Because you all asked so nicely I pushed this one out, even with out my tea and cookies.

Thank you ever so much for all the review and for alerts. They make me and my muse so very happy.

It would figure that Gibbs would get to his house before him, even after the man said that he would follow. He found Gibbs waiting by his truck sipping a cup of coffee. Of course he would have coffee.

"What did you do fly here?" Tony asks as he passes him, just as he is tossing his empty cup back into his truck, leading the way into his house.

He unlocks the door only to be chased out by a running mass of barking muscle. Closing the door just in time before getting mowed over or worse.

Taking a deep breath he calls Mandy. "My love would you mind calling off that beast of a dog. I'd like to come in and Gibbs is with me."

He can hear her giggling before she says anything. "Give me a minute."

He puts the cell back in his pocket then leans against the house. "She'll be a minute."

"You have to make that dog understand that you are the alpha, DiNozzo. That his job is to protect Mandy when you're not here. When she opens the door point at the dog and command it to sit, use his name. He has to learn right from the start."

"If he bites me you take him home with you."

"He won't bite you. Just make him understand."

"Ah Gibbs I never had a pet as a kid remember? Just sea monkeys and you know what happened to them. We have three cats and they only ask to be petted once in a while, or they will jump on your lap and fall asleep."

Gibbs glares at Tony as Mandy opens the door. The men can see that Mandy has her hand around the dog's collar.

Tony tells her to let go of the collar, as soon as she does the dog starts to growl deep in his chest. Tony growls back then points. "Sit Gunny, now." The dog sits and looks at Tony waiting.

Gibbs whispers to him. "Praise him Tony and then pet his head. After a bit let him get your scent."

The dog stays still after a few minutes he wags his tail. Not long after he licks Tony's hand. "Good boy." Tony tells him.

Gibbs comes closer to the dog and lowers his hand so Gunny can get his scent as well, so he can become familiar with him. The dog licks his hand and accepts the friendly pat on the his head.

"He is a beautiful animal Mandy, I can see why you didn't want to leave him."

Just one question." Tony says as they follow Mandy and Gunny into the kitchen. "How did you know, I mean about the dog."

"Your scent is all over the house. He knows that another male lives here. You just had to establish the fact that you are the alpha not him. He knows this now, he also knows that his place is to protect the alpha female in the pact, as in Mandy."

Tony washes his hands then starts the coffee he knows all to well that an uncaffeinated Gibbs is not a good thing.

Gibbs hides his smile as he watches Tony defer to Mandy when he offers to help with dinner. "I just have to make the salad, why don't you set the table. Gibbs would you like to eat in the dinning room or here in the kitchen?"

"The kitchen is fine with me, your dinning room as nice, as it is, it's a bit dark"

"I know it needs a new window, maybe a bay window, I was looking on line to get an idea of how big and what kind of bay window."

" I like that idea, the cats would like it , it would give them a place to sit when it got cold." Tony tells her.

"I was thinking the same thing, there might even be room for a plant."

"You remember our cats right? They eat plants." Tony reminds her.

Gibbs likes the sound of the couple, he was happy that his friend had finally found someone that filled his heart and life.

"Once you find the window you like, let me know."

"Boss she didn't say it so that you could put the window in."

" I know that Tony, I also know how much a carpenter is going to charge you to do the work. This way you save a lot of money and you can help with the grunt work."

"Thank you so much Gibbs." Mandy tells him with a real heartfelt smile.

They finished the rest of the meal in quickly. After clearing off the table Mandy came back with a pot of fresh coffee and a plate of snicker doodles.

"I remember Ducky telling me that you like snicker doodles." She says as she places the plate in front of him.

"I do like them, I haven't had any in a long time."

"I made some extra you can take home with you."

"You're going to spoil me Mandy." Gibbs tells her with a small smile.

"My pleasure. Now that I've got you well fed and happy. I need a favor, well not me but a friend."

"I'm listening."

"She, Grace I mean needs to get recertified to have a weapon and to carry mace when she is working, the gun she keeps in her home. She asked me if I knew anyone. She is a visiting nurse and some of the places she goes to well they are not the safest."

"Just let me know when and where."

"Thanks for that, you'll love Grace you both have a lot in common."

"Like?" Gibbs asks smelling a fix-up.

"She is a crack shot and she makes jewelry boxes for the church to sell at Christmas."

"Ah huh." he says softly. "I need to know just how big Gunny is going to get?"

"He is fully grown now according to the vet's office. He is twenty-eight inches tall and he will top off at one hundred and fifty pounds."

"I know you work mostly from home, I'm assuming that you want him to spend part of the day out in your backyard."

She looks at Tony, opens her mouth. "You mean I, we can keep him?"

"Yes."

"You didn't tell me, hear I thought that you were biding your time until Gibbs left so I wouldn't cry in front of him."

"Well, it slipped my mind."

"Right! You wash the dishes tonight." Mandy huffs then folds her arms across her chest.

Gibbs stands and leans over to kiss Mandy on the cheek. "Thank you for dinner, let me know when you pick a window. DiNozzo you should take Gunny out for a walk I bet he could use a good one."

Tony is gone almost thirty minutes, when he does come in he is not surprised to see that Mandy has cleaned the kitchen and has a cup of cocoa waiting for him. He can't help but smile he is so much in love with her, the best thing he ever did was open his heart to her and love her back.

He let's the dog off of the leash then fills a temporary bowl full of water for him. He watches as Gunny drink, then move over to where the cats are sitting.

After a quick shower he joins his wife in bed, he picks up the book that he started the night before. But changes his mind quickly. "Can we talk?" He asks softly as she turns the age of her book.

She dog-ears the book then puts it down. "What's up?"

"Firstly I'm not angry about the dog, in fact I like him and the fact that he is trained. I'll feel better with him being here when I have to be away."

"I'm glad."

"Secondly." He says in a serious tone. "Manilow about Grace, you're not trying to fix him up are you?"

"Me?! Fix up Leroy Jethro Gibbs! Are you nuts?"

"Mandy I know that look. Spit it out."

"Grace is a nice lady who just happened to hail for Texas, she stands five foot four inches tall, she has blue eyes and her hair is snow white it turned white when she was in her twenties, She is tiny not more that one hundred and ten pounds. She is also forty years old and a widow her husband was a Ranger and he was killed by the drug cartel. She came up here to get a fresh start, ten years ago. She drinks rotgut liquor and coffee, she says it has to be black and strong. See they have absolutely nothing in common." She tells him innocently.

Mandy." Tony moans slowly.

"Now why don't you be a good husband and give me a kiss, a real kiss that will curl my toes."

"You're going to be the death of me." He whispers as he kisses her neck.

"You say that every time. Move it Agent DiNozzo or I'll sic my dog on you."

"Yes ma'am." Tony says as he lifts the covers and disappears under them.