Unearthed Secrets
AN: Thankyou all for your reviews!
Also a huge thankyou to Kate for her inspiration and great work!
Another short chapter...
Gibbs sat back on his couch and sipped at his coffee, closing his eyes. He sat in silence for a few minutes before he heard Tony come into the lounge room and sit in the armchair.
"So, what do ya want for dinner? Italian? Chinese? Macca's?" Tony asked
Gibbs shook his head without opening his eyes, willing the other man to leave him in his sorrow and mourning. He knew the chances of Jake still being alive were not in his favor.
"Well, you've gotta eat something. Coffee does not count" Tony said, pronouncing every word precisely to get the point across
"I'll make sure to write that down later" Gibbs mumbled
Tony frowned, "Okay, so, pizza?" he waited several minutes but received no reply, "Okay, pizza it is"
Gibbs took a sip of his coffee, "Ever wonder what the point is?"
"Of what?" Tony asked
"Everything" Gibbs answered
"What do you mean?" Tony asked, getting concerned
"People just, they are born, live for a while, then they die. And in the end what have they achieved?" Gibbs explained, "What is the point? We're here for such a short time, and…"
"Gibbs," Tony said, his concern showing in his tone, "Don't do anything stupid, anything you'll regret. There is still hope"
Gibbs opened his eyes, "Yeah. I'm not suicidal, Tony. I just," he sighed, "I don't know…don't really know where I'm going with this"
"Ah hah," Tony answered skeptically
Gibbs sighed deeply, "Sorry, I'm just a bit…I want Jake back"
Tony gave him a small smile, "Don't apologize, Gibbs, never apologize"
Gibbs briefly returned the smile, "Yeah, ok"
Tony ordered the pizza and wondered around the house, doing small jobs until the delivery man arrived. He set the pizza box and garlic roll on the table in the lounge room whilst he prepared drinks for himself and Gibbs. Putting Gibbs' coffee in-front of him, he gently shook the ex-marine awake and gave him a plate.
Gibbs blinked a few times to clear the sleep and started eating despite not feeling hungry. After they'd eaten, Tony lay back in the armchair and studied Gibbs for a while.
"What do ya want Tony?" Gibbs asked
Tony sighed, frowning, "Um," he thought for a second, then shook his head with a smile, "No, now's not the right time"
Gibbs frowned, finishing the rest of his coffee, "Tony, spit it out"
"It can wait" Tony insisted
"No, it's not. Tell me what's on your mind" Gibbs said, vaguely wondering why he was pushing Tony to tell him
Tony sighed, "What do you think about Kate?"
Gibbs' frown deepened, "She's a great woman, fantastic agent. Where are you going with this?"
Tony gave a small smile, "I know this is gonna sound strange, but…" he closed his eyes and sighed, "Her father died a few years ago…"
"I know that Tony, it's in her records" Gibbs interrupted, narrowing his eyes at Tony
"Yeah, I figured that. Um, you're the closest thing she has to a father…" Tony waited but Gibbs didn't say anything, "I guess what I'm trying to say, no, ask…I guess I'm asking you for permission to marry Kate"
Gibbs raised his eyebrows, surprised, "Your right, that does kinda sound strange"
"Yeah, well," Tony said, "I want her to be happy, and if you're happy with it as well…"
Gibbs cocked his head to the side, a hint of his smirk at the corners of his mouth. He frowned at the young man on the armchair, "She'll want you to change. Not a lot, and she'll never tell you, but she won't want you to chase skirts anymore"
"She doesn't want me doing that now" Tony responded
"Yeah, well, that's to be expected, she doesn't want to share you" Gibbs explained
"And I don't want to share her" Tony replied
Gibbs smirked, "It's called being exclusive…"
"I know, that's nothing new, Gibbs" Tony interrupted
"Right. You don't ever want to forget your anniversary, make sure you write it in your PDQ or whatever" Gibbs told him
"PDA, boss" Tony corrected
"Whatever, just don't forget it. Can you cook?" Gibbs asked
"No" Tony shook his head
"Well, DiNozzo, that is something you need to know how to do. You can't expect Kate to do all the cooking" Gibbs told him
Tony nodded expectantly, "Ok"
"I'll teach you, if you want" Gibbs offered
"You'd do that boss?" Tony asked
"Yeah," Gibbs replied, "Can you dance?"
"I don't suppose the chicken dance counts?" Tony asked
Gibbs cocked his head to the side, "You are not doing the chicken dance on your wedding night"
Tony smiled, "It could be fun. Even the kids could join in"
Gibbs looked down and getting up, he walked away.
"Gibbs," Tony called, "Sorry, I didn't mean, I didn't think…"
"Well maybe next time you will, DiNozzo" Gibbs responded
Tony looked into Gibbs' eyes and saw the strain of the last week, "Gibbs, I'm sorry. I just…got carried away"
"I can see that, DiNozzo!" Gibbs growled at him, running a hand through his hair, "I need coffee"
Tony watched Gibbs go into the kitchen. He mentally slapped himself, putting his head in his hands. When he looked back up, Gibbs was staring into space in the kitchen.
"Gibbs, you okay?" Tony asked, afraid that his comment had made Gibbs go into shock or something
Gibbs dropped the coffee pot and stared at Tony, "I …I think I know where they are"
That's it for chapter 24!...Hope you liked it! PLEASE review! Tell me what you think...