Never Take Anything for Granted

Gibbs stood looking into the open door, gun held at arms length pointing into the room. He was faintly sprayed with fresh blood, and that was the first thing that Tony noticed. The second thing that he noticed was the terrified look on his Boss' face that he found so alien.

As he quietly moved forward he still didn't look into the now silent room, and instead left his eyes fixed on the motionless man that stood before him. He placed his gun back in holster and then placed one hand on Gibbs' gun, lowering it and then taking it from his hand. He felt the warmth from the recently fired weapon under his palm and once again it made him relieved that he wasn't the one that had to shoot. He placed Gibbs' gun back in it's holster and found it bizarre that although Tony was moving around his Boss, he never once took his eyes from inside of the room.

"Ziva" Tony said in a low voice as to not startle Gibbs. She stood from her position on top of the stairs and made her way over. She had thrown herself to the floor for cover when she heard the gun shots and was practically trampled by Tony who pushed past her. The look on Gibbs' face was one that she hadn't seen before and she slinked past the pair and looked into the open door.

Ziva didn't understand Gibbs' reaction to a seemingly standard shooting. Sure, it was hard to take a life, but never hard on Gibbs. Or if it was, he had never let it get to him like this before. At least not in front of his team. As she stepped into the darkness she took a look around. More curtains disguised the room in a thick black blanket and the only thing visible was a thin patch of light that illuminated a body slumped against the back wall. Another body layed closer, but still consumed enough by the dark to remain featureless to her.

"Check the body." Gibbs' hushed voice sounded from behind her and she stepped forward to the closest body. She crouched beside him and looked at him. his head was facing the opposite direction and there was a single small hole in the back of his trench coat which was surrounded by blood. She placed three fingers on his neck and left them there for a few seconds before rising to her feet and wiping her hands. "Dead" she confirmed.

"I.D him." Gibbs mumbled before starting to adjust his jacket sleeves. Tony stood beside him and looked over at his Boss who was shifting nervously on the spot. Ziva raised a concerned brow at Gibb's strange request. Although she shouldn't move the body as it could disrupt Ducky's duty, she was more afraid of Gibbs than she was of him. She looked over at the increasingly curious DiNozzo.

"Will you please help me, Tony."

"Course. S'cuse me, Boss." Tony urged as he squeezed between Gibbs and the door frame.

Even in the dark there was something familiar about the figure that layed on the floor, and as he was rolled onto his back and his face became visible Tony and Ziva developed the same sinking feeling that Gibbs had gotten the second he saw the young man's helpless eyes looking back at him.

Ziva gasped horrified and stood up. She pressed her hand against her open mouth and sobbed. Backing up slowly she tried to collect her thoughts and work out what lay before her.

Tony knelt beside the body and placed his hand on the younger man's still-warm chest. "McGee" he whispered. He knew that he couldn't hear him, but somehow it didn't feel real until he had confirmed it. Tony pulled his hand away and clenched his fist.

Gibbs still remained at the door way. He had turned away from it and he wanted to move down the stairs but his legs wouldn't let him. He stood frozen in one stop, staring at his shaking hands. He had been so fast to pull the trigger. The frightened look in McGee's eyes as he crashed to the floor was haunting him and his breath caught in his chest as his mind replayed the image.

A few silent minutes passed as the team started to cry and attempt to decipher what they had just found.

Tony looked up at Ziva from beside McGee's body and grinned through the stream of tears. His voice was weak when he started to speak. "You know what I bet him?" He swallowed hard and shook his head but his smile remained on his face.

Ziva rolled her eyes and wiped away a tear from her cheek. She had a gut feeling that Tony would try and joke his way through yet another tragedy and she just couldn't take it any more.

The sincerity in Tony's expression and voice changed her mind when he continued. "After he shot the cop he needed someone to turn to. He ended up at my place." The tears started to fall faster from Tony's eyes and he sobbed once before rubbing his eyes on his sleeves. "I bet him after the first time that he would be back. That he wouldn't be able to resist the DiNozzo charm."

Even through Tony's childish words Ziva could see the pain in his eyes. "You two were together?"

"Nah." Tony chuckled. "He didn't want me. Wouldn't have me. We just hooked up occasionally after a hard case." Tony whispered the last of his words and started to silently sob. His chest rose fast up and down and his eyes spilled with tears. "He was my Proby. Always there." He took a deep breath and pushed himself up onto his feet. Taking one last look at McGee he carelessly laughed and smirked.

Tony confidently sidled over to Gibbs and drew his gun and badge from his belt. His eyes held a look somewhere in-between insane and defeated, and he lowered his head when his Boss tried to look into them. Gibbs' clenched jaw loosened when he realized what his Senior Agent was about to do, but he held out his hand nonetheless.

"I quit."