"Homecoming"
Chapter 6---
The staff sergeant's office was nice and spacious on the inside for someone of his rank. It was something that Gibbs usually expected to see, in say, a General's office maybe--but not here.
There was a small television in one corner of the room, and a nice size upright gun cabinet on the opposite side of the room. There were also a few pictures hung up on the wall around the room, plus a small coffee table and love seat in front of the television set.
CRASH!!! The staff sergeant slammed Gibbs backwards into the gun cabinet sending shards of broken glass everywhere.
"Shouldn't have stuck your nose where it didn't belong, Agent Gibbs!" the staff sergeant growled angrily.
Gibbs just glared back at the raging staff sergeant as he picked himself up--blood now trickling slowly from his right temple.
"You killed an innocent Marine," Gibbs growled angrily.
The staff sergeant cracked his knuckles loudly.
"And now I'm gonna kill you," the staff sergeant said angrily.
Gibbs raised his fists up into the air in a ready stance, and nodded towards the staff sergeant.
"Good luck with that." Gibbs replied.
The staff sergeant moved in Gibbs' direction swinging wildly at the federal agent. Gibbs easily swatted the man's fist away with his right hand, and swung back with his left hand. The blow hit the staff sergeant across the jaw sending him backwards into his desk.
Seeing an opportunity Gibbs rushed towards the man.
The staff sergeant, unfortunately, spun and caught Gibbs in the gut.
Down the hall Tony was flirting with a young woman at the front desk. As far as women go she was very attractive. She had blonde hair, green eyes, a very nice smile--and a sweet personality to boot.
Besides, Gibbs had told him to stand here and wait for him--so Tony was doing just that.
"So, what are you doing tonight then?" Tony asked her, with a grin.
"Well I-" she started to say.
Just then, both of them heard the loud crash coming from the staff sergeant's office down the hall, and it startled them at first.
"What was that?" the young woman asked, suddenly worried.
"I dunno," Tony replied, withdrawing his sig from its holster. "Stay here." Tony said quietly.
Tony turned and quickly headed down the hall towards the staff sergeant's office. He skidded to a halt in front of the office door and reached out to grab the doorknob--locked.
“Boss!” Tony shouted.
There was another loud crash, and Tony immediately reared back and tried to kick the door open��"but to no avail. “Time for plan B” Tony thought to himself.
He aimed his sig carefully, and then squeezed the trigger. The round pierced the locking mechanism just as he hoped it would.
"Boss, are you-" Tony shouted as he pushed open the door, and ran inside with his sig drawn up at the ready.
He found Gibbs standing over the staff sergeant's unconscious body, his silvery-hair all askew and breathing heavily--with his sig pointed in the man's face.
"You're under arrest--dirt bag," Gibbs said, breathing heavily.
"Boss, are you alright?" Tony asked, as he moved to his boss' side.
Gibbs turned abruptly bringing him and his senior field agent face to face.
"Do I look alright, DiNozzo?" He asked, angrily.
Tony knew it was rhetorical question--so why he tried to answer it he did not know.
"Uh, well, I mean-" Tony sputtered, nervously.
"Cuff him!" Gibbs barked at the younger man.
"Yes sir, on it boss." Tony replied, as he whipped out a pair of handcuffs.
A few hours later, back at NCIS Gibbs sat at his desk finishing up some last minute paper work for the case that he and his team had just closed.
"I still don't get it," Kate said, from her desk.
"I don't either," McGee admitted.
"What's to get?" Tony chuckled. "Gibbs knew the staff sergeant was guilty--and broke him. Simple as that."
Kate rolled her eyes at her partner for the umpteenth time that day.
"Right boss?" Tony asked, from his desk across the bullpen.
"Wrong, DiNozzo." Gibbs replied, without looking up from his paperwork.
"I didn't know one way or the other." Gibbs explained.
"So it was a bluff." Kate remarked.
"Yep." Gibbs replied, as he closed the file folder on his desk, and placed it in a file rack on the corner of his desk.
Gibbs stood up and retrieved his sig and badge from his top-right desk drawer.
"DiNozzo, let's go." Gibbs said plainly.
"Where are we-" he started to say. "Oh yeah that's right," he said as he jumped up and gathered his things.
Gibbs headed for the elevator with Tony on his heels.
"Wait, where are you guys going!?" Kate shouted after the two men.
"Vacation!" Gibbs shouted back, as the elevator doors closed behind them.
Chapter 7---
Gibbs stood in his bedroom staring at his suitcase, and the contents there in.
It was late evening when Gibbs finished packing his suitcase. He sat down on the edge of his bed memories of past events running through his head.
------DREAM-LIKE SEQUENCE------
They had been standing in the foyer of the DiNozzo mansion home. Tony, himself, and Tony's mother and father.
"Why did you invite him!?" Tony's father yelled at his wife.
"He is your son." she replied, nervously.
"What him--HIM--no, no, no THAT most certainly IS NOT my son!" the old man yelled at his wife, spit hanging from his bottom lip as veins bulged in his neck.
"You have no right to yell at mom like that!" Tony said, stepping in between his father and mother.
"How dare you speak to me," His father growled in his face.
"Anthony, dear, I think maybe you should-" his mother tried to say quietly.
The old man suddenly slugged his son in the face sending the younger man sprawling backwards.
The old man moved towards his son who was wiping blood from his lip(s), and trying to stand up. The old man reached out to seize his son by the throat, but Gibbs beat him to the punch.
With lightning fast reflexes Gibbs caught the older man's hand, twisted his wrist until it made a loud popping noise, grabbed him by the throat with his free hand, and slung him up against the nearby wall.
"Please, stop!" Mrs. DiNozzo cried out worriedly.
"What're you gonna do--kill me?" The old man snarled in Gibbs' face.
Gibbs leaned in close so the old man could feel his hot breath on his face.
"Too many witnesses here." Gibbs whispered, coldly.
"But next time--you may not be so lucky," Gibbs added.
------END OF DREAM-LIKE SEQUENCE------
The sound of the doorbell downstairs snapped Gibbs out of his trance. He stood, took a deep breath, and then walked out of the room.
Downstairs he opened the front door to see Tony standing on the steps with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
"Come on in," Gibbs said, with a wave of his hand.
Tony followed Gibbs inside setting his duffle bag down by the door once it was closed.
"Abby here?" Tony asked.
"Not tonight--she's at her place." Gibbs replied.
"Oh."
Tony ran a hand gently through his hair.
"So what time does our flight leave?" Tony asked, quietly.
"0700," Gibbs replied.
Tony nodded.
"How ya holdin' up?" Gibbs asked, as he took a seat on the sofa.
"Alright, I guess." Tony replied, softly.
Tony sat down on the sofa next to his boss, and sat quietly for a few minutes not saying anything.
"I don't know if I can do this Gibbs," Tony said, burying his face in his hands.
Gibbs reached out a gentle hand and patted the younger man on the back.
"I'll be right beside you the whole time," Gibbs said softly.
"I know," Tony said, looking up at the older man next to him. "But I just have a really bad feeling about this whole thing."
"I know--so do I."
"Last time, the guy tried to kill me." Tony recalled.
"I know, I was there remember." Gibbs said.
"Well we've got to get an early start anyway," Gibbs said, as he stood up. "Besides, I think a good nights' sleep will do you some good."
"Yeah, I guess." Tony replied.
Gibbs reached out a hand to his senior field agent, and Tony took it. Gibbs pulled Tony to his feet, and the two stood face to face staring into each other's eyes.
Neither one could speak a word to the other so they just stood in silence. Tony felt it--again. That warmth that he'd felt earlier that same morning. It was that sense of longing that tugged at him relentlessly.
Standing there Gibbs could see a hunger burning in Tony's eyes, and as he stood there he realized that that hunger was actually quite infectious.
"The guest bed's upstairs--second door on the left," Gibbs said, dryly.
Tony could barely even nod correctly as he tried to acknowledge the older man's directions.
"It'll be alright," Gibbs said softly with a warm smile, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder.
Tony nodded in agreement and then turned, grabbed his duffle bag, and headed upstairs.
Tony found the guest room easily enough, and slowly entered into its domain. As he set his duffel bag down on the floor at the foot of the bed he couldn't help but feel somehow disappointed.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and removed his over shirt revealing a sleeveless, white undershirt.
Next he took off his shoes--his really good shoes--and laid them neatly next to his duffle bag.
"Tony."
He looked up quickly at hearing his name spoken aloud, and saw Gibbs standing there in the doorway of the room.
"B-Boss--I-I mean Jethro," Tony stammered, out of surprise.
Gibbs paused, momentarily, thinking back over what he was about to do one last time. All the while seeing Tony in that sleeveless, white undershirt outlining some of the more impressive structures of his muscular frame igniting a fir within him.
"Je-" Tony started to say.
"On the bed--strip," Gibbs cut in abruptly--his voice sharp with authority.
Tony's heart skipped a beat in his chest as he scrambled, nervously, to remove what was left of his clothing and toss them to the floor.
Gibbs made short work of his shirt and shoes--tossing them aside hastily as he crossed the hall to the master bedroom, grabbed two little foil packets from the bedside table, and then hurried back to the guest room closing the door behind him.
"Hands and knees." Gibbs said forcefully.
Tony did as he was told as quickly as he possibly could. Gibbs tossed him one of the foil packets, and Tony unwrapped it, quickly, and slid it on over his own erection.
He made his way over to the bed, and slid out of his jeans as he climbed up onto the bed behind the younger man.
"This must be how Abby feels when she's here," Tony thought to himself.
Boy that had been an awkward conversation to have with Abby. He still wasn't quite sure why he'd even asked Abby about what she and Gibbs did at night.
Tony's heart was racing by now. Excitement and fear both mixing with the adrenaline pumping through his body. By now the sense of longing and need were almost overwhelming.
Behind him Tony could hear the rustle of a foil packet being ripped open, and a slick, sliding sound followed.
"I'm out of lubricant," Gibbs informed the younger man, strain apparent in his voice. "So this may hurt a little."
Without warning Gibbs entered him. "He was right," Tony thought to himself. It did hurt at first.
Gibbs paused a moment to let Tony adjust to the feel of his erection inside of him. As he waited, his restraint rapidly fading away with each passing second, his eyes wandered up and down the young man's muscular body--his eyes growing wide with anticipation.
"Ready?" Gibbs asked, in a husky voice.
Tony nodded, swallowing a hard lump in his throat.
Gibbs moved slowly at first, trying his best not to hurt the younger man more than need be, but Tony adjusted quickly and was soon relaxed enough for Gibbs to pick up the pace a little more.
After a few minutes Gibbs increased their tempo drastically--all the while Tony giving back nearly as good as he was getting.
After a while they were going fast and hard--both men drawing closer and closer to the edge of the massive canyon before them.
Gibbs groaned in pleasure as he reached out and entwined his fingers in Tony's hair.
"Tony," Gibbs gasped, in the final fleeting moments before his climax hit.
Then finally he could hold on no longer and both men came in a flurry of fireworks as they slumped forward gasping for air.
After a moment or so Gibbs rolled away onto his back, and the two men laid there, side-by-side, as their vital signs slowly returned to normal.
Tony watched as Gibbs fell asleep there, in the dimly-lit room, on the bed--first; and his mind wandered back over the events that had transpired between them just moments ago--his mind more at ease now than it had been since he'd gotten that phone call from his mother at 2:30 in the morning however many days ago it had been. He felt content, at peace, and that sense of longing and need was satisfied--for now at least.
His thoughts wandered to his co-workers at NCIS--for what reason he was not quite sure.
"Kate--Kate would never understand," he reasoned in his mind. "McGee probably wouldn't either."
Finally after an hour or so had passed Tony drifted off into a deep, peaceful slumber at his boss' side.
Chapter 8---
The two men left Gibbs' house at a quarter til 6 the next morning, and arrived at the airport 15 minutes before their flight was supposed to depart. Which was just enough time for them to pick up their tickets at the service desk, and then quickly board the plane.
As the two men took their seats in the second class section of the plane--about middle ways in--Gibbs stuck the carry-on he'd brought with him into the overhead rack, making sure that the cases' built lock was secured properly.
Gibbs buckled his seatbelt as soon as he was seated, and comfortable.
Red-headed stewardess walked past them, checking seatbelts and what not, and Gibbs couldn't help but look twice at her.
"Nice--hunh Boss?" Tony remarked, with a knowing grin.
"Hmm." was all Gibbs said, as he turned back to the newspaper he'd brought with him.
"You know, I usually prefer *first-class*," Tony mused, as he shifted in his seat looking for the seatbelt straps. "But this isn't too bad--I guess."
"It never ceases to amaze me though, how tight security has gotten around these things, ya know." he added, clicking his seatbelt together finally.
Gibbs turned a page in the newspaper he was reading, the pages ruffling a little as he did so.
"Speakin' of which--how did you manage to get those *things* passed security without throwing a *big* red flag?" Tony asked in a low voice, leaning closer to Gibbs.
"I have a friend." Gibbs replied, quietly.
"Oh," Tony said, nodding his head slightly. "Well, yeah, that--that actually makes a lot of sense."
(F.Y.I. -- The *things* that Tony was/is referring to are the two Sig Sauer's that he'd brought along with him as part of his carry-on.)
The airplane's intercom crackled overhead as the dormant system sputtered back to life.
"Good morning, this is your Captain, Harlen Williams, speaking--and on behalf of myself and the crew I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our passengers and also to thank you for choosing to fly with all of us here with AirUnited," the Captain's voice echoed cheerfully over the intercom speakers overhead.
"Not like I really wanted to," Tony mumbled to himself, quietly.
"...So sit back, relax, and we hope you all enjoy your flight." The intercom boomed, as the Captain finally finished his pre-flight speech.
Tony stared out the window as the plane taxied down the runaway towards the end of the strip.
"Next stop--Long Island, New York." Tony said quietly, against the window.
Within minutes they were up in the air, and it was finally safe to remove their seatbelts.
Gibbs folded up his newspaper and set it aside.
"How're you feelin'?" he asked, looking over at Tony.
"Um, pretty good, so far." Tony replied, with a slight grin. "A little nervous I guess, but I think I'll be okay."
Gibbs smiled a knowing smile at the younger man sitting beside him. "You'll be fine." he said.
The red-headed stewardess approached them once again.
"Would either of you like something to drink?" she asked.
"Yes please," Gibbs said. "I'll have a coffee--strong."
"And I'll just have a soda, please." Tony said, leaning over Gibbs.
The stewardess smiled, and nodded at the two men.
"Alright, strong coffee and a soda," she repeated back. "Okay, I'll be just one minute." she said, with a smile at Gibbs, before she walked away to the galley.
As Gibbs tried to relax in his seat while he waited for his coffee to arrive that eerie, churning feeling in the pit of his stomach returned--the same as the one he'd had the night before while he was packing his suitcase. Something just did not feel right about this whole trip--he had a very bad feeling, and his gut was usually right on the money about these things.
He shook it off though, once he saw the red-headed stewardess approaching with their drinks in her hands.
When their plane finally landed at MacArthur Airport in Long Island, New York it was late evening, and the two men were extremely tired--due in big part to jet-lag.
The two men decided that the best thing for them to do would be to check in a hotel for the night, and then drive out to the DiNozzo Homestead early the next morning.
When they entered the single hotel room that they had rented, they found that there was only one bed. Guess they would just have to share.
The next day came way to fast in Tony's mind, although he slept pretty good through the night, he still felt kind of sick to his stomach.
When they left the hotel Tony wanted to grab a taxi, and go and get it all over with; but Gibbs' gut was still bothering him so instead they rented a car from a rental agency.
The ride out to the DiNozzo Homestead brought back memories for Tony--not all of which were good. Then finally they were passing through the big 'welcome' gates of the DiNozzo estate.
Gibbs pulled the car up to a halt in the spot designated by the gardener who had come around from the back(yard) to help.
The two men stepped from the car and greeted the gardener, Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson asked the two men to wait by their car while he informed Mrs. DiNozzo of their arrival.
While they waited Gibbs reached back into the car and pulled his sig from the glove compartment, and stuck it securely into the small of his back.
Suddenly the front door to the massive house swung open, and an older lady--probably in her mid-fifties to early sixties at least--ran out to greet them, followed by the gardener and another younger man.
"Anthony!" Mrs. DiNozzo cried, as she threw her arms around her son.
"Hey mom." Tony replied, quietly, hugging his mother.
The younger man, who was Tony's cousin, shook Gibbs' hand as he waited for a turn with his cousin.
"Mr. Gibbs, good to see you again." the young man said, as he shook Gibbs' hand.
"Likewise." Gibbs said quietly.
Mrs. DiNozzo pulled back from her son and studied him for a moment, tears in her eyes, before shaking them off with a smile.
"I-I wasn't expecting you to bring your friend with you again." she said, extending her hand to Gibbs.
"Jethro--isn't it?" she said, as they shook hands lightly.
"Yes ma'am." Gibbs replied, with a smile.
Tony and his cousin exchanged a hug and pleasantries as well.
"Well, lets not stand around all day--come in, come in." Mrs. DiNozzo said, as she motioned for everyone to follow her inside.
Tony glanced sideways at his boss/friend before moving even a single inch in any direction.
"After you," Gibbs whispered.
Tony sucked in a deep breath, and then let it out before following after his mother and cousin. Gibbs watched, suspiciously, as the gardener made his way back around to the back(yard).
The group entered through the front doors and into the foyer of the DiNozzo mansion. Gibbs looked around in just that area which looked as near the same as it did the last time they were there.
"Dr. McGreggor put your father on bed rest for awhile." Mrs. DiNozzo told her son.
"So he's upstairs--in his room?" Tony asked, quietly.
"Yes." Mrs. DiNozzo replied, with a nod.
"Tell you what, I'll go up and see if he's awake," she said. "He sleeps on and off now--because his body's so weak, you know."
Tony nodded politely at his mother, with a forced smile--just for her.
Mrs. DiNozzo turned quickly and headed up the big staircase at the other end of the foyer.
"She really appreciates you coming," Tony's cousin said, quietly.
"I mean, we both know how you feel about *him*." his cousin added.
Tony nodded. "Yeah."
"He actually sounded *happy*--sort of--when she told him you were coming."
"Really?" Tony remarked, a little surprised at his cousin's statement.
Gibbs could feel his stomach churning again. It was his gut--and it wasn't feeling to comfortable about this whole *visit*.
The sound of footsteps on the staircase caught everyone's attention.
"He's sleeping--for now." Mrs. DiNozzo informed everyone.
"Figures." Tony mumbled to himself.
"But you guys are more than welcome to stay for awhile--we'll be having lunch in just a little bit." Mrs. DiNozzo added.
Tony thought about just turning around and leaving, but the look on his mother's face changed his mind.
"What the hell," Tony said, looking at Gibbs.
Gibbs shrugged back at Tony.
........."To Be Continued in "The Plot Thickens".........
Author's Chapter Notes:
The story continues...A night they'll never forget...stay tuned...