Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gibbs knew something was out of sorts with his second in command. The man came to work many mornings recently with dark crescents blooming under his eyes, a frantic, bone-weary exhaustion continuously plaguing his countenance. While he typically tried not to pry, the older man privately admitted to himself that he would need to interfere, and soon- if he didn’t want Tony to eventually burn out and get himself hurt while in the field.

The sound of the elevator dinging rang throughout the bullpen, followed by hurried footsteps and an exclamation of “Sorry Boss, I’m here!”.

Gibbs rose his head from his third cup of coffee (“sludge”, as the team would call it) and watched attentively as Tony walked into the bullpen, late. Again. He felt a slight twinge of irritation inside of him, but refrained from saying anything once he was able to study his SFA more closely. DiNozzo was pale, and the stress lines on his face only seemed to be deepened this Monday morning at 0900. The man was absentmindedly sipping from a cup of coffee as he waited for his computer to boot up.

Ziva cleared her throat purposefully and questioned snidely, “So, Tony? What’s the excuse? Your date last night ran too long with the girl of the week? Or are you too hungover after a night at the bar?” Tim snorted in the background while being immersed in his computer monitor.

Tony’s laughter was sharp and a wide smile filled his face as he responded, “Hah. Good one Zee-vah, how did you guess? Last night Megan and I had a little too much to drink and you know I had to be a gentleman and make sure she got home alright.” He waggled his eyebrows and continued, “It isn’t my fault that tucking her into bed took a few more hours than originally allotted!”.

Her face scrunched up and she turned back to her paperwork. “Truly, I do not see what women like about you”, she mumbled harshly.

Tony shrugged and went back to quietly sipping at his coffee, the lack of a witty response somewhat odd to his team members, but they simply wrote it off as him being his usual foolish self. Sounds of keyboards typing, agents conversing, and printers whirring filled the room with outlandish orange walls.

Unbeknownst to the others, Tony’s silence was due to the lack of desire to continue with the lies. Those that he painstakingly planned and rehearsed frequently just to fill that “frat boy womanizer” mask he had built over the years to hide his true self from the agency. As the years went by, it was getting harder and harder to match the demands of his fake persona for NCIS. However, he knew that this was good for the team, their “family”, as they often referred to themselves. He couldn’t risk his cover being blown and all the efforts of classifying his documents go to waste.

Gibbs’ phone rang, “Yeah. Got it. We’re on it. Bye.” He strode out towards the elevator, barking, “We’ve got a body in Fairfax. Gear up.”

He tossed the van keys to Tim, who scrambled to catch them as he stumbled after Gibbs in a hurry. Ziva quickly followed, complaining about how she wanted to drive the van, while Tony brought up the rear and teased McGee about his driving habits that resembled those of a grandma.

Chapter Text

“Come on McSlow, can you drive any faster?”, Tony groaned from inside the van.

Ziva added tiredly, “I am in agreement with Tony on this McGee, I would like to arrive at the crime scene before the day is over.”

Tim huffed in response and pushed on the gas a little more, glancing over at Gibbs in the passenger seat where he sat serenely, sipping his coffee. Traffic was not yet bad, the streets already past their morning rush, and few vehicles greeted the team as they traversed to the crime scene in Fairfax.

Turning onto a bright and welcoming street, the van slowed to a halt near the second to last property and parked in the driveway of a quaint two-story brick house. Lush trees swayed in the front yard, with various colorful flowers sprinkled within beds.

Tony hopped out of the back of the van and stretched his legs, exclaiming, “Man, I am glad to be out of that stuffy van. You know, this drive actually reminded me of this one scene where James Bond-”

Gibbs cut him off with a slap to the back of the head.

“Yes boss, getting the camera”, Tony replied.

He slung the camera around his neck and followed Gibbs to the front door, where the LEOs were located inside the living room. Near the entrance of the kitchen, a female body lay prone on the wooden floor, a puddle of crimson blood surrounding. Yellow placards littered the floor where blood spatter, footprints, and other evidence were found.

The voice of an officer called out, “Victim is Maria Cordova, 32. A neighbor found her after she hadn’t been seen out of the house in a few days. Looked through the window there and saw her on the floor. Evidence of multiple stab wounds all along the torso. Only preliminary, since we were waiting for your ME to arrive”.

Tony started at the name of the victim, a flash of familiarity passing across his face, followed by a dreadful unease. He strode quickly over to the victim and paled deathly white once he saw her face.

He turned to the officers, brows harshly furrowed, and hoarsely enquired, “Has her brother Miguel been contacted yet? Is he on the way?”

The officer, Shawn, Tony belatedly noted, looked over and replied, “Yes, he should be here any minute now”.

“You know her, DiNozzo?”, Gibbs gruffly questioned.

Tony released a large breath and nodded absentmindedly, already pulling up the camera to take shots of Maria.

He ignored the odd looks that the team was shooting at him, preferring to let them assume what they wanted about her relationship to him instead of getting into the nitty gritty details of the life he’d much rather keep away from NCIS. He registered the others beginning to sweep for prints and bag evidence following Gibbs’ command to move, but let it fade away into the background for now. His eyes became sharper, more critical, as he stared detachedly at the corpse, analyzing the wounds and categorizing the weapon needed to create the damage done.

“Jethro! Pardon us for being late, we happened to take a wrong turn and it delayed our arrival. Actually, it quite reminds me of the time I was exploring London as a youth and after getting momentarily disoriented of my location, I went for a lovely stroll along this beautiful pathway, there were flowers all over and I saw the most interesting lad carrying- ah, but this is a tale I can finish later. Let’s see, yes, what do we have here?” Ducky opened his bag and retrieved gloves and a thermometer, crouching down near the body to closely examine the wound patterns.

Ducky continued after a moment, “Body temperature places her death roughly around the time the neighbor claimed she had been absent for. There’s also signs of rigor mortis setting in, which further corroborates this statement.”

Ducky continued his examination and then made a noise of interest. “Mr. Palmer, could you please get the tweezers here, I believe there’s something embedded in this wound.”

Jimmy reached over with the tweezers, fishing a shard of metal out from the stab wound Ducky had indicated towards. He squinted his eyes and held the tweezer into the air, observing it.

“Dr. Mallard, I think this is the tip of the knife! Maybe it’s the murder weapon?”, Jimmy exclaimed. He then looked awkwardly at Gibbs when he registered his own excitement at the find.

“Yes my dear boy, that very well might be what caused all this damage to young Maria.” He looked at Maria’s face, “Don’t you worry, we will take nice care of you and hunt down the monster that did this to you.” He nodded decidedly to himself.

Raising up, he instructed Jimmy to get the stretcher so they could begin the process of transporting her back to the autopsy building back at NCIS. The rest of the team finished their tasks, tied up coordination measures with the local PD, and gathered their things to return to the Yard.

Tony stayed crouched in the middle of the kitchen, oddly quiet and reflective as he continued staring at Maria. Ziva shot him a questioning look as she passed by him, but he shrugged a shoulder and dismissed her.

His train of thought was broken when he heard a panicked voice shouting for Maria. Tony abruptly stood from the crouched position he was in, and collected himself. He popped his neck and cleared his face of any turmoil. Squaring his shoulders and keeping his back straight, he walked over to the front door, almost reminiscent of a soldier marching to their death.

The moment that Tony entered the foyer he saw Miguel standing there speaking with Shawn, looking extremely disheveled and frantic. The man was tall, with his dark hair in a close-shaved cut and a tinge of pink in his otherwise russet skin, evidence of his harried exertion to arrive at his sister’s house quickly.

Miguel’s eyes found Tony as his appearance was made known by footsteps along the wooden floors. The relief was palpable in the air and Miguel’s body slumped like a puppet cut by the strings.

“God, Comman- Tony what happened? Who would want to hurt my baby sister?”, the man cried out.

Tony briefly grimaced at the slip up as he reached to rest a hand on Miguel’s shoulder. It broke his heart to see someone he considered a brother experience this grief.

“We are gonna catch the bastard who did this, Lieutenant, and they will pay. I need you to go to Meyer’s house tonight- I’d rather you wouldn’t be alone right now. I’ll give him a call soon.”

Miguel made a movement to protest Tony’s words, but he leaned in and cut him off quietly, “That’s an order. Understand? Go home and pack up.”

He sullenly nodded, and after exchanging more information with the LEOs, he departed the house.

Tony watched him get into his truck and did not turn around until Cordova drove away from the property.

—

The drive back to the Navy Yard was a quiet one. The lack of Tony’s usual comments and light-hearted jokes was not lost on the rest of the team. Unwilling to break whatever contemplative state Tony was in, Ziva refrained from teasing him about the woman. This time, it did not seem right to do so. And this confused her- who could this person be that would warrant such a response from the normally jubilant man?

Beside her, Tim’s line of thinking mirrored Ziva’s. How could Tony know this man, someone in the military- based off of his appearance, and it almost sounded like Miguel was saying “Commander” to Tony before he corrected himself? It made no sense. The only people Tony ever talked about were his frat brothers from college and the frequent new girl he brought home weekly.

They vowed to question him once given the chance.

The elevator dinged as the doors opened to the bullpen, the gaudy orange walls once again greeting their return. Ziva and McGee stepped out, bags in hand, and returned to their desks. Tony tried to follow, but an arm held him from exiting the elevator. He whipped his head around to protest and was greeted with a stern look from Gibbs. He raised an eyebrow, as if challenging Tony to go against him.

He slumped in acquiescence, asking, “Time for a meeting in your office, Boss?”
Gibbs hit the button to close the doors, and once they closed he flipped the kill switch. The two men now stood in semi darkness, unmoving. DiNozzo calmly avoided Gibbs' eyes as the other man stared steadfastly at him.

“Well”, Tony stated with forced cheer, “I daresay this is the quietest meeting I’ve ever attended”.

“Who was she to you, DiNozzo?”

The smile he had pasted onto his face dropped and he took in a shuddering breath. All of the tension in his body spilled out at his next admission.

“She was like a sister to me, Boss”, he hoarsely spit out. “Her brother and I go way back, so I became close with Maria as well over the years. I just can’t comprehend that it’s her downstairs on an autopsy table now. She moved into that house recently and it was supposed to be a safe neighborhood. She should’ve been safe.” His voice broke near the end and he forcefully swallowed.

“Do you need to be off of this case? You’re too close to it.”

Gibbs had barely gotten the words out when a look of vehement outrage shone on Tony's face.

“Fine”, Gibbs relented after a beat of silence, “But one wrong move, and you're gone. Got it?”

Tony vigorously nodded his agreement and Gibbs made a noise of acknowledgement. He flipped the elevator switch and the lights whirred back on.

Gibbs looked over to him and murmured, "I'm sorry for your loss, Tony. We'll catch this SOB, ya hear me?"

Both men straightened their suits before exiting the elevator and strode in tandem back to their desks.

Chapter Text

Sliding into the seat of his desk, Tony wearily ran his hand through his hair as he took a deep breath. He turned on his monitor again and began to run through the bank statements of Maria. Scrolling down the list, nothing looked out of place, until his eye caught one deposit into her account. Over $150,000 wired to her from another bank account a couple weeks ago.

Frowning in contemplation, he quickly traced the money to an account held by one Angelo Bianchi. Typing the name into the database, he tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk as he waited for the results to load. His search did not come up empty- Angelo Bianchi was on record for alleged ties to the mafia and was previously charged with aggravated assault with a weapon. Off to a promising start for suspects, Tony thought grimly.

He was pulled from his discovery when Ziva interjected at her desk, saying, “Talking with some bombshell blonde over there on your computer, Tony? Or is it one of your silly video games?”

He leveled Ziva with a blank expression at the accusation, no hint of his usual humor etched on his face. He responded evenly, “No, Special Agent David, I am going through the victim’s bank statements to find any discrepancies that could provide us with a possible lead. Maybe instead of worrying about my actions, you should be focusing on your search through phone records.”

Ziva’s mouth dropped open at the barely restrained hostility in his voice. Her surprise quickly shifted to irritation and she shot back, “And who are you to order me around?”

He snorted mirthlessly, “Your senior agent. Instead of a verbal reprimand, I can just file one to show on your record, if you’d like? No? I thought so. Get back to work, David.”

He sighed tiredly and stood from his desk. “Going for coffee, Boss. Want any?”

Gibbs responded with a slight nod of the head, and Tony exited towards the break room.

Gibbs turned towards the other two in the bullpen after a minute, barking, “Ziva. McGee. Go to Lieutenant Cordova’s house and ask him about Maria’s close friends, partner, and old neighborhood. Find out anything of importance.”

Ziva and McGee shared a look from their desks.

“Well? Sometime today!”

They both scrambled up, grabbing their bags and hastily walking towards the elevator.

Tony returned a few moments later, carrying two cups of coffee. Handing the black one to Gibbs, he sipped on his own filled with sweet hazelnut creamer.

“Where’s Probie and Probette?”

“On their way to Miguel’s. That be a problem?”

Tony made an uncomfortable face. “Well, as long as Ziva doesn’t say anything out of line it shouldn’t be a problem”, he chuckled. “So, there might be an issue. But it’s fine, Miguel should be okay and McGee is there to rein her in.”

Tony ambled over to the printer and retrieved a paper, handing it to Gibbs. On it was detailed a summary of the tracked wire transaction, a profile on Bianchi, and a mapped distance from his house to Maria’s old house in the neighborhood.

Gibbs pulled his glasses on, holding the paper out to read. After going over the details provided, he looked up at Tony and curled the side of his mouth up.

“Good work, DiNozzo.”

Tony lit up like the sun with the praise.

“Thanks, Boss! I really think this guy is our best shot to look into right now. There were no other logs in her bank account that matched this one, so it was only a one-time thing. Plus he only lived a couple streets from Maria’s old house, so there is definitely the element of opportunity with the familiarity of the area. Wow, Boss, it feels like the old days when it was just you and I working together!”

Gibbs let a fond smile form on his face as he responded, “Mn.”

Taking advantage of the relaxed environment, Gibbs precariously began, “Tony? You know I see you as a son and you can tell me anything, right?”

Tony looked at him, confused. “Of course Boss, but why the sappiness right now?”

He squished whatever guilt he felt at the older man’s admission knowing the secrets he kept from his father figure.

Gibbs hummed and continued, “I’m worried about you. You come in every Monday morning exhausted and sometimes you’re even injured. Are you in trouble? Can I help somehow?”

Something changed in Tony, then. He appeared more detached, more cool, than his previous countenance.

“Ah, Boss, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you. Orders.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Can’t. All I can say is those Fridays I rush out of here claiming to go to date nights at the bar are far from the truth. I promise I’m okay, though.” He shot a crooked grin at the man, his eyes apologetic as he hoped the man wouldn’t pry and hold it against him.

Gibbs searched his face, discerning the validity of his statement, and then cleared his throat. “You’ll tell me eventually?”, he asked lightly.

Tony perked up. “Of course!”

“Alright. Now, let’s go pay a visit to Ducky and see if he’s got anything for us.”

—

McGee and Ziva pulled up to the red brick house and parked along the curb. A large oak tree loomed above them, and a wooden swing hung on the porch. They both walked up the sidewalk and then stood in front of the door. Ziva reached to knock and murmured,

“This shall be fast, yes?”

McGee nodded his agreement and they waited until they could hear the shuffling of footsteps walking towards the door inside. Miguel swung the door open, and a look of surprise donned his face at seeing the two special agents.

“Is there something I can help you with, Special Agents McGee and David?”

McGee cleared his throat and began, “Hi, we were hoping to speak with you about Maria’s last neighborhood? We are trying to find some reliable information that might be pertinent to the case and we would appreciate it if you could give us some insight about the conditions at her last area of residence, as well as any associations she had with neighbors.”

“Ah, sure, I can help with that”, Miguel replied.

He stepped out of the doorway and held it open for Ziva and Tim to follow him through the foyer to the living room. Sitting down onto a comfy chair, he gestured for the two special agents to sit opposite him on a loveseat.

Miguel began to speak, saying, “Maria’s old neighborhood wasn’t as nice. There were some sketchy figures who lived near her, and for crime to occur there, well, it wasn't totally out of the ordinary. Actually, about a week before she moved to the new house, there had been a murder. Some gang killing, I think? Anyways, it spooked her really bad and so I looked for some good neighborhoods that she could move to. Luckily we were able to get the house at a good price. Things were looking up for her.”

He sniffed as he began to tear up a bit. McGee and Ziva waited to let him compose himself before they continued to ask questions.

“Did Maria have a partner? Or any ex’s, for that matter, while she was living there?”

“Yeah, she had an on and off boyfriend. Name’s uh, Stefan Romano, I believe. Never really liked him much, he had anger issues and while he seemed to treat Maria well, they got into a lot of fights- hence the on and off part.”

He resituated himself in the chair, crossing his legs and shifting his gaze to a picture of Maria on the mantel perpendicular to them. He gained a mournful expression as he sat there, lost in thought. Coming back to himself, he reached forward to grab a glass of water sitting on the coffee table in between them and took a drink from it.

Clearing his throat, he continued, “Maria didn’t really have many friends, and none of them were close to her. She had a few people she liked from the school she worked at, but between her job and own personal hobbies she didn’t have much time to socialize. Is there anything else you need to know?”

“No, that should be okay for now. We will contact you if something else comes up. We are sorry for your loss, Lieutenant Cordova.”

Ziva and McGee rose from the couch and shook hands with Miguel.

Glancing at the photos on the mantel again, Miguel shuffled over to reach for one. He handed it to McGee and explained, “This other man in the photo with Maria and I is Romano. Maybe this will help with your investigation if you already have a picture of him to use?”

McGee nodded gratefully and snapped a photo with his cellphone.

Handing the frame back to Miguel, McGee leaned over to examine a different picture frame sitting on the mantel. Four young men in uniform stood close together in a grassy area. They were smiling widely at the camera, arms loosely hung around each other's shoulders. He noticed Miguel on the end, and two unfamiliar men next to him. They both had blonde hair cut to fit regulation, with fair skin and a tall build. The figure on the other end brought McGee up short. He studied the face for a moment, and once realizing who it resembled, he fought the urge to rub his eyes to see if he was hallucinating.

There, looking the epitome of youthful happiness, stood Tony DiNozzo.

Chapter Text

“What?” McGee breathed out. “Is this Tony?”

A brief flash of panic? Uncomfort? Flashed across Miguel’s face before he smoothed his reaction.

“Ah… Yes, that is Tony”, he responded awkwardly.

McGee motioned for Ziva to come look at the photo, and she slinked up alongside him.

After a silent pause, Ziva chuckled loudly. “Certainly this is, what do you call it? A jest? There is no way that Tony could be a SEAL! The man could not be covert if his life depended on it!”

“His Phys Ed degree wouldn’t do him any good, either” Tim added snidely.

Lieutenant Cordova cleared his throat purposefully from the front foyer and interjected, “Tony is very much capable of being in the SEALs, some investigators you must be if you cannot see what is underneath the persona. However, as much as I would like to hear your continued disparaging of Tony, I do have duties to attend to. Please.” He pulled open the front door and gestured for them to exit.

Startled, McGee and Ziva both walked out of the house and down the sidewalk towards their car. Unlocking it, Ziva swung into the driver’s seat and quickly pulled away after Tim had buckled in.

“I am rather miffed at the rude dismissal of Lieutenant Cordova, are you not?” Ziva said to break the contemplative silence in the vehicle.

“I was surprised at his defense of Tony. I mean really, he has no certifications or skills that would even allow him to be in the military, much less the SEALs!”

Ziva hummed in agreement and slammed on the gas as she recklessly swerved around cars on the way back to the Navy Yard.

—

Quietly shuffling from the elevator, they quickly slipped into Abby’s lab to avoid being seen by anyone. The loud music blared from inside the room, and the bass made it feel like the entire lab was shaking.

Walking up to the goth, McGee shouted, “Abby! Can you turn it down?”

She jumped and turned around as Ziva tapped on her shoulder when she made no gesture that she had heard McGee.

“Guys! You scared me!” she pouted playfully.

“Got any more evidence that you need me to run? I've actually got the blade fragment in Major Mass Spec right now to see if there‘s a unique metal composition that can trace to a specific knife brand. I’m just waiting on a beep now.”

“No, Abby, actually, we have a request for you- think you could keep it a secret?”

“Yes yes yes! What do I need to do?”

“We need to get into Tony’s file and see if there’s anything blacked out about the military or maybe the SEALs.”

Abby’s face pulled into one of hesitant confusion. “The military? SEALs? Why would that be in his file?”

Ziva explained, “We saw a picture in Lieutenant Cordova’s house that had his SEAL team in it, and there was a younger Tony in uniform. We just want to check the file to disprove this joke they are trying to pull. Perhaps it will embarrass Tony once he is caught in the lie.”

“I really don’t think Tony would lie about something like that guys, and he would be so upset if he found out about us snooping! It’s not nice.”

“Come on Abby, it’s just a quick little search, there can’t be anything bad! Please?”

She slumped after their cajoling and resignedly agreed to her compliance.

McGee and Abby set up at her screens and made their way to the database with employee information. Typing quickly, they easily bypassed all the security measures preventing others aside from higher ups from entering an individual’s file.

With a few clicks, Tony’s file was displayed on the screen, his jaunty smile absent from the attached picture. Instead of the small blurb of information (created for his cover) regarding his Phys Ed degree and work in the police force that they expected to see, pages upon pages of censored data loaded.

The three looked at the screen with furrowed brows. The confusion was palpable in the room- what was all of this? How could Tony of all people be involved in things that needed to be restricted?

“Abby, can you get these black marks to be removed from the words?”, Ziva hesitantly inquired.

She frowned and hesitantly responded, “No… I’d need at least the Sec Nav’s level of password to decrypt, but even I’m not that good to avoid detection with the crazy level of security wrapped up in these files.”

So entwined in their mutual frustration, they didn’t sense the presence of Tony entering the lab until he coldly asked, “What is this?”

Tim deftly clicked a button, clearing the screen of Tony‘s picture, and spun around to face the man whose face steadily became more cinched as the silence drew out.

“O-oh, hey Tony! We were just-”

“Looking through my personnel files for reasons unrelated to the case that you all should be focusing on?”

Tim shared a nervous look with Abby as Ziva confidently interjected, “We are simply looking into a childish prank that you and Lieutenant Cordova seem to be playing on us.”

Tony’s face twisted into one of bewilderment. “What prank?”

“The photo of you in military uniform! On his mantel! There is no likely chance that you could be involved in something so highly regarded and covert like the SEALs! It is laughable to even imagine this!”

Understanding shone in Tony’s eyes before he glared at the other three standing in the lab. He took a deep breath to steady himself before haltingly replying, “What may or may not be a prank is not something relevant to finding the murderer that took the life of Maria Cordova. I suggest you get back to your respective tasks before a complaint happens to be filed due to the attempts to decipher confidential information on a fellow agent’s private records. Tim, Ziva, back upstairs.”

The resounding protests became lost in the air as the glare from Tony deepened to one resembling Gibbs’. They petulantly trudged past Tony to return back to the bullpen. Following the ding of the elevator, Tony’s glance cut over to Abby, where she stood contritely.

“I’m sorry, Tony, I didn’t think it would harm anything to humor their request- I didn’t know there would be all of the censored information on your file.”

He felt the majority of his anger leave his body at her admission. Logically, he knew that Abby was not one to blame, even if she did participate. It did somewhat sting that she went along with McGee and Ziva, but Abby was like a sister to him and he knew that she had no malicious intent in her search.

He sighed heavily and enveloped her in a hug. “It’s alright, Abbs. Just don’t keep prying, please.”

She quickly agreed to her assent, crossing her heart seriously.

He chuckled at her antics before questioning, “Do you have any results yet on the blade fragment?”

She shook her head, frustrated, and was about to respond before she was interrupted by the beeping of Major Mass Spec.

“Oh! Perfect timing! We’ve got a match!”, she exclaimed.

She turned back to her station and typed quickly, pulling up the results on the screen. The flashing graphics on the screen noted a 100% metal composition match to another specific brand in their databases. Squinting, Tony was able to read the name of the origin.

“Mangiano? That’s where Bianchi was born.”

Abby smiled brightly, and clapped her hands. “Major Mass Spec has come to the rescue again!”

Tony smiled fondly at her and placed a kiss on her forehead before he strode back upstairs to update Gibbs on the discovery.

—

“Campfire time, people!”

Tony’s jubilant exclamation was met with a blank stare from Gibbs and hostile ones from McGee and Ziva.

“Come on, McSnoop and Ziva, let's go! Chop Chop!”

They groaned and slowly wheeled their chairs to the middle where Gibbs had already located to.
A picture on the big screen showed pictures of Bianchi and his known associates, as well as the blade results sent up from Abby.

“Alright, so the blade fragment is from a blade made in Bianchi’s birth town. He is also the one who wired Maria the money, is a known Mafia member, and lived within a short distance of Maria’s old house.”

“Where did you get this information, Tony? Get someone to do the hard work for you while you flirt with women on the other teams?”

Ziva’s provocation did not elicit the offended response she hoped for, as Tony simply scoffed and responded, “No, Agent David, while you and McNosy were having your little side investigation down in Abby’s lab, I was actually compiling information from research I did.”

She colored slightly and huffed, looking away. Gibbs grabbed his go bag, and announced as he strode towards the elevator, “Gear up, we’ve got someone to bring in for interrogation.”

Chapter Text

Tony knocked on the door of Bianchi’s house. When no answer came, he glanced over to Gibbs for approval and following his assent, he kicked the door open with ease. Busting in with his gun raised, he stealthily checked the corner and entered into the nearest room to the left. Ziva, Gibbs, and McGee followed behind and dispersed within the rest of the residence.
Faint shouts of, “Clear!” rang throughout the house until the team had regrouped together, with no Bianchi in sight.

“Think he’s hiding somewhere?” McGee questioned.

A muffled rustle drew the eyes of the agents towards the sliding glass back door. There, attempting to silently jump the fence, crouched the very man they were chasing. Tony immediately spurred to action, tucking his gun away and sprinting out the house towards Bianchi. An expression of panic crossed across the suspect’s face before he scrambled over the rest of the fence. Dropping down, he furiously sprinted down the streets and towards the woods backed to his street.

Tony ran and gracefully climbed up and over the fence. With an agility that belied his physical appearance, the agent quickly picked up speed against Bianchi. Tony cursed as he lost sight of Bianchi, the man’s neutral clothing blending easily into the foliage. Widening his stride, Tony sprinted faster than he would normally want his team to witness. He couldn't let his baby sister’s killer get away just because he wanted to keep his secrets to his chest. He could deal with any stray lines of questioning later.

He jutted around another tree, and paused, breathing heavily with his palm digging into the bark.

“Damn it DiNozzo, you can’t lose him!” he furiously whispered to himself.

A brief flash of movement caught Tony’s trained eye and again, he was off. Weaving between trees and over roots raising up from the ground, he nimbly maneuvered around obstacles and gained on a now visible figure of Bianchi. Shouting after him, Tony pumped his legs with all his might until slowly but surely, he became an arm’s length from the man. He reached out until his outstretched fingers met the fabric of his jacket and with a final pull and cry, he leaped towards Bianchi and toppled upon the man. Pressing his cheek into the rocky ground, Tony held the man down and raised up off of his prone form. Panting harshly, Tony fumbled with his handcuffs until he had them securely locked behind his back. He recited the Miranda rights breathlessly as he fought against his heart racing with adrenaline.

What once started as fierce protests, Bianchi slowed his jerking until he laid still. The harsh yells from the rest of the MCRT echoed amongst the trees, and Tony raised his head to call out an affirmation of success. The crunching of leaves indicated the team’s rapid approach and he hauled Bianchi up carelessly. Gibbs clapped him on the back and gruffly stated, “Nice one, Tones. Hell of a sprint.”

A fond warmth swirled within Tony’s chest at the compliment and flashed the man with a small, genuine smile unlike his usual salacious grins given to maintain the playboy persona. He winced a little at his display of above-average athletic abilities but when he looked over to the handcuffed Bianchi, he didn’t mind all that much if it meant Maria got justice.

“Yes, Tony, a good sprint. I do wonder how it is that you could catch him that fast? Bianchi must have been injured and slowed down his speed, thus making it look like you went incredibly fast. I mean no offense but it is inconceivable that you could be faster than I.”

Tony clenched his jaw as he stared at Ziva, disbelief coursing through him. Was she serious?

Gibbs sharply cut in, “David. Out of line. Go ahead and start sweeping for anything he dropped and make your way back to the van. McGee, with her.”

Incredulity made itself aware on all the agents' faces, surprised that Gibbs for once spoke up in defense of Tony. She huffed and pulled Tim along, searching for anything on top of the leaves as they departed.

Tony swiveled his head towards Gibbs’ and murmured, “You didn't have to stick up for me, Boss.”

“No, I didn’t. But I wanted to. She shouldn’t be speaking to you like that. It’s been going on far too long while I sat back and didn't interfere. I’m sorry nothing has been done to stop her beforehand.”

“Thank you, Boss. Think I could file a harassment complaint with Delores for all the shit she’s said and done?”

Gibbs quirked his lips. “Delores likes you. She’d probably figure a way to send her back to Mossad with her father.”

Tony groaned, and replied, “Don’t tempt me, Gibbs. Almost too promising of an outlook.”

“This is sweet, really. Very heartwarming, I’m sure. But can we get this over with so I can be released?”

Tony and Gibbs glared at Bianchi after he spoke up.

“Oh, fuck off, Bianchi. Let’s go.”

Tony harshly pulled him along, trudging back to the van where Ziva and McGee already sat, waiting to depart. After they securely placed Bianchi in the back, they started the van and drove back to the Navy Yard.

—

Tony stood rigidly in the observation room, staring impassively at Bianchi as the man sat alone in the interrogation room. He remained calm, appearing almost bored as he tapped his fingers on the table, chin in palm. Tony ground his teeth at his nonchalant act.

The door banged open as Gibbs entered, expression terse and body language imposing. He took a seat opposite Bianchi, setting down the file folders on the table and lacing his fingers together. Minutes went by in tense silence as he waited the suspect out.

Tony watched avidly as the agitation built on Bianchi’s features until he finally exploded, “Are you gonna talk to me, or what? Cut the stupid shit out and let me go if you aren’t gonna say anything!”

Gibbs cocked his head to the side, before reaching to open one of the files and splaying out the papers onto the metal table in front of Bianchi. Bloody pictures of Maria, the knife match report, financial records, and a map of the old neighborhood all stared up at Bianchi. He kept up a blasé façade, but the drop of sweat that rolled down from his temple belied his nerves upon seeing all the evidence pitted against him.

Tony’s concentration was broken when the shrill ringing of his phone interrupted the silence in the observation room. Flipping open the screen, he paled once he saw one of his higherups was contacting him. He swiftly stepped out into the hallway and pressed answer.

“DiNozzo reporting, sir.”

“Hello, Commander. We picked up movement in radio chatter about the cell we’ve been tracking and we now have coordinates. Your team has already been notified and should be arriving momentarily to the Navy Yard. Proceed to the carrier ASAP and move out for elimination of targets.”

Tony unconsciously straightened into a perfect stance as the orders washed over him.

“Affirmative, sir. I will need to inform Director Vance about my situation before leaving.” His shoulders slumped as he realized all his trouble to preserve his cover was about to be wasted.

“Proceed, Commander.” His voice became more amicable as he continued, “Good luck out there, kid.”

Tony playfully teased, “You hurt me so, Steve. You know I’m leading the best SEAL team for a reason, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know the Brass loves you and whatnot, Wonder Boy.”

Tony chuckled before dismissing himself, “I’ll report after deployment and arriving at the coordinates. DiNozzo out.”

He clicked his phone shut and strode briskly back to the bullpen. Mind racing, he mentally prepared himself for the confrontation that was sure to ensue between his SEALs and the rest of the MCRT team once they arrived. Turning the corner, he sighed tiredly as he took in the scene before him.

Ziva stood menacingly in front of his SEAL team, her questioning of them loud enough to be heard across the large room as they stayed resolutely silent. Tony swiftly moved to intervene and stood in front of his men. Upon seeing their commander, they all straightened to attention and she scoffed.

“Why are you interrupting, Tony? I can handle them myself just fine.”

“There is no reason to “handle” them, Ziva. They’re here for me.”

Ziva’s eyebrow rose in interest. “So, you’ve managed to get arrested again? What did you do this time to catch the interest of the SEALs, much less the team with Maria Cordova’s brother? Hmm, I wonder if maybe you really did have something to do with her death and that’s why they’re here? A jealous act of passion? Found out she had another boyfriend, perhaps?” (AN: shoutout to GuestM for providing some inspo for this line in their comment haha :p)

The faces of the men gathered all twisted simultaneously into one of intense disgust. They knew Tony better than anyone else and were aware of the brotherly affection he had held for Maria. The fact that Ziva could even insinuate something like this was preposterous, and quite insulting, really.

One of the SEALs spoke up icily, “I would refrain from further speaking negatively of Tony while we are here to witness it.”

Haughtily, Ziva retorted, “And who are you to boss me around, hmm? Surely you notice where you are standing? My domain, not yours. I believe America has the idea of free speech, no?”

“Indeed we do, Agent David. However, I think it would be wise to refrain from antagonizing our uniformed visitors any further.”

Director Vance appeared, leaning over the mezzanine as he analyzed the situation unfolding, straight-faced.

“Director! Perfect timing! I’d like to speak with you in your office”, his eyes cut over to Gibbs who had silently arrived from interrogation sometime during the exchange, “alone, please.”

Vance fiddled with the toothpick in his mouth, assessing DiNozzo for a moment.

“Very well, DiNozzo.” He turned from the mezzanine and walked back towards his office.

Tony turned away from the team, and dug around in his backpack until he pulled out a thick, unmarked file. Sharing a look with Miguel and the other men, he passed by the group of SEALs as he moved to climb the stairs.

Once upstairs, he passed by Cynthia and greeted her politely before sounding a quick knock and heading into the Director’s office. He locked the door behind him, shooting Vance a sharp smile at the raised eyebrow he received for his action.

“So, DiNozzo, what did you need to talk about?”

Tony lightly tossed the file onto Vance‘s desk and gestured for him to read.

Vance opened the packed manilla folder, and upon glancing at what was actually the first page of Tony’s uncensored file, his head whipped up. “This better not be one of your pranks, DiNozzo.”

Tony allowed the slight hurt to show in his eyes, something he normally hid- but figured that if Vance would get to know the real him on file, he should know the real him in life as well. Straightening, he replied, “No, Director. I assure you that all the information you read in the file is true. If you still don’t believe me, feel free to put SecNav on the line.”

Vance nodded, noting Tony’s genuine body language and sighed deeply.

“Well, I believe you. But, if this file has all the information I think it will, I think I’d still like to have Jarvis on the line- if that’s okay with you.”

Tony nodded his assent, and swiveled to face the big screen. After pushing some buttons, the face of Secretary Jarvis popped up.

“Hello, Director Vance, what can I do for you?”

SecNav’s eyes caught sight of Tony in the frame, and nodded in understanding.

“I see… I guess the day has finally come, hasn't it, Tony?”

“Yes, sir. Director Vance wanted you on the line for when he read all of my file, sir.”

Vance sat there, mystified. Tony had transformed into a different man right in front of his eyes. Just from body language and tone, he became the perfect example of a military man. No traces of his playboy persona remained, and Vance was taken aback at the quick 360. Upon seeing his befuddled expression, Jarvis chucked at the man.

“Not quite what you expected when you woke up this morning, was it, Leon?”

“No, Jarvis, I can’t say that it is.”

“Well, let’s make some introductions. Leon, I trust you will read this file carefully after this impromptu meeting is over, and do not let any preconceived notions cloud your idea of what's true or not. I personally know everything in that file, front and back, and I can promise you it is all correct. Upon receiving a serious nod from the NCIS Director, Jarvis continued, “Standing before you is SEAL Commander Anthony DiNozzo, leader of SEAL Team 6.”

Vance’s eyes blew wide at the information, and he gazed incredulously at Tony. Said man was smiling mirthfully at Vance as he processed.

“Well, DiNozzo, you certainly had me fooled. I do believe I owe you a huge apology for all I’ve said and done over the years. Clearly you have been more than capable this whole time. Might I inquire what exactly led you to create this cover and persona?”

“No one but the Brass higher ups and the SEAL teams actually know I’m leader of Team 6. Others in the military just know me as a Commander and even then, I don’t talk around much, so they don’t have much information on me. We’ve been ordered to keep our membership in the SEALs under wraps, and I prefer a life of anonymity anyways, especially with my line of work. When I came to NCIS, I didn’t want to be judged based on a military label, so I crafted this mask in order to fit the role expected of someone who looks like me. A couple words here, a salacious wink over there, and pretty soon nobody questioned that I was anything but the tool I presented myself to be.”

“DiNozzo… this is incredible that you’ve managed to accomplish all this while being surrounded by trained investigators daily.”

“Thank you, Director. Things have been maintained well until recently- long weekend missions back to back have started to affect my sleep schedule, and Gibbs has started to sniff out that something is happening that he doesn’t know about. That actually brings us to the crux of this meeting: I need to leave following the conclusion of this meeting. I’ve received word from my higher ups that intel has been gathered about a recent mission we have been working on, and I’ve been ordered to deploy ASAP.”

“I assume those boys are yours downstairs, then?”

“Yes, sir. Lieutenants Miguel Cordova, Matt Wasser, and Logan Suther.”

“Alright. You be safe out there DiNozzo- I’ll see you when you get back. Keep me posted if you can. I’ll tame the beast downstairs after you depart.”

“Thank you sir, I appreciate it. You can call me Tony, if you’d like.”

“Leon, then.”

Tony saluted to SecNav, and with a sharp turn, he nodded to Vance and strode out the door, movements controlled and precise.

“Hell, Jarvis. This is crazy.”

“You haven’t even seen the tip of the iceberg yet, Leon. In that file contains all his mission reports, degrees- yes, there are multiple- and all his awards. Kid’s a complete genius with a bleeding heart and he walks around making himself look like a moron.”

“I think I’ll have to call Jackie and tell her I’ll be coming home late tonight.” Vance studied the file before him momentarily before nodding decisively and standing up. “Mr. Secretary, thank you for your time. I appreciate your input today.”

“Anytime Leon. Tony’s one of the best SEALs I’ve seen and I’d move a lot of mountains for him. You make sure he gets treated well around there. And be careful with that file- you’re in possession of the only uncensored copy in existence, besides the one sitting in my safe right now. All the censored electronic ones don’t actually have the real information encrypted, since he's a big player and we don’t want his cover leaking to lots of people who could be potential enemies. SecNav out.”

Now alone in the silence of his office, Leon Vance exhaled harshly. Scrubbing his face with the palms of his hands, he then righted his suit before exiting his office. Nodding to Cynthia cordially, he descended the stairs and entered into the bullpen.

Tony grabbed his go bag before fishing out another bag from the locked drawer of his desk, swinging them both over his shoulder.

“Alright guys, let’s head out.”

“Tony? Where are you going?”

He replied evasively, “Somewhere, McQuestion.”

The rest of the SEAL team fell into tandem behind Tony as he led them to the elevator before he could be asked any other questions. As the doors began to slide shut, he waved goodbye to Vance with a smirk on his lips.

Ziva and McGee exploded in anger, while Gibbs looked over to Leon in contemplation. He knew something was up. But Tony had promised he’d fill him in when he was allowed to and Gibbs could respect that.

“How could Tony just leave us in the middle of an investigation? With no notice either? What lies did he feed to you, Director, so that he could leave without consequence?”

“Well, Agent McGee, he didn’t feed me any lies. Some things are just not knowledge privy to lower level personnel.” He looked pointedly at Ziva and McGee before continuing, “I am the director. Don’t you think I have a little ability in discerning whether or not someone is lying to me?”

McGee stammered as he blushed profusely, “Director I didn’t mean it like that, I-”

“That’s alright, I’ll cut you off right there. Might I suggest that the rest of this team gets back to work? Good day, Jethro.”

With a last purposeful sweep of his gaze over the team, Vance rounded the corner and ascended back up the stairs before disappearing back into his office.

“Come on! There’s plenty of work to do on this investigation, unless you’d rather be stuck on cold cases?”

Both Ziva and McGee furiously shook their heads in dissent before taking their seats at their desks and working on their separate tasks. Gibbs sighed as he watched them for a moment, discontent without his second hand there. Pushing his chair back and grabbing his coffee cup, he exited the bullpen with a passing comment of, “Down with Bianchi in Interrogation.”

Chapter Text

The silence stretched on between the two men, broken only by the muted hum of the lights in the interrogation room. Gibbs sat, face blank, as he waited for Bianchi to break. The man was fiddling with his hands, crossing and recrossing his ankles as he gradually became more impatient and agitated.

“Fine, old man! I’ll bite! What the hell do you want from me now?”

Gibbs’ lips quirked into a half smirk as he languidly leaned back in his seat.

“Accomplice. You gonna give me a name?”

Bianchi scoffed and replied, “Tch. As if. Would there be anything in it for me? A deal, maybe?”

“I can see what I can do”, Gibbs allowed.

Bianchi rolled his head to the side, body language cocky, a slightly smug look on his face. Just as the silence dragged on and Gibbs feared he’d hit another roadblock with the man, he scowled and began to speak.

“I’ll only tell you because the stupid bastard is the reason I’m in this mess in the first place, and he caused me to lose a good amount of money too.”

Gibbs spun his finger, indicating for Bianchi to go on.

“His name’s Stefano. That’s all you’ll get from me.”

Gibbs nodded in acquiesce, and pushed from the table to stand back up, gathering his files into his arms.

“Will look into that deal”, Gibbs stated as he pulled the door closed on Bianchi.

His steps thundered as he made his way back to the bullpen. “McGee, David, start looking through Maria and Bianchi’s records to find anyone with the name Stefan. Socials, contacts, coworkers, anything. I want no rocks left unturned.”

McGee and Ziva shared a speculative glance before darting back to Gibbs.

McGee ventured nervously, “Well, Boss, we might be able to help speed the search up.”

The older man raised a brow, “And? Spit it out, then!”

McGee fumbled with his words, looking over to Ziva beseechingly. She huffed, rolling her eyes, before replying, “Lieutenant Cordova told us while we were at his home that Maria had an on and off partner by the name Stefan Romano. Maybe it is one and the same, yes?”

“Could be. Why wasn’t this reported in your report? Matter of fact, where are your reports, anyways?”

The duo paled slightly. “We, ah, haven’t done it yet”, McGee stuttered out.

Gibbs’ eye twitched. “And why the hell not?”

“Well,” McGee seemed to gain more confidence as he spoke, “usually it’s not our responsibility! Tony does it, he’s the SFA!”

Ziva nodded her head vigorously in agreement with his claim.

Gibbs glared at the two agents in disbelief. “He is your SFA, yes, but he already has multiple reports and other forms to submit for cases. He shouldn’t be doing your- incredibly easy, might I add- field reports because you both cannot get them in on time.”

They flushed in embarrassment for being called out, before that embarrassment shifted to anger. To them, this was yet another thing Tony messed up and put onto them to make them look like poor agents. The two poured into their searches to find records of Romano anywhere in Maria’s social media and contacts, with hopes of making the still absent Tony look incompetent- they’d solve this case without the worthless playboy.

Minutes passed, the only sounds remaining were the frantic typing of keyboards and clicking of mouses.

McGee broke the silence, exclaiming, “Boss, I think I got him!”
He hit a few more keys and then spun in his chair as his computer became mirrored onto the big screen.

A picture of a man posing with Maria at a restaurant was up on the screen, found on one of her social media accounts. The caption read, ‘Me and mine at dinner tonight :)’.

“This man matches the picture that Lieutenant Cordova showed us of Romano.” McGee clicked on a button of the remote and the image taken on his phone was pasted beside the social media post picture of Romano. The resemblance was undeniable- this was their man.

“Not bad, McGee. Ziva, you find anything else?”

“I might have found some possible means for her murder. Based on security cam footage and other records, a man fitting his description has been tied in mafia business in the area. I would bet he has connections with Bianchi through this, but I’m not sure how he would’ve met Maria- oh. This is a surprise. Stefan Romano is enlisted as a seaman?”

“What?”, Gibbs questioned.

“I am only telling you what I see, Gibbs”, Ziva replied tetchily. She then motioned for McGee to hit the remote again, and both the clip from the security footage obtained and the military picture became visible along the other photos gathered on the screen.

“Where does he live?”

“Uhhh, records have the same address as Bianchi listed, Boss.”

“Alright. Gather any evidence you can about why Maria was killed. Confer with Abby if you need, revisit the crime scene. McGee- check the local PD records if needed. We’re gonna get this bastard for good.”

—

It was the evening of the second day since Tony had disappeared without a second glance back, and the rest of the team was busy working on closing in on Romano to arrest him the following day, when they would be receiving the warrant. It spoke volumes to Gibbs’ respect for Tony- where the older man would normally go in guns blazing with no regards to procedure or patience, he resisted in order to do everything by the book in order to not jeopardize important closure for Tony.

The team turned away from where they were gathered in front of the big screen to stare at Tony as he dropped his go bag onto his desk with a resounding clunk. He looked ragged, dressed sloppily in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. His left arm was held in an awkward manner, his face weary and the line to his shoulders incredibly taut.

“Back already, Tony? Rough time with your one night stand or something?”

“Where were you, and how’d you convince Vance to let you go?”

The voices of Ziva and McGee overlapped as they shot questions to the tired man. Gibbs stood by his desk, eyes inquisitive and assessing as he gazed upon the frame of Tony.

Tony brushed back past them, ignoring their questions and avoiding their prying gazes. He stepped back into the elevator and pressed the button to go to the basement. After a moment, he exited the elevator, walking through the hallway and entering the autopsy room. The doors whooshed shut behind him, announcing his presence.

“Hey, Autopsy Gremlin. Long time no see.”

“Tony! Welcome back!” Jimmy ripped off the medical gloves he had on and grinned at the agent as he sat up onto one of the autopsy tables.

Tony gave the man a rare true smile, happy to see the one he considered a close friend at the agency.

“I’ve got a bit of a problem, Jimmy. Think you could play doctor for a sec?”

He pulled the hoodie over his head, revealing the thick gauze wrapped around his bicep. The minor widening of his eyes and slight furrow to his eyebrows were the only indications of surprise on the doctor’s face as he examined the wound on Tony’s arm.

“How’d this happen? I thought you were gone and not working the case the past few days?”

Tony winced guiltily. He had forgotten that Jimmy had not been present when he made his exit.

“Sorry for not telling you, Jimmy- it was a bit of a no warning situation.”

“No, no, it's okay! I understand, I just meant that I thought you wouldn't be hurt since you weren’t out on the field- although, now I see I stand corrected.”

Tony chuckled, and replied, “Well, I was out in the field, more or less, you could say.”

Jimmy peered through his glasses at his friend, concern and curiosity shining in his eyes. Tony, seeing this, sighed fondly.

“I’ll tell you when I can, Palmer. I trust you. Just can’t spill the beans yet.”

The man nodded sheepishly, and returned to his work of gently removing the bullet from his arm wound. Once he was triumphant in removing it, he placed it with a clink into a nearby tray.

“How is life with the lovely Breena going?”

Palmer lit up at the mention of his wife, gushing, “Oh it’s great! She’s the best! Her job is going well right now too, and we have been planning on going on a little trip soon!”

Tony grinned at Palmer, amused by the vigor of his friend and the lovestruck face he was wearing.

“What about you, Tony, anyone waiting for you back at your place?”

He looked up again from where he was cleaning and rebandaging the now bullet-free wound to glance at the agent’s face as he received no answer. The man seemed to be weighing something on his mind, searching Jimmy’s face for whatever answer he sought. Eventually, the contemplative expression melted from his face as he opened his mouth to reply.

“There won’t ever be anyone like that, Palmer. That just isn’t my kind of thing. I know everyone in the agency makes me out to be some sleaze with dozens of hookups, but it’s actually about farthest from the truth.” He paused, clearing his throat, before adding lightly, “Tried it a couple times with a few different genders over the years, but the whole thing was unsettling for me. Didn’t feel anything like they say you should in the media, so I just decided it wasn’t something I was interested in trying anymore- no use in forcing my body to comply with something it doesn’t feel nor have a want for.”

“I understand that, Tony. Your feelings are so valid. Thank you for trusting me enough to share this with me.”

“You’re practically my only friend, Jimmy. I… appreciate you more than you know. Thank you.”

Palmer smiled slightly, eyes crinkled in his joy. “I appreciate you too, Tony. Though, I would appreciate you more if you stayed out of danger like this.” He mock glared at his friend, before breaking his stoic mask and smiling goofily.

The medical assistant picked up his discarded materials on the autopsy table, turning to dispose of them before ripping off his gloves again and washing his hands.

“Thanks for patching me up, Jimmy.”

“Of course. Good luck upstairs.”

Tony laughed ruefully, dreading his reappearance with his “team”. With a final wave to his friend, he departed back through the doors and towards the elevator.

Chapter Text

Sighing in defeat, Tony finally accepted he could no longer delay the inevitable. Hiding in Gibbs’ “office” only worked for so long, and he didn’t want to raise any complaints for hogging the elevator. Hitting the button to turn the elevator back on, the lights illuminated the metal space and the doors slid open. He wearily exited and made his way over to his desk. The heads of Ziva and McGee snapped up following his approach, and they eyed him curiously.

“Take a picture, McStare, it’ll last longer.”

McGee flushed at being called out, and turned back to his computer screen.

Tony eased slowly into his seat, with only a modicum of discomfort showing on his face. “So”, he asked, “where are we on the case?”

McGee replied snidely, “Bianchi’s still in custody. We’ve got the name of an accomplice, no thanks to you. Seaman Stefan Romano. Planning on getting him tomorrow after the warrant we requested goes through tonight.”

Tony ignored the slight jab towards his absence and hummed absentmindedly at the mention of the name, recognizing the sometimes boyfriend of Maria. He hadn’t known much about him, but now he realized he probably should’ve done a background check or two, despite her previous annoyance at that idea. A melancholic expression overtook the normally upbeat features of the man, putting the rest of the team on edge.

Tony lamented in his mind, ‘Maybe she’d still be here if I had tried harder to know about him. I could’ve protected her.’

With a deep sigh, he turned to his stack of paperwork and began to fill out reports, banishing the spiraling thoughts from his mind. It would do him no good to be stuck in his head while he could be putting that energy towards getting justice for Maria and her brother.

Gibbs added, “Contacted Miguel for you. Told him about Bianchi and the possible accomplice. He’s torn at the idea that he knew the possible perp. Might wanna talk with him tomorrow after everything’s done with.

The brunette nodded grimly, mind already thinking of measures to take and words to say. “Yeah, I’ll be there for him.”

Silence overcame the bullpen for a while, and for once McGee and Ziva actually appeared to be on task, DiNozzo thought to himself half-amusedly. ‘Wonder what Gibbs said to them?’

“Tony”, Gibbs began. “Steaks at mine at 7?”

The man raised his head to look at Gibbs, a small grin overtaking his features. “Yeah, Boss, that’d be great. I’ll bring some beer.”

The silver-haired man nodded his acquiesce, before packing up his work. “Done for tonight. Go home. Meet here at 0700 tomorrow so we can head to Norfolk for Romano.”

Surprise overcame the faces of the two junior agents, not used to getting out at 1700. They quickly shut down their computers and cleared their papers from the desk. Gathering their bags, they quickly left for the elevator.

Gibbs turned his gaze from the elevator towards his Senior Agent, a rueful look in his eyes. Tony snorted, “Yeah boss. I know they’re a handful. Really should do something about them.”

The older man grunted in agreement as they made their way to the elevator as well.

Later that night, Tony arrived at Gibbs’ house and parked his car on the street. A nervous feeling settled in his stomach as he realized what was about to go down. After locking the doors, he ambled up the sidewalk and made his way inside, smirking in amusement at the always unlocked front door. The smell of cooking cowboy steaks filled the air, and his eyes cut over to the figure tending to them at the fireplace.

“Hey, Boss. I’ve got the beer.”

Gibbs acknowledged the raised six pack with a nod and pushed himself from a kneel, taking the pack and ambling over to the fridge to chill them while they waited for the steaks.

A comfortable silence rested between the two momentarily, before Tony broke it with a statement.

“I called for permission to read you in on my situation on the way here.”

The only sign of shock on the older man’s face was the slight raise of his eyebrows. Motioning to the couch, the two of them sat, arranging themselves comfortably.

“Not that they would decline, but since I’ve got myself so under the radar, especially with me also doing undercover work for NCIS, they prefer to know in advance and do background checks on who I want to have that information about me.”

Pushing down the anxiety that threatened to spill out, Tony began his explanation.

“Well, Senior was never a good parent, as much as it seems like. When my mom was still alive, it was easier to avoid. But he became meaner after she died, and I was the only one there to bear that wrath. I’d be completely ignored, holed off in my room while he had guests or forgotten on “business” trips. The only time he saw me was if he was angry, and he made sure I…felt it. He got tired of having to deal with me, I guess, and sent me off to multiple boarding schools, where I eventually landed at Remington Military Academy.”

Tony leaned back and observed his Boss, before continuing.

“I loved the structure there. And I loved that Senior had no influence over me. I flourished, Boss. Top grades and performance, the whole shebang. The instructors were great, if harsh, but I learned an awful lot. Didn’t really make any friends because they were all a bunch of assholes, but it didn’t bother me much. Come graduation, one of my instructors met with me and suggested I enlist. After mulling it over, I decided to do it. Completed my BUD/S, survived Hell Week, and got all the other necessary shit done to get that trident pin. Got placed on a team, started going on ops, and was having a hell of a time.”

During his story, Gibbs got up from the couch and pulled the steaks from the flame. Plating them, he jutted his head over to the table, where Tony followed him towards after grabbing two beers from the fridge.

“Continue on, Tones.”

Washing down the bite of steak he took with a swig of beer, he resumed.

“I was liked by the top dogs for my skill, and so I began climbing ranks. Rankled the guys for a bit that a newbie like me was getting so much recognition but they eventually got over it. Following team and overall personnel changes, I was promoted to leader of SEAL Team 6 and had the opportunity to pick my men. Went through some of the toughest situations in my life with these men, and we became as close as could be. Seen a lot of things on these ops, Boss. Gruesome scenes in my memory that I wish I could scrub from my brain. Maybe we’ll talk about it one day. But these men, they’re like brothers to me, on duty or not.”

“We can talk about it when you’re ready”, he replied, somewhat soothingly. Tony thought the man understood far more than most people would. “What about Ohio State? And your basketball injury?”

“Ah, that. I took some online classes while not actively on ops, worked hard like hell and ended up getting a Doctorate in Criminology. Also a few other certificates and such, which is where the Phys Ed degree cover came from. Still working on a Masters right now for Psychology and by extension profiling. And while I was on the basketball team, I never really got to play many games- they just always had me listed on medical leave when ops ran through games or practices. The injury with Dr. Pitt was real, just not as severe as was said. I was getting more and more ops, and I needed an easy way out without raising questions as to why I’d left so suddenly. Being in the position I am, I’ve made it a habit to become invisible- for safety and just for my own preference.”

Finishing their dinner, Tony made sure to compliment the meal as he finished off his drink. “Hell of a steak, Boss. You do know how to cook a mean one.”

The other man smirked at him, amused at his antics. “Welcome anytime, Tony, you know that. Guest room is yours permanently at this point.”

Tony tried to hide the soft glee he felt at that statement of belonging like a real father and son, but he must’ve failed as he saw the somewhat fond look Gibbs sent his way.

Gibbs cleared his throat and questioned, “So what’s been happening on this recent mission of yours? Is that gunshot wound okay?”

Tony blinked at Gibbs’ apparent knowledge of his injury, surprised, before snorting. Trust the man to know about it anyways.

“I’m alright, got Jimmy to patch me up. We’ve been tracking down multiple related terrorist cells in the Middle East that have been trying to access encrypted US Gov intel after attacking one of our bases located in Kabul. Weapon schematics, battle plans, personnel files, etc. Basically everything we can’t let them get their hands on. They disappeared from the scene for months until we caught some radio chatter. Caught a stray bullet when we clashed with the most recent group. These short missions have been why I’m gone all weekend, coming back on Monday like a zombie.”

“Glad you’re okay.“ He hesitated, before continuing, “Proud of you. You’re doing great.”

(AN: ooc gibbs and tony relationship moment in this chap but idc it's a comfort fr)

Tony smiled brightly at the words, resolutely ignoring the stinging in his eyes.

“Thank you. I’m glad I can finally share this part of me with you.”

Cleaning their dishes in the sink and recycling the bottles, the two men made their way back to the couch.

“Up for a movie, Boss? I know I’ve kept an old western or two stashed here!”

Gibbs smirked indulgently, then nodded his agreement. Watching as Tony popped the film in, he sat back on the couch, pulling a blanket over to the side for Tony to use. The younger man quickly returned to his cushion, wrapping the blanket over him as the movie began.

A couple hours (and a dozen movie references made by Tony) later, Gibbs switched off the TV and led the drowsy man to his room, pausing to say goodnight before shuffling to his own to retire for the night.

The next morning found the two agents in the kitchen bright and early, comfortably making toast and eggs for breakfast together. As Gibbs chugged his black coffee, he looked suspiciously at Tony’s cup, which contained a ton of sweet hazelnut creamer added in.

“Hey! I know what you’re thinking, Boss, and I don’t wanna hear it! My delicious hazelnut coffee is wonderful, thank you very much”, Tony declared.

After breakfast and coffee, they quickly got ready and drove to the Yard, where they’d rendezvous with Ziva and McGee at the van.

—
(AN: i have no reason for this random building being in norfolk other than its convenience to the plot lol so ik it's not super accurate as to specificity of why there would be a bunch of seals and other military people hanging out there but pls work w me lmfao)

The four agents filed into the building at Norfolk after their drive and were met with the sight of a security checkpoint. Two guards stood at the station, straight-backed and serious.

“Any bags and objects, place them in the bin.”

Ziva scoffed haughtily, and after removing her gun, badge, and a singular knife, sauntered through the metal scanner. As soon as she stepped into the sensor, it began blaring loudly. She frowned minutely, frustration evident on her face.

“What is the issue?”

“Do you have any other metal on you? Or any other weapons?”

“I am not sure why it is your business. I am a federal agent, no? Just let me through.”

The face of the nearest security guard became stonier, if possible. “Ma’am, please just remove any other items on your person so we can get the rest of you through. It’s protocol for everyone, even federal officers. This is a secure building, you see.”
Ziva opened her mouth to argue, but was halted by Gibbs clearing his throat purposefully. With a huff, she pulled out multiple knives hidden on her person and tossed them into the bin.

Once she was finished, the rest of the team passed through smoothly, and the group of agents strode through the adjacent hallway with grim purpose, the anticipation of the upcoming arrest creating a buzz in the air around them.

As they passed by various personnel, the team noticed the slight nods of respect that were inclined towards their direction. Curious about this reaction, as their agency was not always known to people they encountered, they followed the gazes of the next couple officers that acknowledged their presence. Their eyes led to Tony, oddly enough.

Ziva thought to herself, ‘It must be they have been warned about him and his antics? Certainly they cannot know him nor think he is the leader of us. Perhaps they are signaling to him not to mess around and ruin something.’ Mind made up with her conclusion, she nodded to herself and shrugged away the questioning glance that McGee sent her way.

Gibbs merely smirked to himself, knowing the true reason for the attention.

Unconsciously, Tony strode forward confidently, knowing the direction to the training room by heart, even though he was to appear he had no idea.

“Are you trying to get us lost, Tony? I don’t think you can get us to the right place without having foreknowledge of the building’s layout”, McGee complained.

His remark was spoken loud enough that a SEAL who had been passing by with a teammate overheard. Frowning, as he knew Tony (they were informed by him just the night before of his visit and to not act overly familiar) he shared a glance with his team member and pulled out his phone, sending off a text to Team 6’s members.

Back with the team, Tony frowned minutely, before he turned to glance at McGee.

“McDoubt, I think I can find my way. Certainly the trail of personnel coming the opposite way all sweaty is enough of a lead to finding the training room.”

McGee’s cheeks reddened as he cleared his throat and averted his eyes, properly chastised.

Taking a few more turns, the MCRT finally found themselves at the doors of the training room. Tony pushed open the doors and entered, stoically ignoring the gaze of the multiple people he recognized. As he scanned the room for the face of Romano, his eyes narrowed.

“Well, Tony, looks like he’s not here. What kind of idea was it to check the training room first, anyways? Why not his bunk?” Ziva asked.

“Because, Zi-ver, he’s scheduled to be here at this time every morning this week. Thomas, seen Romano in his bunk this morning?”

A man, one of many in the room who had been subtly watching the team’s interactions with the well-liked Commander, swiftly replied, “Yes sir. Was present at breakfast today as well at 0600. Has been late a lot recently, so he might be on his way here now, sir.”

“You act like you know him, Tony, but that makes no sense. What would a strong military guy like him want anything to do with someone like you?”

Attempting to deflect whatever little bit of hurt managed to find its way to him from his Probie’s statement, he rubbed his forehead tiredly and thought, ‘Fuck it. Steve will help me clean this prematurely telling them mess up afterwards. ’

“I see him when I am here for my team’s training sessions”, he stated lightly.

Ziva instantly rebutted, “Your team? What a lie, Tony! The only team you are on is this one. You wish you could be as close to as good as a SEAL, or even a trained Mossad agent like myself!”

Whatever chatter that had remained in the training room until then halted as they heard Ziva’s bold declaration. It was unnerving, Gibbs thought to himself, to be under the tense scrutiny of so many pairs of eyes belonging to trained killers.

“David, badge and gun on my desk when we return. McGee, one more comment against DiNozzo and you’re next.”

Ziva’s protests were drowned out by McGee’s defense of Ziva, “Oh c’mon Gibbs, you know she’s only telling the truth! Why are we being punished for that?”

“Badge and gun on my desk, too.”

Ignoring the squawks of protest from the two junior agents, Tony zeroed in on the rapidly approaching, fury-etched faces of his teammates.

‘Well, that doesn’t bode well, does it?’

“HEY!”

Gibbs’ shout, coupled with his signature glare, thankfully shut up the two complaining agents just as the SEAL team made their way to the group.

He barked out, “I don’t care if you think it’s unfair or not, it’s not up to you! I’m tired of hearing you both berate Tony constantly, for no good reason. I should’ve done something years ago, especially since because of your idiocy I now have to embarrass the agency by reaming your asses out in front of dozens of military personnel!”

A moment of silence, before-

“Wow, Boss, didn’t know you had that many words in ya”, Tony playfully commented.

Rolling his eyes, Gibbs responded tersely, “Not now, Tony.”

“Hello, Officer David. Special Agent McGee. Pleasure to see you again.”

The tight expression on the face of Lieutenant Wasser conveyed just how happy he was to see them again. He leaned in closer, threateningly hissing, “I have more connections that you wish your daddy could ever give you, David, so I suggest you shut the fuck up about Commander DiNozzo before I ship your ass all the way back to Israel. I’ve heard they aren’t too forgiving to failures, despite nepotism. And you,” he rounded to point at McGee’s chest, “the Admiral wouldn’t be too happy if I were to pass along a little message about your actions and illegal hacking escapades over the years? Maybe I could arrange a stuffy little IT room for you in jail?” He laughed at the surprise on McGee’s face. “Oh, yes, I know all about them. And don’t think I’ve forgotten the radio incident in Royal Woods. Got it?”

Ziva and McGee, now both pale as a sheet, furiously nodded.

Gibbs glared at Tony at the last comment, eyes demanding an explanation. Said recipient of the glare sheepishly nodded, agreeing to discuss later.

“Wonderful!” He clapped his hands together. “Now that we’ve got that sorted out, Tony, we have fixed your little Romano problem. He is currently a little, ah, how to say it? Tied up at the moment.”

Meeting the smug faces of his teammates, Tony groaned, exasperated. “What did you three idiots do this time?”

“Nothing at all!” Lieutenant Suther replied, far too innocently. “We have just… hurried along your locating and apprehending of Seaman Romano.”

Sighing, Tony twirled his finger around. “About face. Lead us to where you’ve got him tied up.”

Faces shining with amusement, the Lieutenants turned and quickly marched out of the training room and through the halls until they reached an unassuming storage closet.

“Ta-da!” Miguel exclaimed as he playfully raised his hands in front of the door.

Tony chuckled despite himself and reached to open the door. Inside, bound and gagged, sat Stefan Romano. Muffled shouts were heard as he saw his “rescuers”, too slow to realize that his and Bianchi’s poorly-hidden crimes were finally up. Hauling the man to his feet, Gibbs worked on untying the bounds as Tony clicked a shiny pair of handcuffs around Romano’s wrists, reciting the Miranda Rights once again.

“Ahh, Boss, the sound I so love to hear. The wonderful clink of handcuffs on a douchebag. Think I could get away with saying he tried to swipe at me?” He inquired cheerfully.

Gibbs snorted at Tony’s underlying request, and nodded. “Probably. Can’t stop you, anyways.”

With his grin stretching to be outright chilling, he turned to face Romano and blankly stared at the man. Romano opened his mouth to speak, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by the agonizing crunch of his nose as Tony unexpectedly decked him.

“Piece of shit, killing Maria”, he muttered.

Hauling the man up once more, Tony shook his cuffs with a gleeful smile and directed him to move towards the exit of the building for transport back to the Yard for interrogation. McGee watched silently, eyes thoughtful and mind assessing.

—

Upon arrival to the bullpen, Gibbs pointedly cleared his throat and glanced at his desk. David and McGee, still somewhat subdued from Wasser’s earlier threat, reluctantly placed their guns and badges onto the wood.

Nodding decisively, Gibbs appeared to have come to a decision.

“A month of unpaid leave starting now, and you’re both going through FLETC again during this time. David, you’re going back to Mossad if your instructor doesn’t give you a shining report. You claim to be great investigators yet you cannot even see the real Anthony DiNozzo, nor make sense of any evidence presented that might challenge your preconceived beliefs.”

“Who is the real Tony?” McGee asked quietly, voice reminiscent of his early Probie days.

“SEAL Team 6 Leader, Commander DiNozzo. Medal of Honor recipient. Also, Dr. DiNozzo. To put it shortly.” Tony’s lackadaisical tone belied the nerves he felt at sharing the information so out in the open, despite him speaking quieter than usual. He hoped the duo would keep the information to themselves.

Tim’s jaw was agape, eyes filled with wonder as everything he thought he knew about the older agent was shattered. He knew Tony wasn’t lying, he could see it in his eyes. And Gibbs wasn’t surprised- so he already knew for some amount of time previously.

Ziva refused to believe these fancy words, denial coursing through her. If her father had not told her of these details related to Tony, then it must not be something truthful. Nobody can hide their nitty gritty secrets from Mossad.

With frustration written on their faces, they grabbed their bags and exited the building, realizing their defeat at the glare from Gibbs that brooked no relenting. Nearby agents in the room stared as the duo went past, shocked at the showdown happening.

“Wow Boss. Can’t believe they didn’t even try to argue.”

“Have to deal with Vance now.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it Bossman, I’ll handle the Director. You get to deal with Abby, though.” Tony winked at Gibbs playfully, before continuing, tone quiet and vulnerable, “Thank you for standing up for me, Gibbs. It means a lot coming from you.”

Gibbs smiled a true, tiny smile for a brief second, before patting the back of Tony’s head. “Sorry it didn’t happen earlier. Didn’t deserve that.”

Tony’s eyes widened slightly, surprised at him forgoing Rule 6.

“Now, what do you say we go have a chat with our buddy Stefan?”

—

After Romano had confessed and subsequently joined Bianchi on the one-way ticket to prison, Tony brought Miguel to a conference room and gestured for the man to take a seat.

“I know Gibbs has given you some information already, but I just wanted to be the one to tell you the full story, Miguel.”

The man nodded, face grave and back stiffly straight.

“Maria’s ex boyfriend, Romano, got himself into some mafia circles. He murdered an opposing member. Maria found out about this somehow, but was paid for her silence by Bianchi- and she complied because she still loved Romano despite their problems. It was all good until she abruptly moved and they were paranoid that she did that to get away and snitch. The hush money wasn't enough for their peace of mind anymore and they conspired together to kill her so that it would be kept quiet.”

Tony reached for his friend’s shoulder, squeezing it in support as the man’s cheeks became wet from tears.

“I just don’t understand why she wouldn’t come to us for help. We could’ve protected her from those bastards!”

His calloused hands were clenched tightly on the table, his face contorted in grief and regret.

MInutes went by in silence, until Tony replied unevenly, “I don’t know either, Miguel. Love seems to do some crazy things to people when they’re experiencing bad times.”

Miguel sniffed, before scrubbing a hand over his face. “I hope the fuckers both rot in jail”, he snarled.

Easing out of the chair, Tony replied, “Me too, brother. Me too.”

As the two exited the conference room, they were greeted with the sight of both Wasser and Suther standing by Tony’s desk, patiently waiting for their arrival. Perking up, the two fell into step behind Miguel and Tony as they approached the elevator. Crowding around Miguel in a protective circle, the agent reached to press the ground button.

“See you later, Boss.”

Gibbs’ affirmative response of “Mhm” was heard as the metal doors slid shut.