Tony DiNozzo sighed as he raised his glass in toast to the departing year. He sighed again as he looked at the non-alcoholic contents of the glass and remembered that he had watched the Parisian fireworks on TV rather than mingling with the crowds along the Champs-Elysees as he might have done once.
At least the noise hadn't woken Tali up. He tried to think of other reasons to be thankful and noted that the non-alcoholic 'celebration' would make it relatively easy for him to get up for work the next day. It was all a far cry from his carefree, unattached New Year celebrations. Tony went to stand at the window of the apartment overlooking the Montmartre Cemetery; he could see some young people weaving happily past the cemetery gates, oblivious to their pensive observer.
Tony's father had spent the Christmas holiday with Tony and Tali but had then been lured to Cap d'Antibes in the South of France where Prince Al had rented a villa for a New Year party. Tony had been surprised how well the visit had gone and to find that he missed Senior. The studio apartment seemed emptier, and quieter, without him. It also meant that Tony now had fewer distractions and could finally turn and face the decisions he needed to make.
Special Agent Jethro Gibbs gave a satisfied smile as he looked at his handiwork. Gibbs was not a natural gardener but Shannon had loved the yard at their house and so Gibbs kept it tidy for her sake. Gibbs, with a rare weekend off, had spent the day getting the flower beds ready for summer. The Spring bulbs had been dug up and the grass given its first cut of the year: it all looked good.
"Looking good, Gibbs," came a familiar, if unexpected voice.
Gibbs grinned at this example of DiNozzo being in tune with his thoughts.
"What you doing here, DiNozzo?" he asked, not giving voice to his happiness at seeing Tony.
"Passing through. Thought I'd take a chance on you being home," said Tony.
"OK," said Gibbs.
Tony continued, "Although it's a safe bet that, if you're not at work, you'll be here. But I don't think I've seen you doing yard work before."
"Not seeing it now. Just finished," said Gibbs. He straightened up and rubbed his hands on his jeans. "Where's Tali?"
"With the Palmers. Had some jobs to do so I dropped her off with them," replied Tony.
"I see," said Gibbs.
"You know, I always liked Jimmy. In some ways I thought he had things sorted out more than the rest of us. But now …" Tony paused for thought.
"Now what?"
"Now, I pretty much like anyone who's got young kids."
"They understand?" suggested Gibbs.
"Oh, yes. Sure. But they're also more likely to take Tali off my hands for a while," confessed Tony.
Gibbs nodded at this display of self-interest. "Got time for coffee?" he asked.
"Sure. Don't want to risk you becoming decaffeinated," said Tony.
"Ducky's put me on decaf. Says it's better for me," said Gibbs morosely.
"Seriously?" Tony was shocked.
"Well, he thinks he's put me on decaf. And what the eye doesn't see …"
"The Ducky heart can't grieve over," completed Tony.
"Yep," said Gibbs.
"Risky strategy, Boss. Not much gets past the Duckman," warned Tony.
Gibbs shrugged. "You going to rat on me, DiNozzo?"
"Never have yet, Boss," said Tony.
"No, you haven't," agreed Gibbs. He slapped Tony on the shoulder and led him into the house.
A few minutes later, as they sat companionably around Gibbs' kitchen table, Gibbs said,
"Saw Senior a while back. Said you were having a great time in Paris."
Tony grimaced, "Yeah. Guess so."
"I've seen the pictures you've sent Abby. She's got a Tali/Tony wall going in her lab. You look happy in them," said Gibbs.
"Funny thing," said Tony, "I don't take pictures when Tali is throwing a tantrum or crying or getting me up for the third time in the night."
"Tony?" asked Gibbs in concern.
Tony looked a little ashamed at his outburst. "Sorry. Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter. Well, for 90% of the time. The other 10%, let's just say that she can be a proper little madam!"
"So, Senior was wrong? Things going badly?" asked Gibbs.
"You know Dad. Doesn't look beneath the surface. He sees pictures of Tali playing in the park, grinning in a bath full of bubbles or climbing the Eiffel Tower and he thinks that's what we do all the time."
"And it isn't?"
"Of course it's not!" snapped Tony.
Gibbs raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to lose it. I guess I can't blame Dad. It's not like he knows what it's like to raise a child. He made sure to warehouse me. Don't think he ever saw me covered in puke or snot. Or if he did, he made sure he wasn't the one to clean me up."
"And you are the one to clean up the puke and snot?" suggested Gibbs.
"Yeah. When Dad was with us for the holidays, it was all fun and games so there was nothing to make him see that the reality is …"
"Different?"
"Yeah, different. Like I said, I love Tali. I don't regret her being with me but it's hard work," said Tony wearily.
"And you're doing it alone," said Gibbs.
"Yeah. Having Dad there for the holidays made me realise that even more. Admittedly, he was only there during the day but it was odd having someone else to put her down for a nap or watch that she didn't choke on something she picked up," said Tony.
"Why wasn't your Dad there at night? I thought he was staying with you," said Gibbs sharply.
"Bit difficult. We only had a studio apartment. Room for a bed for me and a kiddie bed for Tali. No room for a guest."
"Why didn't you have a bigger place?"
Tony laughed, "Bigger places cost money, Gibbs."
"Oh. Guess I figured you had enough money."
"I did," said Tony a little stiffly. "Just not enough to spring for a bigger apartment. Senior was a bit put out. He reckoned he'd be staying with us not having to pay for a hotel room. Might be why he was so keen to go off to the South of France."
"Hmm," said Gibbs.
"Having him there during the day helped. I could go to work without having to pay for a sitter."
"Work? You were working?" asked Gibbs.
"What did you think I was living on? Fresh air? Which might have been OK for me but I've tried to feed Tali properly."
"What were you doing?"
"Delivering rental cars."
"How did you get into that?"
Tony looked at Gibbs blankly. "You do know that you can't just arrive in France and say, 'Bonjour, I'm here to live', don't you?"
"Didn't think about it," admitted Gibbs.
"I figured I'd want to stay more than 90 days which is how long I could stay on a visitor's visa. And that I'd need to work so I had to apply for a long stay visa. A buddy of mine runs a car rental company in Paris. I got her to offer me a job. That way I could apply for a visa which let me stay and which let me work."
"I see. So, it's hard work but working out all right?"
"I'm moving back," said Tony.
"You are?"
"Visa only lasts 12 months so I had to figure out what to do next. And once Senior left, it made me realise that it was tough living in a foreign city without any backup. That's pretty sad, isn't it?"
"What?"
"Never thought that not having Senior around would make me feel kinda insecure! That was a shock."
"I guess."
"Seem to remember I was never that pleased when he showed up in DC when I was here," said Tony.
"He created some waves," remembered Gibbs.
"Anyway, I decided the Parisian dream had to end. Before it became a nightmare. And before my daughter learned more French than me! And before I got deported! So I've been working out options for the last few months. It was my New Year resolution."
"So, you're back for good?" asked Gibbs.
"Looks like it."
"I could put a word in with Vance. He might have something for you," offered Gibbs.
"With all due respect, Gibbs – and thank you, I think the days of us working together are over, don't you?"
"Well …" temporised Gibbs.
"We were coming to the end of the road even before Tali got dropped in my lap. I figure I'd have left at some point even without her. I'd rather have you as a friend than a co-worker. I reckon that way we stand a better chance of not shooting one another."
"You really think you'd be able to shoot me?" asked Gibbs.
"Correction. Before you shot me. But only because I'm out of practice – otherwise I think I could give you a run for your money," said Tony.
"Wasn't really thinking of pistols as dawn or an OK Corral shootout," said Gibbs.
"My mistake. You were thinking of using your sniper rifle on me," said Tony with a grin.
"So, not NCIS?" said Gibbs changing the subject.
"Nope."
"You can stay here while you look for something," said Gibbs.
"Wow, thanks, Boss," said Tony.
"No problem," said Gibbs.
"I thought you still had a house guest. Isn't Fornell still hanging out in your spare room?"
"It's time he went home," said Gibbs curtly.
Tony looked at Gibbs suspiciously, "Did you just invite me to stay because you want to evict your best friend?"
Gibbs tried to look innocent. "Possibly," he admitted. "But, seriously. We can all fit in. Save you having to pay rent. Or are you going to tell McGee that you want your place back?"
"No. The apartment isn't big enough for me and Tali."
"Sounds as if it's bigger than what you had in Paris," Gibbs pointed out.
"True. And it doesn't overlook a cemetery," said Tony thoughtfully.
"There you go," said Gibbs.
"Although the cemetery had François Truffaut buried there. So it wasn't all bad," said Tony.
"Why not live in your apartment then? McGee would understand."
"The rent comes in handy."
"You'll have to pay rent somewhere else," said Gibbs.
"You're right. But it would be one hell of a commute to work," said Tony.
"Why? It's central. Easy to get to most places in DC," said Gibbs.
"I'm not going to be working in DC," said Tony.
"You're not?"
"No. I've got a job in Columbus."
"Columbus? You going back to Ohio State?"
"No," said Tony regretfully.
"Then why Columbus?"
"I've got friends there. People I was at college with."
"You've got friends here, Tony," said Gibbs gruffly.
"I know. But they're busy friends. With demanding jobs … and a demanding Boss. My college buddies are people with children. Like I said, they're my type of people now. I need a support network. Paris showed me I can't raise Tali on my own."
"What you going to do there?" asked Gibbs.
"The friend I was working for in Paris? She's going to expand her operations to Ohio. She liked what I did in Paris so she's offered me a job."
"You gonna be driving cars?" asked Gibbs in a tone of disappointment.
"More than that. Criseyde …"
"Criseyde?"
"Yeah. Her father was a professor of English Literature with a specialty in the works of Chaucer."
"So?"
"So, he named his children Troilus and Criseyde."
"He did?"
"After one of Chaucer's poems," said Tony informatively. "Although I'm not so sure that naming your children after tragic heroes is such a good idea," he added pensively.
"So, what you going to be doing for this Criseyde?"
"I'm going to run the Ohio operation. Got some ideas about how to do things. Delivering rental cars opened my eyes about what people want from their rentals."
"Quite a change," said Gibbs gently.
"Go figure. It's not the only thing that's changed. But I guess parenthood changes a lot of things. And maybe I was getting too long in the tooth to be a field agent. No disrespect, Boss."
Gibbs shrugged. "It's OK. I know I'm a dinosaur. Too old to change. And I don't want to."
"Having a kid means I have to change," said Tony.
"You were good, Tony," said Gibbs.
"Were?"
"You know what I mean. You were a good agent. And you're doing good now."
"I am?"
"You're looking out for your family. That's good in my book," said Gibbs.
"Thanks, Gibbs. That means a lot. And …"
"And what?"
"I'm getting my stuff out of storage. Picking up my car. And I wondered …"
"What?"
"Remember you helped me pick out my apartment here?"
"Yeah?"
"I was thinking that maybe you could run down to Columbus some time. When I've found a new place."
"Yeah?"
"You know. Tell me if it's a good choice."
"I could do that," agreed Gibbs.
"Help with repainting," suggested Tony.
"Hmm …"
"Put up some fences. Fix the timber on the deck," said Tony hopefully.
"You've already found somewhere, haven't you?" demanded Gibbs.
"I might have," admitted Tony.
"Somewhere that needs a lot of work doing to it?"
"Possibly."
Gibbs stared at Tony for a few long moments. Tony began to shuffle uncomfortably. Then Gibbs grinned out held out his hand,
"Glad to, DiNozzo. Glad to!"
Tony shook Gibbs hand. He hoped this could be the beginning of repairing their friendship – as well as a tumbledown house.
The characters aren't mine.