Title: Three Favourite Words
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Tiny dialogue reference to The Curse, season one.
Summary: Tony really can make a movie reference out of everything.

Author's Note: For Tanya, who is awesome and needs cheering up. Apologies to everyone for the completely unconvincing established relationship. I don't do lovey-dovey slash well. Angry!slash, maybe. Comedy!slash, yes. Kinky!slash... I'm working on it. But day-to-day affection with Tibbs is a little hard to nail!

"Grab your gear."

"My three favourite words," Tony responds, automatically reaching for his jacket.

As I pass him, I shoot him a sceptical glance, biting back the urge to smile. We both know that there are three little words he loves to hear more, though I've only told him that I love him once since we began our relationship.

The way he reacted made me seriously consider saying it more often… at least, until I could summon enough energy to move again.

"Private joke. I'm gonna explain that to you later, Boss," he tells me, following me into the elevator.

He forgets, and so do I, for a while. A mummified corpse isn't something you see every day; Abby terms the case 'hinky', and I have to agree. It takes a while to unravel all the threads, but eventually I head home, work on my boat for a while and wait for DiNozzo.

When he appears at the top of the stairs, holding two cardboard cups from my usual coffee shop, I put down the pencil I've been using to mark the wood beneath my fingers. "I'll come up."

A cup of coffee and a couple of heated kisses later, I recall his earlier words. "So, that private joke you mentioned."

For a second, he's confused; if Tony has one weakness, it's that he's too easily distracted by lust. I wait him out until realisation dawns, inwardly amused.

"Oh! The three favourite words thing. It's just a little connection I made, you know, a while back." He looks a little sheepish; another common occurrence with Tony.

"Uh-huh…"

"'That day, he was amazed to discover that when Gibbs was saying, "Grab your gear", what he meant was, "I love you".'"

He says it with such enthusiasm that I just know it's a movie reference. But I have to admit, it has a ring of truth to it – I'm not given to open declarations of love, not after this many years and marriages. I expect my partner to read between the lines, and despite his happy-go-lucky exterior, Tony's always been good at that.

In my tilted head and faint smile, he reads agreement, and he gives me the trademark, cocksure DiNozzo grin. "It's a movie quote; The Princess Bride. Classic kids' movie – adventures, kidnap, honour… It's a girly quote, but it's manly stuff, really. I swear."

I promised once not to reveal his secret love of chick flicks; I don't even bother to dignify the comment with an answer. Instead, I lean in so close that I can feel his breath against my lips. "DiNozzo."

"Yeah?"

"Grab your gear," I tell him softly, and kiss him.

END.