Chapter 11: Conversation and a magical battle
The next day's early afternoon found Gibbs once more walking up towards Halliwell Manor. The silver-haired agent stopped on the sidewalk, contemplating the old Victorian house - and its inhabitants. The events occuring over the course of the last day had been nothing of what he had expected to learn when Tony and his cousins decided to let his teammates and him in on their family secret.
Magic.
Gibbs shook his head slightly and sipped from his ever-present cup of coffee. Who would have thought that the often bizarre things the NCIS team encountered during their cases would pale in comparison to what one of them was capable of? Tony and his cousins hadn't gone into detail about their supernatural abilities until now, but Gibbs hoped that his second would tell him more later. Show him what he was able to do with his magic.
What Tony had done was introducing their team to his childhood friends, magical beings full of beauty and with amazing kindness and wisdom. The young man's companions were awe-inspiring, Gibbs couldn't - and didn't want to - deny that. He had taken an instant liking to Istyan, something which was unusual for him. But the Arctic Wolf resembled Gibbs' major traits of character and therefore he was quietly proud of the fact, that the magical creature was also a part of Tony and obviously dearly loved by the young Italian.
The thought of Tony brought warmth to Gibbs' eyes and he smiled to himself. The younger man was always good for a surprise, his complexity startling for those who took his cheerful optimism as everything there was. But Gibbs had always known that Tony was more than a charming smile. Even if he wouldn't have thought of magic as a part of it.
Shaking himself out of his silent musings, Gibbs finally took the remaining steps towards Halliwell Manor and rang the bell. He had come to Tony's cousins home for two reasons - he wanted to know how his friend's call for his father's ghost had gone and he needed his Senior Field Agent to accompany him to investigate a lead in their current case Abby had dug up in one of her computer searches. The rest of the team was following up on other information.
It didn't take long and Gibbs heard confident steps approaching and then he was faced with Piper Halliwell, who smiled at him in greeting. The slight twitch of her lips and the amused glint in her deep brown eyes at the sight of him standing at her doorstep caused Gibbs to raise an eyebrow in question.
Piper's smile widened and she stepped back to allow her visitor entry to the house. "Tony knows you well", the young woman told Gibbs, who frowned faintly at the non-sequitur. "Paige, Phoebe and Leo made a bet with Tony last night concerning the time one of your team would turn up here again", Piper explained. She grinned. "And who of you it would be."
Gibbs remained silent, but a sparkle of amusement entered his blue eyes, when Piper continued: "Phoebe might be the one with the visions of the future, but Tony was always better than any of us when it came to knowing other people's behaviour. Whilst Paige and Leo expected Agents Todd or McGee, Phoebe placed her money on Miss Scuito being the most curious." Piper's voice warmed at the memory of Abby's instant acceptance of the news about Tony's magic the last day. "She's is a good friend for Tony. All of you are." The last sentence the young woman added with a grateful inflection in her voice.
Then Piper continued her explanation, leading Gibbs towards the kitchen. "Like I told you, my family was sure, that you would send one of your team if you would need Tony to partake in your current case. But Tony said that it would be you coming over, Agent Gibbs. And he was certain it wouldn't be before you had any new leads concerning your investigation."
Nodding when Piper looked at him with open curiousity after finishing, Gibbs confirmed that his Senior Field Agent had been correct on both accounts. "And what was your stand in this bet?", he asked with a faint smile.
Gibbs wasn't surprised to hear about Tony anticipating his return almost to the minute. He wasn't even irritated to be so predictable to his second-in-command. Gibbs had long ago stopped to wonder how Tony would know about his reactions and way of behaving in certain situations so well. No one else had ever been able to do that before. It was another part of Tony's personality that the older man had grown to rely on - not only in dangerous situations.
Piper laughed and shook her head with a rueful expression on her face. "I know better than to bet against Tony. I learned early in my life that it's easier to just trust him when it comes to people and their behaviour. Even if at first it seems as if he's totally off the mark, in my experience it sooner or later always comes back to him being right." Gibbs agreed wordlessly, having made similar experiences with the younger man over the years.
When he followed Piper into the kitchen, Gibbs' eyebrows rose in silent appreciation of the delicious smell permeating the air. Even if he wasn't much of a cook himself, he valued a well-done meal and from time to time liked to eat at one of the different restaurants Ducky pointed out to him. The ME was a real connaisseur and had introduced Gibbs to a great variety of foods over the years they had known each other.
Smiling to himself at the memory of their last venture into Indian cooking, Gibbs stepped towards the happily bubbling pots on the stove, intent on finding out what Piper was cooking. The next moment he blinked, when he realized that only one of the pots seemed to contain real food.
Piper laughed at seeing his slightly surprised expression. She had watched the silver-haired man unobtrusively since she had let him into her house once more. Even without Phoebe's empathy she saw through the outwardly cool exterior hiding the infinite compassion and honour of his soul. Tony had often spoken about 'the-second-B-is-for-bastard' former marine Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And now, after having met the older man herself, Piper realized once more the truth of the statement she had made earlier about Tony's talent in seeing the real person behind the mask.
She was certain that Gibbs could be very dangerous and his aura of sheer commanding strength was impressive; but under all this there was an endless amount of care and fierce protectiveness of those he held dear. Piper had seen glimpses of it the other day - first in the way he understood why Tony had been hiding his special heritage, then how he supported his friend with a steady presence and compassionate words.
And now he was back again.
Piper knew that Gibbs hadn't come back so fast only because of any new leads in their investigation, but because he worried about Tony. He hid it well, his face calm and controlled - but his blue eyes betrayed his need to make sure Tony was alright. This unconscious sign of care for her cousin gained Gibbs even more points in Piper's regard and made her smile warmly at the silver-haired man who was looking a bit bewilderedly at the various ingredients bubbling in the copper cauldron next to the pot which contained the rest from lunch.
Stepping towards Gibbs, she laughed lightly. "Cliché, isn't it?" Blue eyes turned to her and Gibbs tilted his head. "Brewing potions to bewitch the innocent?" The small smile lingering around his lips took any accusation the words might have carried out of the silver-haired agent's question. He really seemed amused.
Piper grinned with a slightly devious touch, causing Gibbs to raise his eyebrow questioningly. Then the young woman sobered and shook her head. "We protect the innocent, Special Agent Gibbs. We aren't allowed to use our magic for personal gain, so using it for dark purposes is also a big no." Her honest, serious words gained Piper a long piercing look from ice-blue eyes, before Gibbs nodded in acceptance. He believed her, which filled Piper with relief because she didn't want Tony's boss and friend to think ill of her family and her.
The young woman waved Gibbs over to take a seat at the kitchen table. When he followed her silent suggestion, Piper asked: "Can I offer you something, Special Agent Gibbs?" The silver-haired man gazed at her thoughtfully once more, then said: "Call me Gibbs. And a coffee would be nice."
Piper's lips twitched slightly at this, but she followed his request without a remark. When she placed a cup of the black liquid in front of Gibbs on the table, the NCIS agent tilted his head. He felt unexpectedly relaxed in Piper's friendly presence. "Tony told you about my 'addiction'?", he questioned. He had tried for sarcasm, but his words carried more humor than anything else.
Piper grinned. "He might have mentioned it…once or twice." At Gibbs' low growl, she added with a shake of her head: "It's nothing new for me. Phoebe is scary before she has her first cup of coffee in the morning."
Moving gracefully around in her kitchen, Piper moments later also offered her guest a plate with the lunch she had cooked earlier for her family. Gibbs hesitated in slight surprise, but then began to eat after a grateful nod. Piper deduced from his reaction that he hadn't expected to be fed when coming here.
Gathering more of the contents she needed for the other elixirs she had been about to make when Gibbs arrived at the Manor, Piper watched with a smile the flash of delighted surprise flitting over Gibbs' face at his first taste of his meal and how he consumed it with quiet enthusiasm. She let him, content in the comfortable silence they shared. Meanwhile she efficiently cleaved and grinded the different kinds of herbs and spices into the required way to be later added to the elixir brewing in the cauldron.
Piper had always loved to put different ingredients together and cook delicious meals. When she got to know that she was a witch, her love for cooking in time came to include the making of elixirs and potions. While her sisters were good at making the elixirs needed to vanquish the more dangerous warlocks and other dark creatures they encountered, Piper was still the most proficient of the Charmed Ones when it came to this part of their magic.
Piper wasn't quite sure how much time had elapsed until Gibbs' deep, strong voice sounding caused her to look up from her work to listen to her guest. "Thank you, Mrs. Halliwell. This was really delicious."
The young woman smiled at the sincerity in Gibbs' calm praise, then said in reference to his earlier words: "You are welcome. And please call me Piper. Tony told my family and me so much about you and the rest of his teammates, that I would feel silly being so formal."
Gibbs regarded her quietly for a moment, then returned her smile with a genuine one of his own. Piper inwardly mused how this smile seemed to make Gibbs more approachable, his eyes much warmer and thereby softening his entire expression. She relished in the fact that she had been able to make him smile, knowing from Tony that not many persons were allowed to see Gibbs' more gentle and open character traits instead of the tough-minded Special Agent.
"Piper it is", Gibbs nodded, before locking their eyes to finally get answers to one of the two reasons he had come to Halliwell Manor. The more important reason - he wanted to find out how Tony had fared during the night. Had everything went well? Had his friend been able to reunite with his - much-missed - father?
Before he was able to voice his worries about his second-in-command, Piper said: "Tony is fine, Gibbs. Better than fine really." The young woman's eyes glowed with remembered joy, when she added softly: "There wasn't much persuasion needed to bring Uncle Matt to him when Tony performed the ritual calling. I think he had been impatiently waiting for last night."
Smiling fondly, Piper finished: "I haven't seen Tony this happy in a very long time…especially, since not only his Dad followed the call of the ritual and came to see Tony."
Gibbs frowned, silently asking Piper to explain her last words a bit more. But the young woman only smiled, deciding to keep the identity of the other person a secret a while longer. She was sure she heard Gibbs growl at her being secretive about Tony's other visitor, but the NCIS Agent didn't question her further on the topic. Yet.
Growing serious, Piper came to the table and sat down across from Gibbs. The silver-haired man's eyes took on an alerted expression at her sudden change in behaviour and questioned it with a silent quirk of his eyebrow. She wasn't exactly sure how to broach the subject she wanted to discuss with Gibbs, but Piper knew he had to be ready for certain situations which would most likely occur - now, that Tony had his magic back to use.
Tony's powerful magic wasn't only a source of joy for the young Italian, it brought with it a deep sense of duty and a danger not many magic-users would be able to face. And Piper had realized that the protectiveness Gibbs felt for the younger man wouldn't allow him to stay in the background. No, he would be right where Tony was, trying to help and guard his subordinate and friend against anybody and anything wishing him harm.
And therefore he had to be conscious of what he could and couldn't do for Tony - and how her cousin would react to certain things occuring. Piper had an inkling that what she was about to tell Gibbs wouldn't sit well with the ex-marine and his need to care for his people. But while he might not be happy about the role he would be forced to play in what Tony was about to face, he needed to understand and react accordingly…otherwise Tony would be more hurt by his beloved boss than by anything Dendeyra's worst nemesis could do to him.
Gathering her thoughts, Piper began slowly. "I am glad you came when Tony isn't here, Gibbs. I wanted to discuss something with you - there's something important you need to understand." Gibbs tilted his head, his piercing eyes growing a bit wary. But he nodded at her to continue.
Piper sighed, then leaned forward to gaze earnestly at the silver-haired agent in front of her. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but you don't understand the real extent of what happened yesterday, when my sisters and I freed Tony's magic after all this years…what it means for him. But you need to understand, because Tony is going to change over the next days."
At the alarmed expression flitting over Gibbs' face, Piper hastened to add: "I don't mean any physical changes… he's not growing tentacles or anything like that."
Her attempt at humor didn't appease Gibbs' growing unease about whatever Piper wanted to tell him about his friend. Gibbs felt his heart clench, but controlled any outward reaction. Now wasn't the time to imagine anything which might endanger his second - he needed facts to be able to protect Tony. Therefore cutting through her attempt at diplomacy, Gibbs told Tony's cousin: "Don't beat around the bush, Piper. If there's something going to happen to Tony, I want to know exactly what and when. Tell me."
The command in his voice was clearly audible and the young witch responded to it with a satisfied nod. She had his whole attention now and like she had anticipated, he was going into full protective mode at the first mention about something happening to Tony. "Alright. You remember that Tony calls Rethron and the other spirits his protectors, right?"
Gibbs nodded. "Istyan said something like that, too, when he first introduced himself to me."
"Yes, that's because they are. They have sworn to protect Tony, like other spirits guarded his ancestors like his grandfather Lucas. But the protection isn't one-sided, Gibbs. Tony's powerful magic makes him the Guardian of the homeworld of the spirits, Dendeyra."
Piper sighed quietly and then added: "I'll leave it to Tony to explain his guardianship over the Spirit-World and the powers he wields more precisely, but what I wanted to make you aware of is the fact that over the next days you'll probably come to see a completely different part of Tony. A side of him he hasn't been able to show for over twenty years…until yesterday."
Piper gazed seriously at Gibbs, gauging his reaction to her words. The silver-haired man had listened without interrupting her, his eyes unreadable. "I know you trust and depend on Tony in your work at NCIS, Gibbs. It's something Tony is quite proud of, in fact." Gibbs' eyes warmed imperceptibly at that and he amended Piper's words: "It's not only at work that I trust Tony. He's always been a friend for me and the others, ready to help whenever we needed him."
Piper smiled fondly. "That's Tony for you. And like my family and I realized over the last two days, that's not one-sided either." The last sentence gathered her a determined nod from the Agent. "I need you to hang onto that trust, Gibbs. Tony will perhaps do things over the next days you don't understand at first, even won't agree to - but please don't confront him about that. Try to understand what his reasons might be, get him to explain it to you and show him your friendship. Don't be the boss, be his friend. Tony will need the support."
Gibbs frowned faintly, leaning back to mull over what Piper had told him. This topic was obviously important to her and the silver-haired man felt that it would be crucial for his relationship with Tony that he heeded her advice. Therefore he finally slowly nodded, not one-hundred-percent sure he had grasped her whole meaning. But before Gibbs had a chance to question Piper a bit more about her words, a sudden tinkling sound interrupted their conversation. Both of them looked up, when Paige materialized inside the kitchen. The youngest of the Halliwell-sisters radiated excitement, reminding Piper of Phoebe at the moment.
"Piper, you have to come and watch!", Paige exclaimed upon seeing her sister. Realizing Piper wasn't alone, the younger witch turned to Gibbs. "Hello, Agent Gibbs", she beamed a smile at him. Gibbs merely nodded in reply, the faint twitch of his lips the only outward sign of his amusement at Paige's exuberant behaviour. The high-energy levels seemed to be a family trait.
"Watch what?", Piper questioned with an indulgent smile.
"Tony's fighting! He's sooo cool!", Paige gushed. Her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm.
When she wanted to continue, Gibbs' suddenly sharp voice interrupted her. "Tony is fighting? Why? Where? And why aren't you there to help him?" The silver-haired man was already half out of his chair, his right hand reflexively reaching for his gun.
Paige visibly startled at being the sudden focus of Gibbs' angry blue-eyed stare. For a moment she blinked at him in confusion, then realized what he had made of her words. "Oh, nononono. Sorry." She lifted her hands in a pacifying gesture. "You misunderstood, Agent Gibbs. Tony's not in danger." A glint of anger lightened her dark eyes. "I would never leave him in such a situation.", she reproached.
"Then why are you saying that he's fighting?", Gibbs questioned her, calming at seeing the truth of her words in her eyes. Gibbs inwardly scowled at himself…his reaction hadn't been fair on Paige. All of his cousins seemed to dearly love Tony and wouldn't abandon him in a fight. He just couldn't help but be protective of Tony.
The young witch gazed at him for a long moment, then grinned. And just like that he was forgiven, Gibbs recognized. It was startling to be so easily forgiven by anybody else than Tony. Gibbs knew that his second couldn't hold a grudge, but Paige seemed to be similarily minded.
Piper jumped into their conversation at this moment. "You mean you are still training?" She rolled her eyes in fond exasperation, when her younger sister nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, Tony is really really good."
Paige shook her head. "I wish he had been there when we met this Calleach demon some time ago. This guy wouldn't have known what hit him. Even together with Leo I didn't stand a chance against Tony earlier. But that was nothing against the fight he's having right now."
Turning her head towards Gibbs, who was listening intently and realizing that apparently Paige was all-out admiring Tony's combat abilities, the youngest Halliwell told him: "You have to come, too, Agent Gibbs. Tony once told me that he learned a lot about physical fighting from you, but I am sure you'll also want to watch a magical training match. It's a real sight to see."
Gibbs accepted the invitation with a silent nod. He sure as hell wanted to see Tony…even if only to reassure himself that his friend was really alright. But Paige's obvious excitement at the way Tony could fight also caused Gibbs to become curious about it himself. He knew that his Senior Field Agent could easily hold his own against most of the criminals they encountered in their work at NCIS; Tony's tall and broad-shouldered physique benefitting the younger man in case one of their suspects decided to attack them. In addition Gibbs had made sure of enhancing Tony's already existant skills by teaching him some of the more ruthless moves of the Marine combat fighting.
When Paige laid her hand on his arm, Gibbs raised an eyebrow in silent questioning. But the young woman just smiled at him and said: "It will be quicker", before Gibbs suddenly felt himself transported away. Moments later another room took shape in front of the silver-haired agent's eyes, when the movement stopped as suddenly as it had started.
Gibbs felt himself sway slightly at the unexpected kind of travelling, only to be steadied by Paige's hand still on his arm. He glanced at her with a surprised frown, but before he could demand an answer to what had just happened, Piper's voice scolded: "Paige, you could have warned him instead of just orbing us away!"
The younger witch grinned unrepentantly at her sister's reprimand. "Where would have been the fun in that?"
Paige's eyes gleamed impishly when she gazed at Gibbs, who shook his head. Paige and Tony were definitely kindred. But Gibbs also felt, that it had been the young woman's way of revenge for his assumption that she would leave Tony alone in a dangerous situation. He had to hand it to her, she knew how to make a point.
Bowing his head at Paige to show that she had gained his recognition with her subtle punishment, a loud crashing noise from the far end of the corridor leading out of the hall they were standing in caused Gibbs to reach for his gun again. Piper shook her head to show him it wasn't needed, then murmered resignedly: "I hope they don't thrash the whole school with their training. And if they do, I won't be the one repairing the damage - Leo is responsible for the school now. He should know better."
Paige replied to her slight grumble with a smile: "Don't sweat it, Sis. They won't. Tony warded the training room with some cool spells before we started this morning." Her smile widening into a slightly devious grin, the younger witch added: "If he hadn't, I am not sure anything here would still be standing." Piper just shuddered and rolled her eyes at Paige's obvious amusement. "Well, let's see what they managed to destroy despite Tony's wards."
The older brown-haired witch stalked down the corridor towards the still ongoing noises indicating a heavy fight, her sister and Gibbs close on her heels. Entering the training area, Gibbs caught sight of something which made him slam to a halt in a mixture of alarmed concern and awed respect. Tony was fighting, but in a way and with a level of skill the older man had never seen him do before.
Gibbs could feel Paige at his left side bouncing with excitement at the sight of her cousin exchanging magical attacks with another man he didn't know, and he heard Piper mutter: "They are enjoying this way too much" from his other side in a tone telling him she wasn't nearly as exasperated about the scene in front of them as she wanted everyone else to believe. She also sounded awed..and this feeling Gibbs could understand only too well.
The room which served as training space was quite huge and only sparsely decorated. Wall lights illuminated the area irregularly, shrouding parts of it more or less in shadows or even total darkness. The floor was covered with mats and littered with furniture, forming an obstacle course and at the same time providing shielding and different vantage points for the two adversaries. Who were using those quite expertly to dodge spells aimed at them and retaliate the next moment with an attack of their own, meandering seemingly randomly around the room. But that strategy was a major point to both Tony's and his opponent's plans became obvious again and again when one or the other managed to pin his 'enemy' down for a moment with an unexpected attack.
Gibbs concentrated his whole attention on Tony, restraining his instinctive need to join the battle and watch his fellow agent's back. Instead he allowed himself to be silently impressed by the show his second-in-command and the man he was training with provided to their spectators. Paige had been right: it was a sight to see.
Tony was barefoot, wearing lose-fitting black pants and a sleeveless shirt of the same color, displaying the well-defined muscles of both his upper-body and his arms. His opponent, who had to be several years older than Tony if his thick white hair was any indication, was similarily clad in dark colors, but wore something more along the lines of a short-sleeved tunic and matching pants. Both Tony and the older man were clearly fit, the young NCIS Agent's endless amount of energy now channeled into pure athletic power in opposition to the extensive knowledge and experience in fighting his adversary displayed. The excitement Gibbs could feel emanating from his friend made it obvious to him that Tony enjoyed the experience of facing off physically as well as magically against the older man.
Muscles contracting and expanding effortlessly under tanned skin, Tony jumped onto one of the obstacles, gaining him the advantage of height while at the same time making him more exposed to any attack of his opponent. The young man crouched low, green-golden eyes narrowed in deep concentration and whispering something under his breath. Gibbs felt his eyes widen in surprise, when in reaction to his silent words intricate figures appeared on Tony's arms. The rune-like symbols were glowing faintly silver-blue, before vanishing again.
Out of the corner of his eyes Gibbs saw a quick succession of flashes of the same color high up on the walls in the back part of the room. The silver-haired man wondered for a moment what his friend was up to, then had to stifle an warning shout, when seemingly out of nowhere a dark shape came flying towards Tony. The young Italian moved to evade the attack, but reacted an instant too late. The shape, which turned out to be a thick rope, wound itself around Tony's body like a living being, immobilising his arms.
Paige sighed dejectedly, when it seemed as if her cousin had to concede defeat because of this, but Gibbs knew better than to assume his second would give up now. And his belief was justified, when Tony closed his eyes and once more whispered something. He twisted his left hand a bit until he could touch a part of the rope binding him - and seconds later it went up in flames, while another, dark red rune showed momentarily on Tony's hand.
Free again the young man gracefully slid down from the obstacle and quickly moved into a darker area of the training room, blending in with the shadows. Tony's adversary followed him, but had to retreat quickly again when a barrage of fiery arrows rained down on him like a meteor storm. The older man created an icy-blue shield seemingly out of nowhere, but Gibbs realized he used the same technique for his magic as Tony when an glacial-colored symbol flashed on his forearm.
Tony's arrows battered against the shield, but it held firm. His adversary nodded to himself, before raising the hand not holding his defensive weapon and suddenly in a flash of light a boomerang appeared. The white-haired man grinned to himself and quickly threw the weapon, which went in a direct line into the direction he thought Tony was. The sound of a quick curse made it obvious he had guessed right.
The young Italian appeared again, chased by the boomerang which copied every evasive move Tony made and stayed on track like a bloodhound on a trail. Gibbs smirked when he heard his second-in-command growl darkly in exasperation, when he couldn't get rid of the magical weapon. But the silver-haired agent was also impressed by the powerful grace his friend displayed while he managed to avoid getting hit.
And while Tony weaved and dodged out of the boomerang's way, the young man also extracted revenge on his opponent, whenever he got a second's reprieve of the flying weapon. Gibbs once or twice saw those short flashes of silvery-blue light again, but couldn't figure out what they meant - because they didn't appear to have any vital importance on the ongoing fight.
"What are you up to, Tony?", Gibbs questioned quietly, eyes narrowed and intent on his fellow agent's actions. He couldn't shake the feeling that those quick flashes of light were important. Paige glanced at him when she heard his words and even Piper seemed a bit confused for a moment. Apparently they hadn't seen the flashes.
Gibbs didn't react to the inquirying looks directed at him, but posed a question of his own: "Who's Tony's opponent? Is he his Dad?"
Paige smiled in amusement, but shook her head. "They are related, but he…", the young woman explained a bit cryptically, indicating Tony's white-haired 'foe', "…is not his Dad."
"No, because that would be me", another voice suddenly sounded directly behind Gibbs and the two sisters.
The Senior Agent whirled around in surprise, because he hadn't heard anyone approaching. When he came face to face with the new arrival, his hand stopped it's reflexive search for his gun. Gibbs couldn't help himself - he simply stared for a moment.
There was no doubt in his mind that the man now standing in front of him was Tony's father…he was an older version of his friend. Only with oceanblue eyes and the light brown hair streaked with gray. But the tall athlectic stature, the kindness in the dark eyes and the open, mischievous smile were the same as Tony's.
"Uncle Matt!", Piper scolded after a surprised cry. "Don't sneak up on us like that, you'll give me a heart-attack!"
Matthew DiNozzo smiled at his niece and then wrapped her in a loose hug. "Couldn't miss the opportunity, Piper."
The young witch rolled her eyes, but leaned into the hug. "Grow up, Uncle Matt."
"Not yet", was the unrepentant reply. "There's no fun in that."
Gibbs shook his head with an amused glint in his eyes. "Now I know where Tony got his impish streak from", he said.
Darkblue eyes turned towards him again and locked onto his own ice-blue gaze. For a moment Gibbs felt as if Tony's Dad looked right down into his heart and soul, then Matthew DiNozzo's gaze warmed in welcome of his presence. "You are Tony's Boss, right?", he asked. His voice was a warm, light tenor, reminding Gibbs again of his fellow agent. "And his friend", Matthew added.
Gibbs straightened imperceptibly and extended his hand. "I am, Sir. Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I am pleased to meet you", he finished sincerely. Another long, assessing look was directed at him, then Matthew reached out to clasp Gibbs' hand in a strong grasp. "The pleasure is all mine, Agent Gibbs." With a charming smile reminiscent of his son's, he added: "Please call me Matthew."
Gibbs bowed his head in acquiescence, then surprised himself by saying: "Jethro."
The smile on Matthew's face grew brighter and Gibbs mentally shook his head. Yeah, father and son - there was no doubt. God help him, but he instantly liked this man...he was so much like Tony.
Apropos Tony. Turning back towards the training area, Gibbs raised an eyebrow at the currently ongoing quick succession of magical attacks exchanged between Tony and his still unknown opponent. Apparently they were gearing up for the great finale.
Gibbs winced sympathetically, when Tony had to throw himself down hard to evade a flurry of dagger-like weapons flying at him. However, the young Italian didn't stay down for long, rolling gracefully to the side and up into a low crouch, steadying his position with one hand on the floor while in the other a magical shield - similar to the one his adversary had used minutes before against Tony's arrows - appeared in a burst of flame.
Tony's face revealed intense concentration, his green-golden eyes sweeping the room for a moment, before he suddenly straightened to his full height. His right hand began to emit a faint golden glow, a complicated rune appearing on the back of it.
When a devious smirk flitted over Tony's handsome features, Gibbs felt his lips twitch. He knew this expression quite well and had a feeling he was going to enjoy whatever would be happening now.
The near-silent "Oh Dear, now you're in for it, Dad" coming from Matthew next to him made it obvious that the other man had seen it, too.
The remark of Tony's Dad enabled Gibbs to finally find out that Tony was apparently facing off against his grandfather, Lucas DiNozzo. It made sense: by what little he had been told about the eldest DiNozzo until now Gibbs realized he had been an experienced combatant.
His knowledge however didn't help Lucas to evade the trap his grandson had expertly set up during the course of their battle. The golden glow of Tony's hand grew stronger, matched by a fiery one of his other hand. Another intricate set of runes appeared on the back of the young man's left when his shield vanished. Tony brought his hands together in front of him for several seconds, allowing the two magical powers to combine.
It was quite a spectacle to see him lit by his own magic, strong and focused on his task. Paige didn't hide her awed sigh and even Gibbs had problems restraining an outward reaction. But inwardly he was as impressed and spellbound by the happenings as Tony's youngest cousin was. And intringued at the trap Tony was about to snap shut on his - until now - oblivious grandfather.
tbc...
Story Notes:
please see chapter 1.
Author's Chapter Notes:
please see chapter 1.
Chapter End Notes:
please see chapter 1.