"Home! Glorious home!" Tony yelled upon entering Gibbs' house late the next day. He dropped his bag by the door and took a deep breath of the musty air.
The rest of the team piled in after him. Everyone dropped their bags on the ground, sighing at the familiar sights and smells.
"We'll need to go to the store, I'm sure…" Ducky mumbled, heading for the kitchen. "Some of the food has probably turned by now." Abby took her stuff and ran up the stairs, claiming she wanted to get unpacking done with as soon as possible because she hated it. Tony followed, bursting into his room. He paused and dropped his bag on the floor next to his bed. His bed. Not a cellar floor. His own bed. He looked at his NCIS duffel in the corner, still filled with his old clothes. He hadn't even unpacked it all yet. He hadn't believed for a moment that he would be staying with Gibbs permanently. He smiled softly and reached for it.
He didn't know why he was treating it like it was the holy grail or something. It was just a bag. He zipped it open and took out the clothes, adding them to the pile for laundry. He winced at the items peeking out from the bottom. The golden badge, the leather holster. He picked up the framed photo and looked at it. He could get as happy as the guy in photo again. He may have doubted it before, but he was sure now. Giving the wooden frame a squeeze, he padded down the stairs to the kitchen and saw Gibbs standing beside the bubbling coffee-maker, waiting for it to do its thing.
"Ching-Lan called." Gibbs said.
"Oh?" Tony clutched the picture anxiously, really hoping she hadn't changed her mind about whether or not he and Abby were staying here.
"She found Lewis."
"And Mei-Lien?" Tony asked in a hushed voice.
"Her too." Gibbs looked up at him. "She's safe. Lewis, probably not so safe. Ching-Lan said something about sending her to the mines."
"That's gonna put a cramp in her high-style living." Tony said.
"Ya think?" Gibbs glanced down at what Tony was holding. "What's that?"
"Oh. Abby…uh, this was in my apartment before." He held the picture out to Gibbs. The man took it slowly and his face instantly tightened with emotion. "I was thinking maybe we could put it somewhere down here. Where we can all see it?" Tony said. Gibbs blinked a few times and nodded, handing it wordlessly back over. Tony went the living room off the kitchen where they all often spent time watching TV or just hanging out on evenings. He glanced around, spotting an empty space on the end table. He set it down, facing the room. It looked good, he thought. It made everything just a little more warm and cozy, like a family's home should be.
The End
Thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed and read! This story was a lot of fun to write and post and you all were very encouraging and kind! :) Thanks again! Ttime42