Hi! Last chapter and I'm sad! Hope everyone has enjoyed this foray into my little AU world. It's very long, but I did want to finish it all in one fell swoop.
Stillwater Chapter 9
Both men remained still as Gantry stood over the bed. The smile on the sheriff's face was tight, his eyes flicking over the bed showing both anticipation and disgust. "Just my luck to find you both together," he said, moving the gun a bit to aim at Gibbs.
"Ed, you don't want to do this." Tony's voice was soft.
The gun swung back to Tony, pointing directly at his heart, making Gibbs lurch up a bit.
"Do you know what happened tonight, DiNozzo?" The gun moved closer. "My wife was arrested, in front of my children and grandchildren. Handcuffed, like a common criminal!"
"She is a criminal, Ed."
At his words, the gun moved to Gibbs again. Gantry's eyes narrowed in anger and hate. "You smug bastard, this is your doing, isn't it? You and your father, both of you arrogant sons of bitches, finally getting a chance to bring me down." A fine tremor started shaking the hand holding the gun.
"It was me, Ed," Tony replied, and again the gun swung his direction. "Leave Gibbs and his father out of this."
Gantry laughed. "Well, yeah, I figured that, DiNozzo. Who else could Jackson Gibbs get to be his stooge other than a broken down cop who killed his own partner."
"Ed…"
"Shut up, Leroy," Gantry demanded, hand holding the gun getting stronger. "Finding you here is a bit of a shock, I must say. I'd heard you'd gotten married a few times after your first wife was killed, but none of them lasted. How many times was it?"
"Three."
"That's right, three marriages, three divorces." Gantry smirked at the two men in the bed. "Then again, maybe not so surprising, considering all this. It's perfect, you know. I get rid of DiNozzo, finally get rid of you, and hurt your father all at once."
"You can't possibly believe you'd get away with it, Ed," Gibbs said.
"It's worth a shot, Leroy. I can't go to prison, you know what they do to cops there. I'll make it look like you and your dad framed me, but DiNozzo found out. You killed him, then, in a fit of remorse, killed yourself." Gantry nodded, happy with his plan. "Okay, DiNozzo, out of the bed."
"No."
"Fine, just as easy to shoot you there." Gantry steadied his aim, the gun pointed at Tony's heart.
A pillow was thrown at Gantry, then a hard body collided with his as Tony jumped from the bed, tackling the sheriff. The gun went off, the shot wild. Gibbs rolled off the bed and grabbed for the night stand, pulling Tony's gun from the drawer and aiming it at Gantry. Tony and Gantry were fighting for the sheriff's gun, Tony laying across Gantry's chest and pushing the gun hand down to the floor.
Gibbs came over and placed a foot on Gantry's wrist, pointing Tony's gun directly at Gantry's head. "Let go of it, Ed."
Fingers released and the gun slid from Gantry's hand. Gibbs kicked it away just as the door to the bedroom opened.
"Federal Agent!" came the call as Tim McGee burst through the door, his service SIG in his grasp.
"Stand down, McGee," Gibbs said.
"Heard the shot, Boss," McGee said, holstering his gun and coming into the room. "Everyone okay here? Do we need an ambulance?"
"No one is hurt," Gibbs said, putting Tony's gun back into the drawer. He gazed down at Gantry. The sheriff's eyes were blank, staring into space. Tony was reading Gantry his rights, shaking him to get a response. A slight nod was his reply.
McGee bent down to pick up the sheriff's gun, careful to use his coat hem so he wouldn't leave prints. He tried handing it to Gibbs, eyes widening as he finally realized his boss was naked. His eyes skimmed around the room, lighting on Tony as he kneeled on Gantry's chest, realizing the other man was also naked. He could feel the blood rush into his face and swallowed. "I'll uh, call the State Police, and, uh, wait for them downstairs."
"Give me your handcuffs first, Tim," Gibbs asked, wanting to get Gantry out of the room.
"I don't have them, Boss."
Gibbs looked at Tony, who grinned wickedly, eyes sliding to the rumpled bed. Gibbs shook his head, reaching behind him and grabbing the key off the night stand, pulling the cuffs off the bed's headboard and tossing them to Tony.
McGee fled the room.
xxxx
Four men sat around Tony's kitchen table, hot coffee steaming in mugs before them. As head of the Stillwater county council, Jackson had been called about Ed Gantry's arrest. McGee had run into town and picked him up as Tony and Gibbs dealt with the State Police.
For once Jackson Gibbs wasn't talking. McGee had informed him what had happened in Tony's bedroom, how close both his son and Tony came to being killed and he realized it would he have been to blame.
Gibbs watched the emotions on his father's face and knew what he was thinking. "It's not your fault, Dad," he said. "Ed made to choice to pull a gun on us."
"But I started it, Leroy," Jackson argued. "I put you both at risk." He turned to Tony. "I'm sorry, both of you."
"Don't apologize…"
"…it's a sign of weakness," Tony finished.
"How do you know that?" McGee asked. "That's a Gibbs rule."
"One of mine, too," Tony answered, sharing a smile with Gibbs. "Number Three. And speaking of three…what's this I hear about three ex-wives? When were you going to tell me about them?"
"I told him all those women were wrong for him," Jackson chimed in, ignoring Gibbs' growl. "Each one worse than the last. Be good for him to have you, Tony, but be warned, he can be a trial."
"I think I can bear it, Jack," Tony said with a wink at Gibbs.
"McGee, you need a place to stay?" Gibbs asked, ending the other conversation without answering Tony's question.
"He can stay with me tonight," Jackson said, rising from the table. Tony and Gibbs both rose as well. He walked to his son and looked into the blue eyes…eyes so much like his own. "I am glad you're okay, son," he said, his voice shaky. "You and Tony both."
Gibbs pulled his father close, holding the older man to him and meeting Tony's eyes over his shoulder. "Thanks, Dad," he whispered, brushing a kiss along his fathers' cheek before letting go.
Jackson cleared his throat, finding it tight with emotion. "Come on Tim, you can tell me more about this Abby person. Exactly how many tattoos did you say she had?"
Gibbs turned back to the table, gathering up the used mugs and placing them in the sink. Tony stood to the side, hands across his chest, leaning against the count. "You never answered my question, Jethro," he reminded him. "About your wives. And I have a second one--why did you tell me no one but Shannon has told you they loved you."
Gibbs quirked a brow, but didn't answer right away. Instead, he rinsed the cups, placing them in the drainer. "They were mistakes, Tony," he said softly. "Three times I tried to replace Shannon, and three times I failed." He dried his hands, staying at the sink to continue to answer. "And they didn't really love me, Tony. They loved the uniform, or the job, or in one case, the danger. They didn't love me. Not like Shannon. Not like you."
"How can you be sure? Maybe I'm another replacement. Will I end up being a mistake, too?"
Gibbs turned. "No way," he assured with a smile. "You're Tony. Not a copy of Shannon, not someone to take her place. I had finally realized I couldn't replace her, that I needed to move on. And as soon as I did move on, I found you." He came to stand next to Tony and took the younger man's face in his hands. "As for the other, you tell me, Tony. Is loving me a mistake?"
Tony shook his head, hands snaking around Gibbs to pull him close. "It's the best thing I've ever done," he vowed before Gibbs' mouth took his in a kiss.
xxxx
Tony whistled happily as he entered the house, pulling off his gun belt and securing it in the closet before coming further into the room. He knew Gibbs was home, his truck parking outside the indication. And he knew Gibbs knew he was home; after three years together they both knew when the other was around, regardless of location. He headed to the kitchen, flipping on the oven and slipping the pre-made lasagna inside. He snagged beer before heading to the bedroom to shower and change from his uniform. Under the hot spray, Tony thought about the last three years.
The end of the Ed Gantry affair was anti-climatic. Ed had taken a plea deal, confessing to taking over 250 thousand dollars over eight years, in exchange for his wife getting probation. The Stillwater county council had agreed, not really wanting to punish the woman after realizing Ed had bullied her into the action. So Ed was sentenced to ten years for the embezzlement. Jackson hadn't been happy with it, but he knew Gantry still faced the charges of attempted murder, and knew he'd get more justice that way. Though offered a plea deal of 20 years, Gantry refused to even budge and insisted on a trial. Jackson was furious, knowing it was Gantry's way of embarrassing his son and Tony, but the two men just shrugged it off, saying they'd testify when needed and tell everything. Neither one was ashamed of their relationship didn't see a reason to avoid justice because of it. It had ultimately backfired on Gantry, as both Tony and Gibbs testified with grace and honestly, never flitching or stumbling when their relationship was brought up in court. In the end, Ed received 25 years to life, to run after his ten years embezzlement sentence.
Tony squirted some shampoo in his hand, smiling at another memory of that time. Jackson had wasted no time in appointing Tony acting sheriff, encouraging the young man to run for the office as soon as the election was to be held. Though his opposition was heavily backed by Chuck Wilson, Tony had won handily, the margin almost three to one in Tony's favor. Seemed after the mess with Gantry folks in Stillwater were a bit tired of the same old same old. Plus, the young man from Baltimore was friendly and popular and was seen as the future of Stillwater where as Chuck Wilson's candidate was seen as the past.
Flipping the water off, Tony shook his hair and grabbed towel, swiping it along his body before leaving the shower stall. Padding into the bedroom, trailing water along the floor, he grabbed underclothes, slipping into them before grabbing his jeans and shirt. Normally his after work attire consisted of pajama pants or ratty sweats but he and Gibbs were going to the hospital to see the latest McGee after dinner. Grabbing his running shoes, Tony skipped down the stairs just as Gibbs was coming up from the basement. He launched himself at his lover, knowing the older man would catch him.
Their lips met in a hard, hot kiss, one of Gibbs' hands anchoring Tony's head still, the other slipping to his ass and pulling him tight against his growing erection. Tony sighed, again thinking of three years. After three years, they still wanted each other so much. They still loved each other so much. Tony dropped his shoes and grabbed Gibbs closer, a bit desperate, hands clawing hard against Gibbs' back.
Gibbs felt the action and pulled up a bit. "Hey, what's up?"
"Nothing," Tony said, shaking his head. "Just thinking about the past three years, and how lucky I am and …"
Gibbs nodded. He understood, knowing that they both had small moments where things seemed too perfect and wondered when it would be taken away. He pulled Tony close, holding him tight, reassuring with his touch he was here.
Tony's nose twitched. "Go get cleaned up and I'll put dinner out," he said, pulling away from Gibbs with a quick kiss. "McFetus is waiting for us."
Gibbs gave Tony a swat at the nickname before heading up the stairs.
Tony set the table, plates and silver wear placed across from each before starting Gibbs' coffee, setting out the travel mug so they could head out to the hospital right after eating. He reached into the fridge and snagged a beer, grinning at the picture of McGee and Abby stuck on the door. It was taken six months after they were married, and Abby was already seven months pregnant. The Goth girl was standing in profile, her big belly covered by Tim's hands as they both laughed into the camera. That was Ruby, baby number one. Baby number two had been born last night, or rather, early this morning. Gibbs had been with McGee at the hospital, but had left after the birth of Robert Jackson McGee, or Bobby Jack, as everyone had already taken to call him.
Tony took a drink of beer, wishing again that McGee had succumbed to Jackson's pleading to join the Stillwater Sheriff's office. But McGee, newly married to Abby and wanting a job with more regular hours had firmly declined. Instead, he'd taken both his investigative skills and computer knowledge and merged them, starting a company for the small towns and counties in the area and beyond to fight fraud and embezzlement and McGee Consulting was born. Since it started, the firm had more work than they could handle, especially considering how little McGee charged the governments he helped. Apparently, McGee had outside income; from where, Tony had yet to figure out. But he and Abby were happy, living in a house a mile away from both Tony and Gibbs and Stillwater. Abby and Jackson had bonded, with the young woman now taking over most of running of the General Store, giving Jackson more time to relax and visit with friends and his son.
And that brought Tony's thoughts full circle, back to Gibbs, where his thought had a tendency to dwell. The past three years had been a revelation to Tony, living with someone else, learning about them, sharing and compromising. It had at times been a struggle, to adapt to another person, but mostly, it had been a joy, a revelation to him that he could love someone so much. Gibbs in three years had mellowed as well. He was semi-retired, consulting with the Stillwater Sheriff's office on occasion if Tony requested. He sometimes worked with McGee if the young man needed a second set of eyes. But mostly he enjoyed being retired, something even Gibbs was surprised he'd enjoy as much as he did. He visited with his father and Abby at the store, read a lot, worked on the lawn, cooked. Tony had once joked on his domestication that he teased Jethro was his wife. That quip had caused Gibbs to snag Tony and flip him over his lap, pulling his pants down and spanking his ass until it was pink and stinging. Then Jethro had fucked Tony senseless. Tony shifted a bit, getting hard at the thought of both applications to his ass.
Tony reveled in Jethro's attention, both the strong, forceful domination that left his shaking and the times he let Tony lead, let Tony take him, let Tony show Jethro he was wanted, needed, safe. He shifted again, squeezing his hardening cock, hoping they wouldn't stay at the hospital too long. Tony reached into the fridge again, pulling out the salad that Gibbs had made earlier, wondering when he found the time since what he's been doing the most for the past few weeks was work on his boat.
The boat had been a shock to Tony. About three months after moving into Tony's house, Jethro had brought Tony to the basement. A basement that had been filled with lumber and tools and along a newly made work bench, a drawing of a sailboat. He looked at the plans for the vessel, then the small door at the top of the basement stairs and had just shook his head, leaving Jethro to it. He'd asked McGee about it, and it was confirmed that Gibbs had built boats in his basement in DC, but no one knew how he got them out. Tony knew Jethro was just about done, had even been banned from the basement for the last three weeks, but had kept from asking, even though it was killing him inside.
He was pulling the lasagna out of the oven when Gibbs came down the stairs. Slipping up behind Tony, the older man slid his arms around him, pulling him close and nibbling on his ear. "I've got something to show you," Gibbs said.
Tony pressed back against Gibbs. "I can feel it," he joked.
"Not that," Gibbs laughed. "Well, not that right now. Come on."
Slipping off the pot holders from his hands, Gibbs grabbed one and pulled Tony toward the basement door. They went down the stairs, Gibbs flipping on the light as they reached the bottom.
Tony gasped. The boat was finished. It was a beautiful craft, elegant, simple. The wood shone brightly under the light, the varnish a deep, rich brown and shellacked to a high gloss. Tony moved past Gibbs and approached the boat, running a hand over the side from front to back, stopping short when he reached aft and saw the name. His eyes lifted to Jethro's. "It's perfect," he said, running soft fingers over the words The Kelly.
Gibbs came down the stairs to stand next to Tony. "Yeah, I…thanks." He ran his hand over the name.
Tony took a breath, turning to face Gibbs, hands on hips. "Now will you tell me how you plan on getting this out of here?"
Gibbs' smile was full of mischief. He leaned in and whispered into Tony's ear, smiling wider as the answer dawned. "Of course! Why didn't I see it before? It makes perfect sense!" Tony exclaimed.
Gibbs pulled Tony closer, laughing. Everything made sense these days. Especially Tony.
The End.
