Note:- Obviously none of these characters belong to me. If they did, there'd be a lot more naked Tobias..

Reviews would be greatly appreciated...

Chapter One - The Club

This wasn't the kind of club Gibbs often frequented but he'd promised Tobias, if for nothing else than to get him off his back. Now that the FBI agent had fallen into what his friend bluntly described as the most ridiculous relationship ever -with Jimmy Palmer of all people - he was on some kind of crusade to partner everyone else up.

After the humiliating debacle involving drug smuggling, truth serum, stolen weapons and his senior field agent a few years ago, he was now out as bisexual (at least to the team and a few close friends) and times were changing so no-one seemed to give a damn.

Except that was... Tobias. No man of his age should be so at home in a club like the one on DuPont Circle that they were in tonight and certainly no man of his age should be dancing like that amid a throng of young men and not look absurd but somehow Tobias was pulling it off.

Gibbs was certain if he tried some of those moves, not only would he likely pull something, he'd probably be laughed off the dancefloor. That was the natural order of things.

Turning to head back to the bar -definitely in need of another drink - he ran bodily into a man who looked just as out of place as he did. Although he was younger by at least a good ten years, he was dressed all wrong and his face showed he was just as uncomfortable as Gibbs was.

Gesturing a silent apology, he made to move around the other man only to be stopped by the confused gasp of his name, full work title included.

"Special Agent Gibbs?"

Refocusing his attention, Gibbs scanned the features of the man to try and place him and although he did look familiar, he couldn't grasp exactly where from. This obviously wasn't lost on the younger man, as he held his hand out to shake.

"Commander Primo Monteleone. Although when we first met, well it would've been nine years ago now, I was just a detective."

Recognition flashed in Gibbs' eyes as he remembered the case. All too well. A Petty Officer who faked his own death only to be found murdered and the woman who murdered him had been someone Gibbs had been surprisingly drawn to.

But the memories of the young detective and the man now standing before him didn't quite add up. He remembered high cheekbones on a too thin face, hair too gelled, clothes and attitude both too cocky. Time had obviously been kind to Monteleone. He had grown into his face and filled out in all the right places. The hair was shaved close to his head and the clothes he wore, while obviously expensive, were calm and understated. Gibbs definitely liked what he saw.

"Of course. I remember." Gibbs flashed his most charming little boy smile. "So, Commander? You've done well for yourself."

Not even trying to hide it, Primo gave Gibbs a full body leer.

"You know, I was just about to leave, but what do you say we get a couple of beers and find a nice quiet corner? Catch up a little?"

Five minutes later, they were in a quiet secluded booth obviously designed for privacy, far enough away from the music for conversation to be possible and dimmed lighting to evoke a sense of intimacy.

"I was such a jerk-off back then!" Primo grimaced. "Eventually I reckon Cheney just had enough of me and insisted I take the Lieutenant's exam. No-one was more surprised than me when I passed. Then the only Lieu's position open was in IA. Not at all what I hoped for but I figured it was a stepping stone to something else."

Gibbs nodded. It had been a sensible move, although he knew from experience within NCIS that once you'd been IA you'd be looked upon differently, often with mistrust.

"So where did you move to?"

"Well that's just it, Gibbs..."

"Jethro." the older man corrected.

"Jethro." Primo grinned. "I like it. Suits you. Well anyway, turns out I actually like IA! And I'm good at it too. A lot of the guys in the division have been there from the beginning of their careers. I came in with a fresh set of eyes and an understanding of how the beat cops tick. Also, I think the profiling course I took mighta helped."

Gibbs was mesmerised. The young upstart who had annoyed the life out of him back on the PO Lambert case had obviously become quite a fine detective. Deep down a voice was telling him that all the things that had first annoyed him about Primo Monteleone were the same things that annoyed him about DiNozzo and it also recognised that the things he was now admiring were the best parts of his second in command. Ruthlessly he pushed those thoughts back down into the box inside his heart that he'd created after meeting his agent. A second later he realised Primo had begun speaking again.

"...another two promotions in five years and I still loved it. Then when Commander Mills retired, they offered me the position. I've been Commander for two years and the Assistant Chief's position is going to be open soon. But to be honest, I don't want it. I like where I am. It's the right mix of leg-work and politics. Maybe in ten or fifteen years I'll be ready to move on but until then... Well I guess I just hope the big brass will accept my decision."

"You sound like you really love your job." Gibbs commented.

"I do." Primo agreed. "When I made Lieutenant, I really had to grow up fast and I gotta say I think it's the best thing that could've happened to me."

"What happened to the rest of your team?"

Gibbs was truly curious. Despite what he'd let on at the time, he hadn't been impervious to the similarities between the Metro detectives and his own people.

"Todd Miller... he moved over to Corporate Support. Made Lieutenant last year. Rachel stayed with Investigative. Last I heard she'd made Captain but... I don't know why... she seems to resent my rise through the ranks. She never thought I was good enough to be Cheney's lead detective."

Gibbs grunted. If things were different, he could see how his own two youngest team members would've made the same moves.

"And Cheney?"

Primo's face fell and his voice lowered to a near whisper.

"Two years ago his team pulled a case. It was all over the news at the time so you'll remember it. Two high school kids taken off the street, raped and murdered."

Gibbs remembered the case well. Even for a city as violent as DC, the murder of those kids had hit everyone hard. Tobias had cancelled their plans for a few weeks and spent every spare second he had with Emily, who had just started high school herself and even Leon had left work early to be with his kids.

"I remember. Hit the whole city hard."

"Hit Cheney harder." Primo shook his head sadly. "He took off the day after the trial ended. Just turned in his badge and drove off. No-one knows where he is now. Doesn't mean I've stopped searching in my off hours though. Won't either. Not until I know one way or the other."

The younger man's conviction reminded Gibbs strongly of Tony's search for Ziva. Another thing he deeply respected.

"Anyway, enough about Metro. What's happened over at NCIS since I last saw you?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Been through two director's but my team's still the same. Except..."

"Agent Todd." Primo sighed. "I'm so sorry. I know that must've been an awful time for you all. I liked her, she was feisty. I sent flowers."

"You did?" Gibbs was surprised.

"She was a nice girl, Jethro. And she died protecting our country. If I were straight I might have even seriously persued her rather than just harmless flirting."

The sudden relaxed statement stunned Gibbs. A few of his close friends who were more like family knowing he was bi was one thing, but here was this man who was so sure of himself and his sexuality, he almost didn't know what to do with it.

He was physically attracted to the man beside him and his interest in his personality was growing minute by minute but the gay scene was so far out of his comfort zone, would the younger man be prepared or willing to work with that?

Primo chose that moment to go and use the restroom and Gibbs was glad. He could do with a few minutes to figure out where to proceed from here. By the time the Italian had returned, he had decided that honesty was the best way to go.

"Erm, Primo, listen... I'm a guy who likes to be upfront about everything so I'm just gonna tell you where I stand. Is that okay?"

A bright smile lit Primo's face. "Go ahead."

"Okay. Thing is... I'm attracted to you and I reckon you're attracted to me too. But you need to know, I don't do casual. I don't do one night stands and all this..." he waved his hand, gesturing around the club "...really is NOT my scene."

If anything, Primo's smile grew.

"Oh, thank God!" he breathed out a sigh of relief. "I grew out of casual a long time ago. And yes, Jethro, obviously I'm attracted to you too. It's not my scene either. Truth is, I only came here tonight to meet an informant. We figured no-one would look for a cop speaking to an IA Commander in a gay nightclub."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. That was a tactic he'd never even considered before but damn, it was a good one.

"So I'm thinking," Primo continued. "Can I interest you in a home cooked meal some night this week?"

The older man didn't have to think for more than a second. "I'm free Wednesday."

Primo pulled out a card and pen from his inside jacket pocket. After scribbling on the back for a minute, he held the card out. "My address is on the back. 7pm?"

Taking the card, Gibbs let his fingers slide over the younger man's, a ripple of electricity running through him.

Standing to go find his wayward FBI agent friend, he leant down and whispered his agreement in the brunette's ear, allowing a barely there touch of lips to his skin as he pulled back.

Moving through the crowd to where he could see Tobias firmly but politely turning down one of his many dancing partners, Gibbs allowed himself to smile, uncharacteristically excited about the coming week.