Lieutenant Commander Anthony DiNozzo TD/LG "Agent Gibbs?

" Director Vance said as he leaned over the railing and spotted the man he wanted to see. "Can you come up here for minute?" Gibbs looked up appraising Vance for a full minute. His entire team had been on edge for the last few months or rather the entire year. Eleven months ago, due to a traitor in the midst, Vance had broken up the team and given Gibbs a new team to monitor and watch out for to determine the mole and their purpose. McGee had been sent to cyber-crimes and Ziva back to Israel. Tony was recalled back into active duty. Eight months ago, after finding and dispatching the mole, both Ziva and McGee were called back to where they belonged. Tony, however was still over in Iraq completing his tour of duty. Although he denied it when directly asked, whenever he was called into Vance's office, a part of Gibbs braced for bad news about his senior field agent. It had shocked the hell out of the others when Tony was given his orders to report back for active duty. Abby had explained with a grin that Tony, despite all his games and idiocy, had actually been on inactive duty from the Navy. He was a Lieutenant Commander and a SEAL something that only Gibbs, Abby, Ducky and Director Vance were aware of this as the special forces were generally kept close to the chest. Tony had come to NCIS after coming home some five years ago from an undercover operation in the Middle East. His cover had been badly compromised and Tony was captured and tortured almost to death. Tony had escaped by slaughtering a large number of terrorists and setting off a bomb to destroy the compound he had been held at. Only Gibbs and Vance knew of this, and Tony never spoke of it. He had been sent to NCIS, and to Gibbs in particular, for a different change of pace and to allow him to recover from the torture he had gone through. Over the last 5 years, Tony had grown into both a fine investigator and firmly entrenched himself as the surrogate son of Gibbs. He had felt drawn to the young man from the minute he met him. Gibbs had been informed a few days prior to Tony's arrival of the impending SEAL. He had thoroughly checked out DiNozzo's service record excluding some of his sealed files. He was a recipient of both the Navy Cross and the Silver Star, a phenomenal achievement for someone so young. At age 27, DiNozzo had spent the last six years in combat. Gibbs was also surprised to read that DiNozzo had done a tour with the famed yet highly secretive SEAL Team 6 counterterrorism experts. He was surprisingly well educated having graduated from college with a degree in chemical engineering. Something Gibbs learned that Tony hid from others and in fact never felt the need to tell McGee or Ziva. He played college basketball and had to decide between the Navy or playing pro ball. Snapping his ankle had decided for him. Recommendations galore from COs. Gibbs spoke to one of his former buddies who knew DiNozzo and had seen him in action. He gave him a glowing report as well as commenting on Tony's playful and comical nature. He's definitely a handful was the message Gibbs got. Tony had been sitting in Director Morrow's office with his arm in a sling, bruising on his neck and a clearly broken cheekbone. Seeing Gibbs, Tony had arisen to his feet and grinned cheekily. "I don't know if I want to work for a jarhead." He was a smart ass from day one and one of few people who happily stood toe to toe with Gibbs and challenged him. Gibbs had expected to be met with a lethal and hardened machine and instead he had found a jovial and likeable young man with an easy smile and a quick wit. However, Gibbs rapidly learnt that Tony was indeed a battle hardened warrior and sometimes needed to be pulled back from the edge when he was overwhelmed by nightmares or intense cases. Gibbs was reminded of Tony's lethality on one such occasion when he had calmly taken out 5 armed offenders with his knife as they had Gibbs pinned down by the car with gunfire. The cold look on Tony's face had shaken Gibbs but not surprised him.

Over the years, Abby had kept Tony close to her as a sister would, making sure he ate healthily and slept as easily as possible. The pair spent many nights watching movies or playing video games. She tried valiantly to keep the nightmares away for him. Ducky did the same in different ways he watched Tony with an eagle eye and made sure Gibbs was on top of Tony's wellbeing. And Gibbs? Well he knew when Tony needed space, or when he needed to just sit with Gibbs silently as he worked on the boat. Numerous other times, Gibbs had watched as Tony had left for short deployments generally to be involved in one off missions. The missions or deployments had never lasted for longer than three weeks at a time. And each time, Gibbs had made Tony stay at his house upon his return. He made sure Tony was grounded and the edge he brought back from a mission was defused before he came back to NCIS. Gibbs had wheedled it out of Jenny that Tony, as part of being a SEAL, had his expertise in that of explosives expected really. Gibbs was informed that over the last five years since joining NCIS, Tony had earned a Masters in chemical engineering and was the person Abby turned to when dealing with bombs and explosives. It was for this expertise that Tony was frequently redeployed for short stints. When the team had been temporarily broken up, Tony had been recalled by the SEALs and shipped back to his former team for a six to twelve month deployment. Gibbs had only had sporadic contact with the young soldier. He sent regular emails to Abby which she shared with him. Tony's emails were always full of humorous stories and antics. He never told them of his missions or anything that could cause worry. "Gibbs," Vance began as the grey haired man entered silently and stood before him. "We've got a high priority case. A number of marines are accused of running a drug ring over in Iraq. Apparently, there's been at least three deaths so far that are directly linked to whatever the marines are selling. There's not much to go on, nobody is talking about which marines are the dealers, only that they are definitely marines and there's more than one. The colonel of the base Colonel Smith has emailed all the reports on the deceased to Ducky and you and your team have an appointment at Andrews in two hours." "All of us? Ziva?" Gibbs enquired. "Yes. There are no investigators over there and I want this wrapped up and put to rest. Oh and Gibbs? The base that you're going to? DiNozzo's stationed there. Once this case is over, he's coming home with you." "Grab your gear," Gibbs boomed as he came down the stairs. "Actually, no. Go home and pack a go-bag. We're going to Iraq. All of us. Let's go people," the two scurried off, McGee secretly excited to be going, Ziva a little more apprehensive. Gibbs smiled to himself. In truth he was looking forward to seeing his senior field agent and bringing him home. He descended the building to Abby's lab he was happy to see that Ducky was also there. They both already knew the news that the team were heading to the Middle East. McGee had already called in excitement. "You have to be careful Gibbs! You have to wear your helmet at all times!" Abby exclaimed as she hugged him. Gibbs grinned in response. "We'll be fine Abs. And even better. The base we're going to is where DiNozzo is stationed. I'm bringing him home with me." Silence greeted him for a split second before Abby began screeching and jumping up and down. "McGee didn't tell me that!" She began to rattle of a long list of things Gibbs needed to tell Tony. Ducky wrapped his arms around Gibbs in a rare moment of being overwhelmed with emotion. He softly spoke in his oldest friend's ear. "Bring him home safely Jethro. Take care of him."

Lieutenant Commander Anthony DiNozzo or AJ as he was known to his team mates, scrubbed his hand across his face as he stared out over the ocean. He was in a black hawk with the four other members of Seal Team 7. They were coming back from a relatively successful mission successful being that nobody had been KIA. The plan had been to infiltrate via Humvee on the edge of the town, grab the two tangos from their beds and be extracted from the roof. The plan had fallen apart at the extracted part. Chief Cosmo Richter had signalled for the chopper and whilst the black hawk was descending onto the roof, gun fire had erupted from every angle. Tony and Richter had fired back making sure they hit their targets whilst the rest of the team (Corpsman Jay Lopez, and petty officers Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles) jumped in through the open doors of the chopper. The prisoners were shoved in by Tony as he dove in. So, all in all, a partially successful mission. Nobody had been shot, prisoners secured, a good night's sleep earned. "DiNozzo? AJ?" he turned his head as he heard a soft voice in his ear. Tony looked over in the direction of the voice and saw his best friend, Cos, touching his shoulder. He saw Cos looking at him concerned. "You're bleeding," he said as he gently pulled Tony's flak jacket away from his shoulder to get better access to his wound. Now that it was pointed out to him, Tony realised his shoulder was in fact burning. "Lopez," Cos barked. "Get over here, AJ's been hit." Jay Lopez, the teams corpsman crawled over to examine Tony. "It's really nothing, just a graze" he mumbled as Lopez carefully tended to the wound. His eyes closed involuntarily and he let his head drop to his chest. Cosmo quickly grabbed his chin and lifted it back up with a slight shake. "No, it's a through and through of your shoulder. DiNozzo? You've lost a lot of blood though, I'm gonna put some pressure on your shoulder, I want you to make sure you stay awake okay?" Lopez's calm words hid his worry for his commander. Tony nodded as he turned his attention back to the ocean. Whilst he really did love being a SEAL, it didn't stop him from longing to go home particularly on a day like today. Both Ziva and McGee found that they were actually nervous about seeing Tony. Everything they thought they knew about him had changed when his orders were given. Ziva was now aware that she was not the only trained killer on the team and McGee was shocked to know that Tony may just be as smart as him. "He's still the same guy you know," Abby had reassured McGee before their departure. "He's still the same goofball, slacker who'll piss you all off within minutes of seeing him. Nothing's changed." Gibbs smiled to himself as they strode across the Navy-Marine base. They were being led by a young corporal to the tent that was to be theirs for the duration of their stay. He knew what was running through both his agent's heads. He was pleased with this. It was time that the pair of them realised the value of Tony and his worth to the team. However, Gibbs knew that over the last eight months his team had definitely learned how hard Tony had actually worked when McGee had been overloaded with the paperwork and duties DiNozzo usually completed. Neither of the junior agents had been aware of the work the senior field agent had to do. "Corporal?" Gibbs asked as they halted in front of the tent which was to be theirs. "Can you point me in the direction of a SEAL?" "Who Sir?" "Anthony DiNozzo, Seal Team 7."

"They're out at the moment, but that's their tent over there," the young man said as he pointed towards a tent only a few tents over. Gibbs nodded as he dismissed the marine. "Okay, McGee set up your stuff. Ziva, go over to the medical tent and retrieve all the files and reports." "What are you doing Boss?" "Getting coffee and then seeing Colonel Smith," Gibbs replied as he sailed out of the tent. McGee looked over at Ziva. "Seriously? Coffee in this heat?" "Agent Gibbs, it's a pleasure to meet you," the silver headed colonel greeted as he stood up and extended his hand with a smile. Gibbs returned the handshake with a wry smile of his own. "How are you sir? We'll try and be as quiet and as inconspicuous as possible." Smith waved his hand dismissively as he sat back down and gestured for Gibbs to follow suite. "You take your time. I want the damn marines who dare tarnish the forces by selling drugs. It's a disgrace. Unfortunately I can't really enlighten you much on who the culprits are. All the personnel files and information are at your disposal and if I can help in any way let me know." "Thank you Colonel, we'll make sure to disrupt the base as little as possible. On a different note " "DiNozzo," Smith interrupted with a broad grin. "You're taking one of my top SEALs away from me." "Yes sir, I am. How is he?" Smith hesitated. "SEAL wise he's one of my best. Gives 110%, first man in last man out. Makes sure all his troops are safe before he is. Top notch. He's tired though, running on fumes. He's barely been able to stop since he's been here. If he's not out on a mission with his team, he's being sent out with the EOD unit. They're down three members, so they're using DiNozzo's considerable skills. Big asset to lose I must say, I have petitioned as many people as I can to get him reassigned to stay here but no deal," Smith finished with a good natured smile and a shrug of his shoulders. "He's quite a character though isn't he? Keeps everyone laughing, makes sure the mood is light hearted and takes good care of those around him. The boy is a very rare mix of absolutely lethal soldier with the personality of a carefree frat boy." "That he is," Gibbs agreed with affection. "Well, his team is on the way back from a mission. ETA is ten minutes I'll get the corporal to take you to where the chopper will land." Gibbs thanked him and followed the corporal back out into the harsh sunlight. "AJ? You still with me?" Tony looked over as Cos gripped his neck with care. "You're not looking so hot pal." Tony nodded, he was actually feeling quite nauseous. He knew it was from the blood loss of his wound. He suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth and doubled over as he realised he was about to lose the battle with his stomach. Quick as a flash, Cos leaned over and grabbed a plastic bag stored in most

choppers for air sickness. He thrust it into Tony's hand just as he lost the contents of his stomach. Richter gently rubbed his friend's back to offer a small amount of comfort. Gibbs shielded his eyes as he looked up into the sky and spotted the approaching black hawk. He smiled to see two soldiers sitting with their legs out of the chopper. As it got closer, he could see that neither were Tony. The chopper landed and marines approached the chopper to secure the prisoners. Gibbs wandered a bit closer, not knowing the procedure for the returning SEALs. He finally spotted Tony. He was the last to climb down from the chopper and Gibbs frowned as he saw another SEAL help him despite Tony batting the helping hands away. Grabbing the bull by the horns, Gibbs strode over to the chopper. "Open your eyes DiNozzo," Lopez said as he nudged his commander. Tony did as was instructed and rolled his gaze over to the medic. "It's okay Jay, really, I feel fine." "Yeah well even in all that fineness, you need to get to the infirmary and get stitched up." "Oh he will," a familiar voice said from behind him. Tony whipped his head up and for a second was positive he had lost more blood than first thought. "Jay?" Tony mumbled. "Is there a silver haired man with an icy stare and smells like saw dust standing behind me." "Well, I can't actually smell him from here, but yes to the rest," Lopez said with a smile. Tony turned around and came face to face with a smiling Gibbs. "Boss what are you doing here? Is it the dead marines?" he stopped abruptly as Gibbs carefully grabbed him into a bear hug. "I'll give you the sit rep later, first we get you fixed up. Which way to the infirmary?" Gibbs addressed his attention to the other SEAL standing by as he released Tony from the hug but kept a hand on his uninjured shoulder. "You must be Agent Gibbs," Richter said as he extended his hand. "I'm Cosmo Richter, AJ's second in command." "We went through BUD/S together," Tony mumbled as he unconsciously leaned onto Gibbs who promptly wrapped his arm around the younger man to steady him. He knew the bond that being partners in BUD/S meant they were brothers for life. "Follow me and I'll take you to the infirm," Lopez said as the pair trailed after him. Gibbs waited outside the medical building as Tony got patched up inside. Lopez appeared from inside and approached the agent. "Agent Gibbs? He's just getting stitches ten on each side of his shoulder. Luckily, no other real damage. This is his third bullet wound in six months, unbelievable. They're just running through some fluids cause he lost a lot of blood and then he'll be released. You can head in if you like, he's in the third cubicle." Gibbs muttered his thanks as he entered the building and wound his way over to where Tony was currently situated. "DiNozzo?" he called when he saw the curtains drawn up and around the cubicle. "You decent?"

"Yeah Boss, come on in." He pushed through the curtains and got his first real look at his agent. Tony was naturally tanned and a lot more muscular than when he had left. His hair was cropped short not exactly in a marine cut but still short and spiky. His bare back was marred with scars evidence of the torture he had suffered years back only with a few fresher scars to add to the mix. Gibbs rarely, if ever, saw Tony shirtless and it was a shock to him to see the extent of what had happened to him. Tony's shoulder was bandaged up and he was hooked up to an IV. Now, in the harsh lights, Gibbs could see that the colonel had assessed correctly that Tony was running on fumes. He had dark rings under his eyes and looked physically and mentally exhausted. His normally dancing and expressive eyes looked dark. Gibbs could see, that despite the smile and playful words that came from Tony's mouth, he was and would be absolutely dangerous once he returned home. He sat on the side of the bed swinging his legs. "Here to bust me out Boss?" he said with a familiar grin. Gibbs couldn't believe how much more at ease he felt to have Tony with him. He finally felt like someone was on his six. "Nope DiNozzo, you ain't moving 'til that IV's finished. You got shot and lost a lot of blood. Deal with it. It's damn good to see you son," Gibbs finished quietly as he ruffled Tony's hair affectionately. Tony initially flinched at the physical contact. "Aw Boss ya missed me. I knew you would. Are McGee and Ziva here with you? Is this about the dead marines?" he asked eagerly. "It's all pretty hush hush here, no one's really saying anything." "Both McGee and Ziva are here they're getting set up. Yes, this is about the marines and Abby sent me a long, long list of things to tell you but the general gist of it is she can't wait to see you." "Yeah? I got orders to return home with you, did you know that?" Tony asked shyly. "Yeah DiNozzo, Vance told me. I've already set the spare bedroom up." "What?" Tony was confused for a second. When he got re-deployed, just as he had expected, he'd had to move out of his apartment and put his belongings in storage. Upon his return, Tony had planned to stay on the closest naval base until he had secured another place. "You don't have a place to live, I have a spare room. I've asked Abby to bring over your clothes, books, movies and all your electrical gadgets you seem to have," Gibbs smiled to see Tony's face light up with pleasure and amazement. Tony's childhood memories and feelings of doubt were never far from the surface. Gibbs knew that the young agent's parents had been abusive and neglectful. He hadn't really had any comfort as a child and it wasn't until Gibbs started head slapping Tony did he realise Tony had had very little physical contact from his family. "Thanks Boss," Tony said softly unable to express how much it meant to him. He cleared his throat against the sudden rush of emotion. Damn, he thought to himself, he was too exhausted and emotional. "So the marines Boss?" Gibbs recognised that Tony was struggling and he wanted to distract himself. "Ziva's getting the details of the case, so I don't really know what we've got. The small details I know is that there are three dead and a drug ring at the centre of it." Gibbs fell silent as the infirm doc entered the cubicle. "Commander? Fluids are through, I still can't convince you to stay the night?" he said as he disconnected the IV and removed the bung.

"No chance," Tony stated gleefully as he hopped off the high table. A second later his knees buckled. Gibbs caught him and steadied him on his feet. "Whoa there cowboy," the doc said with a smile. "You've still lost a lot of blood and need to take it easy at least for the next twenty four hours. You need plenty of fluids and some much needed rest. Doctor's orders." "He'll take it easy Doc," Gibbs assured him as he grabbed Tony's shoulders and pushed him out of the medical building. "Let's go find out what Ziva and McGee have got." After the joyful reunion, Tony found himself sitting in the tent that the NCIS agents were sharing. He was sitting on Gibbs' bunk eying off the sandwich his Boss had plunked into his hand and demanded he eat. Both Ziva and McGee were happy to see him although both noticed that this Tony was seemingly different to the usually joyous and childish Tony. This Tony was quieter and more serious, his eyes darted around automatically and his voice, when he did speak was flatter and colder. "Okay," Ziva said as Gibbs stared at her to give the sit rep. "Three dead all marines. All male, no other connection to each other. We've been going through the files identifying anyone with a drug history, gang connections, reprimands, anything and everything. So far nothing outstanding." "And I've been going through the email system", like most bases, this one had a central email system that all the troops shared. Computers were shared and it was common knowledge that communications were generally monitored. "Nothing so far. Probably won't be anything to go on." "So nothing then," Gibbs said thoughtfully as he sipped from his coffee with satisfaction. "Boss?" Tony suddenly spoke up. "Is there a reason you're searching for drug connections? Awhile back, I busted one of the baby SEALs with amphetamines in his system. His urine screening came back positive and the MPs tossed his tent. Found some more. He refused to say where he got it from. He got booted out of the SEALS but he's still on base somewhere as a clerk or aide." "What's his name? Is this in his records?" Ziva asked. "Not sure, I saw the report, but I don't know how much of the SEAL records are sealed. His name is Petty Officer Mason Tyner," Tony said with a jaw popping yawn. His eyes slid closed involuntarily. "And the stuff that you found? Where is that now?" Gibbs asked thoughtfully. "Uh confiscated. You'd have to ask the MPs where it's stashed. They'd have all that catalogued and whatnot." Gibbs gestured to McGee and Ziva. "Go talk to the MPs, get the report and find the Petty Officer. I want to see him." The pair trotted off in haste. Both eager to get to work and make sure Tony didn't show them both up. No matter how long he'd been away, the desire to one up him never eased. "And you," Gibbs turned to DiNozzo. "You either lie down here, or back in your tent." He smiled as he saw Tony's eyes fall shut again. He gently grasped Tony's shoulders and eased him down onto his bunk.

He pulled his combat boots off and lay a thin sheet across him. Tony mumbled something inaudibly and snuggled down as Gibbs gently patted his spiky hair. Several hours later and Gibbs was staring at Petty Officer Tyner who looked more like a clerk than he ever could a SEAL, Gibbs wondered how on earth he had passed BUD/S. So far, Gibbs had scared the kid to death and gotten the name of the marine who had sold him the stuff conveniently that marine, Jason Black, was currently out on extended patrol duty. The MPs had escorted him away whilst Gibbs studied the record of the marine in question. He didn't have any flags in his record and nothing to indicate drug trafficking, using or dealing. Gibbs checked his watch and realised that whilst it was 2200 over in Iraq the team had been on the go for 30 hours due to the flight and time difference. "Pack it up, hit the showers then the rack. We'll pick this up tomorrow," Gibbs commanded to his agents. He headed back to their tent, via the mess tent, to see that DiNozzo had vacated. Gibbs grabbed the plate of food he had piled up for Tony and wandered over to the tent that housed Seal Team 7. He saw Richter sitting on a bunk playing cards with the corpsman. Cos waved for Gibbs to come in. He immediately gestured to a lump on the adjacent bunk bed. "AJ's asleep. He staggered in about an hour ago, fell straight into bed." Cos leaned across and gently shook Tony. "AJ? Wake up man, your boss is here and he brought you some food." Tony awoke slowly and rolled over to stare up at Richter. Cos pointed over to where Gibbs had sat on a spare bunk. Tony's eyes swung over to where Gibbs was and grinned. "Oh hey Boss," he said as he sat up with Cos' help. Gibbs silently handed over the plate of food with a quiet, "Eat it DiNozzo." Tony ate silently as Gibbs watched like a hawk. "So why 'AJ'?" he asked Cosmo thinking he already knew the answer. "Anthony Junior," Cos said with a cheery grin. "First day I met him, first day of BUD/S, we get paired up and he introduces himself by saying 'I'm Anthony, call me that and I neuter you'. So AJ it became as I value my nuts too much to call him Anthony." Gibbs grinned at the thought of a young Tony proclaiming that threat. "Tony? We're hitting the rack and picking up tomorrow. You wanna join us after you wake up, shower and eat?" "No, I'm mean yes, but I'll get up early and come over," Tony mumbled as he crunched on some carrot. His eyes slid shut involuntarily again. "Dammit," he muttered. "I can't stay awake." "Yeah uh " Cos began sheepishly. "That's probably cause of the pain killers I put in your water." Tony showed him his middle finger before putting the now empty plate on the floor and curling back up into a ball under his thin sheet. Gibbs smiled to himself as he realised all was right with his world as DiNozzo was firmly back in it. Despite the fact that they were currently in a war zone, he felt at peace for the first time in 11 months. Gibbs sat bolt upright in his bunk as a harsh and incredibly loud siren began sounding. He looked over and saw that both Ziva and McGee were sitting up and looking around with confusion. Gibbs quickly jumped out of the bunk and went to the door of the tent and looked out to see what was going on. Ziva joined him and the pair watched the organised chaos of the camp. Gibbs spotted Richter carrying some pretty heavy duty guns and hailed him. "What's going on Richter?"

Cos stopped for a moment seeing Gibbs. He grimaced before replying. "Nothing for you folks to worry about. An idiotic Marine platoon no disrespect meant to you Sir walked into some sort of ambush on the edge of town. Apparently half the squad is pinned down and taking causalities whist the other half the idiotic half have taken refuge in someone's damn booby trapped house. They found a woman and her child tied up with explosives strapped to both their chests." "SEALs going out?" Ziva asked quietly. "Tony?" Cos stayed silent for a moment. "Yeah one team of SEALs has been tasked with leading a platoon of marines to link up with the boys being pinned down and our team has been ordered to head to the house. AJ's our explosives man, so we can't leave him home." "But he's been shot? How can he be cleared for duty?" McGee asked showing his inexperience for all things combat. "Dude, this is war. We need his expertise and we need every SEAL available. It's as simple as that. Excuse me Agent Gibbs," Cos finished as he headed off towards his tent. "Stay here," Gibbs instructed his junior agents as he stroke off towards the direction Cos had gone. He pushed open the tent flap to see the SEALs getting ready for battle. He spotted Tony in the corner strapping on his flak jacket and checking his ammunition. Gibbs wound his way over and touched the soldier's shoulder. Tony flinched as Gibbs realised he had touched the wounded shoulder. Tony rapidly schooled his face against the pain and turned to face his boss. "You be careful you hear me DiNozzo?" he said softly in Tony's ear. "You get your ass back here and don't be stupid. You still do not have my permission to die. Do you understand?" "I got it Boss," Tony said with a small smile. "See ya soon." This was the first time Gibbs had seen Tony really preparing for war and he was struck by the absolute lethality he saw in Tony's eyes. He was truly standing in front of a trained warrior. Gone was the frat boy and in his place was a deadly man. DiNozzo waved over his shoulder to Ziva and McGee as he followed his team out to the assembly area. The case abandoned for the moment more pressing matters to attend to Gibbs and his team were currently standing in the back of the command centre. Colonel Smith had gladly allowed them access knowing that Tony was out there and in the thick of things. This was the first time any of the agents had been privy to a mission Tony was involved in and Ziva in particular was amazed by the obvious skill and professionalism Tony demonstrated. Out in a war zone front line, there was no fooling around and idiotic behaviour. He was still cracking jokes but each realised that he was doing so to keep the young Marines that were deployed with his SEAL team at ease. It also shocked Ziva to hear Tony speaking both Arabic and Farsi to the locals. So far, SEAL Team 5 had linked up with the pinned down company of marines and were currently holding down that position and readying to evacuate everyone by Humvee. SEAL Team 7, let by DiNozzo, had infiltrated through the town and located the house with the marines and explosives. Richter and Tony were examining the bombs strapped to the woman and child, whilst the five remaining SEALs were holding down the position and allowing the stranded marines to be evacuated, also by Humvee along with the newly arrived marines. SEALs worked best as a unit and forcing the platoon of young and partially scared marines to leave and head back to base was the best course of action for a positive outcome.

"DiNozzo?" Smith suddenly barked. "Report." A crackle was heard for a few seconds followed by Tony's calm voice. "They're wired so that if one explodes the other does as well, or equally if one is disarmed the other is detonated." Bursts of gunfire could be heard in the background. "Plan of attack?" Smith asked hiding the rising dread he was feeling. "Still forming one. Give me a minute," Tony replied. Smith turned away from the screen and met Gibbs' eyes. They both had a good idea of what Tony's plan was going to be. DiNozzo stared at the two sets of explosives, carefully assessing his options and potential for success or failure. He gestured to Richter to follow him away from the woman and her child. Upon arrival, Tony and his team had found the woman had been badly beaten and then left as a 'welcoming present' for the marines. The child was considered collateral damage by her father. This callous action had sickened the SEALs. "What ya wanna do AJ?" Cos questioned his commander. "I can defuse both, but after I'm finished with the first one, I think I've got about thirty seconds before the other detonates. I want everybody evacuated from here and pulled back at least to the next building. I think, when it blows it will only take this room and next door but better to be safe." "I'm staying, someone has to grab the child and get her out. I'm assuming you'll get the girl first?" Cos didn't even need to look at Tony to know he had guessed correctly. "Start to pull everyone out. When you come back, we'll get the show on the road," DiNozzo advised still sounding like he was discussing going out for a drink with the boys. Richter was never sure if Tony ever felt any fear in these situations cause he sure as hell never saw any evidence of it. "Sit rep Commander," Colonel Smith said into his head set. "Currently clearing the building of all civilians and military. Pulling it all back to the next building and continue the evac from there." "Explosives?" "Chief Richter and I are staying. I'll defuse bomb one on the child, Richter will evac her whilst I defuse the second one," again Gibbs and his agents were struck by how incredibly calm and steady Tony's voice was despite the impending danger. "How long between detonation of explosive one until explosive two detonates?" Smith asked cutting to the heart of the matter. "Not completely sure. But I'd say less than thirty seconds."

"Good luck Commander." DiNozzo didn't respond as his mind was already on the task at hand. "We're all set AJ," Cos said softly as he approached the crouching SEAL. "Building's cleared and secure. Evac's continuing out of the blast zone. You defuse the second bomb and head straight out the way we came, you got that?" DiNozzo nodded silently. "Radio standby. Okay Chief, you ready? As soon as I say, you grab and go understand?" The use of rank told Cos that Tony was putting his best friend under a direct order. "Yes sir," he responded ensuring that Tony knew he had received the instructions. Both knew the command centre would be listening in from now on. DiNozzo cracked his knuckles, picked up his knife and set about arduous his task. As he rapidly clipped several wires, he spoke softly to the woman in Arabic letting her know what he was doing to her child. He snapped the final wire and moved swiftly onto the woman's explosives whilst yelling at Cos to grab the child and haul ass. "Go! Go! Go! Get her out of here. Now! Move it Chief!" As was protocol, the radios had been placed onto stand by, meaning that the command centre could hear all that was said without the soldiers needing to waste time pressing the appropriate button. Everybody was silent as they listened to what was going on. Gibbs' eyes were locked on the video screen showing a bird's eye view of the building in question. They had watched as the SEALs had evacuated the building and cleared it themselves. Gibbs was now one of many watching and waiting to see when the building blew, if the remaining SEALs made it out. Gibbs had held his breath as he heard Tony speak his order to Richter letting him know that he was speaking as his commander and not his friend. The entire command centre froze as they listened to DiNozzo's yelling to Cos to get out. And with horror they watched as the building exploded. Cos was thrown forward as the explosion ripped through the building. He shielded the small child with his sizeable body and covered his head as debris rained down around him. He realised that Corpsman Lopez was tugging on his arm and yelling at him. He had to wait a few seconds before his ears had stopped ringing. "What?" he yelled back. "Where's AJ?" "He was defusing the second bomb, I don't know, he might be still in there," Cos hauled his aching body to his feet, handed the child off to a nearby marine and readied himself as the highest ranking enlisted man, it was now his responsibility to lead the SEALs back in. He ordered the remaining three men to form up, and follow him into the now burning building. The SEALs did so unhesitatingly. Like the marines, SEALs never left anyone behind. The foursome rapidly moved into the building only to be confronted by the roaring fire. They pushed through the debris and fire searching for their commander. Or his remains. Cos refused to even think this but the other men were aware that it had been only a tiny window of time between defusing the two explosives. "SEAL Team 7 Commander is the only soldier not accounted for Sir," said a nameless soldier over the radio. "Team 7 have re-entered the building to locate his body. We're moving out and leaving one Humvee for the SEALs." "They are just assuming he is dead Gibbs," Ziva whispered with distress. He nodded agreeing.

There was a wall of fire facing the SEALs and debris continued to rain down on them. The situation was beginning to look hopeless and even Cos was thinking that there was no way DiNozzo had gotten out alive. "Cos!" they suddenly heard a hoarse voice shouting from somewhere near them. "Richter you ass!" "AJ?" Cos yelled back signalling his team to be quiet and locate the voice. "Yeah man, over here. To your goddamn left." Richter followed the voice to find Tony sitting on the floor with the woman cradled in his arms. He had blood flowing down his temple as well as pouring from his previously gained shoulder wound. The woman appeared to be physically fine although mildly hysterical, she was yelling in Arabic and swinging her fists beating at Tony's chest. Tony shrugged apologetically. "She just keeps screaming at me, I'm not entirely sure why. She won't move and I can't carry her anymore. Can you help me out here?" Cos immediately gestured for one of the younger SEALS, Winchester, to grab the woman and haul her ass out of there. He knelt down next to his best friend and asked softly, "Can you walk? What's hurting?" For once, Tony was honest about his physical state, knowing that now was not the time to be stuffing around. "I'm not sure. I got hit hard from behind by the concussion of the blast. My head's spinning. My side and back are not feeling too crash hot. It hurts a lot to move around." Making up his mind quickly, Cos scooped Tony up into his arms not caring about the protesting from his commander. He thumbed his mike to inform the central command that they needed a medic on standby back at base. "SEAL 7 to base. SEAL 7 to base." "Base to SEAL 7 what is your sit rep?" "Need a medic ASAP at the base, ETA is ten minutes out with one wounded." Colonel Smith suddenly spoke voicing what most were thinking. "Is it DiNozzo? How serious?" "It's AJ sir, not sure how bad." "Doc's will be waiting for you boys." The colonel swiftly turned and gestured for Gibbs and his team to follow him out of the command centre. "Head back to the medical building, they'll be taking DiNozzo directly there." "AJ? You still with us?" Lopez asked as he saw Tony's head loll onto Cos' chest. He was half lying in the back of the Humvee partially on Richter. Lopez was putting pressure on Tony's head wound and Cos was carefully holding a pressure pad onto his shoulder from where the stitches had been ripped open. Tony was becoming increasingly non-responsive, his face was grey and he was clearly having trouble staying conscious. "AJ? Hey man, talk to me, where's the pain?" Cos asked him softly. He gripped Tony's chin and pulled his head up. He shook it gently, being careful of the obvious head injury to gain brief eye contact.

"Dunno Cos. Just hurts," Tony mumbled. "Yeah but where?" "Back, side, stomach, groin, head just all hurts. Gotta hit the head man." Cos furrowed his eyes confused. "What? You gotta use the head?" "Kidneys," Lopez whispered. "It's gotta be his kidneys." He exchanged a glance with Cos before yelling to Winchester who was driving the Humvee at breakneck speed. "How long til we get to base?" "Five out." "Make it two," Cos ordered. Gibbs paced up and down the small waiting area for news on Tony's condition. He had been whisked away into the treatment rooms as soon as the Humvee had entered the compound. Cos had spoken to Gibbs and told him what had happened whilst out in the field. Richter had then made Gibbs promise to call him with news as he had to go off and, in the following order, shower, eat then write up the mission report. It was usually DiNozzo's job to write the reports but it was now Cos' responsibility as Tony was clearly out of action. Gibbs was still puzzling over Tony's words as he had been whizzed past. Tony had spotted Gibbs, grabbed his hand and started saying something. The senior agent had leaned over so his ear was at Tony's mouth. "Bigger than it should have been. Crystal." Gibbs had no idea what DiNozzo had meant but he was determined to find out. It was roughly an hour since Tony had been brought in and the treating doctor the one who had previously stitched up Tony's shoulder came out to see Gibbs and his team. "Well to be honest, I didn't really want to see AJ again so soon. I've seen him far too many times on this tour," the doctor said gently as he grasped Gibbs' shoulder. "I'm officially Dr Singer and you're Agent Gibbs. Okay, so AJ's doing okay. He's actually incredibly lucky. We've restitched his shoulder and also had to put 7 stitches in a head laceration, which is accompanied by a pretty serious concussion. Let's see," he halted as he consulted his clipboard. "Three broken ribs and some second degree burns along his back and neck. The most worrying part was that he had some internal bleeding to his kidney area. Luckily, it will actually resolve and repair itself over the next few days to weeks. He'll be mighty uncomfortable though. He's in a lot of pain and feeling pretty unwell, but in true SEAL form, he's demanding we let him leave." "You are not going to let him do that, are you doctor?" Ziva asked with concern from beside Gibbs. Doc Singer smiled indulgently. "No we will be keeping him here for at least 24 hours after that I have no doubts that if I do not release him, he will escape anyhow." "Can we see him?" McGee asked. "At this stage, I would usually say no. Chief Richter is allowed as is the Colonel that's just protocol around here, however I have been informed by the Chief that DiNozzo will follow orders from Agent Gibbs here. So, perhaps you could come with me and soothe our young Commander?"

Gibbs turned to the others. "Head back to the mess tent, get something to eat and then back to work. I'll be there as soon as Tony's settled." The pair scurried off, forgotten immediately by Gibbs as his attention turned to his surrogate son. Gibbs sucked in a quiet breath as he followed the doctor to the cubicle in which Tony was residing. He was curled up on his right side Gibbs assessed his agent or rather the soldier rapidly. He was shirtless with his left shoulder tightly wrapped and dressings running the length of his back and up his neck. His left side and back area were virtually black with the internal and external bruising around his kidney. He had a gash cutting across his forehead and through his eyebrow. Tony was clearly in some pain and had a basin next to him that had clearly been called into use recently. Doctor Singer turned to Gibbs with a smile as he said out of hearing range, "He'll be released in 24 hours into either your or Richter's care. He needs to be monitored for several days at all times." "Mine. Release him to me. He won't go an inch without me," Gibbs said with finality. The doctor nodded and squeezed Gibbs' shoulder. "Followed your order Boss," Tony whispered as he spotted Gibbs coming towards him. Gibbs grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it up next to the bed near Tony's head. He took in both the grey pallor and lifeless eyes. "Which order was that Tony?" "Don't die." "That you did," Gibbs reached out and touched his young agent's hair. "Close call though. Nearly lost ya." "Yeah but you didn't. How's the case going?" "We've had other more pressing matters on our hands DiNozzo," Gibbs muttered with a smile. Tony's eyes opened to assess his boss. "Another death? More drugs?" he was genuinely confused and Gibbs knew that it wouldn't even occur to Tony that it was his mission that had been the cause for concern. He mentally debated asking Tony about his strange words earlier, but he didn't want to stress his agent too much too soon. Instead, he very, very gently head slapped Tony. "Your mission. Making sure you got home. We were in the command centre." Tony took this in silently. "Well, I'm out of action for a few hours, but I want to be useful to you guys when I'm out of here. You know, get back into the swing of NCIS." Gibbs internally rolled his eyes. "The medical team say you're staying here for 24 hours. After that you will be released into my care. You will not leave my presence, do you understand me?" Tony grudgingly agreed. He suddenly grunted and curled even more inside of himself. As much as he was trying to hide how badly he was feeling, the pain and pressure was beginning to overwhelm him. "DiNozzo? Talk to me, what's going on?" Gibbs said softly as he stood up over the ailing man. "Need a nurse?" "No I'm I'm fine," Tony managed to bite out.

"And I'm the king of Persia," Gibbs muttered. "Where's it hurting?" Tony closed his eyes against the pain which was starting to reach agonising levels. His bladder was screaming at him to get to the head. "I just I gotta go," he mumbled softly. "Go where DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked genuinely confused. Where did Tony have to go? Tony groaned again. "The bathroom Boss, I need to take a leak. Again. I hate this," he mumbled half to himself. Gibbs finally got what Tony was trying to say. "Hold on DiNozzo," he said as he left the cubicle in search of what he needed. After hailing down a young nurse, Gibbs returned to the bedside with a bottle in hand. He pulled the curtains around the cubicle and handed an appalled looking Tony the bottle. "I'm not using that." "Yeah ya are," Gibbs said with a smile. He gently nudged Tony's hand. "Come on DiNozzo, get it over and done with, you'll feel better after. I'll wait outside, give me a yell when you're done," he said as he exited through the curtains. Tony groaned at the thought of using the bottle but he needed to relieve himself too badly to wait much longer for his pride to stand in his way. "When is Tony being released?" Ziva asked Gibbs as he sailed through the tent flap drinking his usual coffee. Gibbs had spent the last few hours with Tony and had only left his side when the drugs had well and truly kicked in and knocked him out. McGee and Ziva had been hard at work digging up all sorts of information on the forgotten drug pushing marine. Black's emails and phone records had been pulled and examined nothing really to report there as all forms of communication in and out of the base was carefully monitored. Black's bank accounts however, were a different story. He was making multiple cash deposits of varying amounts every few days with no clear evidence as to where the money was coming from. The next step, according to Gibbs was to interview the marine and put some pressure on him. "Gibbs?" Ziva asked as he didn't respond to her question. "He'll be released tomorrow some time. Where's Black at?" Gibbs turned their minds back to the case as he sat himself down on his bunk bed. He pulled the bank records over and studied them. "Well that is the interesting part," McGee began. "Black was part of the platoon of marines who was involved in this morning's ambush. His chalk was the one that walked into the building with the explosives. Black was the ranking sergeant and he led them in. He came out uninjured and none the worse for wear." Gibbs carefully mulled this over. "Where is he now?" "De-briefing," Ziva supplied. "He'll be there for another few hours and the Gunny is under orders to call us when he is being dismissed." "I want his tent tossed and copies of the statement and report he makes about this morning's incident. I want to speak to his second in charge and platoon sergeant," Gibbs barked his orders with finality. Both

Ziva and McGee realised that Black was going to get his ass handed to him on a plate because he was essentially the reason Tony was now in the hospital. For the last thirty minutes, Gibbs had his ass handed to him by both Abby and Ducky. Both had been in contact with McGee on multiple occasions keeping tabs on both the investigation and Tony's welfare. Gibbs had been ambushed by the pair after receiving Ducky's findings on the three dead marines who had been shipped back stateside for the ME to examine them. As expected all three had died from cardiac arrests and each found with high levels of methamphetamine found in their systems. Abby had been furious that Gibbs not tell her about Tony's mission and it was only after a promise of letting Tony go bowling with her, did she calm down enough to let Ducky get in a word. "Jethro? Physically I know how he is, I had all his current records sent to me in preparation for his return to NCIS. But mentally how is he?" Gibbs thought this through carefully before answering. "He's going to need some time. The frat boy is gone for the time being and a lethal warrior is in its place. He'll need some grounding to even begin to take the edge off." "Well we shall help the dear boy," Ducky said with reassurance in his tone. The senior agent nodded his head, knowing that for Tony, the best place for him was by Gibbs' side. "DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked softly as he approached his dozing agent. It was roughly 2100 and Gibbs wanted to speak to Tony before he hit the rack himself. Black had been detained by the MPs and was to stay in their lock up for the night. He was under investigation in relation to the ambush that morning. Gibbs had decided to let him stew for the night and interview him first thing in the morning. "Yeah Boss?" Tony grinned and waved obviously still feeling the joyous effects of the drugs. Gibbs approached and was pleased to see that Tony wasn't curled up in agony any more. "Do you remember what you said to me before being taken in to the treatment room?" Tony furrowed his brow as he tried to recall. "Not really Boss, I mean, I was pretty out of it." "What do you remember about the explosion?" "I haven't written up my report yet Boss," Tony said not entirely sure where the conversation was headed. "No, I know DiNozzo, just think about it and tell me what your thoughts were on the actual explosion. Take your time," Gibbs assured him. Tony thought back to the events of the day. He began talking out his thought process like he had been taught to do in SEAL school when writing up reports. Gibbs took copious notes as Tony spoke factually. He related finding and assessing the bombs, instructing Cos to leave, cutting the wires to bomb one and then bomb two, running, smelling chemicals, more destruction than he thought and the hysterical woman. "Good DiNozzo, tell me 'bout the chemical smells and why was there more damage than you first thought would occur?"

Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly, an indication that he was rapidly wearing out. "The amount of explosives would have taken out the room and the one adjacent to it. It shouldn't have made the entire building collapse. There just wasn't enough power behind it to do that. Not unless the explosives on the woman were connected to further ones at the structural points of the building which they weren't, I checked. The chemical smell was hard to pin point. I'm still not entirely sure of it but it smelt like crystal ice. Remember the Henderson case just before I was deployed? Smelt like that." Gibbs remembered that case well, it was the last case they had worked before the team had been split up. He recalled the distinctive smell of the meth lab it had permeated his clothes to the extent that Gibbs threw his clothes out as washing them hadn't gotten the stench out. He squeezed Tony's uninjured shoulder as he murmured, "Ya did good DiNozzo, get some sleep." "Boss?" Tony asked as his eyes had already begun to slip shut. "Did I explode a meth lab?" "Nah Tony you didn't explode it. You were just there." Black had crumbled in about fifteen minutes under the glare of both Ziva and Gibbs. He was absolutely no match for the irate pair. He had admitted to supplying meth to his fellow marines and he had indeed led his marines into the lab in the hope that it would be destroyed by the ensuing gunfire. He had been made aware that NCIS were on the hunt for the drug supplier and it was only a matter of time before they came for him. The woman and the child were meant to be collateral damage. He had also freely given up the names of his supplier an Iraqi born, US educated man who ran the local drug ring. Not wanting to fight that battle, Gibbs handed off the names to SEC NAV for him to delegate that problem where he saw fit. Black had been hauled away in cuffs he was facing major charges for both his drug offences and even greater ones for putting his marines in mortal danger. "How is he?" Gibbs asked as he entered the medical building to pick up Tony. He had been contacted an hour ago by Dr Singer who informed the agent that Tony was being released (before he escaped) into Gibbs' care. "He's a handful," Singer said with obvious affection. "He's in a lot of pain, still passing frank blood and struggling to keep any form of sustenance down." "And you are releasing him because?" "Because, two hours ago, he promised me that if I did not release me, he would hack into the satellites and spy on my college bound daughter whilst she sun bakes. I am almost certain he can accomplish this." Gibbs grinned, knowing that if DiNozzo couldn't do it himself, he could certainly find someone who could. "Any instructions?" "For starters, I know you've wrapped up your case and are eager to head home he can't fly for another two days due to the head injury, so he'll have to come after you guys. Other than that, same deal as before. Plenty of fluids and rest. He knows to come here tomorrow so the nurses can change his dressings and bandages. He will continue to pass some blood when he visits the head this is to be expected but if he begins to lose pure blood and a lot of it, contact me immediately. Likewise, he needs to try and stay as hydrated as possible difficult when he can't keep any down if he can't keep anything down by tonight, contact me. Oh and Agent Gibbs? Good luck!"

"Oh, he won't be a handful for me," Gibbs threw over his shoulder to the amused doctor as he strode into the cubicle to find Tony sitting on the bed awaiting his arrival. He was dressed in his NWU the desert uniform of cargo pants, combat boots and a long sleeve untucked shirt over an olive t-shirt. Again, Gibbs was struck by the soldier sitting in front of him. When he had returned from the two previous missions that Gibbs was a witness to, Tony had been in all black, as was the standard tactical dress of the SEALs. And whenever he had returned from duty, Gibbs had never seen the young man in a uniform as Tony stripped off and into casual clothes as soon as he could. "Hey Boss, finally lets blow this joint," he said as he carefully got off the bed. Gibbs reached out to help him which Tony waved away. "I'm good, just gotta go slow you know." "Got a jeep out here Tony," Gibbs informed him with a smile. Their tent was about a ten minute walk from the medical building, but with the injuries Tony had, there was no way he could walk there. "The marines letting you drive it Boss? Cause I almost died yesterday and I don't plan to repeat it today." Gibbs laughed as he gently cuffed DiNozzo on the head. "Wrapped the case up." "Yeah, McGee dropped by to tell me. Said you guys were flying back tonight? Doc Singer said I wasn't allowed to fly cause of the concussion so I think I'm booked on a flight on Thursday." (Today being Tuesday.) "Ziva and McGee are flying back today. I'm flying back with you. All arranged with the director. We're going by Lear, they're going by cargo." "Ziva is going to be pissed," Tony said with glee. Ziva was pissed although she was damn glad to be going home. She never felt at ease when in the Middle East so she didn't mind going by cargo plane. She did mind that Tony was getting to fly on the Lear although she grudgingly admitted that he may have earned it. Gibbs had vacated the tent the agents had been initially assigned and was moved into the tent with the SEALs. He soon found out that staying with the five man team DiNozzo, Lopez, Winchester, Richter and Ackles was like being in a frat house with weapons. Constant laughter, joking, drinking and poker. Gibbs recognised it for what it was, stress relief from the high demand of the job they did. With Tony going stateside, Gibbs had wondered what the other boys were going to do without their Commander. "Are you kidding?" Winchester had exclaimed. "We're being tasked over to SEAL Team 6 red cell man." Gibbs knew that Tony had already had a stint with Team 6 and it was a plum job. Counter terrorism experts that concentrated on infiltrating secure bases and buildings to identify weaknesses and flaws. Every SEAL wanted that assignment. "You're gonna be so jealous," Winchester said with excitement as he turned to his commander who was currently lying on his bunk listening to the boys chat. Gibbs had noticed that in the company of his team mates, Tony was actually a calming and steady influence on them. "No he won't," Cos suddenly said. "He's done his six months with them. He knows what it's like. Plus you can bet he gets deployed with us on multiple occasions for his 'special skills'." They all knew Richter was right. The Powers That Be had wisely recognised that this team was a special one which needed to be kept together for as long as possible.

Both Gibbs and Richter had watched over Tony like a hawk for the two days before their flight home. They made sure he stayed in his bed as much as possible, drank enough fluids til he drowned, kept his appointments with the nurses for dressing changes and ate as much as his stomach could handle. Cos had approached Gibbs the day before their departure. "He's on edge Gibbs. Once he leaves here, he'll need a few days to a week to adjust. The sights, the sounds, the smells it all takes time to forget. He's hiding it well. Heck, he's hidden it from you and your team since you've got here, but he's dangerous at the moment." As cryptic as those words sounded, Gibbs was well aware of what Richter was trying to say. It would take a while for Tony to adjust and assimilate back into normal society. To accept that he was no longer in a war zone and in a constant danger. That there weren't enemies ready to fire behind every window. That the shadows of his mind would not consume him. "I've got him Richter." "I know Sir. I think we can all see that he's essentially your son, so with you for a dad, I'm confident AJ'll be just fine." On the day of their flight, Tony's stomach was still a little unsettled, his side and back were still painful and he was still feeling the need to use the head a lot. He had ceased peeing straight blood and his ribs were no longer screaming as loudly as three days prior. After lengthy embraces with his teammates, the colonel and just about every other member of the base, Tony was finally on his way home. "You hanging in there DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked noting that next to him Tony was shifting slightly in discomfort. The pair had been in the air for close to four hours with another four to go until a brief stopover in Germany before a nine hour flight back to Washington. Gibbs was positive, that despite Tony's silence on the matter, the younger man was in some serious pain in his side, shoulder and back. Gibbs had made sure that Tony religiously took the prescribed pain killers, but he knew that this pain couldn't really be held by the relatively light pills Tony agreed to. "You need to lie down?" As they were flying in a Lear jet, there were couches that could be used as beds. "Yeah I think so," Tony said softly much to Gibbs' surprise as he had been ready to override Tony on the matter. He helped his agent to his feet and then over to the couch, he didn't miss the soft groan of pain that escaped Tony as he curled up on his side the only position he could actually sleep comfortably in due to the burns on his back, the hole through his shoulder, the still broken ribs and the bruised kidneys. What a mess, Tony thought to himself for the millionth time. Gibbs disappeared into the galley area to return a few minutes later bearing a heat pack. He carefully placed it on Tony's side where his kidney was being careful not to touch any of the skin that had been burnt by the blast. As DiNozzo drifted off to sleep, Gibbs stroked his hair glad to be finally bringing his son home. Gibbs jerked his head up as he heard yelling. He turned his gaze to where the sound came from and was on his feet like a shot. His senior agent was clearly in the midst of a nightmare. Tony was rolling around, clearly distressed and he was shouting in Arabic. Gibbs grabbed a hold of DiNozzo's shoulder and lightly shook it. From experience, he knew to expect Tony to swing at him and he was lucky that in DiNozzo's current state of health there wasn't much power behind it. Still stung his palm though. "DiNozzo! Hey Tony! Wake up!" Tony awoke to find himself being shaken by his boss. He was alarmed to see that Gibbs was restraining his fists and his body was screaming in protest. "You were having a nightmare Tony," Gibbs explained softly seeing the shadows make their way through Tony's eyes. He wasn't surprised when Tony didn't respond to what he had told him. He never did. He just closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall back to sleep with Gibbs' hand resting on his shoulder.

"Where are they Ducky?" Abby exclaimed as she checked her watch for the hundredth time. The pair were at Andrews Air Force Base awaiting the arrival of the Lear carrying both Gibbs and DiNozzo. It was currently twenty minutes late explained to the impatient scientist as being due to bad weather somewhere over the Atlantic. "Patience my dear Abigail, they will be here any minute," Ducky said soothingly. Abby had wanted to arrange a big 'welcome home' party for Tony invite all the regulars from the office, balloons, the whole works, but Ducky had rapidly put a stop to this by explaining the potential mental state of the returning soldier. So instead, Abby had agreed to accompany Ducky to the base, pick them up and head back to Gibbs for some pizza a favourite of Tony's that Abby knew he missed dearly. Both Ducky and Abby were well aware of Tony's various injuries and McGee had wasted no time in regaling them with the tale of the mission that went to hell and Tony's part of it. They were both also highly aware of the probability of Tony's mental state. "There you are," Ducky said as he pointed towards the taxiing jet. "All safe and sound, my dear girl." "DiNozzo? We're home, you need to wake up for me?" Gibbs said as he gently shook his young charge. Thankfully, Tony had, after being plied with heavy duty pain killers, slept through the entire 9 hour flight from Frankfurt. He now opened his eyes blearily and looked around taking in where he was. Gibbs grasped his shoulders and pulled him into a sitting position making sure he continued to hold Tony up as pain raced through his body. "You 'kay?" Tony stayed silent and Gibbs knew that his agent was beginning to 'shut down' as Abby had named it. It happened after every deployment Tony ever went on. Gibbs hauled Tony to the head, made sure he held him steady whilst he took care of business and then led him off the Lear and onto US soil for the first time in eleven months, sixteen days and nineteen hours. He was immediately overwhelmed by the masses of people hurrying every which way. Sights and sounds mingled with what he perceived as gun fire. Tony stood still not sure what to do. Gibbs had assessed very quickly what was happening to Tony. It was something that never failed to affect Tony once he was completely home from deployment. He became on edge, almost dangerous when touched. His eyes were dark and lifeless and he usually didn't speak. For some reason Gibbs was the only person DiNozzo allowed near him, although Gibbs had learnt the hard way that this wasn't always a given. Gibbs firmly but cautiously grabbed onto Tony's shoulder and began speaking softly into his ear, "you're home Tony, Ducky and Abby are over there waiting to drive us back to my place. I've got your room all set up for you and after a few days you're coming back to NCIS with me." The stream of words in Tony's ear had the desired effect as he calmed enough to continue walking besides Gibbs who made sure he maintained physical contact with him at all times. "There they are!" Abby screamed as she spotted Gibbs' silver hair as he pushed through the crowd towards them. His hand was firmly on Tony's shoulder as he guided him through. "Abigail," Ducky murmured softly in her ear. "Wait a second, Anthony is overwhelmed by the crowd. Do not touch him Abby." Abby stopped jumping for a minute and realised Ducky was right. Her heart leapt into her mouth as she saw how frightened Tony had looked for a brief moment of time.

Ducky walked forward as the pair approached. He immediately raised his arms and spoke to Tony, "My dear Anthony, welcome home. May I hug you?" he asked knowing that Tony was likely to be adverse to any form of physical contact that wasn't from Gibbs. Tony nodded as he melted into the embrace from the gentle doctor. Ducky softly rubbed his back being careful of the burns. Tony found that he was then handed off to Abby who, much like Ducky hugged him with as much care as a mother to her new born. Tony realised his shirt was wet from Abby's tears. He pulled back and looked at her smiling face. "It's okay Tony-boy, I'm just so happy to finally see you. They're tears of joy." Ducky looked over his young friend with an appraising eye. He knew what his physical state was but he was also worried about DiNozzo's hardened eyes and the lack of joy he usually encompassed. Neither Abby nor Ducky failed to notice that Tony had so far not said a word. Something that both knew was indicative of his wellbeing. Post deployments Tony was never very chatty the longer or harder the deployment the less he said for a few days. It appeared that only Gibbs was able to get anything out of him and even that was a struggle. Ducky took charge of the moment and gestured for Gibbs to begin following him to the car, Abby grabbed Tony's duffel and set off after the doctor. Gibbs nodded at Tony and jerked his head to indicate for him to follow. Tony had been silent throughout the car ride. He had alternated between looking out the window and listening to Abby's stream of chatter. Every person in the car were now aware that it was going to be like defusing a bomb over the next few days. Once they had arrived at Gibb's house and what was, in the senior agent's mind, now Tony's home too, Gibbs had escorted Tony up to his new room and sent him to shower and get out of his NWU. Ducky knew this was an important part of defusing Tony. Abby set about ordering the pizzas and pastas that the small group were to share. "DiNozzo?" Gibbs called out as he entered the bathroom. The shower had stopped running a few minutes ago and Tony had yet to appear. Gibbs had pushed open the door apprehensively unsure of what he might find. Once, he had found Tony huddled under the cold water shaking and another time he had been met with a Tony ready to take a swing. To his surprise he found Tony running his hand through his short hair, dressed now in jeans and one of his old and beloved zip up jackets. He stared back at Gibbs with his head tipped to the side, silently questioning what Gibbs wanted with him. "You ready to go downstairs? The pizza should almost be here." Tony took a deep breath before nodding and following the older man out. Gibbs was always unnerved by how silently this Tony could move when in stealth mode. He likened it to a tiger gliding along behind him. He trailed after him down the stairs and into the living room where Ducky was setting the small table with plates and cutlery and Abby was sorting through a stack of DVDs which Gibbs knew where in fact DiNozzo's. "Tony," Abby called and waved to get his attention. "I brought over your entire DVD collection just like Gibbs said. And all your books. You've got a lot more books than I thought you would. Come and pick out what movie to watch." Tony sat down carefully on the sofa near where Abby was sitting on the floor. He was obviously still in a great amount of pain as was evidence by how quickly he had accepted the offered pain killers that Gibbs handed to him wordlessly. Tony watched with interest as Abby showed him movie after movie and waited for his silent nod of approval.

The pizzas arrived and the small party of four ate with relish. Despite the fragile nature of Tony, both Abby and Ducky were unable to hold back their obvious delight at having DiNozzo back with them and Gibbs found that he himself was also pleased that the man he thought of as his son was officially home. Gibbs tipped his head to the side as he heard noises from above him. After his guests had gone home and Tony had been persuaded to go to bed, Gibbs had wandered down to his usual place - the basement and his boat. He made sure to keep one ear open in case DiNozzo needed anything. He had been down there for a few hours before he had heard the signs of life. Gibbs was at the bottom of the stairs where he saw Tony's feet at the top of the staircase. "Tony?" Gibbs called out cautiously again, dealing with Tony so soon from deployment was like dealing with either a frightened deer or a threatened tiger. Tony descended the flight of stairs and stopped in front of Gibbs. He was in his sleeping attire of sweat pants and a t-shirt and Gibbs noted with a smile that his hair was unruly from sleeping. "You okay Tony?' Gibbs asked softly not sure which form of Tony was in front of him. "Couldn't sleep," Gibbs was surprised and pleased to hear Tony speak. "Wanna stay down here with me for a bit?" Tony had frequently kept Gibbs company down in the basement post deployments Gibbs usually worked on the boat whilst Tony usually lay underneath the hull and either slept or chatted with Gibbs. It appeared to be some form of comfort to be under there no matter the state of the boat. Tony now nodded and trailed after Gibbs towards his usual place of the hull Gibbs grabbed the blankets and pillow Tony usually used and lay them out for his young agent. Tony gratefully lay down, still moving slowly and in obvious pain. He silently accepted a glass of water which was offered to him, then sighed and closed his eyes. Gibbs worked in silence. He noted with satisfaction that occasionally Tony reached out with his hand and touched Gibbs ankle again, this was something he usually did when he had just gotten home. The touch appeared to ground him. Gibbs smiled as Tony reached out again and ghosted his fingers over Gibbs' shoe. Tony was going to be alright. Epilogue: Over the last few days Gibbs made sure to keep a very close eye on Tony. Both Abby and Ducky frequented his house with various excuses but all of which added up to checking up on Tony and simply being in his company. Tony had continued to recover from his injuries and was now feeling almost back to human. His shoulder and back continued to cause his grief as was expected and he continued to have some trouble with his kidney again, something expected. But his concussion appeared to have resolved and his broken ribs were healing nicely. Gibbs had made sure Tony ate three full meals and slept at least 8 hours per night. He kept the young man occupied, ensuring that his mind was unable to roam into dark places. Tony was still fairly silent and was still dangerous when touched. But it was decided by both Ducky and Gibbs, in consultation with Vance, that Tony would return to NCIS on Monday. He was only on half duties and was going to be riding a desk. Gibbs knew that Tony would also more than likely be down in Abby's lab on frequent occasions. Three months later: He was home. Tony had resettled back into civilian life. He had received another medal for his heroics in Iraq. He continued to live with Gibbs as neither saw the point in Tony moving out. He slowly began to adjust and resumed his antics in the bull pit. Soon McGee and Ziva were rolling their eyes and calling Tony names just as before he left. His various injuries were now healed and were just more scars on his already marred physique. Gibbs watched happily as the frat boy emerged leaving behind the lethal soldier. It was on rare occasions that Gibbs was able to glimpse the warrior underneath and he worked rapidly to defuse him.