Section 63
"Short conversation." Jethro commented as he carefully laid Ducky's teapot in his suitcase and began packing their new clothes around it. "Everything okay?"
"A little awkward," Tony admitted. "I know she's my mother but..."
"But?"
"She's a nun."
Gibbs paused. "Is that really a problem for you?"
"It should be a problem for her."
"Not sure I'm following."
"You know the Catholic stance on same sex marriage."
"Ah." Jethro continued packing.
"What? Ah, what?"
"Well, is it that you're upset that she isn't or is it your own feelings?"
"Well… damn." Tony dropped to the bed.
"I know you were raised Catholic."
"We weren't really practicing for the most part. I did go to a church school for a bit."
"Really? Can't really see you in Catholic school."
"Neither did Sister Mary Bertha." Tony automatically rubbed his knuckles. "Didn't seem to like her nickname."
"You nicknamed a nun?" Jethro looked at the look his husband was giving him. "Right. Dumb question." Jethro had to ask. "What did you nickname her?"
"Sister Marry Bert and Ernie."
Jethro snorted. "Only you. So you okay with Sister Martha Agnes now?"
"I guess so." Tony began to pack.
Jethro picked up on the underlying tension in Tony's voice. "Tony, give it time."
"I could feel the need in her voice but she…"
"Your birth certificate says she is your mother but she's a stranger to you. She's had all your life to wonder about you. She also had people keeping tabs on you and feeding her information. You never had that opportunity. This isn't a fairy tale. You don't develop feelings just by seeing a name on a piece of paper and voila you have a loving mother-son relationship. Relationships take time. Look at us." Jethro was relieved to see a smile come to Tony's face.
"Here's the package from Quir." They had wrapped them in shipping paper, but Tony had to peek in the packages.
"Catch."
Tony fumbled to catch the pen his husband tossed him. "Huh?"
"If you put their names on them, we won't have to go through them again when we go to hand them out."
"Great idea." They developed a system. Tony opened the paper so they could both peek, then he wrote the name on the outside of the package and passed it to Jethro to pack. "There's an extra package. We must have got someone else's package in with ours." Tony peeled back the paper and found a selection of leather animals. Each had a "Z" tooled into the leather. The cutouts were shaped like a rabbit, raccoon, squirrel, etc. There were multiple layers of what Tony knew was scrap leather sewn together securely with the features of the animals tooled in and accented by stain on the leather.
"Jethro, look." Tony held up the squirrel. "Aren't they amazing? I can't believe they did this."
Looking at his husband, Jethro could. Tony didn't set out to charm the leather maker and his wife; he was just being Tony. Tony's admiration and appreciation of their work and his natural personality just came out in his smile. "Zuma will love them."
"I'll put them on top with his tug ball and leather bone in the small bag."
The driver, having gotten a look at the shopping bags being delivered, had bought a nice size suitcase from a local chain store. He had also included a small travel bag that could be used as a carry-on. Into the carry-on went Breena and Abby's souvenirs. Both he and Tony had loved what the leather maker and his wife had made the Goth. It also held the smaller gifts like the belts and the wallets for the men.
"Jethro, here's Victoria and Diana's dolls plous clothes from Stefano and his grandmother." A beautiful soft doll that was perfect for Victoria to sleep with had drawn Tony into a small shop where an elderly woman hand embroidered the faces and made wardrobes of decorative clothing for the dolls. Nothing could dissuade Tony. He demanded that he be allowed to purchase a selection of the dolls and the clothing to include with the toys that Jethro and Jackson would make for the hospitalized children.
A sharp-eyed young boy watched them carefully. The grandmother explained that it was just of two of them. Her husband had been lost at sea and her daughter and son-in-law had died in a crash. The shop had a small apartment above and the income from the shop covered their needs. The small mound of dolls with clothing had increased substantially after that.
Jethro would deny that the dolls with matching wardrobes he selected weren't actually required. After all, Victoria would grow into the doll. Just because Kayla and Emily were older didn't mean they wouldn't appreciate the beautiful embroidery. Also, who knew what name they would draw in the NCIS pool? The person whose name they drew might have a daughter. It was then that Jethro learned that Vance's secretary Helen had a young daughter who was handicapped. Her husband had walked out shortly after Diana's birth. He had never known that Tony had babysat a few times as Helen sometimes had to take a part-time job to make ends meet. He wasn't surprised that Tony dashed back to select an even larger wardrobe for Diana's doll.
Realizing the men really meant their compliments and that they weren't actually just trying to con his grandmother into lowering her prices, lead to the young boy taking Tony by the hand and encouraging him to follow him into a small curtained off area. Jethro followed out of curiosity not protectiveness. The small area had a small old-fashioned sewing machine. There were some scraps of cloth and leather. Pointing from the machine to himself, in broken English, the boy explained that he was learning to contribute to the shop. Removing a blanket in the corner, he exposed a pile of what looked like satchels.
Intrigued, Tony had picked one up and examined it surprised at the softness. The boy showed them how he had used the leather for the fastener, the handle and to give it some sturdiness. The cloth was used for softness and decoration. In just a couple moves, it could be opened to create a trunk-like case and then be collapsed to lie flat again. The trunk was just the right size to hold the doll and her clothing. To the boy's amazement, Tony began piling them into Jethro's arms. It was an astonished and delighted grandmother who began praising her grandson. Both had waved them good-bye happily.
Jethro looked at where Tony was carefully placing the dolls into the carry-on. Tony had a smile on his face and Jethro knew that he was remembering the elderly woman's happy tears and the pride on the young boy's face when he realized how much he had earned for his family. It hadn't been a surprise to hear Stefano's name when Tony had Moretti making out bequests. Tony had also mentioned the owners of Quir. By the time, Stefano and his grandmother learned about their "inheritance from a long lost relative" and the owners of Quir their pension from an old friend; they would have long forgotten the North Americans and that was just the way Tony wanted it. His husband was one of a kind. Always had been.
"What are you smiling about?" Tony asked.
"You playing with dolls." Jethro teased. "Maybe I should ask the flight attendant for a little pilot's kit."
Tony tossed a pair of balled up socks at him. "Ha-ha. Is there going to be room for the papers Moretti is sending in the morning?" Tony asked, wariness in his voice.
"Plenty. Put Victoria's doll in the carry-on and I will put Diana's in the big suitcase with Ducky's teapot and the other souvenirs."
"Do you want to pack our jackets?" Tony stroked the new suede jackets.
"It's liable to be cool in the morning. Let's wear them. They aren't that bulky if we need to carry them."
Tony looked around the room. The pile of purchases had somehow managed to be packed into the luggage. The only thing left out were their clothes for the following day. Jethro had packed his clean clothes into Tony's case and put the dirty clothes into his. In the morning, after their showers, it would be easy to pop their dirty clothes into Jethro's case and be ready to go.
"There are still some sweets left. How about we have them and some coffee on the terrace?" Tony suggested.
"Sounds good." Jethro picked up the bottle. "Then after the sun goes down, we could light a fire and finish off this bottle of wine in our chair."
"I like how you think."
Section 64
"Glad to be home?" McGee asked as he helped Tony and Gibbs stow their luggage. "Isn't this more luggage than you left with?"
"We had to do a little shopping."
"Tony, you were only gone for two days."
"Wait till you see what he had to have shipped." Jethro smirked.
Tony slugged him in the side. "Did you have to say that?"
"Yep."
Tony slipped into the back seat leaving Jethro to ride up front. "So how have things been, McGee?"
"Tony, I talked to you last night." McGee strapped himself in and looked at Tony in the rearview mirror. "What could have happened?"
"Well in the first twenty-four hours you let my little angel get stuck in box springs. How is Zuma?"
"Well…"
Jethro looked at McGee. "What's wrong?"
"Ever since he talked to you last night, he isn't eating. Keeps trying to get into your bedroom. I put a portable baby gate across the stairs early this morning. He kept trying to snuck upstairs and we were afraid he'd fall."
"Why didn't you call us?"
"Tony, you were in the air. What could you do? Abby went over early this morning and she called me."
"Step on it, McGee."
One look at Jethro and then at Tony's distressed expression and McGee obligingly pushed the pedal. While he didn't want a ticket, if it got them home quicker it wouldn't be money wasted.
Tony never waited for McGee to turn off the car. He was out and sprinting for the front door. Glad the door wasn't locked, Tony flung the door open and his heart broke as he looked at the puppy laying on the cushion so still. "Hey, Zuma, what's wrong? Where's my boy?"
Zuma's ears perked and his head came up fast. Turning in the direction of the doorway, the pup saw Tony on one knee. His feet scrambled for traction as the puppy launched himself into the air in Tony's direction. As he descended to the floor, all four paws were already in motion and he landed running full tilt. Another leap and Tony was knocked over, the wiggling pup licking every bit of flesh he could reach. In between licks, Zuma gave barks of joy and occasionally a snarl.
"I think he's telling you, we're not allowed to leave again." Zuma turned and there was Jethro leaning against the door frame. Using Tony as a springboard, Zuma made a leap and Jethro scooped him out of the air. "What wrong, you silly thing? You knew Mommy and I would be back."
Abby gave Tony a hand to his feet and went to sit by the fireplace. The two men sat side by side on the couch Zuma bouncing back and forth from one lap to the other. Spotting the treat on the sofa, Tony offered it to the excited pup. "Are you hungry? Want a treat?" Zuma finally stilled as Jethro helped him balance across both of their knees. Happy whimpers escaped him as the pup permitted Jethro to scratch behind his ears in just that spot and allowed Tony to feed him bites of his treat.
"See, Abs. I told you he was fine." McGee said from the entrance hall. He sat the first two suitcases down and turned to go back out.
"McGee, I'll help you get that in a bit." Jethro said.
"Nope. It's only two more. What you're doing is much more important." McGee smiled at the trio, relieved to see the adorable pup so happy.
"He was so sad." Abby said softly. "It just broke my heart. None of us could comfort him."
"He's still a baby, Abs. It's only natural. Jethro and I are the ones that he has bonded to the most. He'd only been, here less than a week when we left. We shouldn't have left that soon. It was bound to stir up the separation anxiety." Tony tried to comfort her.
"So much has happened it seems so much longer." Jackson spoke up.
"Tell me about it. It'll be two weeks Monday since I walked into the bullpen and that idiot Sacks was dragging my senior agent away. He'd better stay far from my sight. Man's a menace." Jethro said disgruntled. The arm along the back of the couch came down of its own accord and pulled Tony a bit closer to Zuma and Tony's delight. "Course if he hadn't, we wouldn't be here like this. And we wouldn't have this little fuzzball."
Tony smiled at him, his heart warming at Jethro's words. "I'm going to hit the bathroom and change into more comfortable clothes."
Jethro scooped up the pup and looked into his eyes. "Mommy'll be right back."
"I am not the mommy." Tony protested. As he got to the entrance hall, McGee came in with the last two bags.
"Want me to take these upstairs?"
"Those actually go in the living room. That one has dirty clothes. I'll just take this one up with me." Tony picked up the bag and lifted it over the gate. Rather than take the gate down, Tony just stepped over it with one leg on the stairs.
McGee started to laugh. Just as Tony went to lift his other leg, fifteen pounds of snarling puppy latched on to his pants cuff intent on stopping him.
Tony struggled to keep his balance having committed to the step. His foot was only a couple inches off the ground but he was afraid to lift it higher and hurt the pup's teeth. He was even more afraid to try to back down and possibly fall on the pup. "McGee, a hand here?"
McGee obligingly clapped at the sight. The commotion had brought the group from the living room where they joined McGee in laughing.
"Jethro! I don't want to hurt him."
Jethro went over and knelt down by the pup. "Zuma. Drop." The pup simply rolled his eyes and snarled around the pants material in his mouth. "Drop." The snarl grew louder. "Come on, boy, let Tony go." Jethro lifted Zuma up but the puppy gripped the material tighter.
"Do you want to hurry it up a bit?" Tony used his hand on the bannister to try to steady himself.
Jethro set the puppy back down. Standing he headed into the kitchen.
"Jethro, help."
"I am. I'm going to make coffee."
Zuma growled and started after Jethro but wasn't able to with the cuff in his teeth. The puppy tried to drag Tony's leg which caused Tony to have to shift his balance. Zuma kept looking from Tony to the door where Jethro had disappeared. Growling he tugged harder, but Tony didn't budge. With a last growl, Zuma released the pants cuff and took off into the kitchen after Jethro where he could be heard snarling and barking as he went.
"That is one determined puppy." McGee said.
"Thanks for nothing, McSmarty." Tony hurried up the steps before Zuma came back. The trio went to watch the show in the kitchen.
Zuma had tracked Jethro to counter. The pup sat, barking and snarling at him, as Jethro got the coffee going.
"I think it's a good thing that Gibbs doesn't speak pup." McGee smiled.
Jackson laughed. "If he did, that poor pup would be getting his mouth washed out."
Jethro leaned back against the counter and looked down at the pup. "Zuma, at ease. We're home. Tony and I aren't going anywhere. Now, calm down and go eat."
"Speaking of eat…" Tony, having rushed through his change, came to the door of the kitchen.
Zuma spun, raced to Tony, and tried to drag him by the cuff of his jeans, all to no effect. He turned, raced back towards Jethro, lunging and making a try for his pants leg. Zuma yelped as Jethro snatched him up by the scruff of the neck. Snarling, his paws ran in the air.
"Jethro, don't hurt him."
"Tony…" Jethro looked at his husband.
"I know you'd never hurt him. It's just, he's so little."
"He needs to know that he can't do this. What if he tried it with Dad, or when he's a hundred pounds? Someone could be hurt. If your balance had not been good, he could've knocked you over earlier."
"You're right."
Abby and McGee exchanged glances. Had Gibbs just talked out his reasons? Had Tony and he really communicated? Jackson just smiled at his sons. The trio decided that something had happened in Palermo and whatever it was had brought the two men closer.
"Zuma, no." When the pup snarled, he tapped Zuma lightly on the nose. Startled the puppy stopped snarling. "I know you're upset, but you need to calm down. Tony and I are home now." When the pup whimpered, Jethro pulled him close. "Good boy. That's my good boy. Now, you have to be hungry." Carrying the pup over to his food bowl, Jethro shook some fresh food into his bowl and placed the pup on the floor.
Zuma looked from the food to Jethro. He turned his head so that he could see Tony was still there. Quickly snatching a mouth of food, he looked at Jethro and then at Tony before starting to chew. Slowly Jethro backed away and went to the coffee machine. Zuma turned slightly so he could watch both men. When they moved to sit at the table, he relaxed slightly and focused on eating.
"So now that Zuma's fed, what about us?" Jackson said.
"How many 'us' will there be?" Tony asked.
"I know Jimmy and his family are coming by. They're anxious to hear what you found."
Tony and Jethro exchanged looks. They knew the entire family would want to know the details. They had talked on the flight home about having a family meeting and including Tobias and Vance regarding the college and retirement funds. Having it the following day had been discussed but both knew Abby would not be leaving without details and why go through it twice? Tony gave a small nod.
"Abs, would you call Vance and ask him to stop over with the kids? I'll call Ducky and then give Fornell a call and ask him to come with Emily. Tell them it's a family meeting. Dinner about 6 pm?" Jethro looked at Tony who nodded.
"Want me to call out for pizzas?" McGee asked.
"I froze a couple pans of lasagna for nights when we work late. Why don't I pop a couple in the oven?" Tony offered. "I could run out and get stuff for a salad."
"I can make the salad," Abby offered. "I'm going to run home and change. I have plenty of stuff for salad, if you'll make that special vinaigrette dressing?"
"Sure," Tony agreed. "If I had a couple loaves of Italian bread, I could make some garlic bread."
"I'm going to go home and change, too. I'll stop on the way back and pick some up," McGee offered. "I can also pick up some drinks and ice."
"Sounds like a plan." Jackson said.
Section 65
By 5:30, the house was smelling wonderful. In deference to Zuma's separation anxiety, Jethro had laid down on the couch with his dad in the recliner. Jethro appeared to be sleeping but Tony figured he was trying to prepare for tonight too. This seemed to be an accurate assessment as every time Zuma made a trip to be sure Jethro was still there he came back with this fur ruffled.
Tony had been too wired to nap so he and Zuma were on KP duty. When the secret service packed up his apartment they had brought his small chest freezer and wedged it into a corner of Jethro's laundry room. After inspecting the contents, Tony had laid out a variety cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. He pulled out four casseroles and while they were thawing a bit, Tony and Zuma had managed to bake a batch of triple chocolate chip cookies.
Tony had pulled out a pan of meat lasagna that he believed that Jethro would enjoy. It had a lot of ground sirloin, less cheese and a lower spiced tomato based sauce. He also selected a more traditional lasagna for McGee and Palmer. Tony had used a tomato basil lasagna noodle with a thick marinara sauce and Italian sausage. In between the layers he had used generous layers of ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
For Abby, Tony had her favorite vegetarian lasagna with spinach noodles. It had layers of ricotta cheese, mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, squash and eggplant with a delicately spiced cream sauce. His last was his latest experiment. Tony had found lasagna was an easy dish to freeze and could be packaged in individual servings for lunch and leftovers, unlike one of his favorite pasta dishes, fettucine alfredo. Not liking the broccoli cooked in the frozen dish, he had special ordered some broccoli lasagna noodles and alternated layering them with egg noodles. In between the layers was sliced chicken and a smattering of carrots and red bell pepper. His sauce was a rich parmesan/Romano cream style and topped with a few bread crumbs.
"Son, I think you're spoiling us." Coming into the kitchen, Jackson had opened the oven, enjoying the smells.
Jethro had followed Jackson into the kitchen but had made a beeline for the cookies. He paused with one on the way to his mouth, waiting for Tony to protest they were for after dinner. When his husband didn't say a word, Jethro looked more closely at the small plate of cookies. There weren't enough for everyone.
"You and Jackson go ahead," Tony smiled. "I've already put up the ones for after dinner. Those are for you to have now."
Jackson patted him on the shoulder on his way to the cookies. "You ever get tired working for Jethro, you could start a restaurant."
"Dad, leave my senior agent alone."
"Don't worry, I wouldn't want a restaurant," Tony said. "I like trying new dishes and I enjoy cooking for my friends and my family." Tony savored those words. "Just wish I had a second oven."
"Why didn't you mention that to the architect?"
"What?" Tony was focused on mixing the spices for Abby's vinaigrette.
"That you'd like a second oven."
Tony stopped and turned to look at Jethro. "I guess I just didn't think of it."
Jethro caught his father's look. Both of them were undoubtedly thinking the same thing. Senior had a lot to answer for in his treatment of Tony. When reviewing the home plans, Tony had been insistent that Jackson have what amounted to a suite on the first floor with a door that opened directly to the woodworking room. Tony had been adamant the outdoor cooking area be to Jethro's standard and that the patio area be set up comfortably for his family. It had been Jethro who insisted on the media/game room. It never occurred to Tony to design the kitchen to his own desire. "Monday we'll call and talk to Williams. Don't they make those big stoves with double ovens?"
"The commercial ones?" Jackson asked.
"Yeah. Some even have a griddle/grill on them."
"Jethro, we don't need anything that fancy." Tony protested.
Stepping over to his husband, Jethro looked directly in his eyes. "You love to cook. Think about us, our family, can you see us in that kitchen?" Jethro noticed Tony biting his lip and noticed his quick glance around the kitchen. On a hunch, Jethro turned to include Jackson in the conversation. "You know, dad, I was thinking about that kitchen in the new house. I'm not sure how we are going to fit a table in that room. I know there's a formal dining room, but when the family gets together we seem to like to sit in the kitchen with Tony."
With an approving look, Jackson watched Tony's face as he replied. "You know with the porch wrapping around now, that little covered patio isn't really needed. Maybe Williams could close that in for a dining room and merge the current dining room with the kitchen.
"Between the two of us I think we could make a family table for in there. This one is getting a bit small with the way our family is expanding. We could make a big, round table that could set eighteen to twenty people so there's room for everyone."
"Come to think of it. That counter could be extended the length of the new area with big windows above it. That way you could set up a buffet in that area overlooking the pool." Jackson tossed out.
"I'm sure that a kitchen that big would have plenty of room for a commercial stove, dishwasher, built in fridge and freezer; plenty of storage." Jethro stopped as Tony's eyes filled.
"Jethro, I…We don't have to go to all that trouble."
"You deserve to have the kitchen of your dreams in our dream home. Tell me, you can't imagine all of us sitting around that table on birthdays, Thanksgiving or Christmas."
Tony couldn't as his imagination saw little Victoria's birthday party, father's day celebrations for Jackson and Ducky. He saw him and Jethro laughing with their family.
"We'll call Williams on Monday and get our family kitchen, okay?" Jethro broke the cookie he was holding in to offering half to his husband.
"Okay." Tony didn't think he could get any happier as he let Jethro feed him the cookie.
Laughter preceded Abby and McGee as they arrived. "Tony, it smells wonderful." McGee complimented him as he put several loaves of bread on the table.
Whirlwind Abby put her salad down, kissed the three Gibbs men on the checks, patted Zuma and peered into the oven. "You made my favorite!"
"Would I have lasagna and not?" Tony laughed. "I know how much you love the vegetable variety."
"You've had it before?" Jethro asked as he pulled out two knives with serrated edges.
"Abs was my guinea pig when I was working on the recipe."
"Abigail a guinea pig? Far too lovely for that."
"Ducky!" Abby buzzed by greeting him with a kiss.
"Mr. Palmer is parking his car." Ducky informed them. "I believe that Director Vance just pulled up, also."
Tony smiled at the assembly line that Jethro and Abby had set up. Jethro and Jackson sliced the loaves. Abby and McGee buttered the slices with the special butter Tony had prepared. Ducky was drafted into lining them up on the trays. Taking the four casseroles out of the oven, Tony put them to rest on the counter. In short order the garlic bread was in the oven.
The assembly shifted their focus. Clean up was swift and then the casseroles were arranged on the table along with large bowls of salad, baskets of garlic bread, Tony's vinaigrette, French and buttermilk dressings. Ice, soft drinks, lemonade and iced tea were arranged on the counter with coffee.
As the Vances, Fornells and Palmers arrived they were greeted happily and encouraged to eat. Tony watched happily as everyone filed by piling their plates high. Kitchen chairs were pulled in to the living room for extra seating. Abby and McGee sat at the coffee table with Emily, Kayla and Jared. Once the meal had been consumed, the youngsters begged to take Zuma outside to play ball. After promising to be careful and not leave the yard, they ended up going out alone when Zuma refused to leave his place at Gibbs' feet.
"I'm assuming this meeting is to discuss what you and Agent DiNozzo found in Palermo."
"Drop the formality, Vance. This is a family meeting." Vance quickly hid his shock at Gibbs' declaration.
Tony spoke up. "Everyone in this room has supported me through the past two weeks. Through the arrest, the incidents with Senior and everything else. You are like family to me, so tonight, I'm just Tony, this is Gibbs."
Fornell looked at Gibbs in shock but the man didn't disagree. "Tony, call me Tobias."
Everyone looked at Vance in expectation. "Fine. Call me Leon."
"As all of you know, we went to Palermo hoping to track down Christian Fabbri or my biological family. We found my mother." Happy exclamations forced Tony to pause. "We also found Christian Fabbri."
"Is he your father?" Abby was bouncing.
"No, Abs. It seems that I am Christian Antonio Fabbri." The room erupted in exclamations. "My mother was Brigida Fabbri."
"She's dead?" Breena said softly.
"No, she isn't dead. My mother is now Sister Martha Agnes." Tony felt Jethro take his hand in support.
It was Fornell who summed up their feelings. "Your mother is a nun?"
Abs just sat there her mouth open. "Flies, Abs." Jethro smiled at her.
"Of course, she wasn't when I was born." With help from Jethro, Tony shared all the information that they had uncovered regarding his birth.
"So, it's an American who was stationed in Palermo and is now in DC?" McGee clarified. "I'll start a search the minute I get home."
"Thanks, McGee."
"How did they get ahold of so much information about you and Tony?"
Jethro hated this part. "They had sources including Jen and … Sister Therese Joseph."
"Sister Therese Joseph? But… She's a nun…" Abby protested.
"And apparently a friend of my mother."
"She used me. A nun used me. I'm going to…"
"Calm down, Abby. It wasn't meant maliciously."
"I betrayed you." Abby was horrified. "I betrayed you."
"No, Abs." Tony leaned forward and hugged her. "It's okay. We're okay. But there is something else I need to tell everyone. It appears that Sister Martha Agnes and I are the last two members of the Fabbri family. They were apparently one of the wealthiest families in Palermo. The money has done little more than generate interest since my birth."
"You're the sole heir?" McGee asked.
"Not anymore." Tony squeezed Jethro's hand. "While we were in Palermo, the trust was officially turned over to Jethro and I."
Around the room, people were exchanging looks. It was Vance who finally asked the question. "Just how much money are we talking about?"
"Enough that if Tony had grandchildren, even their great-great-great children would never have to work."
"Your jobs?" Vance frowned.
"We're keeping them." Jethro stated firmly. "We are having a home built but we don't see ourselves changing anything else."
"We may take some of our accumulated vacation leave now and then." Tony interjected.
"HR would love that."
"What are your plans for your inheritance, Anthony?" Ducky watched Jethro and Tony closely.
"That's one reason for the family meeting." Gibbs pulled several envelopes from the carry-on while Tony spoke. "I want to set up some charities and scholarships. Luckily Signor Moretti had many international clients. He was able to set up several scholarships for me." Gibbs passed out a series of envelopes. "What Jethro just distributed is information on the 'Shannon Gibbs', 'Kelly Gibbs', 'Jacqueline Thomas Vance' and 'Caitlin Todd' scholarship programs." Once the eruption of voices died down, Tony went on, "I would like the family to have a hand in running the scholarships and was hoping you would set on the boards. Ducky, I would like to set up a scholarship for coroners in your name. I was hoping that you and Jimmy would help organize it."
"I would be honored, Anthony."
"Absolutely." Jimmy confirmed.
"Now comes the other part." Tony took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I don't want anyone to… I want to…"
"What Tony is trying to say is that he wanted to be sure our family was taken care of." Gibbs handed out more envelopes. "Trust funds have been set up for the kids' education."
"Tony. Gibbs." Jimmy had opened the envelope and then just passed it wordlessly to Breena. "This is…"
"For our family's future. Tony wants to be sure that no matter what happens all the children will be well taken care of and should any other children be born; their funds will automatically be created. That includes any that your sister has, McGee."
Fornell looked up with tears in his eyes. "I don't know what to say. Emily is…"
"Family." Tony said firmly. "Just like you, Tobias. Which brings us to the last announcement. We know our jobs our dangerous and we wanted to be sure that if anything happened, the family would be protected." Gibbs passed around the last set of envelopes. This time everyone received one. "Gibbs and I set up retirement trust funds."
"Anthony, my dear boy, I have no need."
"Gibbs told me that, Ducky but you're family, too."
Vance shook his head. "Look, DiNozzo, Gibbs…"
"Leon, you may not like it, but you're part of the team, part of the family." Tony said flatly. "We care about you, Kayla and Jared. We want their future protected, even if we aren't there."
"Thank you." Vance had no other words.
"Tony, we never…" Jimmy struggled for words.
"I know. I was afraid you would think I was trying to buy your friendship, but that was before I realized that we are a family. This is what family does. So, how about dessert?"
Jethro headed for the coffee pot, Jackson to call the kids and Tony to set out desserts leaving their stunned company to stare at the envelopes and each other. Some were not sure what the biggest surprise was, the trusts or the fact that they were now part of the Gibbs-DiNozzo family.
Section 66
"Morning." Jackson said as Tony entered the kitchen.
"Almost afternoon." Jethro added.
"I can't believe I slept that long." Tony headed for the coffee pot.
"Big night, last night."
Tony remembered the evening with a smile. By the time dessert was consumed some of the shock had been wearing off. Then came the favorite part of the night for Tony. Souvenirs. He savored the joy on their faces. Abby had been thrilled at the custom designed purse. It was pure Abby. The leather, a deep black with exquisite tooling, which had brought about a loud squeal as Abby realized the pattern was delicately carved helixes forming diamonds around tiny crosses. Tony couldn't wait for her birthday. The leather maker was sending some matching embossed leather that Abby could have made into boots, cuffs, a collar, even a bustier if she wanted.
"Abby sure was thrilled with her purse. Thought she had punctured my ear drum for a bit."
"Poor Zuma." When Abby had squealed, Zuma had jumped and ran, straight through Abby's neglected cheesecake. Then the poor pup had to suffer the indignity of being washed. Tony looked over to where Zuma was contentedly chewing on his leather raccoon. "She scared him so bad."
"Never seen anyone so happy over a purse."
"Wasn't the purse." Jethro corrected his father. "It was the fact that Tony knew her so well and could help design a pattern so perfect for her."
"I'm just glad McGee and Palmer thought to bring my mattress set in out of the garage the other day. By the time I thought about the box springs, it was so late I figured we'd be sleeping on the floor." Tony smiled at Jethro. "Or we could have curled up under the boat."
"So what's on agenda for today?" Jackson asked.
"I thought I'd put in a load of laundry." Tony spoke up. "Then maybe Zuma and I'll go for a run."
"Want some company? We could do laundry after our run." Jethro asked.
"I'd like that."
"Dad, want to come to the park with us?"
"The Phillies are playing the Astros. Thought I'd settle in and watch the game. I could cook dinner." Jackson offered.
"Do we have any leftovers?" Jethro asked. He'd actually sampled the different lasagnas and liked them all, even to his surprise, the vegetable one.
Tony nodded. "There's about a third of a pan each of the meat and the cheese."
"Any more chicken?" Jackson asked remembering how Breena had taken one bite and then said, "Tony, I hate you. I'll be at the gym twice as long this tomorrow to work this off."
"I put a piece back for you and sent the rest home with Jimmy and Breena."
"What about the vegetable?"
"Abby took that home, I think." Tony went to look in the refrigerator. There on the top shelf, wrapped carefully and labeled 'Gibbs', was a generous helping of the vegetable lasagna. "You're in luck. Abby left you a piece. Usually she's pretty stingy with it."
"Did you send food home with everyone?" Jackson asked.
"Sure. The Vances took some of the cheese and some of the meat. Fornell and Emily took chicken and cheese."
"McGee?" Jethro said.
"Cheese."
"Do you always make extra to send home?" This was another side of Tony Jethro was learning.
"Usually. Left to her own devices, Abby survives on Cafe Pow and bean sprouts. She pulls as many hours as we do, so she doesn't have a lot of time or desire to cook. McGee tries to watch his weight but I've noticed that he sometimes does so at the expense of getting enough protein and carbs. A balanced diet is important to help him get his weight stable."
"The Palmers?" Jethro asked encouraging him to continue.
"I started including Jimmy and Breena when she was pregnant. I noticed Palmer was eating a lot of cold cuts. They were watching their budget at the time. When I asked, Jimmy said everything was making Breena sick when she cooked. I talked to Ducky and he recommended some bland items. I told Jimmy I was trying some new recipes and asked him to be a guinea pig. I encouraged him to take the 'leftovers' home."
Jethro noticed the proud look on Jackson's face. It was in contrast to how nonchalant Tony was. He shook his head realizing that Tony didn't see it was anything special. They needed to be fed, so he fed them. Every day Jethro was realizing how truly remarkable his husband was and how lucky he was. "Sounds like we have dinner covered, dad."
"Did you eat this morning?" Tony scanned the refrigerator contents.
"Dad and I had eggs and toast earlier. Want me to cook you some?"
"I usually don't eat a lot before I run." Tony said absently. "My lungs work better that way."
Before Jackson could ask about it, Jethro shook his head. He would explain that to his father later. "What are you going to eat then?"
Tony was now poking in the small pantry. "A-ha!" He emerged holding a box of protein bars up, in triumph. "Jethro, water?"
"Two." Jethro watched Tony carry out five bottles of room temperature water. "You need to change?"
"Nope. You?" Both men had chosen sweats, tees and sneakers for their Sunday attire.
"Nope. I'm ready if you are." Jethro finished his most recent cup of coffee. "Enjoy your game, dad."
"Enjoy your run!"
"Now, let's see." Tony retrieved the jogging stroller McGee had given him. Finally hitting the right button, he put the water, protein bars and some apples in the back pocket. In the tray under the bed, went a bowl for Zuma's water, tug ball and squeaky bone. Two of Zuma's soft blankets was arranged in the bed area. Treats went in the special handle tray. "Zuma, you want to go jogging? Want to go out?"
Having rested up after his morning constitutional, Zuma jumped up excitedly. Tail wagging, Zuma headed for the door to the backyard, stopped, went back and grabbed his raccoon before heading out.
The park was only a couple blocks which gave them all a chance to stretch their legs. Only a couple yards from home, Zuma stopped and dropped his raccoon at Jethro's feet. Tony laughed, "Want Daddy to carry that for you?" With a look at Tony, Jethro picked up the toy and put it the bed of the stroller.
Midway through the second block, Zuma stopped, looked around, sat down and barked. "Come on, Zuma." Tony coaxed. Zuma laid down.
Jethro knelt down and scratched his ears. Zuma rolled over exposing his belly for equal access. "I think he's reached his limit. Haven't you, pup? Ready to ride now?" Picking him up, Jethro unhooked his leash, sat him on the bed; and hooked his collar to the internal ring. The stylish red and black stroller had lots of security features and zip open mesh windows that could be adjusted based on the weather. It was obvious Uncle McGee had done research.
For his first trip, Jethro and Tony had decided to open the rear window so Zuma could see Tony and the side window a bit, so that Jethro could be seen. The front was about half open. If the wind was too much Zuma could curl down into this bed or he could sit up and see where they were going. A whimper of uncertainty had both men kneeling down to soothe the pup. Realizing his men were still there, Zuma decided to chew on his raccoon.
By the time Jethro and Tony got to the park, the movement had lulled the pup to sleep. His body cuddled in the blankets; and head on his raccoon. He slept happily through the first half of their jog. On the other side of the park, Jethro and Tony paused to drink some water. Deciding to let Zuma play a bit, Jethro took him out and put him on his leash. Meanwhile, Tony sat Zuma's bowl out and gave the pup a drink.
The two men played with the pup for most of the afternoon, wrestling and playing tug with his new leather toy. They even rolled the small ball around, letting Zuma bounce and then coaxing him to 'hand' them the ball so they could roll it again. When the pup was tired out, Tony gave him a cuddle and tucked him back into his stroller for the trip back. About a block from the house, the men slowed to a walk.
The evening was just what Tony had always longed to have. A family dinner. Teasing Jackson about having to support the Nationals. Doing laundry in between watching television. Cuddled next to Jethro, a sleeping Zuma on his lap. Then falling into bed exhausted; snuggled between his loved ones.
Section 67
It was barely four am and the owner of the office was cursing as he fumbled the lock. The door opened as he complained. "When I get ahold of whoever set off this alarm, I will have his ass in a sling."
"That would be me."
That voice. He froze for a minute then slammed his hand onto the light switch. Gibbs. In his office. Gibbs. In his chair. Gibbs.
Temporarily ignoring his visitor, he took quick look around the office for anything out of place; noting the glass of his bourbon next to man occupying his chair. "Make yourself at home," he said sarcastically.
"No one answered my knock, so I let myself in. Good bourbon, by the way."
"I assume you set off the alarm for a reason."
"Quit hovering and have a seat. I think it's time we discuss this asinine plan of yours."
With Gibbs in his chair, he was forced to sit in one of the visitor's chairs. There was a certain irony in the situation, but he tried to pass it off. "Before I call the MP's and have you taken in for breaking and entering, what the hell are you doing in my office?"
"Take it down a notch." Gibbs smirked. "We both know why I'm here."
He had the choice of bluff or fold; folding was not an option. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do. You and Sister Martha Agnes. Or should I say Brigida Fabbri?"
"She swore an oath she wouldn't say anything." And with those words, he folded.
"She didn't."
"How?"
"Gut."
"The famous Gibbs' gut. That's all you have?" He scoffed.
"Woke up earlier today and couldn't get back to sleep. Might say I put a few pieces together. Like your bio when you were appointed. Knew I'd heard Palermo before. Thought it was an old war story. Did you know there's a place online that stores pictures of websites? Preserves original pages. Noticed you had Palermo changed to Italy on the website last week." Gibbs eyed him coldly. "Brigida and Tony may have bought your poor innocent husband routine, but I know you. You knew exactly what you were doing. You ruined both their lives and you walked away, playing the injured party."
"It ruined my marriage; cost me my kids." He protested.
"It wasn't your first affair or the first time you were caught. When you were appointed, there were rumors about the infidelity and the fact that your kids don't use your last name anymore."
"What do you want, Gibbs?"
"You tell Tony or I do."
"Now listen here…"
"No, you listen. You have twenty-four hours."
"I can recommend promotions…"
"This isn't negotiable. Isn't that one of your favorite phrases?"
"Dammit, Gibbs. If this comes out, it could ruin my career."
"Oh, please. Save your whining. When a President can have an affair in office, I hardly think one from nearly forty years ago will even be a blip on your radar. In fact, Tony is a hero for turning in Senior. You can talk about how proud you are of your son."
"Who's married to another man."
"I seem to remember you were involved in that. That's the point I hadn't quite figured out. Why marriage? Don't even think lying. I'll find out the truth. Were you trying to get rid of both of us? Hope the agency would turn hostile over a same sex marriage."
"Brigida. She recommended it."
"And?"
"You've been a pain in my ass for years. So, yes, I did have some hope that I'd be rid of the both of you. I've tried to get DiNozzo out for years. When he joined NCIS, I figured two years and he'd move on. Then, I had Shepherd offer him Rota and he turned it down. When you trotted off to Mexico, I suggested him for the Benoit op and thought René would handle him." He ignored Jethro's exclamation.
"I thought he'd quit when you came back, but he just stepped down. I convinced Leon to send him off to sea. I was so sure he'd quit; then you demanded your team back and Vance gave in. I thought marrying him off to you was the answer. I was so damned sure you'd refuse. It was perfect but you married him. When you 'divorced', I was going to insist Vance reassign him."
"We won't be divorcing. Tony and I are planning a future together."
"So you're both gay. Four marriages had to end for some reason." He laughed bitterly. "Then Brigida gave you those damn files and DiNozzo became a hero."
Gibbs downed the last of his bourbon and slammed the glass on the desktop. Rising he stepped around the desk. "So you did know about the files. You are a real bastard."
"Takes one to know one."
"Second 'b' for Bastard. I've never denied it." Opening the door, Gibbs stepped out and didn't even turn as he state flatly. "You tell Tony or I do. You have twenty-four hours. Oh, and Mabus, don't try anything. I will destroy you."