A/N: Once again I apologize for the longer than normal delay in posting an update. This is Stan's chance to tell his story. I debated going into detail about what happened to him, but I also didn't want to just gloss over it. I hope I reached a happy medium. That part is brief but a bit intense, and really ends up raising more questions than it answers. Meanwhile, Fornell sets Hart straight about a few things, and later Gibbs and Tony have a heart to heart talk!

Disclaimer: Still don't own characters and locations, still not making money on this. No copyright infringement intended.

Ch 25

The walls were beginning to close in and Tony was desperate for some much needed fresh air. It was sunny and unseasonably warm for a mid-fall afternoon so he suggested moving their little chat out onto the deck. Tony had no idea what Stan wanted to tell them, but hoped whatever it was it wouldn't take long. Already emotionally wrung out from dealing with Hart earlier, he wanted nothing more than to curl up with Gibbs and shut everyone and everything else out for a while.

During a team barbeque to celebrate Ziva becoming a U.S. citizen, Abby had suggested to Gibbs that he really needed more space and some outdoor seating for such occasions. Gibbs, needing a project to fill his lonely nights and weekends, extended the deck by six feet then built four redwood Adirondack chairs and a couple of matching tables creating a fairly cozy seating group. Abby added a homey touch by bringing over several citronella torches and a few hardy flowering shrubs in large terra cotta containers. A stacked quarry stone fire pit in the middle of the seating group completed the deck remodeling project.

Gibbs and Tony sat next to each other leaving Stan to take a seat across from them. Not wanting to drag things out any longer than absolutely necessary, as soon as Stan was seated across from him Gibbs said, "Okay, you have our undivided attention. What's so important that you had to drag that bitch over here on a Saturday?"

Ignoring Gibbs' combative tone, Stan took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Frowning, he met Tony's gaze briefly before turning his attention to Gibbs. "It all started about a month or so after you guys left the Reagan."

He went on to explain how two huge guys from the carrier flight deck crew cornered him in his quarters after seeing him picking up a trick – a male trick – at a Honolulu nightclub when they were on weekend liberty. Even though both were intoxicated, they easily overpowered Stan and made their thoughts on having a queer in their midst known. While one forced him to his knees holding his arms behind his back, the other pried Stan's mouth open with his thumbs and shoved his cock down his throat. He held Stan's head firmly between two big meaty hands and brutally fucked his mouth until he came with a shout as he shot his cum down Stan's throat. Laughing, the two men changed places and repeated the process then beat him up and left him unconscious on the floor of his quarters. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was one of them saying, "Need to teach you faggots a lesson."

The next morning a petty officer, who had just recently joined the crew, found him stumbling around and struggling to climb a flight of stairs. The petty officer called for the XO and a medic, who managed to get Stan to sick bay. Once the blood was washed off of his face, the bruising and open cuts stood out in stark relief against his pale skin. His left eye was nearly swollen shut, his bottom lip was split open, and a deep cut above his right eyebrow required six stitches. He also had a minor concussion from hitting his head when he was knocked out cold by his assailants.

Once he was patched up and released by the ship's doctor, the XO escorted Stan back to his quarters ostensibly to help him prepare the necessary paperwork to file charges against the men who assaulted him. Stan refused to name names, but that fact proved to be irrelevant.

The XO, a 23-year veteran, knew his crew and their secrets well. He had a small but loyal network of informants that reported everything to him and among them were Stan's assailants. No one liked having a "Navy cop" onboard, so Stan was watched very closely from the moment he stepped off the gangway. After putting "the fag cop" in his place, the two crewmen went straight to the XO to report what they saw at the club. The XO finally had information on the pain-in-the-ass Agent Afloat that he could use to his advantage.

Before Stan could make it to his bunk to lie down as instructed by the doctor, the XO forcefully bent him over his desk and pushed a pile of case files to the floor. He leaned over Stan's back effectively pinning him in place and whispered menacingly, "Make no mistake, I know all about you being a fag. I'll keep your secret, but it's gonna cost you. From this moment on your ass belongs to me. Deny me or defy me in any way, and I will beat you to death myself and throw your sorry ass off the fantail. You are my property now, and you will do as I say."

Moments later with a hand clamped firmly over his mouth to stifle his screams, Stan was brutally and viciously raped in what would be the first of many such encounters with the XO. To make matters worse, the XO would take him ashore and force him to service associates he owed money too, or to entice potential new business partners. Some of them were sadists, who subjected Stan to any matter of sexual torture and degradation they could devise. A few brought friends along, who took turns raping Stan for $500 a pop. It was a small comfort that at least the XO made everyone else wear a condom when fucking his boy.

Pausing to take a drink of water, Stan nervously waited for some reaction, any reaction, from his audience. He slowly took another sip then glanced up to find Tony looking back at him with eyes full of concern. Gibbs' eyes had narrowed slightly but otherwise gave nothing away.

Tony finally spoke up softly, "Jesus, Stan. How long did you – how long did this go on?"

Neither of them expected Stan's flat, matter-of-fact answer. "Almost two years."

"Two years? Two goddam years?" Gibbs shouted. "Why the hell didn't you report him to the CO? You were an armed federal agent! You should have arrested him or killed the son of a bitch when you had the chance! Jesus Christ, Stan, you could have called me for help! NCIS would have gotten you out of there!"

Stan leaned forward and scowled at Gibbs. "You know damn well I couldn't do anything or tell anyone. All of my communications were monitored and he had his people watching me every minute of the fucking day. I would have been dead before the day's end if I even tried to get help. I couldn't trust anyone. I had nowhere to turn, don't you get that? I wasn't technically Navy so no one gave a damn what happened to me. I took it because I had to."

"Oh my God," Tony declared sadly, covering his mouth with one hand and blindly reaching out for Gibbs with the other. Gibbs grasped Tony's hand firmly and tried his best not to let his simmering anger show.

Acknowledging Tony's sympathy with a nod, Stan calmly and emotionlessly finished telling his story. He was only freed from his so-called slavery when the XO was shot execution-style by a particularly ruthless associate after reneging on a deal to set up a drugs-for-guns smuggling operation. Stan had thankfully been relegated to his bunk aboard the carrier recovering from a bout of the flu, or he would have likely met the same fate.

He may have gained his freedom but his life quickly spun out of control. Drinking and fighting were the only coping mechanisms readily available to him. The numbness caused by too much booze and the physical pain from bareknuckle brawls both served to replace the self-loathing and loneliness that consumed him. He swore that the only thing that got him through the darkest of times were his memories of Tony.

Gibbs did not miss the look of regret exchanged between Tony and Stan, and his heart sank. He knew that Tony's empathy knew no bounds and that he would somehow blame himself for the horrors that Stan had allegedly suffered. To what lengths Tony would go to set things right Gibbs couldn't say, but he pulled his hand from Tony's gentle grasp almost as if preparing to let him go.

"Jethro," Tony asked curiously as he both saw and felt Gibbs emotionally and physically pull away from him.

Noticing a visible change in Gibbs' demeanor, Stan checked his watch then stood to leave. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't want to lay all of this on you. I've tried to put all of this shit behind me. Saw a shrink for a while and that helped, but I guess seeing Tony again and then the two of you together set me off. I got what I deserved. I was stupid and I hurt the only person I ever truly loved. If I hadn't screwed up, maybe none of this shit would have happened."

Gibbs interrupted and pinned Stan in place with a glare. He was scared and, truth be told, pissed off. Stan's story was hard to hear and frankly even harder to believe. His gut was screaming at him that this was simply a new attempt to play on Tony's innate empathy, and it appeared to be working.

Catching both Stan and Tony off guard, Gibbs jumped to his feet and demanded answers. "That's it? So now what? I don't get why you thought we needed to hear this. What do you want from me, Stan, or from us?"

Gibbs abruptly stopped his line of questioning when a realization hit him. He stepped back, cocked his head, and asked accusingly, "Or should I say - what do you want from Tony?"

"Jethro," Tony admonished, shocked by Gibbs' outburst.

Taken aback by Gibbs' sudden coldness, Stan replied defensively, "Nothing. Never mind. Just forget it. I just came here to apologize and tell you my story, hoping you might understand. I should have known you wouldn't give a damn. Wow, this was obviously a big fucking mistake."

Meanwhile, across town Fornell sat across from the deceptively petite woman he had learned so much about. After leaving Gibbs' house the night before he went online and did a little digging. He was not horribly surprised to find M. Alison Hart's background in the legal field to be as impressive as it was dubious. Her clientele included some pretty shady characters, and almost every case she handled made headlines. A courtesy call to Leon Vance before heading back over to Gibbs's house confirmed what he already knew: She would take no prisoners and would gladly lay waste to anyone who stood in her way. Fornell had no doubt that he was armed with enough ammunition to take her down a peg or two.

Hart sat across from the surly FBI agent and assessed her apparent foe. From the steely, untrusting glare she knew he would be a formidable opponent, a welcome challenge if anything came of the latest allegations against her client. At the moment, however, the pressing question in her mind was of a more personal nature. How could she use the FBI agent's friendship with Gibbs to her advantage?

Fornell could almost see the gears in her head turning. He took a sip of his beer then sat back in his seat with his arms folded across his chest. Flashing a snarky grin he huffed out a laugh. "Don't even think about it, Counselor. I know that look. God knows, I've seen it enough. Like every other woman who crosses his path, you have a thing for Special Agent Gibbs," he stated accusingly.

Shifting nervously in her seat, Hart feigned innocence as she played with the straw in her iced tea. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Agent Fornell."

Rolling his eyes then leaning across the table until he was nearly nose to nose with Hart he growled, "Bullshit."

Getting the desired reaction of her swallowing hard, he relaxed back in his seat and put his snarky grin back in place. "I know all about you and your history working with, or more accurately working against, Gibbs. You keep worming your way into NCIS cases, but only the ones assigned to his team. Huh, I wonder why that is. Well Counselor, I don't know if your client Burley is a cold-blooded murderer or if he's pure as the driven snow, but I do know for a fact that you have a less than zero chance with Gibbs. Trust me, better women than you have tried and failed. Besides, as I'm sure you've been informed by now, Gibbs is off the market. And, now that the FBI has taken over the Markham case, you're gonna have to deal with me and only me. I'd hate to have to charge you with impeding a federal investigation or witness tampering, so I would strongly advise you to avoid NCIS and Agent Gibbs. Am I clear?"

Getting a hesitant but affirmative nod, he stood and pulled out his wallet. "Good!" Dropping a few bills on the table to cover the drinks he said, "Just want to make sure we understand each other."

Hart responded indignantly, "I assume you will make sure I am copied on any so-called evidence you come up with as well as statements by Mr. Gibbs and his idiot sidekick?"

Refusing to be baited, Fornell smirked. "You'll get 'em when I do," he called over his shoulder as he walked toward the door.

Chuckling to himself as he walked to his car Fornell thought, "This is gonna be too damn much fun."

Tony wasn't sure why Gibbs suddenly wouldn't look him in the eye, but he was in no mood or shape to ask. He stood and watched through the patio door as Gibbs picked up the thick jagged pieces of stoneware from the coffee mug he slammed against the fire pit after Stan left. Confused and unsure who his anger was directed at, Tony decided to give Gibbs some space and headed upstairs to take a nap.

Lying on Gibbs' bed staring up at the ceiling, Tony replayed everything that Stan had told them. Sleep was impossible as so many questions ran through his mind. Why didn't Stan report the XO? Who was the guy, and why wouldn't he say his name? Why didn't he at least attempt to call Gibbs, the one person he knew he could trust? Gibbs was right; as Agent Afloat Stan was armed at all times. Even unarmed he wasn't a wimpy wallflower and could have put up a fight instead of willingly subjecting himself to the abuse. But the question that nagged Tony the most, however, was why did Gibbs pull away from him?

Gibbs went down to the basement to look for something else to destroy while Tony got some much needed rest. He wasn't in any way angry with Tony, who was obviously still a pawn in some twisted little game Stan was playing. Mentioning that he had relied on his happy memories of Tony during the so called "darkest of times" was a valiant last ditch effort to garner sympathy. Gibbs just hoped to God that Tony saw through it too.

It was too early to start in on bourbon leaving Gibbs with no outlet for his scattered emotions. He slumped tiredly to the floor with his back against the workbench and dropped his head back against the solid pine cabinet door. For the first time in a very long time, Gibbs was scared.

After several minutes hugging his knees and trying to figure out what to do next, he heard the familiar sound of heavy footfalls above him. He sighed tiredly when Fornell suddenly appeared and stood before him.

"Holy shit, Jethro, you look like hell. What happened, and do we need to break out the bourbon," Fornell asked as he slid down to the floor next to Gibbs, who snorted in response.

"Too early, but I could go up and grab a couple of beers," Gibbs offered.

Fornell shook his head and pulled two bottles from his deep trench coat pockets. "Already done. I grabbed these out of your fridge before coming down here. Had a feeling we'd need them. Um, where's DiNotzo," he asked as he twisted the cap off of one bottle and handed it to Gibbs.

Gibbs took a long pull then replied, "Upstairs, hopefully sleeping. Today was pretty rough for him. I'm worried, Tobias," Gibbs admitted.

Fornell took a drink then furrowed his brow. "About what? You said he just fainted or something but he's gonna be okay."

Gibbs shook his head slowly and sighed. "Not that. Afraid I'm gonna lose him."

"What," Fornell shouted, nearly choking on his beer. "Jethro, what the fuck are you talking about? It's pretty goddam obvious that DiNotzo is as crazy about you as you are about him! Why in God's name do you think you're gonna lose him?"

"You didn't see him earlier, Tobias. You didn't see the looks between him and Stan. I just don't know if ...," Gibbs trailed off as Fornell interrupted with a head slap.

Gibbs murderous glare was met by a unapologetic shrug. "I've always wanted to do that. Look Jethro, that's all ancient history. Do not be a bigger bastard than you usually are by digging up the past. Leave it there where it belongs. For Christ's sake, do not go looking for trouble that isn't there! If DiNotzo - Tony - wants to talk about it he will. That asshole Stan is not going to come between you two unless you let him! Are you hearing me here, Jethro," Fornell asked sternly.

"Yeah. I hear you."

"Good. Now, tell me what I missed while I was stuck talking to that she-bitch lawyer."

While Tony dozed restlessly upstairs, Gibbs retold Stan's story of his alleged abuse and shared his gut feeling that the whole thing was bullshit. He was relieved that his friend reached the same conclusion.

"What is it your goth scientist always says? It sounds hinky?"

Fornell countered with a rundown of his chat with Hart. By the time he finished describing the brief verbal sparring session, both men were laughing.

"Thanks for dealing with her, Tobias. She is the last person I want to deal with right now," Gibbs said tiredly as he stood and offered a hand up to Fornell.

Fornell wiped the sawdust from his coat then patted Gibbs on the shoulder and headed for the stairs. "Not a problem, Jethro. I think I'm gonna have a lot of fun pissing her off. Um, we should have DNA test results from the sample you gave me in a couple of days. I'll let you know what I find out then we'll see where we are with Burley. Now, go up and get some rest, Jethro. You really do look like shit," Fornell muttered as he jogged up the basement stairs.

A short while later Tony stealthily appeared at the top of the basement steps hoping to get a read on Gibbs' mood. Hearing the creak of the second step, Gibbs looked over at him before quickly turning his attention back to wiping down and storing the assortment of hand tools cluttering the top of his workbench.

After a long moment of silence, Tony grew impatient. He crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back against the wall. "Are you going to talk to me, or should I just go home," Tony half pled, half demanded.

Gibbs dropped his head and immediately stopped working, but remained turned away and silent as he struggled to find the words he was too afraid to ask.

Throwing his hands up in frustration Tony sighed and stated tiredly, "Okay. You don't want to talk, that's fine."

Tony was about to turn and leave when Gibbs cleared his throat then asked, "Do you still have feelings for him?"

Utterly astounded by the unexpected question, Tony descended the steps and slowly walked over until he was standing just out of arm's reach. It was plainly evident that Gibbs' was struggling to keep his anger or fear in check, so Tony approached with caution. He wanted to reassure Gibbs in some way, but he wasn't sure if his touch would be welcome.

"No, not how you think anyway," Tony replied softly. "Gibbs – Jethro – look at me. Please?"

Tony frowned when Gibbs finally turned to face him with unshed tears in his eyes. He wasn't sure what he expected to see in Gibbs' eyes, but it certainly was not the sadness and hint of fear swimming in them. He grabbed Gibbs by the hand and led him over to sit next to him on the steps.

Running a hand through his hair, Tony sighed then said, "Pay attention because I only want to say this once. You know, all of the beautiful women I slept with in college meant nothing to me, and I didn't mean anything to them either. They used me as much as I used them. You see, I wanted to be seen with pretty girls, it's what was expected of me, and they wanted to be seen with a big shot football player. All harmless fun with no strings attached, and I was happy with that. Then I met Stan and my whole world was turned upside down. He made me feel things I had been afraid of feeling my whole life. For the first time in my entire life I felt loved. Looking back I think maybe I was seeing something that wasn't really there, you know? I mean, everything with him happened so fast. It was something new and exciting, and I have to wonder if I only developed feelings for him to justify, I don't know, turning gay for him. I know that sounds crazy coming from me since sex has never really meant anything to me – until you."

Tony smirked and nodded at Gibbs, who looked back at him in confusion. He knew that Jeanne Benoit had meant more to him than just a one-night stand or short-term fling of convenience. Tony admitted that he had fallen in love with her at some point, even if their whole relationship was based on a mountain of lies.

Gibbs cleared his throat. "But what about …."

Tony cut him off with a nod. "Jeanne? Same thing. That op went on so damn long what I had with her seemed real, at the time anyway. Looking back, I guess I was justifying using her, knowing that no matter what happened with The Frog it had to end. Does that make sense," Tony asked.

"Yeah, actually it does," Gibbs answered. "Sounds a lot like what I thought I had with Jenny all those years ago."

Trading regretful smiles, they met half-way for an all too brief, very chaste kiss.

Tony smiled and patted Gibbs on the knee. "Okay, back to Stan. I trusted him, Gibbs, and he broke that trust. I don't know why and it really doesn't matter now. Listening to him today, I guess I feel bad about how I left things. I was such a coward back then. I just split, you know, lit out of there without a word. I never gave him a chance to explain, or even try to, not that it would have mattered. I would have left anyway, but now I wonder if he felt as hurt and betrayed as I did. Maybe, just maybe, that's why he won't let it go."

Gibbs nodded and answered simply, "Unfinished business. Yeah, I get that. Three ex-wives, remember? You know, I never really cared too much why any of them left. They all tried to explain, but it was mostly a pack of lies and bullshit excuses. Cost me a fortune in lawyers and alimony, but fighting would have just dragged things out. It's weird, but I was actually relieved when they left. I really just didn't care. Until you, Tony, I only trusted one other person with my heart. I just – I can't lose you!"

Tony took Gibbs' face in his hands and slowly shook his head in disbelief. "You are an adorably exasperating idiot sometimes, you know that? I blindly went through two fucking decades of doing everything possible to avoid letting anyone get too close, especially after I realized that I had fallen head over heels in love with the unattainable Leroy Jethro Gibbs. But you know what, it was all worth it. Whether we ever got together or I had to settle for spending my life fantasizing about you, as long as I got to see you and talk to you every day it would be okay. Now, that would never be enough. It's crazy, but dammit I love you so much it hurts sometimes. The past, yours, mine and ours, is the past. I'm not looking back and running anymore, except toward the future – with you."

Gibbs was absolutely rocked to the core by Tony's determined devotion and the prospect of them having and building a future together. For a moment he almost forgot how to breathe and it was the soft brush of Tony's lips on his that finally broke the spell. He grabbed Tony's hands and searched the sparkling emerald eyes only inches away that reflected back love and trust.

"Thank you, Tony. For loving me even though I'm a total bastard. Look, I wasn't mad at you earlier. You tell anyone I said this and I will shoot you, but I was scared. Stan said a lot of things today that had me thinking."

Tony held up a hand. "Wait! You don't think I bought all of that shit he was saying, do you? Parts of it I can believe, like the two guys beating the living shit out of him. I mean come on, some of those guys are freaking huge! Then there's the part about the unnamed XO keeping him as his cabin boy. Guess that's possible, but not very likely. I could have believed either or even both of those – maybe - but being dragged into town and treated like some sex slave? There's no way in hell am I buying that! When I was upstairs earlier I replayed his whole shtick, and I ended up with a lot of questions."

Holding up a hand, Tony counted them off on his fingers. "One, Stan's a big guy and could have fought back. Two, Agents Afloat are armed 24/7/365. Three, he could have called you. Number four is a biggie. Why wouldn't he tell us the guy's name? I mean the dude's dead! You know what I really don't get, though? Here's the big doozy question. Why did he say that his memories of me from all those years ago were what helped get him through it? That's even too melodramatic for me, and you know I love drama!"

Gibbs couldn't hold back a laugh. "I had all those same questions. Your last one is how I knew for sure he was playing us. Figured if he got your sympathy and made you feel guilty that, I don't know, maybe he'd win you back? It's crazy, Tony, but I think he's still playing a pretty twisted game. How do you want to deal with this?"

As if on cue, Tony's stomach picked that particular moment to rumble – loudly. He chuckled at Gibbs' incredulous eye roll and said, "I don't know, but what do you say we jump in the car and go get some greasy burgers, fries, and a couple of beers, and see if we can't figure it out."

Gibbs snorted and nodded in the affirmative. Tony's appetite was as good an indicator as anything that he was well on the mend and feeling better. Gibbs was also relieved to see the affectionate twinkle back in Tony's always expressive eyes, which had a tendency to give him away no matter how hard he tried to hide his physical or emotional pain, disappointment and hurt with pranks, jokes, and movie references.

Tony sprang to his feet feeling as if the weight of the world had been lifted from him. He yanked Gibbs to his feet then pulled him into a fierce hug. Taking a deep calming breath, he spoke softly directly into Gibbs' ear, "You don't need to be scared, Jethro. I love you, and I'm not going anywhere."