Gibbs was out of the car almost as soon as he hit the brakes. When he'd answered the phone that morning, the one word 'Gibbs?' had been enough for him to know who was calling. He hadn't spoken to DiNozzo for getting on for six years and sometimes went days without thinking of him but that one word had brought Tony instantly to mind. Now he hurried towards Tony and then paused in front of him. Grey-green eyes met blue ones with a hint of doubt and then Gibbs stepped a pace closer and did an odd sort of chest bump which was the nearest he could come to a hug. Amusement replaced the doubt in Tony's eyes as Gibbs laid a hand on his shoulder,

"You stink!" exclaimed Gibbs.

Ellie might not have seen Tony DiNozzo in the flesh before but she had seen him smartly dressed in team photos and remembered Abby's promise that to see him was to hug him. Bishop frowned at the thought of embracing the guy standing close to Gibbs. It was unmistakeably the DiNozzo from the photos but, apart from being older, he was incredibly badly dressed. He was wearing a mismatched threadbare tracksuit and ratty trainers and appeared to be covered in dried mud. Gibbs' accusation that he stank might have been harsh but somehow Bishop didn't think he'd be winning any awards for Body of the Year any time soon.

"Nice to see you too, Gibbs," said Tony placidly, "I meant to take a shower but you got here quicker than I expected. Somethings never change, I guess."

"Jeez, what were you doing, DiNozzo?" asked Gibbs as he withdrew his hand.

"This and that," said Tony vaguely, "we were getting the pitches ready for the new term. Had to clear out a ditch, it was beginning to smell."

"You don't say," said Gibbs drily.

"Hey, McGoo," said Tony as he spotted McGee standing by the car.

"Tony," acknowledged McGee as he held out a hand and then changed his mind as he got closer.

"And who's this?" asked Tony as he saw Ellie, "are you the Senior Field Agent?"

"No!" said McGee in an outraged voice, "I'm the Senior Field Agent!" He then huffed a laugh when he saw the delighted look on Tony's face as he had caught Tim out again. "Like you said, DiNozzo, some things never change."

"I'm Bishop," said Ellie. Tony raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "Eleanor Bishop. Ellie," she sighed, "I'm the Probie."

"Oh, I know that look," said Tony, "Eleanor Bishop, Ellie … is Senior Field Agent Timmy McGee giving his probationary agent a hard time?"

Ellie was fond of Tim and didn't want to seem disloyal so she shrugged an eloquent shrug.

"Good work, McTaskmaster," said Tony approvingly.

Tim gave a watery smile.

"Wow," said Ellie, "I'd heard about the nicknames but … I hadn't realised …"

"What? How inventive they are? How imaginative?" prompted Tony.

"No …" said Ellie honestly, "how relentless they are." She looked up at Tony and saw something in his eyes that did after all prove that Abby was right. "Abby sent a hug," she said and wrapped her arms round his middle. "And eww, Gibbs was right, you do stink!" She drew back and held her nose.

"What is this place?" asked McGee.

"Oh, that's right," said Tony, "the entrance sign is down at the moment, being repainted. This, Special Agent McGee, is Wood Lake High School. 695 students due to return next week from Spring Break."

"And what? You work in the grounds here?" asked McGee beginning to feel bad for not having kept up with his former co-worker who seemed to have fallen on hard times.

"Sometimes," said Tony defensively, "when they need me. Nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty, McFastidious."

"No," said McGee hastily, "of course not. It just looks … odd on you. You were never that keen on dumpster diving back in the day."

"Times change," said Tony with a flash of bleakness.

"Enough chitchat," ordered Gibbs, "what's up, DiNozzo?"

"You know, Gibbs," said Tony with a touch of worry, "I can't believe that you just rushed up here after that one call. I kinda thought you'd do some digging back in DC."

"You saying you got us up here on a wild goose chase?" said Gibbs slightly menacingly.

"No, Gibbs. No, I'm not saying that," said Tony firmly, "it's just that I hardly said anything and here you are. You didn't drive, did you?"

"No," said Bishop feelingly.

"We hopped a cargo flight," said Tim with equal intensity.

"Ah," said Tony in sudden understanding, "that explains why Gibbs looks so happy."

"DiNozzo!"

"OK, but you've got to admit, Gibbs, it's kind of odd that you got here so quickly."

"Your gut saying something's going on?" asked Gibbs.

"Yes," said Tony.

"That's always been good enough for me," said Gibbs simply.

Tony looked Gibbs in the eye and nodded slightly.

"It's getting dark," he said, "I need to lock the gates. Why don't we head back to my place? Talk over food. I'm hungry," he looked towards McGee, "hard physical work gives me an appetite."

"OK," agreed Gibbs, "we'll follow you."

A few minutes later they were following Tony. McGee's worries had increased when Tony had climbed into a beat up Land Rover Discovery which was probably not much younger than Bishop.

"Boss," he said worriedly, "do you think Tony's all right?"

"What you mean?" replied Gibbs.

"Well, you know."

"No, I don't know. Explain."

"The way he's dressed. The smell! And the car. The old Tony wouldn't have been seen dead dressed like that, unwashed like that and driving a wreck like that."

"People change," said Gibbs simply.

"But …" began Tim.

"Tim," said Gibbs sharply, "I can either chew the fat with you or concentrate on following DiNozzo. Your choice?"

"Driving, Boss," said Tim hastily, the roads were narrow and winding as Tony seemed to be leading them deeper into woodland and he really wanted Gibbs to be focusing. After a few minutes, Tony indicated he was turning left and they followed him up a narrower and bumpy track until they came out into an open space. Tony pulled up in front of a sprawling wooden house with a huge wrap round porch.

"Better?" asked Gibbs drily.

McGee breathed a sigh of relief; this certainly looked more acceptable. Tony went through the back of the house and in through the kitchen. Tim noticed that the door seemed to have been left unlocked.

"Make yourselves at home," said Tony, "I'm just going to jump in the shower," and he pointed to a room off the kitchen.

Left alone, the MCRT gazed round what they could see of the house and McGee's misgivings flooded back. It was clear that the house had potential, there was a huge open plan double height living area off the kitchen and some doors off that suggested more living space as well. A wooden staircase led up to another floor and they could see a wide landing with seats placed to enjoy the views across the hills. All that was good but, apart from the kitchen, there was no furniture and dust covered every surface. Even Gibbs began to feel some concern.

Tony soon reappeared wearing faded denims and a sweater that Tim recognised from his NCIS days.

"You sure it's all right to leave your doors unlocked here?" asked Gibbs.

"What?" asked Tony.

For answer Gibbs pointed to the empty rooms.

"Looks like you've been burgled," said McGee.

"Oh," said Tony in surprise, "oh. Well, we've been doing some work. It was meant to be finished by now but there was a hold up. The kitchen's done. Want some coffee? Something to eat?"

"Coffee," said Gibbs, deciding not to probe any further.

Tim hesitated, he thought about asking if Tony could afford to supply refreshments but decided he really needed a coffee and could arrange for some sort of care package before they left.

"Great," he said unconvincingly.

They all settled round the big kitchen table and watched as Tony began to make their drinks. Tim was relieved to see that the cabinets seemed to contain food as packets of cookies were placed on plates. Gibbs sighed appreciatively as he took his first sip of freshly brewed coffee,

"OK," he said, "you got us here. What's the problem?"

"It's hard to say definitely," said Tony, "it started when I was making some deliveries to the navy shipyard."

"What deliveries?" asked Bishop.

"Millicent makes homemade salt water taffy," said Tony, "it's great stuff. She sells it to the Commissary there. I've got some somewhere, I'll let you try it."

"And?" asked Gibbs.

"Oh, yeah. Well, she makes great candy but she's not so hot at driving. So I deliver it for her sometimes."

"You're a delivery driver?" asked Tim.

"Well," Tony shifted uncomfortably, "every little helps."

"Go on," said Gibbs.

"Right. So, when I take the taffy in, I get stopped at the main gate. Security is tight. As it should be although I've been driving there for a long time now and most of the guards know me. But I noticed that other people are getting waved straight in. Have you heard of Admiral Salter?"

"He served with my Dad," said McGee, "just retired from US Special Operations Command."

"That's right," said Tony, "and he lives a few miles from here. He set up some sort of training camp for people wanting to get into Special Ops. Not officially connected to the Navy but he takes groups on to the Navy Yard and, well, they don't seem to be inspected as closely as other people do."

"OK," said Gibbs, "and what's …"

"Tony," came a female voice, "take the baby, will you?"

Everyone turned in the direction of the voice and saw a woman leaning through the door,

"Oh. Hi," she said, "I won't come in. I emptied Wilson's commode on my foot and then Sydney threw up on me. I'll take a shower first."

Tony seemed unperturbed by this list of accidents, "Does she need feeding?" he asked as he went towards her.

"Should be all right for now. There's formula in the fridge. Perhaps get it out ready?" came the reply.

Tony took the baby and walked back towards his guests, "you can see why we have a bathroom just inside the door," he said as if that might be what was puzzling them. "This is Daisy," he said, holding up the tiny baby so they could see her better. "Let me see if I can find that taffy," he said, turning to rummage in a drawer while expertly holding the baby in one arm.

"Daisy DiNozzo?" asked McGee faintly as he managed to find his voice.

"Got it," said Tony triumphantly as he emerged with a box of candy which he offered round, "What?" said Tony, "oh no, Daisy isn't a DiNozzo. This is Daisy Cummings. Four days old. Her mom had to stay in the hospital, some complications after the birth but there's an infection going round the wards so it was decided it would be safer for the baby to come out. We're all taking turns. Pru must have picked her up while she was doing her care rounds."

"Pru?" asked Ellie.

"Pru Paston," said Pru who seemed to share Tony's talent for rapid showers, "pleased to meet you all. Tony said you were on the way but we thought we'd have more time to get ready for you."

Tony seemed to be absorbed in blowing bubbles at Daisy but pulled himself away to make introductions,

"Pru, this is Agent Jethro Gibbs and Agent Timothy McGee: I've told you about them before. And this is Agent Eleanor Bishop, she's new to the team. NCIS agents, this is Pru."

"Nice place you have here," lied McGee.

"It will be," said Pru serenely.

"When your brother-in-law gets organised," said Tony, poking a gentle finger into Daisy's tummy.

"Mac is decorating for us," said Pru, "he likes to do things on the big scale."

"He likes to plan things on a large scale," said Tony, "we haven't had much evidence yet that he actually does things."

"That's not fair," protested Pru, "this wasn't his fault."

"It never is," sighed Tony.

Pru ignored him and continued, "We cleared the downstairs of everything so he could make a good job of it all. He's going to reseal all the wood and sand the floors down. He made a start."

"And lots of dust," muttered Tony.

Pru hit him on the arm, "there was just a few days' work left, he'd done all the prep and then the Clancy house got flooded out. And …"

"And their need was greater than ours," agreed Tony, "So Mac is working at the Clancys and will come to us next week. If you'd come next week this place would have looked like something out of Better Homes and Gardens."

"Give me the baby," ordered Pru, "it's time you went to give Sophia her piano lesson."

"You give piano lessons as well?" asked Tim, getting more and more worried about the number of jobs Tony was doing.

"Every little helps," said Pru, echoing Tony's earlier words. "And, Tony, why did you leave that tracksuit in a heap in the bathroom?"

"I was in a hurry," apologised Tony, "and I think it needs to go in the trash. I wore it when I was clearing out the drainage ditch."

"Ike takes advantage of you," said Pru.

"Says the woman who got home wearing urine and vomit," replied Tony.

"You may have a point," she smiled. "Go! And do forget to drop in on Han and Tom afterwards."

"OK," Tony agreed, "sorry, former team, but I need to go do this. I'll be back in about an hour. We can carry on then?"

Gibbs nodded a bit helplessly. It felt strange to be near a Tony who wasn't at his beck and call.

"Have you shown them where they'll be sleeping?" asked Pru.

"Oh," said McGee hastily, "we'll find somewhere. Don't worry."

Gibbs smiled at his discomfort and waited to see what would happen next. Somehow he felt that Pru was a very managing sort of person.

"Nonsense," she said, "it's no problem. We've got the cabin for guests. Come on, I'll show you."

Gibbs' heart lifted at the thought of a cabin while McGee's plummeted at the prospect of what Pru and Tony might have done to one but he trailed obediently behind the others. Pru led them out of the kitchen and up a small trail, not before Tim had noticed that she seemed to drive a jeep as elderly as Tony's Land Rover. He sighed.

"Here we are," said Pru, as she opened the door to a substantial log cabin. "It's only got two bedrooms," she said, "but there's a pull-out sofa bed in the living area so you should be all right."

Bishop, Tim and Gibbs gazed round their temporary accommodation and felt instantly at home. The log walls seemed to glow, the furniture was upholstered in warm colours and everything seemed cosy. It was, McGee thought, what Gibbs' house could look like if he cared enough.

"This is great," said Ellie.

"Every little helps," said Pru.

"Why didn't you move in here?" asked Tim, "you know, when Mac … got delayed."

"Oh," said Pru, "it didn't seem worth it. We've got guests coming in a couple of weeks so we would have to clear out then anyway."

Tim nodded understandingly, he guessed that Tony and Pru couldn't afford to lose rental income from the cabin. Daisy began to whimper.

"This one wants feeding," said Pru, "I'll leave you to settle in. Come back when you're ready. We'll eat about 8, Tony will be back then."

"McGee, you've got the pull-out," said Gibbs when they were on their own.

McGee shrugged, somehow he wasn't surprised.

"Wash up. Back here in 30," ordered Gibbs.

Ellie and McGee nodded meekly, trying not to notice that Gibbs apparently thought they were teenagers needing to be told to wash. Ellie hoped that Gibbs wouldn't inspect behind her ears.

NCISNCIS

McGee spent the 'washing' time trying to disentangle the elements of Tony's new life. In some ways he seemed to be the same irreverent, teasing person Tim had once known but a Tony who held down multiple jobs, seemed to be living on the bread line but in a huge house must be different to the 'old' Tony. This Tony who blew bubbles at stray babies, who seemed unfazed by talk of vomit and urine and who allowed himself to be victimised by 'Ike' was a Tony out of his experience. It was, however, he had to think, a Tony who seemed at ease with himself. Although, Tim reflected, that might just be because it seemed odd to see a Tony who wasn't running round distractedly trying to second guess, and please, Gibbs.

As they returned to the house, they saw Pru watching as Tony fed the baby,

"Those jeans are big on you," she said.

Tony shrugged and seemed about to say something when he saw the MCRT standing in the door.

"Hey," he said, "lasagne OK for everyone?"

The others nodded hungrily and sat down at the table. A few minutes later as he looked at his heaped plateful, McGee was relieved to see that it seemed that the lasagne contained real meat and not some cheap substitute. Gibbs ate with concentration for a few moments and then said,

"OK. Admiral Salter. What about him?"

Tony swallowed his mouthful. "So, I've been around by his place a few times. I was driving the school bus … what did you say?" he paused to ask Tim.

Tim shook his head, "nothing, I just choked. This is really good lasagne."

Tony didn't look convinced but he carried on, "I drove the bus past his place three days running and there seemed to be a lot of coming and going."

"Might not be anything in that," said Gibbs.

"Doesn't quite add up," said Tony.

"The admiral is supposed to be sick," said Pru.

"So it seems odd that his place is busier than usual," said Tony.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Bishop.

Pru and Tony exchanged concerned glances.

"It's a bit tricky," she said, "some of what I know is from visiting him on a professional basis."

"You were one of his care givers?" asked Tim.

Pru stared at him, "I guess you could call it that," she agreed, "but I don't see him for that anymore."

"Why not?" asked Gibbs.

"His associates said they were finding alternative care provision for him so I don't visit anymore."

"Rumour's going round the place said that he has the beginnings of memory loss," said Tony, "and that's not asking Pru to break any confidences."

"And you think that's true?" asked Bishop.

"Don't know," said Tony, "I saw him last weekend when I was making a delivery of taffy and he looked at me … oddly."

"How so?" asked Gibbs.

"He knew I'd used to work for NCIS. He sometimes liked to talk about visits to the Navy Yard in DC. And when we said goodbye he'd give me this mock salute. And that day in Portsmouth, he saw me. I'm sure he recognised me and for a moment his hand twitched but then he frowned and shook his head slightly."

"If he is suffering from dementia, his reactions might be odd," said Ellie reasonably.

"True," said Tony, "but it could also be a cover of some type."

"Cover for what?" asked Gibbs.

"I don't know, Boss. But there's something odd going on with someone who has pretty free access to the place where the US Navy services its nuclear submarines. How does that sit with you?"