Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

A/N: Perhaps I should have mentioned that the answer to the question had nothing to do with the content of Chapter 10. *sigh* The answer was simply that I really like rounded numbers, like the number 10. Of course, I really like this chapter too...

Chapter Ten

A Cozy Weekend

He woke up the next morning in a better mood than he'd been in in a long time. Turning over, he grinned at Gibbs, who was sitting against the head board reading a book, his square glasses perched on his nose so he could see the tiny print. He'd missed mornings like this. Being a Saturday, they had nowhere to be, and there was no rush to get out of bed.

Thinking back to their night, he couldn't help but let his grin grow wider. He'd missed the intimacy of being with Gibbs. He'd missed feeling those callused hands on his body and knowing that the man they belonged to was thinking only about him. He loved how Gibbs knew exactly where to touch him, how hard, and for how long. He liked knowing exactly what to do to make his partner moan his name.

"What time is it?" Tony asked, reaching out to run a hand over Gibbs abdomen, wrapping it around in a quasi hug.

"Almost eight," Gibbs answered, letting a hand fall to Tony's head to run through his hair.

They spent the rest of the morning in bed, lying together in companionable silence while Gibbs read his book. They didn't need to talk. There was nothing to say.

He hated himself when his thoughts turned to his upcoming doom. His heart just about dropped into his stomach when he realized the implications of what had happened the night before. It wasn't just his fear that this second chance wasn't going to last- though there was plenty of that, but what was he going to tell Gibbs about his diagnosis? From the beginning he knew he'd have to tell Gibbs something, but when the older man was just his boss it was different.

Now, Gibbs didn't just have to worry about Tony keeling over on the job and leaving him a man down. He now would have to worry about Tony's death on a bigger scale- not just the loss of a teammate, but the loss of a partner. Would Gibbs even want to? What if he decided that it was just too much, and that he'd rather shield his heart from the pain of Tony's impending, unpredictable death? He really couldn't stand the thought of losing Gibbs now that he had him.

He had to tell Gibbs. There was no way around it. Keeping it to himself would be a betrayal of Gibbs trust, and his love. It scared him to tell him, but he had to. There was no way around it. He found it too easy to convince himself that it didn't have to be right then. After all, why waste the perfect morning they'd created with such depressing news? That would be mean. He would just tell Gibbs later.

When they finally managed to pull themselves out of bed, Tony headed downstairs to make breakfast while Gibbs hit the shower. The smell of fried eggs and bacon drew the older man downstairs after only fifteen minutes, sans shirt, and Tony ogled the sight. For a man of his age, Gibbs was in considerably good shape. There was more muscle than flab on his body, and he moved with purposeful steps that Tony adored. He briefly wondered if he was weird for loving the way Gibbs walked, but pushed the thought away. After all, he loved everything about Gibbs.

They chatted about chickens while they ate, and Tony left Gibbs to clean up the kitchen while he took his turn in the shower. He hadn't brought any clothes with him the night before as he hadn't planned on staying over, so he grabbed a pair of sweats and a t-shirt from the dresser while he waited for the water to heat up.

It was so familiar and comfortable being at Gibbs house, using his shower, and wearing his clothes. It reminded him of times so long ago when he'd spent every weekend with Gibbs, and the occasional weeknights. It was a wonderful feeling, being back, and he wouldn't let depressing thoughts taint it.

NCIS

As the weekend wound down, Tony knew he was going to have to talk to Gibbs. They'd spent two days doing nothing but enjoy the other's company, but Sunday night meant it was time to prepare for the work week, and it was time for Tony to go back to his apartment- his cold, depressing, lonely apartment. He was out of stalling time. Either he told Gibbs about his condition now, or he ended their budding re-relationship.

Approaching Gibbs was hard. The older man was working on his boat in the basement, sanding one of the ribs, and he barely glanced up as Tony descended the stairs. Something about the stiff movements in Gibb's arms told him that Gibbs was tense, though about what, Tony wasn't sure. He hadn't spilled the beans yet.

"We need to talk," Tony said, his voice a bit shaky as he leaned against the same sawhorse he'd leaned against on Friday night when he'd arrived.

"Yeah," Gibbs offered him a clipped nod before stilling his hand, crossing the room, and setting the sanding block on the table with the rest of his tools.

"Are you alright?" Tony wondered, setting a hand on Gibbs arm, his brow furrowed with concern.

"I'm fine," Gibbs sighed, lifting his arms so Tony's hand slid down to his own, and entwined their fingers. "Let's talk."

Tony nodded before taking a deep breath. The time had come. He'd been putting it off for so long that he didn't know where to start. He'd rehearsed it in his head upstairs, but now that he was standing in front of Gibbs, he couldn't think of what to say at all.

"I love you," Gibbs finally broke the silence that Tony had been unable to fill with an explanation, "and I'm worried."

"You are?" He could barely keep the shock out of his voice.

"Yeah," Gibbs nodded. "This weekend has been great, and I want things to keep being great."

"They can't be this perfect forever," Tony agreed.

"No. So I'm worried about what's going to happen next," Gibbs admitted. "What's our next move?"

"I don't want to let you go," Tony responded quickly.

"We tried working and being together before. It didn't work then. Why would it work now?" Tony wasn't used to Gibbs being so open about his feelings. It had been so long since the other man had talked to him about being afraid- talked to him like a partner instead of his Senior Field Agent.

This was not the conversation Tony really wanted to be having. He'd prepared himself to come clean about his 'time bomb,' not a 'where is this going?' conversation.

"We'll make it work," Tony answered after a moment of silence.

"And last time we didn't?" Gibbs quirked an eyebrow.

"I think that when we broke up, we knew it wasn't the end." Tony chose his words carefully. "We knew we'd still be seeing each other every day, that we still cared about each other, and that we'd be there for each other if anything happened. It was more like taking space than breaking up, you know?"

"And this time?" Gibbs prodded at him to continue.

"This time we've had enough space," Tony shrugged, "and we've figured out what we shouldn't do to try and fix our problems. We can learn from past mistakes."

Insecure Gibbs was not Tony's favorite part of the man he loved. He took Gibbs for who he was and all of his different sides, and he could deal with the insecurity, but he was much more comfortable with demanding, take-charge Gibbs. He didn't have to be sensitive when Gibbs was telling him what to do.

It was now or never.

"And we have a reason to stay together." Tony bit his lip as he waited for Gibbs reaction.

"And what's that?" Gibbs was staring at him, his eyes willing him to speak.

"We don't have all the time in the world to play games anymore," Tony said after a deep breath failed to relieve his nerves.

"And why wouldn't we?" Gibbs wondered, his brow furrowing in confusion as he tried to understand what Tony was telling him.

His heart was thudding painfully against his ribs. It was going so hard and fast that Tony was sure Gibbs could see it, though the other man didn't say anything. Sweat was beading on his forehead, and his mouth had gone dry. This was the moment that had the potential to rip away the only person he'd ever actually been in love with.

"I've got this…thing…in my head," Tony explained. "Me and Abby call it the time bomb, and when it goes off…I'll die."

Gibbs reaction wasn't what Tony expected. Instead of dropping his hand and screaming about how he couldn't deal with the stress of Tony's ailment before running away, Gibbs just continued staring at him.

"I haven't known for that long. Just over a week, really," Tony continued, nerves causing him to ramble. "I've been freaking out, but Abby's been helping me through it. That's why we've been spending so much more time together than usual. She's been really great about it. If it's too much for you, it's okay. I don't expect you to take on my prob-"

Gibbs lips silenced him. Shocked, it took him a few moments to melt into the kiss, letting Gibbs mouth work away his stress. When the older man pulled away, Tony tried to catch his breath as he stared at Gibbs, who had let go of his hands and laid both palms on either side of his head.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Gibbs asked, his voice soft as he laid his forehead against Tony's.

"I couldn't," Tony admitted, diverting his eyes downwards. "I was afraid."

"Shit, Tony," Gibbs murmured before kissing him gently. "You should have told me."

"If it's too much for you…" Tony began again, but Gibbs stopped him with another kiss.

"I love you, Tony," Gibbs said firmly. "I'm not going to run away because of something that might happen in the future. If this is going to happen, I'm not going to waste the rest of the time I have with you by running away. Don't forget, you belong to me."

Tony could have cried. He almost did, but DiNozzo men don't cry, so instead, he wrapped his arms around Gibbs torso and pulled him tightly against him. He'd been so afraid that Gibbs was going to cast him away that it had physically hurt. That pain was now easing, and he held onto Gibbs, who stroked his callused hands down Tony's back, holding him just as tightly.

A/N: So...it's only right that my favorite chapter contained something you've been demanding since Chapter 1, right? What did you think of it? I'd love some feedback...and not that Gibbs is out of character. I figure, the man must have a sensitive side behind that gruff exterior somewhere...I mean, he managed to convince 4 women to marry him, right? He must have showed some kind of sensitivity.