Tony hadn’t been surprised that Kort could not only claim killing Rene Benoit had been sanctioned, he was also able to produce a signed document to that effect. The man had gotten authorization to take out a federal agent in downtown DC after all. It couldn’t have been all that easy to convince his superiors to engage in what amounted to an act of domestic terrorism, so Kort was clearly a persuasive bastard.
Tony had taken advantage of Kort’s lack of attention as he stepped off the elevator to belt him one. He put enough strength in that blow to send Kort reeling back with a split lip.
“That’s for blowing up my car, you asshole.”
Tony hit him a second time, a blow that was sure to give the man a black eye. “And that’s for trying to kill Jeanne.”
Tony wasn’t terribly upset over the fact that he could have just as easily died in the explosion as Jeanne had they been in his car going out for breakfast as they usually did. He was a federal agent. He’d put his life on the line more times It had angered him more that his team hadn’t seemed to give his ‘demise’ the same sort of consideration they had when Kate was killed, or even Pacci for that matter. But he’d had time to come to terms with that, more or less.
But Jeanne hadn’t signed up for being a target. She was just an innocent bystander. She hadn’t known anything about her father’s business or his desire to quit. Her being a means to an end, a pawn on the chessboard, for both Shepard and Kort still pissed off Tony.
Tony raised his fist again ready to strike Kort once more. Kort’s hands came up as he assumed a defensive crouch. The sound of the elevator’s soft ‘ping’ announcing another arrival and Shepard calling ‘DiNozzo’ made Tony hesitate.
He hadn’t planned on having an audience other than Joe and Levon. They understood his anger. Joe, in large part, even shared it. He had wanted to shoot Kort on general principle when he found out who he was and what he’d done. It had taken no small amount of Tony’s own persuasive power to convince Joe to let him handle Kort in his own way. They still needed the man alive to claim responsibility for Rene Benoit’s death. It was the only way to get the FBI to back off and spare Tony’s old team from further trouble. That didn’t mean Tony couldn’t smack him around a little though.
Kort shot Shepard a dirty look as she stepped out of the elevator. “You should control your boy better.”
“Not her boy any more,” Levon drawled quietly, from where he’d lounged against the wall. He pose would look casual to anyone who didn’t know him better. But his right hand was within easy reach of his gun and his brown eyes coldly assessed everything around him.
“CIA is as slow on the up take as the FBI.” Joe shook his head, clucking his tongue. “And we rely on these people to keep us safe.”
Joe held a butterfly knife in one hand. He was flipping it open and closed in a way that was anything but casual. The blade flashed brightly, reflecting the overhead lighting, before Joe made it disappear in a neat slight of hand Tony had long ago given up any hope of mastering.
Kort eyed both Joe and Levon warily. “I don’t know either of you.”
“No, you don’t. And for that you should be grateful.” Joe smiled tightly. “Had we met before now, you’d already be dead.”
Tony knew it wasn’t an idle statement. Joe wasn’t exactly a cold blooded killer, but he took attacks on his family personally. He was prone to respond with equal force and violence. It was one of the reasons Tony didn’t make a habit of fully disclosing everything that went on to Joe---it was safer for everyone if he didn’t.
“Since you did what was asked of you, we don’t have to bury you in a shallow grave in the desert somewhere.” Levon touched the brim of his Stetson. “Course, that’s subject to change if you come anywhere near Tony again.” Joe wasn’t the only one who took attacks on his family personally.
Shepard stepped further into the hall, glaring at Tony, Joe, and Levon. “Gentleman, I don’t approve of this sort of"“
“All due respect, Ma’am, no one here gives a shit about what you approve of.” Levon’s grin was positively feral. From Joe, it wouldn’t have surprised Tony, but Levon was usually more deferential around woman. That aspect of his nature was probably part of the reason he’d called Joe off when they’d met Shepard in the break room.
Levon’s gaze hardened as he made eye contact with her and held it. “This little tête-à-tête isn’t any of your business.”
“Threatening to murder someone in a federal agency most certainly is my business.”
“You really want to get into a pissing contest over whether or not you have the moral high ground?” Joe asked, drawing her attention to him, his cold blue eyes regarding her steadily.
Shepard’s chin came up. Tony sighed, shaking his head. She had no sense at all to challenge Joe when it was so obvious he wouldn’t back down, but then she didn’t really know him.
“The way I hear it, a suspect was killed right here the elevator. Managed to absolve the perpetrator without even breaking a sweat, didn’t you?” Joe arched an eyebrow. “But then that was outright murder and not just a threat so maybe you didn’t feel as inclined to make it your business.”
Shepard’s jaw tightened. “That was an accident.”
“Right.” Joe snorted. “Have a lot of those sorts around here, don’t you?”
“Excuse me?”
“There was another suspect who got shot dead in a bar by an agent who doesn’t even work here any more. Hardly ruffled any feathers over that one at all while you swept it under the rug.”
Joe looked pointedly at Kort. “Then there is the whole reason Mr. Secret Agent Man is here. Thinking Fornell might just want to know--”
“You’ve made your point.” Shepard hissed.
“Good.” Joe nodded sharply once. “Then you can go on about whatever you were doing before getting sidetracked by what doesn’t concern you.”
She glared at him. Tony traded a look with Levon, both of them rolling their eyes. Joe hadn’t backed down from a hardened mob boss, a professional assassin, a stalker or a strung out junkie with a gun in his face. She wasn’t going to cow him.
“I’m still in charge here, Sergeant LaFiamma.”
“Of NCIS, that’s true, “Levon pointed out calmly before Joe could respond, “but you have no authority over of us, Ma’am. Secret Agent Man here included.”
Tony was mildly surprised to find Kort looking just a bit smug over being lumped in with them. He obviously had no affection for Shepard. It made sense he’d be more than a little pissed at her, Tony mused to himself; she had messed up a long running case for Kort and Gibbs coerced him into confessing to a murder he hadn’t committed because of her.
Shepard snapped at them, “I want you out of my building.”
Tony half expected her to stamp her foot too.
“As soon as the FBI says Tony isn’t a suspect any longer and he’s free to go, we’ll leave. Not one damn minute before.”
Shepard waved a hand toward Kort. “He has seen to that.”
“I believe they are already aware of what I have done, Director Shepard.” Kort wiped the blood from his chin with the back of one hand.
He made eye contact with Tony. “It wasn’t personal.”
“Not for you, no.” Tony’s eyes narrowed. “It would be best if we never saw each other again, ever.”
Kort nodded. “I’ll be leaving now.”
He gave Joe and Levon as wide a berth as the hallway would allow for as he moved past them. Tony was amused by his display of caution. But then, he didn’t know he had nothing to fear from either man---at least not in a building where most of the hallways had video cameras. Neither Joe nor Levon were stupid enough to do anything that might be taped and used against them later. Tony had felt free to hit Kort because he knew no one at NCIS would seriously challenge him on getting in a few payback blows. Everyone knew Kort had blown up Tony’s car, and before long, everyone would also think he was responsible for Gibbs’ team being investigated by the FBI. Shame they couldn’t know the full truth.
Tony sighed softly. He was honestly glad he no longer had to worry about secrets much. He didn’t have to lie in Houston to keep people he cared about safe. He could be honest there. And he didn’t have to be like Kort, prepared to kill innocent bystanders or fellow cops, for the sake of a case no one was supposed to ever know about. He didn't have to be like Gibbs and make a deal with the devil so that fellow teammates wouldn't end up tainted by things beyond their control.
Shepard stalked past him. Tony smirked watching her leave. He didn’t have to be like her either, so warped by a desire for vengeance that everything else in life became insignificant.
Houston wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was better in a lot of ways. Coming back to DC had shown him a lot of what he missed, but more importantly, it had shown him why leaving had been a good choice.
The elevator’s soft ding broke Tony’s reverie. He turned to watch the doors open, blinking in surprise when he saw Jeanne standing inside the car. Joe had told him Fornell agreed to keep her in the building for awhile, that Tony would have a chance to speak to her if he wanted, but he wasn’t expecting to just meet her in the elevator. He hadn’t even been sure if he should talk to her or if he even wanted to at all.
Tony took some comfort from the fact that Jeanne looked almost as surprised to see him as he was to see her.
“Tony?”
“Hello, Jeanne.”
She was just as beautiful as he remembered. Her dark hair was lighter, and her skin darker than the last time he’d laid eyes on her, suggesting she’s spent a lot of time in the sun recently. He supposed that only made sense; Fornell said she’d been in Africa.
He was vaguely aware of Joe and Levon stepping back, giving them the illusion of privacy. He’d have to thank them later.
Tony fidgeted nervously as he and Jeanne simply looked at one another. He’d wanted to apologize, but somehow ‘I’m sorry’ just didn’t seem like it would be enough. He forced himself to look her in the eye.
“I don’t really know what to say.”
She bit her lower lip, expression pensive. “Just tell me one thing?”
Tony nodded. He could do that.
“Was anything between us real? Any of it?”
Tony swallowed hard. It would be easier to lie, to tell her that none of it had been real. Lying might be better for her, provide some sort of closure, but he didn’t want to lie any more. He’d never really wanted to lie to her. She deserved the truth.
“A lot more was real than wasn’t.” He took a breath. “There was more truth than lie to most of what happened between us.”
She might not believe him, but it didn’t matter---he meant what he said. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “I never intended to hurt you.”
Her eyes were overly bright with unshed tears. “You did anyway.”
“I know.” He resisted the urge to reach out and touch her, unsure of how she’d react. “And for that, I am genuinely sorry.”
She glared at him, fists curling at her sides. “You got my father killed.”
Tony shook his head, denying her claim. “Did you know that when my car blew up, you were the target, not me?”
She stared at him, mouth open. Obviously, no one had bothered to mention that little detail, not even her father the last time he’d talked to her. “What? Why?”
“Because your father wanted to quit.” Tony sighed. He’d been sure Rene would have told her that much, but maybe he’d glossed over things thinking he’d have time to tell her everything later. “He didn’t want to sell weapons any more. And some people out there weren’t ready for him to retire. Killing you was going to be a message to him, and even though they failed, just the attempt was pretty convincing.”
“When that didn’t work, they went after him?” She asked, although it was more of a statement than a question.
Tony didn’t want to lie to her, but telling the whole truth wasn’t an option either. He elected to avoid her question. “I’m not part of the investigation.”
“Why not?” She frowned. “You were only dating me to get close to him. Shouldn’t you be--”
“You told the FBI I killed him, Jeanne.” He kept his voice gentle. He understood her reasons better now---he didn’t agree with her actions, but he understood. “I was a suspect which means I couldn’t truly participate in the investigation.”
“But I told them I lied.” She looked at him beseechingly. “Surely you could be part of it now. You could prove he didn’t commit suicide.”
Tony was bemused by her display of faith. She tried to frame him for murder, but still thought he could find her father’s killer. She still thought he’d be willing to. Even if he could, it would mean putting his old team’s welfare last, and he wasn’t prepared to do that. For as much as he had loved her, he still cared more about them than he did about Jeanne; especially now in light of her having accusing him of murder.
Even though he understood her motives, he wasn’t certain he could forgive her for how she opted to get revenge on him. He’d broken her heart, and as awful as that was, it still wasn’t grounds for sending him to prison for life. She could have been like the other women scorned in his life---egged his car, put his name on a herpes web site, or just sent him hate mail. Those things were vindictive and decidedly unpleasant, but ultimately he’d found them excusable.
“I can’t help you, Jeanne.”
“Can’t or won’t?” She challenged.
“I’m not a federal agent any more.”
Her eyes widened. “They fired you?”
“I quit.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I haven’t been with NCIS for more than four months.”
Her jaw tightened. He couldn’t say if she was upset with not knowing he didn’t work for NCIS, that no one had mentioned it to her before now, or if she was simply angry that he was no longer in a position to find out what happened to her father.
“I am sorry, Jeanne.”
She studied him, blue eyes measuring him slowly. He didn’t know exactly what she was looking for, or if she believed him or not, but she nodded again.
“I never want to see you again.”
Tony tried not to let it show how much her declaration hurt. He just nodded, letting her walk out of his life, hoping that she would eventually come to terms with whatever story the FBI ended up spinning about her father’s death. He hoped she’d eventually find happiness too.
Joe and Levon made their way back to him. Concern was readily apparent in their expressions.
“You okay, Tony?” Joe asked quietly.
“Not really, no.”
Joe pulled him into a hug. Tony hugged him back, taking in all the warmth and affection his cousin had to offer. He felt Levon’s hand on his shoulder, a mute offer of even more support. ‘Thank you’ wasn’t nearly enough to cover how grateful he was to them for everything they’d done, for everything they were willing to keep doing, but Tony said it anyway. Joe just hugged him harder and Levon quietly murmured ‘you’re welcome’.
“When can we go home?” Tony asked, stifling any embarrassment he felt at how plaintive he sounded.
“Whenever you’re ready to leave.”
Tony pulled away from Joe, wiping at his eyes relieved to find them still dry. He hadn’t cried in years; he had no intention of starting now. Tony squared his shoulders.
“I just need to say good-bye to everyone.” This time, he didn’t want any regrets over how he left. He had enough regrets already. There was no need to add any more.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony gets even with Kort. And he talks to Jeanne.