"Tony!!!!"

Tony turned towards Gibbs screaming voice only to see a pair of bright lights coming full speed towards him. The next thing he felt was a blinding pain in his chest and then in his head as it smashed into the windscreen of a car and onto the pavement of the crime scene he was sketching only moments earlier. His last thought before darkness enveloped him was "Gibbs is going to kill me for screwing up his crime scene." Then the pain was gone.



*Moments earlier*



Gibbs heard the car before he saw it. He was standing in the parking lot questioning what witnesses saw when he heard the revving of a vehicle. He swung round to see a car immerge from the street opposite the parking lot and drive straight through the barrier tape around the crime scene and towards Tony. He spun to look at Tony and questioned why the other man hadn't heard the car. Then he noticed the earphones in his ears. In the split second this thought took he was running towards Tony and screaming his name. He saw Tony look round and saw the colour leave his face as he noticed the car heading straight for him and most of the evidence. He watched in slow motion as he heard the blood curdling crunch of bones as the car impacted with Tony's chest and the thump of his head hitting the hard concrete floor. The car swerved and drove out of the exit, witnesses jumping out of the way to avoid a similar fate to Tony's. Gibbs knew that he should be opening fire at the car or at least look round to grab the license plate number, but all he could think about was getting to Tony. He already had his phone out and demanded an ambulance get here immediately. Now he was on the ground next to Tony, he had never seen the younger man look so frail, as if a single touch and he would just break beneath him. His eyes were shut and Gibbs caught his breath thinking that Tony was already dead.



For a split second he just froze, never in his life did he not know how to handle a situation, but with this he just didn't know what to do. This was Tony's life that lay in his hands, something so fragile, something he's tried so hard to protect in his own way. He snapped out of this thought as quickly as it had came and gave a sigh of relief as he saw Tony's chest rise.



"DiNozzo. Tony come on, come back to me. I need you to wake up now."

Tony's eyes fluttered open and he looked into Gibbs' piercing blue eyes.

"I'm sorry boss, I screwed up, I didn't see the car until it was too late."

"Don't worry about that now, just concentrate on staying with me DiNozzo."

"Don't think I can….."Tony had to pause as a coughing fit took hold of him.

"Tony…..Tony come on you're okay, you're going to be just fine."

Tony looked up at Gibbs and smiled. One of his rare genuine smiles that hardly anyone ever got to saw. It usually filled Gibbs with a warmth that no-one else could provide to witness such a smile, especially when it was directed to him. But today it just filled him with an overwhelming dread that Tony was going to leave him.

"Gibbs…..Jethro…. I need you to know…" Tony had to stop again to cough and began again in such a quiet whisper that Gibbs had to lean forward to hear his words. "I need you to know that you mean so much to me….I've never stayed in one job for so long and it's because of you that I have…I love you Leroy Jethro Gibbs…. Always have…. Always will."

Tony gave Gibbs that smile again as his eyes fluttered shut.

"Tony…. Tony! Dammit Tony don't do this to me. You can't say that and just leave I won't let you! Tony!!"

The paramedics descended on Tony and began to work. Gibbs stepped away to compose himself. He kept a watchful eye over Tony and when the paramedics put him on a stretcher and headed towards the ambulance he followed while barking orders at McGee and Ziva to salvage what they could of the crime scene. He leapt into the ambulance ignoring the protests that followed him. He clasped Tony's hand inside both of his and sat there and looked over the man he loved since the moment he set eyes on him.



TBC