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Title: Twilight, Redux
By: nancy
Pairing: Tony/Gibbs
Fandom: NCIS
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: for Twilight
Summary: Ari doesn't succeed.

***

It was between one blink and the next that Jethro saw the faint red mark on Kate's forehead. He surged forward, shoving her out of the way just in time to feel the slice of fire across his throat. Jethro staggered and fell face forward onto the roof, unable to stop himself, clutching his throat, which he knew was bleeding profusely, even as he struggled to get to cover.

Strong hands grabbed him under the armpits, dragging him behind one of the chimney stacks. Those same strong hands wrapped around his throat and DiNozzo's tight, worried face came into view as he put pressure over Jethro's weakening grip.

"Bastard's gone," Kate reported, cell phone to her ear. "We need an ambulance at..."

"Boss! Boss stay with me!"

The words cut through the darkness and Jethro jerked in surprise, eyes snapping open on Tony's face.

"That's it. Don't you even think about dying, you get me?" Tony snarled. "You ordered me to stick around, so there's no way in hell I'm going to let you ship out without me, understood, Gunny?"

Jethro tried to answer, but had no apparent control over his own voice. This was one situation where he knew he wasn't going to come out the winner. Didn't matter what DiNozzo wanted, because he was cold and numb and felt no pain, which was enough to tell him he was well and truly on his way out. It was worth it, though. Kate was alive. His team was intact and the Navy families on the dock were safe. This was how he'd always expected to go out, in a firefight saving someone's life. It was how he wanted to go and he tried to tell that to DiNozzo without words, just by looking at him.

"No, God damn it!" Tony denied, shaking his head violently. "I refuse to let you die, you old bastard! I won't let you!"

There was the sound of ripping cloth and then Kate was kneeling beside Tony with makeshift bandages in hand. Between them, they wrapped the fabric tight enough around his throat to make it difficult to breathe and to renew the pain from the affected nerve-endings.

Then Tony's hands returned to keep pressure on the bandages, as did Kate's, and he continued, "We're going to hunt Ari down and I'm going to put a fucking bullet in his head, just like he tried to do Kate. After I shoot him in the God damned throat."

The utter certainty in Tony's eyes, the hardness in them, scared Jethro in a way nothing had in a very long time. The sheer tenacity that he'd always recognized in the other man was coming through in a completely unexpected and bloodthirsty way. It was going to get Tony killed and that wasn't something he could allow. Jethro tried to order him not to do anything, but all that came out was a gurgle. That look hardened even further and Jethro reached up to grab one of the hands around his throat, nails digging into the tender skin to convey his message the only way he could.

"Tony! Kate! The medics are here!"

And a few seconds later, unfamiliar faces were pushing Tony and Kate out of the way. Jethro kept hold of Tony's hand, unwilling to let him go for fear that the other would go after Ari all on his own.

"Sir, Sir you have to let him go so we can treat him!" one of the medics exclaimed.

Tony barked, "Just treat him! He's holding on to me!"

It was awkward, but Jethro was going to keep hold of Tony until he couldn't do it any more. He would save the other man from himself if he had to cheat death to do it.

Again.

It seemed like an eternity that the medics worked on him there in the field. Jethro kept his eyes solely on Tony, fingernails savaging the other's hand, though there were no complaints. There were staples, instead of stitches, and a couple of shots of some sort. At last, there was, "He's lost a lot of blood, but we've patched him up. He should be fine with rest."

"Thank God," Kate exclaimed, smiling down at him.

That was when Jethro noticed that Kate had no shirt and glared at Tony.

Tony jumped a little, looked over at Kate, and smirked a little before asking, "Aren't you a little cold, Kate?"

"Oh grow up, DiNozzo," she countered, making a face.

"Probie! Give the woman your shirt!" Tony ordered.

Jethro's eyes rolled in aggravated amusement. He struggled to speak, but all that came out was a rasp of nothing.

Sobering, Tony helped the medics put him on the stretcher and then said, "I'll keep an eye on things, Boss, don't you worry. We're going to get the fucker who did this to you."

Jethro gouged his nails deeper into Tony's hand in denial and, finally, the other man winced.

"All right, all right, we'll wait for you to get out before we start," Tony acquiesced. "Can I have my hand back?"

Staring into the hazel eyes, from which the hardness hard retreated upon the medic's declaration, Jethro finally released his hold on Tony's hand. They wouldn't wait for him to get out, but Tony wouldn't go off on his own, either, and that was all he really wanted.

That, and some really good drugs.

*  *  *  *

Tony winced as his hand was cleaned and grit his teeth as it was bandaged.

Kate came up beside him, still dressed in McGee's shirt, and observed, "Gibbs needs to cut his nails more often."

"No kidding," he retorted. "What did they find?"

She scowled. "Nothing. He didn't leave a damn thing behind."

Not that they'd really expected him to, but it had been a possibility. Giving the nurse a faint smile of appreciation before she left, Tony thought a moment and asked, "Any more news on Gibbs?"

"Sleeping like a baby," she answered, grinning.

Tony shared the grin, sure that his own relief exceeded hers, but not about to get into a pissing contest about it. "So when do I get sprung from this place?"

The smile faded and she informed him, "The doctor wants to keep you overnight."

"What!?"

Exasperated, Kate snapped, "Tony, come on. You had Y Pestis not three weeks ago. You were in an explosion yesterday. You've got cracked ribs, a mild concussion, and are running the ragged edge of exhaustion. What did you think was going to happen when a medical professional got hold of you? But I've got some really good news for you."

Eyeing her warily, Tony asked, "What's that?"

"You and Gibbs get to share a room," she replied cheerfully.

Tony groaned in dismay and Kate let out a cackle of amusement. Mock-glaring at her, he observed, "You live to torment me, don't you?"

Her grin remained wide as she nodded and confirmed, "Every day of my life."

Hopping off the exam table, Tony slung his arm around her shoulder and hauled her in tight. Kate was stiff and unyielding for a long moment, then sagged against him, fingers gripping his back as her face pressed to his shoulder. He held on to her for a long time, too sure that the day could have ended very differently. That Kate would be dead and life would be irrevocably changed for all of them.

Tony kissed her temple and said, "I don't ever want to tell Abby that you aren't coming home, so watch your back while we're stuck in here."

With a nod, Kate pulled back and gave him a watery smile. "Thanks, Tony. I'll swing by tomorrow and pick you up. Assuming Gibbs doesn't kill you before then."

"That's a big assumption," Tony pointed out, tweaking her nose gently.

"Agent DiNozzo? If you'll come with me?"

They turned to find a nurse with a wheelchair waiting a few feet away. Tony turned back to Kate and warned, "Be careful."

She gave him another smile, a much less emotional one, and said, "You too, DiNozzo."

Sinking carefully into the wheelchair, holding his taped ribs, Tony closed his eyes during the ride to his new room. He was a lot more tired than he'd let on to anyone and sleeping sounded really damn good just then, even in a crappy hospital bed. Although, the bonus was that Gibbs would be in the same room where he could keep an eye on the other man, when he wasn't sleeping.

"We're here, Agent DiNozzo."

Opening his eyes, Tony found himself in a double occupancy room with Gibbs as the other occupant. He breathed a long sigh of relief, seeing the steady rise and fall of Gibbs' chest. He accepted the help getting out of the wheelchair and into bed, groaning again when the firm mattress met up with not-so-firm ribs.

"I have your pain medication for you."

Tony shook his head, even as he gave her a smile and replied, "No thanks, I'm good."

"But Sir..."

"No, really, I'm fine. See, I do these yoga breathing techniques and it makes all the pain go away," Tony insisted.

There was no way he'd be sleeping drugged until Ari was dead.

He finished with, "Besides, it's against my religion."

She shook her head, but didn't press the issue. "Well, if you need anything, just use the call button."

Smiling sweetly, he replied, "Just your phone number, darlin.'"

With a soft giggle, she turned the wheelchair around and left with it.

Tony put the bed into a raised position so that he could see Gibbs without having to put any strain or pressure on his body. The bandage around Gibbs' neck was pristine with no sign of seepage, which reassured him. There was only the one monitor on his finger, which also reassured him. They weren't especially worried that Gibbs could croak without them knowing about it, which said a lot to Tony.

Closing his eyes, Tony knew that today had been a close call. A lot closer than he wanted to think about. He hadn't even been facing Kate when it had happened. He'd been grinning at Gibbs when the other man had, for whatever reason, glanced at her. Then Tony had had an armful of Kate as they'd fallen to the roof, the force with which she'd been propelled enough to knock them both over.

When he'd managed to push her off and seen Gibbs lying in a pool of his own blood, face down and flopping around like a fish out of water, Tony hadn't even thought. Ari could've shot him full of lead while he'd been grabbing Gibbs and dragging him to safety. That he hadn't, meant that the fucker was up to another game that they didn't yet know the details of. If he never had to see that fading look in Gibbs' eyes again in this life or the next, it would be all too soon. The panic that had swamped Tony at the sight was still lodged deep in his gut.

It was the reason that he was watching Gibbs instead of sleeping. The reason that he'd refused drugs when all he wanted to do was sink blissfully into a drug induced slumber. The reason that there were two guards on their door, another down the hall, and two plainclothes agents doing laps of the floor.

Someone really needed to put a bullet between Ari's eyes and that someone was going to be him.

*  *  *  *

All Abby could do was hold Kate as the other woman shook with reaction from the day. They hadn't gone more than twenty feet from the hospital pick-up area when Kate had ordered Abby to pull over. Once the car had stopped, Kate was out the door and throwing up like she'd gone on a three-day bender. Abby had shut the car off and rushed around to hold her hair from getting slimed and keep an arm around her waist.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Kate gasped, wiping at her mouth as she sat up and pulled away. She spit for extra measure and apologized again, "I'm sorry, Abby, I didn't mean to lose it like that."

"Hey, no problem. I'd've probably lost my lunch when it happened, which would've contaminated the scene and seriously pissed off Gibbs," Abby assured her. She didn't mention that she was pretty close to doing so then and there anyhow, her stomach tight with unease and fear. Through all the crap that they'd been through since Kate had joined the team, Abby had never once seen her lose control. Not like this. She'd been pissed and upset and sad, but never all three and sure as hell not enough to cause a physical reaction.

Kate gave her a brief, tired smile and asked, "Mind if I spend the night?"

Even though it was a bad idea, Abby nodded. "Of course you can stay over. Whatever you need."

For a long moment, Kate just stared at her. Then, completely unexpectedly, Abby found herself on the receiving end of a deep, wet, demanding kiss. She fell back against the car, arms automatically going around Kate's waist, and groaned in need as she returned the kiss. They'd promised each other at the beginning that this was going to be something light and fun, no ties, no stress; just friends with benefits, as the song went. But it had changed from that a long time ago for Abby, even though she hadn't let on to Kate about it.

Thankfully, it seemed as though things had changed for Kate, too.

A horn honking brought them out of the impromptu make-out session and they broke apart reluctantly. Abby smiled and said, "Boy would Tony have loved a picture of that."

Kate chuckled as she stood and held down a hand to help Abby to her feet. "Oh, I wouldn't worry. He's got his own picture to look at right now."

Walking around to the driver's side, Abby asked, "What's that mean?"

"I'll tell you later. Let's just go home now."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

And then some.

*  *  *  *

It was strange, but in a good way. Well, not that any of them getting hurt was good, because it wasn't. And it sure wasn't good that Ari had shot Gibbs and escaped. But despite all that wasn't good, Tim couldn't help but feel good that Kate had left him in charge of the clean up. It would have meant more coming from Gibbs or Tony, but it still felt good that Kate trusted him enough to leave him in charge of anything, let alone something as important as the two crime scenes. Three, if his shot-up car was included, which it was.

Tim was nothing, if not thorough.

Opening his cell as it rang with Dir. M on the Caller ID, Tim took a deep breath and released it before greeting, "Director Morrow."

"Give me an update, Agent McGee."

"Forensics has gathered all pertinent evidence and it's being transported back to NCIS now, Sir," Tim began. "Agent DiNozzo accompanied Agent Gibbs to the hospital and Agent Todd has gone to check up on them."

There was a pause, then... "So that leaves you in charge?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Aren't you the one who told the Deputy Secretary of State to stick it?"

"Um, yes Sir."

"Carry on, Agent McGee."

Relieved that the Director wasn't going to yank him in favor of someone else with more experience, Tim answered, "Thank you, Sir."

Looking around the scene with the agents and technicians crawling all over it, Tim couldn't help but feel a little pride. They were following his orders without even batting an eye. He was, maybe, finally becoming an agent that Gibbs could be proud of. Someone to trust important things to.

Someone to make the coffee.

*  *  *  *

Feeling every one of his too-many years, Ducky let himself in to Gerald's apartment and stood in the short hall for a long moment, unsure what to do next. His best friend had been shot in the throat and, from all reports, Kate would have been dead, had Jethro not pushed her out of the way. Young Anthony was also in the hospital, thanks to Kate's manipulation of the situation, which was all to the best, but it still felt very wrong for the boy to be in the hospital. He should be out chasing women, or being caught by Jethro. Either scenario was more than acceptable.

"Ducky? Everything okay?" Gerald asked quietly.

Startled from the downward spiral of his thoughts, Ducky shook his head and answered, "No, Gerald, nothing at all is okay, I'm afraid.

Taking Ducky's arm, Gerald led him into the living room, saying, "I figured that, since you weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow night. Did something happen to your mother?"

"Mother? No, no she's fine," Ducky assured him with a brief smile. "She'll outlive us all, I'm sure. I called a nurse in to stay the night."

Gerald frowned as he sat them down on the sofa and questioned, "So what's wrong?"

How to tell Gerald? He'd been the first hurt by the bastard's actions, and horribly so. Even now, he was in pain from the shot that had taken out his shoulder and had nightmares about that night. Taking a breath, Ducky finally said, "Jethro was shot in the throat saving Kate."

Dark eyes widened in shock and anger as Gerald instantly put two and two together to exclaim, "It was Ari, wasn't it? And they didn't catch him, or you wouldn't have hesitated to tell me."

Sighing, Ducky confirmed, "That's correct. But Jethro is going to be fine and they will catch him. I've been assured by the Director that hunting that bastard down is a number one priority."

"In the meantime?" Gerald asked, not ready to let the anger go.

Truly wishing that Gerald weren't nearly so perceptive, Ducky admitted, "There's going to be someone posted to you for protection until he is caught. We're all going to have guards."

Gerald jumped to his feet and paced away before rounding on Ducky with, "Are you kidding me? For how long?"

Ducky had to shrug, not having an answer to that. "I'm afraid we just don't know, Gerald."

"No. I am not going to live my life in fear of that asshole, Ducky," Gerald said firmly. "Call them off."

"But Gerald..."

"No."

Groaning, Ducky pulled off his glasses and tossed them onto the table so that he could try and pinch the headache away. "Can I do it in the morning? I'd really just like to have some tea and go to sleep."

Gerald was at his side instantly, hand to Ducky's back as he apologized, "Sorry, Doc. Come on. Let's get you all settled down for the night and I'll read to you."

Ducky had to smile at that, accepting the support to stand. As they walked down the hallway, he requested, "Will it be from that racy series? I rather enjoyed them. They were quite lyrical, if unrealistic."

Chuckling, Gerald replied, "Sure, Doc, I can get out the Beauty stories for you. Tea first. Shower second. Reading and bed last."

"Mmm. So long as you join me in the shower, Gerald. Wouldn't do to waste the water after all."

"And we are definitely conservationists."

"Definitely."

*  *  *  *

Tony wasn't sure what had woken him, but he froze in place, keeping his eyes closed as he cast his hearing out to see what was wrong. There was a faint, pained grunt from across the room and Tony sighed, knowing to whom the grunt had belonged. Rubbing his eyes, Tony slowly sat up, stifling a groan as his body protested the movement. It took a few minutes, but he made it out of the bed and across to Gibbs. Pained blue eyes seemed to almost glow in the near-dark as Gibbs stared back at him.

"I think I should take this moment, while you're speechless, to tell you something," Tony said, a faint grin touching his lips.

Gibbs' eyes rolled and motioned towards the call button.

Reaching for the call button, Tony touched it and continued, "I'm sick of second guessing you, Gibbs, so I'm just going to lay everything out on the table."

Eyebrows arched in question, and Gibbs took an obvious waiting stance, even while lying down.

Tony snorted. "I want you. I want to feel you in me. I want to wake up next to you and smell that diesel fuel you call coffee, burning a hole in the coffeemaker while we're still in bed. The way I figure it, Rule twelve doesn't apply to us."

The eyebrows rose further, obviously skeptical.

"We've been involved since day one, Gibbs, and it hasn't affected anything except the sensitivity levels on the back of my head," Tony answered dryly. "So here's the situation. When we're both functioning at a relatively normal level, I'm going to show up on your doorstep with my most important belongings and you're going to have some shelves cleared out to stow them on. And that's how it's going to be, got it?"

Tension coiled all through Tony as he waited for Gibbs to make some kind of answer; he didn't need a voice for this, after all. All he needed was to nod or shake his head. To his surprise, Gibbs did neither. Instead of a direct answer, Gibbs took Tony's bandaged hand and raised it so that he could look at it.

Frowning, Tony asked, "What?"

Gibbs started undoing the bandages and, after another surprised moment, Tony helped. It was only a few seconds until his hand was bared to Gibbs' view, the ugly half-moon scars from where Gibbs' nails had gouged into him clearly visible. Tony was going to ask him for an answer, the uncertainty just about killing him, when Gibbs brought the hand up to his lips, pressing them against one of the scars.

Warmth and relief surged through Tony and he smiled at Gibbs.

"Something I can help you with gentlemen?"

Glancing over at the nurse, Tony tried to pull his hand free, but Gibbs held on tight, even as he lowered the hand to his chest. "Ah, I think he needs some pain meds."

Gibbs nodded emphatically.

"Well, I'll get that settled for you right away, Agent Gibbs," she replied, smiling as she took in the hands laced together.

And Tony understood what Gibbs was doing, too, which was kind of scary since the other man couldn't speak. He was practically daring Tony to run away before Gibbs could tell the world what he'd decided to do. What they both were going to do. Well that damn sure wasn't going to happen.

Tony cradled Gibbs' hand between both of his only until the nurse left. As Gibbs' eyes drooped in a drugged haze, Tony brought the hand up to his own lips and kissed the palm before saying, "I'll be here when you wake up, Boss, I promise."

And as if that had been what he was waiting for, Gibbs sighed deeply and closed his eyes. Tony sat on the edge of the bed and settled in for the long haul.

***

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