Work Text:
An Ear for an Ear
by Starbucks Sue
Kate Todd stared in shock at Major Craig Peary as Jack Canton dropped to the ground under their hail of bullets. Gibbs quickly caught the injured Marine before he dropped alongside the downed CIA Agent, wincing as the weight of the man pulled on his injured shoulder. She looked over at Tony but he had moved quickly and was already checking on the rogue agent although Kate had no doubts that Jack Canton was dead, she and Tony had put several rounds into his head and chest including the one which had, by the looks of things, clipped the top of Major Peary's ear on the way. 'That must have been Tony.' She thought to herself confidently. 'That's exactly what he did on the firing range the other day.'
Gibbs turned as he talked quietly to Peary and as Tony stood he caught sight of the blood now heavily soaking Gibbs' shirt and flowing down his arm.
"Boss, you're bleeding pretty heavily there, let me have a look." Kate glanced at her partner, hearing the anxiety in his voice. She was concerned about Gibbs herself but Tony sounded more distressed than the injury warranted.
She watched the two agents as Tony tried to fuss over Gibbs and could see the Senior Agent getting a little frustrated at the younger man's mother hen routine.
"Kate, take the Major upstairs and call an ambulance, then get on to the CIA and tell them to sort this mess out." He then turned his attention to the younger agent who was tugging on his polo shirt, trying to find the site of the wound.
"DiNozzo it's just a scratch from debris from the explosion, stop worrying I haven't been shot." Gibbs may have been frustrated but his voice was gentle and Kate realized that he was trying to reassure the younger man. It hadn't occurred to her that Tony might have thought Gibbs had been shot, although under the circumstances it was an easy assumption to make.
'I really need to get better at reading men.' Kate told herself for about the thousandth time as she stepped forward to support the injured Marine. She'd been working at NCIS for several weeks now and despite all the training and experience as a profiler she found both of her colleagues elusive, she could never read them right and she wished, yet again, that she could get a better handle on their relationship.
A few days ago she and Tony had been moaning about their Boss after the events on the firing range and Tony frequently seemed to almost deliberately wind Gibbs up and do and say things that he knew would irritate or frustrate the Senior Agent, in fact some of the time the two men appeared to be completely at odds with each other and Kate had soon realized that her young partner deserved each and every one of the headslaps that Gibbs gave him, although strangely enough, he seemed to almost like being on the receiving end of Gibbs' unique method of chastisement. Yet today Kate had seen sheer terror on Tony's face when Canton had killed Gonzalez and ordered Gibbs to throw down his weapon and come forward, then when Gibbs had stepped into the doorway Tony had looked over at her, eyes wide with fear and a vulnerability that she had never seen in him before and knew that he would never admit to. It hadn't stopped him from doing what was needed, although Kate did wonder if it had been her younger partner's fear for their team leader that had cost Major Peary the tip of his ear.
As Kate led the Major to the door she saw Gibbs reach out and still the hovering agent by grabbing hold of his shoulder with his good arm.
"Ease down Tony, I'm okay. Come on bud take a deep breath and just calm down."
Kate glanced back quickly as she left the room, fascinated to see Gibbs rubbing Tony's back gently as the younger man lent forward so he was resting his forehead on Gibbs' shoulder, breathing unsteadily. The actions seemed out of character for both of her coworkers but it gave her a lot to think about.
******
The flight back from Columbia to Washington was a little calmer than the one they had arrived on, Kate still felt nauseous though and was unable to sleep so she sat mulling over the events of the previous day. Tony hadn't left Gibbs' side for one minute since the shooting, accompanying the older man to the hospital once the CIA had arrived to remove their dead agents while Kate stayed to deal with the other Agency.
As Kate sat there she reflected on what she knew about both men. Gibbs, thrice married, thrice divorced, no children. DiNozzo, mother dead, packed off to boarding school and disinherited by his father aged twelve. All of a sudden something clicked into place. She knew Tony had issues with authority figures and had moved around from one job to another until he came to NCIS, never seeming to settle or stay anywhere more than eighteen months to two years and yet after over two years at NCIS he showed no sign of moving on and that, coupled with his attention seeking behavior and the constant need for approval from the senior agent, was what convinced Kate that she might finally be on the right track.
Despite the gruff exterior Gibbs was a protector, he cared about people and Kate knew that he was very perceptive. She guessed that somewhere along the line the former gunnery sergeant had realized the youngest agent's need for steady authority figure and mentor in his life.
She looked at her two coworkers who were sitting across from her. Gibbs had fallen asleep within half an hour of the plane taking off and Tony had soon followed him into slumber, his head immediately dropping onto the older man's shoulder as he dozed and both men were now sleeping peacefully, completely relaxed despite their close proximity. Kate had no doubt that even injured and exhausted Gibbs' Marine training would have brought him wide awake and reaching for his gun had it been anyone other than Tony.
Kate smiled as felt herself beginning to doze; maybe she was beginning to understand them after all.
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