Chapter 16

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!

A/N: I have played with birth dates a little and have shaved about 10 years off Gibbs, making him only 8 years older than Tony…Enjoy! ;-)

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Jethro brought his car to a stop near the front steps of the house at the Fielding farm Monday morning. As the sound of their tires crunching on the gravel faded away, Tony took his time studying the house. Tony hadn't realized how big it was when they were here yesterday, but in all fairness, he had other things on his mind.

Last night Jethro and Jackson had given him more specifics on the house and a little background on Zach Fielding. Zach and his father had built the house themselves right after the turn of the century. It had six bedrooms, four full baths and 1 half bath. Indoor plumbing was something of a luxury at that time, but like Jackson had said, old Zach liked his comforts. Plus, his young bride was pregnant and he didn't want her traipsing in the cold to an outhouse, he was a very thoughtful man. He came from a wealthy family outside Philadelphia who had owned a large horse farm and were well known as top breeders of champion thoroughbreds. Zach, himself, had quite an eye for talent and was literally one of the best 'horse traders' in the business.

Jackson and Jethro had informed him that there were several miles of fenced trails that ran through the forest that surrounded the farm and the farm included an open area about a quarter mile behind it with a training circle and additional horse barn with enough stalls to house nearly 30 horses. That barn also had an attached living area used by the stable boy who cared for the animals, but it was also now unused. The trails were big enough for a car or truck to traverse and Jackson had occasionally used them to check out the outbuildings. However, there was another long driveway, with a locked gate that came in off another street on the back of the property that went directly to the stable. In all, the property covered an impressive 2,000 acres.

Tony was shocked there was so much there, he had estimated, maybe 50-100 acres, based on the farm. He was looking forward to exploring those trails with Jethro and maybe playing a little stable boy and master with Jethro in the other residence. Jethro knew what he had been thinking, probably because he was thinking the same thing. Their twin mischievous smiles were immediately noticed by Jackson and he had commented, "Oh Lord! I can see the stable boy's house is going to get quite a workout!"

Both men had again flushed deeply at Jackson's perceptiveness, they would never get anything past him. Tony changed the subject, again asking about the farmhouse, like why were there so many bedrooms and bathrooms? Did they entertain a lot? He had thought that Shannon's father was also an only child.

Jackson had explained that Zach had always envisioned a large family, and he wanted to be prepared. That was not to be, though. Zach's wife, Mary had become pregnant six times during their twenty-four year marriage and had lost all but the last, Shannon's father, William. Born in 1922, he had been a sickly child and based on the fates of his older siblings, was not expected to live very long. Mary, after suffering the heartache of losing five other children, one who had managed to live to the age of three, was nearly inconsolable at the thought of losing yet another.

Mary's health deteriorated to the point that a minor cold about four months after William was born morphed into pneumonia that took her life in less than a week. She had no fight left in her. Zach was devastated, but he stayed strong for his son and he made sure his boy was safe and had everything he needed to thrive. Against all odds, William survived and eventually grew into a fine young man.

William's only mistake, according to Zach, was to marry that stuck-up social climber Joanne Markum. Joanne came from a comfortable middle-class family in Benton Pennsylvania, about twenty minutes away from Stillwater. They had met at a picnic social in Benton when William was thirty-eight and Joanne was twenty-four. Joanne was a very attractive young woman and William was smitten from the moment he laid eyes on her.

Tony was surprised that there was such a big difference in age between William and Joanne, Jethro fielded that one. "Shannon's father was very shy, hardly ever said two words to anyone. I think the entire twelve years I knew him, I only talked to him about five times. You think I'm a functional mute? He made me look like a talk show host!" Tony and Jackson had laughed and then Jack added, "I think it had to do with his poor health as a small child. The man was smart as a whip, don't get me wrong, but it was never easy for him with strangers. He was a wonder with horses though, had his daddy's gift for picking out the rose among the weeds. That's why the family stables outside Philly went to him. I always wondered if he arranged it with his daddy to give the farm in Stillwater to Shannon so Joanne couldn't sell it out from under him. He was never a fighter, but he sure had a strong will. He got that from Zach." Jackson said with a shake of his head.

Zach had initially been quite taken with Joanne, but then her true nature had not revealed itself until they had been married four years and Shannon had come along. Joanne came from a comfortable background, but she always thought she deserved more. She had pushed William into joining a country club in an affluent suburb of Philadelphia and had dragged him to any society event she could, bragging to anyone who would listen that they were from the Fielding stables.

William had only put his foot down once.

Joanne had wanted to impress some other society wives she craved attention from and had informed him that they were sending Shannon to a prestigious private school where she would also live. William had absolutely vetoed that idea and had instead moved them back to Stillwater. He had enough of phony socialites and wanted his precious daughter to have as normal a childhood as possible, something they would never have in Philadelphia. Joanne had proceeded to make his life miserable because of that, but Jackson told them with a snort, that William had gotten the last laugh on that too. They had moved back to the Fielding farm until their home was completed nearer to town and Zach had pinned his daughter-in-law down, telling her he would be happy to pay for a divorce for his son if she was so unhappy here and he guaranteed she would get nothing.

Jackson and Zach had always gotten along really well and both men were pleased when Jethro and Shannon got married. They had spent many holidays together because of that and Jackson remembered how delighted Zach had been when Kelly was born. Jackson had also heard Joanne's offhand comments on the value of the property and what it would fetch when it was in their possession. She had apparently not known that Zach had also heard and agreed with his son that she would never get her hands on the farm. When he died, after Kelly had just turned three, Joanne was quite upset to learn that Shannon and her spouse or descendants would retain ownership of the farm. She was also further incensed to learn that the Fielding Stables in Philadelphia were going to William alone. She had no say in their running and would not profit if they were eventually sold off. If her husband pre-deceased her (which he did), the stables would go to Shannon and her spouse/decedents (which it did).

Tony had been stunned. He had asked Jethro, "So, you own a big horse stable in Philadelphia too?" To which Jethro had replied, "Yep." with that enigmatic little smile on his face. Tony had huffed out a breath and replied, simply "Okay." Both Jackson and Jethro had chuckled at Tony's perplexity.

Jethro had explained that the stable was run by a man and his son who had worked for Zach and William and someone who they trusted. It was still quite profitable and still widely respected in the horse community. Tony had replied that he already knew that. His father had tried romancing a woman who was into that lifestyle and he had heard about the Fielding Stables quite often when they had been dating. Jethro had smirked at him, but had said nothing more about it.

William had been as devastated by Shannon and Kelly's deaths as Jethro and Jackson had been and his health declined rapidly. Two months after the girls had been buried, he had a massive coronary in his den and was not found until the next morning by the housekeeper. Joanne had taken a solo cruise to console herself over their deaths and it had taken nearly three days to find her and advise her of her husband's demise. She had played the tragic widow to perfection and kept up the ruse until the reading of the will at William's attorney's office a week later. Even though she had been left with 15.5 million dollars (a half million for every year they had been married), she had been cut off completely from the Fielding Stables, which had gone directly to Jethro since Shannon and Kelly had pre-deceased him.

Joanne had erupted in a torrent of threats and promises of retribution against Jethro for taking what was rightfully hers and had to be physically removed from the office. She must have thought that the provisions in her father-in-laws will would not carry through to William. She found out, too late, that William's resolve was just as unbending as his father's. When peace had been restored, William's attorney assured Jethro that the will was airtight and she had no grounds to overturn it. Jethro, not caring a bit about anything monetary, was however very happy that Joanne would not get what she wanted. She had tried several law firms in several cities over the next few years and they had all told her the same: the will could not be broken and she should invest her money and forget about Fielding Stables. So, after a long and twisting journey, the Fielding name was finally put to rest. With the death of William, and Shannon and Kelly before him, the Fielding bloodline was lost. There would never be anymore children or grandchildren to carry on the name.

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Tony sat running all these facts through his mind as he contemplated the farm house. He was sad that the Fielding name was lost and Zach's strong personality would never again walk the Earth in his decedents.

Tony was brought out of his reverie by Jethro squeezing the hand that he had taken into his own without Tony even being aware of it. He looked to his left to find a gentle smile on Jethro's face. He had no doubt that Jethro knew what he had been thinking and shared the sentiment. Tony squeezed back, letting Jethro know that even now, he would do anything to give his girls back to him if it were in his power. Jethro reached over and kissed Tony's cheek. He was overwhelmed with love for the selfless man he had fallen for.

He pulled Tony's hand to his lips and tenderly kissed the back of it before saying, "C'mon, I'll show you around."

Tony dazzled Jethro with one of his smiles as he pulled his hand back and said brightly, "Okay!" before exiting the car and bounding up the stairs to check out the large porch. Jethro shook his head and smiled fondly before getting out of the car himself and joining Tony.

Tony remarked when Jethro had joined him up on the porch that it would be nice to have a porch swing and some furniture out here, there certainly was enough room. Jethro took Tony's hand and led him off to the right, stopping about ten feet from the end of the porch and, never taking his eyes off of Tony, used his other hand to point up. Tony's gaze followed upward until he saw two large hooks set about eight feet apart and realized they were already set up for a swing.

Tony looked back down and saw Jethro was wearing his smug grin again, so he commented, "Okay smart guy, there is already a swing, so where is it?"

Jethro crowded close and nuzzled his face into Tony's neck murmuring, "In the barn. One of those large, covered things was it."

Tony sighed and brought his arms up around Jethro to pull him even closer while he played with the short hairs at the base of Jethro's skull. "You think we can put it up?" he asked in a low, teasing voice.

"I think that can be arranged." Jethro answered him in a husky voice. Tony's body started to respond to Jethro's sexy voice. Even though they had mind-blowing sex yesterday afternoon in Jackson's guest bed and later in the shower, they had stayed up late talking about what happened to the Fieldings and Tony had spent time online ordering the things he wanted for the farm. So, they hadn't done more than sleep last night and Tony had hopped out of bed this morning, eager to get to the farm and explore.

He had ordered three televisions, one a 60 inch flat screen, the other two more modest at 50 inches and 42 inches. He had intended to put the largest in place of the old projection TV that was already here and the 50 inch in whatever bedroom they decided to use. The smallest one was for the kitchen. Tony often had the TV on when he was cooking. The TV's would be delivered this afternoon, and the cable company was coming out tomorrow morning to get the cable and internet set-up.

Tony had received a substantial trust fund from his mother's estate that his father was unaware of and he had re-invested and rarely touched. Whenever he wanted to splurge though, it was available. He felt that urge now, so he was anxious to get a look at the place to see what he needed to get. In that frame of mind, he pulled back from Jethro and kissed him on the cheek, breaking the spell Jethro was trying to weave around him.

"C'mon stud, we have work to do first, we can play later." Tony emphasized this by patting Jethro on his ass and walking back to the main door. Jethro huffed out a frustrated breath, but he fully understood that he wouldn't get anything from Tony until his curiosity was sated, so he turned around and walked over to the front door.

Tony was running his hands over the thick, hand carved door and marveled at the rich luster of the wood. "Is this cherry wood?" he asked Jethro when he came over to stand next to Tony.

"Yep. Zach cut and finished the door himself." Jethro told him as he ran his gaze over the ornate, but sturdy door. The door was wider than normal, about twice the size of a standard door, and Tony estimated it stood about eight and a half to nine feet tall. Tony admired the carved scene across the top and bottom of the door showing a herd of wild horses running. The center had an oval of frosted, beveled glass, and there were intricate carvings around the window that showed a vine with small flowers that Tony knew, but could not immediately identify.

"The flowers are Dianthus, but they're more commonly called 'Sweet Williams'." Jethro supplied, again knowing what Tony wanted without his having to ask.

"Oh! I remember those!" Tony exclaimed. "My mother loved those. They're usually pink, purple or red, aren't they?" Tony asked. At Jethro's affirmative nod, he went on: "She loved the name, she'd sometimes call them Sweet Tonys." he laughed softly. "We had a bunch of those in the garden, near the fountain. Boy, they smelled good. Dad had the gardeners pull them all out after she died though, said they reminded him too much of her." He finished sadly as he traced the delicate flowers in the wood.

Jethro felt a surge of anger run through him as he thought of Seniors selfishness. The thought of a little eight year old boy who just wanted something to remind him of his mother and having it taken away because it bothered his father really ticked him off. He never got along with Senior, but his complete disregard for his son's feelings when Tony had needed him the most was unforgivable in Jethro's eyes. Senior only ever cared about what he wanted, he never put himself out for anyone, certainly not his son.

Jethro moved closer to Tony and put his arm around his waist to pull him even closer. Tony snuggled in to Jethro's side and sighed deeply before saying quietly, "Yeah, I know, it sucks. But there isn't anything you can do about it now, that time is lost."

Jethro kissed Tony's temple and whispered to him, "Oh, I think there's plenty of things I could do to him."

Tony chuckled quietly and responded, "Yeah, I know you could, but I want you with me, not in jail and he's so not worth it!"

Jethro smiled at Tony as he said, "You're right, he is not worth it, but I can still dream about what I could do."

Tony laughed and patted Jethro's stomach. "As long as it stays a dream. If we're lucky, we'll never set eyes on him again."

Jethro turned Tony around to face him and pulled him close for a deep, passionate kiss that left Tony breathless and rethinking his plan to 'play later.' Jethro pulled his upper body back slightly while keeping Tony's hips pressed close to his own with Jethro's arms holding him tightly. "Now you know, we're not that lucky." Jethro told him with a smile.

Tony chuckled as he wriggled his hips against Jethro's causing the other man's desire to spike again. Jethro sucked in a sharp breath as a smug smile broke out over Tony's face. Tony ran his hands down Jethro's back and cupped Jethro's ass, pulling their erections even closer together and pulling a moan from Jethro. "I don't know Jethro, I think I'm pretty lucky, aand I think you're about to get really lucky!" Tony told him in a smoky voice that sent another jolt of desire straight to Jethro's cock and forcing another moan from him.

Jethro dived in for another kiss and then started nibbling on Tony's jaw, causing the other man to moan also and bringing a fond smile to Jethro's face. "I think we should take this inside, before we lose control." Tony gasped out.

Jethro chuckled low in his throat and replied, "I think you're right, there's a few things I want to show you." Jethro pulled back and produced the key to the front door as Tony chuckled out his own reply, "Yeah, I think there's a few things I want to see." as he waggled his eyebrows.

Jethro reached back and grabbed the bulge in Tony's jeans while saying, "Oh, you'll see everything, I promise." before giving Tony a peck on the cheek and disappearing inside the house.

Tony had lost his breath when Jethro grabbed him and it took a few seconds for his words to register in his lust-fogged brain. When it finally registered, a huge smile broke out on his face as he quickly followed Jethro inside. He glanced at the small flowers adorning the door again as he started to close it and he again reached out and traced their petals with his fingers. It was strangely appropriate that the home he and Jethro would share, here in Stillwater, had such a personal symbol to him etched on the door, it pleased him greatly. He smiled wistfully as he thought of his mother and how much she would have liked Jethro. Taking a deep breath, he nodded to himself, satisfied that some of the ghosts of his own past had been lain to rest but never forgotten and closed the door, going to find Jethro and his future.

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TBC…