AN: This is my third writing on the episode "Dead Air." I am taking a slightly different look at it then my other stories,'I Had Your Six?', 'Return to Stillwater' and 'Static.' I guess I would call it a more, direct, in your face approach this time. I hope you like it.
"You, both of you, in the elevator, now!" Tony said, coughing into a tissue.
Tim and Ziva joined him in the elevator. The doors closed and Tony flipped the switch before he spoke.
"Look, I don't know what you two were doing out there. But you were supposed to have my back, have my six." Tony said, his anger growing as he spoke. "But I guess that it is a foreign concept to the two of you. You told me you had turned the radio off when I got in the car. You were tired of hearing my voice." Tony said, wanting to yell, but knowing it would reverberate off the walls if he did. "Those were your exact words, were they not, Agent McGee? Agent David?"
Tony waited, but not really long enough for either to speak.
"Those were, in fact, your words to me." Tony continued. "When we are out in the field we are to watch out for each other." Tony paused. "You're both damned lucky I only came back with an allergy reaction. You can imagine what would have happened if I had come back shot? Or not come back at all? What do you think Gibbs would do to you? Aside from the fact you broke protocol. Imagine what your reputations would be. You would be lucky to get jobs as meter maids."
Tim and Ziva both opened their mouths to protest.
"Was it your idea of a joke?" Tony demanded.
No one spoke.
"Well, was it?" Tony asked. "What was I supposed to do? Roll around on the floor in the back of the car roaring with laughter at the 'good one' you got on me. Was that it?" Tony paused. "Well, it's NOT funny. It is disrespectful to me and to my position as your superior. It's insubordinate. And it's borderline criminal."
Tony folded his arms over his chest and pretended to wait for their laughter.
"Not so funny now is it? You're not laughing?" Tony said, sarcastically. "That's good, because you are damned lucky you still have your jobs. I could have reported you to Gibbs. I should have told Gibbs. You should be thanking me for not telling him. I'm not sure why I didn't tell him. Except I thought, for just a brief second, you were my friends. And you had really just played a joke. But jokes among friends don't involve the possibility of one of the friends getting killed. So no," Tony tapped a finger to his chin. "…I guess 'joke' wouldn't work. That just leaves me with the only conclusion of complete and utter disregard for me and my safety."
Tony thought for a moment, then he continued. "But don't think you're not off the hook JUST because I didn't tell Gibbs. You have both betrayed my trust. If I can't even trust you to fulfill your professional obligations to me, there is no way, in hell, I can trust you on a personal/ friendship level."
Tony flipped the switch to turn the elevator back on. "I'm going to request to Gibbs we work cold cases. I'm not at all eager to go back out into the field with either of you. If you two can prove to me you are worthy of my trust, Gibbs will never find out about this 'incident.' And you two can keep your jobs."
Tony then turned and exited the elevator as soon as the doors opened, leaving Tim and Ziva stunned and staring.
TBC
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tag to Dead Air.