Title: Coming Home

Rating: K+

Spoilers: Everything and I do mean everything, slight mention of House characters, you don't really need to know much about them, except House and Cuddy fight like another favorite couple used to. Well…not quite, but you'll get the idea.

Summary: Tony is feeling rather rebellious and enlists the team's help for the ultimate coup d'état

"Special Agent Gibbs I gave you a direct order and I expect you to follow it," Director Vance warned.

"Of course Director," Gibbs answered surprising his team who was standing behind him as usual. They watched as their boss turned on his heel and returned to the bullpen.

"So when he says we're not doing anything…" Tony began after waiting for the typical orders to disobey.

"We aren't doing anything," Gibbs answered with a glare. McGee nodded.

"Right Boss, still I think I'll just…"

"You will not McGee. The case is dropped. Leave it alone." McGee felt his jaw drop open and Tony glanced from the probie to his typically reserved partner to find her in a similar state of shock. "I'm going for coffee, let me know if we get another case." They watched as Gibbs left.

"Did he just…" Tony drifted off. "The boss followed an order."

"He never did that when Je…before," Ziva pointed out. They still had problems discussing the previous Director of NCIS.

"I've had it," Tony announced. "This has gone on to long, Gibbs isn't the boss anymore."

"Are you staging a coup?" Ziva inquired twirling a paperclip. Tony paused for thought, a typically unusual thing.

"If that's what it takes," he answered getting up. "I'm going to see Abby." He wasn't surprised to find the other two following. Abby was found in her usual habitat sitting on a chair staring at the evidence. She jumped up when she spotted the team.

"So did Bossman take Vance down? C'mon I want details!"

"Gibbs told us to drop it," Ziva informed angrily.

"He did what?"

"Drop it."

"But he only meant drop it," She nudged and winked McGee as an example.

"No Abbs, he meant drop it," Tony repeated.

"But…" She took a deep breath. "That's not Gibbslike! This has gotten out of hand, first he keeps secret from the team, then he puts you guys in danger, no he's buddy-buddy with Vance, who only has the job because he got the previous director killed!"

"Uh Abby, not quite the way it happened," McGee reminded.

"Au contraire. I did the digging. Vance was part of their team back in the day. I bet he knew and that slime ball…"

"Abbs," Tony interrupted. "Could we jump of the Vance death train for a second?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Uh…" he paused. "I do." He pulled up the Skype program on Abby's computer and typed in a username.

"You Skype?" McGee inquired.

"I was bored as Agent Afloat. There's nothing to do but watch the sea go by," Tony complained.

"I did not know, I skyped with McGee," Ziva explained. "You should have said something."

"I figured you were off doing what you do best."

"Mossad missions do not take that long to complete, you're in, bang, you're out."

"Right…" Abby drawled. A young woman appeared on the screen."
"Ah Anthony," came the heavy French accented voice.

"Rosalie, I was wondering if…"

"I'm sorry but the mistress is not home right now, she has retired to the house in Serbia."

"Could you tell her we need to speak, as soon as possible," Tony said.

"Very well, I will speak with her this afternoon."

"Thank you." Tony logged off and turned to his confused teammates, well minus one, Ziva was starring at the wall.

"Who are you trying to get in touch with?" Abby demanded.

"You asked for a coup, I'm staging a take over."
"She will not come back," Ziva said solemnly.

"And that's where you come in, you can be persuasive."
"I cannot torture her!"

"Psychology Ziva, Shrink her." McGee looked at the two partners.

"And how do we get Gibbs to go along with this?"

"Go along with what?" The team spun to face the door finding their boss standing there.

"Hi boss," Tony greeted cheerfully. "We were just…wondering about that case and…"
"Since you told them to drop it, we figured you'd go along with us taking Ducky to a medical conference in DC," Abby spoke up, she was loyal to Gibbs, but the team currently was trying to help Gibbs, therefore the team was what she sided with. Safety in numbers.

"Fine," Gibbs answered. He turned and left. They waited with baited breath until they were sure he was gone. They joined Ducky in autopsy much to the good Doctor's surprise.

"Ah what can I do for you my dears?"
"We'd like to accompany you to the medical conference you requested time off for," Abby announced.

"Oh," Ducky looked puzzled.

"The one at the major convention center?" Ziva tried worried her friend might be loosing his mind.

"Ah yes, that conference. Well I had time to think about it and…"

"You're still going right?" Tony questioned.

"Well I…yes of course," Ducky agreed. "Just as soon as I talk to Jordan."

"Jordan?" McGee echoed.

"Uh what?"

"Why do you have to talk to Dr. Hampton?" Ziva inquired. "Is she attending?"

"I have not mentioned Dr. Hampton."
"Do you know another Jordan?" Tony inquired.

"Oh dear," Ducky turned with embarrassment as he watched DiNozzo's smile grow. He had not meant to give out that information.

"It is alright Ducky," Ziva comforted. "We're glad you have found someone."
"Even if I really don't want those images in my head," Abby muttered only to turn red herself. "Uh…never mind," She hastily retracted.

--

The medical conference was of no interest to Tony and Ziva; they simply followed their teammates around, as Ducky led describing in detail and off launching into stories with the lovely Dr. Hampton on his arm. Abby and McGee had been avid listeners for the first twenty minutes or so, then they too zoned out.

"How can she listen to him?" Tony asked. Ziva simply rolled her eyes. She lost the chance to answer when they heard raised voices coming from the right of them. The team stopped and looked spotting a man with a cane and a beautiful woman standing closely together arguing. Ducky didn't seem to notice until Jordan stopped and found her watching the team standing stock-still.

"What?" Ducky nudged her.

"They're watching that couple arguing in fascination." Ducky glanced over and sighed.

"I don't think its fascination, it's longing." The older man spotted a few young people around the couple trying to ignore it as best they could, obviously familiar with it. They watched the team approach and moved closer to hear what was going on.

"You think he wouldn't do this in public," a middle aged balding man said.

"House feels the room should watch and listen," another more happily looking man informed.

"Poor Cuddy," the brunette woman lamented. "It would be so much easier if she just fired him."
"And we all know why that won't happen," a tall refined man said. Ducky watched as they turned to the team starring.

"It happens all the time," the woman commented to the spectators.

"It is familiar to us," Ducky heard Ziva answer.

"Reminds me of Mommy and Daddy," Abby sighed sadly.

"You're siblings?"

"Sure, Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, at your service, my sister Abby, her boy toy Probie McGee, and our Assassin Ziva," Tony introduced. The strangers glanced at the group. "She's almost as good looking as Je…"

"Tony!" Ziva scolded forcing his eyes off the woman arguing.

"You willingly listen to this?" The balding man asked amazed.

"You don't know what you have until its gone," Tony pointed it out. "I think I'd willingly listen to all the noise of slamming doors and red head temper if it meant life would go back to normal."
"And what hospital are you with?" The woman inquired.

"Oh…uh NCIS, our medical examiner is here."

"NCIS?" The man with the cane turned to glance at the group. "You anything like that CSI posse?"
"Only if your dyslexic," Tony responded.

"Tony," McGee hissed.

"I like you, Dr. Gregory House."

"Very special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

"We're sorry for your loss," the woman beside him said gently the team looking surprised.

"And this voluptuous creature is Dr. Lisa Cuddy, our hospital administrator."

"Maybe I should've worked a little harder in school," Tony lamented.

"Ignore him," Abby said extending her hand. "Abby Scuito, thank you for your condolences."
"Did you know our Director?" Ziva asked.

"Jenny and I met only a few times at Women Leadership Conferences," Dr. Cuddy answered.

"The knockout red head with the…"

"House!"

"Ah Cuddles are you jealous?"

"Dr. Cuddy we should really get moving," the brunette woman answered. She nodded and they said their goodbyes. Ducky watched on in amusement as the team watched them leave.

"How many ex-wives do you think he has?" Tony asked after a minute. "More than Gibbs?"
"None," Ziva answered. "No way any woman could deal with that."
"He was pretty accurate about…"

"Do NOT let Gibbs hear you say that," Abby warned. Tony cringed at the thought of the head slap that would get him. His phone rang.

"Speak of the Devil. Hi boss."

"DiNozzo get back here, bring the team."

"Boss wants us back."

"What for?"

"Guess we'll find out when we get there." They found Ducky watching them with Jordan and they left returning in rapid time, Tony complaining the whole way. They entered to find Gibbs at his desk, glaring at the coffee cup.

"Boss?" McGee called gently.

"Ziva find some real coffee, someone apparently thought it was funny to replace the regular with decaf," he nearly spat out the last word and the team cringed, while all wondering who in their right mind would break Rule 23.

"What about you Boss?"

"I'll be in the Director's office."

"Running errands for him," Tony mumbled but apparently not quiet enough as his head snapped forward. Gibbs kept going up stairs and through the doors to the office. "Any one else think Gibbs needs an attitude adjustment?"
"He's in pain Tony!" Abby defended.

"Almost a year without mentioning her name. It's not going to work quite as well as the last time," Tony answered angrily. "If only she'd been an ex-wife."

"Oh bite your tongue," came the surprising demand from in front of him. Tony's head snapped up as he felt McGee and Abby's jaw drop. Ziva seemed unaffected.

"Nicely done, Tony," Ziva praised, turning to the woman in front of her. "They're in his…your…office."

"You asked for a coup DiNozzo, don't make me regret telling you I was alive."

"Never ma'am." They watched scale the stairs in the exceptionally high heels with the eyes of most the agency on her, before quickly running to catch up. Ducky opted to wait. They followed behind her as she walked straight past a shocked Cynthia and threw up the doors.

"Vance get the hell out of my chair!" She snapped and the Vance jumped up. "As for you Agent Gibbs, I seem to remember I told you to stay out of the media's way, torching a Georgetown home does not fit into those orders!"

"Mommy's home," Tony announced to his teammates who were watching the events with rapt attention.

"Cynthia, find someone to get rid of these toothpicks and get security to escort Assistant Director Vance to the airport!"

"Yes ma'am!" Cynthia responded happily.

"Agent DiNozzo!"
"Ma'am?" Tony gulped.

"Don't you have a case to be working on?" Tony nodded slightly disappointed he wouldn't get to witness the rest of the reunion as she shooed him and the team out of the office. "And Tony?" He turned. "You and Ziva have my thanks."

Gibbs watched his team disappear down the corridor and Cynthia close the door behind them with a happy smile that he hadn't seen in months on her face. Vance had already been pushed out, the shell-shocked face still firmly in place. For his part as the door closed he felt his eyes move to the slim figure of the red head he had only seen in his dreams.

"You may speak," She said after moments of silence.

"What should I say?"
"I think we can skip the, you haven't changed a bit bull," she teased attempting to lighten the tension.

"You have."

"Have I?"
"I don't remember you being this beautiful," he said rather still in a daze and heard the words tumble out before his brain processed. He was quick to snap his mouth shut and study her reaction. A faint smile had taken residence along with might be surprise, he wasn't sure. He hadn't touched her yet, but it crossed his mind that it was all he really wanted to do.

"Well, that's not quite what I pictured you saying, but I'll take it," she replied a moment later. "I wasn't kidding about the arson thing though," she informed.

"I've been good since then," he assured.

"You didn't go after Vance when you had the opportunity, I suspect you know exactly what he's done."

"He wanted his friend to be a Marine."
"He lied about whom he was."
"Haven't we all?"
"You know that's not all he's done."
"I don't have proof," he told her taking a step closer.

"That's what you said two months ago," she sighed leaning back against her desk. He leaned slightly over her his hands resting on the desk brushing against her. "I'm tired of hiding."
"That how DiNozzo convinced you to come back?"
"He told me you were seeing someone, and you'd lost your mind," She replied, putting a sarcastic tone on the seeing someone.

"How did he find you?"
"He was Agent Afloat, one of my communications to find out about your team happened to get to him, he had thought something was off, it helped. I never told him you knew, that it was your idea."

"Now, now, it was Franks' idea. Not mine." She sighed, leaning her head against his chest. He let one of his hands rest on her back rubbing soothing circles.

"Ziva found out, saw me on the street in Paris. She never came up but I got a postcard from Israel a few weeks later."

"She never mentioned it, neither did Tony."
"I told them not to, if no one but you and I knew you knew, I thought you might be safe, that this wouldn't all be in vain."

"I haven't done everything I said I would, I need proof Jen."
"You don't have to worry now, I saw SecNav, he's going to go after them in an attempt to murder a federal Director, even offered me a raise or a promotion."
"Promotion?" He echoed knowing he was about to say goodbye again.

"Homeland Security, I didn't take it. He thinks I might be on the new administrations list for the new SecNav though, so we'll see. If that happens, maybe…"

"Right," Gibbs answered moving slightly back.

"Would you be okay with that?"
"What?"
"Would you be okay with me taking the SecNav position?" Gibbs stood silently for a minute before pulling her tightly to him and hugging her close.

"Whatever you want."
"No, not anymore Jethro, we agreed to do this together," she reminded. "Unless you…"

"No, I…I just want you to be happy," he told her surprising her with the emotional tone of his voice. "I just…I didn't think this day would ever come, I'd been planning to retire, thought I'd join you out there."

"You don't want to retire Jethro."
"I don't want to keep losing you."

"No more, not ever again, till death do us part."
"Death is a likely to happen sooner than later."
"All the more reason to enjoy what time we have," she told him tilting her head up to kiss his jaw line. He cupped her cheek in his palm and kissed her tenderly, his fingers running through her hair after a moment, deepening the kiss. They broke apart when air became necessary, wrapped up in each other. "Take me home?" He nodded wrapping his arm around her waist holding her close as he opened the door. He and Jenny stepped out of the falling mass that appeared as soon as the door opened. They looked down to find Tony and Abby on the ground in front of them, Ziva standing toward the side and McGee in the back.

"Apparently you need to work on your discipline," Gibbs teased.

"Clearly," she sighed. "You realize the four of you are grounded?"
"What?" Abby gasped getting to her feet.

"I haven't been grounded in forever!" Tony whined.

"What is grounded?" Ziva asked

"Can I still go on my book tour?" McGee questioned. Gibbs shook his head in exasperation, pulling Jenny closer and leading her away from their wayward offspring.

"Gibbs!" They called after him. He stopped and turned to face them with a sly grin that they were surprised to see.

"Mommy's home now, whine to her." He felt Jenny jab him with her elbow before turning and laughing as he escorted her onto the elevator. She waved to the team as the doors closed.

"That wasn't very nice."
"I'm the dad. I don't have to be nice. You can cuddle with them for a change."
"I think I'd rather cuddle with you," she whispered leaning into him.

"I can live with that." They walked out to his car and got in. "So, where to?"

"Serbia?"

"Works for me."

--

Three days later McGee received a secure transmission stating that Mommy and Daddy were out of the country and they could not be reached unless World War III had occurred. He was to ensure a regular supply of Caf-Pows, shooting qualifications, and blondes were available for the remaining children, in return he would be permitted to go on an extended book tour. A separate transmission was sent to Ducky informing him they expected to see a ring on Dr. Hampton's finger when they got back, and to make sure Tony didn't end up on his table, courtesy of Ziva.

No response was given and the parents quite happily enjoyed the snow of Serbia. Cuddling in front for the fire teasing each other with tactics that would have made Freud himself blush.

THE END