Unbetaed, as usual now, and as always I thank everyone for the wonderful feedback. A few references here to events in earlier stories in the series, and a warning for m/m activity in the middle of this chapter.

10: Relaxing and Remembering

Together

"Jethro, don't you – I swear, you come one step closer and you're gonna regret it."

Jethro smirked at him. "Oh, really?"

"Yes." Tony drew himself up to his full height, placing one hand on his hip and pointing the handle of the rake at his partner with the other. "One step closer and there will be dire retribution."

Jethro shifted the pile of leaves in his arms and considered the distance between them. He looked back up at Tony, tilted his head slightly, then took a giant step forward.

"That's it!" Tony threw the rake down and charged. Jethro flung the pile of leaves at the other man, hitting him square in the face, then quickly jogged backwards as Tony frantically swiped at the leaves in his hair.

"Gah! Bugs! Crunchy stuff!" He straightened up and glared at Jethro, who was still backing away, grinning from ear to ear. Tony bared his teeth. "That's it!"

"You said that already," Jethro pointed out as he turned to run. He only made it a few steps before Tony tackled him into the pile of leaves they'd spent the last hour raking up.

A wrestling match ensued, with Tony trying to pin Jethro down and Jethro fighting and twisting around onto his back. They ended up with Tony holding Jethro's wrists down into the leaves.

Jethro looked up at him. "Well?"

Tony smiled. "Dire." He leaned in and kissed the tip of Jethro's nose. "Retribution." His lips brushed lightly against Jethro's.

"Eek," Jethro muttered. He tugged against Tony's hold a bit; Tony let go, and Jethro's hands went to his neck and the back of his head, pulling him down into a more heated kiss. Tony hummed low in his throat, then slowly withdrew. "Maybe we should take this inside."

Jethro ran his thumb over Tony's cheek. "Not a bad idea… hey – is that a tick?"

Tony yelped and leapt to his feet, once again brushing frantically at his hair, face, and clothes. He took off running for the house, yelling something that Jethro couldn't quite catch. The older man stood, brushing himself off, then looking around at the leaves on the ground and those still up on the trees. He sighed, then ducked his head a bit, laughing quietly as he followed his lover into the house.

Tony was already in the shower by the time Jethro made his way upstairs. Jethro was debating joining him when Tony's cell rang; recognizing Abby's ringtone, he picked it up.

"Hey, Abs."

"Gibbs! Where's Tony? Is he okay?"

Jethro huffed out a laugh. "He's fine."

"Then why are you answering his phone?"

"He's in the shower."

"Did I interrupt something?"

"Nope."

"Then why is Tony taking a shower in the middle of the day?"

"'Cause I just gave him a face full of leaves."

Abby laughed. "He got all bug paranoid, didn't he?"

"Yup."

"Is he okay? I mean, after breaking his dad's nose and everything?"

Jethro was about to answer when the bathroom door opened and Tony stepped out, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. The older man's eyebrows shot up, and he gave Tony a quick once over, grinning when he met his lover's eyes, before speaking.

"You can ask him yourself." He held the phone out to Tony, mouthing 'Abby' as he crossed the room to take a seat in the comfy chair, stretching his legs out in front and resting his head on interlocked hands, enjoying the view.

Tony smirked a bit at Jethro, holding his gaze as he spoke into the phone. "Hey, Abs, what's up?"

"Tony! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Have you talked to your dad?"

"Uh huh. Went to see him this morning."

"He's not taking legal action, is he?"

Tony blinked, looking away from Jethro's frank appraisal. "What? No! Did he say he would?"

"He sort of threatened to, but I was hoping I talked him out of it."

"He didn't say anything about that."

"Good. 'Cause if he tries anything, I'm gonna kill him and leave no forensic evidence."

Tony grinned. "You need a new threat. That one's starting to lose its potency after all these years."

"It's new to him!"

"Well, yeah, but he's not exactly here to hear it."

Abby was silent for a few seconds. Tony walked over to where Jethro was sitting, and reached out to run his fingers through Jethro's hair, which was long enough to fall over his forehead. Jethro looked up at him, but otherwise stayed still.

"Tony… do you think you and your dad will work it all out?"

"Dunno. Ball's in his court now. We'll see."

"I hope he comes through for you."

Tony shrugged, getting a curious look from his partner. "Either he will or he won't. I'm not about to lose any sleep over it."

"I bet Gibbs has been awesome. Has Gibbs been awesome?"

Tony grinned down at Jethro and winked, getting a smile in return. "Jethro's been a rock."

"It's amazing that you guys have gotten through all of this without fighting. I mean, with all the stress…"

"Um… actually, we kinda had a small fight." Tony made a face at Jethro, who rolled his eyes. "It was on me, though." Jethro nodded emphatically; Tony scrunched up his nose and stuck out his tongue at him.

"You fought?! Seriously?"

"All couples fight, Abby!"

"I know! But I was starting to think you guys didn't. You went all that time… wait! When was it?"

"What?"

"The fight! When?"

"Um… Thursday?" He looked at Jethro, who tilted his head and gave him a blank stare. Tony pulled the phone away from his face. "When did we have that fight?" he whispered. "You know, when I stormed out of here."

Jethro thought for a moment, then nodded. "Thursday. Did that really qualify, though?"

Tony shrugged, then spoke into the phone. "Yeah, Jeth says Thursday. After work."

"Okay… hold on… that means Jimmy won the pool!"

"Jimmy? I thought it was Vance."

"No, he was next week."

"So what does the Autopsy Gremlin get?"

There was a pause. "I think it's up to a thousand dollars."

"A thousand?!" Tony stared at Jethro, who shook his head and laughed quietly.

"Well, we started it when you moved in together, everyone chipping in twenty-five a week, and it's been about eight weeks…"

"Vance is gonna be pissed."

"Probably, yeah."

"Tell Jimmy not to buy shoes. He has to spend it on something nice for Breena."

"Will do!"

"Alright, Abs… I'm gonna go. See you Monday?"

"You betcha! Say bye to the Bossman for me!"

"Hey, Abby – thanks."

Tony ended the call and glanced over at Jethro, who smiled at him before shifting his gaze to Tony's bare chest. Tony grinned at him. "Bet I know what you're thinking."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Tony pointed at the bathroom. "Shower first. You might have crawly things on you."

Jethro grinned and stretched before standing up, then grabbed Tony's towel as he passed by, removing it with a flourish.

"Hey!"

Tony grinned as Jethro tossed the towel back in his direction and disappeared into the bathroom. He caught the towel and used it to dry his hair a bit before throwing it into the bathroom and heading for the bed. He got under the sheets and stretched, then lay in the mid-afternoon sun that was making its way in through the windows, closing his eyes and waiting.

Tony was vaguely aware of the sound of the shower shutting off, and of Jethro moving around in the room before his warm body joined him in bed. He lay still, keeping his eyes closed as Jethro's fingers lightly skimmed over his chest and abdomen, stretching as that same hand moved down his thigh and then back up to rest on his chest. He felt Jethro lean in close, and then heard his lover's voice in his ear.

"What do you want, Tony?"

Tony smiled and hummed a bit at the sound of that voice. "Anything you want."

Jethro nuzzled into Tony's neck. "Fine by me."

Tony was then subjected to a long, leisurely exploration of his body. When he tried to reciprocate, Jethro lightly grasped his wrist and shook his head. "Let me. Wanna take care of you."

Tony looked up at him. "You did that last night."

Jethro smiled. "This is different."

"Okay. Long as you let me return the favor soon."

"Wouldn't miss that for anything."

Jethro shifted over, covering Tony with his own body and leaning in to nibble lightly on his lips. He gradually deepened the kisses while stroking Tony's side, keeping his touch gentle but not so light as to tickle. Tony hummed into Jethro's mouth, enjoying the slow build of arousal.

Jethro's tongue played with Tony's while he ran his fingers through Tony's hair. Eventually his mouth left Tony's and moved to his neck, his hand gripping Tony's hair a bit harder, pulling his head to the side while he nipped, licked and sucked on the younger man's neck.

Tony finally moved his hands to rest on Jethro's sides, caressing lightly as he tried to abide by Jethro's wishes and let him do most of the work. Jethro gradually moved from Tony's neck to his chest, paying attention to first one nipple then the other, getting Tony to gasp and moan and shift around restlessly on the bed.

He let go of Tony's hair, moving further down, nipping at Tony's stomach and making his lover laugh. He kissed the tip of Tony's hard cock, fondled his balls while lightly biting his hip, then moved to his inner thighs, paying attention to both while one hand moved along Tony's leg and the other began stroking his cock.

Tony was breathing hard by the time Jethro sat up and nudged him to turn over, reaching for the lube in the nightstand while Tony got comfortable on his stomach. Jethro spent time on the back of Tony's neck, sucking hard enough to leave a mark, caressing his shoulders and arms, then moving slowly down his back before taking hold of both cheeks and massaging them in long, smooth strokes that had Tony groaning and pleading for more.

Eventually Jethro spread lube on his fingers and set to work loosening up Tony's anus; the massage had given him a good start, and it didn't take long for Tony to be ready for him. Jethro slicked up his own cock and then slid the head past the ring of muscle, getting a long, drawn out moan from Tony as he did so. He shifted his weight forward and slowly slid further in, shifting back and forth a bit to let Tony get used to the stretch. It wasn't long before he was in as far he could go, pressing Tony down into the mattress and laying still, feeling his lover trembling beneath him.

"Jeth, please… not gonna last… need you."

"You've got me, Tone… promise, you've got me."

Jethro set a slow rhythm, pulling almost all the way out then sliding all the way back in, refusing to speed up no matter how much Tony begged. Eyes closed, face turned in to Tony's neck, Jethro slowly ran his hands up Tony's sides to his arms, gripping his wrists. His legs lay almost flat against Tony's, angled just enough to give him the traction and leverage to continue moving his hips. He kept going, just like that, keeping the pace the same, listening to Tony's litany of 'please' and 'yes' and 'god, Jeth,' until it disintegrated into moans and groans and gasps.

Tony's body was tensing up beneath his, and still Jethro kept the same maddening, consistently slow pace, reveling in the build-up of his own tension, knowing both he and Tony were getting close. Tony was shaking now, alternating gasping for breath with soft cries of pleasure.

Tony's orgasm caught both men by surprise; Tony gave voice to a long, drawn-out groan as he clenched around Jethro's cock. Jethro's breath hitched but he held back his own pleasure, drawing it out and waiting until Tony relaxed. Then he went back to the same slow pace, gasping for breath in his own turn while Tony moaned and hummed with pleasure, still shaking from his climax.

Jethro's muscles suddenly locked up, his hips jerked forward, and he came deep in Tony's body, holding his breath and tightening his grip on Tony's wrists for a long moment before he was spent and his body relaxed.

They lay there for several minutes, catching their breath, until Jethro regained enough presence of mind to slowly withdraw. As soon as he'd moved back and out, Tony turned around and captured Jethro's mouth in a deep kiss.

Their arms went around each other, and Tony rolled onto his back, pulling Jethro into his usual position with his head resting on Tony's chest.

"Love you, Jeth… so much."

"You too, Tony. You too."

They lay there quietly for a few minutes, before Tony sighed loudly.

"Scoot over a bit, Jethro. I'm lying smack in the middle of the wet spot."

Jethro laughed softly and moved over. Tony followed and resettled; their arms went back around each other and within minutes they were both asleep.

Conversations

Tony woke slowly, feeling relaxed and very mellow. He stretched and sighed, turning on to his back. He reached up to rub at his eyes, then turned toward Jethro's side of the bed to look at the clock. Wow… slept longer than I expected. Almost dinner time. Guess that's where Jeth disappeared to.

Tony stretched again, debated with himself about staying in bed until Jethro came to get him, then decided to get up and help out. He hopped back in the shower for a quick rinse, drying off and throwing sweatpants and a t-shirt on before heading downstairs. The kitchen turned out to be empty, which was a bit of a surprise. Basement door's shut, so he's not likely down there. Tony stood still and listened, but didn't hear anything. Maybe he went to pick something up? No note…

A check out the window showed all their vehicles sitting in the driveway. Tony ran a hand through his hair, then jogged back upstairs to see if he'd missed a note on the dresser or one of the nightstands. He glanced out the window as he moved toward Jethro's side of the bed, and spotted his lover sitting under one of the large trees in the backyard.

Tony tilted his head and watched him. Jethro's face was mostly hidden by the multicolored leaves, but Tony was an expert in the man's body language, and he could see that something was off. After a few seconds of internal debate, he went back downstairs.

A minute later he walking across the lawn to where Jethro was still sitting. The older man, dressed in sweats much like Tony's, looked up and gave him a small smile, then reached out a hand. Tony moved close enough to take it in his own, and looked down at his lover in the fading light.

"You okay?"

Jethro nodded. "Yeah, I think so." He looked around, then back up at Tony, tugging on his hand. "C'mere. Sit."

Tony smiled and sat facing Jethro. "Getting dark," he commented.

"Yeah."

They sat quietly for a moment, then Jethro squeezed Tony's hand. "I'm proud of you."

Tony blinked. "How come?"

Jethro tilted his head a bit. "The way you stood up to your father. Was good to see."

Tony smiled. "Wasn't easy. Nothing ever is, with him."

"You gonna be okay if he doesn't follow through?"

Tony thought about that, then nodded slowly. "You know what? I really think I am." He laughed suddenly. "Dad told me Ducky offered to adopt me if he won't step up to the plate. I could always take him up on his offer."

Jethro smiled. "Good."

Tony rubbed his thumb over the back of Jethro's hand. "How about you?"

"How about me what?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Are you okay?"

Jethro shifted his hand to lace their fingers together. They sat quietly for a while; when Jethro spoke, Tony almost had to strain to hear him.

"Used to sit out here, under this tree, and read to Kelly. Started when she was a few years old… tree was smaller then."

Tony watched Jethro's face while he gazed into the distance, seeing memories.

"We were reading one of Shannon's favorites from when she was around Kelly's age before I deployed that last time… a book about kids in England around the turn of the century, whose father disappeared." Jethro was silent for several minutes. "We got about halfway through the book the night before I was going to leave. I remember the title of that chapter had something to do with valor." He smiled softly. "Explained the concept of valor to her… she said since I was a Marine, I must have a lot of it."

Tony grinned when Jethro laughed. Jethro glanced over at him and shook his head, turning serious. "I told her to finish reading the book with her mom while I was gone. She said no, that it was our book to read and she'd wait until I came home."

Neither man spoke for a while. Tony eventually cleared his throat. "Something else unfinished… like telling her the truth about fireflies."

Jethro sighed. "Yeah."

Tony lifted his free hand to squeeze Jethro's shoulder. "Jeth… don't take my father's words to heart."

Jethro shook his head, then shrugged. "No… just wish…" His voice trailed off and he reached up to run his hand through his head and rub the back of his head.

"Want some time alone?"

Jethro tightened his grip on Tony's hand. "You mind?"

Tony shook his head. "Of course not." He let go of Jethro's hand and leaned forward to press a kiss against his temple. "I'll go in the basement and look over the plans for the boat, make a list of questions for you." He stood up and looked around. "Stay out here as long as you want. Call for a pizza or something when you come in."

Jethro looked up at him. "Thanks, Tony."

Tony grinned at him. "No problem. I can do a little snooping down there while I'm at it."

"You mean you haven't looked through everything already?"

"Nah. I'm pacing myself."

Jethro laughed quietly. "I'll be in later."

Tony nodded and went inside. He stopped off in the kitchen, rummaged through the cupboards for a snack, then headed for the basement, shutting the door behind him as he flipped on the lights. He spent a few minutes looking at the plans for the boat, writing down some things to ask Jethro, then tossed the pen down on the table.

"Shannon? You around?"

He waited a few minutes.

"Shannon?"

Hi, Tony. Shannon's voice was warm and welcoming.

"Hey. Um… did you pick up on all the craziness the past few days?"

I knew you and Jethro were upset, on and off. I didn't want to spy on you, so I didn't say anything… and then things seemed better.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, they are. To make a long story really, really short, my dad showed up, said some things. Kinda have that part dealt with, though."

Does your father object to you and Jethro being together?

"Not so much that as the fact that Jeth isn't a multi-millionaire capable of contributing to dad's business ventures."

Shannon laughed. Well, no… although I'd imagine that even if he did have that kind of money, he still wouldn't contribute.

Tony grinned. "Probably not." He looked around and pulled a rickety chair away from the workbench, sitting on it carefully. "Can you tell what Jethro's feeling right now?"

There was a pause, then Shannon's voice sounded closer. He's happy, and I think that's related to you.

"Really?"

Is that so surprising?

"No… guess not. Anything else?"

Another pause. There's an underlying sadness too. Is something wrong between the two of you? She sounded worried.

"No, I think we're good. Really good, actually. But yeah, sad is good word. And that's why I want to talk to you."

Is there something I can do to help?

"Yeah, I think so."

Tony took a deep breath and glanced up at the closed door, willing Jethro to stay outside just a bit longer. Then he turned toward where he thought Shannon might be, if she was anywhere, and started talking.

Author's Note: Gibbs is referring to the book The Railway Children by E. Nesbit.