Chapter Title: Words to Live By

Chapter Summary: Tony questions Gibbs' decision to hire Hart and wonders what he's planning. AU tag to 7.16 Mother's Day. A sequel of sorts to chapter one of Hart of the Matter.

Disclaimer: NCIS is not mine. I'm just borrowing the concepts and characters for a little while.

Spoilers: 7.16 Mother's Day

A/N: You might want to read Hart of the Matter before you read this tag – it's not necessary though.

Many thanks to Anjelik for her help with this story! Any remaining mistakes are mine…

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"You'll never guess who I ran into at Joann's house?" Tony said as he closed the front door.

"Or, maybe you will." He mumbled as set the bags of food on the table.

Gibbs looked at the bags, then up at DiNozzo, "Did you get –"

"Egg Drop Soup. Of course, Boss. Don't I always?" he said as he sat down next to Gibbs on the couch.

He opened the bags and started taking out cartons of food. Placing the soup in front of Gibbs he reminded, "You never answered my question."

"Thought it was rhetorical," Gibbs replied before taking a sip of soup.

Tony snorted and said, "Thought so. Do you know what you're doing?"

Gibbs paused with the soup half-way to his mouth and just glared at his senior agent.

Tony cleared his throat and quickly became very interested in the contents of the nearest food carton.

"Of course you do," he sarcastically said. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to call Hart?"

"I did." Gibbs replied as Tony was lifting a forkful of food to his mouth.

Tony couldn't help at that moment but marvel at his Boss' talent of saying so much with so few words. But every once in awhile Tony still felt like he needed a translator.

He lowered his fork. "You did. When? Was it when you ordered me to check up on Joann?"

"Yep," Gibbs replied slightly smirking.

"Okay," he smiled in return, accepting the almost non-answer. "So, why did you call Hart?"

Gibbs finished the last swallow of soup and put the empty container down before finally answering, "She's using me – using us. I thought I'd use her a little in return."

"So you asked her to be your mother-in-law's lawyer?" he asked almost not believing what he was hearing.

"Yep."

They continued eating in silence, with both of them contemplating recent events. Tony could tell that Gibbs was content to drop the subject of why he hired M. Allison Hart as Joann's attorney, but his mind was on overdrive.

After going over everything he knew about the case, he realized that his Boss must be up to something that he had decided not to share with his senior field agent. His gut was telling him that he was missing vital information that he needed to figure out just what Gibbs was planning.

A suspicion was forming, but he chose not to dwell on it any further. No matter how long they'd been working together or how good of friends they had become; the subjects of Shannon and Kelly and especially their deaths seemed to remain taboo. Gibbs never brought them up and he never dared to ask about them.

He tried not to be hurt or offended by the seeming lack of trust with something so personal especially now in light of his father's recent visit. But he couldn't help the modicum of insecurity that stirred up in him over it. Suddenly he didn't feel as hungry as before, but forced himself to keep eating so as to not alert Gibbs to his doubts.

"It's not that I don't trust you," Gibbs suddenly, but softly, said.

"Huh?" Tony intelligently replied. What did I miss?

"I said. It's not that I don't trust you," he repeated, enunciating every word.

"Um – okay," was the only slightly more intelligent response.

To cover his confusion over whether Gibbs meant this situation with Joann, or Shannon and Kelly, or both, he leaned forward to grab the carton of spring rolls. Suddenly he felt a slight sting on the back of his head.

Reaching to touch the spot on his head, he realized that as headslaps go, this was nothing but a tap to get him focused again. He locked eyes with Gibbs.

"Plausible deniability."

Tony nodded and smiled broadly. Gibbs' semi-cryptic statement confirmed to Tony that his Boss was definitely up to something. That the lack of disclosure was not a lack of trust, but his Boss watching his six – just like always.

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The end.

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A/N: The title of this chapter was inspired by an episode of White Collar (Free Fall?)… FBI Agent Peter Burke doesn't want to know where Neal Caffrey (Convict Consultant to the FBI, who is on the run in this ep) is going. Neal says something like, "I get it, plausible deniability." and Peter responds, "Word to live by." Such a great episode and Peter and Neal's relationship often reminds me of Gibbs and Tony….

Thanks for reading!