Don’t Leave Me Hanging
Chapter 2
Picking up shortly after we ended our last chapter…
Tony stomped moodily down the stairs to Gibbs’ basement. Not surprising, the older man wasn’t home yet. No doubt he and Stephanie had gone out for dinner or drinks. Now that they weren’t married anymore, they could quit pretending to hate each other and go back to being friends. Tony turned on the light and flung himself into the old recliner that sat next to the staircase.
He couldn’t believe it. Gibbs had offered Kate Todd a job. With them. On their team. Theirs. He hadn’t asked Tony what he thought of it. Merely made the decision. Gibbs always treated Tony as though they were equals. It was easy to forget that…that they weren’t actually equals.
Gibbs entered the house quietly. He saw Tony’s corvette parked at the street, so he knew his son was here. It surprised him a bit though; he’d figured Tony would go home to his apartment to sleep off the case instead of coming here. He didn’t mind"not in the least, but it did surprise him. It surprised him more to find the house dark. There weren’t any lights coming from the den where Tony’s television dominated nearly one full wall of space. He doubled checked the room to be sure, but the television was turned off and the overstuffed couch was empty.
He hadn’t seen any lights on upstairs when he’d pulled up. Gibbs took the stairs quietly, if Tony was up here he didn’t want to disturb him if he was sleeping. He knew walking softly like this would startle his son if he was awake, but he also knew that Tony was such a light sleeper that he’d likely hear Gibbs coming otherwise. But it was all in vain. Tony wasn’t upstairs either.
Gibbs headed for the basement. He figured that if Tony wasn’t anywhere else in the house, he’d be in the basement. He opened the door and saw the light was on and nodded his head to himself. He stepped quietly down the stairs, walking on cat-like feet, shivering in the cool dampness and took in the scene before him. There was Tony, sprawled in the recliner, sound asleep, head cocked to one side, mouth opened just enough for a string of drool to drip out of it. Turning around so he wouldn’t disturb his son, he quickly ascended the stairs and grabbed a blanket from the closet. Returning to the basement, he carefully spread the blanket over his son, before turning his attention to the boat.
He picked up the sanding block and suddenly it dawned on him. He shook his head, knowing exactly why Tony was here tonight. He’d offered Kate Todd a job without talking to Tony about it first. What the hell had he been thinking?
xxx
Awareness slowly returned to the younger Gibbs, and Tony finally blinked his eyes open. He didn’t know what time it was, but judging by the lack of light coming from the outside window it was very late. Tony sat up a bit in the chair and that was when he noticed the blanket covering him. So Gibbs was home. The blanket was a dead giveaway.
“Dad?”
Gibbs didn’t answer and Tony sat up a bit more, looking around. He saw two feet sticking out from under the boat and called again. “Dad.”
Still no answer. Tony grew a little bit concerned, not sure what his dad was doing, lying so still under the boat. He stood up and, noticing the chill, wrapped the blanket around himself. He took two steps over to his dad’s feet and kicked one foot. “Dad!”
Gibbs suddenly sprang to life, moving fast and cracking his head on the boat as he sat up too fast. He scrambled out from under the boat, eyes wide, rubbing his head ruefully.
“You okay,” Gibbs asked him, taking in his son’s half asleep, disheveled appearance.
“I’m ok, Dad,” Tony replied. “Were you sleeping under the boat?” His eyes were dancing, and he was trying his hardest not to laugh.
Gibbs shook his head. “I wasn’t sleeping. C’mon let’s go upstairs and call it a night.”
Tony followed his dad up the stairs, eyes wide with awe and dancing with laughter that was still threatening to erupt. “You were totally sleeping under the boat!”
“I was not sleeping. I was meditating,” Gibbs snarked. They were three steps from the top when Tony’s stomach growled loud enough to stop Gibbs in his tracks.
“On second thought, let’s stop by the kitchen on our way up and see what we can come up with to eat,” Gibbs commented, giving Tony’s stomach a pointed look.
“I can just make me a sandwich or something Dad,” Tony said, “I mean you’re obviously tired, you can go on to bed and as soon as I’m done eating I’ll go on home.”
Gibbs’ own gut growled at that moment and Tony looked in surprise from his dad’s stomach to his face, and back to his stomach.
“C’mon Tony,” he said, “let’s eat. I’ll fix us something. Then you’re spending the night here. You’re too tired to drive home.”
“I am not too"” a huge yawn cut him off, “"too tired to drive home,” he finished, grinning.
“Right. Ok Rip Van Winkle whatever you say. I still say you’re sleeping here tonight.”
“And I still say you were sleeping under the boat,” Tony said, laughing now"he just couldn’t hold it back anymore.
Gibbs fixed them scrambled eggs and jelly toast to eat. Tony devoured his first plate and then refilled it for seconds. The two didn’t speak much, but they didn’t need to. There was plenty being said without any words being exchanged.
xxx
The team had been given the next day off since they’d worked a period of over twenty-four hours without a break. Tony rolled over and looked at the alarm clock with one eye and saw that it was nearly 1pm. He yawned and stretched and pushed himself out of bed, scratching his ribs as he walked to the head.
After a quick shower, Tony headed down the stairs in search of his dad. The weather was still warm in late September in DC, and the leaves hadn’t quite begun to change color yet. The temperature was just warm enough to wear a long-sleeve t-shirt without a jacket, and the sun warmed his back as he stepped across the backyard. Of all the places he’d lived, he liked Washington DC the best.
His dad was in the backyard, hard at work on a flower bed similar to the one Shannon had built not long after they’d moved to DC from Rhode Island. Tulips were the only flower allowed in this bed, so each fall, Jethro dug up the old tulip bulbs and planted new ones. Tony dropped to his knees beside his dad to help him with his task. The flowers reminded them of Shannon"they were her favorite flower. Tony liked the little touches around the house that reminded them of their girls. The tulip bed in the backyard, the Christmas tree in the front yard that was planted by Gibbs and Tony, the year after Kelly was killed. She had always wanted to plant a Christmas tree. The pine tree planted in her honor was growing straight and tall now"it was quite large.
There were other things too"the color of the guest bedroom was painted the same color that Kelly’s bedroom had been painted at their old house. The dishes in the kitchen were the dishes that Shannon and Jethro had been given when they got married. And that didn’t even cover the pictures on the walls"everywhere there were pictures of their family. Once Diane and Jethro had gotten their marriage annulled, Tony noticed that photographs from his past began appearing on the walls"not the formal, stuffy type of family portraits that people have made every Christmas (though those were there too), but snapshots"pictures that someone holding a camera in a candid moment had snapped.
There was a picture of Tony’s graduation from Military Academy"shaking Gibbs’ hand while he received his pin and his diploma. There was a picture from Tony and Kelly’s first Christmas together. Birthdays, football games, graduations, anniversaries, random Tuesday evenings when a picture needed to be taken"the walls were full of pictures of the life they had. There were newer photos too. Stephanie, upon seeing the pictures on the walls, had insisted that the tradition be continued. There were pictures of Tony close down to the ground investigating evidence that was barely visible, Gibbs sipping from the ever present coffee cup, Ducky telling a story, Abby under the hood of a car…the pictures just went on and on and were seemingly never-ending. Tony’s favorite picture was the one of him and Gibbs taken at the sniper range. Both of them were crouched low, ball caps turned backwards, squinting into their scopes, side by side. Stephanie had been watching them that day, and had snapped the picture without them knowing.
But for now, it was time to work on the tulips. “Sleep well,” Gibbs asked as Tony eased himself down beside his dad, donning his own work gloves and picking up his own trowel.
“Yeah,” Tony replied.
Gibbs stopped digging and looked at Tony. “You know we need to talk,” he said.
Immediately Tony felt as though he’d been kicked in the gut. “You know those are the four scariest words to start a conversation off with, right, Dad,” he said, laughing nervously.
“We need to talk. About Kate Todd.”
Tony nodded. He continued digging, so he didn’t have to meet his dad’s gaze. There was a long period of silence and Tony wondered if he needed to be looking at Gibbs to pick up on a telepathic conversation. He laughed softly to himself and turned to look at his dad who was watching him very closely.
“What do we need to talk about Todd for, Dad?”
“We need to talk about how you feel about her joining the team.”
Tony blinked. That wasn’t what he was expecting. “I’m fine with it Dad. Just surprised me is all. I mean other than the fact that we know absolutely nothing about her"I mean, she could be completely loony for all we know"she could steal all of my stuff off my desk! We’ve been interviewing people for years and haven’t hired anyone. I just don’t get what it is about her that makes her special?”
Gibbs grinned at Tony in that teasing, half-grinning sort of way, and patted him on the shoulder. “That’s easy Tony. She reminds me of how you used to be.”
Now Tony’s gut did drop out. Was he doing something wrong? Was he behaving differently than he used to"causing Gibbs to miss that behavior, whatever it may be, and now was he looking for a replacement?
“Dad…I…”
Gibbs immediately picked up on his mistake and was already correcting himself. “You haven’t done anything wrong Tony. You hear me? Nothing at all. You are the best agent I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with"and I would tell anyone that. What I meant when I said Todd reminds me of how you used to be"she’s green Tony. She has good instincts, but she doesn’t know what to do with them yet. You, son, were green when I got you, but you’re an impressive investigator now"hell you see things and connect things that I only wish I could connect.”
Gibbs’ cell phone rang from his belt at that moment. He pulled it out and looked at it. He sighed and answered it. “Yeah, Gibbs.”
Agent Gibbs, it’s Tom.
“Hi Tom.”
I hear you’ve hired a new agent.
“That’s correct, sir.”
When will he start?
“SHE will start as soon as she completes FLETC.”
Excellent. I will take your team off of rotation until then.
“We can work cases while we wait for her sir,” Gibbs argued.
There is no sense in dropping a new agent into the middle of a new case. You will work cold cases until your new agent has completed FLETC. Consider it a break, Jethro, it’s only two weeks.
Gibbs’ eyes twinkled and he smirked at his son. “Have you ever tried to keep Tony entertained in the office for two weeks, Tom?”
Tony’s eyes grew wide and he dropped his jaw in shock. “Two weeks?!” he whispered. Gibbs nodded and rolled his eyes.
I didn’t put you on desk duty, Jethro. Merely cold cases. If you break one open, feel free to go after it.
“I thought that was understood, sir,” Gibbs asked. “If you crack open a cold case you go make the arrest if you can.”
Agreed. Alright. Well keep me informed.
“Yes sir.”
Two weeks, Jethro. Unless you’d like to take the time off for vacation?
“Doubtful sir.”
I thought as much. Goodbye.
Gibbs clicked the phone shut. Tony looked ready to erupt. “He’s taking us off of rotation?”
Gibbs nodded. “Until Todd finishes at FLETC, yes. We’re on cold cases.”
Tony groaned. Gibbs clapped him on the shoulder. “I know, son,” he said, turning back to his tulip bed. “I know.”
xxx
Two weeks later, Gibbs’ team was cleared for active duty with the addition of the agency’s newest agent, Caitlyn Todd, or Kate, as she preferred it joining their team.
Tony was sitting at his desk, it was late, he knew he should just go home, but his gut was niggling at him"something was going to go down, he knew it, he just couldn’t put his finger on what.
His cell phone rang. He answered it. It was Case Intake calling. Apparently a marine paratrooper hadn’t landed well. He thanked the man on the other end of the line, scribbled down the address, and called Gibbs.
No answer. His phone went straight to voicemail. That meant that he’d turned it off. Odd, but not completely unheard of. He dialed his dad’s home number. Busy signal. He waited a few minutes, then dialed again. Still busy. Ok so the phone had been taken off the hook, because his dad never spoke to anyone on the phone that long. Still odd, but not unheard of. Picking up his backpack and the slip of paper with the address on it, Tony headed for his dad’s house.
He found his dad, in the basement, hard at work on the boat. The landline was pulled out of the wall, and his cell phone was sitting at the bottom of a cup of paint thinner. Interesting. Gibbs looked up and smiled in greeting, before turning back to his work.
Tony picked up the glass of paint thinner and cell phone and winced at it. “You know I tried calling you,” he quipped, motioning at the phone in the jar.
“Don’t ask,” Jethro quipped back.
“Who…oh. Right,” Tony said, wincing again. Every year on this day, the same thing happened. Lauren, Gibbs’ first ex-wife, called him on their wedding anniversary"usually drunk"to tell him the same thing over and over again. What a useless bastard he is, how he broke her heart, how he is the sole reason for her continued unhappiness, etc. Gibbs had done everything he knew to do to make the woman happy"hell she got nearly a third of his paycheck every month"but it still seemed as though on this day, she had nothing better to do than to try making him as miserable as he’d so obviously made her.
“If you’d like a distraction, we got a case, Boss.”
Gibbs looked up at him from between the ribs of the boat where he sat underneath them. Tony detested that part of boat construction"it always kinked up his back muscles and made moving and breathing hard for a few days after he sat twisted up under the boat in that way. It didn’t seem to bother Gibbs to do it though. “What ya got, DiNozzo?”
“Marine Paratrooper was on a night training jump and apparently his parachute was faulty. He’s hanging in a tree waiting for us out at near the practice jump site.”
“Who called it in?”
Tony laughed. “See that’s the hilarious part of it. There were these two kids parked and making out. They were parked under the tree that our jumper landed in. Have you ever seen the movie ‘Urban Legends’ Boss?” Gibbs raised one eyebrow. “Right,” Tony continued, “of course you haven’t. Anyway in this movie there’s this guy and he’s killed and hanging from a tree and this couple is sitting in a car making out and they hear this scratching noise over the roof of the car. Turns out to be the hanging guy’s feet. Then a body falls through the convertible top and horror ensues.” At Gibbs’ continued raised eyebrow, Tony stops. “The guy got hung up in a tree right over the car where this couple was making out,” he explained, “he fell out of his ‘chute and went right through the convertible top on the car and landed in the kids’ laps basically. Just like in the movie,” Tony said, slightly pouting. It was a really good movie reference for a change.
“C’mon legend boy, let’s go talk to these kids and see who wet their pants first when the dead guy dropped in on them,” Gibbs chuckled at the image and started up the stairs.
“Boss don’t you need your cell phone?” Tony asked.
“Why? Isn’t working now and the only person besides you calling it is a crazy redhead with too much Jack in her system. Besides, if you stay with me I’ll have a phone, won’t I?”
“Right Boss,” Tony said, starting up the stairs behind Gibbs. “On your six, Boss.”
xxx
The scene was a gruesome one. Ducky had already arrived when Tony and Gibbs got there.
“DiNozzo, shoot and sketch,” Gibbs said, “I’ll interview the kids.”
“Got it boss,” Tony said, moving to the car whose only inhabitant now had made his entrance through the roof.
“Hey Ducky,” Tony called as he started taking photographs.
“Good evening Anthony,” Ducky called back. “I take it you heard the story on our unfortunate jumper,” he asked.
“Yeah Duck. It’s a terrible way to go, falling out of a plane and landing,” he winced, “like that.”
“Our friend here did not fall out of a plane Anthony, he strategically jumped from it. Having a faulty parachute was most unfortunate.” Ducky turned to the victim, “My dear boy, we will get you out of there and cleaned up just as soon as Anthony finished photographing you. Just sit tight, lad,” he said, patting the dead man on the shoulder and climbing back down the ladder.
“Anthony where is"”
“I’m sorry ma’am but you can’t cross the line. This is a crime scene.”
“I know that, but I work with NCIS.”
“Name and badge please,” the officer responded.
“I don’t have a badge yet,” Kate retorted, “and my name is Kate Todd.”
“It’s alright officer,” Gibbs called. “She’s new, she works with us; we just haven’t got her badge yet. It’ll be ready tomorrow,” Gibbs added.
The MP moved aside and let Todd onto the crime scene. As soon as she saw the body hanging out of the roof of the car, she recoiled.
“My God, is this for real?”
“You think we decided to scare the piss out of these kids and hang a fake dead body out of a car just to get you out of bed so you could walk out into the mud in those pretty shoes, Agent Todd,” Tony asked snarkily, grinning like crazy.
“My dear, those are lovely shoes,” Ducky said. “But highly unfit for a crime scene such as this one.”
Tony noticed Gibbs had gone to the car and was coming back with a box. He watched questioningly as Gibbs held out the box to Kate.
“Here you go, Agent Todd,” Gibbs said with a smirk. “Welcome to NCIS.”
Kate’s eyes widened a bit and she opened the box. “Combat boots?”
“Yep,” Gibbs called as he returned to his work on the scene. “Wouldn’t do for you to break an ankle walking around in the dark in those shoes,” he said.
Kate turned to Tony. “He got me boots,” she said.
“You like repeating everything people say, don’t you,” Tony laughed.
Kate pulled the boots out of the box and inspected them. Standard issue, black leather steel toed boots. How boring, they would totally clash with her outfit. Then she noticed something else and laughed.
“How’d you know my size?”
TBC…
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