AN: No, I didn't forget about this story. It just got pushed aside while I was working on other stories. Oops. Huge thanks to Kyrie for editing, as always. I plan to wrap this up by the end of the month, so there shouldn't be as long a wait for the next chapter.

Chapter 2

Tony grinned as he headed up in the elevator Monday morning. It had been a few weeks since he'd stirred up any major trouble, and the anticipation this time added an extra zing to his weekend enjoyment. And this had been one of the best weekends he'd had in a while. The clubs around DuPont Circle had been packed Saturday night as people who no longer had to fear for their job took this chance to go out and celebrate. And for the first time since Jeanne, Tony had felt like the old DiNozzo that Kate used to routinely scold for being a pig. Of course, if she knew what he'd been up to that weekend, she'd never let him live it down.

He smirked as he walked off the elevator into the bullpen and squelched his urge to laugh when Ziva narrowed her eyes at him.

"Good weekend, Tony?"

"The best, Zee," he said, waggling his eyebrows. "How about you? Your mysterious Miami guy visit?"

"He is traveling for work this week," she said. "So, what — or should I say who — has you smirking?"

"Oh, that wasn't it at all." Tony hadn't planned the segue, but this worked better than anything he could have dreamed up. "I was just thinking about something Kate once said."

McGee looked up from his computer. "Really?" He turned to face Tony. "If it's something Kate said, pretty sure she wouldn't appreciate the reason you're smirking." He pulled out the McEyebrow, and Tony grinned.

"A lot you know — Probie." He chuckled at the eye roll the old nickname always triggered. "I was just thinking Kate would be laughing her ass off at me right now." He paused. "Although she'd kill me for mentioning her ass, so maybe not."

"I'm going to kill you if you don't get to work." Gibbs rounded the corner near Tony's desk into the bullpen.

"Boss, Tony was just telling us Kate would be laughing at him." McGee smirked. "Don't we at least get to find out why, so we can mock him in her place?"

Tony could see the corners of Gibbs' mouth twitching. "Fine. Make it quick, DiNozzo."

So Tony decided to spin it out a bit. "Probie, you remember the Voss case?"

"Voss." McGee stared at him. "You're actually going to go there?"

Tony just smirked.

"I am lost." Ziva looked at Tony, then McGee. "What is this case?"

"Dirtbag scammed $12 million from the Navy," Gibbs said. "Killed Pacci."

"Yeah, and hid in plain sight for three years — as a woman." McGee walked from behind his desk to lean against it, crossing his arms. "Gibbs killed her."

"Deserved it," Gibbs said. "Pacci shouldn't have died that way."

"You got him, Boss. Or her." Tony made a face at the memory of Pacci lying in the elevator. "Good timing there — McGee and I were in pretty deep trouble." Tony sat back, arms behind his head, and waited for the rest of the story to unfold — and to see if McGee was actually going to admit he knew about Tony before today.

"What happened to you and McGee?"

As McGee explained what happened, Tony just waited for the punchline. He saw Gibbs struggling not to smile — the bossman knew where this was going.

"Tony was OK with the 'Victor/Victoria' reference, but Abby was a little squicked about how Voss decided to hide," McGee said. "Then Kate asked Tony-" He broke off and looked at Tony. "You're really telling this? You really don't mind others knowing?"

"What, that Kate didn't know what she was talking about when she thought I couldn't handle kissing a guy?" Tony waggled his eyebrows. "Like I said, she'd be laughing right now. Not that she'd believe I was serious, but hey, that was Kate."

Ziva looked at him. "I do not... Wait, you are saying you were swinging for the other team this weekend?"

"Batting, Zee," Tony said. "Not like there's any need to hide it now, not after the vote."

He watched McGee's face, the McGears obviously smoking along in his brain. Tony had a feeling there was going to be a very awkward conversation in his future.

"Hey, guys." Abby bounced into the bullpen. "So, how's everybody doing this bright, sunny Monday?"

"Tony was just telling us he was on a date with a guy this weekend," Ziva said. "I have not yet decided if this is an elaborate ruse on his part or if he is actually being truthful."

"Ziva, that hurts," Tony said. "Would I pull this kind of prank on you?"

"One word, Tony," McGee said. "Superglue."

Tony rolled his eyes. "OK, so I would pull a prank. But this would be mocking people, not pranking you guys, if I was lying. No prank - I'm giving it to you straight."

"Not if you're serious, you're not." McGee snickered.

"Timmy's right," Abby said. "So, Tony, did you enjoy being bent this weekend?"

"I always enjoy it, Abs," Tony said. "Am I enjoying telling you guys about it? Yeah. Nice to not have to hide for once." And he was surprised to find that was true. Sure, he'd done this partially to clear the field if Abby and McGee broke up and McGee was still willing to give him a chance, but it was nice not to have to hide a piece of his life from the team he considered to be family.

"If you all don't get back to work, there's not going to be anything to hide because you won't have social lives," Gibbs said.

"On it, Boss." Tony started plowing through his e-mail and tried not to let his mind be distracted by Dan, the guy he'd run into Friday, then had dinner with Saturday.

Later that morning, he was headed out to get coffee when Gibbs followed him. They were halfway to the coffee shop when the team leader finally spoke.

"Thought you were going to wait a week, do some recon," he said. "That morning discussion is all over the Navy Yard already, and not all the scuttlebutt's good."

Tony looked over at Gibbs, noticing the tightness around his eyes. When he spoke, he deliberately kept his tone light. "You pissed at me for my big mouth or at them for being bigots?"

"Both." Gibbs frowned. "Taking a chance, Tony. You can hold your own in a fair fight, even an unfair one. But if a couple of armed, trained agents ambush you..."

"I'm parked right where one of the surveillance cameras has a good view of my car, and I'll make sure I walk out with somebody at night, Boss." Tony sighed. "You got any names I should be watching for?"

Gibbs shook his head. "You watch out for everybody, Tony." He paused. "I do have some names I'll be giving the director, though."

Tony nodded. Vance would take care of it. He might not like the man, but he respected him. Vance wouldn't tolerate that crap in the agency.

"McGee almost gave away that he knew before today," Gibbs said.

"More than almost," Tony said. "When Ziva starts thinking about it, her ninja senses will sniff out that he wasn't surprised I was out with a guy, he was surprised I was telling about it." He shrugged. "Ziva won't care — she'll assume McGee found out back before she joined the team. And Abby, who would care because she hates not knowing this stuff, wasn't around for that part of the discussion."

Gibbs nodded, and that was the end of that. They talked about cases until they got back to the office, coffees in hand.

"McGee is in Abby's lab," Ziva said.

"I'll take it down, Boss," Tony said. Once he got off the elevator on the lower floor, he moved quietly, hoping he could sneak up on the Tech Twins. He paused outside the lab and listened to them talk.

"I can't believe Tony didn't tell me," Abby said. "We could have totally gone clubbing together."

"Abs, think his point was that he didn't feel comfortable with anybody knowing," McGee said. "It's not like anybody knows I've been with guys before."

"I know, Timmy."

"Yeah, but you know because you're my girlfriend," McGee said. "I tell the people I date; I don't tell teammates."

Tony was tempted to walk in then — he could have such fun teasing McGee — but he remembered his promise to Gibbs that this wasn't about trying to break up him and Abby or to get McGee. He hung back until the conversation turned to a safe topic, then he walked in.

"McGee, coffee. Abs, they were out of Caf-Pow, but Gibbs is going to hunt one down after he talks to the director." Tony grinned. "So, since we don't actually have a case, what are you two plotting down here?"

"Oh, no, Tony, you don't come down here after this morning and ask about cases. I want to hear about your weekend." Abby pushed him into a chair. "Spill, and I'm not talking about your coffee."

"You sure about that, Abs? Might be too much for McVirgin's ears." He grinned at the glare McGee shot him.

"Watch it, DiNozzo." McGee snapped. "Abs, I'm headed back up before Gibbs comes down asking where I am." He headed out, and Tony turned back to Abby.

"So, what did you want to know?" he said.