Chapter 3
Tony was surprised the next morning to wake up at 0700 alone. Weekend mornings when they were off rotation were for cuddling or slow, lazy morning love making. The sheets on the other side of the bed were cool to the touch so it was obvious that Gibbs had been up for a while. Tony threw the covers off and winced slightly at the familiar ache in his ass when he sat up. He pulled his robe on before heading down the hallway only to find no sign of Gibbs anywhere. He noticed a piece of paper on top of his Mr. Coffee, so he headed for the kitchen. He poured a cup as he looked at the note, which read simply, "Back soon with donuts. Love, LJG"
Still a bit sticky from last night and definitely smelling like sex, Tony headed for the bathroom and a nice long hot shower. He let his robe drop to the floor and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water cascade over his aching body and sighed as he felt the knots in his muscles relax. When the water began to cool, he grabbed a thick fluffy towel and dried himself off. As far as Tony knew they didn't have plans to go anywhere, so he pulled on a pair of old, faded, comfy jeans and a Marine Corp sweatshirt he had nicked from Gibbs's place a month ago.
He grabbed a thick pair of socks from the dresser before heading back out to the kitchen to refill his now cold coffee. He was sitting at the table putting on his socks when Gibbs came in and dropped a big box of assorted donuts on the table in front of him.
Tony opened the box then favored Gibbs with a dazzling smile. "You really do love me," he said sweetly before picking up a Bavarian crème filled long john and tearing off a huge bite. Tony noticed Gibbs just standing there grinning at him and narrowed his eyes. With his mouth still full of half-chewed donut goodness, Tony mumbled, "Whasso fummy?"
Gibbs cocked his head and glared at him disapprovingly, and Tony had the good grace to finish chewing and swallowing, chasing the bite down with a sip of his coffee before saying abashedly, "Sorry. What's so funny?"
Gibbs chuckled and said, "That's better. Nothing. Just happy this morning." Tony thought that Gibbs seemed way too cheerful but he decided to let it go for now and concentrate on his donut, sinking his teeth in for another huge bite.
"We need to head out and do some shopping," Gibbs said plainly, nearly causing Tony to choke. Gibbs shopping? Interesting concept, Tony thought.
"Shopping? You? For what," Tony asked.
"Need to finish Christmas shopping. I need to pick up McGee's knife and that Goth teddy bear I let you talk me into getting for Abby. I got a bottle of Ducky's favorite brandy. Should probably get something for Palmer and I'll need your help with that one. Any idea what I should get for Ziva," Gibbs asked while watching Tony for a reaction.
"Other than a clue, I have no idea. I got her a sweater and a wool scarf. I still need to get something for McGee, though." Tony sighed, "I don't know what to do about Ziva, Jethro. She just won't take a hint. McGee's been running interference, but he said she wants to find out what I'm hiding."
Gibbs took Tony's hand and said, "I think it's time to tell them Tony. Abby told me yesterday that she figured it out. She's thrilled, of course, so since Abby and McGee already know and don't have a problem with it, we should probably tell Ducky, Palmer and Ziva. What do you think?"
Tony searched Gibbs's eyes for a minute before nodding. "Fine by me, if you think they can handle it. Palmer already knows, by the way, and thinks it's great. I kind of let it slip accidently a while back, but he's too scared of you to say anything. We can tell Ducky and Ziva together. I know Ducky will be happy for us, if he hasn't already figured it out, but I am worried about Ziva."
Tony finished his donut and got up from the table and stood in front of Gibbs. Tony held his arms open and Gibbs stood and walked into a warm embrace. "I love you, Jethro."
Gibbs managed to pull Tony closer and replied softly, "I love you too, Tony. Now come on, we have things to do. Don't forget the office Christmas party is tonight."
What followed was nearly three hours at the nearest mall where they managed to deal with the crowds and long lines without too much grumbling from Gibbs. Except for the one gift Gibbs needed Abby's help with, he had Tony's other gifts already wrapped and under the Christmas tree, and all of Tony's gifts for Gibbs were there as well. The team was on call on Christmas Day, so they agreed to meet at Gibbs's house on Christmas Eve for dinner and to exchange gifts.
Gibbs tugged at the collar of his shirt the whole ride up to the squad room where the NCIS Christmas party was in full swing. Tony smacked his hand away because he was getting tired of having to straighten Gibbs's tie for him. "Dammit, Gibbs! You act like you've never worn a suit and tie before," Tony grumbled.
Gibbs hated dressing up in a suit unless he was going to a wedding or a funeral. If chinos and a polo shirt were acceptable for work then they should be okay for a party at work. Tony, on the other hand, had pulled out his favorite Armani power suit. It was black with a silver pin stripe that he wore with a white Gucci dress shirt and a silver Armani tie. Shiny black Farragamo shoes and Hugo Boss belt completed the ensemble. Gibbs was wearing the nicest of his three suits, an off the rack black suit with a dark gray dress shirt and deep red tie, finished off with a Sears belt and polished dress shoes. Gibbs looked pretty nice, but Tony always figured he would be dead damn sexy in some designer clothes. He smirked to himself knowing that several shirts, belts and ties from his favorite men's clothiers were already wrapped and under the tree. Tony stepped off of the elevator behind Gibbs when it reached their floor carrying a large gift bag that he held close to him lest anyone discover what was inside.
Gibbs had convinced Tony that he should go ahead and give Abby her gift tonight instead of making her wait another week. Tony called Palmer and he agreed that Abby was less likely to kill them if she got Bert back sooner rather than later. They agreed to meet up and pull Abby aside at 2100 to give her their gift. Tony stashed the bag in the bottom drawer of the file cabinet by his desk and covered it with some of the spare shirts that he kept on hand in case of an emergency.
Tony and Gibbs split up and mingled with various co-workers being careful not to give themselves away. Being a totally social creature Tony worked the room like a pro. He could talk to anyone at any time about pretty much anything. Several of the ladies in the room attempted to sidle up to him, but he would always manage to excuse himself and step away. Years ago he would have latched on to the first woman to show any interest but now that he had everything he ever wanted with Gibbs, those days were over for good.
Gibbs, a self-proclaimed antisocial bastard, stuck to chatting with his pals Agents Balboa and Moretti, both of whom had a wealth of war zone stories to share. No sir, no idle chit-chat or small talk for Leroy Jethro Gibbs if he could at all avoid it!
Most of the people in attendance had gathered in the team's bullpen area, due in large part to the festive decorations. McGee, dressed in gray dress slacks and a red sweater, played a Christmas CD on his computer filling the room with cheerful holiday music. Abby was by his side dressed in a dark green tea-length dress, red and green shawl, and a pair of red patent leather Jimmy Choo heels. Gone was the studded dog collar in favor of a string of pearls and matching drop earrings; McGee's birthday gift to her. Tony made his way over and bowed to Abby as he took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. McGee rolled his eyes at the over-the-top display of charm, but he knew it was just Tony being Tony.
McGee was about to take a drink of his eggnog but stopped with the cup half-way to his lips. "Oh my God," he said slowly nodding in the direction of the elevator. Tony and Abby both turned to see Ziva dropping her black wool coat on the file cabinet behind her desk to reveal the ridiculously short sparkly silver dress she wore for the occasion. Tony frowned deeply when Ziva saw him and sauntered over in her black stiletto heels while leering at him.
"Hello, Tony," Ziva practically purred as she invaded Tony's personal space and ran a hand up and down his arm, paying no attention to Abby and McGee who stood gaping at her. "You look very nice tonight, Tony. Very sexy," she whispered seductively in his ear. She attempted to hook her arm through his, but Tony jerked his arm away.
Thankfully, Palmer picked that very moment to join the group. "Hey guys, Merry Christmas. Oh, and Happy Hanukah to you, Ziva," Palmer greeted cheerfully completely ignorant of the tension between Tony and Ziva. "Hey Tony, I have to take off early, so is now a good time?"
Tony let out a sigh of relief and smiled, "Perfect timing Palmer. Be right back." He pulled the file cabinet drawer opened and retrieved the gift bag. He turned and nearly ran into Gibbs who had witnessed the spectacle of Ziva's arrival.
"Everything okay, Tony," Gibbs asked quietly. "Ziva seems to be on a mission tonight."
Tony rolled his eyes and replied, "Yeah, she is. Thank God Palmer showed up when he did. Hey, we're gonna give this to Abby now since Palmer has to leave early. You coming with?"
Gibbs grinned and nodded. "I better be there to keep Abby from killing you. Let's go."
Gibbs did his best to stay between Tony and Ziva without being too obvious about it as Tony handed the bag to Abby. Ziva narrowed her eyes as Gibbs subtly moved to block her every time she tried to get closer to Tony.
"Um, Abs. Palmer and I got you something but we didn't want to wait a whole week until Christmas. Go ahead and look … you'll see why," Tony said as he beamed at Abby, who looked warily between him and Palmer.
She opened the bag and gasped as she pulled her beloved Bert out and hugged him tight making the stuffed hippo fart loudly, which got the attention of everyone who happened to be within earshot. "Oh my baby is safe," she exclaimed happily before punching Tony hard in the arm.
"Owww, Abby," Tony whined, "why did you hit me instead of Palmer? He was in on it too!" Tony rubbed his upper arm and grinned as Abby meted out her own brand of justice and punched Palmer just as hard. McGee and Gibbs just stood there and laughed while Ziva stood silently unsure of what was going on.
"Abs, do you notice anything different about Bert," Tony asked mischievously as he nodded at Bert.
Abby's hand came up to cover her mouth in reaction to the stunning gemstone encrusted collar that now adorned his neck. "Oh my gosh," she said softly, "it's … it's beautiful! Oh you guys!" She hugged Tony and Palmer before turning on McGee's desk light so that she could see her gift better.
Palmer smiled brightly and high-fived Tony. "Tony and I had it made with everyone's birthstone. It's a choker… um, for you to wear actually."
Tony chimed offering, "Yeah, we just needed to borrow Bert as a model. Sorry we worried you by taking him. Please don't be mad."
At Tony and Palmer's identical little boy pouts, Abby sighed and said, "Of course I'm not mad. This was sooooo sweet of you." She carefully removed the choker from around Bert's neck and handed it to McGee. "Will you put it on me, please," she asked sweetly as she removed the pearl choker. McGee smiled and carefully placed it around her neck making sure that the clasp was secure before stepping back to admire his work.
"Ah! My dear friends," Ducky greeted cheerfully as he appeared from around the corner. "What have we here?"
"Yes, I would like to know as well," Ziva said coolly.
Gibbs and Tony exchanged a nervous glance and a nod. "Okay, everyone with me," Gibbs said as he walked toward a back hallway that was a bit more private. As expected everyone followed though Ziva hung back a bit before joining them.
Tony and Gibbs stood side by side and faced their friends. "Ducky … Ziva, there is something you need to know. This is not where or how we wanted to tell you, but we decided it can't wait any longer," Tony said.
At Ducky's concerned look Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, here goes. Gibbs … Jethro and I are seeing each other. McGee and Palmer found out by accident and I've just been informed that Abby figured it out. We wanted to tell you all next Friday over dinner, but…."
Tony was suddenly cut off by Ziva, who asked incredulously, "Together? As in dating? This must be a joke!"
Ducky smiled and stepped up to Gibbs and Tony with his hand extended, effectively cutting Ziva off. "Well, I figured you two would come to your senses eventually. Congratulations to the both of you. May I ask how long you have been seeing each other, as you say?"
Gibbs eyed Ziva, who looked both stunned and angry, but answered Ducky, "Since the softball game in July. Agent David, are you going to have a problem with this?"
Ziva straightened up and said, "Of course not, Gibbs! I am just surprised, what with all of Tony's stories. If you are both happy then I am happy for you. I just wish you would have told me sooner." She glared at Tony who nodded his understanding.
"I'm sorry, Ziva. I should have told you sooner, but I didn't know how. Forgive me," he asked softly.
Ziva snorted before giving Gibbs and Tony each a kiss on the cheek. "Of course you are forgiven, both of you."