Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to NCIS. They belong to CBS. Leah, Jack, and the dog Lincoln are my creations.

Warnings: Spoilers for anything leading up to S13, Tony/OC, mental health, depression

A/N: As promised, the Unconditionally verse is going back to the original concept. This story contains elements from an original already posted. It will deal with mental illness/depression/suicidal thoughts, so if these things trigger you, please feel free to skip over this story. It was partially inspired by a David Cook song "Heartbeat" and the TV show "A Million Little Things." Let me know what you think. Looking forward to sharing more in this verse with you.

The Other Side

Alexandria, Virginia, January, 2002

The back door slammed shut. Leroy Jethro Gibbs listened as footsteps could be heard in his kitchen above, and then as they travelled down the steps into the basement.

"You don't lock your down?" Anthony DiNozzo asked, looking mildly bewildered and amused at the same time. "Not afraid of who can walk off the street are you, Gibbs?"

"That's why I have this," Gibbs said, gesturing towards his gun nearby. "What brings you by, Tony? It's Saturday. Figured you'd be out with Wendy."

Tony shrugged his shoulders and sat down at the work bench. "She's unhappy with the move to Washington. I know she'll get over it; stress from the wedding planning doesn't help. I told her to keep it simple, but well, Wendy has never been simple. Anyways, thought you'd like to know—the FBI called me. They picked up Merchant. Found him at some bar with a fake I.D."

Gibbs licked his lips and felt some weight lift off his shoulders. One case closed. Another killer off the street. "That's good. When are they going to hand him over to us?"

"FBI promised me Monday morning."

"Monday? I hope you told them we don't wait around for them."

"Something like that. They're bringing him to NCIS now—if you're free."

The former marine tossed his sandpaper aside, finished his beer, and gestured for Tony to start back up the stairs. He didn't care that it was Saturday. If he had the chance to put Tommy Merchant in jail for his crimes, then he was going to be the man to do it. "Let's go, DiNozzo, we have a case to finish."

Behind him, Tony followed behind, years later Gibbs was going to tell the young man that he like a loyal Saint Bernard, right now the snarky detective was proving to be one of the best agents that Gibbs had trained. He'd certainly been the only one that had lasted longer than two weeks. It was a relationship that both men were going to come to cherish—and take for granted.

Nantucket, August 2016

Late summer had graced the shores of Cape Cod. Families had started to leave their vacation homes for the mainland, school would be starting soon, the few that remained on the Cape were those that were going to soak up every ray of sunshine that they could.

Anthony DiNozzo sat in the sand, khaki pants rolled up to his knees, sandals in his hand, white button down shirt blowing in the sea breeze and watched as the woman and little boy played among the shallow pools left by the tide moving out. His wife's hair had turned almost blonde in the summer sun, flowing behind her as she chased their son through the salty water. Her denim capris were getting damp and her navy-blue tank top brought out the tanned hue to her skin.

Their son, who learned how to walk over the summer, struggled to stay on his feet, determined even when he fell face first into the pool.

Leah would scoop him up and put him back on his feet and Jack would take off waddling again, trying to keep up with the family's new dog. Over the course of this summer, a summer where they had been healing, Lincoln had accidently come into their lives when he'd wandered onto their summer property. After that, there was no turning the pup into a shelter.

Soon, the family would be returning to Washington. Leah had to go back to George Washington University, and truthfully, Tony needed to get back to NCIS. However, nothing was pulling him there. He kept in touch, mostly with Tim, and things seemed to be holding together just fine without Tony. Perhaps, the agent didn't need to return to NCIS at all… Tony and Leah had discussed what he could do instead… months ago before he'd even been shot…

Carrying a soaking wet Jack, Leah made her way towards Tony in the sand, Lincoln following behind her, tail wagging. "I think it's time we headed back to the house and had dinner," his wife said.

Pulling himself to his feet, Tony brushed the sand from his backside and nodded. "Been a busy day, playing at the beach. Think you got a little color on your cheeks," he teased noticing their pink hue.

"I was too busy making sure Jack had sunscreen on, I forgot mine," Leah said with a shrug.

"Later, I'll put some aloe on it," Tony said kissing her cheek softly. "Wish this summer didn't have to end."

"But it has too," she pointed out, watching as Tony put the leash on the dog. "We need to get home."

"Ome?" Jack questioned, then grinned because he knew how excited his parents got when he said new things.

Tony smiled, sadly at him. He started working up the beach towards the road that would lead back to the house. His son had not known home, they'd moved out of their apartment, into a new house, then gone to Italy and now had been on Nantucket for the last few weeks, soaking up the summer sun. "Washington," he told the toddler, "Mama has a whole new group of college students to shape and mold and teach about the world."

Leah shifted Jack on her hip as they walked back towards their summer home. "Tony," she said, firmly, "I'm not the only one that has to return to work. You don't think it might be time for you to give NCIS a call? We've been traveling all summer and I know Director Vance worked something out with Human Resources… but we have a baby to take care of now and our savings isn't going to last forever."

His shoulders heaved with a sigh. This had been a conversation they had been having since the end of July, when they returned from a two-week trip to Italy with his father. "I haven't talked to them much; Tim and Abby email me, and Reeves sends me a note to let me know that he's keeping my desk warm. But other than that, I haven't heard a peep."

"Gibbs doesn't email," Leah reminded him. "And I'm sure they've been busy."

"Gibbs doesn't do any communication these days," Tony said. "Tim says it's like he's put up a force field."

"A what?"

"Force field—Star Trek. Can take the geek out and make him a great agent, but you can take the geek out of him."

Leah saw the obvious in front of her. Why didn't Tony? She pulled the gate to their house open and headed up the walk, lined with white daisies. "Tony…" she started to say, but was stopped by him when he placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. She then noticed the rental car in their driveway parked behind her SUV. "We weren't expecting anyone, were we?"

Tony shook his head and handed her Lincoln's leash. "Stay here. I'll go check it out," he told her. Leaving his family standing on the front walk, Tony quietly crept around towards the back porch. Nothing seemed out of place, but years of being in law enforcement had taught him that sometimes that didn't mean a damn thing. Ziva was a perfect example of someone that could slither around without disturbing anything…

"Boss?"

"DiNozzo. Sounds like you were expecting someone else."

If he was being honest, he thought for a split second he was going to find Ziva. Tony shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I wasn't expecting anyone at all. Why are you here?"

Gibbs leaned forward in the lounge chair he was sitting on. "Thought it was better if you heard the news in person than in a phone call or email."

Tony's heart slammed against his chest. Who was dead this time? Death seemed to be the only news that was passed around to him these days. "Are McGee and Ellie okay?" he asked, anxiously.

"McGee and Bishop are fine. Back in Washington working on something with Reeves," Gibbs answered.

"Ducky have another heart attack?" Tony sputtered.

"No one died, DiNozzo," Gibbs snapped. "At least not yet. Tommy Merchant was let out of prison."

Floods of memories hit Tony square on. He had been just a probie back then, working alongside Gibbs solo. There was no Kate or McGee, hell, Vivian hadn't even joined the team yet. Tommy Merchant had been a kid, seventeen, but due to the nature of his crime, he had been tried and convicted as an adult. "Let out of prison for what? Good behavior?"

Gibbs shrugged. He wasn't concerned with the why, just the what. "My guess, his mother finally got that insanity plea to stick on appeal. Sources tell me he was sent to a psychiatric facility."

Tony took the steps up the porch and leaned against the rail. "You cannot rehabilitate a sociopath, Gibbs. He'll find a way out, he'll work the system, and then what… kill some more?"

"Chance he already did. That's why I'm here. We need you on this case, DiNozzo."

"Boss, I'm flattered, but I'm not ready yet."

"Leah and the baby seem fairly adjusted. You're not?"

"No, it's… it's taking longer than I thought to wrap my brain around…everything…"

Leah suddenly peeked her head around the corner, Lincoln hiding behind her legs and Jack sleeping against her shoulder. "Are we allowed to move now?" she asked, looking at Tony with a bit of a frown. "I have a tired baby and a hungry puppy."

Tony nodded, sheepishly. He had forgotten Leah was standing out front thanks to his surprise of finding Gibbs on the porch. She climbed the stairs with Lincoln, unlocked the house and stepped inside. He listened to the dog happily barking at his wife through the screen door; Jack woke up and started to whine and then giggled, probably because the dog had leapt up and licked his face. I'm not ready yet, Tony thought again, even as he asked, "Who do you think Mercant killed?"

Gibbs glanced back at the house, wanting to know the story about the dog and how the family had come to get him, but decided it was best to just talk about the case. "Patricia Wakefield."

"His lawyer? Why is NCIS involved if this is a civilian case?"

"Working with Metro on it. There's concern he's going after the people he feels responsible for putting him in jail."

"So, that means I have a big, fat, red target mark on my back."

"Me too. As well as Ducky and Abby—their findings helped seal the deal."

Tony sat down and rubbed his hands over his face. If Merchant was targeting everyone involved with his case, that meant Leah and Jack could be in danger as well just because of their relationship to him. In the end, he was left with no choice. "Guess it doesn't matter if I'm ready, huh?" I need to keep my family safe.

Gibbs wished he didn't have to force Tony back into the office, but he did. The team needed Tony on this case and maybe, just maybe it was enough of a wakeup call for the senior field agent that he belonged at NCIS. "When we wrap this case up, if you still need some time, Vance has agreed to give it to you. We want your leave to end when you're ready Tony, not when we are."

"Leah's been after me to get back to D.C," the younger man stated.

"So I've heard," the former marine drawled.

Tony smiled, sadly. "She call you?" Gibbs nodded. Tony shook his head, gently. "Should have known. Guess I'm going home to D.C, boss." Now is as good a time as ever.