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Tony sat back and threw his pen onto his desk. “I was disowned at twelve, McNosy. I don’t have parents,” he threw back to McGee’s sarcastic question about being raised by wolves.
McGee rolled his eyes, “I’ve met your dad. He’s not that bad.”
“Well, he’s not as bad as Eli David, I mean, he didn’t sacrifice me to ‘the greater good’ of Israel,” Tony shot back with bitter sarcasm, smirking as the barb hit Ziva and her face flushed red.
“My father is a patriot!” she shouted as she lunged to her feet.
Suddenly done with everything, and knowing there was an avid audience, Tony’s lip curled. “Poor little Ziva. Your father whored you to the United States for the intelligence that you send him regularly. He had you sacrifice your murdering terrorist brother so you could be slotted into Kate’s place like you were some sort of golem,” he replied evenly. “Not exactly like Kate, but close enough that Gibbs might not notice.”
“What the hell is going on?” Gibbs barked, coming around the corner with his ever present coffee cup, a scowl on his face.
“I’ve only told you a dozen times that Ziva is sending Eli intelligence and you’ve scoffed at me. I’ve sent reports to Vance, SecNav, JAG and the IG and all I’ve gotten is the echoing of crickets,” Tony shot back and was enlightened when McGee went milk pale.
“Oh,” Tony breathed, “McTraitor, you have some kind of computer bug on my computer and fucked with my reports, didn’t you.” The supremely guilty look on the younger man’s face was like a gutshot. Pain and burning the likes of which Tony had only felt with a bullet.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ziva bluffed and Tony slowly got to his feet so he could meet her defiant face eye to eye. She still thought she was going to get out of this. Tony could see Vance headed down the stairs and Balboa moved behind Tony and to the right.
“You know what? Fuck you Ziva David. You too McGee, you fucking traitor. You’re both traitors to the country that I’ve worked so hard for,” Tony spat.
“DiNozzo! That’s enough.” Gibbs snapped, dumping his coffee onto his desk and made to cross to Tony but Tony held up his hand.
“No, fuck you too, Gibbs. Kate was murdered by that bitch and you’ve covered it up. You’ve played the daddy, unless you’ve fucked Ziva because I wouldn’t have put it past her father to have pimped her out to you to make sure you fall in line.”
“You listen here you insolent…” Gibbs barked but stopped abruptly, “David.”
Ignoring Gibbs as he tried as usual to steamroll over everything, Tony had started removing his badge when Ziva pulled her gun and pointed it at him, finger on the trigger, which made him pull his out in an instant and aim back at her making the entire bullpen freeze.
Ziva’s panting breath was loud in the sudden silence, her dark eyes burning with hate. Tony wanted to laugh at the classic scene straight out of the OK Corral but decided it was probably the wrong time.
“My father is a disgusting con man who forgot me, stole from me and probably was responsible for my mother’s death and he’s STILL better than your father,” he said quietly. He cocked his weapon and he knew that Balboa had his weapon out and pointed at Ziva as well.
“Go ahead, Zee-va. Your aim with a handgun is worse than abysmal, remember, I’ve seen your range scores. Mine is excellent because before Gibbs became your puppet he trained me. You’ll be dead before you even fire.” His voice was quiet, each word clear and concise, the hate opaque and fresh like blood on his tongue.
“I’d do what he says,” Balboa commanded and his voice in the silence made Ziva twitch. “Because even if you by some miracle managed to hit Tony, I’d make sure you were dead on the floor.”
Her eyes darted as if looking for a way out, assessing, but after a long tension filled minute Ziva placed her weapon on her desk and Agent Miller swept up behind her. “Ziva David, you’re under arrest for espionage,” he said and continued with other words but Tony wasn’t listening. Another agent was arresting McGee and Rocky came around Tony and gently placed his hand on top of Tony’s and pushed, ever so gently until the weapon was pointed at the ground.
Sound rushed abruptly into Tony’s head and he sagged for a moment before stiffening his spine. He placed the safety on and gracelessly dumped the Sig Sauer, his NCIS cellphone and his badge onto the desk in a pile. He grabbed his Mighty Mouse stapler and put it into his breast pocket then bent down and yanked out the bottom drawer with Gibbs’ medals and fished briefly before he came up with two memory sticks he’d hidden there.
“Here Rocky, everything I have including the proof and copies of the letters and emails I tried to send before I was obstructed by Agent McGee and probably Dr. Sciuto, just a heads up.”
“Agent DiNozzo, I don’t know what the hell just happened here but I don’t appreciate your actions,” Vance snapped.
“Yeah? Too bad for you. I’m out of here.” Tony glanced around, nodded at Balboa and the other agents who’d had his back in the fucking mess.
“DiNozzo,” Gibbs appealed.
“You can’t be serious,” Vance asked incredulously.
“Fuck you too,” Tony replied, deadpan. And with that mic drop he strode to the elevator, turned and smirked briefly at the ashen faced Gibbs, the red-faced fucking terrorist handler and traitor Ziva David, the white as a sheet Tim McGee, former Probie turned traitor.
He let the doors close on another chapter in his life.
6 Months later-
“NCIS is a mess,” the voice said as he put a Mai Tai onto Tony’s cocktail napkin and dropping into the seat across from the tanned and relaxed ex-agent. The pink, fringed umbrella sheltered them both from the overhead sun while the white sand beaches were covered with people, and beyond that the blue waters of the ocean sparkled.
Tony raised the Mai Tai and saluted the FBI agent before taking a long drink. “Tobias.” He looked over the hideous Hawaiian shirt and the mirrored aviators the other man was wearing and hid a smirk in his glass.
Fornell took a swallow of his own frou frou drink before taking off his sunglasses to give Tony a serious look. “David, McGee, Dr. Sciuto are awaiting trial for espionage and a whole host of other charges. I zoned out as JAG kept going. Apparently he was incensed that you didn’t come to him personally and offended on your behalf. After he read the letter you’d tried to send he showed how long he’d been in the Navy. I even learned some new curse words.”
Tony hummed and Fornell sighed. “Gibbs was retired for being a dumbass and SECNAV would like to personally apologize.”
“Fuck him too,” Tony replied and and smiled at Fornell's boisterous laughter.
“I saw that video, it was hilarious!”
“Why are you here, Tobias?” Tony asked patiently.
“Here in La Jolla or is this an existential question?” Fornell retorted with a smile. “I could be on vacation.”
“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter, Agent Fornell,” Tony riposted. “I hid my tracks pretty thoroughly.”
“Yeah, you did, ‘Cary’. But I went to Agent Balboa and swore on Emily’s precious head before he’d give me any information.”
Tony, aka Cary Gable after two of his favorite Golden Age actors, smirked. He’d purchased this identity years ago after leaving Philly, even going so far as to place a lion’s share of his inheritances in that name, which had saved him when his dad had committed fraud.
The same day he’d left NCIS he’d called in one of the many favors he was owed and paid for his digital presence to be hidden like he’d dropped off of the face of the planet. It had worked because Abby had tried to find him but had hit a brick wall before she was arrested along with Ziva and Tim.
“And? You’re stressing me out, Toby.”
“After you testify do us the favor of listening to some job offers.”
Tony sighed and slouched in his chair. He had enjoyed his vacation but if he was being honest with himself, he was bored out of his gourd. He sipped his Mai Tai, and pondered becoming Tony again.
“Not at NCIS,” he replied firmly.
Toby chuckled, “No, not after you carpet-bombed the place.”
Tilting his head, Tony narrowed his eyes, “You know something.”
“I know a lot of things, like about your doctorates.”
Rolling his eyes, Tony flipped the other man off. “Go away, Toby, I’ll see you after the trials.”
Fornell pouted briefly, looked longingly around (it was cold and blustery in DC currently) and sighed. “See you around, ‘Carey’.”
Tony toasted the other man with a smile.