I'm out here in Montana as I write this, and for being almost the middle of July it is freezing cold! Temperatures in the 50's up here where I'm at...

Chapter Two

The following Friday

"McGee, I've got a feeling we're not in Washington D.C. anymore." Tony said with a smirk on his face as he rotated the steering wheel from one angle to the next. As much as he wanted to glance over at McGee, he knew that he had to keep his eyes on the twisted mountain road so that they wouldn't end up accidentally driving off into a ravine. The bright headlights on the black SUV were the only things that lit up the surrounding area, for the sun had set just an hour before they had touched down in Montana.

McGee rolled his eyes at yet another one of Tony's movie quotes, but couldn't help smiling. "This is a neat winding driveway." He commented, glancing down at his watch. "What do you know, we have officially been on it for eleven minutes now." McGee looked up at Tony, who was chuckling and squinting to try and see what lay ahead. "Does it have an end, or did you just inherit a huge piece of land with one long stretch of pavement?" McGee asked, his supposedly sarcastic question sounding more like an intended one.

"Well, Probie, the word secluded was in the description."

A few seconds of silence ticked by, and then Tony's eyes returned to their normal size. He took one of his hands off of the wheel and shot one finger forward, pointing to a dark shadow that the headlights had skimmed over.

"Right up there! That mass in the darkness must be it!" He said enthusiastically, the large shape gradually getting closer to them as Tony pressed a little harder on the gas pedal. Wanting to be sure of what it was, McGee kept his attention focused on the emerging shape, which gradually morphed in the beams of oncoming light into a large and ornate grey brick mansion.

"Wow, Tony." McGee said, shielding his eyes from the light that reflected off of the windows. "Even in the dark, you can tell that this is an incredible house." Tony let himself take a quick peek off of the road to get a glimpse of his inheritance, and once his eyes saw the patches of grey from the car's glow and the magnificently structured silhouette of what appeared to be a Victorian style building, he almost forgot to look back down.

Jesus, that's one fancy home! He thought, pulling the car right up to the double wide garage door. All of this time, I never knew Uncle Clive had this little gem. Tony put the car in park, and both he and McGee climbed out. Then again, none of his relatives knew about this place until he croaked and his will floated to the surface. Tony walked around to the back of the car and popped the trunk open. Well, the poor guy was a total hermit. I'm just glad that my Probie agreed to come out here on this mini-adventure with me.

"It's too bad we didn't get here in the day." McGee commented, grabbing his luggage and lifting it out. "Then we could have seen the full splendor of this place."

Tony nodded in agreement, closing the trunk after getting his own bags out. "Yeah, I bet."

With only the gentle humming of the parked car and the soft illumination of the dimmed lights to guide them, Tony and McGee wandered up to the front door and immediately felt overwhelmed by its size.

"Looks like Uncle Clive spared no expense on this place." Tony said, running his fingers over the dirty stained glass panels that were set into a solid wood door. He glanced over his shoulder at McGee, who had wandered out of the light stream and was gazing around in its faint expansion, taking in all that he saw.

"I wonder where this brick is from." He called out to Tony from further down the side of the house. "The texture indicates that it's at least eighty years old, and judging by the fact that I can't feel any cracks probably means its some sort of stone-clay blend."

Tony raised an eyebrow and gave McGee a questioning look, although he couldn't see his expression from where he stood. Quit being such an adorable nerd and get your ass back here! Tony found himself thinking. He chuckled softly until those thoughts subsided, then he said, "Hey McGeek, you done analyzing the walls of my house yet? In case you've forgotten, I asked you to come help me with the inside!" He stuffed the key into the lock and turned it, hearing a distinct click and pushing on it until it popped open. A cloud of dust greeted him as he stepped inside, and he coughed as it enveloped the lining of his throat and nostrils.

"Oh God," He managed to get out, exploding in a sneeze a moment later. McGee stepped into the doorway a second after, coughing a little himself and brushing some of the air away from his face. He shut his eyes and rubbed their lids. "Phew! This will sure be fun to clean."

Tony sniffled and took a few steps towards a wall. Flipping on a switch, the entire front room lit up from a cast iron chandelier that hung above, so rich in cobwebs and dust that it almost appeared to be covered in gentle lace. Even still, both of the men stood and looked around the room in wonder, noticing that the walls were all a royal blue color that stood out vibrantly against all the dormant filth. The hardwood flooring beneath their feet was coated by a thin layer of grime, and the true beauty of all the artwork that had remained untouched for so long was masked by a fine sheet of dust.

"Damn, my Uncle really had a nice place!" Tony said excitedly, coughing again from the stirred up dirt.

McGee nodded in agreement. "Funny though, it's not very cold in here considering the heat isn't on and its winter outside."

Tony shrugged. "I guess it must be heavily insulated. It would need to be, though, since it can get over fifty below zero outside. Regular insulation wouldn't be thick enough."

McGee took a silent step forward and gently shut the door behind him. Turning back to face Tony, he asked, "If nobody has been here in three years, how come these lights are working?"

Tony hauled two large bags onto the top of the empty decorative table that stood in the center, turning his face to the side so that minimal amounts of dust would get to him as he placed them down with a thud.

"From what I've found out, dearly departed Clive was a big fan of energy efficient devices. When he had this house built a few decades ago, he asked that instead of hooking him up to underground electric cables they should build him his own solar generator." Tony pulled a few cleaning supplies out of a bag, and continued, "Oh, but that's just the beginning. He also had a water purifier hooked up to the solar generator that connects to the nearby rivers and mountain streams and brings it here to the house." Glancing up at McGee, he found him to be listening intently, blinking his large green eyes to show that he was following along. Tony eyed up McGee, and then added, "As for the sewage, he had a massive underground tank installed that was also powered by the solar generators to dispose of the waste. The end result of all his eco-mania? No bills whatsoever." Tony held two Swiffer dust mops in his hand, holding one out to McGee. "Here. Use it while we explore the rest of this monster." McGee took the mop from Tony and followed his lead as they began to wander through more rooms of the mansion, discovering each space to have its own variation of beauty.

It was the double cedar doors of the next room, however, that caught McGee's attention. He gingerly wrapped his fingers around a knob and turned, sticking his head inside and brushing his fingers against the wall until the room was lit. To his delight, as his eyes readjusted themselves, he came to focus on huge shelves from ceiling to floor, graced by all colors and sizes of books. His inner author caused him to let out a small squeal of excitement, and a huge smile exploded onto his face as he began dashing all about the old library, completely ignoring any and all dust that was attempting to get in between him and his precious find.

Tony wandered inside several minutes later, his dust mop held out like a sword. He had a determined look on his face, and he vehemently declared, "Say hello to my little friend, dust fiends." Swinging it around and cleaning off one shelf after another, he almost seemed to be having too much fun tidying up his new home. McGee, however, barely noticed this, for he had his nose buried in all sorts of old and rare books.

"Tony, your uncle has the original copies of half the classics!" McGee said, happily skimming over each page and caressing each cover. Tony paused his cleaning and glanced over at him, spying McGee to have already surrounded himself with books. He lowered his mop and straightened his shirt, sauntering over to where McGee stood. Chuckling to himself, he turned his attention to the bookshelf in front of him and glanced over each spine, searching for one in particular. "You're like a kid in a candy store, McNerd."

McGee happily shook his head, a smile growing on his face. "Well I'm pretty sure you're the kid that spent all his candy money on Scarface movies."

Tony glanced over at McGee, giving him a playful frown. "Hey, don't diss the classics." He pulled a book off the shelf and read over the cover, then turned and moved closer to McGee.

"To each his own," McGee replied, his attention shifting over to the original manuscript of Agatha Christie's first work. Suddenly another book was stuffed into his face, and when he brought his head back he realized it to be one of his own works.

"Your uncle read my books?" McGee asked, a pleased look on his face as he set down the book in his hands and took the other one from Tony, who shrugged in response. Placing his hand on McGee's shoulder, he said, "I don't see why not. You're a very talented author." He gave McGee a soft smile, then patted him before taking his hand away. McGee could feel his face growing warm, and he was thankful that Tony had already moved across the room and wasn't able to see his cheeks flush a light pink.

"So who's sleeping in what room tonight?" McGee asked, glancing over the back of another book to keep himself from staring at Tony. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Tony walking towards the library door. He stopped and leaned against it, crossing his arms and nodding his head once in the direction of the stairs.

"Come with me and I'll let you pick out what bedroom you want first." Tony said, watching as McGee quickly but carefully put all the books he had removed back in their proper places. "Unless you want to share a room or something." He added quietly, looking down at the floor then back up at McGee.

McGee wandered over to Tony while scratching the back of his neck. "Well, it is pretty late. I imagine it would be a lot of work to clean up two whole bedrooms, and I wouldn't want to cause you a big hassle or anything." Tony felt his heartbeat increase, and he watched as McGee began to fumble with his fingers, gazing everywhere in the room but directly at him.

Tony laughed softly at the sight of McGee growing nervous, and then replied, "No, I already went through all four bedrooms and did a brief but bearable cleaning." He saw McGee begin to relax, then added, "I'll let you pick first, Probie, since you are my guest." Tony held out his arms in a hospitable fashion, and McGee followed him as he left the room and headed up the grand staircase.

Besides, it would be too much of a temptation for me if we shared a bedroom. I'm not sure I would be able to keep my hands to myself. Tony thought, stopping just outside of the first bedroom. McGee stepped in front of him and glanced around inside, finding the room to be a rich shade of purple with a dark mahogany armoire along with a matching queen sized bed.

"This will be fine for me." McGee said, taking a step back and standing next to Tony, who looked at him and grinned. "A room fit for a queen. You know, there are three other bedrooms, two of which have king sized beds-"

"This is fine, Tony." McGee insisted, grinning back at him. "Besides, I'd probably get lonely on such a massive bed." Tony bit down on his lip and sighed. Shrugging his shoulders, he replied, "Alright then, McWeird, I'll take the bedroom right next to you, where the king sized bed is." McGee rolled his eyes and shook his head, taking a step into the room.

"Plus if there is a chance that you do get lonely in there," Tony added. McGee paused and turned around, facing Tony as he finished, "I'll be right next door." He smirked at McGee, who chuckled uncertainly in response.

"Okay, good to know." He answered, pulling off his jacket.

Tony swallowed as he watched McGee begin to unbutton his shirt. "Do you want me to bring your stuff up here?"

McGee nodded. "Sure, but please leave it at the door. I'm pretty tired, so I'm just going to sleep in my boxers."

Tony paused, licking his lips before replying, "Goodnight then, McGee."

"Goodnight Tony," McGee replied, closing his bedroom door softly. Tony turned around slowly and began his descent down the stairs to grab their luggage, thoughts of McGee in his boxer shorts filling his mind. He smacked himself in the forehead, dragging his hand down the rest of his face as he let out a steady sigh.

Pull yourself together, DiNozzo! Don't let yourself get so wrapped up in him. Tony scolded himself as he wrapped his fingers around the two bags and headed back up the stairs. I just can't figure out why I am becoming this attracted to him. He's definitely not a woman, which is what I'm all to well known for going after, yet lately when I've been around him he's all I'm able to focus on. Tony felt his eye twitch. I honestly can't even remember the last time I slept with a woman. That's just tragic.

With very soft steps, Tony stepped toward McGee's bedroom and placed his suitcase just outside. He then tiptoed into his own room, not wanting to disturb McGee in case he was already asleep.

Or is it? Tony wondered, setting his own luggage on top of an ottoman and unzipping it. Maybe I've been attracted to McGee for longer then I'm willing to admit. The more time I spend thinking about it, the more I realize that he has always played a part of the things that go on in my life, even the personal ones. He came out here with me, for instance. Then again it could mean something else… He pondered, unpacking the few necessary items he had to use before going to bed. I could just be overanalyzing the situation, though. McGee's always been more of the awkward, nervous type. Whatever the case may be, I'm just happy that he's sleeping in the room next door. Tony thought before removing his jacket and formal clothes, slipping himself into a comfortable pair of pajamas before falling into bed for the night.

I guess we'll just see what happens between us.

...

Rays of sunlight pierced Tony's eyes and he groaned, turning over in bed. A waft of scented air drifted past his nose, and the more he sniffed it the further up in bed he sat.

It almost smells like sausage and pancakes. He thought, climbing out of bed and getting to his feet. As he sauntered down the staircase the smell only grew stronger, and as he followed the scent into the kitchen he found it to be spotlessly clean. McGee stood in the center of the aromatic room, wearing a red apron and a soft smile. "Morning, sleepyhead." McGee greeted while flipping a pancake.

Tony yawned and stretched his hands into the air, letting them drop down to his sides with a heavy sigh. "Morning, Probie. Since when did you become Betty Crocker?" He asked sarcastically, pulling a chair out by the table and plopping himself into it. McGee immediately came over, carrying with him a plate of warm food and some silverware.

"How did you clean up the kitchen so fast?" Tony asked, staring at the steaming food placed in front of him.

"Well, I woke up around six this morning and couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to make myself useful and clean up something. Figured the kitchen would be one of the rooms we use the most, so I decided it needed to be fixed first."

Tony nodded and stabbed his egg with the tip of his fork. "Where did you get this food from?"

"I took the car and drove to a town about fifty miles from here and picked up several things at the grocery store. Afterwards I came back here and had to rid the fridge and pantry of its old food and replace it with the fresh stuff." He chuckled. "Let me tell you, there were some nasty things in there. Half of the stuff had turned a color that I'd never even seen before." He glanced over his shoulder and watched Tony stuff part of a pancake into his mouth. "Then I washed off all the dishes and silverware, and decided that making you a nice breakfast would just be a little thank you for covering all of my expenses."

Tony spread some butter over a slice of toast, his mouth watering at the smell of its freshness. "You really didn't have to do all of this."

McGee stopped what he was doing and turned around, giving Tony a satisfied smile. "I wanted to. Plus what else would I have spent five hours doing?" McGee replied.

Tony glanced down at his watch, realizing that it was now a few minutes past eleven A.M. "Shit, I slept late." He mumbled, setting his fork on top of his empty plate.

"You probably needed it." McGee commented as he rinsed off a large pan.

That apron is actually quite attractive on him. Tony thought as he got to his feet, bringing his dish over to the sink. "Thanks for breakfast, McGee." He said. McGee nodded and held out his hands. "I can take that for you." Tony blinked, then allowed him to take the plate. As McGee removed the dish from Tony's grip, their fingers lightly brushed each others, sending a pleasant sensation that Tony had never felt before tingling up his back. As he took a step backwards, he felt the back of his calf brush against something cold. Glancing down, he spied a Battleship game sticking out from underneath a pile of napkins. He reached down and pulled it out from the shelf, looking it over before holding it up.

"Bet you can't sink my battle ship." Tony said with a grin. McGee bent over and placed some items into the dishwasher, and then looked at Tony as he brought himself back up. Taking a step closer, he gazed directly into his eyes and smirked. "Let's just see about that."

...

Psst…the next chapter involves a frozen generator, the first winter snowfall, and a candle lit dinner!

How do you think they stay warm before the weather permits Tony to go outside and fix their source of heat and electricity?