Title: The Swan Prince

Pairing: Tony DiNozzo/Jethro Gibbs

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Supernatural themes, sorcery, angst and general Tony!Whump. I don't go easy on him this story. Also? Very AU. Like, out-of-this-world AU. Though I do slip in enough references to amuse. Try to find them all. ^^

Spoilers: None whatsoever... unless you've watched 'The Swan Princess' and even then you probably won't know where this is going.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or The Swan Princess. It would be very odd if I owned them both as only I could think they could possibly work well together.

Summary: Young Tony, the crowned prince of the Kingdom of Fidelis, has everything he could ever want. Then the sorcerer Ari takes it all away. Now, on the run and suffering under the worst curse black magic has to offer, can Tony ever find his way home? And, more importantly, will he want to? Or will our prince sacrifice his kingdom, his identity and his humanity for something he's never known: love.

Authors Note: Here it is everyone, the very LAST CHAPTER! *Throws up confetti*. We're finally there, officially making this the longest piece of fanfiction I've ever written. Yay for a new personal best.

This chapter is also lovingly dedicated to everyone that reviewed. You all rock.

Here we are
(At last)
With nothing
Left to say
Only the question
And the wondering
If this hides
The beginning
In the end
Or the end
In the beginning.

Chapter Twelve: The Beginning in the End

Agony.

It raced through ever particle of Tony, every molecule. Tony could hear himself screaming but the sound was distant and far away, as though in another world completely. While in truth the pain lasted only a moment, just long enough to bring Tony to his knees, it seemed to stretch out over time itself, taking up centuries before cutting itself off completely.

"Anthony," Ari (of course it was Ari, who else could it be?) greeted softly, "I trust I have your attention?"

Tony, gasping for breath as he was, still had enough sense to look around for Gibbs. He found the man not three feet away, having been forced to his knees by two guards. He was gazing at Ari with eyes so furious that it was a wonder the man didn't drop dead on the spot.

"You could say that," Tony managed, replying at last to Ari's question.

"I see my curse has made my mark on you," Ari noted pleasantly, running a fingertip down Tony's bruised cheek, "They suit you."

"Fuck off," Tony retorted at once. Ari actually tutted at him.

"Such language," he scolded, "You should be thanking me, Anthony. I could have punished you far more harshly than I just did. Your escape was a complication I didn't need."

Tony decided not to reply to that one. He hoped his incredulous expression spoke for him.

"I hope we can put all this foolishness aside," Ari continued, "All I need is an answer, Tony. Just one word and this can be over. Don't you want the curse to stop? Don't you want to go home? All you need to say is yes."

"Never," Tony spat. Ari made a displeased noise.

"So stubborn," he noted, frowning slightly now, "I have other ways to persuade you, Anthony. Bring him in."

The last statement wasn't directed at him but, before he had much time to wonder, Tim was being dragged kicking and swearing into the room. Tony clenched his fists seeing him, filled with fear for his friend. It didn't help matters that Tim looked horrible.

"Tony!" he cried, seeing him, trying to wrench himself away only to fail, "I'm so sorry! I told them were you were Tony. I told them! I didn't mean to but –"

"That's quite enough of that," Ari interrupted, holding up a single hand.

Tim fell silent at once. Tony tried to pull himself to his feet, tried to fight, only to find himself frozen solidly in place. Ari, whose eyes were closed now, had a look of deep concentration on his face. When he opened them seconds later, his eyes were brimming with power.

"You can release them now," he told the guards mildly, "I've locked them all into place."

Obediently the guards backed away. Tony looked at them, counting five in all. He knew three of the five by name.

"Ziva?" he asked weakly, focusing on the guard he knew best, had trusted most, "Ziva, why?"

The woman met his eyes for a moment before flushing and looking shamefully away. She bit her lip hard enough to turn it white and said nothing at all.

"I see you've met my half sister," Ari sounded delighted, as though they were at a tea party, "How lovely. That saves me the hassle of introducing you."

Ziva flinched but Tony was too busy gaping to pay her that much mind. Half sister? Well shit.

"Ziva's presence here it two-fold," Ari informed him happily, "You see, my dear sister spent long enough learning from me that she picked up enough to perform marriage ceremonies. Don't even have to track down a priest. All you have to do is say the word and she'll marry us here and now."

"Marry?" Gibbs cut in, speaking for the first time, "That's why you cursed him? He wouldn't marry you?"

"And who the hell are you?" Ari demanded, sufficiently distracted.

"He's no one," Tony put in hastily, "Nothing."

Ari grinned suddenly and Tony cursed. Apparently he sucked ass at lying.

"Now why don't I believe that?" he asked Tony aloud, "Perhaps I didn't need Tim after all. Or I could kill them both. I suppose it depends on how long you hold out. You might not want to deliberate that long Tony. Only a couple hours until midnight, after all."

"I can't," Tony protested, "Please. I'm begging you."

"You can and you will," Ari returned, firmly, "I don't want you to beg, Anthony. I want you to submit. Agree to marry me or I shall kill them both. If watching them die slowly doesn't drive you to agree to my terms then I'm sure being locked inside a small room miles away from water just might. My point is this: you will agree eventually. It's up to you how much blood I spill before then."

Tony felt his eyes brim with tears, so helpless he felt liable to explode with it. Drawing a deep breath, he tried to keep himself in check only to find the tears spilling over.

"Stop it," Gibbs broke in, angry and alive and infuriating, "Leave him alone."

"I still don't know who you are," Ari pointed out, "Or who Anthony is to you."

"The man I love," Gibbs replied, proud and unwavering.

"Love," Ari echoed, letting out a laugh, "Did you hear that Anthony? This man thinks himself in love with you. And do you love him back, pet?"

Tony said nothing but he couldn't stop his silent tears and the thought of Gibbs throwing himself onto Ari's sword wasn't exactly helping. Which was probably why Ari didn't need an answer. One look at Tony told him everything he needed to know.

"You do," he breathed, his eyes darkening, "You love him. You reject me, a powerful sorcerer and lord but this man, this nothing, has earned your love?"

Ari turned to look at Gibbs in disbelief but Gibbs gave him no answers. He merely knelt there, held in place by Ari's magic and utterly unafraid.

"Do you even know who he is?" Ari demanded furiously, "This man you claim to love?"

"I don't need to know," Gibbs answered calmly, "And I won't let you have him. He isn't yours to have. He belongs to me."

"Let me have him?" Ari parroted, voice wavering in his anger, "Let me have him?"

He gave a cry, holding out a hand and snarling. Tony's heart skipped a beat, waiting for Gibbs to start screaming. For the man he loved to burst into flames or drop dead where he knelt. But what happened next was so unexpected that Tony was struck momentarily dumb by it.

Gibbs didn't move.

Ari, with his arm outstretched and his face screwed up, looked as startled as Tony felt. For a brief second, he stared at Gibbs with complete confusion, simply unable to comprehend what was happening.

Taking swift advantage of that confusion, Gibbs leapt into action.

Then everything happened at once.

Ari gave a cry of mingled shock and rage as he fell beneath Gibbs' weight and the guards, previously motionless, were suddenly moving. Tony found himself seized by four hands before he even realized he could move. His eyes flicked over to Tim to find the other man in the same position, only he was struggling so violently that one of the guards had drawn a knife and was a second away from slitting Tim's throat.

Before he could strike, the guard dropped, felled by a knife in the side. His partner followed a split second later, leaving Tim panting on the ground in shock. Ziva, holding a bloodstained knife and standing above him, appeared just as surprised as he did.

Meanwhile, Gibbs had wrestled Ari to the floor and was in the process of beating the sorcerer to a bloody pulp. Ari was fighting back admirably well but was handicapped by the loss of his magic, which had been failing spectacularly at subduing Gibbs. When he was further distracted the betrayal of his half sister, Gibbs took advantage. One second, they'd been evenly matched and the next Gibbs had a knife poised at Ari's throat.

"Let Tony go or I kill him right now," Gibbs demanded hoarsely, digging the blade in just enough to draw blood.

Obediently, the guards holding Tony backed off and Ziva immediately head over to force them to their knees and bind their limbs with the rope she had on hand.

Glad to be free, Tony stood up and stretched himself out, taking a long look at Ari. The man was spitting with fury, his eyes locked on Ziva.

"You dare betray me?" he demanded, "You dare?"

"Tony does not deserve this curse Ari," Ziva put in quietly, shooting Tony an uneasy look. Since the girl had just saved his life, Tony was in a rather forgiving mood and took her hand comfortingly, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "He is a good man."

"You're my sister," Ari protested, as though Ziva could have forgotten such a thing.

"Not anymore," Ziva replied softly, sounding honestly heartbroken. As a sign of support, Tim took up her free hand and stood beside her. Clearly appreciating their support, Ziva shot them each a small smile.

"You've lost, Ari," Gibbs put in, knife never wavering, "The only chance you have to leave this room alive is to lift Tony's curse."

"The curse can't be lifted," Ari spat back vindictively, "The only way to break it is for him to place his hands in mine and swear in front of a priest and God that he belongs to me."

"Can't we marry them and then kill him?" Tim demanded, making a face.

"My magic would bind them heart and soul," Ziva disputed, "Killing one would kill the other."

"So we find a priest," Tim returned logically, "One without magic."

"No!" Ari spat, struggling in Gibbs' hold but only serving to press himself further into Gibbs' knife and spill more of his life's blood. "You try and I'll kill us both."

"Try," Gibbs dared, "You won't be able to break my hold."

"You forget!" he cried back, his eyes mad, "Tony is mine! Under my spell! Bound to me! I don't need my hands for this!"

Tony fell to the ground so suddenly he brought Ziva and Tim along with him. Unable to stay silent, he parted his lips and screamed through the agony lacing through him. Rather than being distributed evenly throughout his body, however, this pain seemed to hone in on his chest. Not only was it now a thousand times harder to draw breath but Tony could also feel his heart straining to beat, being forcibly slowed.

Then the pain was gone and Ari was dead.

Gasping, Tony only just managed to raise his head, taking in Ari's slit throat and Gibbs' blood soaked knife in a single glance. Pressing a hand to his chest, Tony ignored the implications of that and focused on breathing.

"He wanted you to do that," Tim said softly, finally breaking the silence, "Now there's no chance to break the curse."

"Better cursed than dead," Tony quipped, still rubbing his chest uncomfortably.

Dropping the knife where he sat, Gibbs was on his feet and over to Tony's side faster than a bolt of lightning. Tony sank into his arms gratefully, not even minding the blood the man was currently covered with.

"You okay?" Gibbs checked, gripping Tony tight enough to be slightly painful.

"Exhausted," Tony admitted, feeling like he'd been trampled by a heard of bulls, "But still breathing. How come Ari's magic didn't work on you?"

Drawing away slightly, Gibbs fumbled with his neck and drew out the necklace that lay under his shirt. Tony blinked at it curiously. Though he'd noticed it before, he'd never really looked at it. Made of what appeared to be iron was a small circle. It would be rather plain were it not for the fact that every millimetre of the object was covered in tiny writing.

Ziva made a small, surprised sound.

"That's Luna's Circle," she breathed, her eyes wide, "It wards off magic. One who wears it cannot be touched. Where did you get it?"

Tony gathered that they couldn't be picked up from the corner shop. Since he didn't have one (and as a crown prince he really should have), they must be exceedingly rare.

"Wasn't easy," Gibbs agreed dryly, "But my wife and daughter were murdered by a sorcerer. Wasn't going to face their killer defenceless."

"And you couldn't have acted sooner?" Tim demanded, raising his hands beseechingly.

"He had to wait for the right moment," Tony said in his defence, "Ari would have lashed out at me sooner had Gibbs not taken him by surprise."

The look in Gibbs' eyes conveyed just how hard the man had found that to do. For a man like Gibbs, a man who had lost his family once before, watching Tony in pain would have been agonising. To show him he wasn't mad (and partly to remind Gibbs that he was still here) Tony pressed a quick kiss against Gibbs' temple.

"But what about the curse?" Tim asked, voice cracking, "You can't live with it forever. It'll drive you mad."

"I might be able to break it," Ziva offered, "I can at least try."

"You can?" Tony asked, attention caught, "How?"

"Since it is a blood curse and I am of Ari's blood, I think I can trick it," she explained, "But I'll need to marry you."

"I'll marry him," Gibbs said at once, not even pausing.

"But... you don't even know who I am!" Tony protested reflexively, "Not really. And I still can't tell you. You'd be entering into this blind Gibbs. I can't let you do that."

"I love you," Gibbs replied simply, already taking his necklace off, "Whatever secrets you have are irrelevant. They can't make me love you any less."

"Good," Ziva approved, bypassing Tony's expression, "We'll need to be by Ari's body for this."

Without so much as a by-your-leave, Gibbs lifted Tony bodily from the ground and carried him the few feet required to reach the body. Letting out an indignant squawk, Tony clutched Gibbs tightly and held on for dear life.

"I could have walked!" he argued when Gibbs lowered him carefully back to the ground.

"If you could see yourself in a mirror right now you wouldn't argue," Gibbs shot back, drawing Tony against himself, "You look terrible."

Ziva and Tim joined them and, pulling out a clean knife, Ziva quickly set to work. She cut into Ari's palm, coaxing the blood to the surface.

"Your hand," she requested of Tony and, grimacing, Tony complied. After everything else he'd felt that night, he barely even noticed the cut in comparison though he did blanch when Ziva pressed his bloody hand into Ari's.

"Hold tight," she cautioned and Tony reluctantly obeyed. Tony's other palm was also cut and pressed to Gibbs' own cut palm. Ziva then sliced both her own palms, followed by both Gibbs and Ari's free hands. She then clutched Ari's hand with her left and Gibbs' with her right.

"You'll need to act as a witness," she told Tim who nodded solemnly, "Okay then."

Ziva closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. Seconds later, Tony let out a surprised gasp as both his hands began to tingle.

"Do you both consent to be bound?" she asked them, eyes still closed. "To belong to the other body, spirit and soul, until you die as one?"

"Yes," Gibbs replied instantly. Tony looked his way only to find Gibbs staring right back. His eyes were filled with trust and a love so pure that Tony was humbled by it. How was he possibly supposed to refuse such a thing?

"Yes," Tony echoed back, his heart catching.

"Witness, can you speak to their consent and their clarity of mind?"

"Yes," Tim agreed after a brief pause, "I can."

"In the name of Ari Haswari, whose blood I share and whose hand I clasp, I bound these two in the name of this land and before God. What I have woven together let no man tear asunder."

So saying, Ziva began to chant furiously under her breath. Tony didn't even try to follow what she was saying, instead more occupied with watching Gibbs watch him. The tingling in his hand was getting worse as Ziva spoke, building to a brief stabbing pain and then ceasing altogether. Cutting herself off abruptly, Ziva slumped.

"It is done," Ziva declared, visibly drained. Pulling his hand back from Ari's corpse, Tony checked his palm. Apart from a scar so faint it could barely be seen, there was no sign of an injury at all.

"Did it work?" Tim wondered tentatively.

"No way to tell for certain," Ziva admitted, "We must wait for midnight. It isn't far off."

"I just got married," Tony managed, a little stunned, "My father is going to freak."

"I thought your father was dead?" Gibbs shot back, arching a brow.

"He's not," Tony confided, a trifle guiltily, "You'll hate him."

Snorting, Gibbs pulled Tony into a kiss so passionate that Tony forgot all about his fatigue. Sinking into Gibbs' arms, he let himself go, relishing the rush that came with submitting so completely. Things were getting a little too heated (with the very real risk that they were about to forget all about their audience) when Tim cleared his throat uncomfortably, drawing them apart.

"Its past midnight," he informed them, blushing a brilliant red.

"I'm still me!" Tony completed the thought, patting himself down as if to be certain.

"Thank god for that," Tim breathed, slumping in relief.

"It'll be nice to get an explanation," Gibbs said pointedly.

"And we need to contact the king," Ziva added, "He hasn't stopped searching since you vanished."

"The king?" Gibbs repeated, blinking, "You had the king searching for you?"

"The king is my father," Tony revealed hesitantly, "You just married the crown prince of Fidelis."

Gibbs sat back, staring at Tony like he'd just admitted to having three heads. Then his eyes narrowed.

"You," he began dangerously, "Have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know," Tony agreed miserably, "Well. It all started –"

"Not now," Gibbs dismissed firmly, "Later. Much later. After I've ripped all your clothes off and fucked you six ways from Sunday."

So saying he swept Tony off the floor and out of the room, not so much as bidding Tony and Ziva goodbye. Wisely saying nothing, Tony mulled over Gibbs words and relaxed into Gibbs' hold with a smile.

He could live with that.

*~*~Epilogue~*~*

It was summer.

Outside the castle window, the grounds stretched on forever: green and lush and filled with flowers. Leaning against the window sill, Tony looked down at the palace garden and sighed.

He was dressed casually that day, forgoing the finery that was his usual attire. The only thing he wore worth stealing was the gold ring on his finger, glinting in the sunlight as Tony flexed his wrist.

"Do you know what day this is?"

Behind him, Gibbs started. Glancing away from the window, Tony favoured him with a scolding look. Gibbs might be whisper quiet but he couldn't sneak up on Tony, who knew him better than he knew himself. To his credit, Gibbs at least had the sense to appear adequately chastised. As well he should. This wasn't the first time Tony had caught him hovering and frankly, Tony was getting sick of it. He wasn't made of glass.

"No," Gibbs admitted, approaching to draw Tony into his arms and join him in looking out the window, "What day is it?"

"A year ago today, I walked in that very garden you seen beneath you and got turned into a swan," Tony informed him, leaning into his husband's embrace.

Gibbs tightened his grip slightly, nuzzling into Tony's hair as if to assure himself that Tony was there and whole and healthy.

"Don't think I could have predicted then where I'd be now," Tony confided softly.

"I doubt if anyone could have," Gibbs retuned.

"Regrets?" Tony couldn't help but ask.

"Never," Gibbs vowed before making a face, "Though your father tempts me at times."

Tony laughed. When he'd finally returned to the castle, dressed in rags, bruised to the nines and married to boot, his father had been decidedly Not Pleased. Still, Gibbs and Tony were bound for life so Senior could be as Not Pleased as he liked –the fact of the matter was there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Secretly, Tony took some measure of delight watching his father and husband butt heads. They had very different opinions on how to rule a country and Tony found himself favouring Gibbs' methods more often than not. Years from now, when his father was dead, they'd take the country by storm. Tony could feel it.

"Tim is back tomorrow," Gibbs reminded him lightly, "We can all go sailing together when he gets back."

"Is he bringing Abby back with him?" Tony wondered, turning his head slightly to better address his husband.

"We'll just have to see," Gibbs shrugged, "Wouldn't surprise me."

"He'll move to Semper one day," Tony sighed, an ache going through him. Which was ridiculous. Tim wasn't even gone yet. "Abby will never leave the Inn."

Gibbs hummed his agreement, resting his head on Tony's shoulder and just enjoying the moment free of servants and duties and demanding kings.

"That was probably the worst day of my life, you know," Tony mused quietly, turning his attention back to the gardens, "And yet, I can't be sorry it happened. If not for Ari, we never would have met."

"I can't imagine," Gibbs muttered, "I was half alive before I met you. I would have spent the whole of my life living that way."

"Weird how the bad is so thoroughly entwined in the good. Both our lived changed a year ago. We just didn't quite realize how." Tony grinned suddenly, shooting Gibbs a coy look, "Which makes this an anniversary. We should go celebrate."

Gibbs scoffed out a laugh, tightening a hand on his hip as another reached around to touch his stomach. There was a bit of hesitation in the touch and, huffing, Tony turned around to better face his husband.

"I'm pregnant," Tony drawled, "That doesn't mean I can't have sex."

"Did you ask –"

"Yes I asked the doctor," Tony interrupted swiftly, rolling his eyes, "I was so clear about what I was asking that I made her blush. She said it may become a problem later but not for a good while. Which is lucky because I'm not going nearly eight months without sex."

Gibbs looked so love struck that it was hard to be mad at him. He'd known Tony had been pregnant for over a week now and had been so attentive and mothering that Tony was about ready to bash him over the head. Since he was only a month or so along, his possessive tendencies probably wouldn't die off any time soon either.

It was very possible that Tony would end up killing him.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," Gibbs told him in a rare fit of expressing his feelings. It might be the only thing Tony liked about being pregnant –it turned Gibbs into a sentimental ball of mush who let Tony get away with pretty much anything. Something Tony was enjoying taking blatant advantage of.

"You should show me how grateful you are," Tony suggested hopefully.

Gibbs laughed, pressing a kiss against Tony's cheek. Tony took this as the agreement it was and grinned as he tangled his hand with his husband's, allowing the other man to lead him to bed.

Before he was pulled away completely, he took one last look back at the garden and all that it represented. As he turned a corner, just before it blinked out of sight, he was sure he saw a swan land in the palace pond: brilliant, bright and beautiful.

Just like their future.

*~*~The End ~*~*

A/N: Wow! And that's all she wrote! Quite note:

1. If you re-read the sex scene in chapter 12, you'll see the necklace mentioned there. I was planning it even then.

2. Gibbs takes off the necklace so that Ziva's magic will work and magically bind him to Tony. Had he left it on, the wedding wouldn't have worked.

Any other questions and just leave me a note. Other than that, it's been great having you all along for the ride. Not sure when or what my next story will be so, until next time, thanks for reading and please review.