Once again, huge thanks for all the reviews and alerts. I want to repeat that I have tremendous respect for the creators of this fantastic show and its characters and do not intend any copyright infringement, nor do I ever intend to attempt to profit from writing fanfiction. I do this for fun and out of love for the show and the characters.

If by some chance this or any of my other stories should disappear from the site due to the scrutiny of M-rated stories, you can find it on Archive of Our Own, under the same screen name of Kesterpan.

This is, as is usually the case, unbetaed... warning for explicit scenes in the last section, and a mention of a line from the Broadway musical Once Upon a Mattress. Virtual cookies for anyone who identifies the line!

37: Back Together

Public Reunion

Tony unbuckled his seat belt and stood as soon as the plane's captain came over the PA to wish everyone a good evening. He waited to get into the aisle, resisting the impulse to drum his hands on the seat in front of him; it had been a very long week, and all he wanted was to see Jethro now.

An elderly woman stopped at the seat behind him and smiled, motioning for him to go ahead. Her friend peered around from behind, also smiling, and giving him a quick once-over. He grinned and winked at them. "Thank you, ladies!" He scooted out from his seat, and, remembering that he was wearing tight jeans and a snugly fitting t-shirt, he wiggled his rear just a bit. Sure enough, he heard the two women giggle excitedly. Looking over his shoulder, he flashed them a smile, and heard one of them whisper in a strong Southern accent, "Mercy me, Milie! Did you see that?"

He nodded to the flight attendant on his way out of the plane, then walked quickly to the gate, his heart rate increasing a bit as he looked for his partner.

It only took a few seconds to spot him, leaning against a pillar on the opposite side of the concourse, in almost the exact pose Tony had taken just over a week ago when their roles had been reversed in Seattle. Jethro was also in jeans and a t-shirt, better-fitting ones than usual that Tony had gotten him while he was recovering from his ordeal with the rental car killer.

Tony walked quickly over to his lover while Jethro pushed off from the wall; his bag fell to the floor and he enveloped Jethro in a fierce hug, squeezing his eyes shut and burying his face in Jethro's neck as he felt the other man's arms come around him and return the hug just as fervently.

They stood there like that for a moment, oblivious to anyone else, when Tony heard one of the women from the plane.

"Well, isn't that the sweetest thing! Millie, look how close that boy is to his father!"

Jethro chuckled into Tony's shoulder.

"I don't know, Gertie..." Millie sounded suspicious. "I think they're one of them."

Tony pulled back slightly, enough to peer around Jethro while still holding onto him, to see Mille and Gertie, the former watching them with narrowed eyes while the latter looked shocked.

"No! In public?"

Tony buried his face back in Jethro's neck, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. He could feel Jethro grinning now against his neck, and pulled back after a moment, whispering in Jethro's ear. "Let's go home, Dad."

He danced backwards and ducked, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the head slap.

"I'm sorry, Gertie, you were right after all. They must be father and son."

Tony bent down to grab his backpack and set off, grinning again at the two women, who were still watching them. As Jethro caught up and drew even with him, he reached out and took Tony's hand, interlacing their fingers.

"Lord Almighty," they heard from behind them, "now I'm just confused."

Neither Jethro nor Tony spoke as they reached baggage claim with their hands still clasped. A tired businessman stopped close to them, his expression changing to a glare as he spotted their joined hands. He looked up to see Jethro glaring back, and turned away, moving off several yards with a look of disgust on his face.

Tony squeezed Jethro's hand tightly. "Way to go with the PDA, Jeth." At the older man's confused expression, he added, "Public display of affection."

Jethro shrugged slightly. "I thought you were dead."

Tony blinked, then moved to stand in front of him. "I'm sorry, Jeth. I'd have been in touch sooner, if I could." He reached up to caress Jethro's face.

Jethro reached up with his own free hand and gripped Tony's upper arm. "I know you would have."

The businessman cleared his throat loudly and muttered under his breath. Tony caught the words 'fags' and 'disgrace' and he rolled his eyes, letting his head fall back as he stared up at the ceiling. Then he sighed, looking over at the guy. "Lemme go for a sec, Jeth."

"Tony…"

"Just going to have some fun, promise." He winked at Jethro, then walked over to the businessman, who looked at him warily and stepped back. Tony pulled his badge out of his pocket and flashed it surreptitiously, looking around in a furtive manner. When he drew close to the man, who now looked confused, he spoke in a low voice. "Federal agents, working undercover. Can we count on your discretion?"

"Uh, of course… I mean –"

Tony cut him off. "Good. Your name?"

"Um, James Fenton."

"Ok, Jimmy-boy – you don't mind if I call you that, do you? Good. All right, so… my boss and I are working a sting – we're posing as a gay couple to throw our target off the scent. Who's going to think two gay guys are feds, right? Of course I'm right, I'm a Special Agent. So here's the deal. We have to get into position by the taxi stand, but we need a look out. You up for the job?"

Fenton's eyes widened comically. "Yes, yes, of course!"

"Good. Knew we could count on you. Could tell by the clothes. Okay, so here's what you do. Our target is a man with a wooden leg… I know, it sounds crazy, but who's going to think an international arms dealer would have a wooden leg? Only a Special Agent… and now you, my friend. You're part of an elite group. You with me, Jimmy-boy?" Fenton nodded, speechless. "So here's the deal. You wait here, and when you see the guy with the wooden leg, you go up to him and you say, 'The mouse devoured the hawk.' Repeat it back."

"The mouse devoured the hawk?" Fenton said, in an awed voice.

"Excellent. That's the signal meaning the coast is clear. As soon as you've said it, head to the nearest men's room and stay there for twenty minutes. After that, go home and tell no one. We'll be in touch."

Tony held his finger up to his nose, tapping it and nodded significantly. Fenton hurried to do the same thing. Tony nodded and did an about face with almost military precision, walking back to stand next to Jethro and throwing an arm around his shoulders.

Jethro stared at him, then leaned back a little to peer at Fenton, who nodded and gave him a thumbs up. He straightened up and looked back at Tony. "What'd you say to him?"

Tony grinned. "Messed with his head. I'll tell you when we get out of here… ah, there it is." He grabbed his suitcase and the two of them set off for the exit. Tony took a moment to look back at Fenton, who was ignoring the baggage passing by, bending down to look at people's legs. That gave him a fit of the giggles, which made it hard to explain as they walked out of the airport. By the time he finished, they'd reached the car and Jethro was laughing as he put Tony's suitcase in the trunk.

"How long do you think he'll wait for the guy with the wooden leg?"

Tony grinned. "At least an hour, probably more."

Jethro thought about that. "Good. Airport security will question him for loitering." He looked sideways at his partner as they got in the car. "You didn't identify which agency, did you?"

Tony smiled. "Nope."

"Good job, Tony."

Home

The ride to Gibbs' house from the airport was quiet. Tony's initial euphoria at being back home was fading fast; all he could think of was that his life was getting back to normal, while Fitzy and Brooke would never have the future they'd hoped for.

"You okay, Tony?" Jethro reached out and gently squeezed Tony's shoulder before bringing his hand back to the steering wheel as he turned onto his street.

Tony sighed. "Yes and no. I am 'cause I'm finally home, and I'm not 'cause I keep thinking about Fitzy and his fiancée."

Jethro nodded. "Yeah, I know. Stuff like that doesn't leave you alone."

"Reason for rule 10?"

Jethro shook his head. "Fitzy was a fellow agent and a friend. That's different from caring too much about the victims or the suspects."

"I guess." Tony drummed his fingers on his thigh. "I just… I can't help but feel that it's my fault. If I'd stuck with him instead of being distracted by Burrows and Taylor…"

Jethro sighed as he turned into his driveway and parked the car. He switched off the engine and undid his seatbelt, then turned to face Tony. "I should have stayed to help."

Tony shook his head as he got out of his own seatbelt and mirrored Jethro's position. "No, Jeth. If you had… tell me something. If you'd stayed, where would you have been?"

Jethro thought about it. "Probably up front, ignoring the bickering."

"Exactly. And if we hadn't seen the tripwire, just like Fitzy didn't? You'd be dead. Maybe we both would be."

Jethro thought about that. "Guess we owe the Director a thank you."

"Huh?"

"Some advice Vance gave me, a while back. Said to let you spread your wings, give you space… professionally, of course."

"Vance gave you advice?"

"Yeah." Jethro reached up to scratch his head. "Weird, huh?"

"You said it." Tony stretched, then looked at the house. "You hungry?"

"I could eat."

They both got out of the car; Jethro popped the trunk, Tony grabbed his bags, and they headed inside.

As soon as Jethro locked the door behind him, he was pulled into another hug. "God, I missed you," Tony murmured.

"Me too."

Tony sighed loudly. "Think we could skip dinner?"

"Well…" Jethro was cut off by the sound of Tony's stomach growling loudly. "Guess not."

Tony grinned and pulled back, kissing Jethro on the tip of his nose before heading into the kitchen. Jethro watched him go, shaking his head. A moment later, Tony poked his head around the corner. "What the hell have you been eating? There's nothing here."

Jethro joined him, watching as Tony peered into empty cabinets. "Haven't been home much."

"Why not?"

"Been at work, mostly." Jethro cleared his throat. "And when I wasn't at work, I was staying at your place."

Tony popped his head out of the empty refrigerator. "My place?"

"Yeah… needed to feel closer to you."

Tony smiled, a gentle one that reached his eyes. "I'm a lucky guy, Jethro."

Jethro shrugged, feeling his ears start to turn red. "Wanna order pizza?"

"Sure. But I'm going to want some ice cream, and there's nothing in your freezer. How do you live?"

Jethro shrugged. "Ice cream can wait until tomorrow."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "You're out of coffee too."

Jethro fished his keys out of his pocket and headed for the door. "Coffee and ice cream, coming up. Order the pizza, will ya?"

Tony grinned as the door closed behind his lover. He called the restaurant, ordering both his and Jethro's favorites, then grabbed his bags and brought them upstairs. He laughed as he saw Beaker sitting in the chair, listing a little to one side. "I see Jethro's been practicing his head slaps." He dumped the bags next to the dresser, then walked over to the pictures of the two of them hanging on the wall. They were the ones from the team dinner not long after he and Jethro had gotten together. He looked at them for a moment, smiling softly, then his brow creased a bit as he looked around the room. Moments later, he was heading for the basement.

He switched on the light as he walked down the stairs, breathing in the scent of the sawdust and feeling his spirits start to rise back up. Moving over to the worktable, he saw the pieces of the cabinet that Jethro was making for him; it didn't look like much progress had been made. He reached out to run his fingers over one of the sanded edges and smiled again, glad that he and Jethro would be able to continue working on it together. Then he let his hand drop to his side and looked around the room. "Shannon?"

He waited a few minutes, then tried again. "Shannon? You around?"

Tony! I'm glad to see that you weren't seriously hurt.

"Yeah… you knew about the bombing?"

Jethro and I talked about it a bit, before he knew you were okay.

Tony grimaced. "Guess he was really upset."

He was very worried about you. He asked me if you were here, on this side - with us.

"He did? Wow." Tony bit his lip, troubled by how stressed Jethro must have been.

It's alright, Tony. In a way, it was a good thing – his emotions were so strong, he actually bridged the gap between our different sides.

"Um… okay."

Shannon laughed. That means he was here, briefly… sort of.

The color drained from Tony's face. "Jethro died?"

NO, Tony! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way… sometimes people can reach us in their dreams. We… we got to see each other, hold each other, just for a moment. It was the first time… Shannon's voice trailed off, and Tony's heart ached for her.

"Shannon… I'm sorry."

For what?

Tony let out a humorless laugh. "I'm not even sure. For keeping him here, away from you?"

Don't even be so ridiculous. I'll tell Jethro to give you the hardest head slap ever.

"It's got to be strange, talking to your husband's lover."

I suppose so, if I think about it. But, don't you see, Jethro's happy. I've always wanted that, more than anything. He hasn't been, not really, not with any of those other women.

"So you're really okay with our relationship? It doesn't bother you?"

No, it doesn't. Jethro deserves to be happy, and I'm thrilled he's found another soul mate.

"Yeah?" Tony couldn't quite help the smile that spread over his face when Shannon called him that. "Hey, if you're his soul mate, and I'm his soul mate, what does that make you and me?"

Shannon laughed again. Jethro's coming back. Tonight's about the two of you. Bye, Tony.

"Hey! You didn't answer the question!"

"What question?"

Tony looked up to see Jethro peering down at him from the top of the stairs. "Nothing, Jeth."

"You call for the pizza?"

"Of course. Should be here soon. What flavor ice cream did you get?"

Jethro shot Tony an amused look as he joined him at the top of the stairs. "Coffee."

"Of course." Tony grinned at him. "You're so predictable."

Jethro grunted and led the way into the kitchen, where Tony helped him unpack the beer and the few other groceries he'd picked up. By the time they were done, the pizza arrived.

They settled on the couch, the pizza and beer sitting on the table in front of them. "So," Tony asked, after swallowing his first gigantic mouthful of pizza, "what's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

Jethro chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed. "Gotta go see Vance at some point."

"Work? But tomorrow's Sunday and we're not on call!"

Jethro just raised his eyebrows and took another bite.

Tony sighed and had some beer. "Wonder if he's going to try to reassign me."

Jethro swallowed and stared at him. "Why the hell would he do that?"

Tony shrugged. "I dunno… doesn't seem like he thinks of me as a real team leader here. He made a bunch of comments when we had our meeting yesterday."

"Like what?"

"Just said not taking the team lead out there wasn't the best move for my career… stuff like that. Of course, then he said my position here is secure… why can't we have a director who speaks plainly?"

"We did… Morrow."

"Let's get him back."

Jethro laughed. "Eat your pizza."

Private Reunion

Tony flipped channels on the TV while Jethro cleaned up in the kitchen. The younger man had offered to help, but Jethro had told him to stay put and relax, so Tony did. He tuned in to Turner Classic Movies and tossed the remote on the coffee table, settling in to watch.

Jethro returned a few minutes later, settling in next to Tony after switching off the overhead light and the table lamp. "What are we watching?"

Tony scooted down a bit, leaning his head against Jethro's shoulder. "The Man Who Talked Too Much… early '40s, I think. George Brent, Virginia Bruce, William Lundigan, among others. Gangsters, lawyers, and the best gangster name ever: Slug McNutt."

Jethro grinned. "You're gonna use that on McGee, aren't you?"

"Of course."

They watched the movie in silence for a while, Tony snuggled into Jethro and Jethro with his arm around Tony, running his fingers though his hair. The movie paused for commercials, and Tony sat up a little, turning to look at Jethro. "Can I just say how much I love this?"

"The movie?"

Tony waved his arm around the room. "No, silly. All of this. You, me, just relaxing after we haven't seen each other for a week and you thought I was dead. I actually love that we weren't ripping each other's clothes off as soon as we got in the door."

Jethro's eyebrows climbed into his hair. "You don't want to have sex?"

Tony reached out and smacked him on the head. Jethro grinned. "Don't even go there. Of course I want to have sex – I'm predictable too. It's just… it's not just about that. There's no pressure… the passion's there, and don't get me wrong, it's fantastic – but we can be together like this too. We just fit, you know? It's easy."

Smiling, Jethro pulled Tony back down into a loose embrace. "Yeah, I know. This is the way it's supposed to be."

Tony was silent for a few minutes, then spoke quietly. "I never had this before, Jeth. Ever."

Jethro just tightened his arm around Tony and dropped a gentle kiss on his hair. He watched the movie with Tony until it ended; when the next movie started up, Tony gave him a brief synopsis and shifted around a bit until they ended up with Jethro's back against the arm of the couch, his legs on either side of Tony, holding him loosely in his arms. Tony was stretched out on the couch with one lower leg resting on the other arm, the other leg propped up against the back of the couch, and his head resting against Jethro's chest.

About ten minutes into the second movie, Jethro let go of Tony, resting one hand flat on his lover's stomach while the other moved to lightly run the tips of his fingers up and down Tony's arm. He watched goose bumps form in their wake, and rested his head against Tony's when the younger man sighed and snuggled back against him.

A few minutes later, Jethro gently tugged on Tony's t-shirt, taking it out of his jeans, then moving his hand underneath to rest again on Tony's stomach. Tony hummed and dropped his own hand to Jethro's leg, stroking it through the denim. Jethro dipped his head and kissed the side of Tony's neck; Tony tilted his head away from the TV, giving Jethro more room. The hand on Tony's stomach started tracing small circles on his skin, and he continued the light caresses on Tony's arm, gently nibbling on his neck. Tony sighed again, then shifted as if to turn over, but Jethro put more pressure Tony's abdomen to stop him from moving.

"Don't. Let me take care of you tonight."

Tony immediately stretched and relaxed, sinking back into Jethro and becoming relatively boneless.

"That's my boy."

Jethro kept up the stroking and kissing, rubbing his face against Tony's hair every now and then. Tony lay with his eyes closed, no longer paying any attention to the movie, giving himself up to whatever Jethro wanted to do.

After a while, Jethro moved his hand out from under Tony's shirt, bringing it up to Tony's hair, burying his fingers there and getting Tony to tilt his head enough for Jethro to kiss and lick his lips. Tony groaned a bit at the feel of Jethro's lips on his, pushing back against him and feeling Jethro's growing erection against his lower back. Jethro hummed a bit as he felt Tony press against him, then moved his hand from Tony's arm to his waist, tugging on his belt until he managed to get it undone. Tony moved to help; Jethro gently took hold of his hand and put it back on his own leg. "Let me."

Tony nodded, his breathing speeding up a bit as Jethro unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, loosening the denim before sliding his hand inside and gently stroking Tony's cock. "Jethro," he breathed, gasping a little as Jethro's hand squeezed him lightly.

"Mine, Tony. You're mine."

"Yours," Tony sighed.

Jethro growled low in his throat and gripped Tony's hair a bit harder, pulling his head back while he gathered moisture from the tip of Tony's cock onto his palm, then started to stroke him in earnest. Tony cried out a bit at the sudden simulation, his hips jerking as Jethro pulled his head further back and growled into his ear. "Gonna make you come fast, Tony… then I'm gonna take you upstairs and make love to you, make you come again…" Jethro moved his legs across Tony's thighs, holding them down and stopping Tony's hip motion, making the younger man gasp and writhe a bit in his arms. Jethro moved his hand over Tony's cock even faster, forcing him to turn his head for another kiss, locking their lips together and invading Tony's mouth with his tongue. He could feel Tony's grip on his legs, feel his lover tensing up, and he pulled back suddenly. "Come on, DiNozzo!"

"Boss!" Tony half-screamed, half-gasped, then came hard into Jethro's hand.

Jethro immediately softened his grip on Tony's cock, holding it loosely, while the hand gripping Tony's hair let go and began stroking him gently. Tony's head dropped back against Jethro's shoulder, breathing hard but smiling.

Once Tony calmed down, Jethro removed his hand from Tony's groin, wiping it off on his lover's shirt. Tony laughed a bit at that, then turned his head to look up at Jethro. "That was a first, calling me DiNozzo like that."

Jethro ducked his head and gave Tony a sheepish smile. "Felt all possessive, I guess. It just came out like that."

Tony grinned. "Obviously I liked it… like you all caveman."

Jethro's arms tightened around his lover. "It's just… I thought you were dead, Tony." His voice caught a bit at the word, and Tony pulled out of his grasp to sit up and face him.

"I get it, Jethro. I do. I'd probably have reacted in a similar way if I'd gotten you back from psycho car killer in one piece." He pulled Jethro in to a hug, and the two men held onto each other tightly. Once Jethro relaxed, Tony nudged him with his shoulder. "You said something about taking me upstairs and doing that again…"

Jethro chuckled and reached for the remote, switching off the TV and leaving the room with only the light coming in through the curtains. They got to their feet; Tony gasped a bit when he stood up too quickly, and Jethro was immediately at his side. "Did I hurt you?"

"Not at all, Jeth… forgot about my back still being sore, that's all."

"Maybe we shouldn't –"

"Of course we should. I'll take some of your grunt candy first, that's all." Tony took Jethro's hand and tugged him toward the stairs.

Jethro started removing his clothes as soon as he made it into the bedroom. Tony detoured into the bathroom down the hall, downing three ibuprofen pills before joining his lover. With Jethro's help, he was naked in record time; he lay back on the bed while Jethro went to the nightstand, taking out the lube and slicking his cock quickly before putting more on his fingers and then crawling onto the bed and kneeling between Tony's legs.

Tony accommodated him by spreading his legs wide. "Dispensing with the foreplay?"

Jethro grinned. "What was all that on the couch?" He reached down to rub the gel over Tony's anus, inserting a finger quickly yet carefully. "Want to be in you, Tony. Need the connection."

Tony nodded, reaching for Jethro's groin and fondling his balls, getting a gasp and a groan of pleasure out of the older man. "I get it, Jeth."

They fell silent, staring into each other's eyes while Jethro got Tony ready for him and Tony continued to stroke his lover, feeling his thighs tremble and his cock twitch every so often. It didn't take long for Jethro to find Tony's prostate, and the stimulation soon had Tony hard and leaking again.

Tony let go of Jethro and held out his arms. "C'mere. Want you now."

Jethro's fingers slipped out, and he moved forward, grasping his cock to line it up with Tony's entrance, sliding in slowly as he settled his body on Tony's. Both men groaned as he slid all the way in; Jethro rested his head on Tony's shoulder, while Tony put his arms around his lover and stroked his back.

"Love you, Jethro," he whispered.

Jethro raised his head. "Love you too, Tony… so much. Don't know what I'd have done if you'd been gone for good."

Tony's arms tightened around him. "I'm here, Jeth… can't guarantee the future, but I'm here now. Always will be, if I have any say in it."

Jethro dropped his head against Tony's shoulder and nodded, unable to speak. He gritted his teeth until the urge to let the tears fall passed, and then he started moving his hips, letting his cock glide slowly in and out of Tony's ass, building the pace bit by bit as he moved up onto his forearms so he could look Tony in the eye.

He let the pace and the passion build slowly, just gazing at his lover, memorizing the changing expressions on Tony's face as his arousal increased. His hips sped up bit by bit, and he increased the force of his thrusts carefully, mindful of Tony's back. They continued like that until Tony was incoherent with lust, breathing heavily and moaning with every move Jethro made, his mouth hanging open as he gasped for air. Finally his hands gripped Jethro's shoulders tightly and he threw back his head, crying out with his second orgasm of the night. Jethro let go of his restraint as soon as Tony started coming, pressing his face into Tony's neck and pumping into him as fast as he could, coming less than a minute after Tony.

Jethro collapsed onto his lover; both men were breathing hard and drenched in sweat. They lay there until their breathing evened out, and then Tony turned to look at Jethro. "Shower?"

They cleaned up quickly, making their way back into bed soon after. Tony lay on his back, while Jethro got into his usual position of using Tony like a giant teddy bear, his head on Tony's chest, his legs tangled with Tony's. "You setting the alarm?" Tony asked.

"Nope. Vance didn't set a time. We'll get there when we get there."

"Good."

They lay there for a while, neither one ready to sleep. Tony ran his hand gently up and down Jethro's back, then cleared his throat. "My lease is up in just over a month… was thinking I'd move in then, if the offer's still open."

Jethro rolled off of Tony and sat up. "Of course it's still open. I didn't think you were ready… you were mostly avoiding talking about it last weekend."

Tony reached for Jethro's hand. "I know… I wasn't sure. Worried about whether it would put a strain on us, what would happen if things didn't work out. I was afraid of ruining what we've got. Then I started thinking, this past week… went to dinner with Fitzy and Eddie a few times before you came out there, and Fitzy talked a lot about Brooke. They'd been dating for over four years, and Fitzy as still all starry-eyed about her. Eddie asked him why he hadn't already proposed, and Fitzy said he was waiting for the right time… their jobs, their families… all that stuff that gets in the way , and you think you have all the time in the world…" He looked at Jethro, squeezing his hand and reaching out to touch his face. "I don't want to wait. We've been through a lot already, just in a few months, and I think maybe it's made us stronger. I don't want to wait for perfect, 'cause I'm thinking maybe this is as close as it gets."

Jethro reached up with his free hand, cupping it at the back of Tony's head and pulling him closer, kissing him gently, pouring all his love and relief and joy that Tony was here with him into the contact. When he pulled back, Tony looked at him, eyes wide. "Wow," he said quietly.

Jethro smiled. "Welcome home, Tony."