Chapter 4
Ziva was busy gathering background information on Kroudle when a paper ball whizzed past her and landed behind the desk. She glanced up at Tony who was already crumbling the next piece of paper to throw in her direction.
"Tony!"
DiNozzo flashed an innocent smile then proceeded to lob another ball, this time hitting her in the head. Slamming her hands down on the desk she got up, walked over and cornered him. She grabbed his hand; using her thumb to put pressure on the artery.
"Throw one more paper ball at me and that is the last time you will ever use this hand! You got that?"
Tony squirmed uncomfortably in his seat as Ziva continued to apply pressure. When he refused to answer, she pressed down harder causing Tony to let out a yelp. "I g…go…got it." He whimpered as she released his hand and took a step back.
"Good!" She replied; satisfied DiNozzo would stop for at least the remainder of the night.
"Jeez you weren't kidding," he whined as he shook and rubbed his hand trying to restore blood flow.
"You have known me long enough to know that I do not joke, Tony."
Getting up from the chair, Tony carefully scooted past her and went to the window. "I'm bored, that's all. It's been awhile since we've heard from Gibbs and McGee. Ducky, Palmer and Abby are waiting on results and we've already contacted Kroudle's family and Commanding Officer. What else is there to do?"
"I am working on his background, you can hel…" Just as Ziva was about to finish, an alert sounded from Tony's computer notifying there was a new email.
"Ah ha, saved by the ding," he snickered, while walking back to his desk to open his email. Ziva followed him and looked over his shoulder as he pulled up his account. Feeling her presence, Tony turned around, "Do you mind?"
"No, I do not," she said in a straightforward manner. Rolling his eyes, he clicked on his inbox, "It's from Probie." He paused as he read the subject line, "No, actually it's from Gibbs."
Ziva shook her head in confusion, "Is it from McGee or Gibbs?"
"Does it really matter?" He questioned as he opened the email and began reading. "They found a phone number at Kroudle's house; Gibbs wants us to investigate and see where it leads." Tony scribbled the number down on a piece of paper and handed it to her.
Scoffing she yanked the paper out of his hand, "I thought you were bored!"
Tony leaned back, took out his cell phone and put his feet up on the desk, "Tracing phone numbers is Probie work."
Ziva snatched the phone out of his hand before he had a chance to react. "Hey, give that back," he complained as she put it in her pocket and set the paper with the phone number on his desk.
When she got back to her desk and sat down, Tony was still reeling from having one pulled over on him. "C'mon Zeevah, if you don't give it back, I'm going to tell Gibbs."
"Fine! I will tell him how you were bored and unwilling to do your job. That is really going to go over well with him."
Realizing Ziva was right; Tony opened the tracer program and entered the number that was listed in the email. Once he started the search he stood up, "I'm going to get coffee; it could take awhile until we have a match." Happy to have some peace and quiet, Ziva waved him on as he began to walk away. However, before he could step in the elevator, a series of beeps signaled a match to the phone number.
"That was quick," he responded, walking back to his desk. He pulled it up on the plasma as the map zoned in on a remote area in Virginia.
Tony studied the map, "The phone number is attached to a building in Fort Valley, Virginia." He pointed out the location and continued, "From the looks of it, that's only about two hours west of here."
Ziva ran an Internet search on the town then pulled up her findings on the screen, "It is known for its seclusion and surrounded by the George Washington National Forest. The population is only fourteen hundred people."
"Whatever is going on there, they're working really hard to keep a low profile."
Standing up from her desk, Ziva joined Tony in front of the plasma, "Could be terrorists, drugs …" Before she could continue, Tony interrupted her, "Remember the condition of the body? Let's not also forget McSneezy who is allergic to about every creature known to man."
"I do not think we should jump to conclusions. We need to drive over there and check it out."
They both looked over at the window at the snow, which was coming down fast and furious. Tony scoffed, "There's no way I'm driving out to the middle of nowhere in a blizzard even if the vehicles are equipped with four wheel drive."
Patting Tony on the shoulder, Ziva chuckled, "You do not have to; I will drive."
Throwing his hands up in the air, Tony's voice raised an octave, "Oh no, no, no you're not driving anywhere! I'm still young; I would like to live, thank you very much!"
Shrugging her shoulders, Ziva scoffed, "Fine; have it your way."
While they were busy arguing, neither noticed Vance emerging from the back elevator, coming to a stop in the middle of the bullpen. Clearing his throat to get their attention, he asked, "Where are Gibbs and McGee?"
Tony looked at his watch; "They've been at Staff Sergeant Kroudle's house since we left the crime scene. We got an email from McGee twenty minutes ago saying their cell phones were down, but found a phone number that needed tracing."
Looking over at the plasma, Vance replied, "And?"
Not allowing Tony a chance to respond, Ziva began filling the Director in on the new information they learned. "The phone number was for a location in Fort Valley, Virginia."
Vance cocked one of his eyebrows, "And?"
Grabbing the remote, Ziva displayed the map the two of them were looking at earlier before she continued, "As you can see from the map, Fort Valley is two hours west of here. Tony and I were discussing whether to go tonight or wait until the snow storm dies down."
Glancing between the duo to gauge if they were serious, Vance chuckled when he realized they were. "I appreciate how dedicated you are to your jobs, but there's no way in hell I'm letting you drive there tonight. In fact, I came up here to tell you to go home while the main roads are still passable. I already sent the gang downstairs home and I would like you to do the same."
"Well, uh, I'm not sur…" Tony trailed off as Vance looked in his direction.
"Got something to say, Special Agent DiNozzo?"
"I don't know how Gibbs would feel about that, sir." Tony mumbled, suddenly fascinated with his shoes.
"Last time I checked, Agent Gibbs' name isn't on the door upstairs. I'm giving you two a direct order to go home! Do I make myself clear?"
Nodding simultaneously they each began saving the new information they had gathered.
Heading to the stairs, Vance turned around, "I better not see either one of you here when I swing back by in five minutes."
Packing up her bag, Ziva replied, "We understand, Director. See you in the morning."
"Good, I'll see you in the morning. Be careful out there." Vance responded as he ascended the stairs to his office.
When he was out of sight, Ziva picked up one of the discarded paper balls and threw it at Tony, "You cannot just keep your mouth shut, can you? You make both of us look bad!"
Tony shrugged his shoulders, "I can't help it. Quiet down; I need to send Probie an email and fill him in on what we found. I don't want to know what Vance would do to me if he came back down and I was still here."
Shouldering her backpack, Ziva chuckled, "Hopefully make you wear a muzzle for an entire day."
Mocking her laughter, Tony sent a quick email to McGee then shut his computer down and bolted for the elevator. Shaking her head, her eyes sparkling with mischief, Ziva followed him.
As the car creaked, shook and shuddered from its impact with the tree, Tim gingerly opened his eyes. He had shut them tightly, not wanting to witness his second accident of the day. The last sounds he'd heard had been Gibbs grunting as he struggled, trying to avoid the tree until the inevitable second of impact. For all his efforts, the car gave a partial last spin before crunching into the tree, the main point of impact the driver's side front part of the car. The airbags had deployed and were now dangling pieces of fabric, having done their job. As Tim now looked at Gibbs, his eyes widened as he noticed the blood pouring down his boss's face. Before he did anything else, he reached out and turned the car off, removing the key. The older man's eyes were still closed and Tim grimaced as he fought his seat belt to turn toward him. Finally freeing himself, he carefully reached over to Gibbs, and was gently exploring his head to find the cut when the man's eyes opened.
Tim spoke gently, "Don't move, Gib, you've got a cut on your head, I'm trying to see how bad it is."
"I'm ok, Timmy, are you hurt?"
"No, not hurt at all."
"Good…argh…" Tim startled at Gibbs' groan. "Is it your head or somewhere else?"
"My head and my arm, think I wrenched it trying to move the car away from the tree."
"Ok, let me find something to put on your head to try and stop the bleeding; then we'll get to your arm. Try and relax, Boss."
"I'll try." Gibbs shut his eyes again and Tim, a bit alarmed, took his parka and shirt off, using his belt knife to cut a long strip of his shirt for a makeshift bandage. He cut off a smaller piece and folded it into a pad. Finally locating the cut, he pressed with the small pad, hoping to stop or at least slow down the bleeding. When that didn't help after a few minutes, he left the pad on the cut and tied the longer piece around Gibbs' head. He needed to get the bleeding stopped and get them to shelter, the car was already cold. Hypothermia, while it might slow the bleeding, wouldn't do either of them any good. Looking around, he realized their best bet would be the dilapidated old house they'd just left.
Rousing Gibbs, he told him he was going to take him to the house and then come back for their gear. Gibbs grunted in agreement. Tim found he could open his door without any problem, but when he worked his way through the snow to the driver's side, he saw opening that door would be impossible. Rather than spend time on it, he followed his own footsteps in the snow back to the passenger side of the car.
Getting back into the car, he told Gibbs, "The door on your side is jammed. You're going to have to move over to my side and I'll get you out that way."
Gibbs opened his eyes, "Going to need your help, Timmy. Think my right foot is stuck under the pedal."
Tim swore at himself as he looked down, seeing one of Gibbs' feet lodged under the accelerator. He couldn't believe he'd missed that. Thanking whoever had graced him with long fingers, arms and legs so that he could reach down without having to contort himself or hurt Gibbs, he manipulated first the accelerator pedal and then the stuck foot. He worked slowly; not wanting to cause further pain or injury to the foot. He finally freed the foot by prying it, as gently as possible, from the boot Gibbs was wearing.
Once he got the foot free, he ran his hands carefully over it, not feeling any obvious damage. When Gibbs uttered a noise that sounded amazingly like a giggle, Tim froze.
"Gib?"
"Ticklish, Tim; it's ok. My foot is sore but it doesn't hurt badly."
"Ok, let me get that boot out now." Reaching back down over Gibbs' leg and trying mightily not to think about the bodily contact, he wrestled the boot out from under the pedal and then carefully put it back on the foot. Since the foot was a little swollen, he didn't bother tying the laces. As he finished, he looked up at Gibbs and saw a bleary smile on the man's face.
"You're doing good, Tim, just need to get us to the house now."
"Ok, can you scoot your butt over here or want some help?"
Gibbs gave him a big smiley smirk and Tim knew immediately he was blushing, he could feel heat on his face…and elsewhere. He shook his head; he needed to get him to shelter and what was with this anyway? He'd never in his life been attracted to a man, it had never even occurred to him; what was happening to him?
"Hmm, think I might need some help."
"Boss."
"All right." Tim looked at the man he was having some very different feelings for and watched as he worked to scoot sideways. While Tim watched his efforts, he put his jacket back on to get it out of the way and stuffed the remnants of his shirt into his jacket pocket. At that point, Tim realized Gibbs really did need help and wrapping his long arms around his waist, pulled him sideways toward him.
When Gibbs ended up nearly in his lap, Tim scrambled backwards out the door, trying not to show the panic currently warring with his too eager libido. Recovering quickly, he pulled Gibbs' legs out and then pulled the man up into his arms, not wanting to chance that the foot was hurt worse than they thought and Gibbs would not be able to stand on his own.
Gibbs nearly swallowed his tongue when Tim pulled him out of the car and into his arms. He understood why he'd done that; it was a good move as he really didn't want to face plant in the snow; however his feelings for the younger man were quickly spiraling into something he had never felt before. Gibbs was as straight as could be, had been his whole life, had never felt the least bit of attraction to another man. Even with the sometimes closeness of men in combat, there hadn't been anything. Until now. He took a deep breath and realized that was a mistake as he inhaled Tim's scent. With Tim's strong arms still holding him up, he took a tentative step with his good foot and found that, other than the snow, he felt stable enough to walk. Tim kept one arm slung around his back in support as they made their way slowly back to the old house. Gibbs leaned on Tim, as he wasn't quite sure of his sore foot. The short half block traveled by car took several minutes to walk through the still drifting snow.
Finally making it back to the house, Tim helped Gibbs sit down before dragging the heater in front of the older man. His heart skipped a beat when he flipped the switch and nothing happened. There was no way they were going to make it through the night without some type of heat. Tim took a few deep breaths, he knew he needed to remain calm and figure out a way to fix it. Gibbs was always the one who took care of his family, now it was time to return the favor.
Realizing it was taking longer to turn on the heater than it should have Gibbs cleared his throat, "What's wrong Timmy?"
Drawing in a long sigh, Tim gingerly turned his upper body to address his boss, "The heater won't turn on. It was working fine earlier and now when we really need it, the damn thing won't turn on."
"Try fiddling with the cord, I think there's a short in it. Probably needs to be at just the right angle."
Tim gently twisted and tugged on the cord, trying different angles and was pleasantly surprised when the power light flashed red and he could feel heat start to emanate from it. Releasing the breath he didn't know he was holding, he slowly stood up and moved out of the way. Turning around to face Gibbs he was greeted by a giant smile from the older man, "I knew you could do it, Timmy. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks," Tim replied as he felt his face reddened and warmth envelop his body.
The two men stared at each other for a brief moment until Tim snapped out of it. "Boss, I'm going back to the car to get our bags and the emergency kit. Hopefully none of it was damaged in the impact. When I get back, I want to take a closer look at your head, arm and foot."
"Timmy, I'm fine. It's just a little cut and some bruises." Gibbs protested as he fought to get comfortable in the chair.
"Uh huh, I'll be the judge of that. Stay put until I get back."
Nodding, Gibbs slumped back in the chair to give his aching body a rest. Tim squeezed his shoulder then walked over to the front door, "Don't worry, Gib. I'm going to take good care of you."
As Tim closed the door behind him a fierce gust of wind mixed with snow pummeled him in the face. The wind along with the cold was making it difficult for him to catch his breath as he trekked back through the snowdrifts. Finally making it to the car, he opened the trunk and was relieved to see two blankets folded and tucked neatly to the side. Thank God it was a rule that during the winter all agency sedans were to be equipped with them in case of an emergency. After grabbing the blankets he shouldered his backpack along with their 'go bags' then closed the trunk. Every bone in his body ached as he made his way back to the house. However, no matter how tired or sore he was Gibbs needed his full attention and he planned on giving it to him. Truth of the matter was he was actually looking forward to being the one in charge and happy he could take care of Gibbs for a change. Nevertheless he couldn't help but think, "Two accidents in one day has to be some sort of record," he mumbled to himself as he opened the front door.
He found Gibbs where he'd left him, in the chair in front of the heater. Despite Tim having been out in the cold, the room didn't seem much warmer to him. His jacket was soaked so he peeled it off and laid it on the back of another chair; hoping the little bit of heat emanating from the heater would help dry it. Realizing the heater wasn't going to be enough to keep them both warm, he decided to first check out Gibbs' injuries and then they could talk about options.
"Gib, I'm back, brought blankets, the first aid kit and our go bags. Your head has stopped bleeding, so I'm going to leave that alone for now. Let's get you out of your coat so I can take a look at your arm."
Gibbs opened his eyes to find his Tim kneeling in front of him, his green eyes clouded in concern. His second glance took in the fact that Tim's shirt was gone and his chest, although clad in a white undershirt, was quite revealing in this cold room. Between Tim kneeling in front of him and his chest so close to him, Gibbs' mouth went dry. He mutely held his arms out while Tim's warm hands removed them from his coat sleeves. Judging by the bright red color of Tim's ears and the nipples showing through his shirt, the younger man was thinking along the same lines as he'd been.
Tim held his arm and gently probed his wrist. "It's not swollen, Gib, and I don't feel any broken bones here, let me check the rest of your arm." Tim shivered as he ran his hands up his boss's muscular arm.
Running his hand back down Gibbs' arm, Tim tried to swallow then realized his mouth had gone drier than sand in the desert. Biting his lower lip, he thought about what he now knew he wanted and also realized that under the circumstances, he'd have to be the one to raise the topic. Moving from Gibbs' arm to his injured foot, the younger man tried to keep a clinical touch to avoid tickling or causing any pain.
Despite Tim's best efforts to keep from tickling his foot, Gibbs squirmed, finally giving into the laugh that had been threatening. Tim gave him an apologetic smile as Gibbs reached out and tapped his chin, "You're doing fine, Timmy; you can't help it if my feet are ticklish."
Tim got a glint in his eye and Gibbs' heart suddenly started pounding a bit harder. "That heater isn't going to give us much heat, Gib, I think we should spread the blanket on the carpet, then huddle up there, wrap the other blanket around us. We need to share our body heat.
I think your foot's ok, I can't feel any broken bones but I think your wrist is sprained. I'll get an ace bandage out of the first aid kit and put it on."
"You done one before, Timmy?"
"Yep, not a problem; has to be just tight enough for support." Tim fetched the stretchy bandage from the kit and slowly wound it around Gibbs' wrist and if he was fantasizing about wrapping something else around another appendage, he kept it to himself. Gibbs was enjoying the young man's touch and he'd pretty much forgotten about his foot, wrist and head.
Satisfied with the job he'd done, Tim gently squeezed Gibbs' arm, "How does that feel?"
"Feels great, Timmy." He shivered but not because he was cold, the chemistry between the two of them was heating up.
Tim helped him stand up, then pulled the chair back and laid the blanket on the carpet. He helped Gibbs sit down on the floor and then sat closely behind him, pretty close to a spooning position.
Pulling up the other blanket over his shoulders, Tim scooted closer to Gibbs resting his chest against his back. Gibbs tilted his head back to lean against Tim, enjoying the physical warmth and connection. With his good arm, he reached out and rubbed Tim's leg, stretched out beyond his.
Tim breathed against Gibbs' cheek and let himself rub about the chiseled face just a little. Enjoying the touch, Tim let his arms slide down Gibbs' chest and sides.
Gibbs leaned back further and let out a sigh. "This is nice, Timmy."
"Mmhmm," Tim whispered in his ear. Continuing his exploration of Gibbs' body, Tim made his way higher and began massaging the older man's shoulders. Gibbs groaned in pleasure and Tim chuckled. Leaning forward a little, he gave a light kiss to the soft silver hair on the top of Gibbs' head. "Jethro, we need to talk."
"I know you were my dada for awhile and you were the best dada I ever had." Tim paused, smiling and he saw from Gibbs' face turned toward him that he was also smiling.
"Now there's something else going on between us. I'm starting to have other feelings for you and I believe there's something going on with you too. I hope we're on the same page - or at least the same book - and that this," he gestured between the two of them, "could grow into something special."
Tim tried to act calm on the outside, but on the inside he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He wished Gibbs would say something, anything, but for the moment he was just sitting there, staring at him. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Gibbs spoke, "I've been thinking about you all day, Timmy. No matter how hard I tried, you were the only person on my mind."
"I've been feeling the same way, Jethro. I couldn't figure it out for awhile. Because, despite what DiWhiny says, I'm straight, or I was straight." Tim shook his head as if to clear it. "I've always been straight; I've never been attracted to another man, never even considered it. But now, I can't keep my mind off of you and I want to touch you. I don't even really know what gay guys do but whatever it is, I want to do that with you." He huffed out a breath, hoping he hadn't just killed whatever was growing between them.
Looking up, he relaxed when he saw Gibbs grinning at him. "Me too, Timmy, I've been straight all my life, even when things got a little too close in the Corps, I never even thought about another guy. Until you."
Gibbs reached out and pulled Tim's head closer. First nuzzling noses, he kissed him. For a first kiss, it was amazing. Lips on lips, then both mouths opening. Tim groaned as Gibbs slipped his tongue inside his mouth, gently poking and prodding every square inch of space. Gibbs then ran his tongue over the top row of Tim's teeth and pulled away with a gentle nip to his bottom lip.
They both gave breathy little laughs as they pulled apart and Tim pulled Jethro's face to him, snuggling up to him as they pressed forehead to forehead. His forehead still against Tim's, Gibbs blinked, thinking, "I had no idea that kissing another man would be so wonderful, it must just be my Tim. That was a more exciting and satisfying kiss than I've had with any woman except Shannon."
In a daze, Tim, when he could finally think, thought, "Wow that was amazing! Kissing Gibbs was better than any kiss I've ever had with a woman, especially Abby."
Leaning back, Tim winced as the sudden movement caused a stabbing sensation in his chest. Noticing Tim's discomfort, Gibbs lightly ran his fingertips over his chest. Tim gasped, from a combination of pain and pleasure. He reached down, intertwined their fingers then leaned forward and kissed the top of Gibbs' hand. "Let me take a look, Timmy. You've taken good care of me; I need to know that you're alright."
Gingerly slipping off his shirt, Tim shivered as Gibbs once again ran his fingertips over the angry bruise that graced his chest. "It appears much worse than it did this morning, Timmy. I don't like the way it looks."
Cocking one eyebrow, Tim whispered seductively, "You could kiss it and make it better."
Wagging his own eyebrows in response, Gibbs leaned over and began his ministrations by giving the colorful bruise a light lick, over and around it. Then he moved up and down Tim's chest, coming back to the bruise and lightly kissing it. When Tim gave off a pleasured moan, Gibbs resumed his work, this time peppering his entire chest with kisses. Finding his nipples, he wondered if Tim would have the same reaction a woman would.
Deciding to find out, he sucked first one nipple, then the other, then came back to the first one and tweaked it tenderly, laving it with his lips and tongue. When Tim cried out, arching his back, Gibbs grinned, "Yeah that worked!"
Moving his mouth to the other nipple, Gibbs gave it the same treatment with much the same response. Moving up, he kissed Tim's swollen lips and then moved back to the bruise, licking it tenderly. Tim reached up and grabbed Gibbs' head, and pulled him up for a kiss. "My turn!" He whispered throatily.
He tugged on the hem of Gibbs' shirt and Jethro helped him remove it and his undershirt. Tim ran his hand down through the mat of silvery hair on Jethro's chest, found his nipples and tweaked them, one by one. Leaning down, he took one nipple in his mouth and sucked, then gave the other one the same consideration. Just as Tim had, Jethro bucked, crying out in pleasure. Tim continued laving his nipples with his lips and tongue, continuing around Jethro's chest, occasionally reaching for his mouth and kissing him thoroughly, dipping his tongue into his mouth.
After long pleasurable minutes of loving on each other, Tim lifted his head when he saw Gibbs wince in pain.
"Jethro?"
"It's my arm, Timmy. Nothing we can do about it."
"Yeah, my chest is kind of hurting too; maybe we should just rest for awhile?"
"C'mere, scoot over, we need to conserve body heat, you know."
Both men laughed as Gibbs gathered Tim in his arms, being careful of his injured limb and Tim's bruised chest, and they lay back down on the blanket. Tim laid his head on Jethro's chest, his favorite place to be, then reached back gingerly, pulling the other blanket over them.
