Title: Second Wind (Sequel to Seeds of discord) (Part 2/2)
Author: Nightchild78
Characters: Anthony DiNozzo, OFC
Rating: K+
Warning/Spoilers: Post Season 13
Summary: A possible way Tony could have left NCIS and a glimpse of his future life (with a dash of romance, because Tony deserves to be happy).
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's note: Hello! I know I promised to post a new chapter of "Providence" before the end of 2021, but now that my muse is back, I decided to give it free reign and it apparently wants to finish my WIPs before, so I can entirely focus on the next chapters of "Providence" afterwards. So, here is the last chapter of this fic, which was supposed to be only a one shot and ends up with more than 6,000 words.
A huge thank you to Hilde who agreed to be my beta reader and did a wonderful job. You're a gem.
Special thank you also to Cathy Brown, Patti Lipscomb, lunez, Ginger and marcos. , for their support.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Entering the reception area, Tony was more than surprised to find a thirty-something and rather attractive woman sitting on one of the leather club chairs instead of the venerable old businessman he expected.
The young woman glanced up from the magazine she was leafing though and flashed him a shy smile. She immediately got on her feet and strode to him with an outstretched hand.
"Mister DiNozzo, nice to meet you," she greeted him whilst giving his hand a surprisingly firm shake. "I'm Juliet Ricoletti. My father has been held up by a last-minute meeting, so he asked me to represent him." She raised a tentative eyebrow. "I hope you don't mind?"
Quickly recovering from his first surprise, Tony returned her smile and shook his head politely.
"Not at all. On the contrary, it's a pleasure. Well… Would you please follow me, Ms Ricoletti?" he offered.
The young woman nodded gracefully then gathered her things before following him towards the conference room where Tony usually preferred to meet his clients. Years of exposure and crowding in the bullpen had taught him the virtue of privacy. To him, his office was a haven, filled up with pictures and small mementos, and open only to a few close ones.
As they walked side by side down the thickly carpeted corridor, Tony caught himself taking in the slender silhouette of his unexpected client, her curves molded in a blue Valentino suit which perfectly highlighted her narrow waist.
While Tony's love life might have come close to ground zero lately, it didn't mean that he couldn't acknowledge a beautiful woman when he saw one. And the heiress of the Ricoletti empire was undeniably a fine specimen. Now that he thought of it, Judith's earlier use of the neutral term "person" had obviously not been completely innocent and he made a mental note to have a serious discussion with his devoted assistant about her tendency to play matchmaker.
He opened the door and stepped aside to let his client in. As she passed him by, Tony noted a subtle fragrance of lavender in her wake. Nothing like any well-known designer's perfume, but rather a fresh and natural sunny fragrance, as if she had spent the afternoon in a garden before coming.
They settled on either side of the large glass table where, thanks to Judith's usual efficiency, a note pad and a couple of pens had been set up, along with an assortment of cold drinks.
Tony offered her a drink that she politely declined. She took a handful of files out of her briefcase and busied herself with arranging them in two neat piles in front of her, while Tony helped himself a glass of water, allowing his eyes to run over the soft lines of her cheeks and lips, then along her gracile neck. With her dark blue eyes and light brown shoulder-length hair, she had more features in common with German or French women than with the typical Italian one, and Tony wondered where it came from.
Her high cheekbones and pale skin reminded him of a delicate portrait by Caravaggio he once saw in a museum. She was definitely not one of those classical beauties you could see in old movies, like Grace Kelly or Ava Gardner, but her face was one that you couldn't help but notice and remember.
A faint smile lifted the corner of Tony's lips as a long-forgotten warmness coiled into his ribcage. Though not completely unwelcome, the feeling was unexpected. Since his break-up with Zoe, Tony had drastically tuned down the flirting. Safely hidden behind the walls he had carefully set up, he sometimes felt like a monk, but it didn't bother him. AD Consulting was his life now. And as sad as it might seem, it was certainly safer this way. Given the complete disaster of his latest attempts to build long-term relationships, there was no way he would waste more energy in another bound to fail attempt to settle down, and he definitely felt too old and tired for one-night stands.
Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly realized that Juliet Ricoletti had finished shuffling her files and was now looking at him quizzically.
Straightening up, he blinked and cleared his throat, fumbling with his blank notepad.
Get a grip, DiNozzo. She'll start to think you're dumb. Or worse, some kind of pervert drooling over her.
"So, Ms Ricoletti…" he started.
"Please, call me Juliet," she cut him off with a nervous giggle. "'Ms Ricoletti' makes me feel like my Nonna. Or worse, my Grand Aunt Giovanna." She tucked a rebel lock of auburn hair behind her ear and tilted her head, looking suddenly younger and somehow more vulnerable.
"Well, only if you call me Tony," replied Tony, hating the involuntarily flirtatious tone of his voice. Professional, Tony. Only professional. Remember rule 12.
Forcing himself to focus on the scribbling pad in front of him, he took a deep breath before carrying on:
"So, tell me. How can AD Consulting help you?"
She crossed her hands in front of her and stared at her manicured nails for a second before answering:
"Well, as you may know, my father runs one of the most flourishing food companies of the East Coast. For a man in his seventies, he is still in very good shape, but he's also well aware that he's not getting younger, and he has recently started to think of retiring."
Tony nodded, inviting her to carry on.
"My father has reached a point in his life where he wants to leave something behind him, Mr DiNozzo. A sort of legacy, so to speak. And not just as a successful food seller."
"He intends to sell his company?"
She nodded slowly and pushed the first pile of files towards him.
"To begin with. Afterwards, he would like to reinvest the proceeds from the sale in a foundation or charity that I'd be in charge of managing." She pointed at the pile on her right. "Here is a selection of potential buyers we'd like your company to check." Her expression darkened. "Over the years, a lot of people have shown interest in our company. Let's just say that not all of them were exactly… trustworthy. In a few cases, we got compelling evidence that all they wanted was to use my father's international connections for disreputable purposes." She paused and looked Tony straight in the eyes. "It'll certainly sound mushy to you, but I want to stress that particular point that my father has always been an honest man and he runs an honest business and neither he nor I are willing to see our name associated with any illegal activities."
Tony nodded in agreement. "Of course."
He leant back in his chair and rested his chin on his fist.
"Far be it for me to pry, but why does your father want to sell his company? It's a rather... radical step. Wouldn't it be easier for him to hand it down to you? As I understand it, you already work with him. It'd seem logical that you take over from him."
Juliet shrugged noncommittally.
"Working with my father as his right hand is one thing, but I'm aware of my limits and, trust me, taking over from him is above my abilities. I miss that killer-instinct that characterizes a good businessman."
Tony nodded once again, thinking of his father's personal vision of business, so different from his own. Sharing the same blood didn't necessarily mean you were cut from the same cloth. And though Tony had been taught not to judge a book by its cover, if Juliet's shy smile and expressive blue eyes were any indication of her real nature, he truly doubted she would last longer than a lamb amongst a pack of wolves.
"The second pile relates to the files of potential charities, I guess?" he said to change the subject.
"Yes, we decided it would be more efficient to invest in a preexisting organization instead of creating a new structure from scratch. There are already so many great projects that only need the right impulse to develop."
She lowered her gaze sheepishly and nodded.
"Sorry, I must sound like a cheap version of Sofia Coppola of The Godfather."
Tony couldn't help smiling at the movie reference. Even nit-picking, he doubted you could find anything cheap in Juliet Ricoletti.
"Is there a problem?" she asked at his suddenly amused expression.
"No, no," he immediately assured her. "I was just wondering... why do you need me, exactly? I mean I understand that your father wants me to check for potentially shady buyers, but wouldn't it be more logical to let you make your own choice concerning the charity?"
Juliet sighed.
"You're certainly right, but we agreed that it would be safer this way. You see…" She paused. "Let's just say that neither my father nor I are good judges of character. He trusts nobody. I'd trust anyone."
Tony raised a dubious eyebrow. "Really?"
She chuckled and gave him a challenging look.
"You have no idea."
"If you say so," conceded Tony, knowing better than to contradict a client on personal matters. Grabbing the nearest file on the table, he started flipping through it. "Let's see what we have in store, then."
More than once for the next hour, as they went through potential buyers and charities, Tony caught himself staring at Juliet over the piles of papers. In spite of his best efforts, focusing on his reading became increasingly difficult as his gaze relentlessly returned to Juliet's delicate features, like a moth to a flame.
When he finally escorted her to the door, there was no way he could ignore the growing attraction prickling his nerves with an intensity he hadn't experienced for ages, and which left him oddly befuddled and excited at the same time.
At the cost of a huge effort however, he managed to maintain a neutral expression whilst they agreed to meet again in a few weeks, this time also in the presence of Juliet's father. But as soon as the door clicked behind her, he felt an unbearable feeling of emptiness wash over him. A knot instantly formed in his chest and he had to fight the urge to run after her and embarrass himself by outrightly asking her out.
Because, really, who wouldn't take him for a freak? Excuse me, Madam, we barely know each other, but you make me feel like a teenager again and I think I'm in love with you. Would you agree to go out with me just to see if by chance you wouldn't be the love of my life? Ridiculous. At best, she would laugh at him (and she would be right). At worst, she would have him committed.
Leaning forwards, he lightly banged his forehead against the hardwood and groaned. Oh shit, he got it bad! He got it bad and he just screwed everything up. He should have handled it differently, should have dropped some hints maybe, or asked more personal questions to test the waters. For God's sake, he wasn't a spring chicken anymore. Okay, he hadn't been on the game for a long time, but come on, he had had his fair share of flirting before. Where was the guy who could get a phone number with just a wink and a smile? Why had he felt suddenly so petrified and clumsy in front of her?
He let out a heavy sigh. For once, he truly wished things could be as easy as in the Wilders's comedies he loved so much. Where love at first sight was a common occurrence and a lingering gaze was enough to express everlasting love, where things always went well in the end.
He wished he could be some kind of Cary Grant, elegantly chasing after his ladylove through the corridors of the building to catch up with her in the lobby, where he would effortlessly woo her with a couple of witty replies whilst violins played in the background.
Oh, how he wished…
Before he could stop himself, he snatched the handle and wrenched the door open, only to collide into a soft obstacle, nearly knocking it to the ground. Stumbling forwards, he instinctively reached out to regain his equilibrium and ended up with an armful of blue Valentino suit.
"Ouch!"
"Sorry!"
He took a step backwards, pulling Juliet with him, and a small smile grazed his lips as he realized she had retraced her steps and had been just about to knock when he opened the door.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked whilst she straightened her clothes.
"No, no. I..."
She seemed to hesitate and tucked her hair behind her ear in a now familiar gesture to hide her embarrassment, before turning on her heels. "Sorry, I… I should go..."
"Wait!" Tony exclaimed, grabbing her by the wrist. "Why did you come back?" he asked in a softer tone.
Time seemed to slow down and suddenly nothing else mattered but the feeling of his hand around her wrist and the rapid beating of her pulse under his fingers. She lifted her gaze to him and Tony's eyes met hers, finding there the same mix of emotion and longing as he felt.
"I don't know," she finally whispered in a breath.
He gently drew her towards him, their faces almost touching.
"Then, why don't we try to figure it out together?" he offered with more confidence than he felt.
She nodded imperceptibly, her arms hesitantly circling his shoulders before she stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips on his. Tony wrapped his arms around her waist and returned her kiss, whilst the knot of anguish in his chest gradually gave way to an uncanny feeling of peace.
As they carried on kissing in the middle of the brightly lit corridor, oblivious of the rest of the world, he would have sworn he could hear the sound of violins somewhere in the background.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
"Anything useful for our case, McGee?"
The young man literally jumped out of his skin. Once again, Gibbs had managed to creep up on him and was leaning over his shoulder, squinting to see what took up all Tim's attention. A deep crease furrowed his forehead when he saw the smiling faces of the three people on the screen.
"If you are done with reading society gossip," he growled in Tim's ear, "I suggest you get back to work, McGee." He straightened up and brushed Tim by to reach his desk. "Unless you want me to find you something more useful to do?"
The younger man swallowed hard.
"Won't be necessary, boss," he muttered between his teeth.
His gaze returned to the picture on the screen, taken a few weeks ago, at a charity event to raise funds for special needs kids. All smiles, Tony, his wife, Juliet, and his father-in-law, Giovanni, were clinking glasses after the Ricoletti Foundation received an award for its efforts to promote ABA therapy. His friend had his arm wrapped around his wife's waist, his hand protectively resting on her baby bump.
In spite of the distance, Tony and Tim had managed to keep in touch, yet Tim still knew very little about Juliet, except for the fact that she made Tony happier than Tim had seen him for years.
From what the young agent had managed to dig up, it seemed that the two love birds had a lot in common. Both of Italian descent on their father's side, they had also lost their mother at a young age and had been raised by their fathers, albeit with obviously better luck as far as Juliet was concerned.
Just like Tony, she also had had her fair share of disastrous relationships; having been through a very painful divorce when she was barely twenty. For what he heard, the guy was some dowry hunter and the divorce process lasted longer than the marriage itself.
Though he was sincerely glad to see that his former teammate had finally found balance and happiness, he was also a bit sad that Tony had been forced to flee away from them to get it.
It was with a hint of nostalgia that Tim remembered the well-oiled machinery they used to form a few years back before it all went downhill. Of course, in all honesty, he knew that his own petty attitude hadn't helped. Having had a ringside seat to the slow decay of Tony and Gibbs' relationship, he couldn't help wondering what the first grit in the gear had been. Maybe, in full knowledge of the facts, could he have done something to salvage it? Would he had been willing to do the effort? Somehow, he doubted it.
With one last look at Tony's happy family picture, Tim closed the window with a sigh and went back to work.
Whatever happened, their bond was now damaged beyond repair and he could only be grateful that, at least, something good had emerged from all that mess. Because if somebody deserved love and serenity, it's was undoubtedly Tony.
The end.