******
Presidential Decree 2008
To ensure the stability of the Nation, it is recommended that a new law be passed, legalising all new "partnerships" and providing legal means for the dissolving all former marriage bonds of infected persons, provided that their children are financially and emotionally supported.
******
Washington DC, April 9th
"Dead marine, Boss!" Tony balanced the phone between his cheek and shoulder as he wrote down the details on his notepad. "Uh-huh. Sure. We'll be there as soon s possible..." All eyes in the team had turned towards the young agent as he spoke with the unknown caller. "Yeah. Tell them not to touch anything. We'll be bringing our own medical examiner."
Tony put the phone down and turned towards the team.
"We have a new case, and for once, it's not a partner rage case. Someone dumped a body just outside a little town called Silverville in Virginia. Shot in the chest, hands and head removed!
"How did they know it was a marine then?" Ziva asked curiously.
"Marine Corps Tattoo!" Tony said with a faint smirk. "Really stupid mistake, leaving it when you're trying to hide your victim's identity!"
"Call it up on the map, DiNozzo," Gibbs instructed. Tony prudently smoothed his face to neutrality as his green eyes met Gibbs' gaze, then he turned to type away at his computer. A moment later he glared at the computer screen.
"Damn!" Then hurriedly, before Gibbs could respond... "Boondocks, boss. It isn't on the maps!"
Gibbs swore softly. The team had been to a number of small town incidents in the past couple of years and they invariably seemed to involve uncovering dangerous secrets, and Gibbs clashing with local law enforcement, who always seemed to have IQ's in single figures. Plus, that far out from DC, there weren't a lot of partners around so he and his team would be put under extra stress for that reason. Yeah, and he would feel like he was in a goldfish bowl, an object of curiosity for the locals.
Tony stood, and moved towards Gibbs, until he stood face to face with his partner. He glared at his partner.
"I'm coming with you! You need me to guard your back!" He raised his arm to demonstrate his lack of bandages and plaster.
"Like hell..." Gibbs snapped, "You're not fit enough. You've only been cleared a week, and you're not to put any strain on that arm for another month!"
Something dark flared in his partner's eyes - something Gibbs recognised. The virus, triggering Tony's protective instincts. He sighed, recognising the inevitability of the moment. If he didn't take Tony with him, his partner would follow on his own. Why couldn't he have a well-adjusted partner like Ziva or McGee, who didn't get all emotional all the time.
Still, he just couldn't let Tony risk himself like that. Not now. Not ever. He cared about the younger man more than he cared to admit. Best just to face the inevitable - DiNozzo would be coming with them. Close by Gibbs' side, and under his watchful eye.
Perhaps a hint of his decision showed in his face, or perhaps his partner just knew him that well. Whatever. He saw Tony's eyes light up, even before he spoke.
"Oh hell. Get your stuff, DiNozzo. You too, McGee and Ziva. We're going to the country."
Tony grinned at him, that familiar, impertinent smile of his, knowing he had won. In the good old days, before the virus, he wouldn't have dared...
As an afterthought, with unerring accuracy, Gibbs' hand swung out and swatted Tony smartly on his left buttock.
"Owwww!" Tony wailed, rubbing at the tender spot on his rear. He glared at his partner. "You know, that probably counts as spousal abuse..."
"Ya think?" Gibbs' eyes narrowed. Tony took it as a warning not to push his partner too far and pouted. Nevertheless, he moved out of range. With a long suffering sigh, he moved back to his desk and grabbed his kit. They all headed for the elevator.
"I liked it better when he just smacked my head," Tony said mournfully to his two co-workers. They were both too wise to respond.
******
The journey up into the Blue Ridge Mountains took hours, not only because of the winding back country roads, but also because of the start of the tourist season. Some of the roads were seeing a build up of traffic already, although the nose to tail car, coach and mobile home traffic of high summer was still far away. Gibbs wasn't the most patient of drivers so they were all on edge by the time they reached Silverville. Gibbs parked the truck outside the local sheriff's office and they went inside.
Another small town, another murder.
The local sheriff looked up as they entered the room and nodded towards Gibbs.
"NCIS, I presume. Welcome to Silverville. I guess you want to see the body?" The sheriff, Dwayne Williams, no less, was in his late forties, tough looking, and to Tony's trained gaze, ex-military. He and Gibbs were well matched. Tony sensed his partner relax a fraction as he took in the man's air of competence. The sheriff too, looked at and measured Gibbs, judged him and was apparently satisfied by what he saw. It was an alpha male kind of thing. Tony guessed that he had been a marine like Gibbs - something about the short hair and the bearing that suggested a hint of steel in his backbone. Then the man's eyes flickered towards him and Tony sensed his scrutiny. A faint, appreciative smile flickered across his ruggedly handsome face.
Oh!
Maybe not so straightforward a personality. Or should that be straight. Tony decided that it was a good thing that Gibbs hadn't noticed the Sheriff's admiring gaze. It felt kind of weird to be on the receiving end of a gay man's come-on now that he had an idea of what it was like to sleep with a man. Before the virus, he would probably never have noticed that the sheriff liked him in that way, but now he had seen that particular expression of desire too often on his lover's face to mistake it.
Weird. Apparently his recent life-changes had improved his gaydar exponentially.
Flattering, to know that he was attractive to others - men, that is - but a waste of time as far as the guy was concerned. Tony wasn't interested, not even to flirt outrageously. He belonged to Jethro Gibbs and no other. Always. Besides, they had a case to solve.
*****
McGee knew that it was becoming a cliché that he would go green at the gills on particularly bloody cases, but he didn't care. Much. Somehow, he just couldn't seem to develop the cast iron constitutions of Gibbs and Ziva. Tony, not so much, these days, which made McGee's life easier. Tony had displayed a more delicate stomach than McGee recently, which made for fewer jokes aimed at the probie. But surely anyone with an ounce of humanity would be sickened by this present case.
A chainsaw.
A fucking chainsaw!
Not only had the poor victim been shot, but the killer had used a chainsaw to remove the head and hands from the body. From the blood spray on the garage wall and on the nearby car door, Ducky seemed to think that the marine hadn't been completely dead when the dismemberment began - something about the arc made by the blood droplets being too high. The marine's heart had still been beating...
That was the little detail he was going to remember about this case. That and the fact that the sheriff was eyeing Tony like he was the main course at a banquet, and the guy was starving. Gibbs hadn't noticed, but Tony certainly had. He wasn't his normal, flirtatious, cheerful self - he was being coolly professional and definitely toning the charm down a few notches.
That was wise of him. McGee had no desire to witness another of Tony's legendary arguments with the boss. Tony wasn't scared of Gibbs any more so he tended to speak his mind. The very thought of speaking to Gibbs like that made McGee cringe and made his testicles try to withdraw into his body in nervous response. Not Tony though. He had a free pass as far as Gibbs was concerned - the boss wasn't going to hurt Tony, physically or mentally. Chalk one up for sleeping with the boss.
Then again, maybe not!
Still, McGee had no desire to see Gibbs go nuclear, which is surely what would happen if he thought someone was making a play for DiNozzo. And then some.
*****
The victim's body lay sprawled next to his rental car, in a ripe condition. Ducky's estimate was that it (or rather its pieces) had been lying there for about a week, hidden inside the garage of his rented home. With false identity papers and an obvious attempt to hide his identity, this case was going to rely on the DNA database to provide vital information on his identity. Everything else was proving a dead end. Gibbs frowned. He usually liked a challenge and with all of the virus-related rage cases lately, he had lacked the stimulus of a good mystery to solve.
It might provide the necessary challenge to keep Tony occupied and happy, too. The young agent had good investigative instincts - he lived to stick his nose into other people's business, in fact - no wonder Abby called him DiNosey behind his back! Still, Gibbs suspected that there would be a lot of paperwork trails to follow to solve this murder.
According to the sheriff, Mr. X had been in this neighbourhood less than a week. He had rented a car in Alexandria 10 days ago and both expenses had been paid for in cash. He was living off the grid. Even his damned cell phone was a prepaid, off the shelf item.
The victim was obviously involved in something illegal. You don't take precautions like this to avoid an ex-wife. At least, he hadn't... The only weird thing was a state of the art gas mask in the back of the car. Ducky claimed that it was so efficient a design that it would filter particulates the size of the partner virus. Gibbs hadn't needed to be told that; he had recognised the high quality of the mask even before Ducky's input.
Anonymous military corpse + protection against bioweapons + car originating in the vicinity of D.C. Gibbs decided to prioritise the case. Instead of heading back to the city, it would be worth spending a day or two checking out the local area, asking questions. It was what Gibbs' team did best.
He glanced over at his partner, who was making his customary crime scene sketches. Tony was working quietly, doing his job.
Too quietly? Gibbs hadn't been paying attention to his lover, his mind on the case, so accustomed to working smoothly with the young agent that he hadn't given a thought to how subdued Tony was.
Moving towards his lover, Gibbs studied his partner for a moment, noting the strangely dark eyes and the air of distraction that he wore.
"Go book us a room at the local motel. I'll join you in a while." His hand closed briefly over Tony's fingers. "Go on." His tone brooked no denial. Tony sent him a look of gratitude then headed towards the car.
*****
Tony sighed in relief when Gibbs cut him some slack. In truth, he did feel tired after the long drive and the longer crime scene analysis. Six hours documenting body position, blood splatter evidence, fingerprinting and "supervising" McGee's trace evidence collecting had taken its toll. Perhaps he wasn't as fit for fieldwork as he had first thought. He didn't usually feel this tired at the end of the afternoon. His back in particular felt unexpectedly tense, as if he had been lifting weights. Nothing a good hot shower couldn't cure.
He booked the room then settled down at the bar for a quick, ice cold beer. Gibbs would be along in an hour or so, at his best guess. They had been almost finished at the crime scene, and after a week, the perps were probably long gone. Questioning suspects would wait till tomorrow. He and Gibbs got to spend the night in the country, at government expense.
Tony smiled over his beer. He longed for that shower and a comfortable bed, preferably occupied, an equally comfortable arm around him with a strong presence pressed up against him from behind. Oh yeah, and a little hot sex wouldn't go amiss either. Slow and gentle was his preference today...
Gibbs could be unexpectedly tender, and there had been that warmth in his eyes when he had ordered Tony back to the motel that told the young man how much he cared. Still, their relationship wasn't all hearts and roses. Gibbs was still Gibbs, with his stormy temper and his contempt for fools. Tony found that out the first time he tried to use his relationship with Gibbs to his advantage with the guys in the evidence garage. Okay, so it had only been a hint about his special relationship with Gibbs, when he was trying to check evidence into storage, but still. The head slap had been well deserved, but the accompanying look of disappointment in Gibbs' eyes had been the real hurt.
He had never been remotely tempted to use his partnership since then. Not ever. Perhaps he even tried to be too independent, in compensation. So when the sheriff had reappeared by his side as he drank his beer, Tony sighed and prepared to give the guy the brush-off, as diplomatically as possible.
"So... Agent DiNozzo. Can I buy you another drink?"
"Look." Tony said quietly. "I'm in a partnership with Agent Gibbs. I'm flattered that you're interested in me, but I don't sleep around." He tried to look apologetic, disinterested...
Somehow, he had said the wrong thing. Instead of putting the sheriff off, the news of his partnership seemed to galvanised the man. Williams smirked and moved closer, coming well within Tony’s comfort zone.
"So... Is it true what they say about partners? That you're a lot more sexually active than normal people? That you can keep going for hours at a stretch? That you'll try any position?"
Williams grinned and put a hand on the young agent's shoulder. Tony flinched away from him, his face burning with embarrassment. He felt like a freak.
"Get your hands off me. You really don't want me to have you charged with sexual harassment..."
Whether the threat was likely to be effective suddenly became irrelevant. The sheriff was grabbed by the shoulder and spun round. Gibbs had arrived, followed by McGee, and both men had seen the sheriff’s ill-fated attempt at seduction.
"You bastard!" With a yell of rage, Gibbs let fly with his fist, too furious even to consider using his gun. With the accuracy born of twenty years of combat training, his aim was deadly accurate and his fist impacted in a perfect strike, breaking the sheriff’s nose. Perhaps there was some measure of the strength of an enraged partner in his action. The result was regrettably both public and spectacular; the unfortunate man was lifted off his feet and sent flying backwards. He hit the wall with an audible thump and slid limply down the wall, blood trickling from his busted nose. Half a dozen locals gaped at Gibbs. One pulled out a camera and began to take shots of the scene.
Gibbs stared at Williams' downed body, and McGee saw rage disappear, replaced almost immediately with shock. If the guy was dead... Well, there was no way Gibbs would get away with killing a law enforcement officer in this part of the country, partner rage or no partner rage.
"Oh shit!" White faced, Tony stared, appalled at the man's limp body. McGee dropped to his knees beside the sheriff and checked to see if he was still alive.
For once, luck was with them. He was alive, though he would probably wake up with a hell of a headache, and a nose like a pancake. McGee's look of relief reassured Tony and the young agent leaned against his lover, his green eyes closing as he started to shiver. Not dead. Gibbs wouldn't be going to Leavenworth or worse. Not today. He held on to his partner as the inevitable reaction to shock set in.
******
"You think he'll press charges?" Tony said anxiously as they waited outside the Director's office, some hours later.
Gibbs sighed. He had always had a smart right hook, but normally he had sense enough not to use it in situations like this. It was just that... Hell... Hitting on his partner! Even now, the growl threatened to break loose from his lips. Stupid sonovabitch. Surely the sheriff had read the reports on partner rage. He ought to have known not to try it on with Tony in front of his partner! Dammit to hell! It was about as stupid an action as poking a bear with a stick - except that this particular bear had punched the sheriff so hard, he was lucky he hadn't had his nasal bone driven up into his brain cells. All three of them. Some fraction of sanity had still remained when Gibbs had hit the guy.
He had sure as hell shocked DiNozzo!
Even now, the urge to pull his partner close and claim those beautiful lips was a distraction. To remind him who he belonged to, though Tony was blameless in this mess. He felt so possessive of Tony sometimes. The young agent seemed to be just as uneasy as Gibbs. The young agent had stayed close to him since the incident, his fingers were presently resting on Gibbs' arm and the older man could feel the warmth of Tony's thigh pressed against his.
"You know..." Tony gave a hesitant smile, his natural joie de vivre finally reasserting itself. "I should be flattered, in a way. At least it proves I've still, got it. My charisma, I mean. It isn't as if I have a sign around my neck saying property of Leroy Jethro Gibbs!"
"Idiot!" Gibbs said, but he couldn't help the faint twitch of his lips. Tony leaned his head on Gibbs' shoulder with a sigh.
Gibbs smiled, "You're right, Tony. People are going to hit on you as long as they think you're available."
The younger man's green eyes had warmed to his partner. Using his name, rather than just snapping out, "DiNozzo!" had become a sign between them that he and Gibbs were now off duty. He sat up and studied his partner thoughtfully.
"You don't need to worry about me, Jethro. There's no-one else I want to be with. Not ever."
"It's not you I'm worried about." Gibbs curled his hand round his lover's neck, drawing Tony in close.
They kissed. Gibbs loved the way the younger man's green eyes half closed in pleasure, just from a kiss, and his body arched against Gibbs, half-hard already. The breathy little sounds he made, and the way he clutched at his partner, wanting more. It still stunned him that he could affect Tony like that. Reluctantly he broke away from the young man.
"Guess we'd better face the music," he said softly. Then unexpectedly, Tony hugged him. Gibbs held his lover close. The younger man wanted reassurance and he did his best to provide it. Tony was a curious mixture of wants and needs, with a surprisingly wide streak of insecurity.
They were making this relationship work - one day at a time.
*******
The Director sighed and shook her head. As soon as they had arrived back, they had been called into her office - and she had made them wait for an hour before she was ready to see them. Probably trying to contain the fallout.
"Jethro..." Her tone spoke of long familiarity with Gibbs and the way his mind worked. "I know you couldn't help it. He should have known better than to provoke a partner like that. But did you really have to break his nose?"
Tony felt Gibbs' hand steadying him in the centre of his back and straightened slightly. Gibbs' touch didn't make him feel better, but it made him feel less alone. Though he still felt like he was in front of the school principal.
"Your timing is lousy," she said. "So soon after Tony's little incident... The publicity isn't going to put NCIS in a good light. Hitting a law enforcement officer in front of a bar full of locals and at least one journalist. You really could have handled it better."
The young agent blushed as he felt her gaze on him like a spotlight.
"Well then." Here it was; their punishment. "There's a big law enforcement conference in New York next week. Partnership is on the agenda. We've been asked to send a couple of delegates to take part in a seminar on Partner rage incidents." A cool smile. "I can't think of any agents more qualified, can you?"
"Oh crap!" For once, Gibbs had no trouble expressing his feelings.
And for once, Tony agreed with him.
******
End of part 1
Author's Chapter Notes:
Continuing the story of Gibbs and Tony's relationship. Partner Virus universe. Tony's Second Trimester