Many, Many thanks to delia cerrano – for the inspiration to amend this piece of the storyline.
The story has been updated on NFA Community as well


He awakens slowly, the feeling of the warmth and strength of his lover's body holding him as they lay spooned one behind the other, warms his heart and fills him with more happiness and contentment than he's ever before known As his eyes adjust to the encroaching late afternoon shadows dancing across the walls of the bedroom, he's reminded that it's getting late and they have to go to work tomorrow.

These last three days have been bliss; a heaven so high he's barely felt his feet on the ground but it's time to adjust to real life barging back into the thick of what they've developed between them. With a sigh, he turns his eyes to the hands holding him, wishing he could stay wrapped up in them forever, and knowing he can't. Tenderly, he moves those hands, careful not to wake his lover as he slides out from his embrace and eases himself from the bed.

It takes every ounce of his inner self-discipline to stay still and just bask in the beautiful sight of Leroy's peaceful countenance as the man sleeps. He'd much rather be laying there next to him, making love to him again and again. But he has to get going. He has a lot to get done and miles still to drive until he's home. Getting himself frustrated on this level certainly won't be good for his driving ability. With a tender smile, he remembers Leroy driving them back here yesterday afternoon, citing the need for clean clothes and the chance for them to christen his bed into their relationship.

With a quiet scoff at that errant thought of climbing back into bed with him, Tim finally tears his eyes away from his lover and looks around the room one last time in search of anything of his he needs to take with him. He doesn't want to leave any work for Leroy, or any sign he's been here, in case any of the renowned snoopers on the team come calling.

Being extra quiet, he dresses, quickly writes a note and leaves it sticking out from under his pillow for Leroy to find. Tim's gone from the room while the older man sleeps on. He's just as careful descending the stairs, not wanting any noise when he steps on them. Tim makes quick work of searching through the rest of the house to remove all evidence that Gibbs has had any company at all.

When that's been done, he calls for a cab and sets his lover's coffee to brew for him in thirty minutes. Without a sound, he leaves the house, debating whether to lock the door. He knows the team usually comes by at some point and doesn't want them banging on the door to wake the man up, so he chooses to leave the door unlocked. Silently he heads out and is waiting on the sidewalk when the cab arrives

****NCIS****

"Boss!"

Tony's demanding holler from downstairs awakens Gibbs from what had been a restful sleep. Groggily, he wipes a hand across his face, sighing with frustration at this less than desired interruption into his and Tim's weekend. Tim!

"Hey, Boss, you alright?" This time, the younger man's voice is as close as the bottom of the stairs.

"Fine!" Gibbs shouts back as he quickly gets out of bed and dons a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt. With a huge dose of frustration, he leaves his feet bare as he opens his bedroom door to holler down at his Senior Field Agent. "What the hell you doing here on a Sunday we're not on call, DiNozzo?"

"Well, uhm, actually wanted to talk to you about something, Boss." Tony calls up the stairs. "Hey, I thought you always slept on your couch!"

Ignoring Tony's remarks for the moment, Gibbs steps into the bathroom to take care of business. He descends the stairs a few short minutes later, still ignoring the words of the younger man

"Boss?" Tony pushes. "When did you start sleeping upstairs? I thought you lived on your couch down here?"

"There some reason that should matter to you, DiNozzo?" Gibbs growls at him from behind his coffee cup as he joins him in the living room. He's not happy that Tim has left, apparently without a word to him. He is relieved, however, that this visit from Tony won't cause trouble for his new lover since there's no sign of him having been here in the first place.

"No, I guess not. It's just, well, I'm kind of worried about you, Boss."

"Why?" Gibbs' head snaps up, his eyes boring holes into his visitor's head.

"Nobody's seen you all weekend and I came by last night and your door was locked. Since when do you start locking your door?"

"What time?"

"It's almost four"

"Last night, DiNozzo. What time were you here?"

"I guess around 11."

"What's so important you came over twice to talk to me?"

"Oh, well, when you put it like that, I guess it can wai…"

"Just spit it out, DiNozzo."

"Okay. Well, I wanted to ask you if you've noticed that something's really wrong with Probie. And before you ask, I haven't been able to find him all weekend. It's like he just vanished or something."

"He's fine." Gibbs returns quickly, before almost freezing with regret at having offered the answer he would now probably have to explain.

"He's fine?" Tony asks in disbelief. "Not sure we've been in the same squad room these last few weeks, Boss, if you really think he's fine."

"DiNozzo. He's fine. Already talked to him."

"AH. I see said the blind man." Tony quips. "Well, alright then, guess I'll get out of your hair. Sorry I woke you up. Hey, you're sleeping in the middle of the afternoon? You sure you're alright, Boss?"

"Fine, DiNozzo. And so's McGee so don't go hounding him for answers to your questions."

"Just trying to look out for him." Tony replies, his wounded expression stabbing Gibbs in the gut.

"Yeah, Tony. I know. Appreciate it too. Just give him some space for a few days, alright?"

"Sure, I can do that." Tony agrees.

"I mean it."

"I know. I know. I promise. I'll leave him alone. Won't even go over there."

"Good. Thanks for the concern, Tony. "

"No problem, Boss. But, what's with the locked door? I thought your door is always open?"

"Times are changing. Sometimes locking the door's necessary." Gibbs replies cryptically as his eyes flashed with steel, daring Tony to argue or even pursue the point.

Instead, Tony nods. "Okay. I can take a hint. Listen, I'm gonna get going, let you have what's left of your weekend, so I'll ah, jus…" Tony leaves the rest of the sentence unsaid as he half-salutes the boss and heads out, quietly closing the door behind him.

Something is definitely going on with the man, but Tony has to admit that this time, he has no clue and, what's even worse, he has no business finding out what it is. He likes his head being intact on his shoulders and isn't about to risk that just to be nosy. With a quiet huff of resignation, he gets in his car and drives away.

****NCIS***

Locking the door behind his agent, Gibbs is quick to whip out his phone and call his lover as he walks back through the house to the kitchen.

"Hey." The soft voice lights a fire in the older man's groin that has him closing his eyes to ward off the flame.

"Hey, yourself. Woke up to find you gone." Gibbs manages to get out, though he fights to keep his breathing on a normal keel as the sound of Tim's voice does things to him he's never before felt.

"Need to get ready for the real world." Tim sounds resigned to the fact that the coming workweek is not a good thing. "Left you a note – sticking out from under my pillow."

"Haven't seen it. Day's still young. Wanna see you."

With an audible gulp, Tim replies in a voice so quiet, Gibbs strains to hear him. "I want so much more than that."

"Tim." The older man groans before he can stop himself. "Get back here." He orders with rising passion.

"Don't want to risk the team finding out."

"I'm coming to you." The older man counters.

"They know your car."

"You let me worry about that."

"Leroy, no." Tim objects. "You've worked too long and hard to…"

"I'll be there in twenty."

The line is silent for a minute and Gibbs almost thinks Tim has hung up, until he hears that husky whispered voice laden with arousal and expectation. "I'll be waiting."

****NCIS****

Tim's heart is racing, and his adrenaline is pumping, as he becomes a cleaning whirlwind, going from one room to the other in his apartment, cleaning every inch of it. All the while, he's consumed with thinking about what else he can do to make sure his apartment is at least a little appealing to his lover since he doesn't want the man to be uncomfortable here.

****NCIS****

What a difference 24 hours makes, hell, 9 hours even! Driving to Tim's almost on autopilot now, Gibbs smiles as that expression passes through his mind. Just 9 hours ago, he'd been upset, concerned and calling Ducky over for advice. Thinking on that automatically brings back to mind the conversation he'd had with his older friend, just this morning.

***Flashback***

"Mornin' Duck. Thanks for comin'"

"nonsense, my friend. You need to talk, I am here to listen. It is what friends do."

"Appreciate it. Tea's done. Let's take this to the living room."

"I take it Timothy is still asleep?"

Gibbs smiles softly. "Yeah."

Settled on the couch so they can talk quietly. Ducky quickly opens the discussion. "What is troubling you my friend?"

With a deep sigh, Gibbs looks away as he wipes a tired hand across his face as if to wipe away the problem. "Said I wouldn't do it. Promised him it wouldn't happen. Broke that promise already without even tryin, Duck."

"You did vow not to hurt him. However, you are as human as the rest of us, Jethro. A fact that Timothy is well aware of, I can assure you, especially now that the two of you have embarked on this personal journey together."

Gibbs denies that this is the point with a slight shake of his head,

"Alright. What is it that you have done that has you this upset?"

"Hurt him. Shut him out." Gibbs gets up and paces to the porch doors so he can look out. With a deeply frustrated expelled breath, he adds. "Lied to him."

The silence in the room grows and after a minute the younger man turns back to look at his friend and finds him watching him with a look that is full of sympathy and understanding. Silently retracing his steps, he rejoins Ducky on the couch, waiting to hear what he has to say.

""Surely, you must know, Jethro, that the extraordinary woman that captured your heart so deeply all those years ago would want you to be happy; to find peace, contentment and yes, even love again? I can guess that the lie was a reflexive defensive one when he asked if what was troubling you had anything to do with him?"

Gibbs' shock is evident as his eyes grow wide.

"It is the only reason you would ever shut Timothy out of whatever was going through your mind, now that you have allowed yourself to let him in and begin a relationship with him, my friend."

The quiet confidence in Ducky's answer tells Gibbs that Ducky's strong faith in him not to ever hurt Tim, has already considered this happenstance and had obviously already made allowances for it as well. Combined with the very same attitude from Tim, it's a humbling experience for him and he's not sure what to do with it. Finally, after a thought provoking silence, Gibbs offers his long-time friend his trademark small smile of thanks.

Ducky accepts the silent communication and offers in return, what Gibbs has asked him over here for at 0630 on Sunday morning. "Jethro, I seriously doubt that Shannon would be at all happy to see you continue to carry the pain of her loss as deeply or even as closed up as you have all these years. You must know she would want you to be able to make room in your heart for whoever it is that earned that place next to her. And we both know that if that place did not belong to Timothy, you would never have allowed him in in- the first place."

Swallowing hard around the lump in his throat, Gibbs snaps his eyes closed for a minute. Opening his eyes again, he looks straight at Ducky. "Thanks."

"You are quite welcome my friend." Ducky returns as he gets up and heads towards the front door, obviously realizing his presence is no longer needed. He stops and looks at Gibbs. "How is Timothy?"

"He offered to walk away, Duck."

Three heartbeats later, Ducky finally offers a reply to that emotionally charged statement. "Knowing, Timothy as we do,, that does not come as a surprise; hence, the question. How is he?"

"Trusting me to work on it." Gibbs replies with enough quietness in his tone and seriousness in his expression that the genuineness of his emotions are plain to see. He is honored by Tim's continued trust. Ducky's too. They're both doing all they can to let him off the hook here; one he clearly is having trouble letting himself off of.

With sympathy once again in his expression, Ducky offers one more piece of advice. "So long as you keep the communication open with him about it, Jethro, there should be no cause to worry about it further."

Gibbs nods shortly in silent agreement, his face a study in hope as the two of them walk to the front door. Once there, the Team Leader claps his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Thanks, Duck."

"Anytime, Jethro. Anytime. Do enjoy the remainder of your weekend together, hmm?"

"Will do, Doc. Will do."

****End Flashback****.

Pulling into his secret parking spot far enough away from Tim's apartment that his whereabouts is not an outright advertisement, Gibbs is quickly enroute to his lover's apartment with a smile on his face as he casts his mind over what had been the rest of the day until now. They most definitely have enjoyed the rest of their weekend, beginning with Gibbs serving Tim breakfast in bed shortly after Ducky's departure by 0700.

A long, quiet talk over a leisurely romantic breakfast, an open invitation from his remarkable new lover to take his time but not ever feel like he can't openly share or show pieces of his life with Shannon and Kelly - and suddenly, hope for a happy future had quickly resurfaced - spurring him on to reclaim the romance that had fed this fire with the spark of this new love.

The hours had slipped away as they enjoyed each other and the building of their relationship, one honest moment at a time, be it physical or vocal. Before they'd known it the morning had disappeared and the middle of the day marched in, only to find them both much too wrapped up in each other, in every way that matters most, to bother with lunch or getting out of bed.

An early afternoon nap had come almost naturally as they'd intertwined around each other and let their exhaustion tug them under, both content and confident that they had indeed, found something real and meaningful within the arms of the other.

****NCIS****

He can't wait to have Leroy and creates a new record of three minutes of the fastest shower ever, before donning his silkiest boxers just in time to briefly rub a towel briskly through his hair. Without looking at his watch he knows it's time and wraps himself in his bathrobe before heading to the apartment door. He opens it, just as his lover reaches it, hand raised to knock on the door.

Without a word spoken, Tim steps behind the door as Gibbs slips through it and before he realizes it, the doors' been closed and locked. Now Tim's mouth is dancing with his lover's, their arms embracing each other as their groins collide and nestle together, wringing moans of pleasure from both of them.

It's a dance of sensuous hunger with a frenzy that takes a while to lose its heat but when it does, Tim's left breathing heavily as he lets his head fall back to the door with a soft thump. "Oh, God." He murmurs breathlessly. "How'd… get here?"

"I have my ways." Leroy's answer is thick with lustful intentions as he takes Tim's hand in his own, leading him away from the front door. As they approach the living room, Tim silently shakes his head as he turns them around and leads the way to his bedroom, not letting go of Leroy's hand for a minute.

This time together is too special to spend time trying to get comfortable on that couch. With every step closer to the bedroom they get, the faster Tim's heart beats and it's all he can do to keep his hands off his lover. He wants to wait for Leroy to make the first move; needs to see what it is the older man needs and wants from him specifically. He has to; to make sure he gets this right.

Once over the threshold of Tim's bedroom with the spacious king sized bed just a few steps away, Leroy's' lust roars to the surface as the wanton hunger in Tim's eyes feeds the fire with that purest fuel. "C'mere."

As the husky invitation reaches his ears, Tim sheds his bathrobe and steps into his lover's arms, his own inhibitions long gone and his lust for this beautiful man so sharp and strong it steals his breath away.

Oh, yeah, the real world can wait!