Chapter 7 Awakenings

Disclaimer: see previous chapters.

Well, here is the end. I hope that many of you like it. I would appreciate reviews but NO flames please?? Spoilers for Aliyah, Bounce and last few episodes up to Aliyah.

He couldn't breathe. He felt as if the pressure on his lungs would cause him to burst. Tony began to thrash around when he felt two warm , strong hands on his arms.

"Relax, DiNozzo."

Tony's eyes flew open in response to the soothing voice.

"Boss?"

Gibbs smirk was barely concealed in his tone.

"Who else would it be?"

Tony blinked, slowly any faster and his stomach would surely rebel.

Gibbs hands made their way to his forehead brushing sweaty strands of brown hair out of Tony's face. Tony found himself enjoying the human contact for once since this ordeal began. It wasn't slandering or painful but rather a gesture found between a parent to a child or a father to a son. Tony knew these moments came few and far between with Gibbs and he took it when he could get it no matter what the circumstances.

Perhaps it was Gibbs' rarely seen tenderness or a silent plea heard but Tony found that for the first time in days he was relaxed and ....comfortable. Comfortable? On a concrete floor? His eyes snapped open and he tried to sit up.

"Easy, Tony. It's been a rough couple of days."

Tony took his uninjured hand and ran it over his face.

"You're telling me..." he mumbled.

Tony 's eyes took a bit of adjusting to the darkened room when his gaze fell on familiar surroundings. Still he felt the need to ask.

"Where are we?"

Gibbs looked to his left and to his right and then back at his agent.

"From the massive DVD collection in the living room, I'd say your apartment."

Tony ran a shaky palm over his suit...no wait...not suit...sweat pants and a t-shirt?

"How did we get here? "

Gibbs looked solidly at his friend.

"That must have been one hell of a nightmare, Tony."

Tony's green eyes widened.

"Nightmare?"

Gibbs nodded. "About two days ago, you were complaining of pains in your arm. Ducky checked it out...thought you might have gotten an infection of sorts. He put you on some medicine and knowing how that goes for you..." Tony blushed furiously. "and gave you a sedative to help relax you. " Gibbs paused while Tony took this all in, still obviously in shock.

"One of the side effects is vivid dreaming."

Tony swallowed. "You could say that, Boss."

Gibbs got a little bit more comfortable on the bed taking note of the silky fabric beneath his hands. He kept his eyes on his agent waiting...simply waiting.

Tony had avoided Gibbs' eyes after his comment waiting for the ridicule, the words, "be a man", anything but what he got. Tony looked up only to see soft blue eyes, full of concern and something else...understanding perhaps?

Tony decided he had gone this far.

"Eli David cap...I mean I dreamt that Eli David captured me. He held me in his interrogation room he had promised back in Tel Aviv. "

Gibbs twitched slightly. He could only imagine what David's "interrogation room" looked like. With Tony's overactive imagination, he felt his heart sink at the thought of what Tony had imagined.

"Anyway, " Tony continued picking at a loose thread watching it unravel., " He had me tied to a chair. ...tortured me....tried to break me for humiliating him during my 'visit'". He did his best to annunciate the quotation marks. "he even said Ziva was dead. I didn't believe him but a part of wonders if she's in trouble. Something didn't feel right."

Then...."

Gibbs watched Tony's moments become extremely uncomfortable and his gaze drop once again to the sheets beneath him.

"Then what, DiNozzo?"

Tony sighed. "He had you there. Vance must have told you where I'd be. It was too neat, you know? "

Gibbs thought about the last time something was too "neat." His conversation with the SecNav regarding Vance also drifted in his mind. Tony knew nothing of that yet here his unconscious mind piecing the puzzle together. Gibbs felt a moment of pride swell in his heart at Tony's investigative skills which followed him beyond the bull pen.

"That doesn't make sense does it, Gibbs? I mean, Vance helping Eli? Stupid dream." Tony watched Gibbs waiting for him to agree. Silence. Silence and Gibbs was never a good combination.

"Boss?"

Gibbs rested his weary hands on his knees and pushed himself up off the bed almost immediately followed by Tony as he met Gibbs at his window.

"You should be resting Tony."

Tony shook his head hair sticking up wildly.

"I haven't seen the sun in days, Boss. I need...."

Gibbs cocked his head at Tony and gave a curt nod. He knew about the reality of nightmares...the hold they could embrace you with for days, months....years after. He pulled back the curtain so Tony could see the street below. The noise was deafening now that Tony had opened the window a crack. He smiled, a genuine smile.

Gibbs cracked a grin as well. "Didn't believe me ?"

Tony's smile faltered at that statement as he recalled Gibbs actions in the cell. Gibbs knew something was up and gave his agent a quick pat on the behind and encouraged. "What's on your mind?"

Tony bit his lip not sure if he should even be saying this.

"I had believed that you were working with Eli. You said...horrible things and didn't try to save me."

Tony felt enormous guilt that he could dream something like that but even more that a part of him believed it was the truth.

Gibbs put the matter to rest shaking his head no firmly.

"Never happen, DiNozzo. I would never...not to protect myself."

Tony saw the light reflect on his battered arm. " Maybe not for you...." fragments of the dream floated into his vision. "Maybe you would to protect me..." Gibbs looked quizzically at Tony.

Tony continued. "I think Eli was going to harm me.... kill me even and you were trying to protect me. It just didn't feel like it at the time. Sorry Boss."

Tony's head hung and he rubbed the back of his neck in shame. Gibbs shook his head.

"Nothing to be sorry for . Given the circumstances I can see why you would think that. "

Tony agreed. "At the end though, you stood up to Eli and tried to save me...you couldn't speak about it, but you let me know...you always had my six." Tony made sure Gibbs was looking directly at him when he said it. Tony said nothing, passing the gratitude of that action through his eyes. Gibbs smiled and understood.

"Why do you think you had a dream like that?"

Tony shrugged. "Don't know. Too much caffeine maybe?" His attempt at humor fell flat when he saw the look Gibbs had in his eye.

"Not the caffeine?"

Gibbs ran his hands together. "Vance is involved in something...SecNav wouldn't go into detail."

Tony threw his good arm in the air. "I knew it!"

Gibbs arched an eyebrow.

"I mean....ah...what do we do now, Boss"

Gibbs resisted the head-slap. Tony was his own man. He was a excellent agent... an equal.

"Follow your gut."

Tony had heard similar words before in what seemed a lifetime ago. He had doubted himself after putting an innocent man in prison. With the recent dream behind him he felt a sense of rebirth in his abilities in a way...an awakening of sorts.

Follow my gut.....

"Gibbs," he said his voice and vision never wavering thinking of Eli's face at the mention of Ziva in his dream. , " I think we may have a teammate to save.."

See no TIVA:) Ziva is a part of the team so needs to be mentioned. Anyway, thoughts? Hope you all liked ! Thanks for sticking with me!