Maggie set three plates on the island counter. The sauce was simmering, the pot of water was just about at a boil and as soon as Tony got there she'd put the pasta in. She was nervous. She kept tucking her hair behind her ear, an easy tell about her nervousness. Instead of give her nervousness away; she pulled her hair back into a pony tail and took a deep breath.

"Woof."

Freckles launched from her bed in the living room to the front door signaling Tony's arrival. Gibbs was going to wait about a half hour before showing up.

"Freck, leave Uncle Tony alone. He's going to have a tough enough time without you jumping on him." Maggie said as she opened the front door.

"And that is why Uncle Tony brought this." Tony moved his hand from behind his back and held out a three foot long raw hide bone. Freckles tail wagged excitedly back and forth at the site of her favorite treat. "Do I just give it to her?"

"Tell her to sit." Maggie instructed her brother.

"Sit."

Freckles sat down in front of Tony.

"Tell her to stay."

"Stay."

Freckles tail stilled and her eyes focused up on Tony's face.

"Tell her she's a good girl and then give her the rawhide."

Tony did exactly as Maggie told him and Freckles took the rawhide from Tony and trotted off to her bed in the living room.

"Not bad Tony." Maggie gave Tony a kiss on the cheek. "Let's go in the kitchen I have to put the pasta on."

"Can I do anything to help?"

"Think you can manage finishing the salad for me?"

"Salad, I can do." Tony pushed up the sleeve of his sweater and washed his hands in the sink. He was drying off his hands when he noticed that there were three plates on the island.

"Jamie coming to dinner?"

"Um, no." Maggie said as she added the pasta to the boiling pot of water.

"Okay then." Tony gave his sister an odd look. "Dad?"

Maggie almost dropped the fork she was using to stir the pasta.

"No. Senior is not coming to dinner. Why would you even suggest that?"

"No need to get snippy." Tony told her. "I was just making a guess. But maybe you could just think about talking to him, calling him, something like that."

"Not going to happen Tony. Let it go."

They were silent in the kitchen for a few moments while Tony moved from the tomatoes to the cucumbers.

"So then," he broke the silence. "Who is the third plate for? Wait." Tony looked up at Maggie who was stirring the pasta sauce. "The dog eats at the table."

Maggie couldn't help but laugh at her brother. Tony wasn't much on confrontations; he had to always find a way to defuse them with humor.

"No, Freckles doesn't eat at the table." Maggie took a deep breath; it was now or never. "I invited someone else."

Tony nodded and smiled. "I knew it. You ARE seeing someone." Tony was pleased with himself. "You want me to meet this guy and give him the big brother stamp of approval."

"No, it's not…"

"It's okay sis. I got this. I can go all stern big brother like….hmm what movie did …"

Maggie cut Tony off.

"Tony, you don't have to DO anything, just let me finish."

"I could be like Gibbs and say nothing, just do the stare. That'll un-nerve him, and I'll see what he's really like."

Maggie pinched the bridge of her nose. She felt the beginnings of a migraine starting. Maggie's head snapped up when she heard the front door open and close, Tony kept on rambling.

"Oh, you should have asked Gibbs to come over, he's good at reading people."

"She already did ask me."

Tony spun around to see Gibbs walking into the kitchen. Gibbs put a six pack of beer on the table and went over to kiss Maggie on the cheek. Tony's mouth hung open as it slowly dawned on him. He looked from Maggie to Gibbs and back to Maggie.

"You two." He pointed from one to the other.

"Yes." Maggie nodded. She watched her brother's reaction.

"How? When?" Tony was confused, they'd just met. Gibbs had rules, which one was it Tony wondered as he tried to sort this all out.

"About a month ago."

Tony thought he'd heard Maggie wrong and repeated what she said.

"Yeah, about a month ago."

Gibbs still hadn't said anything, he watched Tony's reaction. He was Tony's boss and Maggie was Tony's sister. It was a very fine line he and Maggie were walking. He knew that things could go horribly wrong.

"So you were pretending to not know each other when you came to the office e the other day." Tony was beginning to get angry.

"Let me explain." Maggie walked over to Tony who backed away from her towards the kitchen door.

"Explain that the two of you were lying to me and made me look foolish in front of my friends!"

"DiNozzo." Gibbs finally spoke up.

"No, no Boss. You have your rules and I have mine. No lying."

Tony went out the kitchen door and slammed it behind him. He walked across the porch and stopped at the stairs. He was angry. The two of the pretending to not know each other when all this time they'd been seeing each other and God knows doing what else. No, he knew what else; Gibbs had that bounce in his step. They were sharing more than just coffee.

Tony turned around and was about to go back in to tell them exactly how he felt and he stopped in his tracks. Through the window in the kitchen door he could see Gibbs and Maggie standing there. Maggie was facing Gibbs, her face tipped up to his. Gibbs had her face cradled in his hands. Tony watched as his boss kissed Maggie softly on the forehead and then the mouth. And then Tony saw it. He saw the look on Maggie's face. It was a look that he hadn't seen on her face since James was alive. Maggie was happy, truly happy. The kind of happy look you get when you were in love. And Gibbs. Gibbs was smiling. Not the usual lopsided smirk- I know something smirk- that he usually had. This was a full on reach the eyes smile. Gibbs really liked his sister.

"How could I be such a jerk?" Tony asked himself. Hell, he even wondered if he should have fixed Maggie and Gibbs up.

"I'll follow your lead." Maggie told Gibbs. "If you have to put work first, I understand."

"Are you saying you want to stop?" Gibbs tipped Maggie's face up to his. He could see the answer in her eyes.

Maggie shook her head no.

"Good, I would have put up a fight if you said yes." He smiled at her.

Tony stepped back through the door and clapped his hands together.

"Dinner's getting cold Mags. Gibbs, you going to share those beers?"

Maggie and Gibbs watched as Tony grabbed the salad dressing from the refrigerator and brought the salad bowls to the table.

"Tony?" Maggie questioned her brother.

"Mags."

"Are you saying you're okay with us?" Maggie pointed from herself to Gibbs.

Tony sat down and put some salad on his plate while Gibbs poured the pasta into the strainer and put some onto the three plates.

"I'm saying that there can be no more lying." Tony put the bottle of salad dressing down and looked at his sister and Gibbs who were now sitting across from him. "Look, its weird okay. He's my boss and you're my sister. But I'd be an idiot to not see that there is something between you two."

Gibbs twirled the spaghetti on his fork and listened. He knew there was a 'but' coming.

"But, there has to be a line."

"Tony you know that I keep my personal life personal. I know Gibbs feels the same way. And even though you like to tell everyone everything."

"I do not." Tony gave his sister an offended look.

"Edith and the costume." Gibbs said as he chewed his pasta.

"I'm sorry, what?" Maggie almost choked on her salad.

"Never mind." Tony got busy adding cheese to his pasta.

*Boston, Four Seasons Hotel Bar*

Joe Antonelli sat at the end of the polished oak bar. The room was dimly lit as the movers and shakers tried to move and shake big money deals. There were women scattered here and there in the bar all beautifully done up in furs, diamonds and lots of plastic surgery. None of these women interested Joe, not that he was willing to pay for their company. He was interested in one of the men sitting at the table in the middle of the room. He knew the man well even though they've never met. Joe had spent months trying to find out everything he could about this man, in particular where his daughter had gone to. Joe waited for the right time and after watching the man drink several Belvedere Martinis, the distinguished looking man excused himself from the table and went to the rest room. Joe followed discreetly.

"Excuse me sir." Joe said to the man as they stood next to each other at the sinks drying their hands. "Are you Anthony DiNozzo, Sr?"

Senior looked at the man next to him and couldn't place him.

"Yes, I am, have we met before?" Senior asked.

"No, we haven't met, but I've heard all about you."

"All good I hope." Senior smiled his fake smile.

"All good sir." Joe lied.

"Well who told you about me?"

Joe smiled and hoped his months of work would pay off.

"Your daughter, Maggie Sullivan."

Senior was completely surprised at the man's answer.

"Let me explain. I'm an old friend of Maggie's. My name is Joe Antonelli. I've been trying to find her, I heard she moved. Do you happen to know where she moved to?"

Senior smiled again.

"Well yes Joe, I do know. I talked to my son today; they were having dinner tonight at her new home outside of DC."