Unchained Melody


The phone rang yet again and Tony was tempted not to answer it. He figured it would be Abby again. Kate had taken Tony at his word that he needed a few days to process after the disastrous undercover operation with Jeffery White, but Abby was determined to cheer him up.

He loved Abby. She was a sweet girl and was the little sister he'd never have. But she was a bit too naive and didn't understand that cuddling her farting hippo toy wouldn't help Tony get over the fact that he had to kill a man to save his own life.

As much as he wanted to ignore it, however, Tony knew that if he didn't answer Abby would just come over and he wasn't up to dealing with someone that perky at the moment.

"DiNozzo."

"Hey."

Tony heard a million feelings in just that one word, feelings he returned. Love, lust, loneliness, caring ... For a moment he was too choked up to say anything, but finally he found his voice. "Ian."

"I heard what happened."

Tony had never had a serious relationship with someone else in law enforcement. Dated, yes, but not a long term kind of thing. He was suddenly thankful that Ian knew and understood what he was going through, because if one more person asked him if he was okay, Tony was going to scream.

Tony let out a long breath and settled into the couch. He'd been drinking a beer and watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation while making a pot of a meat sauce for pasta. The familiar scents of garlic, basil, onions and Italian sausage filled his apartment, giving Tony a warm feeling.

But nothing made him feel better than hearing his lover's voice.

"One of these days, you're going to tell me how you know all this stuff about my work."

"How do you know it's not Kate passing along information?"

Tony snorted. "Yeah, like she'd tell you anything without getting information on what you're doing? Get real. I love Katie, but she's too curious sometimes."

"I bet she loves it when you call her Katie, too." Ian chuckled at the mental image and the sound of it went up and down Tony's spine. Damn, did he miss the man on the other end of the phone. It was like a physical ache.

Suddenly Tony wanted to talk about what happened. Just say something ... anything. If anyone could understand what he was going through, it would be Ian.

"It's not just the fact that I killed a man, I've shot someone in the line of duty before. It's different though, up close." If he closed his eyes, Tony could still smell the gunpowder and blood, and he could almost feel the spatter as he shot Jeffery to keep the man from slitting his throat. His ears still rang from the sound of firing a gun in such a small space.

The blood had been warm, and Tony's brain immediately went to the famous scene with the pig's blood in Carrie. He'd wondered if fake blood was warm too.

Tony snapped open his eyes and decided to concentrate on Chevy Chase falling off the roof of the Griswold home. Maybe after this movie he'd watch The Christmas Story.

"Tony!"

Ian's voice broke him from his thoughts and Tony sighed. "Sorry, cara mia, I was lost in thought."

Tony had been calling Ian that in his emails and on the phone. It seemed oddly appropriate. That was what Ian was rapidly becoming -- cara mia, my beloved â€" Tony's beloved.

That and Tony had as many fond memories of watching The Addams Family as a kid, along with Ozzy and Harriet and I Love Lucy. While the Addams' weren't as normal as some of the others, he always thought that Gomez and Morticia had the best tv sex life of the 60's.

Ian didn't seem mad that Tony hadn't heard him. If anything he seemed worried. "I said I'm coming home. Can you pick me up at the airport?"

Suddenly every nerve in Tony's body was on edge. It was as if his body knew that Ian would be touching him again and ached for the man. "Sure." He hoped he didn't seem too eager. "When?"

Okay, since Ian was chuckling again maybe he did but who cared? "Today. Nine tonight. Sorry it's so late but ... "

But he wanted to be there, for Tony. Tony found himself all but bouncing in place and he was able to firmly push all thoughts of Jeffery White out of his mind, at least for the moment.

"I'll be there."



~Fini~