Keep Your Enemies Close
His eyes said it all I started to fall
And the silence deafened
Head spinning round no time to sit down
Just wanted to run and run and run
Be careful they say don’t wish life away
Now I’ve one day
It’s the little things he does that caught your attention. They weren’t as obvious in the beginning, but now you see them as exactly that; attention seeking. It’s been roughly two months since you married Gibbs, and as great as it’s been, Tony’s attitude has been bothering you.
It’s also been roughly two months since your little confession, which you don’t really want to think about right now, because there’s just too much going on for you to deal with it. Big deal; you told Tony, move on.
*~*~*~*~*~*
It started in the gym that morning, when you were stretching out for your workout. It was your typical warm up, one that Tony had ogled from afar every time you’d done it, but it had been different somehow; you couldn’t feel his eyes on you. You felt McGee watching and you decided to have some fun with him, knowing once Tony caught on there’d be no stopping the two of you.
You manipulated your body easily into a difficult stretch; legs spread wide either side of you and you blessed your mother for all those forced years of ballet and gymnastics. Of course, the yoga and Pilates you do these days is far more helpful, but still.
When you learned Jethro was pairing you with McGee that morning, you were slightly disappointed. Every part of you wanted to grapple with him and take the moves you’d taught him in the bedroom into the gym but some part of you wanted to roll around with Tony. Just to prove to yourself he hadn’t really changed at all. That when and if he pinned you to the mat and was hovering above you he could still make comments and innuendos. You miss that; it’s changed since you got married.
*~*~*~*~*~*
When McGee finally got you pinned, Tony finally made a typical DiNozzo comment. Or at least you thought he was going to. You asked McGee why he’d been holding back and he was on the verge of stating because he’d never wrestled a girl before. You turned your attention to Tony and asked if you looked like a girl; you expected him to retort with one of his usual comments about how you were definitely not a girl, but instead he said all he could see was two NCIS Special Agents.
Where the hell did that come from?
Since when did Tony think before speaking? And more importantly, when did he agree with you on things? The man is so damn frustrating with his change in moods and characters that you don’t know where you stand with him anymore. Right now, you wish you were still on honeymoon in the Catskills.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Jethro’s idea, of course. He somehow worked the system, got the entire team off for a week and whisked you off to a log cabin in the woods. It was romantic and perfect. There was absolutely no cell phone reception, no touristy people, no dead marines. It was totally perfect. Three whole days locked away from the world, with no one but Jethro Gibbs by your side.
Still, it didn’t stop you from worrying about Tony.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Tony’s attitude towards you this case started getting weirder.
When you were on the range at Quantico, he teamed up with you in hazing McGee; which you thoroughly enjoyed. Not only did it give you a chance to get back at McGee, again, for looking up your skirt that time, but it gave you a chance to get an insight into what Tony was thinking.
You think you’ve got the art learned.
If he’s nice, pleasant and happy to make small talk that means he’s worried over something. It also means he’s being Tony, the respectable teen.
If he’s rude, childish and disgusting that means that he’s okay and nothing’s wrong with him. This also means he’s being DiNozzo, the immature kid.
You don’t want to even think about when he’s angry because you’ve never actually seen it, and don’t really want to either. You figure this will be him being Anthony, the responsible adult.
You done the same in the office, well, it was really Tony himself, but you laughed with him. Then when the call from De Luca came in, you said something to Tony and he made a mention of Gibbs second ex-wife, as if he was trying to rile you up.
You never took the bait, though he was clearly wanting you to. It was as if he wanted to get into a fight with you. Instead you just walked away and gave him a look.
You still desperately want to know what’s wrong with him.
*~*~*~*~*~*
When the boys from the FBI came over, he was protective of you. Especially from Agent Charles, who as it turned out, was the twisted evil one. There was a moment when Charles asked what Tony would do if it were one of his team on the slab. He was silent, looked at you and said it depended on who it was.
You know, that if it were any of your team on the slab you’d go after them with only one thing in mind. But you don’t know how you would react if it were Jethro or Tony.
It’s been the three of you since you joined; you’ve had their backs and they’ve had yours. The respect you have for them isn’t the same that you have for McGee or Abby or Ducky; it’s different somehow.
But the love you have for Jethro is different to the love you have for Tony. You don’t know why, it just is.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Two words: Jerry Springer.
Another two: Paternity Clinic.
When McGee rushed in knowing how to get the DNA samples you needed, you were on board right away. You knew it would be easy. Just act like those couples you see all the time on Jerry Springer or Ricki. Easy, right?
Maybe it’s because McGee is still a Probie and didn’t have the same level of experience, or maybe it was something else and you’ll probably never know. But the second he realised you’d be going undercover with McGee, Tony flew into action and availed his services instead. His reason was that no one would believe McGee had slept with you, and while that’s true to some extent, why did he think that people would believe you had slept with him.
But going to the clinic with him was fun. You got to fight with him, in a trashy kinda way, and throw chewing gum at him. Definitely fun.
He even said as much to you back in the lab, or rather in his words, ‘we make a good couple’. Yeah, you make a great couple. You can barely stand him on the best of days, you imagined that’s how an actual relationship with him would be; constant fighting. Plus, the trust factor. You’d have to really trust someone with DiNozzo’s reputation.
*~*~*~*~*~*
That night once the feds came for Charles’ body and Gibbs escorted Rickey back to the office, Tony drove you back. You were both silent, lost in your thoughts over the case, marriage, the girl you (him) were going to hook up with tonight. You wanted to confront whatever it was that was wrong. Just get it all out in the open, talk it through, make amends for things that had been said and unsaid. You just wanted Tony back. He clearly sensed this as he drove faster and got back to the office quicker, to stop you from making an idiot of yourself.
You just don’t know what to do with him, but you hope whatever’s up with him he can work out.
Author's Chapter Notes:
The first of 6 in the 3rd person.
One of the team reflects during a case.
Set through The Boneyard
One of the team reflects during a case.
Set through The Boneyard
Chapter End Notes:
We're in October now. Kate and Gibbs married in August