a/n - They've created this wonderful world away from the stress of everyday life, is it any wonder that they are getting lost in the assignment? What happens when reality rears its ugly head? Is everyone going to be happy with being lied to? Is anyone going to ask why him and not me? Glad everyone's still with me.

Gibbs insisted on picking up the wall mounting bracket for the television and casually steered McGee into the kitchen before he left. The blatant hint was amusing, but it was nice to cook for someone who appreciated his efforts in the kitchen. They had grabbed quick sandwiches while unloading the rest of the truck and dinner would only take a few minutes to prepare, so he set about making cinnamon rolls for the next morning.

Ducky was waiting at the coffee shop when Gibbs arrived. Once Gibbs was fortified with an extra large and Ducky had his Earl Grey, the two men found a bench in the park across the street. "So, tell me, how is Timothy settling in?"

Gibbs hid his smile behind his cup. For someone who loved long, meandering stories, Ducky could come straight to the point when he needed to. "Doing good, we went back to his apartment and got more of his things this morning. In fact, I'm on my way to pick up the bracket so we can get his plasma up on the wall."

"Jethro, I'm not worried about where he sets up his computer." Ducky gently scolded as he watched him. For someone who had been kidnapped, drugged, manhandled, and was now being blackmailed for something he hadn't even done, Jethro Gibbs looked amazingly relaxed and happy.

He let the other man see his smile. "Ducky, I've shared quarters with a lot of men in the service, had an assortment of wives and lady friends share my home, but I've never felt as comfortable with anyone in my space as I've been these last few days. Not since... not since Shannon." Suddenly uncomfortable, Gibbs shrugged. "I'll take care of him, Duck."

"I'm sure you will, Jethro. I'm also sure that Shannon would want you to find happiness again."

Gibbs stood, finishing the last of his coffee. "I've got to get that bracket for the TV. I'll see you later, Ducky."

"How long can you pretend this is just another undercover assignment?" The retreating figure just raised a hand as he disappeared around the corner.

---NCIS---

"Director Vance?" DiNozzo stood up tried to catch the other man's attention. When Vance ignored him, he double timed it to the stairs, cutting him off. "When's Gibbs and McGee coming back? It's not like the Boss to not check in."

Vance was pretty sure that would have been check 'on' DiNozzo, not check in, but he didn't give in to the temptation. "They won't be back until Monday. If you finish up early, you might get yourself a long weekend out of the deal, Agent DiNozzo." It was meant as an incitement for the brash agent, but all it did was increase his curiosity.

Ziva watched Tony as he returned to his desk. "Whatever you are up to, I want nothing to do with it. If Gibbs wanted you to know, he would have told you."

---NCIS---

Tim was slicing the dough into individual rolls when the truck pulled back into the driveway. He grinned to himself as Gibbs walked past him, being so subtle as he checked out what was in the pan. "Did you find the right bracket?"Gibbs held it up and he nodded in approval. By the time McGee had the cream cheese frosting made for the rolls and the kitchen cleaned, Gibbs had all the wall anchors in place and was ready for an extra set of hands.

Wiring was second nature to McGee, so he handled the technical part of the installation and Gibbs provided the muscle. In less than an hour the high definition version of Gibbs' favorite movie was playing and they were in their favorite spots on the den sofa. As they watched Harrison Ford rescue his family from the terrorists aboard Air Force One, Gibbs looked around the cozy room. The only flaw was the afternoon sun caused a glare on the television since it was higher up than his old tube one.

Tim wasn't bothered too much by the glare, but he knew it was an easy fix. "We could pick up some curtains for in here since there's already a curtain rod. Something thick enough to block out the sun would make it perfect for movie watching in here."

Gibbs turned and looked at McGee, opening his mouth to agree, when he remembered. "I have curtains, just never put them back up after they were cleaned." A quick trip upstairs and they were hanging them during the next commercial break.

After the final credits rolled across the screen, Tim stood up. "I'll get dinner started. Do you want to eat in here? ZNN is going to have a special report on the terrorist activity along the African coastline; we should probably watch it."

A working dinner sounded practical and almost disappointing. "Do we need trays?" Gibbs tried to remember if the TV trays that had been a wedding present with ex number three were in the attic or if they had left with her.

"Nah, I'm just fixing nachos."

"Nachos?" Intrigued, Gibbs followed him into the kitchen. A week ago he'd have been expecting stale chips drowned in cheese sauce; now he was curious exactly what McGee would do with the old stadium stand-by. His mouth started watering at the odors created when Tim added the chopped onions and garlic to the ground beef he was frying. Taco seasoning was added to the meat mixture next along with a drained can of black beans and Gibbs moved closer to smell it, prompting Tim to put him to work.

"Here, Jethro, why don't you grate the cheese?" Once he had him put to work, Tim checked the deep fryer and then started cutting the fresh tortillas into wedges. Hot, fresh chips put anything in a bag to shame, especially when sprinkled lightly with salt and a touch of chili powder for a kick. The chips were piled on a platter and then layered with the meat and bean mixture with the cheese on top to melt. Chopped green onions, black olives, diced avocado, sour cream and salsa were the next layers along with some chopped jalapeno peppers. While Tim cut into a lime, Gibbs grabbed two of the beers out of the fridge. A squirt of lime juice over the nachos and wedges of lime for the beers and they were ready to move back into the den.

An end table was pulled closer to set the beer bottles on, while the platter was balanced on their joint knees. Tim was just getting ready to change the channel when there was a knock at the door. Gibbs looked through a gap in the curtain and groaned. "I'm beginning to think Vance has the kitchen bugged." A second knock could be heard right before the door opened. "We're in here, Leon."

Gibbs was glaring and Vance was sniffing the air as he came into the den. McGee decided quickly to stay quiet unless spoken to. Vance sat in the chair Gibbs pointed to, but he was leaning as far forward as he could, breathing deeply.

"Doesn't your wife feed you anymore?"

Vance looked slightly embarrassed, but he didn't stop staring at their dinner. "Sure she feeds me. Tonight is going to be steamed tofu and vegetables. She has me on a diet."

The other two men sighed and McGee stood up. "I'll get a plate. Do you want a beer, Director Vance?" He stopped in the doorway and grinned over his shoulder at Gibbs while the other man's defenses melted just a little bit more.

Vance watched the exchange, but didn't comment on it. "Sure, McGee, since you're already up." When the younger man returned to the den he had not only a plate and a bottle of beer, but a package of breath mints. At the raised eyebrow, he explained.

"You can't go home to your tofu dinner with your breath smelling of nachos and beer."

Gibbs was pleased to note that filling Vance's plate barely made a dent in their food. "Did you know he was coming?"

"Nope, but I agree with you that he must have the kitchen bugged. I'm thinking haggis for dinner tomorrow." Tim still had the platter in his hands and Gibbs pretended to weigh the two options in his empty hands.

"Haggis, tofu, I don't know, Tim, that one's too close to call." The two of them started laughing while Vance just stared.

Gibbs was laughing, Gibbs was joking, Vance had a sudden desire to see if the Earth had fallen off its axis. He watched as McGee settled back onto the sofa, the large plate balanced on his and Gibbs' knees. While he continued to watch, he took a gulp of the beer to prevent himself from from saying what he was thinking at that moment.

---NCIS---

The slight nip in the air told that Winter was just around the corner. After a good meal and a challenging debate on the options presented in the special report, Vance was ready to head home. He was pleased that McGee was obviously handling the situation, but worried what the fallout would be when it was done. Knowing that nothing could be done at the moment, he waved at the two men and pulled out of the driveway.

Gibbs was feeling mellow as they stood on the front porch, Jethro at their feet, watching Vance leave. He'd always known McGee had a sharp mind, that was why he'd added him to the team, after all. What he hadn't realized was the sharp wit that went along with it. Seeing Vance snort beer after one of Tim's better comments had been one of the highlights of the evening and he'd almost hated to see it end. Without discussing it, they both joined Mrs. B. on her covered porch when she waved them over. Jethro bounded over with them, but stopped to explore the smells of the late season flower bed.

"Did you boys have a good day? You seemed to be working hard with moving that bed."

"It will be so worth it tonight." Gibbs was thinking how nice it was going to be to sleep on that large bed, but their hostess took his words a different way and started giggling.

"Really, Jethro, at my age that is way too much information."

Gibbs' embarrassed sputtering was cut off by a shrill howl of pain from his namesake. Both men scrambled off the porch and across the yard as Jethro continued to yip and howl as he rubbed his muzzle on the ground. Gibbs got to him first, but backed off and let McGee handle it.

Tim was pretty sure he knew what happened and the rapidly swelling lip confirmed it. "Hey, boy, just couldn't leave the bee alone, could you?" Even after all this time it was still nerve wracking to have his hands so close to Jethro's teeth when he was this distressed, but he carefully used his fingernail to scrape the stinger free.

"Does he need a vet?" Gibbs knelt next to them, watching Tim deal with the injured animal while Mrs. B remained on the porch, wringing her hands.

"Tim, is he all right? I'm so, so sorry."

McGee stood, hanging onto Jethro's collar. "It's all right, Mrs. B. He's a retired drug detection dog, he's always getting his nose into something, so it's not the first time he's been stung. I've got medicine in the house for him." The last words were for Gibbs as much as they were for her as he started to walk Jethro across the yard. The first time Jethro stopped to rub his face on the grass, Gibbs picked him up and carried him the rest of the way.

Tim opened the door and led the two Jethros into the kitchen, grabbing the doggie first aid kit from the shelf next to the back door. He sat on the floor and Gibbs laid Jethro down with his head in Tim's lap. By now the swelling was bad enough to pull his lip away from his teeth. Tim carefully cleaned the site and applied a numbing agent while handing another bottle to Gibbs, instructing him how much to pour into the cup that was attached to the bottle.

Gibbs followed his directions and handed over the cup of pink liquid before it registered what the medication was. "Children's Benedryl?"

"Yep, and he prefers bubble gum flavor."

"You're kidding, right?" Gibbs shook his head at the former Marine Corps canine. Somewhere, Rin Tin Tin was probably turning over in his grave. "Now what?"

"Keep an eye on him for a few hours. Let him sleep, he should be fine by morning." Tim stood and started guiding Jethro into the den. "Come on, boy, let's put you to bed."

The Benedryl was already starting to kick in and Gibbs watched as Jethro listed to the side. As Tim settled the German Shepard onto his bed, Gibbs picked up the kit and studied the contents. It was a carefully put together collection of medical supplies for a dog, but there was one bottle he didn't understand. When McGee came back in, he held it up in question.

"It's a hydrogen peroxide mix in case he eats something he shouldn't. Think of it as the doggie version of syrup of ipecac.