Chapter four
Tony circled his car a couple more times before slumping down on Gibbs’ front step.
Gibbs sat beside him and snaked a warm hand under his shirt, tracing soothing circles at the small of his back.
Tony looked around, but they were pretty secluded from his neighbors.
“You think this is Marie’s work?” He glanced at Gibbs, trying to read him.
“ I have no idea, Tony. This is above and beyond anything she’s done.” He paused. ”There have been a few cases of vandalism in the area lately; this might just be a coincidence. Listen, lift the car for prints, and see if you find anything.”
“I don’t have my kit with me, Jethro.” Tony rested his head in his hands, sighing deeply.
“There’s a bag in the hall closet.”
“You have forensic…never mind. Don’t wanna know,” Tony couldn’t keep a small smile off his face. He rubbed his hands on his thighs a couple of times and got up. Half an hour later he’d lifted a handprint off the rear bumper. Somebody had used it for support and if they were lucky, the prints would be on file.
“Let’s drop the prints off at Abby’s and get out of here,” Gibbs suggested. “We’ll have your car towed to a garage to get new tires and then be on our way. I don’t want this to ruin our weekend, Tony. You think you can let go?”
“That depends.” Tony stretched languidly, and leaned against the porch railing. “How do you plan on distracting me?”
Something flared in Gibbs’ eyes as he got up. He stood very close, as close as they could be in public. He smiled that slow, little grin that always made Tony’s knees weak and said very quietly:
“I’m sure I’ll think of…something, DiNozzo.”
Tony felt his mouth go dry. There it was again, that connection. Could this be happening, was Gibbs really flirting with him? Last night he’d wanted him close, but that could have been for comfort. Gibbs rarely showed a vulnerable side, and last night he’d opened up to him. Tony felt almost honored Gibbs trusted him enough to share his fears with him.
Needing to focus on something else, Tony got out his cell phone, frowning when he saw it was still switched off. Calling the garage he normally used, he quickly arranged for his car to be towed. It would be about half an hour before the tow truck arrived and they decided to use the time to pick up something to eat at a deli nearby. A picnic didn’t sound too bad, Tony thought. The weather was still warm, and the forecast promising.
They arrived back at the house to find the driver circling his car. He shook his head as he examined the damage. “Kids,” he muttered, clearly writing this off as a prank.
With his car safely on its way, they were ready to go. Gibbs was loading their stuff into his car when Tony turned to him.
“Listen, I don’t wanna be a baby, but can we do something else today? I just don’t feel like sailing anymore. Some other time, maybe?”
“I’d like that a lot, Tony. So, anything else you’d might like to do?”
An image of Gibbs and Tony naked on his bed flashed through the younger man’s mind, but he forced it away. Timing. Timing was everything. If he misread Gibbs and made an unwanted move, he could ruin their friendship.
“I’d like to have a quiet day with you, on dry land. I’m not in the mood for head slaps or being yelled at for mixing up the main sail and the jib, or whatever ya call’em,” he smirked.
“So, where ya wanna go? I can’t give you any guarantee on the head slaps, though,” Gibbs grinned.
“There’s a Lincoln exhibition at the American History museum?”
Gibbs cocked an eyebrow but said nothing.
Tony’s old insecurities awakened. He tried a cocky grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It is the weekend for revelations, Jethro, and here’s one for you. DiNozzo’s got more depth than a puddle.”
A swift head slap got his attention.
“Don’t put words in my mouth, DiNozzo. I saw through your act years ago. You think you would be on my team if I thought you were a shallow frat boy?” He stepped even closer. “You think you would be in my bed last night if I didn’t see the real you?”
Tony looked at Gibbs, not knowing what to say. “I don’t really know what to make of last night, Jethro.” Gibbs turned to the car again, gripping the lid.
“Me neither, Tony, but I do know I’d like to find out.” He closed the trunk of his car and turned around to look at him. “You coming?”
“Yeah,” Tony smiled, recognizing the significance of the question. “I’m with ya.”
******
Abby was getting increasingly worried. She’d stopped by Tony’s apartment last night, but there was no light to be seen in the windows and his car was gone. She’d called his land line to make sure, to no avail. His cell phone was switched off, which made her even more concerned.
She was still wondering what to do when her cell phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, she was relieved to see it was Tony. There was no reason for her to feel this way, not really. Just a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that something was weighing on Tony’s mind.
“Tony! Where are you? I’ve been trying to call you since yesterday! Are you okay?”
“Abby…”
“I went by your place and you weren’t there, and you were so sad last night so I brought Bert to cheer you up and the latest Bond movie, ya know, I thought we could have movie night after all, so I sent Tim home in a cab and he was kinda bummed, and then I went to your place, but I couldn’t find you, Tony! Where are you?”
“Breathe, Abs, just breathe. In and out.” He fastened his seatbelt and motioned for Gibbs to get going.
“Listen, Abby, I need a favor. I have a set of prints I need you to run, the sooner the better. Can you do that?”
“You’re on a case? I thought you had the weekend off, Tony. Why are you working? Does Gibbs know about this? You so need to take some time off. I haven’t seen you this tired in a very long time, not since, well. You looked dead on your feet last night, then you just disappeared for ever to the restroom, I mean how long does a man need in there? You do your thing, you get out. But, nooo, men use that space for thinking. And the magazines, do all men do the majority of their reading with their pants down by their ankles? What’s up with that? Oh, God, I do hope you were contemplating,” she giggled. “Tim would die if he caught you…”
“Abby,” he pleaded, “will ya please, please breathe!”
“Oh…” she said. “Right. Yes, I think I can do that, but, ya know, Tony, you really shouldn’t take off like that, it’s just not like you.”
“I know, and I’m sorry for making you worried. Now, the prints, Abby? We’re dropping them off at the lab. Could you run them through AFIS today?”
“We?”
“I’m with Gibbs,” he explained.
“Did you stay at Casa Gibbs last night?” she asked.
“Yes, I stopped by on my way home and it got late, so I crashed in Gibbs’ guest room.”
“Good.” Abby sounded pleased. “What about the prints, do we have a new case?”
“I’ll explain it all later, Abby, okay? We’ll talk tonight, I promise.”
“Pinky swear?”
“Pinky swear, Abby, although it is kinda hard over the phone,” he smiled. He hung up and looked at Gibbs.
“She’s worried about me.”
“Ya think, DiNozzo? I kinda got that.” He stopped by a red light and turned towards Tony. “Anything you wanna share?
“About what?” Tony asked, not quite sure where Gibbs was going.
“What has Abby worried about you,” he clarified. “Anything I should know about?”
“I tell you about it tonight, Boss, after dinner. I’m still cooking, right?”
“You’re damn right you’re cooking, but dessert’s…on me.”
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