Report of FBI Intelligence Division: The Dawn Alliance
This terrorist group is known to be led by Professor McKenzie, a genetic researcher and well known public figure. He is known to have three subordinates, one in each of the cities of Los Angeles, Washington and New York. Below command level, the terrorists are arranged and recruited in a typical cell structure. In other words, each member knows only two or three others, and the true extent and importance of the movement must remain theoretical. However, it is known that they hold extremely militant views on social and environmental issues.
We have recently identified members of the New York cell...
*****
Tony was impressed by Gibbs' capacity to take charge, or should that be "kick butt" in order to get what he wanted. Within ten minutes of McGee's call, conference security had been quietly notified to search the building, looking for a terrorist device. Last time, they had chosen explosives.
Meanwhile, the other partners from their panel were spreading out, through the hotel, looking for anything suspicious, whilst spreading the word to evacuate. Quietly and without sounding an alarm. Gibbs was placing a lot of trust in the probie's suspicions. Tony knew it wasn't misplaced.
Gibbs was hoping that they could get this vast place emptied before the terrorists realised they had been discovered. He saw Fornell heading out to the street - he was going to liaise with the NYPD. His young partner headed for the big conference hall. Gibbs had the same idea. Empty the big conference hall - the riskiest moment of the whole evacuation scheme. This was going to tip off those bastards for sure. Tony didn't hesitate. He followed his partner into the hall. Gibbs whispered something to a worried looking security guard
Time ran out.
There was an odd, muffled bang somewhere above them. Tony stared at the ceiling, seeing nothing at first except roof struts and the elaborate chandelier so beloved of modern architects and their clients, who almost invariably had more money than sense. Then, from some sort of vents, a fine dust started to drift down from somewhere far above in the high ceilinged auditorium.
"Oh shit!" For a moment, Tony froze, disbelieving. The terrorists had chosen the one place guaranteed to give them maximum exposure in New York, and at the same time, were expressing their contempt for law enforcement. What better way to show their hatred for authority than to make the representatives of law and justice fuck themselves senseless. But he didn't have time for further speculation, because his arm was suddenly held in an iron grip and he was being towed towards the exit, in the wake of hundreds of panicked delegates. So much for the calm and collected law enforcement officer stereotype. Only the strength of Gibbs' grip kept them close to each other in the rush.
Gibbs had taken the initiative, but even as he did so, Tony knew they were not going to make it. Every other delegate had the same idea, and even in an expensive conference venue like this, evacuation would take a couple of minutes. More than enough time to breathe in the virus and fall into that familiar, dark need. Then his partner glanced his way, and Tony saw something unexpected in his lover's eyes. Horror.
"Jethro!"
"Only with you! I won't sleep with some stranger! I won't get down on my knees for another man!" His voice rose. "And you. I won't let anyone near you, Tony..."
That possibility hadn't occurred to Tony. That he would end up having sex with somebody other than Jethro, helpless to control himself as the partner virus once more carried away his self-control. Apparently though, for Jethro Gibbs, the possibility loomed over him - the chance that he could become involved with another man. Or that Tony would end up with someone else. Jethro apparently found those possibilities unendurable.
"Wait!" Tony dragged his partner towards a nearby alcove, and they entered it, a small place of refuge. He pushed Gibbs against the wall and pressed up against him, his eyes inches from his partner's as their foreheads touched. "If it's going to happen, then we stay close to each other. No-one else gets near you. Just me!"
"And no-one gets close to you." Gibbs said softly. They held each other, feeling strangely isolated, away from the crowds. Tony could see the love shining out of Jethro's eyes, and the trust in him. Waiting for the heat to take them was strange. Knowing it was coming and they couldn't stop it...
Tony smelt something oddly like burned caramel. Maybe it was the explosive they had used, or the virus transport medium? Looking into Gibbs' eyes, he saw instantly when the virus hit his partner. The way Gibbs' pupils suddenly expanded and something dark and hungry was released in him. Tony clutched his partner tightly and waited... And waited...
What the hell?
Nothing happened to him. Tony stared back into Gibbs' too dark eyes and saw confusion waken in them. Then something else, more primal.
"Boss?" he said softly. "Jethro?"
Gibbs moved, and abruptly, Tony found himself pinned against the wall by his partner, Gibbs' big hands on his waist. He was far stronger than Tony. The young agent watched Gibbs warily, but the older man made no further aggressive moves. He could have. Tony knew all too well how powerful the instinct to mate was, when he was carried away by the virus in his blood. Was Gibbs fighting off its effects? He knew with absolute certainty that Gibbs would never hurt him.
The older man kissed him, long and slow, making him feel alive with desire, despite his need to fight the effects of the virus. He regretted it when the kiss ended. Then Gibbs sighed and pressed closer, nuzzling him, apparently content to hold him. Again Tony waited...
Nothing. No heat, sweeping him up in unstoppable desire. No need to be taken, hot and hard. Not even a twitch of an erection.
Tony didn't know why he wasn't affected yet by the latest release of the damned stuff. He should have been. All around him he could see and hear delegates in the first throes of infection, coming together. Kissing. Touching. Caught in the heat of their passion. Yet beyond a little light-headedness, Tony himself felt nothing. How far Gibbs had fallen under its effects was unknown to him but he wasn't being fucked through the floor, which was a good sign. Not that Tony didn't like being fucked through the floor, on occasion, but not in the middle of a conference room full of cops!
"Jethro?" Tony repeated his lover's name softly, hoping that his apparent immunity to the virus extended to Gibbs. No such luck.
"Mine!" Gibbs said softly, leaning in to nuzzle Tony's hair. His hands were gentle, yet immovable, holding Tony against the wall and his expression was dazed. "My family..."
Great. Tony sighed. Neanderthal Gibbs. Big, strong and powerfully protective. Apparently Gibbs was feeling at least some effects of exposure to the virus. He tentatively pushed at Gibbs' shoulders.
"Listen to me, Jethro. You have to fight it! Please!"
"Mmmm. You smell different. Sweeter. Not like before, but still so good" He felt Gibbs nuzzle him, then lips brushed against his neck. Despite his resolve to stay sane, he did feel an inevitable jolt of desire at his lover's touch.
"Hard. So hard..." His lover's voice sounded hoarse. Yet last time, neither of them had been capable of speech. It gave Tony hope that Gibbs wasn't as deeply affected by the virus as before.
"I know. But you have to try. Please, Jethro. We can't let them get away..."
A ghost of laughter against the skin of his throat. Gibbs wasn't entirely lost in the heat of passion.
"No. Need..!" Tony's hand was grasped and drawn downwards, then pressed against Gibbs' prominent erection. "Hard..! Can't think..."
What was his lover trying to tell him? That his sexual needs were so overwhelming that he couldn't focus on anything else? Tony sighed. He knew what he had to do - bring Gibbs back to sanity. If he satisfied the older man's need for him, it might bring Gibbs back to him, at least temporarily.
With a grimace, Tony dropped to his knees and reached for Gibbs' zipper. It was really weird doing this in public, but there wasn't really a choice. A quick glance told him that no-one was paying them any attention; they were all too busy, pulling each others' clothes off and getting down to business. He closed his eyes briefly, the repulsive sight of numerous hairy law enforcement asses and bobbing erections bringing with it considerable stress. He had never really thought about how male dominated the profession was before...
"Yes!" Gibbs growled, his voice rough with need as he saw what Tony intended. He was more than ready, impressively erect and iron-hard in Tony's hand. A strong hand tangled in Tony's hair, guiding his head gently but firmly downwards. Tony grinned despite his self-consciousness. He loved the feel of those powerful fingers on his head, stroking instead of his trademark head-slaps. As he watched, a small droplet of liquid formed on the end of Gibbs' glorious erection and the young man hungrily tasted his lover's essence. He would have enjoyed this even if the virus hadn't hardwired a desire for Jethro Gibbs into his brain.
It was so easy to lose himself in the act of sucking and savouring the taste of his man. He found his head moving hungrily in that ancient rhythm known to all lovers, something close to the beat of his heart. Gibbs groaned and pushed his head down further and he willingly took his lover's hardness in deeper. Part of him wanted to slow things down, pull his clothes off and take things in a whole other direction - one of heat and sweat and penetration, but he knew he had to finish Gibbs quickly. They had a job to do and though he hated it, he would do his duty. Gibbs expected it of him. Just, nobody ever said that duty involved public blow jobs were necessary to catch crooks.
He went down hard and heard his lover moan in climax, then Tony was eagerly swallowing his lover's offering. So good.
He rose to his feet, wincing a little at the slight ache in his back - he really needed to exercise more. Gibbs leaned heavily against him, his ragged breathing gradually slowing and steadying. He was practically nuzzling Tony's neck, inhaling his scent again like he couldn't get enough of it. Tony wanted to move, to get after the terrorists, but it did feel good to be close to his lover. Dangerously, wonderfully distracting; part of him wanted to stay like this, wrapped protectively in his lover's arms.
Finally, Gibbs pulled away from him and their eyes met. As the pleasure faded, Tony could almost see the awareness flowing back into his partner's mind. A big hand brushed softly through his hair, a wordless acknowledgement of the love between them. Gibbs still looked a little spaced out, but there was a good measure of sanity in his eyes now
"Tony..."
"You're back!" Despite the enticement of Gibbs' touch, Tony felt relieved that the virus-madness was over for Gibbs.
"Dizzy... But I'll manage. Not so bad as last time. I need you to keep me grounded..." Gibbs swayed slightly. His fingers found Tony's and gripped the young man's hand tightly. "So good... I just want to touch you..." Tony could hear the desire in his voice. "Love the way you smell... Baby..."
"Hey! Focus! C'mon boss, you can do it." Tony blushed at the surprising endearment - an unexpectedly slushy thing for Gibbs to say. He let a hint of entreaty enter his voice. "I can't do it alone. I need you!" He squeezed his lover's hand. He could almost see Gibbs straighten, his need to protect his partner sweeping away the post-coital languor "C'mon boss. Let's get those bastards!"
Gibbs glanced round and winced. Dozens, possibly hundreds of delegates, tangled up with each other, frantically having each other all around them.
"Huh!" Gibbs shook his head, bemused. "How long was I out of it?" His fingers were still tightly holding Tony's.
Tony shrugged. "About ten minutes, I guess."
"I seem to be at least partially immune to it," Gibbs said softly. "But it didn't affect you at all, did it? I wonder why?"
Tony shook his head. "Who knows," he answered. He pointed towards the door. "Security centre?" he suggested. It had state of the art video surveillance facilities. Gibbs nodded. They should be able to spot their opponents there - the cameras should spot anyone who was moving through the hotel, unaffected by the virus. The terrorists had gas masks - they must have expected to be close to the explosion that dispersed the virus. Tony could only hope that the two of them hadn't been occupied for too long by Jethro's needs.
******
Gibbs could just about focus. The strong grip of Tony's fingers kept him grounded somehow, held the longing at bay. Just... If he didn't know that Tony would go running off after those bastards on his own if Gibbs wasn't able to back him up, he would have let himself fall into the dark place.
Tony was doing the thinking for both of them right now. Gibbs just let himself be led towards the security centre. His trust in Tony was absolute.
Apparently, other people had the same idea. Three other people were there in front of the security monitors when he and Tony reached the centre. Unsurprisingly, he recognised all of them from the partner violence debates. One of them was the pregnant Secret Service agent. What was her name again? Oh yes, Jay Gault.
Her eyes alive with energy, she was systematically flicking through the images delivered from all four corners of the hotel, trying to spot their quarry. The air conditioning had spread the virus throughout the hotel by now. The agent's partner sat next to her on the floor, looking as dazed as Gibbs felt. The third person was Fornell's young partner whose eyes filled with relief when he saw Gibbs and Tony.
While Tony talked with Gault, he sat down heavily next to her partner. He couldn't seem to focus on their conversation. He knew his brain wasn't exactly firing on all cylinders - let Tony do the thinking and just follow his lead - that seemed the wisest course of action.
Something else was bugging him. That thing again! Tony and the pregnant woman were both unaffected by the virus, whereas he and her partner were partially affected by it. Did pregnancy, with all its strange hormonal mood swings, affect the functioning of the virus? That would make sense, wouldn't it? They had a much stronger immunity than he did. Of course, the one flaw in that argument was that Fornell's young partner seemed to be immune too. Unless he too was...
Nah! Now the virus was really messing with him. His heart was whispering things to him that his head knew to be insane. Yet the impression wouldn't go away. Instead, he could feel an instinctive protectiveness growing within him, even as... something..? Hope..? Life..? blossomed within DiNozzo. He decided to go and see Ducky as soon as they got back to the NCIS.
Yeah. Ducky would know what to do!
*****
"We got them!" Tony held up his video phone so that McGee could see the suspects being led away by Fornell's people. Of course, Tony had been the one to catch them, with Gibbs as brooding, dangerously protective backup They had been directed to the kitchen entrance by Gault, who'd stayed in the control room at her partner's insistence. The terrorists had tried to walk casually out of the hotel, although casual was a relative term when you're wearing a face mask that filters out biological contaminants.
The two men hadn't expected to be intercepted by NCIS, that was for sure. Though they were armed, they hadn't even had their guns out! It was a nice collar, and Tony was still on a high from the successful arrest. No violence, which should please the Director, for once. McGee deserved at least some of the credit, too. And best of all, he could see the lucidity slowly leaking back into his lover's face. Not that a dark and brooding Gibbs wasn't sexy as hell, but right now, he just wanted those strong arms around him. He grinned hopefully at Gibbs and let his eyes flicker towards their room.
Gibbs nodded and a few minutes later, they were finally alone together in their room. Gibbs seemed unusually flustered by something.
"I have something for you," he said hesitantly. "If you'll accept it... I was thinking about what you said earlier, about people not knowing you belonged with anyone... I want people to know we're together." He reached into his pocket and drew out a small box, handing it to Tony. The smile he received was almost shy. Then, as Tony stared at the plain gold band inside, Gibbs saw something else wake joyfully in those green eyes. Perhaps it had been there for a while and he just hadn't recognised it. He now knew with absolute certainty that Tony DiNozzo was in love with him. Shannon had looked at him like that when he had proposed to her.
Then Tony flung his arms around Gibbs and kissed him again. He had always known that his lover delighted in receiving gifts and praise, but it was the way Tony's face had lit up that made him glad he had made the effort.
But even as the two of them came together, he knew he was going to speak to Ducky soon. If the man he had chosen to spend his life with was sick... or something else... he needed to know about it.
*****
The Partner Vow
(Note: Came into common use sometime in the summer following the Partner Virus Incident....)
You are my heart and soul. You are my life's goal.
My strength comes from you. My feelings are true.
Take my hand.
We are one forever, parting never. Only together will we be fulfilled.
Let this be a symbol of our love and commitment.
(Partnership rings or bracelets are now exchanged)
I swear I am yours for as long as I live, and beyond.
There will be no other. In your arms alone, I am whole.
*****
End of part 3
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.