Gibbs opened his eyes slowly - a small smile on his lips as he yawned and stretched luxuriously before clambering out of bed. He knew without looking Tony had been up an at least an hour before - the damp towel draped across the end of the bed told him that much.
It had been a long night - slow, lazy sex interspersed with talk - serious talk for a change on Tony's part. Gibbs had known the minute they had arrived at the beach house that this is what Tony needed - he needed - hell - they both needed a break - but not in familiar surroundings - and when he'd made the call to his friend about taking over the place for a weekend - a part of him was already visualising Tony refusing the offer - so he was pleasantly surprised when he caught Tony alone in the break room and told him the news.
Gibbs had been trying to figure out a way for Tony to face his demons for some time - it irked him when the younger man would just clam up when asked directly what was really troubling him - he'd even taken his file home with him one night - reading and absorbing every detail - trying to figure out what made his lover tick - and it was as though it was there - just within reach - but he was damned if he could see it - let alone grab at it.
It needed a gentle touch - no distractions - no smart ass answers - and here - three miles from the nearest town - the nearest beach house north and south at least a mile and a half away - more even. The solitude was just perfect - and last night proved Tony was letting his guard down - at last! But - there was more to come - and Gibbs knew he'd have to use kid gloves from now on - so much progress had been made in the small hours - he couldn't let it go now.
He tugged on a pair of shorts and ambled through to the kitchen - grateful to see a pot of coffee on the hot plate as he reached up and snatched a large coffee mug from the top shelf.
He carried the mug through to the living area and looked out towards the ocean - standing in the open doorway and pulling in deep breaths of clean, fresh sea air. Not a soul in sight except Tony emerging from the water - pushing both hands over his face and through his hair - shaking his head violently to get the water out of his ears.
"Damn," Gibbs said to himself. "He's wearing swim shorts!" He waved in answer to Tony's yell of "morning!" and held up his mug - only for Tony to shake his head again.
Tony collected up the beach towel from the sand and began drying himself off briskly before laying the towel back down and sitting on it, knees upraised, hands supporting him as he leaned back and stared out over the sea.
"Stunning, isn't it?" Gibbs said quietly as he joined him.
"It is, Boss - a world away from Washington - very - restful."
"That's why I love it."
"I'd like to come here again sometime - if that's okay?"
"Sure," Gibbs nodded. "I want you to come here again."
"Why'd you pick me?" Tony asked suddenly, keeping his gaze fixed on the waves lapping the shore.
"Pick you what?" Gibbs asked, his brow furrowing. "Spending a weekend with Tim here isn't what I'd call - and besides - Abs and Ziva had plans - "
"No, I don't mean that, Boss." Tony looked down to the sand, his hand collecting up a handful and letting it fall through his fingers. "Why'd you give me the job in first place?"
"Ah - " Gibbs nodded - "why shouldn't I have?"
"No - no - I mean - over the three days of the interview assessment thing - there were six of us - and at least three of those guys were a hell of a lot more qualified that I was," Tony stretched his neck from side to side and yawned. "And in the written exam - I just scraped through - barely a C."
"Maybe it was the way you handled your weapon?" Gibbs teased, slugging back the last of his coffee.
"Jethro - I'm not kidding here - I want to know why you gave me the job." Tony twisted round to sit cross legged - his green eyes shining. "And I want the truth."
Gibbs was slightly taken aback by this line of questioning - but he figured - and figured correctly - this was something Tony had wondered about through all four years with NCIS. "Okay - there were six of you - all police - and all more than qualified to do the job - and of the six - within an hour of your initial interview it had already come down to just three of you - you, Benson and Adair - at that time, I was leaning towards Benson - he'd been there - done that - and bought the shirt and eaten the pie - Adair - a quick mind - logical - a street cop - street wise."
"And me."
"You, DiNozzo - my initial impression?"
"Hit me."
"The attention span of a gnat - too quick with the jokes - all I saw to start with was smart ass cop want to play being a Fed."
"Attention span of a gnat?" Tony gaped at him.
"Yep - a gnat - but that's only the impression you want to give out, isn't it?" Gibbs snickered at the look on Tony's face. "There are only a few people can pull it off - pretend they're not listening - pretend they're not interested and then bam! Your CO in Baltimore heaped praise on your interrogation techniques - counted out at least a 97% success."
"Go on."
"It was on the second day," Gibbs continued. "You walked into the Director's Office - Tom was already wanting to write you off - but I persuaded him to at least talk to you - and to this day - I still don't know how in hell you did it, Tony - you walked out of that room an hour later - and you'd made it to the top of Morrow's list."
"I'm infectious," Tony beamed at him.
"All I remember is that first day - you were an ass - then - Captain Sensible showed up - you blew Morrow away - me too. You actually had researched your answers impeccably - you were asking all the right questions as well giving reasoned, logical answers." Gibbs pushed a hand through his hair. "We were sold - and you told Kate you got the job because you smiled."
"It usually does the trick."
"Does it - "
"Yeah!" Tony squinted up at Gibbs as the older man got to his feet. "Usually."
"Not then, DiNozzo - you got the job because you were the best - you've come a hell of a long way in four years - even got your own team for four months."
Tony shuddered briefly before getting to his feet. "My own team - Probie as Senior Field Agent - " A quick head slap and Gibbs was heading back to the house. "What was that for?"
"You were about to say something not very nice about Tim," Gibbs called over his shoulder.
"Was not!"
"Was!"
******
Gibbs rustled up scrambled eggs and a mountain of toast after a long, refreshing shower the two men shared - placing the plate in the middle of the table and pouring himself and Tony generous mugs of coffee.
"One thing puzzles me," he said as he watched Tony rip a slice of toast in half - fold it over and shove it in his mouth.
"What?" Crumbs flew everywhere.
"I have no clue about your childhood."
"Nothing to tell," Tony shrugged - clearing his throat from an errant bit of toast.
"Okay."
"I mean - you know about most of it - "
"Not all of it," Gibbs probed as he finished a forkful of egg.
"Dad is rich - I'm his son - and I was a mistake. A rich man's son growing up in the Hamptons." Tony reached for his mug. "Dad was - is - a bastard - likes his booze - and sometimes if he had a bad day - he'd take it out on me - sometimes Mom - but mostly me."
"He beat you?"
"With whatever came to hand - usually a belt."
"And your mother did nothing?" Gibbs was astounded.
"What could she do - except divorce him - and he'd never let her get away with sharing 50/50 - all she saw was dollar signs, Jethro - there was no love in our family - just greed, jealousy - that kinda crap."
"Tony - I'm sorry - I had no idea." Gibbs lowered his fork to his plate, shaking his head.
"It's past, Jethro - done." Tony sat back - mug in hand. "Some of the other moms took pity on me - I'd get to on day trips and sleep overs - although it would have been nice to do that with my Mom and Dad - but that would never happen - she was too busy sleeping around and he was either too drunk to care - or too involved in work to bother with me."
"That's no childhood Tony - not at all."
"My epiphany came when I hit college - my Frat Brothers were family - still are to some extent - " A smile ghosted across Tony's lips.
"And your father cut you out of the will when you were 12?"
"So he told me - gave me no reason - just said I was a good for nothing brat who'd probably end up sweeping streets for a living - personally - I don't care - he can shove it." Tony tried to keep his tone light but his eyes gave away the sadness he felt deep inside and he refused to look at Gibbs.
"You will at least contest it when the inevitable happens?" Gibbs leaned forward, linking his fingers on the table - his appetite suddenly vanishing.
"It's gone on for long enough, Jethro - I just don't think about it - " Tony shrugged again.
"Until you fall asleep and all the crap comes back as nightmares." Gibbs sat back now - still unsettled by what he'd heard.
"You think that's why?"
"Has to be, Tony. Has to be."
"Something to tell the therapist next week, then." Tony mused.
"She'll delve deep anyway - she'll know everything by the end of your first hour." Gibbs busied himself clearing away the plates into the dishwasher, Tony watching him as he did so.
"Why did I wait this long until realising I needed to see someone?" he asked of the room in general.
"You didn't," Gibbs answered with a shake of his head. "You've been in denial for some many years - all it took was a prod from me."
"But I am doing the right thing?" Tony asked - eyes questioning.
"Oh, believe me, DiNozzo - you are doing the right thing - besides - the therapist reckons it'll be a case of 4 or 5 sessions and you should be back to normal - and if I don't get a good night's sleep after that - she's only to happy to refund me."
"You told we're - you know - you and me - " Tony gaped at him.
"Whoa!" Gibbs held up a hand. "No - I told her we're just roomies - nothing more."
"Geez - and I'm worried about Ziva finding out."
"Tony?"
"Yeah?"
"Sex?"
"Yeah!"
Tony scooted from the room - leaving Gibbs grinning in his wake.
"And now I get to show him - he does have a family - just him - and me - that's all we need - each other."
END
Author's Chapter Notes:
And more for you - Tony's opening up slowly - NC17 for implied slash sex