Chapter 12: A family interlude

The silence fairly crackled with mounting intensity, when Matthew, Gibbs and Tony's two cousins watched with bated breath what the outcome of the young man's plan would be - now that he seemed intent on finishing the match against his grandfather in a probably quite interesting way, given the mischievous twinkle in his green-golden eyes.

Lucas DiNozzo held himself ready in a defensive position, his wary expression indicating that he too had realized that he had been set up by his adversary. The older man was intently watching Tony's every move.

The increasing glow of Tony's powers illuminated the training area, but Gibbs' sharp eyes didn't miss the fact that only the immediate space around the young man was lit. The Senior Agent frowned thoughtfully. The warm light of Tony's magic should have illuminated more than the five-foot-radius it did. Tilting his head with a deepening frown Gibbs pondered this paradox.

But then Tony finally snapped into action once more. His magical powers seemed to have combined to his liking, because a satisfied smile flitted over his handsome features and he moved his hands apart. A medium-sized sphere appeared, hovering in mid-air, golden and crimson magics perfectly intermingled in its depth. Suddenly the sphere separated into more than a dozen smaller globes, which swirled lazily around each other in a fascinating ballet. The intricate dance of lights distracted Lucas' attention for the split second Tony needed.

In a brilliant flash of azure light a new weapon appeared in his left hand. Gibbs couldn't distinguish what kind of weapon his friend would be using next, but Tony's Dad seemed to know because he winced slightly. "The shakram, Tonio? That's way harsh", Matthew murmured more to himself than to Gibbs, Piper or Paige. Piper's eyes grew wider and she turned her focus towards her uncle. "Grandpa won't like that", she agreed to Matthew's words.

Before Paige or Gibbs could add a remark or pose a question, Tony's next action redirected their total focus on the young man. He gripped the weapon in his left hand tighter for a moment, the back of his hand showing once more an intricate rune while he whispered something under his breath. The result of Tony's whispered spell was an increasing glow of azure light around the shakram, before the magic dimmed down again. But Tony wasn't finished yet. On the contrary, he was gearing up for the last step of his little hidden strategy to beat his grandfather in their training match.

When the light around the shakram had dimmed down enough, Gibbs raised an eyebrow because now Tony held not only one but two shakrams. The young man took one of the weapons into his right hand, then murmured another spell which in turn caused the magical globes in front of him to finish their lazy dance and then half of them attach to each shakram.

And with a grin directed at his grandfather, who seemed to realize in this moment what Tony had planned and started forward with a short curse, the young Italian let his shakrams fly with a powerful move. Both weapons sliced through the air in matching graceful arcs, one to the left side of Lucas DiNozzo, the other to the right side. But they didn't attack the older man, like Tony's family and Gibbs had assumed they would. No, they disappeared into the darker parts of the training space until even the bright lights of the crimson and golden globes attached to the shakrams couldn't be distinguished anymore.

Tony's grandfather threw him a suspicious glance at this, then whirled around again at the sound of the returning shakrams. One of the weapons flew overhead the elder DiNozzo, the other now arced diagonally. Each of them seemed to have lost one of the spheres formerly attached to them - and how this had come to happen was promptly demonstrated to all those present. The shakram which followed the higher course flew into a darker patch of air and was momentarily hidden from everyone's gaze, but then a slight noise like a 'ping' could be heard and the weapon appeared once more, minus another sphere. And following a totally different course than it had before.

Gibbs frowned in slight confusion at what was happening in front of his eyes. He wasn't sure he understood the intent behind Tony's action. Besides slicing the air at an incredible speed, disappearing into the shadows of the dimly-lit training area and then reappearing minus one of the magical globes formerly attached to them, the shakrams didn't seem to have any impact on the outcome of the fight between Tony and his grandfather.

What they did, was holding Lucas DiNozzo at a careful distance from his grandson and watching the flying shakrams with an expression of narrow-eyed wariness, because every time the older man tried to move forwards more than a couple of feet in any direction, one of the weapons crossed his path and forced him to retreat again. Lucas didn't seem very happy in his enforced inactivity, looking for a way to escape. He reminded Gibbs a lot of Tony in this moment, making him smile to himself. Tony hated to be still, his energy levels too high for him to remain inactive or silent for a prolonged amount of time.

Even now when he was totally focused on the progress of his action, Tony wasn't still but in constant if little motion. When Gibbs directed his whole attention on his younger friend once more, he frowned for a moment at the way Tony from time to time waved his hands in strange patterns. Then he realized what the younger man was doing and blinked. Tony was directing the shakrams with the motions of his hands!

That was very interesting. Gibbs had assumed that Tony controlled his magic with his voice, like he did when he used parts of it with a spell whispered under his breath. But it seemed as if there were different ways to use and control magic, Gibbs mused. Another piece of the puzzle he wanted to question Tony about later.

Then Tony made a final, decisive motion with his hands and Gibbs refocused more attention on the still flying shakrams, which were now heading directly towards Tony at a very fast pace. Paige and Piper cringed when it looked like the weapons would soon hit their cousin, but Tony caught both shakrams in a skillful grip out of midair at the seemingly last second. It was soon obvious to Gibbs why Tony had called his weapons back - the magical globes which had been attached to them were all missing. Whatever part they were playing in Tony's little trap, it seemed as if this step had been taken. Gibbs wondered what would follow next.

And he - and Tony's family members as well - didn't have to wait long. Both adversaries seemed ready to finish. Lucas DiNozzo blinked once in confusion, when Tony's shakrams went back to him without having done anything of particular importance. But the elder DiNozzo was also of the suspicious kind - experience had taught him to never underestimate your opponent, even if his actions don't make any sense to you. And he knew his grandson. Tony had a clever mind, even if he sometimes hid it behind a cheerful smile. Camouflage had always been one of Tony's best tactics, even as a child.

Camouflage. Lucas' eyes grew wide when final realization set in. He stepped carefully forwards, towards the invisible line the flying shakrams hadn't let him cross before. When he was almost there, Tony's voice suddenly called out to him: "If I were you, I wouldn't go any further, Grandpapà."

"And why would that be, Tonio?", the white-haired man challenged, turning towards his grandson, who only smiled impishly in return. A smile Lucas DiNozzo knew only too well. His son had the same kind of smile, even if Tony's always held an extra amount of mischievous warmth. But coupled with the little devils Lucas knew were now dancing in his beloved grandson's eyes, it was a silent warning to be wary. Wary of whatever Tony had managed to set up around him without Lucas noticing during their fight. Growing increasingly curious what this trap entailed, Lucas sighed to himself. He knew that he could perhaps free himself of whatever Tony had trapped him in, but to do that he would have to first gain knowledge of the kind of trap it was. And that meant he would have to do this final step Tony warned him against. Which could be a bad thing if this was what his grandson needed to spring the trap. And a good thing if Tony only bluffed.

Hesitating for a moment Lucas mock-glared at his grandson, but couldn't hide his smile for long at the joyful anticipation Tony emanated waiting for him to decide on his next step. Tony clearly enjoyed the reoccurrence of their training matches. Even when he had been a small child with boundless energy and curiosity to suit five people, Tony had always loved to face off against him. To learn the complicated path of Dendeyra's Guardian, to excel in the tasks Lucas gave him - but most of all to show him in a match one-on-one that he did his best to reach the expectations of his grandfather. As if he could have done less than his best in anything he really set his mind on. Lucas had realized Tony was a force of his own when the young man had beaten him in a magical match for the first time when he had been the tender age of fourteen.

And now, Lucas sighed to himself, it seemed to be time for another match won by his grandson. Not that he minded. But he was very curious how Tony meant to win this match. Therefore he steeled himself and then made the last step towards the invisible line. The instant before Lucas crossed it, a sudden flash of bright light blinded him and he felt himself pushed back. Stumbling inelegantly because of his unexpectedly impaired eye-sight, Lucas tried to remain standing, but nearly failed. He heard exclamations of surprise from several voices, but concentrated on blinking away the flecks of light on his retinas. It needed several seconds for him to regain his vision, then he looked around in growing admiration - and astonishment.

In front of him - and when he turned on his axis to look around on the other sides as well - Lucas found strings of fiery light crossing each other to form a huge net of different magics. The strings pulsed with energy as if they were veins filled with blood. It was a mesmerizing picture. Lucas shook his head and drawled: "'Come to me, little fly', said the spider in the web."

Amused laughter greeted his words, when Tony ambled nearer. The younger man looked a bit smug at seeing the admiration in his grandfather's eyes. "Got you, Grandpapà", Tony grinned.

Lucas mock-growled: "Don't be so smug, little one. Your net might be a thing of inspiration, but if I really wanted to I could get free of it." Tony tilted his head, then replied with a shaking of his head: "Sore loser." The elder DiNozzo only just refrained from sticking out his tongue at his grandson, then told him: "Just telling you not to be so sure of your victory yet, Tonio."

In answer to that Tony crossed his arms in front of his chest and challenged: "Then show me, little fly, how to get out of my net."

The gleam in his green-golden eyes should have warned Lucas, that still not everything about Tony's trap had been revealed to him. But his own ambitions had been woken by the seemingly easy way in which Tony had been able to catch him and he wanted to show the younger man that even if it seems as if you have your opponent at your mercy, you should still be careful of him because he could surprise you with an unexpected move.

Gathering his own magic, Lucas summoned his crossbow and proceeded to place a dozen arrows against a small area in one of the higher areas of the glowing net, followed by another and then another. The elder DiNozzo had realized that Tony's shakrams had placed the dozen spheres of his magical powers at strategic places around him to catch him inside this huge net. However, what his grandson didn't seem to think of was the fact, that if Lucas took out some of these globes, the fabric of the net would weaken and give him the chance to overcome it.

But in the next moment Lucas had to react quickly, because his volley of water arrows rained back down on him with menacing power from all sides. Summoning his shield, the white-haired man ducked and rolled sideways until the shower of arrows stopped again. Moving into a crouch, Lucas tilted his head upwards and narrowed his eyes in thoughtful contemplation. This shouldn't have happened. How had Tony been able to reflect his arrows?

"Tsk, tsk, tsk", Tony's voice made itself known once more. "I see you are still trapped in my net, little fly. Want to try something else or concede defeat?" When Lucas turned his head towards his grandson, he could see green-golden eyes mocking him gently. Tony seemed amused by the white-haired man's futile little attempt to get free.

Raising from his crouch and straightening up, Lucas wrapped his battered pride around himself and stalked towards the younger man. Stopping just short of coming into contact with the glowing net holding him prisoner, he demanded: "How did you reflect my arrows? That shouldn't have been possible...I should have taken some of your spheres out with my water magic!" Confusion and a bit of indignation at having been defeated were clearly distinguishable in Lucas' words.

Tony grinned and asked: "You admit defeat?" Lucas hesitated shortly, but he couldn't come up with an explanation to what had happened. Therefore he shook his head and nodded at his grandson: "I concede defeat. You have won, Tonio."

When Tony's face lit up in grateful happiness after his grandfather's admission, the older man demanded: "And now explain your trap to me...and let me out of it!" Once more Tony gave his amusement free reign at hearing his grandfather's demand. Warm laughter filled the air, but Tony followed the first part of Lucas' wish at the same time. After a mock bow towards the elder DiNozzo, Tony executed a complicated looking gesture with his hands and stepped back a pace. At first nothing seemed to happen, but then not only Gibbs realized that the training area grew brighter. The shadows receded bit by bit until only the areas where no wall-lights were hanging remained shrouded in darkness. The Special Agent raised an eyebrow in silent recognition when he saw one of Tony's magical companions coming towards the young man mere seconds later.

"Ombra was part of Tony's plan?" Paige's voice was part realization, part question.

"And a large part of it, as it seems", Gibbs remarked, pointing upwards in explanation when three questioning gazes focused on him after his words. Matthew, Piper and Paige followed the direction his arm was pointing at with their eyes - and took in the until now hidden part of Tony's trap. Gleaming Mirrors.

Lucas had also let his gaze roam around the slowly brightening room, finally coming to rest on Ombra, as the sleek panther appeared next to Tony. The Spirit of Twilight growled appreciatively, when Tony kneeled next to his magical friend and caressed the black fur lovingly. #Thank you, Ombra. You have hidden the mirrors very well from Grandpapà.#

#There is no thanks needed, young friend. To see this surprised expression on your grandfather's face is compensation enough.# Ombra's humorous remark gained him a mental smile. #You are evil sometimes, Ombra.#

#No, I am not#, the spirit disagreed with a gentle snort at Tony's mock-accusation. #I just enjoy to see you surprising him. But even if your plan was without fail this time, please take his words to heart...sometimes even the best plan can take an unsuspected turn if you aren't careful. Your grandfather is a wise man.#

#I know, Ombra. And you know that I always listen to him, even if he is just growling because he lost.#, Tony reassured his magical friend. The panther nodded his large head, nuzzling it against Tony's hand to indicate he liked to get petted a bit longer. The young man saw no reason not to indulge his friend, sitting down next to the spirit while he watched his grandfather taking in the rest of the now totally revealed trap.

Lucas tilted his head back to look up to where he had earlier directed his water arrows...and nodded to himself in recognition why his plan had failed. Mirrors. A really ingenious idea to set up a couple of mirrors, hidden by shadow magic. Turning his gaze back to the glowing net, Lucas inspected it more precisely. And couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprised admiration, when the last puzzle piece finally fell into place. The shakrams hadn't just placed the magical spheres somewhere up to hold the net in place - they were the net. And what Lucas had likened to pulsing blood in a metaphorical vein were the magical globes racing between the strategically placed mirrors back and forth at such an incredible speed that for the normal eye it looked like strings of light.

Lucas turned around on his axis several times to take the whole of Tony's trap in, marveling at the different kinds of magic his grandson had combined to create the 'cage'. "Sneaky, Tonio, very sneaky", he finally told the younger man, who looked up from petting Ombra at hearing Lucas' voice. "You distracted me during our fight, which", Lucas shook his head, "is a feat in itself and with Ombra's help hid your setting of the mirrors. Well done, bambino, very well done."

Tony's eyes glowed with pleased happiness at gaining such praise from his grandfather, then he turned slightly when Matthew's voice made itself known. "Tale il padre, tale il figlio", Matthew grinned at his father, coming to stand next to his son. Tony straightened at his father's words, whose eyes held a distinctly proud look, and shot the older man a conspiratorial smile, switching to an outright grin when Lucas grumbled: "Don't take credit for his well-planned strategy, Matteo."

Father and son shared another look and grin, their similarities not only in appearance but also in behavior startlingly apparent in this moment. For Gibbs it showed a very good possibility how Tony would look like in thirty years. And, the silver-haired agent added mentally looking at Lucas DiNozzo, perhaps in fifty years.

Paige had kneeled down next to Ombra and carefully petted the feline, who purred contentedly under her caress. "You were soooo cool, Tony!", she exclaimed. "Awesome fighting! And you even tricked Grandpa! I wish Phoebe could have been here to see it!"

The exuberance of the youngest Halliwell-sister at what Tony had managed to accomplish in the training match let the young Italian smile softly in gratitude at his cousin. "You will tell her about it", Tony said to Paige who nodded eagerly, but then wanted to know: "Who taught you such cool strategies, Tony? You were always two steps ahead of Grandpa Lucas during the fight."

Lucas DiNozzo growled under his breath at hearing that comment, but fixed his gaze on Tony and agreed: "As much as I don't like to admit it, Paige is right. You had to have planned the outcome of our match almost from the beginning, Tonio. And even if you have always been good at planning and strategy, that was a bit too cunning for the grandson I knew."

Tony actually blushed in response. As much as he enjoyed the praise of his family, he didn't think he had changed that much over the years. But then he thought back and came to the conclusion, that since working at NCIS - working with Gibbs - he had changed more than he realized. And it seemed as if it showed at the most opportune situations.

"It's one of Gibbs' rules", Tony finally answered his family. He didn't see the slightly startled look on the face of the man he had just mentioned, which changed to pleased realization a second later. A small smile lingered around Gibbs' lips when he silently moved until he stood behind the younger man. And when Paige, who hadn't seen him coming up, asked: "What rule do you mean?", the silver-haired agent answered: "Always think ahead."

Tony winced at suddenly hearing his Boss' voice, his adrenalin still high after the training match. He just barely managed from jumping up and whirling around. Instead he calmed himself, inwardly surprised that he was even surprised at the timely appearance of the older NCIS Agent. By now he really should be familiar with Gibbs' stealth-like arrivals.

Tipping his head backwards from his sitting position, he smiled up at his superior and drawled lazily: "Why Gibbs, how nice of you to show up. The day won't be a successful one if you don't manage to nearly give me a heart-attack."

Gibbs' lips twitched faintly and he gave the younger man a gentle head-slap. "It's not my fault, if you only remember two of my rules and not the rest of it." Tony rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Forgive me if I didn't expect you to show up here and therefore tuned my 'Gibbs-radar' down. I had other things to be alert for."

"So you do remember three of my rules, DiNozzo. I'm impressed. But now you should try to follow them instead of breaking them. Otherwise I won't compliment you on your victory in the future." Accompanying Gibbs' sarcastic words were a look of faint admiration and an openly approving nod for outthinking his grandfather and tricking the older man into his well-hidden little trap. Tony's returning smile wrapped the silver-haired agent in a warm, strong hug of grateful contentment.

Raising to his feet in a fluid, graceful motion Tony turned around towards his superior. Seeing the silver-haired man standing next to his father brought a small smile to his face and, nodding at Matthew, Tony asked: "I assume I won't need to introduce you to my Dad anymore?" Gibbs shook his head and replied: "We already met."

Matthew nodded, a twinkle in his eyes that caused Tony to blink questioningly at him. When his father just smiled at him and nodded again, Gibbs could see the confusion vanish from the younger man's handsome features to be replaced with a slight flush and a look of such love in the green-golden eyes that the older NCIS Agent couldn't help but wish to be the recipient of that expression. One day he hoped that would be the case.

"Ahem. If you would be so kind, Tonio", Lucas suddenly called out to Tony and interrupted the silent conversation taking place between the young Italian and his father. Tony turned around to his grandfather who was still held captive inside the young man's magical net. Grinning devilishly Tony moved towards the other man and, reaching out, touched the glowing strings of golden and crimson light gently. A faint tone erupted as if Tony had plucked the strings of an harp, merging with others and combining to a beautiful, haunting melody.

Matthew's and Lucas' heads snapped up at the same time, startling Piper, Paige and Gibbs with their unexpected reaction. But neither man seemed to care, their gazes drawn once more to the magics Tony had used to create the trap he caught his grandfather in. While Matthews' gaze soon seemed to find what he was looking for and then rested on Tony with an unreadable expression in his dark-blue eyes, Lucas took more time to refocus on his grandson. When he did his eyes held a slightly wondering gaze. "You were always one of a kind, Tonio", he smiled kindly. "Only you would use opposite elements to create a trap...that's quite unusual, you know."

Tony just shrugged, then made a graceful hand gesture before raising his left arm in silent invitation. Seconds later Sorahl landed on Tony's outstretched arm, when the golden net began to loose its glow and slowly started to shimmer out of existence. The moment it did, a flash of fire erupted and merged into the form of Rethron, the huge firelion. And another second later Istyan and Reena completed the circle of spirits which had helped Tony in his training match against his grandfather, when the mirrors also blinked out of sight.

When the young man kneeled down to show his magical friends his gratitude for their help, Gibbs realized what Lucas had meant when he spoke about Tony using opposite elements. As far as he could gather, the mirrors were water and ice, whereas the magical spheres had contained fire and light. And all these magics had been hidden by shadows - twilight. Gibbs raised an eyebrow, because Lucas' words were right. Ice and fire or water and fire usually canceled each other, exactly like light and twilight should. But with Tony's use they helped and even strengthened each other. Gibbs smiled to himself - his younger colleague was a walking paradox. It was a part of Tony Gibbs especially loved.

Coming out of his silent musing, Gibbs realized that Tony's grandfather was walking towards him in a purposeful stride. Unconsciously straightening, his head held high the silver-haired agent reciprocated the piercing stare of the white-haired DiNozzo with a similar gaze of his own. He could feel Matthew frowning at his side, but the younger DiNozzo remained silent for the moment and obviously chose to watch what his father had to say to Tony's Boss. Lucas finally stopped in front of Gibbs and for a couple of moments just looked at him as if measuring the agent's worth. Gibbs held still and didn't blink, even if he felt like fidgeting. But he knew he couldn't give an inch during Lucas' inspection or he would never gain any esteem in the eyes of Tony's grandfather.

After an indeterminable amount of time, Gibbs thought he could detect a flicker of respect in the eyes of the older man and suppressed a sigh. This was worse than his first drill sergeant or even meeting the fathers of his ex-wives. It simply meant more because Tony was more important to him - and Tony obviously loved his father and grandfather dearly. Matthew had accepted him - now only Lucas DiNozzo had to add his opinion. And he seemed harder to convince of Gibbs' worth.

When the intensity of Lucas' stare finally lessened a bit, Gibbs relaxed the fraction of an inch. But then he stiffened again, when he unexpectedly heard a voice in his head. 'Who are you, Leroy Jethro Gibbs?'

Stumbling back in surprise, Gibbs felt an arm go around his back to help him regain his composure. Matthew glowered at his father and opened his mouth to scold him, when Tony's angry voice called out: "Lucas Anthony DiNozzo! What did you do to Gibbs?"

The young man's head had snapped around when he felt the sudden shift in the air. He hadn't taken notice of what happened behind his back, intent on thanking his spiritual companions for their help in winning his training match. But then Tony could feel sudden astonishment from Gibbs and Istyan's low growl at seeing his familiar in distress added to the young man's sense of something amiss. When he whirled around and took in the startled surprise in Gibbs' face, the confusion in Piper's and Paige's and the reproach in Matthew's eyes, Tony realized what his grandfather had done. Anger welled up in the young agent at the breach of his superior's privacy and he rounded on Lucas.

'Who gave you the right, grandfather?', Tony questioned the older man, unconsciously slipping into the silent speech his grandfather's gift allowed them to converse in. Only Matthew and Tony were able to talk with Lucas in this way, even if the eldest DiNozzo could gain access to the minds of other persons. Like he had just demonstrated with Gibbs.

'Who gave you the right to invade his mind and question him?' Tony's mental voice was harsh and demanding, matching the blazing in his green-golden eyes. Lucas tried to defend himself, a bit shocked at the barely controlled fury emanating form his grandson. He hadn't wanted to attack Gibbs, he just wanted to find out the older man's intentions. 'Tonio, please calm down. I meant him no harm, you know that. I just wanted to make sure he is good for you, try to get a feel of him in my way...'

'And who are you to decide if he's a good man or not? I have known this man for over four years now and I trust him not only with my life, but with my heart and soul as well! Gibbs is the most honorable soul I have ever met and you...you just go up to him and invade his mind like it is nothing! How could you do this, grandfather?' Now Tony's voice held more disappointment than anger, but it still leaked heavily through.

'I am sorry for my breach into his privacy. But it is the most direct way to recognize the truth for me...I don't have your gift of knowing, Tonio.'

'Then you should have trusted me and my decisions. Do you really think I would have brought not only my secret to his attention but that of my cousins as well if I didn't think him trustworthy?'

Lucas winced. Tony was right, he realized. He had acted without thinking it through before. The elder DiNozzo sighed, then mentally replied to the still accusing green-golden eyes of his grandson: 'I am at fault, I know this. And I will apologize to your friend for my uninvited trespassing into his mind. My only excuse is my concern for you, grandson. Not only your father waited impatiently for the day you would call upon us to return to you, Tonio. I can feel how much you care for this man and I wanted to make sure he deserves this love. You are very special to me, my Antonio...please forgive me.'

Tony could feel himself soften in reply to his grandfather's words and sighed. He knew Lucas would never deliberately hurt another person, he was too kind and gentle a soul for that. His unexpected invasion into Gibbs' mind had been fuelled by his desire to make sure his beloved grandson was well-cared for. Tony couldn't fault him for the intention, but for the action.

Glowering for another couple of seconds, he finally gave up on holding onto his rapidly dwindling anger. 'I love you as well, Grandpapà.' Tony smiled to himself, when he felt Lucas perk up a bit when he called him 'Grandpapà'. It was a sure sign for Tony's forgiveness and Lucas knew that. 'And I forgive you. But I can't speak for Gibbs...it is his right to be angry at you. He is a very private man and we have to respect that. Over the last days he has shown me much kindness and more open-mindedness than I ever hoped for, Grandpapà. I just hope he won't clam up now.'

'I'll try to make it right, Tonio. And if he is as honorable a man as you believe, he won't make you responsible for the rash actions of an old man.'

'I really hope so. You are a troublemaker, 'old man'.' With those silent words, Tony kissed his grandfather on the forehead before stepping away from him and towards Gibbs. The silver-haired agent had obviously regained his composure, but Tony could detect a certain wariness in the ice-blue eyes when Gibbs looked at Lucas. Instinctively occupying his usual place to the left of Gibbs, the younger agent thought he could see Gibbs' shoulders relax an inch in response to his presence. Tony remained as a silent, but supportive presence near his friend and superior, when Lucas once more came to stand in front of Gibbs.

The eldest DiNozzo wore an apologetic expression on his face and began with a rueful glance at Tony: "Special Agent Gibbs, I would like to apologize profusely for my invasion of your mind. As you could probably see, Antonio already rightfully read me the riot act for my behavior, but I'd like to tell you in person that I really meant you no harm." With a sigh Lucas continued: "I am not sure if you know about the gifts my family calls their own."

"I have seen Tony's gift in action more often than I can count", Gibbs replied in a curt manner, "and I've been told about his Dad's foresight." Lucas nodded in comprehension.

"Well, my gift is telepathy. It's a gift I have used quite often to converse with my family, especially with Antonio's delight in it when he was a child." A smile of remembrance flitted over Tony's features and his grandfather reciprocated that smile with one of his own. Then he sighed. "It is no excuse but the only reason I can give you to plead for your understanding - Tonio is very dear to my heart. He's my only grandson and after all this time without being able to be in contact with him I have acted too rash in trying to ascertain", Lucas trailed off uncertainly and Gibbs unexpectedly felt kindred to the older man. Lucas just wanted to protect his grandson.

Holding in the smile that threatened to make an appearance on his face, Gibbs finished Lucas' sentence challengingly: "...if I am worthy of being his colleague? His Boss?" Gibbs hesitated, then added: "His friend?"

A movement at his left side caused the older agent to turn his head. Looking into expressive green-golden eyes he had the answer to his questions. And suddenly Lucas' opinion didn't matter anymore. Tony found him worthy. His beautiful eyes held nothing back of the admiration, the care and the boundless loyalty and friendship the younger agent felt for Gibbs. Before he could fall into those eyes and drown happily, Lucas' voice called Gibbs back to reality.

"My grandson thinks you are more than worthy, Agent Gibbs. And I believe his opinion matters the most in this case, doesn't it?", the white-haired man unknowingly repeated Gibbs' earlier thoughts. For a moment the NCIS Agent just silently gazed at Tony's grandfather, then he sighed and consciously relaxed. "I accept your apology, Mr. DiNozzo. But I would like you to refrain from repeating it, alright?"

When Lucas nodded with relief in his eyes, Gibbs added with a substantial dose of his usual sarcasm: "I prefer talking the old-fashioned way. Not that it isn't cool, like Abby would say, to learn of magic and all those things you can do with it, but I would like to get it in smaller doses...and with a warning beforehand."

Seeing the silent gratitude in Lucas' eyes, Gibbs just nodded at him before turning towards Tony. When the young man saw the expression on Gibbs' features, he changed the topic of conversation. "Since you surely didn't come here without a reason, I presume you have found new leads in the investigation, Boss?"

The emphasis on his title garnered Tony a small smile and a decisive nod from Gibbs. "Yeah, Abby was able to dug up some interesting facts about the last robbery here in San Francisco. She said that something about it is - and I quote - 'hinky'." Tony grinned. "Well, that means we go visiting a museum. Cool, it has been a long time since I went to one concentrating on prehistory and ethnology."

Gibbs just rolled his eyes and told his fellow agent, sarcasm dripping from every word: "We won't go there to further your education, DiNozzo. It's called investigation. You remember this, right? It's what the 'I' in NCIS stands for - 'investigative'. It entails things like questioning the victims, looking for leads in our current case and..."

"Depress Fornell a little more when we solve another case he despaired on?", Tony finished his superior's monologue with an unperturbed air. Gibbs' lips twitched at the impish look in Tony's eyes and the older agent shook his head. "He should be used to that by now", he remarked dryly.

Tony smirked and turned towards his family to say good-bye for the time being. His father and grandfather had watched the bickering between the young Italian and his Boss with satisfaction, seeing how their friendship easily transpired into a successful working relationship. Like Piper and Paige before they realized the way both men's humor and strengths played off on the other's.

Matthew smiled at his son with warmth in his dark-blue eyes, then stepped towards him and kissed his forehead in a blessing. "While you are working, father and I will chat with Penny about what we missed in the last years. She can bring us up to date on the magics - and the other interesting facts - of these days."

Tony blinked at the older man, then shook his head. "And here I hoped I would see you again in the near future, Dad. There is still a lot I want to talk to you about." Matthew smiled lovingly at his only child. "You will, son. We will have a lot of time to discuss those things." A brilliant smile lit Tony's face at hearing those words and it was obvious for everyone present that he looked forward to it.

After saying good-bye to his grandfather and his cousins as well, Tony went back to Gibbs' side and the two men walked towards the exit of the training area. Piper, Paige and the two older DiNozzo's watched them go and marveled at the easy companionship they emanated. They could hear Tony telling his Boss that he at first needed to change after the exercise and saw him reaching for the older man's elbow after Gibbs' nod.

When the silver-haired agent evaded the gesture with the slightly annoyed exclamation: "Isn't there a normal way to get back to your cousin's house, DiNozzo? I have been beamed up and about enough for a day", Tony blinked at him and then turned his head back to glance at Paige.

"Spoilsport", the young agent murmured, then told his friend: "It's called orbing, Boss. And since when do you watch Star Trek?" Gibbs growled. "I really don't care right now how it's called. I would like to use 'normal' means of transportation, if you would be so kind."

Tony raised an eyebrow, once more glancing back at Paige. Then he questioned the older man: "What did you do?" "What gives you the idea that I did something?", Gibbs retorted a bit defensively. "Because I know you?", Tony deadpanned. His quip garnered him a slap to the back of his head, but also the admission: "I broke Rule Number 1."

Tony's family didn't get to know the young man's reaction to his friend's confession because the two agents had moved out of their sight by then, leaving them with smiles on their faces at the display they had witnessed. They realized that despite the cool and collected facade Tony's Boss presented his persona held some character traits which were quite similar to those of the younger agent. Like his humor and the willingness to tease and be teased back.

"They are quite a match", Matthew smiled.

"But it remains to be seen if Special Agent Gibbs will be able to be the person Antonio needs him to be", Lucas DiNozzo cautioned.

When he heard his father's words, Matthew turned to him, his smile dimming a bit when something seemed to come to his mind. "Only time will tell, father", he agreed with a quiet sigh. "But I trust my son's choice."

Lucas nodded. "As do I." The gaze the two men shared had a laden quality, causing Piper and Paige to frown in confusion at the suddenly solemn mood.

What did the men know to look so hopeful yet worried at the same time?

tbc...