Chapter 4

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Big shout out too, to Harrytwifan, beta extraordinaire, and wonderful person.

HELL - I couldn't wait. I posted early.

Gibbs slowly guided Tony into the conservatory where they would be warm, and have a good view of the surrounding vista. Mr. Solo's estate was mid-way up a hill, surrounded by trees. But, there were gaps which displayed the seascape beyond.

The question that opened the flood gates was Tony's. "Why are you here, Jethro?"

After that, it was if the men's usual vocal chords had been switched. The normally non-stop talker only offered the occasional question, while the taciturn functional mute hardly took breath.

Gibbs didn't stop, until he looked at Ton, finding him asleep with his head on the back of the couch.

The pattern continued for a few days. When they first started, the men sat in different chairs, and the odd raised voice was heard. At the calming of their discussion, they moved to the same couch.

One day, when Ducky found them, both were lightly snoring. Tony's head was resting on Gibbs's shoulder, and Gibbs arm was around him. Ducky covered them with a blanket and left them alone.

Despite the bliss of staying within the bubble of Mr. Solo's estate, the outside world was, figuratively speaking, battering down the doors.

Mr. Solo arrived back from his European trip and was catching up with Ducky.

Tony and Gibbs were, slowly but surely, building a much closer relationship.

Fornell, on the other hand, was receiving daily updates of the noises being made in Washington.

News was, everyone was scared to venture near Vance's office for fear of being shot. Inside, the man was reflecting on anything and everything. His temper at Gibbs's disappearance was replaced with a wish just to have the man back at his desk. The MCRT was useless without its leader. Neither Tim nor Ziva knew how to lead. Tim couldn't make a decision without running it through a probability program first, and Ziva's regime was point a gun and hope the person spoke before she took the shot.

As for the MCRT as a whole, they were essentially running around like headless chickens, bumping into a lot of things, not accomplishing much.

It was time for major decisions to be made, and for Tobias to return to DC.

Several options were placed on the table for Tony. The group discussed each one in depth before Tony made his decision. Nevertheless, when one particular option was tabled, Gibbs knew by the look in Tony's eyes it was 'the one' even before deeper dialogue.

When Tony pointed to option C, the ear-to- ear smile on Tony's face warmed Gibbs's heart. Under the table, he and Tony gripped each other's hands in support.

Departing, everyone thanked Mr. Solo for his hospitality. He in return wished the four a speedy, safe journey.

The team hit the tarmac running. There was much to do before office appearances in the morning.

That evening, the alliance got together and welcomed their new member over pizza. Later, Ducky returned to his house. Fornell and Jimmy left together, their combined destination unsure. Gibbs and Tony retired to the one bed via a very, very long double shower.

Early the next morning, Ducky and Gibbs arrived in the parking lot at the same time. They wished each other good luck and entered the building. Before they parted, Ducky turned to Gibbs with a fire in his eyes Gibbs hadn't seen for an age. "Rather exciting, isn't it, Jethro?"

"Oh, yeah," Gibbs replied with a crooked smile and an air of naughtiness.

Gibbs didn't see the point in waiting to be summoned to Vance's office. He barged straight in with a curt nod to Cynthia, who was immediately on the phone to everywhere but her boss.

Once the shock of Gibbs's return wore off, he tore into the man with vengeance. Gibbs sat, listening, not saying a word, while Vance ranted about protocol, Abby's displays, mayhem without his MCRT, and how McGee and Ziva should have been better trained to take over in the absence of Gibbs.

"Ya done?" Gibbs amusedly asked when Vance finally ran out of steam.

"Sure, why not," was Vance's tired response.

"It's the job of the SFA to run a team when their boss isn't about. YOU shipped mine out. The one I trained for years. The one I trusted to take over whenever I was absent. Tim never has been, nor ever will be, SFA material. He's been part of the MCRT for five years and is STILL gullible. Ziva has been on the team almost as long as Tim. She is strong and efficient in a fight and has her place, but sure as hell isn't in the roll of SFA, despite what she may think. They are specialists, not leaders."

"You may be right on that," Vance acquiesced. "At least you're back to steer them again."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Leon." Gibbs leaned forward and dropped an envelope on the desk. "These are my transfer papers, already approved by SecNav."

"What?" Vance looked at the orders, wide-eyed.

"It was either transfer or resignation. When Paul Ahani retires at the end of the month, I'll be taking over his role in command of the Hawaiian office. So, what are we going to do about McGee and Ziva?"

The men talked for a while longer behind closed doors. Meanwhile, in the bullpen, tension was rising along with rumors.

A whirlwind of white entered the floor shouting, "Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Then seeing no one at the desk, exclaimed, "Where is he?"

Everyone pointed to the upper mezzanine.

They didn't see Ducky and Palmer hiding in Balboa's cell. They just gave the agent a wink and a "Shhhhhh." That got the man on board for whatever mass destruction was about to happen.

The next person to exit the upper level elevator did nothing to ease the anxiety – Fornell. By then, Ziva, McGee, Abby, and a whole bunch of others, were like meercats watching an advancing predator.

A loud, "HOW THE HELL!" from Vance's office, was followed by silence.

The ding of a text alerted Ducky. "Oh, that would be my cue. Make sure you catch this on camera, Mr. Palmer," the doctor secretively murmured to his sidekick.

As Dr. Mallard made his way up the staircase under watchful eyes, Gibbs exited Vance's office to join him. A moment or two later, there was the telltale ding of the elevator.

A collective gasp echoed when Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo appeared. The two men went to help him, one under each arm, with Gibbs taking his walking stick. None of the three looked down to the bullpen.

When they disappeared out of sight, stunned silence erupted into what sounded like a chattering cacophony of clucking chickens.

Balboa turned to a busily filming Palmer. "Nicely played."

A few minutes later, the discord in the henhouse turned to silence when Gibbs emerged.

As he walked down the stairs, he looked at the gawping guppies. "WHAT?"

Everyone immediately sat at their desks and started making calls. Gibbs passed Abby before she even had chance to fling herself into his arms. She stood there, half in hug stance – empty.

When Gibbs sat at his desk, he was immediately approached by three.

"So, Tony is alive, then," the accented female stated.

"What gave you the first clue, Ziver?"

"But Gibbs, Gibbs, Tony should have called. He knew I'd worry. You should have called, too. As soon as you knew he was alive, you should have called," Abby admonished.

Shuffling his papers, and with the same monotone voice he used on Ziva, Gibbs answered the scientist. "Not everything's about you, Abs. Sometimes, other people's feelings come before yours."

Abby stood there, agape.

"You got any complaints, McGee?"

"I... I... err...no."

"Good."

There was much more Gibbs wanted to say to the people before him. Among other things, he wanted to break his own rule and apologize for leading them astray, admonish them for acting superior, and shoot them for hurting Tony. He wanted to shoot himself for that, too.

Thankfully, Tony allowed Gibbs a second chance. He was not so forgiving with his former colleagues. Tony didn't want anything to do with them.

Gibbs had already confessed his sins to Tony, and he suspected there would be a time in the future when he would confess them to the three - maybe. Though, as Ducky pointed out, not all the blame lay at Gibbs's door. People had to take ownership of their actions. No one should blindly follow another. It was one of the qualities that made Tony a leader among sheep.

At that moment, Ducky, Fornell, and Tony emerged from Vance's office with the man himself. Aided by the ME and the FBI, Tony descended the stairs.

Again, the noise level in the bullpen lowered as some strained their ears towards the MCRT.

At the bottom, Jimmy greeted the group and took Ducky's position.

The men hugged, and a few words were exchanged. Nothing was heard by anyone. On the other hand, Jimmy looked at Tobias with a blush.

Meanwhile, Gibbs rose from his desk and again ignored Abby's need for attention. With the stomp of a foot, she turned to McGee instead, who willingly complied.

Gibbs couldn't help thinking that, after all Abby's bellyaching, even with Tony standing in the same room - her first thoughts were of herself. The other two were too stunned to have a reaction.

Tony briefly eyed the trio. He used their break in connection between brain, mouth and motor functions to ignore them. As far as he was concerned whatever could be said at that moment would not sink in, nor any lessons be learned. It would be like white noise to them. Not only that, but he didn't have the energy for a face off. Facing Vance had been enough. The trio did not deserve an explanation from him. That being said, retribution was on the cards.

On approaching Tony, Gibbs asked, "You okay?"

Tony looked relieved, and smiled. "Yep, all sorted and ready to roll."

"As am I, Jethro. It's been short, but quite a day. Mr. Palmer, would you mind meeting us down stairs? I fear I have left my brolly in autopsy. "

"Of course, Doctor."

With a round of handshakes, Vance redeemed himself slightly by apologizing for everything that happened before the whole bullpen.

Confused, the MCRT watched Ducky, Palmer, Gibbs, and Tony, head into the elevator. As the doors closed, Balboa, from his lone corner, spied behind the small wall of medical personnel, Gibbs lean and kiss Tony in a way he would never kiss his mother.

He smiled, and muttered to himself, "Well, I'll be damned. Good luck, boys."

As Director Vance ascended the stairs, he bellowed, "Balboa, my office!"

"Yes, sir," came the equally loud reply. He bounded across the bullpen, unaware he was about to be named Gibbs's successor – in about a month's time.

Fornell sat at Gibbs's desk with a cat got the cream grin, and put his feet up.

Abby stood with her arms folded and announced, "That's Gibbs's desk."

Fornell put his hands in the air and crowed, "And so say the Schuto School of Saint Gibbs."

"Excuse me?" Abby's hands moved to her hips.

With a smile, Tobias put his elbows on the desk and rested his head on his hands. "Hate to break it to ya, but this is my desk for the next month. After that, there will be someone else sitting here, and it won't be Jethro."

Abby's face dropped into kicked puppy mode. "What, he's gone?"

"Yup, with Tony and Ducky." Tobias was enjoying himself.

McGee found his voice. "What, none of them are coming back?"

"Nope. Tony has resigned, Ducky has retired, and Gibbs has transferred to Hawaii, where, if my information is correct, Ducky and Tony will be moving to."

"Why Hawaii?"

"I believe there's an UNCLE out there who is going to help Tony set up his own business."

While Abby, Ziva, and McGee continued to be dumbstruck, the gossips were in full flow.

The three stooges were unaware that Tobias, with the blessing of Vance, was going to return some of the respect they gave Tony. Vance had quickly learned some valuable lessons, and as far as he was concerned, McGee, Ziva, and Abby were partly to blame in him losing one of the best teams the agency had ever known. He knew it was somewhat hypocritical of him to think that after his own actions, but if his eyes could be opened, then so could theirs. If any of them learned lessons, then there was hope, and they would remain part of the MCRT. If not, there would be movement in the ranks.

Gibbs, Tony, and Ducky sold up and moved to Mr. Solo's estate. While there, Tony could be called upon to help out a number of agencies. Number one priority was given to the FBI, and Mr. Solo's ventures, as they were the ones who facilitated everything.

Between jobs, Tony was free to pursue a career as a PI. To that end, there was a gift waiting for him when he arrived.

A bright red, shining Ferrari.

The end

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