TALKING TO DUCKY
By
Ashleigh Anpilova
Set after Spider And The Fly.
DiNozzo is troubled and goes to talk to Ducky.
A Ducky and DiNozzo centric gen story.
Written: September 2010. Word count: 500.
Ducky sat at his desk finishing off a report and sipping a wee dram of scotch. He glanced around as the door swished open, expecting to see Jethro. However, it wasn't Jethro.
"Anthony. I thought you had left some time ago."
Tony shrugged and wandered over to Ducky's desk. "I came back." He sat down.
"So I see." Ducky took a second glass from his desk drawer, poured some scotch and handed it to Tony. He waited in silence as Tony took a long swallow and turned the glass between his hands. "Is there something I can do for you, Tony?"
Tony shrugged. "I don't know, Ducky. Can you fix the last few months? Wipe them out?"
"Ah."
Tony drained the rest of the scotch; Ducky poured him another one. "I still don't get it, Ducky. How could he? How could Gibbs - It was murder and no one seems to care."
"I'm sure that isn't -"
"Ziva and McGee are fine about it. You, Palmer, even Vance - although you can't tell what our Director thinks. Only Abby seems bothered and that's more 'what might happen to Gibbs' than what he did. I'm the only one who seems . . ."
"Seems?"
"I don't know. I don't even know what I feel. Gibbs murdered Pedro Hernandez, Ducky. Murdered him."
Ducky sipped his own scotch and looked at Tony. "Yes. He did."
"Is that all you can say?"
"What do you want me to say, Tony?"
"Could you have done it? Could you, Ducky? Could you have deliberately, cold bloodedly - Well, could you?"
"Whether I could have done or not, is irrelevant. We are talking about Gibbs and how you feel about it. Tony, Jethro has never worn a white hat, you know that."
"Yeah, I know. But this is different. I don't know . . . Ducky, I think I hate him." Ducky continued to look at Tony. "Well, aren't you going to tell me I don't? Tell me not to be stupid? Tell me what he did was justified? Tell me -"
"Anthony, I cannot tell you how you feel. I only know how I feel. I will tell you one thing, though."
"Yeah?"
"Hatred has already destroyed two families; don't let it destroy a third."
Tony frowned. "I'm not sure I understand."
"Jethro's family was destroyed by Hernandez. Out of hatred, revenge a need to avenge, Jethro killed him. In turn Hernandez's family set out to avenge their father. Paloma is now dead, killed by her brother. Two families destroyed. But there's a third family; its members are for now intact. They're slightly shaky, uncertain, shocked, surprised, unable to completely figure out their feelings. But they are a family and they must remain a family."
Tony drained his drink. "You mean us, don’t you? You, Abby, McGee, Ziva, Palmer, Gibbs and me. We're the family, aren't we?"
Ducky put his hand over Tony's and squeezed it. "Yes, Tony. Now go home and try to sleep."
Tony stood up. "Thanks, Ducky," he said.
Ducky watched Tony leave Autopsy.
Feedback is always appreciated
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