They didn't catch a case, so Gibbs ordered his team out of the office at a very respectable six pm. He'd carpooled in with Tony, so they left together.
'I should really do some target practice,' Tony said with a sigh. 'Mind dropping me off at the range?'
'Could do with a little shooting time myself,' Gibbs said.
An hour later, perforated targets rolled up and put in the trunk, Gibbs pulled up outside Alessandro's, a decent steak house on their way home.
'You buying me dinner, boss?' Tony asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
'It's either that or go grocery shopping,' Gibbs said. 'And then start cooking when we get home.'
'When you put it like that…' Tony laughed. 'Didn't we have steak last night?'
'Won't kill you,' Gibbs grumbled. 'Besides, they do pasta.'
'Yeah, I know,' Tony said, stretching as they climbed out of the car. He shivered in the late fall air.
'Time to dig out your winter coat,' Gibbs said, following him into the restaurant.
Tony frowned. 'I'm not sure where it is.'
'It's up in the attic. I'll get it down for you later,' Gibbs said.
'Thanks, Gibbs.' Tony was silent as the hostess led them to a table, his smile polite, rather than his habitual flirtation. Once they were settled, with menus in front of them, Tony fixed Gibbs with a steady look. 'We going to talk about this?'
Gibbs fought the urge to shift uncomfortably under the scrutiny. 'We need to?'
Tony sighed. 'You proposed to me. So yes, I think we need to talk. As far as I know, you aren't secretly in love with me and you aren't gay, or bi. But the minute you find out I need to get married or I don't inherit my trust fund, you offer yourself up. Don't you think that's taking Semper Fi a bit too far?'
Gibbs gave in and looked away. 'It isn't as though I'm planning on marrying anyone else,' he muttered. Then, looking back, he said, 'DiNozzo, you've outlasted my last three marriages put together. You don't expect me to be any less of a bastard than I am. It doesn't matter if I'm gay, straight or attracted to anything that moves, you've been a damn good second all these years and more of a friend than I've deserved. I'm not going to court you with flowers and chocolates. I'm not trying to get you into my bed. You need a spouse and at least I have some experience of getting married. But if you don't want to, just say so. I won't be heartbroken.' He smiled wryly.
Before Tony could reply, the waitress arrived to take their order. Once she'd gone, and drinks had arrived, Tony sipped at his beer thoughtfully.
'So what you're saying is, apart from the love and the sex, we're already in a long-term relationship and we just didn't notice?' The corners of his mouth twitched.
Gibbs felt his own mouth twitch in response. 'Yeah, I guess so.'
Tony let his grin break through. 'In that case, don't you think I should call you Jethro when we're out of the office?'
Gibbs laughed. 'Don't see why not, Tony.'
They sat quietly together for a few moments, then Tony said, 'You won't expect me to do all your housework, will you? I mean, I can clean the bathroom as well as any guy, but dusting? Not such a big fan. And life's too short to scrub floors, you know?'
Gibbs leaned forward and swatted Tony lightly round the back of the head.
'Ow! Spousal abuse!' Tony laughed and Gibbs joined in.
'Does that mean you'll say yes?' Gibbs asked once they'd calmed down.
'I suppose it does,' Tony said thoughtfully. 'Yes, Jethro, I'll marry you.'
'Okay then,' Gibbs said, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief. 'Good.'
#
Later that evening, as Tony helped Gibbs sand down wooden toys for the local shelter, he frowned. 'What if you meet another redhead?' he asked.
'I'm through with that,' Gibbs said, watching the agent out of the corner of his eye.
'You sure? Because you do seem to like them an awful lot,' Tony said.
'Yeah, I'm sure.' Gibbs took a deep breath, then put down the toy and looked directly at his fiancé. 'I'll always miss Shannon and Kelly, but I've done my grieving and I've moved on. They'll always be a part of me, but I'm not looking to replace them.'
Tony nodded. 'But if you meet someone else?'
'What do you want me to say, Tony? I'll be married to you and while it may not be the most conventional marriage, I won't cheat on you.' Gibbs said, exasperated.
Tony blinked. 'But we won't be sleeping together.'
'Doesn't matter,' Gibbs said. 'I never cheated on any of my wives and I'm damn sure I'm not about to start with you. Some things are too important.'
Frowning, Tony bent his head back to the task of sanding for a minute, before glancing up again. 'You haven't asked about me,' he said.
Gibbs shrugged. 'Either you'll stay faithful, or you won't. You've never brought anyone here and I don't see that changing. If you sleep with someone, you'll be discreet. And just because I'm a little old-fashioned, doesn't mean you have to be. Like you said, neither of us is gay.'
It was only later, once they were both in their separate beds in separate rooms that it struck Gibbs that Tony hadn't said that at all.
#
A couple of days later, after another slow morning, Gibbs stood and grabbed his coat. 'Take an hour for lunch. DiNozzo, with me.' He took his gun and badge out of his top drawer. 'Well?' he asked impatiently as Tony scrambled to grab his coat and backpack. Together they strode to the elevator.
Ziva frowned. 'There is something going on,' she said as the doors slid shut behind them. 'Do you not think so, McGee?'
Tim nodded. 'Definitely. Any ideas?'
'No. We could try following them?' she offered.
'I doubt they'd appreciate it,' Tim grimaced. 'How about we see if Abby and Ducky know something?'
'Team lunch?' Ziva smiled.
'Team lunch,' Tim confirmed.
#
'Got your driver's license?' Gibbs asked as they got into his car.
'In my wallet,' Tony said. 'Why?'
'Thought we might as well get down to the courthouse before we catch a heavy case,' Gibbs said nonchalantly.
'You- Oh! Marriage license?' Tony asked, his eyes widening in surprise.
'Unless you'd rather wait?' Gibbs kept his attention on the road despite the sudden bolt of anxiety that shot through him.
'No, no that's fine,' Tony said, frowning, then turned his head and looked out the side window.
'You sure?' Gibbs asked.
'Yeah.' A couple of blocks later, he said, 'It just seems kind of real, you know? To go from talking about getting married to actually going for the license.'
Gibbs grunted. 'Second thoughts?'
'And third, fourth, fifth and sixth thoughts,' Tony confessed. 'This… It's a little crazy, you've got to admit, Jethro.'
'Not nearly as crazy as some of the things we've been through,' Gibbs said with a sudden smile.
'No, I suppose not,' Tony admitted. 'Still, if this ever comes out at work, we're going to have a lot of explaining to do.'
'You think?' Gibbs said with his usual sarcasm. 'Wasn't planning on telling them.'
'Probably for the best,' Tony agreed. 'Besides, it isn't as though they'd believe me if I said anything. They'd just think it was another practical joke.'
It didn't take long to fill out the application form, then after the clerk had checked their drivers' licenses and they'd handed over the fee, they were issued with a receipt.
'In theory, you can pick up your marriage license in three days,' the clerk said. 'In practise, because that's a Sunday, you'll have to wait until next Monday.'
'And we can get married then?' Gibbs asked.
'That depends on where you want the ceremony to take place,' the clerk said. 'If you want us to perform it, it'll be at least another ten days. I can check the bookings list if you want?'
Gibbs exchanged glances with Tony. 'Sure.'
'The earliest we can fit you in is the fifteenth,' the clerk said after a minute of tapping away at her keyboard. 'Three thirty.'
'That's three weeks on Monday,' Tony said. 'We okay for that?'
'Should be,' Gibbs said. 'Unless we get a case that takes us out of town, we should be able to swing by here for then. How long does the ceremony typically take?' he asked.
'Roughly twenty minutes at the most,' the clerk said. 'Shall I book you in?'
'Go ahead,' Tony said with a grin. 'Might as well get it over with as soon as possible.'
The clerk frowned, but put through the booking and printed off confirmation. 'Don't forget to come in on Monday to pick up your license,' she said. 'And congratulations.'
'Thanks,' Gibbs said. 'Come on, Tony. Let's grab a sandwich before we have to get back to work.'
'Good,' Tony said as his stomach rumbled and they laughed as they headed down the steps outside the courthouse.
#
They caught a case that afternoon that sent them all over the eastern seaboard and kept them running around for a week and a half. Tony was down in South Carolina and Gibbs ended up chasing a lead in Chicago. As Wednesday afternoon drew to a close without either of them able to say when they'd make it back, in frustration, Gibbs found a quiet corner of the local police station where he'd spent the day in a fruitless quest for their prime suspects, and pulled out his cell phone.
'Ducky, I need you to do me a favor,' he said without preamble. 'Can you get away for half an hour?'
'Now?'
'Before five,' Gibbs said.
'I believe I can safely leave Mister Palmer in charge for that length of time, yes,' the ME said warmly. 'How can I help you?'
Gibbs paused. 'I need you to go down to the courthouse on Indiana Avenue.'
'Oh?'
'I need you to pick up a marriage license,' Gibbs said.
There was silence on the other end of the line, then Ducky said, 'I believe I shall transfer this through to my office. One moment, Jethro.' A click, a moment of dead air, and he was back. 'Now, what was that about a marriage license?'
Gibbs closed his eyes and bit back the curse that sat on his lips. 'Ducky, please.'
'I was unaware you'd been seeing anyone, let alone that things had progressed to such a stage. She must be very understanding if she is prepared to share your house with Anthony also. Or were you planning on asking him to leave?'
Biting the bullet, Gibbs said, 'It's Tony, Duck.'
Another silence. 'I beg your pardon?'
'I'm marrying Tony on the fifteenth, but we can't do that without the license. We should have picked it up on Monday, but what with this damn case, neither of us has had chance,' Gibbs forced himself to explain, fighting back the increasing sense of frustration. He eyed the detectives across the room, hoping none of them could hear him.
'I rather think you owe me dinner, Jethro. It's been too long since we had chance to catch up, don't you think?' the ME said firmly.
'Fine. I'll have to check with Tony,' Gibbs warned. 'I promised him I wouldn't say anything, but…'
'In that case, say no more,' Ducky said. 'I shall go immediately and upon your return, you can both tell me as much or as little as you wish.'
'Thanks, Duck.' Gibbs ended the call, scrubbed a hand over his face, then went back to work. That night, he called Tony from his hotel room.
'Hey boss, what's up?' Tony asked. Gibbs could hear him stifling a yawn.
'Not your boss,' Gibbs said softly.
'Okay, Jethro.'
'Just wanted to let you know Ducky picked up the license this afternoon.'
There was a pause. 'Oh.'
'He says I owe him dinner. I told him it wasn't my story to tell.'
Tony sighed. 'At least Ducky knows how to be discreet. Thanks for letting me know./em'
'I couldn't think of any other way to get the license. They won't mail it out.'
'Sure. Listen, I'm going to go grab some sleep while I can. Ziva and I are on stakeout again in a few hours.'
'Okay. Watch yourself. Don't want you getting into trouble while I'm stuck all the way up here,' Gibbs said.
'Why Jethro, I didn't know you cared.' There was a teasing note in Tony's voice that came through the tiredness.
'Hell, Tony, I've always cared,' Gibbs said, then hung up. He grinned, picturing Tony's face: a mixture of surprise and the unadulterated happiness he always seemed to feel at getting an unexpected compliment from his second-b-is-for-bastard boss.
#
A week later, the team dropped their reports on Gibbs' desk with a sigh of relief. 'It's sad, but I'm really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed,' Tony admitted, stretching his arms out in front of him. 'I must be getting old. I should send that last motel the bill for my chiropractor.'
Tim yawned. 'They could set up a practice in the motel. They'd make a fortune.'
Gibbs grunted. 'Would you really want to let a budget chiropractor loose on your back?'
'Good point, boss,' Tony said. 'So can we get out of here?'
'In a minute. Why don't you go see if Ducky's free?' Gibbs said.
Tony hesitated, then nodded. 'Be back in a few.'
Gibbs finished reading Tim's report and set it aside. 'McGee, you can go. I don't want to see you in here before Friday.'
'Thanks, boss,' Tim said, grabbing his coat and powering down his PC. 'See you Friday, Ziva.'
'Enjoy your day off,' Ziva smiled. She waited until he'd gone before approaching Gibbs' desk.
'There something I can help you with?' Gibbs asked mildly without looking up from her report.
'I was wondering,' she began hesitantly. 'Is there something the matter with Tony? Because he has seemed a little… His behavior has not been quite normal over the past few weeks and things seem different between you.'
Gibbs set down her report and looked up. 'Tony's fine,' he said. 'Why, has he said anything?'
'No, but I am his partner and I remember the last time his behavior changed and I did not ask. I should have paid more attention then. And it is not only myself who has noticed. Both Abby and McGee wish to know what is wrong.'
Silently cursing how observant his team was, Gibbs put on his best game face. 'Have you tried asking Tony?'
Ziva shook her head. 'He will not talk about things that truly matter to him. He talks to you and sometimes to Ducky.'
'Ziva, if there was something going on with Tony that he thought you should know about, he'd tell you,' Gibbs said firmly. 'Since he hasn't, I don't think you have anything to worry about.'
The agent fixed him with a gimlet-eyed stare. 'But you do know something.'
'Drop it, Ziva,' Gibbs warned.
She took a deep breath. 'Very well. But if it turns out that you do not have his back and Tony comes to harm, I will be very displeased.'
Gibbs barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. 'Go home, Agent David.'
Ziva glared at him for another few seconds, then stalked over to her desk. Gibbs skimmed the rest of her report as she bundled herself up in a down jacket gathered up her things. She got into the elevator as Tony and Ducky got out.
'Good evening, Jethro,' Ducky said. 'I was just asking Anthony if he had any plans for dinner. There's a rather nice little French place a few minutes away that I've been meaning to go back to, but I always find food tastes better in company. Don't you think so?'
'Duck,' Gibbs nodded. 'Give me a minute and I'll be ready to go.' He tidied his desk, turned off the lamp and grabbed his coat. 'French, huh? Better not be nouvelle cuisine. Always have to grab a sandwich when I get home.'
'Boss, you know nouvelle cuisine?' Tony asked in mock-astonishment. 'I wouldn't have thought there was a force on earth powerful enough to get you to eat it. And more than once!'
Gibbs cuffed Tony lightly round the back of the head. 'Usually tastes fine, just overpriced for what you get,' he grumbled.
'Really, Jethro,' Ducky tutted as they made their way through the parking garage. 'Sometimes the experience of the flavors and textures is more important than the quantity of food.' In the face of skeptical looks from both agents, he sighed. 'The restaurant serves Breton cuisine. That means lots of meat and seafood, in large portions.'
'What are we waiting for?' Gibbs asked, stopping by his car. 'Want a lift?'
Ducky shook his head. 'I'll take mine and you can follow me. That way there is at least a small chance of avoiding fiery death on the highway.' He headed for his own car, leaving the two men staring after him.
'Was Ducky dissing your driving?' Tony asked. 'You know, I think he was,' he said, answering his own question. 'Possibly saying your driving is a little on the fast and reckless side, boss, which I'd take offence at if, you know, your driving wasn't a little on the fast side. Some people might say reckless, but not me-'
'DiNozzo!' Gibbs snapped. 'You want to eat tonight? Get in the damn car!'
Tony did as he was told. Smiling, they pulled out of the Yard after Ducky and made the short drive.
The restaurant was welcoming, cozy, and Ducky assured them the food was more authentic than the waiters' accents. After they were seated and the drinks had arrived, Ducky lifted his glass of wine. 'To your very good health. May you find joy in your forthcoming nuptials. I wish you a long and happy life together.'
Tony raised his beer. 'Good health,' he murmured, echoed by Gibbs. He put his glass down with a sigh. 'Thanks for picking up the license.'
'You're welcome.' Ducky regarded him with a steady gaze that revealed the steel he normally kept well hidden. 'Forgive me for my impertinence, and I really don't mean to pry into your affairs, but I can't help thinking that whatever your reasons are for getting married, this isn't, as my mother would have put it, a love match.'
Tony flushed. 'Not really, no.'
'Then allow me to say this,' Ducky paused to include Gibbs. 'I do hope that, whatever your motives, you are at least happy together.'
One corner of Gibbs' mouth quirked up. 'I don't know about happy, but Tony's lived with me longer than my last wife did. Without the shouting and throwing things.'
'Shouting and throwing things are options? Wow,' Tony said, wide-eyed. 'You really must be different as a husband.'
'Tony,' Gibbs warned.
'Jethro,' Tony replied, more seriously. He sighed. 'My grandmother left me a trust fund. She said it was to take care of the inevitable DiNozzo mid-life crisis, so I only get it once I've hit forty. The catch is that I have to have been married for at least a year before then. I have no idea why, but Jethro offered to step up to the plate for me. I still don't get it, you know?' he added, turning his attention to the older agent. 'I mean, won't this cause problems at work? And what if word gets out and people think we're, you know, sleeping together. Things might be changing in the military, but I can't see many of the marines being too happy about dealing with gay agents. Or at least with agents they think are gay.'
The ME watched the men with interest as Gibbs shrugged. 'Don't see why word would get out, Tony. I don't think Ducky's planning on spilling the beans.'
'Most certainly not. And you didn't have to tell me why you're marrying, although I'm very grateful you have done,' Ducky said. 'Far be it from me to betray a confidence.'
'If it does,' Gibbs said, leaning forwards, 'we'll deal with it. I won't let it cause any problems at work.'
'Don't we have to let HR know?' Tony asked. 'I thought there was a whole pile of paperwork to get through.'
Ducky smiled. 'Leave that to me. I believe I can make the necessary changes without alerting anyone to the fact. So you aren't planning on staying married beyond the year necessary?'
'Hadn't got that far,' Gibbs said. 'We'll sort it out when the time comes. So, have you heard about the imaging table they've got up in the crime labs for the NYPD? Abby's already pushing for us to get one.'
The ME didn't miss the unsubtle change of topic, but allowed the conversation to turn to other things until the meal was over.
'You were right about the food,' Tony said, leaning back in his chair and sighing contentedly. 'I'd happily eat here again.'
'How about yourself, Jethro?' Ducky asked. 'Was it worth the visit?'
'Not bad,' Gibbs said with a smile. 'I've had a damn sight worse.'
'In that case, maybe I won't give you indigestion…' Ducky said. 'I, ah… I was wondering when your wedding is.'
'Monday afternoon,' Tony said. 'Why?'
'I was wondering if you were in need of a witness.'
Gibbs regarded the ME in surprise. 'You want to come along?'
'Very much so,' Ducky said. 'If neither of you would mind.'
Tony shared a look with Gibbs, then beamed. 'Ducky, we'd love to have you there. We'll pick you up from Autopsy around quarter to three.'
'Wonderful!' And with that, the evening drew to a close.
