Chapter 14

DISCLAIMER: However much I wish it was so, I do not own these characters. I'm going to simply let them play for a little bit and then put them back a little happier.

WARNING: Slash story - you have been informed!

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Jethro turned off the main road that ran straight through town and approached his father's general store from the back. He parked in the alley behind the store and looked over at Tony after the car was turned off and quiet had descended.

"You ready?" Jethro asked him as he reached over and laced his fingers with Tony's.

"Sure am, you?" Tony replied with an easy smile.

Jethro lifted Tony's hand up and kissed the back of it before pulling it to his chest and holding it close to his heart. "Oh yeah, I'm ready." Jethro treated Tony to that sweet, secret smile that only Tony was allowed to see.

"Then, let's go." Tony squeezed the hand Jethro was holding and Jethro kissed it once more before releasing it. Both men exited the car and entered the store from the back with the key Jethro had on his key ring.

By silent assent Jethro hung back and let Tony enter the store alone. He walked through the curtain in the back and approached Jackson, who was just finishing up with a customer. Jackson caught sight of Tony and the smile already on his face just got bigger. As his customer exited the store he came around the counter and caught Tony in a big bear hug.

"Tony! You didn't tell me you were coming! Though I'm really glad you did, you really sounded down when you called last week. You look pretty good, even if I need to put a little meat on your bones! How long can you stay?" Jackson leaned back a little but kept hold of Tony's arms.

"Open ended, right now I don't have a team." Tony replied, pleased as punch that Jackson was so happy to see him.

Jackson furrowed his brow and squeezed Tony's arms before hurrying over to lock the door and turn the sign to closed. "You're gonna have to explain that young man. You had lunch yet?"

"No! I've been thinking about one of your Dagwood's the whole way up here!" Tony told him with a huge smile.

"Well c'mon then, let's get them started!" Jackson replied, while clapping Tony on the shoulder.

Tony bowed and replied, "Lead on, McDuff!" Letting Jackson walk ahead of him, chuckling to himself at Tony's antics.

They walked to the back of the store and Tony knew the exact second when Jackson laid eyes on Jethro, who was sitting at the table in the back calmly making his own sandwich from the ingredients he had brought out and spread on the table.

His laughter stopped and he came to a halt a few feet from the table. Tony moved up behind him and placed his hands on Jackson's arms for support and leaned in to tell him quietly, "Surprise!"

Jethro stood and quickly walked over to his father when he saw the extreme emotions wash over Jackson's face. He pulled the older man into a fierce hug and whispered into his ear, "Good to see ya dad."

Jethro shared a fond smile over Jackson's shoulder with Tony. Tony had to blink back tears as Jackson's relief and joy permeated the room. Tony patted the older man's back and Jethro grabbed Tony's hand and held it tightly. Jackson pulled back and looked down at Jethro and Tony's clasped hands and then back up at his two boys as a bigger smile blossomed on his face.

"Does this mean what I hope it does?" Jackson asked them.

Tony replied quietly with a small smile on his face, "Yeah, it does."

"There's a bit more Dad." Jethro added as he pulled Tony over to him until Tony was flush against his side. With a hesitant smile, he said, "Tony agreed to marry me."

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Jackson's smile never wavered, but he asked Tony, "You sure you want to do that, son?"

Tony laughed at the affronted look on Jethro's face and replied, "Yeah dad, I'm sure."

Jethro snorted out a laugh and smacked Tony's ass. This prompted a high-pitched "Eeep!" to come from Tony and caused Jethro and Jackson to dissolve in laughter while Tony turned red. Jackson pulled Tony in for a hug and assured him he didn't think less of him and he was damned proud to call him son.

Tony relaxed against Jackson and hugged him back tightly, telling him he was beyond pleased that Jackson would now be his dad, officially. Jethro watched them both with a fond expression on his face. Yeah, he was one lucky bastard! He thought contentedly.

"C'mon, let's eat!" He told the two men, while patting his father's back.

"Yeah! I'm starved!" Tony exclaimed as he bounded over to the table and started constructing his own sandwich.

Jackson chuckled as he instructed, "Leroy, go get us some drinks while Tony explains to me why he forgave you after what you did." Jackson was in the process of sitting down at the table, so he did not see Jethro wince at his words, but Tony did. He sent Jethro an apologetic glance as he quickly and quietly explained to Jackson Jethro's reasons for trashing his things.

Jethro took his time selecting beverages for the three of them, wanting to give Tony time to tell his father the reasons behind what he had done, and time for him to calm a little. He knew Tony forgave him, but he still felt incredibly guilty for what he had done, intentionally or not.

He stood by the cold case holding the cans and staring down at the floor when a thought occurred to him: The outlet store where he had purchased the cappuccino maker for Tony was only about twenty minutes from here! He could sneak away at some point in the next few days and replace the machine he had destroyed. Buoyed with the thought that he would be able to fix some of the physical damage he had done, he returned to the table to find a subdued Tony finishing off making their sandwiches and his father staring down at the table with a stricken look.

Jethro walked over, placing the cans on the table and bent to place a kiss on his fathers temple and give him a hug.

"It's okay dad, Tony's forgiven me and I was not in my right mind. I was missing them so much, but it's okay now." Jethro told his dad in a quiet voice.

Jackson took a deep breath and looking to make sure it really was okay with Tony, who was smiling softly, he nodded his head once.

"Alright, son. I'm sorry you had to go through that again, but I'm glad you're both okay. I didn't know what to think when Tony told me what happened and that you had run off, but I'm glad you're both okay now and back on track." Jackson told him as he hugged him back.

"I'm so grateful you survived that explosion too." Jackson added. "I wish I had known sooner though! I might have stopped you from running off." He gave Tony a pointed look that Tony squirmed under.

"Jack, I told you why I didn't call right away." Tony started, sounding like this was territory he had already gone over several times with the older man. "I found out he was going to be okay physically and we had a terrorist to catch! Yeah, maybe if you had been there when he got home from the hospital, he wouldn't have run so far away and trashed everything, but remember where the two of you were fifteen years ago?" Both men squirmed at Tony's insight.

Both Jackson and Jethro knew that if Jethro had been thrown back to that time, it would have been unlikely Jethro would have listened to his dad. The memory of their fight at his girls' funeral would have been fresh and he most likely would have lashed out at the older man.

Jackson sighed deeply before replying, "I know it. Doesn't make it any easier though. You both went through hell, and it might have been avoided!" He pleaded with Tony.

Tony reached across the table and took Jackson's hand in his own and squeezed. "Dad, everything happened the way it was supposed to. If it hadn't, Jethro and I might not be in the place we are now. We were close before, but that's increased tenfold. He actually talks now and I don't let him get away with anything." Both Tony and Jackson chuckled seeing Jethro moving uncomfortably in his seat and his cheeks tinged with red.

"I'm right here." Jethro grumbled miserably. He hated being talked about, even though he knew he deserved it. He had been a silent bastard and he hadn't said things he knew he should have. Maybe that explosion had loosened his tongue as well as his marbles.

"Yes you are, and for that I am truly grateful." Tony turned a loving, fond gaze upon him and he felt himself heating up with more than just embarrassment.

Jackson watched the interaction between his two boys and was finally satisfied that all was well. He had been so happy that Leroy had found Tony. His Leroy seemed to be himself again when they had gotten together. Something he hadn't seen since his boy had been married to Shannon. Leroy had always seemed to be uncomfortable in his own skin after his mother had died. He had been thirteen and he had gone from being a happy, well-adjusted child to a sullen, angry teenager in a matter of months. Jackson had hoped he would grow out of it, but he had just seemed to grow angrier, the older he got.

They had some epic battles during Leroy's teenage years and a lot of hurtful things had been said. When Leroy had run off to join the Marines right after graduation, he thought he might never get the chance to make amends with his son, but then a miraculous thing had occurred. Six months after he had left, he actually came back home, and he brought a beautiful, auburn haired angel with him.

Shannon had calmed Leroy and seemed to fill that missing part in his soul. He found out later that she was the one who had pushed for their reunion, she was always the peacemaker. With her, Leroy started to come back to himself and Jackson had started seeing that sweet little boy who had hidden himself away when his mother died come out again. He smiled easier, he laughed more and, while still being a tough-as-nails Marine, was easier to get along with. Shannon had completed Leroy, they were a powerful team.

When Kelly had come along, their family was only strengthened. Jackson loved seeing the man his son had become get all soft and mushy when that baby smiled or laughed at her daddy. He would have done anything for her and Kelly thought her daddy hung the moon. He remembered receiving the news that they both were gone and that Leroy had been injured while on his last deployment. Although they never spoke of it, Jackson knew that injury was a result of the news Leroy had received about his family.

When Jackson heard of the coma his son was in and the extent of his injuries, he wondered if he would be burying Leroy next to his girls. He was ashamed to think now that at the time, he had wondered if it would have been better if Leroy had followed his girls. The pain and anger he went through after awaking was nearly unbearable. He had lashed out at everyone, Jackson was no exception. He had accused Jackson of bringing a 'date' to the girls funeral, when it had only been a friend offering their support.

His anger had turned deadly when he had gone to Mexico to hunt down that bastard drug dealer who had taken his girls. Jackson had begged him not to go, only because he didn't think he'd ever see his son again. He wasn't too upset that Leroy had ended the bastard, he was upset that Leroy might put a bullet into his own brain afterwards. He should have known better. His boy was nothing if not stubborn. He had decided not to give in, and he never did. He smiled as he thought of that rainy Thursday, five years after Shannon and Kelly had died that Leroy had shown up at the store.

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Flashback:

He was just about to close for the day and had his back to the door as he re-stocked some small items behind the counter and felt a stab of irritation that someone had come in. His arthritis was giving him hell with all the rain and he just wanted to go home and sit down, but he forced a neutral tone into his voice as he called out, "Be right with ya."

He turned around to face his customer and any words he was about to say died in his throat when he saw his Leroy standing on the other side of the counter, raincoat dripping on the floor. His boy looked older than his years, his hair was rapidly turning silver, but his eyes had the same uncertain, lost little boy look they had once had when he was six years old and scared from a nightmare. No words were necessary. Jackson came around the counter and enveloped his son in a tight embrace that neither broke for a good ten minutes.

Jackson had felt the tension melt from his son during that time and Jethro had felt safe again and unbelievably relieved. He had recognized what a fool he had been to his father and was grateful they still had time together to make it up to him. Their relationship only got stronger from that point on.

End Flashback

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Jackson had found out about Tony by accident.

Flashback:

He had traveled to DC to surprise Leroy on his birthday, and Tony had devised his own plan to celebrate Jethro's birthday. Jackson had arrived to a darkened house and had wrongly assumed his boy was in his basement working on his boat when he let himself into Leroy's house. He quickly discovered his error in judgment when the sounds of passionate lovemaking could be heard emanating from the second floor. He had recognized his son's voice, but was surprised to identify the other voice as male.

He had always known his boy had been attracted to both sexes, so that was not an issue. What was surprising was that the other man was here and it sounded like they were using the master bedroom in the back of the house. If Leroy slept upstairs, it was usually only in the guest bedroom in the front. As far as he knew, not even the ex's had been granted access to that room. It had been reserved for Shannon's use exclusively. So, the fact that he had brought a man home and that they were using that room, meant this was a big deal.

Jackson had initially thought he would quietly leave and call his boy from a local hotel, but the facts of the situation kept Jackson there. He left his suitcase next to the sofa and carried the homemade birthday cake he had baked for Leroy into the kitchen. About thirty minutes later he finally heard what appeared to be the culmination of the activities upstairs and settled in with the paper to await further developments.

It took another twenty minutes before he heard anyone stirring upstairs. He heard the floorboards creak and soft voices and laughter before the water in the shower went on. Jackson smiled when he heard the laughter. It sounded like Leroy had finally found someone to share his life with again. He nodded his head to himself in satisfaction, it was about time. That didn't mean he wasn't going to give those boys a hard time though, someone had to keep them on their toes.

Jackson got up from the kitchen table and started a pot of coffee, and waited for one of them to appear. The smell of the coffee brewing must have reached them upstairs, because he heard muted conversation again and then nothing. He knew his boy was probably stealing down the stairs at this very instant, with his gun drawn to see who the heck was here, so he didn't flinch when two guns were pointed at him from the archway to the living room. He was quietly impressed though, that he had not heard the other man either. His boy moved like smoke and very few could match him. It appeared this young man could.

Both men were dressed, but their hair was still wet from their shower Jackson noted before greeting them with, "Is that any way to say hello to your father, Leroy?" In a mock stern voice.

Leroy immediately lowered his weapon and the other young man quickly followed suit before croaking out, "Your father?"

Jackson noticed his tan face seemed to pale a few shades upon hearing that information. Leroy had dropped his chin down and was eyeing his dad with an assessing look. Jackson saw the side of Leroy's mouth quirk up in a fleeting smile as he took in the birthday cake on the table and correctly sussed out his unexpected visit. He had also noted the twinkle in his father's eyes and knew the older man was going to wind his lover up a bit, thinking he must have heard some of what was going on upstairs.

Leroy stowed his gun and walked over replying, "Yep, my dad." He walked over and hugged his father tightly before pulling back to face the younger man.

"Tony DiNozzo, this is my father, Jackson Gibbs. Dad, this is my very special agent, Tony DiNozzo." He said all this with a teasing smile on his face that widened when Tony's discomfort ratcheted up.

Although, extremely uncomfortable about what Jethro's dad might have heard, Tony squared his shoulders and boldly walked forward with his hand out to shake. Jackson shook Tony's hand and was impressed with his strong grip and obvious strength of character. Meeting your lover's father after having hot, monkey sex that he might have overheard was a little more than unnerving, but Tony met it straight on without flinching. Jackson expected no less from someone his son had chosen.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir, I've heard many good things about you." Tony said while they shook hands.

Jackson chuckled as he replied, "Then you must have been talking 'bout someone else, young man. Leroy here, surly didn't have that many nice things to say about me!"

Tony was smiling warmly as he replied, "You'd be surprised, sir. Although, I've often noticed that most people fail to tell the ones who mean the most to them, just how special they really are."

Jackson nodded approvingly once and said, "You can call me Jack." and was rewarded with one of those rare, brilliant smiles from Tony that usually Jethro was the only one to see.

"Thank you. Jack it is, then. So Jack, you're the one I need to talk with to find out how 'Leroy' was like as a child, aren't I?" Tony took Jackson's arm and steered him towards the couch in the living room, throwing a smug smile over his shoulder at Jethro who just stood there stunned.

He heard his father reply as they were walking into the next room, "Oh, have I got stories! Did he ever tell you about getting stuck in the highest tree in town? No, of course he didn't. Well, he…" Jethro groaned as he realized that Tony would soon know all of his most embarrassing moments from when he was growing up.

Jethro huffed out a breath and chuckled to himself thinking how Tony had turned the situation around. He had been prepared for his dad to give Tony a hard time, maybe along the lines of 'What are your intentions towards my son?' type of thing, but Tony had immediately ingratiated himself to his father and they had teamed up against him!

"I think I'm gonna need coffee." Jethro mumbled to himself as he wandered into the kitchen to the sounds of laughter from the other room.

End Flashback

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"Jack, you're awfully quiet over there smiling to yourself. Would you like to share with the class?" Tony asked in a teasing voice.

"Oh, I was just thinking about the first time I met you." Jackson replied with twinkling eyes.

"Oh, Lord. You know I never did find out exactly how long you were there before we came downstairs." Tony asked him in a questioning tone.

Jackson noticed Leroy was also paying close attention as he replied, "Oh, almost an hour."

Tony choked on the soda he was taking a drink of and sputtered out, "An hour!" While he saw Leroy's face redden and he quickly set the sandwich down he was about to take another bite of.

Jackson laughed loudly at the discomfort both his boys were displaying as they thought about all that he may have heard in that hour. "Don't worry boys." He told them while wiping tears of laughter out of his eyes. "I read a lot, so nothing I heard shocked me. I was wondering though, what you might have done to get such a high-pitched sound to come out of Tony. He's got a pretty low voice." He asked them in a curious, innocent tone.

Tony leaned forward and put his reddened face-down on the table muttering, "Oh, God." While Leroy threw himself back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest and shooting a death glare at him as his face also turned a deeper red hue.

Yeah, his boys were easy to provoke, but that was one of the reasons he loved them so much. Jackson thought as his laughter rang out through the empty store.

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TBC…

A/N: A Dagwood sandwich is from the comic strip Blondie, very popular here in the states but I'm not sure how popular it was elsewhere. Google an image of Dagwood sandwich and you'll get the idea if you've never heard of it before.