Major thanks go out to everyone who reviewed and alerted! I'm pretty sure I've replied to all the reviews… but special thanks to MarieKiki19 – couldn't answer your review because your private messaging has been disabled. If I missed replying to someone, I do apologize… the email links aren't working, so I'm replying from the reviews page, and that means I might lose track.

Warning for explicit m/m sex in this chapter. And the usual disclaimers apply... the characters aren't mine; I just like to make them happy.

10: Reassurance and Possession

Tony walked McGee to the door; the others had already left, and Gibbs had disappeared into the kitchen. Tony reached for the doorknob, but McGee's voice stopped him.

"So, uh… what are we supposed to call you, anyway? I mean, we can't call you Boss, 'cause Gibbs is already Boss."

Tony straightened up and looked at McGee; it was obvious the man had something he wanted to say, and it wasn't really to discuss names. Tony decided to play along.

"You could call me Boss and Gibbs could be Super Boss."

McGee shot Tony a reproving look. Tony, however, was just getting warmed up. "How about Very Special Boss? Or Cool Boss… hey, Hot Boss!"

McGee stared at Tony. "I'm thinking Idiot Boss."

Tony grinned at McGee, then yelled, "Hey, Boss, McGee just called you an idiot!"

McGee moved forward. "Tony!" he hissed. Both men stood silently, waiting for some response, but there wasn't any. McGee exhaled and gave Tony a smug look. "Guess he's not taking you too seriously, huh?"

Tony smirked and shook his head. "Nah, he just has better things to do."

McGee raised an eyebrow. "Boss things?"

Tony sighed. "Yes, Probie, secret Boss things for our secret Boss society. Now why don't you stop beating around the bush and just say whatever it is you really want to say?"

McGee looked at Tony for a moment, then nodded. "I'm sorry for how I treated you back when you were team leader."

Tony shrugged. "Doesn't matter now, Tim. Long time ago. And don't apologize, it's –"

"No, it's not a sign of weakness," McGee interrupted. "Not when it's needed. I said some pretty awful things back then, especially when Gibbs came back, and I shouldn't have. You didn't deserve them; you were just trying to keep the team together."

Tony shifted his weight uncomfortably. "We were all a little messed up when Gibbs left. I did what I needed to do so that the team would be intact if he ever came back."

McGee nodded, looking at the floor. He glanced up at Tony. "I'll be a better second this time, Tony."

Tony smiled at him, a genuine smile. "And this time I'll help you. We all got kinda thrown in to our new positions when Gibbs took off like that… I didn't do a very good job of explaining all the details back then."

McGee shrugged. "Director Shepherd made it tough for you when she sent you undercover. Didn't exactly give you time to settle into being a team lead."

Tony's expression grew somber, the way it always did when he thought of Jeanne. "Yeah."

McGee shifted and cleared his throat. "Well, that's all over now. We can do it right this time. And things worked out for the best, didn't they?"

Tony looked thoughtfully at McGee, who jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen. Tony's lips twitched into a small smile. "Yeah, I guess they did."

McGee grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tony."

Tony reached out and opened the door. "That's Boss to you, Probie."

McGee sighed. "Tony-Boss." He left with a wave.

Tony shut and locked the door, then went back into the living room, checking to see that everything had been cleaned up. It had, so he went into the kitchen in search of Jethro. The room was empty, so Tony went to the next logical spot and poked his head through the door to the basement. It was empty too, so Tony headed for the stairs up the second floor. He paused when he passed by the living room entrance, suddenly feeling that something was off. He went back in; it took him a moment, but he saw that Shannon's picture was missing from the wall.

Tony's brow furrowed as he thought back over the evening. Jethro had gotten quiet after Abby's comment that he'd be too far away to watch Tony's back if Tony went to Seattle. Tony shook his head. Shoulda realized.

He jogged up the stairs, but was surprised to see that Jethro wasn't up there either. Tony walked slowly back down, checked the driveway to see that both Jethro's car and the truck were there, then headed to the back door.

Jethro was sitting on the steps leading from the deck into the backyard. He had Shannon's picture in his hands, but was gazing off into the distance. Tony moved to sit next to him, not quite touching. A quick glance at Jethro's face showed no tears, just a look of profound sadness.

Tony sat quietly, not moving much, just looking out into the darkness and waiting. After a while, Jethro reached out and took Tony's hand in his, laying Shannon's picture on his lap.

"What did McGee want?"

Tony shrugged. "He wanted to know what to call me, since you're already Boss." Jethro snorted quietly. Tony dipped his head slightly, and went on, "He also wanted to apologize for some of the things he said back when I was team lead the first time... that, and when you came back."

Jethro nodded absently. "And?"

"We're good."

Jethro nodded. "What did Abby say to you earlier?"

"When?"

Jethro squeezed Tony's hand. "When she whispered in your ear."

Tony chuckled. "She wants to have my babies."

"Uh huh. And Ziva?"

Tony grinned. "She wants me to have her babies."

Jethro laughed. "Fine. Don't tell me."

"Okay."

Both men sat there for a while longer. Jethro looked down at Shannon's picture, tracing her face with the fingers of his left hand. Tony watched him for a few minutes, then spoke quietly.

"You were right, you know."

Still looking at the picture, Jethro responded, "When?"

"When you told Abby I can take care of myself."

Jethro glanced at Tony, the corner of his mouth barely lifting in a smile. "You read me too well."

Tony chuckled. "Necessary survival skill."

Jethro's smile widened a bit, then faded. He shook his head. "Every so often something happens, or someone says something that reminds me, and I can't stop wondering."

Tony waited, but no explanation was forthcoming. He was pretty sure he knew what Jethro meant, though. "If you'd been here, could you have saved them?"

Jethro nodded.

Tony shook his head. "Maybe you could have. Maybe she wouldn't have been there that day, seen what she did. Maybe she'd still have seen it, but they'd have let you be there to protect her. Maybe you'd have been driving, and you'd have been killed too."

Tony gently removed his hand from Jethro's, reaching up to lay his arm across Jethro's shoulders. "You couldn't save Pacci, Jethro. Or Kate, or Paula... or even Jenny."

Jethro nodded, then turned his head and met Tony's eyes. "But what if something happens and I can't save you?"

Tony raised his eyebrows. "We're federal agents. We risk dying on the job every day. You worry about something happening to me every time we go out on a case?"

Jethro shook his head. "No, not exactly… it's different."

"Because we're both here."

"Uh huh."

Tony waited.

Jethro laughed softly. "Seems sort of silly, doesn't it?"

Tony smiled. "Illogical, maybe. Not sure about silly." He looked at Jethro closely, gauging his mood. Smiling a little, he dropped his arm and stood up. "Besides, I think you'll have other things to worry about."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Tony stretched, letting his shirt ride up a little and expose his abdomen. He relaxed and struck a bit of a pose. "The women out in Seattle have never experienced the DiNozzo charm."

Jethro raised his eyebrows and stood, still holding Shannon's picture. "Were you planning on giving them private tours?"

Tony tapped his lips thoughtfully. "Planning on it? I wouldn't say I was planning on it… but they may not be able to control themselves, you know?"

Jethro looked at Tony in disbelief. "That's a little egotistical, even for you."

Tony grinned. "What can I say, if you've got it…"

Jethro rolled his eyes and turned to go back into the house. Tony followed him into the living room and watched while he put Shannon's picture back up on the wall. Once Jethro turned away from it and looked back at Tony, Tony stripped off his shirt and flexed some muscles. "I mean, come on, Jeth… look at me."

Jethro's lips twitched in amusement, but he didn't say anything. Tony grinned as Jethro left the living room and moved toward the stairs, shutting off lights as he went. Bounding up the stairs after him, Tony continued, "And think about it… now that I've broadened my horizons, there's a whole 'nother segment of the population that lies there, an untapped resource…"

Jethro paused a bit as he walked up the stairs, and Tony could have sworn he heard a soft growl. He followed Jethro into the bedroom, then sat on the bed while Jethro headed into the bathroom, grumbling a little. Tony didn't say anything when Jethro came out, and he was still silent after he emerged a while later, wearing only boxers. Jethro was already in bed, sitting back against the headboard, watching Tony with a neutral expression.

Tony got into bed and lay down, making a show of fluffing his pillow and getting comfortable. He turned his head to look at Jethro, who was looking down at him. "I know what you're doing," Jethro said.

Tony cocked his head to one side. "Doing? I'm not doing anything. Just having a conversation. Trying to reassure you, you know, that you don't have to worry about me getting hurt or dying or anything. More likely you'll have to worry about what'll happen once people realize why I'm there, at the Seattle office."

"Really."

"Yup." Tony wiggled around again, shifting a little closer to the center of the bed. "Once they find out I'm Vance's right hand man –" Jethro growled again, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Tony – "some of them will try to sleep their way to the top. I mean, I know you told me no casting couch that time, Boss…" Tony broke off with a yelp as Jethro flung back the sheets and rolled on top of him, grabbing his wrists and holding them down against the mattress.

Tony looked up into Jethro's eyes; they had a bit of a feral look to them, and Tony wondered briefly if he'd pushed a bit too hard. Jethro grinned at him, baring his teeth a little. "You're never Vance's man, Tony… you're mine."

Jethro lowered his head and kissed Tony fiercely, his tongue invading Tony's mouth, his hands holding Tony's wrists and his body pressing Tony down into the bed. Tony relaxed into the kiss and submitted, not fighting Jethro at all; this was what he'd been aiming for, after all.

Jethro growled again, breaking away from Tony's mouth and lowering his head to Tony's neck, nipping sharply and getting a surprised gasp in response. "That what you want, Tony? You want me to prove that you're mine?"

Eyes wide, lips pulled back into a smirk, Tony nodded. "Yeah, Jethro. Show me why I should plan on being celibate out in Seattle."

Jethro pulled back for a moment, shocked by Tony's words, then relaxed and grinned when Tony winked at him. He leaned in, putting his mouth next to Tony's ear. "Not going slow tonight."

Tony smiled. "Fine with me, Jeth… got myself ready when I was in the bathroom."

Jethro pulled back again to meet Tony's eyes, then shifted his weight onto his left side, pulling Tony's left arm over until his hand could wrap around both wrists. Tony pulled against him for a second, just enough to cause Jethro to narrow his eyes and grind his groin down into Tony's, making the younger man grunt as their hard cocks brushed against each other. It took a little maneuvering and some cooperation from Tony, but Jethro managed to keep a hold of Tony's wrists while getting his boxers off. He tossed them onto the floor, then reached down and fingered Tony's anus, feeling the slippery lube on his skin. Without much warning, he pushed at the ring of muscle with two fingers, and they slid in easily.

Tony threw his head back a bit on the pillow and groaned as Jethro's fingers moved in him. "Oh, yeah, that's good." He pulled against Jethro's hold, then smirked at his lover. "Too bad the cuffs are at my place."

Jethro leaned down and bit Tony's lower lip, then kissed him again, his mouth open and his tongue pushing into Tony's mouth while his fingers rubbed Tony's prostate as he pushed his cock hard against Tony's. Tony made a sound between a squeal and a moan into Jethro's mouth and jerked his hips up into Jethro's. Jethro pulled back a bit, panting slightly, and stared at Tony. "Get a second pair to keep here."

Tony nodded, then shuddered and gasped as Jethro inserted a third finger, twisting and rubbing and making Tony moan again. "God, Jeth… get in me, please. Wanna feel you."

Another rub against Tony's prostate, and Jethro pulled his fingers out, shifting over to reach for the nightstand. Tony shook his head and twisted his body to pull Jethro off balance and into him. "No, no condom… wanna feel you."

Jethro stared at Tony. "You sure?"

Tony nodded. "You're clean, I'm clean… you want to own me, you want to mark me, then do it – come in me, not a condom."

Jethro held eye contact a moment longer, then nodded. He pressed Tony down into the mattress again, shifting over a bit so he could reach Tony's cock, grabbing it roughly and setting a quick and steady pace, jacking Tony and giving him no time to adjust. Tony tried to thrust up into Jethro but couldn't; Jethro was holding him down. He felt his climax coming on, then cried out when Jethro suddenly let go. "Jeth! No, please, so close!"

Jethro grinned at him, then shifted his legs underneath himself and Tony a bit more, moving his lover's ass up a bit, then took hold of his own cock and positioned the head against Tony's anus. "Mine," he growled as the head of his cock breached Tony's entrance and rested there. Jethro stared at Tony while Tony stared back and tried to move and force Jethro's cock further in. He didn't have the leverage to do so in that position; all he could do was move his hips enough to feel Jethro's cock rub against the muscle. He tossed his head, needing more contact inside and out, but not getting it.

Jethro leaned down again, and whispered in Tony's ear. "Ready?"

Tony nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, Jethro –"

Jethro moved, sliding his cock into Tony, wanting to take him quickly but holding back to a slower and steadier pace so he wouldn't hurt him. He moved until he was in as far as he could go, and he felt Tony trembling beneath him. Jethro worked his hand between them, grasping Tony's cock again, then rotated his hips, making Tony gasp sharply. He pulled back so his cockhead again rested just next to Tony's opening, then thrust forward smoothly, moving his hand at the same time. Tony whined and threw his head back, his breath stuttering a bit in his throat.

"You're mine, Tony. Mine. You'll stay safe for me." Jethro's voice still growled, but it carried a pleading note as well. He moved back again as Tony nodded, panting, then pushed in, a little faster and harder, picking up the pace just a bit with each consecutive thrust. He kept his grip on Tony's wrists and moved his hand on Tony's cock to match the rhythm he set with his hips. Tony was crying out wordlessly with every thrust, and Jethro felt his own climax coming on.

"Come on, Tony, come on… with me, come on, now!" Jethro slammed his hips forward one last time, throwing his head back as he shot his come into Tony. "Mine!" he growled one last time through clenched teeth, and something inside him let go a bit when he heard Tony gasp "Yours!" as he felt him release all over his hand and abdomen.

Jethro relaxed onto Tony as his body let go of the tension. He released his lover's wrists, caressing his arms clumsily for a moment. Tony moved after a few seconds, reaching for Jethro and holding him loosely, tilting his head into Jethro's chest.

"Y'okay?" Jethro asked, a little worried that he might have hurt him.

Tony laughed weakly. "I," he said, pausing for a second, "am fantastic. You are amazing. We should do this more often."

Jethro grinned and shifted so that he could gently kiss Tony's lips. He rolled over a bit, ignoring Tony's protest, and grabbed some tissues off the nightstand, clumsily cleaning up a little, then tossing the tissues onto the floor.

They lay there for a while, waiting for their breathing to calm down. Jethro wrapped himself around Tony as much as he could. "You played me," he muttered into Tony's ear.

Tony's left arm was only partially pinned by Jethro's body; he reached up and ran his fingers through Jethro's hair. "Seemed like you needed me to."

Jethro cleared his throat. "Never used to like being handled," he commented mildly.

Tony laughed softly. "I've been handling you for years, Jeth. Part of my job." He moved his right arm to pull Jethro a little closer. "And I notice your use of past tense just now."

Jethro chuckled. "You are observant."

Tony smiled, then rubbed Jethro's back. "Didn't want you to lock down your emotions. You do that, and you end up exploding later. And pretty soon it'll be up to McGee to handle that."

Jethro's arms tightened around Tony. "Not for long."

Tony shook his head. "No," he said quietly but forcefully. "Not for long at all."

Jethro turned his head, burying his face in Tony's neck and inhaling deeply. "Damn, you smell good." He loosened his arms a bit, running his fingers along Tony's side. "Got something to tell you."

"Oh, yeah?"

"We're off rotation this weekend. Abby made reservations for us at the Hyatt in the next town over from Stillwater. There's a convention center there. Heading out tomorrow after work… if that's okay."

Tony rested his forehead against Jethro's. "More than okay." He paused, then asked quietly, "Does Jack know?"

Jethro shook his head a little. "Not yet. Figure I'll call him tomorrow morning from work." He dropped a kiss on Tony's shoulder. "We'll tell him about us after we get there."

Tony nodded, tensing just a little. Jethro shifted up, brushing his lips against Tony's. "It'll be okay, Tony. Told you before, he's not prejudiced. Hell, knowing him, we won't even have to tell him… he'll figure it out when he sees you with me and we don't have a case."

Tony took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I don't want to ruin things between you two… you only just found each other again."

Jethro squirmed a bit, levering himself up on his elbows and looking down at Tony seriously. "You're part of the family now, Tony. Jack will accept it. He already likes you."

Tony smiled a bit. "He did give me a sweater."

Jethro nodded. "See?"

Tony bit his lip. "And I repaid him by corrupting his only child."

Jethro stared at Tony for a second, then let his head fall down onto Tony's chest as he started laughing. Tony couldn't help but grin, hearing Jethro laugh so hard. After a few seconds, Jethro calmed down enough to remark, "One, not a child. Two, I'd say we corrupted each other."

"True," Tony said. He lay quietly for a moment, and Jethro shifted back onto his side, wrapping himself around Tony again. "Should I leave early to pack before work?"

Jethro shook his head. "How about we work through lunch, then leave a little early, go to your place, head up north from there?"

Tony yawned and nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"Good. Get some sleep, Tony."

"Too bright," Tony complained.

Jethro sighed and detached himself from Tony to reach other and switch off the bedside lamp. "Better?"

"Mmm hmm."

Jethro smiled as he got back into his previous position. It didn't take him long to fall asleep.