SquidgeWorld Archive

title: a stay to remember
characters: gibbs, dinozzo, ocs
rating: gen
spoilers: season one
warnings: not canon (see, rinkle, I did choose to... take the easy way out. *shameface* still, lots of thanks for the help), no pairing, and... a little sloppy


a stay to remember

Tony: You remember when I stayed with you that time, when it didn't really go so well?
Gibbs: Yeah. I remember, DiNozzo.
Tony: Well, listen. I was younger then. Immature, a little unfocused...
Gibbs: It was six months ago, Tony.


6 months ago...


"Ducky, how's he doing?"

Tony's answer to that question was clear. He rolled onto his side and retched.

"That good, huh?" Gibbs winced, watching as Ducky patted Tony's back, murmuring encouraging words.

"He's going to feel that drug cocktail for a few days, Jethro. If it gets worse, we might have to get him admitted."

"No," Tony rasped. He didn't say anything else - just lay back on the gurney with a pleading look.

"Is it necessary?" Gibbs asked, putting a hand to Tony's cheek. It felt hot.

"Probably not. What he needs is rest," Ducky said, a slight smile on his lips.

"I'll give him a ride home. Make sure he's settled."

Ducky nodded. "You do that. Are you on call this weekend?"

Gibbs shook his head. "I signed us off till Monday. We've been on this case since Sunday morning."

"Good," Ducky replied. "That should be enough." He checked the IV the EMTs had stuck in Tony's arm and upon seeing that it was almost empty, removed the needle quickly. He pressed Gibbs' thumb on the puncture wound and went to get a band aid. When he was done, he patted Tony's arm a last time and opened the door to the parking garage.

"DiNozzo, up. We're going home." Gibbs' order was met with an unhappy grumble from the almost sleeping man on the bed.

"I'll stay here," Tony decided.

"You're in the foyer of the morgue, Tony. You have a three day weekend ahead of you." Gibbs stepped back quickly when Tony rolled on his side and took a deep breath.

"You going to puke again?"

"Not sure," Tony replied and tried to sit up. He managed a few inches and Gibbs pulled him up the rest of the way. The quick change in altitude didn't do much for Tony's stomach and he bent over again. Ducky helpfully provided a clean bucket.

"The EMTs gave you water earlier, didn't they?" Gibbs grumbled. That explained how Tony could throw up so much after eating almost nothing for the past two days. He grabbed another clean bucket from under the sink and pressed it in Tony's hands. "You're not going to puke in my car," he stated and helped Tony stand - slower this time.

"I might have popped my knee, boss."

"Want Ducky to wrap it?"

"I can do it at home. I'm just saying," Tony answered.

"Okay." Gibbs noted which knee it was and helped Tony walk over to his car. It was a slow limp, but eventually they got to Gibbs' sedan.

"Ah, boss?"

"What now?"

Tony hesitated before rushing out his next sentence. "You'll have to drop me off at a hotel."

"Don't tell me your building is doing damage control again." Seeing Tony's guilty reaction, he frowned. "That's the third time and you've only been working for me for two years."

"I've always been good staying at the office, but..." Tony trailed off, lifting the bucket a little in explanation.

Gibbs sighed. "I know I'm going to regret this, but you can stay at my place this weekend."

"Really?"

"Yes. At least there I can make sure you don't get into trouble. And Ducky did say to look after you."

"Thanks, boss."

"Don't thank me yet. I have rules for my roommates."

"That why you've been married thr-"

Gibbs interrupted him with a glare. "Finish that sentence and you can stay on the streets."

"Won't finish it. Promise."


+


"First rule," Gibbs started, but got interrupted by Tony.

"You don't talk about... Gibbs' marriages?"

"So close, DiNozzo," Gibbs threatened, indicating how close Tony was to getting thrown out with his thumb and index finger. He noted with satisfaction that Tony bit his lip.

"Sorry. Do continue."

"You leave your shoes here," Gibbs finished.

Tony nodded and peeled his shoes off, almost losing his balance when he had to put weight on his damaged knee. Gibbs caught him. "Ouch," he said when he'd gotten the shoes off.

"You want a crutch or something?"

"Might be good, if you don't want to walk me to the bathroom every time I need to piss," Tony pointed out.

Gibbs rolled his eyes and prodded around the umbrella stand for the wooden cane he'd made when Shannon had broken her leg. It was sturdy enough and would even survive DiNozzo's clumsiest move. When he found it, he had to blow dust off the handle before handing it to his agent.

"Thanks."

Giving only a grunt in answer, Gibbs pushed the sliding door to the living room open and stepped aside. "I don't have a guestroom down here. Can you climb stairs with that?"

"Sure, no problem," Tony conceded. "I already know the downstairs area," he continued before Gibbs could explain the layout of the house.

Seeing Gibbs' look, he smiled. "You remember, on that anniversary thing? Of the thing we don't talk about?"

"DiNozzo. Go upstairs; I'll bring your bag. It's the second door on the left."

When Tony had turned and was limping over to the staircase, Gibbs took a deep breath. This was going to be a long weekend.


+


Gibbs woke suddenly and for a moment couldn't figure out why. He concentrated on any sound and winced when he saw faint light come from the bathroom down the hall. He cursed and got up, slipping into a T-shirt as he treaded down the hallway.

"DiNozzo?" he asked quietly, not wanting to startle his guest. There was no answer forthcoming, but he found his agent on the bathroom floor, leaning against the bathtub.

Tony lifted his hand limply in greeting. "Hey, boss."

Gibbs crouched down, his knees cracking like old wood, and felt his agent's pale and sweaty forehead. "You okay?"

In answer, Tony held up a shaking hand. "No," he admitted. Gibbs nodded in acknowledgement. Tony looked sick - nothing Gibbs hadn't expected after Ducky's description.

"Need to go to the hospital?"

Tony shook his head. "Not that bad," he emphasized and rested his head against the rim of the tub. "I just need a few minutes."

Gibbs almost wanted to ask if Tony wanted a shower, but held back. It would only exhaust him more.

"DiNozzo, your life would be so much easier if you didn't get in trouble all the time," he said instead and rested a hand on Tony's shoulder. There were muscle tremors running through his agent's arms, Gibbs realized with a frown.

"I'm not making trouble."

Gibbs opened a drawer to his right and pulled out a face towel. He wetted it in the sink and squeezed the cold water out before resting the cloth on Tony's forehead. "You call getting abducted and drugged no trouble?"

"Abducted?" Tony asked.

Hiding his concern at the sudden shift in Tony's perception, Gibbs nodded. Ducky had told him that hallucinations were common with drug victims, but he hadn't expected them. He still wasn't sure if it was plain memory loss induced by the overdose, or something else.

"A little heroin. Don't tell me you never do it."

"Tony?"

"I've seen you," Tony accused and narrowed his eyes.

Not knowing how to answer that, Gibbs clenched his hand, pressing Tony back against the bathtub. His man was definitely hallucinating - he had to call Ducky.

"You ever taken heroin, Tony?" Gibbs asked, wanting to keep him talking.

"Hah, trick question," Tony replied. "Not voluntarily."

Gibbs frowned. "When?"

"You can't have forgotten. Don't you remember?"

"No, Tony, I don't remember," Gibbs pressed. He wanted to know more, wanted to know who to beat up - who to make responsible.

"That... the Parsons case," Tony explained.

Clenching his free hand into a fist, Gibbs growled. He knew of enough agents who went undercover and never came back, but he hadn't expected DiNozzo to have gone that far - or rather, almost that far. "You..."

Tony interrupted him with a broken smile. "I made a good cover. All for nothing."

Tony's head lolled back then and Gibbs pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around his agent protectively. "I'm taking care of you now. No more of that, you hear me?"


+


"Good morning, Anthony."

Tony turned his head slowly. He had the mother of headaches. "Hey, Duck."

Entering the guest bedroom, Ducky put his bag down on the foot end of the bed. "Jethro sent me to check on you. He said you weren't quite yourself last night?"

"I wasn't?" Anthony asked, shrugging. "I have to admit, I don't remember much - not of last night or the day before."

"That's understandable," Ducky smiled reassuringly at Tony's answer. "Let me check you over?"

"Sure," Tony replied and sighed. "And then I'll take a shower. I feel absolutely disgusting."

"You do smell a bit ripe," Ducky admitted and put his stethoscope to Tony's chest. He hummed, finding his patient's heart rate still a little elevated, and put it back to fetch the equipment he needed to take blood pressure. "I suggest you stay in bed today - or at least on the couch."

"Think Gibbs has a hammock?"

Ducky nodded. "I'm sure he does. However, I'd rather have you stay indoors today. You need sleep."

"Okay."

"Now, don't pout like that," Ducky scolded. "I'll personally ask Jethro to put up the hammock for you tomorrow."

Tony's answer was a brilliant smile. "Thanks, Ducky! I knew I could count on you."

"Do you want me to look at your knee, too?"

"Nah. I probably know what's wrong with that knee better than any doc - no disrespect."

"I saw in your files that you've been in trouble with that knee more than once already."

"Yeah. You know how it is, once broken..."

"Twice shy?" Ducky asked with a smile.

"Something like that," Tony replied. "Hey, do you think I could get Gibbs to cook or something? Because I need healthy nourishment and all that crap?"

Ducky snorted. "I wouldn't do that, in your stead."

"You're probably right. But if it came from a doctor..." Tony trailed off.

"I wouldn't do it in my stead either, Anthony."


+


When Gibbs returned, he half expected Tony to have ignored the doctor's orders and suspected he'd find his agent in the living room or down by the boat with the TV on. Upon entering, he listened to any telltale sounds that Tony was going against Ducky's orders. He heard nothing but the steady tick of the big clock in the living room.

He climbed the stairs and was greeted by a faint greeting coming from Tony's room. He followed it and stopped in the doorway, raising his hand in response.

"Hey."

Tony smiled and pushed the magazine away he had been reading. "Back already?"

Gibbs nodded. Technically, he'd only been gone long enough to wrap up the case. He'd collected the reports and evidence and sealed it up for the agents in the archive to put away. He had to admit that he had hurried. "What did Duck say?"

Tony shrugged. "That my body still needs rest. But if you need some help doing something that involves me not lying here like a piece of dead meat, I'm game," he said, hope audible in his voice. "I'd even help with the boat."

"No chance, DiNozzo. If Ducky says you should stay in bed, that's exactly where you'll be."

"He didn't say I couldn't lie in the basement," Tony argued.

"Can I get you a book or something?"

"A television," Tony replied.

"DiNozzo, what did I tell you about pushing?"

"Not to do it?"

"Exactly." Seeing the dejected expression in his agent's face, Gibbs caved. "I have a deckchair in basement you could rest in just as well. If you promise to be quiet."

"Yes!" Tony exclaimed. "I promise. I'll be quiet, won't make a sound, be quiet as a mouse-"

"Mice make scratching and nibbling sounds, DiNozzo."

"Quiet as a dead mouse, then," Tony amended and sat up. "What are we waiting for?"

Gibbs sighed. "I need a minute to find the deckchair."

He got a snort in answer. "And I need more than a minute to get my carcass downstairs."

"Meet you there," Gibbs answered and left the guest room. He didn't mind DiNozzo's company - it was better to have him there and breathing, making weird movie references and chatting about his dates than not having him there. The past few days had once again proven that. Gibbs had worried, no matter how often he told himself that DiNozzo could get himself out of trouble.

He had just found and was unfolding the deckchair when he heard Tony making his way downstairs. Seeing that DiNozzo seemed oddly uncoordinated, he watched like a hawk, ready to jump and help if Tony crashed.

"On that side you can even watch TV," he explained. That and he would be out of the way and could possibly catch some more sleep.

"Thanks."

Gibbs grabbed an old rug and swiped dust off the wooden planks of the chair before helping Tony lie down. "Comfy?"

"I could use a- rhetorical question, huh?"

Gibbs nodded and went around the boat to get to his work bench. "Catch," he said and threw Tony the remote control for the TV. He winced when he saw how clumsily Tony caught it. He covered it well. "If you zap around, I'll hurt you."

"No zapping," Tony repeated and nodded cheerfully. "Look, Bonanza!"

Gibbs rolled his eyes and went to work. He readied some wooden planks to be fixed to the ribs, but was soon disturbed by Tony's unusual breathing pattern. He went over to the deckchair his agent had fallen asleep in and stood, waiting. Tony's eyes were rapidly moving beneath his closed eyelids.

"DiNozzo, wake up," Gibbs tried, hoping to sound gruff and not concerned. He'd had enough of that the night before.

Tony seemed to choke in his dream, but Gibbs was happy to see that a slap to the head woke him up fast enough.

"What?" Tony asked, confused.

"You were dreaming."

"Yeah." Tony closed his eyes again, bringing a hand up to his temple.

"Anything good?"

"No. Weird dreams," Tony answered, a little too shaky for Gibbs' taste.

"Weird or wet?" Gibbs asked, smirking, giving Tony an opening.

"Both," he got in reply. He nodded and went back to work. DiNozzo hardly ever disappointed Gibbs' expectations of him.

"Boss?" DiNozzo said then, and covered his mouth with a hand.

Gibbs reacted fast and hurried to get him a bucket. When he was done, Gibbs pressed two fingers against his pulse point and counted. "Shouldn't have let you up yet," he said then and asked Tony to lie back. "You and your damn charming ways to get what you want."

"Not my fault you still fall for it, boss."

"Of course. You react like a kicked puppy when I say no," Gibbs replied, hiding his worry behind anger. "Now, as soon as your heartbeat is back to normal, you're going back to bed. And you'll stay there for all of tomorrow."


+


Eventually, Tony ended up on the couch for the remainder of the day while Gibbs was out. After Gibbs had come home and carried boxes full of stuff down into the basement and had left again on his evening run, Tony decided he had stayed in one spot long enough. He decided to cook dinner - nothing strenuous, just noodles with a sauce that could be mashed together from what was left in Gibbs' fridge.

He had just found the cheese grater when the phone rang. Tony was caught in a dilemma. Gibbs, of course, didn't have an answering machine so it would be polite to pick up. But then, Gibbs might just as easily not appreciate Tony picking up his private phone. After the fifth ring, Tony abandoned the sauce blubbering away in the pan and went to answer in the living room.

"Gibbs residence," he said hesitantly.

"Gibbs residence?" a female voice on the other end repeated, doubt in her voice.

"Yes. Gibbs is out and since he doesn't have an answering machine, I thought I'd pick up and... we'd go from there."

"Ah," the woman replied. "So, do you know if our plans for tomorrow are up?"

"Plans?"

"Yes, plans. Remind Jethro that it's his babysitting and barbeque weekend."

"I didn't know that, but I'll tell him to call back - if you give me your name," Tony said, not finishing his sentence. Gibbs had babysitting weekends? Barbeque Sundays?

"Karen. My name's Karen."

"Tony," he replied, not wanting to be impolite. "And I'll tell him as soon as he's back."

After the usual parting words of two strangers on the phone, Tony put the phone back in its docking station and went back to dinner. He cursed his bad luck. Of course, this had to be the weekend for Gibbs to have plans. He was sure he could get a room at the local Holiday Inn for the day.

He switched the gas off and let the sauce rest. He then made his way upstairs to pack. He was almost done when Gibbs came back.

"DiNozzo?"

"Boss," Tony squeaked, not hiding his surprise very well, and turned. "You're back."

"And you're doing what, packing?"

"You've got your babysitting weekend and barbeque, Gibbs. I can't believe you forgot."

"Karen called to confirm, huh?"

Tony nodded. "I'll be out of your hair in a moment," he said, hiding his disappointment with a smile. He would have liked to stay the weekend - the house was nice and Gibbs at home was vastly different from Gibbs at the office.

"You're staying. Just because I have babysitting duty this weekend, doesn't mean you can't stay," Gibbs replied gruffly. "In fact, I bought enough steaks to accommodate two more eaters."

"Two?"

"You usually eat for two, DiNozzo."

"I don't," Tony denied. "It just looks that way, because..."

"Because you eat a lot of crap?"

"I don't consider it crap. They're called snacks."

"You're not going to win that argument, DiNozzo, so you might as well give up." Gibbs pulled the half-packed bag out of Tony's hands and let it drop to the floor. "You're staying. It's my babysitting weekend, after all."

"Did you just call me what I think you did?"

"Your mind is that of a three-year-old. Justin is eight. It'll be like having brothers over. You'll get along great and I'll watch over you."

"Will he bully me like an older brother, too?"

"Probably," Gibbs admitted. "But you've got the size advantage."

"Hah," Tony said, a triumphant grin spreading across his face.

"He's family, so anything will automatically be your fault. You know that, right?"

"I'm not family?" The question came hard and fast, showing that it wasn't a serious one. Gibbs shook his head.

"Not that kind of family," Gibbs answered and left it at that. He had to admit, DiNozzo was growing on him - like that other kind of family there was. The 'I'll have your back in a fight and I know you'll have mine' kind of family Gibbs valued just as much. He chose not to tell DiNozzo that and didn't bother to hide his smile when Tony pouted, wondering just why Tony didn't jump into that opening with a question about what kind of family he was.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked then, breaking the silence.

Tony nodded.

"You cooked," Gibbs said and lifted a hand up, resting his fingers once again at Tony's jaw, taking his pulse.

"I'm good," Tony replied and lifted his hand to push Gibbs' hand away. He simply held the swatting hand and counted.

"I'll bring dinner up," Gibbs ordered then. "You lie down."

"I'm not hungry. Besides, I'll just throw it up anyway," Tony answered, pouting.

"I'll bring you unsalted, fatless crackers. And tea." In a way, it was probably Tony's own fault that he was still throwing up. What he consumed couldn't be called 'calming' for an upset stomach.

"Bruschetta?"

Gibbs frowned.

"You know, you could toast a ciabatta bread and spread the tomato pesto o-"

"Crackers, Tony," Gibbs cut him short. "And remember what I told you about pushing."

He heard Tony huff and lie on the bed on his way out.


+


The night went by blessedly undisturbed, each of them sleeping soundly. Tony was only woken when the sun slowly crept into the guestroom and across the bed. Gibbs had gotten up early and was just waiting for Tony to get up so he could scold him about wet towels and another rule for roommates - to never leave the bathroom in disarray. He didn't know what Tony had done in there, but being sick was no reason not to pick up after himself.

After the initial crash and Tony's apology, they did breakfast quietly, neither of them a big talker before his first cup of coffee. They slurped in companionable silence with only the toaster making rattling sounds.

"Gibbs?" Tony finally began after pouring his second cup.

Gibbs looked up. "DiNozzo?"

"I should probably tell you that I'm not very good with kids."

"None of your girlfriends had one?"

Tony shook his head. "I didn't... I mean, if they had kids, I didn't want to..." he trailed off.

Gibbs tilted his head. "Didn't want to disappoint the kids?"

Tony shook his head. "They might have hoped and I'm not the marrying kind. You know me."

"Better than I ever wanted to," Gibbs retorted with a snort. Still, he understood Tony's fear. He himself had done the same thing.

"You do something wrong, I'll tell you - and the kid will probably let you know, too."

Tony nodded. "Good."

"Don't make Justin cry or you'll have to take it up with me," Gibbs warned him.

"I'll try. I mean, I won't." Tony winced. "Make him cry, that is."

Gibbs rewarded him with a look that said 'you better'.

After breakfast, Gibbs pushed Tony toward the couch, ordering him to get some more rest before the kid arrived. He noted that Tony had abandoned the cane, probably unwilling to show weakness in front of a kid. Gibbs shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. If it gave Tony the advantage he felt he needed, Gibbs wasn't about to argue. By the time he had cleaned up in the kitchen, Tony was once again fast asleep.


+


The familiar sound of Karen's cabriolet announced the kid's arrival and Gibbs went to the front door before the ringing could wake his agent.

"Hey," he greeted them and kissed Karen's cheek. "Justin." He smiled when the boy came around the car to hug him.

"Uncle Jethro!"

Karen took the backpack out of the trunk and handed it to Justin, waiting for Gibbs to send the boy inside so she could have a talk with him.

"Can I look at the boat, Uncle Jethro?"

Gibbs sighed. "Of course, but-" he quickly grabbed the boy's jacket at the hood before he could dash off. "You have to be quiet, okay? A friend of mine is sleeping in the living room and I don't want you to wake him."

"Okay," the boy promised and dashed off as soon as Gibbs let go.

"A friend?" Karen asked.

Gibbs waved her off. "Just one of my agents."

"The one who picked up the phone last night?"

Gibbs nodded. "He's recovering from an undercover mission."

"I see. Well, take care of them, okay? I'll be back tomorrow evening for the barbeque. You have a shopping list for me?"

Gibbs handed a slip of paper to her. "Always prepared," he added with a wink.

"True," she replied and kissed him on the cheek in goodbye. She got into her car and buckled up, waving before she turned the key in the ignition. "See you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," he replied and sent her off with a smile. Then he went back to the house and took a deep breath before opening the door to the basement. It hurt to see Justin moving around the boat with such ease. He both loved those weekends with the boy and cursed them. Most of all, however, he was glad it was a boy and not a girl he had to babysit.


+


Justin helped him sand the wooden planks for a while, but soon got bored and wanted to play outside. Living in an apartment building, he enjoyed the weekends at his uncle's house with its big backyard. Gibbs suspected the kid only wanted to see the boat to check if it was seaworthy already - he remembered vaguely promising the boy to play pirates once it was done. Granting the eager little sailor permission to 'abandon the boat', Gibbs walked upstairs with the kid.

The sliding glass doors to the backyard were in the living room, giving him a chance to make sure Tony hadn't done anything stupid.

"Hey, boss," Tony greeted him.

"DiNozzo, let me introduce you to my... nephew Justin," Gibbs said at length. The kid called him Uncle Jethro, and yet he wasn't really the boy's blood relative - although he did like the thought of having an extended family in the lively boy and his parents. "Justin, this is Tony, a friend from work."

"Nice to meet you, Justin," Tony said and sat up slowly, extending his hand stiffly.

The boy stared for a moment until Gibbs pushed him forward to reciprocate the gesture. "Pleased to meet you, Tony."

Gibbs winced as he saw Tony's expression. He opened the sliding doors and let Justin outside.

"Boss?"

Gibbs sighed. "He's a kid - not mentally deranged, DiNozzo."

"So?"

"You just talk to him like you talk to me. Or rather, a friend. Just talk to him like he's an adult, okay?"

"Okay," Tony amended, but Gibbs could see the doubting expression.

"Now, want to come outside? You could use a few sunrays to get that dead look off your face."

"Thanks."

Gibbs smiled. "No problem. I'm going downstairs and get some rope and a log. You can go outside and... make sure Justin doesn't do anything dangerous."

"And what if he does?" Tony asked, panic in his voice.

"You stop him, DiNozzo!" Gibbs bellowed over his shoulder and made his way down into the basement. How hard could it be, he wondered and forced himself to calm down. Rope and a log - he'd been meaning to build the swing last week to surprise the boy, but hadn't gotten around to building it.

When he returned to the garden, he found Tony balancing Justin on his shoulders, helping the boy getting at the cherries hanging in the lower branches of the huge tree, just out of reach.

"You don't consider that dangerous?" Gibbs asked when Tony laughed and playfully swayed until Justin squealed.

Tony laughed. "No way, boss. Ever seen a cheerleader pyramid?"

"You think I was born an old bastard Gunny?"

"Of course not," Tony quickly amended and Gibbs laughed.

He let the log fall to the ground and waited until Tony had safely delivered the boy back to the ground before speaking. "Justin, remember I promised you a swing?"

"Yes!" the boy yelled and beamed at him.

"I didn't get around to doing it last week, but with your help, we can make it real quick."

"Okay," the boy answered and knelt down in the grass. "What can I do?"

"You're good at climbing, right?" Gibbs asked and smirked when Tony raised his eyebrows and pointed up into the tree.

"Exactly, DiNozzo. Kids are good at climbing."

"Until they fall and break something."

"Shush," Gibbs reprimanded him and tilted his head at Justin. "Tony will lift you up and you're going to sit on the branch and slide along until you're above our heads. I'll throw you the rope."

The boy nodded and Tony did what was asked of him, lifting the boy up. Gibbs watched for any sign of instability in either of them, but soon, Justin was securely sitting up high in the tree.

"Ready?" Gibbs asked and made a secure loop in one end of the rope. Then he threw that end up and instructed the boy to loop the other end of the rope through the hoop.

"You know, Gibbs," Tony started, but was shushed quickly.

"I know I could have done it from down here, but where's the fun in that?" Gibbs asked with a wink.

"You're sneaky, boss."

"So?"

Tony rolled his eyes and Gibbs laughed. Then he took the knife he had brought out of his cargo pants and cut the end of the rope. He made another knot and threw the rope into the tree again.

"Now do the same thing with that one," he explained and waited patiently until the end of the rope was back with him. "Want to jump down or climb?"

"Jump!" the boy yelled and slid back down the branch until he was closer to the ground. Tony spread his arms invitingly and Justin jumped with a scream.

"Well done," Gibbs praised him and tied the rope securely around one end of the log he had brought. "Tony?"

"Yes, boss?"

"Hold the other end up, so I can finish it."

Tony did as he was told and Gibbs secured the rope around the other end, finishing the swing. "Ready to test it?"

Justin nodded and jumped on.

"Does that mean we get some rest now?"

Gibbs laughed. "Sure."


+


"Gibbs, do you have a baseball and a glove somewhere?"

"There's some sports equipment in the basement," he replied. "In one of the boxes right underneath the staircase."

Gibbs had suspected that Tony and Justin would be able to find a common ground, but he was surprised by the level of companionship the two had found. With DiNozzo still not completely healed from the undercover ops, Justin was forced to accommodate for a few weaknesses - and that was, as Gibbs assumed - what had bound them together. Justin was a sensitive kid and the lecture he'd given Tony about how to deal with children had worked better than he had expected it to.

They left him almost alone, giving him the opportunity to repair the roof of the garden shed. It had been leaking all summer long, ever since the snow had melted and found a way through the isolation. He watched them enter the house, noting how they stole glances around and then, instead of taking their shoes off, tiptoed inside on the toes of their sneakers. He rolled his eyes.

Gibbs got suspicious when they didn't return after ten minutes had passed and pulled the waterproof plane back over the roof, securing it with a heavy log. When he was done, he climbed down the ladder. He trusted Tony not to do anything stupid, but he knew DiNozzo - the man got into trouble without much trying.

Gibbs was halfway across the lawn, when he heard a squeal come from the inside. He ran to the door and stopped, listening for the sounds of laughter and a playful tussle coming from the hallway.

"DiNozzo!"

"Yeah, boss?" The answer was accompanied by an unhappy groan. "Oh no! He got me!" Tony then yelled dramatically and ran around the corner toward the garden. The muzzle of a super soaker was pointing blindly behind him. 

Gibbs raised his eyebrows when not a moment later, Justin followed, another super soaker in his hands. And that wasn't all, he noted with a groan. The kid had some of Gibbs' old face paint smeared across his cheeks like a football player. Without doubt DiNozzo's doing.
Gibbs grabbed Tony's T-shirt and pulled him close. Justin followed, slowing down and coming to a stop in front of his uncle.

Fixing both of them with a stern glare, Gibbs quietly reminded the boys of his rules. "No shoes inside the house. No water guns inside the house. No running inside the house."

"No fun inside the house," Tony continued with a pout and yelped when Gibbs smacked the back of his head.

"DiNozzo, stop pushing."

"No pushing, got it." A moment later he hissed and Gibbs let him go, watching with amusement that Tony was bent over, a hand on his knee.

"Shouldn't have run around like that," he commented and took the water gun out of Tony's hands. While Tony was shuffled over to the deckchair to give his bad knee a little rest, Gibbs pumped the super soaker and swiped a thumb over the boy's cheek. He brought it up to his cheeks and made two stripes of his own. "You might be able to defeat him, Justin, but... ever fought against a Marine?"

Justin squeaked and ran outside, hopping down the stairs to take cover behind some bushes.

"DiNozzo, if there's water inside, it better be wiped up by the time I'm back."

"Yes, boss."

Gibbs leaned down, tempted to check on Tony's pulse again. "You all right?"

"Just need a moment," Tony replied and waved him off. "Go already."

"Okay." And with that affirmation, Gibbs took off after the boy.


+


Gibbs was in the kitchen, marinating the steaks for the barbeque when he heard the crash. Narrowing his eyes, he stalked out into the living room and onto the deck to check the garden for anything suspicious. They had broken something, he was sure of it.

"DiNozzo!"

Tony stood straight, coming to attention like a boy about to receive a scolding. He was nervously kneading an old baseball glove in his hands. "Yeah, boss?"

"You..." he threatened, momentarily speechless. This stay was turning out to be a really bad idea. It had to have been a momentary lapse in judgment to allow Tony to recuperate at his home.

"It's not his fault, Uncle Jethro!" Justin piped up from behind Tony. "He threw the ball and I swung and..."

Tony nodded, and continued proudly, "It would've been a homerun, Gibbs, you should've seen- sorry."

Gibbs tilted his head. He just needed a moment to calm down - nobody was hurt. Better the window than Justin, he told himself. "All right. It's just a window," he said out loud.

"Not yours," Tony quipped and immediately winced as if expecting a slap to the back of his head.

"What?"

"It was... not your window," Tony tried to explain, when Gibbs heard his next door neighbor scream bloody murder. A fat ginger cat suddenly scampered through the bushes and hurried across Gibbs' lawn, obviously fleeing from its owner's wrath.

"Ahm, Ms Havermayer?" Gibbs started, raising his voice. He was a Marine. He had seen war. He had been married to three very spirited women. And he was afraid of his seventy-eight-year-old neighbor. He threatened Tony to keep silent with a glare.


+


On Monday morning, they were both more than ready for work. The weekend had been too long for the two men to spend it together without break. They worked well together at NCIS, when they had a case to focus on, Gibbs noted, but at his house, where he had his rules and Tony seemed to do his best to break them, being together was a chore.

At least, he admitted, they had both survived and Tony had recovered well after the overdose. The barbeque had gone well. They had a chance to relax then, with others to help make conversation. Justin likewise, had had fun that weekend and Karen had finally found someone who would change the tires of her sports car enthusiastically and without asking for payment other than a short ride.

He sighed and stopped at his coffee stop's drive-thru. It hadn't been so bad. He pushed his coffee and the change into Tony's hands and drove over a speed bump out into the street. Suddenly, he heard an 'oops' coming from the passenger seat and gnashed his teeth.

"Tell me you didn't just spill my coffee."

"Okay, I won't-"

Gibbs interrupted him with a controlled, quietly angry, "DiNozzo."


+
end
+