A/N: Thanks to those who have reviewed, it really makes my day to get a little feedback, so keep it coming!
Isak and Edvina took them to a small, softly lit restaurant on the outskirts of Pristina. The owner, a tall, dark haired man, welcomed them both with a hug and proceeded to hug each NCIS agent who was introduced to him, Captain Barrett having made his excuses and returned to the base. Tony laughed as both McGee and Gibbs tensed up as the owner, whose name was Blerim, hugged them tightly. While he wasn't too hot on the whole hugging thing himself, Tony at least could cope with it better than his team mates. Kate was very popular with Blerim – he instantly got her a shot of sambuca, complete with a couple of coffee beans in the bottom of the glass.
"Bottom's up Kate," Tony muttered to her.
"Shut up Tony." She choked as she knocked back the fiery liquid. Blerim clapped her on the back and rushed to get her another one. "I hate you Tony," Kate coughed.
"Why is it my fault?"
"Everything's your fault." The four agents, plus the Kosovans, squeezed into a small booth, while Blerim delivered a couple of bottles of red wine and a plate piled high with tomatoes, cucumber, cheese and peppers.
"This is the starter," Isak said, and Tony realised that he was nervous about whether they would like it. McGee was eying the platter of food a little suspiciously, and Tony suddenly realised what this meant to the Kosovans. Isak kept mentioning that the Americans were heroes to Kosovo, and it was terribly important to these people to impress the NCIS team. The country was desperately poor, but he hadn't met a single Kosovan who hadn't offered him everything in his power to make his stay more pleasant.
Decision made, Tony leant forward and scooped a handful of cheese and tomato on to his plate. "This looks great," he said sincerely, earning him an odd look from Gibbs. Isak smiled broadly and Tony felt him relax next to him. Edvina and Kate were talking and giggling in the corner, and the others were starting to relax as well.
By the time they had cleared that plate of food, Blerim had brought another one, equally loaded with salad. Somehow, he made space on the crowded table, and another two waiters carried in the lamb. McGee went pale went he saw the head had been cleaved in two and presented at the front of one plate, while the main body of the lamb was on another vast plate. The feet had been removed, but everything else was still visible. Even Tony, determined to show the Kosovans how much he was enjoying himself, quailed slightly, as he wondered how they were meant to tackle it. Luckily, one of the waiters carved large chunks of meat for everyone, before disappearing. Blerim waited anxiously.
"You like?"
Tony took one mouthful and closed his eyes in bliss. The lamb was cooked to absolute perfection – moist and tender, while still full of flavour. "This is fabulous," he managed. Blerim looked pleased and went to take care of other guests. Isak beamed with pleasure.
They all tucked in heartily, discovering that Tony was right: the lamb was fabulous. Everything was going really well, Tony thought as he drank another shot of raki, and that was the moment that Isak announced that Gibbs, as guest of honour, had a special role. A small fork was produced and handed to Gibbs, who raised his eyebrows.
"The brains are very good and only offered to the guest of honour," Edvina explained. Gibbs froze and turned to look at the girl, an expression of utter horror in his eyes.
"Semper Fi boss," Tony murmured, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. As expected, he was rewarded for his wit with a smack on the back of the head. Gibbs took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He tasted a very small morsel before blinking in surprise and having some more.
"Tastes like warm pate," he said in answer to his team's wide eyes.
After that, the evening kind of passed in a blur for Tony. Edvina, who had looked really sweet and innocent, challenged him to a drinking competition, but after that, things got rather blurry. He was sure he won the competition, but Edvina seemed to think differently. But her forfeits couldn't be that bad, he reasoned, so he agreed that she had won and he would do the forfeit.
The moment when the forfeit was revealed was emblazoned on his mind though. Edvina's face, which he decided wasn't so pretty, had lit up in a wicked smile as the lamb's eyeballs were presented for his delectation. He had a feeling that he threw one at McGee, who shrieked like a girl, but he couldn't be sure. He did remember dancing around the small restaurant with Edvina, and then a very pretty lady who spoke only Albanian. By this time, Tony thought he spoke Albanian too, however, so they got on very well.
Gibbs was watching his team relax, a small smile on his face. They rarely got a chance to let their hair down, so it was good to see them all enjoying themselves. He wished that Abby and Ducky were with them, but the Director had vetoed that. Not enough money, and not enough equipment in Kosovo anyway. Kate had finally given in to Blerim's constant hints and was dancing with him, her hair loose down her back as she bounced to the music. McGee had, as only McGee could, found a young lady who had been quite interested in him until he started speaking about megabytes and pixels and other stuff Gibbs didn't really understand. From the looks of McGee's new friend, she didn't understand either.
Tony had a crowd of admirers now. Four women were hanging off his every word, while another two were getting him more drinks. Not that he needed any more alcohol, Gibbs thought severely. That boy would have a headache in the morning. But he had done well that evening. As usual, Tony made friends easily, and as usual, Tony had made the difference. The Kosovans would probably have been a lot less helpful in the morning if it hadn't been for Tony's enthusiasm. Gibbs watched his Senior Field Agent fondly. He would make a good team leader one of these days. But not just yet, Gibbs thought wryly, as Tony staggered slightly from the sheer amount of raki he had consumed that evening.
Isak nudged Gibbs and grinned. "Tony is a lot of fun, no? Practically a Kosovan," he said contentedly.
Gibbs nodded. "We'd better head off, Isak. Long day tomorrow." He fought his way through the crowd of women and said softly, "Come on Casanova, time for bed." Tony blinked a couple of times before actually focusing.
"I'm not drunk boss. Honest." Gibbs had to admire the younger man's determination. Despite having drunk almost a whole bottle of raki, and a couple of glasses of red wine, Tony managed to sound almost sober. Until you looked closely, and noticed the flushed cheeks, wide eyes and the way he spoke a little more carefully than usual.
"Yes you are. No arguments." Kate and McGee met them out by the car, and Gibbs pushed Tony into the back seat. "McGee, make sure he drinks a gallon of water before he goes to bed. We have a lot of work to do."