Title: Missed you, boss

Author: dragonfly

Genre: family, 06x02 missing scene, gen

Summary: Tony really, really missed Gibbs while he was Agent Afloat.

A/N: The scene after Gibbs and Ziva arrive when they're going to see the coroner, Tony says, "I missed you, boss." "Yeah, I know, DiNozzo," Gibbs replies, as if recalling something that just happened—say, when they arrived. Hence ficlet. Hope you enjoy! Thank you for letting me play in your sandbox.

~*~NCIS~*~

"Well, when do they get here?" he demanded, feeling excitement bubble up.

"Already have," a familiar and more than welcomed voice said from behind.

He spun around and instantly smiled.

"Nice tan," Ziva said, smiling back while Gibbs looked on fondly.

Without conscious thought, he hung up on McGee and Vance. Then he was walking towards them. Before he realized it, he had his arms wrapped around Gibbs.

Releasing a breath, he lowered his chin onto the back of Gibbs' shoulder. Growing up, he never felt like he had a home—not really, not since his mother had died. Yet now, thousands of miles from D.C….he suddenly found himself home. The tension that he had been carrying around for months slowly started to fade. He didn't realize he was being talked to—or even that he was still hugging Gibbs, until a cool, callused hand palmed the back of his neck, and a smaller hand ran across his ribs. "I missed you, boss," he said evenly.

"Yeah," Gibbs rasped lightly, "I can see that."

"How was your flight?" He still hadn't let go.

"Long, DiNozzo," he answered, not unkindly. "Care to give a SitRep?"

Tony hesitated. "I missed you, boss."

He felt the arms around him tighten. "Missed you too, Tony."

-end