CHAPTER SIX
*final chapter*
Jethro opened his eyes to sound and feel of his cock becoming intimately acquainted with Tony lips. Smiling, he ran his hand through his lover's brunette bed-head.
"Happy Thanksgiving," he whispered.
Finding his mouth otherwise occupied, Tony did the next best thing he could think of: he gave Jethro a thumbs up and sucked harder.
Jethro growled low in his throat and pumped his hips.
Tony pulled his lips off Jethro's dick and began fondle the older man's balls. Jethro gasped in pleasure, and tried to hold in his orgasm for as long as he could.
It didn't take long however before the marine felt that tingling sensation.
"Tony...I'm gonna...gonna..."
Despite the fact that he had only just woken up, Jethro's eventual orgasm was quite spectacular for such an early time in the morning. His semen shot out of his cock, staining the bed clothes and hitting Tony in the face.
When he finally came down from his excitement, he opened his eyes to find Tony grinning at him. The younger man ran his hand across his lips where Jethro's seed had hit him. He then licked each of his fingers, giving off a seductive "mmmm" as he did so.
"What was that about?" Jethro asked as Tony lay down beside him.
"I thought I would return the favour to you from the other day," Tony said.
"I appreciate it," Jethro smiled.
"You're very welcome...and a happy Thanksgiving to you too. Don't forget, we've been invited to Ducky's for dinner."
"We have?"
"Yes!" Tony smacked his partner on the shoulder. "Remember? I told you yesterday that Ducky had invited us."
Jethro thought back to yesterday... "Oh, yeah, I remember."
Tony chuckled softly.
"You're getting forgetful in your old age, Jethro. Don't worry though, you've got a young lover make up for it and... ouch!"
Jethro had smacked Tony on the back of the head.
"Don't disrespect your elders," Jethro ordered with a hint of a smile.
"See!" Tony exclaimed, "even you admit that you're...mmf!"
Whatever he was about to say was cut off as Jethro blocked Tony's mouth with his own. The kiss was long, passionate, and brought out a great amount of moans from both participants.
When they both finally came apart for air, Tony said, "What was that for?"
"Just wanted to say that I loved you," Jethro replied as he lifted the covers and went to get out of bed. "That, and I wanted to shut you up."
"I thought there must have been some reason behind it," Tony laughed, getting out of bed as well.
As Jethro went to get cleaned up, Tony shouted, "I promised Ducky that I would go around and help him get set up, is that OK?"
"That's fine, Tony. Why wouldn't it be?
"Thanks Jethro, you're the best! Have I ever told you that before?"
Jethro smirked, "you've mentioned it on a few occasions."
Tony rolled his eyes as he walked into the bathroom, pecking Jethro on the cheek as he passed.
Twenty minutes later both men were dressed for the day and sat at the dinner table, each of them drinking their own brand of coffee.
"What are you going you do while I'm gone?" Tony asked.
Jethro shrugged, "I'll pop down to the basement. That boat isn't going to build itself, you know."
"Well don't forget the Thanksgiving dinner is at two pm. Don't be late...and where a suit."
"Why do I have to wear a suit? It's only Ducky."
"That's EXACTLY why you have to wear a suit! This is DUCKY we're talking about, the master of sophistication."
"All right, all right, I'll wear a damn suit."
"Thank you Jethro," Tony grinned. "I knew you would see it my way."
After the two had finished their coffee and washed up, Jethro said goodbye to Tony, promising that he would be at Ducky's house by two.
"What on earth are you doing Mr. Palmer?" Ducky exclaimed in wonderment as he walked into his kitchen to find his young assistant attired in a now wet shirt.
"Sorry Doctor Mallard," Jimmy Palmer apologised. "I'm trying to make this cake for the wedding and it's harder than it looks."
Ducky stared at the cake box on the counter. It was one those ready-made mixtures where you just added the egg and water.
"How hard is it to make a cake when most of the work has already been done for you?"
"It's hard when you also have keep an eye on a nine-month-old as well," Jimmy complained, indicting baby Victoria sat complacently on the kitchen floor, her hands inside an open jar of Nutella.
"Oh my, I see what you mean." Ducky picked up Victoria and carried her out of the kitchen. "Come along little one, let's go get you cleaned up."
As he moved out into the hallway, his front door opened and Tony stepped in.
"Morning Ducky, he greeted.
"Anthony! I didn't expect to see you so soon."
Tony shrugged.
"I thought I would come and help you get set up; it's the least I can do after you offered to host the wedding."
"That is very kind of you, Anthony."
Tony clapped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously.
"Right, Duck, what would you like me to do first.?"
"If you wouldn't mind, there are some helium balloons in the dining room, would you be so kind as to take them into the dining room?"
"Yes Sir!" Tony saluted the elderly gentleman and headed into the dining room.
There were four sets of half a dozen helium balloons tied to the dining chairs. Tony undid the bunches and then carried them through to the small library.
When he stepped though the door, Tony stopped and stared in awe.
The room had been completely devoid of furniture except for a few chairs for the guests, which were decided on either side. A long red carpet stretched it's way to an white wooden archway, covered in roses.
It was a simple layout.
It was a perfect layout.
Unable to believe what great friends he had, Tony set about tying the balloons to the chair.
As he did so, Jimmy walked in, having changed out of his wet shirt and into a clean one.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
Tony put an arm around Jimmy's shoulder.
"It's perfect Gremlin, thank you."
"You're very welcome," Palmer replied. "Tim, Ellie, and Abby should be arriving soon. Tim has the flowers in his car."
"Ah, good ol' McGee, I knew I could count on him."
As he said this, the front door could once again be heard opening and the sound of platform boots could be heard pounding upon Ducky's wooden floor."
"Tony!" Abby shouted, running up and wrapping her hands around him in big hug. "I can't believe that you're getting married! Is the bossman suspicious?"
Tony shook his head.
"Not that I know of, Abs. If he is, he's doing a very good job of hiding it."
At that moment Ellie and Tim appeared, both of them carrying several bunches of flowers."
"Where do you want these?" Tim asked.
"You can put them in those large vases over there McFlowerPower , "Tony answered, indicating the large vases on either side of the archway.
"What made you get red and yellow flowers?" Ellie asked as she helped Tim arrange the bouquets.
Tim blushed slightly.
"I read that scarlet and gold are the official colours of the US Marines. I thought it would be significant for Tony and the Boss."
"Thanks McGee," Tony squeezed his partner's shoulder. "I knew you were the right man for this job."
"My this room is looking spectacular!" Ducky complemented as he came in, carrying a now cleaned up Victoria. The little girl was dressed in a pink lace dress.
As soon as Victoria spotted the others she immediately began to squirm and reach out.
"'im! 'im!" she gurgled at McGee, before turning to Tony.
"E! E!"
"It's nice to know that you can pronounce at least one syllable of my name," Tony laughed as he took Victoria in his arms and gave her a hug.
Ducky's friends arrived at just after eleven am, each of them carrying trays of vegetables: sprouts, potatoes , carrots, parsnips etc.
The M.E. introduced his friends to the rest of the team.
"This is Agnes Skinner, Wanda La' Range and Fred Brown."
"Hello, everyone," Agnes greeted. "We're very pleased to meet you. Any friend of Ducky's is a friend of ours."
Abby, ever the friendly one, bounded forward and enthusiastically shook everyone's hands.
"Hi, I'm Abigail – but don't call me that, I don't like it. Call me Abby instead. Come on, I'll show you where you can place that delicious food you're carrying."
Before the OAPs had a chance to respond they were herded out of the library by the enthusiastic goth and into the kitchen, where they put the food on the side, ready to warm up later.
Tony drove out to Dulles International Airport to pick up his dad's friend, Reverend James Vincent.
"I can't thank you enough for doing this for me," Tony said as they drove back to Ducky's house.
"Nonsense my boy!" James replied. "You're father is a good friend of mine, and it's my pleasure to be here for you and your partner."
"You don't mind that we're...?"
"What? Gays? Bisexuals? No my boy, I believe that you fall in love with the person, not the gender. I also believe that if you live a good life, God will look past who you loved and more into the good that you have done. THAT is what you should be judged on in the end."
"Thank you Reverend, that means a lot."
"I understand that your fiancé is unaware of the event that is about to unfold this afternoon?"
Tony chuckled. "Yeah, boy is HE going to be surprised. In fact I'M surprised that he didn't figure it out."
"Does he like surprises?"
Tony looked slightly nervous.
"Not really, I just hope that THIS will be an exception."
When Tony and the Reverend arrived back at Ducky's house, Director had arrived and was chatting to Ducky's in his kitchen.
"DiNozzo," he greeted when the man entered. "Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials."
"Thank you Director," Tony replied.
"I hope you don't mind, but I can only stay for the wedding. The nanny is currently with the children and we are going to their grandfather's for our Thanksgiving."
Tony shook the director's offered hand.
"That's quite alright, director, I appreciate you coming."
Ducky stepped into the room at that moment and announced, "if you would all like to make your way to the library. Jethro will be arriving very soon and we must be ready to join him and Anthony in matrimony."
Abby and Ellie headed upstairs to change into their dresses, while Vance, Jimmy, Ducky, the Reverend and the Bridge Club members headed into the library and took their places.
At just before two pm Jethro pulled up outside Ducky's. He was somewhat surprised to find the man waiting for him outside his house.
"Ducky? What's going on?" Jethro asked as exited his car and headed towards the house.
In answer, Ducky stepped in front of his friend and placed his hands on his shoulders.
"My dear fellow, you have an amazing man in there who is waiting to show you JUST how much he loves you."
"Ducky, I'm starting to get slightly worried now, what's going on?"
"Do you love Anthony?"
"The Hell kind of question is that Duck? Of course I do!"
"That's good," Ducky nodded, "because in a moment you are going to have a chance to prove it. Remember, Anthony worked hard to get this organised. If you don't want to hold through with it, I hope that you will let him down gently."
More than a little confused, Jethro stepped into the house, only to find it seemingly empty.
Ducky came up beside him.
"The library Jethro."
Walking down the hall, Jethro stepped into the library...and stopped dead.
His fiancé stood in front of him wearing an immaculate tuxedo, compete with a red handkerchief folded into the pocket and cufflinks adorned with the marines' insignia on his sleeves.
"What on Earth's going on?" Jethro asked. He was completely unable to believe what he was wearing (and it wasn't just at the seemingly medieval gowns that Ellie and Abbs seemed to be wearing.)
Seeing how stunned Jethro was, Tony took charge. He stepped in front of his lover and took his hands in his.
"Remember how I asked for your hand in marriage the other night?"
Jethro smiled.
"Of course I do, how could I forget?"
"Well, that's what we're going to be doing now."
Jethro looked slightly perplexed.
"Doing what today?"
The younger man rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"Getting married! Uh, that is, if YOU want to. Just say the word and we'll call this whole thing off, and we'll wait a few years."
Jethro looked around the room at the decorations and flowers.
"You organised this in just a few days?"
"Yeah," Tony replied. "With a little help, of course, from some very good friends of ours...and my dad too. He's friends with the Reverend here. My dad couldn't make it though, business opportunity came up, he sends his regards though."
Jethro was silent for a few moments and Tony began to worry.
"Jethro? Are you OK?"
"I...I can't believe you did this."
Tony looked stricken.
"You don't like it do you? I'm sorry Jethro, I should have told you what I was planning. I'll. ..take it down...it was stupid of me."
"No, don't!" Jethro demanded. He took his lover's hands in his.
"That's not what I meant, I was just surprised – and proud – that you managed to organise this without me knowing."
"Well, as horrible as it sounds, I think the case helped. It distracted us all and we were to busy to even ACT suspicious."
Tony paused as he studied his lover.
"So Jethro, I'm going to ask you: right here, right now, will you marry me?"
Letting go of Tony's hand, Jethro caressed his fiancé's cheek.
"Show me to the alter."
"Welcome and please stand."
The all stood up in their places, Jimmy and Ducky on either side of the grooms.
"We are gathered today in this lovely abode in the presences of family and friends for the joining in bond of matrimony Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Anthony D. DiNozzo – Anthony has requested for me not to say his middle name out loud."
There was a snort of laughter from the small audience.
"The contract of marriage is one not to be entered into lightly, but thoughtfully and with a deep realization of the obligations and responsibilities it entails. Please remember that love, loyalty, and understanding are the foundation of a happy home. No human ties are more important or more tender."
The Reverend addressed Tony and Jethro.
"Please face one another:"
They did so and took each other's hands.
"Do you Leroy Jethro Gibbs take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do, I most definitely do."
"And do you promise to keep him in love and comfort, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse and to be faithful until death do you part?"
Jethro replied, without hesitation.
"I do."
Now Reverend James turned to face Tony.
"Do you Anthony D. DiNozzo take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I most certainly do," Tony squeezed Jethro's hands.
"And do you promise to keep him in love and comfort, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse and to be faithful until death do you part?"
"I promise with all my heart."
"Do you have rings?" the Reverend asked.
Jimmy and Ducky both stepped forward, each of them taking a wedding ring out of their pockets and handing them to Tony and Jethro.
"Now Jethro, repeat after me: Anthony D. DiNozzo, I give you this ring, in token of my commitment and love."
Jethro repeated the vow as he slipped the wedding ring on his soon-to-be husband's finger.
"Your turn Tony," continued the Reverend. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I give you this ring, in token of my commitment and love."
The younger man gently slipped the wedding ring in place as he repeated the vow.
"Now that you have joined yourselves formally in matrimony," the Reverend announced, "may you strive all of your lives to meet this contract with the same sense of love and commitment. It is now with great pleasure that I pronounce you spouses for life."
He smiled at the newly wedded couple.
"You may kiss."
Not caring that they had an audience, Jethro and Tony wrapped their arms around each other and kissed with great passion, barely even coming up for air.
Eventually they broke apart and caught their friends grinning at them.
"Yeah!" Abby punched the air with vigour as she enveloped the two men in an ecstatic hug. "Congratulations guys!"
"Thank you Abby," Tony replied.
The bridge club members entered into the library.
"If you would all like to take your seats in the dining room," the Thanksgiving dinner is ready," Wanda announced.
After saying goodbye to the directory, they all headed into the other room.
As they filed out, each of them thanked Agnes, Wanda, and Fred profusely for their help.
"Are you sure that I can not persuade you to stay for dinner?" Ducky asked.
"We are grateful for the offer, Donald," said Fred, "however we must get going. I'm going to have lunch with my son and daughter in law."
"My sister and her husband are awaiting my arrival," continued Agnes.
"And the La'Ranges' are having their annual family reunion," added Wanda. She sighed and shook her. "I swear, my family gets bigger every year, I don't even the NAMES of most of them."
"Well I and my friends thank you again for your generosity," Ducky lead them to his front door. "Bridge club on Tuesday?"
"Indeed Donald," agreed Agnes. "See if you can persuade Jethro and Anthony to join us."
After agreeing that he would do his utmost to do so, Ducky said his final goodbyes and then went to join the others in the dining room.
The team were sat around Ducky's long dining table, waiting for the older gentleman to join them.
"Jethro, my boy, why don't you carve the turkey for us?"
The Senior Agent stood up and took hold of the carving knife. He carved through the breast of the succulent bird, allowing the juices to run down to the plate.
When everyone had got their slice and the plates had been filled with vegetables and gravy, the feasting began.
"This is delicious Ducky," Tim complimented as he tucked into the bird.
"Thank you Timothy, that is most kind."
"So, Tony," Ellie turned to the SFA. "Now that you and Jethro are married, whose surname are you going to take?"
Tony grinned across at his new husband.
"I think Leroy Jethro DiNozzo really rings a bell, don't you?"
"I'll ring your bell if you think I'm taking your surname," Jethro joked.
"What's wrong with my surname?" Tony pouted. "I'm very proud of it."
"Of course you are," Jethro rolled his eyes. He paused and then smirked. "We could always use your middle name."
"No we are not!"
"What IS your middle name?" Ellie asked.
"Oh! Oh! I know!" Abby shouted, raising her hand. "It's..."
"I have an idea!" Tony quickly interrupted. "Why don't we compromise and hyphenate, DiNozzo-Gibbs sounds good, right?"
Jethro thought for a few seconds.
"Make it Gibbs-DiNozzo and you've got yourself a deal."
Tony chuckled and held his hand out to his husband.
"You've got yourself a deal, Mr Gibbs-DiNozzo."
The two of them shook hands amongst laughter.
After everyone had eaten and their stomach's were full, Ducky stood up and lightly tapped his now empty wine glass.
"My friends, not only are we here today to give thanks for this wonderful country and the friends and family in it, but also to celebrate the wedding of two of our closest friends. I am thankful for the life they have had together so far and for the future that is still to come."
"Here! Here!" Abby cheered.
"Thank you Abby," said Ducky. "Why don't you go next."
The goth stood up enthusiastically, almost knocking her wine glass over.
"I am grateful for my family, my friends, Major Mass Inspector, that delicious bakery down the street from my apartment, that heavy metal band, Death Punk, dogs, cats, grey Squirrels, red squirrels – oh, and black squirrels too. I'm also grateful for..."
"Abby..." Jethro tried to interrupt.
"For this delicious food we were served, dark chocolate, Ben and Jerry's ice cream – particularly Pumpkin Cheesecake..."
"ABBY!" Jethro finally shouted, making the younger woman startle slightly.
"Yes Gibbs?"
"We get it Abs, you're grateful for a LOT of things, you don't need to list them all."
Abby blushed slightly.
"Sorry guys. Why don't you go next Timmy," she suggested as she sat down.
Tim, who was sat next to her, stood up. He pulled a small sheet of paper from his pocket.
"I might as well do my best man speech while I have my audience captive – don't worry, I'm not that much of a geek that I've written it in Klingon."
That got a small titter from the table.
"When I first met Jethro and Tony they both terrified me...OK, GIBBS terrified me, Tony just annoyed me" – he ignored Tony's indignant "hey!" – "but the more time I spent and worked with each of them, the more I came to understand what was beneath their skins. Tony, for all your pranking and, quite frankly, JUVENILE behaviour, I know you were just trying to help me face what was waiting out there for me in a career that, in my head at least, I felt that I was more than ready for but, in reality, I needed a lot more hardening to and your pranking and, at times, hazing bizarrely helped me to do that. If I could eventually stand up to you and give you as good as I got, then I more than had a back bone to stand up to the much worse scum we faced on the job. Thank you for that Tony."
"You're very welcome McGee," Tony smiled. "Remember, if you ever feel that this job isn't for you anymore, I have plenty of super glue in my desk drawer to persuade you otherwise."
"You come near me with that stuff and I'll glue your eyes shut!"
"Oh, my McGee," Tony wiped away an imaginary tear. "You've come so far under my tutelage."
Tim rolled his eyes, though he grinned at his partner's theatrics.
"Where was I? Boss...Jethro, like I said, when I first met you you terrified me, but I also respected you a hell of a lot...I still do. Where Tony eventually taught me to stand up for myself, YOU taught me to stand up for other people: the victims, their families, strangers, there were so many people out there looking for someone to say to them "I'm here, we can do something about this, we can bring you justice." Thank you for giving me the chance to be a part of that, Boss."
"There's no need to thank me, McGee," Gibbs said, "YOU did the hard work to get to where you are today."
"Thank you Boss," Tim replied, "I'm still grateful for the help I got along the way – unconventional as it was sometimes – I'm also grateful to all my family and friends, both here and across the globe. I'm grateful that you two eventually found love in each other, God knows you both need it. Lastly, I'm grateful that there are people out there, in this country, who have looked up and said, "you know what, EVERYONE should be able to wed, regardless of their orientation, because in doing so they have officially given a chance to two of the best people I know."
Tim folded up the piece of paper he had been reading from and placed it back into his tuxedo pocket, them he picked up his wine glass.
"I would like to propose a toast, to the newly wedded couple, may the sex be vigorous and the head slaps sparse."
"To Tony and Jethro!" the table cheered and the sound of wine glasses clinking together echoed around the room.
As Tim sat down he said, "your turn El."
"OK, wow, um, I'm grateful for the people currently seated at this table who accepted me as one of theirs even after the loss of a lady that I know you were all extremely close to, though I have yet to meet her. I'm grateful that you stood up for me when Jake admitted about the affair he had been having. Gibbs, I'm grateful that you eventually gave me a chance to show you that I could take the heat of the job just as well as the boys. On the other hand, I'm also grateful that you showed me that I was MORE than just an analyst now, I was an agent – or, as Tony would say, - a VERY SPECIAL agent. Tony, Tim, thank you for showing the ropes of the job, I've learned a lot from both of you, you're both a credit to this team AND to this agency."
"Here! Here!" Palmer exclaimed, hiccupping after his second glass of red wine.
"On that note," Ellie laughed as she sat down, "why don't we hear from you Jimmy."
The autopsy assistant attempted to stand up, wobbling like a new-born colt as he did so.
"How much as he had?" Tony whispered to Ducky.
"Two," the older man replied. I'm afraid our dear Mr Palmer doesn't take particularly well to alcohol...like you and painkillers."
Palmer began to talk, though he continued to hiccup as he did so.
"I am - hic – grateful for my amazing wife, Breena who – hic – can't be here today, unfortunately she's had to work. I am also grateful for our AMAZING – hic – sex life. If you don't believe me, just look at our amazing creation over - hic – there."
He pointed a swaying finger to somewhere above baby Victoria's head.
"I am grateful to you, Doctor – hic – Mallard, for continuing to show me the ropes of the job. Furthermore, I am – hic – grateful to all the – hic – dead people, who continue to give me a – hic – job to go back to."
He picked up his glass of wine and went to take a swig, but a gentle hand on his wrist stopped him.
"I think you've had enough, Mr Palmer," Ducky said.
"But I'm not – hic – finished!"
"Yes, you are, and I assure you that your speech was most adequate."
As Jimmy sat back down, Tony stood up
"Guess it's my turn now. Come on lover boy – I get to call YOU that now – we're doing our speech together."
"You know I don't do speeches Tony," Jethro protested.
"Please Jethro, for me?" Tony gave his new husband his best puppy dog expression.
Unable to resist, Jethro reluctantly stood up.
"Thank you," Tony said. "First of all, I would like to say how grateful I am to the people here today; the gathering may be small in numbers, but it's big in meaning. I would like to thank each and every one of you who helped me to organise this in just a few days and didn't think I was off my head."
"Actually, Tony, we DID think you were off your head," Tim piped up.
"Thanks for that NcHonest."
"You're welcome, Tony."
"In that case," Tony continued, "I am grateful for the support I received from you despite the fact that you all thought I was bat-shit insane."
Tony faced his husband.
"Leroy Jethro Gibbs-DiNozzo – God, that's a mouthful – I am grateful for the love and cherishment you have added to my life just by being in it. I am thankful for all the support you gave me throughout the years – both on the job – and off. The praise, the compliments, - hell, even the head slaps – they all meant something to me. Most of all though, I am SO grateful that you didn't turn and run a mile when you found out what was happening here today. I love you Jethro...and I always will."
There was a round of applause from the table.
"Well," Tony continued, "now that my cheesy speech is over, let's hear from the king of conversation himself. It's over to you, Mr Gibbs-DiNozzo."
The Senior Agent looked around at the people seated at the table.
"I am grateful to you all, not just for being here today, but for all the hard work and support you have shown Tony and I over the years. Everyone didn't bat an eyelid when we announced that we were a couple those few years ago. Bishop – Ellie, – I am thankful that when you first joined the team you took it completely in stride when you found out about Tony and I.
Looking at his new husband, Jethro continued.
"Anthony D Gibbs-DiNozzo – that's even MORE of a mouthful than mine – I am thankful for each and every day I have spent with you by my side, even before we officially got together. I am grateful for the patience you often showed, particularly when I was having a bad day – like the anniversary of Shannon and Kelly's deaths. I have found a new half to complete me and now – thanks to you, Tony – I am whole again. I love you too... and I always will."
There was another round of applause as both men took their seats again.
Abby raised her wine glass.
"Happy Thanksgiving everyone! "
They all clicked glasses again.
There was a moment of silence at the table as everyone simply appreciated each others company.
"Hey, what's for – hic – dessert?"
