Work Text:
Tony's Terror
by Starbucks Sue
"Don't forget to wax!" Tony grinned as he polished his sunglasses and walked off, leaving Kate standing there, the delighted smile creeping once again over her face.
Despite Kate's reservations, Tony had known that there was never any doubt that she would end up aboard the USS Philadelphia. Captain Veitch may have had a reputation for being difficult but Tony knew that however difficult Veitch was he would not be able to stop Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs from taking whomever he wanted on the submarine, regardless of any regulations stating that female staff could not be deployed onboard. From Gibbs point of view, Kate was not serving on the submarine and there was nothing in Gibbs' book to preclude female NCIS agents from investigating a crime on a submarine, even spilling his morning coffee as Kate had that morning! Tony was genuinely pleased for Kate and highly amused at her excitement.
Truth to tell he was more than pleased that Kate was going instead of him which was, he admitted to himself , probably the only reason he wasn't jealous that she was going with Gibbs and not him.
Tony had his first opportunity to experience life on a submarine a few months into his tenure at NCIS. He wasn't usually claustrophobic but it had freaked him out a little being completely submerged with no way to get to the surface. Ships held no fear for him, however far below decks you were on a ship you could always return to open air, or at least above the water level, whenever you wanted. On a submarine you didn't have that choice and it unnerved Tony to be completely surrounded by water.
The submarine had also brought back old memories. As a child, his father had locked him in one of the small, dark cellars under the house as a punishment. There had been no natural light and his father had always ensured there was no light bulb and that his watch had been removed, the frightened child had no way of knowing how long he had been there or when he would be let out and the noises from the rumbling water pipes had terrified him. Unfortunately it had left him with an occasional fear of being underground, especially in places he could not immediately get out of if he needed to, however, he was never sure what types of places would affect him.
He'd thought he would be okay on the submarine, but it hadn't quite worked out like that. He'd been fine when they arrived and when the sub dived. They'd spent the afternoon and evening questioning crew members and going over their evidence and Tony had been okay, he hadn't really stopped to think about where he was. Even up to the point of going to bed and falling asleep in the small bunk, knowing that Gibbs was there in the bunk above, he had been fine. It was his subconscious mind that had let him down, weaving the horrors of the past into his dreams and triggering a nightmare that he couldn't bring himself out of. It had taken Gibbs ten minutes of gentle reassurance before Tony had become fully awake and, highly embarrassed about his reaction, was able to tell the senior agent what had brought the nightmare on. Gibbs had lain awake for a while after that just keeping an eye on the younger man but, having shared his fears and memories of a long distant past, the incident hadn't recurred and eventually both had been able to sleep peacefully for the remainder of the night.
Tony's confidence in submarines hadn't been helped however when early the following morning the sub had to do an emergency blow. Fortunately Gibbs and Tony were alone in the small cabin they had been allocated and Gibbs had known exactly what was happening. Tony had been thrown sideways against Gibbs, who having already anchored himself was able to quickly grab the younger man. Much to the dismay of his pride, Tony had clung to Gibbs in blind panic like a small child whilst the older man kept up a litany of gentle reassurance until Tony was able to think clearly and actually take in what was happening. He'd finally managed to peel himself away from the senior agent, mortified at his actions until Gibbs had slapped the back of his head gently and laughed softly, passing the incident off as nothing. Much to Tony's relief it had never been mentioned again.
With a chuckle at Kate's excited chatter as she and Gibbs went off to collect their gear, Tony made his way back to the NCIS office on base, happy to be the one remaining on dry land, his mission now to hunt out the young Norfolk case agent. Special Agent Timothy McGee had appeared very naïve and way too trusting and Tony knew it was going to be his job to instruct the young man in the finer points of conducting an NCIS investigation - DiNozzo style!
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