Gibbs ran his fingers through Tony's hair, smiling gently at his dozing lover. The couch in their suite was long enough for the younger man to stretch out like he did at home, his head in Gibbs' lap. The TV was on; the volume low enough to provide comfortable background noise.
Gibbs sighed softly, fingers playing with Tony's hair again. His lover had nodded off not long after Andrea and Mark had left. They'd opted to have room service rather than dine in the hotel restaurant. It was certainly more private in their room, and without having to worry about distant relatives or business contacts that were also staying in the hotel it was definitely more comfortable.
Gibbs couldn't help but like Andrea and Mark. They were genuine and friendly. It certainly didn't hurt that they were obviously fond of Tony. Tony was equally fond of them, chatting about their hobbies, their twin daughters, the grandson they were expecting next month, and vacation plans. He even touched briefly on Andrea's retirement plans, clearly relieved that she wasn't going to experience any financial problems if unable to continue working for the company.
Gibbs was delighted to see the return of a lively, animated Tony. Having his lover so somber and quiet was unsettling. It was good to see Tony do more than pick at his food too. The younger man hadn't really eaten well since finding out his father was dead.
After Andrea and Mark left, they'd put the room service cart outside the door and settled in on the couch. Gibbs wasn't surprised Tony dozed off. He'd sort of hoped that would happen. One good night's sleep wasn't enough to offset several nights of too little. And given the stress of the funeral, a nap certainly wouldn't hurt.
The shadows under Tony's eyes weren't as deep as Gibbs had seen them in the past, but it was still worrisome. While Tony probably hadn't actually lost much weight, Gibbs thought he was starting to look a little gaunt. Hopefully when all this was over the younger man's usual healthy outlook and appearance would return.
Tony shifted, eyes moving under his lids and he mumbled something indistinct. Gibbs ran his fingers over the younger man's forehead, soothing away the faint lines that appeared. He had hoped Tony's nap would be as restful as last night had been, but hadn't honestly expected it to be. They may have been able to put the encounter with Gabriel behind them while Andrea and Mark were there, but Gibbs knew better than to think it would be out of mind for good.
Tony's hands curled into fists. His breathing hitched, losing the steady rhythm of just a few moments ago. Gibbs cursed quietly. He shook Tony's shoulder. Better to wake him than leave him trapped in a nightmare.
"Tony." Gibbs spoke quietly, shaking Tony's shoulder again. "Tony…time to wake up."
Tony curled in on himself, pulling away from Gibbs' touch. One arm moved in an instinctively defensive gesture, covering his head. Gibbs knew better than to touch him again. If he did, Tony would most likely try to scramble away from him, and the couch wasn't big enough for him to go very far without falling off. That wasn't how he wanted Tony to wake up.
"Tony." He raised his voice a bit, adding a stern note of command. It was how he talked to Tony at the office. "Up and at ‘em. I don't pay you to sleep."
Tony sat up abruptly, green eyes wide and blinking. "I'm up, Boss. I'm up."
Gibbs caught Tony's shoulder before he toppled off the couch, halting his automatic movement to get to his feet. He waited a beat, letting Tony get his bearings.
"You with me now?" He asked softly.
Tony took a deep breath before nodding. He rubbed a hand over his face. "Didn't mean to fall asleep."
Gibbs hated the way Tony made it sound like he was apologizing. Napping wasn't something he should be sorry for doing. They weren't on the clock, and it was obvious Tony needed the rest. Gibbs laid a hand on the back of Tony's neck and shook him gently.
"I don't care that you fell asleep."
Tony frowned, cocking his head to look at him. "Then why did you sound—"
"You were snoring," Gibbs told him. He hoped that if he didn't mention the nightmare outright, that having caught it soon enough, Tony might not remember it at all. No reason to call it to mind if he didn't have to.
"I don't snore." Tony's eyes narrowed, suspicion readily apparent in his gaze. He no doubt suspected this was a ploy, and even if he didn't know the reason for it, he was obviously willing to go along.
"How would you know? You're asleep." Gibbs rolled his eyes, hiding his relief, grateful for the trust Tony placed in him.
"I do not snore," Tony insisted. "T would have mentioned it."
Gibbs frowned before placing the reference. Thomas Thompson the third, ‘T' to friends and family, was Tony's roommate and frat brother in college. Like Joe, T was another friend Gibbs knew about but had yet to meet.
"And if he hadn't said something, Vinnie sure as hell would have." Tony snickered. "That man was the lightest sleeper on the planet."
Tony's cellphone started ringing. It wasn't the usual Looney Tunes ring tone Gibbs had become familiar with. This one was some sort of Irish jig.
"Speak of the devil," Tony muttered with a grin, reaching for his phone. Gibbs knew Tony had specific ring tones for different friends, but had the same tone for anyone work related. He offered to do the same thing for Gibbs' phone, but the former Marine was leery of having his phone be that damn complicated.
"Vinnie, you better not be calling to cancel." Tony had mentioned expecting his attorney to put in appearance so they could be prepared for the reading of the will tomorrow. Gibbs had only found out last night that Vinnie was also a frat brother and lived in New York City.
"Little late for me to cancel since I'm already in the lobby of this swank hotel you're staying in."
Gibbs could just barely overhear Vinnie speaking, and shifted closer to Tony. He could pick out the trace of a New England accent in the light tenor. Tony gave him an exasperated look before tilting the phone further from his ear so Gibbs could hear more easily.
"They won't let me go upstairs to your room." Vinnie sounded annoyed. "Apparently I look more like a paparazzo than an attorney. Definitely going to have to work on upgrading my wardrobe."
"Don't think it's the wardrobe." Tony chuckled. "You are packing a camera, aren't you?"
"Well, yeah." Vinnie sounded amused. "You know I never leave home without it."
After getting together with his frat brothers in Baltimore a few months ago, Tony had shown Gibbs a photo album of trips he and his frat brothers had gone on together. He'd mentioned Vinnie having taken most of the photos. He was their official camera man whenever they got together simply because he never forgot to pack his camera. In fact, of the photos Gibbs had seen, he couldn't recall seeing Vinnie in any of them.
Tony sighed. He raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Think you could have left that at home this time. I don't think this is going to be a scrapbook sort of occasion."
"No, probably not." Vinnie's tone sobered. "Was just habit." There was a note of apology in his voice.
"Don't worry about it, man." Tony smiled slightly. "I get it."
Vinnie cleared his throat. "I need you to call down to the front desk and tell the lovely young lady running it that it's okay for me to come up."
Part of the hotel security required a room key to operate the elevator. Gibbs thought the whole thing a bit overkill, but until Tony started staying at his place he hadn't bothered to lock his own door.
Tony frowned. "Just hand her your phone."
Vinnie made a rude noise. "Given that I made this call, I rather doubt she's going to trust it's you I'm actually talking to."
"Point." Tony grimaced, shaking his head. "I'll call the front desk."
He snapped his phone closed, ending the call. He reached for the room phone, dialing zero. "Yes…this is Tony DiNozzo. Standing in front of you should be my attorney, Vincenzo Shaunassey. He'll have ID if you really feel the need to ask for it. I'd appreciate it if you'd give him my room number and a key to access the elevator. Thank you."
"Vincenzo Shaunassey?" Gibbs asked when Tony hung up. The two names didn't seem to go together.
"His mom's Italian. Dad's Irish." Tony shrugged. "He was named after her grandfather."
Gibbs nodded. Well that certainly explained it. A soft knock at the door announced Vinnie's arrival.
Tony opened the door, leaning casually against it. He laughed quietly. "Okay…so maybe it was the wardrobe."
Vinnie flipped him off, but he was grinning as he did it. Dressed in black jeans, a t-shirt that sported the statement ‘if I got smart with you, how would you know?' and a brown leather bomber jacket with a small digital camera slung around his neck, Gibbs could understand why the front desk might have been suspicious. Vinnie definitely didn't look the part of a high priced attorney.
Gibbs frowned. Vinnie was probably Tony's age but could easily pass for a good five years younger. He looked like he should still be studying to take the bar, not practicing law.
The former Marine was immediately skeptical that this…kid…would be able to hold his own in a room full of sharks---until he took a closer look. The jeans were some designer label and the jacket probably was as well. Short dark hair was roughly styled in a way that no doubt cost a small fortune. Clearly Vinnie had a bankroll, one he'd probably earned.
And golden brown eyes that reminded Gibbs of those he'd seen in the lions caged at the National Zoo didn't miss a thing. They assessed Tony, Gibbs and the hotel room in only a few seconds. There was no doubt about it, Vinnie was smart, sharp, and probably ate other sharks for lunch. Gibbs shook his head. He should have trusted Tony's judgment.
"Man, you look like hell." Vinnie leaned in to rest his forehead against Tony's, one hand cupping the back of Tony's neck. "You holding up okay?"
"I'm good."
"Un-hunh." Vinnie rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "You are still a lousy liar."
Tony scowled, pulling back. "I'm getting better."
"That isn't the sort of thing you should be proud of." Vinnie pointed a finger at Tony, expression stern. "It's the kind of thing guys like me are supposed to be proud of."
Tony rolled his eyes. "You can't lie worth shit either."
"I know." Vinnie grimaced. "I blame my mother. Woman always knew. Sort of made it pointless to even bother." He grinned, eyes sparkling. "But it has made me a better lawyer. So it's a fair trade off."
"Fair?" Tony snorted. "You just like the challenge of playing by the rules."
"That I do." Vinnie laughed. His eyes flicked toward Gibbs and then back to Tony in an obvious request of an introduction.
"Oh...right. Sorry." Tony blushed. "Vincenzo, this is a good friend of mine Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He prefers Jethro." Tony stepped closer to Gibbs, a hand on his shoulder. "Jethro, this is another good friend of mine, Vincenzo Shaunassey. He prefers Vinnie."
Gibbs held out his hand. "Nice to meet you."
Golden eyes sized him up for the second time, but Vinnie didn't hesitate to shake his hand. Gibbs wasn't sure if that meant he passed muster or not.
Vinnie had a firm grip. He did more than push papers around, but whatever it was didn't leave calluses. Given how fit Vinnie looked Gibbs figured that meant time in the gym. He probably played some sort of sport too. Most of Tony's stories certainly implied that his frat brothers were athletic, even if they didn't posses the same talent Tony had in college.
"Always a pleasure to meet another friend of Tony's. Glad he didn't go through this solo."
"Not something anyone should have to do alone."
"Agreed." Vinnie turned to look at Tony again. "You get the old man planted this morning?"
Tony frowned. "Your mother would not approve of you being so disrespectful."
"The man was a rat bastard." Vinnie gave Tony a hard look. Gibbs was beginning to think he might like Vinnie. The man was obviously not a bad judge of character.
"Vinnie—"
"He never came to a single game. He never called. Not once." Vinnie's lips curled derisively. "He couldn't be bothered to come to your graduation. Never visited when you got shot or stabbed or nearly pulled off a damn building. Christ, you nearly died from a disease out of the middle ages and he doesn't even send flowers. My mother would have eviscerated him and worn his guts for garters."
Gibbs thought he might like Vinnie's mother too. She'd still have to get in line though. If anyone could deliver serious pain, it was Gibbs. He'd really wished he had the chance to hurt Anthony DiNozzo Sr.
"I know." Tony waved a hand in a helpless gesture. "But—"
"He was your father." Vinnie sighed, expression softening. "I know. And for your sake I will not speak ill of the dead."
"I appreciate that."
Vinnie smiled gently. "Figurati."
"Since you mentioned her…how is your mom?" Tony asked. It was not the smoothest change of subject, but Vinnie was clearly willing to allow it. That earned him a few points in Gibbs estimation.
Vinnie's smile grew into a grin. "She is trying to marry me off in the hopes of getting more grandkids, but otherwise good as gold."
Tony snickered. "The woman already has half a dozen."
"That means nothing to her and you know that." Vinnie shook his head. "She firmly believed there is always room for one more."
"You want anything to eat or drink?" Tony asked. "We just finished lunch a little while ago, but room service could deliver anything you want."
Vinnie shook his head. "I'm good, thanks."
"Make yourself at home." Tony motioned for Vinnie to take a seat. "Take of your coat and stay awhile."
Vinnie shrugged out of his coat, folding it over the arm of the loveseat and sat down. He leaned back, glancing around the suite. "Nice digs."
Tony shrugged, letting the comment pass as he sat down on the couch, facing Vinnie. Gibbs sat next to him. If Tony had wanted to talk to Vinnie in private, he'd have asked Gibbs to leave. Since he didn't, Gibbs fully intended to stay close.
"You got a place to stay here in town?" Tony asked. "Plenty of room here if you—"
"No worries." Vinnie held up hand. "I got it covered."
Tony arched an eyebrow. "What's her name?"
"Ellie Sands."
"Doesn't sound like a good Italian girl."
Vinnie gave Tony a pointed look. "I don't want a good girl."
Tony smirked. "And you wonder why your mother wants to marry you off."
"Hey, just because you found your someone special…who you have yet to provide me with a picture of or even introduce me to, I might add, does not mean the rest of have stopped looking."
Tony bit his lower lip, a blush beginning to color his cheeks. He reached out and took Gibbs' hand with deliberate care, intertwining their fingers. "Vinnie…I just introduced you to my some one special. And you got your own damn camera so you can take a picture yourself if you need to."
Gibbs was sure who was more surprised by that admission, him or Vinnie. He hadn't been expecting Tony to just take the bull by the horns and come right out and say it. Particularly in light of how uncertain he'd been about telling Abby and Ducky. But then, Tony obviously knew Vinnie for far longer and clearly trusted him not to be upset about his being with another man.
And judging from Vinnie's expression he wasn't at all surprised to find out Tony's love interest was a man. No…he obviously knew his friend wasn't completely hetero. It looked more like he was surprised to have Tony just baldly state it.
Vinnie's eyes danced as he sat forward, grinning. "Wait until I tell Joe I got to meet your SigO before he did."
Tony shot him a dirty look. "You really are five, aren't you?"
Vinnie laughed. "Hey, growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional."
Tony rolled his eyes. "I never should have said anything."
"Too late." Vinnie almost sang that.
He cocked his head, studying Gibbs. Gibbs met his gaze, unflinchingly, waiting to hear what the younger man would say. His being a man might not have been a surprise, but his being older than Tony probably was. Gibbs wondered if Vinnie knew he was also Tony's boss.
Vinnie looked back to Tony. "He a Thousandth Man?"
Gibbs frowned, unsure of the reference. Was that a compliment or an insult? Tony was obviously not confused by it. He just nodded. "He is and then some."
"Excellent." He held out his fist and Tony bumped it with his knuckles. "About damn time you got a keeper."
Tony snorted. "Hello, Pot."
"Shaddup, Kettle." Vinnie sat back. "Your family know?"
"They don't even know I swing that way." Tony shook his head. "Wasn't that long ago, counting you and everyone else, I wouldn't have needed all the fingers on one hand to total up the people I'd shared that detail with."
Worry lines made an appearance as Tony frowned, eyes darkening with shadows Gibbs hated to see. "I don't want my family to know any more about Gibbs than absolutely necessary."
"With your family…totally understandable." Vinnie pursed his lips. "You want him in the room tomorrow?"
"Yes." Both Gibbs and Tony answered.
"Definitely a Thousandth Man," Vinnie murmured quietly, giving Gibbs an approving look. Gibbs made a mental note to find out what the hell that meant.
Vinnie took a deep breath, frowning thoughtfully. "How have you explained him being here so far?"
"I haven't."
Vinnie raised both eyebrows. "Come again?"
"So far the only one to even come close to asking outright was my cousin Danny. And he assumed Gibbs was my bodyguard." Tony shrugged. "My uncle made the same assumption. Don't really know what other the rest think since none of them have deigned to speak to me."
"Okay." Vinnie bit his lower lip. "We'll just keep going with that. But if they ask," he made eye contact with Gibbs, "the story is you're one of my associates."
"Why?"
"Because that entitles you to be in the room when the will is being read." Vinnie gave him a feral grin that assured Gibbs his assessment of the younger man's ability to eat other sharks wasn't wrong. "We can play it as you being a senior partner…keeping an eye on me, the young pup, to make sure I do right by our client. No one will expect you to say anything. Just do that whole silent confident thing you got going on so well and glower now and again."
Gibbs nodded. He wasn't sure about pretending to be a lawyer, but he would do whatever it took to make sure Tony wasn't left to face his family without back up. What Vinnie asked him to do wasn't out of the ordinary for him anyway. And it didn't preclude him from maiming people if the opportunity presented itself.
"I got a list of who the executor invited to this thing." Vinnie pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and offered it to Tony. "Let's run down that so I got a better idea of who these people are."
"You already did a background check on all of them, didn't you?"
"I did." Vinnie admitted with an easy candor that Gibbs was coming to appreciate. "But little insight couldn't hurt. And you need to know who is going to be there so you can be prepared for any surprises they might spring."
Tony took the list. He held it were Gibbs could see it as well. There were seven names on it. Tony read of each one, describing their relationship to his father, and what he remembered of them personally. He also referenced for Gibbs where they'd been in the church. Gibbs already knew who they were from his own research, but didn't interrupt.
Tony frowned, reading the last name. "I don't know who Sandra DuPre is." He looked at Vinnie. "But if I had to guess I'd say she was my father's latest mistress."
"Seems that way." Vinnie gave Tony an apologetic look.
"I knew from the time I was six he wasn't exactly what anyone would call faithful."
Vinnie winced. "I'm beginning to regret promising not to speak ill of the dead."
Gibbs was damn glad he hadn't made a similar promise. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from saying anything. Ranting about what a fucking worthless prick Anthony DiNozzo Sr. had been wasn't going to be helpful at the moment. When they got home, Gibbs promised himself time on the shooting range with the man's picture on the target.
"Did you find out why I'm even in his will?" Tony rubbed a hand over his face. "I thought I was permanently disinherited."
Vinnie shook his head. "Couldn't get anything out Litiz….that's your old man's attorney, by the way, Joseph Litiz." Vinnie made a meaningless gesture with one hand. "He's not with the firm your father's corporation normally uses, but his reputation is solid."
"Is that unusual?" Gibbs asked. "To go outside the normal firm, I mean." If there was something significant about that, Gibbs wanted to know what.
"Yes and no." Vinnie sat forward again, resting his elbows on his knees. "Having personal legal representation that is separate from business is not a bad choice if confidentiality issues were a concern. And if ever in need, it is better to have a lawyer who works for you directly than for the company first and you second. But most people want an attorney they trust to handle all aspects of their affairs whenever possible. That tends to simplify things a bit. So while not unusual to have more than one attorney, it is not exactly the norm either."
Vinnie made a helpless gesture with one hand. "Having Litiz is contrary to how the rest of the family handles their personal legal affairs. They all have attorneys working at the company firm."
Gibbs nodded. Gabriel had mentioned his brother changing his will frequently. So maybe the man had picked another lawyer to simply hide the details of his will more effectively. It could also have been something of a power play to differentiate himself from his siblings.
Vinnie pursed his lips. "I wasn't able to officially access his medical records, but what little I could find, I'd say your father knew his heart was dodgy. He had been scheduled for cardiac related tests before his first heart attack. I'm guessing he redid his will to hedge his bets in case he couldn't do it later if the tests confirmed he might actually be dying. Litiz alluded to your father mentioning you in the will was probably just another way to make it difficult for you to contest it."
"Why the hell would I—"
"Not saying you would." Vinnie held up a hand. "But as his only son, and presumed logical heir, you not being mentioned at all, would definitely provide legitimate grounds for you to contest it. Especially if you wanted to claim he wasn't of sound mind when he wrote it."
"Just covering his own ass," Gibbs growled.
"Not like anything in his life was ever about me," Tony whispered bitterly. And it was then Gibbs realized his lover had held out some small hope that his father might have mentioned him in the will as a statement that he had genuinely cared about his son, as a gesture of affection or request for forgiveness of past hurts.
Gibbs freed his hand from the hold Tony still had on it, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, and pulling him close. He didn't care if Vinnie saw or not. Tony needed this.
Tony buried his face against Gibbs' neck, hiding for several moments. Vinnie looked away, obviously trying to give them some privacy, and clearly understanding that his getting up to leave would only embarrass Tony. Gibbs good see the same anger and concern flashing in Vinnie's eyes that likely resided in his own.
When Tony raised his head, green eyes were overly bright but no tears had been shed. He squared his shoulders, and pulled away from Gibbs' hold.
"I am not going to contest his will." He made eye contact with Vinnie. "I don't want his money. Never did."
"If that's what you want." Vinnie agreed easily. "And if someone else gets pissy?"
"Let them fight it out." One of Tony's hands curled into a tight fist. "I want no part of some long, drawn out legal battle for shit I never wanted in the first place."
"You sure?" Vinnie asked. "I could make their lives hell for you."
Tony snorted. "I can't afford you."
"Pro Bono." Vinnie countered. "You are my friend…For that alone, I would find a way to strip them of everything they consider valuable." There was no mistaking his readiness to do it. Gibbs decided; he definitely liked Vinnie.
"That you are willing is enough." Tony smiled. It was a little shaky but it was there.
"You are no fun at all."
Tony chuckled. "Some day we are going to talk about your definition of fun."
"Preferably over a good meal and a fine bottle of wine."
"I can do that."
"Good." Vinnie hesitated for a moment. "You still want to give away whatever he did leave you?"
"Absolutely."
"All right." Vinnie nodded. "Anything else you think I should know before we leap into the lion's den tomorrow?"
Tony rubbed a hand over his face. Gibbs bit back a curse. Tony looked more tired than he had before taking a nap.
"Can he call you…if he thinks of anything?" Gibbs asked.
Vinnie nodded, a look of understanding passing between him and Gibbs. It was nice to know he had a formidable ally here when it came to looking out for Tony. Andrea and Mark were good people, but Vinnie was likely better prepared to take on the DiNozzo family and win.
Tony stood up when Vinnie did. He stepped closer and pulled Vinnie into a hard hug. "Thank you."
"In my book, I still owe you." Vinne slapped Tony lightly on the back. "So you don't have to thank me."
When Tony released him, Vinnie smiled at Gibbs. "You take care of him, okay?"
"Planned to."
"Good man." Vinnie gave him a tight smile that was a clear endorsement of Tony's choice. "I'll be here tomorrow at ten am sharp."
"We'll be ready," Tony told him.
Gibbs really hoped they would be. No matter how tomorrow went, he had no doubts it wouldn't be a walk in the park. Normal families got stupid when it came to inheritance. The DiNozzos would probably set a new standard for selfish, greedy behavior.
Author's Chapter Notes:
tony's lawyer stops by.