Fic: Soul Deep - 8/12

[xanthefic]

2003

As far as Tony could see, Gibbs's recruitment skills were really lousy. It wasn't so much the recruitment itself – Gibbs managed to hire people. He also managed to fire them pretty quickly too – if they didn’t quit first.

Tony sat at his desk and watched a procession of people come and go. There were so many he could hardly keep track of them: Agent Dobbs, Agent Petiflower, Agent Markham. Agent Viv Blackadder held out for six months, which was the longest any of them stuck, but then she screwed up an undercover mission in Spain and that was the end of her and her weird armadillo daemon, Henry.

Then – finally! – along came Caitlin Todd. She was a secret service agent on the president’s protection detail, and at first Tony didn’t pay her much attention. It was Tessa who kept looking at her, and who eventually nudged Gibbs’s hand and told him that he’d found his new agent.

Kate had an intelligent but bumptious daemon called Mo. Mo was a black goat with very sharp horns – as Tony could testify because it seemed that one thing Mo enjoyed doing more than anything else was jabbing those horns into Shanti's ribs.

"Ow! That hurts!" Tony complained on one occasion as Kate returned to her desk from a visit to the rest room.

"It was supposed to," Kate told him. "That's for sneaking into my bag and going through my address book."

Tony grinned down at Shanti who did a little skip and hop into the air. "It was worth it to find out what I found out," he told Kate infuriatingly.

"And what did you find out?" She stood there, arms folded across her chest. Mo glared at Shanti.

"Well that would be telling!" Tony said, going back to his desk.

"What would be telling, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, striding into the squad room.

"Uh, nothing, Boss." Tony sat down at his desk and pretended to be working. Then he sneaked a glance up to find Kate and Mo still glaring at him.

"Gibbs – I came back from the restroom to find Tony going through my bag," Kate complained.

Gibbs glanced up. "Yeah, that sounds like Tony. He does stuff like that."

Tony flushed, remembering how he'd once spied on Gibbs making out with Shannon in the woods.

"Well it's annoying," Kate said. "Can't you make him stop?"

"Tony. Stop." Gibbs gave him a fierce look.

"Yes, Boss. Sorry, Boss." Shanti gave a little hum of amusement, and he nudged her with his foot. Then he sneaked a sideways look at Gibbs as he so often did during his working day. He enjoyed getting a glimpse of those vivid blue eyes, especially when Gibbs didn’t know he was looking at him.

"We want to keep this one. She doesn't screw up too often," Gibbs added, jerking his head in Kate's direction.

"Oh, thank you very much!" Kate huffed, and they all laughed.

Tony loved watching Gibbs laugh. He had learned every nuance of the man's body language over the past two years, and he liked seeing Gibbs look happy. It didn't happen very often.

"He's been unhappy for too long," he told Shanti in the privacy of his apartment later that evening.

"Well, now he has a new pack, so he *is* happy," she replied. "Well, happier than he was anyway."

Tony threw himself onto the bed in his boxer shorts. "You think that's what it is?"

"Yes. Finding you again was his turning point." She jumped onto the bed beside him, and he rested his head on her warm, soft shoulder. She began to purr. "Have you noticed that he hasn't got married again since you returned to his pack?"

"Hmmm." Tony thought about it. "You're right. Good thing. That was a terrible habit. He should do what I do and keep it casual."

Shanti turned to look at him. "Does that really make you happy?"

Tony blinked in surprise. "Well…it means I get laid a lot, and that makes me happy, so…"

Shanti's bony tail thwapped against his leg in annoyance. He sighed. "Okay…I just don't want to risk it, Shanti. You know that."

Everyone he loved had left him. His mom had died, his father had bullied him and then abandoned him; even his schools had thrown him out with some degree of regularity – although Tony thought he'd probably deserved that.

Shanti nuzzled against him reassuringly. "You want love to be safe, but nobody can ever have a guarantee. Look at Jethro. He had Shannon, and a daughter he loved, but he lost them."

"And it hurts," Tony said, remembering how his mom's daemon used to sit beside Shanti, purring soothingly until Tony finally dropped off to sleep at nights. "Why would I want to put myself through that pain, Shanti? I don't want to end up like Jethro, all numb and frozen inside."

"He does not have so much of a hard shell now," Shanti said quietly. "It has softened in the last couple of years. I feel much more from Tessa now."

"Probably just 'cause you see her all the time," Tony muttered drowsily.

"And besides, not everybody who loved you left you," Shanti said. "Jethro didn't. You left him."

"Jethro doesn't love me." Tony grinned at the thought of his tough, no-nonsense boss loving him. "I mean, I'm pack to him, yes. I'm his second. He probably thinks of me as a beta wolf or something."

Shanti sighed and rested her head on her paws and closed her eyes.

~*~

2004

Gibbs glanced over at his newest team member with a sense of satisfaction. Probationary agent Tim McGee completed his team, giving him the technical expertise that he needed in an increasingly technological world. He watched as McGee methodically worked his way through the background checks he'd given him, his squirrel daemon sitting on the desk beside him, her fluffy tail twitching slightly as McGee worked. Her name was Angela, which seemed to amuse Tony for some reason, and Gibbs's errant senior agent was forever making jokes about it.

Gibbs wondered if it was his imagination or whether he was having to slap Tony's head more often lately. It seemed like they'd all got into a very comfortable groove, and Tony's genius for putting clues together came hand in hand with a compulsion to be a complete idiot at times.

"He just wants your attention," Tessa murmured to him.

"Either that or he *likes* getting his head slapped," Gibbs replied, getting up and going upstairs for coffee.

"At least as much as you like slapping it," Tessa said.

Gibbs paused on the stairs and looked down on the squad room to find Tony wearing his smartest suit for some reason. He probably had a date later – Tony's revolving door of a love life never ceased to amaze him.

"You can talk," Tessa said. "With all your ex-wives."

"I know, they were all wrong for me, and I should have listened to you."

"Exactly. Why didn't you?"

"I don't know. It just seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Every single time?" Tessa's look of exasperation was almost comical. "Just because they had red hair? Oh, and Stephanie had a sparrowhawk daemon that reminded you of Pell."

“Yeah, that’s about right.” Gibbs gave a rueful shrug.

“You listen to me about work, but not about the other stuff,” she observed. “You always listen to me about work and when am I ever wrong?”

“Never. You’re always right.” He patted her head patronizingly, and she nipped his hand with her teeth. He laughed.

They reached the squad room, and she fell silent. Gibbs had just returned to his desk, ignoring all the chatter from his team who seemed to be amusing themselves with some kind of conversation about a letter that had been delivered…when suddenly Tessa stood up and began barking.

Gibbs was on his feet immediately, in time to see Tony inhaling a fine white dust as it billowed up into the air from the letter he'd just opened.

Gibbs immediately initiated evacuation procedures and watched as Tony left the room, his hair dripping wet from the water he'd swilled over his head to clear the dust.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Tessa said as they followed his team to the decontamination showers, and Gibbs knew she was right. He felt that protective surge of energy he always felt when any of his pack was in danger and swung immediately into action.

The next few hours were a blur of showers, and Ducky talking about something called ‘y pestis’ which basically boiled down, horrifyingly, to the plague. Tony and Kate were dispatched immediately to Bethesda, with Shanti and Mo arguing and shoving each other the whole time as usual.

Gibbs was given the all clear. Only one member of his team had been infected, and Gibbs didn't need the results of the tests to tell him which one; he could already feel the rasping in his lungs.

~*~

Tony smiled at the pretty nurse and took the antibiotics she gave him. The isolation unit at Bethesda was a state of the art facility, but that didn't make him feel any better about being here.

"Why thank you, Nurse Emma." He gave her his most charming smile, ignoring Kate's snort from the other end of the isolation unit. "So…Brad Pitt…tough break going through life with a name like that," Tony said to the doctor.

Dr. Brad Pitt grinned, and his ferret daemon sat up on her haunches and studied Shanti intently. Shanti gave the ferret a broad wink, and the daemon blinked, looking surprised.

"Yeah – hard to compete when the *other* Brad Pitt is the best looking guy in the world," the doctor said as he checked through Tony's medical notes. His daemon jumped onto the bed and inched closer to Shanti, examining her watchfully.

"Oh…I think you're doing just fine in the looks department," Tony purred flirtatiously. Shanti rubbed her jaw against the side of Dr. Pitt's daemon. The ferret seemed both skittish and amused – she patted Shanti's nose and then jumped up onto Dr. Pitt's shoulder.

"Okay, Tony…I'm going to chase those test results. You make yourself comfortable."

"Oh, I WILL, Brad, I will." Tony grinned, waving to the doctor as he left.

"You are disgusting," Kate told him when they were alone. “You don’t even know if Dr. Pitt is bisexual, and you’re hitting on him.”

“Oh, it’s my experience that everyone’s at least a little bit bi if you just talk to them in the right way.” He winked at her.

"Seriously, Tony, how can you be thinking about sex at a time like this?"

Tony rolled onto his side and looked at her more searchingly. She was talking tough, as usual, but she had her arms around Mo, and he was snuggled up against her, looking scared.

"Surely now is precisely the time to be thinking about sex," Tony said, resting one hand lightly on Shanti's head where she was lying on the bed beside him.

"You mean, in the face of imminent death?" Kate raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly! It's an affirmation of life!"

"Except you think about sex all the time," Kate pointed out. "Not just in life or death situations."

Tony grinned. "What can I say, Kate? I like sex."

"But to flirt with your doctor *and* your nurse in virtually the same breath? That's cheap, Tony, even for you."

Tony glared at her. "No, Kate, it's pragmatic. They’re both cute, and if Emma doesn’t wanna sleep with me then Brad might – or vice versa. Hey!" He felt his mood brightening. "I wonder if they'd be up for a threesome?"

A pillow was launched across the room at him. "Like I said – disgusting," Kate sniffed.

"Spoken like one who's never had a threesome." Tony smirked. He knew he was annoying her – but at least it was taking her mind off their situation. He hoped she wasn't infected. It was his fault; he'd rushed to open that envelope, and he didn't want her suffering for his mistake. "You don't know what you're missing, Kate! I once had this amazing threesome. It was the night I busted my knee…Sarah and Jason…I wonder if they ended up together? They were both so hot."

"Oh shut up." Kate pulled a pillow over her ears. "I don't to hear one more thing about your ridiculous sexual exploits, DiNozzo."

"Aw…I'm just trying to educate you, Kate." Tony bit back the cough he could feel at the back of his throat. Shanti raised her head to gaze at him. "It's okay," he whispered to her. "It'll be fine."

"I feel hot. My throat burns," she confided in him.

"I know, sweetheart. I know." He turned his back on Kate, pulled Shanti close, and buried his face in her thick, soft fur. "You know, if this is it…I'm glad you're here with me."

"Where else would I be?" Shanti asked, looking puzzled.

Tony gave a little shiver. "Just remembering that poor bastard from a couple of years ago – you remember – Paul Watson, my first case at NCIS. The one they wouldn't let us solve. He died all alone, separated from his daemon." He shivered again, but this time he couldn't suppress the cough that came out.

Shanti rubbed her head against his, and he could hear the breath rattling in her chest.

~*~

Fifteen per cent.

Just fifteen per cent of those infected with y pestis survived. The number reverberated around in Gibbs's head as he gave the bitch who'd infected Tony to Agent Yates for her to deal with, so that he could go be with his agent.

He ignored the tightness in his chest, the pounding in his head, and the persistent urge to cough; he knew they were just bleed-through from Tony.

"He's scared," Tessa said, as they reached Bethesda. "He feels so ill. He's sure he's going to die."

"Like hell he will," Gibbs growled, striding into the isolation unit. He wasn't going to lose Tony. He couldn't.

The doctor tried to keep him out, but Gibbs told him brusquely that the y pestis contained a suicide chain, and Tony wasn't infectious anymore. Then he brushed past the man and went over to Tony's side.

Tony was lying in a hospital bed, looking like hell. His hair was dark with sweat, his skin paper white, and his breathing was coming in hard, guttural gasps. Gibbs had a sudden vivid flashback to a child whose daemon had been attacked. He'd had the same pale skin and dark circles under his eyes, and he'd looked just as frail and vulnerable as Tony did right now. Damn it, how the hell could this be happening again?

Fifteen per cent made it. Eight-five per cent died. Why would Tony be in the lucky fifteen per cent?

"Because he has something to live for," Tessa said, jumping up on the bed to sit beside Tony.

She lay down on Tony's other side, opposite Shanti, but Shanti didn't move to welcome her. The daemon was quiet and unmoving – which was all wrong because Shanti was never still like this. She was the most energetic daemon Gibbs had ever known. She was always dancing around the squad room, poking her nose into people's desk drawers and bags, and generally being a complete nuisance.

Gibbs leaned forward and placed his hand on Tony's shoulder. "Tony…it's me – Gibbs."

Tony's eyes were closed, and there was no reply.

"He's unconscious," Dr. Pitt told him quietly from over by the door. "There's nothing more we can do for him. That's what I was trying to tell you; he isn't going to make it."

"Get out," Gibbs snapped. Dr. Pitt blinked, uncertainly. "I said get out!" Gibbs roared, and Tessa sat up and growled at the man's ferret daemon. Dr. Pitt backed nervously out of the isolation unit, and Gibbs turned his attention back to Tony.

"Tony – you will not die," Gibbs ordered firmly. There was no sign that Tony had even heard him. Gibbs delivered a sharp tap to Tony's head, but Tony remained still and unmoving. "Damn it! I will not lose you!" Gibbs ran his hand gently through Tony's thick, damp hair. "D'you hear me, Tony? I can't lose you. Not after…" He drew in a ragged breath. "You're pack, Tony. I can't lose you."

He stroked Tony's hair repeatedly, looking for a response, any kind of response, but Tony remained unconscious.

Tessa glanced up at him. "Maybe he doesn't know that it's you," she said. "Use your name."

"Tony – it's me…Jethro." Gibbs looked at Tessa, but she shook her head. "Damn it, DiNozzo!" Gibbs smoothed Tony's damp hair again. "It's Jethro. D'you hear me?"

Tessa looked at him anxiously, and he knew she could feel Tony slipping away from them. "I will touch him," she said.

He nodded to her, and she gently rubbed her muzzle against Tony's bare hand. Gibbs took a deep intake of breath as his daemon touched another person's bare skin, expecting to feel the rush and tumult of Tony's consciousness – but instead he felt only darkness.

~*~

Tony looked around and then smiled as he realized that he was standing in the woods in Stillwater. Over there, he could see the creek where he and Jethro had sailed their handmade boats. And over there, a green and red blanket was stretched out on the ground, and he could see the remains of a picnic. He went and sat down on the blanket. The sun was glimmering through the trees, and it was a beautiful summer's day. He lay down on his back and soaked up the sun.

It felt good here. He wasn't coughing, and his body didn't ache. The sun warmed him, and he felt at peace. This was his happy place, where he went to escape whenever times were tough. He'd been here many times before in his day-dreams, but never had it felt as real as it did now.

A warm body settled down beside him, and he reached out and ran his hand through a soft, furry coat. He smiled, feeling completely at peace.

A big, sloppy tongue began washing his cheek, and he screwed up his face.

"Shanti! Stop it!"

He didn't want to open his eyes, but she was persistent. He tried to bat her away but when that didn't work he sat up in annoyance, opening his eyes…and found himself staring at Tessa.

"Where's Shanti?" he asked, bewildered.

"She's here, but you can't see her," Tessa told him. "She's unconscious – just like you. She's lying beside you, and Jethro is keeping her safe. He's watching over her – he's watching over you both. Why don't you come back and join us?"

"I don't understand. How can I be here if she's not?"

"You're dying," Tessa said bluntly. "Your body is very sick. If you stay here then you'll die, and Shanti will be gone."

The thought of Shanti being gone was enough to galvanise Tony into action. "Which way is back?" He got up and looked around. All he could see was trees and more trees.

"This way." Tessa began loping off towards the darkest section of the woods. They were so dark and sinister that Tony hung back. Tessa turned and looked at him. "Don't be afraid, Tony."

"I'm not. Not when the danger is something I can face…but this…" The trees here were gnarled and twisted, their branches bare. Every step he took away from his happy place seemed to hurt.

"I know. And Shanti is your courage, but you can't feel her right now. Let me be your courage instead."

She came back and nudged him with her nose. He took some strength from that and walked slowly through the twisted, sinister shapes all around him.

Tony froze – ahead of him was something bad. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it was painful, and he didn't want to go there.

"It's okay, Tony. I'm with you," Tessa told him.

He rested his hand on her head – it felt familiar, like having Shanti with him. He could see a motel room through the trees, and he didn't want to see what was in it.

"You have to come with me," Tessa said.

"But it hurts." He wrapped his arms around his body and shivered. It wasn't sunny anymore; it was dark and had started to rain.

"I'm here," Tessa said, and he knew he would follow her anywhere. She would always keep him safe; she always had.

"On your six," he whispered, following on behind.

She led him to the motel room, and he faltered. Inside, he could hear raised voices, and he hesitated, not wanting to go in there.

"You have to," Tessa told him insistently.

He paused, hand outstretched, listening to the sounds of an old memory playing. He didn't like this memory. He didn't want to go back there, to the place where that memory lived. He was about to turn and run back to his happy place when he heard a yelp of pain.

"Shanti – that's Shanti!" Now he didn't hesitate anymore; he pushed open the door and saw his father slamming Shanti against the wall. She was just a puppy, so small. He could hardly remember a time when she'd been that small. "She's hurting…I have to stop him hurting her!" Tony ran forward and tried to grab his father's arm, but he seemed to have no substance. His father didn't even know he was there. His father dropped Shanti onto the floor, and she lay there on her side, screaming in pain.

"Go to her," Tessa said, nodding at Shanti. The puppy was barely conscious, her paws moving feebly as if she wanted to run.

"It'll hurt," Tony whimpered.

"Yes," Tessa said implacably.

He would do anything for Shanti. He didn't care how much it hurt. He went over to her and gently touched her fur and the next thing he knew he was inside her, and she was him, and he was her – the way it always had been. Then he was lying on his back, struggling to breathe, looking up at the isolation room ceiling at Bethesda…and Shanti was lying beside him, gazing at him.

"Thank you." She licked his face gently.

"You should thank Tessa," Tony coughed. He could feel the blood on his lips, but he didn't feel as bad as he had before. Shanti was nestled under one of his arms, and Tessa under the other – and Jethro was leaning over him, guarding him, like Tessa had said.

"You back with us, Tony?" Gibbs asked, and Tony thought he looked tired, his face etched with lines of worry.

"Yeah." Tony managed a weak smile.

"Good, because you don’t have my permission to die.” Much to Tony's surprise, he ran his hand gently through his hair. "You never have my permission to die, Tony," he said gruffly.

He stayed there, beside Tony, for the next couple of hours, and every time Tony woke he could feel Shanti lying next to him on one side, and Tessa on the other. It felt good. He felt safe.

At some point Dr. Pitt returned and pronounced him out of danger. Then and only then did Gibbs get up to leave. He took Tony's cell phone out of his pocket and pressed it into Tony's hand, returning it to him.

"You should change the number. People keep calling for 'Spanky'." He grinned at Tony and then left, with Tessa by his side.

~*~

"Why did you say that?" Tessa asked as they walked away from the hospital. "That thing about his lovers calling for him?"

"Wanted to give him something to help him get well. Remind him what he has to live for," Gibbs replied, opening the car door. She gave him a look of absolute disgust. "What?" he asked.

"He already has something to live for," she muttered, "you already gave him that." She got into the car and sat down with her chin on her paws, looking annoyed. He seemed to be annoying her a lot lately, and it always seemed to centre around Tony.

Gibbs drove back to NCIS to find a message on his desk from HR. He supposed Director Morrow must have told them what was happening because HR had left him the phone number for Tony's father.

He sat and stared at it for a long time. It was NCIS protocol to contact a listed family member in the case of an agent being hospitalized. He remembered DiNozzo Senior and his hyena daemon all too well, and he baulked at the thought of contacting the man.

"Then don't," Tessa said, her fur bristling. "I don't like him."

"I know. But Tony does." Despite everything, he knew that Tony still cared for his father. "It's not up to me to decide this for him. He's ill – he might appreciate a visit from his dad."

"If his father isn't too busy," Tessa said tartly.

Gibbs picked up the phone tersely and dialled the number. A voice he remembered from a long time ago answered.

"Mr. DiNozzo? This is Agent Gibbs from NCIS – I'm your son's boss."

He wondered if DiNozzo Senior remembered him from all those years ago. Had Tony told his father that he was working for the man who had rescued him from that motel room?

"Oh yes. Is there a problem?" It wasn't possible to tell from the man's tone of voice, but then again, DiNozzo Senior always had been adept at hiding behind a smile and an urbane attitude. "Is Tony okay?"

"No. He's been seriously ill. He'll make it, but it was a close thing."

"Oh well. That's good. He's going to be fine."

"He nearly died."

"But he's fine now."

"Yes." Gibbs could feel his temper rising. "But he could do with a visit."

There was a long pause. "I'd love to," came the eventual reply. "But it's impossible right now. I'm doing business at the moment."

Gibbs snapped. "Did you hear me? He's been seriously ill. He had the damn plague! He almost damn well died!"

"I heard you." The reply was smooth, unruffled. "You also said he was going to be fine. I'll get my secretary to send flowers. Tony's a big boy; he hates being fussed over."

"He wouldn't know what it's like, because you never gave a fucking damn about him, you selfish fucking bastard," Gibbs growled, and then he threw the phone down.

"I told you so," Tessa said.

"I know, but I had to try, damn it!"

Dr. Pitt had said Tony could be released from the hospital in a few days – but he'd need a couple of weeks to recuperate, and Gibbs wasn't leaving him on his own in his apartment to do that. He knew Tony well enough to know that spending all that time alone with his thoughts, unable to be active, would be a kind of purgatory for him. But it wasn't as if Morrow would let him have two weeks off to play nursemaid to his agent.

"There is another option," Tessa said quietly.

"Yeah." Gibbs gazed at the phone moodily.

"You can do it. For Tony." She put her head on his lap.

"I don't know that I can. Not even for Tony."

"You just don't want to face up to the fact that you might have been wrong and that you acted harshly and hastily."

He glared at her, but she just stood there, gazing back at him steadily. Looking down into her calm brown eyes, he knew he didn't have a choice. This was just one of those occasions when you had to suck it up and be a man.

He reached for the phone again.

~*~

"I'm staying with you?" Tony asked, horrified, as Gibbs wheeled him out of the hospital. "But…you'll be at work all day, and you don't have a DVD player – what the hell will I *do*?"

"I've taken care of that," Gibbs said brusquely.

"You hired a nurse?" Tony glanced up at him, feeling his mood brighten a little. "Is it someone hot?"

Gibbs slapped the back of his head – gently. "At least you're behaving like your usual self, even if you do look like shit," he said as he helped Tony into the car.

Shanti got in beside him, with Tessa's aid, and immediately sank down onto the back seat, breathing heavily. Tessa got onto the seat beside her. Tony liked having her there, next to Shanti – it made him feel safe.

"You have a terrible bedside manner," Tony griped, taking a look at his reflection in the side mirror – and then grimacing. "But you're right. I do look like shit."

He sank back in the car seat and closed his eyes, completely exhausted by the short excursion.

He heard Gibbs get in beside him, and then they drove off. Perhaps in deference to his sick passenger, Gibbs didn't go *quite* as fast as usual, but Tony was glad he had his eyes closed all the same.

"So," Tony murmured after ten minutes or so of silence. "What did he say?"

"What did who say?"

Tony opened his eyes and glanced at Gibbs. "My father. I know you called him. His number is listed in my personnel file, and it's NCIS protocol to call next of kin after something like this."

"*I* am listed as your next of kin," Gibbs told him firmly.

Tony smiled and sank back in his seat, closing his eyes again. "Yeah, but he's the only family member on my file. Come on, Boss, I know you called him. What did he say? No, wait – I already know. He's sorry I'm ill, he really is…and you know, it almost sounds like he means it – if you didn't know him better, which we both do. So, he's sorry, but he's too busy 'doing business' right now. He'll send some amazing flowers though."

There was no reply. Eventually he opened his eyes and glanced sideways at Gibbs. His boss was sitting there, back rigid, eyes fixed on the road.

"Yes?" Tony said.

Gibbs turned to glance at him. "Yes, Tony," he said quietly. He never had been one to sugar-coat the bad news any, and it was a character trait Tony appreciated.

Tony gave a hollow little chuckle. "What's the saying – the more things change the more they stay the same? Never mind. He'd have made as lousy a nurse as he did a father. An agency nurse will be better."

"I didn't hire an agency nurse, Tony. I asked someone else to help out."

Tony frowned. "Who? Shit, I hope you didn't go through my address book, Boss, because…uh….some of those relationships didn't work out so well and…"

"Don't be an idiot, Tony." Gibbs rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't leave you with anyone I didn't trust."

"But you don't trust anyone," Tony said blankly. "Well, except maybe Abby and Ducky. Is it Ducky?"

Gibbs didn't get a chance to reply as Tony was suddenly seized by a fit of vicious coughing. His entire body shook, and he coughed so hard it felt like he was going to bring up his lungs through his mouth. Afterwards, he was so shattered he could barely move, let alone think about whoever Gibbs had assigned to play nursemaid to him.

They pulled up at his house, and Tony just sat there, feeling too tired to make the short journey into the house.

Gibbs went around to his side of the car and opened the door. He put a strong arm under Tony's shoulder and helped him out of the car. Then he slowly guided Tony into the house, with Tessa just as slowly helping Shanti behind them.

It was warm and welcoming inside; there was a fire burning in the grate, and the place looked clean and homely. Tony could even smell something baking in the oven. He'd been to Gibbs's house a few times, and it was never usually like this. Usually it was like a home without a heart, but it didn't feel that way right now.

"What happened here?" he whispered, and then the kitchen door opened, and an old, blessedly familiar voice spoke.

"You're here! I thought I heard the car."

A plump red hen ran towards Shanti, and Tony gazed at the man in front of him in disbelief. His hair was all white now, but those kind blue eyes were the same as Tony remembered them.

"Jack?” he whispered.

"Tony…I'd know that daemon anywhere! Never saw a lioness so big! How ya doing, Shanti? And you, Tony…" Jackson stood in front of him, shaking his head from side to side, his blue eyes looking suspiciously glassy. "Tony…I can't believe I'm seeing you again, after all this time. Look how big you got!"

He wrapped his arms around Tony and pulled him into a gentle bear hug. Tony closed his eyes and hung on tight, relishing the simple human comfort of the gesture.

Jackson pulled back and gazed at him. "You look terrible, son. Leroy told me what happened to you…said you needed looking after, and let me tell you, I've always wanted to look after you since you were that little waif and stray Leroy brought home all those years ago. If ever a boy needed some looking after, it was you. Still do, by the look of things! Leroy never would let anyone take care of him, much as I tried – used to rile him up so much – so you'd be doing me a favour to let me have someone to cluck over."

He took hold of Tony's arm and helped him into the living room. Tony noticed that Jackson was walking none-too-steadily himself these days, but with Gibbs on the other side propping them both up, nobody was in any danger of falling.

They sat him down on the couch beside the fire. Then Gibbs disappeared to take Tony's bag up to his room.

Jackson sat down beside Tony on the couch. "Sorry – I've been going on, saying too much as usual. But I really do hope you don't mind me taking care of you for the next couple of weeks, son. Leroy doesn't trust you with anyone else, and I've got a youngster helping me out in the store – he's more than capable of taking care of things up there for me. Leroy asked me if I'd mind, and I said, 'mind? I'd drop everything to get a chance to do something for that boy again.’ Always felt I didn't do enough for you last time around, you see, Tony."

Tony didn't have any words. He just rested his head on Jackson's shoulder and allowed the old man to put an arm around him and hug him tightly, the way his own father had never done.

~*~

End of Part Eight
Part Nine
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