AN: Thanks so much for the reviews everyone, they mean a lot. The situation described below involving Tony, the Police Academy and the National Guard is a situation often seen by young men and women who want to get into the Academy, but are denied for minor reasons. Plus, it's fun to make Tony competent for once.

Disclaimer- I still don't own anything.

Tony tapped his fingers nervously on the steering wheel, staring from the dog resting peacefully in the backseat to his ranch style home. "Damn irrational fears." He hissed to himself, with a self-deprecating smile. He grabbed the leash off of the passenger seat and climbed out before he rounded the car and opened the back door. "Annabelle." He called.

Elegant silver fur framed brown eyes looked up at him as she woofed softly and allowed Tony to clip on the leash, jumping out of the car with surprising ease and limping after him into the house. Tony dropped his keys in the bowl and turned on the light, though it was still early evening. Annabelle's claws clacked on the hardwood floor as he stepped back to let her explore on her own.

He'd had an extensive conversation with the adoption agency's representative as she explained how to integrate Annabelle into his daily life. Feed her at regular intervals, or leave a bowl and make sure she gets plenty of exercise to prevent weight gain. Always have fresh, cool water available for her, as well as toys and access to the fenced in backyard. Walks everyday, morning or night, his choice and plenty of bonding.

The house was dog-proofed now and he went over to the couch and watched with quiet amusement as she nosed about, sniffing around the bedroom, guest room, kitchen and dining area before she came into the living room. She looked around once before coming over to him and laying a paw on his knee, barking. "Well, what do you think, Annabelle? Do you like it here?" He asked and she barked again, jumping awkwardly up into his lap, where she curled up and he pet her softly.

They sat there for a while and Tony nearly drifted off before his phone went off and he groaned, groping for it on the coffee table, flipping it open and pressing it to his ear. "DiNozzo." He drawled. "Anthony! Where have you been? You were supposed to come and let me check your head again!" Tony smiled. Ducky had been the only one, beside Vance, who'd treated him normally yesterday. Vance had sent Tony down to the, thankfully, empty autopsy suite to have his head examined by the good doctor who, as always, regaled him with a rambling story until he'd been cleared with promise of returning the next day for a follow-up.

"Sorry about that, Ducky. I had a meeting today, so Vance let me leave early. If you want to come over in...about an hour, dinner should be ready." There was a chuckle on the other end. "I'll bring the usual. Be ready in an hour Anthony!" Tony nodded and bid him goodbye before he set the phone back on the table. "I have to go get dinner ready." He said as he tried to wriggle out from underneath Annabelle, laughing softly when she stayed firmly put.

"You're not gonna move, are ya'?

Tony looked up at the same time as Annabelle as a knock sounded at the door. He wiped his hands on the dis towel and walked down the hallway. "Who is it?" He asked, settling the towel over his shoulder. "Its me, Anthony! And Mr. Palmer as well." Tony cocked his head. While Palmer was not an unwelcome guest in his house, he couldn't figure out for the life of him why Ducky had brought him with. He opened the door and smiled.

Ducky stood there with their usual twelve pack of Pepsi, a little know vice of the good doctor's that he always brought along for dinners. Palmer stood behind him, what looked like a cake resting in his hands. "Ducky, Jimmy! Come on in." He said warmly, stepping aside so they could move through the walkway. Ducky led Jimmy into the kitchen, Tony taking the tail. "My goodness Anthony! That smells amazing." Ducky exclaimed. "Lamb Risotto, a DiNozzo favorite and Tony special." He said brightly, going to his cupboard and bringing down the makings for a third place setting, which he placed at his table.

"Not to worry. There's plenty to go around. Probably enough to feed all of NCIS a couple times." He said jokingly. He went into the kitchen again. "Make yourselves comfortable at the table guys, it'll be ready in a minute." He said, stirring the pot. He put the lid back then went to a cupboard next to the sink, pulling out a bag. He reached in and filled the measuring cup half way full. Half a cup, her second serving. He dumped the cup into the bowl near the sink and refilled the water dish before he whistled.

"Annabelle!" He called. There was the sound of a thump as she hopped to the ground and the, now familiar, odd tap-click of her claws against his wooden floors. Ducky's voice broke the warm silence of the room. "My goodness.! Anthony who is this absolutely marvelous creature?" Admiration was clear in the doctor's voice as Tony smiled and reentered his dining room. In the middle was Annabelle, patiently allowing both Ducky and Palmer to shower her in warm praise.

"That's Annabelle. I adopted her today. It's why I left early." He said, picking up the bowls from the table and heading into the kitchen and filling them with the thick Risotto he loved so. He balanced them on his arms and placed them on the table before whistling again. "Go eat Annabelle. Ducky can spoil you later, during dessert."

The three men sat back at the table, clearly pleased with the filling meal they had just eaten. Tony took a final sip of his Pepsi and turned to Palmer. "They still fumigating your house, Palmer?" The younger nodded, laughing with slight self-deprecation. "I knew I should have taken my neighbor's recommendation. These guys don't know what they're going, so Dr. Mallard is letting me stay with him until they finish." Tony nodded and stood.

Annabelle, who was laying under the connecting arch of the dining room and living room, looked up, her tail thumping softly on the ground in her own contentment. He deposited the dishes in the sink and looked up as Ducky cleared his throat pointedly. Tony smiled and nodded. "Palmer. Why don't you grab a couple of Annabelle's toys and go play in the backyard? Ducky's going to check my head quickly and then we'll bring out coffee and dessert." Palmer looked up and nodded, smiling.

Then he looked around confusedly. He had no idea where the toys were. "In the living room. There's a toy box by the TV." Palmer nodded and went into the living room. There was the sound of things moving about, a series of loud annoying squeaks and then a shout of triumph and a bark of happiness. Palmer returned, Annabelle hot on his heels, holding a ball, a pullrope and a plush rabbit. He and Annabelle went through the backdoor in the kitchen to the yard, leaving Ducky and Tony alone in the kitchen.

Tony finished filling the sink with hot water and slipped the dinner dishes into it. Risotto stuck to everything unless it was allowed to soak for a while before washing. He started the coffee and then followed Ducky into the brighter light of the dining room. He wordlessly pulled a penlight from his pocket and flashed it in front of Tony's eyes a few times before he spoke. "Director Vance spoke to me today, about the team." He said. Tony flinched and groaned, not wanting to start this argument again. "Ducky, they're just stressed is all. I'm sure they'll get better." He said.

Ducky snorted, an odd sound form the good doctor. "Honestly, Anthony! How many times have you told me this. I myself am getting quite irritated with the way they use you for a scapegoat. Director Vance is thinking about transferring you soon if this doesn't improve." Tony's blood ran cold, even as Ducky checked his reflexes. "Agent Afloat?" He asked breathlessly. Ducky looked up at him and smiled reassuringly.

"Heavens no! Not after last time. No, he agrees its about time to put your leadership skills to work. If it doesn't improve or if you still feel you want to do it, he's thinking about putting you on the NCIS Anti-Terrorist Task Force and have you lead a team." Tony blinked dumbly. Getting assigned to ATTF was a big deal and would be a huge boost to his career. "Ducky, don't those agents get shipped out to the Middle East? And don't they usually have military training?" Ducky nodded.

"Vance believes that, after all these years working for us and, considering your reservist status with the National Guard, you have what it takes to lead a team out there." Tony blinked. "How do you know about my reservist status?" Many years back, Tony had been turned away from the Police Academy because of his frat-boy track record, which had a few complaints and misdemeanors against him on it. The officer in charge of applications told him if he could make a year in a branch of the military, they'd accept him. Tony had chosen the National Guard simply because he could see himself helping people, not shooting and killing them. After two years of honorable service, Tony had reapplied to the academy on his twenty-first birthday and had been accepted, putting him on reservist status until his unit was called, which had yet to happen.

"Why, it's in your file Anthony! Two years honorable service plus the fact you've remained a reservist for nearly twelve years. I'm surprised Gibbs and the others don't know." Tony shrugged helplessly. It wasn't something he broadcasted. "Alright. You're clear. Now what say you we join Mister Palmer and Annabelle in the backyard for some much deserved cake?"

Timothy McGee cursed softly again, irately shutting his laptop and standing quickly, moving into the kitchen with intent of coffee in mind. He was becoming nearly as bad as Gibbs, drinking multiple cups a day. His mind was still reeling from the lecture they'd received from the Director earlier in the squadroom. He hadn't really realized how badly they'd been treating Tony lately. His stomach rolled when he realized it was because it was the norm to treat Tony like a hapless puppy who couldn't do anything right and had too much energy to spare.

Really, that wasn't a fair assessment though. Tony, for all of his foibles, had done a great job when Gibbs had quit, no matter what he or Ziva might say. He was a good investigator with good skills in processing crime scenes, handling suspects and victims and office politics. And they still treated him horribly! McGee sighed and, instead of pouring his milky sweet coffee into a cup, he poured it into a travel thermos and grabbed his keys. He needed to talk to Tony. He needed to explain himself and try to apologize. He drove in silence, no radio, which he usually had blasting, with the windows up to block the fall chill.

While he knew where Tony lived, he'd never actually been to the other agent's house, so when he drove down the street he did so slowly, checking numbers as he went by. Finally, he stopped in front of a warm looking ranch house. "603 South Park Street. This is it." He breathed, looking at the house closer. There were cars parked in the driveway. One was Tony's black sedan, one that he recognized as Ducky's car and another he thought to be Jimmy Palmer's. The sound of laughter and barking filtered out into the quiet street from the back yard.

McGee was about to exit the car when he watched the door of a neighbor's house swing open and two young children, no older than eight years each and twin girls, came bouncing out, an older man, who McGee presumed to be the father behind them, carrying a platter. The kids knocked loudly on the door and their voice reached him easily from his place across the street. "Mr. DiNozzo! Open the door!" McGee could see shadows moving behind the curtains before the door opened and Tony stepped onto the small porch, the most beautiful dog in the world by his side. "Clara and Sara! What are my two favorite girls in the world doing here? I thought I was taking you to the park tomorrow?" He said playfully, giving each girl a hug and then watching in amusement as they were instantly distracted.

"You got a dog Mr. DiNozzo! She's so pretty!" Tony chuckled and smiled. "That the dog you've been going on and on about, Tony?" The man asked, smirking when Tony blushed softly and nodded. "She's amazing, isn't she Lincoln? Her name's Annabelle, and she'll be joining us for our trip to the park tomorrow." Thee girls screamed in delight. Finally, one of the girls looked up and beamed brightly. "We brought you cookies, Mr. DiNozzo! Clara and I made them all by ourselves." McGee watched as the man, Lincoln, cleared his throat. "Oh, and daddy helped too, I guess." Tony and Lincoln burst out laughing.

"The girls' class had a guest speaker today. She was a baker. The girls came home and asked if we could and I figured why not? I also wanted to thank you for taking them tomorrow." Tony smiled gently and took the platter. "Not a problem Lincoln. You know I love babysitting them." Lincoln nodded and then stepped back a little. "Alright girls. We best let Mr. DiNozzo get back to his dinner guests. Say goodbye, because the sooner you're in bed, the sooner you can wake up and run Mr. DiNozzo ragged at the park." The girls hugged both Tony and Annabelle before turning and following their dad, who shouted a "Goodnight!" over his shoulder before he left.

Annabelle followed them into the yard. She was about to turn around when her eyes alighted on his vehicle and she growled softly. Tony came back from setting the tray down somewhere, having noticed she wasn't at his side like she usually was. He stepped into the front yard after her, sandle covered feet, crackling against the fallen leaves. "Annabelle? Why are you growling like that?" He asked softly, looking up where she was.

He looked straight at McGee, who's stomach did a nasty flip as, in the dying evening light, he watched Tony's face contort in hurt and betrayal, heard the soft hitch in his breathing. He grabbed Annabelle's collar and gently led her back inside and shut the door.

McGee felt the distinct urge to throw himself off a cliff at that point.