The Confession

Faith is confirmed by the heart, confessed by the tongue, and acted upon by the body.
~ Proverb

Chapter 1

It just had to happen on a Friday night, at 1900 hours, right when he was on his way out. The elevator groaned, shuddered and ground to a halt. The lights flickered and went out. On the count of five the emergency lights kicked in and illuminated the six-by-nine-foot compartment and its two occupants with a pale blue light.

Tony didn't turn to Gibbs until he heard the man swearing under his breath, and then it was with a sympathetic smile. "Great start to the weekend, huh, Boss?" The resulting glare prompted Tony to try another tactic. He assured his boss, and himself, that an alarm would go off down at the security desk and a mechanic would be en route in no time. "You'll be out in time to catch a late dinner and the ten o'clock news."

Gibbs fixed his blue eyes, made dark and brilliant by the emergency lights, on Tony. He asked scornfully, "What's the matter, DiNozzo? You in a big rush for a hot date or something?"

Taken a little aback by Gibbs' snide tone, Tony shrugged and launched into a comparison of elevator-themed films. "There was a Romanian movie called Elevator - I know, totally unimaginative title - where a teenage couple who just want some alone-time get stuck in a freight elevator. They have to deal with the fact their entire universe is reduced to a really small area in a suspended box. Then there's Elevator Movie, shot in 16mm, which is much more surreal, where a couple gets stuck in the elevator for years--" There was a slap to the back of Tony's head which effectively shut him up.

Gibbs opened the emergency panel and picked up the phone. After a few seconds he got through to the security officer and ordered, "Get us the hell out." He listened, his jaw tensing, and barked, "Then call him again!" Gibbs swore and hung up the phone. He stood there staring at the wall for a long moment and then took a deep breath.

"You okay, Boss?" Tony didn't like being stuck in an elevator for an indeterminate period of time either, but if he could choose one person to be with it would be Gibbs. "They are coming, right?"

Gibbs removed his overcoat, folded it into a cushion and sank to the floor with a sigh, facing the closed doors. "Yeah. Might take awhile."

Afraid of what 'awhile' might mean, Tony dropped his backpack to the ground, took off his coat and his suit jacket and carefully placed them aside. He then sat across from his boss. "If you get thirsty I have some supplies." Tony indicated his pack. "Water and power bars. Maybe even some chocolate in there somewhere. No coffee though." He shrugged in apology.

Gibbs appeared to be taken off guard by Tony's offer, and by way of a truce he reached into his sports jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of gum. It was his usual brand, which everyone who had the misfortune to try agreed it tasted like bird poop. Nobody who had sampled Gibbs' gum ever took a second piece. Seeing Tony's hesitation, Gibbs gave a quirk of a smile and said, "I'll save this as a last resort."

*

Tony occupied his time the best way he knew how: he talked. He ran through every film he could think of that featured an elevator scene. He described the scenes in Die Hard, the ultimate film for elevator stunts according to Tony's Guide to Film. He ran a commentary on Marx Brothers films, as well as The Blues Brothers, The Shining, The Departed, various Bond and sci-fi films, and every girl-being-stalked-by-psycho movie ever made.

He talked and he talked.

Gibbs stared at the elevator's metal wall and tuned him out, apparently, which didn't bother Tony in the least.

Twenty minutes later Gibbs turned to look Tony straight in the eye for the first time, his stare causing the monologue to falter and stop. Slightly abashed, Tony asked, "You don't really want to hear about elevator movies, do you, Boss?"

Instead of replying to the question, Gibbs asked, almost kindly, "Were you on your way to a date, Tony?"

Gibbs was concerned? Interested in his dating habits? Or perhaps he was just curious. Tony had no clue where this was coming from and, for once, was unsure of what to say. "Uh, a date? Sure, I was going out on a date." Tony made sure he smiled smoothly and wiggled his eyebrows to suggest lewd thoughts. "Big date. Hot date. Really hot." Hell, he was overdoing it and at these close quarters Gibbs was going to see right through him in two seconds flat.

Gibbs raised one eyebrow slightly, just enough to indicate just how skeptical he was.

Relenting under the all-seeing Gibbs look, Tony admitted, "I was going to catch up with Abby and go for drinks."

"She's your hot date? Since when do you date co-workers?"

Backpedaling, Tony said, "It's not a date exactly. It's friends. Friends going out together." Gibbs didn't appear to be convinced so Tony explained, "Look, we've done dinner and clubbing and movie nights, and sure that's led to some other things that might be considered beyond the realm of just friendship…" Gibbs' gaze darkened so Tony hastened to add, "We're close, but like siblings, except if you count the tongue thing when we kiss it might seem sort of incestuous. We're just good friends…who kiss." This was only getting worse. "I know, rule number twelve, but that's your rule, Gibbs. DiNozzos play by their own set of rules and my rules say it's okay to date a co-worker if it's good for both parties and Abby is very good…okay, shutting up now."

Tony averted his eyes. He couldn’t take the frown, the glare, those daggers Gibbs was sending his way. "Geez, when is this elevator ever gonna get fixed? It's starting to get hot in here, isn't it? Don’t you feel hot?" He rolled up his sleeves but it did little good.

As if on demand, the phone in the emergency panel gave a shrill ring. Gibbs got up and answered it. He grunted and gave an order but Tony really wasn't paying attention. Gibbs was going to kill him for dating Abby, even if they'd never done more than fool around a bit. It was no more than cuddling and kissing for the most part. Lots of talking, too.

Gibbs was off the phone and seated again, hands resting on his drawn-up knees. After a very long silence he asked, his voice low and dangerous, "Since when don't you don't follow my rules, DiNozzo?"

"I follow them, Boss. Okay, most of them…"

The blue eyes bored holes into Tony's brain and forced him to spill. Being on the receiving end of an intense Gibbs-glare was like some being dosed with an alien truth serum sent telepathically. That was the excuse he gave himself later on when he had time to think about it. He caved and told the truth, with no thought about the impact of his disclosure. "I adhere to the rules except for the dating the co-workers one," Tony confessed.

"Which co-workers?" Gibbs' tone indicated he wasn't going to put up with anything less than the truth.

Tony risked a glance sideways and met his boss's eyes. "You want me to…tell you everything? What is this, an interrogation?" Well, lesser men had fallen when confronted by Gibbs in a small room. And this room was mighty small and Gibbs was very close. Too close, Tony thought. He loosened his tie and adjusted his shoulder holster in an attempt to get more comfortable, which was really an impossible task considering Gibbs' proximity.

Gibbs waited, never taking his eyes off Tony's face. "Everything."

Tony inhaled deeply and began. "I never slept with Abby, if that's what you're asking. I'm not so much into women…" Shit, you might as well just let it all hang out, DiNozzo, because Gibbs wasn't going to let you get off this particular hook now. "It sort of started with Stan Burley. On the Enterprise. It wasn't any more than some humping in the radio room." Tony squirmed where he sat and revealed, "I was trying to see what it was about him that you found so interesting. But before we'd even finished he started complaining about his stomach aching, 'cause he was afraid you'd figure out what we'd been up to as soon as you looked him in the eye. What a wuss." Tony risked a glance at Gibbs and was surprised to see the shock in his eyes. Was that because he'd just admitted he was into men or because he'd had a quickie with Gibbs' golden boy agent?

"I didn't think…I never left the two of you alone long enough for…"

"Didn't take long," Tony said. "Wasn't exactly what I'd call a high point in my sex life." He looked in his knapsack and pulled out a chocolate bar and a bottle of water. Offering half of the chocolate to Gibbs, Tony said, "Here. Water? I've got a couple of bottles."

Gibbs shook his head but accepted the chocolate. His features evened out as he managed to hide whatever it was he was thinking. "Continue. There is more, isn't there?"

"Oh yeah, there's more. I think next was…uh, let me just say it was really not my fault, boss. I was sniffing after that Swedish chick, Marta…Ari's killer girlfriend…and it turned out she was hosting a little threesome back at her place. In my defense it was really dark in there, and it wasn't until later that I found out the other girl was Kate, but Kate never talked about it so it doesn't count, right?" Tony cowered and waited for a reaction but when he peeped at Gibbs there was nothing about him to suggest he was mad. Unless you counted the muscle that was twitching in his clenched jaw. Tony idly wondered if Gibbs ground his teeth at night.

Gibbs shifted but remained seated. He ran his tongue over his teeth, looked up at the ceiling lights, took a series of deep breaths and then asked, "Is this chronological?"

"I guess so." Tony was still waiting for his boss to spring into some kind of action. This couldn’t be easy to hear, especially when you considered how straight an arrow Gibbs was. And Gibbs had never given any indication he knew that Tony's extracurricular activities extended to both sexes. It wasn't common knowledge but Tony had always assumed that Gibbs just knew these things.

Whenever Tony boasted about his hot dates at work, it was an unspoken rule that one of his co-workers would ridicule him and shoot him down. Kate had been particularly good at slinging barbed remarks his way. It was all a game and Tony didn't mind. Not much, anyway. He really missed Kate.

Gibbs indicated with his hand that Tony should continue. "Might as well give it all up now. You know I'll find out anyway," he said wearily.

Okay, Gibbs wanted the truth, the whole enchilada. You can do this, DiNozzo. Deep breaths, deep breaths. "After I posed as an escaped convict, after I…I killed J…J…Jeffery…" Shit, speaking that man's name still caused him to stutter. "I was in this really bad place." And Gibbs had been no fucking help. Tony brought his knees up to his chest and picked at nonexistent lint on his pants leg. "McGee came to check up on me…found me in the shower scrubbing the blood off, as well as a few layers of my skin. I must have been in there for an hour 'cause I remember the water turned cold but I couldn’t get all his blood off me." He took time out to uncap a bottle of water and took a long drink. "Tim got me out of the shower and dried me off. Got me warmed up. I couldn't stop shivering."

Tony wrapped his arms around himself. "I'm not sure how…One thing led to another and we…um…I really needed some company that night, Boss." Tony raised his eyes to see Gibbs' reaction and was surprised to see a pained look cross his features. Tony managed a dismissive shrug. "Yeah, well, nothing came of it. McComfort and I didn't mention it the next day. We sorta danced around it for a while, looking at each other and wondering if there'd ever be a repeat performance. Which there wasn't unless you count when I went to his apartment late at night and gave him a blowjob." Hurriedly Tony elaborated, saying, "That was only because he was really messed up, thinking he'd shot that undercover Metro detective, and what with Jenny being such a bitch and you handing him over to Metro...." Tony's voice trailed off. Gibbs was looking stunned, or that's how Tony interpreted it. "Chalk one up for our little Timmy for breaking rule #12 as well. Put it down to stress relief."

After rubbing his hand across his face, Gibbs asked, "You two make a habit of…?"

"Oh no. No, we're friends. That's all. We have to work together. I mean it's okay once in a while, when someone really needs to be held, or maybe one of us needs something more. It was never intended to be more than that. We've moved on, a long time ago," Tony said honestly.

"Just friends? Like with Ziva, when you were under cover?"

***end chapter 1***

The Confession
Chapter 2

"Just friends? Like with Ziva, when you were under cover?"

Gibbs had asked that question casually, but there was something in his voice that made Tony take notice. It was difficult to determine what it was he'd heard, perhaps no more than the boss wondering who else in the office was fucking whom in the copy room. Maybe everyone in the place had broken the rule at some point. Except for Gibbs. You couldn’t count his affair with Jenny because, after all, that had been the reason for the creation of rule #12. The original sin.

Tony studied Gibbs and was surprised to find that it was his boss who looked away first. What was that about? That had never happened before. "With Ziva? Oh, that. Just a little frottage, some frisky hands," Tony said with a grin. "All smoke and mirrors, done for the sake of the surveillance, Boss."

Gibbs made a noise that sounded like he wasn't so sure. "You got more to tell me?"

"If you don't want to hear this I can shut up." Tony wasn't so sure he wanted to stop at this juncture. If he didn't speak his piece now he might never get it out. He frowned at Gibbs, suddenly suspicious. "Is this your way of collecting evidence against me or something?"

Gibbs sat up straight. "You think I need to take notes, DiNozzo? No, what goes on in the elevator, stays in the elevator."

Tony smiled at Gibbs' variation of the Vegas motto. He stretched his legs out in front of him then crossed his ankles and took a bite of his half of the chocolate bar. "People are motivated to have sex for all sorts of reasons. I do it to feel good, for fun, to connect, or sometimes out of frustration. Just look at what that crazy Chip made me do."

At Gibbs' look of alarm Tony assured him, "No, I did not do it with Chip. Even I'm not that stupid. No, I was so uptight that as soon as I got out of work that night, after you locked him in the holding tank, I went over to Abby's to cry on her shoulder, but she'd gone to a friend's place. When I got to her friend's apartment Abby had already left." Gibbs was obviously wondering where this was going. Tony avoided his gaze and played with the foil wrapper on the chocolate bar. "You have to understand, I was in a pretty strange headspace having been accused of a grisly murder and jailed, and with all that evidence against me looking so damning…well, it was…overwhelming. By the time it was all over I was a little off my game. But I think you know that after listening to me rant while I was behind bars." He was still embarrassed that he'd told Gibbs his dark family secrets that day.

Gibbs grunted and nodded to show he understood.

"So," Tony continued, "Abby's boyfriend asked me in and I…I walked into a really hinky scene. I was sorta coerced but it wasn't like it wasn't consensual or anything. Double negative in there meaning it was consensual even if I really didn't want to do it." He was babbling. Now Gibbs was looking at him with narrowed eyes, most likely afraid of what was going to come out of his agent's mouth next. Tony cringed a little and said in a small voice, "He was a little off the wall and Abby had just given him a gift of a straitjacket and…"

Gibbs grew rigid and burst out with, "Mikel Mawher? You went into that maniac's apartment? Are you crazy, Tony?"

Tony shrank back against the wall and raised his hands in defense. "It's not like we knew what a nut job he was back then, Gibbs!" Truth be told, there were certain signs, even if you discounted the straitjacket and the biology samples in glass jars of formaldehyde on his kitchen shelves where normal people kept cans of beans. To this day Tony still wasn't totally convinced those eyeballs were props, like Mikel said they were.

"What did he do to you, Tony?" Gibbs ground out.

"After a couple of drinks he wanted to try out the new straitjacket on me. It was kinky and sorta fun, being tied up and helpless. At that moment it seemed like the right thing to do." Tony slapped the back of his own head and gave Gibbs a goofy look. "Yeah, I know, stupid." It was obvious that Gibbs was barely containing his anger, or irritation, or both, and Tony knew he had already sunk to a new low in his boss's eyes. "You can think what you like but right then and there, that's what I needed, to give up control. I needed for someone to truss me up and fuck my brains out through my ass, and if Mikey the maniac was the one available and eager to do it, then lucky him. I gotta tell you it did me the world of hurt. I barely made it out of there alive, but it got out all my kinks which was good thing considering the next few months at work had to be some of the most stressful in my life." They were both silent, remembering the terrorist bomb that injured Gibbs and how he'd taken a hike for four months. "You left me holding the bag, Gibbs, right when I needed you the most."

Eventually Tony managed a short laugh. "There's nothing like a confined space to bring out a confession, huh, Boss?"

Gibbs was studying him in a way that reminded Tony of Ducky examining a corpse with a magnifying glass. "You got anything else you need to confess, DiNozzo?"

Did he need to? Not really. He could have lived without telling Gibbs any of this, but then they would have ambled along for another decade without anything ever changing between them. And the time for change was long overdue. "Maybe I just want to get this out, Gibbs. Maybe you should hear it. Know what your lead agent has really been up to." Tony wondered, for the first time since they'd been stuck in the elevator, why Gibbs hadn't known any of this. He'd always seemed to know everything that went on around him. Where was his famous gut?

Reading his mind, Gibbs gave a small shake of his head. "Maybe I was being willfully blind," he said slowly as if the realization that he'd been incredibly dense had just sunk in.

"Maybe I'm just really good at what I do," Tony suggested. "Maybe you never had any reason to look any deeper."

"I should have known."

What could he say? Yes, you should have been paying closer attention, Gibbs. Guess you don't care enough to look at me any more. Tony cleared his throat and continued. "You know about Paula and our on again, off again relationship. I liked her, a lot, but she was sorta pushy in bed." He took a moment to remember her but it still hurt and he didn't want to get all maudlin right now. He'd save it for later on when he was alone. Shaking it off, Tony brought on a smile. "Bet you didn't know that I did the wild thing with someone involved in a case when we got called out to Shenandoah Park. The case with the marine eaten by a bear? Dog tags in bear poop?"

"Oh yeah, the lady ranger with the hairy legs," Gibbs said with a snort.

"Yeah, but I don't mean her. More like the guy we pulled in as a suspect." Tony hinted, "The bear-baiter." Gibbs wasn't catching on so Tony helped him out. "Jason Edom, the big bear of a man who took a dislike to Ziva and her Star of David. The suspect she broke in interrogation." Tony rolled his eyes at the memory. "We got together a couple of times after the case was over. Turns out Edom was a crier! Who would have ever known? Not that I mind seeing the softer side in a big bear of a guy, but Gibbs, he was such a downer. And he expected me to top, too! You can imagine that didn't last long." Tony decided it was time to pick up speed. "Take Agent Slacks, for instance." That got Gibbs to sit up and take notice. "We hated each other's guts but we were able to drop our drawers for a little mutual satisfaction. He was great on a date. Nice dinner, talked movies, went to the ballet. Giselle, at Ducky's suggestion. Turns out FBI guys aren't so bad after all."

Gibbs opened his mouth and closed it again.

Tony asked, "What? You've never been to the ballet? If you do go make sure you take some of those little binoculars. Lots of men in tights with fantastic thighs." He sighed with a smile. "Oh yeah."

"Please. Please tell me you didn't…"

"Didn't what? Are you okay, Gibbs?"

Gibbs swallowed hard and got out, "Not…not Fornell?"

It took Tony a second to figure out what Gibbs was asking. "What? No! No and hell no! Eeew, Gibbs, how could you think--?" Tony gave an exaggerated shudder. He then pictured Fornell in various positions, settling one of them featuring the FBI agent on top of him, raising a whip, and Tony wondered what it would be like to… There was a hard whack to the side of his head and he yelped, "Ow!"

Gibbs settled back against the wall, shaking his head. "Get a grip, DiNozzo."

Tony smoothed his hair and sent a wounded look Gibbs' way. "I was only picturing…"

"Don't!"

"It's not like I have a one-night stand with everyone I come in contact with," he protested. Gibbs didn't believe him, from the look on his face. "Some have lasted longer." Tony thought of Jeanne, and how he hadn't known when to call a halt to their months-long affair, but then he'd been under Jenny's influence and she'd been pulling his strings. "And some I wouldn't go near with a barge pole. I never touched any of the moles, even though your old friend Brent Langer was interesting in a slippery sort of way. Not Agent Lee, either. I always knew there was something off about her." He'd only met Langer once, a year before Lee murdered him down in Archives. They'd thought the worst of Agent Langer for months, and all because of that treasonous bitch. "You remember Detective McCadden, Phil, out of Norfolk? We were gonna hook up but I cancelled our date after he dissed McGeek one time too many." Tony looked up at Gibbs from under his eyelashes. "I draw the line…somewhere."

"Like with Fornell."

"Yeah. I mean, he's got a way about him, as your ex seems to know." Apparently that comment went over the Leroy Jethro Gibbs line. Tony said, "Sorry, Boss."

"Is there anybody you haven't had sex with, DiNozzo? Other than Fornell, I mean."

Tony asked himself, 'Other than you, Boss?' He cleared his throat and said aloud, "Look, I don't jump every warm body. I've sworn off the Israelis ever since Malachi. He wasn't anything to write home about anyway. He was sorta jumpy and he kept crying out for his mother. I wouldn't do Rivkin, I mean even if he was still alive. Not Ari, either, the bastard. Never! Never him." The thought of sex with either of the dead Mossad agents was creepy even though Ari had come across as being very sensual. Nope, not going there. "I'm not interested in most of the people at NCIS, either. Cute guy in the mailroom a few years ago caught my eye, and there was a quick fuck with an intern…his name was…Charlie or Chuck or something. Tried some of the girls at work, but they catch on quick," he said ruefully. It wasn't a good idea to date at the office, even though he had dipped into the secretarial pool a few times. He had lived to regret most of the one-time liaisons. Funny how they saw right through him and Gibbs couldn't. "But I'm not into the directors. Not Morrow even though he's a real nice man and he gave me the eye a couple of times. Not Director Vance," Tony said adamantly.

The boss was staring at him again. "Tom Morrow? He's married with kids, DiNozzo."

"It's not like anything ever came of it, Gibbs. Besides, Vance fucked me over without ever having sex. Can you imagine what he'd be like if we'd actually screwed? So DiNozzo's rule numero cinco is nobody who outranks me." Except that included Gibbs. "Except for field agents," he quickly amended.

Very slowly Gibbs asked, his voice low and dangerous, "Not even Jenny Shepard?"

For a moment Tony considered lying, partly because he was well aware of Gibbs' history with their late director, and that their affair was at the root of the rule that had begun this whole conversation/confession thing. But he'd told himself he'd come clean so here it was. "Jenny? Uh…you know the summer you were in Mexico?"

Seeing Gibbs sitting there all hunched up, covering his face with his hands was disturbing. Tony did not want to witness Gibbs reduced to tears. "It's okay, Gibbs. It was over by the time you came back," Tony soothed. He decided to change the subject as a way of deflecting. "It was only once. Your doctor, Captain Todd Gelfand? He and Jenny were having a thing for a while and we had a threesome one night."

"Oh Jesus, DiNozzo…"

"Jenny didn't like to share," Tony mused. "Besides, they sort of ganged up on me and Jenny tied me to her bed so they could play secret agent. They made me the spy and interrogated me and they were not nice about it, either. Believe me, I scream when hot wax is applied to Little DiNozzo. Hey, Boss, I'm just telling you what happened!"

"You taste any more of my leftovers, DiNozzo?" Gibbs was back in his angry/irritated mode, which was better than seeing him about to cry, at least.

Tony looked away and bit his lip. "Sorta."

There was a deep sigh from Gibbs. "Just get it all out. It's like ripping off a band-aid. But please, please tell me…not Hollis?"

***end chapter 2***

The Confession
Chapter 3

Gibbs asked, "But please, please tell me…not Hollis?"

It was Tony's turn to be appalled. "Lieutenant Colonel Mann? No way! Way too toppy a female for me. You know how I am around women like that. That would like fucking my mother." He shook his head adamantly. "Now Stephanie, she was different, vulnerable…"

"My ex? You fucked my ex-wife?" Gibbs rose to his feet and Tony did the same, knowing all the while that he should have stayed seated in the name of self-preservation. That way he would have made less of a target for the punch that Gibbs was about to throw.

"Only one of them!" Tony faced Gibbs and raised his hands defensively, but he was driven back until he hit the metal wall of the elevator with a crash that took his breath away. Or maybe the breathlessness was due to the fact that Gibbs was right up against him, vibrating with anger. Tony spoke rapidly. "Steph was all candles and sexy background music, Boss, and I think it was smoking the weed that made me weak. The cuffs were her idea. She took advantage of me." Shit, he was whining. Gibbs was in his face, those eyes drilling into him, scaring Tony more than he'd like to admit, but sort of exciting him too.

Then Gibbs pulled back an inch and frowned. "Did she burn incense and play Marvin Gaye?" At Tony's nod, he said, "Huh, sounds like her typical MO."

Tony had visions of his boss smoking dope with Steph and getting loopy, being taken advantage of, getting handcuffed. Or maybe Gibbs would be the one to do the restraining with a pair of those fuzzy pink cuffs. No, he'd be into heavy, utilitarian leather cuffs that really secured you when you were being whipped. Yeah. That could be interesting.

Tony was trying to figure out how to wind this conversation up when Gibbs was back in his face, demanding, "Who else? Might as well get them all off your chest." Gibbs glanced down at a point below Tony's waist then back up to his face, bringing a flush to his cheeks.

"Uh, there was…Brad Pitt. He was really clinical though. Sort of put me off the way he wanted to play proctologist. If he was so interested in that part of the body you'd think he'd have gone into it on a professional level instead of specializing in infectious diseases. I walked away when he wanted to do breath play, though. You know how I am about needing to keep a clear airway after the plague and all." Tony thought for a moment then said, "I did have an affair, of sorts, with Palmer, but I broke it off when I found out he was only using our friendship to get closer to my handmade Italian leather shoes. Quite a fetish that boy has. He needs help, Boss. Do you know that he can only come to orgasm by calling out the names of shoe designers? Okay, you don't need to know that."

Gibbs was still too close for Tony to get his mind straight, but he started to count off the people he'd had sexual encounters with on his fingers. "Detective John Carson, the Metro cop who died on our watch? Nice guy. He even gave me one of his ties as a gift, an Armani. Then there was Damon Werth. Man, those muscles, but not much going on between the ears. Renny Grant, but he carried too much baggage. But that was a quickie in the airport men's room when you were waiting with the car so it doesn't really count." Tony shrugged that one off. "Oh and Clay. Yeah, how could I forget Clay? That…that was not the most comfortable sex I've ever had."

"Clay?" Gibbs apparently had no clue who Tony was talking about.

"Sheriff Clay Boyd. Arizona? The old dude who took us up into the hills on horseback? I was sorta preoccupied, waiting to hear from those British solicitors to see if I'd inherited any money and he--" Tony squawked when Gibbs took hold of a fistful of his shirt. The stupefied expression on Gibbs' face would have been priceless if it hadn't been so scary.

"No wonder you were so sore riding back down the mountain," Gibbs muttered to himself.

"Yeah, anything beats a cold, rocky night out in the desert, getting humped in the rear by a lawman who refuses to remove his gun belt. Do you know that cartridge belts leave really bad welts?" Tony reached back and touched his butt at the recollection. "There've been some nice guys, too. Chad from Chad, the Texan, he was a good date. Really considerate. Nice soft blond hair, too. And I thought he was after Ziva. Hmmm," Tony mused. "Then there was G." He smiled at that memory. "He came to DC…oh but you weren't here. You went to San Diego to claim your sailboat with the bodies in it that Franks sent you. You have such nice friends, Boss."

"Stop. Stop! Special Agent G Callen?"

"Very sweet man and pretty blue eyes. Not as pretty as yours, but…Interesting scars. He has some issues but he's working on them." Tony really was very fond of Agent Callen. "Now Sam…"

"Sam?" Gibbs spoke in a whisper.

"His partner. Even you have to admit that man has a body to die for. Ohmygod those biceps! Not that we ever got it on." Not that they'd ever had the opportunity to do more than eye each other. Not yet, anyway. Tony sighed. "I can't remember anyone else and, frankly, I'm getting sort of tired of being in this elevator. Aren't they ever coming to fix it and get us out of here?" He looked up at the elevator's suspended ceiling and asked, "Think we can jimmy that panel and climb out the trap door?"

Gibbs glanced at his watch. "They're working on it now. We'll be out soon enough."

Gibbs was looking at him with a funny expression. Pity was the best guess Tony could make. Tony looked at the floor, or he would be looking at the floor if Gibbs weren't standing so close. Instead he was looking at his boss's shirtfront, a polo in a nice dark red color. He could smell coffee and knew it was emanating from Gibbs even though he hadn't brought any with him into the elevator.

Softly, Gibbs ordered, "Get it out, Tony, all of it, and then we won't speak of it again." He reached out and ran his hand down Tony's forearm, ruffling the hairs on it.

Although it felt like an intimate gesture it told Tony that he was with a trusted friend, and encouraged him to release the last of his confession. He shifted anxiously and looked at everything he possibly could except at his boss. "Um…I had sex with ---" He mumbled the name causing Gibbs to cock his head.

"What was that?"

"I had sex with Trent Kort," Tony enunciated. "Or maybe it'd be more accurate to say he had sex with me because I really was not participating." He licked his lips which were suddenly very dry. "It was…uh, it was a bad scene." Tony felt himself flushing. "He hurt me, Gibbs, and he really, really enjoyed doing it. Then afterwards when I wouldn't take his calls he blew up my car outta spite." He tried to smile as if it was all nothing but wasn't quite able to pull it off.

"Shit, Tony." Under his breath Gibbs muttered, "I am going to kill Kort," but to Tony he said, "Nobody will ever hurt you again, you hear?"

Tony laughed humorlessly. "How can you say that? You fuck, you get fucked over. It happens. It's not like you can be there all the time, Gibbs."

"Nobody's going to fuck you over, not if I have anything to do with it. I should have damn well seen what was going on. I'm so sorry, Tony."

Gibbs' sympathy did Tony in, plus his proximity, so when Gibbs said, "It's time someone took care of you. Come here," and tugged at him, Tony let himself fall forward and into his arms. He wouldn’t cry, he told himself. He wasn't going to be a girl about it. It was all in the past and now he had Gibbs, of all people, wrapping his arms around him and it just felt so right. Tony closed his eyes and let it all wash over him, the warmth, the strength, the utter love of the man. Then there was a cheek rubbing against his, and lips touching the corner of his mouth, and then they were kissing and all Tony could think was that this was so good, and Jethro tasted of chocolate, and why the hell hadn't they ever done this before? There was play of tongue and lips, wet and insistent, and the rough rub of a jaw with a hint of late-day stubble, and Tony wondered how he was going to explain to Abby about turning up late, and with beard burn, and then he couldn't think at all because this was Gibbs and his hands were so gentle and yet so possessive, and his mouth…

By the time they broke apart Tony was panting and confused and happy all at the same time. Gibbs held his face in both of his hands and looked deep into his eyes. Whatever Gibbs was seeking he apparently found because he crushed Tony against the wall again and kissed him breathless.

When they finished that round of kissing, Gibbs said vehemently, "Tony…Tony, I will not be just another fuck."

Eyes half closed, desiring only for Gibbs to kiss him again and to take him home and fuck him into the mattress, Tony smiled and nodded. He was willing at that point to promise anything, anything to Gibbs. "Anything you want," he managed to say on an exhaled breath.

That seemed to make Gibbs angry because abruptly he was not so gentle, pressing his whole body against Tony, breathing into his neck, one hand grabbing at his crotch hard enough to make Tony whimper and rise onto his toes. Shit, Gibbs liked it rough. And Tony found his cock apparently enjoyed the treatment it was getting, swelling within Gibbs' fist.

Tony bucked his hips, wanting more, but Gibbs didn't take the hint. His voice was harsh in Tony's ear. "I will not be just another fuck, Tony. Do you understand?"

He nodded. "Yes, yes. It's getting really uncomfortable here, Boss," Tony said, wriggling a little to suggest that Gibbs loosen his grip.

"Good, because I don't think you're getting the message yet. Look at me, Tony."

Oh but he was getting the message, loud and clear. Tony could see the promise of things to come in Gibbs' eyes and he'd never felt so wanted in his life. There was less pressure on his genitals and a thumb rubbed across the tip of his aching cock and even through his clothing it felt so good. Tony's heart pounded so hard that he could feel the drumming in his ears. "Oh my God, Gibbs, Gibbs…I want…" Tony reached down and found what he wanted - Gibbs' dick. Already semi-erect, it grew at his touch, hot and as hard as steel, straining against the fabric of his sensible Sears pants. "I want you, Boss. Shit, you're big."

Gibbs' eyes never wavered and apart from the clenching of his jaw, the older man didn't give any indication that he felt Tony's fingers squeezing and stroking him. Gibbs' free hand went to Tony's jaw, grasping him firmly to get his attention. "What you want does not come into this equation, DiNozzo. You are going to do exactly as I say from now on. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Tony said, his voice high.

Gibbs released Tony's face and removed the hand that was still groping at him. "Save it for later." He imprisoned Tony's hands against his hips. "This is going to be played by my rules, Tony. I am only going to say this once, so listen up. You listening?"

Tony managed a nod. Never before had he found Gibbs' assertive manner quite so hot.

"You will not fuck anybody, and I mean anybody except me, ever again. No ex-wives, no co-workers, suspects, agents, interns, mail boys, girlfriends, boyfriends, or boyfriends of girlfriends. There will be no kinks, no fetishes, and absolutely no fucking with the FBI or CIA. No doctors, either. In fact you are never, ever to be touched by another human being unless it's in a medical situation and only under my strict supervision. Got all that?"

"Yes," Tony croaked.

"And stop kissing Abby!" Gibbs shouted.

Tony stared at his boss, thinking he'd never seen him in quite such a state before, so angry and yet so much in charge. So damned sexy. "Um, what about rule number twelve?"

"The hell with number twelve," Gibbs said huskily, crushing Tony to his chest and kissing him until he was limp. Some minutes later the elevator gave a little jerk and the blue emergency lights changed over to the regular white glow and the machinery whirred into life. Gibbs broke the kiss first and rubbed a thumb over Tony's swollen bottom lip. "And call me Jethro when we're not at work," he panted.

Tony swallowed. "Okay." By that point his brain was mush and he would have agreed to anything at all.

Gibbs' eyes narrowed but then the elevator's emergency phone rang. He answered it, spoke a few curt words in response and hung up. "They fixed it obviously. We're going home now."

Tony had no idea what Gibbs was talking about at first and then he remembered they were stuck in a stalled elevator. "Oh yeah."

Gibbs straightened Tony's clothing, adjusted his leather shoulder holster, which was a little askew, and handed him his suit jacket. "The shoulder rig is a good look on you, Tony."

Nonplussed, Tony said, "Thank you." He rolled his sleeves down and buttoned the cuffs, then put on his suit jacket.

Gibbs looked up at the panel above the elevator doors that showed which floor they were currently on. It changed from one to lobby, as they continued on down the parking level. "I want to see more of it at the office. Take off your jacket in the bullpen tomorrow." Gibbs shrugged into his overcoat and ensured his holster and badge were both properly attached to his belt. "Roll up your sleeves tomorrow, too. I like hairy forearms."

Tony eyes widened, and he said slowly, "Yes, Gibbs."

The light indicated they had arrived at the parking level. There was a ding and the doors opened. Tony picked up his overcoat and backpack and stepped out of the elevator alongside Gibbs. He looked at his watch. They'd been imprisoned in the confessional for only an hour. But what an hour it had been, more like a lifetime. Tony felt good, his spirit lighter than it had been for a long time. He was looking forward to this, to whatever Gibbs had planned for him. Some fucking? Making love tonight in Gibbs' own bed? A long, torrid affair? There was no question in his mind that it was going to be long-term, which was exactly what he wanted. And what he'd needed all along. It appeared as though it was what Gibbs needed, too.

A burly young man in overalls scurried towards them from the elevator maintenance bay. "Tony! Oh, hi Agent Gibbs."

"What--?" Gibbs asked impatiently.

Tony prompted out of the side of his mouth, "His name's George."

"George," Gibbs amended impatiently. "What've you got?"

George wasn't cowed by Gibbs' brusque manner. He held up a steel rod and a large wrench. "Uh, found these in the shaft. Looks like someone from the maintenance day shift dropped his tools and jammed the gears. I'm gonna have to report this. You guys coulda been stuck in there a lot longer if I hadn't found this."

"You do that, George." Gibbs gave the man a curt nod and stalked off in the direction of his car. Without slowing down, he called over his shoulder, "You coming, Tony?"

Tony winked at George and mouthed the word, 'thanks,' and ran after Gibbs, grinning. "On your six, Jethro!"

***end ***