Disclaimer: NCIS doesn't belong to me.

A/N: Just some things to point out before we begin:

1) To avoid confusion, by Washington, I am referring to Washington State, not D.C. I don't know if there's actually an NCIS office in Washington, but in this story, there is. If you know differently, you can mention it in a review, but it's unlikely that I'll change it. I like the Northwest.

2) This is slash. Tibbs slash to be precise.

3) If you don't like slash, or you have a problem with Tibbs, instead of posting rude comments that I'll ignore after reading, just hit the back button. Obviously, this story is not for you, and you're biased, rude comments will fall on deaf ears. Seriously, I've given you plenty of warning, so don't waste your time.

4) There will be lots of Tabby friendship! No romance, just friendship.

5) This is rated M. I'm not being paranoid. While you may not see it in the beginning, there's some graphic stuff later on...and I'm not talking about guy on guy action...though there could be some of that too.

With that said, I do hope you'll enjoy!

Chapter One

The Break Up

Sitting in the living room, Tony knew he had no choice but to go through with the plan he'd been formulating. While his heart was beating like a racehorse in his chest, he knew there was no way to avoid what was about to happen. He'd made up his mind and, it was just time for the hard part. 12 years was a long time, and he loved Jethro more than he'd ever loved any other human being in the world, but he couldn't survive on love alone.

"I thought you'd be up in bed by now," Jethro said when he'd found Tony sitting in the living room, having finished work on the boat and heading upstairs himself.

"No," Tony shook his head, and he regretted the late hour.

The tone in his voice made Jethro stop before he could continue up the stairs.

"What's going on?" Jethro asked, heading further into the living room and sitting on the coffee table in front of Tony.

Tony stared over his shoulder at the large screen TV that Jethro never watched unless begged too. His lover looked so concerned, so worried about him, that he wanted to take it all back. He loved him, maybe this was the wrong choice. But it wasn't, and Tony knew that. He wish it could be easier, though.

"Tony?" Jethro pushed reaching out to take his hand, but Tony pulled it away.

Blunt. Short and to the point. That was the best way to do this.

"I'm moving," Tony replied.

"Moving?" Jethro asked, perplexed.

"Moving," Tony confirmed with a short nod of his head.

"Tony," Jethro tried to touch him again again, but Tony pulled his whole body back. "I know things haven't been perfect lately, but you don't need to move. We can figure this out."

"I don't want to figure this out," Tony shook his head, wringing his hands together in his lap. "It's just gotten to the point where it's not going to work anymore. The time to figure it out passed a long time ago. Now it's just time to let go."

"Where is this coming from?" Jethro demanded, his patience clearly wearing thin.

Tony just sighed. He didn't want to argue. They'd been doing that too much lately.

"I accepted a promotion," Tony explained. "The director offered me my own team. It's a wonderful opportunity for my career."

It was Jethro's turn to pull back, as if he'd received a physical blow instead of a calm explanation.

"Where?" Jethro asked.

"Washington," he knew there was no point in drawing this out. "I'll be heading up my own team out of the Northwest office. I leave in 2 weeks."

"And this promotion is worth more to you than us?" The words stung, but Tony knew that Jethro wasn't going to take this lightly. After all, Jethro had invested just as much time and effort into their relationship as he had.

"No. Of course not," Tony shook his head. "I love you, I just…I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of all the secrets. I'm tired of what I'm doing with my life right now. I need to figure out who I've become and what I'm doing, Jethro, and the ways things are right now are just making the both of us miserable."

Jethro couldn't argue that point. They'd both known for a while that whatever they were doing wasn't making them happy. Between work and trying to ignore it, they had never fixed the problems that had accumulated over the years.

"I love you," Tony sighed, "but this isn't working."

"And you don't want to try," Jethro finished.

"No," Tony agreed.

Jethro stood up and made his way towards the stairs, the tension hanging in the room so heavy it could be scooped up with a spoon.

"If you don't mind, I'll stay here tonight, on the couch, and I'll check into a hotel tomorrow," Tony called, and his lover paused on the stairs.

"Don't bother. This is your home, you can stay here," Jethro responded. "Unless it'll be too awkward for you."

Tony didn't say anything, and Jethro was already up the stairs before Tony really could. With a sigh, he leaned his head back into the couch wondering if he'd done the right thing. For the last 12 years Jethro had been everything to him. He quailed those thoughts before they could begin though. He'd made up his mind, and it was too late to change anything now. He was going to Washington, where his own team was awaiting him, and he'd put his shattered heart behind him.

A/N: I know Gibbs is a bit out of character. I know. Other than that, any thoughts?