Chapter 6 – Lifestyle Changes

Tony DiNozzo

Tony thanked the cab driver as he passed him the fare and small tip through the window before turning around to look at their new home. For a moment, he was taken aback when he saw the size of the building and at the sight of a doorman who was smartly dressed in a crisp red uniform. He hadn't lived in a building quite as fine as this since he had been a child.

Jolting as the taxi pulled away, he hurried to follow Tim.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" the doorman asked.

"Yes," Tim replied. "We've just taken an apartment in this building. We're moving in today," Tim said motioning towards him.

"You're the new tenants in four-oh-three?" doorman asked.

"We're not sure of the number," Tony replied. "But are you expecting any other new tenants?" The doorman shook his head. "Then yes, we're the new tenants in four-oh-three."

The man straightened up and smoothed his uniform nervously before he quickly hid it. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Dwayne Wilson," Dwayne said looking between him and McGee.

Instantly on guard, he eyed the young man. He wasn't very tall, and the uniform hid his figure, but he looked to be strong and fit. In fact, he looked a lot like some of the boys that worked with him running liquor. He made a note to question the young man to determine if he wasn't on more than one payroll.

"I'm on duty on weekends and some nights," Dwayne continued. "If you need anything, a taxi, dinner reservations, symphony tickets, just let me know. I've got friends all over town who can get you what you need."

"Thanks," Tim said with a nod. "I'm Timothy McGee and this is my roommate, Anthony DiNozzo."

"Welcome to the Seahawk," Dwayne said as he opened the door for them.

They nodded and entered the building. He and Tim stopped and looked at the lobby before sharing a look.

The lobby was spacious and luxuriously appointed. Two grand staircases on either side of the doors lead to a balcony that looked over the main lobby through arched openings. The vaulted ceilings were supported by graceful columns and lit with modern chandelier lights. The floor was marble and inlaid with geometric patterns. To the left, there was a seating area with plush chairs and coffee tables. To the right, there was an elevator that was manned by another employee in a red uniform like the doorman. And ahead, there was a large reception desk with a bank of mailboxes which was staffed by an older woman.

He wasn't up on his architecture styles, but he seemed to recall his young partner prattling on about a style called Arts Décoratifs that was gaining popularity when they had been in southern France for a time. He had noticed a number of recently constructed buildings that shared the same style they had seen overseas.

Whatever it was called, if their apartment was anything like this, he was going to be very happy.

"What's with using your real name?" he asked his partner as they moved off to the side to allow a young family to leave the building. "I thought you were using your alias."

"I am," Tim replied as he took his glasses off and cleaned them with a handkerchief. "But only with Jimmy's people."

"You do realize that Dwayne out there was one of Jimmy's people, don't you?" he asked.

Tim glanced at the door. "He was? How can you tell?"

"He got real nervous when he found out we were the new tenants," Tony replied. "Who do you know that can make people that nervous?"

"You think he's extra security?" Tim asked as he replaced his glasses.

"Guys that look like bouncers don't often work as doormen, even for high-end apartment buildings," he said. "And would you be surprised if Napolitano wanted extra security in the building where his money man lived?"

"I'd be disappointed if he hadn't," Tim replied. He gave his partner a look that said, 'I told you so.' "You don't need to gloat," Tim muttered as he walked towards the desk.

"Mr. McGee?" a woman asked as they approached the desk.

"Yes, Ma'am," Tim replied as he looked her over. She was an older woman and her silver streaked hair was pulled up into a tight bun.

"My name is Mrs. Audrey Vetter," she said. "I have your apartment keys. You requested two sets?"

"Yes Ma'am," Tim said as he glanced at him. "The other set is for my roommate."

She nodded and said, "Very well." She handed each of them a set of keys. "Your apartment is on the fourth floor. Apartment four-zero-three. If you'll follow me."

They followed her into an elevator and waited while the bellman, a reedy man with a name plate that read 'Pringle,' worked the controls to take them to the fourth floor. The elevator opened into a smaller lobby that held only a pair of overstuffed chairs on either side of a single staircase. The grand sweeping staircases from the main lobby had given way to a single set of more utilitarian stairs.

Without a word, Mrs. Vetter walked through the lobby and down the hall.

"There's an additional set of stairs at the end of the hall, should you want to walk instead of waiting for the elevator. The wait times can be long in the morning and evenings when people are coming and going," she said. "And since the door is near your apartment, you may find it more convenient to walk." She paused and motioned to the stairwell door as they passed it. "I should warn you that you'll need your key to get through the door from the stairwell. We keep them locked to prevent just anyone from wandering into the building and onto our tenant's floor."

"Good to know," Tony replied as they followed her down the hallway. Their new apartment was at the end of the hallway. Somehow, he doubted that it was a coincidence that their apartment had easy access to the stairs.

Mrs. Vetter produced a master key ring and opened the door for them.

Tim walked inside and stopped in his tracks. He followed his partner and stopped next to him.

The apartment was large, well-furnished and nicer than anything he had ever lived in while in Washington. On first glance, he was pretty sure that this place might actually be nicer than anything he had lived in as a kid.

Working for a mobster definitely had its perks.

As with the lobby, it was decorated in art deco style. The floor was covered with a plush carpet and thick curtains hung at the windows, although they were currently open to let in light. A pair of sofas sat opposite of each other with a small coffee table between them. Large windows over looked the busy street and a small fireplace stood between two sets of French doors that led to the dining room.

"This is the living area," she said. Then without waiting for comments, she turned to her right and said, "The bathroom is through here." They followed her and looked inside the large bathroom that had a monstrous claw-footed bathtub and an opulent sink that seemed to be made from marble.

"One of the bedrooms is through here," she said once again not waiting for them to comment. He and Tim followed her and looked down the short hallway to the bedroom that was next to the bathroom. The room was furnished with rich wood furniture and contained a large bed, matching bedside tables, a chest of drawers and a large closet.

"Then you have the kitchen and dining area," she said as she walked through one set of French doors. The dining area had a large table that could seat at least eight people and held a large china closet, which was filled with sparkling dishes. The kitchen with a generous pantry was located to the right of the dining area.

They followed her through the dining area and the second set of French doors, back into the living room. She walked briskly back to the front of the apartment where she pointed to another door. "And that is the second bedroom and the attached powder room. Should you find anything out of order, you can call the front desk, day or night, and we'll see about getting things fixed. We keep someone on staff in the lobby at all times."

"Thank you," Tim said. She nodded politely and left the apartment.

"Brisk woman, isn't she?" Tony asked as the door clicked shut.

"A bit," Tim replied as he looked around at the apartment. "This is amazing."

"No kidding," he replied as he took a moment to follow Tim's gaze. He removed his overcoat and draped it over the sofa. Tim hastily followed suit. "This place is huge."

Now that they weren't being rushed, they took their time and looked around.

The larger bedroom had two nice-sized windows that overlooked the courtyard, as did the kitchen. The windows in the living and dining area looked out over the front street and afforded them a good view of most of the block. The kitchen also had a second window that opened out onto a fire escape that led into the alley. He'd have to investigate to make sure that the fire escape wasn't accessible from the ground and ensure that the window locked securely before he'd be happy. Being on the fourth floor, the fire escape was the only entrance that was accessible from the outside.

He'd have to investigate the other doors to the outside, but he had a feeling that Jimmy had picked The Seahawk because it was a secure building even without the extra layers of security like the doorman. It hadn't been obvious that Wilson was armed but he suspected the young man was packing.

He'd have to keep an eye on the doormen to see if Wilson was an abnormality and if he wasn't, he'd have to verify that they were Napolitano's employees but that would be a task for another time.

Even if the doorman wasn't on the payroll, between the doorman, the person staffing the front desk and the elevator jockey, there were enough eyes on the building who knew the tenants that it would make it hard for someone to break in without being noticed. He'd have to complete a full security assessment, but he liked what he saw so far.

Tim walked over to the second bedroom and looked inside. He quickly followed his partner. It was slightly smaller and decorated differently than the first but otherwise it was furnished similarly to the other bedroom. He could just see a small powder room through an open door.

They returned to the living room and looked around.

"Well, all we can do now is wait for our belongings," Tim said. "And pick bedrooms," Tim added, eying the bedroom with the attached powder room.

"No. You get that one," he said pointing to the larger bedroom next to the bathroom.

"Why?" Tim asked, confused. "That one has the bathroom attached," Tim said pointing to the front bedroom.

Tony let out a deep breath in exasperation. Did Tim think that this was about an attached powder room? Of course, that was nice, but the room only held a toilet and a sink. It wasn't anything to make a fuss over. "That's not the reason why I want that room."

"Then why?" Tim asked crossing his arms. Obviously, his partner didn't believe him.

He suddenly felt like he was at summer camp debating who got the top bunk.

"Because, McGenius, if someone tries to break into the apartment, that'll put me closer to the door," he replied slightly exasperated.

Taken aback by the logical explanation, Tim said, "Oh." Tim deflated. Suddenly Tim stood up straight and his expression grew firm. "You know, I can handle myself just fine, right?"

"Yeah," he replied smacking Tim on the back roughly. Tim coughed lightly. He knew perfectly well that Tim could take care of himself. They both had been trained by Gibbs after all. He guided Tim to the sitting area and forced his partner to sit down. He took his own seat opposite his partner. "But if Napolitano asks, I want to make sure he knows that I'm taking my job seriously. I don't want to get canned."

"I suppose," Tim replied skeptically.

"McGee, it isn't just my job to protect you for Napolitano," he said. "You heard Gibbs. He'll have my hide if I let anything happen to you and I'm more afraid of him than Naps!" Tim chuckled slightly. "But even without the threat of bodily harm, you're my partner and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I know," Tim said.

"So, believe me when I tell you I'm being serious here," he continued. "Yes, I know you can handle yourself but it's my job to make sure you never have to. Some precautions up front can pay off later."

"I appreciate that Tony," Tim said honestly. "Really I do."

"Good," he said. "You didn't have to worry too much about your safety while you were working for Taylor, but everything has changed now, Tim. You need to get into the habit of being more alert and cautious." Tim nodded seriously. "And less trusting." Tim frowned but didn't respond. "I haven't finished a threat assessment yet, but the apartment is looking pretty secure. We'll have to work out the best way to get you to and from Napolitano's offices. I'm not keen on the idea of taking a cab every day. I'll look into getting us a car."

"So how is this supposed to work anyway? You go wherever I go? Cause that puts you on duty twenty-four hours a day," Tim said, looking at him with interest. Aside from making sure that Tim didn't get pinched or killed, they hadn't discussed his duties as personal bodyguard.

"Mostly," Tony replied with a shrug. Being deep under cover like he was, he was always on duty anyway. And now that he was Tim's bodyguard, he couldn't afford to let his guard down for an instant. "When you're at work with Napolitano, I can leave and run errands if I need. If you need to go out, you get one of Napolitano's personal guards if I'm not around."

"If they're Napolitano's personal body guards, they ought to be good," Tim said but he didn't sound certain.

"They're good all right," Tony replied gravely. "But I won't leave you until I find someone I trust. And I don't want you to go anywhere with anyone I haven't checked into." Tim nodded solemnly. "It'll take a few weeks for me to be sure, but I'll find a couple of guys."

"What happens once you find a few people?" Tim asked. "Surely you can't be expected to be on duty all of the time."

"Just most of the time," he replied. "I get one night off a week."

"A whole night? Whatever are you going to do with yourself?" Tim said sarcastically.

"Since you're such a teetotaler, I'll probably go out for a drink," he said wryly. Tim frowned at him. "That is as soon as I can find a guy I trust to fill in for me, which could be a while if at all."

"And just what do you get paid for being on duty around the clock?" Tim asked.

"A hundred bucks a week," Tony replied with a shrug. "Plus this apartment. I know it's not as good as what you're getting but it's still a step up from what I was getting paid before."

"Still, it's a rough gig," Tim said.

"It's not that bad, unless someone tries to shoot you," he replied nonchalantly. Suddenly he grew serious. "Tim, I need you to promise me that if that happens, you'll take cover."

"And let you face them by yourself?" Tim asked scandalized. "I won't do that, Tony. I couldn't."

"But you'll have to," he said firmly. "Tim. I appreciate your loyalty."

"Gibbs has drummed it into us," Tim said cutting him off. Suddenly he rubbed the back of his head. "Sometimes literally."

He smiled even as he rubbed the back of his own head. He grew serious. "Tim," he said as he stood up and shifted so he was sitting next to Tim. His change in tone wiped the smile from his partner's face. "Listen. If something happens, you need to take cover. We can't risk you getting pinched by the BOIs or worse."

"What's worse than getting pinched?" Tim asked in confusion.

"Naps told you about all the times that someone came after Spooner?" he asked. Tim nodded. "None of those were attempts by the law. They were all attempts by one of Napolitano's competitors." Tim blinked owlishly and then looked away, too embarrassed to meet his eye. "You get picked up by one of La Grenouille's men and Spooner's fate is going to look good!"

"I understand what you're saying Tony," Tim said as he looked at him. "But you're asking me to hide when my partner is in trouble. Could you do that? Could you do that if Gibbs was in trouble?"

He frowned. He knew that Tim was going to play dirty and ask him that. If Gibbs told him he had to take cover when the lead started to fly, he'd tell Gibbs he was off his rocker too. He wouldn't be able to abandon Gibbs if he was in trouble either. Even if Gibbs had ordered him to.

Tim looked at him pointedly, saying 'I told you so' with a look.

"This is more important than me now," he said firmly. He did his best to channel Gibbs and say what their boss would say. "You're the one that's in Napolitano's network. You're the one that can take him down, not me."

"Tony," Tim objected.

"No," he said cutting Tim off. "We've worked too hard to get to this point and if it means that I have to give my life to protect you and our mission, then that's what I'll do."

"What if I don't want you to do that Tony?" Tim asked harshly.

"I don't want to do it either!" Tony said suddenly which caused Tim to relax a little. "And I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that we both come out on the other side of this thing. But we've sacrificed so much for this case. I don't want to throw it all away. Not now. Not when we're finally getting somewhere."

"You know that I can't make that promise, Tony," Tim said. "It goes against everything I am. I can't run when my friend is in trouble." Tim took a deep breath. "But, I'll try. And I hope that I don't have to worry about that."

He nodded, touched by the sentiment. He knew how hard it was for Tim to say that he'd try. Tim didn't have much field experience, but Tim had proved he had courage and he had stood tall in the face of gunfire.

"I know it isn't easy for you to say that," he said. Tim nodded. "Believe me, it isn't easy to ask it either. And I hope you're right and we never have to worry about it. That's why we need to take every precaution we can."

"Ok," Tim said. "I'll follow your lead, Tony."

"Good," he said. "I'm sure there will be more but for now, don't trust anyone. We don't know who is or isn't on Napolitano's payroll."

"Or someone else's payroll?" Tim asked.

"Yeah," he agreed. "There are two people you can trust: me and Gibbs. That's where the list ends." Tim nodded seriously. "But until we can figure out a reliable way to communicate with Gibbs, we have to consider that we're on our own."

"Gibbs can't be happy about that," Tim replied.

"Would you?" he asked, and Tim shook his head. "Keep to the rules. Don't go anywhere unarmed like you did last night with your meeting with Napolitano."

Tim chuckled. "I wasn't unarmed Tony. Sal missed my knife," Tim replied.

"Are we talking that dinky pocket knife your father gave you when you were in the boy scouts or that French stiletto?" he asked.

"Well the knife is Spanish," Tim said. "Toledo steel but I bought it in France. Damascus steel supposedly made the best knives, but it was more of a process than anything. Smiths in Spain actually used the better alloy…"

"Whatever," he said cutting his partner off. He didn't want a history lesson. "Which knife did you have?"

"The stiletto," Tim replied as he drew the knife from somewhere at his waist. Tim flicked the knife open revealing a thin blade that was just over four inches long. "I didn't want to risk losing the pocket knife."

He looked at his partner sympathetically. He thought being estranged from his father was bad enough until Tim's father had disowned him. Even though Tim and his father hadn't really seen eye-to-eye, being disowned because of this case had been really hard on his young partner. It would have been better if Tim had just stopped talking to his father like he had.

"Good," he said. "You don't go anywhere without that knife. Or your pistol."

"I won't," Tim said seriously as he folded the blade back into the handle and replaced it at his waist. "You know, I doubt Jimmy would have been happy to know that I got into a meeting with him with a switchblade."

"No and I doubt that Sal would be happy either," Tony replied.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Standing, he made his way to the door and looked through the peep hole. An army of coverall clad men stood in the hallway with boxes. Opening the door, he let the movers in and pointed out their respective bedrooms. The men nodded and started to bring in the boxes, depositing them in their rooms.

"I remember, now, why I hate moving," he muttered when he realized that they were going to have a long day of unpacking in front of them.

Author's Note: In case anyone is wondering, I was directly inspired by the Hyperion Hotel from the tv show Angel for the design and layout of the boys' new apartment building, The Seahawk. As for their apartment, picture a two bedroom version of Tony's apartment from the show. Most of the apartment is identical to Tony's, I just added a large bathroom and second bedroom just inside the door.

Also, for anyone celebrating today, have a safe and Happy 4th of July!