Tony's coffee with Ducky and Jimmy went well. He made amends with Ducky, something which he was very happy about. He had truly missed the elderly ME and the man's steady, calming presence in his life these past few months. Jimmy was happy that, not only had his mentor's eyes been opened as to what Tony had endured since Gibbs 'retired' but also that Tony had been promoted and was off the team that had made things so difficult for him. The young man hoped that things around NCIS would be a bit calmer now, although with Gibbs involved he knew that was probably wishful thinking.

After their coffee the trio went back to the morgue and toasted Tony's new position with a bottle of scotch that Ducky kept in his desk. That though was when a tiny seed of regret tried to plant itself in Tony's mind.

Wasn't part of the reason he was so angry at Gibbs the fact that the man had gone running off to Mexico without so much as a warning, throwing him in the deep end with his new position as Team Leader? Hadn't he just done the same thing? He'd left the MCRT without warning, leaving McGee to step into a position he wasn't ready for and Gibbs with agents who rarely did their jobs properly. He was a hypocrite.

'Well that's just too damn bad,' he eventually concluded. He had really tried to make things work with the team and they were the ones that had driven him away. Whatever happened next, they had brought it on themselves.

Michelle apparently agreed with him. She got off work earlier than Tony so by the time he got home she already had dinner on. The delicious smell of roast meat permeated his nostrils as soon as he stepped through the door. Michelle appeared before him and pushed him up against the wall, kissing him hard. "I am so happy for you!" she said.

Tony couldn't help but grin. He was happy too. The years he'd spent on Team Gibbs were a huge part of his life and had shaped a good deal of whom he was today. It was thanks to Gibbs he had finally found the home he'd been searching for all his life and, for that, he would always be grateful to the man but it was time to move on. Ever since he'd told Jen he would take the promotion he felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Thanks, Beautiful," he said, holding her tightly.

Tony couldn't help but wonder how different things might have been right now if Michelle hadn't moved to DC. Would he still have been promoted to OSP or would he have left NCIS like he'd originally been planning to? Perhaps he would have just carried on taking the abuse from Gibbs and the rest then come home every night and drunk too much, stewing in anger and bitterness. Regardless, he was so glad that Michelle was here.

The couple settled on the couch in front of a movie to eat dinner. They relished the chance just to hold each other after the long day that, especially Tony, had had. When the opening credits began to role, though Michelle muted the screen and looked at Tony seriously.

"We need to talk, Romeo."

"This sounds ominous," Tony joked, inwardly hoping that nothing was wrong.

"Not really but we do need to have a serious discussion."

Tony gave her his full attention. "Well fire away then."

Michelle looked away, not really sure how to begin. She knew that she needed to choose her words carefully. What happened next could either make or break her relationship with the man she loved. "I know we've always talked about settling down when I left the Navy but we've never discussed exactly what settling down means. I was telling one of the women I work with how I've just moved to town and was staying with a friend. She gave me the business card for the real estate agent she used when she moved here. I need to know do I make an appointment to see him or not?"

Tony swallowed hard. So this was one of those conversations. He wasn't good at sharing his feelings and never had been. Every relationship he'd had which he'd tried to take to the next level had also turned out to be an epic failure. Michelle had been the one constant in his life for the last few years and the thought of screwing up their relationship and loosing her terrified him.

Equally, though he knew that if he didn't man up and admit his feelings he would probably loose her anyway. Maybe Michelle would be different to the long line of failed relationships in his past. Michelle was so good for him. She expected him to be the best he could possibly be instead of just the immature, overgrown frat boy that almost everybody else saw him as. With Michelle, Tony could see a different, happier future for himself. He loved that she just knew he could be a better man and he realised that he would be a fool to let her go.

Professionally, for once, things were on a high. Maybe it was time to take the plunge on a personal level as well. For years all Tony had had to come home to at night were his movies so tonight had been a new experience for him, one that he thought he could really get used to. In fact, the thought of Michelle not being around all the time filled him with a surprisingly powerful ache.

"Well obviously you have to do what you feel is right for you," he said carefully. "But my instinct is that I don't want you to go. I-I love you, Chelle. You've got no idea how much better you make my life. I need you. I think I'm finally ready for the whole white picket fence and 2.5 children thing and I can't imagine having a future like that with anyone except you."

Michelle only just managed to mask her surprise. She knew that there were demons in Tony's past that made just saying 'I love you' difficult so it amazed her that he'd gone so much further. She could see that he was wearing his heart on his sleeve for once and had no phoney masks on, hiding his true feelings. Aware of what a huge leap of faith he'd just taken for her, tears filled her eyes. "Tony DiNozzo, was that a proposal?"

That wasn't the way Tony had planned to go when he'd started speaking but it was the way his words had taken him anyway and, to his surprise, it felt right. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah. Yeah it was," he said softly.

Michelle climbed into his lap and kissed him. That business card would be going in the bin at the earliest possible moment. "Tony DiNozzo, I love you too," she said, running her fingers through his thick dark hair. "And of course I'll marry you!"

The newly engaged couple held each other and laughed joyously, the stress of the past few days melting away in the light of the bright new future which lay before them. The moment was ruined, though when they heard a scratching sound coming from the front door. Tony quickly realised that the sound was his lock being picked. Someone was breaking in to his apartment! He went to confront the intruder.

Reaching the same conclusion Michelle followed her new finance, feeling rather pissed off with whoever it was. Not only were they breaking and entering, they were ruining what, until now, had been a wonderful night for her and Tony.

She got to the hallway just in time to see the door crash open and a grey haired man storm inside and invade Tony's personal space, driving him into the corner so he had no way to escape. "DINOZZO!" he roared, looking apoplectic with rage.

Michelle realised that this was the infamous Leroy Jethro Gibbs. She watched in stunned disbelief as the man, who didn't seem to have realised she was there, began to scream at Tony, apparently furious with him for earning a promotion. In turn that made Michelle furious. How dare this arrogant ass treat Tony like this? She stormed over to intervene, backing Gibbs against the connecting wall so Tony could escape.

"Back off lady. This is between me and my agent," Gibbs snapped.

"He's not your agent anymore," Michelle snarled. "Do you want to tell me what the hell you think you're doing?"

Next is a chapter that is probably by far my favourite of all the ones I've planned: Gibbs has arrived expecting to have it out with Tony but to do that he's going to have to get through Michelle first! Please review