Chapter Eleven: West Coast. East Coast.

Tony sat in the back of the warm courtroom in Washington DC, his stomach turning as he stared at the man on the witness stand. He'd already given his testimony, as limited as it was and he was thankful his part was done but he couldn't resist sticking around until the proceedings were over and the verdict was delivered.

"Did you see the defendant, Cole Hammond, at all on the morning of July 2nd?"

"I did," Ozzy answered. "He came out to the chopper while the guys and I were loading up our gear."

"Was the whole team present and helping load gear?" the prosecutor asked.

"Everyone except DiNozzo," Ozzy answered.

"Was it unusual to see your CO before your shift like that?"

"It was a little out of the ordinary. He usually didn't check in with us without a reason."

"And what was his reason that day?" the prosecutor asked.

Ozzy frowned as he made eye contact with Hammond who was sitting at the defense table. He didn't want to answer the question; he wanted no part in any of the trial but he had no choice. "Hammond informed the team that Tony was the rat who got Bowles kicked off the team and the reason Biggs had been sent back to the States. He blamed Tony for all the chaos that was going on on base and thought he should be punished for it."

"Did Hammond recommend a punishment or was that left up to someone else?"

"Hammond told us he'd been hearing rumors that DiNozzo was planning on deserting his post and that if we came back without him, that was how he'd write his report," Ozzy answered reluctantly. "The implication seemed to be for us to leave DiNozzo behind while we were picking up a patient."

"Objection!" the defense cut in. "The witness can't speak to what my client was implying."

"The guys and I got the impression that Hammond wanted us to leave DiNozzo behind on one of our calls that day," Ozzy rephrased.

Tony stood and quietly made his exit. He'd heard enough and he really couldn't stomach listening to anymore that day. Amidst the crowd of people, he walked out of the courthouse unnoticed, got into his rental car and headed towards his hotel room. Thirty minutes later he was in a bathtub full of almost too hot water, letting the warmth ease the tension in his body as he held the phone to his ear.

"This is Gibbs," the person on the other end of the phone said.

Tony smiled at the sound of the other man's voice. Jethro had stuck by him through thick and thin. It was the first time they'd been apart since the man had rescued him but Jethro was needed on the west coast. "I miss you, Gunny. Wish you were here with me."

"I wish I was too. Court over for the day already?"

"No. I've heard enough though. As soon as they read the verdict, I'm on the first plane to LAX."

"My boss approved my time off," Jethro told the man. "Think things'll be wrapped up there in a week?"

"I'm guessing we'll hear closing statements tomorrow or Wednesday, then it's up to the jury. Now that I know you're off though, I'll definitely be on a plane headed your way this weekend."

"No, you need to stay through the verdict. I want you to have closure. If the trial's still going or the jury's still deliberating I'll head your way. We'll get it all worked out."

Tony relaxed further into the bathtub as a genuine peace washed over him. The last thing he wanted was for Jethro to waste money and vacation time sitting in DC waiting for a verdict but just the fact that the man was willing to do that for him spoke volumes about their relationship.

"Whatcha doin'?" Jethro asked.

"Taking a bath," Tony answered. "All I need is a big, strong Marine to help me wash behind my ears," he paused for effect and smiled, "and maybe a few other places."

Jethro smiled too, even though he knew he couldn't have that conversation at the moment. "I'm still at work," he said regretfully.

"That's too bad, 'cause I really miss you." He frowned when he heard Mike Franks' voice in the background.

"I miss you too, Tony," Jethro said quietly, "I gotta go. See ya soon."

Tony held onto the phone for a long moment after Jethro hung up. He wished more than anything that the man was there with him but at least they had the following week to spend together with no chance of being interrupted. Hopefully by then the verdict would be in, Hammond would be locked away and he would start feeling better. He hadn't been himself since his team had left him on the ground back in late June and try as he might he couldn't seem to get himself back to normal or hide it from Jethro, although thankfully the man was being very gracious about the whole situation.

It didn't help that he had a life changing decision hanging over his head; a decision that would most definitely change everything in one way or another. He feared if he made the wrong choice he'd disappoint Jethro. He didn't know what to do and he was overwhelmed with trying to figure it out.

All Tony really wanted was his life back but he wasn't quite sure how to make that happen. Maybe justice would make that happen. Justice and making his decision about whether or not to re-up and then telling the man he loved what he'd decided.

Physically Tony was sitting next to Jethro in the cab of the truck, staring out at the ocean as the man drove down Highway 1 but mentally he was a million miles away, mulling over everything that had happened and was still yet to happen. It had only taken the jury ninety minutes to find Hammond guilty of every charge the prosecution had brought up against him and the judge hadn't taken much longer than that to inform him he'd be spending the rest of his days tucked away in a not so cozy cell in Leavenworth.

Tony had arrived at Jethro's in the very early hours of Thursday morning and had been scolded by the man for not letting him know he was coming so he could pick him up at the airport.

Then they'd made love.

Jethro may have been exhausted at work the following day but he'd been in a much better mood than usual.

Now, two days later, Jethro was driving towards some secret location where he'd told Tony they were going to spend the rest of the week. Curiously there were no suitcases full of clothing or travel itineraries, just a twelve pack of beer they'd picked up at the gas station down the road from Jethro's house.

If the lack of chatter coming from the passenger seat next to him wasn't enough to disturb Jethro, the faraway look in Tony's eyes certainly did the trick. "What's wrong, Tony?" he asked.

Tony's trance broke and he looked over at his lover. "What makes you think something's wrong?"

"Well, you haven't offered to give me road head yet, for one," Jethro teased lightly.

That not only brought a smile to Tony's face, it helped him relax a little. "Before we get wherever we're going that you won't tell me, I think maybe I better tell you something, in case you change your mind about this or us or whatever."

"Okay," Jethro replied patiently, although there were very few things Tony could've admitted to that would make him change his mind.

"I've given it a lot of thought," Tony said hesitantly, "and I'm getting out of the Navy." Once the confession had been made he started speaking quickly, trying to explain himself before Jethro could object or be disappointed. "I don't think I can do it anymore, Jethro. That trust is gone and it's been replaced with paranoia. If I re-up, there's a high probability I'd be redeployed and I just don't think I can put my life in other people's hands any more. Please don't be disappointed with me."

"Disappointed?" Jethro asked. "Is this what's been bothering you, Tony?"

Tony shrugged sheepishly, still unsure of how the man was going to react. He was terrified he was going to lose another friend, the only one he had left.

Jethro crooked his finger at Tony and when the man leaned closer, he reached behind him and lightly smacked the back of his head.

"What was that for?" Tony asked in shock as he rubbed at the spot. "I thought you were gonna give me a kiss or something."

"That was for not telling me sooner. You're giving yourself an ulcer over this when it's nothing. I'm not disappointed in you. I couldn't be prouder. Tony, I don't care if you decide you wanna sell coconuts on the beach. That won't change my feelings for you and it won't take away any of the pride I feel. You get out there and do what makes you happy, be who you wanna be. That's all I want for you."

"Really?" Tony asked in surprise.

Jethro nodded and watched as all the stress and tension from everything he'd been through seemed to leave Tony's body. There couldn't have been a better conversation to start their vacation because all Jethro really wanted for Tony was for the man to find some peace so he could rediscover the happy go lucky self that had gone missing in the small village in Afghanistan.

Tony reached for Jethro's hand and held on tightly. "Do you think I could have that kiss now?"

Jethro was more than happy to oblige and he would follow it up by a week in his friend's luxury beachfront home where they could order in pizza and Chinese food, enjoy bonfires on the beach, wake to the salty ocean breeze warming their skin and best of all, they didn't even have to put clothes on if they didn't want to because there was no one else around for at least a mile in either direction. After all the sneaking around, enduring interruptions and residing in different time zones, they could enjoy being together, just the two of them with no possibility of anyone else getting in the way.

EPILOGUE

Eighteen Months Later

Tony groaned as Jethro tilted his legs back just enough to allow himself to push into his body even farther. The man was deep inside him already and it wasn't his above average length that left Tony feeling fuller than he ever had before, it was the way the man was wholly possessing his body as he made love to him. Tony's dick strained, raising up off of his belly in invitation for Jethro to wrap his hand around it and play, an invitation the man gladly accepted.

Whispered words of encouragement had ended long ago, turning to demanding grunts and pleading whimpers as an experience like neither of them had ever had before barreled all too quickly towards an end. In an effort to slow them both down, Jethro turned long, quick strokes into slower, short strokes, rubbing purposefully against all the right spots inside Tony's body.

Tony's head fell back almost in slow motion and his eyes slipped closed as he blindly grabbed for his lover. Jethro lowered his center of gravity as he watched his lover but the expressions on Tony's face were doing nothing to slow him down. Tony groaned Jethro's name and wrapped his hand around his lover's hand that was on his dick but he was stopped when he tried to start stroking.

"Slow down," Jethro urged. "I wanna enjoy you."

"I'm enjoying you a little too much," Tony replied.

Jethro slowed his hips to a stop, lowered his body onto Tony's and started kissing the man all over his face, neck and shoulders. As the kissing went on, Tony wrapped his legs around Jethro's hips and slowly started rocking his body, prompting Jethro to join in and soon they were moving in tandem, picking up the pace as the excitement once again grew to near climax.

"Do it, Jethro," Tony huffed desperately.

"Fuck," Jethro grunted, knowing there was no more stalling.

He lengthened his strokes, pushing firmly into Tony and rubbing his belly roughly against the man's throbbing dick sandwiched between their bodies. It was only a matter of seconds before Jethro felt the warm gush against his belly which in turn caused him to lose himself with a shuddery breath and whispered curse of completion.

Their bodies didn't stop moving together until the sensitivity became too much and they were forced to. After easing out of Tony, Jethro dropped to the bed next to the man and tugged him closer. He settled in, throwing an arm across Tony's midsection and nuzzling his nose into his lover's hair.

"I don't wanna get back in the truck," Tony mumbled, interrupting the peaceful quiet of the Friday morning.

"We're almost there," Jethro pointed out.

"But this hotel is pretty nice. Can't we just live here?"

Jethro grinned as he nipped playfully at Tony's ear before rolling out of bed and heading off to the bathroom. "I'm gonna get a shower," he called over his shoulder before pausing and peeking around the corner to the room where Tony was still sprawled out in bed. "Feel free to join me."

And just like that Tony had his answer but all of a sudden it didn't seem so bad.

Just over six hours later, Tony pulled into the parking lot of the Harbor View Apartments on the outskirts of Washington DC and circled the large lot until he found a parking spot. The tiny bit of apprehension he felt over where he was was eased as soon as he looked over at Jethro and the man offered him a smile.

"Our new home," Tony said, reaching for the man's hand. "What do you think?"

"Looks nice so far," Jethro replied, looking around at their surroundings. "You can see the Potomac from here. Not the same as the Pacific Ocean but it'll do."

Leaving California had been difficult for both of them and had required a lot of back and forth discussion but in the end a chance for a fresh start had won out. Jethro had been given an opportunity to follow Mike Franks to NCIS headquarters on the Navy Yard and be promoted to Senior Field Agent and Tony had accepted a job with the DC branch of the same ambulance company he'd been working for in California, a job that had allowed him to continue doing what he enjoyed under more manageable circumstances while he went to school to get his degree in law enforcement, a decision inspired by Jethro and all the man had done to help him when he needed it most.

"And the Atlantic isn't far from here," Tony added. They both loved the water and leaving the warmth and beautiful Pacific Ocean behind had been a big mark on the 'cons' side of their list but in the end it had lost out to all the possibilities a fresh start offered.

The two grabbed their duffle bags then headed inside, checked in and received their keys. All the paperwork had been done beforehand via fax and email, deposits had been paid and everything was in place with the exception of furniture which they still needed to purchase but that could wait until the following day.

After a quick elevator ride to the ninth floor and a short walk down the hall, the two stopped in front of their door.

"This is a special occasion," Tony said. "I should carry you over the threshold or something. Come here."

"You're not carrying me anywhere," Jethro grumped as he playfully jabbed at Tony with the key to the front door.

"You could carry me," Tony suggested.

"I'll carry you somewhere..."

"I don't think I like the tone of that."

Jethro threw a smile over his shoulder at his lover as he unlocked the door. He pushed it open and let Tony enter ahead of him. The first thing they saw was a colorful sunset over the Potomac through their floor to ceiling windows, a sight that put them both at ease.

"I already feel at home," Tony said, sliding his arm around Jethro's waist as he let himself relax.

A smile crept onto Jethro's face as he wrapped his arm around Tony and held him close. Any remaining fear that they'd made the wrong decision faded and was replaced with the knowledge that they would both be okay as long as they stuck together.

The heartache of a wife and daughter gone too soon and the harsh memories of people once considered family turning their backs and violating that bond so horribly it required learning to trust again were a five day drive and thousands of miles away on the west coast. The east coast offered new chances for new memories and new beginnings and the promise of a life filled with endless possibilities, a life lived together.

Jethro held Tony even tighter, leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lover's cheek. "Welcome home."

The End