Scenes from a partnership... First Trimester: March
******

FBI Report on terrorist group known as the Dawn Alliance
The Dawn Alliance is a group dedicated to the use of genetic manipulation to improve humanity and our environment. Their leader is believed to be Professor MacKenzie, and most members are respected scientists. The group is believed to have high level government connections. These terrorists are highly dangerous and may have extensive biological warfare capabilities.

Designating Washington DC, the seat of American democracy and government as their primary target argues that they have a hidden agenda which is as yet unknown.

******

Waking up in Gibbs' bed was still strange. Tony had stayed with Gibbs before, a couple of times in the past, when he had apartment troubles, but that was before the two of them had become lovers. Now he had moved in permanently, and they were "living together." In the past, he had stayed pretty much out of Gibbs' way, because his boss wasn't the easiest person to be around. However, a Gibbs made mellow with lots and lots of enthusiastic sex was an altogether different creature. Mostly,

Not that Jethro Gibbs was the type of man who went in for grand gestures of affection; he wasn't what Tony would have called demonstrative. You accepted what Gibbs offered and considered yourself lucky to get it. Tony was the one who seemed to work hardest at their relationship.

And yet... Something sparked in Gibbs' eyes when Tony touched him - something that made the younger man continue his efforts to show his partner how much he cared for him. And lately, his efforts seemed to be succeeding. Gibbs was relaxed in his company. Not that Tony didn't find himself stopping sometimes and wondering whether he had fallen into the Twilight Zone. Like when he saw Gibbs ironing (when he was best avoided) or washing his car (strangely sexy) Life was weird at times, but it had its rewards.

Beginning with the warm weight of his lover's arm across his body and the way his partner's warm breath tickled the hairs on the back of his neck, there were a lot of things Tony liked about being with Gibbs. It was the little things that made the difference. A hand stroking the back of his head instead of slapping it. Leaning his head on Gibbs' shoulder and just breathing in the scent of him, coffee, sawdust and all, utterly content. All those little, intimate gestures that enriched their partnership.

The well-meaning wardrobe advice that Tony had tried to give was still, however, guaranteed to make Gibbs growl at him like a wounded bear. Partnership didn't change the fact that Gibbs could be a bastard, if provoked. And yet, Tony found himself loving the challenge that living with his boss brought to him. And the fact that he was the only one that Gibbs allowed to get so close to him.

Breakfast was his favourite time of day Waking up in Jethro's arms, then taking a leisurely breakfast...

Gibbs had a state of the art coffee machine and an extremely well used waffle maker. Not that Tony knew how to use the latter. Lately though, the younger man had taken to experimenting with his breakfast, because his usual favourite, bacon rolls, had just seemed to turn his stomach. Something about the smell of them just made him heave.

Ducky had suggested that it was some sort of interaction between his virus altered metabolism and his pain meds. Making his hormone levels go haywire or something. After a crazy chef had tried to turn him into a pulp, Tony had spent weeks in recovering from his injuries. His arm and shoulder had been useless for most of that time, and the pain had been, at times, unbearable. Still, Tony knew the dangers of long term painkiller addiction and tried to limit his intake. There was some compensation to be had in the feel of Jethro's big hands, surprisingly gentle, massaging his aching shoulder, capable of sending him into boneless meltdown.

Still, sometimes the pain in his shoulder was agonising. He would fumble down his meds, praying for an end to the pain, knowing what the result could be. More than once, he had found himself helplessly heaving into the john. More than once, too, he had felt Jethro's hand stroking his back comfortingly, his eyes filled with concern as Tony huddled miserably on his knees in the bathroom. Ducky had told him not to worry about it, but it didn't make the sickness any easier to bear.

His breakfast seemed to end up in the john far too often.

Waffles were good compensation though, if he couldn't bear the smell of bacon. Waffles smothered with something sticky and wickedly sweet. It hadn't taken Tony long to find out his boss also had a secret passion for freshly made waffles doused in maple syrup.

Of course, making them was something else. Waffle making was definitely not a tradition that had been practised in the DiNozzo family home, and so far, Tony's attempts at cooking the damn things had met with limited success. Limited, in that although the waffles looked good, they seemed to be still raw on the inside, and if he left them to cook for longer, the outsides burned. He suspected his recipe was crap, or possibly the temperature was too high. Who the hell knew? Tony had spent an hour trying to make the perfect waffle yesterday morning, and he expected to spend more time today. At least it was Sunday, so he had time on his hands.

Well at least he seemed to be providing Jethro with some amusement.

His cell-phone sounded and with a muffled curse, Tony turned away from his labours and endeavoured to balance his phone between his ear and his good shoulder as he mixed the batter one-handed.

"DiNozzo," he said crisply.

"Tony!" Abby's voice sounded enthusiastic. "Any success yet?"

Tony glowered. In a careless moment, he had mentioned his difficulties to Abby yesterday.

"Don't distract me," he growled. "I think I've nearly got it!"

"Tony, you can't even boil water without burning the pan!" Abby certainly knew how to insult a guy, even if every word was 100 percent true.

"Hey, it's in all our interests to keep the boss sweet!" he snapped. "If I make sure he gets his coffee and waffles every morning, he'll be a big pussycat for the rest of the day!" Abby gave a snort.

"I'll leave you to your illusions, Tony. Actually, I think it's really sweet that you want to make him happy. You can pretend you're doing it for us if you like, but I don't believe you..." Laughter. "Hey, did Gibbs tell you the NCIS has set up a privacy room in one of the interrogation suites. A place you can go for those little moments when the partner virus takes over from your common sense!"

"I guess they got tired of the lift always being stuck between floors!" Tony said tartly.

"Tony! Was that a confession?" She laughed delightedly.

"No comment! I choose not to incriminate myself."

"See ya tomorrow, Tony."

With a sigh, Tony slipped his phone back into his pocket and put the batter down. He turned towards the waffle iron. Tomorrow was his first day back to work after an operation and weeks of recuperation. Light duties only and confined to the office. Though his arm was still encased in plaster, he had gotten rid of the sling, and was more than ready for a little paperwork; being alone while Jethro was at work was so boring that even writing reports looked good. His thoughts were interrupted by a low chuckle.

"You should let the batter rest awhile!" Gibbs leaned against the door-frame, looking smug. "And don't let the iron get too hot." He watched for the next few minutes, occasionally adding another helpful comment, until finally, Tony had turned out four perfect, golden waffles.

"You need the syrup. Waffles need to be kept sweet..." Gibbs voice took on a positively evil note. The sort of tone that made most people want to go and hide under a rock. Tony flushed. Exactly how much of his conversation with Abby had Gibbs heard? Enough, apparently.

Hesitantly, he doused one of the steaming waffles with syrup and lifted it gingerly towards Gibbs' mouth. The older man took a bite and his eyes half-closed in pleasure.

"Perfect." His voice was a purr that sent a thrill through Tony. "Now, tell me how much like a pussycat I am..."

An arm snaked round his waist and a body moulded itself to him, warm against his back., Tony decided right then that however Gibbs made him pay, it was definitely going to be worth it.

Tony could feel how hard Gibbs was. His partner's erection was even now growing harder against Tony's rear. Syrup spilled across his fingers. Instinctively he raised them to Gibbs' mouth and felt a frisson of desire as the older man sucked hungrily at their sweetness.

He moaned and tugged urgently at his clothing, trying to get his pants down as quickly as possible, and leaned over the kitchen table. Whenever he knew that he was going to be near Jethro, he went commando - for those intimate moments. For an older guy, Jethro had a strong sex drive, enough to keep his younger partner not just satisfied, but purring in contentment most of the time.

It always amazed him how much stamina Jethro Gibbs had for sex. The man was fit! Despite the fact that they had made love for half the night, he knew that he was about to be thoroughly fucked. Gibbs was surprisingly passionate at times, though he could also drive his young partner half-mad when he took his time, slow, gentle and with that spark of amusement in his eyes.

The fact that they were intimate, and the intensity of their relationship still stunned him when he stopped to think about it.

Tony didn't care what anybody thought; after all, most of DC was affected by the virus. All he wanted was Gibbs inside him, hard body strong against his back, the heat of him curiously comforting. Never mind that he was still slightly sore from last night. The long, smooth glide of Gibbs into him was sublime.

"So sweet," Gibbs growled, and Tony knew he didn't mean the syrup. The agent vaguely felt annoyance. But then, hadn't he just been referring to his partner in those same proprietary, slightly patronising tones.

What Gibbs was doing became too intense to ignore. The older man was hard up against him, his firm length pushing into Tony in a powerful rhythm. The angle of his thrusts was almost perfect for bringing his partner to the edge as quickly as possible, as Tony sprawled wantonly across the table.

"Too fast!" Tony hated the grovelling note in his voice. A throaty chuckle sounded in his ear.

"Your wish is my command!" Gibbs purred. But the pace of his lovemaking slowed to something entirely more sensuous and deliberate. Teasing him... A firm arm wrapped round his waist and held onto him. Lips brushed against Tony's neck.

Tony moaned in need, trying to push back against Gibbs but the older man held him still, his chuckle low and sensuous. Tony's hand fumblingly reached for the syrup again, and he lifted sticky, dripping fingers to Gibbs who began to suckle hungrily on his fingers, moaning softly. The sound of Gibbs' pleasure was too much. Tony felt the orgasm sweep unstoppably over him and he screamed his lover's name as a tide of ecstasy washed over him. Their voices joined together as Tony's orgasm pulled Gibbs over the edge and he exploded into Tony with a shudder.

*****

"So where would you release a virus next, if it was up to you?" Gibbs asked curiously. He was lying back in Tony's embrace, on the battered leather sofa. It was early afternoon, and Gibbs couldn't quite remember where the rest of the morning had gone. But then, he hadn't exactly been looking at his watch. There had been other sweet, slow distractions...

Tony considered this, then gave a wry grin.

"The banks!" he replied. "You remember that final scene in Fight Club. A classic..." Gibbs glared at him in mock anger.

"Be serious, Tony!" he said. "We're trying to catch terrorists here, not review your favourite movie."

"Yeah, well," Tony said. "Maybe I'd rather not find them. You really think I want you in danger without me to back you up?"

"And if we do nothing..?" Gibbs said. "How many cities do they have to infect with the Partner Virus..? How many people will have their lives turned upside down? How many people will get caught up in partner rage...?"

Tony sighed. He knew Gibbs had strong feelings about his loss of control. Still, Gibbs was, regrettably, right to want to protect innocent people. So why did he have doubts? Maybe it was because this job was so dangerous. Or, Tony thought guiltily, did he feel just the tiniest bit of gratitude towards them for giving him Gibbs.

He traced his fingers along the scar on Gibbs right arm.

"I remember this one," he said softly. "Colombia, right?"

"Uh huh."

"And this one on your shoulder. Ari shot you."

"We do what we have to do. You know that. We have to catch these bastards, no matter what the cost. We're the last line of defence for a lot of innocent people."

"Yeah." Tony hated the fact that Gibbs was right. But Gibbs wouldn't be the man he knew and cared for if he wasn't so dedicated to his job, so Tony would just have to watch his back. Always.

"Okay. Let's look at this logically," the younger man said. "What do these terrorists want, boss? What need does their action fulfil?"

Gibbs shook his head, not quite sure what Tony meant.

"Killing people!" he said.. "Or extorting money..."

"No!" Tony said. "Publicity. Promoting their cause is their primary goal. They could have killed millions in Washington, but they chose to make us have sex instead. The world media is still going crazy about it. Sex sells! Maximum exposure for their cause. It all fits in with their primary goal. Attack the more authoritarian public organisations so that the rest of us can have a more liberal form of government. Something more in line with their crazy ideas..."

"Only you could think of that!" Gibbs said drily. "I think your prejudices are showing."

Tony grinned wickedly.

"Maybe I'm an anarchist at heart," he said. "But seriously boss. They will try again. They'll need another big success to maintain their high profile."

"You mean they'll try the Partner Virus again!" Gibbs said slowly.

"Maybe. But whatever they do, it'll be soon!" Tony said. "Somewhere public. Maybe a big family day like the Superbowl or the Fourth of July... But that's too long a time to wait. They seem well-organised, so I'd look for something else. They wanted to kick America in the head so they targeted DC. Now they'll aim for another soft target. Civilians. I think that if they want to aim an arrow at America's heart, they'll go straight for New York."

"Interesting. You think they want a target with lots of people? Then the target has to be some big public event..." Gibbs guessed.

Whatever he was about to say was interrupted by the loud tones of Gibbs' phone. Tony sighed and contemplated shooting it, but the effort of finding his gun was too much. Gibbs shrugged, wriggled his way reluctantly out of the tangle of limbs that Tony seemed to have bonelessly wrapped around him, and picked it up. He listened for a while then sighed.

"Twenty minutes," he said abruptly.

"Trouble?" Tony said softly.

"Yeah. News about the terrorists. All the department heads involved in the task force have to go to a meeting."

*****

The meeting went on for hours. A full briefing on the Dawn Alliance and its leader, the terrorist MacKenzie. There were representatives present from at least twenty federal organisations, enough to fill a small auditorium, in fact. Gibbs found a seat near the back, and was joined moments after he entered, by Fornell of the FBI.

"All these resources, and we still can't catch the bastards!" Gibbs muttered to his companion.

"You and I both know why," Fornell said softly. "Someone is feeding them information!"

"One of my team thinks that they're out for publicity," Gibbs said. "And that they're planning another big stunt pretty soon. Maybe New York?"

Fornell chuckled.

"One of your team, Jethro? What a coincidence. From what I hear, you're seriously involved with one of them.The handsome young Special Agent DiNozzo..." He chuckled. "I thought you had rules about that, Jethro."

Gibbs glared at him, which only made him grin widely.

"You're acting as if I had a choice! Waking up in bed with DiNozzo has to be one of the craziest moments of my life. I never expected to find myself in bed with another man - especially not my subordinate!"

"I also hear that you've had at least one major shouting match with him in public. Sounds like the last two marriages you were involved in, Jethro!" Fornell smirked, then his expression changed. "Seriously Jethro, you look well. Happy. I guess being with DiNozzo is agreeing with you."

"Yeah. He has his faults. His occasional idiocy. The obsession with old movies. The bad taste in shirts..." Fornell's smirk returned. "But on the whole, things have worked out well. Still, you really think I'd have chosen to sleep with Tony, given the choice? I'd never once thought of him like that. As a lover! It's taking us a little time to adjust..." Gibbs said ruefully.

"Tell me about it! I was walking through the lobby of the FBI building when the virus hit. I woke up and realised I'd slept with a total stranger - a probationary agent called Martin Fitzgerald, who's twenty years younger than me. The moment he realised what had happened, he went into total meltdown. Then three days later, he turns up on my doorstep in the pouring rain, half-naked, soaked to the skin, beautiful as sin, declaring his undying love for me... Believe me Jethro, I know all about feeling crazy."

"Partnership has its dark side." Gibbs said softly. He repressed a shiver.

"I'd heard," Fornell said quietly. "I wasn't going to mention it. You defended your partner. Any one of us would have done exactly the same thing." He sighed. "Despite it all, I can't regret what's happened. It has its compensations. I love my partner, damn it, and I would defend him to the death. Tell me Jethro, in all honesty, would you rather have Tony on a slab?"

"No!" Gibbs snarled the word fiercely, too loud, startling a number of their fellow agents. Those that knew him by reputation watched him warily until he glared at them. Those who knew him well surreptitiously checked their weapons.

"That's pretty much what I thought," said Fornell. "Fate tossed you a curve ball, so enjoy what you've got. A young and enthusiastic lover. Someone to watch your back. Fairly low maintenance. Hell, you could have ended up with someone a lot worse..."

He paused, then both men grinned, remembering their shared ex-wife.

"Oh yeah!" Gibbs said. "Definitely."

******

End of Partnership 1/4

Partnership 2/4 - Tony gets emotional.
*******

Paula Cassidy had been on active assignment with the Major Case Team for the last month, taking over most of Tony's duties while he was away. Now, on his first morning back in the office, she found herself studying the young agent with interest. This was the first time she had seen him since he had become Gibbs' partner, and she was surprised at the change in him. He looked far more relaxed and happy than she had expected, knowing Gibbs.

How could anyone bear to live with that cold-hearted son of a bitch? The partnership thing was incomprehensible to her. How could you make a permanent connection with someone in just a day; something strong enough to last - allegedly - for the rest of your life? Especially when that person was Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Thank god she had been out of town that day!

Tony had really not deserved such a punishment, no matter how irritating he could be. She had dated him herself at one point, and she knew how focussed Tony had been on women and their bodies. He would flirt with anything in a skirt. He was charming, good company and he had been fun in bed. The only thing he had lacked was commitment. Frankly, to have all of that exuberant desire and male potential wasted on Gibbs was a crying shame.

Right now, the young agent was talking to his partner, standing close behind Gibbs' shoulder as he pointed something out on the computer screen. Too close for just a casual relationship between co-workers.

His green eyes flickered upwards and he saw her watching him. He blushed a little, then he very deliberately placed his good hand on Gibbs' shoulder, one finger almost casually slipping inside Gibbs' collar to caress the older man's skin. A small gesture of intimacy. Then, his eyes shining with laughter, he sent her what she privately termed the "DiNozzo shit-eating grin."

She scowled at him and looked away, having got the point immediately; only he could get that close to Gibbs. The boss would tolerate things from Tony that would, at the very least make Gibbs kick her ass, if she made the same mistakes.

Tony grinned in triumph. Paula could be such a bitch! From the moment he had walked in this morning, close behind Gibbs, she had been giving him the "evil eye." She just couldn't hide her discomfort at the thought of Tony and his partner. Not that she had said anything; Paula wouldn't have risked her career with a blatant display of prejudice. Still, there was none of their former friendly banter and she had even reacted coldly to his best lawyer jokes, though he knew she was still dating that beltway lawyer.

Tony had soon lost patience with her, and had it hadn't been a hard decision to shove his partnership in her face. He had enjoyed it in fact. He still got a thrill from being allowed to touch the formerly unapproachable Gibbs. Getting close up next to the older man. Oh so casually running his fingers down Gibbs' arm...

Paula felt nauseous at the sight. God. Gibbs was so much older than Tony. Oh yeah. And the biggest bastard she had ever met! So the sight of Tony flirting with his lover had been uncomfortable.

Tony couldn't hide his smirk. She had been satisfyingly embarrassed. But then Gibbs caught hold of the young agent's hand as he started to move towards his desk.

"Wait, Tony." The younger man's green eyes met his and filled with warmth at the low voice of his lover.

"Jethro?"

"Don't ever do that again! I don't appreciate being used in your point scoring games with Cassidy. It's demeaning. You want me to spank your ass in front of her?" The anger in his eyes made Tony flinch. Of course Jethro had noticed Tony's little display. He missed little of what went on around him. Tony sometimes thought that his partner's perceptiveness verged on the supernatural.

"No." The young agent shook his head contritely. "Sorry boss. It's just... Well, I'm proud to be your partner. I wanted to show off in front of her."

"You think I didn't see the way she looked at the two of us," Gibbs said quietly. "She thinks our partnership is disgusting, and given the fact that you two used to be an item, she's probably as jealous as hell of me." He sighed as he realised that Tony's behaviour was just an expression of how deep his insecurities were. The younger man was just trying to maintain some self-respect in the face of Cassidy's evident contempt. He sighed, his anger evaporating.

"We knew it wasn't going to be easy... Aw hell!"

He pulled Tony into his arms and kissed him thoroughly. For a moment, the younger man stood frozen in surprise against his lover, then he melted into Gibbs' arms, surrendering to him completely. Gibbs knew how to kiss with devastating effect and as his mouth was plundered, Tony heard himself moan. His fingers clutched at Gibbs' shirt and his body instinctively arched against him. He felt Gibbs' hands slide down his back to rest on his hips possessively. Perhaps the older man felt just the tiniest twinge of jealousy at the presence of one of his lover's former girlfriends.

Both of them heard Paula gasp at their very public display.

"Oh that's hot!" Tony heard Ziva gave a chuckle. He didn't really care. His brain seemed to have melted and trickled down into his boots. Well, almost... Perhaps just bit higher.

What finally brought them back to their surroundings was the sound of a dozen people clapping enthusiastically. Most of the agents in the bullpen had broken into a spontaneous round of applause. Gibbs looked smug as he reluctantly pulled away from Tony, who blushingly made sure his erection was hidden by a hastily positioned file cover. Gibbs looked too much like the cat who'd got the cream. One finger reached out in a familiar gesture, tapping the underside of Tony's chin in a surprisingly intimate "Keep your chin up" gesture.

"Now that's how you show off!"

******

Yeah, well, in retrospect, Tony should have known that the good feeling couldn't last, his luck lately being what it was. It was such a stupid argument that later Tony just couldn't figure out how it had turned into such a big deal.

He had been absolutely exhausted by the end of the day, so maybe his temper hadn't been at its best. But things between them had still seemed good when Tony had practically tumbled into bed, barely able to keep his eyes open. He had fallen asleep within moments, his last conscious thought being a contented purr of pleasure as Jethro's arm had wrapped round him from behind and he had felt the older man spooned behind him protectively.

When had it started to go wrong? Part of it had to be Jethro's uncommunicative nature.

Sometime, deep in the night, Tony had gone from a sound sleep to full wakefulness without knowing why. He had lain in the darkness, instinctively listening for a threat. Something had triggered his internal alarms.

A low moan sounded close by.

Tony turned towards the sound and his breath caught. Jethro lay close beside him, on his back. The older man was evidently in the throes of a particularly bad dream. He was tossing and turning restlessly, and even as Tony watched, he flung out one arm defensively and cried out in denial.

Before Tony could even reach out to him, he screamed aloud and came awake, gasping for breath, his eyes filled with horror.

"Jethro?" Tony said hesitantly.

The older man turned to him with a low moan of distress and buried his face in Tony's shoulder with a low sob. The young agent automatically pulled his partner close and held him tightly for long minutes until he had finally stopped shivering.

"What is it?" Tony faltered. Gibbs never showed weakness; most of the time, the man refused to admit there was such a thing.

"Nothing... Just a bad dream." Tony could almost feel Jethro's icy control fall into place, like a wall going up abruptly between him and his partner. The exact same reply that he had given at least a dozen times in the past few weeks when he had woken from terrible nightmares.

His partner's voice was muffled against his shoulder, then Gibbs pulled away from him, rolled over and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. Tony couldn't see his face in the dark but he just knew that Gibbs was embarrassed by his momentary weakness. Why oh why didn't he trust Tony enough to be honest with him? To let Tony know what was troubling him and accept the younger man's loving support.

Tony would have done anything for Gibbs and he trusted Gibbs absolutely. Apparently his partner didn't reciprocate.

He had never before realised that something was missing from their relationship. Gibbs just didn't trust him entirely. He never talked about his feelings or his past. He never let Tony help him. Some part of the younger man's heart longed to be needed by Gibbs, and his lover's refusal to communicate felt like rejection. Suddenly miserable, Tony rolled onto his side, facing away from Gibbs, and tried to sleep.

He must have succeeded, because it seemed only moments later that he was being woken by the early morning sun At some point in the night, he had turned towards Gibbs again and he was moulded against Gibbs back, his morning erection hard against Gibbs' ass. And because some insecure part of him really wanted to know how much Gibbs trusted him, he finally decided to act on those desires he had been trying to repress.

He knew exactly what he wanted to do; ever since their first encounter, the thought of having Jethro had haunted him. He wanted to be inside his lover, like he had on that very first occasion. They had both enjoyed it, though somehow he had never dared mention his darkest desire to Jethro. What would he say? Hey boss, can I fuck your ass? Oh that would go down well, not that Tony would ever dare say it! Tony frowned. After all, why shouldn't he find his lover's body sexy?

Tony had a plan. He was going to blow Jethro, and if his fingers should find themselves straying somewhere they didn't normally visit, making Jethro all slick and ready... Well, that was all to the good, wasn't it?

He slipped out of bed and grabbed the necessary supplies from a nearby drawer, then turned back towards his lover. At that moment, providentially, Jethro sighed softly in his sleep and rolled onto his back. Tony's eyes sparkled with mischief. He nudged his lover's knees apart and covering his long fingers with lube, he positioned himself between Gibbs' legs. He lowered his mouth to Jethro's quiescent cock and licked a stripe down its length. Jethro moaned softly in his sleep but didn't wake. Meanwhile, in an impressive display of hand and mouth coordination, Tony's knowing fingers gently teased at his lover's opening, circling the sensitive skin. Then he gently worked his finger inside.

Jethro sighed softly, his legs falling apart, still deep in sleep. It was a measure of their growing relationship that Jethro didn't wake immediately at his touch. When they had first started sleeping together, the man had been far more uptight about having Tony in his bed. The young man smiled tenderly. Sometimes he couldn't believe how lucky he was. Who would have thought, six months ago, that he could be in Jethro Gibbs' bed? His lover...

Gibbs moaned sleepily, his hips thrusting in the direction of Tony's hand. The young agent added another finger and slid both digits slowly inside his partner, finding the sweet spot inside his lover almost immediately. Gibbs whimpered drowsily and pushed back against him, his erection hardening rapidly as pleasure assailed him from the double stimulus of mouth and fingers. Tony thought it was one of the hottest things he had ever seen; Gibbs' uninhibited responses to his touch, and that sound he made. Tony was achingly hard by now.

Grinning, he took the older man's hard shaft into his mouth and began to apply everything he had learned in the past few months. Taking him in deep; something he had found difficult in the early days of their partnership, simply from a physical point of view. He had learned to do things with his tongue that still astonished him with their effectiveness. Like now, when he could feel Jethro close to waking and even closer to the edge. One last effort and...

Tony heard Jethro gasp aloud and felt his partner come fully awake as Tony brought him to orgasm. One final finger-tease and Tony's mouth was filled with a flood of creamy semen. His lover cried out in pleasure as Tony's eager mouth sucked him dry, sagging bonelessly back onto the bed. He smiled blissfully at Tony.

"Hell of a way to wake up!"

With a grin, Tony climbed on top of Gibbs, nudging the older man's legs further apart. He was achingly hard by now, his cock rigid against his belly. He began to push himself into Gibbs' utterly relaxed body.

Big mistake. The older man's eyes went wide and something flared in them that might, in another man, have been mistaken for fear.

"What the fuck! What the hell do you think you're doing, DiNozzo?" Gibbs shoved him away. Not gently. Limbs flailing, Tony only just managed to stop himself from falling out of bed and onto his ass. He found himself transfixed by the patent Gibbs icy glare. Well that was a bad sign, Tony decided. He stared at Jethro with a hurt expression in his eyes.

"I wanted to try something different. You were enjoying it too!" A hint of entreaty crept into Tony's voice. "Let me make love to you. I'll show you how good it can feel when you're not on top... Just relax and let me take care of you..." The older man stared at him as if he was crazy.

"That isn't going to happen!"

"But you like it. I know you do. The one time we did it, you liked it so much you begged me to do it harder! You loved it..."

" I wasn't exactly in my right mind at the time, Tony. You think I'd choose to offer my ass to a man if I had a choice. I'm not gay!" Gibbs snapped. Tony froze, the words like a bucket of cold water to his libido.

"So what exactly do you call sleeping with me?"

"Damn it Tony, being in a partnership isn't the same thing!"

"Two men. Sex. Duh!" Tony glared at him. "Or maybe you were trying to pretend you don't fuck me every night." Tony paused, his tone turning angry. "Don't you trust me? Or maybe you think of me like the wife in this relationship, because I'm the one spreading my legs! Is that it, Jethro?" A desolate note entered Tony's voice. Gibbs didn't notice.

"I never said that..." Gibbs protested, still angry. "But now that you mention it, you're being as emotional as my last wife!"

Tony flinched, a look of visible hurt crossing his face. Gibbs faltered and lowered his eyes guiltily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It's just such a stupid issue to have a fight about... I thought you liked what we do in bed..."

"I do!" Tony said. "But when did you ever ask me what I wanted to do? Everything we do pleases you. But I have fantasies too, Jethro. If you'd ever asked me about what I like, even once, you'd have known that I wanted to fuck you... And why not? I know you'd like it!"

"Tony..." Gibbs was looking at him like he was a particularly dense probie who needed things spelling out in words of one syllable. The younger man tried desperately to articulate his unhappiness.

"You just don't trust me, do you? You're such a control freak that you can't bear the thought of letting me take charge!" Tony could feel tears threatening to spill down his face. For some reason, he couldn't seem to get a grip on his emotions.

"Don't be ridiculous! Of course I trust you!"

Tony tried again. "Well, if you trust me, prove it. At least tell me about your bad dreams."

Jethro shook his head, something desolate flickering across his face. "I can't..."

"See! You're just shutting me out again! I guess this explains why you can't stay married. Though you don't even trust me enough to talk about that..."

"Damn it Tony! Why would I want to talk to you about my ex-wives? I'm not exactly proud of my track record with women. Anyway, this has nothing to do with trust and everything to do with your feelings of insecurity! Don't blame me because you're feeling paranoid about my past relationships!"

"Screw you!" Tony said softly, without a hint of irony. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. He got up from the bed, walked into the bathroom and slammed the door. Gibbs stared after him, totally at a loss as to how he should deal with the situation. Why had his young lover suddenly become so emotional? So easily upset? Was it a side effect of the virus? Not that he had helped the situation.

What the hell had he done?

He knocked at the door after a few minutes, knowing guiltily that he had probably gone too far with that last remark. Tony had always been insecure; the incident yesterday with Paula had shown him that, though he had always known that the young agent thrived on his praise.

There was no response from the younger man. Gibbs sighed. Damn. He hated this feelings crap! He just didn't know how to deal with it. Apparently, his relationship with the younger man wasn't as solid as he had first thought. Who would have guessed that DiNozzo could be so touchy? So high-maintainance?

Then his sharp hearing heard odd noises from the other room and he sank down onto the bed, his head in his hands, hating himself at that moment. He was beginning to realise how much he loved his crazy, annoying - damn it to hell, endearing - young partner. Why else would Tony's distress hurt so much?

What he could hear was the soft, quiet sound of Tony crying.

******

The whole bullpen knew it (from long experience) when Gibbs was in a bad mood, from the moment he exited the elevator that morning. McGee's cheery, "Morning boss" was met with an inarticulate snarl, and Gibbs' first task of the day, checking out the morning mail delivery, took far less time than usual. Most of it was unceremoniously dumped in the trash with a muttered, "Crap!" The NCIS agents were all familiar enough with Gibbs' moods to keep their heads down so they wouldn't attract his attention. Tony came into the bullpen about fifteen minutes later, glared pointedly at Gibbs then deliberately turned his computer screen away so that he wouldn't have to look in his partner's direction.

Tony heard McGee's voice from the other side of the partition.

"Oh god, they've had another argument! Everybody keep your heads down."

And Ziva.

"This was supposed to be a safe assignment."

Finally, Cassidy's dry comment, a world of scorn in her voice.

"Does this happen often?

"Once is enough!" Ziva muttered.

******
End of Partnership 2/4

Partnership 3/4

It had been a week since their argument. A week in which they hadn't spoken to each other. Not one word. Gibbs had eventually resorted to getting Ziva and McGee to relay his orders to Tony. Not angrily, but with a patient resignation that just made Tony feel worse. He could see the curiosity in McGee and Ziva's eyes; the compassion in Abby and Ducky's, but no-one quite dared to ask what was wrong between the two men. Tony just felt so unhappy, and his continuing bouts of sickness didn't help.

It wasn't much better at home. They avoided each other. Separate bedrooms, separate lives. Tony's most pathetic moment came the night before, when he had picked up the wooden knife block that rested on the kitchen workbench and pressed it to his cheek. He had breathed in the smell of oak-wood with a sigh. It reminded him of the scent of sawdust that lingered around Gibbs after he had been working on his boat.

His sense of smell seemed acute lately. Especially in the morning.

Tony moaned, wishing that he had a cold or something so that he couldn't smell every last molecule in the air surrounding him. Another miserable start to the day. He hadn't even managed to make it downstairs before the nausea hit. The faint scent of Gibbs' first coffee of the day had drifted upwards and the slight odour had triggered one of his all-too-frequent upchucking fits.

So here he was again, sprawled on the bathroom floor, utterly miserable, trying to maintain the shreds of his dignity whilst losing the contents of his stomach. A fresh wave of sickness hit and he clutched shakily at the porcelain until it passed.

A sound behind him, then a familiar big hand stroking his back, gently soothing. Gibbs didn't say anything, just sat on the edge of the tub and continued the comforting motion of his hand. Tony found himself leaning against Gibbs' leg as the spasms gradually eased, his lover's warmth gradually counteracting the seeping chill of the porcelain tiles that he sat on.

"Better?" Gibbs sounded concerned. Tony nodded shakily, "You want to come in late this morning? I'll okay it."

"Thanks." Tony nodded, hating himself for sounding so pathetically grateful. Their eyes met. There was only concern in Gibbs' eyes. Tony found that he was the first to break that gaze. Yet the ice between them had begun to thaw.

The fact that Gibbs was being kind to him didn't change anything. There was still that lack of trust. The problem was that Gibbs really didn't know how to conduct a relationship. Not that Tony had ever managed to sustain anything longer than a couple of months himself, but at least he knew how to talk things out with a lover. There was something between them though, which might well be love - at least Tony hoped so in his more optimistic moments. Something good, that had so much potential for the future.

What was it they said? The greatest love can cause the greatest pain... Why else would Jethro Gibbs be like a bear with a sore head in the office since their argument?

****

It took Tony at least an hour to pull himself together that morning, which was annoying for the young agent. Hormones, huh? Maybe Ducky was wrong - could he be suffering from something weird and exotic like House was always diagnosing in Tony's favourite medical drama? In that show, even the medical experts couldn't seem to get it right first time. Whatever. Tony hated being ill - and he determined to work twice as hard today to make up for his late start. The others would have been delving deep into the ongoing marine corruption enquiry at Quantico and knowing how Jethro felt about marines, the day was probably going to go downhill fast.

In fact, Tony could sense the stormy atmosphere in the Bullpen as soon as he walked out of the elevator. Apparently their latest case was not going well. The frustrations Gibbs felt were just reaching boiling point.

As Tony reached his desk, Gibbs snarled incoherently and slammed his fist against his desk. Tony had seen him this way on only a handful of occasions over the years - always the hardest, most difficult of cases. Jethro cared, more deeply than he would ever admit, about catching the bad guys - and his frustration couldn't be hidden. Not that Jethro Gibbs ever tried to hide it.

At times like these, the team generally kept their heads down and tried not to attract his attention - especially now that he had the reputation of killing someone who had threatened Tony. With his bare hands.

Practically speaking though, Gibbs in a monster of a temper was always bad.

Yeah well, Tony had seen him at his worst, with blood on his hands and horror in his eyes. Tony had felt those strong arms crushing him close; the wild passion between them when Jethro had practically fucked him through the floor. A force of nature...

Without hesitation, he approached Jethro's desk. A brief, scared glance from McGee made him feel oddly like Daniel in the lion's den, but at the same time he knew - soul deep - that he was the one person in the world who need never fear Jethro Gibbs' fists.

A hand on his lover's shoulder, half-hesitant, close enough to Gibbs to feel the heat of his body; the scent of him. Fists were one thing, but Tony knew that a look of contempt could wound him just as much from this man, as any physical act of violence, so he was more than a little apprehensive as he approached his partner.

Gibbs turned towards him, and stormy blue eyes impaled Tony in their gaze.

"Jethro?"

Not "boss." Tony kept his tone low and intimate, trying to convey with his eyes and his touch and his voice, how much he cared about the ex-marine, even when he was in this sort of mood. How worried he was.

For a moment, he thought that Gibbs was going to yell at him, but then those blue eyes softened just a fraction. For the briefest moment, Gibbs accepted Tony's touch, leaning against him.

The contact seemed to strengthen him. Then, being Gibbs, the moment was over and the older man was all business again. Well, almost.

"Can't you find anything more useful to do, DiNozzo?" he snapped.

"No, boss." Tony smirked, falling into his familiar, impertinent role. Besides which, nothing was more important to him than Jethro's well-being.

Gibbs said nothing; merely raising one eyebrow. Tony took the hint, noting nonetheless that his lover's anger had given way to something better, more constructive. The thaw continued.

"On it, boss."

Even as he headed back to his desk, he heard a muttered "Wow!" from McGee's direction. He winked at the probie, then determinedly got to work. No sense in pushing Gibbs too far...

****

Tony worked for a couple of hours on the utterly boring job of reviewing the latest crop of incident reports sent to NCIS headquarters from the local field offices. It was his job to decide every morning whether anything merited the attention of the Major Case Squad. There were the usual crop of partner rages, shoplifting cases, marines getting rolled after a drunken evening in the worst part of town, etc. Then he would help out with the case, chasing phone leads or doing research on the Internet. Gibbs' idea of desk work until he was 100 percent fit.

"Take you to lunch?" McGee asked just after midday. "I've got the latest gossip from the gremlins in the evidence garage. Wait till you hear who's getting married..."

Tony hesitantly glanced over at Gibbs, trying to gauge his mood. The older man raised his head momentarily from whatever report he was reading, and gave a nod of permission. Though he didn't smile, Tony could tell he was amused - Gibbs knew only too well how much his partner liked to gossip.

"Go ahead. Take an hour. You're still recuperating - I guess I can cut you some slack." Tony didn't miss the brief, reassuring flash of warmth in his lover's eyes. Better. Definitely better.

McGee, visibly relaxing now that the latest Gibbs-crisis had passed, was as entertaining as he had hoped, and Tony found himself relaxing too, enjoying lunch. Only it would have been so much better with Jethro at his side. Not that McGee would have been comfortable with that.

"I wish I could get Gibbs to change his wardrobe," Tony sighed. "The Sears look went out in the late seventies. Maybe I can persuade him to wear something a bit more... upmarket."

I can't see Gibbs in Armani," McGee said tartly.

Tony sighed. Gibbs + well-cut suit = sexy in his mind.

"Yeah, well. Maybe he'll surprise you some day," Tony said defensively. "Mind you, there's a whole Jekyll and Hyde laundry thing going on with him. He has an obsession about ironing straight seams in his pants. His marine training, I guess. I swear I've seen him using a ruler to check how straight they are..."

"Talking about Gibbs' pants! Definitely too much information, Tony." The young agent grinned and winked slyly at McGee.

"So you're speaking now?" McGee said quietly. Tony flushed and gave a brief nod. After this morning, the thaw was underway. He felt more optimistic than he had in a long time. They still needed to talk, but Jethro's gentleness this morning when he had been sick had broken the ice between them.

So when he did come into the office after lunch, Tony was carrying a coffee from Gibbs' favourite coffee shop - the best Jamaican Blue Mountain blend, freshly roasted and ground. He placed it on the end of Gibbs' desk and was aware of his partner's eyes on him as he went to his cubicle. He didn't give Gibbs a chance to thank him, or even to talk. He hadn't completely forgiven his partner. Not yet. But that didn't mean he'd stopped loving him.

Didn't they say that most relationships reached a crisis point after about three months, when the initial heady mixture of lust and attraction between two people began to fade. Physical attraction, however powerful - and what could be stronger than the partner virus - was not enough to guarantee happiness. There needed to be something else, deeper and more meaningful, to turn lust into a more lasting bond between two people.

Tony couldn't help but brood on his troubles. Jethro wasn't an easy man to get to know - it had taken two months for him to admit his waffle preference, for pete's sake. Tony felt as if their relationship was teetering on the brink between success and failure, and he was surprised how much he wanted it to succeed.

It wasn't easy, in some ways, living with Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Maybe it was because they were in each other's company for long periods, both at work and at home. Perhaps a break from each other would have been a wiser option. But damn it, Tony liked being with his partner, even though their relationship was far from perfect. The sex was fabulous and it was definitely the cement holding their relationship together. It was the other things that brought problems. Tony loved to laugh. He loved to joke and act the fool, and maybe Jethro was... Well... Too mature in some ways.

The boss did his best, sure, but sometimes Tony could tell that his words and ideas were gibberish to Gibbs. Incomprehensible. For instance, mention Francois Truffaut to Gibbs and he thought it was some sort of French candy. Their minds just didn't meet. Paradigm shift. And sometimes he could tell that his frivolity irritated the older man. Jethro wouldn't comment on Tony's foolishness, whatever it was, but he would retreat into himself and would disappear into the basement to work on his boat. His own personal space, away from Tony. That boat was his safety valve.

Tony had a love-hate relationship with that boat. He generally resented it. Though on a couple of memorable occasions, Jethro had pushed him up against one of the spars and... Tony smiled at the memory. The smell of sawdust could still, under certain circumstances, make him as hard as hell.

******

The ice began to thaw further that night.

Tony was restless in bed, alone in one of the guest bedrooms, away from Gibbs. Having the older man's arms around him made him feel secure, content. Alone, he felt as if half of him was missing, and every night seemed lonelier than the last. So he was only dozing lightly when he heard Jethro cry out in his sleep. He knew immediately what was wrong; his partner had suffered too many unexplained bad dreams lately.

He found himself moving, entering Jethro's room, crossing to the bed. His partner was asleep, but apparently dreaming; his movements were agitated, and he moaned, the sound desperate and somehow frightened. He knew he should leave - the man claimed he could cope - and it was a sign of weakness, as if he were giving in to Jethro. But letting the older man suffer wasn't the act of a loving partner, and whatever their problems were, Tony loved Leroy Jethro Gibbs. No contest.

He reached out for Jethro and pulled him close.

"Shhh. It's alright. It's just a dream."

Gibbs clung to him, shaking, head on Tony's chest. The young agent found himself stroking Gibbs, soothing him. Gibbs began to relax, his breathing steadying. He didn't wake, this time round. Tony's fingers curved round the back of Gibbs' neck, holding onto him. It seemed like such a long time since he had lain in his lover's arms; in truth, just holding his lover eased some of the emptiness that ached inside him. He shamelessly snuggled closer to the sleeping man, breathing in his scent, relishing the warmth of the older man's body close to his, on this cool night. He must have lain awake, enjoying the feel of his lover's arms, for an hour. Then it happened.

"Mmmm. Shannon..." Gibbs murmured in his sleep, his arms tightening around his partner. The lines of tension eased from his face and he gave a contented sigh. Tony lay still, frozen, for a long time before he could worm his way out of his lover's arms and creep miserably back to his own cold, lonely bed. Which one of the ex-wives was that?

He didn't sleep much after that, and found himself heading to the office at six a.m. feeling wretched and lonely. However, he wasn't he only person at the office that morning.

"Good morning Agent DiNozzo."

Tony scowled. He was miserable again; his mind was in turmoil, and the tension inside him was such that what he really wanted to do was find an empty lot, stand in the middle of it and scream himself hoarse. The only good thing about the morning was that he hadn't got sick today. His mood must have shown on his face, for the director paused and studied his face. Whatever she saw must have concerned her, because she gestured towards her office in invitation.

"I've been meaning to have a talk with you, Tony. Sit." The young agent sank into a seat in front of her desk, feeling curiously like a kid in front of the principal again. "Things have been a little tense in the office recently... How shall I put this? Because you and Jethro aren't getting along."

"That's none of your business!"

"I'm not trying to interfere, Tony. I just want to help." She looked genuinely concerned. "I've known Jethro for ten years now. Believe me, I know how difficult he can be."

"He doesn't trust me..." Tony said. "He gets nightmares and he won't talk to me about them. He refuses to talk about his past. I feel so shut out!" He slumped in his seat. "We had a stupid argument about it."

"Tony, you're an idiot! He doesn't talk to anyone, not even Ducky who's known him a lot longer than we have."

Before he could stop himself, Tony heard himself blurt out the question that had consumed him for the past three hours.

"Who's Shannon?" Her eyes widened and he saw something infinitely sad appear in them.

"He hasn't told you?" She sighed. "Why should he? He was always close-mouthed when it came to his personal life. Why change the habits of a lifetime?" She turned towards her computer and tapped something on the keyboard, then turned the screen so he could see the picture which had appeared - an image of a smiling woman and child.

She was a redhead, Tony noted distantly, and beautiful, like their little girl.

"Jethro's first wife Shannon and his six year old daughter Kelly. The reason he joined NCIS in the first place." She paused. Tony had gone very pale. She reached out her hand and squeezed his fingers. "They were both murdered while he was serving overseas."

"Oh god," Tony whispered. His problems seemed insignificant compared to the scale of Jethro's loss.

"He cares about you Tony. Don't ever doubt it. Anyone who watches the two of you together can see it. But you need to realise what a big thing that is for him... I don't think he's let anyone get that close to him in a long time - and I'm including the ex-wives in that statement. You've got in past his defences." A pause. "After that chef attacked you, I saw him in the hospital. I've never seen him look like that before in all the time I've known him... Terrified. He was scared for you, Tony, because he loves you, and the last time he loved someone that deeply, they died...."

As he left her office, Tony felt more confused than ever. He sat brooding behind his desk for hours. He tried to work, a couple of times, but he achieved little. He was merely marking time until Jethro arrived at the NCIS. Part of him just wanted to be held by his partner; the other half still felt a mixture of compassion and frustration for his uncommunicative partner.

Dead on 7 a.m. the lift doors opened, and Tony looked up, expecting to see his partner. Instead, Abby emerged from the lift. She raised an eyebrow when she saw him.

"You look rough, Tony. Bad night?"

"You have no idea!" Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to ignore the beginnings of a headache.

"The boss called," she said softly. "He asked me to pass on a message to you."

Tony winced. How had things got so bad between them, that Jethro was still wary of calling him without going through an intermediary?

"He's finishing up that case. The corruption enquiry at Quantico. It looks like an inside job. They're gonna be a while!" She paused. "Tony, your eyes..."

"Huh?" The young agent stared at her.

"Your eyes are really dark right now. You feeling alright?" He understood her concern. It was well known by now that you could tell partners were under stress when their pupils were enlarged. Not that he cared right now.

Tony scowled at her. "Just leave it!"

"Fine! Excuse me for caring!" She stomped off.

Tony leaned his head in his hands and wondered how much worse the day could get.

******
End of Partnership 3/4

Partnership 4/4 Cravings
*****

"Tony?" The voice interrupted his brooding thoughts. Tony turned away from the elevator and saw Paula Cassidy standing close behind him. "Listen. I'm sorry about the other day. I was an idiot. I didn't think that a partnership with Gibbs could work out for you. But everyone round here has been pointing out to me how stupid I've been. And it's obvious how much you care for each other. I can't deny the evidence of my own eyes. I don't understand it, but I honestly wish you well." She stuck a hand out in apology.

Tony grinned back at her, his spirits restored. "That means a lot, Paula. Apology accepted." He gripped her hand.

"Let me buy you a coffee," she said. "And you can tell me all the latest gossip round here." The young agent smirked - his favourite subject! He was feeling better. In fact, he felt quite hungry.

"Only if you tell me about your friend the lawyer..."

Tony only remembered the conversation later because of the weird thing that had happened in the cafe. Paula had bought a sandwich for lunch and brought it back to their table, where Tony was picking listlessly at a pastry. He noticed immediately that something smelled utterly divine.

"What is that?" He reached out to pick at her plate and had his hand smacked for trying to sample it. He sniffed again. "Is that pickle?" He managed to snag a bit and stuffed it in his mouth. Within a minute, Paula was staring at him in outrage and every single pickle had been devoured, in combination with his cinnamon pastry.

"Mmmm. Got to get some of these..."

"I just knew there was a reason I thought you were disgusting!" she snapped. "Pickles with sugar! What the hell does Gibbs feed you? That's just so wrong!"

Tony burped loudly.

"And you can pay for my lunch! You ate most of it, you pig!"

*****

Gibbs and the team came back to the bullpen from Quantico, hours later, looking tired but satisfied at their day's work. Gibbs in particular wore the pleased expression Tony had come to associate with his catching a criminal. Mixed in with anticipation, of course. Like a cat stalking a mouse, Gibbs would play games with a suspect in interrogation, seeking to trap him in a web of his own lies. Interrogation was an art form to Gibbs.

As Gibbs and McGee walked the suspect marine into one of the interrogation rooms, Tony approached his partner hesitantly.

"We need to talk, Jethro."

Gibbs followed him into the alcove to the side of the stairs, where they could have momentary privacy.

"Tony..." He waited, forcing himself to be patient, trying to project reassurance towards his young partner. Tony stared at him uncertainly for a moment, then suddenly decisive, moved closer.

"I love you," he said softly. "I miss you..." There was such need in his eyes.

"I'm sorry."Gibbs said, just as hesitantly. "I shouldn't have said those stupid things..."

Gibbs reached out towards Tony again, suddenly conscious of how insecure the younger man was, and how shaky their relationship still was. And how much he wanted it to succeed. For a moment, he thought that Tony was going to pull away from him, to reject his clumsy attempts to put things right. But after a slight hesitation, the younger man allowed himself to be kissed. It felt so good. For a moment, Gibbs just held his partner, feeling his warmth.

"We need to work things out, Jethro," Tony said quietly. "You know we do. We can't go on like this..."

The older man gave a short nod. "Let me wrap this case up. It shouldn't take more than an hour..." He glanced speculatively towards the interrogation room. "Two at most! Then we can call it a day and go home early for once." Tony could see the question in his eyes - why had Tony gone into work so early this morning. Were they on good terms or not? But Jethro wasn't going to talk about their personal life in public. Not after that one infamous argument when they had laid bare their relationship for everyone in the office to see.

He tilted his head, studying Tony speculatively and the young agent could see that he was worried. "Your eyes are really dark, you know."

"Maybe I need you." Tony allowed a hint of desire to creep into his voice. Something hungry flashed in Jethro's eyes. Tony guessed that the interview was going to be a lot shorter than two hours, if that look was anything to go by. He grinned, surprised by how much he wanted to be physically close to his partner right now. Instead of heading back to his desk, he turned in at the door to the viewing area so he could watch how the interview went.

******

Later...

The interview wasn't going well. Not for the marine sergeant, and not for Gibbs. The phrase "irresistible force meets immovable object," came to Tony's mind. The perp, a big, tough as nails Gunny sergeant wasn't giving Gibbs an inch. He was however getting more and more annoyed with Gibbs, which was just the way Gibbs liked his suspects. Angry enough to get careless, in other words. Tony could only admire the way his partner edged up the tension in the interrogation room, with the occasional help of McGee, who Gibbs had just sent for coffee.

Tony turned away from the interview momentarily, to check something in the case file, so he didn't really hear what Gibbs said to the suspect. But his head whipped round as a wordless howl sounded from the neighbouring room. The big marine howled again and launched himself across the table at Gibbs. Even with years of unarmed combat training, Tony knew his partner was in trouble. He faced a trained opponent who was a head taller than he was, outweighing him by at least a hundred pounds. Then the perp was on Gibbs, his hands round the older man's throat and...

Tony heard himself scream Gibbs' name as his partner went down, the prisoner on top of him. Gibbs was trying every trick he knew to get free; trying to pull his wrists away, yanking at the marine's hair, then trying to jam his thumbs in his opponent's eye sockets. Uselessly. Rage gave the marine enhanced strength.

It was as if time slowed. Something was in his hands - a standard tubular steel framed chair of the sort used throughout the NCIS building. Tony raised it over his head and brought it down with all his strength on the one-way glass that separated the observation booth from the interview room. The glass shattered.

He would never remember how he got through the broken window without cutting himself. Maybe he jumped and trusted to luck. Whatever. He was just there, behind the marine, a passenger in his own body as adrenaline flooded through him in response to the threat to Jethro.

Time vanished.

And then there was no longer a chair in his hands and the marine was lying across the room in a growing pool of blood - so much blood - and Gibbs was held in his arms, shuddering as he tried to draw breath.

Alive!

Alive...

The world went away for a while.

*******

"Wow," Abby said as she stared through the ruins of the interrogation room window. "I really didn't think Tony was strong enough to do that!"

McGee shrugged.

"There are many incidents in recorded history, Abby, of people tapping into inner reserves of strength in extremis. The mother who lifts the car off her trapped child. The ninety pound wife who carries her injured husband to safety despite the fact that he's double her weight... It's a rare phenomenon, but not impossible." McGee had turned geek.

Both of them stared at the remains of the big marine. The tubular metal leg of the chair had been shoved completely through his chest from back to front, despite the fact that there was a blunt plastic fitting on the end of the leg.

Impaled through the heart! It reminded Abby of those apocryphal stories of tornados pushing a piece of straw through a telegraph pole - impossible to believe until you saw it with your own eyes.

Abby shook her head in disbelief.

"Yeah. But Tony..!"

The young agent was still holding on to Gibbs with a death-grip, kneeling, his knuckles white from the force of his grasp, face buried in the folds of Gibbs' jacket as the older agent sat propped up against the wall, holding him close. He wasn't aware of the worry in his friends' eyes as they watched him. Gibbs was though. His blue eyes lifted briefly to stare at them, and Abby realised that he was just as concerned as they were. Tony whimpered softly, and the ex-marine continued to hold his partner tightly, stroking his back, whispering quiet reassurance against the softness of Tony's hair. Gibbs sported ugly purplish bruises across his throat, but other than that, he was okay. Tony though, was an emotional mess.

"Wasn't it in Spiderman that the hero tapped into his hysterical strength reserves?" Abby asked innocently. McGee was quickest to catch on.

"No, it was Superman 2. The one with General Zod."

"You're both wrong." Ducky stood from his examination of the body and shook his head, a twinkle in his eye as he too realised what they were doing.. "It was one of the Rambo films!"

A snort of contempt came from the vicinity of Gibbs' shoulder.

"The Incredible Hulk. A classic! Who doesn't know that!" Tony lifted his head and glared at them. The effect was slightly spoiled by the visible tremor of his hands and the suspicious wetness streaking his cheeks, but the Tony they knew was back.

******

It took Gibbs an hour to sort out the mess in the interrogation room and get himself checked out by Ducky. Meanwhile he sent Tony home with McGee. He had been lucky, this time. He had a few spectacular bruises but that was all. Nw, all he could think of was getting home to be with his partner. His driving was even crazier than usual, heading home. He could feel himself getting more and more tense as the need to be with his partner consumed him. It was with a sense of relief that he made it home and hurried into his house.

Tony was just as anxious for Gibbs to get home. He had it all planned out. He had meant to talk about his discoveries. About Shannon and Kelly. But in those first few moments standing in front of his partner, something else happened. It had been over a week since they had slept together, and he had forgotten that the virus in his system made its own demands on him. What had been a simple need for contact last night, blossomed into something altogether more needy and aggressive now. And after Jethro's near-death experience, Tony's need was especially great. Just being close to Jethro made desire uncoil somewhere deep inside him.

Jethro had barely had time to flick on the light when Tony pounced on him. He took his partner by surprise and shoved him against the wall, hard. Then his mouth was on Jethro's and his brain went into total meltdown.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs had received some interesting propositions in his time, but few of them compared to Tony's determined assault on his mouth. The younger man was acting as if he was possessed, and in the few moments when the young agent pulled back to catch his breath, Gibbs realised why. His eyes were virtually all pupil; dark as night and filled with partner-lust. The earlier darkness in his eyes had just been a precursor of this. Acting completely on instinct.

Been there, done that.

He had known intellectually that partners weren't able to go for long without "reconnecting" as it were, but he hadn't really thought through the implications. At least he would know in the future - have sex at least once a week or else... Face the consequences. And today's little incident hadn't helped...

Yeah. Take a ride in your own body, with the virus in control. He knew the problems that could cause. Right now, there was nothing remotely sane in DiNozzo's eyes. Gibbs was still in control enough to stop Tony if he'd wanted to - a knee or elbow in the right place would have brought the younger man out of it, at least for the moment.

The thing was, he wanted sex too. He could feel the seductive tug on his senses as his partner began to lick his neck determinedly. He moaned. He had missed this so much - the enthusiastic attentions of a younger lover. He wanted to taste Tony, feel sweat-slick skin sliding against his as their bodies came together, the feel of DiNozzo wrapped around him, yielding beneath him... And yet...

The man he loved and trusted completely had wanted something else too. To be the one on top! Jethro Gibbs considered himself to be a considerate, generous lover. He tried to find out what would please his partners. He wanted a lover to feel good, and he had long since realised, in shame, that Tony's lament had some truth to it. Through arrogance or fear, he had never tried to find out what Tony wanted. Some part of him knew the answer already.

Jethro Gibbs remembered all too well the weight of another man on top of him, sliding into him on that day when their lives had turned upside down. Something that Gibbs had tried to push to the back of his mind, telling himself that he neither wanted nor needed it. Liar! He still remembered what it had been like - that hot, sweet fire that had burned through him when they had first come together, Tony on top of him - and a small, whimpering, wanton part of him wanted to feel it again.

Curious really. Even in that strange, virus induced madness, he knew Tony wouldn't hurt him. Tony could have forced him - but he wouldn't, because nothing on Earth could make Tony harm his partner. Jethro knew it with utter certainty. Tony wouldn't force Gibbs into something he didn't like.

Damn that stupid argument. With a faint, rueful grin at the irony of it all, he tugged his clothes off and dropped to his knees, offering himself. Even as he let the rising tide of passion take him, he heard Tony give a growl of pleasure and position himself behind the older man. Some part of Tony DiNozzo still retained sense enough to prepare him. Gibbs gasped at the sensation of fingers probing inside him, not gentle.

The long, slow glide of Tony entering him from behind was just as satisfying as he remembered, each thrust sending a white hot burst of pleasure through him. Traitorous pleasure that he had tried to deny for far too long. Then his body seemed to catch fire and he was pushing back against Tony, his body knowing by instinct what he needed. The pleasure carried him away.

******

Tony woke up shivering, the front of his body warm whilst his back was cold. He realised immediately that he was in his bed, completely naked and that the warm, comfortable surface he was lying on was in fact Jethro Gibbs. Tony's head was resting on his back - after their lovemaking had concluded, apparently Tony had just fallen asleep, still on top of his lover.

Confused, he shook his head, trying to remember. Fuzzily, he could recall Gibbs arriving, his eyes dark with worry, and then Tony had...

Oh!

He could feel the stickiness on his skin - evidence, as if he needed any, of the night's debauchery. Tony shivered. He had been so far out of control last night! He slowly began to ease his body away from Jethro's, trying to move carefully so that he wouldn't wake the sleeping man. He really didn't want to face Gibbs after he had screwed him - more than once! Jethro was going to be so mad...

Yeah, right. He should have known better.

"You don't need to move..." His lover's sleepy voice surprised him.

Tony quailed, finding himself at a loss for words. Jethro took in his silence and shifted position, rolling onto his side, then Tony found himself impaled by those incredibly blue eyes. Astonishingly, Jethro smiled. The ex-marine's big hand came up to caress Tony's cheek.

"Don't look so worried. Do I look pissed?" Tony shook his head, still unable to speak.

"Believe me Tony, you have nothing to feel guilty about. If I'd wanted to stop you, I could have." He sighed. "I've been trying to tell you for a week, that you were right. I wasn't being fair with you..."

"You don't talk to me. Not about things that matter." Tony couldn't stop the hint of desolation that crept into his voice. Gibbs sighed.

"Give me time, Tony. There are some things in my past that... Oh god, this is hard... Things that hurt so much I don't know if I'll ever be able to talk about them..." A pause.

"I trusted you long before we became partners, you idiot. There's no-one I'd rather have watching my back when we're out in the field. No-one on Earth I'd rather have in my bed..." He gripped the younger man's shoulders tightly. "Damn it Tony, don't you know I trust you more than anyone else in the world! You think I'd let any other man into my life? You think I'd go down on my knees for anyone else? Suck them off? Let them fuck me?" He sighed. "Tony, if I'd woken up after the virus was released with any other man... I wouldn't have been answerable for my actions! But with you, I could admit to myself that I actually liked what we did!" He hesitated. "Everything we did..." His voice had dropped to a whisper; he could barely speak about the darkest of his desires, even now.

"I love you," Tony said. "Don't shut me out, Jethro." He hesitated. "I know about Shannon and Kelly..."

Gibbs went still. In his blue eyes, Tony saw a flash of something desolate; a pain long endured. Tony didn't know what to say to his lover, so he let his feelings show in the only way he knew how. Without thinking about it, he reached out to his partner and pulled him close. There was a momentary resistance, then Gibbs let himself be hugged, his arms tightening around Tony as he accepted the comfort the young man offered.

They stayed like that for a long time. Finally Gibbs drew back from Tony and gently kissed his forehead. Perhaps predictably, he didn't speak, but Tony knew they understood one another. Message received and understood. If Jethro Gibbs needed him, Tony was there, ready to give as much comfort as Gibbs would accept.

It was enough for now. They were finding a new balance in their relationship - a deeper understanding of each other. Gibbs was trying not to shut Tony out, whilst the younger man tried to put aside his insecurities, knowing that Jethro wasn't deliberately uncommunicative - he had suffered loss and pain that would have broken lesser men.

Tony rested his head on Gibbs' shoulder and his arms came up to clutch at his partner. He relaxed, contentedly leaning into the familiar warmth of Jethro Gibbs' body. Just a few minutes more...

*****

Later...

Tony felt really hungry this morning, for once. He had the oddest of cravings. Hell, he had been on a roller coaster ride of emotions this week so who knows what was going on with his biology. Or maybe it was the effect of damned good sex on his appetite. Whatever. Whistling to himself as he sat in the diner, he heaped the pickles on top of his waffles and covered them with maple syrup. He grinned at his partner, justifying his odd choice of food as something amusing that would shock Jethro a little.

Gibbs stared wide-eyed at the waffles for a moment, his mouth starting to open, but then he closed it with an audible snap, apparently deciding not to press the issue. Choosing prudence for once, over curiosity, though there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. A wise man knows when to keep his mouth shut - which was just as well, because Tony didn't really know why he was eating that particular combination of foods. It just seemed like a good - and delicious - idea at the time.

He didn't feel sick any more, and it was really, really tasty.

*****

Gibbs decided that he definitely wasn't going to kiss DiNozzo this morning. Pickle mouth! What the hell kind of breakfast was that? And hadn't he just seen a big new jar of pickles in his fridge? He gave a long suffering sigh, irresistibly reminded of Fornell's comment that Tony was low maintenance. Yeah, right! Was the man really that naive?

His thoughts drifted to earlier that morning, when he had been shamelessly staring at Tony, admiring his half naked body. When the young agent was walking into the shower, Gibbs had briefly caught sight of his profile from the side. It was obvious that, despite the frequent vomiting, he was putting on weight round his middle...

For some reason,Gibbs' mind had flashed to a memory of his first wife, Shannon, when she was expecting their child. Something about the way Tony carried himself - something in his posture - brought the memory rushing to the fore. A crazy idea had blossomed in Jethro Gibbs' mind. And no matter how much he tried to ignore it, the thought kept coming back.

Tony was sick every morning. He had an expanding waistline. There was a glow of contentment about him at times that had made more than one person comment on it in Jethro's hearing. And the pickles! Oh no, he wasn't going to forget the pickles.

What if..?

Nah!

******
End of Partners 2; Partnerhip 4/4