It was dark by the time they reached the DiNozzo mansion. Tony ushered Gibbs into the house and led him to the kitchen.

"When was the last time you ate something?" Tony asked.

"Couple days," Gibbs answered honestly after a short pause. "Withholding food is a popular training method."

"You don't look too well trained to me," Tony shot Gibbs a wink, and Gibbs chuckled. Tony rifled through the cupboards in silence for a moment before emerging with various packets. "Ok, I got Mac n' Cheese, I got Shake n' Bake, or I got something I've never seen before with writing that's all in German and I wouldn't recommend it." Gibbs laughed again, and Tony's grin widened in response. Their conversation was cut short by someone coming into the kitchen.

"Who's there?"

Gibbs turned towards the female voice, as Tony answered the question. "It's ok, Rosa, it's just me."

"Ah, Tony!" Gibbs watched as an old woman stepped into the kitchen and embraced Tony. "You took very long, your father thought you skipped town again."

"I guess he's not around, huh?"

"Oh, no. He left for New York," Rosa turned to Gibbs and sighed. "I see you bought. I'm so sorry caro, I know you did not want this."

"It's ok," Tony tried to smile. "Rosa, this is Gibbs."

"Pleased to meet you," Gibbs said as the woman looked him over.

"Oh no," Rosa tutted. "This will not do. So skinny. Sit down. I'll make you something." Rosa moved to the fridge and Gibbs looked over to Tony, who just smiled and sat down at the kitchen counter. Gibbs followed suit and watched as Rosa began throwing together a meal.

"You should have called," Rosa chided Tony as she cooked. "I would have made stew."

"Really Rosa," Tony smiled at her concern. "It's ok."

"It is not ok," Rosa waved a wooden spoon between the two men as she spoke. "Boys must eat."

Gibbs laughed at this, and Rosa turned a glare on him. "No offence," he offered by way of an explanation. "I'm thirty-six years old. Not exactly a boy anymore."

Rosa chuckled in return. "Thirty-six? I am twice your age. You are still a pup."

"It's best not to argue," Tony stage-whispered. "My father might own this place, but Rosa's the boss around here."

Gibbs honestly didn't know what to say, so he settled for smiling back at Tony. A few moments passed in silence, before Rosa was dishing up two omelettes and placing them in front of the men.

"Eat," Rosa encouraged. "Tomorrow I will make you a proper breakfast."

Tony wasted no time digging in to his meal, and Gibbs waited only a moment before doing the same. Rosa smiled with satisfaction and, when they were done, she took the plates and replaced them with two glasses of milk. Gibbs and Tony shared a look before drinking the milk, and Rosa took the glasses too.

"To bed," Rosa instructed as soon as they were finished. "It is late. You must sleep."

Tony pulled himself out of his seat, Gibbs following closely behind. "Goodnight Rosa," Tony said.

"Buonanotte."

Gibbs gave Rosa a short nod, before following Tony's lead out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

(~*~)

Tony closed the door behind Gibbs; giving the older man a moment to take in his surroundings. Gibbs looked from the king size bed, to the dresser, the flat screen TV, the futon, and back to Tony.

"Bathroom's through there," Tony indicated, not knowing what else to say. "If you want to clean up. There's a tub; you can soak for a while."

"Never been much for soaking," Gibbs chuckled. "But I will use your shower."

"Great," Tony smiled. "You can use some of my shampoo and stuff; we'll have to get a toothbrush and toiletries tomorrow."

Gibbs didn't reply, he just headed towards the door Tony had pointed to and disappeared into the bathroom. Tony took a deep breath and let it out slow. He heard the shower turn on, and set about getting the room ready for the night.

The hot spray came down on Gibbs' face, and it felt heavenly. He hadn't had a decent wash in months. The rags he'd been wearing were in a heap on the floor because Gibbs hadn't known if there was any point in washing them. Hell, he didn't even know what clothes he'd be getting here or even if he'd be getting clothes at all. All he could really say for sure was that he trusted Tony. The young man was just trying to find the best way out of a bad situation for both of them. Gibbs appreciated that. Heaving a sigh, Gibbs reached up to turn off the shower. As much as he wanted to bask in the hot water, he didn't want to keep Tony waiting.

Tony turned when Gibbs exited the bathroom. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, and his short hair was sticking up at odd angles. Tony smiled at the sight.

"I grabbed you some of my jogging bottoms," Tony said. "They might not fit you well, but it's all I've got for now." Gibbs merely nodded, so Tony kept talking. "You can take the bed; I've got the futon set up for myself. We should really get some sleep." Tony, who was already changed for bed, set about plumping his pillows, giving Gibbs the privacy to exchange the towel for the jogging bottoms. He was about to climb onto the futon when Gibbs spoke up.

"You sure you don't want the bed?" He asked, and Tony looked up to see an uncertain expression on his face. "I can take the futon."

"No, I insist," Tony said with a smile. "I'm not gonna pretend to know what you went through back there, but I can bet you haven't had a real bed in a while. Get some rest, Gibbs."

Gibbs held Tony's gaze for a moment longer, before giving a short nod. The smile he got in return was dazzling, and Tony climbed onto the futon without another word. Gibbs moved to the bed, running a hand along the duvet before pulling back the covers to get in. He couldn't stop the sigh of contentment that escaped when he finally settled down. Tony hid his grin in his own pillow.