This chapter is based on an idea from cam

THANK YOU!

(Trying to speed the romance up a bit, I hope it doesn't come out too short or 'out of place')

CHAPTER 11

The strobe lights were dancing around and bouncing off the walls at The Zenith. It was around midnight and Gibbs and DiNozzo had been in the bar for hours, scanning their surroundings for clues and possible suspects. However the evening had been completely eventless. With a sigh Tony rubbed his slightly stubby chin and looked down on his glass with alcohol free beer. What a vile drink, tasteless and without purpose. But keeping up appearances was important and that was the only reason why he forced himself to drink it. After the incident between Simon and Gibbs people had backed off with all of their flirting - word had quickly spread that 'Gary' as Gibbs called himself was a jealous and rather violent bastard that you did not want to mess with. The strobe lights bathed the two agents in a glimmering blue color and Tony caught himself thinking again about what Gibbs had said at the Mexican restaurant - basically he had not answered Tony's question, but indirectly he actually had. Biting his lower lip a small smile decorated Tony's lips, and he didn't even notice that Gibbs was watching him... Instead his eyes were fixed on the many bottles of liquor in the back of the bar as he was far away in thoughts. Gibbs removed his glance with a smirk and looked at his wrist watch... it was late and this was the time he had been waiting for ever since the revealing conversation at Mexico King. He slipped five dollars to the bartender and sent him a nod. With this he got up from his stool and looked at Tony, who had now resurfaced from whatever dream he had been in.

"We're leaving?" Tony asked and looked up at Gibbs who tapped his watch with an impatient movement of his index finger. The senior agent stood up and he felt how Gibbs' warm, broad hand grabbed a hold of his. Tony wasn't startled as he had been at first, because this was now an almost daily routine. Keeping up appearances... They walked across the floor under the rotating strobe lights and out through the door, envious glances fixed on them.
The colder night air hit their faces as a refreshing breeze as they walked down the sidewalk down the street towards the nearest hotel... After the incident with Roland they definitely couldn't stay at his place, and changing hotels was always a good idea in order not to raise suspicion. The sidewalk was a bit crowded with loud or kissing men, but the two agents soon rounded a corner and the music from The Zenith became more and more distant.

"Eventless day..." Tony muttered and glanced at Gibbs shortly.

"I wouldn't say so," Gibbs said under his breath clearly referring to the small break-through at Mexico King earlier... This hint however went undetected by Tony, who shrugged:

"The case is growing cold, Boss..." he started, but Gibbs softly interrupted him:

"No, it isn't," he just said and smirked slightly, but the dark nightly shadows disguised it and Tony didn't notice. Instead he shook his head:

"But how are we going to find..." he began once more, but again Gibbs cut him off:

"We'll find him. But now we need some rest and calm. Tomorrow is yet another day," he said almost cheerfully and Tony frowned a bit:

"Well, aren't you chipper, Boss..." he said with a small smile, but then the smile seemed to freeze on his face. They had been walking at least two blocks down almost empty streets... But they were still holding hands. Tony's walking pace slowed down a little and as he started letting go of Gibbs' hand - he wouldn't let him. Instead Gibbs firmed his grasp, gently but resolutely. Tony noticed how Gibbs' eyes were locked on him in the pale yellow light from the street lamps... But he didn't dare to look back. His heart was thumping and he couldn't determine if it was good or bad. Hesitating Tony's hand was still intertwined with Gibbs' and they were still walking, but his legs were starting to feel like jello. Their pace was slowing down more and more and Tony seemed almost in a daze, but he still didn't dare to look at his boss. Slowly the two of them came to a hold on the sidewalk and Tony swallowed.

"Look at me," Gibbs said softly. Tony blinked a few times and clearly he was struggling to find the courage to gain eye contact with those piercing blue eyes. Shifting his weight from one foot to another, Tony finally raised his glance... He looked at Gibbs shyly in the dim light, goose bumps forming on his skin.

"Why are you scared?" Gibbs asked as he watched the younger man whose glance really fought not to flicker. Gibbs applied some gentle pressure around Tony's palm as if to encourage him to speak up. Again Tony swallowed, but he managed to keep eye contact.

"I... Don't know..." Tony stuttered lowly and a chill went through him. Gibbs smiled.

"Yes, you do..." Gibbs whispered and pulled lightly at Tony, shortening the distance between them. Tony's gaze flickered slightly, but stayed locked with Gibbs'.

"What if... if... I am just.. confused...?" Tony said and looked at his boss.

"Tony... You're holding my hand," Gibbs said and Tony blinked, realizing that now HE was actually holding on to Gibbs and not the other way around... Wide-eyed Tony looked at his boss, his lips parting slightly in surprise. But he didn't let go. A slight twitch could be seen in the corner of Tony's mouth. What was going on with him? It was like his mind was suddenly warped and unfamiliar to him... But still it didn't feel that uncomfortable. Gibbs smiled and once again he grabbed a hold of Tony's fingers instead of just letting his hand hang down relaxed in the intimate holding hands.

"I... I don't know if this..." Tony began but trailed off. Gibbs sent him a reassuring smile and nodded his head towards a sign on the opposite side of the street which read 'Hotel'.

"Will work...?" Gibbs said and looked at Tony whose cheeks were flushing with red. The younger man nodded. There was silence for a few seconds before Gibbs started to lead them towards the hotel across the street.

As they entered the reception Tony sent Gibbs a worried stare and slowly Gibbs let go of the agent's hand... It would be stupid to pressure Tony too much. He was barely acknowledging the fact that they had been holding hands and that there might be feelings involved - showing off in public in front of the desk clerk was just not appropriate at this time. Gibbs looked at the receptionist:

"A room, please," he said and the man behind the counter frowned a bit:

"Single or double?" he asked, looking from Gibbs to Tony. Tony was busy looking at everything but the receptionist, trying to somehow disguise the red shade on his cheeks. He wasn't succeeding though and when Gibbs said 'single' he suppressed a small twitch.

"Sure..." the clerk said in a low tone of voice and slid the keys across the desk as Gibbs planted a fifty dollar bill in front of him.

"Keep the change," Gibbs just said and started walking towards their room down the hallway, accompanied by Tony who was eager to get away from the clerks piercing stare. Gibbs unlocked the door and walked inside the room, closely followed by Tony who stopped halfway into the room on the middle of the carpeted floor. He just stood there while Gibbs closed the door... followed by a 'click' from the lock. This however sent a chill down Tony's spine and he turned around to face his Gibbs:

"Look, boss, I..." he started, but Gibbs held up his hands:

"I know, I know... We're not going to do anything hasty... and please - call me Jethro," he said reassuringly and smiled at Tony, who was looking slightly paler than usual. Gibbs could tell how insecure Tony was about this whole situation. He didn't want to ruin his chances, but at the same time he couldn't let Tony's fear of male interaction control everything. Then they would get nowhere. Tony smiled half a smile and looked almost questioningly at Gibbs. He felt overwhelmed... Overwhelmed but at the same time somehow excited. His mind felt like it was spinning, and he felt warm and almost fuzzy inside.

"What if... I... What if..." Tony stuttered as he was looking at the floor. Gibbs looked at him:

"What if what...?" he asked as he studied the man in front of him. Tony looked up shyly but had a look in his eyes that Gibbs hadn't seen before.

"What if I... want to?" Tony said in a low voice and this time his eyes were locked with Gibbs'. Gibbs' eyebrows rose a little and a smirk formed on his face:

"What do you want?" he asked and stepped a little closer to Tony, who was still looking him in the eyes. Tony looked a little speculative as he eyed Gibbs up and down...

"I want to... try," Tony then almost whispered. Gibbs suppressed the urge to let his jaw drop at this sudden change in Tony's behavior - instead he kept his cool and smiled as he took yet a step closer:

"Then let's try, Tony..." Gibbs whispered while he felt his heart starting to race expectantly.

So what do YOU think should happen next?

What will happen now? What is going on? Where is Bryan Sawyer? And how should Gibbs' and Tony's undercover mission unfold?

YOU DECIDE!

PLEASE PM ME OR WRITE YOUR IDEA IN A REVIEW!

-Thank you