Into the Fold Chapter 7
Tony spun around taking a defensive stance. The hand that gripped his bicep belonged to the man that had been staring at him in the restaurant.
As he pulled away from the man's grasp he heard him say "Whoa, pal! Hey, I didn't mean to scare you!"
Tony said the first thing that came into his mind.
"ARE YOU A VAMPIRE?"
The man looked stunned and said incredulously "WHAT!?"
"Are you a vampire?! You know, walking corpse, undead, blood sucker, coffin dweller..." Tony was running out of breath.
"NO!" the man laughed shaking his head "Have you been drinking?"
"WHAT?! No I haven't been drinking! What do you want?!"
The man looked embarrassed but said "Well, I was watching you eat that cheeseburger. You looked really hot. Wanted to know if you'd like to, you know, go out."
Tony stared at the man for several seconds. He burst out laughing.
"You think I'm gay?" he asked holding his gut
"Well, I was kinda hoping…" the man responded
Tony couldn't stop. He was rolling with laughter. The stress of everything just got to him and laughter seemed the only outlet. The man across from him was getting pissed.
"Well, at least I didn't think you were a fucking VAMPIRE!" he said in a huff
Tony froze and looked at the man. Tony was not homophobic in any shape or form. He realized it took a lot of guts for the guy to approach him. He held out his hand and said:
"My name is Tony. I appreciate the offer but I am not gay."
The man looked at Tony's hand then back into Tony's face. He smiled and shaking Tony's hand he said:
"Skip, my name is Skip. Gay, but not a vampire."
The men soon parted company no feelings hurt. Although, Skip was still curious as to why Tony thought he might be a vampire.
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Four bourbons in his belly, Gibbs was ready to try to relax and focus his mind on what Tony might be doing. Gibbs lay in bed and allowed the warm feeling of the alcohol to envelope him. He knew he needed to get to the brink of sleep for him to succeed in connecting with Tony's mind. Of course, Tony had to be asleep for this to work. It was 2 am. Gibbs figured it was as good a time as any. He pictured Tony's face in his mind as he focused on his breathing. In and out, in and out….
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At 2 AM Tony was sitting in the Motel hot tub.
He had parted company with Skip around 1:15 am. Returning to his room he decided to pull on some shorts and go for a swim. The posted pool hours were 9am to 10pm. The gate was not locked so Tony entered. The pool was the usual rectangle, 3 feet in the shallow end and 8 feet in the deep. There was a diving board at the deep end. The hot tub was off to the side. It was actually a redwood tub that could sit 6 people at most.
The light that would usually illuminate the pool from within was not on. The whole pool area was in darkness. If the moon wasn't full that night Tony would not have been able to see a thing. He dove off the board and enjoyed the feel of the water as he skimmed along the bottle of the pool until he reached the shallow end. He shot out of the water taking in a deep breath. It felt incredible. He had not been swimming at night for years. He would love to be skinny dipping but didn't push his luck. Besides it was only really fun when you had another naked person with you. Preferably a girl…who was not a vampire!
Tony chuckled seeing Skip's shocked expression again in his mind. When he asked the "vampire" question Skip's reaction was priceless.
After a few laps Tony got out and headed to the hot tub. He set the Jacuzzi jets and climbed in. He threw his head back onto one of the soft pillows lining the tub. He looked up at the moon. He thought about his team. He thought about Gibbs. Did the full moon affect vampires? Tony had so many questions that he hoped he could get answered. He wished he could just ask Gibbs in person….this was the last thought Tony had as his eyes closed and he fell asleep.
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Gibbs saw moonlight in his mind. He heard a whirring sound but did not know what it was. He felt relaxed and warm. He could smell… Chlorine? He felt water bubbling up and around the side of his body. A vision of Tony began to appear in Gibbs mind. Gibbs was standing next to a redwood tub. He could see Tony in the tub. His head was back and he appeared to be asleep. Gibbs looked around. The sounds and smells that had entered his mind were validated by the vision around him.
He whispered Tony's name. Nothing.
"Tony" he said it again, soft but firm
He watched Tony stir a bit.
"Tony…..I need you to tell me where you are." He coaxed using a soft vocal cadence
"Boss?"
Gibbs heard this response in his mind. He had not done this in so long he had to remain calm. He wanted to just stomp up to the tub, smack Tony on the back of the head and scream "DiNozzo! Where the fuck are you?" He wanted to demand Tony return to him now.
He had to tread lightly.
"Tony…where are you?"
Gibbs heard a loud voice say "HEY!"
Gibbs eyes opened. He was home in his bed, the connection he had with Tony had been broken.
Meanwhile….
Tony bolted up in the hot tub. He looked around. Had Gibbs been there? He could swear he heard…
"Hey! The pool hours ended at ten!"
Tony was face to face with Motel security.
"Uh, hey, sorry about that…" Tony apologized as he got out of the hot tub. The Security guard had turned off the Jacuzzi jets and stood there with his arms crossed glaring at Tony. He watched Tony leave the pool area and head towards his room.
Tony decided to take a hot shower and wash the chlorine away before sleeping. He could swear he felt Gibbs presence out at the hot tub, had heard Gibbs speak to him in his mind. He shivered even though the water running over his body was very hot. He was so confused. He must be tired and he imagined it.
He got out of the shower, placed the Do Not Disturb sign on his door. Climbing into bed he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
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Gibbs got out of bed. No sleeping for him now. He was frustrated but was actually surprised he was able to connect to Tony at all. He put on a pot of coffee. When it was done he poured himself a huge mug and headed for the basement.
He always found sanctuary in his basement and his boat when he needed to think.
He was sanding with the grain and sipping his coffee when he felt the presence of the other in his home.
This presence was so very familiar but he had not felt it in years.
He turned when he heard her coming down the stairs.
Katherine Maddox looked just the same as the day she and Gibbs had first met.
She smiled at him and said:
"You've been outted, Jethro." Her voice still sounded like melted honey to Gibbs ear
"Outted Kat?" he smirked at her use of such a modern term.
Her auburn hair framed her heart shaped face and her lilac colored eyes held firm to Gibbs blue.
"You know who it is that discovered your true self?" she demanded
"I do"
"Then why haven't you acted? Time is of the essence, Jethro! You must rein the human in as quickly as possible!"
"I KNOW THAT KAT!" Gibbs countered in frustration
"I only want to help you, you know that right?" she softened her approach
Gibbs sighed.
He knew she meant well.
She always had his back.
It's what a good mother always did for her child.
