Halloween: 2006

"So Tony are you going to tell me why you really hate Halloween?" asked Ziva as they left the office.

"I already have Zee-va," answered Tony clearly trying to shrug her off and get into his car.

"No you told me that weird things happened on Halloween when you became a cop, I thought that would be your thing Tony, I do not believe you, you are hiding something from me," she replied.

"Well Ziva, you're the spy, you work it out," he answered somewhat irate and tried to open the door to his car, only to have Ziva lean deliberately against it closing it to.

"Come on Tony a national holiday that involves pranks and candy, why wouldn't you love it?" she pushed him.

"Because Ziva maybe I'm more mature than you credit me for," he retorted.

"Tony 364 other days of the year you torment McGee and I with childish pranks and trick the vending machine in the break room out of Candy and the one day that celebrates all of that you hate, I am not flying it," she said.

"It's buying it Ziva and that's not my problem, now will you please move," he asked her.

Not being deterred she continued to block his path to the car. Fed up with all of this he turned and made his way back into the building. She followed, sliding into the elevator just before he was able to close the doors on her and get away.

Hitting the stop button on the elevator, she tried all of her sexual charms to lure the story out of him. It wasn't working. He reached past her and started the lift going again. Ziva pouted this wasn't going to be as easy as it normally was to get a story out of Tony so there must be something more to it, something personal and that only intrigued her more.

As Tony walked back into the bullpen Tim and Abby once again both dressed in their costumes, called him over. "Hey Tony have you decided to come with us to the party, we've still got the spare costume down in Abby's lab," said Tim.

"He is sulking," interjected Ziva, not allowing Tony to answer, "I tried to ask him why he does not like this Halloween thing and he refuses to tell me."

"Look it's no-ones business but mine," shouted Tony, "just leave me alone, I don't like the stupid holiday end of."

"Don't get your panties in a bunch," Abby reacted sarcastically, "we were just asking you to join a party."

"Look I'm real sorry Abs, it's all my fault I'm not in the mood just leave me alone will you," he pleaded with her, "just go and enjoy your party and take Ziva with you, she seems to want to know about American culture all of a sudden."

"Is this to do with the Halloween when you were thirteen Tony?" asked Tim.

"Can it McFairy," warned Tony referring to the blue furry snow elf costume the junior field agent was currently wearing.

"Come on Tony, you always want to know about the times I got into trouble as a kid and how my parents dealt with it," replied Tim, "and what's wrong with Ziva knowing you got your ass whipped for ruining your dad's ski suit."

"He got his ass whipped?" asked Ziva a smug smile coming over her face, "Tell me more McGee."

"I'm warning you leave it out McGee," shouted Tony.

"But you were happy to talk about it with me in the car earlier," protested Tim.

"I was reminiscing about costumes McGee not about the spanking that went with it and it was not for public consumption," argued Tony, "just leave it out."

Not reading the real state of Tony's mood, Tim could not resist the temptation to tell both of the girls a little more of what he knew.

"His Dad made him throw all of his candy away," Tim taunted him, "even the apples too."

"McGee," yelled Tony.

"He told me he wasn't able to sit down until Christmas," Tim smiled smugly.

Suddenly without notice Tony launched at him across the bullpen. Blue fur went flying as Tony grabbed handfuls of Tims costume and grabbed frantically at him intent on beating him. Abby and Ziva desperately tried to break the two apart but to no avail.

A loud and piercing whistle caused them all to freeze. Pushing McGee away from him Tony tried to stand up and straighten his suit. McGee nursing a bloodied nose was a little slower to get to his feet and by the time he had, Gibbs was stood in front of them on their floor.

"Does one of you care to tell me what the hell is happening here?" he yelled.

Tim, Abby and Ziva all tried to talk over one another to explain. Tony stood there silent but not unnoticed by Gibbs. Eventually only Abby was left talking. "Tony just launched at McGee, Gibbs. Seems he can't take a joke."

"Is that right DiNozzo?" asked Gibbs, looking into the mans eyes that suddenly darted towards the floor to prevent Gibbs reading his soul.

"Hey look at me, I said is that right?" he repeated leaving Tony and the others in no doubt that he meant business.

"Yes Sir," answered Tony, in the tell tale way that Gibbs knew meant Tony was expecting to be in heaps of trouble with him.

"Go and wait in my car," Gibbs ordered.

"Yes Sir," Tony obeyed.

As Tony left the bullpen Gibbs turned back to the other three. "Don't think the three of you are out of trouble on this one, I don't know what provoked Tony but I will find out and then we will discuss it along with all the other things that have had me so pissed off with this case," he warned.

"Gibbs we haven't done anything wrong," protested Abby.

"Well shall we enquire why you were at a party in a cemetery that I told you to avoid because it was dangerous," he began, "or the real reason you didn't hear your cell phone perhaps?"

Then turning to McGee, "Perhaps you would like to let me know why you failed to check the crime scene for anything that might affect it's viability such that you allowed that robot thing to hoover up the empty cases from the weapon and try to wipe away the blood therefore contaminating all of the evidence."

"Or shall we start with you Miss David," he snarled, " who let the two women she was guarding who might have been potential suspects, escape from the house you were supposed to be keeping them in."

"What?" said Gibbs, "no one has anything they want to say now?"

A chorus of "No Boss," met him.

Scrubbing his hand across his tired face he wished for caffeine, but that was going to have to wait until he got Tony home and tried to sort this mess out.

"Go home all of you, I'll see you at 0630 tomorrow, get out of here," he ordered.

He didn't have to repeat himself; within seconds the floor was cleared.

Wearily he made his way down to his car. Tony sat in the front passenger seat, head slumped in defeat. Gibbs climbed in.

"Buckle up Tony," he commanded and Tony complied wordlessly.

The car ride home was quiet, neither man attempting to say anything. As they entered the familiar front door of the once family home Gibbs ordered Tony to go up to his old room.

"Go up stairs Tony, I'll bring up the first aid kit and have a look at those cuts in a moment and then we can talk," said Gibbs knowing that it was not all it seemed with his son.

"Yes Sir," simply answered Tony putting his hand to his head and for the first time realizing that he too had been bleeding and that Tim had got at a few good punches in on him as well.

Sat on his old bed, Cottontail (his old teddy bear in the form of a rabbit) still propped up on his pillows, surrounded by all of his sports trophies, pictures, and memorabilia of his youth, Tony's mind went back to that fateful Halloween of 1985.