Chapter 24

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: Thank you to all Guest reviewers, your kind words are appreciated. Nobody figured out the mystery quote! Another hint: It's located in the conversation Tony and Gibbs have after the diner and before arriving at Christmas Town ;-)

************NCIS********************NCIS********************

Tony and Gibbs quickly dressed in silence and then slunk off to their room to shower and change, also in silence. They showered separately, to avoid any temptations, and to give each other time to process events individually.

Jethro was initially pissed that his dad had not even knocked, just walked right in, but then he remembered that Jack had a key to the house and would have come in thinking they were not nearby and wouldn't hear them anyway. In the end, he started to chuckle to himself. He hadn't been caught by his dad since he was fourteen years old and Jack caught him kissing Todd Monroe in the storeroom. This was a whole lot more though, he wasn't sure how much Sarah had seen, but he and Tony may have vastly broadened her horizons this evening.

Tony was mortified.

He was also worried beyond measure. This wasn't the first time he had been caught, but it was certainly the most graphic. The last time he had been caught by a parent, he was twelve years old and Senior had caught him kissing his best friend Mark, that had not ended well. The old man had beaten him unconscious and then banished him to a military school when he awoke, after disowning him.

Nope, not good at all.

Although, neither Sarah or Jack seemed too upset about it, in fact, they seemed pretty okay with it. Since the shock of being caught was starting to wear off, Tony was able to look at the situation objectively. It was actually pretty funny. I mean, they knew they were a couple and being a couple they would obviously have sex, he had just never intended to have sex in front of them!

Tony furrowed his brow as he contemplated that. He wondered exactly how much Sarah had seen before she let them know she was there. Tony felt a smile start to quirk his mouth as he thought of the wink Sarah had given them on her way out. Well, whatever she had seen, she obviously approved, Tony thought as he finished dressing wearing a wide smile.

Tony walked out of the dressing room at the same time Jethro walked out of the bathroom, both fully dressed. They met at the foot of the bed and stood nose to nose, barely an inch between them, and both wearing an amused smirk.

"They saw us." Tony started.

"Yeah, they did." Jethro replied.

"I think Sarah saw more than we thought she did." Tony countered.

"I think she did too." Jethro replied, smirk increasing.

"I think I'm okay with that." Tony said, tilting his head to the side.

"I think I am too." Jethro replied, tilting his head in the opposite direction.

"Jack is going to tease us for years about this." Tony pointed out.

"Yup, think you can handle that?" Jethro asked him.

"I've got a pretty tough outer shell, I can handle it." Tony replied, his lips ghosting over Jethro's.

"Yeah, but it's your soft, creamy center that I can't get enough of." Jethro replied in a soft growl as he closed the small distance between them, capturing Tony's lips in a deep kiss that Tony moaned into.

A few minutes later, the two men stood holding each other, Tony's head resting on Jethro's shoulder, nuzzling his face into the older man's neck and Jethro carding his hand through Tony's hair, rubbing small circles in his lower back with the other hand.

"You ready to face them?" Jethro asked him softly.

Tony sighed into Jethro's neck and replied, "Yeah, I guess so. We don't have a choice, do we?" he asked as he stood straighter and looked into Jethro's smiling face.

"No." Jethro simply replied and leaned forward to place a quick kiss on Tony's nose. "C'mon, let's get it over with." he said, taking Tony's hand and leading them out of the door.

"Ya know, I think Miss Sarah was enjoying that way too much." Tony remarked with a mischievous smile as they walked down the hall.

Jethro stopped, pulling Tony against him while he said, "You know she was my teacher?"

"I know!" Tony enthused as he wrapped himself around Jethro's body. "You think she used to fantasize about her students back then?" Tony teased him, earning a quick smack to his ass which he squirmed and moaned into.

"Okay, you need to stop that, because I'm not facing our parents with a hard-on after they caught us having sex!" Jethro warned him as Tony rubbed himself against his body, getting a moan out of Jethro.

Tony nibbled on Jethro's ear and chuckled into it when Jethro groaned. He was also secretly thrilled Jethro had referred to Jack and Sarah as their parents. After placing a soft kiss on the sensitive skin just below Jethro's ear, Tony unwrapped himself from Jethro and sauntered off down the hall. A few steps from the elevator, Tony looked back over his shoulder and asked seductively, "You coming?"

Jethro growled and jogged to catch up with him, crowding Tony against the back of the elevator as the doors closed behind them, where he proceeded to devour Tony's mouth. When the doors opened again on the ground floor, Jethro stepped back and admired his handiwork. Tony's face was flushed, his lips kiss swollen again and his hair askew, he looked gorgeous! Jethro grabbed Tony's hand and pulled him upright, the younger man sighing deeply as Jethro tucked him snug against his side and steered them out of the elevator and down the hall towards the kitchen.

Stopping just before the swinging kitchen door, Jethro kissed Tony's head, that was laying on his shoulder and told him quietly, "We're both big, tough federal agents, we can take a little teasing from some senior citizens."

Tony straightened and got a determined look on his face. Nodding once to show he was ready and receiving an answering nod from Jethro, both men took a deep breath and bravely stepped into the kitchen.

************NCIS********************NCIS********************

Carol was startled awake by a noise in the kitchen. Glancing at her watch she saw it was a little after 5am, so she doubted it was George. He was not an early riser on a good day, and after the turmoil of the events yesterday, he was likely to sleep longer this morning. Ever since he had been a little boy, George escaped from his problems with sleep, he took after her in that respect.

Carol took a deep breath to steel herself against the unknown waiting for her before rising from the couch and walking into the kitchen. She stopped right inside the door in shock. Every surface was being utilized as a prep area. One counter held muffin pans ready to go into the oven, another had four pies, also waiting their turn to cook and the island was cookie central. Her mother stood at the island, her back to Carol as she rolled out dough and used her cookie cutters to cut it into several different shapes and transfer them to waiting baking sheets.

Carol rubbed her temple, she felt a big headache starting to form. She didn't know how her mother had gotten past her, that was one of the reasons she had slept on the couch, but it looked like she had been up for a few hours furiously cooking away, it looked like she was still in 'crazy' mode. She walked forward and called her mother. Getting no response, she stepped closer and called louder. "Mother!"

Emily Rathburn dropped the cookie cutter and grabbed the wooden rolling pin next to her, whirling around and raising it above her head as a weapon with a vicious look on her face. Fortunately, Carol had quick reflexes and was able to block the blow and wrench the rolling pin from Emily's hand. When she had control of the object, Carol slammed it down on the counter, startling her mother out of whatever fog she had been in.

"Mother! What are you doing?" Carol asked her in a stern tone.

"Carol! What are you doing here? I thought someone broke in, when did you get here?" Emily asked her, looking confused.

"I've been here since yesterday morning, mom. Do you remember how you got home yesterday morning?" Carol asked her as she steered them both over to the kitchen table.

"Well, I…I must have…I don't know! Carol, what's happened?" Emily asked her daughter, her panic starting to rise, she really couldn't remember the last few days and that scared her greatly.

Carol calmed herself and took her mother's hands into her own before explaining everything that she had been doing recently. She noticed her mother seemed to recall some things she told her about and she was sure she now remembered Jethro and Tony bringing her home yesterday morning. When she was finished, she fell silent and watched her mother carefully. Emily's face had taken on an increasingly stubborn look, the more Carol had talked. Her initial confusion disappeared and she sat rigidly in her seat, her arms crossed.

Carol huffed out a breath before she said, "So, I take it you remember now?"

"Really Carol, I don't know what the problem is! You really don't need to be here, I'm very busy and I'm sure you have other things to do!" Emily retorted.

"Mom! The problem is that you have been stalking Jackson Gibbs and trying very hard to harass Sarah Colfax! It's a good thing they've both been out of town or you'd be sitting in a jail cell right now!" Carol told her incredulously.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic Carol! There is no stalking! Jackson is just as interested, his little dalliance with Sarah is just a minor bump!" Emily waved away her concerns and stood again to resume her baking.

Carol was afraid of this, she had to make her mother understand what she was doing was not acceptable and she had to do it quickly. She saw that mean look cross her mother's features when she had mentioned Sarah, she didn't want George to see her that way and destroy all the good memories he had.

"Mother! You're not in control right now!" Carol told her as she too stood to face her mother over the island.

"Carol, you don't know what you're…" Emily started to say before Carol forcefully interrupted her.

"From what we can determine, you've been up days cooking. This entire kitchen was overflowing with food when we got here yesterday! We had to take the extra to our church so it wouldn't go to waste! You've been tearing around the town looking for Jackson and Sarah, several of their neighbors and Jackson's employee reported that you sat outside their houses or his store for hours waiting for them for God's sake! You. Are. Out. Of. Control! Just like you were with Dr. Marbury, but this time I'm going to get you the help you should have gotten back then." Carol told her.

"Carol, I don't know who is telling you these lies, but…" Emily denied.

"You want to know who? Jackson Gibbs' son Jethro, who is a federal agent and his partner from DC, also a federal agent! They have no reason to lie to me, mother, and I spoke with many other people yesterday while you slept who confirmed everything they said and more. Jackson Gibbs is NOT interested in you! He is in a serious relationship with Sarah Colfax and you harassing them is not going to change that! But, you know what will change? The way your grandson sees you if you don't get the help you need right now!" Carol stated.

"George? How does this concern George?" Emily said in a shaky voice.

"Good!" Carol thought, "Maybe, I'm finally getting through!"

"You know as well as I do that George adores you. He already knows what's happened so far, he had to take care of the food yesterday while I stayed here with you. He was pretty shaken up, but he will stand by you if you get help. If you continue this, you're going to end up behind bars, because Jethro Gibbs is not going to sit by and let you harass his father and Sarah. If that happens, how do you think George is going to view you? You will destroy that boy and that's not something I will allow you to do! I will not stand by and let you tear apart this family and the Gibbs family like you did with Dr. Marbury!" Carol promised.

Carol saw her words having the desired effect on her mother. She knew how much her mother treasured her relationship with George, and as harsh as it was, to drive home her point, she needed to see that her actions put that relationship in jeopardy.

Emily seemed to crumble in on herself and Carol rushed to her side to guide her back to one of the kitchen chairs.

"Oh, I never meant, I'm so sorry!" Emily sobbed and Carol comforted her.

"I know, I know, but you need some help mom. I talked to Dr Stevens and he found a great place for you to get the help you need and George and I will be with you every step of the way. You're not alone in this." Carol sighed deeply before continuing, "This is partially my fault, I should have made the time to come over, you shouldn't have felt so alone." Carol told her, tears springing up in her own eyes.

They sat for close to an hour as Emily cried out her pain and Carol held her. She finally coaxed her mother to lay down on the couch, where she fell asleep again immediately. Carol cleaned up the kitchen and made sure her car keys and her mother's were safely tucked in her own pocket before going upstairs to pack a bag for her mom.

She took a shower and cried out her own tears under the cover of the water, where no one could see. Feeling better after unburdening herself, Carol quickly dressed and went to get George moving. He was surprisingly easy to wake, and she wondered briefly if he had heard anything that had transpired earlier. She saw no outward signs of his overhearing her showdown with his grandmother, so she chalked it up to a good nights sleep, he had fallen asleep around 9pm last night, way too early for him. While he showered, she called Dr Stevens and told him what had occurred when her mother had awoken and they both agreed it would be a good idea to get Emily into the facility as soon as possible. He would be over in an hour to accompany them and get her signed in.

George came in, dressed and ready to go as she finished up the call. He was a little upset that everything was happening so fast, but he also agreed they should hurry to get help for his grandma when she gave him an abbreviated version of the mornings events. Carol gave him her car keys and he took Emily's suitcase down to it while she roused her mother and got her into the shower. It didn't take very long to get her dressed and back downstairs to sit in the kitchen eating toast and juice while they waited.

Dr Stevens was very punctual and exactly one hour after she had hung up with him, he was at the door. He sat at the table and explained to Emily about the facility they were taking her to and what type of treatment she could expect. Her mother looked emotionally wrung out, as she suspected she, herself did, and did not argue with the decisions already made. About a half hour after he had arrived, Emily, Carol and George followed Dr Stevens out and they started on their journey to the Huntington facility.

Once there, the check-in was very speedy, Dr Stevens having already alerted them of their early arrival. Carol and George made sure Emily was situated in her comfortable room before saying their goodbyes, with promises of calls and visits as soon as the doctor would allow them. Emily hugged her daughter and grandson tightly before they left. She realized she needed the help, but it was still hard to admit she was wrong, but she did what needed to be done for her family.

Dr Stevens drove them home, with George and Carol sitting in the backseat. Carol holding George, who was still quite upset over the whole situation. Dr Stevens would occasionally steal glances in the rearview mirror to make sure they were both okay. Just before they got back to Emily's house, he told them that he was available to talk if either of them needed it.

Carol thanked him and promised they would call if needed, before closing the door and starting the process of securing the house while her mother was away. Sighing deeply, Carol wondered if her life would ever be the same again.

************NCIS********************NCIS********************

Tony didn't know what had awakened him, maybe Jethro had shifted slightly in his sleep, but his eyes fluttered open in their darkened bedroom. Lifting his head slightly, he saw it was just after 5am. Huffing out a breath, he snuggled back down against Jethro, it was way too early to get up!

Tony sighed contentedly as he again rested his cheek on Jethro's right pectoral and nuzzled his face into his lover's neck. Inhaling Jethro's scent soothed him, but he did not fall back to sleep right away. His right arm was resting on Jethro's stomach and he idly caressed the warm flesh, again reveling in the ease of their intimacy together.

Tony sighed as he thought about getting caught having sex by Sarah and Jackson last night and everything that happened after that.

************NCIS********************NCIS********************

Flashback:

"We're both big, tough federal agents, we can take a little teasing from some senior citizens."

Oh, how wrong Jethro had been!

The entire evening had been a series of innuendos and knowing looks from both Jack and Sarah, who seemed to take great pleasure taking turns to see which of them could get he and Jethro to turn the deepest shade of red. All comments were taken in stride by both men and though uncomfortable, they were able to weather the teasing fairly well. However, Tony noticed that Jethro's answers were getting shorter and his good humor was quickly evaporating with each new jab.

The tipping point was Jack asking them if they got up to their shenanigans at work and if they had ever been caught there. His words had brought a furious blush to Tony's cheeks as he had flashed on Abby catching them kissing in her office and he lowered his head in embarrassment and his reaction had infuriated Jethro.

"Alright, that's it!" Jethro had stood up angrily, chair scraping on the floor, throwing his napkin on the table.

"What we do, in our own home, is nobody's business! Yeah, you caught us, but you let yourselves in! We were not out on the front lawn or standing on the porch, we were well inside the house, with the curtains closed in the room! I am NOT going to feel guilty and I'm not gonna let you shame Tony into thinking we were wrong! We were NOT wrong!" Jethro was red-faced and shouting by the end of his tirade. Tony had jumped up halfway through and was trying to wrestle Jethro out of the room, but a strong, determined Marine was not easy to deter, so they had not moved far from the table.

"Hey! Hey! It's okay Jethro, it's okay! Calm down, he didn't mean anything by it, it's okay." Tony placed himself right in front of Jethro, speaking in a soothing tone, one hand flat against Jethro's heaving chest and the other firmly clutching his bicep, digging his fingers in a little, trying to snap Jethro out of his anger. Jethro had been glaring fiercely at Jack and Tony knew he was calming down when his gaze re-focused on Tony's face and he reached up to cover Tony's hand on his chest. He still looked pissed, but his breathing was evening out and Tony could feel the tension in Jethro's body easing.

A minute more of their intense scrutiny of each other and Tony relaxed his grip on Jethro's arm and pulled him into a tight embrace. Tony rubbed circles in Jethro's back and felt him melt completely into his arms. Jethro turned his face into Tony's neck and sighed deeply before murmuring softly, "I'm sorry."

Tony moved his head slightly and kissed the soft skin in front of Jethro's ear and whispered back, "Nothing to be sorry for, you were right. Love you."

"Love you too, babe." Jethro quietly replied before sighing again and standing up straight. When they parted slightly, Tony heard chairs scraping behind him and then Sarah and Jack were standing next to them. Sarah looking stern and Jack contrite. Tony still had his hands on Jethro's arms and felt him tense up slightly, but Sarah's words eased them both.

"What do you have to say, Jackson?" She asked him sharply.

"I'm sorry boys, went a bit too far, I guess." Jackson mumbled, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Sarah glared at him, making him blush before adding, "I'm sorry also, we never meant to upset you so and I certainly apologize for walking into the house unannounced!" She told them, sending another glare at Jack, making him fidget and his blush deepen. "That will NOT happen again!" she assured them.

Tony had to bite back a smile, but he saw Jethro had no problem openly smirking at his father's discomfort. Tony reached forward and pinched his arm, getting a yelp and an indignant "What was that for?!" from Jethro.

Tony leaned in and said in a low voice, "Stop it!"

Jethro rubbed the spot Tony had pinched and huffed out a sullen, "Whatever." before taking on the persona of a teenager after being scolded.

Tony blew out a frustrated breath and nearly laughed out loud when he saw the identical look and attitude being mirrored on Jack! Tony and Sarah traded knowing smirks and both shook their heads at their unruly partners.

"You boys sit down, Jackson will be clearing the table and I'll get the dessert dished up. Do you boys want a scoop of ice cream on your pie?" She asked them, at the same time, sending a look at Jackson, daring him to contradict her orders. He looked like he might want to, but he snapped his mouth shut when he got a good look at her face, before hurrying over to clear the table.

Jethro threw his arm around Tony's shoulders, pulling his lover against him and Tony caught another smirk pulling at the corner of the older man's mouth, so he used their position (his arm around Jethro's waist) to pinch Jethro's ass to admonish him for gloating. He covered any outburst Jethro might have had by saying loudly, "Why don't you help Sarah with the dessert while I help Jack clear the table?"

Giving Jethro a pointed look, he then lightly smacked Jethro's ass and pushed him towards Sarah. After shooting him a dark look, Jethro moved off to help Sarah. Tony, chuckling to himself, and seeing a similar amused expression on Sarah's face as she chatted pleasantly with Jethro, moved over to assist Jack. Jack remained silent, but sent him a rueful smile as the two men quickly cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher.

The remainder of the evening passed without incident. All four adults (and Tony referred to Jethro and Jack in that term in the loosest way possible at that point) enjoyed their dessert and more conversation. Tony and Jethro related all that had happened with Emily and her daughter and it was agreed that Jack and Sarah would stay at the farm tonight for safety and everyone's peace of mind.

After Jethro and Jack had stowed Sarah's car securely in the barn with their own, Jack and Sarah went upstairs to choose a bedroom while Tony and Jethro made sure the house was locked up and the alarm on. When the two men finally made it upstairs and discovered Jack and Sarah had taken a bedroom as far away from theirs as possible, they sighed in relief and retired to their own bedroom for the night.

End Flashback

************NCIS********************NCIS********************

Tony was brought out of his memories by another sound. He snapped back to the present and tuned into his surroundings. Sitting up quickly, he thought he detected a sound, but he couldn't determine what it was yet. Jethro, now also wide awake, sat up next to him, whispering, "What do you hear?"

"Not sure, but it woke me up. I can't make it out, but it's not far away." Tony whispered back. Both men got up quietly, Jethro putting on sleep pants and Tony quickly donning boxers. Tony grabbed his service weapon and Jethro his back-up piece as they moved towards the door. Just before reaching it, they heard a sound like someone in great pain. Both men were out of the bedroom and down the hall in a few seconds.

With both of them having visions of a demented Emily attacking Sarah and Jack, they kicked open the door to a bedroom at the end of the hall, Tony announcing, "Federal Agents, Freeze!", startling the couple in the bed, who were in the throes of passion, and permanently etching a scene onto both men's brains that would haunt them forever.

Realizing what they had walked in on, they both turned their backs quickly, Jethro fleeing from the room while Tony stuttered apologies and tried to get the door closed as quickly as possible as Sarah shrieked and Jackson shouted curses.

"Oh God! Sorry! Sorry, thought Emily was…nevermind, sorry!" Tony finally got the door closed and ran back to their room, slamming the door behind him and leaning his forehead against it, muttering, "Oh God, I'll never get that out of my head! I really thought Emily had gotten in here, but how could Emily get in here without setting off the alarm? Answer: She couldn't! I mean, she's not some master thief like the Pink Panther, she's just a confused old lady…" Tony's rambling monologue abruptly stopped when he heard laughter behind him.

Turning around, he saw Jethro sitting on the edge of the bed, head down, his gun still in his hand, laughing. Tony initially was indignant at Jethro's totally inappropriate reaction, but he stopped himself from pointing that out and thought objectively over what had just occurred and his take on it. Always one to look at a problem from every angle, Tony quickly saw the humor in the situation and sat next to Jethro on the bed, trying to laugh quietly, so they would not be overheard.

"Shh!" He giggled, "Do you want to piss them off some more?"

Jethro responded with another round of laughter that he did try to unsuccessfully stifle.

"Well," he chuckled, "I guess we're even now! We've all seen things we should not have!" He told Tony, sending both men into another fit of laughter.

It took them another ten minutes to calm down enough to stow their weapons again and strip before climbing back into bed. Tony snuggled back up to Jethro, in their former positions, little bursts of laughter and chuckles still cropping up. Tony was smiling as he lay his head on Jethro's chest, thinking they would finally drop off again, when another wave of mirth took over Jethro.

Leaning up on one arm, Tony looked down on his lover, asking, "What now?" with a smile.

"You thought…you thought Emily was the Pink Panther!" Jethro was able to choke out, sending both men into another round of giggles.

Tony had no reply, anything he might have said would have set them off again and his stomach muscles were protesting their extended overuse loudly. Trying desperately to catch their breath, both men settled down again. Holding each other tightly and falling back asleep wearing exhausted, but very wide grins.

************NCIS********************NCIS********************

TBC…

A/N - Okay, I told myself I wasn't gonna go there, but really, turnabout is fair play! It was only right that our boys caught our favorite senior citizens in the act - just don't expect any details on that front - I will definitely NOT go there! ;-)