A/N: wow, thank you so much for your kind reviews, I feel truly blessed! I'm really sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. First I had to study for my exams and then I felt like I couldn't convey my thoughts on paper, very weird! I hope this chapter has become what you had hoped it to be.

There will be one more chapter after this one!

Enjoy and thank you for reading!

When Tony cracks open one eye and takes in the room, it's still dark. Thinking back to the amazing dream he just had, Tony sighs. He and Gibbs were making love and then Gibbs told him he loved him. The dream still seems to linger in the corners of the room and Tony swears he can almost smell him. That's when he realizes there's someone next to him in the bed. He can feel the weight on the mattress, pulling him to the middle, closer to the source of warmth next to him.

He's about to tell his current one night stand that he should go when the events of the previous night start coming back to him. He gasps loudly but before he can bolt, an arm is thrown over his body and then he's tugged against Gibbs' muscled chest. He can't keep a moan from escaping and he turns in the older man's embrace, nuzzling Gibbs' neck and inhaling deeply when the smell of sawdust infiltrates his nostrils.

Gibbs runs his fingers through Tony's soft strands and arches his back slightly, attempting to get even closer to the beautiful man lying next to him. As he presses a soft kiss on the Italian's forehead, he can't help but feel like an idiot for denying himself this feeling for so long. Tony lifts his head slightly and his emerald greens make contact with the other man's deep blues. In that split second, Gibbs promises himself that he'll never let go of this man. He inches closer, never breaking the eye-contact because he simply can't look away and kisses Tony tenderly, reveling in the soft sigh that escapes from the younger man's lips. Tony cups the back of Gibbs' neck and deepens the kiss, chuckling softly when they both shiver as their tongues touch in a battle for dominance. Unsurprisingly, Gibbs wins and he rolls Tony over on his back, intertwining their fingers above his head. Tony moans softly as his growing erection brushes against Gibbs' thigh and swallows hard when Gibbs' intense gaze falls upon him. The otherwise blue pools are black with desire and Tony feels like they could read his innermost thoughts.

Just when he thinks he can't take it anymore and he has to tell this man how much he loves him, they're interrupted by the shrill sound of his alarm clock going off and the moment has passed. Gibbs growls and when he glares at the alarm, Tony is surprised it doesn't shut up out of fear for his boss. His boss. Crap. How are they going to handle this at work? How can he possibly hide this from his coworkers? It sucks that they're trained investigators, why can't he just work at Wal-Mart? Gibbs can feel the younger man tense up beneath him and he arches an eyebrow, silently questioning his insecurity. He dips his head, kisses Tony right beneath his earlobe and smiles at the full body shiver he gets in response. "Easy", he whispers, "we'll make it work. Just don't seduce me too much and in return, I'll try not to force you into the elevator when it becomes too hard to bear." He feels Tony's smile against his cheek and when the younger man speaks, his doubts seem to have been pushed to the background and his voice seems to carry a certain kind of hope. "Or I can just seduce you now and you don't have to resist me?" He turns his head and captures Gibbs' lips in a soft kiss but the older man backs off before he can deepen it. Tony pouts and Gibbs smiles his boyish smirk. "Oh my god! Don't smile like that if you expect me to behave!" Tony throws his hands up in defeat and pushes Gibbs off of him, making a run for the bathroom in a desperate attempt to get away from the sexy sound of Gibbs' chuckle.

They shower apart, unable to keep their hands to themselves. Tony's tries to focus on dressing but he can feel Gibbs' hungry gaze upon him. It makes his skin itch in an excitement that is completely foreign to him. He can't recall feeling this way before, ever. It scares him because it makes him question what he would do without Gibbs in his life. The line of his jaw hardens when he thinks back on Gibbs' sudden retreat to Mexico a couple years ago. Who says Gibbs will continue to let him have his six this time around? You can never be a hundred percent sure in this line of work, there's danger every single day.

"Tony?" Gibbs' husky voice and the insecurity that's carried with only his name make Tony look up and he instantly regrets zoning out when he sees Gibbs' worried expression. "It's okay… Jethro." The use of his first name breaks something in Gibbs, some kind of last resolve he had to protect himself in the newness of the events in the past few days. He cups Tony's face in both hands and softly strokes his temples with his thumbs, instantly losing himself in the big loyal eyes that look back at him. The three words he wants to say the most in this moment can't seem to make it over his lips into the world as Tony's gaze alone makes him feel lightheaded, but he knows his eyes tell the whole truth when he looks at the younger man.

Gibbs leaves for work earlier, stopping at his house first to change in his work clothes. They have decided to keep this whole thing under wraps for the time being. Gibbs himself doesn't even know what exactly 'this' is. Suddenly he realizes that the whole time he's been thinking of Tony since they said their goodbyes at Tony's door, he's had a smile plastered on his face. He smacks himself on the back of the head and tries to focus on something else but it just won't come off. Then he's brought out of his reveries by the sound of a new text message.

"Wish you wouldn't have to leave early to change… I liked your birthdaysuit better ;-) T."

This is just great. Now the smile's even bigger, damned Tony! Gibbs lets out a frustrated growl and decides to drink another cup of coffee before he leaves for work, just for the sake of being calm and able to resist pulling Tony into the elevator the first chance he gets. If he walks into the bullpen looking like this, the team will never let it go.

He sighs when he thinks about telling them. He wonders how they'll react. Abby will probably squeal at a deafening volume and Ducky will most likely be supportive of them as long as they make each other happy. But as for Tim and Ziva… He hopes McGee would stand up to him if he had a problem with it but then again, he's never seen any kind of homophobic behavior with the younger Agent. No, Ziva is definitely the most unpredictable of them all. She takes pride in the way she handles Tony. She's entirely different from how Kate used to be. Kate, poor Catholic soul, just wasn't a match for Tony's dirty mind. But Ziva was raised between men, she learned how to stand up for herself and she doesn't bother with playing hard to get because she's just too terrifying to flirt with without clear interest from her part. She's the hunter, not the hunted. Ziva tolerates Tony's banter and gives back as good as she gets.

Gibbs doesn't really know if she's attracted to Tony, but there's a certain air about the two of them that makes him wonder. What if she's set her eye on her colleague and then it turns out she's in fact not the alpha dog? She views these things rationally, as a matter of territory, not emotions.

Gibbs rubs his hands against his face in an attempt to clear his mind. They'll just have to take it as it comes and see what happens. He puts on his suit jacket, checks his gun and badge and closes the door behind him, not bothering to lock it – silently challenging burglars to invade his home.

The elevator doors have barely opened and he strides out, effectively silencing the ongoing banter between Tony and McGee. His Senior Field Agent smiles brightly at his entry. "See, Boss? I've arrived before you! This is a record, I believe a reward is in order – maybe a medal?"

"Or maybe a headslap?" Gibbs grunts, enjoying the way his Agent pales and shuts up, instead focusing in his computer screen. McGee seems to decide that the case is more important than enjoying Tony's embarrassment and strides forward. "Boss, Abby called this morning. She processed the evidence from the safe house and the belongings of Jennings' intruder. Name is Jason Evans, age 27, lives near the safe house at North Capitol Street. Criminal record for two DUI's and possession. So far no ties to Juan Cortez, our locked up killer, but he has a roommate…" McGee looked in the file. "Joseph Miller. No criminal record, but he may know something about Jason's dubious hobby's. Thought we could pay him a visit." He hands the file to Gibbs, smiling as the team leader turns around at Ziva. "You heard the man, David. Go pick him up. Good work, McGee." As Tim and Ziva pack up their guns and badges and leave the bullpen, Gibbs turns to Tony. "Gonna see Abby. Make yourself useful." He makes a run to join the other two Agents in the elevator when he sees Tony's pout. It's barely noticeable to anyone who hasn't made a living out of studying every little thing that happens around them, but it's definitely there. DiNozzo probably needed that medal after all. Gibbs taps him on the shoulder. "Atta boy." He doesn't look behind before he leaves for the lab but he can practically feel Tony beam at the rare praise. He tries not to smile when he thinks about all the ways he can praise Tony some more – tonight, when they're alone.

"GibbsGibbsGibbsGibbsGibbs!" The team leader finds himself with an armful of raven-haired forensic scientist and he staggers towards her stereo, turns down the volume, gasps for breath and walks her back to her desk all at once. She pouts when he puts her down on her chair but it's quickly replaced by a big grin when he hands her her hourly dose of caffeine. She looks up at him expectantly while attacking the beverage, seemingly waiting for Gibbs to tell her why he's there when there's no new evidence to process. She smiles broadly when he just leans down and kisses her on the cheek. "Thanks Abs.. for the roommate." Then he walks out, nearly bumping into Tony who's just entering the lab. Gibbs quirks an eyebrow, silently questioning why his Senior Field Agent is down here instead of working upstairs.

"McGee called Boss, said the roommate ran when he held up his badge. But Ziva was waiting by the fire escape." Tony has a full on grin now, clearly taking pleasure in the fact that they'd outsmarted Joseph Miller. "Anyway", he continues, "they're bringing him in now, should be here in about ten minutes." He blows a kiss towards Abby and focuses back on Gibbs. The older man gestures towards the elevator and Tony nods. "So cool, you two can read each other's minds!" Abby squeals, drawing them into a group hug.

Once they've successfully escaped the lab and walk back to the elevator, Tony looks up at his Boss and grins. Gibbs sighs.

"What?"

They get into the elevator and the doors close, giving them the privacy they so desperately need already. Tony punches the button on the elevator so it screeches to a stop. He then pushes Gibbs against the wall, forces his knee between the older man's legs and presses it slightly upward, delivering a delicious friction against Gibbs' groin. Gibbs swallows hard when Tony nuzzles his neck and then whispers in his ear, his voice husky and low. "Can you read my mind now?" Gibbs can feel Tony smile against his cheek and he raises his hand to slap him on the head but he can't bring himself to do it so he cups the Italian's neck and brings their lips together in a tender kiss. They both know not to deepen it but still, Tony has to rip their lips apart before he spirals down in the inevitable passion this man awakens in him. They spend a moment catching their breaths and then Gibbs restarts the elevator, trying to keep his eyes trained on the floor because it's all he can do not to jump Tony's bones there and then.

When they reach their floor and walk out into the bullpen, Ziva and McGee are already there.

"Gibbs, we were looking for you. Joseph Miller is cooling off in interrogation 1." Ziva smiled. "Good job guys. Ziva, you're with me. DiNozzo – Gibbs felt a shiver run down his spine when his Senior Field Agent looked him right in the eyes – and McGee, observation."

Gibbs and Ziva barely get a chance to sit down before Joseph decides to come clean. "Look, I don't know what this crazy chick told you" – he points his index finger at Ziva – "but I was just taking a walk and she tackled me!" Gibbs can see Ziva's satisfied smirk out of the corner of his eye and he has to suppress the urge to high five her on the spot.

Ziva leans forward with a dangerous glint in her eyes. Before Gibbs can say something, the guy continues his rant. "Okay, okaaaay, I'll tell you what happened. Last week, me and two buddies were at this pub, right? And this girl walked up to us, asked if we would buy her a drink. We said sure, but then out of nowhere this guy got in our face, something about keeping our paws off his bitch. So we said his bitch" - Miller makes quotation marks as he says it – "came up to us but the dude wouldn't buy it and before we knew it, he started throwing punches! Can you blame me for throwing one back? Civil rights dude, it was self-defense." Joseph Miller crosses his arms before his chest and leans back in his chair, seemingly daring the Agents to argue with that.

Ziva leans forward. "What do you think N.C.I.S. stands for?" she asks sweetly.

The guy shrugs. "Nobody Cares I.S.? Whatever". He grins, apparently proud of his comeback.

Gibbs turns to Ziva with one of his seldom seen, big smiles. "I like this guy." He gestures to Miller with a curt nod, keeping his eyes on Ziva. "Can I be bad cop now?"

Ziva smiles just as brightly in return. "I thought you'd never ask." She holds up her hands, gesturing that Miller is all his.

Gibbs turns back to the guy in front of him and in a matter of seconds, all the traces of his smile have vanished from his face and they've been replaced with a mask of indifference. When he speaks, his voice is controlled and low.

"Listen, bitch" – Gibbs imitates Miller's quotation marks – "this is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. We actually don't give a shit about your civil rights, although we'll get back to the fight later. Now if you don't tell me about Jason's ties to our crown witness Daniel Anderson in the next two seconds, I'll make sure you can go and defend your civil rights in a jail cell, preferably with a nice and cozy roommate." He quirks an eyebrow, waiting for the tears to come.

Less than five minutes later, they step out of interrogation to meet with Tony and McGee in the hallway. Apparently, Jason was a customer of drug dealer Juan Cortez, who was facing trial for the murder on Petty Officer Jennings. He couldn't afford to let their witness Daniel Anderson testify, so he ordered a hit on him. He knew Jason owed him a lot of money for previous 'deliveries' so he promised Jason that if he did this job, they'd be even and he wouldn't be in debt anymore. Jason had been stupid enough to accept. Now with everything out of the way, their witness would remain under protective detail until the trial tomorrow.

The day's paperwork has been filed, Ziva and McGee have gone home and Tony and Gibbs are left alone in the bullpen to check the last details and preparations for the trial. They are both sitting at their respective desks, concentrated on the forms that are laid out before them. All of a sudden, Gibbs' computer makes a little sound and he looks up at Tony but the younger man doesn't seem to have noticed anything as he keeps reading. Gibbs focuses back on his screen and notices that he's received a new e-mail.

"I liked it when you went all Rambo in interrogation this morning. Can you play bad cop at home too? T."

Gibbs smirks but doesn't look away from his screen as he types his answer.

"Are you saying that you have been naughty?"

He hears Tony chuckle. For what feels like the tenth time in a couple of days, he finds himself astonished by the wave of affection he experiences whenever he looks at the younger man. How could he have missed what was right in front of him all along? He makes a pact with himself right then; never again will he deny himself the feeling of happiness that Tony brings in his life, unlike all of his ex-wives who couldn't even get past his work hours.

"I'm about to be…"

Tony's answer makes Gibbs' heart rate speed up and he rubs his clammy hands against his pants. He shuts down his computer, grabs his badge and gun and motions for Tony to do the same.

"I've missed you today." Tony whispers in the parking garage as they pretend to look for their car keys, keeping the cameras in mind.

"Me too. My place or yours?" Gibbs grins. Tony smirks, "I love how direct you are. What if I want to go home to relax and recuperate from all the hard work my Boss lets me do? Nah, just kidding, my place. It's closer." He winks as he gets in his car and slams the door shut. He waits for Gibbs to get in his own car and then silently dares him to race him to his apartment, grinning when the silver haired man accelerates.

Tony gets out of his car and pouts at Gibbs, who's already parked and leaning against his car.

Gibbs smiles and takes his hand. "Are you sad you lost?"

The Italian grins in return. "Not if there's a consolation prize…" he whispers as their lips touch. He lets his fingers play with the short silver strands on Gibbs' nape and sighs when the older man deepens the kiss. He backs off slightly to look for his keys and fumbles with the lock before he pushes open the front door and pulls Gibbs inside, already planning to reward him greatly for his victory.

Before they get the chance to go any further however, they're interrupted by a high-pitched squeal and they pull away instantly, startled. Tony turns to the door and he sighs when he notices Abby standing there, doing a very convincing performance of 'deer caught in headlights'.

For a moment, none of them move. Tony seems to recuperate the fastest.

"Abs… What are you doing here?"

Abby opens and closes her mouth a few times before she seems to have found her words. "We were going to have a Godfather-marathon, don't you remember?" She claps in her hands and jumps a few times on the spot. "But this is WAY better! Seriously guys, I'll just go get my popcorn, and you two act like I'm not even here!"

Tony and Jethro look at each other and Tony smiles. "Wanna watch The Godfather, Jeth?"

Abby squeals again, Tony guesses it's because of his use of Gibbs' first name. "I brought snacks and soda and paper drinking cups! She hops back to the hallway with such enthusiasm that Gibbs expects her to start doing cartwheels any moment.

"It's good that she brought paper cups. If she keeps squealing at this rate, all the glass in this place will break…" Tony sighs. Jethro snorts and presses a light kiss to his temple before pulling him down to sit next to him on the sofa.

Abby will probably ask for all the details, down to which underwear Gibbs wears, but Tony can't bring himself to mind: he couldn't possibly be more relieved and happy at this moment.

A/N: So guys, what did you think? I'm really, really sorry for the long wait! Hope you liked it. If you have any suggestions as to how you want the rest of the team to find out… let me know ;)

I'm a little busy at the moment but I should be able to put the last chapter up somewhere next week!

Thank you so much for reading!