Disclaimer: Still not mine.

A/N: Sorry for the delay but real life totally sucks right now. I've had some health issues that are still not resolved (and may be permanent). I currently have only limited use of my left hand – my thumb and index finger still work a little bit – so typing is a bit of a chore. I'll try to update as often as possible but bear with me if I'm a kinda slow. Thanks for your support!

Chapter 21: Weekend at Riley's: Part II

The doorbell rang at 6:45 and Riley opened the door to Abby and McGee. "Come on in," said Riley. She noticed that they were carrying a couple of six packs of beer and a cake. "Just put the cake on the table and the beer in the fridge."

"I wasn't sure about the beer," Abby said. "I know you don't drink and. . ."

"It's okay. Just because I don't drink doesn't mean you can't. I will take your keys, though, if you drink too much."

"Don't worry. It's a school night and Gibbs will kill us if we get drunk. Everyone else should be here in a few minutes. Where's Tony?"

Riley sighed. "I think I made a huge mistake. He's in the basement and I'm not sure if I'll ever get him to come upstairs again. I probably should have known better." At Abby's look of panic she grinned. "Entertainment system. 82 inch plasma. He hasn't moved for three hours." Abby and McGee both burst out laughing and Riley continued, "Go on downstairs and see if you can pry the remote out of his hand. We'll eat as soon as the others come."

Abby and Tim went downstairs and Tim froze. Not only did Riley have the entertainment system with the huge TV and surround sound, she also had a separate TV for gaming, two pinball machines and a couple of classic video games – Galaga and PacMan. Tony was seated comfortably in the center of a large leather sofa happily watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Abby threw herself down on the couch beside him and gave him a hug before leaning back and critically examining his bruises. "The swelling's gone down a lot. But you still look like crap."

"Gee, thanks Abby. It's a good thing that you love me. I can't imagine what you would have said if you hated me," Tony laughed. "Hey, McGoo, come join us!" Tim walked over and sat down on the other side of Tony, eyes growing wide at the sight of Tony's bruised and battered face.

"Wow, Tony," Tim said. "I hope that doesn't hurt at bad as it looks."

"I'm fine, Probie. And if you think it looks bad now, you should have seen it this morning before the swelling went down. I couldn't even open my eye."

"Still, shouldn't you have some ice on it or something?"

"Hey, I've had my own personal doctor all day long. She's been taking really good care of me. Which is good, 'cause I'm never leaving her basement. I mean, come on. Why would anybody want to leave?" Laughing again, Abby settled down beside Tony and Tim wandered over to play with the PS3 while they waited for the rest of the team.

The doorbell rang again to announce Ziva and Gibbs followed almost immediately by Ducky and Palmer. Riley sent them downstairs but Ziva insisted on staying upstairs to help Riley with dinner. "There's really not much to do," said Riley. "We just need to send everything down. If you want to help, you can get the stuff off the dumbwaiter and then send it back up. I don't think everything will fit at one time."

"Dumbwaiter?" asked Ziva, confusion written on her face. "What is a dumbwaiter?"

Riley laughed. "It's kind of like a little elevator that you can use to transport stuff between floors. It's a lot easier than carrying everything. There's a small kitchen downstairs. You'll see the dumbwaiter on the far wall – just unload the food and send it back up for round two."

Ziva went downstairs and Riley loaded the dumbwaiter with the first load of food and drink. It actually took three loads and by the time Riley joined everyone else downstairs, the smell of potato soup and freshly baked bread had everyone's mouths watering. She quickly set out bowls, plates and silverware and she and Ziva put the food and drinks on the bar. Before having everyone serve themselves, Riley asked Ducky if he would return thanks and he graciously complied. "Okay, eat!" said Riley. "If you don't like it, we can always order in."

"Is this homemade bread?" asked Tim. "It smells great."

"Yeah," answered Riley, "but it's not really a big deal. It's not exactly rocket science when you have a bread machine and a couple of boxes of bread mix."

Riley made Tony sit back down and she brought him some soup and a soda before serving herself. The others got their food and settled in. Conversation was light and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Riley made sure that everyone had plenty to eat and drink and once everyone was finished, Abby and Ziva helped Riley clean up. Jimmy and Tim were playing a game on the PS3, Tony and Ducky were watching the Discovery channel and Gibbs was playing pinball.

As the evening wore on, Riley noticed the faint lines of pain around Tony's eyes and she knew it was time for the party to end. She brought him his meds and she realized how bad he was hurting when he didn't even argue about taking them. She caught Ziva's eye and nodded her head toward Tony. Understanding, Ziva said, "I think it is time to go home. We have to be in early for the task force meeting, yes?" The others caught on and began to get up, thanking Riley for her hospitality. "No, thank you guys for coming," said Riley. "I don't get to entertain much and this was really nice. Oh, and did you say there was a task force meeting in the morning?"

"Don't worry about it," said Gibbs. "We'll call if we need you. Unless you have something new to add."

"Nope. I already gave you the updated profile so I'm good."

Everyone left, except Gibbs. He seemed to be hesitating, wanting to say something but not sure how. Standing at the door, he finally said, "He has nightmares sometimes."

"There's another room next to the one he's using," said Riley. "You're welcome to stay. I'm going to need help getting him upstairs anyway. Do you think he'll fit in the dumbwaiter?"

Gibbs laughed. "Let me get my bag out of the car."

When Gibbs came back in, he and Riley went downstairs to drag Tony away from the TV. They laughed quietly when they saw him sleeping with the remote firmly clutched in his right hand. "Hey, sleeping beauty. Let's get upstairs to bed," said Riley. When Tony grinned, she added, "That didn't come out right."

"I'm good," Tony said. "I think I can make it on my own." He stood, swaying a little and Gibbs grabbed his arm to steady him.

"Easy, Tony," Gibbs said. "I'm sure you're fine, but I think I'll walk with you just in case." Still holding Tony's arm, Gibbs steered him up the stairs and into the bedroom. "I'll let Gibbs take it from here," Riley whispered, leaning down to kiss Tony goodnight. "I'll see you in the morning." She left, leaving Gibbs to help Tony get settled.

Gibbs left the bedroom, joining Riley in the kitchen. "Coffee?" Riley asked. Gibbs nodded, and then watched as she made a single cup with a strange looking coffee maker. They waited in companionable silence until the brew finished and she handed him the mug.

"I'm going upstairs. Make yourself at home. There are towels on the shelf in the bathroom if you want to take a shower." To Gibbs' surprise, Riley rose on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Gibbs. See you in the morning."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Gibbs awakened some time later to the unfortunately familiar sound emanating from the next room. Getting up, he quickly moved into Tony's room to find the younger man in the throes of a nightmare. "DiNozzo, wake up," Gibbs called softly, wary of moving too close. He was well aware of the consequences of trying to wake Tony at times like this. "You with me, Tony?" He moved closer, avoiding the flailing arms, continuing to speak to Tony in a soft, calming voice.

"What can I do?" Riley asked from the doorway.

"Just talk to him, but be careful."

Riley slipped into the room and slowly climbed onto the bed. Deftly dodging Tony's arm, she slid up against him and began rubbing slow circles on his back, whispering quiet words of comfort into his ear. Soon Tony began to calm, his breathing becoming slow and even. He turned over, trapping Riley against his body, capturing her in his embrace. Gibbs smiled at her look of surprise and said, "Looks like you're sleeping here." He saw her look of distress and continued, "He needs you, Riley. There's nothing wrong with you being here with him. Now go to sleep." Riley relaxed into Tony's arms and Gibbs covered the two of them before going back to his own bed. Riley decided that she would stay until she was sure that Tony was asleep before going back upstairs – she would just close her eyes and rest for a few minutes much like Tony had done a few nights before.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Several hours later Riley opened her eyes. 'So much for resting a few minutes,' she thought. Tony was still sleeping soundly, so Riley carefully extricated herself from his embrace, wanting him to sleep as long as possible. Listening, she heard Gibbs moving around in the other room so she went to the kitchen and set up the coffee maker. Leaving a note that said 'push the red button', she went upstairs. She went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth then changed clothes for her morning workout.

Gibbs got up and wandered into the kitchen, wondering if he could figure out Riley's coffeemaker. He snorted at the note and followed the directions, gratefully sipping the drink as soon as it finished brewing. He wandered upstairs and heard Riley running on the treadmill, following the sound until he stood in the doorway watching her run. She saw him and raised one finger to let him know she was almost finished and he took the time to observe her.

The first thing he noticed was that Riley was exceptionally well built, a fact that she tried to hide with her classic tailored suits. The next thing he saw was her scars – a surgical scar on her right knee, a bullet wound on her left shoulder and what looked like a burn scar on her right side that appeared to curve around to her back. Seeing his gaze, Riley finished her run and replied to his unspoken question, "Skiing accident when I was fourteen, suspect apprehension gone bad in LA and bomb in Afghanistan."

"The bomb – is that what caused your breathing problems?"

"Yeah. Between the heat and the chemicals, my lungs were screwed up pretty bad. They weren't sure if I'd ever recover but so far I've beat the odds. I see you found the coffee maker."

Gibbs didn't comment on the abrupt change of subject. "Yeah, thanks. I can't function without my morning caffeine."

"I know the feeling. Listen, I'm gonna take a shower and then I'll fix some breakfast. Do you have time before you go in to NCIS?"

"Sure, but you don't have to do that. I can pick up something on the way in."

"It's not a problem. I have to make something for me anyway and I'd rather eat before Tony wakes up. I feel bad eating in front of him."

"Okay, I'm gonna check on Tony and I'll see you downstairs in a few."

Gibbs went quietly into Tony's room and found him still sleeping soundly. He backed out of the room and gently closed the door then went into his own room to make the bed and gather his things. He then went into the den and turned on the TV to watch the news. A little while later Riley came down dressed casually in jeans and a long sleeved shirt. "He still sleeping?" she asked as she went into the kitchen.

"He was a few minutes ago. The swelling's gone down a lot but the bruising looks even worse. He's gonna be hurting today, probably more than yesterday."

"That wouldn't surprise me. I'll try to keep him medicated as much as possible but I know he doesn't like it."

"No, he doesn't handle pain meds well. He doesn't like losing control. He might get a little irritable – don't take it personally."

"Thanks for the warning." She stirred some eggs in a bowl after putting bacon in the microwave. "What do you want in your omelet? I've got bacon and cheese, and I can chop some onions and peppers if you want."

"Bacon and cheese are fine. But I could use another cup of coffee."

"No problem." She finished Gibbs' omelet while the coffee brewed and placed it on the table. "Sit. Eat," she commanded and handed him the coffee then proceeded to make her own omelet. When it was finished she grabbed a soda from the refrigerator and joined Gibbs at the table. They had just finished eating when they heard Tony stirring in the bedroom. "I'll check on him," said Gibbs and left the room.

Tony was sitting on the side of the bed, head in hands when Gibbs entered the room. "How bad?" Gibbs asked.

"Feels like somebody hit me with a pool cue," answered Tony. "Wait! Somebody did hit me with a pool cue."

"Think you can take a shower on your own? Or do you need some help?"

"I think I'm good, boss. But could you stay close, just in case?"

"Sure DiNozzo." Tony got up slowly and moved to the bathroom. A few minutes later, Gibbs heard the shower running. He took the time to get some jeans, boxers and a sweatshirt out of Tony's bag and laid them out on the bed. A few minutes later, Tony came into the bedroom, towel wrapped around his waist. "I'm okay, boss," he said. "I'll be out in a minute. Thanks for getting my clothes ready."

Tony walked carefully into the den and sat on the couch. As long as he moved slowly and didn't move his head too much, the pain was manageable. Talking was almost unbearable but he didn't want to let Gibbs know that. Hopefully, Gibbs would go to work soon and Tony would only have to deal with Riley. Without a word, Riley walked over to Tony and handed him two pills and a glass of water. "I don't . . ." he started but Riley interrupted him. "Shut up and take the pills, Tony. I know you're hurting. This will take the edge off."

"But they'll make me go back to sleep."

"Tony. It's 6:30. So what if you go back to sleep – we'll snuggle on the couch and when you wake up I'll make you a smoothie. If the pain eases up you can switch to Tylenol for the rest of the day. Now take the pills." Ignoring Gibbs' snort of laughter Tony grudgingly swallowed the medication, grabbed the remote and began running through the channels. A few minutes later Gibbs left for NCIS. After cleaning up the kitchen, Riley kept her promise and joined Tony on the couch. Riley noticed when Tony's breathing changed, indicating that he had fallen asleep and it wasn't too long before her own eyes closed in slumber.

TBC