banter. "I wouldn't have run out so fast if I was able to drive the speed limit."

"Oh, don't tell me your one of those fellas that lives and breaths coffee as though his life depended on it," said Molly as she returned with their drinks.

"More like anyone around him depends on him having his coffee," muttered Tony. "You should just leave the pot and start up another one while you're at it."

Molly chuckled at that. "I'll see what I can do. Although I can't say I blame you, got to have something to keep you going, especially with kids. That what got you hooked?" she asked Gibbs.

Smiling, Gibbs nodded. "They do tend to keep you busy."

"From the looks of your son I'd say he was a handful," Molly said to Tony. "So have you boys made up your minds yet or would you like a few more minutes?"

"Still is. I'll have the roast beef dinner platter," answered Gibbs with a laugh.

"Yea, well, they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I'll have the hot turkey sandwich platter," replied Tony with a grin.

Molly laughed. "Good choices. Boy, you two are a breath of fresh air. Most people that stop in here are too grumpy to have a friendly conversation. Just give me a wave when you need a refill on that coffee," and she went to place their orders.

"So since you can't drive at your normal Daytona racing speed, you want me to drive the rest of the way?" asked Tony, still in a teasing mood.

Gibbs just rolled his eyes. "I swear, who ever said that damn thing runs good is insane. You'd never get anywhere at all at that pace."

"It does run good, I checked the transmission myself. It just doesn't run at your pace," stated Tony.

Gibbs gave him a curious look. "And since when did you become an expert on the mechanics of a vehicle other than a sports car?"

"Since I used to work part-time at an auto-repair shop during college," answered Tony smugly.

"I thought you worked as a bar tender?" questioned Gibbs.

"Yea, during the summer. It was easier to work out a schedule around practice, games and classes at the shop then at the club," replied Tony.

'Interesting,' Gibbs thought. Tony never gave much information away about his past, unless it was a girl. He had never stopped to wonder how Tony got by before being a cop. Gibbs realized that that was a mistake on his part. Tony did once mention that his father had cut him off, but never let on as to how bad. The athletic and academic scholarships that Tony had received, courtesy of an extensive background check, would have paid for anything he needed in relation to school. Anything else, it seemed, Tony had to provide for himself. It would seem that he played up his jock boy, goofball image a lot more than Gibbs realized.

"Any other careers that you taped into that I should know about?" Gibbs asked lightly.

Tony answered with a laugh. "I think we would need a hell of a lot more time than what this meal's gonna take to have that discussion."

"Later then," Gibbs said, his voice clearly stating he wouldn't forget to remind him about it.

"Ok," Tony said, trying to hide his surprise. Not many people wanted to know what he did before he became a cop, especially while in college. Most people only ever saw the typical jock. 'But then again,' Tony thought, 'Gibbs isn't most people.'

"Ok guys. One roast beef dinner for you," and she placed a plate in front of Gibbs. "And a hot turkey sandwich dinner for you. Anything else you need?"

"More coffee in a few minutes please," said Gibbs.

"I'm fine, thanks," Tony said.

"Ok, enjoy!" Molly said as she walked away.

The two started eating, enjoying the silence for a few minutes. Tony himself couldn't believe how easy things seemed to be going. Of course they weren't going full out, this was just a step to ease into things. But still, conversation wasn't difficult to form, and the teasing was welcoming enough as well. 'Maybe I was making a big deal earlier,' Tony thought. 'Things might actually be better than expected.'

If only he knew that Gibbs was having similar thoughts of his own, for he had noticed how comfortable it felt to just talk to Tony. Even with the mild teasing, it felt, well, normal, all things considered. At that thought Gibbs had to laugh inwardly. He had never thought he would use the word normal when describing a conversation with Tony. But that's what it was. They weren't on a case, or being forced to listen to the latest gossip going around the office.

Gibbs rather liked this type of communication with Tony. Already he had learned more about the younger man than he ever would have at the office. And Tony had agreed to tell him more. That was a big plus in Gibbs' book.

At that moment both of their cells decided to ring. Giving each other a look, they both flipped open their cells to see who was calling.

"Abby," they said at the same time with a laugh.

They hit the 'Answer' button, but before either of them could say anything Abby started talking. "Are you guys ok? You didn't break down on the side of the road, did you? I told McGee he should have gotten a newer model, but he kept insisting that it just had a tune-up and…"

"Abby!" Gibbs and Tony interrupted at the same time.

"What?" she asked.

"We stopped to get something to eat," Gibbs told her.

"And more coffee," added Tony.

"Oh, ok. Good," Abby answered, seeming to calm down.

"But you were right about one thing," Gibbs said.

"When am I not? What was I right about this time?" she said.

"The damn truck. It drives like…" Gibbs started to say, but Tony interrupted and finished for him. "It drives fine, just not up to his normal speed, Abs. Don't worry about it."

"Gotcha. Well, I'll let you get back to eating. Be careful! I'm watching you!" Abby teased.

"We will," both Gibbs and Tony promised before hanging up.

Molly came back to give Gibbs a refill, and asked if they wanted any dessert. They decided not to, not knowing how the traffic was and not wanting to get too far behind schedule, they asked for the check.

"Hey, Molly, maybe you could fill up my Dad's thermos for the road? Ya know, for the safety of other drivers since it doesn't look like he'll be giving up the keys anytime soon," Tony asked.

"Sure thing," Molly replied with a laugh.

"Just because you got me more coffee doesn't mean I'm letting you drive," Gibbs teased Tony with a smile. On the inside he was grinning from ear to ear. Tony had called him 'Dad', and there was no awkwardness about it, either. Gibbs couldn't help but feel as though they had crossed a turning point in their relationship.

Tony returned the smile. "And there's no way I'm letting you drive without your regular portion of coffee. Its called self-preservation." The opportunity came up unexpectedly, but being a well-trained field agent, he was not one to let such an opening pass. He found it oddly satisfying to be able to call Gibbs 'Dad' without any real thought to it. It felt almost as natural as it was to call him 'Boss' at the office.

Molly returned with the thermos and their check. They left her a nice tip, and headed back to the truck. Getting back out onto the highway, Gibbs figured they had another 2 hours or so left to drive, if traffic didn't let up. Not wanting to return to silence after having seemed to make some progress with Tony, Gibbs decided to use the time wisely.

"So you want to tell me about your previous occupations, however many there are?" asked Gibbs.

"You want to hear about all that now?" asked Tony.

'All of what?' Gibbs wondered to himself. Out loud he said, "Unless you've got a better idea of how to pass the time?"

"No, not really," said Tony with a shrug. He couldn't believe how insistent Gibbs was being on this, not that he minded. Although it wasn't exactly easy to surprise Gibbs, Tony had a feeling that some of the jobs he's had over the years might do just that.

"Ok, then," encouraged Gibbs. Somehow he got the feeling that this was going to be a very enlightening conversation.

Chapter 13:

If it had been like any other normal day, Gibbs would never have been able to tolerate driving in traffic this bad. He would have ended up taking the unpaved back-roads, or turned on the siren to clear the way, something. However, this was no normal day. He couldn't do either of those things; he had a cover to maintain after all.

But that did nothing to hold in his frustration at the general public. No, what was keeping him was one Anthony Dinozzo. When Gibbs had first asked Tony to tell him more about the diverse jobs that he had had over the years, he had been expecting to hear stories about working in various bars and clubs doing different things, hell maybe even at the movie theatre. Somehow those jobs seemed to fit Tony. The fact that he had worked in an auto shop at one point was just a blip on the radar, as far as he was concerned.

In hindsight, he should have known better. Every now and again he would get a glimpse of Tony without his mask, but it happened so rarely that it often left Gibbs puzzled. Still, nothing could have prepared him for the variety of jobs that Tony had taken on in the past.

"So, uhh, Where, or when I guess I should say, would you like me to start?" asked Tony.

Gibbs spared a quick glance in Tony's direction. 'Since when is there a timeline to choose from?' he thought. "Beginning of college an ok starting point?" he asked lightly, still unsure of what Tony meant about when to start. Gibbs didn't want to push Tony into talking if he didn't want to.

"Sure," replied Tony, seemingly not bothered by the chosen time point. "Well, I guess I'll start with the job I had the summer before first semester started. A friend of mine had an uncle out in Texas who runs a construction company. He was interested in construction work and was moving there to learn the trade. His uncle was more than happy to take me on for the summer. It was a chance to get away a hell of a lot sooner, couldn't pass it up, so I packed my stuff and had one of the best summers of my life."

"Construction work in Texas? In that heat? What exactly did you do anyway?" asked Gibbs curiously. Trying to imagine Tony doing manual labor like that was a bit difficult, considering how often he complained whenever grudging work like that came up during a case.

Tony snickered. "Yea I know, hard to imagine huh? Well, I never actually stuck to one particular job. Basically, wherever an extra hand was needed, I was sent. Learned a lot in a short amount of time. I helped lay down the wiring, pipe lines, the roof, the basement and whatever was in between."

"Bet it kept you in pretty good shape then," stated Gibbs.

"Yea, that was a pretty good side benefit. Was in better shape than a lot of the other guys on the team when the first day of practice rolled around," agreed Tony.

A thought suddenly occurred to Gibbs. Grinning, he turned to Tony and said, "So, the first time you saw my boat in my basement, you probably had a few reasonable ideas on how to get it out then huh?"

Tony laughed at that. "A few. Old habits are hard to break. It's sort of like walking in a crime scene, you automatically start observing and making notes to figure things out."

Gibbs nodded in approval at the explanation. "There's good money to be had in construction work," he said.

"Yup," nodded Tony. "I was even offered a full-time job there. But I was looking forward to playing college level sports."

"Did you ever consider going back to working construction?" inquired Gibbs.

"No. It was ok for a while. By being able to learn a little bit of everything, I got a pretty good idea of what it involved. Just wasn't something I could see doing for the rest of my life. It was a bit too repetitive for me I guess," answered Tony.

"It didn't challenge your mind enough, you mean," Gibbs translated for Tony, which earned him a startled look. Gibbs just shook his head. "You get bored easily, Tony. I see you do it at the office all the time. Its not for lack of understanding something, its just that you pick up on things so fast that while the rest of us are still catching on, your mind is already on to something else."

"Wow," said Tony quietly.

"What?" questioned Gibbs, worried that Tony might of misinterpreted what he was trying to say.

"Well, its just that I've never thought of it that way," Tony told him, and it was true. That Gibbs actually implied that he was smart was, well, he wasn't sure. It was definitely a compliment, but Tony was used to people saying that he had no focus on his work, or that he wasn't capable of doing the work, which was why he always goofed off.

Gibbs sighed inwardly. He hated people who took things at face value; not bothering to look behind the front that was shown to them. Tony was good at hiding things, too good. But then again that was what made him such an amazing undercover agent. "Well then that just goes to show you that you need to learn to think outside the box more in relation to yourself. So, you've worked in a bar, an auto shop, and now construction. What other careers did you have?"

"It wasn't in that order you know," Tony said teasingly.

"It's the order in which I learned about them," Gibbs replied with a grin.

"Ah, so I don't have to go in order then?" asked Tony with a small laugh.

"Whatever suits you." If there were any unpleasant memories associated with certain jobs, Gibbs was certainly not going to have Tony bring them up. "Or you could just list them and I'll just ask questions after."

"You aren't going to interrogate me are you?" asked Tony jokingly.

"Old habits are hard to break, but I'll try not to," replied Gibbs, using Tony's own words from earlier.

He just rolled his eyes. "Ok, a list. Well, I've been a hot dog vendor at a few sports complexes, worked as a valet, a lifeguard at a pool, baby-sitter, security guard at a mall, was an assistant coach for a couple of kids sports teams. That enough for now?"

"You mean there's more?" asked Gibbs surprisingly. "Would the list end up being shorter if I had asked what you hadn't done?"

Tony laughed at that. "Yes to your first question, no to your second."

Gibbs just shook his head. He took a few moments to ponder over the so-called list that Tony had just given him. 'He's switched jobs an awful lot, wonder if that's where his habit of switching police departments every so often came from,' Gibbs thought, but didn't mention it to Tony. 'Another topic for another time.'

"So, a baby-sitter?" Gibbs was fairly interested in seeing what Tony would say, given that he never seemed comfortable around kids much when working with them on a case.

"That one sort of generated from being an assistant coach," supplied Tony. "Some of the parents wanted someone that both them and their kids already knew and trusted. After the season was over they asked if I was interested, and I gave them copies of my schedules of classes, practices and games. Told them to feel free to call anytime. Most of them went to bed early, so I was able to study and get my homework done while I worked."

"And what age group was that?" Gibbs asked.

"Mostly six to eight year olds, and some of them had younger or older siblings too. I know how to change a diaper, warm up a bottle and all that," Tony said.

"Can you tie any of your other jobs together like that?" Gibbs asked.

"Yep. In order to be a coach you had to take first-aid classes and get certified in CPR. Worked in my favor when I applied for the lifeguard job at the school's pool," said Tony.

Gibbs nodded, taking in the new information. 'He certainly put his skills to good use there,' Gibbs thought. Checking the road signs, he noticed that their exit was almost up. "Got time for the rest of the list? We're almost there."

"Sure. There isn't much to tell," Tony agreed. "During spring break local concession stands were looking for extra help during games so a hot dog vendor I was. Lived in Las Vegas for a few months during winter break with a friend. We both got jobs parking cars for some big-shot hotel casino joint. At the end of my junior year I got the security guard job at a local mall. It's what sort of got me interested in being a cop."

"Care to elaborate on that any?" Gibbs' curiosity just shot up a notch. Tony had never before given any indication as to why he had become a cop instead of using his degree in physical education. It had always been a mystery, a mystery that he might finally be able to solve.

"Maybe later. Here's our exit," Tony said briefly. Gibbs took notice of how he hadn't said no, but didn't seem all too eager to share the information, either.

'Don't push,' Gibbs reminded himself. 'Now that Tony knows your interested and willing to listen, maybe he'll bring it up on his own.'

After taking the exit, it was a short drive to the entrance of the park. Not much further down was the tourist visitation/check-in center. Gibbs parked the truck and turned to look at Tony.

"You ready?" he asked him.

Tony nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright, let's go check in," said Gibbs.

And with that they got out of the truck and headed towards the entrance of the building.

Chapter 14:
At the check-in counter they were given a key to their cabin, and told that they were to meet with their tour guides and the rest of the group later that evening. Gibbs had been surprised that they had still managed to arrive early, given that it felt to him as thought they were moving at a snails pace on the road.
The cabin was small, but it would serve its purpose. They were only going to be staying for one night. It was one medium-sized room, with bunk beds up against one wall, with a small couch and a recliner on the other side. Towards the back was a small closet, right across from the bathroom.
"You aren't gonna want to fight for the top-bunk are you?" Tony asked with a laugh.
Tossing his bag on the bottom bunk, Gibbs just rolled his eyes. "Is there something wrong with being on the bottom bunk?"
Tony stared at him. "Obviously you never went to camp as a kid then, or you wouldn't be asking that question."
"I went camping as a kid, in a tent. Sort of pointless in fighting about where to sleep in a tent," argued Gibbs.
Shaking his head, Tony replied, "Fighting for the top bunk sort of establishes your place in camp. Kids on the bottom bunk end up being the primary target for practical jokes. You know, putting whip cream on their hands and then tickling their face with a feather…"
"I get the idea," Gibbs interrupted before Tony went any further. Last thing he wanted to hear about was silly pranks. "So, which were you?"
"Ah, both actually, just depends on which camp your talking about," answered Tony.
It was hard for Gibbs to see Tony on the receiving end of jokes like that, but then again, Tony had been surprising him a lot today.
Just then Gibbs' cell phone rang. Checking the caller id, "Fornell," he answered.
"Glad to see you finally got there. Certainly took your time," Fornell said mockingly, knowing full well of the traffic that they had to endure.
"Tell me again why we're doing this again? Ah, I think it was because you didn't have any new leads and needed some help, right?" retorted Gibbs.
"Officer David is all set with surveillance, she'll be there with two of my men until you set off tomorrow," said Fornell, changing the topic of conversation quickly. "Agent McGee just finished setting things up here. Everything is good to go."
"Good. If anything comes up give me a call. I'll do the same. Meanwhile, enjoy watching the dots on the computer screen," Gibbs said and snapped his cell shut. "Everyone's set up and in place."
"Cool. So what are we supposed to do until our little gathering later?" asked Tony.
Gibbs shrugged. "Well I sure as hell am not hanging around here for next few hours. Let's go."
Gibbs didn't give Tony any other indication of where they were headed, other than out of the cabin. Locking the door behind him, Tony moved to keep pace at Gibbs' side. Tony quickly noticed that they were headed towards one of the hiking trails in the parks. He mentally shook his head for not figuring it out sooner. Of course, they were in a park, what else would they do?
After a few minutes they were well into the trail, far enough away from other that they could talk freely without worrying about blowing their cover. Tony wondered what the other man was thinking. Then his mind wandered over their conversation in the truck earlier. Gibbs seemed to genuinely enjoy hearing about Tony's previous job experiences and didn't appear to be bored or annoyed at all.
That surprised him. He couldn't recall the last time anyone had actually taken that kind of interest in his past, if ever. Tony was figuring it would be ok to tell Gibbs more about the security guard job at the mall. He did ask for him to elaborate, after all.
As he was trying to figure out a way to bring the subject up, Gibbs seemed to of read his mind. "So any more random jobs you aren't telling me about?"
Leave it to Gibbs to know what to say. "Oh yea, there's plenty more. But most of them I had while I was in high school," Tony replied.
'Why would Tony have needed to work during high school?' wondered Gibbs to himself. He was hoping to bring up the subject of what got him interested in being a cop, but he didn't want to make Tony feel uncomfortable.
"Most? So there's some left from college?" he asked. College seemed to be a pretty safe area of conversation.
"Just two more. I sort of alternated between some of my old jobs every now and then, too," replied Tony. "I was also a bike messenger and a piano player in a few fancy restaurants. Made pretty good tips with both of them."
Gibbs glanced at Tony out of the corner of his eye. He didn't seem tense, so it was a good bet that it was safe to inquirer more about these two jobs. "How did you get into those?"
"Well, my basketball coach actually suggested the bike messenger one. He was friends with the owner of the company and he usually took on a few of the players on the team each summer. Being a college athlete meant you were in pretty good shape, so you were expected to be able to do more runs than anyone else," Tony said.
"A job like that would keep you in pretty good shape too. Bet it did wonders for your reflexes, dodging cars in traffic," Gibbs said lightly.
Laughing, Tony said, "Yea. Good thing there weren't any drivers around like you, otherwise I doubt anyone would have been brave enough to make a run."
Gibbs gave him a half-hearted glare in response to the teasing. "Bike messengers can be just as bad as drivers, don't you dare tell me you never cut anyone off before when making your runs."
"I have the right to remain silent," Tony said with a grin. "Anyway, the piano gig, well that was through my music teacher, Mrs. Addison."
"Oh? You must be pretty good then," said Gibbs.
"She seemed to think so. I only took the class because part of general graduation requirements state that you needed two classes of the arts of some kind. I just figured I would stick with what I know. Besides, it was kinda fun," Tony continued. "She was always keeping an ear out for different auditions and such, and she knew that I needed the money. Went to this audition for a company of musicians that supply various types of entertainment for country clubs, resorts, restaurants and such. They liked what they heard and couple nights a week for about four hours I sat and played the piano while people ate their dinner."
Gibbs was impressed to say the least. He knew that it had to take a lot of skill to be able to play for the public in such a setting for so long. "Do you still play?" Gibbs asked curiously.
Tony nodded. "I even give lessons every now and then to the kids that live in my building."
Gibbs had to smile at that. "Does that tie in with babysitting?"
"Yea," Tony laughed in return. "Some of the kids, they have single parents, so I make sure they stay out of trouble when I can. Piano lessons are a good way to keep them occupied. It's funny though…"
"What is?" asked Gibbs.
"Well, I can play the piano, but I couldn't type to save my life," said Tony with an enormous grin on his face.
"Yea," agreed Gibbs with a laugh. "That is funny. But then again, you never do things the normal way."
"Like you do. Besides, where's the fun in normal?" replied Tony.
"Fair enough. So were there ever any jobs that you didn't have but would have liked to?" questioned Gibbs.
Tony took a moment to think about that. Once he had gotten into police work, there had never been anything else. 'Might as well bring it up, now's a good a time as any,' thought Tony.
"No, not really," started Tony. "Being a cop sort of put a stop to my never-ending resume."
Gibbs instantly knew that he was on shaky ground. Tony had brought the subject up, but only lightly. "You get something new everyday you go into work," he observed carefully.
"Yea," Tony agreed. He was quiet for a few minutes before he started up again. "His name was Al, he was in charge of mall security. Retired cop. Wasn't good for chasing suspects anymore, but he was able to watch cameras and direct us whenever something came up. I swear sometimes he had to be psychic or something, he seemed to know when someone was going to shoplift even before they got near a product. I think the only reason he hired me was because he knew I played football so I didn't really have a problem tackling anybody."
"Still don't," said Gibbs.
Tony smirked. "Anyway, got to talking to him some during lunch breaks. He was always telling me about some of his old cases. Everyone else sort of tuned him out, but I listened. The first time I started guessing how the case would play out, well he was surprised. I don't think he figured anyone was listening to him ramble."
"That explains why you've always been able to tolerate Ducky when he goes off on his story-telling," noted Gibbs.
"Ducky reminds me of him in that way," agreed Tony. "Eventually we started to make a game out of it. I guess you could say he was the grandfather I never had. He would tell the case to me the way he got it, and see if I could make the connections. Even when school started back up and I had to quit, we still met up for lunch couple of times a week to talk."
"So Al honed your investigative skills. Sounds like he gave you a few pointers too," said Gibbs.
"Oh yea. In the beginning I felt like I was just making random guesses," said Tony. "After a while I was able to back up my thoughts with facts. May not have always been right, but I wasn't exactly looking directly at evidence or anything either. Al suggested that I take a winter course at a community college, a criminal justice case. It sounded interesting, and the classes were at night so I was able to work during the day at the mall again and do the classes at night. With Al being the boss it made scheduling pretty easy. I got hooked and I signed up for another class in the spring. By the time graduation came around I was applying for the police academy."
"He certainly had a big influence on your life," observed Gibbs.
"Yea, he did. He was the first person that actually made me feel like I was smart enough to actually do something like solving crimes for a living," Tony said quietly.
Gibbs got the feeling that they had reached the most difficult part of the conversation. He felt it best to wait for Tony to continue.
"Al, he wasn't doing too good, heart problems. Never even knew it. Guess he didn't want me to worry. He died shortly after I graduated from the police academy. After his funeral, his lawyer found me and told me I was left in his will," Tony said, taking another pause.
"He had kids of his own, so I was really surprised. He left me a letter, his old badge and his back-up gun. In the letter he told me that his kids wouldn't have appreciated like I would, they were scientists or something at some sort of medical lab. Said he was real proud of me, for the way I made my life my own. As long as I kept doing that, I was never a disappointment to him," Tony sighed. "He got me going, pushed me in the right direction. Guess he saw something worth while."
"I see it too. Wouldn't of let you work that first case back in Baltimore with me if I hadn't," Gibbs told Tony.
"You're the first person since Al to see it then," said Tony.
"But not the last," Gibbs said with conviction.
"When you say it like that, its hard not to believe you," Tony replied.
"Good," Gibbs nodded, then looking at his watch, he sighed. If they were going to make their meeting on time they were going to have to head back now. He hadn't realized how long they had been talking or how far they had walked.
"Guess its time to get the show back on the road," Tony said, taking note of the time as well.
"Let's just hope the group we're with is the outdoor type. I am not in the mood to listen to people complain about getting wet and bugs," Gibbs said in attempt to lighten the mood.
It worked well enough. "Why do you think everyone insisted on you leaving your gun behind?" Tony told him with a smirk.
"Who says I didn't bring one?" Gibbs said with a knowing look.
Tony gave him a look, then shook his head. "I don't want to know. If I don't know, I can't be held accountable for your actions."
"What are you, my babysitter?" joked Gibbs.
Tony laughed. "Well I've certainly got the experience."

Chapter 15:

By the time they got back from their hike it was just about time for the meeting. Dinner was going to be served first, as a sort of icebreaker for the rest of the group to get to know each other. The gathering was situated in an enclosed dinning room; table already prepped with burgers, hot dogs and fries. As Gibbs and Tony followed another father/son team in, they noticed that both Petty Officer Thomas Erikson and Petty Officer Brian Myers and the other father/son team were already there.

Looking up when they entered, Erikson said, "Ah, good. Now that we are all hear we can introduce ourselves and get aquatinted. I'm Tom Erikson and my buddy here is Brian Myers. After dinner we can go over some of the safety procedures."

"We also have a proposition for you all," said Myers. "It seems that we've had a cancellation for Sunday, and if everyone agrees, we can make this into a two-day trip instead of one. We know its short notice, so it would only cost you an extra $25 per person."

Gibbs and Tony glanced curiously at each other. This was an unexpected turn of events. Another conversation with Fornell would be in order if plans did indeed change.

"Take some time and think about it, but in the meantime, why don't we go around the room and introduce ourselves, get to know each other a bit?" suggested Erikson, nodding to the two that had been in the room when Gibbs and Tony had arrived.

The man had gray hair, with the beginnings of a beer belly forming, spoke first. "Name's Jim Canton. I'm a truck driver, not much else to know," the man told the group gruffly.

"I'm Jason Canton, and I work at a car dealership," spoke the younger man beside him, evidently not bothered by his father's abruptness. He had blonde hair, and looked to be in good shape.

Both Erikson and Myers nodded, then turned towards the pair that had taken a seat next to them.

"Hi, Gary Starks. My son Ray and I own and operate a small coffee shop in town," spoke a bald man with glasses.

"Hey," greeted Ray. Both men were thin, and except for the lack of hair and glasses, looked a lot alike. Tony had a strong feeling that they were going to get along fine with them. And it had nothing to do with the fact that they owned a coffee shop, none whatsoever.

That left Gibbs and Tony, who were seating across from the Starks. Following the order that the others had set, Gibbs spoke first. "Gunnery Sergeant Jethro Gibbson, currently training new recruits." Right to the point, as usual for a marine.

"Hey, I'm Tony. I'm a co-owner of a nightclub." No need to give anything more when no one else had.

"Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's eat!" said Myers eagerly. Everyone was quiet for a few minutes as they gathered food on their plates. Gibbs thought it would be good to start some kind of conversation, hoping to steer the conversation into deciding on whether or not to extend the trip or not. They needed to know.

" So Gary," he began, "you bring your own coffee? It's got to be better than the cheap watered down crap they got here."

"Oh yea," Gary answered with a nod. "We've been on these trips before, we take no chances. I take it you're a regular coffee drinker?"

Tony couldn't hold back a snicker at that. Receiving a questioning look from Ray, he said, "Regular coffee drinker is putting it mildly. All my dad drinks is coffee, all day long. Well, with the exception of bourbon every now and then, maybe. You don't wanna see him without his coffee though, trust me."

"Sounds familiar," Ray said with a laugh. "We don't own our own shop just for the hell of it."

"Hey, you drink coffee too," Gary told his son.

"I have a cup in the morning. And that cup you've got right now makes how many for today?" teased Ray.

Gary rolled his eyes. Looking at Gibbs, he asked, "I guess you get this from your kid too?"

"Oh yea. He doesn't even drink coffee in the morning all the time," answered Gibbs. "I'll never understand how he gets by on eating Lucky Charms or some other little kids cereal."

"Hey! I'll have you know that those cereals are full of your daily dose of calcium!" exclaimed Tony. "What am I supposed to eat, Shredded Wheat? I'm not old you know."

The smack to head was not unexpected for Tony. "I eat Shredded Wheat!" said Gibbs. The group broke out into laughter at the teasing.

"So any of you interested in doing the two-day trip?" Jim asked as the laughter died down.

"You bet," Gary answered. "Only an extra $25? You'd have to be stupid to pass on a deal like that."

"We aren't in any rush to get home," agreed Gibbs. Both he and Tony knew that they would be going, two-day trip or not.

"Great," said Myers. "In my opinion, if you're going to go rafting, you might as well get the full experience. One day simply doesn't do these waters justice."

Erikson nodded in agreement. "It's settled then. If you all have the money on you now, I can go ahead and file in our change of plans with our boss."

There was a nod from everyone at the table, and once he had collected the money, Erikson excused himself. Dinner was soon finished and the table was cleared off.

While waiting for Erikson to return, Myers began passing around folders for everyone. "This is just some basic information about the river and the area. There's a copy of safety regulations and procedures as well. Also, inside you will find safety wavers we will need you to sign after we have gone over everything with you. Basically it says that you have received all safety information and you understand the risks involved."

Erikson returned a few minutes later. "Ok, the course we will be taking is still for beginners, but don't take that lightly. In some areas the water can still be pretty rough," Erikson started. "Therefore everyone is required to wear life jackets at all times while in the raft. No exceptions. If you were taking on a more advanced course you would be required to wear helmets, but we won't need to worry about that."

"Since we are such a small group, we are going to have you using a two-man raft. Tom and I will have singles," continued Myers. "You will each be responsible for your own overnight equipment and other supplies."

"It is generally recommended that you wear pants for overnight trips. No one wants to have to deal with poison ivy or bug bites while your trying to navigate the river," advised Erikson. "Wearing a hat wouldn't hurt either. It may not be 90 degrees out, but the sun can still do a lot of damage."

"Tomorrow before we set off we will go over the proper way to handle your raft," Myers said. "Does anyone have any questions?"

Everyone answered a no, so Erikson said, "Alright then. If you would just sign your safety wavers and pass them up, we will see you here tomorrow morning for breakfast."

After turning in their papers, the group started to disperse. Jim and his son Jason turned to go towards the gift shop area, Gibbs and Tony accompanied Gary and Ray outside.

"So how's your coffee stash?" Gary asked Gibbs.

"I may have to ration it a bit," Gibbs answered with a laugh.

Gary laughed as well. "Don't worry, I always bring more than enough for these things."

"Yea, and you always make me carry the extra load," said Ray.

"Yea well, damned if I do, damned if I don't," said Gary.

"More like better safe than sorry," snickered Tony.

"For real," agreed Ray.

"Well, we better call your mom so she doesn't worry. See you guys in the morning!" Gary said as he and his son headed off to their cabin.

"Good night!" Gibbs and Tony called back.

"Hanging out with those two should be fun," Tony said as they reached their own cabin.

"Oh yea," Gibbs agreed. "It's always good to have a fellow coffee drinker as an ally."

Tony merely rolled his eyes at that. After locking the door, Tony went around to the windows, making sure they were locked as well before pulling the curtains closed. Gibbs dug out the map that they had brought along of the area.

"Here," Gibbs tossed the map to Tony as he pulled out his cell. "Spread that out on the table." Tony caught it easily.

"Fornell," answered the FBI agent.

"There's been a change in plans," Gibbs started.

"We know. McGee is coordinating with Abby now examining the map," interrupted Fornell. "Ziva picked up the conversation you were having at dinner and gave us a heads up."

"What have you got so far?" Gibbs asked as he made his way over to Tony, where the map lay spread out. Tony handed him a pen and a highlighter, before taking out his own and started looking over the map.

"Doesn't appear to be much of a difference for the most part," explained Fornell. "It just looks like you will be bused up further north than originally planned. All of the alternate routes and stopping points are relatively marked on the maps anyway. I can't see them risking stopping somewhere else and run the possibility of raising suspicion."

Fornell gave them the coordinates of where their new drop-off point was going to be. Gibbs pointed it out to Tony, who then marked it and using his highlighter traced a new path down the river until it met up with their original markings.

"Is their story about the Sunday trip being cancelled legit?" Tony asked Gibbs, who repeated the question to Fornell and turned his speakerphone on, so Tony could listen as well.

"Far as we can tell. It was part of some sort of family reunion thing. Erikson and Myers weren't the only tour guides going along on that trip, too big of a group," answered Fornell. "It seemed that some of the family had a change of flight plans and wouldn't be arriving until sometime Sunday afternoon. The family members who are already here didn't want to go without the rest the group."

"So Erikson and Myers aren't the only tour guides offering the special overnight discount?" Gibbs asked.

"Nope. The owner of the rafting company approved it for all of the tour guides who were supposed to go on Sunday," confirmed Fornell.

"If they weren't able to offer this overnight trip, would they have been able to pick up another day trip?" asked Tony.

"I doubt it," said Fornell. "Not unless one of the other guides called out sick or something. Everything is booked in advance, even the tour guides."

"Well, I guess they don't want to take the chance of not being able to make their drop," said Tony. "I know I wouldn't want to piss off someone like Sanatos."

"Makes sense," agreed Fornell. "So it looks like you two will get to watch them make two drops instead of one."

"With the amount of drugs that we caught the dealers with, it's hard to imagine them not making a drop each time they go out," reasoned Gibbs. "They would have to make two during this trip to keep their normal pace of distribution."

"Which means they will be carrying a heavier load that what they are used to on their rafts," observed Tony.

"Well then you two shouldn't have any problems getting the trackers on the drugs," said Fornell.

"It's easier said than done," said Gibbs. "Let me know if McGee and Abby come up with anything. We better call it a night. The next two days should be interesting."

"Will do," Fornell said and then he hung up the phone.

"It won't be easy for them to sneak away twice to make drops," said Tony thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking?" asked Gibbs.

"Wouldn't it make sense for them to just give all the drugs over at one drop rather than run the risk of getting caught?" questioned Tony.

"It's a possibility," agreed Gibbs. "Right now we don't know enough of the operation to be sure of anything."

"But one thing still bothers me," said Tony. "If they regularly make two drops each weekend, why would they go on a tour with so many people? Wouldn't it be more difficult to slip away?"

"You think other tour guides might be involved," Gibbs said.

"Like you said, we don't have enough to be sure one way or another," stated Tony.

Gibbs nodded. "I'll give Fornell a call and have him do background checks on the other guides. Then we should probably get some sleep, I doubt we'll get much tomorrow night."

Tony nodded, then got up to grab his bathroom kit and headed for the bathroom. After Gibbs had called Fornell, he refolded the map and tucked it back in his bag. As he pulled out his own kit and a change of cloths, Tony came out of the bathroom.

"It's all yours," Tony said with a wave of his hand. Once Gibbs had gone into the bathroom, Tony quickly changed into a pair of sweatpants, then went digging for a T-shirt to change into.

Gibbs changed and, realizing that his toothbrush wasn't in his kit, went back outside. He walked outside just as Tony was changing into a T-shirt, but what he saw nearly stopped his heart. 'Dear Lord,' thought Gibbs with a mixture of horror, anger and an overwhelming sense of wanting to somehow protect Tony. There were marks covering Tony's back. They were irregular, with seemingly no pattern, spread out across his back. A few appeared to have been deep enough to require stitches, but not all of them.

Gibbs knew for a fact from having read Tony's personal and medical files that they were not injuries obtained on the job, nor did he obtain any other injuries in his past to have explained the injuries away. If they had Gibbs would of known, which left only one possible source of the marks, his father.

Gibbs also knew that as a child Tony and his father had a personal physician who would often make house calls, one of the side perks of having money. It wouldn't have been difficult for Tony's father to make sure no records were made of certain treatments that Tony may have received over the years, either.

By the time Gibbs got over his initial shock and thought to head back to the bathroom, Tony had turned around. The look on his face was one of embarrassment and he quickly turned away from Gibbs. He knew that Gibbs had seen the marks, there was no way to hide it. There was a sudden awkwardness in the air, and Tony had the sudden urge to get out of the room.

Saying nothing, he grabbed his shoes and walked outside into the night before Gibbs had a chance to say anything. Gibbs started to go after him, but then paused, deciding that Tony might need the space more than someone to talk to at the moment. If he was honest with himself, Gibbs wasn't all that sure of what to say to Tony at the moment anyway. Sighing, he found his toothbrush and headed back to the bathroom. Finishing quickly, he turned off all the lights and climbed into bed, hoping that Tony hadn't gone far and would be more willing to return if he saw that Gibbs had gone to bed.

Tony actually hadn't gone anywhere, he was sitting on the bottom steps of the cabin. He took several deep breaths to calm himself down. He didn't blame Gibbs, there was no reason to. If anyone was to blame it was himself for not having the foresight to simply change in the bathroom. He also knew that Gibbs wasn't deliberately spying on him either, because if he had, he would never have let Tony catch him the way that he did.

He had seen the look on Gibbs' face, but he wasn't sure of what to make of it. The few people who had seen the marks in the past and had known what they were usually gave him looks of pity, and that was one thing Tony couldn't stand. But there was certainly no pity in Gibbs' eyes. Anger, for sure, but who was he angry at? Tony couldn't be sure, but he thought he could make out something of shock in his eyes. He had never seen Gibbs looked shocked though, so he supposed he could be reading it wrong.

Taking a few more deep breaths, he tried to figure out what to do next. This wasn't something he was prepared for. He never intended on anyone knowing about the marks, least of all Gibbs. Tony sighed, his nerves were shot. When the lights went off in the cabin, Tony knew he should really go back in and get some sleep. But he also knew that if they didn't resolve this now things would be awkward the rest of the operation, and that was something that they couldn't afford.

Tony knew that Gibbs wouldn't push him, but eventually he would want to know about them. He couldn't blame them, it wasn't exactly something you could easily forget. Nor was it an easy topic to talk about either. Knowing that Gibbs would stay awake until Tony returned, he took another deep breath before getting to his feet. He still wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he knew he couldn't stay outside much longer.

Gibbs heard the door open and kept his eyes closed as he heard Tony walk in, slowly making his way towards the ladder and climbing to the top bunk. He quickly settled down without a word. Gibbs gave himself a mental sigh. Over the course of the day he had learned more about Tony than he had in the past several years that they had been working together, and now it seemed he had just inadvertently set them back. The silence between them now was unbearable for Gibbs, he had to fix this somehow. 'But how do you fix something when you don't even know the full story?' he thought to himself.

As much as Gibbs wanted to say something to get them back to their normal banter, he was just as afraid to say something to make things worse. He shifted slightly, rubbing his face. He had suspected that Tony had been abused in some way, but to actually see evidence of abuse was something else, especially when Tony knew that he knew.

Meanwhile, Tony's mind was running a mile a minute. Good grief, he was nervous. He couldn't remember the last time he was this, well, scared. He didn't want to loose any respect Gibbs had for him. He knew it was stupid to think that, but he couldn't help it either. He was glad it was dark, he didn't have to look at Gibbs and see his reaction. Which was why he was giving serious thought to telling Gibbs everything now. It would clear the air for one, and for another he wouldn't have to run the risk of seeing pity in Gibbs' eyes either.

Tony sighed out loud. "I know you, Gibbs. I know you want to ask," he started quietly.

Gibbs had heard Tony sigh before he spoke. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, Tony," Gibbs replied softly.

"Yea, I do. Because if we don't get this settled now it will show and people will notice, and we can't afford that right now," said Tony.

"Who says it has to be that way? I respect your privacy, Tony," said Gibbs. "Everyone has their secrets, if you want this can be one of yours and we can leave it at that." But how he really hoped that wouldn't be the case.

Tony sighed again. He really wished he could just leave things like Gibbs said, but he couldn't. A door had been cracked open, and he wasn't all that sure he could close it again. If he didn't get it off his chest now he knew it would be bothering the hell out of him, plus he probably wouldn't find the nerve to say anything again.

"You aren't the first person to see them, but I've never…" Tony paused a moment before continuing. "No one's ever asked before, they just see them and draw their own conclusions and…"

'Damn,' Tony thought to himself. 'This was hard.'

"You mean you've never spoken to anyone about them before?" Gibbs asked calmly, seeking confirmation of what he thought Tony was trying to say.

Tony had to smile to himself a little at that. 'Leave it to Gibbs to read my mind,' Tony thought. Out loud, he said "Pretty much. It isn't exactly something that comes up in normal conversation."

'Or was no one was willing to listen before,' wondered Gibbs. Both men were lying on their backs staring into the darkness, searching for the right words.

"No time like the present, Tony," Gibbs encouraged softly, wanting Tony to know that he was willing to listen, if Tony felt like talking. He was silent for several minutes, before he started talking.

"They all…well, it happened all at once," Tony began. The quiet words Gibbs had spoken had somehow made Tony feel a little more at ease. "I mean, it didn't happen over a period of time, but it wasn't the first time…ugh, I'm not saying this right."

"Just say what's on your mind, we can worry about it making sense later," Gibbs said.

"Right," Tony took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, I don't really remember much of it, course it could be due to the concussion I had gotten. But it was probably the same like…the same as always. He was drunk and I was home and something I did or didn't do would set him off."

"We were in the dinning room, he was yelling at me about something. By that time though, I had gotten pretty good at tuning him out, it was usually better to let him rant and rave without interruption," Tony paused. Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath before continuing. He knew he couldn't stop, though. Once he started talking, the words just seemed to flood out of his mouth, with nothing to block it.

"All I know is, one minute I was in the dinning room…actually, I'm not sure what he did. Either pushed or threw me I guess…the doors leading to the patio were made of glass, they were right there. Went right through them. My head connected with the floor pretty good, so naturally got a concussion."

"Doctor came by, removed the glass from my back, stitched me up and left. It was sort of normal for him by then, coming, treating me, and leaving, asking no questions." Tony stopped at that, trying to gather his thoughts, he couldn't believe he had just told Gibbs all of that. But at the same time, he felt a bit relieved.

Gibbs pondered over what he had just heard. He had chosen to remain silent during Tony's confession, afraid that interrupting him would cause him to stop talking all together. Tony had more or less admitted to being abused, but the scars on his back were apparently all from the one incident, if you could call it that. He wasn't sure if he should be grateful for Tony's lack of memory, or horrified that he had received such a serious concussion as to cause him to have said lack of memory. Gibbs decided to go with a bit of both, not wanting to think to hard on that part much at the moment.

"You want to know the irony of it all?" Tony asked after a few moments.

"Sure," Gibbs said simply.

"While that was one of the worst…it was also the best," Tony confessed cryptically.

"How do you mean?" Gibbs asked, wondering how in hell something like your father tossing you through a window could be a good thing.

"Well, whatever set him off that day…he wasn't done. That was the year I was sent off to Rhode Island Military Academy," Tony said.

Gibbs was then able to understand why Tony saw it as a good thing. Being sent away to school meant that he wasn't going to have to be around his father. It was an escape of sorts. "Is that when you got interested in sports?" he asked.

"Not exactly. I had been playing sports for a while…made for an easier way to explain…" Tony answered. "Well, it was when I started taking it seriously at any rate, once I found out some of the opportunities that were offered by colleges through sports."

Gibbs understood what Tony didn't say directly. Sports were a reasonable way to explain any bruises or other injuries he might have received at the hands of his father. Gibbs was suddenly very grateful that Tony couldn't see him, afraid that he might mistake the anger that was no doubt reflecting in his eyes for something else. He found himself hoping to never meet Dinozzo senior. If he ever did, it would definitely not be pretty.

"You didn't deserve that, Tony. None of it. No matter what set him off, it's not something you can blame yourself for. He had no right, don't ever think any different," Gibbs firmly told Tony.

Tony knew that, but to actually hear someone else say it, well, it was something else. "Thanks," he whispered softly, but knowing that Gibbs would hear him.

Gibbs allowed himself a small smile. He could hear the gratitude behind that one simple word. It was for more than just saying what he did, but for listening as well. "It's the truth, Tony and don't forget it."

"Never," agreed Tony quietly.

Sensing that this was the end of this particular conversation for the time being, Gibbs suggested, "We should get some sleep. I get the feeling that these guys aren't going to make it easy for us to trace them."

Tony gave a small chuckle at that. "Since when have we ever had anything easy, boss? Especially since the FBI is involved."

"Good point. Should have brought more coffee," Gibbs replied to Tony's humor, relieved to find that things were still ok between them.

"I should warn Gary that you plan to raid his secret stash," teased Tony.

Gibbs laughed along with Tony in the darkness. "Get some sleep, Tony," he said after a minute.

"Night, boss," Tony said as he shifted a bit before settling down. Things had turned out better than he had thought. Gibbs didn't judge him, merely saw things as they were, confirming out loud what Tony knew to be true. Sleep came easily for him, and what was more surprising, was that he didn't dream.

Gibbs listened as Tony's breathing evened out, signaling that he had fallen asleep. Only then did Gibbs let himself drift off to sleep, relishing in the new level of trust that Tony had displayed in him.

Chapter 15:

By the time they got back from their hike it was just about time for the meeting. Dinner was going to be served first, as a sort of icebreaker for the rest of the group to get to know each other. The gathering was situated in an enclosed dinning room; table already prepped with burgers, hot dogs and fries. As Gibbs and Tony followed another father/son team in, they noticed that both Petty Officer Thomas Erikson and Petty Officer Brian Myers and the other father/son team were already there.

Looking up when they entered, Erikson said, "Ah, good. Now that we are all hear we can introduce ourselves and get aquatinted. I'm Tom Erikson and my buddy here is Brian Myers. After dinner we can go over some of the safety procedures."

"We also have a proposition for you all," said Myers. "It seems that we've had a cancellation for Sunday, and if everyone agrees, we can make this into a two-day trip instead of one. We know its short notice, so it would only cost you an extra $25 per person."

Gibbs and Tony glanced curiously at each other. This was an unexpected turn of events. Another conversation with Fornell would be in order if plans did indeed change.

"Take some time and think about it, but in the meantime, why don't we go around the room and introduce ourselves, get to know each other a bit?" suggested Erikson, nodding to the two that had been in the room when Gibbs and Tony had arrived.

The man had gray hair, with the beginnings of a beer belly forming, spoke first. "Name's Jim Canton. I'm a truck driver, not much else to know," the man told the group gruffly.

"I'm Jason Canton, and I work at a car dealership," spoke the younger man beside him, evidently not bothered by his father's abruptness. He had blonde hair, and looked to be in good shape.

Both Erikson and Myers nodded, then turned towards the pair that had taken a seat next to them.

"Hi, Gary Starks. My son Ray and I own and operate a small coffee shop in town," spoke a bald man with glasses.

"Hey," greeted Ray. Both men were thin, and except for the lack of hair and glasses, looked a lot alike. Tony had a strong feeling that they were going to get along fine with them. And it had nothing to do with the fact that they owned a coffee shop, none whatsoever.

That left Gibbs and Tony, who were seating across from the Starks. Following the order that the others had set, Gibbs spoke first. "Gunnery Sergeant Jethro Gibbson, currently training new recruits." Right to the point, as usual for a marine.

"Hey, I'm Tony. I'm a co-owner of a nightclub." No need to give anything more when no one else had.

"Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's eat!" said Myers eagerly. Everyone was quiet for a few minutes as they gathered food on their plates. Gibbs thought it would be good to start some kind of conversation, hoping to steer the conversation into deciding on whether or not to extend the trip or not. They needed to know.

" So Gary," he began, "you bring your own coffee? It's got to be better than the cheap watered down crap they got here."

"Oh yea," Gary answered with a nod. "We've been on these trips before, we take no chances. I take it you're a regular coffee drinker?"

Tony couldn't hold back a snicker at that. Receiving a questioning look from Ray, he said, "Regular coffee drinker is putting it mildly. All my dad drinks is coffee, all day long. Well, with the exception of bourbon every now and then, maybe. You don't wanna see him without his coffee though, trust me."

"Sounds familiar," Ray said with a laugh. "We don't own our own shop just for the hell of it."

"Hey, you drink coffee too," Gary told his son.

"I have a cup in the morning. And that cup you've got right now makes how many for today?" teased Ray.

Gary rolled his eyes. Looking at Gibbs, he asked, "I guess you get this from your kid too?"

"Oh yea. He doesn't even drink coffee in the morning all the time," answered Gibbs. "I'll never understand how he gets by on eating Lucky Charms or some other little kids cereal."

"Hey! I'll have you know that those cereals are full of your daily dose of calcium!" exclaimed Tony. "What am I supposed to eat, Shredded Wheat? I'm not old you know."

The smack to head was not unexpected for Tony. "I eat Shredded Wheat!" said Gibbs. The group broke out into laughter at the teasing.

"So any of you interested in doing the two-day trip?" Jim asked as the laughter died down.

"You bet," Gary answered. "Only an extra $25? You'd have to be stupid to pass on a deal like that."

"We aren't in any rush to get home," agreed Gibbs. Both he and Tony knew that they would be going, two-day trip or not.

"Great," said Myers. "In my opinion, if you're going to go rafting, you might as well get the full experience. One day simply doesn't do these waters justice."

Erikson nodded in agreement. "It's settled then. If you all have the money on you now, I can go ahead and file in our change of plans with our boss."

There was a nod from everyone at the table, and once he had collected the money, Erikson excused himself. Dinner was soon finished and the table was cleared off.

While waiting for Erikson to return, Myers began passing around folders for everyone. "This is just some basic information about the river and the area. There's a copy of safety regulations and procedures as well. Also, inside you will find safety wavers we will need you to sign after we have gone over everything with you. Basically it says that you have received all safety information and you understand the risks involved."

Erikson returned a few minutes later. "Ok, the course we will be taking is still for beginners, but don't take that lightly. In some areas the water can still be pretty rough," Erikson started. "Therefore everyone is required to wear life jackets at all times while in the raft. No exceptions. If you were taking on a more advanced course you would be required to wear helmets, but we won't need to worry about that."

"Since we are such a small group, we are going to have you using a two-man raft. Tom and I will have singles," continued Myers. "You will each be responsible for your own overnight equipment and other supplies."

"It is generally recommended that you wear pants for overnight trips. No one wants to have to deal with poison ivy or bug bites while your trying to navigate the river," advised Erikson. "Wearing a hat wouldn't hurt either. It may not be 90 degrees out, but the sun can still do a lot of damage."

"Tomorrow before we set off we will go over the proper way to handle your raft," Myers said. "Does anyone have any questions?"

Everyone answered a no, so Erikson said, "Alright then. If you would just sign your safety wavers and pass them up, we will see you here tomorrow morning for breakfast."

After turning in their papers, the group started to disperse. Jim and his son Jason turned to go towards the gift shop area, Gibbs and Tony accompanied Gary and Ray outside.

"So how's your coffee stash?" Gary asked Gibbs.

"I may have to ration it a bit," Gibbs answered with a laugh.

Gary laughed as well. "Don't worry, I always bring more than enough for these things."

"Yea, and you always make me carry the extra load," said Ray.

"Yea well, damned if I do, damned if I don't," said Gary.

"More like better safe than sorry," snickered Tony.

"For real," agreed Ray.

"Well, we better call your mom so she doesn't worry. See you guys in the morning!" Gary said as he and his son headed off to their cabin.

"Good night!" Gibbs and Tony called back.

"Hanging out with those two should be fun," Tony said as they reached their own cabin.

"Oh yea," Gibbs agreed. "It's always good to have a fellow coffee drinker as an ally."

Tony merely rolled his eyes at that. After locking the door, Tony went around to the windows, making sure they were locked as well before pulling the curtains closed. Gibbs dug out the map that they had brought along of the area.

"Here," Gibbs tossed the map to Tony as he pulled out his cell. "Spread that out on the table." Tony caught it easily.

"Fornell," answered the FBI agent.

"There's been a change in plans," Gibbs started.

"We know. McGee is coordinating with Abby now examining the map," interrupted Fornell. "Ziva picked up the conversation you were having at dinner and gave us a heads up."

"What have you got so far?" Gibbs asked as he made his way over to Tony, where the map lay spread out. Tony handed him a pen and a highlighter, before taking out his own and started looking over the map.

"Doesn't appear to be much of a difference for the most part," explained Fornell. "It just looks like you will be bused up further north than originally planned. All of the alternate routes and stopping points are relatively marked on the maps anyway. I can't see them risking stopping somewhere else and run the possibility of raising suspicion."

Fornell gave them the coordinates of where their new drop-off point was going to be. Gibbs pointed it out to Tony, who then marked it and using his highlighter traced a new path down the river until it met up with their original markings.

"Is their story about the Sunday trip being cancelled legit?" Tony asked Gibbs, who repeated the question to Fornell and turned his speakerphone on, so Tony could listen as well.

"Far as we can tell. It was part of some sort of family reunion thing. Erikson and Myers weren't the only tour guides going along on that trip, too big of a group," answered Fornell. "It seemed that some of the family had a change of flight plans and wouldn't be arriving until sometime Sunday afternoon. The family members who are already here didn't want to go without the rest the group."

"So Erikson and Myers aren't the only tour guides offering the special overnight discount?" Gibbs asked.

"Nope. The owner of the rafting company approved it for all of the tour guides who were supposed to go on Sunday," confirmed Fornell.

"If they weren't able to offer this overnight trip, would they have been able to pick up another day trip?" asked Tony.

"I doubt it," said Fornell. "Not unless one of the other guides called out sick or something. Everything is booked in advance, even the tour guides."

"Well, I guess they don't want to take the chance of not being able to make their drop," said Tony. "I know I wouldn't want to piss off someone like Sanatos."

"Makes sense," agreed Fornell. "So it looks like you two will get to watch them make two drops instead of one."

"With the amount of drugs that we caught the dealers with, it's hard to imagine them not making a drop each time they go out," reasoned Gibbs. "They would have to make two during this trip to keep their normal pace of distribution."

"Which means they will be carrying a heavier load that what they are used to on their rafts," observed Tony.

"Well then you two shouldn't have any problems getting the trackers on the drugs," said Fornell.

"It's easier said than done," said Gibbs. "Let me know if McGee and Abby come up with anything. We better call it a night. The next two days should be interesting."

"Will do," Fornell said and then he hung up the phone.

"It won't be easy for them to sneak away twice to make drops," said Tony thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking?" asked Gibbs.

"Wouldn't it make sense for them to just give all the drugs over at one drop rather than run the risk of getting caught?" questioned Tony.

"It's a possibility," agreed Gibbs. "Right now we don't know enough of the operation to be sure of anything."

"But one thing still bothers me," said Tony. "If they regularly make two drops each weekend, why would they go on a tour with so many people? Wouldn't it be more difficult to slip away?"

"You think other tour guides might be involved," Gibbs said.

"Like you said, we don't have enough to be sure one way or another," stated Tony.

Gibbs nodded. "I'll give Fornell a call and have him do background checks on the other guides. Then we should probably get some sleep, I doubt we'll get much tomorrow night."

Tony nodded, then got up to grab his bathroom kit and headed for the bathroom. After Gibbs had called Fornell, he refolded the map and tucked it back in his bag. As he pulled out his own kit and a change of cloths, Tony came out of the bathroom.

"It's all yours," Tony said with a wave of his hand. Once Gibbs had gone into the bathroom, Tony quickly changed into a pair of sweatpants, then went digging for a T-shirt to change into.

Gibbs changed and, realizing that his toothbrush wasn't in his kit, went back outside. He walked outside just as Tony was changing into a T-shirt, but what he saw nearly stopped his heart. 'Dear Lord,' thought Gibbs with a mixture of horror, anger and an overwhelming sense of wanting to somehow protect Tony. There were marks covering Tony's back. They were irregular, with seemingly no pattern, spread out across his back. A few appeared to have been deep enough to require stitches, but not all of them.

Gibbs knew for a fact from having read Tony's personal and medical files that they were not injuries obtained on the job, nor did he obtain any other injuries in his past to have explained the injuries away. If they had Gibbs would of known, which left only one possible source of the marks, his father.

Gibbs also knew that as a child Tony and his father had a personal physician who would often make house calls, one of the side perks of having money. It wouldn't have been difficult for Tony's father to make sure no records were made of certain treatments that Tony may have received over the years, either.

By the time Gibbs got over his initial shock and thought to head back to the bathroom, Tony had turned around. The look on his face was one of embarrassment and he quickly turned away from Gibbs. He knew that Gibbs had seen the marks, there was no way to hide it. There was a sudden awkwardness in the air, and Tony had the sudden urge to get out of the room.

Saying nothing, he grabbed his shoes and walked outside into the night before Gibbs had a chance to say anything. Gibbs started to go after him, but then paused, deciding that Tony might need the space more than someone to talk to at the moment. If he was honest with himself, Gibbs wasn't all that sure of what to say to Tony at the moment anyway. Sighing, he found his toothbrush and headed back to the bathroom. Finishing quickly, he turned off all the lights and climbed into bed, hoping that Tony hadn't gone far and would be more willing to return if he saw that Gibbs had gone to bed.

Tony actually hadn't gone anywhere, he was sitting on the bottom steps of the cabin. He took several deep breaths to calm himself down. He didn't blame Gibbs, there was no reason to. If anyone was to blame it was himself for not having the foresight to simply change in the bathroom. He also knew that Gibbs wasn't deliberately spying on him either, because if he had, he would never have let Tony catch him the way that he did.

He had seen the look on Gibbs' face, but he wasn't sure of what to make of it. The few people who had seen the marks in the past and had known what they were usually gave him looks of pity, and that was one thing Tony couldn't stand. But there was certainly no pity in Gibbs' eyes. Anger, for sure, but who was he angry at? Tony couldn't be sure, but he thought he could make out something of shock in his eyes. He had never seen Gibbs looked shocked though, so he supposed he could be reading it wrong.

Taking a few more deep breaths, he tried to figure out what to do next. This wasn't something he was prepared for. He never intended on anyone knowing about the marks, least of all Gibbs. Tony sighed, his nerves were shot. When the lights went off in the cabin, Tony knew he should really go back in and get some sleep. But he also knew that if they didn't resolve this now things would be awkward the rest of the operation, and that was something that they couldn't afford.

Tony knew that Gibbs wouldn't push him, but eventually he would want to know about them. He couldn't blame them, it wasn't exactly something you could easily forget. Nor was it an easy topic to talk about either. Knowing that Gibbs would stay awake until Tony returned, he took another deep breath before getting to his feet. He still wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he knew he couldn't stay outside much longer.

Gibbs heard the door open and kept his eyes closed as he heard Tony walk in, slowly making his way towards the ladder and climbing to the top bunk. He quickly settled down without a word. Gibbs gave himself a mental sigh. Over the course of the day he had learned more about Tony than he had in the past several years that they had been working together, and now it seemed he had just inadvertently set them back. The silence between them now was unbearable for Gibbs, he had to fix this somehow. 'But how do you fix something when you don't even know the full story?' he thought to himself.

As much as Gibbs wanted to say something to get them back to their normal banter, he was just as afraid to say something to make things worse. He shifted slightly, rubbing his face. He had suspected that Tony had been abused in some way, but to actually see evidence of abuse was something else, especially when Tony knew that he knew.

Meanwhile, Tony's mind was running a mile a minute. Good grief, he was nervous. He couldn't remember the last time he was this, well, scared. He didn't want to loose any respect Gibbs had for him. He knew it was stupid to think that, but he couldn't help it either. He was glad it was dark, he didn't have to look at Gibbs and see his reaction. Which was why he was giving serious thought to telling Gibbs everything now. It would clear the air for one, and for another he wouldn't have to run the risk of seeing pity in Gibbs' eyes either.

Tony sighed out loud. "I know you, Gibbs. I know you want to ask," he started quietly.

Gibbs had heard Tony sigh before he spoke. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, Tony," Gibbs replied softly.

"Yea, I do. Because if we don't get this settled now it will show and people will notice, and we can't afford that right now," said Tony.

"Who says it has to be that way? I respect your privacy, Tony," said Gibbs. "Everyone has their secrets, if you want this can be one of yours and we can leave it at that." But how he really hoped that wouldn't be the case.

Tony sighed again. He really wished he could just leave things like Gibbs said, but he couldn't. A door had been cracked open, and he wasn't all that sure he could close it again. If he didn't get it off his chest now he knew it would be bothering the hell out of him, plus he probably wouldn't find the nerve to say anything again.

"You aren't the first person to see them, but I've never…" Tony paused a moment before continuing. "No one's ever asked before, they just see them and draw their own conclusions and…"

'Damn,' Tony thought to himself. 'This was hard.'

"You mean you've never spoken to anyone about them before?" Gibbs asked calmly, seeking confirmation of what he thought Tony was trying to say.

Tony had to smile to himself a little at that. 'Leave it to Gibbs to read my mind,' Tony thought. Out loud, he said "Pretty much. It isn't exactly something that comes up in normal conversation."

'Or was no one was willing to listen before,' wondered Gibbs. Both men were lying on their backs staring into the darkness, searching for the right words.

"No time like the present, Tony," Gibbs encouraged softly, wanting Tony to know that he was willing to listen, if Tony felt like talking. He was silent for several minutes, before he started talking.

"They all…well, it happened all at once," Tony began. The quiet words Gibbs had spoken had somehow made Tony feel a little more at ease. "I mean, it didn't happen over a period of time, but it wasn't the first time…ugh, I'm not saying this right."

"Just say what's on your mind, we can worry about it making sense later," Gibbs said.

"Right," Tony took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, I don't really remember much of it, course it could be due to the concussion I had gotten. But it was probably the same like…the same as always. He was drunk and I was home and something I did or didn't do would set him off."

"We were in the dinning room, he was yelling at me about something. By that time though, I had gotten pretty good at tuning him out, it was usually better to let him rant and rave without interruption," Tony paused. Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath before continuing. He knew he couldn't stop, though. Once he started talking, the words just seemed to flood out of his mouth, with nothing to block it.

"All I know is, one minute I was in the dinning room…actually, I'm not sure what he did. Either pushed or threw me I guess…the doors leading to the patio were made of glass, they were right there. Went right through them. My head connected with the floor pretty good, so naturally got a concussion."

"Doctor came by, removed the glass from my back, stitched me up and left. It was sort of normal for him by then, coming, treating me, and leaving, asking no questions." Tony stopped at that, trying to gather his thoughts, he couldn't believe he had just told Gibbs all of that. But at the same time, he felt a bit relieved.

Gibbs pondered over what he had just heard. He had chosen to remain silent during Tony's confession, afraid that interrupting him would cause him to stop talking all together. Tony had more or less admitted to being abused, but the scars on his back were apparently all from the one incident, if you could call it that. He wasn't sure if he should be grateful for Tony's lack of memory, or horrified that he had received such a serious concussion as to cause him to have said lack of memory. Gibbs decided to go with a bit of both, not wanting to think to hard on that part much at the moment.

"You want to know the irony of it all?" Tony asked after a few moments.

"Sure," Gibbs said simply.

"While that was one of the worst…it was also the best," Tony confessed cryptically.

"How do you mean?" Gibbs asked, wondering how in hell something like your father tossing you through a window could be a good thing.

"Well, whatever set him off that day…he wasn't done. That was the year I was sent off to Rhode Island Military Academy," Tony said.

Gibbs was then able to understand why Tony saw it as a good thing. Being sent away to school meant that he wasn't going to have to be around his father. It was an escape of sorts. "Is that when you got interested in sports?" he asked.

"Not exactly. I had been playing sports for a while…made for an easier way to explain…" Tony answered. "Well, it was when I started taking it seriously at any rate, once I found out some of the opportunities that were offered by colleges through sports."

Gibbs understood what Tony didn't say directly. Sports were a reasonable way to explain any bruises or other injuries he might have received at the hands of his father. Gibbs was suddenly very grateful that Tony couldn't see him, afraid that he might mistake the anger that was no doubt reflecting in his eyes for something else. He found himself hoping to never meet Dinozzo senior. If he ever did, it would definitely not be pretty.

"You didn't deserve that, Tony. None of it. No matter what set him off, it's not something you can blame yourself for. He had no right, don't ever think any different," Gibbs firmly told Tony.

Tony knew that, but to actually hear someone else say it, well, it was something else. "Thanks," he whispered softly, but knowing that Gibbs would hear him.

Gibbs allowed himself a small smile. He could hear the gratitude behind that one simple word. It was for more than just saying what he did, but for listening as well. "It's the truth, Tony and don't forget it."

"Never," agreed Tony quietly.

Sensing that this was the end of this particular conversation for the time being, Gibbs suggested, "We should get some sleep. I get the feeling that these guys aren't going to make it easy for us to trace them."

Tony gave a small chuckle at that. "Since when have we ever had anything easy, boss? Especially since the FBI is involved."

"Good point. Should have brought more coffee," Gibbs replied to Tony's humor, relieved to find that things were still ok between them.

"I should warn Gary that you plan to raid his secret stash," teased Tony.

Gibbs laughed along with Tony in the darkness. "Get some sleep, Tony," he said after a minute.

"Night, boss," Tony said as he shifted a bit before settling down. Things had turned out better than he had thought. Gibbs didn't judge him, merely saw things as they were, confirming out loud what Tony knew to be true. Sleep came easily for him, and what was more surprising, was that he didn't dream.

Gibbs listened as Tony's breathing evened out, signaling that he had fallen asleep. Only then did Gibbs let himself drift off to sleep, relishing in the new level of trust that Tony had displayed in him.

Chapter 16:

After years of being in the Marines, Gibbs had gotten used to waking up without an alarm clock. The sun had just started to rise as he gave himself a moment to adjust to his surroundings. Tony's deep breathing signaled that he was still asleep. Gibbs' mind replayed the events of last night with incredible clarity.

How someone could do that to their own son was beyond him. The fact that no one ever seemed to report the abuse to the authorities was something else all together. Course, with the amount of money Dinozzo, Sr. was, it was entirely possible that he either paid off the right people or said people were too scared to make a report at all. People with money more often than not had power to back them as well.

It was amazing that Tony turned out as well as he did, given the circumstances. He definitely deserved better, and Gibbs hoped he was showing him that. Briefly he wondered why Tony kept so much of himself a secret. Had his father's actions and words made him so cautious about other people?

Another thing that was still bothering Gibbs was about his tendency to switch jobs. He could understand Tony simply being bored. He was, after all, in college at the time. But what about once he became a cop? What were the reasons behind the transfers? Gibbs had contacted each and every one of Tony's old supervisors, and they had all given glowing recommendations. Nothing in his official files gave any hints, either. It was certainly something to think about.

The sun had filtered into the room a bit more by now, and Gibbs got out of bed and stretched. Looking over at Tony, Gibbs thought he looked much younger in sleep, sort of giving off the little-boy impression. Smiling to himself, Gibbs reached out and pulled the cover back over Tony. He started to shift a little in his sleep, so Gibbs ran a hand through his hair in an effort to coax him back to sleep. Tony let out a small sigh and settled back down after a moment.

Still smiling, Gibbs headed off towards the bathroom with a change of cloths and bathroom kit in hand. He decided to let Tony sleep a few more minutes while he showered and got dressed. Then he would wake him up and check-in with Fornell. Gibbs turned the water on, letting it warm up a bit as he dug out his razor. Back in the main room, the water made a jet engine roar as it went running through the pipes.

One main reason that Tony hardly ever talked about his father was because it usually led him to have nightmares. When feeling punishment was called for, his father tended to go to the extreme, leaving more than just physical scars. Tony had slept through the entire night without having any kind of nightmare and it would have been the first time, too, had it not been for the loud rush of water. As the water echoed throughout the room, it triggered a memory, causing Tony to go somewhere in his mind that he definitely did not want to be.

He remembered his father grabbing him by the arm, dragging him down the hallway, towards the basement. At first Tony had been confused, for the basement had been made into a lounge of sorts, with a pool table and an area in the corner stashed his father's favorite brand of drinks. But then his father took him towards the door that led to where the circuit breaker was, along with the water heater and several pipes. The room itself wasn't extremely small, but to an eight-year old, it could become extremely small. Especially when his father locked the door and left him there without any source of light.

Being locked alone in a dark room wasn't anything unusual; Tony had been locked in closets before. In the first few minutes, the only difference had been the fact that here he was sitting on cold concrete instead of a carpet. But then the water started to travel through the pipes to different parts of the house. Tony had later learned through one of the maids that his father had suddenly ordered the lawn sprinklers to be turned on, before going to lounge in the hot tub.

The Dinozzo's owned several acres of land, so the sprinkler system was fairly large. The majority of the water ran through the pipes in the same room that Tony had been locked in. Once the water had been turned on, the noise bounced off the cement walls, making it sound like a jet engine preparing to take off. Adding that to the cold darkness of the room had made Tony panic, for he didn't know what the noise was. There was no way to tell how much time had passed, but eventually the noise died down. But still no one came. He just sat there in the dark on the floor, waiting, hoping that someone would come and take him from this nightmare.

Once he had showered, Gibbs had quickly dressed and brushed his teeth. Toweling his hair dry, he re-packed his kit and gathered up his night cloths. Walking out of the bathroom still warm from his shower, he paused briefly to get used to the cooler air. He picked up his bag from the foot of his bed and quietly put his things away. Then he stood up, getting ready to wake Tony up when he hesitated.

Tony was not how he had left him a half an hour ago. Earlier he had seemed peaceful and extremely relaxed. Now he looked tense, both of his hands in tight fists around the blankets. It looked as though Tony had at some point attempted to curl up into a ball, but the bunk bed simply didn't allow it. His face was slightly damp with sweat, his face rigid as he murmured in his sleep. Tony's breathing was irregular, almost resembling short gasps.

Gibbs immediately recognized that Tony was having some sort of nightmare, and knew he was going to have to be especially careful as he attempted to wake him. People often lashed out at those trying to pull them out of their horror, thinking that they were still dreaming. But Gibbs also knew that he couldn't simply leave Tony as he was, either.

"Tony," Gibbs spoke softly and calmly, hoping that on some sub-conscious level he would identify him before he reached out to touch him. "Tony, wake up. It's ok," Gibbs said again, voice a little louder.

Tony stirred, as if searching for where the voice was coming from, but didn't wake up. Cautiously, Gibbs reached out, gently gripping Tony's shoulder as he spoke again. "Tony, it's just a dream. Come on, Tony."

Gibbs knew that it was unlikely that he would be able to successfully wake Tony without some sort of reaction, so when Tony had started thrashing around, he had been ready. Gently grasping his wrists so that Tony wouldn't injure either one of them, Gibbs spoke a bit louder this time, but no less calmly. "Tony! Relax! It's just me, you need to wake up, it's just a dream!"

At that point Tony opened his eyes, but Gibbs was sure that he was only partially awake, some part of the nightmare still keeping hold of his mind. Although Tony had stopped moving, Gibbs kept a gentle grip on his wrists, in order to give him a physical contact to hopefully ground himself with.

"Tony, you with me?" Gibbs asked quietly.

He blinked a few times before his eyes seemed to focus on Gibbs. Tony appeared to be studying him, trying to remember who it was in front of him.

"Gibbs?" Tony asked questionably, voice sounding out of breath.

Nodding, Gibbs continued to speak quietly. "It's me, Tony. Relax, ok?"

Gibbs watched as Tony's eyes briefly flickered across the room, taking in his surroundings. He returned his gaze to Gibbs after a moment, the only immediately familiar thing around him.

When Gibbs looked into Tony's eyes again, he saw fear. Of what exactly, Gibbs couldn't be sure, but if he had to guess, Tony's father would have been on the top of the list. Pushing thoughts of Tony's father aside for the moment, Gibbs concentrated on trying to pull Tony away from whatever remained of his nightmare.

"Tony, you need to focus. We are at the cabin," Gibbs told Tony, hoping to jog his memory by reminding him of where they were. "It's ok, just relax. I've got your six."

That last statement seemed to do the trick. Tony swallowed, then took a deep breath, then another. Tony blinked a few more times in an attempt to clear away some of the last remnants of his nightmare.

"You with me, Tony?" Gibbs asked after Tony had taken a few more deep breaths.

He gave a shaky nod in reply as he began to move to sit up. Only then did Gibbs let go. As Tony sat up he drew in his legs towards his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Gibbs stepped up the ladder and joined him, letting his legs dangle over the edge of the bed.

"You ok?" Gibbs asked with concern.

Tony gave a shaky laugh as he replied, "I will be. Thanks for uh, waking me up."

Gibbs watched as Tony pulled in a few more unsteady breaths before asking, "Want to tell me what that was all about?" He had worded it so that Tony had the option of telling him or not, and that it was ok if he didn't.

"I don't do that often," Tony confessed. "I…I guess just telling you about…you know…guess it sort of brought up some unpleasant memories."

Gibbs immediately felt guilty as he heard the admission. Maybe if he hadn't pushed then Tony wouldn't have had the nightmare to begin with.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony noticed Gibbs go tense. Guessing what he was thinking, Tony said, "It wasn't your fault. It's weird, though. What I dreamt about…I mean I usually don't dream about that particular, well, without some sort of trigger."

"Trigger?" Gibbs asked questionably, relieved to see that Tony didn't blame him for stirring up certain memories.

"Usually something triggers my memory of that, and it causes me to sort of re-live it in my sleep," explained Tony, no longer shaking as much as he had when first waking up. "There was nothing at all yesterday that would have caused it to resurface."

Gibbs could tell that it was bothering Tony about what had caused him to dream like he had. Figuring he most likely wanted to avoid having the same dream again, Gibbs offered to help. "You want to tell me about it? Maybe I can help you figure out what caused it to resurface."

Nodding, Tony said, "Yea, ok. It's stupid though, I don't know why it still bothers me so much."

"Nothing you say is stupid, Tony," Gibbs pointed out. "Although it may be pointless for you to compare everything to a movie." That got the intended smile from Tony. It was small, but it seemed to ease some of the tension Tony was still presenting.

"I was eight at the time, and he was mad because I had tracked mud on the carpet," Tony began, and there was no need to explain who he was. "I told him I would clean it up. Didn't matter though, he wanted me out of sight and mind."

Tony paused for a moment, moving to rest his back against the wall and stretch out his legs a bit. Gibbs stayed where he was, in order to give Tony some space.

"When he started dragging me down the hallway, I thought he was going to lock me in a closet again, but then we started going downstairs to the basement," Tony started up again once he was comfortable. "Basement was sort of a lounge area, and there was a door that led to the room with the circuit breakers and a bunch of water pipes were. Locked me in there and didn't turn on the light. I would have turned it on myself, but I was too short to reach it."

Gibbs gave a small snort at that. "Hard to imagine you that short," teasing Tony about his current height.

Tony allowed a small chuckle to escape. "Yea well, believe it or not, at one time I was the shortest kid in my class."

"I don't believe it," Gibbs replied, in an effort to try to keep the atmosphere comfortable for Tony to continue.

"Take a look at some of my old pictures then you will," Tony said. "Anyway, I wasn't exactly afraid of the dark. Being locked in a closet before sort of took care of that. It was colder in there, cement walls and floor ya know? But that wasn't the worst part."

Tony took a few moments to collect himself, before continuing. "It started after a few minutes. It was this really loud noise, guess thing the best thing to compare it to would be a jet engine turned on and you're standing really close to it. In that room, it echoed, making it seem louder than it really was. Had no idea what the hell it was, but it scared the crap out of me."

"I'm not sure how long it went on for, but eventually it stopped. But I was still down there for a while. Afterwards, one of the women who cleaned our house told me that he had ordered the sprinkler systems for the front and back yard to be turned on before he went to use the hot tub. Seems all that water being used at once, running through all those pipes…well I was never locked in there again surprisingly. But at least I knew what it was."

Gibbs sat thoughtfully for a moment before uttering a curse. Inadvertently he had caused Tony's nightmare after all. It was some consolation though, that at least he was able to identify the trigger to his nightmare.

"Gibbs?" Tony asked, noticing how tense he became after he had finished revealing his real-life nightmare.

"I think I may have an idea about what your trigger is," Gibbs began.

"Your kidding," Tony said, sounding surprised.

"I was taking a shower earlier, these cabins hardly seem like they were recently built. It is likely that the water pipes run through here," explained Gibbs.

"Yea, but it would have to be pretty loud for it to have bothered me enough like it did," Tony said, still unsure of Gibbs' explanation. Deciding he needed to check things out to be certain, he hopped off the bed and headed towards the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Gibbs asked.

"Testing your theory," replied Tony from the bathroom. He reached out and turned the nozzle, starting the shower, and headed back to the main room. Of course, Gibbs had been right. But it still amazed Tony at how loud it actually was.

"Wow," exclaimed Tony as he came back from the bathroom after turning the water off. "No wonder…guess they aren't too worried about people staying in these cabins much."

"The rafting trips are the main draw, I doubt that they make much profit from them," agreed Gibbs.

Leaning against the wall, Tony studied Gibbs. After working for the man as long as he had, he knew far to well how guilty the man could get if a member of his team got hurt in the line of duty. While they weren't exactly in the line of fire at the moment, Gibbs would still feel somewhat responsible; it was just how he was.

"There was no way for you to have known, Gibbs," Tony told him. The look on Gibbs' face still held some guilt, and Tony didn't want that burden on his shoulders. "You're the first person I told about the scars, but…" Tony sighed and took a deep breath. "I've talked to a few other people about him before. Usually after that, it was a guarantee that I would be having bad dreams. If the water system had been decent, I wouldn't have dreamed at all. That's never happened before."

Gibbs studied Tony as he considered his words for a moment. There was no blame, and it was clear that Tony didn't want him feeling the slightest bit guilty.

"Guess those other people weren't much in the way of listeners, then."

"No, not exactly. But that's not the only reason," Tony said. "Talking with them, well, it wasn't exactly the ideal situation either. When I told you about…I was actually able to feel comfortable enough to not have to worry about which parts to leave out or not. I felt…safe."

At that heartfelt confession Gibbs knew for a fact that he had earned Tony's full and complete trust in all manners, something that very few people had done. Knowing that made Gibbs feel a higher sense of honor than he had ever felt before.

"I'll always be there for you, Tony. No matter what," Gibbs promised.

"Yea," Tony nodded. "I've got your six, too."

Nodding, Gibbs moved off of the bed and went to where he had left his phone charging the night before. "You should go get ready. I need to call Fornell for one last check-in before he feels left out."

"You want me to shower first real fast so you can hear him when you call?" asked Tony.

Gibbs thought about it, then grinned. "Nope, go ahead and take your time. It'll drive him nuts trying to figure out what the noise is, give him a good panic attack thinking we are on the river already or something."

Tony snickered as he grabbed his stuff and headed for the bathroom. "You are evil, boss."

"Like he wouldn't do the same to me," Gibbs replied just before Tony shut the door. Once again Gibbs was amazed at how quickly he and Tony had been able to bounce back after a particularly dark conversation. It just went to show him how stable of a relationship they already had. 'And here Fornell and Jen were worried about sending us out here,' Gibbs thought.

Dialing Fornell's number, Gibbs waited. On the third ring the phone was answered and by that time Tony had already started the water. "Fornell."

"Come up with anything on those background checks?" Gibbs asked.

"Gibbs? What the hell is that noise? Where are you?" asked Fornell, seemingly ignoring Gibbs' question for the moment.

"What, your computer die on you or something? Where does it say I'm at?" baited Gibbs, grinning to himself.

"You're in your cabin? Sounds more like your standing next to Niagara Falls," shouted Fornell in an effort to be heard.

"Computers don't lie, or so I've been told. Now, did you get anything from the background checks?" replied Gibbs.

"Nothing came up, but that doesn't mean that someone is taking bribe money to keep quiet. Seriously Gibbs, what the hell is going on over there? Dinozzo's not doing something stupid is he? You can't afford to blow your cover now." Fornell said.

"All you need to know is that he's doing his job," said Gibbs as the water shut off. "At least when I ask him for a report on whatever he was doing I get it the first time I ask. We're heading down for breakfast in a few minutes, then from there I bet we will be getting on the bus to go to our starting point."

"Right," said Fornell, giving in to the fact that whatever he had done, Gibbs had done it to piss him off. "Ziva will be around until you set off. Have fun, don't drown someone after you use up all of your coffee."

"Got a secret stash, Fornell. Lack of coffee is the least of my worries," Gibbs told him before hanging up. By then Tony had finished in the bathroom and was currently re-packing his bag.

"Have fun?" Tony asked with a knowing smirk.

"He thought he was being smart when he told me not to drown someone once my coffee's gone. Told him I had a secret stash," Gibbs replied with a grin. "Other than that he really didn't have much to say."

"Guess he hasn't been keeping updated on everything, or else he would know about Gary and Ray owning a coffee shop," Tony pointed out.

"Its things like that that made me want our own team backing us up," Gibbs said. "Abby, McGee and Ziva know better than to ignore little details like that."

"No argument from me," Tony said as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "Time for breakfast yet?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "When are you not hungry? We still have a few minutes, but we can go turn in the keys to the cabin."

"I'm not hungry after I've eaten," Tony replied smartly with a grin on his face.

"Smart ass," Gibbs said as he grabbed his own bag.

"Maybe, but don't deny that you are looking forward to a fresh cup of coffee just as much as I'm looking forward to actually eating something," Tony replied.

"Wouldn't be much point if I did," said Gibbs as they both walked outside and headed towards the building where they first checked in.

"Since when do you not argue just for the fun of it?" questioned Tony.

Gibbs reached out and smacked him across the head. "Since I can do that," Gibbs told him with a grin.

Chapter 17:

The walk to the main building was short, and since it was still relatively early Gibbs and Tony did not have to wait long to turn in their keys to the cabin. Gary and his son Ray entered just as they were finishing checking out.

"Good to see we aren't the only early risers here," Gary called out to them in greeting.

"Actually I think he just wanted to get a head start on drinking as much coffee as possible before we head out," Tony said with a laugh as he moved out of Gibbs' reach.

"And you were the one who wanted to make sure he got more than one breakfast," Gibbs replied smartly.

Laughing at the pair, Gary shook his head and quickly checked out himself before rejoining the group. Together they walked down the hall to the dinning area that they had been in the night before. And, just as before, Jim and Jason were already there waiting with the tour guides. Gibbs and Tony exchanged a brief look, acknowledging that they were on the same page. It was quite the coincidence for them all to be here together a second time.

"Good morning. The breakfast buffet will be open in a few minutes. In the meantime there's a fresh pot of coffee sitting over in the corner," greeted Myers.

At that both Tony and Ray burst out laughing as both of their dads went towards the coffee. They quickly took their seats and Ray explained to the rest of the group, "Coffee addicts."

The breakfast buffet was opened a few minutes later and everyone made small talk while they ate. Once they were done Erikson and Myers led them outside towards the bus that would take them to the drop-off point.

"We just need to do a quick check to make sure we have all of the equipment first before we go," said Erikson. "So if anyone wants to use the restroom now would be a good time. It's a two hour drive."

The group dispersed for a few moments, and while Gibbs went with Gary to fill up their thermoses with coffee, Ray headed into the souvenir shop and Tony headed towards the restrooms. Once inside a stall he quickly pulled out his cell and text-messaged McGee on his and Gibbs' observations of Jim and Jason Canton and requested a more thorough background check on them. McGee quickly confirmed via text-message that he would get right on it.

A few minutes later everyone re-grouped outside and eventually boarded the bus. Although they were a small group, everyone had to sit next to someone as all of their equipment was taking up most of the space. Erikson and Myers sat together right up front behind the bus driver and Jim and Jason sat a couple rows back on the opposite side.

Ray suggested keeping the coffee addicts together, so he and Tony shared a seat on the same side as the Canton's, one seat in between them. Gibbs and Gary sat on the side of the tour guide's, one seat behind their sons.

About half an hour into the drive, Gibbs and Gary started getting annoyed at Ray and Tony with their whispering conversation.

"So you sure there's enough to last the two of them?" asked Tony quietly.

"Yea, I'm pretty sure we'll make it through," responded Ray just as quietly.

"You need any help carrying any of it?" offered Tony. "Cuz if your dad downs as much of it as mine does, that's got to be a few extra pounds of coffee your lugging."

Ray nodded. "It might be a good idea to split it up a bit, just in case."

"What are you two talking about?" asked Gary, whose curiosity was beginning to get the better of him.

"Nothing," replied Tony and Ray at the same time before bursting out laughing again.

Gibbs rolled his eyes, and reached over across the aisle and smacked Tony across the head.

"Hey! What was that for?" asked Tony with a start as he turned around and glared at Gibbs.

"For whatever it is that you are not doing," Gibbs replied evenly as he returned the stare.

Turning back around in his seat, Tony whispered to Ray, "Oh yea. We are definitely splitting up the coffee. Otherwise, knowing how my luck goes, they are gonna chug it down before the day is out and we're gonna be stuck with two caffeine deprived nutcases."

"Agreed," Ray said with a nod.

Quietly they formed a plan to unload some of the coffee into Tony's bag without getting caught. Afterwards, they decided to be quiet the remainder of the ride before Tony got any more head slaps or Gary started questioning them again.

"They're clearly up to something," Gary said to Gibbs quietly as they kept an eye on their sons.

"No doubt," agreed Gibbs. "The question is what."

"Just so long as they aren't planning to try and tip our rafts any," Gary said.

Gibbs shook his head. "I don't think it will be anything like that. They wouldn't risk ruining the coffee."

"Point," said Gary, still keeping a watchful eye on the pair. "Guess we'll just have to keep our eyes open."

"Can't hurt to have a back-up plan of our own, though," Gibbs said with a grin.

Chuckling, Gary asked, "What do you have in mind?"

And so while Tony and Ray made their secret plans, Gibbs and Gary made some of their own.

By the time the bus had pulled up to the drop-off site each 'team' had their plans laid out and set in motion. The bus was quickly unloaded and while Erikson started hooking up the rafts to air pumps, Myers started passing out life jackets and oars.

While waiting for the rafts to be filled with air Tony checked his phone to see if McGee had gotten back to him. There was a brief message that said 'Nothing new.' Looking over at Gibbs Tony darted his eyes towards the Canton's and briefly shook his head no. Gibbs gave a brief nod in confirmation of understanding what Tony was telling him.

Once the rafts were filled with air, everyone stood near their designated raft watching as Erikson and Myers demonstrated how to pack their supplies into the raft securely. Next they instructed the group on how to use the oars to push themselves off rocks if they were to get stuck and how to paddle through the rapids while still being able to enjoy the ride.

"Alright, does anyone have any questions?" asked Erikson. Everyone shook their heads no.

"Ok, then put on your life jackets. Please carry your raft down to the edge of the water, dragging it will rip the material and water will get into your raft," instructed Myers.

Following the tour guides, everyone carried their rafts down to the water and prepared to set off. The water was relatively calm at this point in order to make the departure easier to handle.

"Ok, now company rules for this trip are that dads take the back seat and sons take the front seat," Myers told them once they had all settled their rafts into the water. "Don't ask me why, but for some reason its what our boss wants."

"I think it might have had to do with his own father-son trip he went on with his dad years ago," Erikson said with a smirk. "Not that it tells us much."

Gibbs and Tony exchanged looks with Gary and Ray then shrugged. Didn't matter much to either of them. Tony, Ray and Jason took their places at the front of the raft. Erikson set off first, and then Jim followed, pushing the raft out into the water a bit more before getting settled in the raft. Tony and Gibbs went next and Gary and Ray brought up the rear with Myers.

Both Gibbs and Tony knew before hand from studying the maps where the rapids picked up more and where the water was calm enough for you to drift along. They didn't want to run into any surprises along the way and wanted as much of an advantage as possible.

The day was starting to warm up a bit, but it wasn't excessively hot. Random sprays of water in their face as they moved down the river kept them comfortable. There wasn't much chance for conversation with the rest of the group, having to make sure there was enough space to maneuver in case one raft got stuck and to avoid collisions.

Soon the first patch of rapids came up. They weren't much, but the water was certainly carrying them further along at a faster pace. Both men cut through the water effortlessly, keeping up a strong pace, which helped them avoid getting trapped on any rocks easily. Ahead of them Erikson and the Canton's seemed to be having the same ease that they were having. Behind them it seemed that Gary, Ray and Myers also came through all right.

Being placed in the middle of the group gave Gibbs and Tony an easy viewpoint in which to keep track of the tour guides and everyone else. It also allowed them to monitor the path that they were being led on as well. As the water calmed down once more, Gibbs reached towards the middle of the raft and pulled out two bottles of water, using one to tap Tony on the shoulder. Just because it wasn't scorching hot out didn't mean they shouldn't keep hydrated.

Tony glanced over his shoulder, grabbed the water bottle and said, "Thanks."

Gibbs nodded his head as he took a drink from his own bottle. Noticing Tony staring at him, he asked "What?"

"You ok?" Tony questioned.

"Is there a reason why I shouldn't be?" Gibbs retorted.

"You're not drinking coffee," Tony pointed out. "Don't tell me you already drank your thermos dry."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "No, I did not drink all of it. Don't go getting worried."

"Yea well, I'm the one sitting in front of you while you have an oar in your hands," said Tony. "I have every right to worry."

"You exaggerate too much," Gibbs told him.

"Or not enough," Tony said with a grin. "It all depends on how you look at it."

"Is that so? So in this case your point of view is the one that counts?" Gibbs asked.

"Yep," Tony confirmed as he passed back the water bottle. "And I know of several people who would agree with me."

"And would those people willingly admit that out loud?" teased Gibbs.

"Depends," Tony said.

"On what?" questioned Gibbs.

"On whether or not you are around and how much of your daily intake you have already had," answered Tony.

Gibbs had to laugh at that. Tony was one of the few people that was actually brave (or stupid, depending on who you talk to) enough to speak up about his coffee habit. However blunt Tony was, he was also honest and tended to mix in some humor along with whatever he said.

It wasn't just about his coffee habit though. Gibbs could recall several times when Tony had confronted him about his temper or checked his attitude. He seriously doubted that Ducky or Abby would have ever said 'Moby Dick' to him. Gibbs had found out later that everyone at NCIS had heard about the incident and were wondering how Tony was still walking around alive and well. Gibbs snorted to himself. Most people were still wondering what Tony was doing on his team. Gibbs figured that if they hadn't figured that out by now, then maybe they were the ones who shouldn't be working at NCIS.

Eventually the water slowly started to get a little choppier. Erikson called out from the front of the line, "Get ready for some rough water. Just keep paddling and make sure you have a tight grip on your oar, you don't want to loose them."

Myers repeated what was said in case Gary and Ray were not able to hear.

As the water started to move faster, Gibbs and Tony stopped keeping their main focus on the rest of the group and started paying closer attention to the motion of the water and the upcoming rocks. Then up ahead they noticed that Jim and Jason were being pulled off to the side suddenly, but they kept paddling. They managed to avoid hitting some rocks, but instead ended up moving down the river backwards. Working together they were able to quickly turn back around before any other rocks presented a problem.

Gibbs and Tony seemed to hit the same current that Jim and Jason had. They started drifting towards some rocks, and the idea of being turned around did not sit well with Gibbs.

"Use your oar to push against the rocks," Gibbs shouted out to Tony as they neared the edge.

Tony nodded his head and reached out with his oar before they got too much closer to the rocks. They were still moving down the river, but managed to avoid getting caught in the rocks. After a few more pushes Tony managed to push off far enough to get back towards the middle of the river. They rode through the rest of the rapids without any more trouble and soon caught up with Erikson, Jim and Jason in calmer water.

"Hold up everyone," Erikson told them as they regrouped. "Seems the Starks' got stuck on some rocks back there."

Turning their raft sideways, Gibbs and Tony looked back and saw Myers paddling over towards Gary and Ray as they tried to free themselves. They had gotten trapped between a pile of rocks. A moment later Myers reached them and used his own oar to help pry their raft free. It took a couple of tries but finally the raft slid away and they rode out the rest of the rapids, making their way towards the rest of the group.

"Everyone ok?" asked Erikson.

"Yea, those rocks just got in our way back there," Gary replied with a laugh.

"Maybe now would be a good time to stop for lunch," suggested Myers. "There's a decent area up ahead where we could stop."

"Sounds good to me," agreed Erikson. "Everyone ok with that?" At everyone's nod, Erikson said, "Ok. It's just a few minutes up ahead. We will be pulling off on your left side."

Erikson started off again, and everyone followed in the same line as before. Tony didn't need to turn around to know what Gibbs was thinking; he was thinking it too. This would be the first possibility on this trip for Erikson and Myers to make a drop. They were going to have to keep an eye on the two to see if either one tried to go off on their own.

A few minutes later Erikson started to veer off towards the left. Jim and Jason followed closely and soon both got out of their raft to carry it up on shore. Gibbs and Tony slowed their pace until they were done so that they weren't tripping over each other. They placed their raft next to theirs, and Gary and Ray came up next to them with Myers bringing up the rear.

Everyone unpacked their bag lunches from their raft and spread out in the clearing near the water to sit down. Everyone sat underneath one of the trees scattered around the area in an effort to stay in the shade. Gibbs and Tony sat down so that Erikson and Myers were both in their line of vision.

"Everyone having fun so far?" asked Myers after a few minutes.

"The water's pretty rough today," observed Jason. "We've been on this tour before."

"We've had a good amount of rain recently, so the water's bound to be a bit stronger than normal," Erikson explained.

"Have you guys done any of the other tours?" asked Tony in an attempt to keep Jason talking. He was hoping to find out more about them since they hadn't said much since the group had first met the night before.

"We've only done this tour before a few times," answered Jason. "But we've done some tours on the Shenandoah River as well."

"Really? Is the Shenandoah much different from the Youghiogheny River?" Tony questioned with interest.

"Not really," said Jason. "Both have decent rapids to make it enough of a challenge instead of a lazy cruise."

While Tony and Jason continued chatting, Gary stood up and asked Gibbs, "I'd better go stock back up, you need any?"

Immediately knowing what he was referring to, Gibbs nodded. "I could do with a refill."

Watching to make sure that Gibbs and Gary weren't doubling back, Tony quickly turned to Ray. "You got it?"

"Yup," he confirmed as he reached into his lunch bag and pulled out some coffee and passed it over to Tony. "Sine we have to take our trash with us they won't know that you're carrying anything out of the ordinary."

"Excellent," said Tony with a grin as he quickly hid the coffee in his bag.

"What are you guys doing?" inquired Jason curiously.

"Splitting up their coffee stash so we can monitor their intake," explained Ray.

"We don't need them going through all of their coffee before we get back," Tony added.

"You're kidding me, right?" Jason said in disbelief.

"Trust us, you don't want to see either one of them without coffee," advised Ray.

"Its bad enough with just one of them, but with the two of them, we really don't want to go there," Tony said.

Jason shook his head. "I've never seen someone so dependent on coffee before."

"Just be sure not to call them on it," Tony said.

"We don't need them getting suspicious or something," Ray added.

"I won't," promised Jason.

Meanwhile Erikson, Myers and Jim had been talking amongst themselves off to the side, but no one had made a move to leave the general area. Gibbs and Gary returned a few minutes later, carrying their thermoses full of fresh coffee.

"You keeping out of trouble?" Gibbs asked Tony as he sat back down.

"Who me?" Tony asked as he put on an innocent expression.

"That's what I thought," Gibbs said with a small growl.

"Hey, you've got fresh coffee," Tony pointed out. "Aren't you supposed to be in your happy place now?"

Gibbs gave him a quick smack over the head as he took a drink from his thermos. "I am now," he said, grinning as Tony glared at him, but he could see the humor in his eyes.

Just then Erikson, Myers, and Jim came up to join the group. "If everyone's finished their lunch, we can get back out on the water," inquired Erikson.

Everyone nodded and stood up, making sure not to leave any trash behind. Tony and Ray shared a quick grin as they approached their rafts.

Due to the way that they had place the rafts on shore, this time the fathers were the ones who got in first and the sons pushed the rafts out into the water. Just before climbing in, Tony glanced at Gibbs and gave his shoulders a small shrug. Gibbs repeated the gesture, on the same page with Tony. Neither needed words to communicate with the other, having worked together with each other for so long.

It seemed that they did not consider this area to be an ideal place for a drop this trip. That left them to make a drop when they stopped for the night and the next day when they stopped for lunch. The group started back down the river, enjoying the calm waters after having eaten lunch. Tony smiled to himself, knowing that a portion of the coffee had been safely tucked away in his bag. It wouldn't do for him to get bored out here, after all.

Chapter 18:

The relatively calm waters after lunch gave Gibbs time to think about how to keep an eye on Erikson and Myers later that evening. Since they hadn't made any attempt to go off by themselves at lunch it was a pretty good bet that they would try when they thought that everyone was asleep. Gibbs figured the thing to do was to watch them in shifts. That way both he and Tony would be able to get some much-needed sleep. It wouldn't do for them both to be pushing themselves if it wasn't necessary. Gibbs figured he would ask Tony later if he wanted to take first watch or not.

Up ahead Gibbs could see the beginning of the next stretch of rapids. Reaching out, he tapped Tony on the shoulder and said, "Let's try to avoid the rocks this time."

"Like we aimed for them on purpose the last time," Tony said sarcastically.

"Just watch Erikson, Jim and Jason and don't follow too closely," Gibbs told him. "Let them find the rocks first."

Tony laughed but slowed his pace a bit as he watched Erikson, Jim and Jason approach the rapids. Sure enough, as the two rafts moved more towards the right did the rocks appear. Erikson managed to avoid most of them, however Jim and Jason had less luck. Their raft bounced off a few of them, causing them to drift sideways for a moment before they were able to right themselves again.

Deciding to see how going more towards the left worked out, Tony angled the raft away from the right. The water was rougher than the right side, but at least there were no rocks to collide with. To Tony it reminded him of the time Gibbs had driven over a few speed bumps during a car chase. Except this time, thankfully, there was no roof for him to hit his head on.

After some careful navigating, Gibbs and Tony managed to travel through the rapids without too much difficulty. As they eased out of the last of the rapids they quickly glanced back to see that Gary, Ray and Myers had followed them through the rough water. Gary gave them a wave and Gibbs nodded his head in return.

"There's something to be said for not being in the front of the line," Gary called out as he and Ray approached Gibbs and Tony.

Laughing, Gibbs nodded. "Let's just hope they don't want to switch places anytime soon."

The rest of the afternoon passed by rather quickly. By the third round of white water everyone had started avoiding the rocks with greater ease than what they had earlier that morning. Gibbs and Tony both mentally monitored their progress and direction, thinking ahead to try and anticipate where they would be stopping to set up camp for the night. There were few possibilities for them to stop along the way where there would be enough room for them to make camp and even fewer options for a safe place to pass along drugs to the next carrier. Neither Gibbs nor Tony thought that the Petty Officers would be careless in selecting their location. If they were, then the FBI would have caught them a long time ago.

It was early evening when Erikson and Myers called the group together while they were in calm water.

"We are going to be stopping for the night soon," Erikson told them. "We will be pulling off to the right when we approach it, as that side has more space to make camp than on the left."

"It will be getting dark in a few hours," Myers pointed out. "We want to make sure there is enough time to set up tents and get a fire going before it gets too dark. Don't need anyone getting hurt wandering around in the dark."

After that the group broke up, returning once again to their original order. It was about 45 minutes later when Erikson started to veer off towards the right, waving to everyone behind him that they were to follow. Like they did for lunch, everyone waited patiently for those in front of them to pull up to shore, get out and carry their raft off a ways from the water. Once on shore the rafts were unpacked and the group hiked up a small hill where there was a clearing.

"Everyone spread out and start pitching up your tent," instructed Myers. "If anyone needs any help just ask. Once we are all done we can gather some wood for a fire and relax for a while before dinner."

Everyone spread out enough in order to make sure that they had some privacy for later that night. Speaking quietly, Gibbs and Tony were able to discuss their plans for the night as they set up their tent without raising suspicion.

Pulling out the tent from its bag, Tony spoke softly to Gibbs. "Not exactly the ideal spot for a drop."

Gibbs nodded his head in agreement as he retrieved the poles, pegs and hammer from another bag. "There's no easy access route to get here besides the river, not even hiking trails. I can't see anyone wanting to go through so much trouble of walking through a forest just to pick up the next delivery."

"Dealers don't usually like things to be complicated," said Tony as both he and Gibbs opened up the tent and spread it out on the ground. "Myers himself said that it could be dangerous walking around here in the dark."

"All the same, we'll still need to keep an eye on them tonight," Gibbs said as he moved to place the pegs through loops in the tent, then hammering them into the ground to keep the tent in place. "You want first watch or second?"

"I'll take second," answered Tony without hesitation as he started putting the poles together. At Gibbs' questioning look, Tony added, "Would you really even go to sleep if I took the first watch?"

Smirking, Gibbs responded, "Probably not." He finished putting the pegs in place about the same time Tony had put the last of the poles together. They made quick work of pitching the tent, threading the poles through loops at the top of the tent. After checking to see that the tent was secure, Gibbs and Tony picked up the rest of their stuff and placed it inside the tent. They both placed the head of their sleeping bags close to the entrance of the tent, providing them with an easy vantagepoint for surveillance later on that night.

As Tony finished setting up his sleeping bag, he asked, "So when do you think they will try to sneak off, if they do?"

"Depends on how late we stay up tonight," responded Gibbs. "Probably not until your watch."

"Which means you won't be getting any sleep then," Tony said with a laugh.

"Can't let you have all the fun now can I?" teased Gibbs.

Gary and Ray walked up just then, halting any comment that Tony might have had. "Erikson and Myers told us to head out and start gathering some wood for a fire tonight, wanna help?" asked Gary.

"Like there's going to be a pile of firewood just lying around," Ray said sarcastically.

"Do you just want to eat dinner out of the can?" Gary asked. "Cuz if not, then I suggest we get started on gathering those branches." And with that he started walking off away from the clearing, Gibbs following closely. Tony and Ray followed, a few paces back.

"How's his coffee intake been?" Tony whispered to Ray.

"He's on track, unless he mixed something else in that thermos of his that I don't know about," whispered Ray back. "What about your dad?"

"Same. Guess they are just encouraging manual labor for the fun of it," Tony said. "So what's the rest of the gang up to while we are out gathering ‘fire wood'?"

Ray chuckled at that. "Securing the rafts for the night, organizing a spot for the fire and making dinner preparations."

"Hope they don't strain themselves too much," Tony said. Tony wondered if the Petty Officers were using this opportunity to unpack the drugs from their raft. It would have to have been packed separately, away from the other supplies or run the risk of someone accidentally seeing it.

Between the four of them, they managed to gather a fair amount of thick branches to last them through the night. They all agreed that if more was needed for breakfast then they would gather it in the morning. While Gibbs and Gary were helping to start the fire, Ray and Tony stocked the branches aside out of the way so no one would trip over them later on.

"Hey guys, how was your hike?" Jason asked as he walked up to Tony and Ray.

"Doubt you could call it a hike," Tony said.

"According to our dads there is the right and wrong type of branches to use for a fire," Ray picked up.

"And not like this one has too many leaves or that one isn't dry enough," continued Tony.

"More like not the right size or too oddly shaped," finished Ray.

"Okay," said Jason. "So you guys want to take a hike then? Get away from them for a while? Just saw Erikson head out a few minutes ago, maybe we can catch up to him."

"Sounds good to me," Ray agreed.

"We better report to our dads though. Don't need them to scare the wildlife when they start yelling for us wondering where we are," Tony said.

"For real," Ray said. "We better make sure they have enough coffee to make a pot while we're at it."

"Your dads sure do plan their lives around their next cup of coffee don't they?" observed Jason.

"You have no idea," Ray said. "Hey Dad! We're all going to go for a hike, see if we can't catch up with Erikson."

"Just don't drink all the coffee at once," Tony advised. "We still have all day tomorrow to get through."

"You keep making remarks like that, you'll be finding your own way home tomorrow," Gibbs said lightly.

"I was thinking more along the lines of kicking him out of the tent," conspired Gary.

"Why not both?" Gibbs said.

"Indeed," Gary said thoughtfully.

Tony and Ray stared at them. "I think we better get going before we inspire any more great ideas," suggested Tony.

"I think you're right," agreed Ray.

"See you later, Dad," said Tony. "Don't worry; we'll be back in time for dinner."

"Since when do you ever miss a meal?" teased Gibbs. With that the small group walked off at a fast pace, hoping that they were headed in the right direction that Erikson had gone.

"Guess we could all use a breather, huh?" asked Jim as he walked up to Gibbs and Gary.

"At least we will be able to enjoy our coffee in peace without any nagging," agreed Gary.

"So what's Myers getting into?" asked Gibbs. It wouldn't do to loose track of either one of them.

"Securing the rafts," Jim told him. "Apparently I don't tie a secure enough of a knot or something. Told me and Jason to relax, instead."

"Some tour guides can be real paranoid about stuff like that," Gary said. "You going to want some coffee?"

And while they worked on getting a fire going to brew up a fresh pot of coffee, Tony, Ray and Jason walked quickly to catch up with Erikson, with Jason in the lead.

"You have any idea where you're going?" Tony asked him, noticing that he seemed to be headed in a particular direction.

"I overheard our adventurous tour guides talking. Seems they are holding out on us," Jason told them. "They were talking about meeting up at some hot spot around here. Figured we could check it out."

"Why would they keep this ‘hot spot' a secret?" questioned Ray.

Tony was starting to get worried. He didn't like the idea of going into a potentially dangerous situation without backup; he especially didn't want to put Jason or Ray in any danger. "Maybe it's just a tour guide thing. Place to have some privacy," Tony suggested. "I know I wouldn't be able to tolerate families harping on each other all day long out here. We should probably just let him be."

"If that's true then we'll just keep hiking. It probably has a great view of the river," Jason said as he continued on.

"I dunno would you want to admit to paying customers that you wanted to get away from them for a while?" Tony pressed on.

"I think Tony has a point," Ray put in. "Last thing we want to do is piss him off, and I really don't want to get lost out here." Ray's attempt at humor didn't do much good, though. Jason continued to walk on as Tony and Ray slowed their pace.

"Well then you guys go ahead and turn around," Jason said. "I'm just curious, is all." With that he started to walk up a slight incline, leaving Tony and Ray behind.

"We shouldn't just let him walk off on his own," Ray said uncertainly.

"Yea," agreed Tony, who was beginning to get a bad feeling about how things were going. "Hey, Jason! Wait up!" Tony took off at a jog to catch up with Jason, Ray following closely behind.

Once they reached the top of the hill they stopped, finding Jason looking out over a small clearing by the water, showing a rather rough patch of rapids. "See, I told you there had to be a great view!" Jason said excitedly.

"No kidding," Ray agreed as he walked towards Jason to get a better look. Tony meanwhile hung back, taking in his surroundings. Erikson was nowhere in sight, and he was getting the feeling that they were being watched. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Erikson. He was looking towards Jason and Ray, not noticing Tony because he had stayed back within a few trees. Suddenly, Erikson raised his arm, pointing a gun at Jason and Ray's backs.

Tony reacted instantly. "Get down!" he shouted as he sprinted towards the pair. Ray reacted immediately, dropping down to the ground on all fours. Jason, startled by Tony's outburst, turned towards him with a questioning look on his face. Not wasting any time, Tony leapt forward and pushed Jason out of the way as a shot went off.

Back at the camp, Gibbs, Gary and Jim paused from their conversation as they heard the shot. "What the hell?" Jim asked.

"Gunfire," Gibbs said, as he stood up and took off into the woods. Gary and Jim hesitated only a second before following Gibbs. The three ran through the woods, following Gibbs as he headed in the general direction of where the shot had come from. He was just hoping that he wasn't too late, that no one had been hurt. But his gut was telling him something else, something he didn't want to think about, so he pushed it out of his mind and focused on running and tracking Tony and the others down.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" shouted Ray as he moved towards Tony and Jason. Quickly he rolled Tony over, and gasped. "Oh god…"

Jason moved, feeling the weight lift off of him. Looking over to see what Ray meant, he froze. "Tony…Is he…?"

At that moment Tony groaned and started to move to try to sit up. "Hey, slow down! Let me put some pressure on your side," Ray said as he moved to help Tony sit up.

"You guys alright?" Tony asked as he winced in reaction to Ray putting a handkerchief over his left side.

"You're the one whose bleeding and your asking us if we're alright!" exclaimed Jason.

"There's blood on your shirt," Tony pointed out.

"Yea, your blood!" Jason said, appearing to be going into shock.

At that moment Erikson stepped up, pointing his gun towards the three men on the ground. "That was a stupid thing for you all to do, following me."

"Well excuse us for not knowing about the possibility of getting shot at when we decided to go for a hike!" shouted Ray.

"Shut up!" snapped Erikson. Pointing to Ray and Jason he gave out instructions. "You two, move away from him. Don't try anything, I would rather not have to shoot you at the moment, but I will if I have to."

Ray and Jason glanced at each other, and then looked at Tony. "Better do what he says," Tony advised them, taking hold of Ray's handkerchief and keeping it pressed into his side.

Slowly, they moved towards the edge of the clearing. Keeping his gun trained on them, Erikson walked towards where Tony was sitting on the ground. The next thing Tony knew he was on his side again, Erikson having delivered a swift kick into his left side, knocking the wind out of him. Ray and Jason started to move to help, but stopped as Erikson shook the gun at them.

"Don't push me," he warned. Turning to look at Tony, he said, "We can't afford to have you slowing us down, bleeding all over the place. You should have saved your heroics for another day." As Tony struggled to regain control of his breathing, Erikson bent down and removed Tony's watch.

"Doubt you'll need this anymore," he said with a grin. Tony tried to grab the watch back, but Erikson kicked Tony again. Then he reached down, grabbed hold of his t-shirt and dragged him towards the edge of the small hill. "Nothing personal," Erikson told Tony as he threw him over and into the ragging rapids below.

"NO!" shouted Ray and Jason at the same time. Gibbs and the other two men heard their shouts just as they reached the clearing. It was then Gibbs knew that his gut had been right. Erikson stood by the water with a gun in his hands, now turning to point it towards the newcomers.

"Jason! Are you hurt?" Jim questioned his son seeing the blood on his shirt. He just shook his head. Gary noticed his son's hands covered with blood, and gave him a small squeeze on his shoulder.

"It was Tony…" Ray started.

"What did you do, Erikson?" shouted Myers as he approached the group, his own gun out and at the ready.

"They were following me, couldn't be sure what they saw or heard, I was just going to give them a bit of a scare is all," Erikson said calmly.

"Yea, well it looks like you did more than that!" Myers said.

"What did you do to my son?" growled Gibbs, having a pretty good idea, but wanting to know for certain what had happened.

Erikson turned towards him and laughed. "He wanted to be the hero, so he paid for his stupidity."

"He was protecting us!" interrupted Jason. "He told us to get down; I didn't move fast enough, he pushed me down. You shot him!"

"Like I said, he was stupid," Erikson said darkly.

"Where is he?" Gibbs shouted.

"They threw him into the water," Ray said softly.

"He would have slowed us down," Erikson said shortly.

"Tony wasn't bleeding that bad!" Ray yelled.

"You bastard!" Gibbs shouted, moving towards Erikson with lighting speed. Within seconds he had Erikson down on the ground and he punched him, blood splattering has Gibbs heard the satisfying crunch of Erikson's nose breaking. Just as he was about to deliver another punch, he felt a flash of pain as something slammed against the side of his head. The next thing he knew he was laying on the ground, surrounded by Gary, Ray, Jim and Jason.

"What did you do that for!" exclaimed Jim.

"He's lucky that's all I did, could have been worse," Myers said as he helped Erikson stand up.

"You just killed his son, I'd say it couldn't get much worse," Gary said darkly.

"Alright everyone, that's enough!" Erikson shouted, clearly pissed off. Waving his hand at Gibbs, he told them, "Help him up; we're heading back to camp."

Gary and Jim moved on either side of Gibbs and grabbed an arm, lifting him up to his feet. Gibbs swayed a little, but between the two of them Gary and Jim managed to hold him upright and slowly walked back towards camp.

The walk back was silent. Gibbs couldn't believe it, he had been too late. Ignoring the blood running down his face, he tried to come to terms with what had just happened. Just that morning he had promised Tony that he would always be there for him, no matter what. It tore at his heart, knowing that he hadn't been there to watch his six.

"Hey buddy, you with us here?" Jim whispered to Gibbs, interrupting his thoughts.

"He killed him, he killed Tony," Gibbs said, anger and sadness evident in his voice.

"Don't worry, we'll get through this," Gary tried to reassured Gibbs. "Tony will have justice, you'll see."

‘Yes,' Gibbs thought to himself as they continued to walk. ‘Tony would get justice.' Not knowing that Erikson had removed Tony's watch, Gibbs hoped that his team would soon take action once they realized that he and Tony were no longer in the same location. With the trackers on their watches they would be able to find Tony, and Gibbs gave in to the small comfort that at least he would be able to give Tony a proper funeral and burial. He deserved that much, and more, but the opportunity to do more had passed. Gibbs could only pray that his team and Fornell got there soon, because he knew that if any opportunity to take control of the situation presented itself, Gibbs would take it, consequences be damned.

Chapter 18:

The relatively calm waters after lunch gave Gibbs time to think about how to keep an eye on Erikson and Myers later that evening. Since they hadn't made any attempt to go off by themselves at lunch it was a pretty good bet that they would try when they thought that everyone was asleep. Gibbs figured the thing to do was to watch them in shifts. That way both he and Tony would be able to get some much-needed sleep. It wouldn't do for them both to be pushing themselves if it wasn't necessary. Gibbs figured he would ask Tony later if he wanted to take first watch or not.

Up ahead Gibbs could see the beginning of the next stretch of rapids. Reaching out, he tapped Tony on the shoulder and said, "Let's try to avoid the rocks this time."

"Like we aimed for them on purpose the last time," Tony said sarcastically.

"Just watch Erikson, Jim and Jason and don't follow too closely," Gibbs told him. "Let them find the rocks first."

Tony laughed but slowed his pace a bit as he watched Erikson, Jim and Jason approach the rapids. Sure enough, as the two rafts moved more towards the right did the rocks appear. Erikson managed to avoid most of them, however Jim and Jason had less luck. Their raft bounced off a few of them, causing them to drift sideways for a moment before they were able to right themselves again.

Deciding to see how going more towards the left worked out, Tony angled the raft away from the right. The water was rougher than the right side, but at least there were no rocks to collide with. To Tony it reminded him of the time Gibbs had driven over a few speed bumps during a car chase. Except this time, thankfully, there was no roof for him to hit his head on.

After some careful navigating, Gibbs and Tony managed to travel through the rapids without too much difficulty. As they eased out of the last of the rapids they quickly glanced back to see that Gary, Ray and Myers had followed them through the rough water. Gary gave them a wave and Gibbs nodded his head in return.

"There's something to be said for not being in the front of the line," Gary called out as he and Ray approached Gibbs and Tony.

Laughing, Gibbs nodded. "Let's just hope they don't want to switch places anytime soon."

The rest of the afternoon passed by rather quickly. By the third round of white water everyone had started avoiding the rocks with greater ease than what they had earlier that morning. Gibbs and Tony both mentally monitored their progress and direction, thinking ahead to try and anticipate where they would be stopping to set up camp for the night. There were few possibilities for them to stop along the way where there would be enough room for them to make camp and even fewer options for a safe place to pass along drugs to the next carrier. Neither Gibbs nor Tony thought that the Petty Officers would be careless in selecting their location. If they were, then the FBI would have caught them a long time ago.

It was early evening when Erikson and Myers called the group together while they were in calm water.

"We are going to be stopping for the night soon," Erikson told them. "We will be pulling off to the right when we approach it, as that side has more space to make camp than on the left."

"It will be getting dark in a few hours," Myers pointed out. "We want to make sure there is enough time to set up tents and get a fire going before it gets too dark. Don't need anyone getting hurt wandering around in the dark."

After that the group broke up, returning once again to their original order. It was about 45 minutes later when Erikson started to veer off towards the right, waving to everyone behind him that they were to follow. Like they did for lunch, everyone waited patiently for those in front of them to pull up to shore, get out and carry their raft off a ways from the water. Once on shore the rafts were unpacked and the group hiked up a small hill where there was a clearing.

"Everyone spread out and start pitching up your tent," instructed Myers. "If anyone needs any help just ask. Once we are all done we can gather some wood for a fire and relax for a while before dinner."

Everyone spread out enough in order to make sure that they had some privacy for later that night. Speaking quietly, Gibbs and Tony were able to discuss their plans for the night as they set up their tent without raising suspicion.

Pulling out the tent from its bag, Tony spoke softly to Gibbs. "Not exactly the ideal spot for a drop."

Gibbs nodded his head in agreement as he retrieved the poles, pegs and hammer from another bag. "There's no easy access route to get here besides the river, not even hiking trails. I can't see anyone wanting to go through so much trouble of walking through a forest just to pick up the next delivery."

"Dealers don't usually like things to be complicated," said Tony as both he and Gibbs opened up the tent and spread it out on the ground. "Myers himself said that it could be dangerous walking around here in the dark."

"All the same, we'll still need to keep an eye on them tonight," Gibbs said as he moved to place the pegs through loops in the tent, then hammering them into the ground to keep the tent in place. "You want first watch or second?"

"I'll take second," answered Tony without hesitation as he started putting the poles together. At Gibbs' questioning look, Tony added, "Would you really even go to sleep if I took the first watch?"

Smirking, Gibbs responded, "Probably not." He finished putting the pegs in place about the same time Tony had put the last of the poles together. They made quick work of pitching the tent, threading the poles through loops at the top of the tent. After checking to see that the tent was secure, Gibbs and Tony picked up the rest of their stuff and placed it inside the tent. They both placed the head of their sleeping bags close to the entrance of the tent, providing them with an easy vantagepoint for surveillance later on that night.

As Tony finished setting up his sleeping bag, he asked, "So when do you think they will try to sneak off, if they do?"

"Depends on how late we stay up tonight," responded Gibbs. "Probably not until your watch."

"Which means you won't be getting any sleep then," Tony said with a laugh.

"Can't let you have all the fun now can I?" teased Gibbs.

Gary and Ray walked up just then, halting any comment that Tony might have had. "Erikson and Myers told us to head out and start gathering some wood for a fire tonight, wanna help?" asked Gary.

"Like there's going to be a pile of firewood just lying around," Ray said sarcastically.

"Do you just want to eat dinner out of the can?" Gary asked. "Cuz if not, then I suggest we get started on gathering those branches." And with that he started walking off away from the clearing, Gibbs following closely. Tony and Ray followed, a few paces back.

"How's his coffee intake been?" Tony whispered to Ray.

"He's on track, unless he mixed something else in that thermos of his that I don't know about," whispered Ray back. "What about your dad?"

"Same. Guess they are just encouraging manual labor for the fun of it," Tony said. "So what's the rest of the gang up to while we are out gathering ‘fire wood'?"

Ray chuckled at that. "Securing the rafts for the night, organizing a spot for the fire and making dinner preparations."

"Hope they don't strain themselves too much," Tony said. Tony wondered if the Petty Officers were using this opportunity to unpack the drugs from their raft. It would have to have been packed separately, away from the other supplies or run the risk of someone accidentally seeing it.

Between the four of them, they managed to gather a fair amount of thick branches to last them through the night. They all agreed that if more was needed for breakfast then they would gather it in the morning. While Gibbs and Gary were helping to start the fire, Ray and Tony stocked the branches aside out of the way so no one would trip over them later on.

"Hey guys, how was your hike?" Jason asked as he walked up to Tony and Ray.

"Doubt you could call it a hike," Tony said.

"According to our dads there is the right and wrong type of branches to use for a fire," Ray picked up.

"And not like this one has too many leaves or that one isn't dry enough," continued Tony.

"More like not the right size or too oddly shaped," finished Ray.

"Okay," said Jason. "So you guys want to take a hike then? Get away from them for a while? Just saw Erikson head out a few minutes ago, maybe we can catch up to him."

"Sounds good to me," Ray agreed.

"We better report to our dads though. Don't need them to scare the wildlife when they start yelling for us wondering where we are," Tony said.

"For real," Ray said. "We better make sure they have enough coffee to make a pot while we're at it."

"Your dads sure do plan their lives around their next cup of coffee don't they?" observed Jason.

"You have no idea," Ray said. "Hey Dad! We're all going to go for a hike, see if we can't catch up with Erikson."

"Just don't drink all the coffee at once," Tony advised. "We still have all day tomorrow to get through."

"You keep making remarks like that, you'll be finding your own way home tomorrow," Gibbs said lightly.

"I was thinking more along the lines of kicking him out of the tent," conspired Gary.

"Why not both?" Gibbs said.

"Indeed," Gary said thoughtfully.

Tony and Ray stared at them. "I think we better get going before we inspire any more great ideas," suggested Tony.

"I think you're right," agreed Ray.

"See you later, Dad," said Tony. "Don't worry; we'll be back in time for dinner."

"Since when do you ever miss a meal?" teased Gibbs. With that the small group walked off at a fast pace, hoping that they were headed in the right direction that Erikson had gone.

"Guess we could all use a breather, huh?" asked Jim as he walked up to Gibbs and Gary.

"At least we will be able to enjoy our coffee in peace without any nagging," agreed Gary.

"So what's Myers getting into?" asked Gibbs. It wouldn't do to loose track of either one of them.

"Securing the rafts," Jim told him. "Apparently I don't tie a secure enough of a knot or something. Told me and Jason to relax, instead."

"Some tour guides can be real paranoid about stuff like that," Gary said. "You going to want some coffee?"

And while they worked on getting a fire going to brew up a fresh pot of coffee, Tony, Ray and Jason walked quickly to catch up with Erikson, with Jason in the lead.

"You have any idea where you're going?" Tony asked him, noticing that he seemed to be headed in a particular direction.

"I overheard our adventurous tour guides talking. Seems they are holding out on us," Jason told them. "They were talking about meeting up at some hot spot around here. Figured we could check it out."

"Why would they keep this ‘hot spot' a secret?" questioned Ray.

Tony was starting to get worried. He didn't like the idea of going into a potentially dangerous situation without backup; he especially didn't want to put Jason or Ray in any danger. "Maybe it's just a tour guide thing. Place to have some privacy," Tony suggested. "I know I wouldn't be able to tolerate families harping on each other all day long out here. We should probably just let him be."

"If that's true then we'll just keep hiking. It probably has a great view of the river," Jason said as he continued on.

"I dunno would you want to admit to paying customers that you wanted to get away from them for a while?" Tony pressed on.

"I think Tony has a point," Ray put in. "Last thing we want to do is piss him off, and I really don't want to get lost out here." Ray's attempt at humor didn't do much good, though. Jason continued to walk on as Tony and Ray slowed their pace.

"Well then you guys go ahead and turn around," Jason said. "I'm just curious, is all." With that he started to walk up a slight incline, leaving Tony and Ray behind.

"We shouldn't just let him walk off on his own," Ray said uncertainly.

"Yea," agreed Tony, who was beginning to get a bad feeling about how things were going. "Hey, Jason! Wait up!" Tony took off at a jog to catch up with Jason, Ray following closely behind.

Once they reached the top of the hill they stopped, finding Jason looking out over a small clearing by the water, showing a rather rough patch of rapids. "See, I told you there had to be a great view!" Jason said excitedly.

"No kidding," Ray agreed as he walked towards Jason to get a better look. Tony meanwhile hung back, taking in his surroundings. Erikson was nowhere in sight, and he was getting the feeling that they were being watched. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Erikson. He was looking towards Jason and Ray, not noticing Tony because he had stayed back within a few trees. Suddenly, Erikson raised his arm, pointing a gun at Jason and Ray's backs.

Tony reacted instantly. "Get down!" he shouted as he sprinted towards the pair. Ray reacted immediately, dropping down to the ground on all fours. Jason, startled by Tony's outburst, turned towards him with a questioning look on his face. Not wasting any time, Tony leapt forward and pushed Jason out of the way as a shot went off.

Back at the camp, Gibbs, Gary and Jim paused from their conversation as they heard the shot. "What the hell?" Jim asked.

"Gunfire," Gibbs said, as he stood up and took off into the woods. Gary and Jim hesitated only a second before following Gibbs. The three ran through the woods, following Gibbs as he headed in the general direction of where the shot had come from. He was just hoping that he wasn't too late, that no one had been hurt. But his gut was telling him something else, something he didn't want to think about, so he pushed it out of his mind and focused on running and tracking Tony and the others down.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" shouted Ray as he moved towards Tony and Jason. Quickly he rolled Tony over, and gasped. "Oh god…"

Jason moved, feeling the weight lift off of him. Looking over to see what Ray meant, he froze. "Tony…Is he…?"

At that moment Tony groaned and started to move to try to sit up. "Hey, slow down! Let me put some pressure on your side," Ray said as he moved to help Tony sit up.

"You guys alright?" Tony asked as he winced in reaction to Ray putting a handkerchief over his left side.

"You're the one whose bleeding and your asking us if we're alright!" exclaimed Jason.

"There's blood on your shirt," Tony pointed out.

"Yea, your blood!" Jason said, appearing to be going into shock.

At that moment Erikson stepped up, pointing his gun towards the three men on the ground. "That was a stupid thing for you all to do, following me."

"Well excuse us for not knowing about the possibility of getting shot at when we decided to go for a hike!" shouted Ray.

"Shut up!" snapped Erikson. Pointing to Ray and Jason he gave out instructions. "You two, move away from him. Don't try anything, I would rather not have to shoot you at the moment, but I will if I have to."

Ray and Jason glanced at each other, and then looked at Tony. "Better do what he says," Tony advised them, taking hold of Ray's handkerchief and keeping it pressed into his side.

Slowly, they moved towards the edge of the clearing. Keeping his gun trained on them, Erikson walked towards where Tony was sitting on the ground. The next thing Tony knew he was on his side again, Erikson having delivered a swift kick into his left side, knocking the wind out of him. Ray and Jason started to move to help, but stopped as Erikson shook the gun at them.

"Don't push me," he warned. Turning to look at Tony, he said, "We can't afford to have you slowing us down, bleeding all over the place. You should have saved your heroics for another day." As Tony struggled to regain control of his breathing, Erikson bent down and removed Tony's watch.

"Doubt you'll need this anymore," he said with a grin. Tony tried to grab the watch back, but Erikson kicked Tony again. Then he reached down, grabbed hold of his t-shirt and dragged him towards the edge of the small hill. "Nothing personal," Erikson told Tony as he threw him over and into the ragging rapids below.

"NO!" shouted Ray and Jason at the same time. Gibbs and the other two men heard their shouts just as they reached the clearing. It was then Gibbs knew that his gut had been right. Erikson stood by the water with a gun in his hands, now turning to point it towards the newcomers.

"Jason! Are you hurt?" Jim questioned his son seeing the blood on his shirt. He just shook his head. Gary noticed his son's hands covered with blood, and gave him a small squeeze on his shoulder.

"It was Tony…" Ray started.

"What did you do, Erikson?" shouted Myers as he approached the group, his own gun out and at the ready.

"They were following me, couldn't be sure what they saw or heard, I was just going to give them a bit of a scare is all," Erikson said calmly.

"Yea, well it looks like you did more than that!" Myers said.

"What did you do to my son?" growled Gibbs, having a pretty good idea, but wanting to know for certain what had happened.

Erikson turned towards him and laughed. "He wanted to be the hero, so he paid for his stupidity."

"He was protecting us!" interrupted Jason. "He told us to get down; I didn't move fast enough, he pushed me down. You shot him!"

"Like I said, he was stupid," Erikson said darkly.

"Where is he?" Gibbs shouted.

"They threw him into the water," Ray said softly.

"He would have slowed us down," Erikson said shortly.

"Tony wasn't bleeding that bad!" Ray yelled.

"You bastard!" Gibbs shouted, moving towards Erikson with lighting speed. Within seconds he had Erikson down on the ground and he punched him, blood splattering has Gibbs heard the satisfying crunch of Erikson's nose breaking. Just as he was about to deliver another punch, he felt a flash of pain as something slammed against the side of his head. The next thing he knew he was laying on the ground, surrounded by Gary, Ray, Jim and Jason.

"What did you do that for!" exclaimed Jim.

"He's lucky that's all I did, could have been worse," Myers said as he helped Erikson stand up.

"You just killed his son, I'd say it couldn't get much worse," Gary said darkly.

"Alright everyone, that's enough!" Erikson shouted, clearly pissed off. Waving his hand at Gibbs, he told them, "Help him up; we're heading back to camp."

Gary and Jim moved on either side of Gibbs and grabbed an arm, lifting him up to his feet. Gibbs swayed a little, but between the two of them Gary and Jim managed to hold him upright and slowly walked back towards camp.

The walk back was silent. Gibbs couldn't believe it, he had been too late. Ignoring the blood running down his face, he tried to come to terms with what had just happened. Just that morning he had promised Tony that he would always be there for him, no matter what. It tore at his heart, knowing that he hadn't been there to watch his six.

"Hey buddy, you with us here?" Jim whispered to Gibbs, interrupting his thoughts.

"He killed him, he killed Tony," Gibbs said, anger and sadness evident in his voice.

"Don't worry, we'll get through this," Gary tried to reassured Gibbs. "Tony will have justice, you'll see."

‘Yes,' Gibbs thought to himself as they continued to walk. ‘Tony would get justice.' Not knowing that Erikson had removed Tony's watch, Gibbs hoped that his team would soon take action once they realized that he and Tony were no longer in the same location. With the trackers on their watches they would be able to find Tony, and Gibbs gave in to the small comfort that at least he would be able to give Tony a proper funeral and burial. He deserved that much, and more, but the opportunity to do more had passed. Gibbs could only pray that his team and Fornell got there soon, because he knew that if any opportunity to take control of the situation presented itself, Gibbs would take it, consequences be damned.

Chapter 19:

The moment Erikson started to drag him towards the edge of the small hill Tony knew he was going to be in for a rough ride. Realizing that trying to fight Erikson off wouldn't do much good, Tony had used the last few seconds to regain enough control of his breathing so that he hopefully wouldn't drown. As he was thrown into the water Tony took a deep breath and prepared for the fight of his life.

As he hit the cool water he was immediately pulled under and the force of the rapids began to drag him further down the river. It was difficult to gain control of his movements, especially with his body being constantly slammed into rocks. Eventually though, Tony managed to fight his way up to the surface. Once he broke free Tony took several deep breaths as he struggled to stay as close to the surface as possible. He knew that the water was too strong for him to swim against, so at the moment his only option was to keep his head above the water and sort of float along.

Tony had no idea how long it was before the rapids finally released him into reasonably calm water and he was able to swim to shore. Once he felt his feet and hands hit the bottom, he started to crawl the rest of the way to a small opening in between some rocks. He barely managed to make it out of the water before he collapsed in exhaustion, giving in to unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, back at the camp, Gary was cleaning up Gibbs' head wound while Jim and Ray helped Jason clean up as he still had Tony's blood on his shirt. No one had said much, but Erikson and Myers had gone off to the side to discuss their new situation. Things had just gotten a whole lot more complicated for them, in more ways than one.

Gibbs had been quiet as Gary cleaned off the blood that had run down his face, in deep thought. Now that he had had time to think things over, Gibbs realized that he had put everyone in danger when he had attacked Erikson. Despite what had happened to Tony, he still had a job to do, now more so than ever. Plus, there was a chance that Tony was still alive. He had gotten himself through some pretty intense situations in the past; there was no reason to think he wouldn't be able to do so again.

It was starting to get dark, there wasn't much that Erikson and Myers could do about their new problems at the moment. They especially didn't want to risk losing what little control they had at the moment. There were only two of them, so the guns were the only real advantage that they had.

Walking over to the group, Erikson asked, "Alright, which one of you wants to start the fire and cook everyone some dinner?"

When no one responded, Myers said "Look, there's no need for you all to suffer any more than you have to right now. Just cooperate with us before he gets trigger happy again."

The small reminder of what had recently happened stung and no one appreciated it. Still, they knew it was better to go along with things rather than agitate Erikson further. So Jim moved to start the fire as Ray and Jason moved to get the supplies for dinner. Gary stayed seated next to Gibbs, worried that he hadn't said anything in a while.

Gibbs had decided that for the moment it would be best to maintain the cover that he and Tony had established. It gave him a small advantage, but he was willing to take what he could get. Feeling something pressed into his hands, Gibbs looked down to see a mug of coffee. Looking back up he saw the concerned face of Gary.

"You should get something in your system, don't need you passing out on me," Gary told him.

"I'm not going to pass out," Gibbs said as he took a drink from the mug. Gary was trying to help, there was no need to make him worry anymore then he already was.

"Head wounds can be tricky, and you did black out when you were hit," Gary said.

"Not my first concussion," Gibbs said.

"Didn't think it was," Gary said. At Gibbs' questioning look, he continued, "You're a Marine. From what I hear you guys never do anything the easy way."

Gibbs couldn't help but smirk at that. "No, we don't."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, until Ray came over with two bowls of baked beans. Handing one to his father, he held the other one out in front of Gibbs.

"I'm not hungry, thanks though," Gibbs said.

"You should eat something, keep your strength up," Ray advised him. Gibbs just waved his hand at the bowl, obviously not having any intention to eat. Ray looked at his father, who took the bowl from his hands and gave him a nod. After Ray had walked over to where Jim and Jason were sitting, Gary turned to Gibbs.

"Look, I realize that this day has probably been hell for you, and I won't even pretend to understand what you are going through right now," Gary started, in a calm but strong voice. "But I seriously doubt your son would want you to torture yourself like this."

"Tony was looking out for you, even if you didn't know it," Ray interrupted his father as he walked back up to them. Gibbs looked up at him questionably. "I split the coffee between the two of us. In case one of our rafts got drenched in water or tipped over, you would still have had your coffee."

"He called it self-preservation," Gibbs said with a small smile. Sighing to himself, he took the bowl from Gary's hands and took a small bite.

Satisfied that he was at least attempting to eat, Gary and Ray returned to their own dinner. They ate in silence, but everyone had similar thoughts running through their minds. How were they going to get out of this alive?

The sharp stab of pain started to bring Tony conscious. His entire body felt sore, and he was beginning to feel a little chilly. Groaning, he moved slowly towards a nearby tree and sat against it closing his eyes for a moment. After regaining his composure, he opened his eyes and began to examine his injuries.

Lifting his shirt, he examined his gun shot wound first. He had been lucky; the bullet had only grazed him. It still left a deep scratch across his left side and would probably need stitches, but he was in no danger of bleeding to death. The possibility of an infection was very real though, as he had nothing to clean the wound or bandage it with.

There were bruises surrounding the scratch, from Erikson kicking him and the rocks he had collided into as he road the water slide from hell. Tony figured he had a good amount of bruises forming all over his body, and he would bet good money that his ribs might even be bruised too.

Leaning back against the tree, Tony sighed to himself. This was definitely not a good situation to be in. He mentally gave himself a head slap for letting Erikson take his watch. If he still had it McGee and Abby would have realized that he and Gibbs were in trouble and help would now be on the way. ‘Gibbs!' Tony thought suddenly as he sat up, only to wince and lean back against the tree.

Tony sighed to himself. What a mess things were turning out to be. And once Gibbs found out what had happened, well, things were bound to get worse. He had seen Gibbs in pissed off mode plenty of times, although he wasn't sure now was a good time for it. He was alone, without back up, with two drug dealers, one of which he was certain didn't have any problems about killing someone in cold blood. No doubt Gibbs would think that help was on the way, thinking that Tony still had his watch on.

‘Help is on the way,' Tony thought determinedly. He would not leave Gibbs out here to protect the rest of the group from two guys with guns. He hadn't seen Myers with a gun, but if one brought a gun, it was a safe bet that he either brought back ups or the other guy brought his own gun.

But first things first, he needed a plan. He couldn't exactly waltz into camp, although it would have the element of surprise, seeing as how he had left the group everyone thought he was most likely dead. Glancing up, Tony realized that it was starting to get dark. Once again, luck was not on his side. Pushing himself off the ground, he started to walk back the way he had come, so to speak. He figured the best way to monitor his progress for the moment was to stay as close to the river as possible and hope that he would be able to sneak up on the camp without raising alarm.

As he walked, Tony began going over everything about the case in his mind, trying to find something useful that would give him some sort of advantage. When the sun was barely visible, something suddenly jumped out in Tony's mind. Pausing, he closed his eyes, remembering how he had studied the map of the area yesterday.

Abby had been studying the map with him at one point and she had pointed out some places on the map wondering why they had been dismissed as a possible rendezvous point for the drug exchange. He had told her that the distance from the river was too great for the Petty Officers to get to without their absence being noticed. Now, though, in light of his current situation, they didn't seem so irrelevant.

"There sure are a lot of ranger stations around," Abby had said to him.

"They aren't all in use anymore Abs and they weren't always occupied by park rangers," Tony had told her. "Before the park started to monitor its visitors they had set up emergency bunkers of sorts for hikers in case they ran into trouble."

"So what, they just kept them stocked with emergency supplies then? Cool," Abby said. "With all of the professional tours being offered, I guess no one goes out on their own anymore."

"Yea, defeats the whole purpose of ‘roughing it' though," Tony said.

"That's tourism for ya. So, your telling me you would rather tough it out, be on your own, no poor tourists to flirt with?" teased Abby.

"Well, who said I would be going at it alone?" Tony teased back. They had both started laughing; only stopping when Gibbs had come around wanting to know why they were goofing off instead of working.

Opening his eyes, Tony smiled. He remembered some of the locations of the old emergency cabins. More importantly, there was one not too far off from where he had been thrown into the river. If he could just make it back to that spot, then hopefully he would be able to find the cabin. There was the possibility that there were still some supplies left for him to use. It wasn't like he was completely unarmed, either. Fingering his belt buckle, he allowed a small smile to break through. 'Rule 9,' Tony thought.

Of the many rules that Gibbs had instilled in him, this was the one that he held most sacred. Rule 9, always carry a knife, had gotten Tony out of a lot of trouble in the past. Once again, it was going to be put to good use.

If nothing else, the old emergency cabins would serve as a place for him to rest and regroup before he made a move against Erikson and Myers. Filled with determination and relief at having some sort of a plan laid out, Tony started walking again at a faster pace. There was still a lot more work for him to do.

As he walked he pulled up a mental image of the map, focusing on the water. When they had broken off for camp they had traveled about half-way through the current section of calm water. Then Tony had gone on that hike with Jason and Ray where they stopped at the small hill over-looking the rapids and things had gone to hell. He still wasn't sure exactly how long he had been in the water for, but he had a reasonable amount of information to make a guess as to his current position. As long as he stayed close to the river as he walked, he would be able to monitor his progress somewhat.

Tony smiled to himself. He wondered how the rest of the team would react if they saw him now. No doubt they would be surprised that he was actually capable of using his mind in such a mental capacity. Well, it wasn't the only trick he had up his sleeve. Although, he hadn't a clue as how to apply them as of yet. But then again, he still had to evaluate the situation at the campsite before deciding on anything. Pushing aside all other thoughts for the moment, Tony focused on the state of the river and tried not to trip over any fallen tree branches. Last thing he needed was another bruise to add to his already growing collection.

After dinner had been cleared away Erikson and Myers pulled out some rope and started to tie everyone up. Separating each person one at a time, Erikson tied their arms behind their backs while Myers kept a gun trained on them. Once Gary, Ray, Jim and Jason where tied Erikson used a long piece of rope to link them all together before securing the end around a tree. Then it was Gibbs' turn.

"I'm not taking any more chances with you," Erikson said gruffly as he tied Gibbs' wrists together tightly. Still feeling the affects of his concussion, Gibbs was a bit unsteady on his feet as Erikson moved him towards a tree on the opposite side of the camp, away from everyone else.

"This way, if you start trouble, I can shoot you without having to worry about hitting anyone else," Erikson told him.

"You don't seem they type to care about who you shoot," Gibbs barked at him, which only earned him a punch in the face.

"Everyone here can serve a purpose," Erikson said as he secured Gibbs to a tree. "You just keep your mouth shut and you might survive the night." And with that Gibbs was left alone. He could no longer feel the heat of the fire, but at least he still had his jacket on.

'More than what Tony has,' Gibbs thought with a sigh. 'He just had a T-shirt on.'

Gibbs knew that Tony had a tendency to get cold very easily, and ever since he had contracted the plague, the cold seemed to hold even more danger than before. Mix the cool night air with the fact that Tony had been in the water and the outcome was not good. Gibbs could only hope that he hadn't been in the water for very long and that he had somehow managed to get to the shoreline.

Gibbs tried to shift his position without drawing attention to himself. He wasn't surprised at how well Erikson had tied the knots. He couldn't expect anything less from him, being in the Navy and all. As he surveyed the layout of the camp, he took note of the fact that Gary and Jim and their sons were trying to rest. Gibbs then began to wonder what was taking Fornell and his team so long. The hotel where Fornell and McGee had set up wasn't exactly far, and it wasn't like they had to ride a raft to get here, either.

Something was wrong. What exactly, he had no idea, but clearly something else must have happened. Gibbs just hoped that whatever it was didn't slow them down much longer. He really did not like the idea of spending the night tied to a damn tree. Plus, Tony had been shot and who knows what else. Being tossed into the river no doubt brought on a few more injuries, especially with Tony's luck. The thought of Tony out there somewhere alone and bleeding did not sit well with Gibbs at all.

Gibbs shifted his position again, trying to find an angle that would allow him to try to work the ropes loose. The knife in his pocket wasn't doing him much good at the moment, but he had plans for it later on, once he got free of these ropes. Gibbs had already figured that if Erikson was taken out then Myers would unlikely put up much of a fight. Myers had seemed genuinely worried by the fact that Erikson had shot Tony and gotten rid of him the way that he had. Not out of remorse, definitely not, but perhaps out of fear of what repercussions there would be. No doubt having a member of your tour group turning up shot would bring a lot of unwanted attention.

All Gibbs needed to do was wait for an opportunity to present itself. Taking a deep breath, he continued to work the ropes, listening to the sound of the water behind him as he worked. He would wait, and then he would take great pleasure at causing Erikson an immense amount of pain. After all, what Marine wasn't skilled in the many uses of a knife?

It hadn't taken long for the night sky to spread. Whether he wanted to or not, Tony found himself stumbling every so often as he strolled on. The cool air had clung to his damp cloths, making him shiver. He had picked up the pace a little bit; hoping the extra movement would keep him warm. Instead he found himself landing on his ass more often than not, so he reduced his pace.

Tony listened to the sound of the rapids as he moved. It was strange to think that just a few hours ago he had been shot and thrown in there. He most definitely had the strangest sort of luck. Tony was a magnet for trouble and getting hurt. However, he also had the incredible ability to get out of some unusual situations as well.

"Tony, I swear you are like a cat with nine lives," Abby had once told him. "Either that or you have an unusual amount of spirits watching out for you."

He had laughed at that, then proceeded to ask her if she had sent any of those spirits his way.

Everyone else called it dumb luck. Gibbs once said it was because he was too damn stubborn to leave things alone. Ducky had then told Gibbs that he sounded like he was describing himself, although Tony doubted that he was meant to hear that. Of course, with Ducky, one could never really be sure. Either way, Tony had felt proud at hearing Ducky compare their similarities. It also made him wonder if he would ever stop getting into unpleasant situations once he had more experience like Gibbs. He liked to think so.

Pausing to stop for a moment, Tony leaned against a tree and sighed. He was getting tired, and the fact that he hadn't had anything to eat since lunch wasn't helping matters either. Sleep was out of the question; there were too many dangers and there was no way he was going to risk it. If he could find the cabin, he would at least then be able to sit down for a while.

Groaning to himself, Tony set off again. After walking for a little while longer he began to notice that there was a slight incline to the ground. Getting on his hands and knees he started to move cautiously up the hill. Reminding himself that he was in a forest, he tried not to get too excited about climbing the hill. There were bound to be plenty around. Still, he hoped and continued to crawl. If it was where he had taken his dive, he had no intention of going for round two.

Pausing when he felt the ground flatten a bit, studied the area as best he could in the dark. The moon above peaked through the trees a little, and had so far given him enough light to not run face first into anything. Glancing around, he felt a rush of adrenaline as he realized he had reached his first destination. Moving slowly, Tony stood up, taking notice of where the ledge was. Keeping near the trees, he walked the edge of the small clearing until he reached the other side of the hill. Kneeling down, he quickly moved down the hill.

Relieved that he had finally a sure sign that he had been making some progress, Tony turned away from the water and started to make his way further into the forest. Now that he had a better idea as to where he was, Tony felt more confident in being able to find the cabin. He was already a good distance away from the camp, so the trek to the cabin shouldn't take too long. One thing was for certain, though, and that was that for the moment Tony had no desire to get closer. He had no way of knowing if the guys meeting Erikson and Myers had arrived and were at the camp as well or securing some sort of perimeter. Tony had no intention of pushing his luck any further than what it was at the moment.

Eager to find the cabin, Tony did push his luck a bit by picking up his pace a bit again. He still stumbled, but at the moment he really didn't care. Finding the shelter was his first priority at the moment. He kept moving, and for all he knew he had been hiking for hours, but finally, through the darkness Tony was able to make out the shape of a small cabin up ahead.

Tony slowed down as he cautiously approached the cabin, alert for any sign that someone else might be in the cabin. He hadn't dismissed the possibility that there could still be other people out here and he did not want to scare anyone unnecessarily.

Luck finally seemed to be on his side again. Looking through the windows it appeared that no one had been inside the cabin for quite a while. Tony just hoped that included wildlife as well as people. He really did not want to try to share the space with a rabid raccoon. Reaching out, he slowly turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. Tony wasn't surprised to find it unlocked. It would have made little sense to lock a cabin that's purpose was to serve emergency supplies to hikers.

Once he was relatively satisfied that there was no one inside, Tony walked in. He left the door open, in a vain attempt to let what little light came from the moon in. He moved around slowly with his hands held out in front of him, feeling his way along the wall. About halfway into the room his legs bumped against something. Bending over slightly, he examined what appeared to be some sort of desk. Tony began opening the compartments and examining the contents. Pens, some paper, wait a minute…

He could honestly say that he couldn't believe what he had found. Matches. Running his fingers over the small package, Tony opened it and counted the number that was left. Seventeen. He grinned. Even if he wasn't able to find a lantern or candle, he still had light. Pulling one out, Tony struck it and was rewarded with a faint glow.

Not wanting to waste the light, Tony quickly scanned the rest of the room before putting the match out. He was fairly certain that there was a pile of blankets on the opposite side of the room. He had also made out a table and chairs, and what appeared to be a cabinet that at one time had been fully stocked of something or other. There wasn't much else, so Tony turned his attention back to the desk. Striking another match, he was able to identify a logbook of sorts for the cabin, a paperweight, and even a roll of duck tape.

Tony decided to hold on to the duck tape, thinking that it might very well come in handy at some point the next day. Turning, he started to head towards the blankets, then paused and headed to close the door. He really didn't want to share his so-called safe house with any creatures of the night. After closing the door, he lit another match and walked towards the blankets. They were dusty, but otherwise seemed intact. Blowing out the match, Tony picked them up and took them to the other side of the room where he shook them out in an attempt to get rid of some of the dust.

Moving to a corner, Tony settled down and wrapped himself up in the blankets. They smelled old and the dust caused him to sneeze a few times, but other than that they were ok. It certainly beat sitting in the dark freezing to death. Lighting another match, he took another look around the room. In the morning he would have to make a closer inspection of the area before heading out.

Sighing, he leaned back against the wall. It would be incredibly easy for him to fall asleep if he wasn't careful, so Tony turned his mind to planning on what to do once it was light enough out. There were still probably a good few hours left before sunrise, so Tony started playing out several possible situations that he could find at the camp, and contingency plans for each of them. He might as well be as prepared as possible, and Tony did not want to have to risk waiting to form a plan until he approached the camp. One thing he could be certain of was that time was not on his side, and he had no intention of wasting it.

Chapter 20:

It had been a long night and in more ways than one. Despite his attempts to stay awake, Gibbs ended up dozing on and off throughout the night. He had been keeping an eye on Erikson and Myers while he struggled to loosen the ropes, but having a concussion did not help matters any.

When morning came and help still hadn't arrived, Gibbs knew that from here on out he was on his own. The only conclusion he could come to was that Fornell and his team didn't know that something was wrong. He doubted that the GPS trackers failed, Abby was too good at her job for that to happen. She probably ended up camping out in her lab to monitor their location just to be on the safe side. There was no way she would have missed any sign of trouble, so something else had to be going on.

Wearily, Gibbs sighed and shoved those things aside for the moment. He had more important things to worry about. Erikson and Myers had been very busy once the sun had started to rise. They had been emptying everyone's bags, including their own, and trying to pack what Gibbs could only guess to be the drugs into one or two bags for easier carrying. He gave a small sigh in relief as the contents of their bags were ignored and that the GPS trackers had gone undiscovered.

The question was why switch bags at all? The drugs had already been packed well enough to avoid water getting through and made for easy transportation in the raft.

‘Unless they aren't using the rafts for transportation anymore,' Gibbs suddenly realized. ‘They're continuing on foot.'

Erikson and Myers had started arguing once they had packed what Gibbs recognized as Tony's backpack and Ray's small overnight bag with the drugs. Erikson seemed to be calling the shots, and Myers did not look at all happy about it.

Eventually, Myers seemed to agree with Erikson, and pulled on Tony's backpack and picked up Ray's bag. He turned to leave, but Erikson grabbed his arm to stop him and handed him a gun. They had another short conversation before Myers turned again and left the camp. Gibbs wished that his head hadn't been bothering him so bad otherwise he would have attempted to read their lips. Even without knowing exactly what was said, he felt pretty certain that Myers was going to make the drop. He just wondered how far he was going to go.

The rest of the group had since woken up and had curious looks on their faces as they watched Myers leave the camp. Erikson watched them, as if daring one of them to ask what was going on. Everyone remained silent, unsure if they wanted to know the answer or not. Unsure of how long Myers would be gone, Gibbs began to refocus his attention on the ropes. He knew his chances of getting them loose in time were small, but he had to try. He stood a better chance of turning the tables with Myers gone; Gibbs just hoped that Myers didn't come back with one of his business partners.

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Several times throughout the night Tony had stood up and paced around the cabin, afraid that if he sat still for too long he would fall asleep. It had been harder than he thought to keep himself occupied enough to stay alert all night. Once he had a general layout of what his next move was going to be his mind seemed to want to shut down. The only other thing that helped him to stay awake was the amount of pain he was in.

Tony sighed with relief as the sun started to peak through the trees. At least now he would be able to examine the cabin more carefully for any other lingering supplies that could be useful. Unfortunately, there was nothing left that would serve any real purpose to Tony in his current situation. Knowing he had little time to waste, Tony left the cabin and started to head back towards the camp.

Walking in the cool morning air was actually starting to help Tony become more alert. It also reminded him of his injuries as well. He tried to focus on making his way back to camp, in an attempt to block out the pain. But he was going to need something more to do besides walking, and soon, if he was going to be of any use to Gibbs and the others.

It could have been seen as a coincidence, but then again Gibbs didn't believe in such things. Tony didn't care what you called it, he was just thankful that it had happened. Myers was walking through the woods and hadn't spotted Tony. Quickly Tony moved out of sight and hid behind some trees. Myers seemed to be too preoccupied to even glance around. He was walking from the direction of the camp, walking as quickly as possible. Noticing the bags he was carrying, Tony immediately realized that he was going to make the drop.

Tony was torn between continuing on to the camp and following Myers. Watching closely as Myers walked by he noticed that there was a gun tucked in his belt. Thinking quickly, Tony decided that he stood a better chance at taking Myers down by himself compared to Erikson. By getting Myers out of the way first, Tony would also have acquired a gun, which would serve as a greater advantage later on.

He figured that he should find out where the drop was too, while he was at it, otherwise this whole operation would have been for nothing. ‘Well, maybe not nothing,' Tony thought to himself. Being able to talk to Gibbs about certain things had been an enjoyable experience and that was worth everything.

After waiting to make sure Myers was far enough ahead that he wouldn't be spotted, Tony moved to follow him. He continued to keep up his fast pace, obviously familiar enough with the area and where he was going. The fact that someone was following him didn't seem likely either, considering where they were.

Myers continued walking for several minutes, until he reached the bottom of a steep hill. Tony couldn't see from the distance that he kept, but he heard Myers call out to someone, and someone answered. Remaining as far away as possible to avoid detection, Tony made his way up the hill once he saw Myers do the same. Once he made it to the top he paused, taking in the sight before him.

‘No one is gonna believe this,' Tony thought to himself. Even he didn't believe it, and he was right there. Erikson and Myers were meeting by train tracks. Of all the possibilities that everyone had considered, this was not on the list.

At first Tony couldn't understand how no one had known about the tracks. They weren't on the map, though, of that much he was sure of. Taking a closer look at the tracks, Tony began to wonder if they were even in use anymore. That would be one reason why they weren't on the maps. The maps they looked at concentrated on the river and the immediate surrounding areas, and these tracks were definitely far enough away that they wouldn't be put on the local tourist maps.

‘Everyone is gonna be giving themselves head slaps later when they find out about this,' Tony thought to himself with amusement.

There were two guys there to meet Myers. They had arrived by dirt bikes, and were busy transporting the drugs from the bags Myers had used to their own. They made quick work of it, and in no time the dirt bikes were loaded up and the two men took off. Fortunately they didn't head in Tony's direction, so he didn't have to worry about being seen.

Once the dirt bikes had disappeared, Myers headed back down the hill, carrying the two bags with him. ‘Don't want to leave any evidence behind,' Tony observed as he made his own way down. Because he had maintained his distance from Myers, he was now the one in the lead. Moving within the trees, Tony slowed his pace and waited for Myers to get close enough to jump him. He had the element of surprise, but Tony knew that if he didn't move fast he could quickly loose his advantage.

It didn't take Myers long to catch up to Tony, who was waiting behind some trees. After letting Myers get a few feet in front of him, Tony launched himself at his target, tackling him to the ground. Bringing his arms around Myers' waste as they hit the ground, Tony made to grab the gun. He managed to pull it free from Myers' belt, but dropped it as he moved to dodge an elbow aimed at his head. Tony used the momentum from the move to roll them both away from the gun, not wanting to risk Myers getting hold of it again.

They rolled a few feet away, with Tony ending up on his back. Quickly he moved his arms so that he could get a grip around Myers' neck as he had begun to slam his elbows into Tony's sides. Adrenaline rushing through him, Tony ignored the pain and held on. Myers continued to struggle, but soon enough the lack of oxygen took its toll. After falling limp in his arms, Tony shoved Myers off to the side and took in a few deep breaths before moving to pick up the gun.

Quickly Tony pulled out the duck tape that he had acquired from the cabin and used it to bind Myers' arms and wrists behind his back. Then he checked his pockets for anything else that might be useful, and found an extra clip for the gun. ‘One down, one to go,' Tony thought to himself with a sigh.

Glancing around, he noticed the bags that Myers had also dropped during their fight. Looking closer, he realized that the backpack was his, which meant that someone had gone through his stuff. Tony was suddenly filled with worry and fear. If they had gone through his things there was a chance that they had found the GPS trackers. And if they had, then Gibbs was in a hell of a lot more trouble than ever. Tony knew he had to get back to camp, and fast. Quickly Tony shoved the other bag into his backpack along with the remaining duck tape and pulled it onto his back. You never knew what could be useful out here.

He couldn't leave Myers out here in the open though, who was groaning, a sure sign of him waking up. Suddenly, Tony smiled to himself as an idea came to him. Using more of the tape he sealed both Myers' mouth and eyes shut. No doubt he would start to panic when he woke up and there was no reason to let him know who his assailant was. Just as he finished Myers started to become more alert.

Tony waited until Myers started to try to free himself before moving to grab him up by the arms. He was prepared when Myers tried to break free, so Tony gave him a quick punch in the gut, sending the man to his knees.

Kneeling over Myers, Tony spoke in a soft gruff voice, hoping that it would be enough to confuse Myers. "We're going for a walk. You cooperate, you live. You fight back, and then I'm going to have to make use of my new gun that you've donated. Understand?"

Myers gave a shaky nod, and then Tony hauled him to his feet and started walking. Tony hoped that Myers was thinking that it was one of his partners or someone else, as long as he continued to think he was dead. It was an advantage that he was not willing to give up just yet.

Tony pushed Myers as fast as he could back in the direction of the cabin. It would do for a holding cell of sorts for the moment, and it was certainly a better option than tying him to a tree. Being trapped in a building would no doubt be a surprise to Myers, or so he hoped.

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Myers had been gone for a while now, but Erikson didn't appear to be worried. Gibbs wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He had been constantly struggling to break free of the ropes and all he got for his efforts was the feeling of blood trickling down his fingers. He had rubbed his wrists raw, but Gibbs didn't care. He was too frustrated at not being able to even loosen the ropes to pay any attention at all to his new injuries.

Gibbs inadvertently let out a sigh, which drew Erikson's attention. Smirking, he walked over to Gibbs and said, "What's the matter, knots too tight? Bet it pisses you off, a Marine and not able to get out of those binds."

Gibbs chose not to reply, but to just glare at Erikson.

Erikson continued to laugh. "Yea, I bet you were hoping to spring some sort of surprise attack on me or something. But you know something? I'm in the Navy, Petty Officer Erikson reporting for duty and all that crap." He gave a mock salute with a disgusted look on his face.

"Its probably pissing you off to no end isn't it? The fact that two Petty Officers were able to get the drop on you, the big bad-ass Marine. Yea, Myers is in the Navy too."

Gibbs actually had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he said, "Yea, a Petty Officer who had to rely on his buddy to keep me from beating the shit out of him." That got Erikson pissed, and it got Gibbs a fist in his face.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Gary shouted from the other side of the camp. "Haven't you done enough to him already?"

With an evil glint in his eyes, Erikson turned to Gary and said, "Oh, are you referring to his idiotic son? Huh, and here I thought I was doing him a favor."

Noting how close Erikson was standing, Gibbs took the opportunity to kick his legs up and into Erikson's gut. Caught off guard, Erikson flew backwards and landed on the ground. Quickly getting back up onto his feet, Erikson pulled out his gun and pointed it at Gibbs.

"You got some kind of a death wish? You want to follow your son into the afterlife?" Erikson shouted at him as he kept the gun leveled.

Gibbs showed no reaction to Erikson or the gun, and for a fleeting moment Gibbs thought Erikson was going to shoot him. Suddenly, Erikson started laughing as he lowered the gun.

"Very good, Marine. You sure provoked the hell out of me," Erikson said. "That's what's going on here, right? You trying to get me to do something stupid, make a mistake that will give you some sort of opening?"

Again Gibbs resorted to simply glaring at Erikson, not in much of a mood for a conversation with the man anyway.

"Alright, you've had your chance. Now it's my turn," Erikson said with a disturbing smile. "You know, your son wasn't much of a fighter. But boy did he start fighting when I took this from him." Then Erikson pulled out something from his pocket and held it up for Gibbs to see.

He felt the air in his lungs freeze, for in Erikson's hand was Tony's watch. Erikson must have read the expression in Gibbs' eyes because his smile got even wider. "So, was it a gift from you? Must have been important, the way he tried to get it back, just before I tossed him into the water like a rag doll," Erikson said darkly.

"You son of a bitch!" Gibbs shouted at him, instinctively struggling against the ropes in a vain attempt to be free to attack Erikson, who was laughing hysterically.

"It really is a nice watch," Erikson said as he slipped the watch onto his wrist. "It would be a shame to not put it to use." And with that Erikson turned and walked away, leaving Gibbs alone to simmer over the newfound knowledge.

Gibbs now knew why back-up never arrived; in fact it wasn't going to. As far as McGee and Abby could tell Tony was still with the group at the camp. This also meant that Tony was essentially lost. There was no direct link to him, he was on his own more than Gibbs had first realized.

The sudden realization of all of this hit Gibbs hard. Tony had been shot and thrown into the river with the knowledge that no one monitoring the trackers would realize that he was in trouble. Of course, knowing Tony, he was probably thinking more along the lines of no one knowing that Gibbs was in trouble. He was always putting other people first; it was one of the many qualities that made him such a good agent. It also made him ignorant of his own well-being, which irritated Gibbs to no end on several occasions.

With that thought in mind, Gibbs could only hope that his own safety would be enough to motivate Tony into having enough strength to somehow find help. It wasn't much, but at the moment it was all Gibbs had to hold on to.

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It took a little longer than Tony would have liked to reach the cabin. Myers had stumbled constantly, and Tony had to be extremely cautious in case he decided to try something. Just because a man was tied up and blindfolded didn't mean he was harmless.

As soon as they entered the cabin Tony moved Myers to the corner where he had left the blankets and shoved him down so that he was lying flat on his stomach. Keeping a foot pressed into his back, Tony quickly pulled out the leftover duck tape from his back pack and knelt down to bind Myers' knees and ankles together. Then he pulled out the extra bag and removed the straps. Tony looped one end of the straps through Myers' arms and then looped the other end through an old pipe in the wall. It may not have been very durable, but it would certainly make things difficult for Myers to escape.

Satisfied that Myers was as secure as he was ever going to be, Tony leaned down and told him, "Don't move a muscle. Someone will be by later to release you once I've finished my work. You got that?"

Myers gave a frantic nod, and then Tony stood and walked out of the cabin, closing the door as firmly as possible. Figuring that sooner or later Myers would realize that he was alone, Tony decided on giving him some of the truth in hopes that he would be stupid enough to actually stay. If things turned out well enough, someone would be by to take him into custody.

After jogging a short distance from the cabin, Tony slowed his pace to catch his breath and regroup. The brief fight with Myers had taken its toll; the blows to his sides reawakening his injuries with full force. Pausing briefly to check his left side, Tony noticed that he was starting to bleed a bit again. Not that the fact that the wound had dried up while still open was much better. He considered himself fortunate enough that his ribs hadn't cracked and punctured a lung. He was still able to breath with relative ease; although earlier it had been a bit difficult.

‘Note to self, avoid any kind of contact to ribs in the future,' Tony thought idly to himself.

Tony knew that while he had removed Myers from the picture, Gibbs and the others were still in danger while in the company of Erikson. He could only hope that he hadn't wasted too much time getting Myers back to the cabin. Knowing that they had made this run at least a few times before, Tony would bet that Erikson was probably keeping an eye on how long Myers had been gone. If he started getting suspicious before Tony could get to camp and form a plan, the element of surprise might be lost.

The idea of going up against Erikson in his present condition was not at all appealing, especially if he lost one of the few advantages that he had. Erikson would not go down as easily as Myers had and Tony didn't think he could do it by himself.

Forming a mental block against the aches and pains his body was distributing, Tony picked up his pace to a light jog once more. He was going to have to find a way to make sure Gibbs was free to move against Erikson. The two of them working together was the only way to be certain that he would be brought down.

Chapter 20:

It had been a long night and in more ways than one. Despite his attempts to stay awake, Gibbs ended up dozing on and off throughout the night. He had been keeping an eye on Erikson and Myers while he struggled to loosen the ropes, but having a concussion did not help matters any.

When morning came and help still hadn't arrived, Gibbs knew that from here on out he was on his own. The only conclusion he could come to was that Fornell and his team didn't know that something was wrong. He doubted that the GPS trackers failed, Abby was too good at her job for that to happen. She probably ended up camping out in her lab to monitor their location just to be on the safe side. There was no way she would have missed any sign of trouble, so something else had to be going on.

Wearily, Gibbs sighed and shoved those things aside for the moment. He had more important things to worry about. Erikson and Myers had been very busy once the sun had started to rise. They had been emptying everyone's bags, including their own, and trying to pack what Gibbs could only guess to be the drugs into one or two bags for easier carrying. He gave a small sigh in relief as the contents of their bags were ignored and that the GPS trackers had gone undiscovered.

The question was why switch bags at all? The drugs had already been packed well enough to avoid water getting through and made for easy transportation in the raft.

‘Unless they aren't using the rafts for transportation anymore,' Gibbs suddenly realized. ‘They're continuing on foot.'

Erikson and Myers had started arguing once they had packed what Gibbs recognized as Tony's backpack and Ray's small overnight bag with the drugs. Erikson seemed to be calling the shots, and Myers did not look at all happy about it.

Eventually, Myers seemed to agree with Erikson, and pulled on Tony's backpack and picked up Ray's bag. He turned to leave, but Erikson grabbed his arm to stop him and handed him a gun. They had another short conversation before Myers turned again and left the camp. Gibbs wished that his head hadn't been bothering him so bad otherwise he would have attempted to read their lips. Even without knowing exactly what was said, he felt pretty certain that Myers was going to make the drop. He just wondered how far he was going to go.

The rest of the group had since woken up and had curious looks on their faces as they watched Myers leave the camp. Erikson watched them, as if daring one of them to ask what was going on. Everyone remained silent, unsure if they wanted to know the answer or not. Unsure of how long Myers would be gone, Gibbs began to refocus his attention on the ropes. He knew his chances of getting them loose in time were small, but he had to try. He stood a better chance of turning the tables with Myers gone; Gibbs just hoped that Myers didn't come back with one of his business partners.

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Several times throughout the night Tony had stood up and paced around the cabin, afraid that if he sat still for too long he would fall asleep. It had been harder than he thought to keep himself occupied enough to stay alert all night. Once he had a general layout of what his next move was going to be his mind seemed to want to shut down. The only other thing that helped him to stay awake was the amount of pain he was in.

Tony sighed with relief as the sun started to peak through the trees. At least now he would be able to examine the cabin more carefully for any other lingering supplies that could be useful. Unfortunately, there was nothing left that would serve any real purpose to Tony in his current situation. Knowing he had little time to waste, Tony left the cabin and started to head back towards the camp.

Walking in the cool morning air was actually starting to help Tony become more alert. It also reminded him of his injuries as well. He tried to focus on making his way back to camp, in an attempt to block out the pain. But he was going to need something more to do besides walking, and soon, if he was going to be of any use to Gibbs and the others.

It could have been seen as a coincidence, but then again Gibbs didn't believe in such things. Tony didn't care what you called it, he was just thankful that it had happened. Myers was walking through the woods and hadn't spotted Tony. Quickly Tony moved out of sight and hid behind some trees. Myers seemed to be too preoccupied to even glance around. He was walking from the direction of the camp, walking as quickly as possible. Noticing the bags he was carrying, Tony immediately realized that he was going to make the drop.

Tony was torn between continuing on to the camp and following Myers. Watching closely as Myers walked by he noticed that there was a gun tucked in his belt. Thinking quickly, Tony decided that he stood a better chance at taking Myers down by himself compared to Erikson. By getting Myers out of the way first, Tony would also have acquired a gun, which would serve as a greater advantage later on.

He figured that he should find out where the drop was too, while he was at it, otherwise this whole operation would have been for nothing. ‘Well, maybe not nothing,' Tony thought to himself. Being able to talk to Gibbs about certain things had been an enjoyable experience and that was worth everything.

After waiting to make sure Myers was far enough ahead that he wouldn't be spotted, Tony moved to follow him. He continued to keep up his fast pace, obviously familiar enough with the area and where he was going. The fact that someone was following him didn't seem likely either, considering where they were.

Myers continued walking for several minutes, until he reached the bottom of a steep hill. Tony couldn't see from the distance that he kept, but he heard Myers call out to someone, and someone answered. Remaining as far away as possible to avoid detection, Tony made his way up the hill once he saw Myers do the same. Once he made it to the top he paused, taking in the sight before him.

‘No one is gonna believe this,' Tony thought to himself. Even he didn't believe it, and he was right there. Erikson and Myers were meeting by train tracks. Of all the possibilities that everyone had considered, this was not on the list.

At first Tony couldn't understand how no one had known about the tracks. They weren't on the map, though, of that much he was sure of. Taking a closer look at the tracks, Tony began to wonder if they were even in use anymore. That would be one reason why they weren't on the maps. The maps they looked at concentrated on the river and the immediate surrounding areas, and these tracks were definitely far enough away that they wouldn't be put on the local tourist maps.

‘Everyone is gonna be giving themselves head slaps later when they find out about this,' Tony thought to himself with amusement.

There were two guys there to meet Myers. They had arrived by dirt bikes, and were busy transporting the drugs from the bags Myers had used to their own. They made quick work of it, and in no time the dirt bikes were loaded up and the two men took off. Fortunately they didn't head in Tony's direction, so he didn't have to worry about being seen.

Once the dirt bikes had disappeared, Myers headed back down the hill, carrying the two bags with him. ‘Don't want to leave any evidence behind,' Tony observed as he made his own way down. Because he had maintained his distance from Myers, he was now the one in the lead. Moving within the trees, Tony slowed his pace and waited for Myers to get close enough to jump him. He had the element of surprise, but Tony knew that if he didn't move fast he could quickly loose his advantage.

It didn't take Myers long to catch up to Tony, who was waiting behind some trees. After letting Myers get a few feet in front of him, Tony launched himself at his target, tackling him to the ground. Bringing his arms around Myers' waste as they hit the ground, Tony made to grab the gun. He managed to pull it free from Myers' belt, but dropped it as he moved to dodge an elbow aimed at his head. Tony used the momentum from the move to roll them both away from the gun, not wanting to risk Myers getting hold of it again.

They rolled a few feet away, with Tony ending up on his back. Quickly he moved his arms so that he could get a grip around Myers' neck as he had begun to slam his elbows into Tony's sides. Adrenaline rushing through him, Tony ignored the pain and held on. Myers continued to struggle, but soon enough the lack of oxygen took its toll. After falling limp in his arms, Tony shoved Myers off to the side and took in a few deep breaths before moving to pick up the gun.

Quickly Tony pulled out the duck tape that he had acquired from the cabin and used it to bind Myers' arms and wrists behind his back. Then he checked his pockets for anything else that might be useful, and found an extra clip for the gun. ‘One down, one to go,' Tony thought to himself with a sigh.

Glancing around, he noticed the bags that Myers had also dropped during their fight. Looking closer, he realized that the backpack was his, which meant that someone had gone through his stuff. Tony was suddenly filled with worry and fear. If they had gone through his things there was a chance that they had found the GPS trackers. And if they had, then Gibbs was in a hell of a lot more trouble than ever. Tony knew he had to get back to camp, and fast. Quickly Tony shoved the other bag into his backpack along with the remaining duck tape and pulled it onto his back. You never knew what could be useful out here.

He couldn't leave Myers out here in the open though, who was groaning, a sure sign of him waking up. Suddenly, Tony smiled to himself as an idea came to him. Using more of the tape he sealed both Myers' mouth and eyes shut. No doubt he would start to panic when he woke up and there was no reason to let him know who his assailant was. Just as he finished Myers started to become more alert.

Tony waited until Myers started to try to free himself before moving to grab him up by the arms. He was prepared when Myers tried to break free, so Tony gave him a quick punch in the gut, sending the man to his knees.

Kneeling over Myers, Tony spoke in a soft gruff voice, hoping that it would be enough to confuse Myers. "We're going for a walk. You cooperate, you live. You fight back, and then I'm going to have to make use of my new gun that you've donated. Understand?"

Myers gave a shaky nod, and then Tony hauled him to his feet and started walking. Tony hoped that Myers was thinking that it was one of his partners or someone else, as long as he continued to think he was dead. It was an advantage that he was not willing to give up just yet.

Tony pushed Myers as fast as he could back in the direction of the cabin. It would do for a holding cell of sorts for the moment, and it was certainly a better option than tying him to a tree. Being trapped in a building would no doubt be a surprise to Myers, or so he hoped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Myers had been gone for a while now, but Erikson didn't appear to be worried. Gibbs wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He had been constantly struggling to break free of the ropes and all he got for his efforts was the feeling of blood trickling down his fingers. He had rubbed his wrists raw, but Gibbs didn't care. He was too frustrated at not being able to even loosen the ropes to pay any attention at all to his new injuries.

Gibbs inadvertently let out a sigh, which drew Erikson's attention. Smirking, he walked over to Gibbs and said, "What's the matter, knots too tight? Bet it pisses you off, a Marine and not able to get out of those binds."

Gibbs chose not to reply, but to just glare at Erikson.

Erikson continued to laugh. "Yea, I bet you were hoping to spring some sort of surprise attack on me or something. But you know something? I'm in the Navy, Petty Officer Erikson reporting for duty and all that crap." He gave a mock salute with a disgusted look on his face.

"Its probably pissing you off to no end isn't it? The fact that two Petty Officers were able to get the drop on you, the big bad-ass Marine. Yea, Myers is in the Navy too."

Gibbs actually had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he said, "Yea, a Petty Officer who had to rely on his buddy to keep me from beating the shit out of him." That got Erikson pissed, and it got Gibbs a fist in his face.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Gary shouted from the other side of the camp. "Haven't you done enough to him already?"

With an evil glint in his eyes, Erikson turned to Gary and said, "Oh, are you referring to his idiotic son? Huh, and here I thought I was doing him a favor."

Noting how close Erikson was standing, Gibbs took the opportunity to kick his legs up and into Erikson's gut. Caught off guard, Erikson flew backwards and landed on the ground. Quickly getting back up onto his feet, Erikson pulled out his gun and pointed it at Gibbs.

"You got some kind of a death wish? You want to follow your son into the afterlife?" Erikson shouted at him as he kept the gun leveled.

Gibbs showed no reaction to Erikson or the gun, and for a fleeting moment Gibbs thought Erikson was going to shoot him. Suddenly, Erikson started laughing as he lowered the gun.

"Very good, Marine. You sure provoked the hell out of me," Erikson said. "That's what's going on here, right? You trying to get me to do something stupid, make a mistake that will give you some sort of opening?"

Again Gibbs resorted to simply glaring at Erikson, not in much of a mood for a conversation with the man anyway.

"Alright, you've had your chance. Now it's my turn," Erikson said with a disturbing smile. "You know, your son wasn't much of a fighter. But boy did he start fighting when I took this from him." Then Erikson pulled out something from his pocket and held it up for Gibbs to see.

He felt the air in his lungs freeze, for in Erikson's hand was Tony's watch. Erikson must have read the expression in Gibbs' eyes because his smile got even wider. "So, was it a gift from you? Must have been important, the way he tried to get it back, just before I tossed him into the water like a rag doll," Erikson said darkly.

"You son of a bitch!" Gibbs shouted at him, instinctively struggling against the ropes in a vain attempt to be free to attack Erikson, who was laughing hysterically.

"It really is a nice watch," Erikson said as he slipped the watch onto his wrist. "It would be a shame to not put it to use." And with that Erikson turned and walked away, leaving Gibbs alone to simmer over the newfound knowledge.

Gibbs now knew why back-up never arrived; in fact it wasn't going to. As far as McGee and Abby could tell Tony was still with the group at the camp. This also meant that Tony was essentially lost. There was no direct link to him, he was on his own more than Gibbs had first realized.

The sudden realization of all of this hit Gibbs hard. Tony had been shot and thrown into the river with the knowledge that no one monitoring the trackers would realize that he was in trouble. Of course, knowing Tony, he was probably thinking more along the lines of no one knowing that Gibbs was in trouble. He was always putting other people first; it was one of the many qualities that made him such a good agent. It also made him ignorant of his own well-being, which irritated Gibbs to no end on several occasions.

With that thought in mind, Gibbs could only hope that his own safety would be enough to motivate Tony into having enough strength to somehow find help. It wasn't much, but at the moment it was all Gibbs had to hold on to.

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It took a little longer than Tony would have liked to reach the cabin. Myers had stumbled constantly, and Tony had to be extremely cautious in case he decided to try something. Just because a man was tied up and blindfolded didn't mean he was harmless.

As soon as they entered the cabin Tony moved Myers to the corner where he had left the blankets and shoved him down so that he was lying flat on his stomach. Keeping a foot pressed into his back, Tony quickly pulled out the leftover duck tape from his back pack and knelt down to bind Myers' knees and ankles together. Then he pulled out the extra bag and removed the straps. Tony looped one end of the straps through Myers' arms and then looped the other end through an old pipe in the wall. It may not have been very durable, but it would certainly make things difficult for Myers to escape.

Satisfied that Myers was as secure as he was ever going to be, Tony leaned down and told him, "Don't move a muscle. Someone will be by later to release you once I've finished my work. You got that?"

Myers gave a frantic nod, and then Tony stood and walked out of the cabin, closing the door as firmly as possible. Figuring that sooner or later Myers would realize that he was alone, Tony decided on giving him some of the truth in hopes that he would be stupid enough to actually stay. If things turned out well enough, someone would be by to take him into custody.

After jogging a short distance from the cabin, Tony slowed his pace to catch his breath and regroup. The brief fight with Myers had taken its toll; the blows to his sides reawakening his injuries with full force. Pausing briefly to check his left side, Tony noticed that he was starting to bleed a bit again. Not that the fact that the wound had dried up while still open was much better. He considered himself fortunate enough that his ribs hadn't cracked and punctured a lung. He was still able to breath with relative ease; although earlier it had been a bit difficult.

‘Note to self, avoid any kind of contact to ribs in the future,' Tony thought idly to himself.

Tony knew that while he had removed Myers from the picture, Gibbs and the others were still in danger while in the company of Erikson. He could only hope that he hadn't wasted too much time getting Myers back to the cabin. Knowing that they had made this run at least a few times before, Tony would bet that Erikson was probably keeping an eye on how long Myers had been gone. If he started getting suspicious before Tony could get to camp and form a plan, the element of surprise might be lost.

The idea of going up against Erikson in his present condition was not at all appealing, especially if he lost one of the few advantages that he had. Erikson would not go down as easily as Myers had and Tony didn't think he could do it by himself.

Forming a mental block against the aches and pains his body was distributing, Tony picked up his pace to a light jog once more. He was going to have to find a way to make sure Gibbs was free to move against Erikson. The two of them working together was the only way to be certain that he would be brought down.

Chapter 21:

After Erikson had taunted Gibbs with Tony's watch, Gary and the others had sent sympathetic looks in his direction. Gibbs could tell that they wanted to say something, give him some small measure of comfort, but in doing so would likely only provoke Erikson further, so they had remained silent.

It was a good thing too, because as the minutes continued to tick by with no sign of Myers, Erikson was starting to pace. While Gibbs wasn't exactly eager to have to deal with both men, the idea of handling Erikson alone was even less appealing. He wondered if Myers had told his partners of the current situation. If he had, then there was the chance that his partners had killed him and were headed here to finish the rest of them off. It wouldn't be the first time he had seen drug runners try to remove any trace of their business by getting rid of their partners.

That was the worst case scenario, but Gibbs wasn't letting himself dwell on those kinds of thoughts for too long. Instead he was relying on McGee and Abby to eventually realize that they had stayed at the campsite for too long. All he had to do was make sure that Erikson and Myers didn't get trigger-happy or decide to relocate. Not that it would be a problem to track them, but Gibbs didn't want to be moving too far away from where Tony had been thrown into the water. That would mean more time taken away from getting a search started, and that was unacceptable.

Gibbs watched Erikson as he continued to pace, glancing in the direction Myers had gone and constantly checking the time. He started to get a feeling deep in his gut that something was about to happen. What he wasn't sure and all he could do was sit back and wait, watching for some kind of opportunity to present itself.

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Tony had a hard time keeping his pace at a light jog. He didn't want to exhaust himself, but yet at the same time he felt like he was moving too slowly. Erikson was probably a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, and the longer Myers was gone the shorter his fuse was going to be. He just hoped that Erikson didn't start taking out his frustration on anyone, because if it had to be someone it would likely be Gibbs. He wouldn't let someone else get hurt if he could draw the attention to himself.

Several minutes later, Tony started to recognize the trail that he had taken with Ray and Jason yesterday evening. He was close to camp. Slowing down to a walk, Tony detoured off to the right of the trail so as not to be spotted. Not sure of what to make of the silence, he continued to edge towards the camp. As he got closer and could start to make out the tops of some of the tents, Tony crouched down towards the ground and crawled towards the edge of the camp.

From his position he could clearly see Erikson pacing back and forth, glancing towards the woods, no doubt looking for Myers. He could not however, see anyone else, much less the layout of the camp. Quietly, he moved backwards until he felt he was a safe enough distance to stand. Taking care to make as little noise as possible, Tony moved further around the side of the camp before crawling back to see if he could see where the others were.

Sliding down in between some bushes, Tony cautiously looked out across the camp. This stake out position provided a much better outlook of the area. He immediately noticed that Gary, Ray, Jim and Jason were all tied together on the side he was on. Gibbs was bound to a tree on the other side of the camp. That left Erikson the space in between pacing.

Studying Gibbs closely, Tony could see that he had taken a few punches, but otherwise seemed to be ok. It was too hard to tell from this distance if he had any other injuries. Suddenly, he noticed Gibbs move. If he hadn't been watching so closely he would have missed it. He appeared to be struggling to free himself of the ropes but was having difficulty doing so.

'Those must be some knots,' Tony thought to himself, knowing that otherwise Gibbs would have freed himself a long time ago.

Knowing that he had to act fast, Tony backed away from the camp again, and moved towards the sound of the river. He concluded that behind the tree that Gibbs was bound to had to be some sort of ditch or other access point. Tony just hoped that he would be able to untie Gibbs without Erikson spotting him. No doubt Gibbs would not be expecting Tony to come up behind him and untie the ropes, so Tony hoped that luck would be with him again and he wouldn't end up scaring Gibbs.

'Scare Gibbs,' Tony thought with a smirk. 'That'll be the day.'

Tony quickly approached the shoreline where the rafts had been secured. Glancing up towards the campsite to make sure he was out of sight, Tony sprinted across to the other side. He paused briefly to listen to see if Erikson had spotted him. Once he felt he was in the clear, Tony started moving again towards where Gibbs was.

Unfortunately, luck was not with him as he arrived at the area where Gibbs' tree was. Tony sighed to himself. He just couldn't win. Gibbs just had to be tied to a tree that was right by the water. Which meant that if he was going to untie Gibbs without being seen, Tony was going to have to walk through the water. He had already had one swim too many in the river and he wasn't really looking forward to another one anytime soon.

Glancing up Tony was able to see that not only was Gibbs bound to the tree, but it also appeared that his wrists had been tied together as well.

'No wonder he's having trouble,' Tony thought to himself. Looking back at the water, he figured that it couldn't be too deep, and it wasn't very rough so the chances of him getting stuck in a current were small. Knowing that he didn't have any other options, Tony quickly checked to make sure the gun was secured behind him in the waistband of his jeans and took a cautious step into the water.

Tony moved slowly so as not to make any noise and to avoid slipping on the rocks underneath the water. By the time he situated himself just under Gibbs' tree, the water had gone past his knees. Grabbing onto some rocks and branches, Tony secured his footing. Once he felt confident that he would not fall he looked up and checked the distance between him and Gibbs. He was close enough that he would not have to struggle to reach the ropes or Gibbs' wrists.

Smiling to himself, Tony reached up to grab hold of Gibbs' hands. It was always a good idea to have a plan laid out before taking action against a suspect, especially in this kind of situation. This meant that he was going to have to communicate with Gibbs without drawing attention from Erikson, and he knew exactly how to do just that.

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Over the past several minutes Gibbs had been having the feeling that he was being watched. It wasn't like when a suspect was watching him though, that usually brought an uneasy feeling. Instead, for the first time since this whole nightmare began, he was experiencing a sense of calm. Like someone was watching his six and the possibility of getting out of these unfortunate circumstances safely was highly more likely.

Suddenly, his feelings were confirmed as Gibbs felt someone give his hand a small squeeze. Straining to not show any outward reaction that would draw Erikson's attention, Gibbs returned the gesture. On the inside, he felt a sudden surge of adrenaline. Help had obviously arrived, but who was it?

He got his answer when the hand released his own and fingers started to tap against his palm. 'Morse code,' Gibbs thought. Concentrating, he decoded what turned out to be a one worded message, or name as it turned out.

'Tony,' Gibbs realized with an instantaneous rush of relief. Briefly, he wondered when Tony had learned Morse code, but just as quickly pushed the thought aside. Now was not the time to get distracted.

After Tony had spelled out his name he waited for a sign from Gibbs that he had understood, keeping his hands close to Gibbs' own so that he could respond. It had been a long time since he had used Morse code, so he wasn't all too sure he had done it correctly. His doubts were eased when Gibbs, who was fortunate enough to not have lost circulation in his wrists or fingers, replied with his own series of taps.

'Hate it when you disappear, you ok?' Gibbs told him.

Realizing that he was probably referring to his gunshot wound, Tony responded, 'E has bad aim, just a scratch. Untying wrists now.' After Gibbs acknowledged his intentions, Tony pulled back his hands and unfastened his belt and removed his knife. He made quick work of cutting through the rope and took note of the fact that Gibbs' wrists had been rubbed raw from his own attempts to break free.

As soon as the ropes had loosened around his wrists Gibbs sighed to himself in relief. Careful not to alter his position too much, he rotated his wrists in an attempt to get used to the sudden newfound freedom from the pressure of the ropes. Sitting all night restrained from much movement had made him extremely stiff and Gibbs didn't want that to slow him down when the time came to move against Erikson.

'You ok?' Tony asked once Gibbs had ceased his movements.

'Fine,' Gibbs replied.

Knowing that Gibbs wouldn't be saying much else about his condition, Tony let it go. 'Loosening ropes around tree, don't move.' Last thing they needed was for Erikson to see the ropes securing Gibbs to fall away.

After Gibbs once again acknowledged his intentions, Tony shifted his position slightly in order to have better access to the ropes around the tree. Within a couple of minutes he had cut through the ropes, but made sure that they were still positioned to give the appearance that Gibbs was still secure.

Gibbs had felt the pressure around his ribcage ease and it was taking all of his self-control to not make immediate use of his release. Erikson was still pacing, so he was turning his back on Gibbs every so often. The thought of seeing the look on Erikson's face when he realized Tony was still alive made it easier to remain still for the time being.

Tony moved back to his previous position and started tapping against Gibbs' palm again.

'Need plan,' Tony said.

'M may be back soon, must move fast,' Gibbs told him.

'M out of picture, just E,' Tony informed him. 'Have gun from M.'

Gibbs took a moment to digest that information. If Tony had taken out Myers, then perhaps he was not as badly injured as he had thought. Although, he knew Tony well enough that he would downplay any type of wound while he was still in a dangerous situation. He did the same thing when he was injured.

'I get E here, away from others,' Gibbs said. 'You move behind him.'

'Sure E won't shoot you this time?' questioned Tony, figuring that Gibbs had probably pushed Erikson's buttons at least once before, if the bruises on his face were anything to go by.

'Better idea?' retorted Gibbs. The fact that Tony had come to his own conclusions about where his bruises had come from did not escape Gibbs.

'More surprise if I draw attention, you attack from behind,' Tony suggested.

Gibbs paused at that. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew Tony was right. Erikson was less likely to expect a confrontation from Tony than from Gibbs. The element of surprise was a very useful advantage, one that they had to exploit to its fullest. Still, the idea of making Tony the primary target was not sitting very well with Gibbs.

Gibbs started tapping against Tony's hand again, aware of how much time had already been used and that they could not afford to wait much longer. Even with Myers out of the picture, Erikson did not need to be any more wound up than he already was.

'You keep gun,' Gibbs instructed Tony. 'Position behind green tent.'

'Can you see location well?' asked Tony, wondering if he would be able to signal Gibbs somehow once he was ready.

'Yes. Time to locate?' Gibbs replied.

Tony considered that for a moment. Looking to his right, he was able to see that there was enough of a clear path for him to travel around towards the tent Gibbs had indicated. The water didn't appear to go any deeper, either. He would not have to backtrack all the way around the camp. 'Five minutes,' Tony told Gibbs.

'Be careful,' Gibbs advised him.

'Always,' Tony responded. Moving to leave, he then paused and tapped another message to Gibbs.

'Take knife,' Tony said as he carefully handed Gibbs his knife.

Gibbs felt the cool grip of Tony's knife pressed into his right hand. Using his left hand he gave Tony's hand a brief squeeze of thanks. Returning the gesture, Tony gave one more round of taps to signal that he was going to get into position.

As he left Gibbs felt his energy level spike up at the knowledge that a plan had been laid out and would soon be put into action. He could only hope that their plan didn't get either one of them hurt any more than they already were.

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Making his way through the water back to shore, Tony kept listening to his surroundings. If the situation changed and Erikson suddenly snapped, he wanted to know about it. There was still every possibility that something could go wrong, but there was no other choice. The sooner Erikson was disarmed, the better.

He was running on adrenaline and sooner or later Tony had no doubts that he was going to crash and burn. It was unavoidable, but he would rather have Erikson secured before he did so. Gibbs would no doubt lecture him on ignoring the seriousness of his injuries once he got a good look at Tony. And then later it would be Abby and Ducky's turn, but he took comfort in the fact that they would also be lecturing Gibbs on doing the same thing.

Tony sighed in relief as he stepped out of the water and started moving through the trees towards the tent. He grimaced as water sloshed in his shoes. He couldn't wait for this all to be over so he could go home and take a nice long shower. Briefly Tony wondered how many days off he could get from his injuries to catch up on some sleep before closing that train of thought from his mind. First things first, take care of Erikson.

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Gibbs kept a mental check of the time as he waited for Tony to make his way around. Erikson was starting to get anxious as he began kicking things out of his way and muttering to himself. Things were not looking good.

"To hell with this!" Erikson suddenly shouted as turned to head towards the tent to grab his bag, the same tent that Tony was moving towards.

'Shit,' Gibbs thought. He was far enough away that he might not be able to get to Tony in time to help take Erikson out. That was not a risk he was willing to take.

"Looks like Myers must of cut you out of the deal," Gibbs taunted. He had to keep Erikson from leaving, or going near the tent.

"What?" Erikson growled, changing his direction and heading towards Gibbs.

'Well at least it worked,' Gibbs thought. Out loud, "Maybe he told your other partners about what happened here, and decided to leave you to take the fall for it. More money in it for him that way, probably."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Erikson shouted. "Or are you just that eager for me to kill you?"

A short distance away, Tony froze as he heard Erikson, and then picked up his pace. Looks like their time was up.

Chapter 22:

As Erikson came towards him, Gibbs knew that he was going to have to make the first move before he drew his gun. Tony had to be close, so all he had to do was keep Erikson occupied long enough for Tony to be able to make a move. Palming the knife in his hand, Gibbs waited for Erikson to move a little bit closer.

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As he sprinted towards the camp Tony hoped that Erikson was distracted enough yelling at Gibbs that he wouldn't hear him approach. Tony pulled out his gun as he approached the tent, just in time to see Erikson stop in front of Gibbs.

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"You sure do make a lot of threats, but I have yet to see you follow through with any of them," taunted Gibbs.

"And the fact that your son is dead isn't enough proof!" shouted Erikson.

"I believe it was you who said that you were only trying to give him and the others a scare, that he was being stupid. Sounds to me like it was a lucky shot," continued Gibbs, noticing movement behind Erikson out of the corner of his eye. All he had to do was keep Erikson's attention on him so Tony could get a little bit closer.

"A lucky shot you say? Well, let's see how lucky you are then," Erikson snarled as he reached and drew his gun.

"Well, you know what they say, like father like son," Tony said as he pointed his gun at Erikson.

Completely forgetting about Gibbs, Erikson whipped around and stared at Tony, holding his own gun at the ready. Ignoring the gasps coming from the other side of the camp, Gibbs took advantage of the situation and launched himself at Erikson, tackling him to the ground before he had a chance to react.

Using the knife Tony had given him, Gibbs stabbed Erikson in the upper right arm, which caused him to drop his gun. Unfortunately, that did not entirely slow him down. Erikson slammed the back of his head right into Gibbs' nose, breaking it with a sickening crunch. Momentarily stunned and struggling to breath as blood poured from his nose, Gibbs barely saw Tony kick Erikson's gun out of the way.

Elbowing Gibbs in the stomach with his left arm, Erikson quickly broke free and struggled to stand up. Before he was even on his knees, Tony grabbed his right arm with one hand and put pressure on his wound, which caused Erikson to land face first in the dirt. Tony moved behind him to restrain him, but Erikson rolled to his side, taking Tony with him.

Not wanting to risk Erikson getting hold of his gun, Tony managed to toss it towards Gibbs as they rolled. He kept his grip on Erikson's arm and leaned into the momentum of the roll Erikson had started in an attempt to get out from under him.

Gibbs hastily picked up the gun and stood up to see Tony and Erikson stop a few feet away, with Erikson pinned underneath Tony. But Tony was struggling to maintain his grip again, his one hand now covered in Erikson's blood.

"Enough, Erikson! It's over," shouted Gibbs as approached the pair, gun aimed at Erikson.

"No! I won't go to prison for this!" Erikson cried out. Without warning, Erikson kicked up his legs and the heels of his feet slammed into Tony's back. Gasping in pain, Tony unintentionally loosened his grip on Erikson. In an attempt to regain the upper hand, Erikson attempted to maneuver Tony in front of him to use as a shield.

Realizing what Erikson was trying to do, Tony managed to slam his fist into Erikson's arm, hoping to once more cause enough pain to distract the man. In reaction to the pain, Erikson lost his hold of Tony, who dropped to the ground and heard the sound of a gun being fired.

Gibbs had seen Erikson's intentions and had realized that by continuing to try to take Erikson alive could result in more injuries for Tony and himself. As soon as Tony had hit the ground and was in the clear, Gibbs had taken his shot. Erikson now lay on the ground with a bullet through his head.

Tony glanced over at Erikson, and sighed in relief. He wasn't sure how much more he had left in him and as he turned to look at Gibbs, it seemed he might not have had much either, if the blood pouring down his face was anything to go by.

"You ok?" Gibbs questioned Tony as he lowered his arms, still feeling a rush of adrenaline from the fight after being restrained for so long.

"Better now that he's taken care of," answered Tony, who wasn't ready to admit how bad he felt. "How about you?"

Gibbs nodded his response, wiping his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. It was obvious to him that Tony had sidestepped his question, but understood where Tony was coming from. There was still a lot left to do before they could think about relaxing any.

"Hey! If you two are done playing gladiator, how about untying us?" shouted Gary from across the camp. "We wouldn't mind stretching our legs either!"

Gibbs and Tony laughed at the remark. Gibbs offered a hand down to Tony, who gladly took it. After checking once more to make sure Erikson was no longer a threat, they made there way over to the others.

Pulling out his own knife, Gibbs began to cut through the ropes that bound them to the tree.

"Don't suppose you know where mine went, do you?" Tony asked.

"It's evidence now. Just untie their wrists," Gibbs instructed as he freed Gary first.

"Which means I won't get it back," Tony groaned as he began to work on the knots.

"I'll get you another one," Gibbs said.

"Uhh, is there something you two want to share with the rest of the group?" asked Gary as he rubbed his wrists once Tony had finished.

"I for one want to know how the hell you survived," Ray said to Tony as Gibbs finished his binds against the tree.

"Forget about story telling, Myers is still out there," Jim spoke up.

"And who knows how many more psychos might be running around out here," added Jason. By now Gibbs had freed the rest and was helping to release them of their binds around their wrists.

"I took care of Myers already," Tony informed them.

"Which leads me back to my question, is there something you two want to tell us?" Gary asked curiously.

At that moment Tony realized that Gibbs must have maintained their cover after he took his swim. 'Makes sense,' Tony thought to himself. It was one of Gibbs' few advantages at the time, there would be no reason for him to reveal himself.

"Special Agents Jethro Gibbs and Tony Dinozzo, Naval Criminal Investigative Service," Gibbs announced. Both Gibbs and Tony waited, as their companions took in the new information. Not surprisingly, it was Gary who spoke first.

"So, you mean to tell me that you guys were working some sort of covert operation then? And let civilian's tag along? What kind of government agency does that?"

The rest of the group turned and stared at Gibbs and Tony, waiting for an answer. Gary's tone was borderline accusing, but he had stated the facts as he saw them. Neither Gibbs nor Tony could blame him or anyone else if they were pissed.

"We were here only to observe Erikson and Myers. They were suspected of drug trafficking by the FBI," Tony began.

"This was supposed to be like any other tour that they have given. The FBI needed more proof, we were here to try to get it," Gibbs continued. "We had no intention of confronting them unless they proved to be a threat to the group."

Everyone studied the federal agents for a few minutes, trying to decide whether or not they were telling the truth. Finally, they all seemed to come to an agreement.

"Shit happens," Jim said.

"You guys need to clean up a bit, get your injuries checked over," observed Gary.

"And I still want to know what the hell happened to you," Ray said pointedly at Tony.

"For real. What kind of training does NCIS make you go through anyway?" inquired Jason.

Tony laughed. "It's a long story."

"We should go get Myers first," Gibbs said.

"Yea," agreed Tony tiredly. He was not looking forward to the hike. "I tied him up pretty good, but there's no telling how resourceful he is."

Gibbs looked at Tony, really looked at him. He looked beyond exhausted and there was no telling how many injuries, minor or not, he was hiding. Because Tony was wearing a T-shirt, Gibbs was able to see several bruises covering his arms. There was also blood on his shirt as well from where he had gotten shot. Tony had said it was a scratch, but even bullet burns could become serious if they weren't properly treated.

"Why don't you two give yourselves a few minutes to regroup?" Gary suggested who gave Gibbs a look. Seems he wasn't the only one to pick up on Tony's condition.

"Yea, and maybe wash off a bit? Sorry to say Gibbs, but you look like crap," Jim said with a small chuckle.

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Gibbs with a small smile. He turned and headed towards the river, indicating to Tony that he should follow.

"Ray, help me get all the first aide kit supplies together," Gary said, unaware that Gibbs and Tony heard him.

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Down at the water, Gibbs splashed his face with the cool water, rinsing off the blood from his broken nose. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Tony carefully as the younger man kneeled down and cleaned Erikson's blood off his hand and splashed some water on his own face. He was moving slowly, and seemed to be trying very hard not to wince in pain.

"You sure you're ok, Tony?" Gibbs asked, knowing how good Tony was at concealing his injuries.

Tony sighed and nodded. "It's just been rough."

"That's putting it mildly," Gibbs said lightly as he stood. "Come on, we better get back before Gary sends down a search party. No doubt he's waiting to ambush us with that first aid kit."

Tony let out a small laugh, but made no move to get up. He was really starting to feel the effects of the past several hours and his spike in energy was just about dried up. 'Just a little while longer,' Tony told himself.

"Tony?" questioned Gibbs with concern. He saw Tony nod again and made to move to stand up. Reaching down, Gibbs gently grasped Tony on the arm to help him get on his feet.

Tony glanced at the light pressure on his arm before looking at Gibbs. He attempted a small smile of thanks as he tried to get his legs to work. Between the two of them, Tony managed to get up on his feet. Unfortunately, that small movement cost Tony more than he thought it would. He was barely on his feet for a few seconds before things started spinning, and he felt himself falling. Tony was unconscious before he could register that Gibbs had caught him.

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"Tony!" Gibbs shouted as he moved to take the brunt of Tony's fall. Quickly Gibbs checked Tony's pulse and was concerned when he found it beating too fast for it to be normal.

"Come on, Tony. Wake up," Gibbs said in an attempt to provoke a response of some sort.

"What happened?" Jim shouted as he came rushing over, with Jason not far behind, apparently having heard Gibbs startled shout.

"He blacked out," Gibbs said, worry evident in his voice. "Damnit! I knew he was hurting worse than what he let on."

"Come on, let's get him back to the camp," Jim said as he moved to Tony's right side. "Jason, grab his legs."

Gibbs and Jim each draped Tony's arm around their necks and together the three managed to carry him back to the camp. As soon as he saw them, Ray immediately grabbed a sleeping bag and spread it out for them to lay Tony on.

"What happened?" Ray asked as they carefully settled Tony onto the sleeping bag. Jim and Jason moved away as Gary approached them with the medical supplies. Gibbs stayed where he was so that Tony was partially leaning against him.

"Adrenaline rush must have worn off," Gary observed quietly. Upon seeing the curious look he was getting from Gibbs, Gary quickly explained, "Used to be an EMT years ago."

For a brief moment Gibbs wondered why he hadn't been told that, but then tossed it up to lack of intelligence on the FBI. At the moment, he really didn't care anyway, as long as it meant that Tony would receive some sort of medical attention.

"Help me get his shirt off," Gary said as he noticed the blood on Tony's shirt. "Let's see how bad that gun shot really is."

With Gibbs holding Tony up, Gary managed to remove the shirt rather quickly. What they found though made everyone gasp. Tony was covered black and blue and his left side sported a long gash that had started to swell and look red from what could only be the signs of an infection.

Gary quickly pulled out a clean cloth and poured some water on it before handing it to Gibbs. "Here, keep it covered. Ray, start a fire. I'll want to heat up some cloths to try to clean it better."

"Jim, can you get me a blanket? I want to keep him warm so he doesn't go into shock," asked Gary as he began to examine Tony further.

In reaction to Gibbs placing the cloth over his side, Tony groaned and attempted to move away from the source of the pain. Gibbs gently held him still, trying to make sure he didn't injure himself any further.

"Easy, Tony. Relax, it's just me," Gibbs spoke calmly, not wanting to startle him.

Tony blinked his eyes several times before he focused on Gibbs. "Boss?"

"You really do need to take better care of yourself, Tony," Gibbs said casually.

"Huh?" Tony blinked several more times and it was clear that he had no idea what Gibbs was talking about.

"If you were in that bad of shape I would have let you stay here and rest," Gibbs said. "I can go get Myers by myself."

"No!" Tony struggled to sit up, but Gibbs held him down.

"Easy Tony! You don't want to aggravate your injuries any more than they already are," Gary spoke up. When Tony looked at him, he continued. "You probably have a few cracked ribs, and there's no way of knowing how far off you are from bleeding internally. You keep moving around and you could make things worse." Gary hated having to be so blunt, but he figured it was the only way to get through to the younger man.

"You are not going out there alone," Tony said as he turned towards Gibbs again as he started to wake up a little more.

"I can't just leave Myers out there for the wolves, Tony, no matter how tempting it sounds," Gibbs said with a smile, trying to reassure Tony.

"Bugs are probably the only type of wildlife Myers has to worry about getting him," Tony said.

"What the hell does that mean?" Gibbs asked. He figured that if he kept Tony talking he was more likely to stay still, and at the moment that was the most important thing.

"Sort of locked him in a cabin," Tony replied with a small grin. "Managed to find one of those retired emergency cabins that they had out here for hikers before it became a tourist spot."

Gibbs couldn't help but return the grin. "Drugs there with him?"

Tony shook his head. "Followed him to where he made the drop before I jumped him. They're using abandoned train tracks as a meeting place."

Tony wasn't sure what to make of the look on Gibbs' face. It was a mix between pissed off and pleased. "I can't believe Fornell didn't check those out before," Gibbs growled, then sighed. "Well, at least you can rub it in his face later that you did what he and his team of suits couldn't do."

Tony grinned at the compliment and the thought of annoying the hell out of the FBI agent. There was nothing like being able to taunt the man with the fact that he needed their help.

"Tony," Gibbs said. "I still need to get Myers. We can't risk him escaping."

Closing his eyes, Tony nodded. He knew Gibbs was right, but the fact that they had no idea what Myers was capable of made the idea of Gibbs going alone very unappealing.

"I'll go with you," Jim said as he came back with a blanket. "Sorry it took so long. Trying to find one that wasn't damp."

Glancing up at Jim, Gibbs said, "No. You're a civilian. I'm not putting you at any more risk than you already have been."

"Can't be any more dangerous than what I've already been through," argued Jim. "And its not like you can order me not to follow you either."

Realizing that he would be fighting a losing battle, Gibbs nodded. "Alright then. But if I tell you to do something when we get to the cabin you do it, no questions asked."

"Fair enough," agreed Jim.

Looking back to Tony, Gibbs asked, "Where is the cabin located?"

"Just head west. It's a few miles away," Tony answered.

Gibbs nodded. "While I'm gone, you start thinking of a way to get in touch with the rest of the team."

"Isn't there an emergency transmitter or something that tour guides have to carry?" Tony questioned.

"Erikson destroyed it during his rant earlier," supplied Jason, who had been standing off to the sides.

"And there's no way we will get any cell phone service out here, either," Tony groaned.

"Eventually they will have to realize that we haven't moved from our position, but I would still like to establish some form of communication with them," stated Gibbs. "We don't need any FBI agents swarming in here trigger happy."

"Good point," agreed Tony. "You should get going before they get here."

Gibbs nodded and helped Tony into a comfortable sitting position. "Gary said you shouldn't move, I expect you to follow his instructions," Gibbs stated firmly as he looked directly at Tony.

"Gotcha boss," Tony confirmed. He really hated that he wasn't going to be able to go with Gibbs, it was his job to watch his back. But at least he wasn't going alone. It was a compromise that Tony was willing to accept, given the circumstances.

"Good." Gibbs stood up and turned to Jim. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Jim said.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure Tony doesn't get into any more trouble," Gary said confidently.

Gibbs nodded his thanks and after securing the gun, he turned and headed in the direction of the cabin. As he and Jim left he overheard Gary starting to give out orders.

"Ray, collect some more fire wood to keep that fire going, but don't go too far. Jason, get Tony something to eat and drink. He hasn't had anything since lunch yesterday."

Gibbs smiled to himself. After not knowing what had happened to Tony for so long, he hated not being able to stay to look after him, but he was in good hands. Somehow he doubted that Gary would let Tony get away with anything. 'No,' Gibbs thought. 'The real trouble will be when Tony had to go to the hospital.'

"You know," Jim interrupted Gibbs' thoughts as they walked. "Tony isn't the only one who is ignoring their injuries."

Gibbs tipped his head in acknowledgement and replied with a smirk, "I'm his boss. Call it professional prerogative."

Chapter 23:

Gibbs and Jim had been walking for a good few minutes now, the silence a welcome relief to the stress that had been brought on by Erikson and Myers. Neither man had had the chance until now to let things sink in. For Gibbs this was part of his job but Jim was a civilian who had come out here to spend time with his son.

When this whole thing had started Jim's first thoughts were 'What can I do to help get everyone out of this mess?' Jim was not the type out for himself, not by any means. So when he heard Gibbs was going to retrieve Myers he volunteered. He didn't doubt that Gibbs could handle himself, but seeing how insistent Tony had been, he thought it best to put the younger man at ease. He had been through enough already as it was and there was no need to add to it.

Gibbs was also thinking about Tony. The younger man's injuries were not to be taken lightly and now that he had time to reflect more on everything Gibbs couldn't help but be impressed. Tony had to be in a lot of pain and yet he still managed to push forward knowing that others needed his help. He just hoped that Tony didn't push himself too far.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," Jim said suddenly.

"I know, he's been through worse things than this," Gibbs replied.

"That sure was some performance the two of you did," Jim observed. "And don't give me 'It's part of the job' crap either. You may be his boss but I can tell there's more to it than that."

Gibbs couldn't help but smile at that. "That obvious, huh?"

"Just a bit," Jim replied.

"We've worked together for years," Gibbs said. "I've watched his back and he's watched mine. You can't go through some of the shit we've been through and not develop a bond."

Jim nodded. "So, Tony's your protégé then I guess."

"Yea, he is," Gibbs agreed with a smile. "Tony's the closest thing I have to a son."

"And what about Tony's real father, if you don't mind my asking?" Jim said.

"What about him?" Gibbs replied gruffly.

"Ah, I see what you mean," Jim said quietly.

They walked in silence for several minutes before they were able to spot the cabin in the distance. Turning to Jim, Gibbs pressed a finger to his lips, signaling Jim to be quiet. At his nod, Gibbs pulled out his gun and approached the cabin quietly.

As he reached the door, Gibbs strained to hear if there was any sound of movement from inside. Hearing nothing, he grasped the handle and opened the door. After stepping inside, Gibbs took a quick look around before his eyes settled on Myers. Sensing Jim move in behind him, Gibbs turned back to see the same amusement he felt reflected on the other man's face.

Myers was lying down on his stomach in a corner with no possible way to move. His arms and wrists were bound behind his back and his knees and ankles were also restrained from movement. His mouth and eyes were covered as well. The straps from the bag lying nearby on the floor had been used to further restrict Myers by attaching him to a pipe in the wall.

When Tony had told them that he had 'sort of' locked Myers in a cabin he wasn't kidding. Smirking, Gibbs approached Myers and grabbed his forearm to get his attention. Almost immediately he started to panic, and Gibbs suppressed the urge to laugh. Tony really had done a number on the guy.

"Enough!" Gibbs managed to shout abruptly. "I don't have time to deal with your crap."

Myers went still at Gibbs' harsh voice, but it was obvious that he was still nervous. Signaling Jim over, Gibbs began to untie the straps from the pipe. Jim held Myers down while Gibbs worked on the straps and tape binding his legs together. He made short work of it and soon Myers was hauled up onto his feet.

Neither Jim nor Gibbs said anything to Myers; they just started walking, dragging Myers along as they went. Myers was on the verge of panicking, having no idea who he was with or where he was going. Both Gibbs and Jim were enjoying the man's discomfort, secretly wishing they could do more. However, they were also anxious to get back to the camp before anything else happened, good or bad.

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Before Gibbs and Jim had even gotten out of sight Gary had started issuing orders and began a more thorough examination of Tony's condition. Gary considered Tony to be very lucky that he hadn't broken any of his ribs and had them puncture a lung. However, Tony's luck didn't extend much further. While he only received a graze from the bullet, it was still doing a lot of damage. He could see that an infection had developed from the way the wound was turning red and swelling. There was no way to be certain, but Gary was pretty sure that Tony had started to run a fever.

It took some coaxing, but Gary managed to get Tony to eat a little bit as he attempted to clean out the bullet wound. Once Ray had started a fire, Gary had him boil water along with some pieces of cloth. After letting them cool a bit, he had placed them over the wound in order to try to keep the infection from getting worse.

Getting him to stay still was another matter entirely.

"Gibbs told you to follow my instructions!" argued Gary.

"He also told me to try and figure out a way to contact our team before they get here with their guns drawn," Tony replied calmly.

"And you'll do it sitting right where you are," countered Gary, whose tone broke no argument.

Tony sighed as he realized that Gary was not going to budge. 'Reminds me of Gibbs,' he thought to himself with a smirk.

"At least bring me the emergency radio. I might be able to fix it," Tony said.

"Fair enough. Just be sure you keep drinking water, you're dehydrated enough as it is," Gary compromised as he motioned for Jason to bring the radio over.

Tony examined the radio for several minutes. Erikson had done some damage to it, but it didn't seem entirely impossible to fix. Looking up at the rest of the group, he asked, "I don't suppose anyone has a Swiss Army Knife on them?"

Gary and Ray shook their heads no.

"I've got my glasses repair kit," offered Jason.

"I haven't seen you wearing any glasses," Ray said with a questioning look.

Jason rolled his eyes. "I've worn sunglasses. I always have bad luck with them breaking or something." He pulled out the small kit and handed it to Tony.

Examining the kit, Tony said, "Thanks, this will work perfectly."

"You really think you can fix it?" asked Gary as he removed the cloth from Tony's side and applied a fresh one.

Wincing in pain, Tony said, "Doesn't hurt to try."

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"We have to go now! There's no time to waste waiting for the rest of your minions!" shouted Ziva.

"So you want to go in undermanned?" questioned Fornell.

"At the very least we could be surveying the situation," Ziva snapped back.

"There's no telling how long they've been in trouble," McGee joined in. "The GPS trackers only show their location, not their status."

"For all we know Erikson and Myers could have called in help from their partners," Fornell argued. "We go in there now without more backup and we risk putting everyone in that tour group in more danger."

"And not giving Gibbs and Tony any kind of support is better how?" asked McGee.

"You wait all you want," Ziva said as she started walking away. "I'm heading out now."

McGee headed after Ziva, but turned and called out, "We'll contact you when we know what's going on."

Fornell sighed to himself before jogging to catch up to them. "I'll have my team meet us there. Gibbs will kill me if I let you two do all the work."

"You do that," Ziva said as she slid into the driver's seat.

"I'll keep monitoring the radio frequencies," McGee said from the back seat as he secured his own radio and laptop.

"If they're in trouble you really think they will have the opportunity to use the radio?" asked Fornell.

"Maybe. Or Erikson and Myers could be using it to get help to deal with whatever problems they are having," McGee replied back.

Fornell made no comment as Ziva hit the gas and tore out of the parking lot.

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Between the two of them Gibbs and Jim were able to make better time hiking back than Tony did by himself dealing with Myers. In almost no time at all they were in view of the camp. As they approached the camp they saw Gary, Ray and Jason sitting around Tony, who had his focus on the radio.

As they maneuvered Myers towards a tree Jim called out to the others, "Anyone want to give us a hand?"

Everyone looked up but Tony, who was still working on the radio.

"It didn't take you two long," Gary said as he stood up and went to gather the rope that had been tied around him not long ago. Jason moved to throw more wood into the fire as Ray started preparing more cloths.

"He's too scared to cause much trouble," Gibbs said with a snicker as he pushed Myers down to sit against the tree.

"Should be used to being tied up by now though," Jim said as he took the rope from Gary. "You should have seen him, all wrapped up like a Christmas present."

"Too bad you didn't have a camera," laughed Gary.

"So how's Tony doing?" Gibbs asked as he finished securing Myers to the tree.

"He's been tinkering with that damn radio for a while now," Gary said a little frustrated. "It's a fight every time I go to change the cloth for his side."

"I thought it was broken?" Jim asked.

"You try telling him that. Jason gave him his glasses repair kit to use," Gary told them.

Laughing, Gibbs said, "Tony's stubborn, he won't believe it's broken until he spends a few hours trying to fix it."

"He can fool with it all he wants, it keeps him from moving around too much," Gary said. "Just as long as he stops ignoring me when I try to keep his side clean."

"I'll talk to him," Gibbs said as he made his way over to where Tony was sitting, who was so engrossed on fixing the radio that he didn't acknowledge Gibbs when he sat down next to him.

"How's it going?" Gibbs asked after a few minutes.

"I'm almost done," Tony answered. "Erikson didn't actually do that much damage. A few wires and such got loose is all."

"And you know how to fix it because it relates to a job you used to have at one point?" Gibbs teased.

Tony smiled but kept on working. "Something like that. Was Myers any trouble?"

"Hardly. Especially with the way you had him tied up," Gibbs said.

Tony shrugged. "Wasn't sure if it was enough to hold him or not. How much longer do you think we have before someone shows up?"

"Shouldn't be too much longer, I would hope," Gibbs said with a sigh.

As Tony continued to work on the radio, Gary came over with another cloth.

"It's too early for you to be back over here, you just changed it," Tony said.

"Who said it was for you?" Gary said as he held out the cloth to Gibbs. "You've got a broken nose along with a concussion now. Are the two of you in competition with each other or something?"

Tony actually paused to look up at that and laughed. "Hey, I thought it was my job to get hit on the head."

Gibbs glared at him as he took the cloth from Gary. "It would be a job for you to not get hit on the head. You got that radio fixed yet?"

"I think I almost have it," replied Tony with a snicker.

"What are you laughing at?" Gibbs asked.

"It's just nice knowing I won't be the only one this time," Tony said with a grin.

"The only one what?" Gibbs asked again, starting to get frustrated.

"The only one who gets a lecture from Abby on the consequences of causing her to worry and a lesson on why its not a good idea to get these types of injuries from Ducky," Tony answered, still grinning.

Gibbs eyed him closely. "There's no way around them?"

Tony shook his head. "Trust me on this one, boss. You don't even want to know what happens if you try."

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"Anything, McGee?" Ziva asked as she kept her foot pressed down on the gas pedal.

"Nothing on the radio, but according to the trackers, Gibbs is back at the camp now," replied McGee.

"Did he activate any of the other trackers?" Fornell inquired.

"No, he didn't," answered McGee. "Why would Gibbs leave the camp if he wasn't planning on trying to plant them?"

"Could be any number of reasons," Fornell said. "He might not have had an opportunity to put the GPS trackers in place without getting caught."

"Or he was caught while trying to plant them," Ziva added.

"You really think Gibbs is careless enough to get caught?" speculated Fornell.

"You have a point," admitted Ziva.

"I can't imagine that Erikson and Myers would wait until now to make the drop," McGee put in. "It's too risky."

"We have to consider the possibility that Gibbs' and Dinozzo's cover may have been blown," Fornell said.

"Which is all the more reason for us to get there as quickly as possible," Ziva said as she continued to speed down the road.

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"There! Let's hope that fixes everything," Tony said wearily. Gibbs held out his hands and Tony passed the radio over to him.

"Perfect timing," Gary said as he came over with another cloth. Gibbs watched as Gary removed the old cloth and there was no doubt that the wound had indeed become infected. The swelling had grown and the skin around the gash seemed to have started to blister. Tony really had to have been feeling bad since he was just sitting there quietly as Gary administered some ointment before replacing the cloth.

Gibbs turned his attention back to the radio. He had to get Tony to a hospital soon. Turning on the radio, he smiled with pride as he heard static. "Sounds like its working. Good job, Tony," Gibbs said.

"It's just static, boss," Tony said quietly. "We'll know when it works when we're talking to someone on the other end."

Looking back over at Tony, Gibbs could see the exhaustion written on his face. Wrapped up in a blanket, Tony was struggling to stay alert. Gary and the others had also noticed and were feeling helpless as there was not much that they could to do help at the moment.

"Should try talking, boss," Tony said slowly as he gave a small wave at the radio.

"I know how to use a radio, Dinozzo," Gibbs said, voice lacking the usual gruffness.

"Never said you didn't," Tony replied with a small smile.

Returning his attention once again to the radio, Gibbs spoke, "Anyone out there? Emergency situation. Please respond."

Everyone stayed quiet, waiting and hoping that someone would hear their transmission.

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"Hey! I think I've got something!" shouted McGee. Ziva had just parked the car on the side of the road and they were preparing to set off on foot since there were no roads leading down to the river.

He had been transferring the GPS signals to his palm pilot when he had noticed a lot of static coming from the radio. Fornell and Ziva came over to listen in as McGee turned up the volume.

"Anyone…Emergency…spond."

The message wasn't very clear, but it was more than obvious whose voice it was on the radio.

"Anyway you can clear it up?" Fornell asked.

"We are probably are on different channels. If we get on the right one there shouldn't be as much static," answered McGee as he adjusted the radio.

"Boss? You're breaking up. Switch to channel 5," McGee spoke into the radio.

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"oss…breaking up…," McGee's voice came through the radio. Everyone sighed in relief when someone responded to Gibbs' message. Tony especially looked relieved.

"See, told you that you fixed it," Gibbs said to Tony before answering McGee.

"Say again, McGee."

"itch…five," McGee's voice came through again.

"What the hell is he trying to say?" Gibbs asked frustrated. Tony reached over and switched a knob on the radio.

"More than one channel. Try it now," he said as he leaned back.

"McGee, you still there?" Gibbs asked.

"Boss! We hear you loud and clear. What's going on?" McGee came back clearly, worry and relief evident in his voice.

"Long story. Right now I need you to get an ambulance and medical crew here fast," Gibbs ordered.

"How about the short version, Gibbs?" Fornell's voice replaced McGee's.

"Erikson's dead, Myers is tied to a tree. And I need an ambulance here, not trigger happy Fed's!" shouted Gibbs in frustration.

"Ziva, McGee and myself are almost at your location. More help is on the way," Fornell replied, recognizing Gibbs' anger and concern when he heard it.

"Good. We'll be waiting," Gibbs said as he set down the radio and looked at Tony.

"Feel better now, Gibbs?" Tony asked.

"Not until I can yell at him in person," Gibbs answered with a smirk.

"Naturally," Tony said as he shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. Gibbs moved closer to his right side and positioned himself so Tony could lean against his shoulder.

"I thought Gary told you to sit still," Gibbs said as he felt Tony's forehead. He frowned; Tony was burning up. He looked over at Gary, who nodded and retrieved a cloth and drenched it with cool water before handing it over to Gibbs.

"Ok," Tony muttered as he settled down and closed his eyes, exhaustion finally pulling him into a light sleep.

"He'll be ok, Tony's a tough kid," Jim said in an effort to decrease Gibbs' worry.

Gibbs smiled in thanks at Jim as he placed the cloth on Tony's forehead and said, "Yea, I know he is."

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Meanwhile, McGee, Ziva and Fornell had started making their way towards the camp. Before leaving Fornell had contacted his team to advise them of the situation and to get a medical unit on its way. Ziva had contacted the director, who promised to update Ducky and Abby on the situation.

"He didn't say anything about Tony," Ziva said as she moved along the trail.

"He'll be ok," McGee told her. "When is he not ok?" Looking at her face, he then said, "Yea, I'm worried too."

"I went ahead and had a chopper get put on stand-by," Fornell said. "If Tony's injuries are too severe, they'll have to fly him out. There's no way they're bringing a stretcher down this path."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Ziva said.

They continued their trek in silence, no one wanting to voice their worry any more than they already had. Everyone kept a brisk pace, eager to get to the camp and find out what really had happened to their teammates.

Chapter 24:

The hike through the woods had taken longer than McGee, Ziva or Fornell would have liked but eventually they were able to see signs of the camp in the distance. Relief came over all of them, knowing that now they would finally find out what had happened. As they entered the camp, the three agents were shocked by what they found. They had expected that things were bad, but nothing could have prepared any of them for the reality of the situation.

The other father-son pairs sat in an almost protective circle around Gibbs, who sat at Tony's right side, supporting him as he slept. They had tensed when McGee, Ziva and Fornell had first entered the camp but Gibbs quietly said something to them and they all relaxed. Walking closer to the group, Erikson's body came into view at the same time they noticed Myers tied to a tree. But all these things were pushed to the side as they each took in Gibbs and Tony's appearance.

Gibbs' nose was obviously broken. There was swelling around his eyes and black and blue bruises made him look like a raccoon. His wrists had been rubbed raw from being restrained. Tony on the other hand looked like he had been used as a human punching bag. As one of the men, Gary, moved the blanket out of the way to check on him, they saw an assortment of colorful bruises covering his body. The long gash on his left side was blistering as if it were a burn.

"How far behind is the ambulance?" Gibbs asked quietly as they approached.

"A good 15 minutes at least," Fornell answered. "What the hell happened?" Fornell had been just as shocked as McGee and Ziva when he saw Dinozzo. Something had to have gone very wrong; Gibbs would never have let Dinozzo take a beating like that if he could help it.

"I got to see what the river is like as a water slide," Tony muttered as he woke up.

"But you never left the camp," McGee said. "Abby and I have been monitoring you the entire time."

"Erikson took my watch before he threw me in," answered Tony as he moved to sit up on his own, but after a stab of pain decided against it and let Gibbs continue to support him.

"And was this before or after you were stabbed?" asked Ziva.

"What?" Tony looked at her questioningly, wondering if he was really that far out of it that he had forgotten that wound.

Ziva pointed to his left side. "I know rocks can be sharp, but there's no way that they would cause that kind of damage."

"Oh," Tony said, suddenly understanding. "He tried to shoot me, before taking the watch and throwing me into the river."

"I'd say he did more than try, Tony," Gibbs said.

"Jus' a scratch," Tony slurred as he started struggling to stay awake again.

"Sure it is," Gibbs said as he readjusted the blanket around Tony as he slipped into unconsciousness.

"How bad is he?" asked McGee.

"He's got a fever and his ribs are probably cracked," Gary said. "I can't believe he lasted as long as he did."

"What do you mean?" Ziva questioned.

"He was thrown into the river, Ziva," Gibbs said softly. "And now he's back here. You do the math."

"Not to mention he took care of Myers before releasing you so you both could deal with Erikson," Ray put in before Ziva could respond.

"Then he fixed the radio so we could contact you," Gibbs added.

"Tony fixed the radio?" McGee asked surprised.

"Is there anything that Dinozzo didn't do?" Fornell asked.

"I'll tell you what I won't do," Tony mumbled as he woke up.

"Yeah, what's that?" Gibbs asked.

"Paperwork. We did the leg work," Tony said.

Gibbs smirked at Fornell as he said, "Sounds fair to me. I haven't even told them what happened to the drugs yet."

"You mean to tell me that after everything that happened you still managed to find out what they did with the drugs?" Ziva wondered in disbelief.

Tony started to laugh, but was cut off as he started to cough. Gary quickly moved to help Gibbs sit Tony in a more upright position as he caught his breath. Once he caught his breath he slumped back into Gibbs, exhausted from the amount of effort it took to get his breathing under control again. Gary helped Tony take a drink from a bottle of water before reapplying ointment and a fresh cloth to his side again.

"Tony followed Myers to the drop site before he took him out," Gibbs said, picking up the conversation again.

"And?" Fornell asked, relieved to know that they had at least gotten the information that they needed.

Gibbs glared at Fornell. "And I think you and your people should have been a little more thorough. Myers made the drop by train tracks."

Fornell looked stunned. "Train tracks? You can't be serious."

"Old, not in use anymore," Tony gasped.

"Relax, Tony. Fornell's doing the paperwork, remember?" Gibbs ordered. Tony was having enough trouble breathing already; he didn't need to make things worse by talking.

Tony sighed, and Gibbs took that as a sign that he understood. Putting a hand to Tony's forehead, Gibbs muttered a curse. Tony seemed to be getting worse by the minute.

"I think you should radio that chopper, let them know that they aren't on stand-by anymore," McGee told Fornell as he handed him the radio.

Seeing Gibbs' questioning glance, Fornell explained, "I called ahead before we hiked down here, just in case. There's no way the ambulance crew will be able to maneuver a gurney on that trail."

"I'll head back," Ziva said quickly. "Tell them what I can about Tony's condition so they will have an idea of what they are dealing with when they get here." At Gibbs' nod she was off at a run, wasting no time.

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Ziva returned with the paramedic's ten minutes later, but it was ten minutes too long in Gibbs' opinion. Not long after Ziva had taken off Tony had fallen into a restless sleep, the fever no doubt causing him to have unpleasant dreams. Gibbs thought back to the nightmare that Tony had had back at the cabins and hated that there was nothing more he could do for him at the moment.

As the paramedic's started to work on Tony, Gibbs told McGee, Ziva and Fornell that they should get started on processing the scene. There was still a drug running operation to shut down and Gibbs would be damned if he and Tony had gone through hell for nothing. Gibbs also had McGee use the radio to send a message to NCIS, asking Ducky to head to the hospital to be there when Tony arrived. Gibbs didn't want Tony there alone, knowing how much the younger man hated hospitals.

The paramedic's, who introduced themselves as Zack and Scott, wasted no time in examining Tony. Gary offered his evaluation as they worked and they all readily agreed that Tony's ribs were cracked, but probably not broken. It was more than obvious that he had developed an infection and Zack inserted an IV while Scott placed an oxygen mask over Tony's face and started examining his side.

Meanwhile Tony stayed leaning against Gibbs, unaware of what was going on around him. This had Gibbs concerned, he knew Tony would have to be taken out by chopper, but he didn't want Tony waking up at the wrong time wondering what was going on.

"We can give him a small sedative so he won't wake up until after he arrives at the hospital," Zack assured him after listening to Gibbs voice his concerns. "With him being so exhausted as it is, it won't take much anyway."

It was another ten minutes later that the chopper arrived and Tony was carefully retrieved and started heading towards the hospital. Once it had left Scott had been insistent on checking on Gibbs' injuries while Zack made sure Gary, Jim, Ray and Jason were all right. Apart from rope burns on their wrists they were ok. He had been torn between wanting to oversee the scene and heading towards the hospital to see how Tony was doing.

"You're bleeding all over the crime scene," Ziva told him. "Go to the hospital. Unless you like hearing Ducky lecture about proper care of your own injuries."

"He can't be mad if you voluntarily go to the hospital," agreed McGee.

Gibbs saw what they were doing. They were eager to hear how Tony was doing as well. With him going to the hospital he could relieve Ducky who could in turn update them once he arrived to gather Erikson's body.

"Do not let Fornell take any of the evidence. I want all of it to go to Abby," Gibbs instructed. "And be sure he keeps you in the loop about the rest of the drug operation. We didn't do all the leg work to be brushed aside."

"I think Fornell knows better than to try something like that at this point," Ziva said.

"Just don't let him forget that you are still here," Gibbs said as he turned toward the paramedics who were waiting to examine him.

"You can examine me on the way to the hospital," he told them.

"Gibbs!" Gary called out to him as he made to leave the camp.

"Let us know how Tony's doing, ok?" Gary asked as the rest of the group stood back.

"I will. Thanks for everything, all of you," Gibbs said as he moved towards them and shook everyone's hand.

"When this is all over, we can all get together and you can tell us how things turned out," Jim said.

"Sounds like a plan," Gibbs said with a smile. He gave the group a final nod before turning back towards where Zack and Scott were waiting to take him to the hospital.

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Ducky had arrived at the hospital a few minutes after Tony had, but due to exhaustion and the small sedative he had received he was still unconscious, much to the doctor's relief. It would not do for Tony to wake up at the hospital alone with no one to fill him in on what was going on.

After a thorough examination Ducky was informed that there was no internal bleeding, his ribs were indeed cracked and while the infection was serious, it was treatable. Unfortunately, that meant that Tony would have to stay in the hospital until the infection was completely gone.

Ducky sighed to himself as he sat next to Tony and studied the younger man. His face held a few bruises and he was a bit paler than usual. The ER doctor had set him up with some oxygen by use of a nasal conduit to make it easier for Tony to breathe. Between the cracked ribs and the infection that his body was now fighting off, the doctor didn't want him exhausting himself even more to struggle to breathe while recovering.

"Excuse me, Doctor Mallard?" one of the nurses spoke quietly as she entered Tony's room.

"Yes?"

"I received a call from the ER. A Special Agent Gibbs was just brought in and he's asking about Agent Dinozzo's condition," she informed him.

"Asking or demanding?" Ducky replied with a chuckle as he rose from his chair.

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It had taken Gibbs almost two hours to get to the hospital. Zack, who was driving, was not inclined to turn on the siren and speed down the road just because he was impatient. He was also informed that he would just be waiting in the hospital even if they did get there fast, so what was the point? Then, of course, they had gotten stuck in traffic and by this time Gibbs had gone several hours without any coffee.

By the time they had reached the hospital, Gibbs was in no mood to wait. He had marched right up to the nurse's station and immediately requested the status of his agent. Instead the nurse had tried to persuade him to be seen by a doctor and Gibbs did not handle that too well. He knew his nose was broken and that he had plenty of bruises. He didn't care.

"Look, I am Special Agent Dinozzo's emergency contact AND next of kin, so if you don't tell me how he's doing in the next five seconds…"

"Jethro!" Ducky interrupted before Gibbs had a chance to finish his threat.

Gibbs had immediately looked over at Ducky and walked towards the man. "Well, how is he?"

"Well, he was sleeping when I left, but now I'm not so sure you didn't wake him up with all the commotion your causing down here!" Ducky quietly scolded him as he took in his friend's condition. "And you can let him sleep while you get examined."

"Ducky, I'm fine…" Gibbs started to say before Ducky interrupted him again.

"Yes, yes of course you are," Ducky said sarcastically. "But I know that once you get into Tony's room you won't leave until he wakes up, and when he wakes up do you really want him to see you looking exactly the way he left you? Honestly, Gibbs. The least you can do is change clothes and clean up a bit."

It was then that Gibbs noticed that Ducky was carrying his overnight bag that he usually kept at his desk. Sighing, knowing that there was no winning with Ducky, he said, "Throw in some coffee and we have a deal."

Ducky smirked as he nodded, knowing that was as close as Gibbs was going to come to admitting that he was right. Passing over the bag, Ducky said, "I'll see what I can dig up, just be nice to the hospital staff, they're just doing their job."

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Ducky had disappeared in search of coffee before Gibbs had had a chance to ask him again about Tony. He had said that Tony was sleeping but nothing more. After allowing the ER doctor to tape up his nose, Gibbs had carefully washed his face and changed cloths before heading back out into the waiting room where Ducky was waiting with a fresh cup of coffee.

"It's not your usual good brand, but its fairly decent for being from a hospital cafeteria," Ducky told him as he handed over the cup.

Gibbs took a long drink before looking Ducky in the eye and asked, "Well?"

"His room is this way," Ducky said as he started walking. He updated Gibbs on his condition and reassured him that Tony would be fine.

When they reached his room Gibbs was relieved to see that Tony was still asleep, but was concerned at the presence of oxygen being fed through Tony's nose.

"It's nothing to worry about, Jethro," Ducky reassured him. "Once his doctor read his file and found out about his bout with the plague he didn't want to put any more strain on Tony's lungs while he fights off the infection in his side."

Gibbs sighed. "How long is he going to have to stay here?"

"At least until the infection clears up," Ducky answered. "Maybe a bit longer to be on the safe side, but I have a feeling Anthony won't agree to that."

"He won't," Gibbs agreed.

"Well, I had better get going. Bodies won't autopsy themselves," Ducky said.

"Be prepared to be interrogated by McGee and Ziva," Gibbs warned him.

"After what Abby put me through over the phone, I am sure I will be able to handle it," Ducky laughed.

"She's not happy about being stuck in her lab is she?" Gibbs asked.

"No, but she understands. Just be sure that you don't brush her off when she sees you," Ducky warned him. "Anthony knows better by now, but you on the other hand…"
"Tony warned me already," Gibbs said with a laugh. "Have McGee or Ziva call here with an update when they can."

"Will do." Ducky quickly gathered his things and left and Gibbs settled down into the seat Ducky had occupied earlier and sighed. There was still a lot of work to be done, but for the moment he took the opportunity to relax, knowing that Tony was going to be ok and that the drug runners were all but caught. Relaxing even further into the chair, Gibbs fell into a light sleep.

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When Ducky finally arrived at the crime scene, McGee, Ziva and Fornell were the only people left. All of the evidence had been gathered and sent to Abby for analysis. Erikson's body was all that was left.

Ducky had immediately started informing the small group on Tony's condition before they had even had a chance to speak. Relief had shown on their faces once they had heard that he would be ok.

"Perhaps we should stop by on the way back to the office to update Gibbs," Ziva had suggested as Ducky started his work.

"We could, but what about Abby?" McGee asked. At Ziva's curious glance, McGee explained, "She's stuck processing evidence. If she finds something and she finds out we are at the hospital visiting Tony…"

"Which is where she wants to be," Ziva finished as she saw McGee's point.

"At least you will have more to report to Gibbs if you stop and see what she found first," Fornell stated. "I can get my people started on figuring out if there is anyplace along the train tracks that our drug runners use on a regular basis."

"Let us know when you find something," Ziva said. "We want in on the bust."

"Please, I know better than to go behind Gibbs' back," Fornell told her.

"Took you long enough," Ziva replied.

"Ducky's all set," McGee said, interrupting anything more that either agent might have wanted to say.

"Pity," Ziva said.
"What is?" McGee asked.

"I wouldn't have minded seeing Erikson in interrogation with Gibbs," she replied back with a smirk.
Grinning, McGee said, "Well, we still have Myers."

Chapter 24:

The hike through the woods had taken longer than McGee, Ziva or Fornell would have liked but eventually they were able to see signs of the camp in the distance. Relief came over all of them, knowing that now they would finally find out what had happened. As they entered the camp, the three agents were shocked by what they found. They had expected that things were bad, but nothing could have prepared any of them for the reality of the situation.

The other father-son pairs sat in an almost protective circle around Gibbs, who sat at Tony's right side, supporting him as he slept. They had tensed when McGee, Ziva and Fornell had first entered the camp but Gibbs quietly said something to them and they all relaxed. Walking closer to the group, Erikson's body came into view at the same time they noticed Myers tied to a tree. But all these things were pushed to the side as they each took in Gibbs and Tony's appearance.

Gibbs' nose was obviously broken. There was swelling around his eyes and black and blue bruises made him look like a raccoon. His wrists had been rubbed raw from being restrained. Tony on the other hand looked like he had been used as a human punching bag. As one of the men, Gary, moved the blanket out of the way to check on him, they saw an assortment of colorful bruises covering his body. The long gash on his left side was blistering as if it were a burn.

"How far behind is the ambulance?" Gibbs asked quietly as they approached.

"A good 15 minutes at least," Fornell answered. "What the hell happened?" Fornell had been just as shocked as McGee and Ziva when he saw Dinozzo. Something had to have gone very wrong; Gibbs would never have let Dinozzo take a beating like that if he could help it.

"I got to see what the river is like as a water slide," Tony muttered as he woke up.

"But you never left the camp," McGee said. "Abby and I have been monitoring you the entire time."

"Erikson took my watch before he threw me in," answered Tony as he moved to sit up on his own, but after a stab of pain decided against it and let Gibbs continue to support him.

"And was this before or after you were stabbed?" asked Ziva.

"What?" Tony looked at her questioningly, wondering if he was really that far out of it that he had forgotten that wound.

Ziva pointed to his left side. "I know rocks can be sharp, but there's no way that they would cause that kind of damage."

"Oh," Tony said, suddenly understanding. "He tried to shoot me, before taking the watch and throwing me into the river."

"I'd say he did more than try, Tony," Gibbs said.

"Jus' a scratch," Tony slurred as he started struggling to stay awake again.

"Sure it is," Gibbs said as he readjusted the blanket around Tony as he slipped into unconsciousness.

"How bad is he?" asked McGee.

"He's got a fever and his ribs are probably cracked," Gary said. "I can't believe he lasted as long as he did."

"What do you mean?" Ziva questioned.

"He was thrown into the river, Ziva," Gibbs said softly. "And now he's back here. You do the math."

"Not to mention he took care of Myers before releasing you so you both could deal with Erikson," Ray put in before Ziva could respond.

"Then he fixed the radio so we could contact you," Gibbs added.

"Tony fixed the radio?" McGee asked surprised.

"Is there anything that Dinozzo didn't do?" Fornell asked.

"I'll tell you what I won't do," Tony mumbled as he woke up.

"Yeah, what's that?" Gibbs asked.

"Paperwork. We did the leg work," Tony said.

Gibbs smirked at Fornell as he said, "Sounds fair to me. I haven't even told them what happened to the drugs yet."

"You mean to tell me that after everything that happened you still managed to find out what they did with the drugs?" Ziva wondered in disbelief.

Tony started to laugh, but was cut off as he started to cough. Gary quickly moved to help Gibbs sit Tony in a more upright position as he caught his breath. Once he caught his breath he slumped back into Gibbs, exhausted from the amount of effort it took to get his breathing under control again. Gary helped Tony take a drink from a bottle of water before reapplying ointment and a fresh cloth to his side again.

"Tony followed Myers to the drop site before he took him out," Gibbs said, picking up the conversation again.

"And?" Fornell asked, relieved to know that they had at least gotten the information that they needed.

Gibbs glared at Fornell. "And I think you and your people should have been a little more thorough. Myers made the drop by train tracks."

Fornell looked stunned. "Train tracks? You can't be serious."

"Old, not in use anymore," Tony gasped.

"Relax, Tony. Fornell's doing the paperwork, remember?" Gibbs ordered. Tony was having enough trouble breathing already; he didn't need to make things worse by talking.

Tony sighed, and Gibbs took that as a sign that he understood. Putting a hand to Tony's forehead, Gibbs muttered a curse. Tony seemed to be getting worse by the minute.

"I think you should radio that chopper, let them know that they aren't on stand-by anymore," McGee told Fornell as he handed him the radio.

Seeing Gibbs' questioning glance, Fornell explained, "I called ahead before we hiked down here, just in case. There's no way the ambulance crew will be able to maneuver a gurney on that trail."

"I'll head back," Ziva said quickly. "Tell them what I can about Tony's condition so they will have an idea of what they are dealing with when they get here." At Gibbs' nod she was off at a run, wasting no time.

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Ziva returned with the paramedic's ten minutes later, but it was ten minutes too long in Gibbs' opinion. Not long after Ziva had taken off Tony had fallen into a restless sleep, the fever no doubt causing him to have unpleasant dreams. Gibbs thought back to the nightmare that Tony had had back at the cabins and hated that there was nothing more he could do for him at the moment.

As the paramedic's started to work on Tony, Gibbs told McGee, Ziva and Fornell that they should get started on processing the scene. There was still a drug running operation to shut down and Gibbs would be damned if he and Tony had gone through hell for nothing. Gibbs also had McGee use the radio to send a message to NCIS, asking Ducky to head to the hospital to be there when Tony arrived. Gibbs didn't want Tony there alone, knowing how much the younger man hated hospitals.

The paramedic's, who introduced themselves as Zack and Scott, wasted no time in examining Tony. Gary offered his evaluation as they worked and they all readily agreed that Tony's ribs were cracked, but probably not broken. It was more than obvious that he had developed an infection and Zack inserted an IV while Scott placed an oxygen mask over Tony's face and started examining his side.

Meanwhile Tony stayed leaning against Gibbs, unaware of what was going on around him. This had Gibbs concerned, he knew Tony would have to be taken out by chopper, but he didn't want Tony waking up at the wrong time wondering what was going on.

"We can give him a small sedative so he won't wake up until after he arrives at the hospital," Zack assured him after listening to Gibbs voice his concerns. "With him being so exhausted as it is, it won't take much anyway."

It was another ten minutes later that the chopper arrived and Tony was carefully retrieved and started heading towards the hospital. Once it had left Scott had been insistent on checking on Gibbs' injuries while Zack made sure Gary, Jim, Ray and Jason were all right. Apart from rope burns on their wrists they were ok. He had been torn between wanting to oversee the scene and heading towards the hospital to see how Tony was doing.

"You're bleeding all over the crime scene," Ziva told him. "Go to the hospital. Unless you like hearing Ducky lecture about proper care of your own injuries."

"He can't be mad if you voluntarily go to the hospital," agreed McGee.

Gibbs saw what they were doing. They were eager to hear how Tony was doing as well. With him going to the hospital he could relieve Ducky who could in turn update them once he arrived to gather Erikson's body.

"Do not let Fornell take any of the evidence. I want all of it to go to Abby," Gibbs instructed. "And be sure he keeps you in the loop about the rest of the drug operation. We didn't do all the leg work to be brushed aside."

"I think Fornell knows better than to try something like that at this point," Ziva said.

"Just don't let him forget that you are still here," Gibbs said as he turned toward the paramedics who were waiting to examine him.

"You can examine me on the way to the hospital," he told them.

"Gibbs!" Gary called out to him as he made to leave the camp.

"Let us know how Tony's doing, ok?" Gary asked as the rest of the group stood back.

"I will. Thanks for everything, all of you," Gibbs said as he moved towards them and shook everyone's hand.

"When this is all over, we can all get together and you can tell us how things turned out," Jim said.

"Sounds like a plan," Gibbs said with a smile. He gave the group a final nod before turning back towards where Zack and Scott were waiting to take him to the hospital.

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Ducky had arrived at the hospital a few minutes after Tony had, but due to exhaustion and the small sedative he had received he was still unconscious, much to the doctor's relief. It would not do for Tony to wake up at the hospital alone with no one to fill him in on what was going on.

After a thorough examination Ducky was informed that there was no internal bleeding, his ribs were indeed cracked and while the infection was serious, it was treatable. Unfortunately, that meant that Tony would have to stay in the hospital until the infection was completely gone.

Ducky sighed to himself as he sat next to Tony and studied the younger man. His face held a few bruises and he was a bit paler than usual. The ER doctor had set him up with some oxygen by use of a nasal conduit to make it easier for Tony to breathe. Between the cracked ribs and the infection that his body was now fighting off, the doctor didn't want him exhausting himself even more to struggle to breathe while recovering.

"Excuse me, Doctor Mallard?" one of the nurses spoke quietly as she entered Tony's room.

"Yes?"

"I received a call from the ER. A Special Agent Gibbs was just brought in and he's asking about Agent Dinozzo's condition," she informed him.

"Asking or demanding?" Ducky replied with a chuckle as he rose from his chair.

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It had taken Gibbs almost two hours to get to the hospital. Zack, who was driving, was not inclined to turn on the siren and speed down the road just because he was impatient. He was also informed that he would just be waiting in the hospital even if they did get there fast, so what was the point? Then, of course, they had gotten stuck in traffic and by this time Gibbs had gone several hours without any coffee.

By the time they had reached the hospital, Gibbs was in no mood to wait. He had marched right up to the nurse's station and immediately requested the status of his agent. Instead the nurse had tried to persuade him to be seen by a doctor and Gibbs did not handle that too well. He knew his nose was broken and that he had plenty of bruises. He didn't care.

"Look, I am Special Agent Dinozzo's emergency contact AND next of kin, so if you don't tell me how he's doing in the next five seconds…"

"Jethro!" Ducky interrupted before Gibbs had a chance to finish his threat.

Gibbs had immediately looked over at Ducky and walked towards the man. "Well, how is he?"

"Well, he was sleeping when I left, but now I'm not so sure you didn't wake him up with all the commotion your causing down here!" Ducky quietly scolded him as he took in his friend's condition. "And you can let him sleep while you get examined."

"Ducky, I'm fine…" Gibbs started to say before Ducky interrupted him again.

"Yes, yes of course you are," Ducky said sarcastically. "But I know that once you get into Tony's room you won't leave until he wakes up, and when he wakes up do you really want him to see you looking exactly the way he left you? Honestly, Gibbs. The least you can do is change clothes and clean up a bit."

It was then that Gibbs noticed that Ducky was carrying his overnight bag that he usually kept at his desk. Sighing, knowing that there was no winning with Ducky, he said, "Throw in some coffee and we have a deal."

Ducky smirked as he nodded, knowing that was as close as Gibbs was going to come to admitting that he was right. Passing over the bag, Ducky said, "I'll see what I can dig up, just be nice to the hospital staff, they're just doing their job."

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Ducky had disappeared in search of coffee before Gibbs had had a chance to ask him again about Tony. He had said that Tony was sleeping but nothing more. After allowing the ER doctor to tape up his nose, Gibbs had carefully washed his face and changed cloths before heading back out into the waiting room where Ducky was waiting with a fresh cup of coffee.

"It's not your usual good brand, but its fairly decent for being from a hospital cafeteria," Ducky told him as he handed over the cup.

Gibbs took a long drink before looking Ducky in the eye and asked, "Well?"

"His room is this way," Ducky said as he started walking. He updated Gibbs on his condition and reassured him that Tony would be fine.

When they reached his room Gibbs was relieved to see that Tony was still asleep, but was concerned at the presence of oxygen being fed through Tony's nose.

"It's nothing to worry about, Jethro," Ducky reassured him. "Once his doctor read his file and found out about his bout with the plague he didn't want to put any more strain on Tony's lungs while he fights off the infection in his side."

Gibbs sighed. "How long is he going to have to stay here?"

"At least until the infection clears up," Ducky answered. "Maybe a bit longer to be on the safe side, but I have a feeling Anthony won't agree to that."

"He won't," Gibbs agreed.

"Well, I had better get going. Bodies won't autopsy themselves," Ducky said.

"Be prepared to be interrogated by McGee and Ziva," Gibbs warned him.

"After what Abby put me through over the phone, I am sure I will be able to handle it," Ducky laughed.

"She's not happy about being stuck in her lab is she?" Gibbs asked.

"No, but she understands. Just be sure that you don't brush her off when she sees you," Ducky warned him. "Anthony knows better by now, but you on the other hand…"
"Tony warned me already," Gibbs said with a laugh. "Have McGee or Ziva call here with an update when they can."

"Will do." Ducky quickly gathered his things and left and Gibbs settled down into the seat Ducky had occupied earlier and sighed. There was still a lot of work to be done, but for the moment he took the opportunity to relax, knowing that Tony was going to be ok and that the drug runners were all but caught. Relaxing even further into the chair, Gibbs fell into a light sleep.

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When Ducky finally arrived at the crime scene, McGee, Ziva and Fornell were the only people left. All of the evidence had been gathered and sent to Abby for analysis. Erikson's body was all that was left.

Ducky had immediately started informing the small group on Tony's condition before they had even had a chance to speak. Relief had shown on their faces once they had heard that he would be ok.

"Perhaps we should stop by on the way back to the office to update Gibbs," Ziva had suggested as Ducky started his work.

"We could, but what about Abby?" McGee asked. At Ziva's curious glance, McGee explained, "She's stuck processing evidence. If she finds something and she finds out we are at the hospital visiting Tony…"

"Which is where she wants to be," Ziva finished as she saw McGee's point.

"At least you will have more to report to Gibbs if you stop and see what she found first," Fornell stated. "I can get my people started on figuring out if there is anyplace along the train tracks that our drug runners use on a regular basis."

"Let us know when you find something," Ziva said. "We want in on the bust."

"Please, I know better than to go behind Gibbs' back," Fornell told her.

"Took you long enough," Ziva replied.

"Ducky's all set," McGee said, interrupting anything more that either agent might have wanted to say.

"Pity," Ziva said.
"What is?" McGee asked.

"I wouldn't have minded seeing Erikson in interrogation with Gibbs," she replied back with a smirk.
Grinning, McGee said, "Well, we still have Myers."

Chapter 25:

Gibbs had been dozing when movement and groans coming from the occupant in the bed that he sat by suddenly awakened him. Stretching out from the slouch position he had gotten into while sleeping, he stood and moved closer to the bed. Unfortunately it seemed that any pain medication Tony had received was starting to wear off as he gasped and tried to shift into a more comfortable position.

"Tony?" Gibbs whispered softly, not wanting to startle Tony, who turned his head towards the sound of his voice. Slowly, Tony started to open his eyes. After blinking several times to clear his eyesight, he finally managed to focus on his boss.

"Hey, you with me Dinozzo?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"Ugh, if you mean by in the hospital, then no," Tony groaned out in response.

Gibbs chuckled. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you're in the hospital."

Tony groaned again and took another look at Gibbs' face. "Why am I the only one lying in a hospital bed?"

"Because you're the only one who lost consciousness," Gibbs replied as he reached out and pressed the call button on the side of the bed. A moment later a nurse came in and noticed that her patient was awake.

"Glad to see you back with us, Mr. Dinozzo. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Like I've got a piece of glass stuck in my side," Tony answered with a grimace.

The nurse nodded her head as she said, "I bet it does. I'll be right back with something to help with that." She left and returned quickly with a needle.

"Please don't tell me you have to give me a shot," Tony groaned.

She chuckled. "In this instance you are lucky. I'll only be injecting this into your IV. Let me know if you need anything else, and be sure to get some rest." Then she left the two agents alone.

"So what have I missed?" Tony asked as he moved to lie on his right side to face Gibbs.

"Not much. McGee and Ziva stayed at the campsite with Fornell gathering evidence," Gibbs told him. "Still waiting for a report."

"Thought you would have been interrogating Myers," Tony stated with a small grin.

"It won't kill him to wait a few hours in lock-up," Gibbs said.

"Uh huh," Tony said. "And the fact that you might run in to Abby has nothing to do with it?"

"I am not afraid of Abby," Gibbs said firmly.

"Not now you're not," Tony replied with a sigh of relief. "Take it from me, you will be."

"Pain meds kick in yet?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah," Tony answered. "So how long am I gonna have to stay here?"

"At least until the infection in your side clears up, so about a couple of days," Gibbs told him.

Tony groaned. "Is there anyway you could…"

"No," Gibbs interrupted Tony before he could finish, anticipating what it was he was going to ask.

"But you didn't even hear what I was going to ask," Tony protested.

"I know you well enough that I didn't have to," Gibbs said. "The answer is no."

"But…"

"No."

"Come on…"

"I said no Dinozzo," Gibbs said in an authoritative tone. "You are warning me to be afraid of Abby now, if I try to get you out of the hospital there is no doubt in my mind that both her AND Ducky will be out to get me. I will not risk their wrath anymore than necessary."

Tony sighed and said quietly, "I hate hospitals."

"I know, Tony, I know. I promise I'll get you out of here as soon as the doctors clear you," Gibbs reassured the younger man.

"Can you at least bring me some decent food later? Hospital food is gonna kill me," Tony asked.

Gibbs gave Tony a smile as he said, "I'm sure I can sneak something in."

"Thanks," Tony smiled back before a look of confusion came over his face. "So why are you still here? I know doctors won't keep you here for observation for a broken nose, you don't have to be here. You hate hospitals."

"Who says I need a medical reason to stay?" Gibbs replied. "I wanted to make sure you were ok."

"I forgot, you don't trust doctors," Tony teased.

"I trust Ducky," Gibbs pointed out.

"No offense to Ducky, but he's a medical examiner boss," Tony said. "His specialty is with corpses."

"And the fact that I trust him more than the doctors here should tell you something," Gibbs said. "Besides, if I wasn't here who would you ask to bring you food?"

Before Tony could respond another voice entered the room from the doorway. "He wouldn't need to ask anyone because I always bring him food," Abby said as she came into the room carrying a large brown paper bag and a carry-out cup holder tray holding a large cup of coffee, a Caff-POW! and a bottle of water.

"You must be psychic, Abs," Tony said with a grin as he eyed the paper bag.

"No. Its just routine for you anymore Tony," Abby said as she glared at him. "Honestly, I am beginning to wonder if it's even possible for you to go a month without being in the hospital!"

"Hey! I haven't been in the hospital in over a month!" Tony argued.

"Only because you signed a waver the paramedics had even though it was against their better judgement," Abby retorted.

"He just woke up Abs, think you could tone it down a bit?" Gibbs said. The look Tony gave him suddenly made him wish he hadn't said anything at all.

"You're one to talk! Where do you think he gets it from?" Abby said as she turned her attack to Gibbs. "Honestly, look at you! Do you even know how to avoid a punch?"

"Hey, now wait a minute…" Gibbs started.

"No, you wait! This isn't the first time I've seen you do this," Abby continued to rant. "You practically beg to be punched just so you have an excuse to fight back. And then you refuse to have a doctor look you over."

"I do not beg…"

"Whatever. I swear you two are magnets for attracting all sorts of trouble," Abby proceeded.

"What does that mean?" Gibbs asked as Abby paused to catch her breath.

"It means when I compare your file and Tony's its scary how similar they are," Abby said as she powered up for another round. "Although I have to admit I am not sure who is influencing who as far as the trouble part goes."

"Wouldn't be the first time someone told me I was a bad influence," Tony said.

"Don't even go there Tony, I'm warning you, I can leave and take this food with me" Abby threatened and Tony replied by raising his hands in surrender.

"Are you done yet?" Gibbs asked as he eyed the large cup of coffee that Abby still held hostage.

Noticing where Gibbs' attention had gone, Abby let out a long breath. "For now, I suppose I can be," and she moved to stand next to Gibbs so he could remove the coffee from her possession.

"What's in the bag?" Tony asked as he moved to sit up but stopped and winced in pain.

"Food of course, silly. And be careful! The last thing you need is to pull your stitches out," Abby lectured. "Gibbs, help him sit up."

Gibbs quickly sat his coffee down and moved to help Tony sit up in a more comfortable position before Abby was given another reason to yell at him. As he did so he noticed the smirk on Tony's face that said 'I told you so' and Gibbs just rolled his eyes in amusement.

A few minutes later and everyone was sitting comfortably eating as Abby updated the two men on what was going on with the investigation.

"Fornell got a possible location on where the dealers might have set up shop along the tracks, so McGee and Ziva went with him on the bust," Abby informed them.

Tony's eyes widened. "They went without Gibbs?"

"I told them not to let Fornell do anything without them before I came here," Gibbs said. "If I had them wait for me by the time we all got there Fornell would have had all the fun."

"Besides, Fornell already agreed that Gibbs could interrogate Myers," Abby said. "It isn't like Gibbs has nothing to look forward to."

"Yeah, but since when is Gibbs not at a bust?" Tony wondered as he looked between the two.

"I thought it best to get some rest before we finished up with this case," Gibbs said too casually, which caused Tony and Abby to give him suspicious looks.

"Ducky threaten you or something?" Tony asked with a grin.

"Or did you go too long without coffee that your brain was beginning to cease to function normally?" Abby teased, grinning as well.

"Probably a bit of both," Tony concluded.
"I agree," Abby said. "Neither one alone is powerful enough, although I think that depends on how long he goes without coffee."

Gibbs glared at the two, not wanting to admit that they were right. "Do you really want to see what happens when I go without coffee Abby? Would you really want me in your lab?"

"Um, no not really. Good point," Abby said after considering Gibbs' words. Gibbs around technology filled with coffee was dangerous enough, without coffee was another matter entirely.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Gibbs said as he watched several expressions go across Abby's face.

"Well, now you're all re-fueled so go have fun with Myers, Tony needs his rest!" Abby ordered Gibbs before turning to Tony saying, "And I don't want to hear it buster! You need your rest and if you don't do it willingly I will get a nurse to inject you with some nice drugs to make you all loopy."

"Better do as the lady says," Gibbs said as he stood up.

"You'll be by later to give me an update right?" Tony asked, worried about being left out of the loop.

"You bet. Get some rest," Gibbs said before heading to the door. "Keep him out of trouble, will you Abby?"

"Always," Abby replied with a wave of her hand as Gibbs left the two of them alone.

"So did you have fun?" Tony asked Abby.

"What?"

"Yelling at Gibbs like that. Not many people can do that and live to tell the tale."

Abby rolled her eyes. "He had it coming. So, how did things go, you know, before you took you're swim?"

Tony laughed, knowing full well that that question was coming. "Didn't you just tell Gibbs that I needed to rest?"

"That was just to get him out of here so we could talk, so don't try to change the subject," Abby pressed him.

"Things went ok," Tony said. "Actually, they went better then I thought they would."

"How do you mean?" Abby asked, a hint of concern in her voice. "You thought things would go bad?"

"I dunno, I guess for some reason I thought it was going to be harder with the whole father/son role playing act, but it was actually easier than I anticipated."

Abby shook her head. "You always expect the worst, you really need to stop doing that you know."

"Yeah, well its not like I've had a lot of practice in that area you know," Tony snapped back, then let out a deep breath. "Sorry, you didn't deserve that."

"Its ok," Abby said understandingly. They both sat in silence for a few minutes before Abby cautiously pressed forward. "So, you and Gibbs had a lot of time to kill in between stuff, huh?"

"Yeah. I thought driving in that traffic was going to be the death of me and the other drivers, but it turned out surprisingly well."

"You keep saying stuff like that. Care to go into more detail?"

"Well, we talked. Or rather, I talked and Gibbs listened and asked questions," Tony told her.

"Wait a minute, it wasn't like an interrogation or something was it?" Abby asked mildly surprised and a bit suspicious. She knew for a fact that it wasn't often that Gibbs simply 'talked' to people; even those that he knew pretty well.

Tony laughed at the expression of wonder on Abby's face. "No, it wasn't like that. I sort of let it slip that I used to work in an auto shop during college and that just led to more questions about my other previous occupations. He was actually interested."

"You told him about your other jobs? All of them?" Abby asked, then watched as Tony nodded his head in response. She pondered on that for a moment before saying, "Wow. So, how much detail did you go into?"

"Enough. It was just the jobs that I had while I was in college, so there wasn't really a lot of detail to go into," Tony said with a shrug.

"Bet you surprised Gibbs with a few of those jobs," Abby said with a grin.

Tony snickered. "Maybe. He isn't exactly the easiest person to surprise you know."

"That I do. So is that all you two talked about?" Abby got the feeling that there might be more, but if Tony didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't push him to do so.

Tony was quiet for a moment before he said, "I told him about Al."

Abby reached over and squeezed his hand. Tony had talked to her about Al before, so she knew how difficult of a subject it was for him. "You should talk about him more. I know plenty of people who wonder how you fell into the investigative business."

Tony gave a small laugh before yawning. "Really? Who?"

Abby smiled and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll tell you later. You better get some sleep before a nurse comes in during rounds and I get thrown out."

Tony yawned again before saying, "Like anyone could actually throw you out if you didn't want them to, Abs."

"True, but that's our little secret. Now sleep. The sooner you do the sooner you will get better and be able to leave."

"Sounds like a plan," Tony murmured. "Thanks for the food Abby."

"Your welcome," Abby whispered back as she settled into her chair to watch over Tony as he slept. 'Gibbs, you've done more good than you know,' Abby thought to herself with a smile.

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Gibbs took a taxi back to the office, not wanting to wait around for someone to come and pick him up. He had called Ducky ahead of time to let the doctor know he was on his way back. By the time he stepped into the bullpen Ducky was there waiting for him.

"So I see you survived Abby's dressing down. How is Anthony doing?" Ducky asked in amusement.

"Tony's not happy about being stuck in the hospital, especially while the case is still open. Afraid he'll be left out of the loop," Gibbs replied, choosing to ignore Ducky's comment about Abby.

"Well that's no surprise. Honestly you shouldn't be here either, Jethro. You look like you could use a good night's rest," Ducky said. "I'd be more than happy to take you home…"
"Thanks Ducky, but I've got other plans," Gibbs interrupted him.

"You're not seriously going to deal with Myers now, are you?" Ducky inquired.

"You bet I am," Gibbs said with purpose. "I think he's waited in lock-up long enough."

Chapter 25:

Gibbs had been dozing when movement and groans coming from the occupant in the bed that he sat by suddenly awakened him. Stretching out from the slouch position he had gotten into while sleeping, he stood and moved closer to the bed. Unfortunately it seemed that any pain medication Tony had received was starting to wear off as he gasped and tried to shift into a more comfortable position.

"Tony?" Gibbs whispered softly, not wanting to startle Tony, who turned his head towards the sound of his voice. Slowly, Tony started to open his eyes. After blinking several times to clear his eyesight, he finally managed to focus on his boss.

"Hey, you with me Dinozzo?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"Ugh, if you mean by in the hospital, then no," Tony groaned out in response.

Gibbs chuckled. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you're in the hospital."

Tony groaned again and took another look at Gibbs' face. "Why am I the only one lying in a hospital bed?"

"Because you're the only one who lost consciousness," Gibbs replied as he reached out and pressed the call button on the side of the bed. A moment later a nurse came in and noticed that her patient was awake.

"Glad to see you back with us, Mr. Dinozzo. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Like I've got a piece of glass stuck in my side," Tony answered with a grimace.

The nurse nodded her head as she said, "I bet it does. I'll be right back with something to help with that." She left and returned quickly with a needle.

"Please don't tell me you have to give me a shot," Tony groaned.

She chuckled. "In this instance you are lucky. I'll only be injecting this into your IV. Let me know if you need anything else, and be sure to get some rest." Then she left the two agents alone.

"So what have I missed?" Tony asked as he moved to lie on his right side to face Gibbs.

"Not much. McGee and Ziva stayed at the campsite with Fornell gathering evidence," Gibbs told him. "Still waiting for a report."

"Thought you would have been interrogating Myers," Tony stated with a small grin.

"It won't kill him to wait a few hours in lock-up," Gibbs said.

"Uh huh," Tony said. "And the fact that you might run in to Abby has nothing to do with it?"

"I am not afraid of Abby," Gibbs said firmly.

"Not now you're not," Tony replied with a sigh of relief. "Take it from me, you will be."

"Pain meds kick in yet?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah," Tony answered. "So how long am I gonna have to stay here?"

"At least until the infection in your side clears up, so about a couple of days," Gibbs told him.

Tony groaned. "Is there anyway you could…"

"No," Gibbs interrupted Tony before he could finish, anticipating what it was he was going to ask.

"But you didn't even hear what I was going to ask," Tony protested.

"I know you well enough that I didn't have to," Gibbs said. "The answer is no."

"But…"

"No."

"Come on…"

"I said no Dinozzo," Gibbs said in an authoritative tone. "You are warning me to be afraid of Abby now, if I try to get you out of the hospital there is no doubt in my mind that both her AND Ducky will be out to get me. I will not risk their wrath anymore than necessary."

Tony sighed and said quietly, "I hate hospitals."

"I know, Tony, I know. I promise I'll get you out of here as soon as the doctors clear you," Gibbs reassured the younger man.

"Can you at least bring me some decent food later? Hospital food is gonna kill me," Tony asked.

Gibbs gave Tony a smile as he said, "I'm sure I can sneak something in."

"Thanks," Tony smiled back before a look of confusion came over his face. "So why are you still here? I know doctors won't keep you here for observation for a broken nose, you don't have to be here. You hate hospitals."

"Who says I need a medical reason to stay?" Gibbs replied. "I wanted to make sure you were ok."

"I forgot, you don't trust doctors," Tony teased.

"I trust Ducky," Gibbs pointed out.

"No offense to Ducky, but he's a medical examiner boss," Tony said. "His specialty is with corpses."

"And the fact that I trust him more than the doctors here should tell you something," Gibbs said. "Besides, if I wasn't here who would you ask to bring you food?"

Before Tony could respond another voice entered the room from the doorway. "He wouldn't need to ask anyone because I always bring him food," Abby said as she came into the room carrying a large brown paper bag and a carry-out cup holder tray holding a large cup of coffee, a Caff-POW! and a bottle of water.

"You must be psychic, Abs," Tony said with a grin as he eyed the paper bag.

"No. Its just routine for you anymore Tony," Abby said as she glared at him. "Honestly, I am beginning to wonder if it's even possible for you to go a month without being in the hospital!"

"Hey! I haven't been in the hospital in over a month!" Tony argued.

"Only because you signed a waver the paramedics had even though it was against their better judgement," Abby retorted.

"He just woke up Abs, think you could tone it down a bit?" Gibbs said. The look Tony gave him suddenly made him wish he hadn't said anything at all.

"You're one to talk! Where do you think he gets it from?" Abby said as she turned her attack to Gibbs. "Honestly, look at you! Do you even know how to avoid a punch?"

"Hey, now wait a minute…" Gibbs started.

"No, you wait! This isn't the first time I've seen you do this," Abby continued to rant. "You practically beg to be punched just so you have an excuse to fight back. And then you refuse to have a doctor look you over."

"I do not beg…"

"Whatever. I swear you two are magnets for attracting all sorts of trouble," Abby proceeded.

"What does that mean?" Gibbs asked as Abby paused to catch her breath.

"It means when I compare your file and Tony's its scary how similar they are," Abby said as she powered up for another round. "Although I have to admit I am not sure who is influencing who as far as the trouble part goes."

"Wouldn't be the first time someone told me I was a bad influence," Tony said.

"Don't even go there Tony, I'm warning you, I can leave and take this food with me" Abby threatened and Tony replied by raising his hands in surrender.

"Are you done yet?" Gibbs asked as he eyed the large cup of coffee that Abby still held hostage.

Noticing where Gibbs' attention had gone, Abby let out a long breath. "For now, I suppose I can be," and she moved to stand next to Gibbs so he could remove the coffee from her possession.

"What's in the bag?" Tony asked as he moved to sit up but stopped and winced in pain.

"Food of course, silly. And be careful! The last thing you need is to pull your stitches out," Abby lectured. "Gibbs, help him sit up."

Gibbs quickly sat his coffee down and moved to help Tony sit up in a more comfortable position before Abby was given another reason to yell at him. As he did so he noticed the smirk on Tony's face that said 'I told you so' and Gibbs just rolled his eyes in amusement.

A few minutes later and everyone was sitting comfortably eating as Abby updated the two men on what was going on with the investigation.

"Fornell got a possible location on where the dealers might have set up shop along the tracks, so McGee and Ziva went with him on the bust," Abby informed them.

Tony's eyes widened. "They went without Gibbs?"

"I told them not to let Fornell do anything without them before I came here," Gibbs said. "If I had them wait for me by the time we all got there Fornell would have had all the fun."

"Besides, Fornell already agreed that Gibbs could interrogate Myers," Abby said. "It isn't like Gibbs has nothing to look forward to."

"Yeah, but since when is Gibbs not at a bust?" Tony wondered as he looked between the two.

"I thought it best to get some rest before we finished up with this case," Gibbs said too casually, which caused Tony and Abby to give him suspicious looks.

"Ducky threaten you or something?" Tony asked with a grin.

"Or did you go too long without coffee that your brain was beginning to cease to function normally?" Abby teased, grinning as well.

"Probably a bit of both," Tony concluded.
"I agree," Abby said. "Neither one alone is powerful enough, although I think that depends on how long he goes without coffee."

Gibbs glared at the two, not wanting to admit that they were right. "Do you really want to see what happens when I go without coffee Abby? Would you really want me in your lab?"

"Um, no not really. Good point," Abby said after considering Gibbs' words. Gibbs around technology filled with coffee was dangerous enough, without coffee was another matter entirely.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Gibbs said as he watched several expressions go across Abby's face.

"Well, now you're all re-fueled so go have fun with Myers, Tony needs his rest!" Abby ordered Gibbs before turning to Tony saying, "And I don't want to hear it buster! You need your rest and if you don't do it willingly I will get a nurse to inject you with some nice drugs to make you all loopy."

"Better do as the lady says," Gibbs said as he stood up.

"You'll be by later to give me an update right?" Tony asked, worried about being left out of the loop.

"You bet. Get some rest," Gibbs said before heading to the door. "Keep him out of trouble, will you Abby?"

"Always," Abby replied with a wave of her hand as Gibbs left the two of them alone.

"So did you have fun?" Tony asked Abby.

"What?"

"Yelling at Gibbs like that. Not many people can do that and live to tell the tale."

Abby rolled her eyes. "He had it coming. So, how did things go, you know, before you took you're swim?"

Tony laughed, knowing full well that that question was coming. "Didn't you just tell Gibbs that I needed to rest?"

"That was just to get him out of here so we could talk, so don't try to change the subject," Abby pressed him.

"Things went ok," Tony said. "Actually, they went better then I thought they would."

"How do you mean?" Abby asked, a hint of concern in her voice. "You thought things would go bad?"

"I dunno, I guess for some reason I thought it was going to be harder with the whole father/son role playing act, but it was actually easier than I anticipated."

Abby shook her head. "You always expect the worst, you really need to stop doing that you know."

"Yeah, well its not like I've had a lot of practice in that area you know," Tony snapped back, then let out a deep breath. "Sorry, you didn't deserve that."

"Its ok," Abby said understandingly. They both sat in silence for a few minutes before Abby cautiously pressed forward. "So, you and Gibbs had a lot of time to kill in between stuff, huh?"

"Yeah. I thought driving in that traffic was going to be the death of me and the other drivers, but it turned out surprisingly well."

"You keep saying stuff like that. Care to go into more detail?"

"Well, we talked. Or rather, I talked and Gibbs listened and asked questions," Tony told her.

"Wait a minute, it wasn't like an interrogation or something was it?" Abby asked mildly surprised and a bit suspicious. She knew for a fact that it wasn't often that Gibbs simply 'talked' to people; even those that he knew pretty well.

Tony laughed at the expression of wonder on Abby's face. "No, it wasn't like that. I sort of let it slip that I used to work in an auto shop during college and that just led to more questions about my other previous occupations. He was actually interested."

"You told him about your other jobs? All of them?" Abby asked, then watched as Tony nodded his head in response. She pondered on that for a moment before saying, "Wow. So, how much detail did you go into?"

"Enough. It was just the jobs that I had while I was in college, so there wasn't really a lot of detail to go into," Tony said with a shrug.

"Bet you surprised Gibbs with a few of those jobs," Abby said with a grin.

Tony snickered. "Maybe. He isn't exactly the easiest person to surprise you know."

"That I do. So is that all you two talked about?" Abby got the feeling that there might be more, but if Tony didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't push him to do so.

Tony was quiet for a moment before he said, "I told him about Al."

Abby reached over and squeezed his hand. Tony had talked to her about Al before, so she knew how difficult of a subject it was for him. "You should talk about him more. I know plenty of people who wonder how you fell into the investigative business."

Tony gave a small laugh before yawning. "Really? Who?"

Abby smiled and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll tell you later. You better get some sleep before a nurse comes in during rounds and I get thrown out."

Tony yawned again before saying, "Like anyone could actually throw you out if you didn't want them to, Abs."

"True, but that's our little secret. Now sleep. The sooner you do the sooner you will get better and be able to leave."

"Sounds like a plan," Tony murmured. "Thanks for the food Abby."

"Your welcome," Abby whispered back as she settled into her chair to watch over Tony as he slept. 'Gibbs, you've done more good than you know,' Abby thought to herself with a smile.

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Gibbs took a taxi back to the office, not wanting to wait around for someone to come and pick him up. He had called Ducky ahead of time to let the doctor know he was on his way back. By the time he stepped into the bullpen Ducky was there waiting for him.

"So I see you survived Abby's dressing down. How is Anthony doing?" Ducky asked in amusement.

"Tony's not happy about being stuck in the hospital, especially while the case is still open. Afraid he'll be left out of the loop," Gibbs replied, choosing to ignore Ducky's comment about Abby.

"Well that's no surprise. Honestly you shouldn't be here either, Jethro. You look like you could use a good night's rest," Ducky said. "I'd be more than happy to take you home…"
"Thanks Ducky, but I've got other plans," Gibbs interrupted him.

"You're not seriously going to deal with Myers now, are you?" Ducky inquired.

"You bet I am," Gibbs said with purpose. "I think he's waited in lock-up long enough."

Chapter 26:

While Myers was being brought up to an interrogation room, Gibbs headed up to the Director's office to get an update on Fornell and his team's progress. He knew it was unusual for him not to insist on being there and that Director Sheppard would definitely be curious as to why he hadn't this time. Gibbs had been worried about Tony, he still was. While the infection seemed to be beginning to clear up, there had still been the chance that Tony wouldn't have been as lucky. The thought of Tony being stuck in a hospital because he was sick again did not sit well with Gibbs at all.

"You can go right in, Agent Gibbs," Cynthia said as Gibbs approached the Director's office. Gibbs nodded his head in acknowledgement and walked in and sat down in front of the Director's desk before she could say anything.

"I figured you wouldn't be going home anytime soon," Director Sheppard said. Before Gibbs could snap back an answer, she asked, "How's Tony doing?"

"Worried that he's going to miss something important with the case," Gibbs answered as he took a seat across from the director, glad that she seemed to understand his reasons for not being at home recuperating. "They got him on antibiotics to fight off the infection. He'll be in the clear in a few days, just needs some rest."

"Now why does that sound familiar?" the Director asked with a smirk.

"Don't start. I've already gotten a lecture from Ducky for scaring the nurses at the hospital earlier and a lecture from Abby for getting hurt. I'm not in the mood," Gibbs all but growled.

"I just meant that you seem to be rubbing off on Tony," Director Sheppard said calmly. "Just be sure that you don't let him take the other 'b' in your name."

Gibbs stared at her for a moment before a grin broke out on his face. "That wouldn't be so bad."

"You would say that," she replied.
"So what's the status on the bust? Was Fornell's location any good or are we going to have to pick up the slack?" Gibbs asked.

"None of this is his fault, Gibbs. Do you really think he would have asked for our help if he didn't honestly need it?" the Director pointed out.

"No, but I need to direct my frustration somewhere until I get down to interrogation," Gibbs replied.

"Fornell's lead was a good one," Director Sheppard told him, choosing to ignore Gibbs' comment. "They found two men camping out a few miles from where Tony said he followed Myers to. Ziva said that they've been there for a while, if their trash is anything to go by."

Gibbs nodded. "Tony said Myers met up with two guys to pass along the drugs. We can get him to ID them later. Did they still have the drugs on them or did they already ship them out?"

"Someone had already been by to pick up the merchandise," she answered.

"Are there any…" Gibbs started to ask but was interrupted by the Director.

"McGee noticed that there was a third set of tracks from a dirt bike and put out a BOLO for anyone riding one in the area. The local LEO's found him on the side of the road, he had a flat tire," Director Sheppard informed him.

Gibbs laughed. "Figures Fornell would get the easy end of this whole thing. I take it he still had the drugs with him then?"

"There was a small amount missing, but from what I hear all three men decided to do some sampling," she replied. "No ID's on them, we'll have to wait for their prints to be run through."

"Abby's at the hospital keeping an eye on Tony for the moment," Gibbs told her.

"There's no rush. Fornell has some of his men bringing them over while Ziva and McGee process the campsite. They won't be here for another couple of hours at least," Director Sheppard said.

"Good," Gibbs said nodding his head. "I don't want to leave Tony alone, he hates hospitals enough that I wouldn't put it past him to try to sign himself out."

The Director smiled. "It's like déjà vu around here sometimes, have you ever noticed?"

"Myers should be in interrogation by now," Gibbs said as he stood up and gave the Director a glare as he moved towards the door.

"If you make a mess in there, your cleaning it up," she warned him as he walked out of her office.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gibbs was walking down the stairs when he heard Ducky call out to him.

"Ah, Jethro. Glad to see I was able to catch you before you got to work," Ducky greeted him.

"On my way now, Duck. What's up?" Gibbs asked.

"Just thought you would like to know that I just got off the phone with Abby…" Ducky began but was interrupted as Gibbs started demanding answers.

"What's wrong with Tony? He was fine when I left him! If I find out that the doctors didn't tell me everything…"

"Oh for goodness sakes Jethro! You have got to stop jumping to the wrong conclusions," Ducky scolded him. "All Abby wanted to do was let you know that Anthony finally fell asleep and is resting comfortably."

Gibbs took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'll stop when Tony is out of the hospital and is back at work."

"Liar," Ducky said with a smirk. "You always worry about Anthony."

Gibbs gave a small smile. "He makes it hard not to."

Ducky nodded his head in agreement. "That he does, Jethro. After you're done with whatever your planning on doing to Myers, might I suggest going home and at least take a shower before you return to the hospital?"

"Sounds like a good idea. You heading out?" Gibbs asked.

"I've already finished with Erikson, and thankfully his was the only body this time around," Ducky answered. "My official report is on your desk, though I doubt you'll need to look at it."

"No, I don't need to read it," Gibbs agreed coolly, having been the one who put a bullet into the man's head.

"I thought I would go keep Abby company for a while. I'll call you if something comes up," Ducky told him.

"Thanks. I'll see you later," Gibbs nodded his head in Ducky's direction as he headed for interrogation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When they came to take him up to interrogation, Myers was a bit surprised. Although he couldn't say why, but for some reason he thought that he would have been waiting a bit longer before someone came around to take his statement. The interrogation room was much more pleasant then the holding cell. It was cleaner and very professional looking. Myers gained some confidence as he sat waiting for someone to enter the room. He had hoped that by not requesting a lawyer yet he would throw off the agents investigating this case. If he was guilty he would request a lawyer, right?

After sitting in silence for several minutes, Myers nearly jumped out of his skin when the door swung open and Agent Gibbs walked in. He knew he was going to have to play his cards carefully if he was going to get out of this mess, especially from the look on the battered agent's face. Of all the luck, it had to be this agent that would be interviewing him. Myers refused to think of it as an interrogation, afraid that it would lead him to lose what little control he had.

Agent Gibbs sat down across from Myers and opened a file folder he had carried in. He did not look up at Myers, focused on reading the file in front of him as if it contained all of the nation's top secrets.

"So, uh, are we gonna start or are you waiting for someone else?" Myers asked as his nerves began to get the better of him and he started fidgeting in his seat.

Still Gibbs said nothing, just continued to look down at the file.

"Must have a real page turner there, huh?" Myers said in an attempt to break the silence with humor.

Nothing. Agent Gibbs gave no outward sign that he had heard the other man talking. This bothered Myers even more. Silence was not something he was used to. At least if the agent was yelling at him he would have something to work with. How was one supposed to work utter stillness?

"Look, pal. If you're not going to talk to me then get someone in here that will or let me go. I don't…" Myers started rambling, only to be cut off by Gibbs slamming his hand onto the table.

Gibbs looked Myers straight in the eye and said, "The only place you're going is prison and I promise you that parole will never be a possibility if you don't cooperate."

"You haven't even asked me anything yet! How the hell can I cooperate if you won't say anything?!" Myers all but shouted.

"So when were you and Erikson recruited to cart drugs for Carlos Sanatos?" Gibbs asked abruptly.

"What? Drugs? I don't know anything about drugs!" Myers denied.

"Really? And how do you explain your frequent visits to a known drug dealer's home?" Gibbs pressed on.

Myers shrugged. "Carlos is a friend, throws great parties."

Gibbs glared at him. "We have evidence that links you to the drugs recovered from a raid on a campsite within the park where you work."

Myers shifted in his seat. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"There are several witnesses that can place you at the train tracks where you passed the drugs off to the next handler," Gibbs stated.

"Not possible. There's no one out there except those who were on the rafting trip, and they were all at the campsite," Myers told Gibbs, unaware that he was beginning to incriminate himself.

"They have all verified that you left the camp site for an extended period of time," Gibbs said casually, smirking to himself on the inside, knowing that Myers was going to cave.

Now Myers looked confused. "But you said that there were several witnesses who could place me at the train tracks. Who else is there to call a witness to any of these so-called charges?"

"Well, there are the two men that met you at the tracks to pick up the drugs," Gibbs answered. "And then of course the federal agent who followed you there."

Then Myers started to laugh. "You have got to be joking. No fed followed me anywhere. You're reaching because you've got nothing else to hold me on."

Gibbs' eyes narrowed. "The 'fed' who followed you was the same one that you let Erikson throw into the river."

Not realizing he was taking his life in his hands, Myers continued to laugh. "Now I know you're joking. No one could have survived that."

"He is one of the best agents I've ever had the opportunity to work with," Gibbs growled.

"Oh yeah?" Myers asked. "Doesn't say much about you or your agent then, does it?"

At that remark Gibbs snapped. In less than half a second Gibbs was out of his chair and in the next half he had hauled Myers out of his own chair and slammed him into the wall. When Gibbs spoke next he used that tone of voice that reminded anyone around that he was a former Marine.

"You listen, and listen very carefully, because I am only going to say this once," Gibbs started. "The agent you just insulted? He was the one who attacked you in the woods, tied you up, blindfolded you and left you in that cabin. He is very much alive and you should be thanking whatever higher power you believe in that he isn't the one in here with you right now. Want some free advice? Get a lawyer to make sure he never interviews you, because right now, that's all a lawyer is gonna be able to do for you."

With that Gibbs dragged Myers to the door and handed him off to another agent who was waiting outside. "Take him back to his cell, we're done here."

At that Myers seemed to shake out of his momentary state of fear. "Hey wait a minute! You said that if I cooperated I could get a deal!"

Gibbs gave Myers an evil grin. "I lied."

"You can't do that!" Myers shouted.

"Really? You did not request the presence of a lawyer and I did tell you we had evidence linking you to the drugs. We have everything we need," Gibbs told him.

Myers stared at Gibbs bewildered. "Then what was the point of making me go through all of that for?"

Gibbs turned to walk away from Myers, grinning. "Just for the hell of it."

The agent that had been quietly observing the exchange between the two smirked as he pushed Myers in the opposite direction back towards the holding cell.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gibbs entered the bullpen to see McGee and Ziva sitting at their desks working.

"Where's Fornell?" Gibbs asked as he sat down at his desk.

Both McGee and Ziva's heads shot up at their boss's question and moved to stand around his desk.

"Shouldn't you be at home resting?" Ziva asked.

Gibbs glared at her. "I'm fine. Just finished having a discussion with Myers. Now where's Fornell?"

"He's upstairs giving an update to the Director," McGee answered. "Though there's nothing new to report from when we last called in."

Gibbs sighed. "He's just following the protocol that goes with a joint investigation."

McGee nodded, then asked, "So how is Tony doing?"

"How long do you think he will have to stay in the hospital?" Ziva asked, not giving Gibbs a chance to answer McGee's question first.

Gibbs held up his hand to silence them before any more questions could be asked. "Tony is fine, Abby and Ducky are keeping him company for the moment even though he is sleeping. He'll have to stay at least until the infection clears up, after that we play it by ear. It will be several days at least before I'll even allow him to come back on desk duty."

"You could use a few days off yourself, Gibbs," Fornell said as he came down the stairs. "You don't look like your usual bastard self."

Gibbs snickered. "I might do just that, Fornell, seeing as how you're the one in charge of all the paperwork that came with this operation."

Fornell rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thank you so much for the reminder. Without you around I don't know who would be around to keep me on my toes."

"I think we have it covered, don't you agree Ziva?" McGee said.

Ziva grinned. "Definitely. We'll make sure you don't trip over your shoelaces while we're at it."

The group looked at her with amused grins on their faces.

"What?" she asked exasperated. "Did I not say it right?"

"No you said it right," McGee said. "It's not something I would have expected you to say. Tony, sure, but coming from you it just sounds weird."

Ziva sighed. "Well I figured I would pick up the sack until Tony gets back."

"Slack," everyone corrected her at once.

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes as she went back to her desk.

Gibbs smiled to himself. Everything was under control here; there was no reason for him to stay. With that in mind he stood up and started to head towards the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Fornell asked.

"To take Ducky's advice and then back to the hospital. Keep me posted," Gibbs called back just before the elevator doors shut.

"Any idea what he meant by that?" Fornell asked curiously.

"You can never tell what kind of advice Ducky is going to give you," McGee answered with a shrug.

"Don't you have some paper work to do?" Ziva asked Fornell.

Fornell glared at her before sitting at Gibbs' desk and started to pull up some files, ignoring the smirks that passed between the other two agents.

Chapter 26:

While Myers was being brought up to an interrogation room, Gibbs headed up to the Director's office to get an update on Fornell and his team's progress. He knew it was unusual for him not to insist on being there and that Director Sheppard would definitely be curious as to why he hadn't this time. Gibbs had been worried about Tony, he still was. While the infection seemed to be beginning to clear up, there had still been the chance that Tony wouldn't have been as lucky. The thought of Tony being stuck in a hospital because he was sick again did not sit well with Gibbs at all.

"You can go right in, Agent Gibbs," Cynthia said as Gibbs approached the Director's office. Gibbs nodded his head in acknowledgement and walked in and sat down in front of the Director's desk before she could say anything.

"I figured you wouldn't be going home anytime soon," Director Sheppard said. Before Gibbs could snap back an answer, she asked, "How's Tony doing?"

"Worried that he's going to miss something important with the case," Gibbs answered as he took a seat across from the director, glad that she seemed to understand his reasons for not being at home recuperating. "They got him on antibiotics to fight off the infection. He'll be in the clear in a few days, just needs some rest."

"Now why does that sound familiar?" the Director asked with a smirk.

"Don't start. I've already gotten a lecture from Ducky for scaring the nurses at the hospital earlier and a lecture from Abby for getting hurt. I'm not in the mood," Gibbs all but growled.

"I just meant that you seem to be rubbing off on Tony," Director Sheppard said calmly. "Just be sure that you don't let him take the other 'b' in your name."

Gibbs stared at her for a moment before a grin broke out on his face. "That wouldn't be so bad."

"You would say that," she replied.
"So what's the status on the bust? Was Fornell's location any good or are we going to have to pick up the slack?" Gibbs asked.

"None of this is his fault, Gibbs. Do you really think he would have asked for our help if he didn't honestly need it?" the Director pointed out.

"No, but I need to direct my frustration somewhere until I get down to interrogation," Gibbs replied.

"Fornell's lead was a good one," Director Sheppard told him, choosing to ignore Gibbs' comment. "They found two men camping out a few miles from where Tony said he followed Myers to. Ziva said that they've been there for a while, if their trash is anything to go by."

Gibbs nodded. "Tony said Myers met up with two guys to pass along the drugs. We can get him to ID them later. Did they still have the drugs on them or did they already ship them out?"

"Someone had already been by to pick up the merchandise," she answered.

"Are there any…" Gibbs started to ask but was interrupted by the Director.

"McGee noticed that there was a third set of tracks from a dirt bike and put out a BOLO for anyone riding one in the area. The local LEO's found him on the side of the road, he had a flat tire," Director Sheppard informed him.

Gibbs laughed. "Figures Fornell would get the easy end of this whole thing. I take it he still had the drugs with him then?"

"There was a small amount missing, but from what I hear all three men decided to do some sampling," she replied. "No ID's on them, we'll have to wait for their prints to be run through."

"Abby's at the hospital keeping an eye on Tony for the moment," Gibbs told her.

"There's no rush. Fornell has some of his men bringing them over while Ziva and McGee process the campsite. They won't be here for another couple of hours at least," Director Sheppard said.

"Good," Gibbs said nodding his head. "I don't want to leave Tony alone, he hates hospitals enough that I wouldn't put it past him to try to sign himself out."

The Director smiled. "It's like déjà vu around here sometimes, have you ever noticed?"

"Myers should be in interrogation by now," Gibbs said as he stood up and gave the Director a glare as he moved towards the door.

"If you make a mess in there, your cleaning it up," she warned him as he walked out of her office.

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Gibbs was walking down the stairs when he heard Ducky call out to him.

"Ah, Jethro. Glad to see I was able to catch you before you got to work," Ducky greeted him.

"On my way now, Duck. What's up?" Gibbs asked.

"Just thought you would like to know that I just got off the phone with Abby…" Ducky began but was interrupted as Gibbs started demanding answers.

"What's wrong with Tony? He was fine when I left him! If I find out that the doctors didn't tell me everything…"

"Oh for goodness sakes Jethro! You have got to stop jumping to the wrong conclusions," Ducky scolded him. "All Abby wanted to do was let you know that Anthony finally fell asleep and is resting comfortably."

Gibbs took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'll stop when Tony is out of the hospital and is back at work."

"Liar," Ducky said with a smirk. "You always worry about Anthony."

Gibbs gave a small smile. "He makes it hard not to."

Ducky nodded his head in agreement. "That he does, Jethro. After you're done with whatever your planning on doing to Myers, might I suggest going home and at least take a shower before you return to the hospital?"

"Sounds like a good idea. You heading out?" Gibbs asked.

"I've already finished with Erikson, and thankfully his was the only body this time around," Ducky answered. "My official report is on your desk, though I doubt you'll need to look at it."

"No, I don't need to read it," Gibbs agreed coolly, having been the one who put a bullet into the man's head.

"I thought I would go keep Abby company for a while. I'll call you if something comes up," Ducky told him.

"Thanks. I'll see you later," Gibbs nodded his head in Ducky's direction as he headed for interrogation.

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When they came to take him up to interrogation, Myers was a bit surprised. Although he couldn't say why, but for some reason he thought that he would have been waiting a bit longer before someone came around to take his statement. The interrogation room was much more pleasant then the holding cell. It was cleaner and very professional looking. Myers gained some confidence as he sat waiting for someone to enter the room. He had hoped that by not requesting a lawyer yet he would throw off the agents investigating this case. If he was guilty he would request a lawyer, right?

After sitting in silence for several minutes, Myers nearly jumped out of his skin when the door swung open and Agent Gibbs walked in. He knew he was going to have to play his cards carefully if he was going to get out of this mess, especially from the look on the battered agent's face. Of all the luck, it had to be this agent that would be interviewing him. Myers refused to think of it as an interrogation, afraid that it would lead him to lose what little control he had.

Agent Gibbs sat down across from Myers and opened a file folder he had carried in. He did not look up at Myers, focused on reading the file in front of him as if it contained all of the nation's top secrets.

"So, uh, are we gonna start or are you waiting for someone else?" Myers asked as his nerves began to get the better of him and he started fidgeting in his seat.

Still Gibbs said nothing, just continued to look down at the file.

"Must have a real page turner there, huh?" Myers said in an attempt to break the silence with humor.

Nothing. Agent Gibbs gave no outward sign that he had heard the other man talking. This bothered Myers even more. Silence was not something he was used to. At least if the agent was yelling at him he would have something to work with. How was one supposed to work utter stillness?

"Look, pal. If you're not going to talk to me then get someone in here that will or let me go. I don't…" Myers started rambling, only to be cut off by Gibbs slamming his hand onto the table.

Gibbs looked Myers straight in the eye and said, "The only place you're going is prison and I promise you that parole will never be a possibility if you don't cooperate."

"You haven't even asked me anything yet! How the hell can I cooperate if you won't say anything?!" Myers all but shouted.

"So when were you and Erikson recruited to cart drugs for Carlos Sanatos?" Gibbs asked abruptly.

"What? Drugs? I don't know anything about drugs!" Myers denied.

"Really? And how do you explain your frequent visits to a known drug dealer's home?" Gibbs pressed on.

Myers shrugged. "Carlos is a friend, throws great parties."

Gibbs glared at him. "We have evidence that links you to the drugs recovered from a raid on a campsite within the park where you work."

Myers shifted in his seat. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"There are several witnesses that can place you at the train tracks where you passed the drugs off to the next handler," Gibbs stated.

"Not possible. There's no one out there except those who were on the rafting trip, and they were all at the campsite," Myers told Gibbs, unaware that he was beginning to incriminate himself.

"They have all verified that you left the camp site for an extended period of time," Gibbs said casually, smirking to himself on the inside, knowing that Myers was going to cave.

Now Myers looked confused. "But you said that there were several witnesses who could place me at the train tracks. Who else is there to call a witness to any of these so-called charges?"

"Well, there are the two men that met you at the tracks to pick up the drugs," Gibbs answered. "And then of course the federal agent who followed you there."

Then Myers started to laugh. "You have got to be joking. No fed followed me anywhere. You're reaching because you've got nothing else to hold me on."

Gibbs' eyes narrowed. "The 'fed' who followed you was the same one that you let Erikson throw into the river."

Not realizing he was taking his life in his hands, Myers continued to laugh. "Now I know you're joking. No one could have survived that."

"He is one of the best agents I've ever had the opportunity to work with," Gibbs growled.

"Oh yeah?" Myers asked. "Doesn't say much about you or your agent then, does it?"

At that remark Gibbs snapped. In less than half a second Gibbs was out of his chair and in the next half he had hauled Myers out of his own chair and slammed him into the wall. When Gibbs spoke next he used that tone of voice that reminded anyone around that he was a former Marine.

"You listen, and listen very carefully, because I am only going to say this once," Gibbs started. "The agent you just insulted? He was the one who attacked you in the woods, tied you up, blindfolded you and left you in that cabin. He is very much alive and you should be thanking whatever higher power you believe in that he isn't the one in here with you right now. Want some free advice? Get a lawyer to make sure he never interviews you, because right now, that's all a lawyer is gonna be able to do for you."

With that Gibbs dragged Myers to the door and handed him off to another agent who was waiting outside. "Take him back to his cell, we're done here."

At that Myers seemed to shake out of his momentary state of fear. "Hey wait a minute! You said that if I cooperated I could get a deal!"

Gibbs gave Myers an evil grin. "I lied."

"You can't do that!" Myers shouted.

"Really? You did not request the presence of a lawyer and I did tell you we had evidence linking you to the drugs. We have everything we need," Gibbs told him.

Myers stared at Gibbs bewildered. "Then what was the point of making me go through all of that for?"

Gibbs turned to walk away from Myers, grinning. "Just for the hell of it."

The agent that had been quietly observing the exchange between the two smirked as he pushed Myers in the opposite direction back towards the holding cell.

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Gibbs entered the bullpen to see McGee and Ziva sitting at their desks working.

"Where's Fornell?" Gibbs asked as he sat down at his desk.

Both McGee and Ziva's heads shot up at their boss's question and moved to stand around his desk.

"Shouldn't you be at home resting?" Ziva asked.

Gibbs glared at her. "I'm fine. Just finished having a discussion with Myers. Now where's Fornell?"

"He's upstairs giving an update to the Director," McGee answered. "Though there's nothing new to report from when we last called in."

Gibbs sighed. "He's just following the protocol that goes with a joint investigation."

McGee nodded, then asked, "So how is Tony doing?"

"How long do you think he will have to stay in the hospital?" Ziva asked, not giving Gibbs a chance to answer McGee's question first.

Gibbs held up his hand to silence them before any more questions could be asked. "Tony is fine, Abby and Ducky are keeping him company for the moment even though he is sleeping. He'll have to stay at least until the infection clears up, after that we play it by ear. It will be several days at least before I'll even allow him to come back on desk duty."

"You could use a few days off yourself, Gibbs," Fornell said as he came down the stairs. "You don't look like your usual bastard self."

Gibbs snickered. "I might do just that, Fornell, seeing as how you're the one in charge of all the paperwork that came with this operation."

Fornell rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thank you so much for the reminder. Without you around I don't know who would be around to keep me on my toes."

"I think we have it covered, don't you agree Ziva?" McGee said.

Ziva grinned. "Definitely. We'll make sure you don't trip over your shoelaces while we're at it."

The group looked at her with amused grins on their faces.

"What?" she asked exasperated. "Did I not say it right?"

"No you said it right," McGee said. "It's not something I would have expected you to say. Tony, sure, but coming from you it just sounds weird."

Ziva sighed. "Well I figured I would pick up the sack until Tony gets back."

"Slack," everyone corrected her at once.

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes as she went back to her desk.

Gibbs smiled to himself. Everything was under control here; there was no reason for him to stay. With that in mind he stood up and started to head towards the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Fornell asked.

"To take Ducky's advice and then back to the hospital. Keep me posted," Gibbs called back just before the elevator doors shut.

"Any idea what he meant by that?" Fornell asked curiously.

"You can never tell what kind of advice Ducky is going to give you," McGee answered with a shrug.

"Don't you have some paper work to do?" Ziva asked Fornell.

Fornell glared at her before sitting at Gibbs' desk and started to pull up some files, ignoring the smirks that passed between the other two agents.

Chapter 27:

For once Gibbs was more than happy to follow Ducky's advice. Although he had changed out of his dirty clothes at the hospital, he still felt grungy. He wasn't one to indulge in long showers, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make an exception. The hot water helped to relieve the tension in his muscles that had appeared not long after he had been substituted for Erikson's punching bag.

While Ducky had only suggested a shower before returning to the hospital, Gibbs had no doubt that the older man would try to persuade him to eat something from the hospital cafeteria once he arrived. That was something that Gibbs would not do. He had seen the food that they served there before and besides, he had promised Tony that he would bring him something more edible to eat then the sludge the nurses would be trying to shove down his throat.

After filling up his mug with a fresh cup of coffee Gibbs sat down in the living room for a few moments to relax. He wanted to get all of his thoughts sorted out before going in search of something to eat that Ducky and Abby would approve of. A lot had happened in the last few days and oddly enough, everything that had happened seemed to revolve around Tony in one way or another.

Gibbs chuckled lightly to himself. He had never met anyone who had such a conflicting amount of good and bad luck. Tony was unfortunate enough to get shot and thrown into a river but advantageous enough to not only survive but manage to single-handedly complete their original mission and save the lives of everyone else. As soon as he got the chance Gibbs planned to put a commendation in Tony's file.

Taking another drink of coffee, Gibbs let his mind wander back to earlier in the mission, before things had gone to hell. In the past few days he had learned more about Tony then in all the years he had worked with the younger man. There had been the subtle hints of course, but like Gibbs, Tony tended to play things close to the vest. If you don't let anyone in then they can't hurt you or use what they learned against you. Classic survival tactic.

Gibbs was fairly certain that Abby already knew everything that he had recently learned, probably more. He had noticed that whenever a case got too bad, or the day in general just sucked, Tony seemed to go to Abby to work things through. He was glad that Abby was there for him, but it was still a bit disheartening knowing that Tony hadn't come to him first.

'But then again, why should he?' Gibbs thought to himself. It wasn't like he had given Tony any indication that he was willing to listen before. There had never been any real opportunity for the two of them to talk about anything not work-related, not that that was an excuse by any means. His father once told him, "If it's important, you make the time."

Abby seemed to be able to make the time, so why hadn't he?

Gibbs shook his head to clear out that train of thought. No sense in worrying about that now. The important thing was that Tony had opened up to him.

Checking his watch, Gibbs figured that he had spent enough time relaxing to satisfy Ducky. After finishing the last of his coffee, Gibbs headed back in the direction of the hospital.

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When Tony had drifted off to sleep Abby had been keeping him company and as he woke up he was pleasantly surprised to see her still there. No matter how much of a good friend Tony knew her to be it still surprised him when she stuck around for things like this. Sitting in a hospital was not his idea of fun, although if the roles were reversed he would be doing the same thing.

"Ah, good your awake," Ducky said suddenly from one corner in the room causing Tony to jump. "Just in time too. Abby, go tell the nurse outside so she can come in and check his bandages."

"Geez, Ducky. Didn't see you there," Tony said as Abby went out into the hall. "You trying to give me a heart attack or something?"

"Don't be silly, Tony. You're heart's way too strong for something silly like a heart attack," Abby said as she re-entered the room followed by a nurse.

Tony grinned at her. "Only because of your good influence, Abby."

She shook her head at him as she returned the grin. "So true, where would you be without me?"

"Let's not even go there," Tony said with a laugh as the nurse approached his left side.

"If you two wouldn't mind waiting outside until I finish?" the nurse asked as she pulled on a pair of gloves.

"Of course. We'll just go grab something from the cafeteria," Ducky said as he moved towards the door with Abby.

"Hey, can one of you call and see if you can find out how the raid went?" Tony called out to them.

"Don't worry, Gibbs will update you when he gets here," Abby assured him.

Ducky nodded. "I doubt he will be gone much longer. Patience, Anthony."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Right, patience. Since when have you ever known me to have any?"

"Alright, Mr. Dinozzo, let's get these bandages changed," the nurse said as she helped him move the hospital gown away so she could get to work.

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Gibbs had just entered the hallway that where Tony's room was when he saw Ducky and Abby walking towards the vending machines. Knowing that neither of them would leave him alone unless he was asleep, Gibbs headed over to them. If Tony was still sleeping he wouldn't want to wake him up, which was sure to happen since he was carrying food.

Quietly he approached them and when he was directly behind Abby, he asked, "Run out of Caff-Pow! already, Abs?"

Abby jumped and whirled around and slapped him hard on the shoulder. "Gibbs! Don't do that! We're in a hospital!"

Gibbs smirked. "Guess it's a good thing I brought this then, huh?" Abby's eyes were immediately drawn to the savored drink held in Gibbs' hands.

"Yes, a very good thing," Abby said as she took the soda and took a long drink.

"Jethro, glad to see you took my advice," Ducky said as he took in Gibbs' appearance.

"Had to get all of the grime off after being in the same room with Myers," Gibbs replied. "Tony still asleep?"

"No, he just woke up as a matter of fact," Ducky answered. "The nurse shooed us out so she could change his bandages and such."

"You won't be allowed in, either Gibbs," Abby told him, anticipating what was to come.

Gibbs sighed. "I brought him food. He's going to be mad when he finds out I withheld it from him."

Ducky chuckled. "Better to delay giving it to him than risk the nurse catching you sneak in food. What did you bring?"

"Chicken dumpling soup. Put it in a thermos so it would stay heated," Gibbs said. "Brought some crackers and cookies, too."

"That's it?" Abby asked. "Come on, Gibbs. You know how much Tony eats on a regular basis."

Gibbs nodded. "I also know that when he's injured or sick he tends to lose his appetite. Trust me, there's enough."

Abby nodded as Ducky spoke up. "And what about you? You need to eat something as well."

At that Gibbs grinned. He had come prepared for this. "Cheese steak sub," he told them as he held up the bag. "No sense for Tony to eat alone."

Ducky sighed. It was obvious that he didn't whole-heartedly approve of what Gibbs had gotten for himself, but he also knew better than to say anything. At least had gone and gotten something without someone having to try to convince him to eat something. Ducky knew small miracles when he saw them.

"So is Myers still alive, or do I need to get back to perform another autopsy?" Ducky asked curiously.

At that Abby looked at both Gibbs and Ducky with wide eyes. "Oh please don't tell me that I missed it! Gibbs! You should have let that piece of scum rot in his cell a little longer."

"You can always watch the interrogation tapes, you know," Gibbs told her.

"It's not the same thing," Abby pouted.

"I highly doubt this will be your last chance to watch Gibbs interrogate someone," Ducky assured her.

"But this is different! Tony got hurt and he's partly to blame!" Abby said.

"Don't worry, Abby," Gibbs reassured her. "Myers got what was coming to him and he still has plenty of jail time to look forward to."

Abby sighed. "I suppose so."

"Why don't you fill me in on how Tony's doing?" Gibbs asked her.

"Jethro, he's fine. Changing bandages is quite normal, I can assure you," Ducky spoke up.

"I wasn't talking about his physical condition, Ducky," Gibbs spoke quietly.

A silence came over the three for a moment as they contemplated what Gibbs had asked.

"He's doing ok. Afraid no one will give him an update. Asked one of us to call to find out what is going on," began Ducky.

Gibbs shook his head. "I told him I would be back to tell him what was happening."

"You know how he is, Jethro. Saying and doing are two completely different things where he is concerned," Ducky continued.

Gibbs nodded his head in agreement then turned to look at Abby, who had been silent since he had asked his question. She now seemed to be in deep thought.

"Abby?" At Gibbs' voice she looked up at him. "Something I should know?"

She held his gaze for a moment before answering. "Yes," and at that Gibbs grew even more worried. "Don't shut him out now that you both are back here."

Despite all of the thoughts that had run through his mind, that was not what Gibbs had expected Abby to say.

Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Tony told me some of what the two of you talked about. I'll tell you this much, what you now know is not everything there is to know about the mystery that makes up your senior field agent. You go back to normal and you will be throwing the trust he showed you in his face. If that happens I can guarantee you that you will find yourself an agent short one day when you show up for work."

Gibbs opened his mouth to say something, but Abby held up her hand to indicate that she was not yet finished. Gibbs wisely stayed silent.

"When I say that he trusts you, I'm not talking about the kind of trust needed when someone's watching your back in the field. This is a different kind of trust. I can't explain it any more than that. Tony respects you, looks up to you. Don't make him regret opening up to you."

After a moment of silence, Gibbs cautiously asked, "Anything else I should know?"

"Just one more thing," Abby said. "If you hurt him in any way, shape or form, you will have to deal with me. Remember, you are not the only one around here who knows how to kick ass."

Gibbs gave her a small smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

Ducky cleared his throat and said, "Well, if you're done threatening him, Abby, I believe that was Tony's nurse walking down the hall. Perhaps we should head back so the two of them can eat?"

Abby pretended to think about it before agreeing. "If we wait much longer we'll probably start hearing Tony's stomach growling."

The trio laughed as they headed down the hallway back to Tony's room.

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Tony sighed to himself as he flipped through several channels on the television in his room. He was bored and he was giving serious thought to trying to reach over to the table by his bed to grab the phone and get a progress report on his own. He really wished Abby and Ducky would hurry back. The nurse that had been changing his bandages was not much of a conversationalist.

Just then another nurse entered his room pushing a cart filled with several trays of food.

"Here ya go, eat up! Don't want to lose your strength!" the nurse said cheerfully.

Tony managed to give her a fake smile at the sight of the piles of, well, something on tray.

"Thanks. Looks very, uh, nutritious," Tony told the nurse as she smiled at him and wheeled the cart out of his room and moved on.

Tony picked up a fork and picked through the mush. Grimacing, he pushed the table over his bed away. There was no way he was eating that. He wondered how long he had to look at it before someone came around to collect the tray.

"People in prison get better food than this," Tony muttered to himself.

"Our tax dollars at work," Gibbs said as he walked into the room, followed closely by Abby and Ducky.

"Boss!" Tony exclaimed as he moved to sit up straighter.

"You stay right where you are, young man!" Ducky scolded. "Moving around like that will get your stitches pulled out, which might lead to you having to stay here that much longer."

Tony immediately settled back down at the threat of prolonging his hospital stay.

"Ew gross! Tony's right. Prisoners do get better food," Abby remarked as she started her own examination of the sludge on the tray.

"I think you should take it back to your lab, see what you can find," Tony suggested as his face took on a disgusted look.

"I myself never understood why hospitals serve such grotesque meals," Ducky said as he checked to make sure Tony had settled properly. "Especially if a doctor wants their patient to heal. No one should be forced to eat such…"

"Maybe you should take it out of here," Gibbs interrupted Ducky. "Before Tony loses any appetite he as left."

"Ah yes, excellent idea," Ducky said. He walked over and took the tray away from Abby, who was still moving the substances around with a fork. Once the tray was gone, Gibbs grabbed the table and moved it back up towards Tony and placed a thermos and crackers on top of it.

"What? You're giving me food that I can't see? That doesn't make me feel much better about it than the hospital food, Boss," Tony stated.

Settling down into the chair by Tony's bed, Gibbs pulled out his own food before answering. "It's chicken dumpling soup, Dinozzo. Eat it before it gets cold."

Tony's face seemed to lighten up at that and opened the thermos. Gibbs unwrapped his sub and took a bite, keeping an eye on Tony to make sure he didn't try to sit up again as he ate.

"Well, I think we should leave these two to their meal," Ducky said as he came back from discarding the tray. "Let them talk shop and all that."

"Thanks for stopping by," Tony said in between eating. "I know hospitals aren't the greatest place to hang around."

"But you are, silly," Abby said as she stood up to join Ducky at the door. "I better not hear that you're trying to move around too much. If I do I'll tie you down!"

Tony laughed. "Promises, promises."

"Yeah, well…" Abby began but Ducky pulling on her arm stopped her from continuing her remark. "See you guys later!"

"Take care," Ducky said, and with that they were gone.

Tony turned to look at Gibbs. "So how are things going?"

Gibbs resisted the urge to reach over and slap Tony across the head. "Finish your soup, first. I'm not talking with my mouth full."

"Yes, Boss," Tony said and continued to enjoy the much more edible food that Gibbs had brought.

Chapter 27:

For once Gibbs was more than happy to follow Ducky's advice. Although he had changed out of his dirty clothes at the hospital, he still felt grungy. He wasn't one to indulge in long showers, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make an exception. The hot water helped to relieve the tension in his muscles that had appeared not long after he had been substituted for Erikson's punching bag.

While Ducky had only suggested a shower before returning to the hospital, Gibbs had no doubt that the older man would try to persuade him to eat something from the hospital cafeteria once he arrived. That was something that Gibbs would not do. He had seen the food that they served there before and besides, he had promised Tony that he would bring him something more edible to eat then the sludge the nurses would be trying to shove down his throat.

After filling up his mug with a fresh cup of coffee Gibbs sat down in the living room for a few moments to relax. He wanted to get all of his thoughts sorted out before going in search of something to eat that Ducky and Abby would approve of. A lot had happened in the last few days and oddly enough, everything that had happened seemed to revolve around Tony in one way or another.

Gibbs chuckled lightly to himself. He had never met anyone who had such a conflicting amount of good and bad luck. Tony was unfortunate enough to get shot and thrown into a river but advantageous enough to not only survive but manage to single-handedly complete their original mission and save the lives of everyone else. As soon as he got the chance Gibbs planned to put a commendation in Tony's file.

Taking another drink of coffee, Gibbs let his mind wander back to earlier in the mission, before things had gone to hell. In the past few days he had learned more about Tony then in all the years he had worked with the younger man. There had been the subtle hints of course, but like Gibbs, Tony tended to play things close to the vest. If you don't let anyone in then they can't hurt you or use what they learned against you. Classic survival tactic.

Gibbs was fairly certain that Abby already knew everything that he had recently learned, probably more. He had noticed that whenever a case got too bad, or the day in general just sucked, Tony seemed to go to Abby to work things through. He was glad that Abby was there for him, but it was still a bit disheartening knowing that Tony hadn't come to him first.

'But then again, why should he?' Gibbs thought to himself. It wasn't like he had given Tony any indication that he was willing to listen before. There had never been any real opportunity for the two of them to talk about anything not work-related, not that that was an excuse by any means. His father once told him, "If it's important, you make the time."

Abby seemed to be able to make the time, so why hadn't he?

Gibbs shook his head to clear out that train of thought. No sense in worrying about that now. The important thing was that Tony had opened up to him.

Checking his watch, Gibbs figured that he had spent enough time relaxing to satisfy Ducky. After finishing the last of his coffee, Gibbs headed back in the direction of the hospital.

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When Tony had drifted off to sleep Abby had been keeping him company and as he woke up he was pleasantly surprised to see her still there. No matter how much of a good friend Tony knew her to be it still surprised him when she stuck around for things like this. Sitting in a hospital was not his idea of fun, although if the roles were reversed he would be doing the same thing.

"Ah, good your awake," Ducky said suddenly from one corner in the room causing Tony to jump. "Just in time too. Abby, go tell the nurse outside so she can come in and check his bandages."

"Geez, Ducky. Didn't see you there," Tony said as Abby went out into the hall. "You trying to give me a heart attack or something?"

"Don't be silly, Tony. You're heart's way too strong for something silly like a heart attack," Abby said as she re-entered the room followed by a nurse.

Tony grinned at her. "Only because of your good influence, Abby."

She shook her head at him as she returned the grin. "So true, where would you be without me?"

"Let's not even go there," Tony said with a laugh as the nurse approached his left side.

"If you two wouldn't mind waiting outside until I finish?" the nurse asked as she pulled on a pair of gloves.

"Of course. We'll just go grab something from the cafeteria," Ducky said as he moved towards the door with Abby.

"Hey, can one of you call and see if you can find out how the raid went?" Tony called out to them.

"Don't worry, Gibbs will update you when he gets here," Abby assured him.

Ducky nodded. "I doubt he will be gone much longer. Patience, Anthony."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Right, patience. Since when have you ever known me to have any?"

"Alright, Mr. Dinozzo, let's get these bandages changed," the nurse said as she helped him move the hospital gown away so she could get to work.

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Gibbs had just entered the hallway that where Tony's room was when he saw Ducky and Abby walking towards the vending machines. Knowing that neither of them would leave him alone unless he was asleep, Gibbs headed over to them. If Tony was still sleeping he wouldn't want to wake him up, which was sure to happen since he was carrying food.

Quietly he approached them and when he was directly behind Abby, he asked, "Run out of Caff-Pow! already, Abs?"

Abby jumped and whirled around and slapped him hard on the shoulder. "Gibbs! Don't do that! We're in a hospital!"

Gibbs smirked. "Guess it's a good thing I brought this then, huh?" Abby's eyes were immediately drawn to the savored drink held in Gibbs' hands.

"Yes, a very good thing," Abby said as she took the soda and took a long drink.

"Jethro, glad to see you took my advice," Ducky said as he took in Gibbs' appearance.

"Had to get all of the grime off after being in the same room with Myers," Gibbs replied. "Tony still asleep?"

"No, he just woke up as a matter of fact," Ducky answered. "The nurse shooed us out so she could change his bandages and such."

"You won't be allowed in, either Gibbs," Abby told him, anticipating what was to come.

Gibbs sighed. "I brought him food. He's going to be mad when he finds out I withheld it from him."

Ducky chuckled. "Better to delay giving it to him than risk the nurse catching you sneak in food. What did you bring?"

"Chicken dumpling soup. Put it in a thermos so it would stay heated," Gibbs said. "Brought some crackers and cookies, too."

"That's it?" Abby asked. "Come on, Gibbs. You know how much Tony eats on a regular basis."

Gibbs nodded. "I also know that when he's injured or sick he tends to lose his appetite. Trust me, there's enough."

Abby nodded as Ducky spoke up. "And what about you? You need to eat something as well."

At that Gibbs grinned. He had come prepared for this. "Cheese steak sub," he told them as he held up the bag. "No sense for Tony to eat alone."

Ducky sighed. It was obvious that he didn't whole-heartedly approve of what Gibbs had gotten for himself, but he also knew better than to say anything. At least had gone and gotten something without someone having to try to convince him to eat something. Ducky knew small miracles when he saw them.

"So is Myers still alive, or do I need to get back to perform another autopsy?" Ducky asked curiously.

At that Abby looked at both Gibbs and Ducky with wide eyes. "Oh please don't tell me that I missed it! Gibbs! You should have let that piece of scum rot in his cell a little longer."

"You can always watch the interrogation tapes, you know," Gibbs told her.

"It's not the same thing," Abby pouted.

"I highly doubt this will be your last chance to watch Gibbs interrogate someone," Ducky assured her.

"But this is different! Tony got hurt and he's partly to blame!" Abby said.

"Don't worry, Abby," Gibbs reassured her. "Myers got what was coming to him and he still has plenty of jail time to look forward to."

Abby sighed. "I suppose so."

"Why don't you fill me in on how Tony's doing?" Gibbs asked her.

"Jethro, he's fine. Changing bandages is quite normal, I can assure you," Ducky spoke up.

"I wasn't talking about his physical condition, Ducky," Gibbs spoke quietly.

A silence came over the three for a moment as they contemplated what Gibbs had asked.

"He's doing ok. Afraid no one will give him an update. Asked one of us to call to find out what is going on," began Ducky.

Gibbs shook his head. "I told him I would be back to tell him what was happening."

"You know how he is, Jethro. Saying and doing are two completely different things where he is concerned," Ducky continued.

Gibbs nodded his head in agreement then turned to look at Abby, who had been silent since he had asked his question. She now seemed to be in deep thought.

"Abby?" At Gibbs' voice she looked up at him. "Something I should know?"

She held his gaze for a moment before answering. "Yes," and at that Gibbs grew even more worried. "Don't shut him out now that you both are back here."

Despite all of the thoughts that had run through his mind, that was not what Gibbs had expected Abby to say.

Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Tony told me some of what the two of you talked about. I'll tell you this much, what you now know is not everything there is to know about the mystery that makes up your senior field agent. You go back to normal and you will be throwing the trust he showed you in his face. If that happens I can guarantee you that you will find yourself an agent short one day when you show up for work."

Gibbs opened his mouth to say something, but Abby held up her hand to indicate that she was not yet finished. Gibbs wisely stayed silent.

"When I say that he trusts you, I'm not talking about the kind of trust needed when someone's watching your back in the field. This is a different kind of trust. I can't explain it any more than that. Tony respects you, looks up to you. Don't make him regret opening up to you."

After a moment of silence, Gibbs cautiously asked, "Anything else I should know?"

"Just one more thing," Abby said. "If you hurt him in any way, shape or form, you will have to deal with me. Remember, you are not the only one around here who knows how to kick ass."

Gibbs gave her a small smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

Ducky cleared his throat and said, "Well, if you're done threatening him, Abby, I believe that was Tony's nurse walking down the hall. Perhaps we should head back so the two of them can eat?"

Abby pretended to think about it before agreeing. "If we wait much longer we'll probably start hearing Tony's stomach growling."

The trio laughed as they headed down the hallway back to Tony's room.

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Tony sighed to himself as he flipped through several channels on the television in his room. He was bored and he was giving serious thought to trying to reach over to the table by his bed to grab the phone and get a progress report on his own. He really wished Abby and Ducky would hurry back. The nurse that had been changing his bandages was not much of a conversationalist.

Just then another nurse entered his room pushing a cart filled with several trays of food.

"Here ya go, eat up! Don't want to lose your strength!" the nurse said cheerfully.

Tony managed to give her a fake smile at the sight of the piles of, well, something on tray.

"Thanks. Looks very, uh, nutritious," Tony told the nurse as she smiled at him and wheeled the cart out of his room and moved on.

Tony picked up a fork and picked through the mush. Grimacing, he pushed the table over his bed away. There was no way he was eating that. He wondered how long he had to look at it before someone came around to collect the tray.

"People in prison get better food than this," Tony muttered to himself.

"Our tax dollars at work," Gibbs said as he walked into the room, followed closely by Abby and Ducky.

"Boss!" Tony exclaimed as he moved to sit up straighter.

"You stay right where you are, young man!" Ducky scolded. "Moving around like that will get your stitches pulled out, which might lead to you having to stay here that much longer."

Tony immediately settled back down at the threat of prolonging his hospital stay.

"Ew gross! Tony's right. Prisoners do get better food," Abby remarked as she started her own examination of the sludge on the tray.

"I think you should take it back to your lab, see what you can find," Tony suggested as his face took on a disgusted look.

"I myself never understood why hospitals serve such grotesque meals," Ducky said as he checked to make sure Tony had settled properly. "Especially if a doctor wants their patient to heal. No one should be forced to eat such…"

"Maybe you should take it out of here," Gibbs interrupted Ducky. "Before Tony loses any appetite he as left."

"Ah yes, excellent idea," Ducky said. He walked over and took the tray away from Abby, who was still moving the substances around with a fork. Once the tray was gone, Gibbs grabbed the table and moved it back up towards Tony and placed a thermos and crackers on top of it.

"What? You're giving me food that I can't see? That doesn't make me feel much better about it than the hospital food, Boss," Tony stated.

Settling down into the chair by Tony's bed, Gibbs pulled out his own food before answering. "It's chicken dumpling soup, Dinozzo. Eat it before it gets cold."

Tony's face seemed to lighten up at that and opened the thermos. Gibbs unwrapped his sub and took a bite, keeping an eye on Tony to make sure he didn't try to sit up again as he ate.

"Well, I think we should leave these two to their meal," Ducky said as he came back from discarding the tray. "Let them talk shop and all that."

"Thanks for stopping by," Tony said in between eating. "I know hospitals aren't the greatest place to hang around."

"But you are, silly," Abby said as she stood up to join Ducky at the door. "I better not hear that you're trying to move around too much. If I do I'll tie you down!"

Tony laughed. "Promises, promises."

"Yeah, well…" Abby began but Ducky pulling on her arm stopped her from continuing her remark. "See you guys later!"

"Take care," Ducky said, and with that they were gone.

Tony turned to look at Gibbs. "So how are things going?"

Gibbs resisted the urge to reach over and slap Tony across the head. "Finish your soup, first. I'm not talking with my mouth full."

"Yes, Boss," Tony said and continued to enjoy the much more edible food that Gibbs had brought.

Chapter 28:

"I can't believe I missed that!" exclaimed Tony as he stared at Gibbs. "Why is it all the fun stuff happens whenever I'm not there?"

Gibbs chuckled. "You act like you've never seen me interrogate someone before."

Once they had both finished eating Gibbs had told Tony about how the rest of the team had arrested three other men involved and how he had handled Myers in interrogation.

"Not like that I haven't," Tony complained.

"I'm sure Abby will be happy to make you a copy of the tape," Gibbs said in amusement.

Tony glared at him. "What's so funny?"

"It's like déjà vu," Gibbs said. At Tony's confused look, he explained, "Not that long ago Abby had the same reaction that you're having now. It's scary how alike the two of you are sometimes."

Tony grinned at that. "Better not say that too much, Boss. People might start to wonder what you started putting in your coffee." The light slap to the head that came after that was not unexpected.

"So when is Sanatos being arrested?" Tony asked.

Gibbs shrugged. "Soon I would imagine. Both the director of NCIS and the FBI agreed that that honor would stay with the FBI. There's not much left for us to do."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Of course not. We do the hard part and once again they get credit for it."

"True, but this way Fornell owes us one," Gibbs pointed out.

"I guess so," Tony sighed in acceptance. "So what's next?"

"What do you mean, next?" Gibbs asked.

"You know, when do we get back to doing our own work instead of the FBI's?" Tony clarified.

"The only thing you have to worry about right now is resting. 'Next' will wait until the doctors clear you for duty," Gibbs told him in a strict voice. Unfortunately for Gibbs, said strict voice did not always work on Tony.

"Come on, Boss," Tony pressed on. "I'm fine. The doctors already took me off the extra oxygen. I'm good as new."

Gibbs sighed. There were days when Tony's persistence was welcoming in a case, but then there were days like today when he didn't know when to leave things alone. "We've already had this discussion, Dinozzo. You will leave the hospital only when the doctors say there is no more risk of infection. You will come back to work only when the doctors have signed the dotted line on the clearance forms. You got me?"

"Not much of a discussion, if you ask me," Tony muttered as he sunk back into the bed.

Gibbs took a deep breath. That was not how he had wanted that to come out. Abby's warning in his head, he knew he had to fix things before they got too far off track. Besides, he needed Tony to understand that he was just trying to look out for the younger man.

"Damn it, Tony. When are you going to learn not to push yourself so much?" Gibbs sighed in frustration.

Tony snorted. "That's rich, coming from you."

"We're not talking about me."

"Oh I see. So you're the 'do as I say, not as I do' kind of guy then?"

Gibbs glared at Tony, who glared right back. This was not going well at all. Although Gibbs had to admit that he shouldn't honestly be so surprised. How many times over the years had Ducky pointed out how similar they were? Even he could admit it to himself that he saw a lot of himself in Tony. Which was why he was always trying to make sure Tony didn't push himself too hard, become so focused on his work that he ignored everything else. That was what had happened to him and thus the second 'b' in his name suddenly became more useful. Gibbs did not want that for Tony.

"When it comes to you, yes, I am," Gibbs finally answered Tony.

The glare in Tony's eyes decreased a bit as a look of confusion started to take hold. It was obvious that he had expected an entirely different response. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that if you aren't careful one of these days people are going to wonder if I rubbed off on you too much," Gibbs said.

Now Tony looked even more confused. "You make it sound like a bad thing. If anything, I'd think people would be pleased by the improvement."

Gibbs' hand came around the back of Tony's head so fast that for a moment Tony wasn't even sure he had been hit.

"I don't ever want to hear you say anything like that again, understand?" Gibbs snapped. Tony sat there, not quite sure what to make of what Gibbs meant.

Taking Tony's momentary shock of silence, Gibbs pressed forward. "There is nothing that you have to change about yourself, Tony. All I meant was that I didn't want you to turn into a bastard like me from pushing too hard and getting too focused on work."

He paused then, to let his words sink in. "With the exception of maybe Abby, I don't think I have to worry about anyone accusing me of focusing too hard on work," Tony spoke quietly after a minute.

"That might have something to do with the fact that she also knows about the midnight hours you put in during the week," Gibbs pointed out.

At that Tony had the grace to look mildly embarrassed. "It's not that often…" he said in a failed attempt to pass it off as nothing.

"I may stay past normal hours, but at least when I go home I stay there," Gibbs said.

"Yeah well, I don't have a basement to exorcise my demons in, so work it is," Tony admitted calmly as he turned to stare out the window in his room.

Gibbs considered that new bit of information for a moment, before letting a small smile form. Abby had told him not to shut Tony out now that they were going to get back to what settled for a 'normal' routine around here, and Tony had inadvertently presented a way to avoid that from happening.

"If you're looking for a way to exorcise your demons, then come over and give me a hand with the boat once in a while," Gibbs offered.

Tony looked back at him and gave him a calculating look. "I don't know the first thing about building a boat."

"Then learning will be a good distraction from whatever it is that you are trying to keep buried," Gibbs pointed out.

Tony paused to consider what was said to him before allowing a smirk to appear on his face. "Aren't you afraid that will turn me into you even more?"

Gibbs grinned. "According to some people I know it's too late for that."

Tony nodded. "I hear you on that one."

Now it was Gibbs' turn to look confused. "Care to elaborate?"

"Ducky hinted at things a few times," Tony began. "But once he actually came right out and said that several years ago you were a lot like me."

Gibbs laughed. "He would know."

"Wait, you mean he was serious?" Tony questioned. "I thought he was pulling my leg."

"Yes, he was serious. And a lot like you do now I pushed myself to get back to work too soon and spent one too many extra hours working relentlessly," Gibbs told him. "Hence the three ex-wives."

Tony's eyes widened as he said, "So…"

"Yes," Gibbs confirmed. He was finally seeing that his point was beginning to be understood. "I promised I would get you out of the hospital as soon as possible, Tony, but I'm not going to push for your release too early, either."

"Ok," Tony said with a sigh before asking, "Um, did you really mean when you said I could help with the boat?"

"When have I ever said something and then taken it back?" Gibbs countered.

Tony shrugged. "First time for everything." The expression Tony had on his face told Gibbs that it was something he had gotten used to from other people.

"Not from me there isn't," Gibbs insisted.

Tony studied him for a moment before giving a small smile. "Ok, cool."

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"Oh wow, Tony definitely needs to see this," exclaimed Abby as she finished watching the interrogation tape.

"It will certainly keep him occupied a bit at the hospital," Ducky remarked with a chuckle.

"How do you think they are doing?" Abby asked as she began to make a copy.

"I'm sure they are fine," Ducky assured her. "This mission has done a great deal for them."

"I know," Abby said with a sigh. "I guess I just can't help but worry. What makes you so sure, anyway?"

Ducky smiled. "In this particular matter I have a feeling we both know more than we let on."

Abby gave him a curious look. "Maybe. What do you think you know that I don't?"

"What is there for me to know that would cause you to worry about?" countered Ducky.

"Now you're just trying to confuse me," Abby groaned in frustration.

Ducky laughed and patted her on the shoulder. "Not at all. How about we both agree to know more than most people and just leave it at that? Does it really matter if we both have the same or different information?"

"Um, ok," Abby agreed as she once again gave Ducky a curious look. "So, you're Gibbs' secret keeper and I'm Tony's?"

"Well said, Abigail," Ducky nodded in approval. "Hmm, just makes me wonder which of us has the tougher job."

"No kidding," agreed Abby as she finished making a copy of the interrogation.

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Once it had gotten through Tony's head that Gibbs was serious about the invitation to help out with the boat, things had calmed down between the two. It was then that Gibbs had noticed that Tony was starting to look tired but he knew that it was highly unlikely that the younger man would fall asleep anytime soon.

Gibbs knew that Tony did not like hospitals, he himself shared that feeling. But Tony always let his hatred of hospitals get in the way of resting. He would not fall asleep until he reached the point of exhaustion, which would also hinder his recovery time.

So Gibbs had turned on the news with the hope that the lack of conversation would be enough to lull Tony to sleep. If not, he had no qualms about finding a nurse and having her get something to help Tony sleep.

Fortunately, that was not necessary. Not long after the TV had been turned on had he started to nod off. Gibbs was mildly amused as he watched out of the corner of his eyes as Tony fought to stay awake. His eyes would drift shut for a moment, and then he would jerk awake and try to refocus on what was on the screen. After a few attempts Tony finally gave in and fell asleep.

Not wanting to give Tony any reason to wake up, Gibbs waited several minutes before he turned off the TV. Settling back into his seat he allowed himself to relax, knowing that Tony was going to be ok and that the rest of his team was tying up the loose ends of the case.

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"Excuse me, sir," a voice spoke softly.

Gibbs stirred and looked up as a nurse he didn't recognize gently shook his shoulder. Sitting up he checked his watch, surprised to find out how late it was. He couldn't believe how long he had been sleeping.

"Sir, the doctor would like to speak with you about your son," the nurse spoke quietly.

Glancing over Gibbs saw that Tony was still sleeping before nodding at the nurse who then left the room. He smiled to himself, not bothering to correct the young woman. 'Yeah,' Gibbs thought to himself. 'He is my son, in every way that counts.'

Carefully Gibbs stood up and stretched. Hospital chairs were not the best place to sleep. Wondering what the doctor would want to talk with him about, he turned and headed out into the hallway. As he left he failed to notice Tony wake up and smile at Gibbs not bothering to correct the nurse before falling back asleep.

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Finding the doctor not too far down the hallway, Gibbs wasted no time in approaching the man. As he had become more alert his worry had grown. He had thought that the infection was practically gone. Had it reappeared? Was Tony getting worse?

"Ah, Agent Gibbs," the doctor acknowledged Gibbs' presence. "I'm sorry to wake you, but I thought it was best to discuss this as soon as possible."

"What's wrong with Tony?" Gibbs asked, getting to the point quickly.

"Oh nothing is wrong, I'm sorry if you got the wrong impression," the doctor reassured him, not at all put off by the agent's abruptness. "I was simply going over Mr. Dinozzo's records and it seems he has a habit of trying to leave early."

Gibbs let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. "He won't leave until you've cleared him. You have my word on that."

The doctor chuckled. "I believe you. However there isn't much more I can do for him here. I'm actually willing to release him in the morning; given of course he promises to follow instructions."

"He'll be glad to get out of here," Gibbs said.

"Of that I have no doubt," the doctor agreed. "But I wanted to talk to you before I discussed this with him. I would prefer it if he had someone staying with him for a few days to help him out. The stitches will have to stay in his side for another few days, and I don't want to take the chance that he would pull them out trying to do something strenuous."

Gibbs smirked and said, "I was going to make him stay with me to make sure he didn't push himself anyhow."

"Oh, well good then," he approved. "I'm going to keep him on antibiotics for a few days, just to be on the safe side. They will need to be taken with food. I will also be including some pain killers just in case his side starts to bother him any."

"Don't give any of that to him, he will forget to take the antibiotics," Gibbs said. "And the pain pills he will probably try to flush."

"Glad to see someone is looking out for him," the doctor said. "The discharge papers will be ready for you to sign in the morning at the nurse's station. I'll leave his prescriptions there for you to pick up as well."

"Thank you," Gibbs said as he shook the doctor's hand. Just then the nurse that had woken Gibbs up approached them.

"Here is the chart you requested," she said as she handed it over to the doctor.

"Thank you."

"Oh, Agent Gibbs," the doctor halted him as he started to head back to Tony's room. "Mr. Dinozzo will also need to make an appointment to get those stitches removed."

"Of course," Gibbs nodded and then turned to leave, but still able to hear the conversation that the doctor and nurse had.

"Wait, I thought that man was his father?" the nurse asked.

"No, that's his boss. He is listed as his emergency contact and next of kin though," the doctor told her.

"Oh, I could have sworn otherwise. I mean, that man's been sitting with Mr. Dinozzo all this time…" the nurse faded out as Gibbs re-entered Tony's room with a smile. Even when they weren't working undercover they managed to pull it off. 'Even Gary and the others had been surprised to find out we weren't related,' Gibbs thought to himself as he settled back into his chair. He wondered if they would have another opportunity in the future to play father and son. He could only hope so.

"Boss?" the quiet voice from the bed stirred him from his thoughts.

"I'm still here. It's late, go back to sleep," Gibbs told him.

He heard Tony yawn before asking, "Where did you go?"

"Just stretching my legs a bit," Gibbs told him, knowing that if Tony found out he could leave in the morning then he would never get back to sleep. "I'm sleeping in a chair, you know."

"Then why aren't you going home?" Tony asked as he shifted to lie on his right side to face Gibbs in the dark room. "You don't have to stay."

Gibbs could detect a hint of curiosity mixed in with Tony's question. He also got the feeling that Tony was a bit surprised that he was still here.
"Someone has to make sure you are following the doctor's orders," Gibbs told him. "Go back to sleep."

Tony studied Gibbs for a moment before another yawn took over. "See you in the morning, then?"

Gibbs nodded. "I'm not going anywhere."

Eventually they both fell back to sleep. Later when the nurse came back in to replace Tony's IV, she just shook her head and thought to herself, 'Nope, I was right. They are father and son.'

Chapter 29:

Morning came fast for Tony, which really surprised him considering how slow the day had been. Something was up, he was sure of it. The memory of the nurse coming in to wake Gibbs so that the doctor could speak to him was still fresh in his mind. Despite his curiosity and concern about what the doctor had said to Gibbs, he couldn't help but smile at the nurse's mistake. It still amazed him that people would actually think that they really were father and son. What amazed him even more was the fact that Gibbs didn't correct her.

Tony sighed to himself as he flipped through the morning news stations. Gibbs had gotten up about an hour ago to get a fresh cup of coffee and to 'stretch his legs some more.' He had said the exact same thing when he came back from talking to the doctor, although Gibbs didn't know that he knew that was what he had been doing. What had the doctor told Gibbs? It couldn't be anything bad; otherwise he would have been told as well. Either that or he would have noticed a nurse inserting more medication into his IV line.

Speaking of which…

No one had come by to check or replace the IV line. Tony grinned as a light bulb suddenly went off in his head. Just when Gibbs was saying he wasn't going to get him out of the hospital until the doctors said he was ready! That's what the doctor wanted to talk to Gibbs about, it had to be. Probably wanted to make sure he would have a ride home or something.

Then suddenly Tony realized that no one had bothered to tell him anything about being released yet. Realizing that he had a rare moment of opportunity here for some fun, he grinned to himself as he began to figure out plan.

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When Gibbs told Tony he was going out for coffee and to stretch his legs, he wasn't lying. He just wasn't telling the whole truth, either. On his way out he had stopped at the nurse's station to pick up Tony's prescription. He wanted to hide them before Tony got a hold of the painkillers and flushed them. Plus it gave him an excuse to get out of the hospital for a bit.

He made a quick stop at Tony's apartment to pick up some things that he would need before stopping to pick up a cup of coffee and some breakfast for Tony and himself. He figured he would go back out again later to stock up on food once he was sure Tony was resting.

When he arrived at the hospital Gibbs quickly filled out a few forms and handed them back to the nurse, who told him she would let him know when the paperwork had been processed. After thanking her he went straight to Tony's room.

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Tony had been able to smell the breakfast burrito out in the hall, so he knew Gibbs was on his way in. Setting the beginning of his plan in motion, he pretended to be asleep.

When Gibbs walked in he saw that the TV was still on and a peaceful looking Tony on the bed. Thinking that he had good timing, Gibbs quickly hid the bag with a change of clothes for Tony in the corner before waking him up.

Gently shaking his shoulder, Gibbs spoke quietly, "Come on, Tony. Time to get up."

Tony groaned and shifted away from Gibbs, who rolled his eyes and said, "Fine. I'm sure I can find another patient in this hospital that would appreciate a decent breakfast."

Tony couldn't help but give in as he turned back around and glared at Gibbs. "That's not fair. Everyone is telling me I need to rest but then you all keep waking me up when I actually am resting."

Gibbs laughed as he handed over the burrito. "You fell asleep watching TV again?"

Tony shrugged and answered as he took the wrapper off of the sandwich. "Please. There's nothing on but the news and cheesy soap operas. How could I not fall asleep?"

"Fair enough," Gibbs said as he settled back into his chair. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Tony broke it.

"So where else did you go?" he asked.

Gibbs looked up confused. "What?"

"This is a hospital, Boss. You don't get good food like this around here. You would have had to leave the perimeter of the hospital to get this stuff," Tony explained. "I just figured you would go somewhere else while you were out."

Gibbs looked at him. "Is that so?"

Tony gave him a cheeky grin as he replied, "Well, aren't you always telling me that NCIS agents never assume, they always double check?"

Gibbs returned the grin. "Smart ass. Of course I went somewhere else. Do you honestly expect me to drink the watered down sludge they have here for coffee?"

It was taking all of Tony's self control to not burst out laughing. Whether Gibbs realized it or not, he was playing Tony's game very well. He had noticed how Gibbs had not actually confirmed or denied the fact that he had gone somewhere else other than to get food.

"No, I guess not," Tony answered. "So what are you doing today?" He would let Gibbs think he got one over on him, for now at least.

"I'm supposed to be resting, just like you are," Gibbs told him.

"And you always do what the doctor tells you to," Tony teased.

"When its convenient, yes I do," Gibbs laughed.

Having finished his breakfast, Tony turned onto his right side again to give his neck a break from constantly turning. "So you took almost two hours to get coffee and breakfast?"

That question took Gibbs mildly by surprise. 'Tony's getting suspicious,' Gibbs realized. Out loud, he said, "Didn't realize my hall pass expired."

"Very funny," Tony said with a sigh in an effort to cover up a grin that might have escaped. "What did the doctor want last night?"

The look of surprise on Gibbs' face was priceless, and Tony suddenly wished for a camera, because he was sure he wouldn't see it again.

"I thought you were sleeping," Gibbs told him.

Tony shrugged. "I was. I saw you follow the nurse out into the hallway. So either she made you an offer you couldn't refuse or she was playing messenger for the doctor. So which is it?"

Gibbs was impressed. Obviously Tony's observation skills have not suffered from his recent injuries. Then Gibbs began to wonder how much Tony had already figured out. Thinking that Tony just might be playing him, he said, "I don't kiss and tell."

Gibbs knew that Tony was good at undercover work and what he saw right now was evidence to support that knowledge. The only way Gibbs was able to know for sure if Tony was playing a game or not was his eyes. There was an obvious glimmer of humor there, Gibbs was sure of it. He had worked too long with the younger man to miss it.

"Yeah well, you must have pissed off the entire nursing staff with whatever you didn't do because no one has been in here all morning. Yesterday there were two; one to change the IV and one to check on my side for swelling and stuff," Tony pointed out gruffly. He had his mask on and he wasn't letting go, this was simply too much fun. He was pretty sure that by now Gibbs must have picked up on something, but if he wasn't going to call him on it Tony saw no reason to continue their banter.

"So you're automatically assuming its something I did?" Gibbs questioned, enjoying the game that Tony had started.

"I didn't do anything. You're usually the one who make the nurses cry, remember," Tony said.

"I do not make nurses cry," Gibbs shot back.

"Right. You forget, Boss. I was the one who gave you a ride home the last time you were shot. You made three ER nurses cry," Tony reminded him. "Plus I heard it from a reliable source that you did it again when they were trying to help you out with your broken nose."

"So you're blaming me for the negligent care you're receiving here?" Gibbs asked, knowing full well that the only way Tony would have been able to find out about his latest visit to the ER was through Ducky. He was going to have to have a talk with him later about that.

"Yes, since you didn't talk to my doctor last night you must have done something to scare off the nursing staff," Tony said in an attempt to get Gibbs admit that he spoke to his doctor about his discharge.

"An entire nursing staff would not risk a law suit just because of something I might have done," Gibbs replied, not willing to give in. If Tony wanted to know something more specific, he was going to have to ask outright.

Tony laughed. "Look at some of the cases we've had, Boss. Can you honestly say that it's not possible?"

"In this situation, yes I can say it is not possible," Gibbs said. He wanted to see where Tony went with this.

'Ha, nice try Gibbs,' Tony thought to himself. "So are you implying that…"

"Ah good. Glad to see you're back, Agent Gibbs," the doctor interrupted as he came in with the discharge papers. "All the paperwork is filled out. He can leave at any time."

Gibbs nodded as he accepted the paperwork from the doctor. "Thanks. I think he's ready to leave now."

"Well, duh!" Tony exclaimed as he began to move to get out of bed.

The doctor nodded. "Of course. I'll leave you to it. See you next week to remove those stitches."

After the doctor laughed Gibbs asked, "You want to finish what you were going to ask?"

Tony grinned. "Nope. I figure I'll hold on to it for next time."

"Just as long as it doesn't take place in a hospital," Gibbs told him as he went to retrieve Tony's clothes.

"Agreed. So, how much longer do you think you would have been able to keep going?" Tony asked with a grin in reference to their jesting.

Gibbs grinned and replied, "I think the question is how much longer would you have been able to keep going?"

They shared a knowing look and started laughing. It would soon become a private joke between the two because neither one of them would be willing to admit defeat of any kind.

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After helping Tony get dressed Gibbs had gone out and located a wheelchair. When he returned to the room with it Tony had taken one look at it and said, "No."

Gibbs had simply looked at him, causing Tony to defend himself. "Come on, Gibbs! I've been lying down for the last two days! It's my turn to stretch my legs out!"

"If you want to leave this hospital, you get in the damn wheelchair. Otherwise I'll return these discharge forms to the nurse," Gibbs threatened.

"You can't do that! Who says I need your permission to leave, anyway?" Tony asked.

Gibbs smirked at him. "Actually, according to your doctor, you do need my permission. The hospital released you into my care."

Tony blinked at him. "What?"

"Get in the chair, Tony. I don't have all day," Gibbs told Tony, who promptly sat down with a sigh of exasperation.

"So how long am I gonna have to stay with you for?" Tony asked Gibbs as they headed towards the exit.

"Until the stitches come out," Gibbs answered.

"Whose medical advice is that?"

"Mine."

"Why?"
"Because knowing you you'll probably end up pulling out your stitches, which will keep you on desk duty for that much longer," Gibbs explained to him. "I don't like going out in the field without you to help me keep an eye on things."

Tony grinned. "Really? Does that mean…"

"Don't start," Gibbs interrupted him.

"Aw, come on Boss. You could at least wait to hear what I have to say before you shoot it down," Tony complained.

"That's because I don't want to hear it. It won't change my answer," Gibbs said.

"That's not fair," Tony said.

"Life isn't," Gibbs replied as he walked through the hospital doors. Neither man was aware of the nurse from the night before laughing as she watched them leave.

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'Finally,' Tony thought to himself as Gibbs gave him back his cell phone. Once they had arrived at Gibbs' house and Tony was comfortably seated on the couch Gibbs had relented and given Tony his phone back. Of course his reasoning for it was in case he needed anything while he was out getting more food for later.

The moment Gibbs left the house Tony started checking his messages. There were three. One was from Ducky, reminding him to take his pills, all of them, and to rest. The second was from Abby, McGee and Ziva. They all wanted to congratulate him on surviving the undercover op with Gibbs and to wish him luck on surviving living at his house for the next few days. Tony found it funny that they all seemed to think that Gibbs could be difficult to live with. It wasn't, not really, just as long as you followed all of his rules and didn't try to find any loop holes in said rules. Which of course, Tony didn't, at least not all of the time.

The final message surprised Tony. It was from Ray.

"Hey Tony, its Ray. Got your number when I called NCIS headquarters. Not sure when you'll get out of the hospital, but give me a call back when you get the chance. I'll hook you up with a fresh stash of coffee since Gibbs seemed to like it so much. Can't hurt to have some on hand, especially with the crazy job you guys have! Hope you're doing ok, talk to you soon!"

Tony laughed after he had listened to the message. Ray was right; you never knew when a decent cup of coffee would come in handy, especially when you worked with Gibbs.

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Tony wasn't the only one who wanted to get back in the information loop. While Gibbs was driving he had put on his speakerphone to listen to his messages. He had five messages. The first one was from Fornell, telling him that they had just arrested Sanatos and promised to keep him posted. The second was from the Director, basically saying the same thing in addition to telling him to actually get some rest during his time off. The third one was Ducky, lecturing him on what food was acceptable and what was not and a reminder to make sure Tony took his medicine. The fourth was Abby, who of course, warned him of Tony's attempts to steal the pain medication and get rid of it before he would have to take any more.

The final message was from Gary. Gibbs figured he would be hearing from the other man at some point. He along with the rest of their group had been concerned about Tony when he was flown out by helicopter. He suddenly felt bad for not having sent word to them letting them know that Tony was doing all right.

"Hey, Gibbs, Gary here. Just calling to check in to see how things are going. I'm sure you've been busy dealing with Myers and all, so no complaints here from not having heard from you yet. When you get the chance, give me a ring. I'll set you up with some real coffee to help keep you from going crazy. No doubt Tony probably helps keep you on your toes more often than you would like. I'm sure he's fine, give him my best. Catch you later!"

Gibbs smiled as he pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store. Gary was right, Tony did somehow manage to 'keep him on his toes' in his own way. That extra stash of coffee would definitely come in handy.

Chapter 30:

Three days after being released from the hospital Gary had called Gibbs to invite him and Tony over for a barbecue. Jim and Jason were going to be there as well.

"It'll give us a chance to sort of finish the whole 'father-son' trip," Gary had said.

Knowing that Tony was going crazy sitting around the house with nothing to do, Gibbs accepted the invitation.

"Finally, a change of scenery. I don't know how much longer I would have been able to survive cooped up in this house," Tony said as they pulled out of Gibbs' driveway.

"Something wrong with my house, Dinozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"Uh, no. Of course not, Boss," Tony hurried to explain. "I just meant that it will be nice to move around some."

"You're not moving around," Gibbs told him. "You are going to keep your butt in a chair. Change of scenery does not mean change in orders."

"Yeah, yeah. Take the fun out of everything, why don't you?" Tony groaned.

"I should have left you in the hospital, I don't need this grief," Gibbs said.

"But then you would have been bored silly with no one to boss around during your mandatory leave," Tony retorted.

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Gary had decided to have the barbecue at his house so he wouldn't have to worry about forgetting anything. His house was not as far a drive as it was to the river so no one was going out of their way to come.

Jim and Jason had arrived before Gibbs and Tony, so they were well on their way into conversation by the time that Gibbs and Tony arrived.

"Hope you didn't have any trouble finding the house," Gary greeted Gibbs and Tony as they got out of the car.

"Not at all," Gibbs replied as he walked up the driveway. "Just had to go over some rules with Tony before we left."

"Rules, huh?" Gary said with a laugh as Tony rolled his eyes at Gibbs. "Well, come on back, the rest of the gang is already here."

Upon entering the backyard Gibbs and Tony were both greeted by Jim, Jason, and Ray.

"Glad to see the swellings gone down, those were some mean looking bruises you were carrying," Jim said to Gibbs.

"You're looking pretty good for a guy who took a swim in the Youghiogheny

River," Ray told him.

"I'm surprised they didn't want to keep you in the hospital longer," Jason commented.

"I got released from the hospital and was forced to join the dictatorship of Gibbs," Tony told them. "If I don't follow his orders I face the death penalty."

"And I believe Order # 1 was to keep your butt in a chair, so sit down," Gibbs said as he lightly shoved Tony down into a chair before moving to help Gary and Jim at the grill.

"Maybe I should give you more than one bag of coffee," Ray whispered.

"Will you be able to mail me more when I run out?" Tony whispered back.

"What's with the orders?" Jason asked.

"He's afraid I'll pull out my stitches," Tony answered. "And he doesn't want to get any more lectures if something else happens to me."

"Is he like that at work?" Ray wondered.

"Yeah, but at work its called rules," Tony replied.

"Doesn't seem like much of a difference to me," Jason said.

"Oh, there's a difference. Rules are more like really good, life-saving advice. Orders are just there to make me miserable," Tony explained.

Meanwhile, over at the grill, Gary, Jim and Gibbs were holding their own conversation.

"So, is he really doing ok?" Gary had asked once they were out of earshot.

"For the most part," Gibbs said with a nod. "He bounces back fast."

"If he's not allowed to move around much, why is he out of the hospital?" Jim asked.

"The hospital would have released him sooner or later. By releasing him into my custody it decreased the risk of him over-doing things too soon," Gibbs replied.

"He seems like the type that would do that," observed Gary.

"You have no idea," Gibbs said.

Jim snickered. "Oh I think we do, boys will be boys and all that."

"It's during those times I say my prayers of thanks for coffee," Gary said laughing.

Gibbs laughed. "Can't argue with that."

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"I can't believe he let you out of the house," Abby exclaimed over the phone.

Tony laughed. "Yeah, well, getting an extra portion of Gary's coffee probably helped."

Gibbs and Tony had returned from Gary's not too long ago and while Gibbs was downstairs in the basement Tony had decided to call Abby and let her know he was doing ok.

"I'm just glad Ray will be able help me make sure he never runs out," Tony continued.

"Wow," Abby said. "That must be some seriously good coffee."

"Yep. I'm thinking of asking Ducky if he's going to want to store some in his office for emergencies," Tony told her.

"Sounds like a good idea," Abby agreed. "So, apart from the whole getting shot and thrown into the river thing, how was the trip?"

Tony paused a moment before answering. "It wasn't what I thought it would be."

"Meaning what exactly?" Abby asked.

"I guess I sort of figured it would be like any other undercover op," Tony explained. "You know, focus all of your attention on the job kind of thing. I mean, we did focus on our job, but…"

"It wasn't your normal 24/7 kind of assignment," Abby finished for him.

"Yeah," Tony sighed with relief that his friend understood what he was saying.

"So," Abby wondered out-loud. "Was it a good kind of different or bad kind?"

Tony laughed. "Good kind of different. Hell, I'm pretty sure I talked with Gibbs more on that trip alone than I ever did with my…well, with him."

There was silence on the phone as both Tony and Abby contemplated what he had just said. There was no doubt in Abby's mind who it was Tony was referring to.

"Maybe you and Gibbs can do a trip like that for real sometime," Abby suggested in an attempt to try to move away from the subject of Tony's so-called father.

"Yeah, maybe," Tony said casually.

"Oh, come on Tony. You know Gibbs would if you asked him," Abby told him.

"But who said I was ever going to ask him?" Tony retorted.

Abby took in a deep breath before continuing, knowing how stubborn Tony could be. "You told me yourself that he was the one who initiated the conversation about your colorful resume. Gibbs wouldn't do that if he really didn't want to know. You of all people should know that he doesn't do small talk."

"I know that, Abby," Tony said after considering what she said. "Talking is one thing, willingly hanging out together outside of work is something completely different."

"And hanging out with the guys from the rafting trip was what? All part of the job? I think not," Abby pointed out to him.

"That's different," Tony told her quietly.

"How?"

"It just is."

"That's not an answer."

"I know it's different."

"If you say so…"

"I do. Can we please not talk about this anymore?"

"Alright," Abby agreed. "I'll drop it, for now."
Tony sighed. "Thanks for the warning. Maybe…"

"Hey! Dinozzo! What are you still doing up?" came Gibbs' voice from behind the couch where Tony was sitting.

Tony jumped and let the phone drop to the floor. "Geez, boss. Don't do that!" Tony glared at Gibbs as he walked around and picked up the phone.

"What are you doing keeping Tony up?" Gibbs asked into the phone.

"Hey bossman! Just making sure he's still alive and all. You have fun today?" came Abby's cheerful voice over the phone.

"It's past his bedtime, Abs. Call back tomorrow," Gibbs told her before hanging up the phone.

"Party pooper," Abby said to the dial tone.

"Hey! Did you really have to do that? I promised her I'd call her when we got back," Tony said as he continued to glare at Gibbs.

"You called, you talked. You kept your promise. Now it's getting late and time for you to be getting some rest," Gibbs told him.

"What?!" Tony exclaimed. "I am way too old to have a damn bedtime!"

"This is part of, what did you call it? The dictatorship of Gibbs, right?" At Tony's scowl, Gibbs continued. "Well, here's another order for you. Follow the doctor's directions so you can come back to work."

"All I've been doing is resting. It's not like I'm going to drop dead if I'm not in bed by midnight you know," Tony complained.

"I'd rather not take that chance with you," Gibbs told him as he took hold of Tony's arm and hauled him off the couch and steered him in the direction of the stairs.

Tony gave him a curious look before saying, "Come on, my luck isn't that bad."

At Gibbs' glare, Tony asked, "This is some payback for all the crap you went through in basic training as a Marine, isn't it? You can't be a drill sergeant so you're taking it all out on me."

"Do you really want to test that theory?" Gibbs asked him before pointing to the stares. "Bed. Now."

Tony groaned before heading up the stairs. Halfway up, he turned around and said with a knowing smirk, "Or maybe you're just afraid of what kind of lecture Ducky will make you sit through if you don't follow your orders."

Before Gibbs could retort, Tony had turned around and darted up the rest of the stairs and out of sight.

Gibbs couldn't help but snicker at Tony's antics as he dialed a number on his phone.

"Hello?" a voice on the other line said.

"Hey, its me," Gibbs said.

"Jethro! It's about time. I expected you to call much earlier," Ducky's voice scolded over the phone.

"Sorry, Duck. Got a bit sidetracked," Gibbs told him.

Ducky sighed. "Dear lord, what has that boy gotten into now?"

"You can take that up with Abby," Gibbs said. "She was the one who had him on the phone for about an hour."

"Ah, well, Abby I can forgive. She's just worried about Tony is all," Ducky replied. "He taking his antibiotics like he's supposed to?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes, glad that he was only talking to the man on the phone. "Yes, and I just sent him upstairs to get some sleep too."

Ducky chuckled. "Bet he didn't take too well to that."

Gibbs laughed as well. "Nope. He claims he's being forced to live under the dictatorship of Gibbs and that he's too old to have a bed time."

"Hmm, I think that is still up for debate, especially when considering how often he ends up sleeping in the office," Ducky said.

"Yeah, I'll have to work on that," Gibbs said.

"I've been meaning to ask you how things went between the two of you during the trip. At some point he must have had to call you 'Dad'," Ducky ventured.

Gibbs took a moment to get his thoughts together before answering. "I sort of had to work him up to feeling comfortable enough to call me that."

Gibbs then went into detail, describing for Ducky the conversations they had on the drive up, the stop at the restaurant, the incident at the cabin, and everything in between.

"Good lord! I always had my suspicions, but really," Ducky exclaimed.

"There's definitely more there though," Gibbs said. "I think the only reason he told me about the scars on his back was because I saw them."

"I had always wondered about them," Ducky said. "He was very tense about the subject when I asked him about it once."

"You saw them?" Gibbs asked.

"Of course. You are always sending him down to autopsy for me to check him over," Ducky reminded him. "I was bound to see them sooner or later, knowing Tony's unfortunate habit of getting into trouble."

"You could have told me about it," Gibbs stated.

Ducky took a deep breath before answering. "No, I couldn't Jethro. He specifically asked me not to say anything to anyone about them."

There was silence for a few minutes as Gibbs took in that bit of information.

"Surely you must see how much he trusts you," Ducky said, pulling Gibbs from his thoughts. "Tony wouldn't have told you anything if he didn't feel comfortable enough to do so. That story was not an easy one to tell, I'm sure."

"It wasn't easy to listen to," Gibbs said as he once more recalled Tony's tone of voice when he spoke to Gibbs.

"Hmm, well perhaps the next time the two of you decide to have a heart to heart it will be on a more pleasant subject," Ducky stated.

"I just hope he learned that he can talk to me about anything," Gibbs said.

"Oh I don't doubt that. On that note perhaps you should be getting some rest yourself," Ducky told Gibbs.

"Trying to tell me I have a bedtime now too, Duck?" Gibbs teased.

Ducky chuckled. "Of course not. But you will surely need all whatever rest you can get to keep Tony in line tomorrow."

"Good point. Night, and thanks," Gibbs said.

"Anytime. Good night, Jethro."

After hanging up the phone Gibbs headed upstairs, pausing to look in on Tony as he headed towards his own room. 'Wouldn't put it past him to try and stay awake to sneak back downstairs later,' Gibbs thought.

Glancing into the bedroom he couldn't help but smile at the scene before him. Tony was sprawled out on the bed, completely down for the count. Asleep, Tony looked closer to his actual age then when awake. While he acted like a teenager, he still wore a mask everywhere he went. Until this undercover op, Gibbs had only seen Tony drop his mask when he was asleep in the office, completely exhausted. Gibbs suddenly wondered if anyone really knew how old Tony really was. He was certain Abby knew, and of course Ducky did, having seen his medical records. But the rest of his office he wasn't too sure about. He laughed to himself, thinking that McGee would probably be shocked to know that he was actually a bit older than Tony.

Moving past the guestroom to his own, Gibbs began to recall everything that had happened over the past few days. He knew he had begun to make some progress with Tony, now he just had to make sure he didn't lose what ground he had gained. Tony wouldn't make it easy, but then again few things in life were, and that didn't necessarily make it worthwhile either. But Gibbs was determined to show Tony how much he was valued and respected and nothing would stand in his way.

'That's a promise, Tony,' Gibbs thought.