CHAPTER 15

Every now and then, Jethro would drive down to DC to go on some kind of outing with Tony: music in the park, a trip to a shipyard, taking in a ballgame – all things they liked to do together. They'd eat dinner out, somewhere casual, maybe go to a sports bar, and end up back at Tony's apartment.

Tony had been renting a compact 600-square-foot studio at the Saratoga ever since he'd been elected to public office. It was for when he stayed late in town. "It's very convenient. You fall out of bed and into the toilet," Tony joked. There was no couch but the bed was large, so the couple of times Jethro stayed over, the two men shared the bed. Both times, Tony had had enough to drink that he fell asleep easily, even though he knew that Jethro was only inches away. He wasn't sure what Jethro felt about sharing a bed. He had never hesitated to slide in beside Tony, but he did comment that Tony's snoring hadn't kept him awake.

One hot and humid summer day, Tony met Jethro at the Navy Yard in DC and was given a personal tour. Once they entered the NCIS building, progress became slow because everyone had to stop to shake hands with former Special Agent Gibbs. One of these people was introduced as the director, Leon Vance. Vance never stopped frowning at Jethro, even though he welcomed him back.

"He got a problem with you?" asked Tony after the director had been called away.

"Nope, not any more," Jethro briskly replied.

Ned Dorneget, Ellie Bishop, and Dwayne Wilson, their latest probie, along with several other agents, made a point of coming over to ask Jethro how he was doing – except they all called him Gibbs and not Jethro.

"Yeah, my damn arm is doing okay. Sure, retirement is agreeing with me. Yes, I'm really running a horse rescue," Jethro said for the umpteenth time. After the first ten people had asked the same exact questions, Jethro began to glare at anyone who approached them. It didn't stop the flow, perhaps because they felt he had less clout now he was retired. Finally, Jethro grabbed Tony's arm and said, "Stairs. Now."

They entered a lab in the basement, with Jethro blithely ignoring the signs that said Visitors Must Have Clearance and STOP To Be Buzzed In. Music was blaring so loudly Tony wondered if the buzzer could even be heard, should anyone use it. Tony quickly stepped out of the way when a dark-haired woman in a lab coat threw herself at Jethro, crying, "Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!"

"Hey, Abs. Watch the arm," said Jethro, his voice muffled by her hug. When she finally loosened her hold, Jethro turned to look at Tony and said, raising his voice over the music, "This is Abby. Abs, my friend Tony. Turn the music down, would ya?"

Tony was a little thrown by Abby's spiked jewelry and clumsy boots, but far more disconcerting was the way Jethro seemed so accepting of her exuberant hugs. Tony took an immediate dislike to her. He was like Zack, making quick judgments. It was a knee-jerk reaction stemming from jealousy, Tony knew, but he couldn't help it.

When Abby finally let go of Jethro in order to turn down the music, and after Jethro managed to get in a few replies to her incessant questions, Abby turned to Tony and inspected him as though he were a piece of evidence. "You're Congressman DiNozzo," she said, as if accusing him of something.

Tony did his best to turn on the charm. It was far more difficult than usual, probably because the keen look in Abby's pretty green eyes made it clear that she wasn't buying his act. Gibbs kept looking at him, frowning a bit at the awkwardness between him and Abby, not understanding where it was coming from. The more Tony smiled, the darker Abby's expression grew, until finally Jethro said they had to go. He extricated himself from Abby's hold with the promise he'd have the whole team over for a barbecue before the summer ended.

The two men slipped out a side door of the building and made it to the safety of their cars. Jethro drove fast, with Tony following on his six, in his own car. They ended up at a casual seafood restaurant where the cook greeted Jethro like he was an old friend. From the sound of things, the cook and Jethro had once berthed their boats on the same wharf nearby. Tony gathered from the conversation that Jethro had lost his boat in his last divorce settlement, years ago.

Once they were seated on the patio with a cold beer in hand and food on the way, Jethro asked Tony, "You got a problem with Abby?"

"What? Of course not," Tony said.

"You were putting it on." Jethro sounded pissed.

"Putting what on? Charm? A brilliant smile?" Before he'd even finished speaking, Tony knew he'd made a mistake, making light of the friction Jethro had witnessed between him and Abby.

Jethro spoke bluntly. "You put on your I'm a congressman act. The 'I'm going to sell you something you don't want to buy, but you'll shell out your bottom dollar anyway, and be happy about it.'"

Tony sat there with his beer raised halfway to his lips, indignant. "I do not–"

Jethro pinned him down with his blue eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't act that way with–" Tony was going to say 'with friends' but he honestly couldn't call Abby a friend. "I'm not a con man. I'm not like…my father," he said stiffly.

Jethro took a pull on his beer. "Abby's like a daughter to me. I need you to get along."

Tony took his time choosing his next words. "I'm sorry we didn't click, Jethro. I'm not likely to meet her again any time soon, but when I do, I'll take the time to get to know her, okay?"

"There's the barbecue," Jethro reminded him.

"Uh, your barbecue is for your team. I didn't think I'd be invited."

"Why wouldn't you be invited? You're a big part of my life. And so is Abby," Jethro said, apparently surprised at Tony's response.

"Am I? A big part of your life?" Tony wasn't quite sure where he fit in Jethro's world, now he'd met a few people from his past. Jethro had seemed in his element at NCIS, even if he'd been as grumpy as all get-out, and those people who had come up to have a few words with him, every single one of them, had looked at Jethro with great respect. They all had a history with him, had seen him on the best and worst of days; some of these people had literally saved each other's lives. How could he ever be part of that?

Jethro's mouth tightened into a firm line. "Yeah, you are, and I don't see that changing any time soon. We're friends."

The way Jethro said the word 'friend' made Tony realize that the older man was offering him something he didn't offer many people. Even though Tony hadn't known Jethro for very long, he could tell that he was a man who didn't make many friends, but those he did, he kept close. And, Jethro apparently considered Tony a good friend, con man tendencies notwithstanding. It looked as though Tony had earned the Jethro Gibbs seal of approval when they'd first met, and he had just been too preoccupied, or dense, to realize it.

Tony smiled in apology. "Then I'll do my best to become Abby's friend." He impulsively laid his hand on top of Jethro's. It was as if a spark ran between them, and Jethro stilled, his eyes intense blue fixed upon Tony's. Tony could feel his face getting hot, but he didn't move his hand. "I'm sorry if I seemed to be…conning her. It was a defensive move, one I use when I'm not sure of my reception. I can tell she's smart. She caught on right away. It was unintentional."

Jethro nodded, accepting Tony's words.

Tony decided to be honest. "And I was…uh…jealous."

"Of Abby?"

Tony nodded. "And of all the people back there who knew you, and the history you all have together…I wish I'd met you a long time ago, and had the chance to work with you." He suddenly grinned. "We would have made a great team. Batman and Robin, Starsky and Hutch…""

That made Jethro smile. "Just think of all the head slaps you would've gotten."

Laughing, Tony agreed, "And the concussions!"

Their food came, and while they ate they talked about the places they'd been to, and those they'd like to see one day. Tony was aware that Jethro could be a closed-mouth bastard at times, though he'd rarely experienced it first hand. He also suspected that most people didn't know that Jethro was fully capable of conducting an interesting conversation, with complete sentences and everything, so long as it was about subjects that interested him. Apparently travel and fishing, sports and military exploits were high on the list of 'things to talk to Jethro about.' His horses, too, he'd talk about their personalities and care for as long as you'd let him.

After they'd finished their lunch – Tony paid, saying it was his treat, and Jethro didn't fight him on it – the two men ambled back to their cars. Before they parted ways, Jethro asked, "Are we still on for the 4th of July trip?"

"Sure."

Jethro looked relieved. "So you're coming?"

"Of course," Tony replied, not quite understanding what was going on. "Is there a problem?"

"No. We're fine."

Tony thought that was the end of it, but Jethro said abruptly, "You know when Rob Tozier was at your place?"

Okay, that came out of left field. "Uh, sure. When I over-imbibed."

"We were in the kitchen. I took him down, harder than necessary." Jethro looked Tony in the eye as he said it, as if it were an important admission.

Tony blinked a couple of times. "You saying you were…jealous?"

Jethro admitted, "Guess so."

"There's no need," Tony assured him. Jethro was still watching him intently, so Tony said, "I have only committed myself to one person so far, my wife. When I do so, I'm theirs for life, unless they do something to breach my trust…So there's no need to be jealous."

"It works both ways," Jethro said quietly.

Tony agreed, "Yes, it does."

~ • ~ ~ • ~ ~ • ~

Jethro invited Tony to come along with him to the annual picnic Moira VanGarten threw to bring all the local horse-people together. Tony was pleased to see Tim McGee there, although it looked as though he had come with Abby. Tony greeted them, but Abby did her best to ignore him. Jimmy Palmer was present, along with his pretty wife, Breena. They talked for a while, party chatter mostly, and when Moira commandeered Jethro in order to introduce him to people, Tony decided to see what he could do to make friends with Abby.

It grew quite hot, and seeing Abby sitting alone on a bench under a tree, Tony took her a cold drink. "It's a Caf-Pow Cosmo, hold the cranberry juice." He was glad to see Abby's eyes light up; her pale hand reached for it greedily.

He sat beside her in the shade, and after giving her an update on how the horses were doing, Tony said, "Jethro says you haven't come around for a while." Abby gave a small shrug and concentrated on her drink. Tony cleared his throat and said quietly, "I care about him." He'd never admitted it aloud, so this was quite a peace offering.

Abby didn't beat around the bush. She met his gaze head on and said, in a pleasant tone, "You hurt him and I'll pull your brains out your nose with a paper clip."

Tony wondered if she was always so bloodthirsty. "Understood. But it won't be necessary."

Abby sipped her drink, and after a pause, looked sideways at Tony. "He likes you, too. A lot. I can tell."

That was good to hear, even if Tony already knew as much. "Jethro's a good man. He saved me, you know."

"He does that," Abby agreed.

Tony looked at her curiously. There was a story in there that he hoped to hear one day.

Abby pointed to the gold band Tony still wore on his finger. "Why do you wear that?"

"I'm getting a divorce but it won't be final for months. I have a son. He's ten."

Abby nodded in understanding, her pigtails bobbing about her face. "Gibbs is a patient man, a world-class sniper." She looked at Tony, assessing him, and seemed to make a decision. "Only he needs glasses for close work and he was always losing them, and now, if Tim or me aren't there to replenish them because I only get out to the farm every couple of weeks, how is he going to be able to see?"

Tony laughed. "How about I make that one of my regular jobs? I'll pick up a boxful if you tell me the kind he uses." Abby immediately pulled out her phone and emailed Tony the details. After talking for a while, about forensics and cars, they regrouped with Tim, and went to rescue Jethro from a couple of older women who were looking at him like he was a blue-ribbon winner.

Jethro noticed Abby's arm hooked in Tony's on one side, and Tim's on the other, and he smiled. Tony smiled right back, and when Abby caught them grinning at each other, she let go of Tony's arm and said, "I guess you'll do, after all."

~ • ~ ~ • ~ ~ • ~

One Saturday morning, Tony arrived to find a large load of lumber stacked up in Jethro's workshop next to the barn. At first he thought it was another house-related project, but he soon saw from a glance at the plans left out on the workbench that Jethro was taking up boatbuilding again. Tony had heard stories about his previous hand-built boats from Abby, the ones that had been named after people he loved. Some had ended up smashed or full of bullet holes, but a couple had actually made it onto the water.

"A weekend sailboat?" Tony asked, looking over Jethro's shoulder at the large paper plans as he unfurled them.

"Nope. This one's a 27-foot cruising sailboat with a 4-foot galley and a good-size cabin for sleeping." Jethro turned to smile at Tony, his mouth suddenly way too close to Tony's. "I'm doing a little adjustment to give it more headroom."

"Sounds perfect," Tony replied, finding it hard to breathe with Jethro so close and smiling at him like that.

"It will be," Jethro assured him.

~ • ~ ~ • ~ ~ • ~

By early summer, the renovated carriage house had been rented to a family named Pierson, a couple in their mid-forties and their two teenaged daughters. The girls, aged 14 and 15, loved horses and were happy to feed them and clean the stables in exchange for riding privileges. Only BigBoy and Nacho could be ridden, but the whole Pierson family was experienced with large animals. The parents assured Jethro that their daughters were responsible and would take good care of the animals.

The Piersons also leased some of the available farmland to grow organic foods they sold directly to local restaurants. Jethro gave them the go-ahead to raise chickens, and to set up a temporary greenhouse to extend their growing season. So far, he was very pleased with his tenants, especially as their presence allowed him to spend more time off the farm, and to take the occasional overnight trip.

Now that it was feasible for Jethro to take a vacation, Tony rented a beach house for over the long 4th of July weekend. "I hope it's okay with you if Zack is coming. He's mine for the week," Tony said happily.

"He's a good kid," Jethro had replied, so it was all settled.

They sunned themselves and swam, had cookouts on the beach, and watched fireworks on the 4th from their little balcony off the bedroom upstairs. Once again, the two men shared a bed. This time, it was Tony who couldn't sleep, while a sunburned Jethro splayed out and snored in harmony with the waves crashing on the shore.

~ • ~ ~ • ~ ~ • ~

When Tony had initially come to the farm, Jethro had told him to choose any room upstairs and make it his own. "In case it gets late and you don't want to drive," Jethro had said. Tony had longingly eyed Jethro's ground-floor bedroom, but before he could finish saying, "But it's lonely up there," Jethro had shut him down with, "There's always the barn, DiNozzo."

The room Tony had been sleeping in boasted only a twin bed, and a chair that wobbled when he sat on it. Hanging on the wall over a boarded-up fireplace, was a dark still-life painting depicting succulent fruit and a large dead blackbird that lay limply across the foreground. "I don't get it," Tony had said. "Ya think?" had been Jethro's reply. It was not the Adams House, but it was his own space, and Tony loved it.

Jethro hired Abby and a small army of her Habitat friends to do some much-needed work in the house. When Abby barged into Tony's bedroom, wanting to dress it up, Tony gently pushed her out, saying that he liked the Spartan appearance. "But it's like a monk's cell," she declared. Tony laughed, and pointed out that he was, after all, living the life of a monk, so it suited him perfectly.

The building team's first job, and the biggest, was to help Jethro rebuild the front porch. They replaced the columns, and added wide-plank flooring they stained a dark green. The crew camped out in the upstairs bedrooms until the job was done, "Like squatters," Abby said proudly.

There was only the bare minimum of furniture up there, and what little there was looked ready for the bonfire heap out back. Abby kept pleading with Jethro to get all six bedrooms fixed up so he could run the farm as a B&B. It took a lot of convincing, but Jethro allowed that they should refinish the floors, which were in pretty bad shape from years of wear and tear. "Do Tony's bedroom floor, too," he'd said. "During the week when he's at work."

Once the floors were done, Abby coaxed Jethro into agreeing they should pull down the peeling wallpaper and paint the walls. Jethro complained they were going to bankrupt him, but Tony noticed that he handed over a generous amount of money to pay for supplies, as well as for their time.

The crew of workers came and went at odd hours, but the work slowly got done. When the walls and ceilings were fresh with new paint, Abby and her friends pulled some old pieces of furniture out of the attic. They went to flea markets and yard sales, and Tony helped them bargain on Facebook and Craigslist. Within a couple of weeks they managed to furnish all five bedrooms (Tony was still holding out and didn't want his sparsely furnished bedroom touched) in a style that even Jethro would approve of: lots of milkpaint, earthy colors, reclaimed wood headboards, rewired antique lighting and bathroom fixtures, bright rugs, simple drapes. Tony splurged on linens for all five of the guest bedrooms, saying you couldn't expect anyone to sleep on hard cotton sheets.

On the day the renovations were complete, after Abby and her crew had left, Jethro set a couple of rockers on the new front porch and brought out a pitcher of lemonade. Tony sat out there, alongside Jethro, talking as they idly watched the horses grazing in the nearby field. It wasn't until the sun started to set and they decided to go in to start dinner, that Tony remembered that someone had died right on that spot.

"I appreciate what you did, Jethro," Tony said, knowing what a huge undertaking rebuilding the porch had been. "I think I should pay for the materials, at least."

"It had to come down. Turns out there was dry rot under the pillars," Jethro said with a shrug.

After a moment, Tony decided to accept what Jethro had said as being the truth, but the reason he'd taken the entire porch down had had nothing to do with pests, as Jethro had said. "I owe you," Tony conceded.

Jethro slung one arm around Tony's shoulders and guided him in through the front door. "Maybe you did, but I think you've more than repaid me just by being here." Flustered, Tony bowed his head, feeling his cheeks heat up. He wanted to say something, but Jethro laughed good-naturedly and pushed him towards the kitchen. "But if you really feel you owe me something, you can always wash the dinner dishes."

"Is that all?" asked Tony.

Jethro gave him a funny look before saying, "For now."

~ • ~ ~ • ~ ~ • ~