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Gibbs suddenly grunted softly as it finally dawned on him. "Shoulda known," he said ruefully, watching Tony's surprise increase at his response. "My gut's been actin' up for weeks. First time it stopped was when I got in this car."

He watched the younger man's expression move through question, and even further surprise, and understanding, before finally relaxing into a more genuine, hopeful smile. "Then I'm glad I came, Boss."

Gibbs nodded, more to himself than to Tony as he found himself more centered than he had been since he could remember. Looking his former agent in the eye, said truthfully, "me, too. I'm glad you're here, Tony."

THREE

Gibbs considered his former SFA before continuing. "You look beat," he observed. "Just get in?" When he saw something akin to suspicion flicker Tony's eyes before he replied with a silent nod, Gibbs was again reminded of the way things had been in the months – in the years – before Tony left. Any hope he'd had that maybe things hadn't been as bad as he feared was answered in DiNozzo's immediate distrust of his expressed concern. Gibbs wondered if he would have a chance to work toward making that right - or if that was even possible.

"How long ya staying?"

He watched as Tony shook off more of his lingering surprise at Gibbs' appearance, and glanced away with an awkward laugh. He's embarrassed by coming here? Or by why he came? Gibbs wondered to himself. He's unsure, Gibbs surmised. Still finding his way with everything?

"Uh – not sure, really. Came on an open ticket, so playing it by ear, I guess."

"Got some beer," Gibbs tipped his head toward his house. "We can order a pizza if you're hungry."

Tony hesitated, reminding Gibbs of the very early days, when he was still new to NCIS and to finding his footing with his new boss. "I gotta get back." The regret in his voice was genuine. "I left Tali with Senior. I think she was pretty conked out and should sleep through for a while yet, but with the time changes and one helluva long day, who knows? If she wakes up I don't want to be missing for too long."

Not fair to do that to a toddler whose Mom is gone, Gibbs knew he was thinking.

"You staying with Senior?"

"No - no, it wouldn't take long for his place to feel pretty small with a rambunctious two year old full of Christmas cookies and candy. We rented a condo near my old place."

Gibbs nodded again. "You okay to drive back? Not too sleepy?"

Tony seemed to color a bit under the unfamiliar concern. "Oh - yeah, I'm fine."

"Come back tomorrow - or, when you can. Bring Tali."

"You sure?" Tony asked, too tired for his filter to stop him. "Because ... when she was at NCIS, before ..." He trailed off.

"Yeah, I'm sure, DiNozzo." Gibbs felt the sting of another reminder of their last hours as partners. He'd overheard Abby and McGee discussing Gibbs' apparent disinterest in the child, and Tony's resulting belief that Gibbs was punishing him or Ziva or Tali – or all of them – for their flagrant disregard of Rule 12, even if it was after they'd all left NCIS. "I'm not proud of how I handled all that, Tony. Any of it. I owed you better. I owed Tali better."

Tony stared ahead, out the windshield, thoughts turning on Gibbs' words. Listening – hoping – but wary. He finally nodded. "Okay. Okay if we get some sleep, and get adjusted to the local time, and call about when?"

Gibbs shrugged, satisfied with DiNozzo's word. In all the time he'd known him, he never knew DiNozzo to not honor a commitment. "I got some time coming. Not much in the way of plans."

"'kay." Yet Tony didn't make a move to leave yet, and Gibbs sensed that had he not felt a responsibility to be nearby for Tali, should she wake soon, he'd have stayed to talk, exhaustion be damned.

"Why'd you come, Tony?" Gibbs asked suddenly, his voice still low so he wouldn't run the other man off before they could address things. "Beyond than the whole Christmas being here thing?"

Tony finally broke through the daze that had seemed to hold him, a soft, rueful laugh at himself acknowledging Gibbs' insight. He glanced over at his former boss. He knew he'd been made, but there was no sense of derision coming from Gibbs for his being weak. He had been disappointed too many times in his life to fully believe yet, but his fatal flaw always had been that, deep down, he wanted to believe the people important to him, always gave them 'another chance' to show him the loyalty and support he showed others. At least this time, Tony figured, he wouldn't give it all away by caving at this brief moment of concern from Gibbs, as the answer was too complex and too involved to glibly bounce back with his too-easily given trust. Instead, he leaned back in the car seat, and tipped his head back against the headrest. "Too much here unfinished, I guess, Boss," he shrugged.

Without much thought, Gibbs reached up and gave Tony's neck a supportive squeeze, the rusty gesture familiar to them both. "Give me a call when you and Tali are more settled. Hell, bring Senior too, if you like." He was heartened to see Tony's tired but genuinely amused smile at that, and opened the car door so he could leave on a high note, before either of them stumbled into tougher territory. "Glad you're here, DiNozzo," he said again.

"Me too, Boss." Tony sat up straighter and started the car.

Hours later, Gibbs still worked in his basement, fashioning the toys he would deliver to the hospital in a couple days. All evening, since his brief conversation with DiNozzo, his thoughts had bounced between what he had seen and heard from Tony that evening, and his early days with DiNozzo when they were just a two man team, and all that had happened since then. There was no way he could change the past, but he was determined to think things through again, working to remember what had happened along the way, especially all those times Tony had tried to steer him off some path he was charging down, or to lighten the mood, or to tell him he was wrong about something. Tony wasn't perfect and sometimes he was off base, but his batting average was pretty good at knowing when the old man needed a check.

Gibbs thought about the way Tony stepped in – unless Gibbs was being more of an ass than usual about it, Tony would first try to slip in subtly, when no one else would hear or notice, or if the team was there, to interrupt the flow of his intensity casually, with an inappropriate reference or juvenile prank, something to make him pop off at his SFA with a head slap or barked correction.

Tony hadn't done as much of that in his last few years at NCIS; hadn't had the opportunity or the desired effect, Gibbs supposed. Gibbs thought back to how he used to acknowledge Tony's 'course corrections' - a cowboy steak and beer when a case was wrapped up, a joint Saturday afternoon at the range and a game on TV after. Gibbs stopped his carving for a moment to wonder when that had stopped, and why. He was bothered to realize he couldn't remember either.

Tony had been rattled by Ziva's presumed death, the changes in her on her return from Somalia; later, her thirst for revenge for her father's death had been hard on him given his deep desire to be there for her and support her, while he abhorred her willingness to act outside the law as Bodner's judge, jury and executioner. Gibbs knew that DiNozzo carried deep personal guilt for pretending to believe that Ziva would simply catch Bodner and take him into custody, when he had to know she would end it herself as soon as she was able.

Gibbs wondered again at the pair. What a pair they were. He was still in the camp who believed they could never live under the same roof in middle-class wedded bliss; he thought that Ziva had shown herself in recent years to be too wild and unpredictable for the man Tony was deep down – serious about what was right, what was wrong, a true upholder of the law. But oh, as partners and rivals and friends and, he assumed, lovers, what a pair.

But now they had a child, even they had not jointly cared for her - nor had Tony been offered that chance. But a child, from his last quest to find Ziva. How far back did their physical relationship go? Even now Gibbs fought the irritation that they might have flouted his rules while on his team and he wondered at that, at how much it bugged him that his people wouldn't toe the line.

More for Grace, he thought to himself, although he had let that slide of late. Maybe he should talk to her before talking with DiNozzo. He knew that this might be his only chance to point things with Tony back to right, and given his gut and his recent irritation with his current team in contrast to what had been, knew he would regret not making the effort. It might be worth the time to get someone's opinion. Maybe Ducky, he decided. Ducky knew them both, was there through it all. He hoped his old friend might be willing to step in with his insights.

Never leave a man behind, Gunny, he reminded himself. You did that with DiNozzo. And you'd better figure out just why you did while you have the chance.