What's all this talk of evil hats? I know nothing… And I didn't even make you wait! I must be going soft.

Tony dropped the pizza box on the dining table and dropped his jacket over the arm of the couch only to smirk when Gibbs came along behind him to hang it up. "Grab beer and plates. I'll grab paper and pens."

Gibbs nodded and headed for the kitchen. "You get her contact list?"

"Yeah," Tony pulled a piece of pizza out, not waiting for a plate, swallowing hastily to continue. "McGoo is convinced she's going to kill him when she finds out he hacked into her computer."

"We'll just tell her it was you."

"Ass," Tony mumbled around the crust of his pizza.

"Focus, DiNozzo. Ideas for where we can have this? It's not happening here."

"Relax. Let me be in charge of location, and decorations. I think we should have it at seven with drinks and fun finger foods. Or better yet, candy. Lots and lots of candy. And a cake, can't have a birthday without a cake. So here," Tony pushed the list of names and numbers to Gibbs. "You start calling people, I'll get started with a menu."

"We need a location before I can invite people."

"Yeah, okay." Tony pulled out his lap top and logged online. Within minutes he had found the perfect jazz club willing to rent out their large back room for Abby's surprise birthday party. Tony had been there before, and knew what the room looked like. There wouldn't be much needed as far as decorations, with the exception of the million-plus streamers he wanted to hang. Once that was settled, Gibbs started on the long list of Abby's friends while Tony searched for food options. The jazz club offered a bartender with the rental of the room, so at least that was one thing taken care of.

He was in the middle of searching for larger scale gothic decorations that he could add to the club when he was distracted by updates on facebook. "What the…" he turned the computer so Gibbs could look. "She's out clubbing!"

"So?"

Tony pulled the laptop closer and looked at the photo she was tagged in. "That's my favorite skirt and… look at her!" He spun his computer toward Gibbs so he could show the older man what they were missing out on.

"Tony," Gibbs was tired and irritated at being the one to do most the work. "We asked her not to come over tonight, you wanted her to sit home alone and do nothing?"

Tony sighed heavily. "Yes? No. I don't know. I thought maybe she would call Carol or something. I didn't think she'd be out with…" He studied the photos, "Ziva, Irene, Leanne… and everyone?"

"DiNozzo!"

The head-slap that accompanied Gibbs' sharp tone wasn't entirely unexpected. "Sorry boss, I just… I haven't been out clubbing with her since… well, this latest clusterfuck. And now she's out shaking her ass for other people to see."

Gibbs refused to go clubbing with them, but was happy for the two of them to let off steam in a club so long as they returned to him. It gave him a chance to spend some time in the basement without wondering what trouble they were getting into upstairs.

"I know, but you know she's not going home with anyone. She's just out having a good time."

"Are you sure? She probably thinks you wanted me alone for hot, wild sex. So she's upset and some ass at the club will scoop her right up. We're not having sex, by the way." Tony typed a little harder on the keyboard as he went back to his search.

Gibbs chuckled and shook his head, "whatever you say."

It was late before they had everything finished. Tony had ordered everything to be delivered to his new apartment, so we'd better keep her busy and away from my place. Not that any of them had a reason to be there. It was half empty, a place he could crash if needed – a place he could invite McGee over if the younger man was having a rough time, or if some college buddies were in town. He ducked away from Gibbs when Gibbs tried to pull him close, but was out maneuvered upstairs when Gibbs finally shoved him up against the wall to kiss him.

"We're still not having sex."

"Not asking for sex, Tony. Just want to kiss you, making up for lost time."

Tony melted against him easily and sighed happily when Gibbs eventually pulled away. "We could take a shower together and, you know, if your dick just happened to rub against mine… it's not really sex now, is it?"

Gibbs followed him to the shower and stripped efficiently so he could get the water to the perfect temperature while Tony took his time, spending more time folding his clothes than necessary. Gibbs was halfway through shampooing his hair when Tony joined him and took over. It wasn't something that he would ever admit to, but whenever either Tony or Abby shared a shower with him and took the time to shampoo his hair, it was one of the most relaxing things he could think of. When it was Abby, her touches were feather soft and gentle. She took care to keep water out of his eyes and always made sure to keep as much of her body pressed to his as she could. When it was Tony, his hands were more firm and he paid more attention to easing the tension from the base of his skull with his thumbs.

Eventually they switched roles, but rather than stand behind Tony, Gibbs stood in front of him, grinning at the look of excited pleasure on his face when their dicks touched. Gibbs tried to ignore the sensation while he shampooed Tony's hair, but Tony was quick to squirt a little of Abby's favorite shower gel into his hand and grabbed his cock.

"You're like a horny teenager, the way you play with that thing."

"Mm… you're complaining?" He grabbed Gibbs' dick and pressed them together, jerking his hips forward.

"Nah." Gibbs tilted Tony's head back under the spray to rinse the shampoo and then pressed him back against the cool tile and thrust into Tony's hand. He wrapped his arms around the younger man, holding him close as they thrust together, grunting and groaning in the shower. It was almost like a competition to see who would last longer and eventually Gibbs leaned in to growl in Tony's ear. "You think Abby wore that skirt because she knew she'd be on that facebook thing and she knew you'd see it?"

Tony let out a strangled moan and was the first to find release, spurting over the both of them. Gibbs wasn't far behind and they stood under the spray, breathing heavily and sharing the occasional kiss. "You really are a bastard, you know that? I was totally going to outlast you and you had to cheat."

Gibbs turned under the spray to completely rinse one more time. "Wasn't cheating, was asking a simple question. Come on, the water is starting to cool."

"Simple question, my ass." Tony followed him out and shook his head like a wet dog before grabbing a towel. They dried off and pulled on clean boxers before climbing under the sheets. It wasn't long before they were fast asleep.

"This is for you," Ziva presented Abby a chocolate cupcake with a smile. "Thank you for letting me spend the night last night."

"Wait, you spent the night…" Tony's eyebrows shot up. "As in, a sleepover?" Gibbs had reassured him that Abby wouldn't find a new lover at the club, but he hadn't said anything about on the team. If Abby was okay with two men together, no doubt loving another woman wasn't out of the question.

Ziva smiled to herself as Abby skipped toward the back elevator with her cupcake.

"What do you know, probster? Has this been a regular event while I've been away?"

McGee rolled his eyes and ignored him. Luckily for him, Gibbs came around the corner. "Female navel Lieutenant Commander found dead in a park. Grab your gear." He never liked to hear about someone dying, but he loved the way his team moved with practiced ease.

Gibbs frowned as he stepped into the elevator and headed up to the squad room. She hadn't been cold, but Abby had definitely been distant. There had been no mention to the night before – the fact that Tony and Gibbs had spent the night without her, nor the fact that she had been out partying. He wished he could've waited a few weeks. With Tony only back a few nights, he knew it would look like they were pushing her away to have time alone. He hadn't taken the decision to ask her to stay away lightly, time wasn't on their side, but if it was going to make her worry that much he was tempted to ruin the surprise - until he figured out a way to deal with it.

Tony noticed it as well, pulling Gibbs aside before they went to the lab to see if she was ready to leave for the night. "Should we tell her?"

"She can pout for a week, it won't kill her."

"It might kill me!"

"I will kill you. Keep your mouth shut."

"What do I do if she asks me about why we needed time alone last night, what do I say?"

"You're a special agent, figure something out." An idea came to mind. "Spend a night with just her, tell her you needed solo time with each of us, I don't care. Just don't ruin the surprise."

Tony grinned at him and then laughed. "The great Leroy Jethro Gibbs is concerned about a surprise birthday party. I never thought I'd see the day."

"Don't get used to it and don't expect your own." Gibbs sent the elevator in motion again. "Why don't you take her back to her apartment tonight, just the two of you? It might help keep her from worrying or questioning things too much."

"Yeah, maybe a good idea. But if you get a 911 text, it means she's grilling me and I can't keep quiet much longer and you know that thing that she does with her tongue? I can't be held responsible if she uses it as an interrogation method." He accepted the head-slap like a man and left the elevator with a wide grin.

"What's that grin for?" Abby looked up from her computer when Tony strolled in, Gibbs not far behind.

"I tried to bend Gibbs over his desk, but he wasn't interested. Thought you might be?"

Abby cracked a grin. "In bending Gibbs over the desk?"

"I am standing right here," Gibbs rolled his eyes.

Abby shut off her computer and gathered her stuff. "Are you guys ready-"

"Just you and me tonight, my lady," Tony said as he grabbed her hand and pulled it to his lips.

"Oh?" She sent a curious look to Gibbs.

He gave a slight nod. "I won't be out of here for a while anyway. Have a good night."

Abby's voice lowered to a whisper. "Is everything okay?" They had always stressed that their relationship was the three of them – everything together – and now two nights in a row they were doing things separately.

Gibbs glanced at the security camera and nodded to Tony. It took the younger man a second to catch on, but then he grabbed a chair and stepped up and pretended to look at a something on the top shelf, shielding Gibbs and Abby from the camera. Gibbs leaned in for a slow kiss, holding Abby close. "Everything is fine, I promise. Tony just asked for some time alone with you, that's all."

"Like he did with you? Nothing bad going on?"

"Nothing bad, I promise. Not that I'm aware of." He glanced at Tony who was still stretched awkwardly to block them from the camera.

"We're fine." Tony hopped down and handed Abby her things. "I just…" He tried to ignore Gibbs staring at him. "I was gone for so long, I thought it would be nice to have some time alone with each of you. I want to nibble all over you and not worry about keeping Gibbs pleased as well."

"That so?" Abby took her stuff and headed for the door. "So, where exactly will you be nibbling?"

Tony sent a grateful smile over his shoulder as he followed her out of the lab.

Sex, when Gibbs was involved, was usually about the connection the three of them shared. It was about Gibbs reminding himself that he was no longer alone, that they loved him as much as he loved them. It was heavy and sometimes more emotionally exhausting than physical. And it wasn't that Tony didn't love every minute of it, but sometimes he just wanted to give in to the physical pleasures and let his body take over.

When it was just he and Abby, sex sometimes turned into a light-hearted game. They pulled up an app on her phone of 50 different sex positions, set on trying them all - laughing through the ones that were too awkward to get much friction and panting through the more pleasurable ones as they tried to make it last.

"Tony… I… I can't…. Oh God!"

"Yes you can, babe…" Tony slowed and pulled out, tugging her by the hand back to the bed. She fell onto the bed and then moved to her hands and knees, wiggling her butt in the air. "Come on, cowboy, let's finish this."

Tony grinned and kneeled behind her and slipped back into her wet heat with a groan. This time they didn't hold back, instead pushing for a quick release, both of them crying out together and collapsing forward.

"Oh my God, I needed that." Tony laced their fingers together, their bodies too over-heated to curl up together right away. "You okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Abby laughed; her voice raspy and full of satisfaction. "I don't even know."

Tony grinned and rolled onto his side to face her. "Nothing is broken though, right? Gibbs would kill me if I broke you."

"Nothing is broken," she leaned in to touch her nose to his, and then, finally feeling that she was cooling down, she snuggled up close. "God, I missed you so bad. It just wasn't…"

"Hey," Tony soothed, "I thought we were past this. Vance was a dick and sent me away, but I'm back now and never leaving like that again."

"I know," she sniffed, trying to reign in her emotions. "I was so worried that you'd meet someone on the ship or, you know, just move on or something. Or that you'd be mad at Gibbs for not getting you home sooner."

"Hey, if anything, I was the one worried that you and Gibbs would just forget about me because you had each other. That's why I made sure to send some of those extra steamy letters. So you wouldn't forget how long and strong I am."

"Should… should we call and ask Gibbs to come over? I feel weird that it's just two of us again, even though we're all three here in town."

"Nope," Tony tugged her in closer and pulled the blankets up over them before wrapping himself around her. "I meant it earlier when I said that I just needed a little time with each of you alone. So I can put all my focus into remembering every little detail about you and not worry that I'm ignoring the other. Tomorrow we'll climb into Gibbs' bed like normal. For tonight, I want you to myself. So many places to nibble, I might've lost count."

Abby sighed happily. "No, I think you found them all."

"I don't know about that…" Tony pulled the blanket up over his head and kissed his way back down her body.

Gibbs knew politics weren't pretty. But to find out that an old friend, someone he trusted, had been lying to him, put him into a funk he just couldn't climb out of. Senator Kiley was someone he had known for years, someone he trusted with just about everything in life, and suddenly it was all thrown away.

"He in the basement?" Abby closed the front door quietly behind her when she saw Tony was alone on the couch flipping channels.

"Yeah, hasn't been home long. Said he would talk when he was ready, but... not much to say, if you ask me. Whatcha got?" Tony nodded to the large bag in her hands.

"McGee said the cupcake was so delicious, so I had to go get replacement. I got one for you and one for Gibbs as well."

Tony's eyes lit up. "Double chocolate?"

She nodded. "Yep."

"You should bring him his. I know he hasn't eaten. A cupcake isn't much, but it might help soak up some of that bourbon he's no doubt drowning himself in."

"Okay." Abby set the bag on the coffee table and pulled out her cupcake and Tony's. "Mine better still be here when I get back…"

Tony grinned up at her. "I'm not McGee, I would never steal a cupcake from my cupcake. But if I'm a good boy can I lick some frosting from you-"

"Tony! How about you just focus on being a good boy before we get to the specifics."

"Deal."

Abby picked up Gibbs' cupcake and grabbed an extra napkin from the kitchen before heading down the basement. She could see he was tense from the way he was bent over the work bench, his attention completely focused on whatever he was doing. It was unusual for him to not realize he had company, but as he became more and more comfortable with Tony and Abby in his home, he didn't feel the need to listen for every little shift in the house or creak in the floor boards. Abby reached out and tenderly ran her hand across his back. She noticed the way he tensed and then relaxed under her touch. "I went for a replacement cupcake. Brought you one, thought I'd bring it down." She set the small box on the bench, keeping the small cake covered to keep it clean of sawdust.

"Thanks, I won't be long…"

"Take your time," she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Abbs…" He wanted to ask her to stay, but at the same time still needed some time to sort through the betrayal of a good friend.

"I can't stay down here for more than one more quick kiss, I left Tony upstairs with both his and my cupcakes. I don't trust him much longer than that."

Gibbs grinned and leaned in to kiss her before nodding toward the stairs. "You'd better hurry then."

Abby gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and then hurried up the stairs. "My cupcake had better be where I left it, mister," she called out.

TBC…

See? Could've been muuuuch worse. ;)