Partners 1/4: Tangled up in you
******
Georgetown: December 12th
Three days on a stakeout. Tony had definitely known better days. Three days sitting in a fleapit of a hotel room overlooking a petty officer's apartment, waiting for her to be contacted by her AWOL boyfriend, who was wanted for murder.

Three days with an increasingly irritable and impatient Leroy Jethro Gibbs as his companion, twelve hours a day. He supposed it could have been worse; at least he got the day shift so his social life didn't suffer too much. He was seeing a pretty girl called Imogen who was a foreign exchange student. Not that it was love or anything.

The door slammed open and Gibbs stormed in, carrying his fifth cup of coffee this morning, and it was only ten thirty. Tony closed his eyes briefly and prayed for strength. Gibbs really wanted to catch this bastard, and after seeing the mess he had made of his shipmate's skull with a baseball bat, Tony could quite understand that. It was just that a caffeine-fuelled, frustrated Gibbs was a creature best avoided.

Gibbs sat, scowled briefly at Tony, then began to fiddle with the focus controls on the telephoto lens of the video camera. Neither man could have anticipated what happened next. A huge explosion sounded close by, near enough for the blast wave echoing through the streets of Georgetown to rattle the windows violently.

"What the hell?" Gibbs was on his feet immediately, his hand reaching for his cellphone. Tony threw open the hotel window, leaning out of it to look towards the sound of the blast. Clouds of white dust swirled through the air, moving rapidly outwards from the epicentre of the explosion. It appeared to have been just out of view, past the intersection at the end of the block. As Gibbs dialled NCIS headquarters, small white particles of dust hissed and pattered against the other windows, and Tony pulled his head back inside with a muttered "Shit!" He slammed the window shut to keep the choking clouds of dust out of the room.

It was too late. The virus, carried along in the dust cloud, entered his bloodstream through his eyes and began to multiply exponentially, migrating towards his brain. Only a few units of the virus were needed to trigger the first stage of infection.

"Explosion in Georgetown!" Gibbs snapped into his phone. Send the emergency services. And alert the authorities that there may have been a terrorist bomb. DiNozzo and I are going to check it out."

********

Report to Senate Investigative Committee making enquiries about the so called "Partner" virus...
Sequence of Infection: Stage 1.
Very few biological agents are powerful enough to greatly affect the human body in tiny quantities. Botulism and LSD were, until recently, the only known examples. A third super-potent agent is now known - the so-called Partner Virus.

Within moments of the virus entering the bloodstream, generally through transmission of an airborne particle, it is carried to the brain in the blood. Immediately, it targets the hypothalamus and the medial pre-optic areas, which are associated with human sexual and emotional behaviour. An immediate sign of this infection is the characteristic huge dilation of the subject's pupils. By a mechanism we do not understand, this acts as a signal to another infected individual of sexual receptiveness...

Sequence of Infection: Stage 2
Intense Sexual activity will take place for periods of two to six hours, depending on the fitness level of the individual. Males show particularly strong responses to infection and previous sexual inclinations or partnerships appear irrelevant...

******

Tony sneezed. He had gotten a mouthful of dust, and he could feel it in his hair. His eyes felt gritty too. "Hell of an explosion, boss!" he said.

Gibbs scowled and gestured to the video camera they had been using on the stakeout. "Bring that. Terrorists have been known to watch from the crowds after an incident, checking out the opposition. And nut cases like to gloat after causing an incident."

Tony was beginning increasingly strange and disoriented. His eyes felt oddly itchy and his vision blurred. He shook his head, and then put a hand against the wall to steady himself. He felt so dizzy. Gibbs was saying something to him but the words didn't make sense. He could have been speaking gibberish for all the notice Tony took of his words. He squinted at Gibbs.

The other man seemed to be surrounded by a shimmering haze. The effect was quite beautiful, in an odd sort of way. It seemed to make Gibbs' skin glow. Tony was surprised that he wanted to reach out and touch the side of Gibbs' face, run his fingertips down it; to explore the texture of that skin.

"DiNozzo? Tony? Are you all right?" Gibbs paused in surprise. He was used to Tony DiNozzo looking at him in irritation, in amusement, even respect. But DiNozzo had never, ever looked at him like that before. Almost... Hungry? The other man had the oddest expression on his face. He was flushed and his lips were parted slightly. Even as Gibbs watched, his pink tongue flicked out and moistened them, so that they glistened wetly.

It wasn't that Tony looked as if he was in a trance; it was the way he seemed to be transfixed by the older man.

Distantly, Gibbs heard a siren in the street; the rising sounds of shouting and screaming outside. The room seemed brighter suddenly, as if the light filtering though the window had become harsh as a spotlight. Dizzy, Gibbs stared at his young colleague, who was sucking in great lungfuls of air, as if he had been running,

"Listen!" Tony growled, his voice low and hoarse.

Gibbs realised that the sounds outside had changed. In the street, the screaming had taken on a new note, something strangely animal in nature... A man in the corridor outside began to moan in a rhythmic sequence that made it obvious what he was doing.

Gibbs didn't care.

Tony stared back at him hungrily. His eyes were so very black, their normal green only a faint, thin rim round his hugely dilated pupils. Gibbs didn't understand that his own eyes mirrored those of the younger man. Then Tony lunged for Gibbs, his fingers catching at the older man's hair as he pulled Gibbs to him for a fierce, lip-bruising kiss. And his eyes! Gibbs felt himself drawn into their ebony depths as a strange heat seemed to invade his body. Then his brain seemed to short circuit and he was kissing Tony back with all the strength he possessed, slamming Tony's body up against the wall, grinding himself against the other man, one knee forcing the other man's thighs apart, his hands fisting in Tony's hair.

"Mine," he growled, his voice rough with need. "You're mine!"

Gibbs felt as if a firestorm had been ignited inside him. He was hard and he could feel that Tony was too, as the other man ground himself against Gibbs, making frantic sobbing noises as he fought to bare his skin in wild urgency. Gibbs felt Tony's fingers clawing at his shirt, and barely felt the fabric tear as it was ripped from him. It could have only been moments since that first, explosive kiss, yet already they were skin to skin, frantically rubbing their burning bodies together.

No words were spoken now. There were none to describe the need that took over their minds and bodies. With a growl of desire, Tony pushed Gibbs backwards, following him down so that he landed half on top of the other man on the bed. Gibbs cried out, the sound more like a cry of passion than of pain. Their mouths locked together with crushing violence, tongues probing and entangling, uncaring that they bruised each other in the heat of their ardour. Something crashed to the floor, knocked aside unnoticed from a side table. Neither man cared. There was no room for thought. No room for doubt. Only the heat and need that consumed them.

Tony couldn't stop his hands raking across the other man's body in rough caresses, even as Gibbs dragged him down, fingers raking his back. Tony's head dipped as he licked his way down the writhing man's flat stomach, moving lower until he found his face level with Gibbs' prominent erection. He sucked it in, instinctively needing the taste of it as Gibbs howled and writhed from the pleasure that assaulted his senses. Tony's mouth was suddenly flooded with salty fluid.

Rolling Gibbs onto his belly, Tony's hands pulled his boss's thighs apart, finding the other man only too willing to comply, and he plunged his aching cock into Gibbs' welcoming body. One orgasm hadn't slowed Gibbs down at all, and he arched his body upwards to meet Tony's eager thrusts as he was fucked energetically. Tony gripped Gibbs' hips so hard that his fingers left bruises. As Tony pounded into him, Gibbs moaned, pushing his body towards the younger man and instinctively begging for more. Nothing mattered but the demanding thrusts of his lover inside him, taking him to heights of pleasure he had never dreamed of.

Gibbs was so hot and tight that Tony couldn't hold himself back for long, and as he exploded into his boss, he felt Gibbs groan and shudder again as a second climax came. They clutched each other afterwards, still breathing hard and within a short time, they felt their bodies re-arming, readying for the next round.

Tony knew what he wanted, and strangely, so did Gibbs. Without words, Tony moved off Gibbs and positioned himself on his hands and knees, moaning softly as his penis filled and hardened in anticipation of the things Gibbs was going to do to him. Instinct had taken the place of conscious thought, and Tony's immediate instinct was to offer himself completely to the other man.

He didn't have to wait long. A soft touch against the back of his thighs made him instinctively raise his ass and spread his legs further. Then came the long, slow burn of Gibbs slipping into him, and steady, deeply satisfying thrusts which made him scream with pleasure.

He would never know how long he was fucked, or quite remember the sequence of what happened next... Screaming in animal passion... Above Gibbs, riding him, as the older man's face transfigured with ecstasy... A moment between orgasms when their tongues played together... The blissful smile Tony gave moments after Gibbs had come in his mouth, as he laid his head on Gibbs' shoulder; the older man's arms surprisingly strong around him, as he shook with exhaustion and fever...

It all became a blur. The lack of inhibition between them. Sexual heat mingling with the aftershocks of orgasm and the heady scent of their passion. All eventually fading into nothingness...

Exhausted they slept, wrapped round each other, for hours, the virus multiplying within their blood, inserting itself into their cells. Altering. Changing.

******

Report to Senate Investigative Committee making enquiries about the so called "Partner" virus...

Sequence of Infection: Stage 3...
After coital activity is concluded, both partners having exchanged bodily fluids, deep sleep follows. We theorise that this is the period in which the pair bonding occurs, since widespread synaptic repatterning has been observed, and tests have shown that sections of the partner's DNA is incorporated into the individual's own genetic sequence. In male-male pairings, the potential for mutual penetrative ejaculation may be particularly significant in DNA alteration, and hence in the intensity of the bonding ...

******

Day 2:

Tony DiNozzo drifted in a sweet haze. He had slept for hours and hours, enclosed in the soft warm cocoon of someone's embrace, that person spooned behind him, holding him close. Somewhere deep inside him, there was a feeling of wholeness and completion that he had never felt before. And a fever heat swirled around him.

He felt his lover beginning to stir again, Gibbs becoming hard against his ass. He half turned into the other man's embrace and they kissed; not urgently this time, but with a slow, gentle sensuality. He lay on his belly and his legs were falling apart of their own accord and Gibbs was sliding easily into him and it was so very good.

Somewhere inside his mind, through his delirium, he was aware that this was Leroy Jethro Gibbs, for fuck's sake and what the hell was he doing letting himself be fucked by his boss when he was as straight as a die and hadn't he always said he would never bend over and grab his ankles for any man and...

Mmmm.

This time was different. Slower. The strange glow of light that he had seen before teased at the edges of his vision. As the sparkling motes touched his skin, fire again seemed to sweep over him, and Gibbs was clawing him closer and closer, their bodies moulded together in a more than sexual heat.

And yeah, that was so good and so right...

They fell upon each other a second time, licking and kissing whatever parts of each other's exposed skin that they could find. And then Gibbs was on his back, with Tony on top of him, eagerly impaling himself...

Oh fuck! YES! That was the place and...

...Gibbs heaved and rolled him over, seizing the chance for a kiss, then Tony was once more on top, with Gibbs beneath him, writhing and moaning in a way that made him so goddamn hard and Jethro Gibbs was shaking in climax beneath him and...

...and he was on fire, an inferno roaring through him in shuddering orgasm and...

...Gibbs' mouth was fastened between his partner's legs as Tony sprawled before him not yet too exhausted to react to the pressure of those lips around his cock, licking and sucking at him hungrily...

...he tasted so sweet and so good and...

Face to face, kissing and licking and biting and rubbing against each other. A tangle of limbs. Gibbs' hands enfolding his, lacing their fingers together. The fever cresting within their sweat-slick bodies...

It was then that it happened...

Between one breath and the next, something new and strange seemed to blossom in each man's mind. A more than intimate awareness of each other. Possessive. A need so deep seated it had to be an enhancement of some deeply buried instinct from humanity's mammalian past. Pair bonding with each other, till death do us part, forever, amen.

Fusion...

Darkness

*****

Report to Senate Investigative Committee making enquiries about the so called "Partner" virus...

Sequence of Infection: Stage 4
The pair bonding is complete and the infection has run its course. Individuals become intensely emotionally dependent on each other, display increased sexual responsiveness to each other and strong sociopathic responses to any other individual who threatens their bond. Studies have shown that sexual arousal now only occurs within the pair bonding and separated individuals seldom thrive, often becoming pathologically aggressive or suicidal.

******

As his mind drifted towards consciousness, Gibbs was dimly aware of a body beneath his, his head resting on his lover's chest. Comfortable. Warm. The gentle rise and fall of the other's chest was a soothing rhythm. It had been a long, long time since he had felt so good lying in someone's arms. He felt content on so many levels.

Finally, a ravenous hunger woke him fully. He opened his eyes and stared in bleary incomprehension at the early morning light that filtered into the room.

Morning..? But it had been nearly noon! And now he appeared to be lying on a bed in a hotel room, with..?

He sat up rather unsteadily and winced. His body ached in some unexpected places. His inner thighs... His balls... Oh god, his ass!

He shivered in nameless fear, then slowly turned to see whom he was sharing the bed with. Almost simultaneously, Tony opened his eyes and looked at him...

They stared at each other in horror.

Gibbs made a small choking noise and shook his head in disbelief, trying to deny the evidence of his own eyes. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be real. He couldn't have slept with another man! Not with DiNozzo!

The vision didn't go away. He was still looking at Tony DiNozzo. But this DiNozzo had bruised and swollen lips and Gibbs knew exactly how they had gotten that way; Tony had kissed him with crushing urgency. Small hickey marks were scattered across his chest, Gibbs could remember giving him every single one of them, particularly the big one on Tony's neck. He knew he had similar marks on his body, and he was oddly sticky across his chest.

A memory of grabbing something sweet and sugary from the cooler and pouring it down his throat, vaguely aware that he needed the sugar. Splashing it down his bare chest as his hands shook. Tony, with a predatory growl, grabbing him and licking every trace of it off his skin then capturing his mouth for a kiss that was sweet for more than one reason...

What the hell had they done? More importantly, why? It was incomprehensible to Gibbs that he could have slept with DiNozzo under any circumstances.

Of course, they were naked. As those green eyes watched him with wide astonishment, Gibbs abruptly had another flashback. A memory of those eyes blazing with passion as they kissed, then half-closed in ecstasy as Tony DiNozzo knelt before him and his lips wrapped themselves round Gibbs' cock.

The enormity of that alone stunned him. Tony DiNozzo had given him a blow job! And he had really, really enjoyed giving it! The size of his own erection had made that clear; Tony was very well endowed. Then Gibbs had knelt and Tony had positioned himself behind Gibbs and...

Oh god.

Some things didn't bear close scrutiny in the light of day.

With a moan, Jethro Gibbs escaped towards the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. Shaking, he sat on the john and put his head in his hands, shivering in shock. There was no possibility of doubt. He and DiNozzo had spent the day and most of the night having sex. Hot sex. Steaming, volcanic, nuclear explosion, supernova sex. After fifty heterosexual years, having his first gay experience was a huge shock to Gibbs.

His reflection in the mirror only confirmed what he already knew. He looked utterly debauched. His mouth looked as kiss bruised as DiNozzo's, and the younger man's fingers had left scratches at some point in the night on the side of his chest. Before or after he had licked it clean? And when had he got finger-shaped bruises on his hips? And what looked like dried semen on his belly and thighs.

Still in shock, he plunged himself into the shower and turned it on full. Within moments, he was scrubbing the evidence of their shared passion off his skin, not understanding why some part of him felt so good, so complete? He lost himself in the heat of the water and desperately tried not to think about what he had done. And who with.

Tony, meanwhile, sat numbly on the bed where Gibbs had left him. He just couldn't understand it. How had he gone from an occasionally stormy subordinate relationship with Gibbs to having sex with him? He had confused memories of... He flushed in recall. Last night had been spectacular, from the bits he remembered. No wonder Gibbs looked so upset. Tony had always thought he was straight. For that matter, Tony hadn't a long record of sleeping with men, himself. Precisely zero, in fact.

Dazed, he could only sit there shivering. His mind couldn't quite take in the enormity of what had happened. He couldn't quite remember how they had ended up in bed together. He dimly remembered that there had been some sort of explosion. Then what..? He hazily remembered feeling strange and fever-hot. Had he been sick? Out of his mind? What the hell had happened to turn a professional relationship into a wild and passionate night of gay sex? With Leroy Jethro Gibbs, of all people; his uptight, tough and iron-willed boss.

Yeah, well iron hard didn't just describe the man's character. Tony moaned softly as he had a flashback; Gibbs' hardness inside him, finding that impossibly sensitive place inside him again and again; making him scream like a girl as he repeatedly climaxed in the man's arms. Gibbs had fucked him so thoroughly he doubted if he could walk straight, with Tony's willing and enthusiastic co-operation. Tony just didn't know why he had acted like that..

For that matter, if they had been rolling around all night, out of their heads, why hadn't anyone noticed their absence and traced their cellphones - standard procedure when an NCIS agent went missing while on a case. And he had a vague feeling that he had forgotten something important that had happened.

He searched around for his pants and shirt - their condition was a testament to the strange madness that had possessed them last night - then made his way over to the windows. What he saw in the streets made him gasp as he looked at something unbelievable. Apparently they weren't the only ones affected by the event. There were bodies everywhere.

Some wandered aimlessly, nude or partially clothed, wearing dazed expressions similar to the one he knew was on his own face. Some were curled round each other in sleep, or were making love to each other in full public view. Men and women, men and men, women and women, all paired off.

Tony gasped and stumbled dizzily away from the window. The sights outside had stirred something inside him that scared him in its intensity. Longing. A need, terrible in its power, to rest his head on the warm, safe shoulder of Jethro Gibbs and hold on tight. Tony clenched his fists. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. He was straight. He had never chosen to sleep with a man before. He had never dreamed it could be so good.

The door to the bathroom opened and Gibbs walked out, his body wrapped in a concealing towel. He wouldn't look at Tony. Instead, he knelt and began to search through the chaos of the room to find his clothes.

"Boss..." Tony said softly.

"Just forget it happened, DiNozzo!" Gibbs snapped. His voice was filled with the same brittle shock that Tony felt. "We're just going to walk out of here and... never talk about it again..."

"Boss..!" Tony said, irritated. "Just look at this!" He gestured at the window. The other man flushed, then hesitantly edged past Tony to do as he said. Carefully, they avoided touching each other. Yet even as Gibbs moved past him, Tony could feel the heat coming off the other man's body. He clenched his fists, feeling the sudden, sharp pain as his nails drove into the skin of his palms. He would not reach out. He would not touch Gibbs. He would not cling to him, their bodies fitting together so comfortably. The nearness of the older man was making him feel so strange - with a shock, he recognised the feeling as arousal.

"Oh!" Gibbs said after a moment. "Then it wasn't just us..." He stumbled back from the window and turned back to Tony, his eyes dark with emotion. "What's happened to us..?" He sounded bewildered, which was a rare emotion for Gibbs. It was obvious that he was still in shock; afraid to touch Tony.

Gibbs was his boss. Nothing more. The last person he would have chosen to sleep with. But now everything had changed. He knew it was crazy, but he couldn't seem to stop his body reacting to Gibbs. The irreverent thought occurred to him that the concept of working under Gibbs had taken on a new meaning.

In some way that was more than sexual, Tony felt connected to his boss. When he considered walking out of the door, escaping from this crazy situation, it was as if a knife twisted in his guts. It was unthinkable to leave Gibbs now. And judging by the confusion that Gibbs was vainly trying to hide, he felt the same.

Without thinking, Tony found himself reaching out automatically to the other man and catching hold of his shoulder. Gibbs flinched and tried to pull away. It was as if, with the last shred of resistance in him, he tried to deny the new thing that had woken between them. An instinctive need that uncoiled within him at the touch of the other man. Then he was falling towards Tony, his arms going round his new partner as they clung to each other. And somehow Gibbs' lips were covering his and he was bruising Tony's mouth with the force of his kiss, out of control as desire took over.

They had sex again of course; that strange, instinctive desire taking over from the moment they touched each other. Not the frantic fucking of their first encounter, but a slower, more gentle meeting of bodies. Intuitively moving against each other, finding each other's rhythms. Not penetration, neither man had the energy or inclination for that. Just their bodies thrusting against each other, limbs tangled, as pleasure swept over them.

Their uncertainty vanished when they were touching each other. How could Gibbs hate a man who felt like a part of him, who cried out his name in wonder, whose fingers sought his as they lay together in the aftermath of their lovemaking. A man who seemed to know his every need before Gibbs could speak a word.

It was strange and wonderful and new. They were swept along by it, unable or unwilling to part from each other.

It was frighteningly addictive. No matter how much Gibbs hated this new weakness - this need for sex with another man - he was irresistibly drawn to the younger agent. His thoughts were in a turmoil, but the yearning inside him seemed to short-circuit his inhibitions.

Eventually though, some part of Gibbs awoke to duty.

"We have to report in!" he said softly. "The city's in chaos..."

Tony nodded. "I think it's a bioweapon of some kind, boss. But why would anyone want us to..." He flushed, then gulped. "...to pair up." Tony blushed fiercely. He couldn't quite met Gibbs' gaze. The older man shivered slightly.

"Five minutes earlier and I would have been in the coffee shop. I could have woken up wrapped round a total stranger."

"You ended up with me instead, boss. Lucky, huh?" Another blush.

Gibbs' lips curved in reluctant amusement as he reached out for his now hopelessly rumpled shirt. "We live in interesting times," he said. "Just don't ask me to do that again, any time soon, huh, DiNozzo." He could see the barely concealed fear in the younger man's eyes, hidden behind the wisecracking exterior. He understood the feeling. Even now, the urge to touch Tony was almost overwhelming. He had to clench his fists to stop himself reaching out to smooth Tony's tangled hair. He fought too, not to kiss those already kiss-bruised lips again. This was crazy. So damned insane.

Finally, he felt as if he was gaining some control over his traitorous body. He was able to force the desire back down into the dark place it had emerged from. Not that he was capable of acting on his lust at the moment.

He had just shared the most intimate moments possible with his young subordinate, and though Tony had taken him first - oh god he wasn't going to think about that - he had more than made up for Tony's audacity by repeatedly having him after that.

Gibbs could see that Tony needed him to be the strong, confident boss, dispensing confidence and support. It wasn't Tony's fault that they had slept together. Surely he could offer some support, after the things he had done to DiNozzo. Hesitantly, his fingers closed over Tony's and he squeezed, intending reassurance. He wasn't good at the touchy-feely stuff, but apparently he got it right this time. Tony's blush deepened, but he didn't pull his fingers away. For a short time, at least, they seemed to find themselves in rapport.

The moment didn't last long. Gibbs pulled his hand back, and Tony sensed his barriers go up again; a flash of guilt and shame in the older man's eyes. He hadn't expected Gibbs to offer even that much emotional support - the man was famously a bastard to his three ex-wives - and for the first time it came home to him exactly how much their lives had been changed.

How the hell were they going to cope with it
*****

End of part 1/4

Partners


******

World Health Organisation
Genetic mutations caused by viral infection:-
The Partner virus is certainly not the first infection in history to cause large scale genetic mutation. The influenza pandemic of 1918 has left sequences in our DNA that can still be detected today. But nothing could have prepared us for the consequences of a terrorist virus deliberately targeted at the Human Genome.

Those victims of the Partner virus display genetically programmed behaviour similar to that of certain animals, specifically a "defence reaction." There is an instinctive and uncontrollable urge for one bonded partner to defend the other when threatened, physically or otherwise. An involuntary reaction, it frequently results in the homicide or severe injury of the threatening party. This behaviour change appears to be irreversible and permanent in infected individuals.

******

Their hotel was at the junction of 22nd and M Streets, a considerable distance from the Navy Yard through streets blocked by abandoned cars. The two NCIS agents knew immediately that they would have to walk if they wanted to cover any distance. Fortunately their first priority, the epicentre of the explosion, was only a few blocks away.

Tony fell easily into an easy jogging pace and headed downtown, Gibbs comfortably keeping pace with him. Everywhere he looked, he could see evidence of the event. Whatever it was... Maybe group madness? There were few people on the streets now, giving the city an eerie feel, too quiet now, as if to compensate for its earlier madness.

What the hell had happened to them all? Tony could barely take in what had happened in his own life and it was likely that there was a whole city filled with people as confused as he was. There was no sign of the emergency services or the FBI this close to the epicentre and Tony knew why. He shivered. The virus, or whatever it was, had caught them unawares and they were probably in the streets somewhere, fucking their brains out.

Been there, done that.

CNN had already tried to offer some explanations on tv, alleging that a viral infection of some sort was to blame, and a quarantine had been imposed on the city. It was just another episode of strangeness in what had prove to be a surreal couple of days. It didn't help that there was a strong wind blowing which had spread the virus particles for miles downwind of the explosion site.

If everyone had been having sex for many hours, then the consequences were frightening to contemplate. Washington was the capital of one of the world's most important and influential countries, so what must America and the rest of the world think? And what about all the "unfortunate" liaisons, like his, that must have taken place?

Tony blushed as his eyes flickered towards Gibbs, noting the slightly too tight sweats his boss was wearing. As they had dressed, Gibbs had found to his embarrassment that many of the clothes he had been wearing before the "madness" were literally torn to shreds and unwearable. As far as Tony could judge, he or Gibbs must have ripped them off in the rush to have sex. Gibbs had scowled as he held up his shredded shirt, and in the end, they had shared out the spare set of clothes Tony kept in the car for messy crime scenes.

Tony knew he wasn't gay. He had never wanted or been attracted to men. Not ever. Yet they had unhesitatingly fallen into bed together and it had been incredibly good. Not just in that first wild need, but later, when they had both supposedly been in their right minds. Tony now considered his actions to have been totally crazy, even terrifying, and yet there had been that brief moment when they had seemed to connect with each other on some more intimate level...

He couldn't help smiling. This was so crazy. Sleeping with Gibbs! He couldn't explain why his cranky, difficult boss had made him feel so good, but it was true - though it wasn't something he was ever going to admit to anyone. Not exactly the picture he wanted to present to the world - his big, gay adventure!

How he was going to explain away the last couple of days was something he dreaded. He worked in a building with some of the finest investigative minds in the world, for whom curiosity was a natural trait. The gossip was intense and often vicious. In a few days time, everyone would be taking bets on who had "accidentally" slept with whom. The speculation about who he and Gibbs had slept with would be intense.

Whatever it was that had caused this - nerve gas? Bioweapon? Disease? - Tony suspected that it was still working in his system. Despite the fact that he had been intensely sexually active over he past few hours, he still could feel something stir within him when he thought about his boss. Something that sent a shiver down his spine and made his cock twitch.

Damn. Whatever the hell that stuff was, it was frigging potent.

It didn't occur to him until much later, that the recurring sight of pretty women half-naked in the streets didn't arouse him at all. That Gibbs was the only one, man or woman, who made him feel that way.

They were approaching the seat of the explosion. White dust swirled around, blown by the wind, the funnel effect caused by the surrounding tall buildings, making the air swirl into small dust devils. The remains of a black van, its roof and sides blasted open by a huge explosion, was in the middle of the street. Even now, fine white powder rose into the air from shattered canisters in the rear of the vehicle.

"Shit!" Gibbs scowled at the van. "We need a containment team asap. That crap is still being discharged into the air."

"You think it's still dangerous? To us I mean?" Tony was suddenly in receipt of Gibbs' fierce glare.

"How the hell would I know?" he snarled, then his voice took on a guilty edge. "But I'm certainly in no danger of screwing you, if that's what you're worried about. I doubt if I'll be able to get it up again for a month!"

Well, that went well.

******

NCIS Emergency Bulletin:
All essential services are hampered by the infection of key personnel. It is estimated that there is an infection rate in the DC area of over 90 percent. The so called Partner virus has a level four biohazard rating due to its highly infectious nature, the aggression it causes in exposed persons under certain circumstances, and the fact that it has no known cure. It should be treated accordingly.

*******

"It's a very interesting setup!" The FBI bomb expert studied the remains of the explosive device with fascination. He might have impressed Gibbs more if he had been wearing a shirt under his FBI jacket. And one of his three colleagues was minus his pants, which pretty much said it all. None of them were looking at each other and they were being exquisitely formal when they spoke to each other.

It didn't help that DiNozzo, master of the inappropriate comment, kept looking at them and sniggering.

"The way the explosives were set was designed to take the top of the van off and cause maximum damage to the canisters. We're looking for an ordinance expert. However, they weren't state of the art when it comes to the delivery system. Using explosives to disperse a powder agent? Crude and inefficient in my opinion. Their grasp of chemical engineering was just bad."

"I disagree!" The Homeland Security geek said. "The fact that the white powder containing the agent has been dispersed over half the city argues that they knew how to get the job done. Half the problem with biologicals is finding a powder dispersal agent that is light enough to be spread easily without clumping..."

"Those geeks have anything useful to say?" Gibbs gave a start. Tony had sidled up to him unnoticed in this damn federal agency circus, and his voice sounded unexpectedly in Gibbs' ear. Damn. The fact that the younger man had managed to sneak up on him told him how shot to hell his senses were, at the moment. But now that he was so close, Gibbs was only too aware of the enticing smell of the young agent - something masculine and expensively scented, with a hint of musk, that threatened to short circuit his brain. He remembered Tony's scent somewhere soul-deep that had to do with sex and heat and possession.

With a huge effort, he took a step away from DiNozzo and focussed on his notebook, trying desperately not to think about sex.

"The bomb sniffer detected cyclinide, one of the main chemical components of terrorist grade semtex!" He took refuge in the same cautious formality he had just seen in the FBI agents.

"Professionals, boss. I saw the remains of some very sophisticated looking components. And I managed to get some camera footage from a store down the street that shows it parked up, well before sunrise, so there must have been a timer or a remote detonator." DiNozzo was just as careful.

"Any footage of the terrorists?"

"Maybe boss, but only if Abby can clean up the pictures."

"You only found one camera with footage?" Gibbs snapped irritably. He realised almost immediately that he was using his anger as a shield to push DiNozzo away, and he made an effort to control his temper.

"Er... No boss, but the FBI agents got most of it." The young agent was far more hesitant than usual, unsure of Gibbs' reaction, tiptoeing around him like he was walking on eggshells.

Gibbs swore softly, and felt a momentary twinge of regret as the young agent flinched.

"There's only two of us boss." Tony said. "There must be fifty FBI agents and god knows how many other feds out there. There must be some really pissed off people on Capitol Hill this morning."

"Oh yeah! I'm one of them!"

******
Later...

Going into the NCIS building with Gibbs, both of them looking thoroughly debauched had been a strange experience. Tony caught more than one speculative glance as he hurried along at Gibbs side, and an awful lot of open curiosity. Gibbs was the leader of the major case squad and high up in the NCIS hierarchy. Plus, his abrasive personality made him somewhat infamous.

Yeah, and Gibbs looked like he had spent a wild night somewhere. Tony felt his face heat up at the thought. He had done that to Gibbs. His boss looked wrecked because of the things he and Tony had done together...

Only years of practice at undercover work helped Tony to keep his expression neutral, despite the rather obvious fact that his sore ass made him move more cautiously than normal. Unfortunately, what their colleagues were probably thinking was true.

He hadn't decided what he was supposed to feel about it yet. The sex had been spectacular; it was the fact that it was Gibbs. His boss. No one could accuse him of choosing the easy option - not that choice had come into it.

He felt his stomach do a little flip. He hadn't just slept with Gibbs, he had actually fucked him. And let Gibbs take him in turn. The enormity of that still stunned him. Jethro Gibbs moaning beneath him, arching up against him, pleading for Tony to do it harder... Then later, the long, slow glide of his hardness into Tony's body...

Oh god, even the thought of that made him half-hard, which was frankly all he could manage, at the moment. How was he going to work with Gibbs after this, because despite everything, he still wanted to. He loved his job and he respected his boss - even after the hot sex thing. Would things change now? The young agent sighed, hating the confusion he felt, not sure what he was hoping for. The best plan seemed to be to take it slow, a day at a time, and see what developed. It was all they could do, at the moment, to look each other in the eyes.

With a nod to Gibbs, Tony headed straight for Abby's lab, feeling his mood lift at the approval he saw in the older man's gaze. One thing that could be said about Gibbs - he cared about his team. And Tony felt proud that Gibbs trusted him enough to let him check on Abby and McGee.

McGee was leaning over Abby as she looked at something in her microscope. The way his hand lingered on her shoulder: the way she turned to smile at him told Tony everything he needed to know. The two of them had been together when the virus had entered the air conditioning system of the NCIS building. Despite all of the security protocols, enough of the virus had entered the building to affect everyone. Already in a sometime relationship, the two of them were in the happy situation of not having an embarrassing little secret to hide.

He, on the other hand, had a big problem, in the shape of a cranky and disagreeable ex-marine. With a sore ass.

"Oh my god, Tony!" Abby had noticed him lurking at the door. She came running over to him and hugged him. Then she put her hands on either side of his face. "You look like you've had a rough couple of days. Was it really bad out there? Or did you meet up with some gorgeous stranger?"

Tony felt his face go red.

"Let's just say I had a good time with someone, no strings attached, and leave it at that," he said evasively. Her eyes narrowed and Tony knew that she would worry away at his secret like a crime that needed to be solved, simply because that was the way her mind worked. She could sense his guile.

"Did you hear about Ziva?" she asked. He shook his head. "She was recalled to the Israeli Embassy as soon as the authorities realised what had happened to us. But not before she had paired off with a certain redhead of our acquaintance."

"Ziva and Sheppard? No way!"

"Way, Tony! Which is why our esteemed director is in a hell of a temper this morning. Ducky and Palmer are an item too!" Tony shook his head in disbelief. Maybe his indiscretion wasn't so strange after all.

"Is Gibbs pissed about... everything that happened yesterday?" McGee was trying to be discrete, but it was obvious that he desperately wanted to know what had happened to Gibbs when the madness hit?

"Let's just say, he's had better days!" Tony said. "I don't think he's decided whether he ought to be shocked or as mad as hell. It was true. Gibbs seemed to alternate between snapping irritably at him and trying to be nice to him while looking extremely guilty, which was so totally out of character for the man that it had Tony totally off balance. Tony preferred the temper. At least it was honest, and not so far off Gibbs normal behaviour.

McGee predictably made the assumption that Gibbs had met some strange woman. "I can see why he might be upset - sleeping with a stranger after having three ex-wives and all."

"Um." Tony quailed, and finally chose discretion over honesty. He couldn't even admit the truth to some of his closest friends. What a mess.

*******

As Gibbs strode out of the elevator, into the bullpen, he could see obvious signs of chaos. Papers littered the floors and there were still remnants of clothing scattered around and fortunately unidentifiable stains on floors and furniture. A few agents were already present and Gibbs was paradoxically relieved to see that all of them looked as if they'd had a rough couple of days. He didn't particularly want to stand out in the crowd.

It was easy to tell who had been affected by the virus. Everybody. People had the same slightly stunned appearance, and many still showed the bruises of their passion on exposed parts of their body. Gibbs knew he and DiNozzo both looked as if they had spent all night at an orgy - not far from the truth - so he wouldn't look too out of place.

His first stop was the director's office. Jenny Sheppard was there, along with - Gibbs winced - Fornell from the FBI. The agent nodded in greeting to Gibbs.

"Ah, Jethro. Well done on this morning's crime scene analysis. You probably wont be surprised to hear that the NCIS team has been asked to join a joint terrorist task force, led by Special Agent Fornell." She both looked and sounded cool and professional, with not a hair out of place. Why was he not surprised? Fornell looked a little rough round the edges, but from his sly smirk, Gibbs knew exactly what he was thinking.

They discussed the proposed task force for a while, then Fornell headed back to his office, again with a swift grin at Gibbs. Damn. That bad?

Jenny rounded on him, as soon as the door closed behind Fornell.

"Do you know what you look like?" she snapped. He flushed slightly. "You look as though you've been at an orgy, Jethro," she said bluntly. "Your mouth is all bruised and you have bite marks on your neck! And as for that bedroom hair..."

"I've had better days," Gibbs said icily. Who the hell cared what he looked like? He had terrorists to catch! Besides, he was definitely not discussing his indiscretions with her, though he could tell how curious she was. He received a glare in return, but ignored it. With their history together, she had no right to criticise his love life. Jenny had other things on her mind, however. She called all of the NCIS agents together for the big speech.

"You're all aware by now of the seriousness of the situation we face. We now believe a terrorist released an airborne virus in the city, with the consequences you all witnessed. We need to catch these bastards, but in the meantime, our first priority has to be the safety of our citizens. Agent Gibbs, your team will liase with the FBI, looking for evidence of these terrorists. My door is always open if you have any problems."

Discuss his indiscretions? With his ex-lover? Not in this lifetime.

*****

Later still...

This was shaping up to be the weirdest week Jethro Gibbs had ever lived through, and it was far from over. At the moment, he was sifting his way through a pile of crap, trying to find clues about the mysterious terrorist group. They knew few facts for sure. The black van had been rented by two men with military haircuts and the FBI was trying to track them down, and source the origin of the ruined canisters. Dozens of different manufacturers to contact.

Other agents were checking rogue scientists and Homeland Security was chasing foreign nationals as usual, which left Jethro's team working on the video footage Tony had seized. Once the footage was cleaned up, they could run the faces of the two terrorists through the Armed Forces database using face recognition software. And Tony could make a list of likely suspects who were on leave, at the moment.

Gibbs scowled. Multi-agency task forces were a recipe for disaster, in his opinion, but a lot of federal agencies were under pressure from the very top. Gibbs felt his lips twitch - if he was the male Secretary of Defence and he had woken up, as the scuttlebutt alleged, with his head between the thighs of a certain right wing senator, also of the male persuasion, he supposed he would be pretty pissed too. Which led his thoughts round to Tony.

He didn't know how he was supposed to treat the young agent. How the hell was he supposed to work with Tony after sleeping with him? After taking him again and again. When he closed his eyes, he could still see the younger man on his knees, those full lips wrapped round Gibbs' hard shaft. Then later, Tony on top of him, riding him, frantic in his need.

Other memories of their encounter rose unbidden into his mind, and he shivered slightly, disturbed by the intensity of the images he saw. He had just used the younger man. Exploited him. The worst thing, he thought guiltily, was that he remembered how good it had felt to touch Tony. How much he wanted to do it again. With a huge effort, he forced himself to concentrate on the job at hand.

A few minutes later, Gibbs looked up, surprised, as Tony placed the cup of coffee on his desk. At least the younger man wasn't avoiding him. If anything, he was even more eager for Gibbs' approval than before. Gibbs tried not to think about why.

"Thanks," he said softly. Then, feeling something more was needed, because something in DiNozzo's dark eyes begged for more;- "You all right? You need to see Ducky? Did I hurt you... earlier?" He found himself floundering, embarrassed, desperate to say the right thing. Needing to connect with DiNozzo, for reasons he couldn't have named.

"I'm a little uncomfortable, but it's no big deal." A flush. "What about you? I guess you're feeling the same..."

"You think?" Gibbs shifted uncomfortably. He certainly felt well used. The unaccustomed sensitivity in some delicate parts of his body proved that. Then hesitantly he offered, " Not a problem, Tony." The younger man nodded and Gibbs caught a flash of something unfathomable in those green eyes.

"I'd better get on with my data check." Tony had been told to examine the records of all sailors currently on leave in Washington which was a slow and tedious job. There was a slightly awkward silence. Gibbs scowled. Normally he would have snapped something derogatory about Tony needing his hand held, to encourage the young agent to get on with his work. Somehow, the words wouldn't come. It seemed unnecessarily harsh on Tony after the hellish day he must have had. Waking up beside his boss after Gibbs had practically fucked him through the floor.

Damn it, he shouldn't need to have feelings conversations with his agents! Or feelings for his agents...

"Let me know if you find anything," he finally said, knowing it sounded lame, but not knowing what else to say. And that was the end of *that* conversation

*****

Tony was tired. He had spent hours running through the database and he felt like sleeping for a week. With a yawn, he leaned back in his chair and stretched, trying to ease the unaccustomed tension in certain parts of his body. His thigh muscles in particular had seen an unaccustomed workout recently. And his rear, but he was trying not to think about that.

"Miss me?"

Tony yelped in shock at the voice that sounded unexpectedly in his ear. He swung round and stared accusingly at Ziva, who lounged on the edge of the desk, next to him. She studied his face and smirked.

"You look like you've been having fun, Tony." He frowned, knowing that his lips looked bruised and swollen, and that he had more than one visible hickey. And his wrists, where Gibbs had held him down during one particularly passionate encounter...

"Maybe. I could say the same thing about you, from what I've heard." Tony could match her in bitchiness if he had to.

Ziva smiled coolly. "Sex between friends happens all the time Tony. But you're trying to change the subject I think. So what was the sex like with your mystery partner, Tony?" She leered. The younger man's eyes flickered unnoticed towards Gibbs, but the older man was apparently deeply involved in paperwork.

"Incredible!" he said softly. "But excuse me if I have a problem with the whole consent issue. I like to pick my partners for myself."

"Oh!" Ziva purred. She was sharp. "So you wouldn't have slept with this person if you had a choice?" Her voice turned low, encouraging. "So she was ugly?"

"That's none of your business!" Tony snapped. He didn't want to go there, right now or possibly, ever.

"So she was really ugly? A hag? Or hairy? I know how much you hate hairy women..." Tony glared at her and stayed silent. However Ziva hadn't finished her Tony-baiting quite yet.

"Maybe it was a man... Maybe you woke up with a big, hairy sailor..." She plainly expected to provoke Tony with the comment; to outrage him so much that he would give her details on his new girlfriend. McGee was listening just as avidly to see what his response would be. The old Tony would have leapt in at that point, spluttering in outrage and defensiveness, eager to assert his masculinity and prove he was 100 percent heterosexual. None of them expected Tony to blush furiously, stand up and hightail it out of the bullpen as if his ass was on fire.

Ziva turned to McGee who was sitting with his mouth open.

"You don't really think..?"

"Have you ever seen Tony blush before?" McGee said. "I haven't."

*****

Gibbs wasn't doing well; he had worked fruitlessly for hours, before finally heading home, well after dark. He had been there less than an hour when Ducky called on his cellphone.

"We're waiting for an analysis of the biological agent we were exposed to. The CDC has sent a troubleshooter from Atlanta - a world renowned scientist called Sandstrom. He seems to think its a very potent virus which could still be active in our bodies - dumping weird combinations of chemicals into the bloodstream."

"So?" Gibbs said. "What exactly does that mean?" He heard Ducky mutter something uncomplimentary about him always asking the unwelcome questions.

"Oh get over it! I know you. I know when you sound worried. What is it you're not saying?" The medical examiner hesitated.

"The virus may have altered our DNA. Sandstrom looked really grim when he went in to talk to the Joint Chiefs - apparently he's seen something like this before, but on a much smaller scale. Cutting edge stuff, building on the work of some guys at Berkeley. There are only a handful of people in the world who could do work this sophisticated - the work of a mad genius, Sandstrom called it! I've got a bad feeling about this, Jethro."

"I don't think I could face any more shocks at the moment, after this morning," Gibbs said tiredly. He could almost sense Ducky's curiosity, but his friend didn't take the lure. Ducky would respect his privacy unless Gibbs chose to enlighten him. "Call me if you get anything useful."

He was tempted to throw the phone at the wall. Maybe the virus was pumping all sorts of shit into his body. Would that explain the feelings that were beginning to haunt him. He had to fight against this slow, consuming madness that seemed to be taking over his life. He had managed to spend the day away from Tony, now he had to find the strength to spend the night alone. For already, he could feel his body betraying him, aching for the younger man's touch. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about that warm body wrapped around him. This was so crazy.

He had heard what the young agent had told Ziva. He had thought sex with Gibbs was incredible, but not something he would have chosen. The older man closed his eyes briefly, trying to ignore the way heat seemed to wake inside him at the realisation that Tony had enjoyed their encounter as much as he had. That thought in itself was frightening. That the thought of sex with another man could still arouse him.

Yes, his addiction to DiNozzo was an illness. An after-effect of the virus. He would get over it! Eventually... But there was something worse lurking in his psyche. Something not really sexual; more a need for... Oh god. To be close to Tony.

He felt a strange longing, to pull DiNozzo close to him and hold him tightly, close enough for the younger man to rest his head against Gibbs' chest. He had the oddest desire to feel the brush of the younger man's tousled hair against his cheek and breathe in the scent of him. To taste those full lips again. But he was alone and the night seemed colder and darker than it ever had before. When had the world become so bleak? He sighed and started flicking through the cable channels, desperately trying to distract himself from the sudden desolate loneliness that filled him.

*****

Memo to all Federal employees
As you probably realise, the recent virus outbreak has had unfortunate consequences for all of us. Some employees will have unfortunately had inappropriate liaisons with felons. New medical information also suggests that these liaisons may be of a more permanent nature than was first supposed. Even twenty four hours without contact with the "partner" will cause emotional distress and possible psychotic episodes.

All employees are asked to provide details of their partners if they wish to maintain their security clearance.

*****

End of part 2/4

Partners 3/4

*******

Notes from Presidential speech: December 18th

The virus triggered a long dormant pair bonding sequence in our DNA. Human sexual behaviour in the infected now resembles the mating practices of certain apes, When exposed to the virus, two individuals mate and form a long lasting association which biologists term a pair bond. There is a likelihood that these individuals will remain dependant on their partners for the rest of their lives...

******

Day 7 after the virus

Gibbs hadn't slept. Again. He seemed to spend most of the hours of darkness tossing and turning with no relief in sight. When he did manage a few moments of sleep, the vivid dreams woke him within a short time. Images of Tony, mixed with swirling darkness. The sensation of writhing bodies covered with sweat - he knew it was a memory of what he had done when the virus had made him burn with fever. Not the best start to the day. Nor did this morning's heavy traffic improve his mood on the journey to work.

The taste of Tony's body was another impression that haunted him, even in his waking hours. At some point, he could vaguely remember licking the sweat from the young agent's belly before his head had dipped lower...

Oh yeah. Thoughts like that really helped! With a snarl, he swerved into his parking bay, narrowly avoiding the Director's sedan, and climbed out of the car. He slammed the door viciously.

His lack of sleep meant that Leroy Jethro Gibbs was rapidly assuming the popularity of a mediaeval leper in the NCIS bullpen, because of his worsening temper. He had already had at least one blow-up this morning, yelling insults at some hapless female driver, and most people seemed to be avoiding him. Even Henry, who zealously guarded the entrance to the building, had ducked out of sight when he saw Gibbs coming. Everybody, including a certain young agent. Tony had not been in evidence all day yesterday. The green-eyed agent had also taken to disappearing whenever Gibbs was around.

Yeah well, it hadn't taken him long to come to his senses. Gibbs just knew he was ashamed of their encounter. Why would a young guy like Tony want an ageing ex-marine with grey hair and three ex-wives?

Meanwhile, McGee scuttled round like a frightened rabbit, and even the normally unflappable Ziva kept her head down and tried to avoid catching his eye. Their failure to make progress didn't help. Their one success had been a fairly good description of the suspects, but finding their identities was a whole different ball game. Progress so far had been glacially slow. Gibbs was beginning to suspect the impossible as far as this case was concerned. That somebody in the government had helped the perps to cover their tracks. He growled in frustration.

He was skirting round the real issue and he knew it. Yesterday's presidential broadcast, which had been relayed on every news and cable channel at noon. He and his team, along with everyone else in Washington had found out the unpalatable truth about the Partner Virus. Phrases like "permanent genetic alteration" and "gene sequence for pair bonding" had been thrown around. Gibbs hadn't really got his head round the whole science bit yet, but from what he had gathered, he and Tony were mates.

Was that like marriage, because everyone knew how well that worked out for him?

Yeah well, his alleged mate was late and he was going to get his ass kicked.

******

Tony stared dully into his hazelnut latté, stirring three spoonfuls of sugar mindlessly into the hot liquid. The last few nights had been dreadful, and this morning was worse. He felt unbearably tense, as though there was a coiled up spring being wound up tighter and tighter inside him. He didn't understand what was happening to him, but ever since he had woken up in Gibbs' arms, everything felt different. Like his eyes. When he had shaved this morning, he had realised that in the mirror his pupils looked really strange, huge and dark - like he had taken something - though of course he hadn't. After-effects of the virus perhaps?

Oh yeah. And he really, really wanted to get laid. Last night had been filled with a jumbled mixture of erotic dreams, most of which had centred on Jethro Gibbs. That was the craziest thing of all. After the time he had spent recently having sex, shouldn't he be satisfied for the next couple of months? And why did he keep thinking about Gibbs - a much older man, an ex-marine with a dodgy knee and a volcanic temper - rather than a beautiful girl with luscious breasts? He liked breasts!

Apparently he liked cranky, exasperating military men even more. All because of biology, if you believed the government scientists. Gibbs was supposed to be linked to him in some mysterious way. Tony's grasp of biology wasn't great so he basically relied on the news channels for his information. They seemed to indicate that he and Gibbs were going to have to work things out, one way or another. Tony frowned. Gibbs had not been approachable lately.

Miserable, horny and with an incipient tension headache, he swallowed down the remains of his now-cold coffee and headed into work.

The first person he saw when he came into the office was Director Sheppard. He winced as she beckoned him up the stairs. He really wanted to sit quietly at his desk and do something undemanding for a few hours. Not that he had any hope that it was going to happen - it would just have been nice, that's all.

"So have you found anything, Agent DiNozzo?" Tony shook his head. A prickly sensation on the back of his neck told him that he was being watched, probably by Gibbs. The ex-marine missed little of what went on in the bullpen.

"I've personally checked out about a quarter of the sailors on leave, but I've had no success, Director." Tony carefully phrased his reply, knowing that Gibbs didn't like the director's interference. "The boss wants me to compile a list of all males aged 20 to 35 who match the descriptions we pulled from the video feed. If we have to, we'll check the alibis of every single one of them."

She nodded absently, then paused and studied the agent carefully, noting the too-conspicuous signs of Tony's recent debauchery. She reached out and tilted his chin up with long fingers, frowning at his too-dark eyes, with their enlarged pupils. He didn't pull away from her too-patronising touch, despite the fact that he disliked it. Too close to intimacy. He couldn't bring himself to care this morning.

"Are you able to do your job?"

An interesting question. Tony nodded, trying not to blush, not really trusting himself to speak. He had been away from Gibbs' bed for days and already he wanted to race back to the older man, fling himself down on his bed and pull him down on top of him...

He knew it was crazy. He knew that it wasn't going to happen. Jethro Gibbs wasn't going to risk his career for a quick lay, which is pretty much what they had done. Don't ask, don't tell.

The thing he was just beginning to admit to himself was that he had liked it. A lot. Tony DiNozzo was a serial dater of pretty young women, and he had just had the best sex ever with another man - with Leroy Jethro Gibbs! How messed up was that? He had been avoiding Gibbs lately, because he was scared of what might show in his eyes when he looked at the older man.

The next few moments, however, brought him crashing down to earth. As he came down the stairs after speaking to the director, Tony noticed that Gibbs was sitting at his desk, glaring up at him. He had obviously seen Tony with the director, and he looked incensed.

"You don't talk to Sheppard about my investigations, Tony. You ought to know that!" Tony opened his mouth to protest. "It's not open for negotiation, DiNozzo! If you want to stay on my team, you talk to me about your results. Not her. Ever."

Tony knew he was standing there, gaping at Gibbs, but he couldn't seem to gather the shredded remnants of his thoughts together. Where the hell had this tirade come from? What the hell had he done to deserve this?

"Maybe your team's not the best place for me to be at the moment," he said icily. He realised that he was shaking with anger.

"You have a problem doing as you're told? Go on. Run to the director and take your issues with you!" The last remark was practically shouted in his face.

Tony flinched at the finality of Gibbs' tone, anger waking inside him, making him yell back at Gibbs.

"You think we have issues to work out! Issues! What does that mean? You feeling guilty over sleeping with me?"

He could have heard the proverbial pin drop. Everyone in the office had stopped what they were doing and they were all listening avidly to what was being said. He lowered his voice slightly, but he couldn't seem to stop his wayward mouth.

"Fuck you Jethro! Oh sorry. Done that already!"

He caught a glimpse of McGee frozen, looking like a frightened deer caught in the headlights, and Ziva with her mouth open, as if she had been totally broadsided by the unexpectedness of it all. Gibbs gave Tony the stare that had been known to make grown men lose control of their bodily functions. Tony glared back at him, furious, refusing to let himself be intimidated.

"Conference room! Now!" Gibbs growled, and jerked a thumb towards the lift.

Simmering with a rage he could barely contain, still less understand, Tony followed Gibbs into the lift. Gibbs punched the button for the lab, then when the lift started to move, he turned the key to stop the lift.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Gibbs snarled. He closed on Tony until their faces were inches apart, well within Tony's personal space. Tony noticed distantly that Gibbs' pupils were as strangely dark as his own. However, he had other things on his mind.

"You don't tell me what to do! Not like that!" Tony yelled back. "What right have you to tell me who I should speak to?" It was like Gibbs' rage was a spark that lit his own anger. Setting each other alight. He had never dared stand up to Gibbs so defiantly before. Insubordination wasn't Tony's style - not when quick wits and a sense of humour could serve him better.

Gibbs pushed Tony backwards until the younger man was pressed against the wall of the lift. Tony found that he was breathing hard, and that the feel of Gibbs' hand on his chest was like a brand on his skin, even through the fabric of his shirt. Some part of him longed to burn.

One fist slammed into the wall next to Tony's head. "When you let her touch you like that!" Gibbs snarled, then he halted, shocked, as if he hadn't quite known until then, what exactly he was angry about.

"You're jealous!" Tony stared at him, his anger forgotten. Then more softly. "You don't have to be..."

Gibbs just looked at him. With sudden insight, Tony knew that the older man was completely at a loss when it came to dealing with him. Leroy Jethro Gibbs couldn't cope with a normal relationship - his three ex-wives could testify to that - and as for a more unconventional liaison with another man...

Enough talk, Tony decided, Actions spoke louder than words anyway. What had he got to lose? It was obvious that Gibbs wasn't going to make the first move - the guilt in his eyes whenever he looked at Tony told the younger man that. Tony would have to. So he leaned in and kissed Gibbs.

It was like unleashing the firestorm again, just like that first time. White heat swept over him and he was distantly aware of moaning; arching against Gibbs with the older man's leg somehow between his. Jethro knew what he liked: Tony spread out and offering himself up for the older man's exploration. Apparently his offer met with approval because the demands of Gibbs mouth on his grew intense; a force of nature. Gibbs began to drive him out of his mind, urgent and utterly assertive, his tongue plundering Tony's mouth like the luscious feast it was. His hands were on Tony's ass, pulling him closer. Tony could feel how hard he was.

"So good..." Gibbs' voice was a growl against Tony's mouth, between burning kisses as he drove his erection against Tony's body, his own thigh jammed tightly between Tony's so that the whimpering young agent was driven half-mad by the rhythmic pressure against his cock. Tony could only hold on tight as he was swept along by the fierce heat of their shared passion. Too quickly, he felt Gibbs jerk against him, once, twice and again. Gibbs breath hissed, and his eyes briefly closed. However, his hand was sure, moments later finding Tony's zipper and pulling it down, reaching inside to grasp his erection.

"Going commando, DiNozzo?" The hoarse note of appreciation in Gibbs' voice made Tony whimper. He sounded so hot. He bucked into Gibbs' hand. Then Gibbs was dropping to his knees and Tony cried out as the agent swallowed him whole. He may have only done this a few times, but somewhere, Gibbs had learned how to drive Tony crazy. Not for long though. The young agent was so ready that he only lasted a few moments before Gibbs' ruthless mouth sucked his orgasm out of him. Then he was pulled up into Gibbs' arms and he was soundly and thoroughly kissed.

It was only the strength of the older man that was holding him up, Tony decided. Half-draped over Gibbs, he was sure he must have a stupid, sappy grin on his face.

"Mine!" Gibbs looked far too pleased with himself.

"Yours..." Tony agreed softly. Then because he just had to push the envelope, " I've been yours for years, boss."

And because Gibbs was Gibbs...

"True!" Tony was tapped lightly on the back of his head. "And don't you forget it!" Tony noticed then, that Gibbs' eyes were back to normal, no longer that hungry, raging darkness.

"You realise what we just did, boss?" Tony was in no hurry to pull away from the strong circle of those arms, but he had to see Gibbs' expression. Apparently his boss hadn't thought about his actions. No. Thought definitely hadn't been foremost in his mind, not that Tony was protesting at all. "I've worked for you for four years and I can truthfully say that you've never given me a blow-job in the elevator before. Not that I'm complaining..."

Tony saw those blue eyes go wide, and a look of consternation appeared on Gibbs' face. Then confusion and shock, as he realised how crazy it was to have gone down on DiNozzo in an elevator in the middle of the NCIS building.

"Yeah." Tony felt something similar himself. Tempered by the mellow feeling he got after really good sex. "We really need to talk, boss. We aren't exactly behaving normally." Gibbs frowned. Tony knew exactly what he was thinking. Leroy Jethro Gibbs wasn't big on feelings conversations.

"You think!" Then Gibbs sighed. "Yes. Tonight at my place." With that, he was stepping away from Tony, distancing himself from their intimacy. Tony could almost see the familiar icy control falling into place. He tried in vain to hide his grin; he now knew what volcanic passions lay hidden under that cold exterior. Then a thought occurred to him.

"Hey boss, are my eyes weird right now?" The older man looked puzzled at the change of topic and shook his head. "Huh! Interesting." Tony filed the anomaly in his mind for future reference.

*****

Daily Situation Report of the Centre for Disease Control, Atlanta

...In the three days since the release of the terrorist Virus in Washington, several facts have been established about the infection.
1. It is unknown in Nature, so is probably an engineered virus.
2. The virus is airborne, using a fine powder as a transmission medium. Strong north-westerly winds at or near the time of its release led to the contamination of much of the greater Washington area.
3. There is no known cure.
4. Over 150,000 individuals have been infected.

******

Tony sighed. Days of work and not a single lead to the identity of the terrorists. He had gone through the database twice. Well at least, thanks to Gibbs, he wasn't on edge and jittery any more; sex was certainly a good relaxation technique. Tony repressed a smirk. He decided to take a break and go check on Abby and McGee. Perhaps they were having more luck with the face recognition software they were using on the video feed.

McGee was evidently telling Abby about Tony's little argument with Gibbs. Most of the building probably knew by now that Gibbs and DiNozzo were an item. They probably heard the argument as far away as Baltimore. Tony should have been mortified, but actually he felt curiously liberated - at least he didn't have to hide any more - and he found himself listening with avid interest as McGee gave Abby the goods on him.

"He said that?" She stared at McGee, eyes wide. "Wow! Then Tony and the boss *did* do the horizontal mambo. That is so weird that on a weirdness scale of one to ten, it rates an eleven."

"That's not all," McGee said. "They went away to talk, and when they came back, Tony had this big cheesy grin on his face and the boss looked really smug - like he does when he's just cracked a case. Oh yeah - and now I know what you mean when you talk about eye-fucks. They've been giving each other long, lingering stares all day." Tony blinked. No he hadn't - had he?

"Ooooh. A mystery! You don't think they found a way to make up, do you? They do say that sex after a fight is ten times as good..."

"While they were at work? They wouldn't... Would they?" Abby smirked at his naiveté and raised an eyebrow. He blushed. Time to intervene, Tony decided.

"Wouldn't do what?" he said innocently. Both of them jumped and he had to hide a grin.

"We were talking about the boss," McGee said quickly. Whether he would be able to solve this case?"

"Sure you were, probie." McGee cringed, guilt radiating off him. It was one of the things Tony loved about him - he was so obvious when he was trying to hide something. Though he was a good agent, it was so easy to fluster McGee. Abby on the other hand, wasn't scared to speak her mind.

"Are you and Gibbs an item?" she said bluntly. Then she moved close to Tony and put her hands on his shoulders. "It's okay you know. We're your friends Tony. We aren't the sort of people who judge you because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time." No matter what anyone said about Abby, her heart was in the right place.

"Yeah." McGee got that scared puppy expression on his face again at Tony's unexpectedly honest reply. "I think most of the building knows already, probie."

"I er... didn't think you'd admit it. You know. Don't ask, don't tell."

"Oh I'm not going to tell you anything." Tony smirked. "Answer me this, probie. If you were me, would you talk about the boss's love life?" McGee stared at him for a moment, then shook his head slowly.

"I guess not, Tony."

"I actually came down to ask Abby something. You know a bit about biology, Abbs. Did you happen to notice when you got hit with the virus -what happened to your eyes?" She shook her head. "Something strange keeps happening to me. Before this, when have I ever yelled at Gibbs? It just wouldn't happen. Oh yeah, and my eyes look weird since the virus. They were kinda odd when I woke up this morning. But later they went back to normal. After the boss and I had a fight... "

"If I was to speculate - which I'll do tactfully because you'll get all embarrassed and inhibited - I'd say that you and Gibbs did a little bonding."

She laughed. Tony looked so "busted."

"We all need sex, Tony. The release of serotonin; the rush of endorphins. It's a basic biological need. Maybe all those feel-good chemicals trigger something in people that have been affected by the virus.You should ask Ducky to take a blood sample. We can test it to see if the virus is doing something hinky."

McGee and Tony both turned to stare at her.

"Sorry. Bad choice of words, given the circumstances."

*****

"We have a big problem, Jethro!"

Gibbs looked up guiltily. He had known it wouldn't be long before some ass-kisser told Jenny Sheppard about his very public fight with DiNozzo in the middle of the bullpen. Probably Ziva, from what he had heard. He decided to brazen it out.

"Director?" For once, keeping his voice neutral and his attitude respectful. Acting smart rather than pushy.

"You've been concentrating on the terrorist case, Jethro. But in the past three days, we've had over thirty reports of violent incidents involving navy and marine personnel and their dependants. Fourteen serious cases of domestic violence, three cases of attempted murder and one actual killing - a decapitation!"

"What?" Gibbs hadn't been expecting anything like that.

"I had Cynthia pull the statistics. We're looking at a thousand percent increase in domestic crime, in the space of the last three days!"

"The virus! It has to be!" Gibbs said softly. "Ducky said there were worries about it... That it was still active inside the body, pumping chemicals into our blood. Changing our behaviour..."

"You should know, Jethro." Her voice was just as quiet. "Tell me you weren't out of control earlier today?"

He closed his eyes momentarily. She was talking about the argument - not the frantic elevator sex. No-one except DiNozzo was witness to *that* particular loss of control. No-one knew that he was going slowly insane.

"I was," he admitted. "For no good reason. I was jealous of you because you spoke to Tony." Something dark flared in his eyes, and instinctively she took a step backwards, the hairs rising on the back of her neck. "Just so you know. He's mine and you don't touch him. Ever!"

"Okay... " She kept her voice low and even, and saw him visibly shiver, fighting for control, his fists clenching. She had never seen Gibbs so tense. As if he was about to explode into violence...

"I don't know where that came from...," he whispered. "It's like there's something dark inside my head that I can't control. Just don't do anything to wake it up."

"I'll be careful," she said. She meant it.

*****

Later...

"Boss." The green-eyed young agent stood hesitantly outside Gibbs' door. He was casually dressed in a checked shirt, hanging loose over designer jeans. Gibbs thought he looked almost edible, with his endearingly tousled hair and the fading marks of Gibbs' love-bites partially visible on his neck.

"Come in." Gibbs said abruptly. "Drink?" He felt incredibly awkward trying to put Tony at his ease. It felt unnatural, in a way. He was much more comfortable playing the abrasive ex-marine.

Tony hid a smile at Gibbs' feeble attempts at being sociable. "Beer would be good, boss." Gibbs frowned. He grabbed two beers from the fridge and Tony followed him to the couch, which was set back against the wall in the next room.

"Outside of work, you can call me Jethro, Tony. Calling me boss when we've..." He hesitated, unable to speak openly about their encounters... "Jethro just sounds better, that's all."

"What do we have?" Tony said. "Help me out here. Today was just a bit crazy. You got all angry and possessive and I need to know why. What do you want from me? Sex? Or something else?" Tony tried to keep the hopeful note out of his voice.

"The older man shook his head desperately, not noticing the way Tony was looking at him.

"I don't know!" Tony saw the turmoil in his eyes. He understood it only too well. "Oh God, Tony, I don't know..." He clenched his fists, his nails sinking into his palms, then he drove his fist into the wall for the second time that day, hard enough to bruise his knuckles, breathing hard as he fought the need to scream, to run; anything but face the deep sexual confusion he felt.

"No! Stop it!" Tony grabbed at his hand, pulling it towards him. Gibbs' knuckles were bruised and abraded, a visible sign of the older man desperately trying to relieve his frustration and anguish. Tony's fingers were cool and gentle, drawing the older man's injured hand closer. "Don't. We're in this together." He hesitated. "Jethro." Daring to use his lover's first name. Irresistibly, he let his fingers tangle with the older man's.

"I... I want you!" The older man forced the words out; his voice was low, desperate, perhaps even afraid. Tony knew how big an admission it had been for the ex-marine to express his desires. He felt his fingers gripped tightly. There were things in Gibbs' eyes that there were no words for.

"It'll be okay. You'll see. We'll work it out." Wishful thinking perhaps, but Tony wanted it to be true. He moved forward until he was just in front of Gibbs, well within his personal space. Then he kissed him, trying to show without words how great his need for the older man was. How he understood Gibbs' confusion because he had felt the same way. How much he needed him.

They both knew how crazy this was - only a few days ago, they had been assertively heterosexual men, definitely not involved with each other. When exactly had Tony decided that he wanted this? Another man. Because he most definitely did.

Gibbs felt himself kissing Tony back, hard, his body answering the hunger that those beautiful dark eyes seemed to wake within him. Why had he never before noticed that Tony had the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen? And that the younger agent practically worshipped the ground he walked on. He knew then that he could have asked the younger man to do anything and Tony would have done it, happily, just because Gibbs needed it.

He was so seriously fucked. All he could think about was how much he wanted to sleep with DiNozzo, like he didn't have enough problems already. He knew it was biology. Chemicals in his brain that made his body remember heat and sex and the sweet taste of the younger man. And Tony seemed quite happy to let himself be taken, though that didn't make it right. He felt as if he were exploiting Tony, perhaps because the virus had infected him more strongly than Gibbs. For that matter, were they going to recover from this madness in a few days and be driven crazy by the knowledge of what they had done together? Doubts assailed him.

Gibbs shook his head dizzily. With the other man so close, it was hard to think clearly. All he really wanted to do was to kiss him and lick him and sink into Tony and never come up for air. Some part of him registered that his feelings weren't normal - logic told him that this was the virus inside him, still fully active, no matter what the experts said. Still whispering to his cells how good it would be to take Tony, right now. Sending wicked little messages about writhing bodies and hot, slick arousal.

Tony was as far gone as he was, captured by the chemicals the virus created; - a storm of pheromones inside him that urged him to be with his lover. He pushed Gibbs back on the couch and his hands were busy at Gibbs' belt, then his zipper.

Shit. How was it that things were moving so fast? Already, DiNozzo's hands were pulling at his pants, and he was as hard as hell, his erection pushing at the front of his boxers. He wanted this, and he loved the fact that Tony was just as eager for him - it was just that he had expected to be the one in control.

Not that he wanted Tony to stop. God, no. Logic be damned. And he certainly wasn't going to feel guilty about having the younger man, when Tony was this enthusiastic about sex.

The young agent was enjoying himself immensely. Tony moved his fingers in small spirals -- tiny movements, gentle and relaxing - as he pushed Gibbs' thighs further apart. He leaned forward and blew lightly across the skin of Gibbs' inner thigh. The older man hissed softly, but didn't pull away. In fact, a quick glance at his face showed Tony that he had closed his eyes and was biting his lip to stop himself from moaning. This was good. Gibbs was playing it cool, letting Tony do all the work. Not running away.

Tony began to plant small, delicate kisses up the older man's thigh, sucking and gently nibbling the warm flesh, until his mouth was level with Gibbs' crotch. Oh there was definite interest there; his rapidly hardening shaft was tenting the fabric of his boxers Tony leaned in so that he could inhale the scent of his partner. Gibbs smelled definitively male. Tony tried to resist the urge to nuzzle Gibbs' cock, then gave in and pressed his lips to the cloth over the tip of his erection. Gibbs' interest in Tony's mouth and what it was doing was beginning to overcome his inhibitions.

Hesitantly, Tony pulled Gibbs' boxers down, with his fairly enthusiastic co-operation, until the imprisoned erection sprang free. He dropped his head and his mouth covered the swollen end of the older man's cock. It was the first time he had really done this by choice, but somehow that didn't matter. As soon as he tasted Jethro, instinct seemed to take over. He sucked his partner's hardness in, taking it deep inside his mouth. It was the first real sound he had heard Gibbs make. A small sobbing cry that startled him. He lifted his head from his exertions, surprised that the older man sounded so needy. Tony smiled. Fast and sneaky, that was the plan; he wasn't going to give Gibbs a chance to change his mind.

He tasted so good. Tony sucked harder, pulling back his mouth as he did so, drawing out the sensation. Gibbs' hips tried to follow, but Tony held him down and increased the speed of his movements, pumping with his hand as he sucked down. Gibbs' fingers clutched at his hair.

"Yes! Tony..!" With a wicked grin, the younger agent pulled back, laughing as Gibbs cursed him loudly, so very close to the edge.

"Please..." Tony had never heard Gibbs beg before; it sent blood rushing towards his cock. Strangely reluctant to see the older man's expression, instead he dipped his head and sucked hard, and Gibbs gave a scream, his hips pushing forward as he came, spurting into Tony's mouth in long, shuddering bursts.

Tony swallowed the salty fluid eagerly. Another thing that astonished him was the fact that he loved the taste of his lover. Craved it even.

He rested his head against Gibbs' stomach for a moment, panting, trying to stay in control. The older man's fingers found his head, stroking gently through his hair, fingers combing through tangled strands. Tony sighed contentedly. Gibbs touching his hair had been part of his fantasies last night. He decided that his imposed partnership was one of the better things that had ever happened to him. He could feel his own erection hard and aching. He lifted his head to see that he was being watched. Gibbs was smiling.

He hadn't expected that. The way the older man looked relaxed. Happy. And not just because of the sex. Tony tried to remember the last time he had seem Gibbs in that mood, and realised that perhaps the answer was "never." Then Gibbs' eyes took on a gleam of mischief.

"You're going to pay for making me wait!" Gibbs said breathlessly. He pulled his partner towards him until they were face to face and kissed him. Tony gasped as Gibbs' mouth parted beneath his and his tongue darted into Tony's mouth. Kissing him like Tony was the oxygen he needed to breathe. Unashamedly tasting his own essence as well as the sweet taste of Tony himself. Pushing him backwards. Finally, when they broke apart, panting, Tony found himself somehow half under Gibbs who was stretched out above him, looking at Tony like he was going to devour him. Tony loved every minute of it, but he knew Gibbs seemed to have a lot of guilt about the whole penetration thing.

"You want to take this further?" Tony said hesitantly, spreading his legs, inviting Gibbs to take him. The older man raised an eyebrow.

"You're not shy about asking for what you want, DiNozzo!" The younger man saw the way Gibbs' lips curved in a small smile and the tension within him dissolved. "Damn. You know how much I want you!" Gibbs' voice was low and hungry.

"I need this, Jethro. You inside me. Please." At his partner's questioning glance, Tony smiled uncertainly. "We need this to work..." A blush. "Naked would be good,"

Gibbs moaned at the thought, feeling himself becoming hard again. He kissed Tony again, then the two of them were fumbling with Tony's clothes; he wanted Tony so much. The young agent grinned and lay back, pulling Gibbs down to him. They kissed again, their bodies fitting together so naturally, as Tony spread his legs wider.

Gibbs found it hard to believe that he was on top of Tony. That Tony DiNozzo was eagerly spreading his legs for Gibbs to take him. How the hell had he got so lucky? He fumbled for the lube that he had placed strategically within reach, in a crazy moment of optimism. He smeared it on his hand then his fingers daringly glided between the tightly muscular globes of Tony's ass and began to work his way inside, gently opening him until he rubbed against the other man's prostate. The experience was strange, and a little disturbing, though hot too. The way the young agent whimpered at that point sent a surge of arousal through him.

"You do realise, I've only done this before under the influence of a crazy terrorist's virus. I'm feeling my way." His fingers again found that sweet spot that made Tony cry out.

"Jethro! So good... Don't stop!" Gibbs laughed softly and leaned in to kiss DiNozzo's full mouth, enjoying the way the younger man moaned in protest because Jethro was making him wait. Payback.

Gibbs slid his hand down, rubbing the sensitive area under his lover's balls, fingering them lovingly. Tony whimpered, his hips twitching upwards instinctively. He was so beautiful like this; wanton and needy. Gibbs felt his erection hard against his belly. Damn, it had been years since a lover had made him feel this way. His only anxiety came from the fact that he had little experience of being with a man - he wanted it to be good for the young agent.

Uncertainly he slid a second finger into his lover's tightness, knowing from his own sexual explorations where the centre of pleasure was. Anointing him with more lubricant. And Tony whimpered, thrusting himself hard against Gibbs' moving hand. His movements became frantic, his breath sobbing. Tony cried out as Gibbs drew his hand away, momentarily, to slicken his own hard cock. It was so difficult to hold back now. Finally, he began to enter his lover slowly and carefully, not wanting to cause him pain. Tony proved his fears groundless by instinctively lifting his legs, wrapping them around Gibbs to encourage him as they lay face to face.

At first, he lay buried deep inside Tony, unmoving, enjoying the feel of being buried deep inside him. The young agent wailed in frustration, his hands clutching urgently at the man on top of them, his legs tightening, trying to pull him deeper. Then they were moving their bodies in unison, Gibbs increasing the speed and power of his thrusts, as Tony begged for more. Gibbs deliberately kept it slow, making the other man sob with need, finally bringing him over the edge. Then those firm young muscles surrounding him were gripping him tightly, pumping him as Tony came, hard. He screamed, too, as he came over the edge, spurting inside his lover.

They lay, sated, their bodies, slick with sweat, heartbeats slowing, still joined together.

"That was incredible, boss!" Tony said, blushing, as he gazed up into Gibbs' intensely blue eyes.

"Yeah," Gibbs acknowledged softly. He rested his forehead against Tony's, not wanting to move from that most comfortable of places. "I just don't know where we go from here..."

*****

Report of the World Health Organisation:-

Partner Virus - Risk Assessment
During the period of initial infection, it was feared that the Partner Virus was an airborne infection which could be transmitted from infected individuals to the general population by respiratory means. However, this has not proved to be the case. The major method of infection was via the terrorists' original device, cylinders of the virus containing a powder delivery system.

Due to the extreme potency of the virus, infection resulted after exposure to extremely small quantities, perhaps as few as 1 or 2 viral units. But the viral material is sensitive to certain ultraviolet light wavelengths and becomes inert after approximately 48 hours in the environment...

******

End of part 3/4

From the Internet manifesto of Professor Simon Mackenzie, Leader of the Dawn Alliance Group:-
For years, my wife, the government and certain moral authorities have made my life a living hell. I have decided to use my genetic engineering skills to get my revenge on them all. By the time this letter is received by the Washington Post, I will have completed plans that were ten years in the making.

At ten thirty on the 12th December, I detonated a bomb which members of my organisation placed in Georgetown. Within moments, it contaminated the air and water in our capital city. The powder is a virus, which has only one purpose. It delivers a sequence of DNA into your cells, one I carefully designed. On infection, you sought out the nearest suitable person to you, and... Well, you know by now. I foresee that the consequences will shatter the vile hell we call family life, and bring down the moral hypocrisy we call government.

*******

About a month and a half after the release of the Virus...

Tony screamed. His orgasm seemed to ignite fire inside him. Even as he sagged bonelessly back onto the bed, Jethro came inside him with a low groan. That was the moment Tony loved most of all. Something would flare in those blue eyes - a window into the private, secretive part of his lover. The part of Gibbs that, until the coming of the virus, had been tightly controlled and closed off. But the virus had broken open that lonely, desolate place and Gibbs was still trying to find his emotional balance as a result.

They had spent nearly every night together for the past month, and Tony still couldn't believe how great it was. They had never been so good together, seeming to strike the right balance between passion and tenderness, so that their lovemaking had reached new heights. Almost as intense as that first time, yet without the frantic violence of the newly infected.

This time, he had lain on his back, and offered himself to Gibbs, body and soul, spreading his legs wide and pulling his partner down. They seemed to understand each others' needs so much better now. Tony loved having Gibbs on top of him, so that he could watch the other man.

He was getting better at this, which wasn't really surprising, considering he had started with zero experience of being with a man. But already, he knew that he particularly liked some things. Such as positioning his body so that Gibbs could enter him while they were still face to face. Looking into Jethro Gibbs' blue eyes when he came was a new found pleasure. He was agile enough to wrap his legs round Gibbs' body as they had sex. The hedonist in him also noted slyly that it improved the angle of Gibbs' thrusts, intensifying the sensations he generated.

How could he ever have thought Gibbs cold and unfeeling? The depth of passion he saw in his partner's blue eyes stunned him. And he knew that Gibbs was beginning to let down his guard with the younger man. When they had first become lovers, both of them had been wary of each other, more hesitant and half-afraid of their true feelings. Maybe it was biological, but it was still astonishing.

What Tony saw growing slowly in Gibbs' eyes as their relationship developed was the beginnings of joy and trust. He didn't know what to make of it, but it was fascinating to see that hopefulness grow in his lover. Jethro Gibbs must have been hurt badly some time in the past to be so slow to lower his defences, but Tony hadn't asked him about it. If he decided to tell the young agent about his past, it would be when he was ready; Tony knew when to keep his mouth shut.

Both of them lay still after orgasm, Gibbs still buried deep within him. Tony felt his lover's breathing gradually slow, as his body relaxed in post-coital languor. He didn't seem inclined to move. They lay, as close as they could be to each other, utterly content, for a long time. It wasn't always about sex these days. Sometimes they just lay in each others' arms, enjoying a moment of intimacy. Again, Tony got the feeling that it was a luxury that Gibbs had long denied himself.

Tony finally found the strength to open his eyes again. He found himself looking up into Jethro Gibbs' intensely blue eyes, directly above his. Not for the first time, it struck him how odd the last month had been, for them both to end up in this situation.

"Come here often?" he grinned up at Gibbs. The older man's lips curved in that tiny, subtle Gibbs-smile that meant he was quite aware of the humour of the situation.

"I seem to have been spending a lot of time here recently," he acknowledged.

"You've found your comfort zone," Tony observed. Again that small hint of a ghost of a smile. Tony was learning to read Gibbs' moods far better than ever before, perhaps because he seemed to be spending so much time up close and personal with the older man. There were subtleties to Gibbs that he had never noticed before.

"Yeah. I have." There was a world of irony in his voice - Gibbs admitting he found their developing relationship just as strange as Tony did. Then, more considering. "Do you want me to move?" Tony shook his head. Having Gibbs' body on top of his, fitting so snugly against him, was nice.

"I like it," he admitted with a slight blush. "All of it... I didn't think I would, but you've persuaded me with the er... force of your personality." Gibbs had always called the shots in their relationship and Tony was happy with that.

A spark of amusement deep in those blue eyes. Then Gibbs lowered his mouth and placed a butterfly-soft kiss against Tony's cheek. Unexpectedly gentle. Making the younger man gasp. Another, and a third. Feather-light, soft kisses that began to trail their way down Tony's neck. The younger man moaned and arched into Gibbs' touch, and the older man saw his eyes turn dark with need, pupils expanding, even as his legs wrapped themselves around Gibbs once more. Tony realised for the first time that Jethro wasn't just having sex with him; this was making love. Something far more intimate and meaningful.

Gibbs was a study in contradictions. Tony loved being close to him. He loved the man's fierce concentration, the way he knew exactly what he wanted and went all out to get it. Gibbs' fanatical determination to solve a crime was familiar to Tony, but having that intense focus directed towards him with the sole intent of giving him pleasure - that was something entirely new.

Now, Gibbs was beginning to show him more of that secretive inner self that he kept hidden from all the world. The part of him that had been so scarred and damaged by the loss of his first wife and his disastrous subsequent marriages. Tony still didn't know the details of those disasters.

Could a man's character change? Tony didn't know. But it seemed Gibbs was changing. In the past few weeks, for example, Tony and Gibbs had found their own very private ways of relieving stress. Sex every day was having its effect on Gibbs. Not only was he far more relaxed, but he was fitter than he used to be. All that extra exercise...

He was a demanding and passionate lover. But today he had shown a tenderness in his lovemaking that was both unexpected and welcome. For Tony, insecure and desperate for approval, those moments were something to treasure.

*****

The sound of Gibbs' cellphone at 5 a.m. pulled Tony out of a deep, dreamless sleep. He was beginning to resent the sound, since it often meant an end to their intimacy and a call to work. He muttered something uncomplimentary and heard Jethro laugh quietly, close behind him. The older man's hand reached across Tony and snagged the phone from the side of the bed.

"Gibbs," the older man snapped into the phone. He listened for a few moments then swore softly. "What? Another one? Call Ducky. We'll meet you there, McGee." With a sigh, he rolled away from his so-comfortable position pressed up against Tony's back and sat up.

"Trouble, boss?" Tony asked sleepily. It must be bad for them to be called in, but then, the search for the terrorists had drawn a blank whichever way they turned and the whole team were feeling frustrated. Maybe a straightforward murder was what they needed, to gain perspective. There were plenty such cases these days, at least two a day, almost always due to partner jealousy or defensive reactions gone wrong, and the NCIS was swamped..

"Multiple killing. Georgetown. A sailor from the Eisenhower and his wife." Tony groaned. "Time to get up, lazybones." Gibbs was wide awake already, and Tony could only envy the way that Gibbs could go from sleep to full alertness in seconds - must be a marine thing. Then he yelped as Gibbs slapped his naked rump firmly. "Up, Tony!"

"You'll be sorry for that!" The young agent muttered under his breath, pretending to ignore the amused look his partner gave him. He scowled; some days he was nostalgic for the head-slaps. He did however scramble out of bed and into his clothes as quickly as he could. "Have we at least got time for breakfast?" Gibbs just looked at him, not needing to say a word, and Tony gave a theatrical, long-suffering sigh.

Then Gibbs hesitated. "Before we go, there's something I wanted to ask you, Tony. You don't have to answer now. Just think about it." At Tony's quizzical expression, he smiled. "Move in with me! You seem to be spending most of your time here anyway, so why not move in permanently?" He saw the surprise in Tony's green eyes. "I'd really like you to..." He sounded hesitant and unusually for Gibbs, nervous.

"We'll talk later," Tony said softly. He couldn't quite suppress his grin though and he saw the answering spark of amusement in his lover's eyes as he read Tony's mood. But business came first.

"All right," Gibbs said. "We have to go..."

"I know." Tony purred. "Later..."

*****

In all of his years as an investigator, Gibbs knew he had never seen such a mess at a crime scene. The killer must have been in a frenzy - Ducky had estimated that each of the two corpses had been struck over two hundred times, by something like a poker or iron rod. With each blow, after the first half dozen or so, cast off blood droplets from the bloody weapon had arced through the air. The walls and ceiling were horrifically spattered with blood. The directionality of the blood spatters told the whole story - someone who hated these two with an intensity bordering on madness.

Tony and McGee were busy photographing and sketching the crime scene, whilst Ducky pushed a liver probe into the remains of the sailor to estimate the time of death. McGee looked like he was going to upchuck. Even after a year working with Gibbs' team, there were still sights that could turn his stomach. The heads had been pounded to mush - it would take days of work for Ducky to reconstruct the victims' skulls.

It did look like a typical partner-rage killing though. Probably the old, old story - the eternal triangle - with a modern twist. The Eisenhower had docked yesterday morning, back in Washington for the first time since the release of the virus. NCIS had expected trouble and Gibbs had been placed on call. What was likely was that a sailor returned home to find his wife with a lover - pair bonded to another man - and the guy had lost it and killed them both. Gibbs shivered. If the pattern of previous cases ran true, the bereaved partner would sooner or later suicide - messily - taking as many others with him as he could.

He needed coffee.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs bellowed.

"Yes, boss!" Green eyes regarded Gibbs with humour. The older man had determined, early in their imposed partnership, that he would do his young lover no favours while they were at work. If DiNozzo had other ideas, well that was just too bad! Still, he could really do with a coffee right now, and the younger man hadn't had breakfast...

"When you're finished there, go question the locals. And get me a coffee from that diner across the street." Gibbs saw Tony's eyes gleam; his train of thought entirely predictable. Food! "Oh, and take McGee with you before he pukes!" Gibbs rationalised to himself that he was going to be at least another couple of hours at the crime scene so he may as well get a coffee boost. Nothing to do with pleasing Tony. Nothing to do with letting down the icy cold façade he presented to the world and letting a little affection show for the young man who shared his bed and his life...

"Anything for you, boss." Gibbs' mouth went dry when he saw Tony's smirk. When Tony spoke to him in that tone, images of the younger man sprawled wantonly across his bed rose irresistibly into his mind. Reluctantly, he dragged his mind out of the gutter where it was delightfully wallowing.

"DiNozzo…" he said sternly. A quick pout and then the younger man was gone. Ducky chuckled from across the room, where he had just helped Palmer bag the first body.

"You and young Tony seem to be comfortable in your relationship these days," Ducky observed.

"We try to keep the personal stuff at home, Ducky."

"Not easy when you both work together, Jethro."

"So I should assign him to another team? I don't think so. I feel more comfortable if I can keep an eye on what he's up to."

Ducky seemed to debate with himself for a moment.

"They're working on a cure you know. A vaccine against the Partner Virus. A lot of people in Washington's scientific circles are pushing for it to be given to the whole of the population, once it's perfected."

"Isn't that like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted?" Gibbs shook his head. "It isn't like the past month can be forgotten easily. A lot of people have picked themselves up and moved on with their lives." He glanced towards the door where Tony had disappeared. "Maybe they should just leave well alone."

"There are things about the virus that haven't been made public, Jethro. I can't talk about it, not even to you. But you should take the vaccine. Trust me on this." With that enigmatic comment, he followed Palmer out to the autopsy van.

*****

"So would you like a bacon roll or an Egg McMuffin? All of that lovely greasy cholesterol. It smells really good, doesn't it?" Tony indulged in his favourite sport; McGee baiting. Some days it was just too easy. Like now, when the younger agent was turning an interesting pale green colour. Still, sometimes McGee could surprise him.

"Aren't you going to get the boss his coffee?" McGee snapped back. "He'll kick your ass if you don't." He paused and his eyes narrowed. "Then again, maybe you want him to. Didn't you tell me the other day that you were nostalgic for the head slaps now that he had your butt to aim at? Who knows what goes on behind closed doors, these days?" It was Tony's turn to glare back at McGee.

"Jethro would never let his personal life get in the way of work, probie. I'm surprised at you."

"Jethro?" McGee raised an inquiring eyebrow. Tony took refuge in dirty tactics.

"This bacon sandwich is really greasy, probie. Swimming in fat. Smell that!" He wafted the roll under McGee's nose and saw the younger man blanch satisfyingly. With a visible effort, McGee straightened up and gathered the shreds of his dignity together. Tony chuckled. McGee was learning, and becoming a better agent with every passing month. Soon, he might even merit "Tim" instead of "Probie," although Tony would toss in the occasional reminder to keep him on his toes. Oh yes, and McGee would have to call him sir a lot.

His humour restored, Tony bit into the bacon roll with considerable enthusiasm; though he was starving, he had no wish to keep Gibbs waiting too long. Though his lover's tolerance was greater these days, there was a fine line that Tony preferred not to cross between Gibbs irritated and Gibbs pissed. At least in the old days, he could walk out the door at the end of his shift and escape. Now, if he pissed off Gibbs, he would have to face the growled monosyllabic conversations and slammed doors at home too.

Home. He grinned. He was going to move in with Leroy Jethro Gibbs on a permanent basis, and any day now, one of them was going to mention that word they had both been oh-so-carefully avoiding.

Love.

Well a guy could dream...

Unexpectedly, the mouthful of bacon he had just swallowed hit Tony's stomach and instantly curdled. Or that's what it felt like, anyway. Before he could even think about what he was doing, Tony was running for the restroom, his stomach churning. The next thing he knew, he was on his knees in the men's room, leaning over the john, vomiting up everything he'd eaten in the past millennium. He was distantly aware of McGee somewhere behind him, making worried noises, but Tony didn't care.

All he could think about was the great and overwhelming urge to throw up everything. Other impressions crowded into his brain; the cold porcelain under his fingers, the smell of disinfectant, the small squares of tile on the walls. Strange how his mind clutched at these impressions as a distraction from unpleasantness, so that they assumed a crystal clarity in his head. He swiped a hand across his forehead; it felt clammy with cold sweat.

"Tony..?" McGee sounded gratifyingly worried.

"S'okay..." Tony managed. "Bad roll maybe?" A fresh wave of nausea swept over him and he moaned miserably.

"You want me to... to... get Gibbs?" Now, McGee sounded really worried. Tony smiled weakly. Like Gibbs was going to come running to hold his hand!

"Sure probie. Go ahead." He'd love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. McGee scurried off, leaving Tony alone in his misery. A third bout of vomiting took his attention for long minutes.

What the hell was wrong with him? He hadn't been this sick since the spring break he'd been persuaded to drink half a pint of chilli flavoured vodka. He hadn't eaten anything unusual and he knew Gibbs' kitchen was spotlessly clean. He supposed it could be a bug of some sort. Three or four weeks ago, he had felt under the weather - for days he had felt tired and had stomach cramps - but that was ages ago.

Perhaps he should splash some water on his face. He started to stand, then froze. He wouldn't have noticed the slight reddish stains in the mortar between the brown limestone tiles if his face hadn't been close to it, but he realised the implications immediately. The men's room was immaculately clean, yet here was fresh blood - it hadn't even browned with age yet, so it was only a few hours old. The killer had been here, and he had probably been sick too. The mark was just about the size of a hand-print, and it was right next to the place Tony had steadied himself when he too was puking.

Customer or staff?

No, wait a minute. Whoever had killed the two people across the street had to be covered in blood. Tony couldn't see a blood soaked killer walking through the diner. Unless it was closed for the night. Which meant...

The only warning he had was the slight scuff of a shoe on the floor behind him, but it was warning enough for him to turn towards the sound, so the iron pipe smashed down onto his shoulder instead of his head.

*****

The crime scene analysis was proving to be a real bitch. Gibbs had found at least twenty sets of fingerprints in the room - apparently the victims weren't big on cleaning their house. Not that there were many surfaces free from blood in this part of the house.

"McGee!" he bellowed, when he saw the young agent coming through the doorway. "Where the hell is my coffee?"

"Uh boss..." McGee had something on his mind, but he was too nervous to say it.

"What?" Gibbs' glare had been know to make grown men cry.

"It's Tony. He's sick. He's throwing up in the bathroom in the diner." McGee looked apologetic.

"And you left him there? You're supposed to back up your colleagues!" Gibbs glowered at McGee. "Oh never mind. I'll check on him myself. You can start a blood pattern analysis."

Gibbs found his annoyance growing as he strode across the street and into the diner. Give DiNozzo an inch and he took a mile. He had probably eaten too much of that greasy crap he seemed to love. Next time, McGee could get the coffee! He spotted the sign for the john, and headed for the back of the diner.

"Tony?" he growled. "You in there?" He shoved at the door but it refused to move. There was no answer, and he started to turn away, then swung back in alarm as the sound of a gunshot echoed through the diner.

He hit the door as hard as he could with his shoulder, once, twice and staggered inwards as it gave way beneath his determined assault. A horrifying sight met his eyes. Tony was sprawled on the floor, his face deathly-pale, his gun on the floor beside his right hand, and his forearm twisted at an unnatural angle, obviously broken. A man Gibbs had never seen before, wearing a cook's apron, was about to bring an iron bar down on Tony's defenceless head.

Something dark and savage woke inside Jethro Gibbs' mind - pitiless and cruel - with no mercy for Tony's attacker. In one swift motion, he slammed the cook into the wall with no thought for his own safety. Then the iron bar was in his hand and he was bringing it down again and again on the man's head, feeling it turn spongy beneath his blows.

The darkness claimed him for a long time after that.

*****

Tony drifted somewhere grey and pain-filled for a while. There had been horrendous pain and he guessed that he had passed out for a while. The details though were a bit fuzzy. He would have like to stay in this nice place where he didn't have to care about anything and where the pain was much less, but it wasn't to be.

"Boss..? Boss... Please boss..." The voice was McGee's. He sounded terrified. Was Jethro there too?

"Wha? M'Gee..." Tony mumbled. He opened his eyes and tried to make sense of the scene in front of him. He thought for one brief moment that he had been transported across the road to the crime scene - blood was spattered everywhere. McGee was standing by the door, his gun held in trembling fingers. And Jethro. The older man was standing next to a lump of red that might once have been a human being. His face and clothes were splattered with blood and his eyes... His normally blue eyes were all darkness - pupils hugely expanded.

"Tony!" There was such relief in McGee's voice. "You're alive!"

"S'observant, probie! Wha' happen'd?"

"You were attacked! Gibbs took your attacker out before he could finish the job." He faltered. "I've heard lots about partner-defence rage before but I've never seen it! I think Gibbs took that bar off your attacker and beat him to death with it."

"Yeah. That fits. He broke my collar-bone with it, I think. My arm too when I tried to use my gun." He looked up at his partner. "Jethro?" The older man just stood there, swaying slightly, his eyes empty of anything human.

"He's really out of it," McGee said. "He wouldn't let me anywhere near you. I don't think he even recognised me!" He glanced uncertainly at his drawn gun. "I was thinking I might have to wing him in the shoulder or something..."

"You do and I'll put that gun somewhere a proctologist wouldn't find it for a week!" Tony snarled, his own protective instincts flaring. He put his left hand against the edge of the washbasin and tried to pull himself to his feet. He had to bite back a whimper of pain as the movement made something grind together in his shoulder. He managed to get one leg under him, and half-kneeling, he swayed unsteadily

"Jethro!" He gasped his lover's name. No reaction. With a moan, he forced himself to stand. Pain flashed through his arm, ten times worse than before and he couldn't suppress the sob of agony this time.

It was that sound, not speech, that finally penetrated the darkness in Gibbs' mind. Tony saw his lover's head turn towards him and stumbled in Gibbs' direction. The iron bar fell from Gibbs' fingers. Then Tony's foot slipped in some of the blood smeared across the floor and he started to fall forwards.

Strong arms caught him before he had fallen more than a few inches. Tony whimpered as his injuries were jarred. Then he was being gently held and supported, in Gibbs' arms. He pressed his forehead dizzily against Gibbs' shoulder, finding himself unable to stand without his lover's help.

"I've got you Tony." The back of his head was gently stroked. Tony felt a soft kiss on the top of his head. "You're safe now, love." The young agent clung to his partner with his good hand, heedless of the blood on Gibbs' jacket. He grinned, despite the pain. Had he really just heard Jethro admit his feelings?

"Yeah, I know..." Tony mumbled. "Jus' don' let McGee shoot you... Love you too..." he whispered the last.

He fainted again, but this time as he fell into the darkness, he knew Jethro would keep him safe.

******

Report to Senate Investigative Committee making enquiries about the so called "Partner" virus: 2007

Partner rage is a unique and involuntary biochemical reaction experienced by an individual in a partnership when their partner is threatened. Basically, the brain is flooded with a cascade of hormones associated with extreme aggression, and at the same time, adrenaline is released into the body in massive amounts. The affected individual then typically attacks the perceived threat until it is removed. The partner has no control over this reaction, which resembles the reaction of mother animals defending their young or males defending a herd.

After the defence reaction ceases, partners will typically be drawn to touch each other, reassuring each other and exchanging scent and taste information, which we believe acts as a stimuli for returning the body's biochemistry back to normal.

Guilt and shame are frequently met with in partners who have acted defensively. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a possibility.

******

Gibbs lifted Tony bodily in his arms and carried him out of the damn restroom, bellowing to McGee to bring the car round to the front. Then he had made the young agent drive them at breakneck speed to the closest hospital, Bethesda, all the while, cradling his unconscious lover in his arms. He hadn't wanted to let go, and he probably couldn't have released his death-grip on Tony anyway. He needed to feel Tony's chest rising and falling as he breathed, and the strong, slow heartbeat of the younger man. He needed to know, deep down inside him, that Tony was alive.

He had known from the frightened expression on McGee's face that the young agent doubted his sanity, but most of his attention had been on his partner. How inadequate that word was for the relationship they were developing. He felt incomplete these days without Tony by his side; not just in his bed, but as a companion. They had such different perspectives on life, and some of the conversations - and intellectual arguments- they had were fascinating to Gibbs. So passionate. He loved it all. He hadn't known how lonely he had been until now, when he had Tony. But more than that, there was a soul-deep need for his partner that Gibbs couldn't have put into words.

Ducky had met them at the hospital, and it had taken both McGee and the old doctor to restrain Gibbs before he would let the medics work on Tony. He had insisted that Tony stay within his line of sight at all times, and in the end, they treated him in a room with a glass window while Gibbs stood guard outside. Finally, all the x-rays had been completed and they had bandaged Tony up, dosing him with pain medication, and he could finally, finally sit next to his lover and take Tony's hand in his and hold it tight...

Yeah well, he guessed that he had lost it for a while at that point.

Much later, he remembered Ducky's hand on his shoulder.

"You need to clean up, Jethro. McGee has a change of clothes for you, and I'll watch Anthony while you do that." The old doctor's voice was unexpectedly gentle. Gibbs forced himself to focus on his surroundings.

He realised that part of the reason the medical staff were treading so warily around him was that he looked like he had come out of a slaughterhouse, and he fled to the nearest bathroom to clean up. And somehow, it had taken far longer than he had anticipated, for him to scrub his hands and face clean of blood. He felt soiled. Unclean.

Gibbs didn't know what he was going to do now. The virus had given him a sexual appetite which Tony was only too happy to relieve. At first, he had thought himself incredibly lucky, the way things had worked out. Then Tony had been threatened, and he had come to his senses, standing over the ruin of a man's body, with a bloody pipe in his hand, unsure of how he had come to be there... The virus triggered animal instincts; sex and aggression. And today, it had plugged itself into his brain and flicked a different set of switches inside it; not the familiar sexual responses but something far more deadly.

As he stalked back down the corridor to Tony's room, dressed in some borrowed surgical scrubs, he could see that most of the medical staff were trying to hide the fact that they were watching him warily, like there was a predator in their midst. He scowled and was aware that several heads ducked out of sight to try and stay inconspicuous. The grapevine being what it was, they all knew that he had killed a man more or less with his bare hands, to keep Tony safe.

Beaten him to death, actually.

He clenched his fists to stop them trembling. He would do the same thing again without hesitation to save Tony. But still. The legendary partner rage had taken him and swept him along, and he hadn't even tried to fight against it. He had fallen into a killing rage, and had annihilated the bastard. What bothered him most was that he hadn't stopped hitting the guy once he was dead, though he had known in some small corner of his mind that the cook was no longer a threat.

His arm, like a puppet whose strings were being pulled by the virus, had continued to drive the pipe down onto the guy's head long after he was dead. Long after the skull had turned to pulp beneath his onslaught. Long after it had turned soft and spongy under the relentless blows he had rained down on it, splattering brains and blood across him. He remembered every blow with crystal clarity – the way blood and brain matter had splashed across his face and arms; the rich coppery smell of it.

He didn't want to remember that, but it wouldn't go away. Why did he have to remember that? The dark, merciless killer inside his head that had roared in triumph and joy, at the slaughter of the one who had threatened the man he had learned to care for so deeply.

Of course they were afraid. They all had the same capacity for violence that he did, inserted into their cells by the Partner Virus, and in him they saw that potential realised. If he had killed a perp with his gun, in the line of duty, nobody would have cared. But using his hands? Apparently, he had crossed some invisible line between acceptable and horrifying. Killing in cold blood was fine. But killing in hot blood...

Well, they would have to live with it, just like he did.

*******

Tony decided that there were worse things in life than lying in bed, or should that be floating, feeling all warm and fuzzy and doped to the gills. He had opened his eyes to find himself in the familiar confines of the hospital at Bethesda, his arm and shoulder swathed in bandages. He was a little fuzzy over how he had gotten there though. He vaguely remembered the motion of a car; the intense pain of his shoulder; the strength of Gibbs' arms around him.

He smiled to himself. Jethro had finally used the word love about their relationship. He hadn't forgotten that.

A sound made him look towards the door and his smile turned into a welcoming grin. Gibbs stood there, his long, legs and strong body silhouetted against the light. He saw Tony was awake and a warm smile flashed across his face, filling Tony with contentment. They were partners, and he was just beginning to realise how deep a commitment that was. He reached out his left hand towards Gibbs. The older man moved slowly forward, more hesitant than usual, then leaned over the bed and kissed him. Tony melted into the kiss with a sigh. After a few minutes, Gibbs leaned his forehead against Tony's in an echo of last night's intimacy.

"I thought I'd lost you..."

"I'm not that easy to get rid of, boss." Tony tried to make light of the whole incident, but then he realised that Gibbs was shaking. He was gathered into the older man's arms and held close, Gibbs strength enfolding him. Tony could feel how tense his partner was, like a coiled up spring.

"Jethro?"

"What I did... God! So much blood..." He made a sound suspiciously like a sob. His fingers tightened painfully over Tony's, and the young agent realised that Gibbs was more deeply affected by his actions that anyone realised. But as he held Tony, the young agent heard Gibbs' breathing become less ragged, the shaking diminish. Soft kisses brushed against his forehead.

"I'd do it again Tony. For you..." Tony laid his head on his partner's shoulder, a non-verbal gesture of trust which seemed to reassure the other man. Tony didn't speak. There was no need for words when he was in Gibbs' arms. The older man's fingers stroked gently through his hair and Tony sighed in pleasure. He could feel Jethro relaxing too, his breath steadying, the tension leaving him. Just being close to each other relaxed both of them. Their physical relationship had always been incredibly good. It was just the rest of the time that they seemed to get into difficulties. Well they did say that the best relationships needed some effort between partners. Tony smiled.

"I hope that offer you made this morning is still open boss. Because with my arm out of action, I'm really going to need some help with those fiddly little jobs. There are some things you really need two hands for..."

"Uh-huh." Gibbs' lips brushed against his forehead. "I seem to remember you have a very versatile mouth, DiNozzo. Perhaps you can use it to compensate..."

"You think!" Tony murmured drowsily. "We'll see..."

******
Epilogue
******

Ducky stared at the piece of paper in his hand with a heavy heart. He really wished that he didn't know what it said. As if he could wipe away the knowledge just by wishing it to go away. It wasn't the first such document he had held, but Tony was the first one he knew personally.

Damn Mackenzie and his crazy ideas!

A rare beast indeed, the terrorist leader was a sociopathic transsexual who had chosen to revenge himself on the society that had unjustly rejected him. Not only had he wrecked the institution of marriage and pretty much forced the US government to legitimise same-sex relationships, but the mad bastard had to go one step further...

Ducky thrust the Top Secret paper deep into his desk drawer and locked it away. He had a little while yet. Tony wouldn't be working for a few weeks, until his shoulder healed. Ducky could probably confine him to light duties for a month after that. By then, he might know what to do for his young friend and the hundred or so other young men reportedly in the same situation, because their condition would start to show.

The evidence from Tony's blood test was irrefutable.

Mackenzie had found and activated a gene sequence for male pregnancy.

******

End of Partners 4/4