Tim had a dozen questions, but Tony's finger pressed against his lips stopped all of them while the elevator was still moving. Trusting Tony and the simple instructions he'd given, Tim drove to his apartment to wait.

It was a short wait and less than an hour later, Tony arrived with a duffel bag and a suitcase, both of which he shoved into Tim's closet. The younger man pointed at a pot as Tony came back out of the bedroom. "Drain that for me, will ya'?"

Tony grabbed the indicated pot and took it to the strainer already waiting in the sink. "Shrimp Scampi, my favorite. What did I do to deserve this treat?"

"You mean besides getting us an extra long weekend without even being on call? Don't know, but you were grinning pretty big when you left Vance's office."

"So you decided to get the answers out of me by plying me with food?" Tony dumped the drained pasta back in the pot before stepping up behind McGee and wrapping his arms around the younger man's waist.

Tim reached up over his shoulder and popped a shrimp in Tony's mouth. "Is it working?"

"Maybe. Eat first, then we'll talk in bed."

-NCIS-

The stack of paperwork Vance dumped on Gibbs' desk gave them more than a thirty minute head start and it was several hours before Gibbs and Ziva left for the long weekend. Ziva continued to glare at him as he silently worked, but he did not acknowledge her questions, going as far as taking the stairs as to not be caught in the elevator. Gibbs detoured to Tony's apartment on his way home, but the lights were off and his parking space was empty. He wasn't quite sure how he'd ended up in Silver Spring, it certainly wasn't on the route between Tony's place and his. He was even less sure about how he felt when he saw Tony's car parked next to Tim's Porsche. The jealousy was easy to identify, but for the life of him he didn't know who it was aimed at. Refusing to think about the implications, he drove home, not noticing another familiar car parked on the curb.

Ziva sat and watched as Gibbs arrived and then left, not relaxing until his car was out of sight. Her trust in Tony's ability to fix whatever was hurting McGee increased when she arrived to find Tony already here. She would not interfere with them, as Tony had asked, but if Gibbs had gone upstairs, she would have followed to back up her partners.

As she watched, the lights went off in McGee's apartment, one by one, until only a soft glow of a secondary light was left in the bedroom. Ziva continued to wait, but Tony did not appear to be leaving. She gave it another hour before she finally left, concerned that whatever was wrong had Tony too worried to leave McGee alone.

-NCIS-

As soon as the dishes were rinsed and stacked in the sink, Tony started turning off the lights and carefully herded Tim into the bedroom. A serious conversation was needed, but he didn't want to stress out his lover and he knew where Tim's mind would go if this wasn't handled properly. He left one small lamp on in the bedroom and stripped down to his boxers, watching as Tim also did the same. Tony climbed into the bed first, moving the pillows around to prop himself up before pulling Tim up against him.

"This is what I dreamed about every night aboard ship." Tony's voice was just above a whisper as he nuzzled Tim's face and stroked his fingers down the pale arm draped across his chest. "Not the sex, but the closeness. I don't ever want to lose you, us, this."

Tim smiled at Tony's fumbling attempt to describe what they were both feeling. He kissed the skin directly under his mouth. "You won't lose me, Tony, not..."

This time the 'until you leave me for Gibbs' was left unspoken, which Tony considered progress and a starting point for what they needed to talk about. He started it off casually, knowing that at some point it was going to get harder. "So, the way I see it, we have four options available."

"Four?" Tim tilted his head back enough to see Tony's face, but the other man still looked relaxed and comfortable.

"Yeah." Tony looked at Tim's hand, feeling the warmth of it on his chest, before he laced his fingers between Tim's and brought their joined hands up to kiss Tim's palm. "We've talked a lot about option one, where I leave you for Gibbs. A year ago, I would have, but now we're so real, so solid."

Tim didn't move as he listened. Tony shrugged as he told the rest. "Back then, I really got off on the idea of him topping me, you know, being really dominate."

"And now?"

"Now, I don't think I'm as much of a bottom as I used to be. Don't get me wrong, I'm not turning into this heavy duty top. I really like the idea of us taking turns, and I really love going to sleep with you draped across me like this."

Tim was smiling now. "Yeah?"

"Oh, yeah, and sometimes, when I've had a rough day, I love it when you get bossy and take care of me. We don't have defined roles, we just..." Tony stumbled, trying to find the right words, but Tim finished the thought for him.

"Take care of each other, love each other." Tim raised up on one arm and kissed Tony, slowly letting the kiss deepen before eventually pulling back to lay his head back down on Tony's shoulder. "So, what's option two?"

"You leave me for Gibbs." Tony laid still and waited for the reaction.

"What? No way." A quick shift and Tim was straddling Tony, straight arms supporting him as he stared down in shock. "No, just no, besides it's you that he wants, not me."

"I'm not so sure about that." Tony ran his fingertips down Tim's ass slowly. "I've seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching."

"It doesn't matter. What we have is the kind of relationship I want, Tony, but it's the kind of relationship that would suffocate Gibbs. I won't throw us away for a fling with him, especially not after..." Tim looked away as his words faded.

"After he hurt you?" Tony chose his words carefully, not referring to what had happened as a rape, even though in his mind he still wasn't sure. "Even if he wanted to make it up to you, to show you how good it could be?"

Tim settled back down onto Tony, tangling their legs together as he pressed his face against the hollow of Tony's neck. "I'm not walking away from the best thing in my life for a maybe or a possible with someone else, even for him. Next option?"

Tony couldn't help the smile at his stubborn Probie's pronouncement and took a deep breath. "Option three came straight from Vance." Tim's head raised back up at those words and Tony waited until they made eye contact before telling the rest. "I've been offered my own team in Europe."

"What? But..."

A finger across the lips stopped Tim as Tony continued to explain. "I told him that the only way I would consider it would be if you went as my senior agent, and he agreed to it."

"He agreed to that?" Tony watched as Tim's entire face lit up.

"Yeah, babe, he did. He also gave us the long weekend to make a decision. We're the top team in the agency and Vance would like to see it stay together, but if it can't, he said he doesn't want to lose either of us."

"See, I told you that he knows your worth. Wow, Europe?"

He could already see the gears turning. "Greece, land of Zeus and Ares." After sharing a smile, Tony turned serious. "It would be a fresh start for both of us and no Gibbs looking over our shoulder, but it would also mean being a long way from your family and your publisher and no Gibbs to back us up if a situation goes sour."

Tim laid his head back down on Tony. "We wouldn't be here to back up Gibbs and Ziva if something went bad here either."

"I know. It's a big decision, that's why Vance is giving us a four day weekend to decide if we want to salvage what we have here or start over someplace else."

The mention of the four day weekend reminded Tim and he raised up again to look at Tony. "You said four options, so what's the fourth option? Just staying the way things are now? Because I'm not sure if..." The finger returned to his lips as Tony gave a sad smile in understanding.

"Because if you have to sit there with Gibbs watching me, it will tear you apart?"

"I'm sorry." Tim started to move away, but Tony wrapped his arms around the younger man and pulled him back down against his chest.

"Hey, it's okay. I feel the same way about him watching you. That's why if we stay, I think... I think heneedstojoinus."

The rushed and jumbled words made no sense at first as Tim shifted to rest his chin on the center of Tony's chest. "What? It sounded like... you can't be serious, Tony. Join us? You're talking about a threesome, like..."

"Like we used to fantasize about in the beginning., yeah."

Those old fantasies still got a rise out of both of them, and they both shifted slightly to better rub against each other, but Tim wasn't quite convinced. "He'll never go for it."

"If he doesn't, then we go on to Europe with no regrets and no second thoughts, but I think we need to settle this one way or another, for all our sakes."

"I hope you have a plan."

"I always have a plan, Probie." With that, he rolled them so that Tim was on the bottom and showed him the first part of the plan in great and intimate detail.

-NCIS-

"Do you want breakfast before you go?"

Tony was sitting on the edge of the bed, tying his shoes. "Nah, we'll eat on the road after I get back. I want to be at the cabin by noon, so you get your stuff packed while I'm at Gibbs'.

"I love you."

Even with his proclamation, Tim looked nervous and Tony pulled him close. "I'll be back before you know it and we'll be on our way. I promise." They kissed again before Tony reluctantly pulled away and slipped out the door.

For all his apparent bravado and confidence, Tony had to pull over twice to calm down on his way to Gibbs'. He had no real idea how to bring up his plan with Gibbs or how the older man would react to the idea. Much too soon he was pulling into Gibbs' driveway.

It had been many months since he'd been at Gibbs' house, but nothing had changed. The faint sounds of sanding confirmed where he needed to go, and after one more deep breath he walked down the steps.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs had been tracking his visitor since he'd heard the door open, but he didn't look up until Tony was standing in front of him.

Usually it was Tony that filled the air with chatter, especially when he was nervous, but today he was silent as he studied the older man standing in front of him. It made Gibbs nervous, feeling the growing confrontation.

"Thought you'd be out celebrating your return to land."

"Had something else to celebrate." Tony started wandering around the basement, picking up and setting down the various tools. "Course, things were a lot more complicated than I expected when I got back."

Gibbs didn't say anything, but turned to his workbench and poured himself a glass of bourbon. Tony watched with narrowed eyes. "Bourbon for breakfast, Boss?"

"It's five o'clock somewhere, isn't that what you used to tell me?" Even unspoken, the guilt was a physical presence in the room, but it gave Tony the opening he needed.

"He thinks you don't remember."

Gibbs stared into his glass as he swirled the amber liquid. "You here to arrest me?"

"Would that make you feel better?" When there was no answer, Tony shook his head and pressed on. "He didn't fight you, and he won't call it rape, but why in the hell did you have to bring my name into it?"

Instead of answering, Gibbs leaned heavily against the workbench as Tony continued to address his back. "How long? How long have you been jonesing for me? How long have you been fantasizing about fucking my ass?" When he didn't get an answer, Tony grabbed the glass out of his hand and threw it against the far wall. "Damn it, how long?"

Gibbs didn't turn around, but he did straighten up. "Since I hired you."

"You sanctimonious bastard." This time Gibbs didn't have a choice as Tony lunged and spun him around. "All that time and you never said a damn word. What about Tim? When did you start fantasizing about him? Don't lie to me, I've seen you watch his ass"

"I'm not sure." Once he was released, Gibbs slid down to the floor, all illusions of denial gone. "He... he kinda crept up on me. When he stood up to me over his sister and..."

"He's hot when he's all fired up, isn't he?" Spent, Tony dropped down next to Gibbs, staring at his hands. "We have to thank you, you know, it was our mutual lusting after you that brought us together."

That finally got Gibbs to look at him. "You and McGee?"

"Yeah, and we were really happy with our ignorance, Gibbs, and then you had to go and screw it up for us." Tony thumped his head against the leg of the workbench. "He's scared that I'll leave him for you, and he's even more scared that I won't and that someday I'll regret it."

"Tony, I..."

"The crazy thing is that I understand how he feels, because sometimes I feel the same way. I mean, look at him. He's beautiful and he's so damn smart. He could do anything he wanted, have anyone he wants if he really put his mind to it. He thinks I settled for him, but he's the one that settled."

"Tony..."

"We can't go on like this, Gibbs, being around you is tearing us into pieces. Tim and I have narrowed it down to two options, and now it's up to you."

"Me?"

"You." Tony rubbed the sides of his face. "You join us, in our bed. Maybe not every day, but enough that we have some sort of relationship, the three of us."

"The three of us?"

"You know, a threesome, a triad, a menage a trois, a..."

"I got it, DiNozzo, but why?"

"You were the catalyst, the joint dream that brought us together, but it was safe because you weren't interested in us, in either of us. Now, the cat's out of the bag and we can't pretend we don't know."

Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose. "And if I say no?"

"Then Tim and I accept Vance's offer and head up the new team in Greece."

"Sounds like blackmail."

"Not blackmail, just reality. Tim and me, that's forever. Forty years from now, we're going to be a couple of those old men in the park playing chess together and arguing about whose turn it is to do the laundry."

Gibbs couldn't help but smile. "Chess, Tony? You don't even play chess."

Tony rolled his head to look at Gibbs straight on. "I know, but for Tim I'd learn. The only uncertainty in our lives right now is our relationship with you, and right now things are too raw for it to be halfway."

"If I agree, then what?"

Tony dug a folded paper out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Gibbs. "We're leaving to spend the long weekend at a cabin. If you're going to join us, then show up tomorrow afternoon, and Boss?"

Gibbs waited while Tony levered himself upright before continuing. "Tim was a virgin the night you took him."

"What?"

"I was his first guy and we were taking it slow. This weekend, I want to make it special for him and you owe it to him, too." Tony left before Gibbs could respond, even if he'd known what to say.