Well folks, I said I'd be updating my last chapter before the season premiere and I know I'm cutting it close for those of you on the east coast of the US but here it is.

I've had so much fun writing this story and was so happy that so many of you enjoyed it. This last chapter is pretty much nothing but fluff written purely for my own amusement and I hope y'all like it as much as I liked writing it.

I have two new stories in the works. The first is my next Tony/Gibbs (with Tony whump of course) story, featuring the guys on horseback for at least part of it.

Then I'm planning something special for my favorite holiday that is just around the corner - Halloween!! That one will be a sequel of sorts to my NCIS/Supernatural crossover - "Mustangs and Impalas". It will take place around Halloween and I'll be bringing together Tony and Dean once again. This time for a much longer story. Probably gonna have some whump for both of them (since I can't seem to help myself) and lots of fun/scary goodness to celebrate the holiday.

So stay tuned for both. The Halloween story I am planning to post near the end of October. As it will already be complete, I plan to post one chapter per day leading up to Halloween.

In the meantime, hope y'all enjoy this last chapter and everyone have fun watching the premiere tonight!! Woohoo!

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Chapter Thirteen

"Wouldn't have it any other way……Probie."

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The next morning when Gibbs arrived he found two very eager men awaiting him. Even after only a couple days in the hospital they were both tired of it and eager to get out. Tony was very happy to be going to his own place and while Tim would have preferred his own home too, he was simply content to be out of a place where he had to wear a gown.

Abby had picked up clothes for both of them to wear home and both men were comfortable in sweats and t-shirts. Though it had been anything but an easy transition. While trying to change, both of them found that while the backless hospital gowns were embarrassing, they were at least convenient when one only had a single working arm. After a lot of groans and complaints, they'd discovered the need for teamwork.

"Ow, that hurt Probie," Tony had complained as McGee tugged his shirt into place and readjusted his sling.

"Sorry."

"No worries. Alright, your turn," and McGee immediately sat down to make it easy on the other man to help with his shirt.

It was this sight that greeted Gibbs as he entered the room.

"They have nurses for that, you know," he said with amusement.

Both men turned to him, McGee's arm still halfway through his shirt. Tony pulled it into place, ignoring McGee's groans, and then adjusted his sling.

"Well Boss, we thought about that but decided we'd better figure out how to do this on our own," Tony replied when he was done.

"We're not going to have nurses around forever," McGee added, looking much more comfortable now that his arm was in a position that didn't scream in agony.

Gibbs nodded approvingly, glad that they had worked it out between them. They had a point. The sooner they figured it out on their own, the better.

"Alright gentlemen, are we ready to go?" Ducky came into the room flanked by two large orderlies driving wheelchairs. He apparently was expecting resistance to the chairs, if the immense size of the men with him were any indication.

Tony and McGee exchanged looks. They'd discussed vetoing the normal wheeled exit required of all patients, figuring that Gibbs would probably let them get away with it. Neither of them had anticipated the ME's appearance. Nor the large men with him for that matter.

"Hey," Gibbs said, tilting his head to the chairs. "Let's go."

Knowing they had no choice now, both men sighed and got into the chairs.

When they got to the parking lot it was all Tony could do to not get up and run when he saw what was waiting for them. "Oh cool, Boss. You brought the Challenger? Check it out, Probie."

McGee grinned back at his partner, obviously just as happy with their ride.

Gibbs and Ducky shared a brief smile. The choice of getaway vehicle had been a purposeful one and both were glad that it was paying off so handsomely.

Once they were situated; Ducky in the front passenger seat and Tony and McGee in the back, they were on their way.

When they got to Tony's apartment, both men saw just how much their bodies weren't quite up to normal. Tasks like simply walking up a flight of stairs and down the hall from the elevator taking a lot more energy than it should.

Luckily Ducky and Gibbs had expected this and both were ready to offer their help. Ducky took hold of McGee's elbow and Gibbs did the same for Tony, helping them the last few steps.

Tony automatically went for his keys when he realized that of course they weren't on him. "Boss, I don't have…"

Just then the door opened and Abby came flying out.

"You're here! You're here!"

"Yes Abby, we've made it all in one piece. Now please help us get these two inside before they collapse on us," Ducky said with a chuckle for her enthusiasm.

Tony and McGee both looked like they were ready to protest, but thought against it. Neither of them really had the energy to argue, which only proved Ducky's point.

A few minutes later they were settled on Tony's couch. Glasses of juice and water had been provided, and Abby was working on the final touches of their breakfast. They were instructed to stay right where they were and she would bring it to them. After a few days of bland hospital food, the men ate eagerly while Abby watched them like a hawk.

"Abs, do you have to watch us like that?" Tony asked, eyeing her over his last forkful. Eating with his left hand was difficult enough as it was, let alone with a steely eyed Goth watching his every move.

"I can't help it. I just want to make sure you're both okay."

"We're fine Abs," McGee said, finishing the last bit of his food.

Tony looked over jealously. They both had slings on their right arms but McGee was much better off since he was left-handed. He'd had no trouble eating, unlike his unfortunate partner.

Once the men were fed, Ducky gave them each a once-over to make sure all was well. He checked Tony's bandage on his back and McGee's stitches on his head.

"Well Duck?" Gibbs asked from the corner of the room where he'd stood during the exams.

"Everything is fine, Jethro," Ducky said, smiling both for his patients and their protective Papa Bear.

Abby did the dishes and made sandwiches for them to eat for lunch. Then she, Gibbs and Ducky left for the Navy Yard, leaving Tony and McGee alone for the moment.

Walking back from what felt like a ten mile walk to the bathroom, Tony entered the living room a little while later.

"Well Probie, whattya feel like doing now? I've got about a zillion DVD's. Tell you what, since you're my guest, I'll let you have first pick," he said as he settled himself on the couch.

"Okay," McGee replied, curious to see what Tony had and hoping it wasn't all horror movies. He went to get up from the couch and found it not as easy as he thought. Up to that point they'd had Gibbs or Ducky around to haul them to their feet. The couch was deep and the cushions extra thick. Getting up would be no easy task.

"What's the matter, McGee?" Tony asked, wondering if his partner was hurting worse than he thought.

"I don't think I can get up," McGee finally admitted with embarrassment.

"Seriously?" Tony laughed. "Here McStucky, I'll help you……uh….." Tony paused.

"What?" McGee asked.

"I don't think I can either."

Without two working arms and upper bodies that were sore and aching, neither of them could pull themselves up or just launch themselves out of their seats.

"Well, this is interesting," Tony said finally.

"I guess that's one word for it," McGee replied.

"Okay Probie, I think I've got an idea. We'll use something I learned when I took the para-troop class."

"What?" McGee was suspicious.

Tony turned his body sideways until he was facing McGee and then held out his good hand. Still curious, McGee copied his partner's movements until he too was sitting sideway. Then he took hold of the proffered hand.

"Alright so we're gonna each use our own resistance and pull each other up in one smooth movement, got it?"

McGee immediately saw the logic behind the suggestion and nodded. "Got it."

"One……two……three!" and with that they both pulled hard and were soon standing. Realizing just how ridiculous they looked, both burst into laughter.

"That's gonna make every trip to the bathroom much more interesting," Tony finally gasped out.

"No kidding."

McGee finally searched through the movies and settling on an old World War II flick, they sat back down to watch. Both of them had seen it a few times and soon McGee turned to his partner.

"So you went to a paratroop class? When?"

"My second year with Gibbs, before you came along. We were on a case where a guy jumped out of a plane but his 'chute didn't open and he landed, kersplat, into a car."

"Ouch." McGee winced in sympathy.

"Yep. I remember when Kate got there she was so shocked she thought it was a joke."

"Really? Kate?"

"Well it was her first official case with us. She hadn't yet learned just how interesting NCIS cases can get."

McGee chuckled softly and for a few moments, both of them were silent, each of them remembering their fallen friend in their own way.

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After surviving the entire day together, the men were treated to another home cooked meal by Abby, another exam by Ducky and lots of growling from Gibbs.

Once the trio had left again, McGee settled onto the couch which had been folded out and made into a bed for him. Tony was in his own room and soon the apartment became quiet as the two exhausted men finally gave in to sleep.

The same schedule played itself out for the next day or two. Eventually only one nursemaid came to check in on them at a time – Abby, Gibbs and Ducky each taking turns.

Tony and McGee became quite proficient at their "heave-ho" technique to help each other get up whenever the need arose. McGee's shoulder was healing faster than Tony's (bullet holes tended to take longer than dislocations, according to Ducky), but both of them would still require slings for a while longer.

They got into a routine, each helping the other into and out of the slings in the morning before and after their showers, hauling each other off the couch when needed.

On day two, Abby brought over McGee's Xbox and the two of them set it up on Tony's impressive entertainment system. Tony was definitely at a disadvantage, not only playing the Elf Lord himself but also playing left-handed. But after a day or two, he got the hang of it enough to give the reining champ a run for his money.

Abby walked in later that evening to the sounds of yelling.

"Aw, c'mon! You wimp! Why'd you let him shoot you like that?" Tony was yelling.

"Tony you can't blame your men from running away, mine are just better," Tim replied smugly.

Abby walked into the living room and found the two of them concentrating hard on the screen in front of them. Screams, gunshots and other sounds of war were blaring from the tv, the images on the screen matching the sounds.

"Jeesh you two! You just had, like, a real gun battle not that long ago. Tony you just got a bullet taken out of you, for goodness sakes. Why in the world would you want to play that stuff??"

"Because it's fun," they both replied in unison, barely looking up from their controllers.

Abby laughed and went into the kitchen, unable to fight that logic.

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After a week, McGee's shoulder was nearly healed and though not healed, Tony's was very much on the mend.

"Well my dear boy, I'd say you're well enough to go home on your own. Another few days off work and I'll give you my okay to return to light desk duty," Ducky said after McGee's exam.

Tony opened his mouth, but Gibbs beat him to the punch. "Don't even think about asking DiNozzo. Bullet holes take longer, you know that. When Ducky says you're ready, that's when you'll get to go back, not a second sooner. You got it?"

"What? Did I say anything?" Tony looked between the two men, feigning as much innocence as he could muster.

"You didn't have to Anthony. I'm afraid it's written all over your face," Ducky replied, closing his bag and getting up to leave. "But don't worry, you're doing quite well. I'd say just another week or so and I'll be able to approve you for light desk duty too."

Tony tried not to look disappointed. Not only was he still going to be stuck at home, the Probie was going back to work before him. There was something just so inherently…wrong about that.

McGee packed his things together. "I'll leave the Xbox here for you, Tony," he said, detecting the sadness from his partner. Truthfully it felt a little strange to be leaving after all their time together. He'd gotten used to having someone around all the time.

"Tell ya what, how about I come by every day after work and kick your ass?" McGee said, indicating the game console.

Tony grinned wide. "Oh, you're on Probie. I'm gonna practice every day while you're toiling away at work. Be prepared to be annihilated."

McGee smiled back and paused at the door. Ducky, Gibbs and Abby were waiting in hallway to take him home and he turned to them quickly.

"Gimme a second, will ya guys? I'll be right down."

The three nodded and went down to the car. Gibbs hesitated an extra second before walking to the elevator. He had been planning on coming back to check in on Tony after they took McGee home, knowing how much the older man would be upset at not being allowed to go to work yet. But as he watched McGee head back into the apartment he suddenly knew that his services wouldn't be needed this time.

After all their troubles, his two "boys" had seemingly worked things out. Whatever McGee was going to say to Tony, Gibbs was sure that it would be all the other man would need to be okay.

With a proud smile, he strode to the elevator, happy that the men on his team were working well together again. He knew they'd still need him. They probably always would, but for tonight they were handling things themselves and that made him happy.

Tony was just deciding what to do with the rest of his night when McGee came back into the room and he looked up in surprise. McGee didn't say anything for a few moments and Tony cocked his head at his partner.

"Something up, McGee?"

McGee hesitated, clearing his throat. "I just wanted you to know that I….uh…figured it out, you know. Out there, that night. I figured out why you torture me so much…..well other than the fact that you secretly like me," McGee said with a wink, enjoying the cringe the remark got from his partner.

Tony leaned back into the couch with a wide smile. "Oh yeah, McSmartyPants, what reason is that?"

"You were making sure I could survive under fire"

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Wow, McGoo, that's pretty good….though not completely accurate."

"What?"

"You are in fact partially right. Those are two of the reasons but you're forgetting the most important of all."

"Really?" McGee was puzzled. "Why else?"

"Because it's fun." Tony said, putting his hands out as if that were the most logical conclusion in the world.

McGee smiled and turned to leave, pausing as Tony spoke again.

"You know I'm still gonna call you Probie and screw with you, right?" Tony said.

"Yep," McGee replied, stopping to look at his partner over his shoulder. "And you know that I'm not always going to just sit there and take it, right?"

The two men grinned at each other for a few moments. McGee started to leave once again and Tony called to him before he was fully out the door.

"Wouldn't have it any other way……Probie."

The End

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So that's it folks, the end of this little adventure with Tony and McGee. Hope y'all liked it.

Don't forget to check out my blog (link on my profile page) for my reviews of both premieres of NCIS and NCIS:LA sometime tomorrow. Check it out now for reviews of the season premiere of Bones and the latest episode of Supernatural.