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He hadn’t eaten or slept in days. Tony’s undercover assignment had gone very wrong and he was missing. Presumed dead. Most likely tortured like the three petty officers. What had he been thinking, letting Tony go undercover like that? Even if Vance made the rules, Gibbs should have vetoed it. But his gut hadn’t so much as twitched or whimpered.
They’d lost contact with him three days ago, the surveillance equipment, his phone GPS and the tracking device in his necklace and ring all going dead. Now he was at the mercy of “The Carver” a serial killer who had killed Petty Officers Martin, Yeates, and Blumenthal.
“Got anything?” Gibbs barked to McGee. The team had been working nonstop and had called in a team from the Pentagon to help. The seven agents were assisted by Ducky, Abby, and even Vance. Even now McGee sat with a laptop console bolted to the dash of the car and another one on his lap.
They were closing in on The Carver, having cracked the three aliases he operated under just twenty minutes ago. McGee was chasing downs some classified ad posting he’d made and tracking that computer IP number to this neighborhood. Gibbs couldn’t get a handle on it and wasn’t interested. He just needed results. He just needed Tony.
He’d know if Tony was gone, wouldn’t he? There would be a sense of loss like there had been when he’d lost Shannon. Tony was more than a coworker, more even than his secret lover. And he couldn’t lose him. Not and keep his soul intact.
“Got it, Boss,” McGee said, but Gibbs had thrown the brakes on and jumped out of the car. There was a slumped form…
“TONY!” He hadn’t uttered the sound but his soul was feeling it. Ziva began running toward him but Gibbs cut her off, probably causing her to trip but he didn’t care.
God, there was so much blood pooling under him! “Ziva, ambulance. McGee…” He just waved toward the small crowd gathering. How could Tony have been dumped on a street like he was trash? He tried to breathe, to assess Tony’s injuries.
“Hey, DiNozzo,” he said in a stern voice. “No lying down on the job.”
A couple of people gasped, but Gibbs tried to ignore them. “Come on, DiNozzo.”
“B-Boss?” The voice was so weak.
“Yeah, Tony. Yeah…it’s me. You’re gonna be okay now.” Tony’s hand, slippery with blood, started to rise. Gibbs pressed it down lightly with a soothing sound.”
“N-No. Not okay. Got me bad. My back.”
“Your back?” Gibbs was doing the best assessment he could. Tony had multiple slashes and stab wounds, some deep, but he’d be okay. He had to be okay. The major blood loss wasn’t from the front wounds, Gibbs realized.
“Cut me right open. Base of my neck right down,” Tony said softly. Gibbs looked at the bloodstain on the ground and he knew. He’d been pushing this away since he saw Tony, but he knew what mortal injuries looked like.
“Ah God, Tony. I…” Tears choked his voice, his hand settling on Tony’s head.
“It’s okay. You came,” Tony said simply, a shudder running through him. “Finished him, Boss. He’s in there.” Tony’s bloody hand came up and he pointed to a rundown building. “C-c-cold, Gibbs. Hold me?”
“Of course but don’t wanna hurt you, Tony…” He took off his overcoat, trying to figure out the best way to do this and not add to Tony’s pain. He finally wrapped the other man’s torso in his overcoat gently before gathering Tonyt close as tenderly as he could. Tony’s ruined back was covered by the coat and even though blood was starting to moisten the fabric, even though Gibbs had felt the jagged edges of the torn skin, Gibbs wanted to believe…
Tony sank into the embrace, burrowing close in weakened movements that broke Gibbs’ heart. “No more pain. Getting close, Gibbs.” Tony’s voice sounded so tired and Gibbs stroked his hair.
“Tell me if I’m hurting you, okay?”
“Kay, Gibbs.”
“Tony!” McGee had obviously found the body and moved the crowd back while Gibbs’ focus had been on Tony. Now, McGee looked at him in shock. “Boss…his…his back. All torn up…” The look of bleak horror in McGee’s eyes drove more emotions to the surface.
“P-probie. Damn good agent…take care. Teams gonna….need you.”
“Don’t say that!” McGee was close to tears and Gibbs cut him off with a slashing motion of his hand.
“Oh, Tony…” There was Ziva now, fists clenched, jaw steady, fire blazing in her eyes. McGee reached for her, but Ziva held herself stiffly away.
“Ziva…keep up. The movies…made you smile… Need to smile…be silly.”
“Save your energy, Tony,” she replied in a shaking voice.
“No time…left.”
“Oh, Tony…” She started to step closer and Gibbs growled low in his throat, a defensive mechanism, a primal sound of possession and protection. Ziva blinked a couple of times and then held her hands out, palms extended.
“Gibbs?” Tony sounded so little boy all of as sudden.
“Right here,” he whispered, tears burning his eyes.
“Had a good run. Seven years…together. But I…”
Gibbs swallowed hard. “Tony, you don’t have to say it. I know…I know.” He was losing control of his voice now, his eyesight blurring.
“You know?” Tony whispered, coughing weakly.
Gibbs nodded. “I love you too,” he said quietly. “You have been everything to me, Tony. Everything.” At that the first tear escaped, a strangled sob wrenching itself from his soul. “Can’t make it without my boy…”
He wasn’t doing this, crying in a filthy street and holding his best friend and lover while Tony’s life drained out of him. But he was, resting his chin on Tony’s head, hot tears pouring down his face,
“Have to. Dirtbags…to catch. Gotta live…for me. Us.” Tony shivered again. “So pretty…”
“What?” Gibbs asked quietly.
“Shannon, Kelly. Gonna take me….”
“No…” It was more a moan than a word. “God, Tony. NO!” He looked around wildly. “Leave him, God…He’s the first person I loved since you. You can’t take him…I need…I can’t make it without…”
“Jeth?” Tony whispered, dragging his attention back. Tony’s lips were getting dusky, his eyes clouding, his breathing stuttering. “Kiss…me?”
Through the sobs wrenching his soul, Gibbs pressed his mouth to Tony’s cool one. “I love you, Tony. I love you…”
He kissed Tony gently, the other man’s eyes widening for a brief second. There was a look of such joy in them, then Tony sighed into his mouth, stilling, his body relaxing in death, eyes blinking closed one last time.
Gibbs pulled his mouth away, stroking Tony’s face, his hair, bathing them both with his tears.
“Gibbs?” McGee touched his arm, but he flung it away. “Go away, McGee.”
“Boss,” McGee sounded much firmer this time.
“I said get the hell away,” Gibbs snarled, holding Tony tighter. “Leave us alone.”
“Gibbs, he’s gone,” Ziva said softly. “You have to let him go.”
“Hell I will. Never letting him go.” He rocked Tony gently, just in case a little of his soul was still inside. He owned that soul and the least he could do was love and care for it. See it through to the end.