***
Something was definitely different this morning! As he drifted closer to waking, Tony could sense it, though he wasn't quite sure what it was. His mind applied itself to the problem.
Warmth. Definitely. Check!
It was morning. He could hear the sounds of people moving around. Check!
He was in his bunk. Check!
Gibbs' mind was a contented, purring hum in the back of his mind. Check!
He could feel Gibbs' arm over him protectively, their fingers tangling together. Nice. Check!
Erm... hold on a minute... that couldn't be right...
Tony blearily opened his eyes, and studied the hand with interest, because it definitely was Gibbs' callused hand, so logically, the person comfortably spooned up behind him in bed must be... yes, well, Gibbs! Which was where his mind went kind of fuzzy, because he was almost certain he had gone to bed alone. Not that he was complaining. It was a really nice way to wake up...
"I know you're awake!" Gibbs gravelly morning voice sounded so very close behind him. Plus, their minds were contentedly tangled together, linked on most levels and open to each other. It felt really good...
"Uh-huh..." Tony acknowledged sleepily, content to stay exactly where he was.
"You were dreaming again," Gibbs said softly, and Tony shivered, despite the warmth, because the horror was all too fresh in his mind. Mood definitely soured - way to go, boss! Gibbs' arm tightened around him then, and just like that, the slight resentment was over. It was comforting to accept the older man's reassurance.
"It was different, this time," he whispered to the older man. "She told me to leave the city... That I'd see something today to convince me she was telling the truth..." He shifted in Gibbs' embrace so that he could look at the other man. "Do dreams come true?"
"I don't know, Tony." Gibbs shook his head. "Do I look like an expert on mutant powers?" Tony grinned at him, and he smiled back wryly. "Who knows. Maybe precognition is possible these days?" His blue eyes studied the young agent. "The only thing I know is that I'm about to fall out of this damned bunk, and if I do, I'll take it as a sign that this day is going to be a bitch!"
His mind and body untangled from Tony's, he sat up, and moments later, he was on the way to the showers.
So again, they weren't talking about the shared bed, Tony thought with just a little irritation, because Gibbs could just have woken Tony last night, rather than climbed into bed with him, which argued a certain need on his part. It certainly didn't bother him at all. Tony rather liked that, but obviously, it wasn't on the agenda. Not. Talking.
Okay, fine. Gibbs did that really well, and if Tony wasn't psychic, he wouldn't have known jack-shit about the things going on in Gibbs' head, like the protectiveness and the fact that he cared. So what else was new?
Yes, this day was definitely going to be a bitch!
***
The first order of business today was a meeting with the powers that be, Gibbs thought, and he wondered whether anyone among them had factored the weird weather into their "contingency plans?" So far, he had little respect for them, although he knew it couldn't be easy with limited power and virtually no electronics working. The exceptions were pieces of equipment ferried in from outside the blast zone created by the Pulse - which basically meant Europe, South America or the far west coast.
The easiest way to get supplies was by sea, because even if trucks could drive from the undamaged parts of America, the roads were blocked by all the traffic that had been on them at the moment of the blast. So they had to be manually cleared - ongoing, so they were told - because the National Guard and FEMA were overwhelmed by human casualties which took priority. And if the truck engines cut out inexplicably sometimes, well that could be managed, with a little care.
Aircraft that tried to enter the damaged area, the so-called "Badlands" suffered the same intermittent electronic failure as cell-phones seemed to - which was another thing the boffins, including Tim, were trying to fix. So no air support either, because if an engine stopped at five hundred feet, things got messy fast. That's why it was such a good thing that the city was readily accessible by water, and there were numerous available docks in the Navy Yard.
The word was that today the fast supply ship was due - a smaller, more manoeuvrable coastguard cutter ferrying supplies from larger offshore cargo vessels which stayed out of the danger area. This time, they were bringing medical supplies, replacements for some of the more delicate electronic equipment, and so forth. Vital stuff, eagerly awaited by all.
Gibbs stood, watching the Potomac from the large window in the squad room. The supply ship had just been sighted downriver. The plan was to send Tony and McGee down to the docks to meet the cyclone class patrol ship to get their medical supplies. Then Gibbs had a message from the Director's office so he headed up there, two stairs at a time. At least they were all going to be fitter if the present crisis lasted much longer.
Jen had a couple of navy brass types in her office. He wondered briefly whether they were there to do something useful, such was his level of respect, these days. If they had time and resources to iron the seams on their pants instead of getting out there and doing something humanitarian - so his rule of thumb went - they were assholes!
These two had impeccably turned out uniforms and when they opened their mouths, his first impression was confirmed. Yep. With a capital A. He gave them the Gibbs stare and one of them had the grace to look discomfited.
"Jethro. This is Admiral Gresley... Commander Chard. They'll be accompanying us today, to the joint chiefs meeting in Quantico."
Gibbs blinked, surprised, and she smiled.
"I know it's short notice, Jethro, but there's new information on the cause of the Pulse which has a bearing on our present situation, and we can formulate a strategy to deal with it. We're headed to Quantico. It's been decided to relocate all federal agencies there for the meantime."
"There's direct access to the Potomac, it's more defensible, and if, as we believe, the weather is going to get worse, there are a lot of natural resources there. It makes a lot of sense," Asshole number one commented.
"Director, you do realise how long it's going to take most of the day to get there and back, with the present conditions," Gibbs said. He remembered how bad the roads had been only a couple of days ago, and it had been snowing heavily since then, even if the dead vehicles had been moved off the road.
"We have our orders," Jen said in a warning tone.
Damn. He had better things to do than attend another meeting! Why did he feel like he was running around like a headless chicken most of the time?
***
Tony remembered what Gibbs had said about this day being a bitch, and he wondered if maybe the famous Gibbs gut was right, because his boss was absolutely, 100% pissed at the moment with somebody upstairs. To be honest, having that in the back of his head wasn't the nicest feeling in the world. In fact, it was starting to give him a headache, so he did his best to shut out everything. It wasn't really working, because he could sense something which felt a bit like a black thundercloud, coming his way. And after the day had such a promising start...
Well almost. The fact is, he could feel Gibbs coming his way and he really wanted to hide under the table or something. But because he was Gibbs' senior field agent, he just quietly waited to see if there was any way he could help.
Gibbs came barrelling down the stairs from the Director's office, two steps at a time, only slowing when he reached his desk. He yanked open the top drawer and Tony watched with concern as he retrieved his weapon. Bad sign.
"Boss?"
"Don't ask! Just don't..." Gibbs snarled. Hmm. Tony hadn't seen that particular bad boy for a while. Ouch! He raised an eyebrow and waited. After a moment, Gibbs sighed. His mind brushed against Tony's and he sent a wordless apology towards his senior field agent.
"Meeting at Quantico!" Gibbs said. "Top brass. Again." That was all he needed to say, because Tony shared most of his opinions, these days, and not just because he liked the quiet life when it came to having his boss in his head. The present crisis was so fucking mismanaged, just like New Orleans after the big hurricane...
"You're in charge! Get Ducky's supplies. Don't take any shit from the Navy brass!" Gibbs snarled, then he was headed out the door, leaving a slightly relieved Tony behind him, because Gibbs in a temper wasn't something you wanted to get in front of. Or near.
***
Maybe the absence of half a dozen admirals was a good thing, Tim mused later. In the present crisis, everyone and his dog had an opinion and wanted to share it, except that when you're of high rank, your opinions have an almost divine force behind them. He should know, as he was the son of an admiral. Anyway, with the big meeting today, Navy Yard business was going very smoothly - probably because the said admirals weren't there to mess things up.
He watched as the ship they had been waiting for manoeuvred carefully through the floating ice floes, towards the dock. In truth, the ice was probably too thin. as yet, to cause the ship any difficulties, but slow and cautious wasn't a bad way to go. From the look of that sky, the weather was going to turn nasty later. He guessed that the black clouds which seemed to be rapidly gathering meant more snow. Still, the cloud-base seemed to be much lower, even in the half hour they'd been waiting on the dock, and boy were those things taking on rotation. He'd never seen anything like it before.
Tony had noticed. He stared at the sky with a frown.
"I don't like the look of that, Probie." His eyes were intent. "We had a tornado once at Ohio State, and you could see the clouds spin like that..."
Whatever Tony was going to say was rendered moot, because at that moment, there was a soundless flash of light in the sky, somewhere high above the clouds, so that light momentarily streamed down through them. The instinct of both men was to duck, instinctively, because it was so reminiscent of the Pulse they'd experienced weeks ago. But this was different - the colour of the light wasn't the same.
"Weird..." Tony said, then the sound of tearing metal dragged both mens' eyes towards the river. It was as if the light had pumped a huge amount of energy into the storm, and the clouds were spinning far faster. Even as they watched, a hook was beginning to descend from them, an incipient twister which touched down unerringly on the Potomac.
The effect was dramatic. A waterspout hundreds of feet high formed, and even as they watched, it smashed the patrol boat aside like kindling, slamming it into a nearby warship with the sound of tearing metal. As suddenly as it had appeared, the waterspout spun itself away, into the clouds. But the damage was done. The patrol boat began to sink into the icy water.
***
Oh god, this wasn't happening! Tony wanted to deny what he saw before his own eyes - the front of their supply ship a crumpled mass of metal, torn open to the icy Potomac and beginning to list as tonnes of water flooded into it. He could hear the screams of the people on board, and he knew, instinctively, that if they dived into the water, they had only moments before the cold finished them off.
He knew what he had to do. It scared him more than anything, but he had to try. He reached out with his mind and tried to use his telekinesis.
Oh fuck it hurt! And the ship barely moved.
He needed help - no way was he strong enough to do this on his own. And Gibbs was miles away… In desperation, he reached out for the older man, need overcoming sense. He could just about feel Gibbs on the edge of his perception and he yelled Gibbs’ name with all the strength of his mind and body. With his physical senses - with his eyes - he saw McGee turn towards him, his eyes wide with surprise, his face white with shock at witnessing the disaster unfolding on the Potomac.
*Tony?* He felt Gibbs response somewhere on the fringes of his mind, and he sent an image of the shattered ship, the sailors struggling in the lethally icy water, along with his sense of despair. Then there was no time for anything except rescuing the crew of the ship. That was all there was time for, before the need to act made him reach out again, trying to draw the ship away from the crash site, towards the safety of the dock.
It hurt. It was the heaviest thing he had ever tried to move with his mind, by far. Oh god it hurt, but he had to try.
The front of the ship was twisted metal, and it groaned as the young agent tried to move it. He tried again and screamed as pain blossomed once more in his head, but he was too damn stubborn to let go. He felt the familiar trickle of blood from his nose.
"Steady, Tony." Gibbs' strong arms were suddenly, impossibly around him from behind, bracing him, strength flooding into him as his mind meshed with Tony's. The young man leaned gratefully back against Gibbs and gathered his strength to try again. Gibbs grounded him, and centred him, and this time though the effort needed was almost overwhelming, there was no pain. Gibbs' strong hands were on his shoulders, steadying him both mentally and physically. He supported Tony as the young man drew on his power, reaching out towards the ship with all his strength. And Jethro was with him.
Their minds fused together, utterly and completely.
They were one, linked together without boundaries as they worked, pulling the desperate from the water, drawing the vessel towards the shore, close enough for the stranded sailors to scramble for the shore. *Together*, they were strong enough to hold the shattered hull clear of the water.
They could still hear the screams of those men and women trapped in the wreckage. Both of them knew what was necessary and that it would be the most difficult thing they had ever done, but neither man hesitated.
*One last effort!* Tony heard Gibbs inside his head, a promise of strength as well as a statement of fact.
He/They *pulled* with all of his/their strength and watched in awe at the result. The ship - a thousand tonnes of twisted metal - lifted completely clear of the water and levitated itself onto the land next to the docks, moving slowly but surely to safety. It settled to one side with a groan of twisted metal and then there was absolute silence, apart from the sound of dripping water. The whole world seemed to hold its breath.
"Oh my god!" McGee's stunned voice intruded into his/their hearing, then as if that broke the spell, a dozen rescuers were running towards the wreckage, with its precious cargo of people and medical supplies.
Tony leaned back against Gibbs, not wanting to move; his bones felt like jelly. He was more exhausted than he had ever been in his life and only the strength of Jethro's arms kept him upright. He couldn't seem to stop shaking, and the older man was not much better off. Tony sagged bonelessly against Gibbs, and closed his eyes, knowing he was safe.
"We need an energy boost now, McGee! Coffee with a dozen sugars in it'll do the trick! Quickly, before Tony faints on me!" Gibbs' voice was far weaker than normal, but still held the bite of command.
"Yes boss. Right away." McGee was, if nothing else, well trained.
*Got your six, Tony*
Tony heard the words as he swam up through layers of darkness and became aware that his head was resting on Gibbs' shoulder. He moaned and felt the other man's hand, blissfully cool on his forehead. His throat felt dry as a desert. He was content not to move.
"Here." Gibbs' voice was soft. Try this." Something cool and wonderfully sweet dribbled between his lips and Tony drank it greedily. Almost immediately, the sugary drink revived him, boosting hugely depleted energy levels. Yet, more than that, Gibbs' closeness acted on his mind and body like water in a desert. Coming home. Gibbs' love and welcome enfolded and supported him.
After a few minutes, he felt strong enough to open his eyes though he stayed where he was, resting against his boss. There were worse places to be than sprawled on the ground, pressed up against Jethro Gibbs, with the older man’s arms around him, shaking with exhaustion.
"Oh my God! I mean… Wow!"
"You said that, McGee." Tony looked over at the probie.
"You glowed! Both of you! You glowed blue, then you moved that ship like it was made of cardboard!"
"We moved the ship, probie. Together. No way did I have the strength to do it on my own!" Tony said.
"I guess Williams was right - you're both class 1 mutants!" McGee said.
"I knew you were strong, but that was something else! The way the boss appeared out of thin air like that!"
"He what?" Tony paused and turned to look at Gibbs for the first time since he had felt Gibbs behind him. He hadn't needed to look. He would have known that familiar, gentle touch anywhere. At midnight, in the deepest cellar, wearing a blindfold...
Gibbs looked as exhausted as Tony felt, which was somewhere between totally and utterly. And he had a bemused look on his face.
"I guess I teleported!" he said softly. "Don't ask me how. One minute I was in the conference room with Jen, and the next moment I was here. I probably scared a lot of the top brass when I disappeared."
"There was a glow and you just appeared, boss. Wow! Two class 1 mutants!" McGee was becoming effusive in his praise. To cover his embarrassment at being the centre of attention, Gibbs glared at the probie.
"Go make yourself useful!" Gibbs nodded towards the rescue operation. "And I want a full report!" McGee scurried to obey. Gibbs took a slurp of Tony's coffee himself, then another, and pulled a face. Far too much sugar to taste good, but hell, it did the job.
Gibbs felt the strength gradually returning to his limbs as the sugar did its work. He found the side of his face pressed up against Tony’s hair and he breathed in the scent of the man and grinned. They were living from hand to mouth, with only the clothes they had on their backs, yet somehow DiNozzo had managed to find a store of that shampoo scented with sandalwood that he seemed to favour. Maybe he had stored it in his filing cabinet along with his spare shirt? Whatever. He smelled damned good today.
Too good. Gibbs was aware that he was becoming hard, his erection poking DiNozzo in the back, despite the fact that he didn't have the energy to stand up. He felt the younger man freeze to stillness, then there was soft laughter inside his head.
"It happens. Don't worry about it." The young agent echoed his own words from the cabin. "It's not as if you like men, boss."
*Ya think?*
The last thing Gibbs had wanted was for DiNozzo to know that he liked men as well as women, but his reaction to the simple statement betrayed him. They were linked at the deepest and most intimate level right now, and there was no way that Tony could mistake his meaning.
*Oh!*
Tony blushed bright red, and for the first time, he felt the young man's uncertainty. He broke the connection between them and staggered unsteadily to his feet. He held a hand out to Tony. The young man stared at him, his eyes wide, though whether it was at the revelation of Gibbs' bisexuality or at the abrupt breaking of the link between them, he couldn't tell. After a brief hesitation, the young agent accepted his hand and Gibbs pulled him to his feet. Tony swayed unsteadily.
Gibbs took refuge in bluster, flushing slightly, trying to ignore how embarrassed he was to be caught out.
"Yeah, well, I came of age in the late seventies, DiNozzo. Things were different back then, before HIV. A little experimentation wasn't necessarily a bad thing!"
***
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony wonders if his dreams are more significant than he first thought.