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Chapter Text

NCIS MTAC: Present time

Special Agent Nick Torres sat with his feet up on the chair in front of him and stared into the darkened room. It wasn’t often that he got the chance to just sit down and pretend that everything was all right, because that’s what he was doing – pretending. He ran his hand across his face and sighed.

“Fuck!” Nick jumped to his feet, balled his fists and screamed. He screamed until his throat felt raw and there was no air left in his lungs. His legs felt weak and he slumped back into his chair. He lowered his head and sobbed.

24 Hours earlier

FBI Field Office – Manassas

Tony rose to his feet and rubbed his eyes tiredly as he made his way over to the large pot of coffee that decorated the side table. He grabbed his mug and poured the caffeinated liquid into the mug. He brought the mug up to his face and inhaled deeply.

“Aagh,” he sighed and took the first sip. He closed his eyes and let the coffee feed his soul. When someone snickered behind him, he turned around. He glared at the slim woman that stood in his doorway. She had short cropped red hair and hazel colored eyes that sparkled with mischief.

“Something funny?” He circled the mug with his hands and took another swallow.

“It’s like you’re making love to that coffee instead of merely drinking it.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Your point being?” He took the mug back to his desk and sat down. He dragged the open file closer.

“That was my point, Boss.”

Tony chose to ignore the red head as he rolled his eyes again. “You know I love chatting with you, Ciara Egan, but you being in my office at five in the morning never seems right. Spill, what do you have?” His cyber specialist kept weird office hours just like him, and it wasn’t strange to see her wandering the halls at odd hours of the night.

Ciara cocked her head. “You’re more worried about the fact that I’m in your office at five in the morning than the fact that you’re still in the office at five in the morning.”

“Who says I didn’t go home?”

She snorted. “For one, you’re wearing the same clothes as yesterday and two, you’re in a very disheveled state.”

Tony looked down at himself and sighed. “True, you got me.” He took a sniff at himself and scrunched up his nose. “I need a shower.” He pushed himself to his feet and made his way back to where a large steel cabinet stood in the corner. He dragged open the second drawer and pulled out a set of clean clothes as well as his toiletries.

“Tony.” Ciara held up her hands. “Stop.” She rolled her eyes as Tony looked at her with a frown on his face.

“You had way too much coffee.” She walked over to the coffee pot, picked it up and without hesitating she poured it out on the plant that stood in the opposite corner.

Tony gasped and cocked his head. “It’s not the first time you’ve done that.” He pointed a finger at her. “No wonder it doesn’t want to stay alive! You’re killing it.” He actually pouted.

“I’m merely trying to educate you on what you’re doing to your own body.” She threw her one hand in the air, the other still gripped around the coffee pot.

Tony growled. “It’s too early, Ciara. Why are you here?” He felt the exhaustion in his bones. Maybe he should’ve gone home last night. But he hated sleeping in the empty house.

Ciara became serious. “We got a possible lead.”

Tony turned quickly, the exhaustion he felt mere moments ago disappeared. “On Thomas Landry?”

Ciara nodded. “It’s still a very thin lead, but we might’ve picked something up.”

“What?” Tony dropped the clothes he had in his hand and made his way over to his office door. He stepped out and realized that Ciara wasn’t following him.

“Why are you still standing there, move, Ciara.”

She shook her head. “Tony, there’s nothing to move for. As I said, the lead is extremely thin.”

“Explain?” He leaned against the doorway.

“I’ve been running an alpha rhythm for the past couple of days, and finally it picked up on something.” She went on to explain what she found.

Tony sighed. He had to agree with her, it was a very thin lead, but after all the years he’d served, the one thing he did know, was that no lead, how thin it might be, may ever be ignored. “Follow up on it, don’t drop this, Ciara. If we want to find that SOB we need to be on top of every possible lead, doesn’t matter how slim it might be.”

The red head bobbed her head in agreement. Her eyes sparkled as she grinned. “Go and shower, Boss.” She pointed a finger at him. “And stay away from the coffee.”

Tony grinned back. “And if I don’t?”

Ciara glared at him. She cocked her head. “Then I’m telling your husband.”

Tony burst out laughing. He closed the distance between them and placed his hand on her shoulder. “My red-head vixen, it’s clear that you don’t know my husband very well.” He continued to grin. “That man is addicted to coffee. He drinks double the cups of coffee than what I do in a day.”

Ciara sighed. “True.” She shrugged. “But I also know for a fact that he, and Doctor Palmer are on your case for neglecting your health. Maybe I should let them know just how much you’re not taking things easy.”

It was Tony’s turn to glare and sigh in defeat. He was well aware of the fact that he’s been burning the candle at both ends. But they had to find Landry. He would not take it easy until they had the man behind bars. “I’ll stay away from the coffee.”

“Good.” With that she moved passed him and exited the spacious office.

Tony sat down with his hip on the corner of his desk. He rubbed his hand across his face. He really needed a shower.

Tony made his way to the private on suite left to his office. He still grinned every time he used the shower. When he was first offered the job, he made a joke and said he’d only take the offer if they provided him with an on suite. No eyebrow was raised and when they returned to him a couple of weeks later, he’d been invited to see his possible new offices and one of the first things they did show him was the bathroom. He’d blushed bright red because it was a mere joke, but now it looked like he was vain. Luckily, his new employer explained that there was a bathroom right next to the office, and that they merely did a bit of remodeling. It made Tony feel a lot better. Two months later he’d started in his new position.

As Tony stepped into the shower and turned the water on to almost scolding hot, his thoughts kept going back to his new team. Some days it was still hard to believe that he no longer worked at NCIS but was now an FBI agent. An agent in charge to be exact, as he now headed up the second formed ViCAP unit, working out of Manassas. He’d been able to handpick his own team and although in the beginning they’d had some teething problems, they now worked as a fully functional team and in the last thirteen months they’d been able to capture five serial killers. It was an impressive record, but scary at the same time to think just how many serial killers were out there, most of which the general public was unaware of.

Ciara was the youngest, and although she was the geek of the group, she had the knack of explaining stuff in such a manner that everyone understood. Tony knew he was very fortunate in having her on his team.

Tony’s second in command went by the name of Ash Prior. The well over six-foot giant had the softest heart, but at the same time had a temper to take note of. He gave Tony a run for his money when it came to dressing up, and he also used his attire as armor. He’d been an FBI agent for fifteen years and was a profiler of note. The only reason why he wasn’t leading his own team, was because he had no interest in leading. Not permanently in any case. He would regularly take charge when they worked certain cases, but he didn’t want to take it any further.

The last two agents on the team were both junior agents. Daniel Simmons, was athletically built with dark hair and brown eyes from Chinese descent. He’d started his career with the NYPD, but joined the FBI six years ago. He was also a trained sniper and brilliant investigator.

The barely over five-foot Lexi Hunter had blond hair, light brown eyes and knew how to throw a punch. She had a knack in connecting with people, while at the same time, she was an upcoming profiler. She’d already started making a name for herself and she’d only been part of the FBI for three years.

Tony shut down his thoughts when they wanted to go back even further. He didn’t want to think about what led to him no longer being an NCIS agent. At least it had one positive outcome. He and Gibbs had finally pulled their heads from their asses and talked to one another. That had led to them starting a relationship and although Tony was surprised when Gibbs asked to marry him, he didn’t hesitate for one second and said yes. They’d been married now for eight months and Tony enjoyed every day.

He got out of the shower, rubbed himself dry and pulled on his clean clothes. He chucked the wet towel into the laundry basket, made a mental note to take it home to wash it and went back to his office. He picked up his phone from the desk and pushed it into his pocket. He nearly jumped out of his skin as it chirped in his pocket. He smiled as he answered the call. “You found your guy?”

The line remained quiet.

“Gibbs?” Tony frowned. His stomach knotted and he swallowed hard. “Gibbs!”

“I heard you’re looking for me, Agent DiNozzo.”

Tony grabbed hold of the desk as he jumped up and his legs threatened to buckle beneath him. He’d recognized the voice anywhere. He wanted to scream and demand to know where Gibbs was, but he knew the man who had Gibbs’ phone. The moment you projected any emotion, he pounced. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” The man barked out a laugh. “And that’s the reason why I adore you so much. I tell you what. Meet with me for dinner. I would love to pick your brains. We can have a nice chat. Drink some expensive wine and get to know each other better.”

Tony shivered at the words. If anyone thought that Hannibal Lecter was crazy, then they hadn’t heard the name Thomas Landry. By saying he would love to pick Tony’s brains, he made the agent well aware that he would be the main course. Not just a guest. Tony also knew there was no way in hell that he wouldn’t meet with Landry. Gibbs might not approve, would definitely growl at him, but it wasn’t his choice to make. “Where?”

The crazy man on the other side of the line laughed. The sound came through crystal clear on the tiny speaker as if he were standing right next to Tony. “I will let you know in due course. But first, there’s a few rules you need to abide to. Can you guess at least one of them?”

Tony managed not to roll his eyes. “Don’t tell anyone and come alone.”

“Good man.” He hummed. “What else?”

“Keep this phone with me at all times.” Tony had finally managed to get his legs working again as walked around the desk and made his way over to the cabinet to retrieve his weapon, credentials and keys.

“Mm, I’m going to give you half a mark for effort.” Landry sighed. “You will bring your phone along, but just until you picked up a new one. Then you will get rid of the old one, but more on that later. For now, proceed to that diner your husband likes to frequent. I’ll contact you again in forty minutes time.”

Tony looked at his watch. The diner was at least thirty-five to forty minutes away from his office. He would have to haul ass if he wanted to be on time. He wanted to reply but realized that the call had ended. He grabbed the stuff from the drawer and ran out of the office. He nearly ran over Ciara.

“Boss?” She asked as the larger man nearly barreled straight over her.

Tony grabbed her by the shoulders. His mind was racing at over a thousand miles an hour. For one or other reason he knew that Landry would know if he let something slip. He had to be creative. “Sorry, Ciara. I forgot I’ve got a breakfast meeting and not only am I running late, but I have no idea on how long it will last. I know you’re not my personal assistant, but please phone Torres. Tell him I’m meeting Clarice Starling earlier than expected at Gibbs’ diner. But he mustn’t change his dinner plans. I’m still intending to serve him succulent lamb.” He managed to smile and then he ran.

Ciara stared as Tony ran down the stairs and disappeared from her view. A fond smile decorated her lips. She would definitely call Agent Torres. His voice always made her melt. She turned and walked back to her own office to make the call.

It was only when she sat down behind her own desk that she realized that Tony hadn’t said one word about his team. She knew he’d given them the morning off after they’d cracked a case late last night, but they were supposed to meet here for their debrief at two. She cocked her head, but then shrugged her shoulders. She was used to Tony’s almost erratic behavior. They all were. She was sure there was nothing to worry about. She reached for her phone to make the call. Not once did she think about why Tony couldn’t phone Agent Torres himself. He did have his phone in his hand when he nearly ran her into the floor.

Chapter Text

NCIS Bullpen

Torres leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He was beyond tired. What was supposed to be a quiet few days turned out a few days out of hell, and the end wasn’t in sight. He’d really thought that with Bishop on court duty, McGee in bed after he underwent an emergency appendectomy, Abby off visiting her family in Louisiana for the Christmas holidays, and Gibbs meeting a possible witness in a huge larceny case involving a bunch of Marines, meant he had all of the free time he could dream of for himself. Well, that and looking through a cold case or two. If Gibbs found out he’d done absolutely nothing, he would get his ass kicked to hell and back. He’d picked out a cold case, one which Tony had worked on before and after he went through every single piece of evidence, paper trial and note Tony had made he found a possible lead. He’d followed it up and now the week was coming to an end and he had done everything except having a good time. At least he did bag the bad guy, and one cold case got closed.

Thinking of Tony made him grin. He’d had met the agent a few years back while he himself had still been undercover in Argentina. He’d travelled to D.C. to be the middleman for a shipment of drugs and got his bacon saved by Tony. If it hadn’t been for Tony, his cover would’ve been blown, and he would’ve ended up dead. Although they couldn’t have regular contact they’d kept in touch and it had been Tony who suggested that he get out. That he’d been burning out. That he might make a mistake which could cost him his life.

He hadn’t listened to Tony, hadn’t noticed the men Silva’d sent after him and had gotten rescued by Gibbs and Bishop. That first few weeks he’d stayed at Tony’s place, licked his wounds, had eaten some of the best Italian food he’d had in a very long time. Had learned about Gibbs and Tony’s relationship and been one of the first to know that Gibbs asked Tony to marry him.

If it weren’t for the fact that he’d personally seen the softer side to Gibbs when it came to DiNozzo, he wouldn’t have believed it if someone told him.

He sighed when he thought of the reason why Tony left. It was before his time, after Ziva had joined and things went to hell. Tony had personally told Nick why he’d left. On how painful it had been, how he’d thought that he’d never be an agent or even a police officer ever in his life again. How he finally had gone above the heads of everyone around him to make sure his concerns were heard and understood.

Finally, they’d listened to him. Looked at the evidence he painstakingly put together, and then they’d realized they had no choice and they acted.

Jenny Shepard’s past had come to the forefront. Her obsession with the death of her father. The man had indeed committed suicide. The uncovered plans that she’d wanted to send Tony undercover in an attempt to seek revenge on René Benoit, the man she’d thought killed her father. It hadn’t mattered to her that Tony might’ve died in the process. They’d found the connections she had with Eli David, that she’d played her part in getting Ziva on the team. That she’d been the one who suggested that Ari shoot Tony as she’d known he was a bigger threat, but Ziva’d changed it as she’d realized that Gibbs had a soft spot for women in his life. They’d taken out Kate without blinking and they’d started to infiltrate the NCIS with one purpose; to undermine the agency to the benefit of Israel.

Shepard had been arrested, released on bail and died when her house exploded. There was no doubt in anybody’s mind that Mossad had been behind that. Ziva had been extradited and Eli David fired. There was a hit out on Tony, and he’d had personal bodyguards twenty-four-seven. Some threats had been made by the government and Mossad had finally backed off. Relations between the two countries were tense. Nick had a feeling it was going to take more than a few months before things started getting better.

After everything, Tony couldn’t find it in himself to trust NCIS again. It had hit him hard; it had hit the agency hard, but in the end, Tony had done what was the right thing for him and taken a job with the FBI. He was happy, Gibbs was happy and that was all that mattered. To Nick in any case.

When the phone on his desk rang, he wanted to ignore it, but with a deep sigh, he leaned forward and answered the phone. He kept his eyes closed. A smile appeared on his face when he heard the soft voice on the other side. “Ciara, so good to hear from you, how are you? Tony still treating you well?” Nick laughed at her reply and then frowned.

“Sorry, can you repeat that, please?”

“Tony said that he’s meeting Clarice Starling earlier than what he thought he would. He also said that you mustn’t change your dinner plans as he’s still intending to have lamb for dinner.”

Torres continued to frown. The message made no sense. “Are you sure it’s for me?”

“Yeah, I’m positive.”

Torres hummed. He took his pen and wrote the message down. He tapped the pen against the paper.

“Agent Torres?”

“Shit, sorry, Ciara. Thank you for the message.” He didn’t even say goodbye, but merely ended the call. There was something strange, or as Abby liked to say, something hinky. Torres picked up the paper and leaned back far enough in his chair to place his feet up on his desk.

“Clarice Starling?” Torres cocked his head. He had no clue who the woman was and why Tony would inform him of the meeting. “And when the hell did we arrange for dinner and what fucking lamb!” It was a mystery.

Nick removed his feet from the table, dragged the keyboard closer and typed in the name. He had to wait for a few seconds before the results popped up on the screen. “Seriously?” Nick stared at the results. The top one referred him to the movie Silence of the lamb.

“This must be a fucking joke.” He dragged his hands through his hair. He wanted to laugh out loud, but he had no idea why he would be laughing. “Think, Torres,” Nick mumbled to himself as he rose to his feet. He placed his phone on his hip and spun around behind his desk.

“You’re trying to get yourself sick, Nick?”

Torres stopped in mid spin and turned to face the voice. “Jimmy?”

“You okay, Nick?” Jimmy asked with concern as he closed the distance between them.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” He slumped back into his chair.

“You sure?” Jimmy stood his ground.

Nick nodded. “Yeah, I’m just trying to figure something out.”

Jimmy hummed. “Anything I can help with?”

Nick shook his head but then he looked up. “Why would Tony let me know he’s meeting up with Clarice Starling?”

“Clarice Starling?” Jimmy frowned. “I don’t even know who that is.”

“I’m unsure as well. I tried to do a search, but the hits are all about the Silence of the lambs movie. Nothing else.”

Jimmy blanched. “When did you get the message?”

“Tony’s cyber geek phoned me.” Nick looked on as Jimmy pushed him out of his chair and took up his seat.

“What are you doing, Jimmy?”

Jimmy’s hands shook as he typed on the keyboard. “Don’t you remember, Nick? Last week at dinner, Tony took a call and Gibbs became even grumpier.”

Nick frowned. “Sort of.”

“Tony told us about the serial killer his team was hunting. Remember, he compared the man to Hannibal Lecter.”

“Fuck.” Nick yanked his phone from his hip and pressed speed dial two hard. He couldn’t help it but started pacing the small area between his desk and the bright orange wall to his left. “Pick up, pick up,” he repeated the litany of words as he wished to hear Tony’s voice in his ear. The call went unanswered.

“Tony isn’t answering.”

Jimmy closed his eyes. “That doesn’t mean anything. See if you can get hold of Tony’s team.”

Nick merely nodded. He’d already scrolled down the numbers in his phone looking up Tony’s second in command. He’d met Ash a few times. The man was huge and intimidating, but an excellent investigator. He wanted to scream when Ash’s phone went to voice mail. He booted up McGee’s desktop as he sat down behind it.

“He’s not answering.” Nick frowned when he realized that Jimmy had gone deadly quiet next to him.

“Palmer?”

Jimmy swallowed hard and turned the computer screen so that Nick could also see. “This is the man.”

“Thomas Landry,” Nick read the name. He looked up. “I remember now. He’s the primary suspect in at least eleven murders. He’s been evading law enforcement for more than three years now.” Nick looked at Jimmy. “Tony and his team were put on the case by the Attorney General himself to find this monster.”

“You think Tony is in trouble,” Jimmy stated.

Nick nodded. “I need to phone Gibbs.”

“Gibbs won’t answer if he’s busy with the interview. Send him a text.” Jimmy had managed to get a grip on the way his stomach somersaulted in his body.

“Done.” Nick looked up from his phone. He had no idea how long it would take for Gibbs to respond. They all knew that once the boss got stuck in an interview, nothing sort of an atomic bomb could get him out of the room.

“Do you have any idea about where Tony would’ve met this Clarice?”

“None, and Ciara didn’t say.”

“Ping Tony’s phone.” Jimmy prodded.

“Already busy, Jimmy,” Nick responded distracted.

“What’s wrong?”

Nick cocked his head. “I can’t get a ping on it.”

“You doing it right?”

Nick sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yes, Jimmy. I know how to ping a phone.” He tapped against the screen. “See, nothing, nada. Tony’s phone is not pinging.”

“What does that mean?”

Nick couldn’t help but to sigh again. “Knowing Tony, nothing good.” He reached for his phone again. “I need to talk to Gibbs.” He would deal with Gibbs’ irk, willing to be killed by the man, but something was going on and Gibbs had to know about it. He brought his phone to his ear and frowned. Silence. He hated when calls didn’t go through. He hit the button again and the same thing happened.

“No, no, no.” Nick pulled the keyboard closer, typed in the required information and stared in horror at the screen.

“Fuck!”

“Nick?” Jimmy asked, confused.

Nick looked around feverishly. He spotted Mike Balboa across the room.

“Mike!”

When the older agent looked up, Nick took a deep breath. “I think we might have a problem.” He didn’t need to say more.

“Director’s office?”

Nick nodded.

Jimmy looked on as the two men took the stairs three at a time. He had no idea what had spooked Nick, but he had a feeling it was bad – really bad.

Undisclosed location

Gibbs snapped back into consciousness with a gasp. He was disorientated, his head throbbed and when he tried to lift his arms, he found himself bound to what appeared an overhead water pipe. He shook his head and groaned as the movement made him dizzy. Gibbs squinted, the room was dimly lit, but even in the little light there was, he struggled to focus. From what he could see, it appeared to be empty. The long shadows in the room made him aware of how much time he’d lost.

“Fuck,” his voice was scratchy, and he swallowed in an attempt to wet his throat. He still couldn’t believe he got duped. He should’ve suspected that something was wrong, but he didn’t, and that was on him.

The last thing he remembered was stopping at the house where he was supposed to meet up with the informant. Gibbs shook his head. He knew there had to be more. He forced himself to think, his head thundered as he tried to piece together what had happened.

The house was in the outer part of town, small and well kept. He’d knocked on the door and then noticed it wasn’t locked. He could hear music from the inside. He’d knocked again and when the door swung open, he’d stepped inside. He’d moved through the house and found himself in the kitchen.

Gibbs suddenly gagged as he remembered what he’d seen. He closed his eyes as he tried to swallow the bile that pushed up in his throat. Nothing in his years as an NCIS agent, or even when he was in the Marines and saw what damage an IED or grenade could do to a person, had prepared him for the sight he’d witnessed in that kitchen. He’d reached for his firearm, hadn’t even bothered to check if the man had been alive and had begun to clear the house.

He was still unsure on how they got the jump on him. Hell, he wasn’t even sure how many took him down. He knew he’d put up a fight, got in a few lucky shots, but in the end whatever they used to drug him, took him down and it took him down hard.

Gibbs shook his head. There was a man in his memories, someone on the side who stood tall and looked smug. Gibbs had a feeling the man spoke to him, but his mind didn’t want to give the words up. But it was the man’s face that made him curse again.

The second fuck, echoed through the room when his mind finally connected the dots. It made Gibbs scramble for leverage on the water pipe as he tried to get free. The carved-up body should’ve clued him in, but it hadn’t until now. It was Thomas Landry’s face that kept on flickering in and out of his memory and he realized why he was taken, why he was still alive. He was being used as bait. And it didn’t matter that it went against everything they’d learned in their careers as federal agents, Tony would come to get him. His husband would walk into this house with his eyes wide open.

Gibbs realized that if he wanted to save Tony, save himself, then he needed to get out of here and he had to do it quick. He had no idea on what Landry had got planned, but there was no way in hell that he would let Tony sacrifice himself to that monster. Not if Gibbs could do anything about it.

Diner

“You see the garbage truck across the street. Take your phone apart, toss the battery and cover in the back, turn and look straight at the diner window. Hold the SIM card between your fingers, break it in half, chew and swallow the one half, flick the other one into the gutter right at your feet.”

Tony grimaced as he had to chew the plastic, metallic little thingy. It felt as if it got stuck in his throat, he coughed and swallowed again. He placed his hands in his pockets and made his way across the street. The bell at the door made all the patrons inside aware that someone else came in. Tony nodded at the waitress and made his way to where the man sat.

“Where’s Gibbs?”

Landry smiled. “And how are you doing, Agent DiNozzo? Please, sit down. Coffee?” He cocked his head.

Tony wanted to reply but stopped when Landry continued to talk.

“Your only response should be, thank you, that would be lovely. Then sit down and wait until I give you permission to talk. If you don’t, well…” He shrugged. “You know how I chose my guests. You also know that I have no issue with collateral damage.” Landry looked around in the diner. “So many people, so much blood.” He smiled again, his blue eyes ice cold.

Tony managed to sit down. He accepted the cup of coffee with a nod. His hands shook as he placed them around the mug and he mentally slapped himself for showing such a weakness. He raised his head and saw Landry staring at him.

“I’m not on the menu.” Tony didn’t give a flying fuck that he was supposed to keep quiet.

Landry leaned back and laughed. “You really are precious, Agent DiNozzo.” He shook his head. “No, I can’t keep on calling you that.” He picked up his own cup and took a sip. “Anthony.”

Tony growled. His hands curled up into fists.

“Do you know the meaning of Anthony?” Landry shrugged. “Of course, you do. Why would you not?”

“I also know the meaning of Landry, and you’re definitely not a leader,” Tony replied with a smile. “I don’t have time for your games, where is my husband?”

“Oh, no, Anthony. It is not going to be that simple.” Landry took another sip of the beverage. He placed the cup down and folded his hands in his lap.

It was Tony’s turn to laugh. Which was strange, because nothing about the situation he found himself in was funny. “I am not here to play your games, Landry. I want to know where my husband is, and you’re going to tell me.”

“And if I don’t?” Landry cocked his head.

“I will kill you,” Tony responded without blinking.

Landry nodded. “You do realize that I’ve been studying you for as long as you’ve been studying me, Anthony? I know that you won’t kill me. You always color within the lines.” He looked around. “And all the innocent people that will die, you will have so much blood on your hands, it will run through your fingers like sand.”

“You want me to believe you’d rigged this place?”

“What gives you that idea?” Landry leaned back.

“Because you keep looking around, talking about innocent people and blood.” Tony let his eyes run over the counter and the ceiling.

“The Christmas lights are beautiful, don’t you think.” Landry got to his feet.

Tony looked up. Saw the lights flashing, followed the blinking lights. Saw the small little black box with a series of numbers ticking down. “You fucking bastard!” He made a grab for the man before him, but Landry was quick and moved away from him.

Tony watched as the man pointed at the roof and screamed.

“BOMB!”

It had the required reaction. The fully packed diner erupted in chaos as people jumped up, screamed, and ran towards the single exit.

Tony tried to grab hold of Landry but got pushed to the side by a man three times his size. Tony stumbled against the counter, lost his footing and fell to the floor. People continued to scream and scramble above him. He tried to get to his feet. He had to get the people out, he had to find Landry.

Tony managed to push to his own feet, held onto the counter and bellowed out for people to stop running. His words had no effect. He saw a young woman fall. She was one of the last to get out. He ran to her, dragged her up by her arms and pushed her in front of him.

“Out, out, everybody out!” He pushed her out of the door. Onlookers gathered around, gaping as people ran from the diner. “Move, get away, move! He screamed as he ran. Something made him turn around. Tony’s world slowed down until it felt like time stood still.

The diner stood empty and for a moment it looked peaceful. Silence surrounded him, later he would remember the exact moment as he saw the flash – the diner shook, the windows exploded, the door flew off, and only then did the sound and the shockwave follow. It lifted Tony clear off his feet. It sent him tumbling through the air. It slammed him hard into a concrete wall behind him and then darkness came and settled in around him.

Chapter Text

Nick stood silently in front of the blacked-out monitor in MTAC. Agent Mathers’ words played over in his head. He’d never had contact with Agent Gibbs. He was unaware of an informant that only wanted to talk to Gibbs, or any larceny case.

The ramifications of Mathers’ words slammed into him and Nick gasped for air. After he and Mike met up with the director, Nick was tasked with making contact with Mathers and while he waited for the man to connect via a conference call, he looked up Thomas Landry. The man was evil personified. He was manipulative and a narcissist, on the other hand, he was described as a gentleman. A smooth talker, highly intelligent with kind eyes. He was a fucking monster.

Nick had no doubt in his mind that Landry was the one who orchestrated this whole thing. He couldn’t imagine how many months of planning he’d put into this evil plan of his. Now he had Gibbs, and, in all likelihood, he had Tony as well. Unfortunately, Nick had no idea why Landry was doing this. He couldn’t understand what Landry would get out of it.

He knew he had to inform the director of what he’d learned, but he needed to do one more thing. Even though Gibbs’ phone was off, and he couldn’t ping it, he could see if he still could find a possible location on Gibbs. He had contact with this so-called informant, and if he could figure out the man’s number, he could find a possible location on the man. It would give them a place to start.

Nick started to type away when his phone rang. Distracted, he answered the call.

“Agent Torres.” His fingers stilled on the keyboard as information got relayed to him. “I’m on my way.” He ended the call and ran up the ramp to the door. As he reached the door, it swung open.

“Mike,” Nick found himself shaking. “There was an explosion. Get your team, let’s go.” Nick didn’t wait but made his way down the stairs to grab his own go-bag, weapon and credentials.

“Nick!” Mike called out. “Where was the explosion?”

“At the diner.” Nick didn’t have to explain more, simply grabbed his bag and met up with Mike at his own desk. He followed Balboa’s team out of the office.

The ride downtown was completed in record time. Nick barely had enough time to fill in Mike’s team on what was going on before they entered the street where the diner was one and came to a screeching halt.

Nick took in the scene before him. The police had the block cordoned off; the bomb squad’s vehicle stood with blinking lights. Firefighters were battling flames while different paramedics worked on several injured people.

Nick pushed through the masses. When he reached the yellow tape, he shoved his credentials under the patrol officer’s nose and ducked beneath the tape and made his way deeper into the ring of chaos.

As he approached the officer in charge, he looked to his left. Two paramedics were treating a dark-haired man that was propped up against a brick wall. Nick couldn’t see him properly as his view was obstructed by the beefy paramedic, but it was clear from the man’s slurred voice that he didn’t want to be treated. Nick frowned, something bothered him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it, and it wasn’t his place to interfere, so he moved on.

He wasn’t surprised to find the FBI at the scene as well. It wasn’t agent Fornell, but still one of the agents well known to Nick, and he shook the man’s hand. They’d informed the FBI about the potential situation and he was still awaiting news on Tony’s team. Especially since they couldn’t get hold of any of them.

“What do we have?” Nick asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mike’s team walking the scene and talking to possible witnesses. He heard the slurred voice of the agitated man in his ear again but blocked it out. He listened intently as the officer in charge explained what they knew so far.

It took him longer than he expected to get rid of the paramedics. It didn’t matter how many times he told them that he was fine, they didn’t want to let him go before they checked him out. He’d managed to fool them by putting on his stoic mask and denying that he was in pain, that he had a definite concussion and most likely more than one pair of cracked ribs. He held still as they cleaned up the cuts that decorated his face. Used some butterfly strips on what he knew had to be an ugly gash above his left eye and finally got to his feet. He managed to stifle the groan that threatened to escape, locked his knees and didn’t sway as he stumbled away from them. He had to get away. His time was running out. His hand curled around the phone in his pocket. A phone that he didn’t place there but that ended up in his pocket after the explosion. He had no idea about how it had gotten there, but he knew it was crucial to look at it as soon as possible. He also knew he had to get away. He couldn’t afford that anyone saw him there, especially not the police.

He kept his shoulders hunched forward, his head down as he moved up against the flow of the people who all wanted to go and have a look at where the explosion happened. He could never understand human behavior. Why the hell would you go to look at something that blew up? Hadn’t they learned their lesson? There could be a second, or even third device, just waiting to explode to take out another number of innocent bystanders.

Tony rounded another corner, his vision went dark, and he leaned heavily against the wall. He fished the phone out of his pocket and clutched it in his hand. His fingers trembled as he switched the phone on, and he found himself holding his breath as it came to life.

There was a single message on it – an address with a note.

‘I will meet you there.’

The address made him gasp in pain. Tony closed his eyes as he got his emotions under control. He had to get a message to Nick, to his own team, but at the same time he needed to keep moving. The address was on the other side of town, and although there was no time limit given, he knew he had no time to waste.

But, first things first. He had to get to the address. With his own car parked a few blocks on the other side of the diner and having lost his wallet in the chaos and having no money, it meant he couldn’t take a cab. He had only one option left. He would have to steal a car.

Despite the situation he found himself in, Tony couldn’t help to smile. It had been a while since he last had to steal a vehicle, but it was something he had excelled in a few years back. That’s how he first got the attention of the Macaluso family. He’d stolen Mike Macaluso’s personal vehicle from right under the nose of Mike’s bodyguard and took it for a joyride. He had taken one hell of a risk, but it had gotten him in.

Tony picked out an older sedan and after making sure the coast was clear, he had the door open within seconds, the alarm disconnected only a few seconds later. For a second or two he leaned out of the car before he started it and drove off. He looked in the rearview mirror and smiled before he pushed his emotions down and concentrated on where he needed to be.

NCIS Bullpen

Nick looked down at the note he still clutched in his hand and as the shadow fell over his desk he looked up. “Where the fuck have you been?” He came to his feet, ready to knock the man who stood before him in the teeth.

“I don’t have time for your attitude, Agent Torres. Believe me, I’ve been chastising myself since I heard what happened more than thirty minutes ago, I don’t need you to add to my guilt.”

“You’re right, now is not the time for me to have any attitude, but your boss is missing for almost eight hours and no one knew where you were, Agent Prior. No one could get hold of you, or anyone else on your team, and for that, I want an explanation.”

Ash nodded. He could understand Torres’ anger. He took out an evidence bag and handed it over to the NCIS agent.

“What’s this?” Nick took the bag and looked at the device. It looked like a remote control.

“Top of the range signal jammer. Not available to the general public.” He indicated to the device. “That one was found in my car underneath the driver’s seat. The other one was found in my house.” He sighed. “I found it strange that I received no messages or calls, but after the weeks we had, I took the respite and was grateful. I should’ve known better. I should’ve checked my phone.”

Nick stared at the man. “Your whole team?”

Ash nodded again. “Yes.”

Nick sat down heavily in his chair. “He thought of everything.”

Ash frowned. “Who?”

“Where’s the rest of your team, Prior? I don’t have the time to repeat this again.”

“We’re here.”

Nick turned his head to the left and watched as Tony’s team walked towards him. They all looked pissed. Daniel Simmons and Lexi Hunter stepped up to his desk and stood next to their second in command.

Nick took a deep breath. “Thomas Landry.” He looked on as Hunter stumbled and Simmons’ lost the color in his face. Prior balled his fists.

“You sure?” The large man inquired.

Nick nodded. “Positive.” He indicated to the stairs. “Let’s take this up to the conference room and I’ll fill you in there.”

The three FBI agents waited for him to move pass them before they followed him up the stairs.

In the conference room, Nick wasted no time in filling them in on what had happened and what he’d figured out so far.

“Wait.” Ash held up his hand. “You’re sure about that?” He frowned.

Nick nodded. He used the remote and flicked on the screen. “We’ve already started gathering video clips from people inside the diner, as well as those outside of the diner after the explosion. More than one person confirmed that Tony was indeed in the diner. There is also this.” He paused the short clip. Tony was seated in one of the booths. Across from him was Thomas Landry.

“I personally interviewed Elaine. She confirmed Tony’s presence in the diner.”

“What happened afterwards?” Hunter spoke up for the first time. She didn’t take her eyes off the screen.

Nick groaned and lowered his head. Balboa already told him he’d done nothing wrong, but he still felt guilty. “I saw him afterwards.”

“What!” Ash bellowed.

Simmons stepped between Nick and Ash and pushed the senior agent back. “Let him explain, Ash.”

Nick’s shoulders sagged. “Let me rephrase. I didn’t see him, but I heard him. His speech was slurred, and I thought it sounded familiar, but instead of checking it out, I left it, let the paramedics deal with it and went to find out what had happened.” He took a deep breath. “We interviewed the two paramedics. They confirmed it was Tony they’ve treated.”

“How badly is he injured?”

Nick stared at Hunter before he answered her. “Concussed, injured ribs, some facial lacerations. He should’ve been admitted for observation, but he made it clear that he didn’t require medical treatment and they had to release him.”

“Where did he go?”

Nick shook his head. “He walked away from the diner and ended up stealing an older model Chrysler.”

“Where did he drive off to?”

Nick bit down on his bottom lip. “Traffic cams are out in that area due to upgrading. We have no idea in which direction he went.”

Prior growled and Hunter sighed. Simmons reached over and tapped on the table. “What do you have there?”

Nick looked at the piece of paper in the small evidence bag. “Not sure if it’s anything.”

“May I have a look?” Simmons held out his hand.

Nick passed him the bag.

“What’s that?” Prior asked as he leaned closer.

“It’s a stick figure of a man with a staff and what appeared to be a sheep. We don’t even know if it was Tony who left it there, or if it’s a child’s drawing who landed up in the street.”

“Why was it brought here?” Prior took the evidence bag from Simmons.

“Because an old lady saw Tony stealing the car and she saw him leaning out of the car and placing it on the road and she saw he placed a stone on top of it to make sure it didn’t get blown away. When the police got called out about the stolen vehicle, she showed the responding officers the piece of paper.” Nick took a deep breath and continued. “Because her description matched Tony’s it was brought to me. She identified him as the man who stole the car after they showed her a photo.”

Simmons looked at Nick and then at his teammates. “I think I know what this is.”

“What?” Nick frowned.

“It’s a shepherd.”

“Like in a sheepherder?”

“Yes, but more importantly, like in NCIS’ ex-director.” He looked at Prior and Hunter before his gaze rested on Torres.

“Shepard.” Nick blanched and shook his head. “It can’t be.”

“Why? Because her name never got connected with his?” Simmons shook his head. “Tony wouldn’t have left this clue if he wasn’t sure about his facts.”

Nick nodded. He knew Simmons was right, but it was strange to think that there might be a connection between Jenny Shepard and Thomas Landry. “We need to find the connection.” He got to his feet.

“Let’s get working.” Prior thumped his fist against the table before the four agents exited the room in an attempt to find a connection between a dead NCIS director and a serial killer.

Gibbs groaned as his eyes fluttered and finally opened. He had to blink a few times before the room around him came into focus. Once again, his head was trying to kill him. He frowned. It was clear he was no longer in the room had been held captive in before, he couldn’t remember how he ended up in the new room, making him realize that he had no idea about how that had happened. The last thing he remembered was trying to get himself free from the water pipe.

He looked down and found himself chained to a chair that was bolted down in the middle of the floor. The room reeked of dust, mold and something that smelled like smoke. Gibbs took a closer look and found the scorch marks on the walls. When he gazed at the floor, he found the same marks on it as well. Wherever he was, it appeared that the building had burned. What he found strange was that the chair was new to the room and the steel door bore no scorch marks either.

Gibbs tried to bring his hands up but found the shackles on his hands and legs were so strong that he was in no position to even move his limbs even a fraction. He wasn’t going anywhere soon. It made him growl out of anger and frustration.

Movement on the other side of the door made him turn his head. Gibbs looked on and heard as the door was unlocked and then opened up.

Gibbs remained silent as the killer Tony was hunting stepped through the door. The man was dressed as sharply as Tony, but that’s where the similarities ended. Gibbs remained silent but glared at the man as he came to a halt in front of him.

“Agent Gibbs, good to see you are awake. I hope you are comfortable.”

Gibbs didn’t respond.

Landry laughed. “It’s true what they say about you. You are a man of few words.” He smiled. “I have to admit, I am jealous of you.” He threw his arms up in the air. “You are such a fortunate man. Having a husband like Anthony.”

Gibbs growled and Landry laughed. “What?” he asked innocently. “Don’t you like it that I talk about Anthony?” He shrugged. “Well, just too bad, because I want to talk about him. He’s such an enigma. A man of so many layers, just when you think you’ve reached the center, he surprises you again. You really are very fortunate.”

Landry walked around the chair and came to a halt at Gibbs’ back. He leaned forward and whispered. “I can’t wait to peel him apart. To see what’s on the inside.”

“I will kill you.” Gibbs’ words were whispered in response.

Laughter filled the room. Landry walked around and stood before Gibbs. “Really? You kill me?” He shook his head. “Better men than yourself tried – and failed.”

He continued before Gibbs could reply. “Don’t get me wrong, I love talking about myself, but I find myself so intrigued by Anthony, that I can’t stop thinking about him, talking about him. When I saw him that first time, he looked lost, and for the first time in a very long time, my heart ached. I felt the anger boil inside of me. I wanted to know immediately who’d hurt him. Who dared to be responsible for those dark smudges under his eyes? The hollowness of his cheeks, his pale skin. He smiled, but it never reached his eyes. He was in so much pain and it wasn’t physical. That scared me.”

Landry circled Gibbs again. He stopped at his back again. He placed his hands on Gibbs’ shoulders. “You know what I found?” He massaged Gibbs’ shoulders. “I found a man who’d give his life for those he considers family. But his family let him down. They left him out in the cold. They nearly got him killed. They didn’t realize his value, didn’t see just how special he was. Thought of him as expendable.” His hands circled Gibbs’ neck. “And right next to him was the one man he loved more than life itself. The man who started out as a savior, turned friend and confident, who Tony felt will have his back, let him down. Didn’t listen.” His hands tightened around Gibbs’ throat and he squeezed.

Gibbs’ body tensed up as Landry talked and circled him. He tried to keep his body relaxed, but his muscles knotted together as the killer stood behind him and placed his hands on him. He had to bite down on his tongue as he heard what Landry said. Even if he didn’t want to hear it, Landry’s words were filled with nothing but the truth. Gibbs frowned as Landry’s hands moved to his throat. He swallowed as the man placed his hands around his neck. He felt the pressure increase around his neck. He tried not to struggle. It became hard to breathe, and Gibbs found himself struggling against the grip. He tried to rise up from the chair, yank away from the grip, but the man’s hands were like the shackles around his ankles and his wrists – unmovable.

Gibbs gasped for air. Different colored spots appeared before his eyes as he continued to struggle. Struggling not only to get free, but to get oxygen into his lungs, to take another breath. The pressure around his throat didn’t let up. His strength left him, and the darkness embraced him as Landry spoke up for a final time.

“You’re not worthy of Anthony’s love.”

Chapter Text

Tony managed to get parking a block over. He switched the car off and leaned back against the seat. His body ached in tandem with the pounding headache he sported. He had no idea what he was going to do the moment he exited the car. He would be winging it, but he had no choice. He had no clue if Nick got any of his messages, so at this time, he had to assume that he was on his own.

The pristine neighborhood was quiet with a light breeze in the air. Tony walked casually down the street, his posture stiff and his guard up. A few houses away from his destination his steps faltered. He never came here, not even after the explosion. Not that he could. At that time, he had a contract on his head, and he didn’t really go anywhere.

The explosion did minimal damage to the front of the house. The scorch marks from the windows, however, gave the damage done to the building away. Tony made his way into the building cautiously. Even more than a year later, you could still smell the burned stench. For one or other reason, the city has yet to demolish the ruins.

The front of the house appeared empty as Tony cleared every room. The Glock was familiar in his hand and he felt more assured with it, as he continued deeper into the house.

A noise from the top floor made him look up. Tony heard it again. It was as if something was dragged across the floor. It seemed that his welcoming committee was waiting for him there. Tony approached the stairway and looked at the burned stairs with a critical eye. Since he heard something upstairs, he could assume that they would hold his weight, but then everybody knew about assume, didn’t they?

A thump sounded above his head and with a sigh, Tony cautiously made his way up the stairs. The first room appeared to have been a guest room if he had to guess based on the size of it. It was empty and he moved to the second room on the right.

As the first room, this one was empty, and Tony cleared it quickly. A noise from across the hall, made him approach it with caution. The first thing he noticed was the steel door. It was not part of the original structure and was partly closed. A dim light flickered through the crack.

Tony cocked his head as soft music filtered through the door. “What the fuck?” Tony kept his footsteps as light as possible and with his weapon at a ready, he pushed the door open with his hand and stepped inside.

“Jethro!” Tony yelled as he found his husband shackled to a chair. Even from where he stood, he could see that the man he loved was unconscious. Tony’s chest hurt and he prayed that Gibbs was indeed merely unconscious. He himself wouldn’t survive if that was not the case. He wanted nothing more than to run over and see if he could get him free, but he knew he had to clear the room first. It took all the self-discipline he had to do just that.

Except for Gibbs shackled down in the middle of the floor, there was only a portable CD player on a stool and a couple of candles that gave of the dimmed light. The windows had been blackened out with what appeared to be heavy drapes.

Tony was about to approach the en suite when a figure stepped out. “Stop,” Tony ordered. “Hands where I can see them.” He kept his weapon pointed straight at the figure.

“You won’t shoot me, Anthony.” Landry stepped further into the room.

Tony’s index finger curled around the trigger. He cocked his head. “You want to bet on that?”

Landry laughed and shook his head. “I’m not a betting man.” Although he kept his hands at his sides, he stepped deeper into the room.

“Stop,” Tony repeated the order.

“I’ll stop.” Landry took a final step and stood about a foot behind the man shackled to the chair.

His position made Tony uneasy. “Move away from him.”

Landry shook his head. “I’m most comfortable here, thank you.”

Tony swallowed. “Why?”

“Right to the point. That’s what I love about you, Anthony.” Landry shrugged. “You won’t believe it, even if I told you. Not yet in any case, but I do hope that with time you’ll realize that I am right.”

“You’re not making sense.”

“Correct.” He sighed dramatically. “I’ve got a very refined pallet. I always make sure that whatever I eat, drink, wear, or even drive, are the best. Luckily for me, money is not a problem.” He smiled.

Tony nodded. He and his team had profiled that right at the beginning when they took over the case. “All eleven of your victims where unique to you.”

“Yes!” Landry proclaimed ecstatic. “You see it. That, that, right there, makes you special.”

Tony shook his head. “No, not special. Just looked at each individual separately. That’s what profilers do.”

“No, no, you’ve got a special gift. Do you know that when the AG announced that a special team of investigators have been instructed to deal with me, it made me furious. Everyone has the right to partake in social activities of their choice. And that’s what I’m doing.”

“It’s not the same.”

“Why not? Some people place chess, others read books. Me, well, I enjoy the good things in life.”

“You fucking eat people!” Tony shook his head.

“Well, if you want to be so crass about it, then yes, but you’re also wrong. I mean, I don’t eat their legs or anything like that.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Yes, please, forgive me for comparing you to a mere cannibal. No, you’re right, you are very picky about everything in life. Including what part of humans, you eat.” He shuddered.

“It’s a very delicate process to remove the pineal gland from the brain. It has to be handled ever so delicately and even cooked with more care.”

Tony swallowed hard. “If that is what you’re after, then why do you butcher the bodies like that?”

Landry cocked his head. “It’s such a tiny morsel that after all of that trouble to obtain it, to prepare it and then to enjoy it, I get bored.”

“You butcher and cook them.”

“Yes.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Anthony, I don’t see what’s wrong with what I do.” Landry held up a finger. “And just for the record, except for the pineal glands – I don’t eat anything else from the body.”

“I’ve seen the autopsy reports. I’ve seen the photos and the real evidence of how you removed the glands from the center of the brain. You’ve got surgical hands.” Tony ignored Landry’s last comment.

“Yes, well, I never wanted to become a mere doctor. That’s so dreary.” Landry cocked his head. “Did you know that each pineal gland tastes different? It’s a taste all on its own.”

“What’s your end game here, Landry?” Tony was beginning to get impatient. He needed to check Gibbs out. He had to make sure he was okay.

Landry hummed. “He’s still alive.”

Tony realized that Landry had noticed that he stared at Gibbs. “What did you do to him?”

“Told him he’s not worthy of your love.”

“What? How dare you!” Tony closed the distance between them. He tightened the grip on his weapon as his hand trembled slightly.

“It’s the mere truth, Anthony.” Landry rolled his eyes. “Remember when I said I was furious when the AG announced this super team that was going to hunt me down? But, then I saw you during the press conference. You stood to the side. You looked vulnerable, but at the same time you vibrated with strength and confidence. You were an enigma to me. I had to know everything about you. I found out how NCIS treated you. How you were taken for granted. Not only by your colleagues, but also by this man.” He poked Gibbs in the shoulder.

“Don’t you dare touch him.” Tony increased the pressure on the trigger.

“How dare you tell me what to do. How dare you come up for this man. He would’ve had no problem in feeding you to the wolves, as long as he came out smelling like roses, he didn’t care. He doesn’t love you. Can’t you see that!”

Landry had no idea on how much his words hurt. How it brought Tony’s own insecurities to the forefront. He pushed it down. He and Gibbs had spoken about it for hours on end. No one at NCIS would ever believe it if he told them how much Gibbs could talk if it was important.

“Wait.” Tony shook his head in disbelief as he glared at the man in front of him. “Are you saying you love me?” He snorted in disbelief.

“Love? No, but I do find you unique.”

“Unique enough to eat me.”

“And there you told me at the diner you weren’t on the menu.” Landry stepped to the left. He still had a smile on his face, but his eyes were cold, deprived of any emotion. “I have to say, I enjoyed our little chat, but it’s time.”

Tony frowned. “Get on your knees. Interlock your fingers behind your head and cross your ankles.” It was time he arrested Landry and checked on Gibbs.

“No.”

Tony noticed too late that the man’s gaze was no longer directed at him. Before he could turn a jolt in his neck had him on his knees. He tried to raise his hands, to fire off a shot, but a second shock wave travelled through his body and he sank into unconsciousness.

Landry moved away from the chair and approached the petite woman who the cattle prod in her hand. “Well done, my dear. I am so proud of you.” He reached out and took the prod from her hand. Before she could respond, he jammed the prod in her chest right over her heart and pressed down on the button. She screamed for a second before she fell dead on the floor. Her hazel colored eyes stared up into nothingness, her red hair in stark contrast to her ashen features.

Landry stepped over her dead body and picked up Tony in his arms. “You’re going to taste exquisite.” He placed a lingering kiss on Tony’s forehead and stepped out of the room, leaving the dead woman and Gibbs behind. He had a dinner to plan.

Nick growled out of frustration and leaped to his feet. “We’re wasting time!” He rubbed his hands over his short hair. “There’s no connection between Shepard and Landry.”

Ash leaned back in his chair. “I have to agree.” He frowned as he glanced down at his phone. He’s been trying to get hold of Ciara to help them with the search, but she wasn’t answering her phone. The phones in the office remained unanswered as well. His uneasiness increased by the minute.

“Do anyone of you know where Ciara is?” he finally asked the question.

Daniel shook his head.

“Didn’t she have a doctor’s appointment today?” Lexi raised her head from the file she’s been reading.

Ash sighed. “Yes, I forgot about that.” He texted her a message and place his phone down. “Now, back to Agent Torres’ remark about the lack of a connection between Shepard and Landry. As I’ve stated, I have to agree.”

“Are we then misinterpreting Tony’s message?” Daniel asked in concern.

“Not necessarily, but I do think, we need to take a step back and look at it again.” Ash came to his feet and towered over the table.

“Tony was involved in an explosion. He refused medical treatment, stole a car and drove off.” He looked at the team. “What does that mean?”

Lexi spoke up first. “We all know Tony. He doesn’t like to be fussed over, so not wanting to get medical treatment, is nothing strange.”

“Well, except when he has a paper cut.” Daniel grinned. They all remembered how Tony refused to work after cutting his index finger on the side of a page of a book. He went as far as to send them all home. But they also knew that the moment he is really hurt, he gets quiet and it takes a lot of threats before he would seek treatment.

Ash smiled. “True.”

“I know Tony would’ve stayed and assisted any person in need. But would he have done that here? Especially in the light that Landry was there, and that Tony would do whatever he can to catch the man.” Lexi posted the question.

“By the time Tony made it out of the diner, Landry was already gone. Tony wouldn’t have known where he’d disappeared to,” Nick responded.

“Unless he did know.” Ash scanned the room. “We need to go through all of the footage gathered from inside and outside of the diner.”

“Looking for what?” Nick asked even as he started typing away on the keyboard to line the different video clips up for them to look at again.

“For something that indicated to Tony where Landry was.” Ash took position in front of the screen and stared at it intently as Nick started to play the clips. They went through almost all of them, before he finally spotted something. “There.”

Nick paused the clip. The imagery was grainy at best, upside down and was recorded as the patrons of the diner ran out of the eatery. He restarted the clip and played it at half speed. They all watched as Tony rushed towards a young lady that had fallen down. They watched as he helped her up and out of the diner. Just before the clip went dark, her hand dipped into his pocket.

“Did she have something in her hand as he picked her up?” Ash took a step closer to the monitor.

Nick rewinds the clip again. They watched it for a third time. “There.” He paused the image. There was what appeared to be a phone clutched in her right hand.

Ash turned to the team. “She slipped a phone into Tony’s pocket.”

“Who is she?”

Nick shook his head. “No idea. She was one of the witnesses who couldn’t be traced after the incident.”

“And now we know why. Get her description out there. She’s connected to all of this,” Ash ordered.

“On it.” Nick reached for his phone while at the same time, he sent off the clip to their computer techs to clean up the image and distribute it among the different agencies and police departments.

“Okay, so what information was on the phone?” Ash directed the question to his teammates.

“Whereabouts of Landry.” Daniel tapped on the picture Tony drew.

“Shepard’s residence?” Lexi asked with a frown. “Wasn’t she blown up in her home?”

“The structure is still standing.” Nick looked at the picture and then at Ash. “They’re at Shepard’s house.”

Ash nodded once. “Let’s move.”

The whole team rushed the door. Both Nick and Ash had their phones out. Ash coordinated with the FBI’s S.W.A.T team while Nick informed Balboa what they found.

As they exited the NCIS building, Nick said a silent prayer that Tony and Gibbs were still safe.

It was his own shortness of breath that brought him back to the land of the living. Gibbs swallowed with difficulty. His breathing was swallow and he could hear himself wheeze. He had no doubt that his throat was almost swollen shut.

His vision was blurry, but he made out the scene before him. He was still in the same room as before. Still chained to the same chair, but there are some differences as well. For one, the body on the floor. He could make it out was female, but with his vision not being what it is supposed to be, he couldn’t tell more. There was also a small stool with a portable CD player on top of it and some candles. He frowned at the sight and shivered.

“Tony,” he whispered. He lowered his head and gasped for air. Landry had gotten to Tony and he wasn’t in a state to save the man he loved. He wondered if Tony knew he was alive. Wondered what Landry had told him. The thought of Landry having Tony made him see red. Gibbs screamed! His voice was not more than a whisper and as he tried to get rid of the frustration that consumed him.

Gibbs yanked at the chains that held him captive. With his hands at the back, he couldn’t see but by the feeling around his wrists, he was sure he was handcuffed. He had to get out. If he could free his hands, he could get to the knife and lock pick in his belt and free his feet. Gibbs knew he had only one option left. He had to dislocate his thumb. He cringed at the thought. He hated the sharp pain, he always felt it in the core of his body and the numbness thereafter was even worse. Gibbs bit down on his bottom lip, took his right thumb in his left hand and snapped the digit at an angle.

He took a moment to get his breathing under control before he slid his right wrist through the cuff and brought his hands to the front. His arms and shoulders screamed out of protest and Gibbs grunted in pain as he lowered his hands and undid his pants. With trembling fingers, he managed to get hold of the cuff key as well as the small knife. He released his left wrist from the dangling cuff and tossed it to the side. He groaned as he leaned forward to undo the cuffs around his ankles. Gibbs took a deep breath and rose to his feet. His legs wobbled and his vision blurred even more, but he managed to stay on his feet. Gibbs knew he had to move carefully until his vision cleared up and his equilibrium stabilized. Armed with his knife he made his way over to the body. He reached out and turned her over. “No!” Gibbs’ hand tightened around the hilt of the knife. He had no idea on how she ended up here, but if she was innocent, he would make sure that Landry paid for her death.

Gibbs took another look around in the room, checked out the en suite, and then made his way out of the room. He knew Landry had Tony. The candles were tacky, and he didn’t even bother to see what CD was in the portable player. Nothing was more important than to find Tony.

Torres and Ash came through the front door at the same time. Daniel and Lexi followed at their heels, while Balboa’s team and S.W.A.T brought up the rear. They cleared the ground floor from the sides and met up again at the back. The floor was deprived of any life.

The S.W.A.T team cleared the top floor and the captain pulled Ash to the side. He whispered a few words in his ear and Torres looked on as the dark-skinned man paled.

“Ash?” Nick asked concerned, as he closed the distance between them.

Ash shook his head. “Show me,” he ordered and without another word followed the S.W.A.T leader up the stairs.

Nick didn’t hesitate for one second but followed closely. He entered the last room, frowned at the solid steel room, but then his focus landed on the scene near the middle of the room. Ash was hunkered down, his left hand covered his mouth, his right settled on top of his head. He stared at a body in front of him.

Nick frowned. “Ash?” When the man turned at his name, Nick got a look at the body.

“No.” He took an involuntary step forward and stared down. “It can’t be.”

Ash merely nodded.

Nick pulled himself together. “I’ll notify Ducky.”

“Thank you.” Ash rose to his feet. He moved towards the door. “Landry’s got Tony.”

It was Nick’s turn to nod. “But he doesn’t have Gibbs anymore.”

“Will Gibbs make contact?” Ash had seen the empty chair and handcuffs and came to more or less the same conclusion.

“The moment he can, he will.” Nick already had his phone in his hand.

“Let me know when he makes contact.” Ash squared his shoulders. “I have to tell the team.”

“Ash,” Nick cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

Ash’s shoulders sagged. “Do you think she was involved?”

Nick looked down at his shoes. “I hope not, but…” He shrugged.

“The jammers.” Ash filled the silence.

“Yes, the fact that the traffic cams were down for an upgrade.” They’d found out that the city had not rolled out any software updates for the traffic cams in that area. They couldn’t explain why the cams were down. Nick cleared his throat. “I’ll run a search on her and send Mike’s team to her address. I’ll let you know what we find.”

Ash stared at the NCIS agent next to him. “This is going to kill the team.”

Nick nodded in agreement. “You also know that Tony is going to take this as being his fault, Ash. As his second in command, you have to prepare for that.”

“I will get him to talk.” Ash exited the room, his shoulders slumped forward.

Nick placed his phone against his ear as he called Ducky. He couldn’t help but to look down at the body again. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that Ciara Egan would turn up dead, but more than that, be a likely accomplice to a serial killer. It was at times like these that he wished he’d never become an NCIS agent. Betrayal like this was something that no one could have foreseen.

Chapter Text

The buzzing in his ears made Tony open his eyes. He tried to move his head and felt different straps over his forehead, under his chin and even across his neck. Tony started to struggle when he realized he couldn’t move.

“Easy, you’ll ruin my work if you struggle like that.” Landry’s voice sounded above him.

Tony lifted his eyes and found Landry looking down at him. “Let me go.” The strap across his chin is so tight that he had to talk through clenched teeth.

Landry shook his head. “Sorry, can’t do that.” He held up an electric hair clipper. “You’ve got such lovely hair; I really don’t want to shave off more than what I need to.” He grinned. It was a lie, but Anthony didn’t need to know that – not yet, in any case.

Tony renewed his struggle. He tried to lift his head again and realized that his whole body was strapped down. From the padding beneath his body, he could guess that he was strapped to something like a gurney or a hospital bed.

“No!”

He started to panic, his chest tightened up, his airway closed, and he found himself unable to breathe. The buzzing in his ears intensified and got joined by black spots that grew in number until he could see nothing at all. Tony could hear Landry’s voice above him, but the words were mumbled as if the man was talking underwater, or maybe he was underwater. That would explain why he couldn’t breathe. Tony tried again. He didn’t want to die drowning. Nearly dying because of the plague was enough, not to even talk about swallowing half of the Potomac when he had to rescue Gibbs. He desperately needed oxygen but had no way of getting what he needed. Tony gasped once more before his body gave in and he slammed into darkness.

“Fuck!” Landry cursed as the man strapped down on the padded table gasped for air like a fish on dry ground before his body shuddered and went limp. His hand curled around the clipper and for a moment he wanted to bash the thing against Tony’s head, but he took a deep breath and calmed himself.

“I do hope you didn’t fuck up the taste of the gland, Anthony. Stress has a great effect on the texture of meat, I’ve done too little research to exclude that stress would do the same to the pineal gland in the brain.” He sighed. “I will be very disappointed in you if that’s indeed the case.” He looked down at the unconscious man for a moment before he shrugged. “Well, nothing’s stopping me now to continue getting you ready for dinner.” He giggled at the thought. Landry took the clippers and started cutting off Tony’s hair while he hummed a tune.

Gibbs had found the non-descript Chrysler a few streets away and his gut told him to get inside. The moment he opened the door, he’d noticed the damaged ignition wires. It made him lean forward and reach beneath the driver’s seat.

“Bingo.” He held the phone in his hands. It was an older model and he had no difficulty in getting it unlocked. Gibbs had no doubt that the car was stolen by Tony and the phone he held was given to Tony by Landry. He had no idea why, or when, but he had a feeling that Tony left it behind on purpose. He found a single message and quickly read it. He even opened the phone directory and noticed that Tony had never phoned out. He found that strange.

Mentally Gibbs slapped himself behind the head. Tony wouldn’t have called for backup. He wouldn’t want anything to happen to Gibbs. He knew that Tony would give his own life up in a blink of an eye if it meant saving another person’s life.

Gibbs wanted nothing more than to drive off and go and look for his missing husband, but as he had no idea on where to start looking, it would only be a waste of time. The phone in his hand could be a lead. He went back to the message. The number from which the text was sent stared at him. He had to trace that number; it was his only chance.

Gibbs placed the phone on the seat next to him and pulled out another cell phone. He’d pickpocket it from a man as he exited Jenny’s house as he had no time to go and buy one or go and search for his. He was lucky that it was also an older model that didn’t work with biometrics. He merely had to press unlock and the star button to get the phone to work. He pressed the numbers on the keypad and waited for the call to be answered.

When the call got answered, Gibbs talked fast. “I need a trace on a phone number.” He looked down at the phone, squinted as he didn’t have his glasses with him, and read out the number.

“Got it?”

“Got it. Are you okay, where are you?”

“I’m alive, but we need to find Tony.”

“Where are you, Gibbs?”

“On my way to the office.”

“We’ve set up in MTAC, meet us here.”

“Trace that number, Torres.” Gibbs ended the call, turned the ignition and drove off. He didn’t want to go to the office, he would rather look for Tony, but he had no idea where Landry might’ve taken Tony. It would be useless driving around; he could only hope that the trace would give them something to work with.

Nick growled out of frustration as Gibbs ended the call. He passed the number he scribbled down to the tech in front of him. “Run a trace, please.” He moved back from the monitors and took his place next to Ash.

“Gibbs is on his way in. Heard anything from your team yet?”

Ash shook his head. “I know they’ve reached Ciara’s apartment. Daniel said he’d let me know what they found.”

“Lexi still feeling that Ciara may be innocent?”

Ash sighed. “I’m not sure. I myself don’t even know how I really feel.” He cleared his throat. “She was young enough to be my daughter. She felt like a daughter.” He balled his fists.

Nick remained silent. He felt empathy towards the older agent. NCIS was still reeling with the betrayal caused by Jenny and Ziva.

Ash’s phone rang in his hand and he looked at Nick. “It’s Daniel.” He placed the call on speaker. “What did you find?”

“Two things. One, Ciara had been a groupie since Landry’s name was first released to the press.”

Nick wanted so many questions to be answered. One of the main ones was, how the hell did no one in the FBI know that one of their cyber specialists was a groupie?

“You sure?”

“As sure as I can be, Ash. Her whole second bedroom is dedicated to the man. News clippings, scented candles, his name written out in hearts.”

Ash closed his eyes. “Second thing?”

They could hear Daniel clearing his throat before he replied, “Ciara had contact with Landry. I’m looking at different emails send by her to him and vice versa.”

Ash bowed his head. The hand which held the phone trembled. “Any indication that they met in person?”

“Not what we found so far.”

Nick held up his hand. “Daniel, Ciara’s car wasn’t found at the scene. Is it at her apartment?”

“Yeah, I’m planning on checking it out after we cleared her apartment.”

“I know Ciara had no sense of direction.”

Daniel interrupted him. “You want me to check out her navigation device in her car?”

“Yes.” The tech approached him, and Nick looked up. “Hold on, Daniel.” He took the piece of paper and grinned. “I need you to go and check now. We’ve got a possible location for Landry. If we can find the same address in the device’s memory, we’ve got him.”

“What’s the address?”

Nick read out the address as he and Ash both made their way out of MTAC. “We’re heading that way in any case. Meet us there.”

“Roger.”

Nick yanked open the door and nearly walked Gibbs out of his shoes. He grabbed hold of his shoulders to steady them both.

“You got an address.”

Nick nodded. “I’ll explain on the way.”

Gibbs returned the nod and jogged down to the bullpen. He wasn’t surprised to see Mike meeting them at the bottom of the stairs. He accepted the weapon from his friend and colleague. As they moved towards the elevators, more agents joined them. Gibbs had no idea how they knew, but they did and everyone had the same expression etched on their faces. They were going to rescue Tony.

The next time Tony opened his eyes, he found himself still strapped down, but where he had clothes on before, now he was stark naked. Although he couldn’t move, he could feel the cold air against his skin. His breath hitched when he realized he could feel the cold air against his head, and he knew – Landry had shaved him bare. The mere thought of that, made him panic. He never had a problem with his own body, or being naked, but being naked, totally deprived of any cover and in the company of a serial killer, had him totally off kilter.

“You’re awake.” Landry appeared next to him. He was dressed in what appeared to be an expensive suit with a white apron over it.

Tony’s breath hitched and he closed his eyes. He didn’t want to look at the man. He could feel his pulse speeding up as his heart thumped in his chest.

“Anthony, Anthony.” Landry slapped him on the cheek. “Look at me, look at me.” He slapped Tony again, this time harder.

Tony’s eyes snapped open.

Landry smiled. “There you are. No more panicking and passing out on me. How do you want me to enjoy my dinner if you’re not co-operating?”

Tony shivered hard. He knew it wasn’t due to the cold alone. He was going into shock. The situation he found himself in was too much for his body to handle. He could feel himself sweating, his breathing shallowing and his chest ached. He wouldn’t be surprised if his nails and lips already had a bluish tint. Tony found himself wanting to beg. Beg for his life and a single tear slipped from his eye. He couldn’t even move his head as he saw Landry move in and wiped the tear from his cheek. He closed his eyes as Landry brought his finger to his mouth to lick the salty drop of water clean.

Landry sighed. “Your tears are precious. It’s an honor that you shed them for me.” He bowed his head.

“You are dead.” Tony spoke through clenched teeth.

Landry cocked his head. “No, and I am going to be alive for many more years. People will learn my name. It will be spoken in fear. I will be the thing parents threaten their children with if they don’t go to bed.” He threw back his head and laughed.

“My team will find you. Gibbs will take you down.”

A mysterious smile appeared on Landry’s face. “Your team?” He shook his head. “There’s no team left, Tony. With a flick of my finger, I made sure that they will never be your team, or a team ever again.”

Landry’s words made the panic that settled within Tony to thaw. His team meant the world to him and no one, not even a serial killer like Landry had the right to fuck with them. “What did you do?”

“Me?” Landry looked shocked. “I didn’t do anything, Anthony.”

Fear settled in Tony’s stomach. “I know you, Landry. If you didn’t do something directly, you orchestrated things in such a way that it suited your needs, and your needs only.”

“Guilty as charged.” Landry moved away and disappeared from Tony’s sight.

Tony tried to move his head. He had to keep Landry in his sight. Not seeing the man made his breathing hitch and his heart trying to escape through his chest. Soon enough the man moved back and for a moment Tony wished he hadn’t. He held a tray in his hands. He held it at such an angle that Tony could see what was on top. He swallowed hard. He had no medical degree, but he’d attended more than enough autopsies to know just what those instruments were. He was well aware of how sharp a scalpel was, or how a cranial drill sounded once switched on.

Landry placed the tray on a trolly Tony noticed for the first time. “I don’t need to tell you what these are.” Landry indicated each instrument without actually touching them. He picked up the scalpel and walked up to Tony’s head.

“Wait! You still haven’t answered me. What did you do to my team?” Tony knew he had to play for time. On the one hand, he wished for it to end quickly, but at the same time he wasn’t ready to die. He also knew he had to hold on. Gibbs would find him.

Landry sighed and rolled his eyes. “I can multitask, you know?” He came to a halt by Tony’s head. He’d rolled the trolly right next to him. “I will not lie, this is going to hurt, but you’re more than welcome to scream, Tony. Let me you hear you.” Without wasting time, Landry placed the scalpel against the skin that covered Tony’s scalp, pressed down, and sliced.

The scalpel was sharp enough not to feel the initial cut, but then the pain caught up with him and even as Tony clenched down on his teeth, he still screamed. He once again tried to move away but found it impossible to do. He had no other option but to endure the torture done to him.

“There, there. We’re done.” Landry had taken some squares of gauze and patted the area in an attempt to stem the bleeding. Unfortunately, head wounds bled profusely, but he’d learned how to work around the volume of blood.

“Okay, let me answer your question and then I’ll do the next part.” Landry placed more gauze on the wound and moved so that he could look at his dinner guest again.

“You wanted to know what I did to your team?” He didn’t wait for a reply but shrugged. “You know about the term imploding?” Once again, he didn’t wait for a reply, but continued. “I caused your team to implode. I assume it was beautiful when they realized it, but unfortunately, I didn’t get to see that. Luckily for me, there’s nothing wrong with my imagination and I can just close my eyes and imagine the hurt, betrayal, denial, and anger on their faces when they learned the truth.”

“I don’t understand,” Tony’s words were slurred as he sunk deeper into shock.

“Of course not. I haven’t told you the best part yet.” Landry leaned in and whispered. “I kept an extra close eye on you, Anthony, with the help from a very special friend.”

Tony shivered. “Who?”

“Sweet, special, Ciara.” He giggled.

Tony’s body arched upwards as Landry’s words sank in. He gasped for air as his heart thundered in his ears.

Landry was unfazed by the reaction he caused. He walked around and took up his position again. He’d made sure that his guest was unable to move, and if he could move, he would merely injure himself and since he was only interested in one tiny part of Anthony, he didn’t really care if the rest got hurt.

“Now,” he continued. “Did you know that the brain itself feels no pain?” He lifted the skin and muscle flaps and folded them backwards to expose the bone. Beneath it lay the brain and on the inside the tiny morsel of fine dining.

He picked up the cranial drill and pushed down on the trigger and let it whirr in the air. He looked down at Anthony and noticed his shallow breathing and he could see how rapidly Anthony’s pulse fluttered in his neck. “I haven’t even explained to you the how unique you are.” He tapped the man on the shoulder. “You need to listen carefully, it’s not every day that I hand out compliments to other people.”

Landry used more gauze to mop up the excessive blood. “You see by this time all my other guests were already dead. They couldn’t handle the stress and they just died. You on the other hand, are still much alive and kicking and I’m intending to keep you alive for as long as possible.”

“Please,” Tony gasped out the word.

Landry paid him no attention as he continued. “I know how you feel about betrayal, and I share your sentiment on that issue, so of course, I made sure the lovely Ciara will never betray anyone else in her life.” He leaned forward, placed the drill against Tony’s skill. “Now, keep perfectly still.”

It took them just under half an hour to reach the location. It was a large house, could even be called a mansion, with wide open areas surrounding it. They would have no element of surprise when they approached the house. Daniel had also confirmed that they found the same address on Ciara’s navigation device in her car.

Gibbs got out of the vehicle first, Nick on his heels. Gibbs looked back as more vehicles came to a halt, including FBI S.W.A.T, Balboa, and lastly, Tony’s remaining team members.

Gibbs whistled and every agent gathered around him. “We’ve got minimal intel on this house and we don’t have time to wait. We are going in and we’re going in fast. All comms on channel one.” He lifted the small piece that hung from his shoulder and tugged it into his ear. Gibbs continued and divided the agents into different teams. He kept Nick and Tony’s second in command with him. He checked the weapon in his hand, nodded to Ash and took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

They approached the house from the side. He’d spotted what appeared to be a storm cellar to the side. When his eyes first landed on the wooden structure, his gut churned, and Gibbs knew he had to check it out.

The wooden doors swung outwards and were not locked, although there was a padlock that looked new. Gibbs took the door on the right, Nick the one on the left, while Ash held his weapon ready in the middle.

“Three, two, one…” Gibbs counted down and they yanked the doors open. The interior was dark and all three reached for their flashlights before they descended the stairs one at a time. It appeared that the cellar ran the whole length of the house and was divided into different rooms. Gibbs wanted to shout out of frustration. Each room had to be cleared before they could move on.

The first three rooms were all empty. The fourth appeared to be some sort of office as it contained several desktops, two laptops, one photocopier as well as an old fax machine. The fifth room looked more like a library. Books stacked up from the floor nearly to the low ceiling. Gibbs tried not to look at the titles, but his eyes caught a few, and it made him nauseous. It included books on cannibalism, eating habits of different indigenous tribes throughout the world, and of course, serial killers.

Gibbs indicated to Nick and Ash to move on. They still had several rooms to clear. The next one, was the worst, and Gibbs had to do everything in his power not to react. The walls were covered from the bottom to the top with photographs of Tony. From media clippings, to glossy photos taken by a long-lensed camera where he and Gibbs was seated in their living room drinking coffee. It contained photos of Tony in his office, head down working on a file in front of him. A growl escaped from his lips when he saw that one. Only one person could’ve taken that photo and given it to Landry. In that instance Gibbs was disappointed that Egan was dead, because he would’ve killed her with his bare hands, and no one would’ve been able to stop him. By the way Nick growled and Ash glared, Gibbs knew he wasn’t the only one who had murderous thoughts. “Let’s go,” he whispered and moved on to the next room.

Even before they reached the next door, Gibbs’ nose picked up a scent and it wasn’t the smell of daisies. He looked at Nick and the younger agent nodded. Whatever waited for them on the other side of this door wouldn’t be pleasant. Gibbs took hold of the door handle, nodded at Ash, and opened the door. All three men barely managed not to gag as the stench overpowered their senses. Gibbs swallowed hard as he tried to breathe through his mouth. He looked down at the disemboweled bodies of what appeared to be different animals. They were all decapitated as well, each head placed in a row on a steel table, their skulls opened up and their brains missing. Gibbs had seen enough.

They moved away from the room and only breathed again when the stench no longer filled their noses. Nick was about to speak up, when Gibbs held up his fist. He’d heard something. Gibbs cocked his head and placed his finger against his ear. He was sure he heard voices. He silently made his way further down the narrow passage, Nick and Ash right behind him.

They came to a halt right outside the next room. Gibbs tensed up, as Tony’s voice filtered through the door. Tony’s single plea stabbed Gibbs right in the heart. He heard Landry’s reply, but had no idea on what the man had said, instead they readied themselves to enter. As he reached for the door Landy’s voice sounded up again and it was enough for Gibbs to charge in.

He managed to take everything in, and at the same time, Gibbs lined up the shot, didn’t bother to identify himself, but merely pulled the trigger with a double tab motion. For a moment Landry looked surprised before he fell backwards.

Gibbs was aware of the fact that both Ash and Nick had spread out and cleared the rest of the room, but Gibbs only had eyes for Tony. His husband was strapped down, naked, with rivers of blood streaming down his head. With two giant steps he made it next to Tony, and as he reached for his husband’s hand, he yelled into the comms for paramedics.

“Tony, Tony,” Gibbs called out as he tried to establish if the love of his life was still alive, or if they were too late. “Tony,” Gibbs sobbed. Tony’s eyes were closed, he couldn’t detect any breathing signs and his fingers refused to find the pulse he needed to establish life.

“Please, please, please,” he continued to litany of words. “Paramedics, where the fuck are the paramedics!”

“Gibbs, Gibbs.” Someone grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard.

Gibbs’ eyes focused on the person in front of him. It was Prior. The large man looked shaken, but still composed.

“He’s still alive, but I need you to help me pack this wound.” Prior’s hands were filled with packets of gauze.

Gibbs nodded and looked down, and for the first time he really saw Tony’s head. He wanted to gag, but he held it together as he reached for the gauze and started packing the wound. He knew he was supposed to worry about germs, but it was too late now. This room was not sterile from the beginning and they had no time to look for gloves or shit like that. He packed the wound, took an ace bandage from Nick’s hand and wrapped it around Tony’s head. His hands were tinted red, the white bandage of a few seconds ago had turned crimson as well.

He growled when someone pushed him to the side and then Nick’s voice cut through the fog, he found himself in.

“It’s just the paramedics, Gibbs. We need to give them space to help Tony. Just move two steps back, I promise you don’t need to leave him, but they need space, Gibbs. Give them space.”

Gibbs managed to nod and moved backwards. It seemed like the paramedics understood the need he had to keep sight of Tony as they moved in such a way without obscuring his view of Tony. Tony, who was still unresponsive, who looked like death already came to him, his skin ash gray, his lips blue, while his head was red. Blood red. Gibbs found himself trembling, he could hear Nick talking to him, but the words didn’t make sense. His vision blurred and as the paramedics loaded Tony onto a gurney to push him out from this hellish room, darkness settled around him and Gibbs sank to the floor.

Chapter Text

NCIS MTAC: Present time

It took Nick a while to get his emotions under control after his epic meltdown. He still couldn’t believe that it had only been twenty-four-hours since Tony disappeared. It felt like a lifetime. The electronic door behind him opened, and Torres came to his feet.

“I thought you’d still be at the hospital.” He shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Ducky is there, together with Bishop and McGee, as well as Tony’s team. Abby is flying in from Louisiana this evening. I thought I’d come and check up on you.” Jimmy handed the agent one of the cups of coffee he had with him.

“I’m fine.”

Jimmy nodded. “It’s all right not to be. I know for a fact, I’m not.”

Nick remained silent. He couldn’t get the words out. He still couldn’t close his eyes and not see Tony’s body before his eyes. Never in his career as an NCIS agent had he seen something like that before. It was something that he never wanted to see again.

“I thought he was dead.” He looked down at his shoes. “He appeared dead.”

Jimmy remained silent. He knew Nick had to get things off his chest.

Nick took a seat and hugged the coffee cup with both hands. “After Gibbs shot Landry, and we cleared the room, I couldn’t look at Tony. I was so scared, and I couldn’t move. I know I had to check on Tony, but…” He shook his head. “Tony nearly died by the hands of that sick fuck, and I couldn’t even look at him!”

“It’s normal.”

Nick barked out a laugh. “Normal, Jimmy? I’m a fucking federal agent, I’m not supposed to react this way!”

Jimmy cocked his head and sighed. “One, you’re human, and two, even more importantly is the fact that Tony is your friend. In all honesty, I know I wouldn’t have been able to look at him either.” He smiled. “But the best thing – Tony is alive and he’s going to be all right and you’ll be able to look at him without freaking out.”

“What if I can’t?”

“You do know it’s Tony we’re talking about. With a single joke he will pull you in and you will find yourself looking at him – being grateful that he is alive.”

“I am already grateful.”

“Then hold on to that feeling.” Jimmy slapped his friend on the back just as his phone rang. “Duty calls. Go to the hospital, Nick, go and see your friends.”

Nick merely nodded as Jimmy left him in the darkened room. He would go to the hospital, as soon as he did one last thing.

The first thing Gibbs heard as his hearing returned was Ducky’s voice. The Scottish accent was particularly thick, and Gibbs knew it was caused by stress. He kept his eyes closed as Ducky continued talking.

“You are a stubborn fool, Jethro. Not seeking out medical attention after you freed yourself, which, by the way, was nicely done. Although, your thumb did not appreciate the torture you did to it. It is a bit damaged, but if you take it easy it will heal up. I might add, it will give you problems when you get older.” Ducky huffed. “As if you will ever get old.”

He sighed. “Enough of me praising your good traits of getting out of sticky situations, I am still very angry with you. You had unknown drugs in your system, which as I mentioned before, should have been medically checked out. Then I am not talking about your head injury. Yes, Jethro, head injury. Except for the shock you put your body through being a reason on why you collapsed, you also collapsed due to a slow bleed in your brain. You got clobbered or dropped on the head hard enough to cause a bleed. The good thing is that the bleeding seems to be clearing up on its own. I have to say, I am grateful for that. I do not think you undergoing brain surgery right about now would be a good thing.”

Ducky moved himself to a recliner and sat down. “I have ranted enough, you can now open your eyes, Jethro. I know you are awake.”

Gibbs opened his eyes and his gaze landed on Ducky. “Tony.” He whispered the word. He had to know.

“Is holding his own. He underwent surgery to repair the damage done to his head. I am not praising that monster, but he did a good job with the incision. It was very neatly done, and the surgeons had no problem in suturing it close. There was no damage done to the skull and Anthony’s brain was never exposed. They have placed him on some heavy-duty antibiotics to make sure any infection he might have picked up will be dealt with even before it gets a chance to do any damage to Anthony’s body.”

“Any other injuries?”

“From the explosion a concussion, injured ribs, and facial lacerations. Further, a nasty burn wound caused by what appeared to be some sort of teaser. I have not done the autopsy of Miss Egan, but I have a suspicion that it might be the same instrument that caused the burn on her chest. Other than that, some scrapes and bruises.”

Gibbs swallowed. “He was naked…”

Ducky nodded. “There was no sign of sexual abuse. There was never any indication that Landry was a sexual deviant. However, it does not mean that nothing happened. Only Anthony can provide us with that answer.”

“Where is he, when can I see him?” He tried to push himself up onto his elbows, but the moment he lifted his head he felt woozy and he had to lay back again.

“What part of a head injury did you not understand, Jethro? You are not going anywhere soon. As for your query. Anthony is one floor up in ICU. They are keeping him there as a precaution. If his condition remains stable, they will move him to a private room within the next day or two.”

“He needs a guard at his door. Landry wasn’t working alone.” Once again Gibbs tried to push himself up onto his elbows.

“Already taken care of, Jethro. His team and a whole bunch of FBI agents, and may I add, NCIS agents have assigned themselves as his personal bodyguards. No one will get through them.” Ducky patted Gibbs’ arm.

Gibbs swallowed hard. He looked eyes with his oldest friend. “I thought I’d lost him, Ducky.”

Ducky nodded. “Our Anthony had been in a few close calls in his career, but I have to agree with you on this one, my friend. This one, was far too close.”

“I’m scared this one might have broken him, Ducky. And I don’t mean physically.”

Ducky hummed. “Miss Egan.”

Gibbs nodded and groaned as his head didn’t appreciate the motion.

“Do you think Anthony knows already?”

“I can’t see Landry not gloating about it,” Gibbs responded.

“It will hit him hard. Harder than the betrayal he went through at NCIS. He had handpicked her for his team. He will see it as his fault.”

“How do I help him, Ducky?”

“The same way you did last time, Jethro. By being there for him. Let him talk and listen. His team will also be there for him. They, and you, will not let him place the blame on himself, or let him go through his on his own.” Ducky straightened his back. “It is not going to be an easy road, Jethro.”

“I know, Ducky.”

“Good. Then get some sleep. I will keep you up to date on Anthony’s condition and if you do cooperate, I will talk to your physician, and Anthony’s, and then we can see when you can go and visit him for a short while.

Gibbs wanted to growl and object, but he knew how stubborn Ducky was. He wouldn’t be able to browbeat, or glare, the man into submission. Instead, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep even before Ducky had picked up the book he was reading, to keep himself entertained.

18 Hours later

Gibbs had grumbled and complained all the way from his room to Tony’s room in ICU, but Ducky paid no attention to him. He didn’t want to go to Tony’s room in a wheelchair, he had two perfectly working legs and could walk to Tony’s room. However, Ducky had put his foot down, glared at Gibbs and when the man finally settled himself in the chair, he personally pushed him to the elevator, and from the elevator to Tony’s room. Ducky had parked the chair next to Tony’s bed, pulled up the brake and told Gibbs in a tone that bout no argument that he had one hour and left them alone.

Now, Gibbs held Tony’s hand in his and stared at his husband. His husband that still had no color in his face. Dark almost black circles decorated his eyes and he still hasn’t woken up. It caused concern with Gibbs, but Ducky and Tony’s doctor held no such worries. They explained that his body went through a tremendous stress and needed the time to heal.

“I need you to wake up, Tony. I need to see your green eyes and that smile of yours to know that you’re okay. Please, wake up.” Gibbs squeezed Tony’s hand hard. His shoulders slumped as Tony’s hand remained limp beneath his.

“The doctors say that you’re doing well. The antibiotics seem to be doing their job and the infection that they did pick up, when you first got admitted, seems to be reacting to the medicine. In fact, they want to move you from ICU before the end of this day.” Gibbs leaned forward in his chair.

“Torres found the woman you saved in the diner. It appears that she committed suicide. Ducky will only know for sure after he’d contacted the autopsy.” He shifted in the chair. “From what he gathered from her apartment, she appeared to have been a groupie too.” Gibbs cringed at the words. They made him think of Egan and he didn’t want to.

“Torres also found the two men who jumped me. Or should I say, he found out their identities. Their bodies were found in the house. It seems that Landry shot them and left them to rot. Not entirely sure, and don’t really give a shit.” He cleared his throat. Reached for the carafe of water next to Tony’s bed and poured himself a glass. He would’ve loved to have some coffee, but a mere glare from Ducky earlier when he requested some, made it clear that he wouldn’t be getting any coffee until he was released.

“They were two low lives. Both had rap sheets a mile long. Don’t think they knew exactly who Landry was. I do have a feeling even if they did know, it wouldn’t have mattered to them.” He squeezed Tony’s hand again.

Gibbs looked down at their hands. He loved holding Tony’s hand. Even if they were relaxing in their home, he would take Tony’s hand and hold it in his. In a way it grounded him. Having Tony next to him, made him realize time and again, how lucky he was. It always made him shiver to think he’d nearly lost it all because of his stubbornness.

“I started drawing out the dimensions for that grandfather’s clock you want.” Gibbs smiled. “Still can’t believe you got me into agreeing to build you one. The last one I attempted to build didn’t turn out very well.” Gibbs grimaced. It was the same time he found one of his exes in bed with a mutual friend. After he kicked them out, he still had anger left inside of him and unfortunately the clock had suffered from his fury.

“You mustn’t moan in my ears if that thing wakes you up on the hour every hour. You’ve been warned.”

“I’ll take my chances,” Tony’s words were raspy but clearly audible.

Not giving a damn if he had to stay put in the chair, Gibbs rose to his feet, leaned over and kissed his husband solidly on the mouth. He wanted nothing more than to hold him to his chest, but he didn’t think Tony was quiet up for that yet.

Tony kissed him back with everything he had in him. He opened his mouth, accept his husband’s tongue in his mouth, sucked at the muscle and gave up control and let himself get ravished by the man he loved. In the end he had to pull back due to a lack of oxygen.

“You’re all right.” Tony stroked Gibb’s face. “I was so scared he’d killed you.”

“I’m fine.” Gibbs leaned forward and kissed Tony again. This time he kept the kisses light, but made sure Tony still knew how much he loved him. Gibbs kissed him for a long time before he let him go. “How are you feeling?”

At first Tony wanted to deflect. He wanted to make a joke but found that the words didn’t want to come out. He shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

“Are you in pain? Do you want me to get the nurse?” Gibbs reached for this call button. “I should let them know you’ve woken up.”

Tony caught his husband’s hand and placed it on the bed. “Not yet, please.” His eyes glistened with tears.

Gibbs reached out and wiped the tear away as Tony blinked and it landed on his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

Tony swallowed hard. “I was so scared.” His hand trembled on top of Gibbs’ and the older man enfolded Tony’s hand with his.

Tony reached with his other hand and touched his head. He found the bandage that was wrapped around his head. “How bad?”

Gibbs ran his hand over his face. “No permanent damage. He didn’t get through the skull.”

Tony closed his eyes as he remembered the cut and the excruciating pain that followed.

“Look at me, don’t go back there.” Gibbs gently cupped Tony’s face and smiled as his lover’s eyes opened and stared at him. “Landry is dead, he can never hurt you, or anyone else ever again.”

“You took him out?”

Gibbs nodded. “I didn’t think I was in time.” A tear escaped from his eye. “I thought you were dead. I couldn’t find a pulse, couldn’t detect if you were breathing. If it wasn’t for Ash.” Gibbs bowed his head. “I was so afraid.”

“You found me, you saved me.” Tony smiled. “Again.”

Gibbs gazed at Tony and returned the smile. “Again.”

Tony’s eyes drooped. “Don’t think I’m going to stay awake for much longer.”

“Don’t fight it. Sleep. I’ll be here.” Gibbs leaned in again and kissed his husband once more.

Tony hummed and closed his eyes. They snapped open again. “Ciara?” He looked confused and scared. “Landry told me he used Ciara. Was it true?”

Gibbs lowered his head. He wanted to ignore Tony’s question. Wanted to tell him not to worry about it now, but Tony deserved to know the truth. He nodded once. “I’m sorry.”

Tony ignored him as he closed his eyes. Tears escaped through his closed lids before he drifted off to sleep.

2 Days after Tony’s rescue

Ash took the chair vacated by Gibbs as Daniel leaned against the window and Lexi sat down on the bed at Tony’s feet. “You’re looking better, Boss.”

Tony ignored the comment, instead he stared at each of his team members for a moment or two before he lowered his head. “I’m sorry.”

Ash looked over his shoulder to where Daniel stood. Daniel rolled his eyes, but it was Lexi, who spoke up. She’d reached out and punched him gently on the arm. “Don’t be a fool.”

“I should’ve known.” Tony ignored the fist that landed on his bicep.

“Known what, exactly, Tony?” Ash rose to his feet.

“That Ciara…” Tony couldn’t finish the sentence.

“That she wasn’t who she pretended to be? That she was a groupie to a serial killer, who provided the monster with information on you, on us, and even provided him with photos of you. Placed signal jammers in our cars and homes to make sure no one could get a hold of us when you needed us. Who went as far as to taser you with a cattle prod to make sure Landry could get to you.”

“Don’t,” Tony responded through clenched teeth.

“No, I will not stop.” Ash joined Daniel at the window. “You are not allowed to play the blame game here and put everything on yourself. I’ve been an agent for much longer than you. I am a qualified profiler. Both Daniel and Lexi are seasoned enough to pick up when something is wrong and none of us had. Ciara worked for the FBI for four years, her closest friends didn’t even know about her obsession with serial killers. Or that she had a thing for Landry. She fooled everyone in the FBI, Tony. Everyone. This is not on you.”

Tony remained silent. He still struggled with the betrayal of the woman he’d handpicked for his team. He’d thought she’d fit perfectly in his team, but she’d fooled him. He would’ve given everything in his possession to ask her only one question. To ask her why? But she was dead. Landry had killed her, and his question would remain unanswered forever. It hurt so much.

He raised his eyes and found his team staring at him. “I’ve placed in a recommendation to the Director for you to take over as lead on the team, Ash. It’s time you stepped up to the plate and be the leader I know you can be. You’ll have to get a new cyber analyst, but Penelope from the BAU did indicate that she will gladly assist you as the need arises.”

“And what about you, Tony?” Daniel moved away from the window.

Tony looked down at the sheet that covered his legs. “I’ve put in my resignation. I’m not coming back.”

“Bull shit!” Daniel exploded and Lexi jumped from the bed. Both junior agents continued to rant and rave at the same time.

Ash cleared his throat. He stared at Tony. “You sure?”

Lexi and Daniel calmed down.

Tony nodded.

“Okay.” Ash moved towards the door.

“Okay? Is that it? Come on, Ash, talk to Tony. You can’t give up on him!” Danie threw his hands in the air.

Ash shook his head. “I’m not the one who’s giving up, Daniel.” He cocked his head. “You know, Tony, I never thought of you as one to give up, seems I was wrong.”

Tony wanted to respond, but he had no words. Ash was right. He was giving up. He closed his eyes and turned away from his ex-team. He heard them leave the room and he opened his eyes again. He managed not to jump when Ash stood next to him.

“I’ll take the position for six months. When the six months are over, you come to me, look me in the eye, and give me a valid reason why you can’t go on, and then I will accept it. Or, you tell me you’ve got your shit sorted out, and you’re ready to lead this team. Get your head straightened out, Tony. Don’t throw your career away because of something you had no control over.”

“The director already has my resignation letter.”

“And he will not file it.” This time Ash left the room, leaving Tony alone.

3 Days after Tony’s rescue

“I heard you resigned.” Nick met Tony’s gaze without any hesitation. Jimmy was right. He’d have to buy the young doctor a beer to say thank you.

Tony snorted. “I’ve been placed on medical leave and then on an extended sabbatical.”

Nick nodded. That sounded much better than Tony resigning.

“I heard you got a nomination for exceptional performance added to your file.”

Nick blushed. Balboa was responsible for the nomination and there was even a supporting affidavit from Prior to second it. “I just did my job.”

“You did an amazing job, Nick. You’re one of the best young agents out there, and then I’m not even talking about your undercover work.” Tony cleared his throat. “You also found me.”

“Not as soon as what I was supposed to.”

“Don’t go there. It’s not worth it.” Tony had found out from Gibbs that Nick never got the message that the so-called breakfast meeting was at Gibbs’ diner. At first, he’d wanted to believe that Ciara merely forgot, but then he remembered what she turned out to be. He was in a way grateful that she gave any message to Nick. Unfortunately, he had no idea what her motive was for relaying the message. It couldn’t be because she cared. Tony shook his head. He didn’t want to dwell on it any longer.

“I actually heard you there on the scene after the explosion.”

Tony sighed. “And now you’re beating yourself up for not looking for me. Nick.” He waited for the other man to look at him before he continued. “Landry didn’t work alone. We definitely know that now. We have no idea what he would’ve done to Gibbs if he’d seen the two of us together. I’m happy I got away before you found me.”

Nick remained silent for a long time before he finally nodded. “I understand.”

“Good.” Tony yawned.

Nick rose to his feet. “I’ll let you get some sleep. I know you’re being released tomorrow. I’ll make a turn at your home later tomorrow, if that’s all right?”

Tony nodded. “You know our door is always open for you, Nick.” He reached out and held on to Nick’s forearm. “Thank you.”

Nick returned the nod and left with a much lighter heart.

Gibbs/DiNozzo residence: 6 Months later

Gibbs pinned his husband beneath him, as he thrust forward, his cock sliding in and out of Tony’s hole at the slowest pace he could go. They were both covered in a sheen of sweat. Dark bruises decorated Tony’s wrists and hips. Scratch marks clearly visible on his flanks, and Gibbs’ teeth marks red on his left shoulder. He’d taken his husband apart by making love to him for the longest time ever. He had made Tony cum twice already and was on his way to extract a third screaming orgasm from the man he held against him.

He shifted his knees, thrust deep and pegged Tony’s gland. His husband shuddered and whimpered at the same time. Gibbs reached out, pulled Tony flush against his body and lifted them both so that Tony was on his knees before him. He reached around and took Tony’s rock-hard cock in his hand. He let his fingers play over the head, gathered the pre-cum at the tip and brought his finger’s to Tony’s mouth. Gibbs gasped and his hips hitched as Tony latched onto the digits and sucked him hard.

“Fucking beautiful,” he whispered in his lover’s ear as he pegged Tony’s prostate again. He took his hand, dragged it repeatedly over Tony’s glistening shaft before he made a loose fist and surrounded Tony’s cock. “Fuck my fist,” he ordered.

“Jethro!” Tony gasped and whimpered as his oversensitive cock glided in and out of Gibbs’ hand. He whimpered again. His orgasm was right there, yet at the same time out of reach. The friction around his shaft was not enough, he needed more.

“Please, fuck please.” He lifted his hips in an attempt to get the friction that he needed but had no luck. “Please,” he begged again, and bit down hard enough on his lower lip to draw blood. It stung as his sweat mixed with the shallow cut and he whimpered in need and gasped for air.

“Cum on my cock, husband,” Gibbs growled as he thrust up and in again. He kept up the brutal pace and as his own orgasm threatened to overrun him, Gibbs tightened his fist and gave Tony the last bit of friction he needed.

Both men screamed as their bodies seized up with pleasure. They continued to whimper and move in unison as their lovemaking came to a staggering halt.

Gibbs kept his cock in Tony’s body and turned their bodies so that they landed on their sides. He curled around his husband and held him close. Both men breathed hard and continued to touch one another in no hurry to end their physical bond.

Finally, their breathing evened out and Tony sighed. “Fuck.” He turned his head and kissed Gibbs. “Not sure I’ll ever be able to walk again.”

Gibbs smiled. “Then I accomplished my mission.”

Tony snorted. “You do realize that if I can’t walk again, you’ll have to carry me around.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” It was Gibbs’ turn to kiss his husband again.

Tony moaned and let his lover kiss him some more. They broke apart for air. “It means going shopping with me. Walking through each and every shop. Some shops, even twice.” He teased as Gibbs shuddered and he laughed. “I will never do that to you.”

“You better not, and in return, I will make love to you and fuck you for as long as we both live.”

“Mm, sounds so good.” Tony moved away and hissed as Gibbs’ spent cock finally slipped free. He could feel Gibbs’ fluid run down his thighs. He blushed at the thought. It always made him feel like he was owned by Gibbs. But don’t get him wrong, it wasn’t a bad thing – not at all.

“What time are you meeting Prior?” Gibbs asked as he leaned back against the headboard. He looked on as Tony returned with a warm cloth and proceeded to clean both of them up.

“Cocktails at five.” Tony tossed the cloth to the side and crawled back onto the bed. He made himself comfortable against his husband’s chest. “Sure, you don’t want to come with?”

“Positive.”

Tony hummed.

Gibbs turned their bodies so that Tony landed underneath again. He grinned as Tony rolled his eyes at him. “You sure about your decision?”

Tony frowned. “Are you saying I should not be?”

Gibbs shook his head. “No, I’m not.” He sighed. “You came such a long way these past six months, Tony. I am extremely proud of you, but I don’t want you to have reached a decision because of what you think someone else might want to hear. I want you to do what is right for you, and nothing more.”

Tony had struggled with intense nightmares and depression. He’d bucked against the idea of speaking to a professional, but Jimmy introduced him to a friend of his, Ray, who was a psychologist and Tony had liked the man a lot. He’d spoken hours with Ray, some nights he was so exhausted, and couldn’t even keep his eyes open to eat dinner, but in the end, he’d reached his decision. If it hadn’t been for the support from Gibbs and his friends, Tony wouldn’t have been able to get out of that black hole he found himself in. Now he was once again ready to face the world.

“I’m doing this for me,” Tony finally responded. He bit down on his bottom lip again. “What if?”

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. “What if what?” He gently pulled Tony’s bottom lip away from his teeth.

“What if he doesn’t want to?”

Gibbs sighed. “Tony, you know Prior. The only reason why he is still head of the unit is because he said he would and for no other reason. He’s happy to be your senior agent.”

Tony yawned and snuggled closer to the man he loved. “Since someone wore me out, I need a nap.”

Gibbs laughed. “And what are you going to do when you start working again? You will have no time for naps then.”

Tony grinned. “No, maybe no naps, but hopefully there’ll be some time to sneak away for some quickies.” He winked at the man on top of him.

Gibbs shook his head, laughed and rolled them over so that Tony was on top. “I think that can be arranged.”

Tony giggled as Gibbs leaned in and kissed him again.

The End

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