Tony could feel the tension in his body vibrate under the surface of his mask of indifference as he climbed the stairs up to his apartment. He was barely able to contain it as he left the Yard, and it had gotten steadily stronger as he drove home.

It’d been a Saturday, but they’d been investigating the murder of a Marine Gunnery Sergeant for the greater part of the week, only finding and arresting the suspect late last night. He’d spent the whole day interrogating their suspect, getting the confession and then taking care of all of the necessary paperwork.

He was acting team leader now; he could, in theory, dump all of the paper work on McGee, who was technically his second, to do, but he knew how much work there was and he was not about to stress his own people out this early on. Although, Tony thought bemusedly, it would’ve been pretty funny to see that horrid expression on McGee’s face when the younger agent realized just how much paperwork he used to do for Gibbs.

Gibbs.

The thought of the older man tugged at Tony’s heart. Gibbs had been his mentor, his confidant, his rock. Tony had come to work for Gibbs and NCIS during a very difficult time in his life. He had not only lost his perspective but also his faith in himself. Gibbs had head-slapped him back then, practically forced him to come work for NCIS, and then spent the next year helping him take back the control of his life. Gibbs had been like a big brother, a friend and a coach all rolled into one.

And then he’d left. With nothing more than a “you’ll do.”

Closing his front door behind him, Tony leaned back heavily on the door, his head hitting the hard surface with a loud “thud.” It wasn’t quite betrayal that he felt--the feeling was more akin to disappointment. Although Tony knew that he probably would’ve done the same thing in Gibbs’ place, which would be why he wasn’t sure if his anger towards the older man was justified.

Jenny had been surprisingly supportive of him, giving him the team on Gibbs’ “recommendations.” She had told him that she would appoint him as acting team leader of MCRT until his promotion could be processed at a later date. His tenure hadn’t been long enough for her to justify promoting him to a full-time MCRT team leader position, even if she believed him to be the best man for the job. Tony had shrugged in reply. It never mattered to him either way, as long as their team remained intact. He was never in it for the glory, contrary to what people believed about him.

Somewhere deep down, though, he was happy that his position was “acting” team leader. Somewhere deep down, he’d held onto the hope with desperation that Gibbs would come back.

It was this internal conflict between anger, disappointment and hope--and it wasn’t just him, but also McGee and Ziva--that was causing tension at the office. On one hand, Tony had wanted to be his own man and lead his team, but on the other, he’d wanted Gibbs to come back. McGee and Ziva had no clue as to how to act around him as a team leader. They kept trying to challenge him on his decisions as they’d always done, but he could see the apologetic looks on their faces afterwards, knowing that they should trust Tony to lead them more then they did.

Kicking off his shoes, Tony dragged his body to the bedroom. It was late, and while Tony knew that a hot shower would take away some of the pent-up tension in his body, it wouldn’t be enough. As he stripped and stepped into the stall, an idea began to form in his head.

Half an hour later, Tony was back at the door, keys and phone in hand. He spared a quick look at his own reflection in the mirror before nodding satisfactorily and heading back out the door.

---

Abby nodded to the two bouncers at the door, getting welcoming smirks and hand waves in return.

The club looked non-descript on the outside--standard double doors set into a two-story store front where the glass had been blacked out and a sign hanging above that read “Come As You Are” in subdued lettering. If someone hadn’t been introduced to the club by a friend, they’d probably dismiss the place as a store that had closed down.

This was Abby’s favorite club, and nearly everyone who worked there knew her as a regular. The club catered to a pretty select clientele, where adhering to the rules was expected. In here, everyone was safe to explore their…hidden sides and secret desires as long as they could find a willing partner.

She hadn’t been here in weeks. After Gibbs’ abrupt departure, her world had literally been turned upside down. She’d been going through each day like a zombie, barely able to feel anything. Gibbs had been like a father to her--more than, even. She always felt safe when Gibbs was around.

Tony had been worried about her. She knew this because he kept checking up on her, doing things that he knew Gibbs had done for her--Caf!Pows and kisses to the cheek--just so it would feel like Gibbs was still there. She would love nothing more than to just hide and work through it on her own, but she knew it wouldn’t do her any good, so after weeks of absence, Abby finally made a decision to visit her favorite club. Hopefully she’d meet new people and finally put this whole thing behind her.

She knew she had been missed when one of the bartenders grinned at her, waving her over as soon as she was inside.

“Look what the cat dragged in!” the bartender exclaimed with a wide grin, extending his arms. “Welcome back, dear little Miss Abby.”

“Hey Richie!” Abby fell easily into his embrace, her lips on his cheek for a quick kiss.

“And you are looking fabulous, as always.” Richie gave a twitch of his finger, nodding as he watched Abby turn a three-sixty, giving him a better view at her outfit.

Richie had been a budding designer, and he’d always found Abby’s style to be endlessly inspiring. Tonight, she was wearing a pair of skin-tight leather pants, a midnight blue, satin and lace bustier top, and a pair of studded patent leather ankle boots. She had her hair up in a high ponytail; a black silk collar with lace trim and a pair of wide leather cuffs were the only accessories she wore. Richie nodded approvingly--Abby looked fabulous in that outfit. “So? What’s going on in Abby’s world? And while we’re at it, what can I get you?”

“The usual,” said Abby, flicking a stray hair out of her face. “Abby’s world is a bit chaotic right now. I don’t know what else I can tell you. I’ll be fine, eventually,” she finished with a long sigh.

“Hey! Baby girl, it’s okay! All I care about is that you are doing all right.” Richie gave her cheek a fond, light squeeze before giving her a kiss on her forehead. Finishing the last decoration on the highball, he handed her the drink. “Here. First one’s on the house.”

“Thanks.” Abby gave him a shy grin. Talking with Richie was already brightening her mood, making her feel much better. She tilted her head curiously when Richie’s eyes lit up at something behind her.

Richie let out a wolf whistle. “Phew! Will you look at that fine specimen? Totally yum-tastic.”

“Who?” Abby turned, but couldn’t quite follow Richie’s line of sight. “Where?”

Richie reached out and grabbed Abby’s head and steered her head towards the person he saw. “There, over by the other bar, at the end near the dance floor. The one in the tight jeans and short, dark hair.”

Abby squinted, then gasped, her jaw dropping at what she saw.

“No. Fucking. Way.” She breathed the words into the hands she’d clasped over her mouth in shock.

---

Tony eyed the non-descript front of the building, wondering if he was in the right place. If it weren’t for the two men that looked like bouncers at the door, he would’ve thought he’d gotten the address wrong.

The place came highly recommended by an online friend in one of the chat rooms Tony frequented. He hadn’t intended to visit the place at all, but his need to let his inner animal loose was too great to ignore and the place his normal haunts wouldn’t be enough. He knew he’d blow, eventually, and do something either stupid or dangerous if he didn’t let it all out--something he was desperately trying to avoid.

He passed the bouncers and checked his jacket at the counter. The club was membership only, paid in advance, which was nice because it guaranteed a degree of privacy.

He could feel the vibration of that caged-up tension, slowly turning in the pit of his stomach, resonating with the heavy drumbeats of the music that had been playing. He could feel his heart began to synchronize to the frequency and the tight knot of tension began to ease.

Liberating.

Tony took in a deep breath, the scent of sweat and aroused people lingering in the air, mixed in with stale perfume, alcohol and smoke. Normally he would’ve found that mixture repulsive, but not tonight.

Tonight, that smell was the smell of freedom, and he was going to enjoy it.

Tony found a spot next to the bar for him to survey the crowd. The dance floor was full, and the night had only started. He knew that by the end of the night, most would have found whatever it was they were looking for--whether it was in the backroom, or elsewhere.

He ordered a rusty nail, sipping quietly as he watched the twisting, mingling bodies. Tony had chosen to wear a pair of dark-wash designer denim that hugged his hips like a second layer of skin and a fitted dark grey shirt with subtle pinstripes, sleeves rolled up to the elbow. He knew that people--both men and women--were checking him out; he was counting on it.

A few people caught his eyes, but they were all missing something. He couldn’t explain it. He was on a hunt; he was confident he’d know the right one when he saw them.

Setting his empty glass down on the bar, Tony slipped into the crowd, joining them out on the dance floor.

---

Abby watched, eyes still wide, as Tony blended into the dancing crowd. She watched as people, both male and female, swarmed up to him. There was an intricate play of dynamics…almost like courtship that was happening around Tony. Those near him, people who desired him--wanted him--enticed him with their dances, but Tony remained unfazed. He challenged them and watched them dance away, defeated.

She’d never seen him like this, even though she’d guessed that Tony had a wild and dangerous side to him, and she was intrigued. The way Tony handled himself, was like a large predator, searching for a mate, and the thought of that raw power of lust made her flush. They had been growing steadily closer ever since Kate’s murder, and there had always been that yes-no-maybe-if-you-want attraction between them since Tony first joined NCIS. Seeing Tony like this was pressing all of her buttons, like her darkest fantasies coming true.

Before she was aware of it, she’d already put down her glass and pushed into the crowd.

---

Tony allowed his body to sway to the rhythm of the music as the crowd around him thinned, barely.

A body came up behind him, and moved with him at just the right tempo. Tony smiled at the way the other person was perfectly in sync with him. He leaned back just a bit, and his smile grew wide as he felt a pair of hands with slender fingers rest gently on his hips.

Even with the smell of sweat and debauchery lingering in the stale air around him, Tony managed to catch the scent of the person behind him. It was familiar; something earthy but metallic, mixed in with a bit of lilac with an undertone of--

Leather. Tony swallowed down the lump that had formed in his throat, feeling his arousal grow.

This was it. This wild, powerful yet calm and contained, almost submissive vibe, the contradiction pulling at his curiosity, rousing his interest. This was someone who was just like him--someone who could keep up with him as they explore new territories of their power play.

The smell of leather grew stronger as the body behind him came closer and began to grind up against him. Tony bit his tongue and stifled a groan in his throat. Whoever this was, it felt right, in so many ways. The hunter in him howled and took over.

He was met with a pair of emerald green cat eyes when he turned suddenly to observe his prey.

“Abby?”

Abby froze when Tony turned, the look in her eyes torn between fight and flight.

Another waft of the scent of leather hit Tony’s flared nostrils and he was gone. He dropped his gaze down, darting between Abby’s red lips and the leather pants she wore.

Grabbing her hips and pressing their lower body together forcefully, Tony dipped his head and captured Abby’s lips in an almost brutal kiss. He deepened their contact when he felt Abby begin to respond to him eagerly.

Neither of them said anything. They didn’t need to say anything to know how turned on they both were, and how desperately they both needed this. They were moving too fast and not fast enough at the same time, and Tony could feel them on the cusp of spiraling out of control.

He splayed one hand over the small of Abby’s back, holding her close as he ripped his lips away from hers despite her protest, needing some air to regain use of his oxygen-starved brain.

They needed to slow down--they needed to get out of there, fast, before they both lose it completely.

Tony brought his free hand up to stroke Abby’s cheek and trace the red lips that swell from the kissing. He leaned in to peck a teasing kiss on Abby’s lips before burying his head into the crook of her neck, breathing her in deep.

“God, Abbs…” Tony breathed out, his voice unsteady and his denim uncomfortably tight. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

Abby nodded, her head resting on Tony’s shoulder. She was practically boneless in his arms. She’d thought about it, but she never could guess that Tony would have such an effect on her. Feeling Tony tug at her, Abby followed him out of the crowd towards the exit.

---

They barely made it to Tony’s bedroom. The brief reprieve they had was forgotten as soon as they were in the front door. Coming together, their lips fused and hands were absolutely everywhere, stroking, kneading--desperate for touch of skin.

Their jackets were carelessly abandoned somewhere near the door along with their shoes, and by the time they got to the bedroom, Abby had some how unbuttoned Tony’s shirt so it sat open and loose on his shoulders. She ran her hands up his stomach, feeling the taut muscles underneath, tracing the hard lines up towards Tony’s chest as she looked into his eyes, drowning in the desire and lust.

Abby pushed the shirt off of Tony’s shoulders, watching him toss it towards the direction of the bathroom. She whimpered as Tony grabbed hold of her by her buttocks and brought their lower bodies flush together.

Tony swallowed hard as he felt the firm flesh wrapped in leather in his hands as he held Abby closer and began to back her towards the bed. The feel of leather under his hands was giving him a charge he hadn’t felt in a long time. He needed to taste, to touch, to drink in the scent of his aroused partner and to hear the desperate cry of need and hunger.

Tightening his arms, Tony lifted Abby by her ass, her arms and legs automatically winding themselves around his neck and waist as he carried her to his bed. It gave him the perfect vantage point to lick and bite into Abby’s porcelain skin. He allowed his tongue to trace a line down from her jaw, nibbling as he went, passing the silk collar down to her collar bone and that small patch of silky soft skin between her peaks, bound tight in the bustier she was wearing. He grinned in satisfaction, his nose buried in-between her breasts, when he heard the hitched breathing and a soft groan.

She smelled of lilac and metal and leather, stronger and more pronounced than before; Tony absentmindedly catalogued the scents as he worked the cups of Abby’s bustier out of the way with his teeth to get at the nipples, standing erect for him to feast on.

Feeling his knees hit the edge of the bed, Tony let her go, watched as she fell onto the covers, bouncing slightly before settling down, leaning back on her elbows. He pounced again when she gave him a pouty look, as if demanding that he hurry the fuck up. Straddled her legs, he towered over her for a brief moment to survey the landscape. Abby’s breasts were hanging out from her top and her lips were kiss-swollen and parted. She looked like his own personal fallen angel.

Tony felt lost, just for a moment, as he thought about what they were doing before his sex-hyped mind decided that it didn’t matter. Whatever this was, it’d been way beyond anything he could’ve imagined in the darkness of his bedroom, alone. And it was good. It was powerful. It was what he needed. What they needed. He leaned forward to take Abby’s lips again and began to work open the clasps of her bustier and then the zippers on her leather pants.

“God, you’re beautiful,” Tony whispered as he peeled the leather off of her thigh and tossed it aside, leaving her in only her cuffs, her collar and her black lace panties.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” Abby managed, her voice dropping lower than her normal gravely tone.

Tony’s eyes traced the peaks and valleys and curves of the bare flesh before him. He gave her a quick pat on the thigh. “Move up. I want to taste you.”

“God!” Abby moaned, complying quickly so he could settle himself between her long legs.

Tony ran a hand up Abby’s smooth belly, lingering briefly at the navel before reaching the sternum. He cupped one of her breasts in his hand, squeezing gently and played with her nipple between his gun-callused fingers as he took the other one in his mouth, teasing her by alternating between suction and flicks of his tongue. He grinned listening to the gaspy little cries she made with his every move.

He let his teeth graze the soft mound of her breast before licking a path down to the black lace. His fingers traced the patterns on the soft fabric before slipping under and ripping it off of her, revealing the bare delta that should’ve been covered in a layer of fine hair. Tony raised his eyebrows as his fingers pinched her nipple.

“They tend to get caught in leather so I shaved,” Abby answered sheepishly after a making a noise at the back of her throat that sounded like half moaning, half yelping.

She must’ve showered just before changing into those pants, Tony thought, as he caught the scent of leather lingering on the skin on her hips. Abby squirmed under him. “Hurry up!”

“Patience,” Tony warned before he dipped a finger in between her legs, nudging gently at her folds. He chuckled softly when he felt the wet heat around his finger. Her pussy was pink and gleaming, already soaking wet and begging to be taken.

Tony hooked her legs onto his shoulders and slid down to the end of the bed. He buried his head between her thighs, kissing the smooth skin where her legs met her hips before turning his head slightly and nibbling her thigh. Abby bucked her hips, gasping loudly, when he finally let his tongue flick over her clit. Tony moved a hand to hold her hips down so he could use his tongue to tease her some more, until she’s nothing but a quivering, moaning mess on the bed.

Abby’s flavour, briny and tangy, exploded on the tip of his tongue as he licked further down into her, dipping his tongue in and out like his cock soon would. He was painfully hard, and he had to work a hand down to undo his jeans. He sighed when his ridged cock sprang free from its confine and he could feel Abby ripple around him when his breath ghosted over her wetness.

“Tony…” Abby groaned, her hands scrabbling the sheets for something to hold on to. “I need… come on…”

“What do you need?” His voice was low; the out-breath that accompanied his words blew over her wet pussy, sending another wave of shivers up her body. “Tell me.”

“Need you…” she gasped as Tony licked her from back to front and let his tongue linger over her clit before pulling away.

He moved away, grabbing a condom out of the nightstand and rolled it onto himself with one smooth motion. He gave himself a good squeeze at the base to bat back his need; he needed to last long enough to really feel it.

Back on the bed, he rolled Abby onto her stomach, stretched out over her and gave her a deep, long kiss before settling back into a kneel, pulling her hips up and back.

“Tony… please!” Abby whined, trying to rock her hips despite Tony’s grip. She nuzzled the sheets, taking in the Tony’s scent that lingered there.

Tony ran a hand from her hips up her spine then back down, fingers tracing the lines of the massive cross tattoo. A few strands of beautiful silky black hair lingered between her shoulder blades. He took a moment to admire the smooth planes of her back, feeling it as a sense of power coalesced around him. He gripped his cock and lined himself up before pushing in one long stroke into Abby’s welcoming heat, bottoming out with a grunt. “God!”

He heard Abby making satisfied noises, but the sensation of being surrounded by her wet, hot pussy was simply too overwhelming. He pulled out slowly and immediately slammed himself back in, grinning as Abby made the same noise again.

He set up a quicker than normal pace, slowly out then hard and fast in, his balls slapping against bare skin. His hands held Abby’s hips with a bruising grip, forcing her back at the same time as he rocked his own body.

“God, Abby…” Tony whispered. “So good… So…” His voice trailed into a grunt.

Abby pushed herself up on her hands so she could get more leverage. Tony dropped his gaze to her arched back, listening to her panting breaths. The round globes of her breasts bounced with his every in-thrust, and Tony couldn’t resist leaning into Abby, reaching a hand to fondle the soft flesh and hard nub.

As Tony straightened his back, he pulled Abby with him, his hands squeezing her breasts as he thrust up into her.

“Oh God! Yes…” Abby screamed, the change in angle made sure that Tony’s cock was nudging on her G-spot. She wrapped her fingers around his hips for grip. “Oh God. Right there!”

Tony buried his face into the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent, intensified by body heat. “You like that huh? You like me fucking your tight pussy? Hard and fast?” Tony whispered into her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. “Yes, you do. I can see you do.”

“Oh yes,” Abby struggled to get the words out through her gasps as Tony rammed into her. “God, yes!”

Tony could feel Abby’s orgasm began to crest over her and she came, tight around him, her body spasming and arching backwards with a strained cry that might’ve been his name. His own thrusts became erratic, and he could feel his own climax hit a few seconds later, her name at the tip of his tongue. He stilled, his hands squeezing her breasts tight, holding her body tight against him as he felt his hot cum filled the condom.

It took all of his self-control to stop them both from crashing into the bed. He guided Abby’s limp, pliant body onto the bed before gently pulling out of her, tossing the condom before he climbed back into bed and stretched out next to her.

Abby was already halfway to dreamland, and curled up nicely around his body when he tugged at her. He took her wrists, removing the leather cuffs before he wrapped his arms around her to bring her in closer and under the covers.

He felt sated and relaxed in a way he hadn’t for a long time. What they had just shared was… Tony didn’t have a word for it. Intense? Mind-blowing? Or both? They’d have to have a serious talk in the morning but that was for the morning. Right now, he was well on his way to follow Abby to Morpheus’ domain, and he felt, for the first time since Gibbs had left, that things were going to be okay.