Backfired cpt 25
Yes, it's alive.
It was well after midnight before Gibbs was able to lock the door behind the departing Vances. Sometime over the course of the evening he'd invited them to come back and join the festivities for the next day, probably while Tim was in the kitchen showing Jackie how to make the Parmesan cheese bowls. The smell of the melting cheese had drawn them back into the kitchen and the four of them had cheerfully picked at the leftover appetizers as Tim and Jackie planned out more details for the potluck.
Locking the door and turning off the porch light after their car backed out of the driveway, Gibbs retreated back to the kitchen where Tim was wrapping up the dinner leftovers. He snagged one of the bones before Tim could put the platter in the refrigerator.
"You were serious about the bones."
"Damn straight." Gibbs leaned against the counter as he watched Tim clean up the food, getting his hand slapped when he tried to steal a green bean.
"Need those for tomorrow." Tim smoothed the plastic over the bowl after rescuing it from Gibbs.
"What about..."
"Yep."
"And..."
"That too." Rolling his eyes at the pathetic look Gibbs was trying to give him, Tim relented and handed him the last roll.
Gibbs grinned and tore it in half before wiping the butter bowl clean with the two halves. "You can out-cook any of my ex's, just so that you know."
"I've heard the stories, I'm not sure that's a compliment." Tim's voice was muffled as his head was buried in the refrigerator while he shuffled things around to make room for the leftovers.
Licking the last of the butter from his fingers, Gibbs returned his attention to the meaty bone he'd laid claim to. Through the glass door, Jett stared at him from the backyard as Gibbs chewed and sucked every scrap of meat off the bone before licking his fingers again. When there wasn't a morsel left, Gibbs opened the door and handed the bone to Jett. The dog dropped the bone on the deck and sniffed at it before looking back at Gibbs. As the men watched, Jett gave an indignant woof before picking the bone back up and trotting to the far corner of the yard.
"I think you've been insulted." Laughing, Tim returned to his work in the kitchen. Leftovers taken care of, he next turned his attention to the lists he was making for the next day. Gibbs came up to lean over his shoulder, taking in the careful notes.
"How many do we have coming tomorrow?" If he was also chuckling over the scolding he'd just received from Jett, he wasn't admitting it.
Once Larry from the neighborhood watch got involved, the guest list had been growing steadily. "I lost track at about thirty. It's pretty much everyone within three blocks plus all our friends from work. Umm, except for Abby." Tim's voice faltered for just a second before he continued. "Everyone is bringing at least one topping for the pizza and either a salad or a dessert except for Tony and Palmer. Tony is bringing beer and Palmer and his date are bringing both beer and wine coolers. "
Gibbs had to smile at how effortlessly Tim had put together the party. "We're going to have a lot of kids here. Is somebody bringing sodas?"
"The kids get to make their own with fruit juice and sparkling water. I'll have Tony get them started and then some of the older kids can help after that." Tim hoped that seeing Tony actively participating in the planned activity would eliminate any doubt among the neighbors that he was part of their family.
Judging from the look on his face, Gibbs understood both levels of the plan. "Anything else we need to do tonight?"
"Nope, just finish cleaning up tonight. I'll get up early to get the dough started for the crust and Ducky's coming at 07.00 to take out some of my stitches. After that, I'll hit the store. A bunch of the neighbors will be bringing extra folding chairs and Kyle has tables we can use, but we'll have to pick them up at his office first thing in the morning."
It was Ducky's planned arrival that caught Gibbs' attention. "Isn't it kinda soon to be taking out your stitches?"
"Just the ones on my face, the rest have to wait another week. Ducky said that replacing the stitches with surgical tape will minimize the scarring." Luckily there were only a few stitches on Tim's face, one set of two near his hairline and a row of five on the edge of his jaw. Everything else on his face had been minor or treated with the surgical tape to begin with.
Gibbs took Tim by the shoulders and turned him towards the hallway. "I'll finish up in here and let Jett back inside when I'm done." Tim didn't argue, it was a routine they'd fallen into after the night Gibbs tried to sleep on the couch. The younger man was already in bed before Gibbs arrived upstairs as they ignored the temptation rather than deal with it. He watched Tim sleep for a moment before climbing into the bed to join him.
---NCIS---
It wasn't daylight out when McGee woke to start the sauces and the dough. He didn't have to start quite this early, but it gave him time to watch Gibbs sleep. Ducky's words still echoed through his head, but the time was never right and if he was alone in his feelings, the outcome was something he didn't want to even think about, let alone deal with right now. No, it was better to wait until Sutton's trial was over. Decision made, he climbed out of bed to take a quick shower. After the bathroom door closed, Gibbs stirred slightly, moving across the bed to grasp the other pillow without ever waking up.
---NCIS---
"Good morning, Timothy, you're off to an early start." Ducky smiled as McGee opened the door before he could knock.
McGee couldn't help but smile at the friendly man. "Morning, Ducky, lots to do today."
"Yes, it would appear your planned afternoon with Anthony and Ziva has grown rather substantially. How does Jethro feel about that?"
"Who do you think has been adding onto it?" It wasn't Tim that answered, and they looked up as Gibbs came down the stairs, tucking in his shirt. "Hey, Duck."
"Jethro, good morning." Ducky's smile widened as his old friend came down the stairs, looking relaxed and happy. He'd seen Gibbs barefoot more since Tim had moved in than in all the previous years he'd known him.
Jett joined them in the entryway, barking and circling around all of them. Tim started to scold the dog, but Gibbs just laughed and ruffled his ears. "Come on, boy, let's go outside."
---NCIS---
Ducky carefully clipped the first stitch on Tim's jaw and then froze, feeling a presence leaning over his shoulder. "Jethro, I assure you I do know what I'm doing."
"Wasn't suggesting otherwise."
"Of course not." Ducky rolled his eyes, much to Tim's amusement, but Gibbs couldn't see it. "However, it is rather distracting to have you breathing in my ear while I have scissors so close to Timothy's throat." There was some grumbling and Gibbs moved back an inch. Ducky looked over his shoulder, bumping heads with Gibbs. "Oh, yes, that is so much better."
The ringing of Gibbs' phone saved them all as he moved further away to answer it. Ducky quickly snipped the rest of the stitches while the other man was distracted and was pulling the sutures free when Gibbs returned, phone still pressed to his ear. "It's DiNozzo, do you want him to pick up some ice?"
Ducky stopped tugging with the tweezers long enough for Tim to answer. "We can always use more, Larry is going to bring his kid's old wading pool to fill with ice and drinks."
Gibbs nodded and turned his attention back to the phone conversation. "Did you hear that, Tony?"
~A wading pool? I'll grab another case of beer just to be safe. Don't want the neighbors to think you're stingy.~
After one last eye roll and an assurance that after seeing the spread, no one would consider him stingy, Gibbs closed his phone and returned to find Ducky placing the last narrow strip of surgical tape on Tim's face. "Well?"
"He's healing quite nicely, Jethro, nothing to worry about."
"And he is going to the store now; thanks, Ducky." Hoping to avoid any further discussion of his injuries, McGee picked up his coat. "And, don't forget, Jethro, you need to pick up the tables soon. I'll see you this afternoon, Ducky." Not exactly late, but no longer ahead of schedule, Tim jumped into his rental car. He'd hoped to have time to swing by the yard and retrieve his forgotten backpack, but that would definitely put him behind schedule. Since Gibbs had insisted that he have extras of his migraine medications at the house, he wasn't too worried even if he was feeling the slight sugar cravings he sometimes had before the onset of a migraine.
---NCIS---
Ducky was still smiling as he invited himself along to pick up the tables. A peek into the refrigerator had showed how much effort Tim was putting into this party. "You're becoming quite the social butterfly, my friend. How does it feel?"
"Well..." Gibbs gave a wry smile. "I wouldn't go that far."
"The Director last night, the team and your entire neighborhood today."
Busted, Gibbs rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well... it... it does help our cover."
"Don't you think it's time you were honest with yourself and admit it stopped being about the cover quite a while ago? You haven't spoken to Timothy about your feelings yet, have you?"
"Need to stay focused on the case and who's targeting Tim. His safety is more important than anything else. After Sutton is put away, then we'll talk." Gibbs glanced over at Ducky's disapproving face. "It's for the best, Duck, I'm sure of it."
It was well after midnight before Gibbs was able to lock the door behind the departing Vances. Sometime over the course of the evening he'd invited them to come back and join the festivities for the next day, probably while Tim was in the kitchen showing Jackie how to make the Parmesan cheese bowls. The smell of the melting cheese had drawn them back into the kitchen and the four of them had cheerfully picked at the leftover appetizers as Tim and Jackie planned out more details for the potluck.
Locking the door and turning off the porch light after their car backed out of the driveway, Gibbs retreated back to the kitchen where Tim was wrapping up the dinner leftovers. He snagged one of the bones before Tim could put the platter in the refrigerator.
"You were serious about the bones."
"Damn straight." Gibbs leaned against the counter as he watched Tim clean up the food, getting his hand slapped when he tried to steal a green bean.
"Need those for tomorrow." Tim smoothed the plastic over the bowl after rescuing it from Gibbs.
"What about..."
"Yep."
"And..."
"That too." Rolling his eyes at the pathetic look Gibbs was trying to give him, Tim relented and handed him the last roll.
Gibbs grinned and tore it in half before wiping the butter bowl clean with the two halves. "You can out-cook any of my ex's, just so that you know."
"I've heard the stories, I'm not sure that's a compliment." Tim's voice was muffled as his head was buried in the refrigerator while he shuffled things around to make room for the leftovers.
Licking the last of the butter from his fingers, Gibbs returned his attention to the meaty bone he'd laid claim to. Through the glass door, Jett stared at him from the backyard as Gibbs chewed and sucked every scrap of meat off the bone before licking his fingers again. When there wasn't a morsel left, Gibbs opened the door and handed the bone to Jett. The dog dropped the bone on the deck and sniffed at it before looking back at Gibbs. As the men watched, Jett gave an indignant woof before picking the bone back up and trotting to the far corner of the yard.
"I think you've been insulted." Laughing, Tim returned to his work in the kitchen. Leftovers taken care of, he next turned his attention to the lists he was making for the next day. Gibbs came up to lean over his shoulder, taking in the careful notes.
"How many do we have coming tomorrow?" If he was also chuckling over the scolding he'd just received from Jett, he wasn't admitting it.
Once Larry from the neighborhood watch got involved, the guest list had been growing steadily. "I lost track at about thirty. It's pretty much everyone within three blocks plus all our friends from work. Umm, except for Abby." Tim's voice faltered for just a second before he continued. "Everyone is bringing at least one topping for the pizza and either a salad or a dessert except for Tony and Palmer. Tony is bringing beer and Palmer and his date are bringing both beer and wine coolers. "
Gibbs had to smile at how effortlessly Tim had put together the party. "We're going to have a lot of kids here. Is somebody bringing sodas?"
"The kids get to make their own with fruit juice and sparkling water. I'll have Tony get them started and then some of the older kids can help after that." Tim hoped that seeing Tony actively participating in the planned activity would eliminate any doubt among the neighbors that he was part of their family.
Judging from the look on his face, Gibbs understood both levels of the plan. "Anything else we need to do tonight?"
"Nope, just finish cleaning up tonight. I'll get up early to get the dough started for the crust and Ducky's coming at 07.00 to take out some of my stitches. After that, I'll hit the store. A bunch of the neighbors will be bringing extra folding chairs and Kyle has tables we can use, but we'll have to pick them up at his office first thing in the morning."
It was Ducky's planned arrival that caught Gibbs' attention. "Isn't it kinda soon to be taking out your stitches?"
"Just the ones on my face, the rest have to wait another week. Ducky said that replacing the stitches with surgical tape will minimize the scarring." Luckily there were only a few stitches on Tim's face, one set of two near his hairline and a row of five on the edge of his jaw. Everything else on his face had been minor or treated with the surgical tape to begin with.
Gibbs took Tim by the shoulders and turned him towards the hallway. "I'll finish up in here and let Jett back inside when I'm done." Tim didn't argue, it was a routine they'd fallen into after the night Gibbs tried to sleep on the couch. The younger man was already in bed before Gibbs arrived upstairs as they ignored the temptation rather than deal with it. He watched Tim sleep for a moment before climbing into the bed to join him.
---NCIS---
It wasn't daylight out when McGee woke to start the sauces and the dough. He didn't have to start quite this early, but it gave him time to watch Gibbs sleep. Ducky's words still echoed through his head, but the time was never right and if he was alone in his feelings, the outcome was something he didn't want to even think about, let alone deal with right now. No, it was better to wait until Sutton's trial was over. Decision made, he climbed out of bed to take a quick shower. After the bathroom door closed, Gibbs stirred slightly, moving across the bed to grasp the other pillow without ever waking up.
---NCIS---
"Good morning, Timothy, you're off to an early start." Ducky smiled as McGee opened the door before he could knock.
McGee couldn't help but smile at the friendly man. "Morning, Ducky, lots to do today."
"Yes, it would appear your planned afternoon with Anthony and Ziva has grown rather substantially. How does Jethro feel about that?"
"Who do you think has been adding onto it?" It wasn't Tim that answered, and they looked up as Gibbs came down the stairs, tucking in his shirt. "Hey, Duck."
"Jethro, good morning." Ducky's smile widened as his old friend came down the stairs, looking relaxed and happy. He'd seen Gibbs barefoot more since Tim had moved in than in all the previous years he'd known him.
Jett joined them in the entryway, barking and circling around all of them. Tim started to scold the dog, but Gibbs just laughed and ruffled his ears. "Come on, boy, let's go outside."
---NCIS---
Ducky carefully clipped the first stitch on Tim's jaw and then froze, feeling a presence leaning over his shoulder. "Jethro, I assure you I do know what I'm doing."
"Wasn't suggesting otherwise."
"Of course not." Ducky rolled his eyes, much to Tim's amusement, but Gibbs couldn't see it. "However, it is rather distracting to have you breathing in my ear while I have scissors so close to Timothy's throat." There was some grumbling and Gibbs moved back an inch. Ducky looked over his shoulder, bumping heads with Gibbs. "Oh, yes, that is so much better."
The ringing of Gibbs' phone saved them all as he moved further away to answer it. Ducky quickly snipped the rest of the stitches while the other man was distracted and was pulling the sutures free when Gibbs returned, phone still pressed to his ear. "It's DiNozzo, do you want him to pick up some ice?"
Ducky stopped tugging with the tweezers long enough for Tim to answer. "We can always use more, Larry is going to bring his kid's old wading pool to fill with ice and drinks."
Gibbs nodded and turned his attention back to the phone conversation. "Did you hear that, Tony?"
~A wading pool? I'll grab another case of beer just to be safe. Don't want the neighbors to think you're stingy.~
After one last eye roll and an assurance that after seeing the spread, no one would consider him stingy, Gibbs closed his phone and returned to find Ducky placing the last narrow strip of surgical tape on Tim's face. "Well?"
"He's healing quite nicely, Jethro, nothing to worry about."
"And he is going to the store now; thanks, Ducky." Hoping to avoid any further discussion of his injuries, McGee picked up his coat. "And, don't forget, Jethro, you need to pick up the tables soon. I'll see you this afternoon, Ducky." Not exactly late, but no longer ahead of schedule, Tim jumped into his rental car. He'd hoped to have time to swing by the yard and retrieve his forgotten backpack, but that would definitely put him behind schedule. Since Gibbs had insisted that he have extras of his migraine medications at the house, he wasn't too worried even if he was feeling the slight sugar cravings he sometimes had before the onset of a migraine.
---NCIS---
Ducky was still smiling as he invited himself along to pick up the tables. A peek into the refrigerator had showed how much effort Tim was putting into this party. "You're becoming quite the social butterfly, my friend. How does it feel?"
"Well..." Gibbs gave a wry smile. "I wouldn't go that far."
"The Director last night, the team and your entire neighborhood today."
Busted, Gibbs rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well... it... it does help our cover."
"Don't you think it's time you were honest with yourself and admit it stopped being about the cover quite a while ago? You haven't spoken to Timothy about your feelings yet, have you?"
"Need to stay focused on the case and who's targeting Tim. His safety is more important than anything else. After Sutton is put away, then we'll talk." Gibbs glanced over at Ducky's disapproving face. "It's for the best, Duck, I'm sure of it."