Author's Note: I apologize for not responding to any reviews. I really, really do appreciate each and every one of them! I have family in town this week and I'm spending every spare moment with them but I wanted to keep posting chapters for you guys to hopefully enjoy.

Chapter Ten: Old Friends and New Developments

"Wait, what're we doing here?" Tony asked as Jethro pulled the truck into his parking spot at NCIS.

Jethro looked at the building and then back to Tony in confusion. "Where did you think you we were going?" he asked. "You said you refused to sleep if we went home."

"Baltimore," Tony answered as if it should've been obvious.

"We're not going to Baltimore, Tony."

"Come on!" Tony grumped dramatically.

"We've already had this conversation. Would you rather go home and sleep?"

"I refuse to sleep in the middle of the day when there's a case to work," Tony groaned as he practically fell out of the car.

The dramatics made Jethro roll his eyes. He was beginning to understand why Ducky slipped him sleeping pills when he was in the same condition and was almost wishing he had some to give Tony.

"In that case, c'mon," Jethro said. "We got places to be."

He led the way into the building, through security and up to the bullpen to drop their things off. Just as he finished telling Tony not to get comfortable, Morrow appeared on the catwalk and summoned both men up to his office.

"I feel like I'm taking the walk of shame to the principal's office again," Tony said as they made their way up the stairs.

Jethro almost managed to stop the smile from spreading across his face as he walked by Morrow's secretary and stepped into the man's office, followed by Tony.

"How are you doing, Agent DiNozzo?" Morrow asked.

"I'm good to go," Tony assured the man. "I just have to ice the shoulder a couple times a day and not push too hard."

Morrow looked to Jethro for confirmation then nodded. "If you two are going to be here, I want you working your case," he said sternly. "That way I know you're not working Balboa's case."

"Yes, Sir," Jethro replied.

"I hope I don't have to remind either of you what could happen if this case is compromised in any way, especially thistype of case."

"We'll steer clear," Jethro assured the man.

Morrow nodded, satisfied he'd made his point, then motioned to his men that they were dismissed.

"Well that was fun," Tony snarked once they'd reached the elevator. "I guess playtime's over."

"Welcome to NCIS, DiNozzo," Jethro told the man. "You might wish you'd opted to go home and sleep by the time this day is over."

Tony followed Jethro through what were quickly becoming a familiar maze of hallways, to a conference room on the same floor as the bullpen. He stepped into the room where a balding man where was sitting at the table waiting for them.

"Tony, this is Tobias Fornell," Jethro introduced.

"The FBI agent," Tony finished for Jethro.

"You've been talking about me," Fornell said proudly. "I'm flattered."

"Okay, but why is he here?" Tony asked Jethro before turning his attention to Fornell. "Why are you here?"

"Your case has been assigned to me," Fornell explained. "I'm here to get your statement."

"That won't be necessary, Agent Fornell," Tony replied. "We've decided to handle this matter the same way they did. We're stooping to their level. It's low, I know, but you gotta do what you gotta do."

"I'm afraid now that you've told me, your plan is foiled," Fornell replied. "I can't let you do that. Besides, I brought pizza. It'd be a shame to let it go to waste."

"I don't like your friends, Jethro."

"Yeah, well, I don't like him much either but I can't seem to get rid of him."

"Hey!" Fornell protested. "See if I ever bring you coffee again."

Jethro grinned at the good hearted teasing before turning back to Tony. "I thought you were antsy to get going on the case."

"I'm antsy to get to Baltimore and kick some ass," Tony corrected.

"In that condition?" Fornell scoffed, much like Jethro had done previously.

"I could take you down," Tony threatened, standing even taller.

"Alright, enough," Jethro interrupted, stepping between the two men.

"This won't take long, Tony," Fornell assured the man. "Balboa's already in Baltimore sniffing around. Let's get a little justice, the right way."

"Fine," Tony grudgingly agreed, despite still being unwilling to completely give up on the idea of going after Danny on his own. If Danny wanted to throw the rule book out the window, he could play that way too. Never before had he wanted to get his hands on someone so badly.

"Pizza?" Fornell offered.

Tony took one look at the box, inhaled one whiff of the aroma his favorite treat was giving off but despite how hungry he was, the prospect of eating turned his stomach in the opposite way. "No thanks." He briefly wondered if he was dying. Never before in his life had he turned down pizza.

Jethro did a double take at Tony's uncharacteristic refusal of one of his favorite foods but chalked it up to the brutal beating he'd taken. He offered the man a drink of the coffee Fornell had brought for him but Tony turned his nose up at that too.

"You trying to finish me off?"

"You a comedian now?" Jethro asked.

The two shared a look that somehow seemed to diffuse the situation before Jethro disappeared to the breakroom while Fornell started asking questions. Part of the way into Tony's statement, Jethro returned with two cups of coffee, one black for him and one doctored to perfection with sugar and hazelnut creamer for Tony.

"Thanks," Tony said, grateful that Jethro loved him enough to share half of his coffee with him. Maybe the man did love him as in love. Jethro didn't share his coffee with anyone.

Tony explained how he'd been stopped by an unmarked car after leaving the crime scene only to find out if was Danny and his new partner. He told of being arrested and watching helplessly as the car he'd been driving was put in neutral and pushed into the Potomac but he wasn't familiar enough with the area to be able to tell them exactly where he was pulled over or even where the car went into the river.

He continued on, telling them about the trip to Baltimore and everything that had happened once they'd arrived, glossing over the parts that were fuzzy, and ending with a very proud recollection of conning his way onto the train back to the city.

Fornell asked questions when necessary but mostly just listened to the fairly detailed statement and scribbled notes. Jethro sat next to Tony, schooling his features as he heard the entire story all laid out for him for the first time too. He resisted the urge to reach out for Tony, to attempt to comfort both his lover and himself, knowing that would out them.

"How are you doing with all this, Tony?" Fornell asked as they finished up. "We have people you can talk to if need be. There's no shame."

"I'm fine, really," Tony said, laughing the idea off.

"Just don't turn out like Jethro, building a boat in your basement," Fornell commented.

"You're kidding," Tony said, his interest clearly piqued.

"I wish I was."

"What does that mean?" Jethro interjected. "It's none of your business what I do in my basement."

"Is your basement even big enough for a boat?" Tony asked in amusement. "I mean, how do you get it out?"

Jethro glared at Tony but Tony couldn't help himself and kept going.

"You know what they say," Tony commented. "Small boat… small dinghy."

Fornell spewed his coffee all over the front of himself.

"Don't you worry about my dinghy," Jethro replied, eyebrows raised in warning.

Tony grinned at his lover, loving the new development and opportunity to tease him in front of his longtime friend. He was also thankful for the distraction from everything else that was going on.

"Alright, guys," Fornell said, "I'm out before this goes any farther. I'm headed to the hospital to pick up your report so I can get started on this. You guys get some rest. You both look like hell."

"Let us know if you have any more questions, Tobias, and keep us in the loop," Jethro said. With Fornell gone, he turned his attention back to Tony. "Let's get caught up on our case," he said.

"Before we do that, I just wanna pitch the Baltimore idea one more time," Tony said.

"Why are you so intent on getting to Baltimore?" Jethro asked again. It almost seemed like an obsession.

Tony half shrugged his non-injured shoulder. "I just feel like it's my battle to fight. If Danny wants to play dirty, I can play dirty too. I might be injured but I'm not weak."

"It has nothing to do with strength. They could've killed you, Tony. They slammed your head against a wall until you had a seizure."

Tony grew quiet as Jethro's words sank in and the reality of the situation became clear. He wasn't invincible and his former coworkers could've very easily killed him. In fact, there was a point in captivity that he thought they were going to. "I guess that never really crossed my mind," he admitted. "I mean, you think you know somebody, right? Never in a million years would I think Danny was capable of killing me..." he hesitated and found Jethro's eyes, "until now."

Jethro rested his hands on Tony's shoulders and when the man didn't pull away, he gently tugged him closer, wrapping him in a hug as realization washed over his partner. He pressed a long, hard kiss to Tony's forehead in the privacy of the conference room before pulling back and looking at the man.

"Jethro?"

"Hmm?"

"I still wanna beat the shit outta all of 'em."