Tony was tense next to Gibbs as they drove to Abby's directions from the back. They were headed for Abby's contact to get Gibbs' mark covered. On the way they had explained to Gibbs the problem with the passport, and he agreed with Abby's assessment.

They pulled over when Abby told them to, and Tony handed Gibbs some change when they were clear of the car.

"Abby is going to meet her guy," Tony pointed vaguely to the boarded up building behind them. "You call yours while she's in there." Gibbs nodded and turned towards the pay phone they had stopped next to. Tony kept watch as Gibbs dialled a number and spoke in hushed tones. When he was done, Tony tried to keep the nervousness he was feeling out of his expression.

"Tobias said he can do it," Gibbs supplied as he stepped out of the phone booth. It'll take three days, but he lives a day's drive from here. If we can get everything ready and be leaving by tomorrow, we can stay with him a night while he finishes up and be on our way."

"Perfect," Tony smiled, not resisting the urge to hug Gibbs. The idea that before long they could be affectionate with each other whenever they pleased made Tony giddy. Gibbs was hugging back, and Tony felt a kiss pressed to his temple.

"We should go inside," Gibbs spoke, but made no move to separate himself from Tony. After a few more seconds, Tony made the sacrifice and pulled himself away. Taking Gibbs' hand in his, Tony smiled before leading them both into the building Abby had entered moments before.

(~*~)

Gibbs and Tony shared an amused look when they entered the room. Abby was looking at tattoo equipment; leaning over the tattoo artist in a way that could never be mistaken as platonic. Tony cleared his throat, and Abby looked up with a smile.

"Guys, this is Kate," Abby indicated to the woman in the chair, who smiled up at them. "Katie, this is Tony and Gibbs."

"Which one of you am I inking?" Kate asked. Gibbs stepped forward and rolled up his sleeve in answer. Abby moved out of the way to let Kate get a look. To Tony's surprise, she didn't even blink at the mark on Gibbs' forearm that clearly indicated he was a murderer. She nodded for him to sit before taking his arm and pressing at his skin to assess the work. Abby inched closer as Kate began to uncover her inks.

"You see, the problem a lot of people get with covering these things up," Kate's voice took on an educational tone as she worked. "The ink they use to mark you is metallic. It shows up under specific light, and that's how feds know who you are even if you've had it covered. The trick is to first cover the mark with the same metallic ink."

"Won't that look suspicious?" Tony ventured. Kate smiled at him patiently before dipping her needle in the prepared ink."

"Not the way I do it," she winked. "I'm going to cover this up with a mark that labels you a lesser criminal. That way, if you get scanned, they'll assume you've served your time and had it covered to increase your job prospects."

"So what are you making him?" Abby asked, excited.

"I'm thinking something white collar," Kate replied. "They get lesser sentences, and even the ones who are enslaved usually end up serving their sentences with some rich guy they helped out."

"Don't we know it," Abby laughed, looking over at Tony.

"The only other question," Kate turned her attention to Gibbs. "What do you want to cover the fake mark?"

Gibbs looked like he hadn't even thought about that. Tony stepped closer to offer his help.

"It'll have to be something dark," he considered. "You were a marine, maybe you'd want, like, their logo, or something?"

Gibbs couldn't help chuckling at Tony's suggestion. "Not happy memories," Gibbs supplied. There was silence for a few seconds before Gibbs spoke up again. "I like boats."

"Boats?" Abby confirmed.

"Sailing," Gibbs clarified.

"An anchor?" Tony suggested.

"Isn't that a little 'Popeye'?" Abby laughed.

"A compass," Kate offered. "I can centre it so the middle part is covering the mark. I can make it nautical."

"I like that," Gibbs smiled at Kate.

"Me too!" Abby added, before shyly amending. "Not that it's any of my business."

"I appreciate your input, Abby," Gibbs smiled, before turning his attention to Tony. "What do you think?"

"It's a great idea," Tony smiled.

"Awesome," Kate started her tattoo gun, and spoke over the buzz. "You guys will want to get comfortable. We're going to be here a while."

(~*~)

Tony closed his eyes and tried to keep his face neutral. Abby was already getting teary in the back of the car. They were almost at her place, and the reality that he and Gibbs were leaving tonight was starting to sink in. Gibbs pulled up at the gate, and looked over to Tony.

"I'll wait here," he said softly. Tony nodded before opening the door and getting out. Abby did the same in the back seat.

Outside Tony didn't have the chance to speak. Abby pulled him into a squeezing hug. Tony hugged back, resting his head on the top of hers.

"It's not forever," Abby spoke from her position leaning on Tony's chest. "I'll give it a few months and then I'll follow you."

"I'll miss you in the mean time," Tony said, tightening his grip for a second. "As soon as I know we're safe, I'll send you a letter to let you know where we are."

Abby pulled away to look at Tony's face. "I love you," she said with a smile. "You're my goofy big brother for life."

"And you're my crazy little sister," Tony agreed, sweeping some of Abby's hair from her cheek with the back of his hand. He pretended not to feel the wetness of tears as he did so.

"See you soon," Abby stepped away towards her house. "Be safe."

Tony couldn't bring himself to speak. He gave her a teary smile and a wave, and turned back towards the car.

(~*~)

The night was dark, and the road ahead was empty. Glancing at the dash clock, Tony saw it blinking 0200 at him.

"Maybe we should find a motel," he said softly. Gibbs had been driving for hours; refusing to let Tony take the wheel as he'd been dissolving into tears on and off since leaving Abby. Gibbs has assured Tony it was understandable, but joked that he'd rather they didn't run into a tree.

"Keep an eye out," Gibbs said by way of agreement. They still had almost a full day's drive to get to Tobias' place, and the guy was a conspiracy nut so his home was well out of the way. Gibbs needed to be alert if he was going to get them there.

Tony nodded and looked out of the window. Still with his head turned away, Tony sought out Gibbs' hand, resting on the seat between them. Gibbs entwined their fingers without a word. The tattoo on his forearm didn't ache anymore, and with Tony here beside him and an empty road stretched out ahead, Gibbs had the feeling everything was going to be ok.

The End.