Thank you for your wonderful feedback! This story burst out of my own annoyance with NCIS and it looks like it's chimed with a few people :-).

I love what you said about Tony - that's how I view him too. He's always been tough, and he's always been tough enough to call Gibbs on his crap ("Moby Dick" for example) but the writers just don't write it happening often enough. I feel that they're DUE a big showdown and if the show won't make it happen, I damn well will! LOL!

And I love the lines you quoted at me :-).