Chapter One: Reacquiring Andy

Gibbs stepped through the elevator doors, coffee in hand, and headed for his desk. “Uh, Good Morning, Boss,” McGee managed before he was cut off. “Where is Dinozzo?” Gibbs asked, temper rising as he starred at the empty desk. McGee looked pleadingly at Ziva for help, who quickly jumped up from her desk to address Gibbs’ question, “He called in and said he was stuck in traffic Gibbs, he will be here shortly.” Gibbs slammed his coffee down on his desk, “Why is it that everyone else can manage to be on time?!”

“Sorry I’m late, Boss,” Tony yelled as he hurried from the elevator to his desk, fumbling with his things. “There was an accident on the highway and-” he began with his casual chuckle and trademarked Dinozzo grin before Gibbs’ voice drowned his out.

“Dinozzo!”

“Yeah, Boss.”

“Start being on time or don’t bother coming in at all!”

“Sorry, Boss.”

“Now what do we have?”

McGee looked at Gibbs, mouth agape for a second before he spoke, “Uh, nothing, Boss.”

“But,” Ziva said, picking up some things from her desk, “we do have mail.” She walked over to Tony and handed him three envelopes, two of which he tossed aside, dubbing them unimportant and inspected the third. Ziva passed some envelopes to McGee and a package to Gibbs. “Whoa! No return address,” Tony exclaimed.

“Which girl is it this time?” Ziva asked sarcastically.

“Dunno,” Tony retorted in a slightly cocky tone, “Could be Tiffany, Victoria, Ashley…” He trailed off as he unfolded the paper. Gibbs sat at his desk, ignoring the box so he could drink his coffee, momentarily perplexed. He let curiosity get the best of him and started to open the small box.

“Tony, not every letter you get is from a girl and most of the girls you date probably don’t know how to write anyhow,” Ziva snapped back.

Tony carefully opened the piece of paper and began to read it without answering, a large grin on his face.

Andy,
Remember me? You were so good at baseball when you were younger. I figured Agent Gibbs and the rest of your friends at NCIS should see just how good so I sent a little gift. See you soon.
-Coach

Tony’s face flushed and the hair on the back of his neck stood up as the words sunk in. He looked frantically over at Gibbs who was already opening the box and panicked. What was he supposed to do, if he caused a scene they would all get suspicious. Gibbs pulled a small disk case out of the package and examined it curiously. “No label,” he said and threw the case over to McGee, “Bring it up on the plasma, McGee.”

“Sure thing, Boss,” McGee replied and popped the disk into his computer. Tony watched Ziva wander over to the screen and hesitantly followed. He thought of running out the building right now. Claim illness and just run but instead he stood there frozen next to his colleagues as the video finally started.

The team watched on as a young boy in a baseball uniform walked into view of the camera and sat down on a coach smiling and tossing his hat and cleats aside. An older man walked over to him and ruffled his hair, “Good job today, Andy.” The kid looked up at the man with a huge grin and said, “Thanks Coach!” His voice full of youth and innocence.

“What the hell is this?” Gibbs’ asked frustrated.

“Uh, dunno Boss. Want me to fast forward?”

Tony stayed silent as Gibbs’ nodded his approval at McGee.

The man left the screen and reentered moments later, sitting awkwardly close to the kid. “This isn’t going where I think it is, I hope,” Ziva commented, eyes wide. The team watched as the man rolled on top of the boy and kissed him. “Coach, what are you?! No, Stop! Coach Stop!!” He held the boy, Andy, down as he ripped off both their clothes. “Andy, stop fighting it. You’re not going to stop me. Shhhh.” Andy fought back vigorously but was overcome by his Coach’s superior strength and size.

“He can’t be more than thirteen,” Ziva said with sadness in her voice.
“Turn it off,” Gibbs roared when he saw tears stream from Andy’s face. “But Boss,” McGee started, “There’s still four hours of footage.” Gibbs’ scowl was shot directly at the screen, “Turn it off. I’ll go over the rest of it myself.” McGee hit a button and the horrific scenes stopped. Tony was still silent, unmoving.

“Gibbs, there’s no military personnel in this video, shouldn’t we hand it over to the proper agency?” Ziva questioned, already knowing the answer. A flicker of hope ran through Dinozzo, maybe they wouldn’t have to know. Just maybe for once Gibbs would let this one go, although he knew that would never happen. “No Ziva,” Gibbs replied softly, “I’ve got this one. It was sent to me.” Tony’s heart sank with these words.

“McGee.”

“I’ll get started in facial recognition on the man and the boy.”

“Ziva.”

“Get the packaging to Abby so she can check for prints.”

“Tony,” but he stood unmoving. “Tony!”

“Yeah, Boss.”

“Find out where the package came from.”

“On it Boss.” Tony turned away with not another word. “This can’t be happening,” he thought. He felt his stomach cringe as he imagined Gibbs watching the video. At least no one had recognized him immediately. Good thing he had changed his nickname since then. The bad news was he knew Gibbs would find out. Gibbs always finds out.

The day dragged on, McGee running facial recognition, Ziva and Abby not getting any prints from the package and Tony sat around like he was doing things and running up no leads. Needless to say, Gibbs was not pleased. Gibbs had noticed that Tony had been off today and when Tony stood from his desk at 7:00pm, he decided to address the issue.

“You alright Dinozzo?”

“Yeah Boss, just not feelin’ so hot. I’m gonna call it a night.” With that he stood from his desk, gathered a few things and headed toward the elevator. Tony kept his eyes focused on the ground as he walked. He wanted to avoid contact with anyone. His finger hit the elevator button which lit up. He caught Gibbs in his peripheral vision getting up from his desk.
Tony knew he was coming this way. Gibbs would get to the elevator just before the doors closed, hop inside and hit the emergency stop switch. Thus leaving Gibbs and Tony alone on the elevator where they could not be disturbed. Then it would be time for interrogation which Tony was not in the mood for so he walked a few feet to his side and entered the stairwell. He took the steps two at a time in order to get a good lead on Gibbs and was out the door and in his car in seconds.

Tony quickly got into his car and started the ignition. His slightly panicked state made it easier for him to back out of his parking spot and on his way.

Tony looked in his rear view mirror and saw Gibbs standing in the lot. His eyes wandered back to the road, he didn’t want to exist right now. At least not in Gibbs’ eyes. Not as Andy.

Gibbs went back into the building and right to his desk. He popped the disk into his computer and sat down. He had to figure out what was going on and now. It somehow involved Tony and he was going to find out how.

“McGee! Anything?” He had to know what was affecting his favorite senior field agent.

“No, Boss, but the search should be done in about an hour.”

“Ziva, go see Abby. I want her to go over the package again for anything. Come to me if you get anything.”

“Gibbs, she went over that thing three times and got nothing. Nothing is going to change.” Ziva said. Her witty retort earned her a trademarked Gibbs stare which held the message “Just do it!”

“Got it, Boss.”

Gibbs sat down and began to watch the video in fast forward, only looking for important information. He didn’t have the time to go through all of the footage. Neither did he wish to.

Back at Tony’s apartment, he had just entered the room and thrown his gear to the floor. He immediately dropped to his knees and took some deep breaths. The day had taken a lot out of him. He was just glad to be home. Panic filled him when he felt a hand on the back of his neck. Every muscle in his body tensed.

“Andy, I told you I’d see you soon.” Tony tried to stand but a blow hit him across the back of the head and another came to his stomach, knocking the wind clear out him. He lay sprawled on the floor gasping for air and wishing he were dreaming. “It’s been too, too long Andy. We need to catch up.”

The man knelt down and took off Tony’s coat. Tony tried to swing around but his wrist was caught. “If you fight back Andy, I will hurt your precious Gibbs. You don’t want that, Andy.” Tony rested his forehead on the floor and waited for what he knew was coming. He tried his best not to cry.

Fingers brushed against his skin as his clothes were taken away from him. He cringed at the touch but made no action to move. “Good obedient boy, Andy. Turn over onto your back.” Tony rolled over and saw his Coach, naked and with a dangerous hunger in his eyes. He clenched his eyes shut. It will all be over soon.

The first entry into his tight body was the worst. Tony whimpered and tried to struggle away when three blows came to his face. “Stay still.” And then his Coach began to move, hard and fast. More than Tony could take. Blood and sweat trickled down his face and stung his eyes. Tony dare not open them because he knew what he would see, and he didn’t want to see that.

Tony was trying his best to block out all that was happening when a hand firmly grasped his cock and began to stroke. “NO! Stop please NO! NOnononono…” Tony trailed off into tears as he involuntarily became hard. He didn’t want this; he would not give into this. Unfortunately for Tony, he was young and in top physical condition. He could not run from his body’s reactions for very long. After a few seconds, he came on his stomach. He rolled to the side and threw up, disgusted with the act and feeling betrayed by his own body.

Gibbs was nearing the end of the tape. He had deduced that this indecency had gone on for years because the boy was the same every time but he was different ages. Gibbs’ face riddled with surprise when he saw something that he hadn’t noticed before. He paused the tape and felt sick to his stomach. It was Dinozzo. Andy is Tony. How had he missed this earlier?
“Boss, the facial recognition is done.” McGee said when he heard a ding from his computer. “Let me just pull up the information for you. Oh my God, it’s-“

“Tony.”

McGee looked at Gibbs who was already gathering his badge and gun. “Where is he?” Ziva asked.

“Home. And that’s where I’m going. Alone,” Gibbs’ growled as he practically sprinted out of the squad room and down to the car. He shoved the keys into the ignition and sped off.

“On your knees, I’ll give you something to wash that bad taste out of your mouth.” Tony knelt up, still coughing. He made the mistake of turning his face away when he was supposed to open his mouth. He paid for it with two kicks to the stomach and a tight grip on his jaw threatening him against a similar action. He submissively opened his mouth and was immediately intruded.

Suddenly a knock came at the door, “Dinozzo, are you in there?”
“Tell him you want him to go away, Andy.” There was a gun in his hand. Where had Coach gotten a gun? It was Tony’s service revolver. This isn’t going to happen.

Gibbs heard that. His eyes were bad not his ears. No they were just fine. And Tony would never talk like that. He was not alone.

“Gibbs, go away.”

“Wise decision Andy.” The gun was lowered. And a hand ruffled his hair then gripped and pulled. “Now, where were we?” He was back inside Tony’s mouth when Gibbs burst through the door and pointed his gun right at the man. He took in the sight of Dinozzo who tried to hide his face, embarrassed that Gibbs was seeing him so vulnerable. The man laughed and gripped Tony’s hair with his spare hand, “Who said you could stop?”
“I did.” Gibbs hissed.

The man shoved back at Tony and Gibbs put two bullets through his chest. A body dropped to the floor and Tony looked blankly at Gibbs for a brief moment, “Boss….” before he lost consciousness.

Gibbs called the team, requesting them at Tony’s apartment. Gibbs picked Tony up and carried him to his bedroom and lay him down. He wasn’t going to let the others see him like this. He brushed the hair out of Tony’s face, “Why didn’t you tell me Tony? Why didn’t you let me protect you?” He covered Tony with the blankets and waited for his team.

After he was sure Dinozzo was settled, he made his way back into the living room and looked at the body. He was happy that this waste of a human life was dead. Then something sparked in his memory. There had to be a video camera hidden somewhere. There were all the other times.

He scoured the room until he caught sight of a tiny red light and walked over. Sure enough it was a camera. He hit the stop button and retrieved the tape. No one but him had to see this. For Tony’s sake. He pocketed the tape just in time as the team came rushing in.

“Ziva, McGee document the body and get all the evidence we need.”

“Yeah Boss.”

“Palmer, help them with the body.”

“Uh, sure, Sir.”

“Where is young Dinozzo, Gibbs?” Ducky looked worried, just as worried as everyone else standing cluttered around. They all perked up when they heard the question, stopping everything they were doing.

“He is in here Ducky,” Gibbs said, guiding him to the bedroom,”He is alive but I want you to look over him.”

“Of course.”

To Be Continued.....

Chapter 2: Aftermath

Ducky hurried into the room to find Tony lying unconscious on his bed, blood all over his body and the sheets. “Oh my dear boy, what has he done to you?”

“Duck, is he gonna be okay?”

“Give me a minute Jethro, I won’t know until I examine him.” Ducky walked over to the bedside and set down his bag. He pulled the sheets down so that Tony’s body was exposed and surveyed the external damages. “All of these cuts and bruises should heal, nothing is too deep. No stitches are necessary. Although, his nose may be broken.” Ducky placed his hand on Tony’s abdomen and pressed slightly to check for internal damage. Tony began to stir and groaned when he started to come back to consciousness. “Oh dear,” Ducky whispered.

Tony’s eyes weren’t open yet but he felt hands on him and the last place he remembered being and yelled out, “No!” Before he began to cry, “no… no… no…” Ducky pulled his hands away immediately and looked over at Gibbs.

Gibbs had already started moving to Tony’s side when he first yelled. He sat on the edge of the bed and reached out for Tony before taking his hand back, thinking it was better not to touch him any more than was necessary right now. “Dinozzo,” Gibbs started, “It’s me. It’s Gibbs. It’s only me and Ducky. Its okay Tony, open your eyes, your safe now I promise. I promise.”

Tony slowly opened his eyes to see Gibbs sitting next to him and Ducky standing on his right. He calmed down a little bit and tried to sit up. “How do you feel Anthony?” Ducky asked when Tony failed to sit up and instead fell back down.

“It hurts Ducky.” Tony placed his hand around to his back and drew it back covered in blood.

“Oh dear, you must have a tear. Anthony, I need you to do something for me. I need you to roll over so that I can make sure that the bleeding will stop.”

Tony, humiliated and ashamed at everything that was happening, rolled over onto his stomach and shoved his face into a pillow. Ducky put on a pair of rubber gloves and got out some kind of medical tool that Tony did not want to turn around and see out of his bag. “Alright dear boy, this may hurt a bit but it is necessary. Try to stay as still as possible, it won’t take long at all, I promise.”

Gibbs still sat on the edge of the bed. He was speechless. He wondered if this was truly happening and felt sorrow for Tony. He had worked with Tony for a long time and was very fond of him. It was hard to see him hurt like this and know there was no way to help.

“Are you ready Anthony?” Ducky asked. Tony nodded a small yes and grasped the bed. Flashbacks started as soon as he felt Ducky behind him. When Ducky slowly shoved the instrument into him he whimpered and grabbed Gibbs’ hand tightly. Tony turned his head on the side and clenched his eyes shut. “It hurts Boss.”

Gibbs felt tears well in his eyes but he fought them back, he had a lot of experience in fighting back tears. He just held Tony’s hand tight until Ducky finished and announced that it was a minor tear and would just need some antibiotic ointment to heal properly. No hospital visit necessary.

Tony curled up in the bed, and tried not to cry. He hated that Gibbs was seeing him this way. He wanted Gibbs to think he was strong but right now he appeared to be weak.

Ducky covered Tony back up with sheets and exited the room to attend the corpse on the gurney, ready for the morgue. He rejoined the others who berated him with questions, asking if Tony was okay. He just nodded and kept quiet about it. The whole team seemed worried about their senior field agent, their friend, but Ducky knew this was private.

Gibbs sat in the room with Tony in silence for what felt like an eternity before Gibbs broke the silence. “I’m going to have to get a detailed description of what happened from you. It doesn’t need to be now.”

Tony lay wide eyed, starring into the abyss. His eyes seemed glassed over. Gibbs decided that Tony could not be left this way. He knew exactly where his agents mind was and that is dangerous territory. “Dinozzo, either I am sleeping on your couch tonight or you are staying in my spare room. I’m not leaving you alone. This is not open for discussion.”

“I’ll pack some things.”

“I’ll wait in the living room until you are ready to go.”

Gibbs left the room and dismissed the team back to the office to go over all the evidence and told them that he would be taking care of Tony for the time being. “Call me if you get anything.”
After they were gone he walked around the room, surveying the surroundings. He had never been in Tony’s apartment before, sure he had dropped him off but he always dropped him outside and left. The place was very clean, very plain, unlike Dinozzo. Tony Dinozzo was anything but plain. At least in Gibbs’ eyes. He was a wonderful agent and friend.

After a good amount of minutes of waiting, Tony exited his bedroom dressed in sweats and held a small duffle bag. “Can I shower when I get to your house?” He never made eye contact with Gibbs, his eyes stayed locked on the floor.

“Yeah. Yeah Dinozzo that’s fine.”

Gibbs opened the door and waited for Tony to walk through. When Tony took a step forward he stumbled and began to fall. Gibbs lunged forward and grabbed Tony, hoisting him back to his feet. He gently took away the duffle bag and put Tony’s arm over his shoulder. “Lean on me, Dinozzo.”

Tony was embarrassed that he couldn’t even walk on his own. His face turned beat red and he apologized, “I’m sorry Boss. I’ll be stronger soon, then you won’t have to do this.”


“Don’t apologize; it’s a sign of weakness.” Gibbs started moving them both forward and shut the door behind them. Soon they would be back at his house where he could properly care for Dinozzo. “You are not weak Dinozzo, you are strong and I will do this as long as I have to to make sure you are.”

Gibbs placed Dinozzo in the passenger seat of his car and closed the door. He had noticed that Tony had refused to make eye contact with him since this had all began. He had looked into Ducky’s eyes though, why was he any different? Gibbs pushed the thought aside and walked around the car. He opened the car door and threw the duffle into the back before hopping into the driver’s seat.

The ride back to Gibbs house was very silent. Both men were lost in thought. Tony trying not to remember and hoping that Gibbs would be able to forget. And Gibbs trying to decipher why he was so important to Dinozzo that he could not lock eyes with him. It wasn’t long before the car came to a stop in front of Gibbs’ house.

Chapter 3: Realization

There was a moment of silence when the car stopped, neither man sure if he should talk or move. Gibbs turned and watched as Tony struggled to open the door and begin to stand. "Tony," Gibbs began, concerned for his young agent, "Let me help you." Any other time, Tony would relish the few moments Gibbs' body came in contact with his but, now that Gibbs knew his past and had seen... what he had seen, Tony was unsure and afraid. "No!" He replies quickly, "I can do it."

Gibbs got frustrated, he knew Tony couldn't do it. Did he think Gibbs was thinking he was weak because he wasn't. He got out of the car and grabbed the duffle bag from the backseat and threw it over his shoulder. "Well, you're gonna let me help you because you can't do it, not yet." Gibbs walked over to Tony's side of the car and slip his arm under Tony, hoisting him to his feet. As they began to walk tword the house Tony became increasingly nervous. How was he gonna survive a night in Gibbs' house? How was he gonna be able to face the man he had fallen in love with after this had happened? His dreams were finally coming true but right now, he didn't want them too.

They reached the front door and Gibbs pulled his keys out of his pocket. Tony panicked. "Maybe this isn't a good idea, Boss. I can stay at my house. I'll be fine." Gibbs snarled a little under his breath and moved Tony into the house and set him and his bag down on the couch. He glared at Tony, he could see so much nervousness in his eyes but Tony was really starting to push his buttons. "Why won't you let me just take care of you Tony? What is your big problem with me?!"

Tony felt ashamed, Gibbs was just trying to help and this is the thanks he had given him. "I'm sorry Boss, I just..." But he was cut off by Gibbs' angry tone, "No, don't apologize it's a sign of weakness and don't try to give me any excuses. You won't look at me and I can feel you tense whenever I come near you. Are you afraid of me Dinozzo?! Do you think I'm going to hurt you because I'm not! I'm the one trying to protect you remember?!" Gibbs' softened his tone after he let his anger vent and sat next to Tony on the couch. "I know that you have been through a lot tonight, but Dinozzo you need me know and whether you like it or not I'm gonna be there for you."

Tony sat motionless, quiet, stunned. He should tell Gibbs. He should just tell him now. What else could he lose tonight? It was now or never. Tears began to fall from Tony's eyes, what if he did lose Gibbs, there would be nothing left for him. Gibbs was all he had and he didn't even know it.

Gibbs grasped the younger man tighty and rubbed the back of his neck when he began to cry. He thought it was his fault. "Great," he thought "Now look what I've done to him. You certainly are a stubborn bastard Jethro." He felt Tony hold onto his arm and lay his head on his shoulder. Tony was shuddering and crying but he had relaxed into Gibbs' arms. "Tony," he began, "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm just worried about you and I thought I was going to lose you tonight and that scared me.

Tony let these words sink in and he knew now was the time. It had to be now. "Boss, Gibbs, I have to tell you something, I..." They were interupted by Gibbs' cell phone. Gibbs reached into his pocket, pulled out the phone and flipped it open. "Gibbs.... I'm on my way." Tony knew where he was going, NCIS. "Tony I have to go, what were you going to say?" Tony no longer had the strength, "It can wait, I was just going to thank you. For this, all this." Gibbs knew that this was a bold face lie but he didn't have the time. "You know where everything is, I'll be home as soon as I can. Help yourself to anything you need." With that he was out the door.

Tony watched as the headlights illuminated the window and then faded as the car drove away. When he was sure it was gone he made a decision. He had to get out of here and he had to go now. He thought of his options, home or NCIS. Home was out of the question, he could not be there now. NCIS it was but he was gonna have to sneak around and avoid Gibbs. He knew exactly who to call. He grabbed his cell phone out of his duffle bag and hit a number. "Ducky, I'm gonna need your help."

Mostly for the fact that he never payed any attention to the rules of the road, but also because he was on edge tonight, Gibbs arrived at NCIS in record time. He exited his car and strode over to the elevator. There was a ding and then the doors open, he stepped inside and took a deep breath. Now would be a great time for a cup of coffee.

When the doors opened again he was in his squad room. McGee and Ziva noticed that he had entered the room and began feeding him information. "His name was Doug Howards, age 53 and he was a little league coach for most of his life," McGee started, "I have his home address." Gibbs sat down at his desk and reached for where his cup of coffee would normally be. Ziva watched, "Abby wants to see you, and I will get you a cup of coffee."

Tony left just minutes after Gibbs. The cab got him to NCIS pretty fast and for that Tony tipped him well. He snuck around the back entrance of the morgue and crept inside. He was grateful that he ran into Ducky first.

"Tony," Ducky began, motioning for him to come and have a seat on one of the exam tables. Tony couldn't waste any time, he knew Gibbs was somewhere in this building and he had to know where, "Where's Gibbs?"

"I have not seen him yet, my boy. Now, is everything alright? You sounded distressed on the phone."

"Ducky, I need you to keep a secret for me. Promise me that you won't tell anyone, not even Gibbs. Especially not Gibbs."

"Whatcha got Abbs?" Gibbs asked striding into her lab.

"Good to see you too Gibbs. Well here's the thing, I was going over some of the evidence and something doesn't make sense to me. The camera recovered from the Tony's apartment appears to have no tape inside. Sorry Gibbs."

"I have to talk to Ducky!" He wanted to keep that tape from the team. Ducky was the only one who had to see it. To determine if there could be any injuries he missed earlier. Gibbs turned to walk, quickly, out of the room when Abby stopped him.

"We can get Ducky on the screen Gibbs."

"Do it."

When the image came up and Abby and Gibbs saw Tony sitting on one of Ducky's exam tables, Ducky standing in front of him, it was gibbs could do not to scream through the com at them both. Gibbs' hand immediately shot up to cover Abby's mouth before she could utter a word. Gibbs started to listen, maybe Tony was in pain? But still, what the hell was he thinking leaving without calling first!

"--secret for me. Promise me that you won't tell anyone, not even Gibbs. Especially not Gibbs."

"My dear boy, of course I will."

Tony turned his gaze to the floor, then back to Ducky's eyes, then back at the floor. "Ducky, I..." Tears started to fall again and Tony fought to keep them at bay, he had to get this out. "I didn't want Gibbs to see me this way, I didn't want him to see everything that he did. I don't want to think that I'm weak. I... Ducky I'm in love with him and I'm so afraid to tell him but I need him so bad right now. I need him and being so close to him without being able to say what I want to say, I... I just can't Ducky I just can't! I love him, I love him Ducky..."

"O, my dear boy," Ducky began, pulling his head up and brushing away some stray tears, "It is nothing to be ashamed of. I know that he cares very much for you. I know that Tony, he does care, maybe not the way you want him to but he does. It will be alright Tony, I promise."

Gibbs watched Tony's face contort in pain as he cried his confession to Ducky. Tony was in love with him, very in love with him. Gibbs wasn't exactly sure how to react for a second. He cared deeply for his agent, no his friend, but did he love him? Then he thought about it, he spent more time thinking about Tony's safety and starring at him just a second to long on occasion. The epiphany hit him. He was in love with Tony Dinozzo. He had to get down there. He had to tell him.

When Gibbs removed his hand from her mouth and practically sprinted out of the room she gasped. Slightly in shock from what she had heard, although she was totally happy that they finally realized what they were doing, what everyone had seen months ago. Then she decided to warn Tony.

"Ducky, Tony. Gibbs just saw that whole conversation on the cam and he is on his way there right now."

"Oh my God," Tony thought, "He is going to fire me, he is going to scream at me. I have to get out of here."

Ducky watched the horror spread over Tony's face and tried to calm him down. He was in no condition to go running off. "Tony, it will be alright," he tried, "I'm sure he just wants to talk." But Tony wasn't taking any chances, he got up and started for the back door. The ding that came from the elevator, followed by the sound of the morgue doors opening stopped his heart. There was no getting away now. Maybe if he were healthy. He just crumpled into a ball on the floor and tried to disappear.

Gibbs walked over and knelt down in front of Tony, whos head was firmly stuffed into his knees, arms guarding him. "Tony, look at me."

"I'm sorry," Tony started to yell and sob, "I didn't mean for it to happen Boss, it just did. Please don't hate me. I couldn't live if you hated me."

"Tony look at me." Gibbs restated. Tony finally looked up and met Gibbs' beautiful blue eyes. He didn't see anger, he didn't see hate.

"Do you love me?" Gibbs asked with a level tone.

"Boss, I..."

"No," Gibbs cut him off, "Do you love me or not, nothing else. Answer the question."

"Yeah."

"Me too."

Tony's face showed the blatant amazment that he was feeling. Was this actually happening? Gibbs was in love with him. The man he had been in love with for years was in love with him too. He threw himself into Gibbs arms. "Really?"

"No Dinozzo, I'm kidding. Of course really." He pulled Tony's face up and kissed him lightly on the cheek then again on the lips.

"Oh my," Ducky said with a smile before excusing himself. Gibbs and Tony laughed and stood.

"Now Dinozzo, let's get you home. You should be resting."

Both men rose to go to Gibbs' house. To go home.