"So, 'Special Agent' what is that about anyway? DiNozzo's voice carried clearly across the bullpen as Gibbs' newly appointed senior field Agent, Dawn Roberts, escorted him to his desk.

Gibbs paid no attention to her answer, as he silently surveyed the former homicide Detective. DiNozzo looked tanned and healthy. Judging by the way he was carrying a large backpack his arm was no longer bothering him and his eyes were bright and eager for new challenges. To all outward appearances there was no sign of the trauma he had endured in Baltimore.

Gibbs knew better. But he admired the attempt.

"DiNozzo." He greeted him.

"Gibbs." Tony tipped his head on one side. "You know, I've been meaning to ask. I don't have to salute anyone do I, because I've never been able to get that quite right?"

"No saluting." Gibbs assured him.

"Although we do use Naval Terminology and work with service regulations. You'll have to read up on those." Dawn Roberts spoke with all the assurance of a former FBI Agent and two years as an NCIS Agent on Gibbs' team."

"But murder that's still wrong, right?" Tony grinned.

"DiNozzo here, went to a military academy," Gibbs told Roberts. "He probably knows more about ranks and regs than you do."

"You know about that?" DiNozzo's eyes narrowed warily and Gibbs saw a hint of the sharp mind of the talented investigator, before DiNozzo shrugged a little bashfully as if it was no big deal. "You didn't talk to my twelfth grade teacher did you? Because, he never liked me."

"It was in your file." Gibbs reminded him blandly, noting the way that DiNozzo imperceptivity relaxed at the reassurance that Gibbs hadn't gone digging around in his past. Gibbs didn't see any reason to tell him that he had done some of that too. Although, he hadn't found anything that worried him they way the idea seemed to have unnerved the Italian.

Maybe he needed to dig a little deeper.

As DiNozzo settled at his desk a few other Agents stopped by to introduce themselves. Tony flirted a little outrageously with the woman, which Gibbs kept in check with a look, or a head slap, or in the face of the extremely obvious attraction between him and Special Agent Cassie Yates, sending DiNozzo down to records for two hours.

"You think you can behave like a Federal Agent now?" Gibbs eyed him on his return.

"Even better than a cold shower," DiNozzo assured him, his face creasing into a disgusted frown as he brushed some more cobwebs from his jacket.

With the guys Tony talked sports of cold cases. One or two of them had worked with DiNozzo in Peoria or Phily and there was a great deal of back-slapping and outrageous stories which had Roberts rolling her eyes. A small number had heard the scuttlebutt about Baltimore were cool, even hostile. DiNozzo acted like he didn't notice.

Afterwards, Gibbs would wish that he had introduced Abby to DiNozzo in Baltimore, when the younger man was pale and injured. She would have been all sympathy, cooing over his busted arm and commiserating at the death of his partner. As soon as he led the tanned and healthy modal into the lab he saw her eyes narrow instinctively at the sight of all those muscles and teeth.

"Wow," Tony smiled, as he took in her unorthodox dress and her tattoos. "Are those real? "

It was a genuine smile, not the one he used for suspects or because he wanted something. Gibbs knew the difference. But Abby didn't have that advantage and questioning the authenticity of her beloved art-work, even in jest, wasn't a good start.

"I thought you were supposed to be a Detective." Abby tossed her pigtails acerbically. "Can't you tell?"

Tony took a deep breath and cast a small sideways glance at Gibbs. He'd heard the almost playful way that the ex-marine spoke to the Forensic Scientist. Their affectionate banter spoke of a warm and long standing relationship. If there was one person at NCIS he had wanted to make a good impression on it was Abby. Deciding to take her words as a challenge he took a step forward and pasted on his most ingratiating look.

"Of course I can tell. I actually have some experience with tattoos. I got one myself when I was in College."

"You did?" Abby eyed him disbelievingly as she looked up and down. "Show me."

"Ah, I can't," Tony felt a blush creep across his face and tried to ignore Gibbs sardonically raised brow. He hadn't planned on a game and show and tell. "I was in College. It was Spring Break. I was a little drunk. Well, actually, I was a lot drunk. I wasn't really thinking straight. Not one of my better ideas."

Too late, he saw Abby's eye narrow to icy slits.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs tone was expressionless, but Tony thought he heard a long suffering sigh, as the Marine tilted his head sideways, indicating that he should shut up and leave.

"I know, Gibbs," Tony cut in before he could say it. "Records."

Gibbs waited until he had left before fixing the pigtailed young woman with a stern look.

"Abby."

"Gibbs, I can't believe you replaced a lovely, wonderful, man like Stan with that, that, Ken doll!" Abby exploded.

Gibbs shook his head. He knew that Abby had loved Stan and mourned his departure. If she gave DiNozzo a chance Gibbs was pretty sure that the two of them would hit it off just fine. But he also knew that there was no point in telling her that when she was in this mood.

"Be nice," He instructed her, as he learnt forward to kiss her on the forehead. "I need him in one piece."

"You're no fun Gibbs." Abby's protest followed him out of the lab.

Nobody could say DiNozzo didn't hit the ground running. They caught cases back to back and DiNozzo put in the hours Gibbs demanded and then some. When the ex-marine found him sleeping at his desk three mornings in a row he began to wonder if the kid even had a home to go to. But he made it a rule not to infere in his Agents' private lives. That kind of thing only invited a level of personal interaction Gibbs wasn't comfortable reciprocating.

"And how is Agent DiNozzo doing?" Tom Morrow asked a few days later as he stood with Gibbs and Mallard in MTAC waiting for the satellites, the diplomats, the Navy officials or whatever the hell it was that was delaying their scheduled video conference to align.

"Just fine, Sir." Gibbs answered.

Morrow raised a slightly sceptical eyebrow at the unequivocal endorsement. Gibbs could hardly blame him. He wasn't exactly known for his tolerance with new recruits. Most of them didn't last. But then none of them had ever been hired in the same circumstances as DiNozzo.

"The way I heard it, he's already alienated half of the female staff and slept with the other half," Morrow commented dryly. "I hope that's not going to become a problem, Jethro."

"I didn't take you as the type to listen to scuttlebutt, Tom."

"So, long as that's all it is."

"DiNozzo talks a good game," Gibbs conceded. "But he never flirts with anyone who's married and he knows when to take no for answer, besides, he's been too busy to get into any real trouble, know for a fact he hasn't been on a single date yet."

"And he and Ms Scutio? Has that settled down now?"

Gibbs grimaced, it had been almost painful to watch Tony trying too hard to be Abby's friend, which in turn had pushed all the wrong buttons with forensic expert and encouraged her to become even more aloof. If something didn't change soon, he was going to have to start knocking heads together.

"They're working it out."

"I had a complaint from Bob Deakins that someone put superglue on his senior field Agent's keyboard," Morrow observed dryly. "I don't suppose your team would know anything about that?"

"That depends," Gibbs pretended to consider. "Did DiNozzo come to you with a complaint that Deakin's senior field Agent called him a spoiled rich kid, using Daddy's millions to play at cops and robbers?"

"No, I don't believe he did," Morrow said darkly. "Does that also account for Agent Gibson's black eye and his request for a transfer?"

"The way I heard it, DiNozzo got in a lucky punch when he and Gibson were sparring in the gym. Gibson's suggestion that he screwed up in Baltimore and got his partner killed probably had nothing to do with it," Gibbs observed blandly. "Gibson wasn't bucking for a transfer when I last saw him."

"And after you saw him?" Morrow raised a brow. "Never mind, don't answer that. I'll trust your judgement on this one, Jethro, for now. But DiNozzo's already used up most of his nine lives. If he doesn't come up to snuff there may well be consequences that none of us can avoid."

"Understood, sir."

As Morrow stepped away to see what the hold up was, Mallard moved a little closer to Gibbs and spoke sotto voice;

"Did you hear that Agent Baxter was kind enough to buy young Anthony his lunch today?" He asked with a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"No," Gibbs straightened slightly. Baxter's lethal burgers were liberally laced with chilli sauce and slices of jalapeños. The snalck was traditional and rite of passage for unsuspecting newbies at NCIS. The Agent earning points and kudos for how much of it they could eat, plus bonus marks for actually keeping it down. "How did he do?"

Gibbs' seniority, not to mention his reputation, had ensured that Baxter had never actually inflicted this relatively harmless bit of hazing on the Marine. But on the last occasion, when particularly frustrated with the pathetic efforts of his latest transfer, Gibbs had seized the burger out of his hands and wolfed in down in a few mouthfuls, to the chagrin of newbie, who immediately began writing his transfer request, and the delight of the bullpen who gave him a thunderous round of applause.

"You know," The MD frowned as he went off at a tangent. "I really am going to have to speak to that young man about his diet. I dread to think what the lining of his stomach must be like."

"Duck." Gibbs tried to get him back on track.

"He equalled your record," Mallard sounded like a proud grandfather. "He ate the whole thing in a matter of moments and then asked Dawn if she planned on finishing her Philly steak sandwich."

Gibbs grinned.

"Atta boy, DiNozzo."