Gibbs had lost track of how long he had been sitting by Tony’s side watching the rise and fall of his chest. DiNozzo’s interview with Internal Affairs had left the senior agent completely spent and it had not taken long for him to fall asleep. Hopefully when this nightmare was over, Tony would be able to get some real rest, which in turn would help improve his current outlook on life. The team leader briefly considered how complicated DiNozzo’s life had become the past few months. Tony had been through hell and Gibbs knew that he hadn’t done a damn thing to help him.
All the time Tony had been under Vance’s thumb, Gibbs had been preoccupied with a completely different agenda issued by the Director. His focus had been on finding the mole at NCIS and not on his team. There wasn’t a doubt in the ex-Marine’s mind that Vance kept his distracted by forcing him to become intertwined in a web of lies and deceit that had been spun by Agent Lee, all the while the Director had been manipulating Tony like a marionette. Trust had been destroyed and loyalties had been questioned; t was definitely going to take time to rebuild the trust between them, but Gibbs was determined that the newly healed bond between them would be stronger and virtually unbreakable.
A low groan emanated from Tony. Gibbs wondered if his senior agent was in pain, but he quickly discovered that this wasn’t the case. When DiNozzo began to thrash about, the team leader immediately recognized the signs of a nightmare. Placing his hand on Tony’s shoulder, he called out to the younger man.
“Tony?”
He felt DiNozzo’s body tense underneath his hand and then suddenly relax. Within a couple of minutes, Tony’s breathing evened out as he fell back into a peaceful slumber. Gibbs silently admonished himself; he should have been expecting the nightmares to surface. Tony’s stress was usually manifested in his dreams, something that the ex-Marine had discovered after they had met in Baltimore.
“It’ll be okay, Tony,” he whispered.
“Excuse me, Agent Gibbs?”
Gibbs looked up to discover Walter Mason from Internal Affairs, standing just inside the doorway.
“Agent Mason,” he quietly greeted. “Something wrong?”
“No,” Mason replied. “I was just wondering if I could speak to you for a few minutes.”
Gibbs glanced at Tony and after a few seconds, he was satisfied that DiNozzo was sound asleep once again. Quietly rising from his seat, he joined the investigator outside of Tony’s room. Glancing up and down the corridor, Gibbs asked, “Where’s your sidekick?”
“He’s reviewing the files that Agent DiNozzo provided us with before we go and talk to Director Vance. I just had a few questions that I wanted to ask you, if that’s all right.”
“What about?”
“About Agent DiNozzo.”
Gibbs crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “What about him?” His protective instincts were heightened, prepared to defend Tony to the bitter end.
‘You’re his supervisor,” Mason stated. “You’ve worked with him for a long time and I figured that you could clarify a few things for me.”
“Such as?”
“As his supervisor, were you aware of the fact that Agent DiNozzo was being blackmailed into working these alleged operations for Director Vance?”
The team leader shook his head. “No.” But I should have, he mused.
“How do you think he managed to keep this hidden from you? Like I said, you and Agent DiNozzo have worked together for a long time; it seems to me like you would have noticed something. Maybe his job performance wasn’t up to its usual standards or perhaps he started taking more days off; anything out of the ordinary that you can think of?” the investigator pressed.
It had taken almost a year after DiNozzo had started working for him before he had felt comfortable enough to lower his defenses around the ex-Marine and it wasn’t until after he had lost Jeanne that he had started to rebuild the walls around his heart and soul. DiNozzo was an expert at hiding his emotions, something that had been ingrained in him from an early age. Blowing out a pent up breath, Gibbs answered the question that had been asked. “Agent DiNozzo is an excellent undercover operative. He managed to do his job effectively so there was no reason for me to suspect something was wrong.”
“So, you’re telling me that he managed to keep his two lives separate? That must’ve been tough.”
The ex-Marine refused to be baited. Gibbs didn’t need Walter Mason reminding him that he had failed Tony; he had already served as his own judge and jury and had found himself guilty.
“Agent Gibbs,” the investigator continued. “I’m just trying to determine why Agent DiNozzo wouldn’t confide in you. You’re his boss and I’m sure you would have believed him. Or would you have believed him?”
Gibbs’ eyes narrowed into a hardened gaze as he pushed himself off the wall. “I think Agent DiNozzo already answered that question. He didn’t want Vance to split up the team again; he was protecting us the only way he knew how! Tony may have a frat boy reputation, but underneath it all, his first priority is the welfare of his team. He was doing what he thought was right and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you turn this around and make it come back on him!
“Anthony DiNozzo is the finest agent I’ve ever worked with and if the fact that he’s willing to risk his career and his life to uphold the law isn’t enough for you, I’d suggest you reexamine your priorities.”
He was now seething. How could Agent Mason question Tony’s motives and integrity? The investigator had no idea how much DiNozzo had struggled with his decision, knowing that no matter what he decided, the consequences would be severe.
Mason raised his hands as if surrendering to the team leader. “Agent Gibbs, I didn’t mean to piss you off…”
“Too late!” he snapped.
“I was just trying to establish…”
“I don’t care what you’re trying to do,” Gibbs barked. “What you need to do is to go after Vance and Davenport; they’re the bad guys here.”
“We have to proceed with caution.”
“Job scared?”
He saw Mason visibly bristle at his accusation. “I’ve been doing this a long time, Agent Gibbs and I have never played favorites! I’m not scared of losing my job and if Vance and Davenport are on the wrong side of the law, then I will do everything in my power to make sure they are punished accordingly!” the agent vowed.
Gibbs took a step back and nodded. “That’s good to know Agent Mason. Just had to be sure we were on the same page.”
“I think we are, Agent Gibbs. Now, why don’t you answer my question?” Mason insisted. “Why do you think Agent DiNozzo refused to tell you what was going on?”
The former Marine thought for a moment. He knew exactly why Tony had not confided in him and now he had to force himself to accept the truth. Yes, DiNozzo was worried that Vance would break up the team permanently, but Gibbs knew that the reason that Tony had not come to him with his problems was that the young man obviously felt as if he couldn’t trust his own team leader.
“He didn’t know who he could trust,” Gibbs finally admitted.
“And now?”
“I don’t know. Trust is the one thing that is destroyed quicker than it’s built up. Tony doesn’t trust easy; neither do I for that matter. I guess he thought that after Jenny’s death that I no longer trusted him, but that wasn’t true; I just waited too long to tell him that her death was not his fault.”
His answer seemed to satisfy the other man. Gibbs watched with interest as he pulled a piece of paper out of Tony’s file and handed it to him. “Were you aware that Director Vance placed an official reprimand in Agent DiNozzo’s file?”
Gibbs held his arms out in an effort to bring the words on the paper into focus. “He was reprimanding him being neglectful in his duties? Jenny ordered him and Ziva to…” He muttered a curse under his breath. “No, I didn’t know about this. I guess being assigned as Agent Afloat was a punishment after all.”
“What do you mean?”
“I asked Leon if he was punishing Tony by reassigning him and he claimed he wasn’t. I didn’t believe him and neither did Tony.”
He handed the paper back to Agent Mason. Why hadn’t Tony told him about the reprimand? Gibbs suddenly found himself wondering what else DiNozzo had withheld from him. He pushed these thoughts from his mind, knowing that the younger man more than likely had felt as if he deserved to be punished. There was no doubt that DiNozzo was still carrying around a great deal of guilt regarding Jenny; guilt that he shouldn’t have to bear.
“When you bring down Vance, the reprimand needs to be removed,” Gibbs demanded. “He was following orders and Jenny ordered him to leave; he wasn’t neglectful in his duties.”
“Don’t you mean if Director Vance is found…”
Gibbs refused to let Mason finish his statement. “No. I mean when.”
“Agent Gibbs…”
“Have you got any more questions for me?”
“Not right now,” Mason answered. “But please stay available.”
“Yeah.”
Without sparing the other agent a glance, Gibbs went back into Tony’s room. Sitting back down in the chair, he studied the exhausted features of the man before him. Lines of fatigue that he had managed to keep hidden for so long were now dominant around his eyes and forehead, forcing the team leader to silently chastise himself for not paying closer attention to DiNozzo’s physical and emotional state; maybe he could have saved his son a lot of heartache.
Gibbs smiled as he realized that Tony wasn’t asleep. There had been many times through the years when DiNozzo had appeared to be sleeping and unaware of his surroundings, but the team leader had quickly learned that appearances were often deceiving. “I know you’re not asleep, DiNozzo.”
Tony opened his eyes and grinned. “Never could pull one over on you, Boss,” Tony wearily replied.
“You think so?”
“Yeah.”
“Not sure I agree with you there, Tony.”
Puzzled, Tony asked, “What do you mean?”
“I mean that you let people see what you want them to see.”
DiNozzo shrugged. “No secret there, Boss. I was taught at an early age to hide my feelings so people couldn’t use them against me. Actually, that was the only thing that my dad ever said that turned out to be the truth.”
Gibbs realized that it was truly a miracle that DiNozzo had managed to become the honorable man that he was today. Vincent DiNozzo had done everything in his power to mold his son to his liking, but Tony had for the most part resisted his father’s influence; perhaps that was why it troubled him so much to hear DiNozzo acknowledge that he had actually learned something from his father.
“He was wrong, Tony,” the ex-Marine stated with assurance.
“Was he?” Tony challenged. “Vance used my feelings for the team to get what he wanted; Jenny used my feelings for Jeanne; I’m not even going to bring up what happened in Baltimore…” The senior agent closed his eyes. “It doesn’t matter. The past is just that…the past.”
“Unfortunately, it likes to rear its ugly head from time to time, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
An awkward silence fell upon them. Gibbs could tell by Tony’s somber expression that his mind was churning, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. He had a feeling that it would be a long time before either of them could see the whole picture. The investigation was simply the beginning of yet another bumpy road that they had to travel.
Gibbs leaned back in his chair. “You all right?”
“I guess,” Tony replied. “I just hate waiting.”
“I know what you mean. Patience isn’t one of my strong points.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” the younger man quipped.
“DiNozzo, do you know the one thing that tries my patience more than anything?”
Tony grinned. “Smart ass senior field agents?”
Gibbs returned his smile. “You guessed it.”
“I’ll make a note of that in the future.”
“You do that.” Gibbs was glad to hear Tony hint at the possibility of his return. Just a few days ago, DiNozzo wasn’t sure that he wanted to come back to NCIS; now the team leader had been given a glimmer of hope that he could hold onto throughout the next few days.
“Are you going to tell me what the IA guy wanted?” Tony asked.
“He just had a few questions for me.”
“About what?”
Gibbs knew that there was no use in trying to hide the truth from Tony. Evidently, DiNozzo had been awake through most of his conversation with Agent Mason; sometimes he forgot how sharp Tony’s hearing truly was. “About you,” the team leader answered.
“Was he questioning my work ethic or overall character?”
“He wanted to know why you didn’t come to me when Vance was blackmailing you.”
“And what did you tell him?
“The truth. That you felt like you couldn’t trust me.”
A look of relief flashed across Tony’s face. The mask was gone and Gibbs could see the gratefulness shining in Tony’s eyes as if he had been able to unload one of the great burdens he had been carrying. “I couldn’t,” Tony whispered. “So much had happened and I…”
“I know, Tony. You don’t owe me an explanation. What did you say a few minutes ago? The past is in the past.”
“Thanks, Boss.”
“You’re welcome.”
The team leader offered Tony a drink of water, holding the straw between his fingers while DiNozzo took a sip. As he set the cup back on the table beside the bed, he took a sip of his own coffee and settled back into his chair. Ever since his conversation with Mason, he had been disturbed by the fact that DiNozzo had an official reprimand in his file. Taking another drink of the now lukewarm liquid, he decided to grab the bull by the horns. “Were you ever going to tell me about the official reprimand that Vance gave you?”
Tony shrugged. “Didn’t see the need to; figured I’d be out at sea for a long time.”
“Once this mess gets cleared up, that reprimand’s coming out of your file.”
“I was negligent,” DiNozzo tried to rationalize.
“You were following orders. You got caught between a rock and a hard place. Happens to the best of us.”
“Even you, Boss?”
“Even me, DiNozzo.”
“That’s good to know.”
“If it leaves this room,” Gibbs warned.
“I know. You’ll head slap me so hard my grandkids will feel it,” Tony finished.
“Something like that.”
His eyes filled with concern as Tony closed his eyes and raked his hand through his hair. The young man was clearly worried about something. “Boss, what happens if Vance and Davenport manage to get out of this? I’m going to be so screwed.”
“Everything will work out,” Gibbs vowed.
“How do you know?”
Gibbs reached up and squeezed his shoulder. “Because, DiNozzo; I have your back.”
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Walter Mason joined his counterpart as Greg Kincaid studied the monitor in front of him. The younger agent had planted himself and his laptop at one of the back tables in the cafeteria. Mason pulled out a chair and sat down. Greg looked up and greeted him with a nod. “Get anything out of Gibbs?”
“Not really. His allegiance lies with DiNozzo, that much is for certain. How about you? Found anything interesting?”
Kincaid nodded. “Oh yeah. DiNozzo was right. Vance and Davenport are in it deep; not to mention a few other prominent names in the political circle. We’ve got to go to the Secretary of Defense with this. He is next in the chain of command.”
Mason pulled the monitor towards him so he could see what Greg was looking at. “I see what you mean. I’ll make the call and you can go talk to Vance.”
“How about I’ll make the call and you go and interview Vance?” Greg suggested. “You’re so much better at doing these face to face confrontations than I am.”
“Oh no. I had to interview Gibbs,” Mason pointed out. “You owe me, so you get the pleasure of Director Vance’s company.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Okay, next time you can have Gibbs.”
The younger agent shook his head. “That’s okay. I’ll take Vance.”
“All right,” Mason agreed. “I’ll make the call to the Secretary of Defense and then I’ll go and interview Dr. Katherine Marshall. Call me when you’re done and we’ll go from there.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Kincaid took out the flash drive and gave it to Mason. “Good luck,” he mumbled as he grabbed his laptop and rose from his seat.
“You too. I have a feeling that we’re going to need it.”
Walter Mason watched the younger agent leave not envying him his task of confronting the Director of NCIS with the allegations that DiNozzo had brought against him. He had to admit that Anthony DiNozzo had guts; Mason just wasn’t sure that it would be enough in the end, especially once the Secretary of Defense became involved. Time would tell. As he reached for his cell phone, Mason found himself rooting for NCIS agent who wanted to right a wrong.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.