CHAPTER 17

Just before Zack started the new school year, Tony took him to Magic Kingdom and Epcot for his 11th birthday. Zack's friend Andy Collins, and Andy's dad, Bob, joined them at Tony's invitation. Bob had no issues about wrangling the kids, which allowed Tony time on the phone with his lawyer. That didn't last long, seeing that Zack sent him disappointed looks and asked if Dad was ever going to have any fun.

"Sorry, kid," Tony said, turning off his phone. The last thing he wanted was to follow in the footsteps of his own father, who was a good example of poor parenting. "How about you choose the next ride? Not too scary, though. You don't want to frighten your old dad."

Right after they returned from Florida, Tony got a call from his attorney letting him know that he had an appointment in court the following morning, and just like that, their divorce was finalized. It was an anticlimax – and a huge relief. He and Wendy had joint custody over Zack, and the lawyers handed out copies of the agreed-upon visitation schedule, with all the rules neatly written out for both parties. As Tony had promised, Wendy would be taken care of, getting the house, expenses and child support.

Wendy didn't look at all pleased, and Tony overheard her snide comment to her lawyer about how somebody must have paid off the judge. Her lawyer tried to placate her, which only served to annoy her even more. With a dark look at Tony, Wendy pulled off her wedding ring and tossed it on the table before stalking out. It rolled around noisily before it fell onto the floor and disappeared down a heating grate.

It wasn't anger Tony felt, but sadness, and a sense of failure, but then he remembered the way his wife had lied to him, continuing her long-time affair with her boss after she'd told him it was over. Now the only thing that mattered was his son, and Tony intended to make sure Zack was safe and happy, even if his parents had split up. As soon as the new year began, Tony was going to be heavily involved in his new job as partner of SafeZone. He'd be able to work from home, and he'd have a more flexible schedule – or that's what he planned on.

Now the divorce was final, Tony wanted to run to Jethro and tell him the news in person, but for the next week he was either tied up with work, or stuck in meetings after work, sorting out details about buying back half of SafeZone. He was looking forward to working with his former business partner, Parker, who had built up the company over the past few years, even expanding into Europe. Parker had made it clear he was anxious for Tony to come aboard as soon as possible, as he had a stack of new contracts and the workload was killing him.

Tony called Jethro, but their conversation seemed stilted. He wasn't sure if it was due to the last conversation they'd had, in which he'd refused Jethro's invitation to move in with him. Tony had had a good reason, and Jethro had seemed to understand it, but Tony felt as though they'd parted on a sour note. He needed to fix it and he wasn't sure how.

Tony kept the news of the divorce settlement to himself, and Jethro didn't ask about it. Jethro said he'd had the team barbeque at Kelly Brook Farm on the weekend when Tony was in Florida. It had gone well, and he'd enjoyed seeing everyone again. He didn't say he'd missed Tony being there, but Tony imagined he'd heard it in his voice anyway.

A few days later, Tony phoned again, late in the afternoon.

"You okay?" asked Jethro, apparently hearing something in his voice.

"I guess." Tony could hear the sound of a horse nickering in the background. "Feeding time?" he asked.

"They can wait," was Jethro's curt reply.

There was silence on the line, and eventually Tony gave in. "I have everything planned out, got a timetable, goals, the works, only…only I feel like I'm adrift." He sighed softly. "I'm not unsure of where I'm going, or of any of my choices, but I just…"

"You're unsettled," Jethro said knowingly. "Lots of changes. Need time to process everything."

"I keep feeling as though I've forgotten something really important," Tony admitted.

"Just remember…" Jethro didn't finish his sentence.

For some reason, Tony's heart was beating hard when he asked, "Remember what?"

"Remember this is your home, Tony. And I'm here for you," said Jethro, his voice low and throaty.

For a long moment, Tony couldn't speak, and when he did, his voice was so quiet it was almost a whisper. "I know you are, Jethro. I think I…I need…"

"Just come home, Tony," Jethro said, as if that was the answer to everything. As if it was that easy.

"Okay." The horses were neighing in the background, quite loudly, making Tony smile. "You go take care of them."

"Guess I'd better before Big Boy knocks down the stall door," Jethro grumbled. "I meant what I said."

"I know. Thanks, Jethro." Tony imagined Jethro nodding decisively.

"You come when you can then."

"Tomorrow," Tony said. He wished he could go to the farm that night, but he had paperwork to do and an early morning meeting in DC.

~ • ~ ~ • ~ ~ • ~

The next evening, after work, Tony drove out to Kelly Brook Farm. He stretched, looking around, and spotted Jethro repairing a line of fence. Jethro looked up as Tony waded through the long grass, and smiled broadly when he saw him. Tony expected a simple grunt, or a slap on the shoulder, but Jethro dropped his tools and pulled him into a tight hug, which said pretty clearly that he had missed Tony just as much as Tony had missed him.

A couple of the horses out in the paddock trotted up to the fence, snorting and nickering, and Tony laughed. "Guess they missed me."

"Looks like it," Jethro agreed, apparently unable to stop smiling.

"So, does that mean you missed me, too?" Tony wanted to hear the words. He took a moment to eye Jethro, who was looking pretty damned good, even if he was wearing an old flannel shirt, and jeans with threadbare knees and work gloves stuffed in the back pocket.

"Could be," Jethro admitted, rubbing the back of his head while he gave Tony a good look up and down.

Tony couldn't stop grinning. "You like what I'm wearing?" he teased, spreading his arms to show off his expensive suit.

Jethro snorted. "You'd better change outta those fancy shoes."

Tony looked down at his Zegna shoes. "Why? They're comfortable."

Jethro shrugged. "If you're comfortable getting manure all over them…"

Tony looked up, horrified. "Manure?"

"Chores before chow," Jethro said with a smirk. He gathered his tools and made his way to the barn, leaving Tony behind.

Apparently any conversation was going to have to wait. "Hey, Jethro, remember Green Acres? 'The chores…The stores…Goodbye, city life,'" Tony sang, raising his voice to ensure Jethro heard him. He smiled when he saw the older man's head shaking in bemusement.

Knowing what dangers lurked in the barn, Tony decided he'd better change his shoes. His bag of weekend clothes was on the back seat of his car, so he hurried to unpack his work boots. He switched his suit jacket for an 'I Love My Mustang' sweatshirt while he was about it, and hoped his trousers weren't going to get flecked with barn muck.

Good thing he changed, it turned out, as Jethro put him to work cleaning out the stalls right away. "Didn't have time to do it earlier," Jethro explained. Turned out the teenage Pierson girls were busy with school and sports, and could only tend to the horses on weekends. Jethro gave Tony the chore of trundling the full wheelbarrow out back to add the load to the huge heap of manure.

By the time they were done, and the horses were settled for the night – Tony had to stop and say goodnight and give a treat to each horse individually – it was getting dark.

"C'mon, dinner won't cook itself," Jethro said, leading the way to the house without waiting for Tony.

While preparing dinner, they talked a bit about politics, sports, horses, and discussed what to do now the Depression-era tractor that had come with the farm had finally bitten the dust. "I've heard some farmers share large machinery to save on costs. Like time-sharing," Tony suggested.

Jethro started slicing a cucumber, and said he'd ask around. "Maybe I can get McGee to program it to cut the hay remotely."

"Interesting. A robotic tractor," Tony mused.

Jethro shrugged. "Whatever it takes, so I don't have to drive up and down the fields in the hot sun."

"Ooooh, it'll be a transfarmer," Tony said with a grin, but he could see from Jethro's puzzled expression he didn't get it. Tony picked up a carrot and said, "Never mind. Pass me that small knife, will you?" He had really missed this, the easygoing relationship that allowed them to talk and joke around while doing something as mundane as cutting up some vegetables.

They soon got the food on the table and sat down, but before they started to eat, Tony said, "I need to tell you… My divorce, it was finalized last week."

Jethro's gaze didn't waver from Tony's face, and after a moment he asked, "Were the terms fair?"

"Yeah, I think they were," Tony said.

"I'm glad for you, even if…"

"Even if divorce sucks," Tony said with a sigh. "Look, I don't want to ruin dinner, so can we eat? I'll tell you more about it later, if you want."

"Sounds like a good idea," Jethro agreed, and started to dish up a chicken pot pie with the salad on the side.

After they'd demolished the meal, Jethro and Tony sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee.

"That was really good," said Tony, patting his stomach. He was pretty lean, had been ever since the kidnapping, but he was slowly putting on weight. It was all too easy to pick up fast food when you were tired at the end of the day, so he appreciated the home-cooked dinner Jethro had put together. "You made the pot pie?"

"No, Jodi did. She makes them for Bowie Inn, meat pies and desserts. The ones I've tasted have been really good. She's a great cook." Jethro smiled, obviously thinking of the woman who shared her home-baked goods with him, and Tony didn't like it.

Tony asked stiffly, "Jodi?"

Jethro's smile grew wider. "Mmm. Nice lady. Sure knows her way around the kitchen."

Tony frowned. "Let me guess, she's a redhead."

"You got something against redheads?"

Tony gave a nonchalant shrug. "No. Why should I?" So what if Jethro was interested in a redheaded woman who baked one hell of a terrific chicken pot pie? He was an attractive man, a very attractive man, whose ass looked great in those jeans, and he had those icy blue eyes and big work-roughened hands… Tony looked up to see Jethro smirking at him in a way that said he knew exactly what was going on in Tony's mind.

Tony felt heat rising up his neck when he realized his mistake. "Oh…Jodi Pierson…She's the mother… the family who rent the carriage house?"

"Oh yeah. Don't assume," Jethro said, as if it was a rule he'd recited many times before.

Tony admitted, "Okay, I guess I was sorta quick to assume the worst. The pie's really good though."

Jethro watched Tony over his coffee mug, his eyes filled with amusement. "Yup."

"What?" Tony asked in an exasperated tone, embarrassed that he'd been caught being jealous.

"Lots of assuming going on around here," Jethro said with a noncommittal shrug.

"Oh? What have you been assuming?" Tony raised his eyebrows, inviting Jethro to give him something to work with.

"You'll see." Jethro sipped his coffee so nonchalantly that Tony just knew he was keeping a secret.

Whatever Jethro was up to, it looked like he was going to take his sweet time letting Tony in on it. Meanwhile, Tony rose, motioning for Jethro to stay put. "Got something to show you." He returned with a big envelope, and pulled out a sheaf of official documents. "Here," he said, presenting them to Jethro.

Jethro reached for his glasses (one of several pair of cheaters that Tony had bought and placed at strategic places throughout the house), and glanced over the paperwork. "The joint custody looks fair. More than fair," Jethro commented, raising one eyebrow. "You bribe the judge?"

Tony couldn't help smiling. "Not me. I asked my dad for a favor." At Jethro's sharp look, Tony said, "Yeah, I know. Normally, I'd expect to regret asking for anything, but not this time."

Jethro put the papers down. "You didn't really have your dad bribe the judge?"

"Not exactly. Senior has played golf with him, but he's played golf with half the state. And… I asked my father to have a talk with Wendy." At Jethro's questioning glance, Tony shifted in his chair and said, "My father offered her a package deal of sorts, starting with sponsoring her, and paying for her membership at the country club he belongs to. Dad said he could also arrange to get Wendy invited to a whole slew of social events, and in some cases he will even escort her – he loves those fancy parties. He says he'll introduce her to all the right connections for work and for play."

Jethro commented sourly, "Sounds good for her. What did she do for you?"

"In return, she wouldn't contest the custody agreement my lawyer presented," Tony said smugly. "She didn't like it, but she knows which side her toast is buttered on. So everything went smoothly, apart from a couple of you-burn-in-hell looks she sent my lawyer. If she doesn't live up to her end of the bargain, Wendy gets to deal with Senior, and he has plenty of experience with divorces and contracts. She won't make any trouble. Hopefully, she won't hate me too much, and I'll get to spend a lot of time with my kid, and we'll all live happily ever after. Now, is there any dessert? 'Cause I'm really hungry."

"Apple crumble," Jethro said absently. Tony made to rise, but Jethro stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Your dad…he didn't just do all of this out of the goodness of his heart."

Tony sighed. "There was a strong chance Wendy was going to take a job in another state – she's always talking about San Diego – and if she got full custody, she'd take my son with her. I wouldn't have any say in it. Look, my dad loves himself first and foremost, but he also loves Zack. I knew he wouldn't allow Wendy to take his only grandchild away."

"And you?" Jethro asked, scowling. "What did you have to agree to in return?"

"There were some terms," Tony allowed, knowing that Jethro wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"What terms?" Jethro growled.

Tony sighed deeply. "I made an agreement with my father that I would listen to his advice about my political career."

"Your political career?" Jethro asked in disbelief. "Doesn't he know you've resigned?"

"From my Congressional seat," Tony pointed out.

"Am I missing something?"

"He thinks I'm running for the Senate next," Tony said, rolling his eyes.

"Are you?"

Tony sighed. "No, I'm not, Jethro. I explained, once again, that I was buying back into SafeZone. Senior thinks it's a good investment, but he doesn't think that should stop me from running for office again. He expects me to set my sights higher."

Jethro looked furious. "You're going to let him plan your whole life for you? All he cares about is how high an office he can get you into. He doesn't care about you, Tony, or how this is going to effect you."

Tony raised a hand to calm Jethro down. "No, of course not! Just because I agreed to listen to him doesn't mean I'm going to let him badger me into going back into politics. Hearing him out is a small price to pay for getting custody of my son."

Jethro studied him for a long moment but eventually he let out a breath. "What about you? You okay?"

Tony made a noncommittal gesture with one hand. "None of this has sunk in yet. Facing Wendy in the court was a lot harder than I expected. You know, when I first found out she was having an affair, I thought it was my fault. I mean, I was angry and everything, at her, and at myself, and I had a lot of sleepless nights. But she betrayed us; not just me, but our son as well. It was…bad. It totally wiped me out. I'd been through three of my dad's marriages and divorces when I was a kid, standing on the sidelines. The last one I saw, when I was about 14, got really nasty, The War of the Roses nasty, and it affected my dad badly. I'd ever seen him so depressed. And angry. He was drinking, and things were… tense for a while. He sent me off to military school to get me out of the way. Anyway, I think he understands what I've been going through. Nothing like divorce to bond fathers and sons, eh?"

"Divorces can tear you apart," Jethro said, with an unhappy nod.

Tony reached over the table and took Jethro's hand in his. "I'm sorry. You can't want to hear all this."

"I'll listen to whatever you need to say, Tony."

Tony gave Jethro a wan smile. "Thanks. It means a lot to have you here." he sighed. "I don't get it though. How can two people who have so much love for each other turn on each other like that? Like ravenous zombies who can't think of anything but eating big chunks of the person closest to them, rending flesh with rotting teeth–?" Tony stopped short. "Okay, not a good visual."

"Sounds about right to me," said Jethro, the corner of his mouth lifting in an understanding smile. He gave Tony's hand a warm squeeze.

Reluctantly releasing his hold on Jethro's hand, Tony stood and went over to the coffee maker. "You want more?" Jethro held out his mug and Tony poured for both of them. Sitting down again, he spoke in a subdued manner. "After I found out about her affair, we went to counseling, did all the right things, tried to make our marriage work. I thought we were on the road to recovery, but apparently Wendy thought so little of me, of our union, that she started up with the same guy again. I didn't catch on for a while." He shook his head. "I was blind. Stupid."

"Not stupid, Tony. You saw what you expected to." Jethro said.

"'You never expect the Spanish Inquisition,'" Tony quoted with a little laugh. "That's from Monty Python," he explained.

"Yeah, I've heard that one," Jethro said, smiling. "It's never easy to start over again, but give it time."

"Well, I am moving ahead. Out with the old and in with the new," Tony said with a forced smile. "Maybe instead of apple crumble, we should break out the drink and have a celebration."

Jethro pulled a bottle of bourbon out of a cupboard and poured them each a couple of fingers. "To change," he said, raising his glass.

"Change for the better. And to you, my good friend."

Jethro nodded in agreement, took a sip, and then served up their dessert.

~ • ~ ~ • ~ ~ • ~

As soon as they'd finished dinner, Jethro got to his feet. "Come with me."

Jethro led the way upstairs and turned on the lights in the bedroom that Tony had been using. "Did some work on it while you were away," he said, looking expectantly at Tony.

Tony was rendered speechless by what he saw. Gone was the single bed with its battered brass headboard. Gone was the old armchair that Tony had been afraid to sit in because he was sure it had mice living inside the upholstery. Gone was the dead crow painting.

Instead, he was greeted by a fully furnished bedroom that looked as though it had been transported directly from the pages of Décor Magazine. The bed was huge, and came with a handsome cherry headboard. Tony ran his hand over it a slate blue comforter that felt as luxurious as it looked. The drapes and rug matched the bedding, in subtle patterns of gray and the palest of greens, as did a comfortable-looking chair situated near an antique desk. A large, old-fashioned wardrobe, when opened, revealed a flat screen television, and a library of DVDs neatly arranged on the shelves.

"Oh my," said Tony, circling around the room, touching everything. "The fireplace…it was blocked off." Now, with logs stacked in the hearth, it appeared to be ready to use.

"I had a chimney guy come and look over all the fireplaces. This one works. Here…" Jethro opened a door and revealed a new bathroom.

"Where did this come from?" Although the tiled bathroom wasn't very big, there was a shower, toilet, and a sink with counter space. Tony's toiletries were lined up to one side.

"It used to be a linen closet that opened in the hall," Jethro said, looking pleased.

"This is…it's beautiful," Tony said, touching the marble counter reverently. "You must have worked so hard on this, and with everything else you have to do…"

His cheeks pinking up, Jethro shrugged. "Had a bit of time on my hands without you around."

"So, with the other five bedrooms already done, you'll be ready to open your B&B, just like Abby said you should."

To his surprise, Jethro was frowning. "Bed and breakfast? What the hell would I want to run one of them for?"

"Uh, I don't know….some people like being hosts? Showing off their properties? Making some spare cash? It would be a good money-maker, don't you think?"

"That's not…" Jethro huffed out a breath.

"Not what?"

"I didn't do this just so some stranger could sleep here, Tony."

"Then who?"

Jethro stepped up to Tony, and before Tony could do anything, Jethro slapped him hard on the back of the head.

"Ow! You hit me! What did you do that for?"

"Because this is for you, Tony! I did this for you! Or maybe I assumed too much." Jethro turned on his heel and strode out of the room, and in the few seconds it took Tony to recover, and close his mouth, and smooth down his hair, Jethro had stomped down the stairs and out the front, slamming the door behind him.

Tony found Jethro in his workshop, a glass jar of bourbon in his hand. Jethro didn't look up from the hand-drawn plans on his workbench. He appeared to be studying them, but Tony could tell he wasn't.

"I'm sorry," Tony said. Jethro tride to cut him off with a movement of his hand, but Tony ignored it. "It's just that I never thought that anyone…that you would create something so beautiful for me. I should have realized it was for me as soon as I entered the bedroom, because you got everything right, and in my favorite colors, too. More than right in fact. It's all…perfect. And I… I want you to know that I appreciate all your hard work, and I know you put your heart into it…"

Jethro put the bourbon down and turned to face Tony, no longer angry. "I want you to have a comfortable room you like to stay in."

"And I appreciate that."

"You can come and go any time you want. We can change one of the other rooms to suit Zack, if you like."

"He'll love that, Jethro. A room he can call his own. It means a lot to me… all of this."

Jethro nodded and turned back to his workbench. After a moment, he said in a quiet voice, "Sorry."

"What for?" Tony didn't believe he'd ever heard Jethro apologize before, not in so many words – or even in one word, for that matter.

Raising a shoulder in a helpless gesture, Jethro said, "Making assumptions. Not talking to you. And for slapping you." He looked at Tony, the corner of his mouth quirking up. "Haven't had much chance to do that since I left NCIS."

"Miss it, do you?" Tony asked, not bothering to hide his smile.

"You'll never know how much," Jethro admitted. "I used to headslap probies. Dorneget got a few. Ziva, she would piss me off like nobody's business but I only did it to her a couple of times," he said, shaking his head. "Burley got his share, long before her. McGee, at first, before he smartened up."

"McGee? You can't exactly headslap the head of the MCRT, can you?"

"No need. And now he knows how to keep them in line."

"You uh, want to come back inside? Maybe we could change into something more comfortable and watch DVDs, sitting on my bed," Tony suggested with an exaggerated leer.

Jethro nodded slowly. "I could do that."

Ten minutes later, Jethro was propped up on Tony's big new bed, wearing a white undershirt and boxers. Tony was beside him, fiddling with the remote. It was too warm for a shirt, so he was bare-chested.

Jethro eyed Tony's bare chest. "You lose your shirt or something?"

Tony rubbed a hand over his chest. "Nope. I don't like wearing a shirt in bed, just sleep pants. Better than your tee and boxers."

"Something wrong with my boxers?" Jethro asked with a scowl.

Tony got the movie started, The Peacemaker, and without looking at Jethro, he spoke like an announcer over an intercom, "Sears best boxers, folks, three-to-a-pack. Assorted plaids for $12.99. Get them in aisle three."

Jethro stared at him for a moment and then said in a hard voice, "It's called being frugal, DiNozzo."

Tony waved a hand at the well-appointed bedroom that Jethro had decorated for him. "Oh, I'm sorry…this is being frugal?"

Jethro made a funny sound in the back of his throat but he didn't answer.

The movie had been playing for about five minutes when Jethro crossed his arms over his chest and muttered, "This is different."

Tony didn't take his eyes off the screen but he could feel Jethro's eyes on him. "Oh yeah, how?"

Jethro said quietly, "Because it's the only way I could think of..."

Tony turned his head. "Of what?"

With a snort, Jethro said, "The only way I could think of to get you to move in, permanently. I want you to live with me, Tony."

"Are you saying you want to have a relationship with me?" asked Tony, being cautious.

Jethro didn't hesitate. "Yes."

Tony pulled a face. "The ink on my divorce papers isn't even dry, Jethro."

Jethro studied him, and then nodded. "You need a bit of a breather. I can wait."

Tony eyed him dubiously. "You're sure?" His heart was beating a mile a minute. This was a huge step and even though he knew this was what he wanted, Tony couldn't believe that Jethro really wanted him. Maybe as a companion, someone to share his home with, but not as a lover.

"If that's what you need." Jethro looked determined. He reached over and took hold of Tony's hand, and when Tony blushed a little and smiled, Jethro kissed his cheek and said, "I think you need to wear a t-shirt in bed. For now."

Tony's smile grew wider. Maybe he was wrong about Jethro only wanting a housemate, after all.

~ • ~ ~ • ~ ~ • ~