Backfired cpt 26
Trunk full of ice and back seat full of beer, Tony had one more stop to make on his way to Gibbs'. Parking next to a familiar red roadster, he bounded up the stairs before drumming his favorite song on Abby's front door. He started talking the second the door unlocked, not giving her a chance to say anything. "Hey, Abs, shake a leg. We've got a party to get to."
She watched him circle around her. "What party?"
"What do you mean, what party? Am I not talking to Abigail Sciuto, queen of the party circuit?"
"What party, Tony?" Abby sounded her age, not the hyper teenager she tried so hard to emulate as she sat down on the sofa. He joined her, taking her hand as he sat.
"Probie is grilling pizzas and we're watching the Ohio game. Palmer is bringing his boyfriend and most of the neighborhood is going to be there."
Abby shook her head, not looking up at him. "Then they don't need me."
He watched as she played with the hem of her skirt. "Yeah, they do, Abby."
"Then why didn't they invite me, themselves?" Suddenly angry, she bounced up and started pacing, obviously working up to something. Tony cut her off before she said something she would regret later.
"This isn't some majorly planned event. It started out last night when I tried to lay claim to the leftovers. Tim suggested we come over to watch the game, then they decided to ask Palmer and his guy since Jimmy's been pretty spooked by the attacks against McGee and then it just kept growing. The neighbors want to show their support and everybody wants a chance to eat more of McGee's cooking." As Tony was explaining, Abby stopped pacing to stare of the window.
Eventually she shook her head as she chewed on her lip. "Gibbs doesn't do spontaneous parties. It took me a month to talk him into doing hot dogs for the 4th of July, and Timmy doesn't cook."
Tony stood and joined her at the window. "See, that's where we were wrong. Gibbs is very spontaneous when he's happy and Tim makes him happy. Tim's always been a great cook and Gibbs gives him the confidence to show it. They're good for each other, Abby, but that doesn't mean that they don't need the rest of us. I made the mistake of thinking that at first, but they gave me another chance, just like they'll give you. You just have to take the first step."
Disappointingly, she just shrugged. "I'm not sure."
As much as he wanted to talk some sense into her, Tony knew how she would dig her heels in if pushed too hard. "Abby, I've got over fifty pounds of ice in my car, so I have to go, but think about what I said, okay? They'd both be thrilled to have you there if it means you're ready to accept them." He kissed her cheek and left her with a thoughtful expression on her face.
---NCIS---
Gibbs poked through the bags sitting on the kitchen counter as Tim sauteed a pan of onion slices on the stove. Most of what he was finding was self-explanatory, but one small bag had him questioning as he pulled it out. "Umm, Tim?"
Laughing at Gibbs' expression, Tim took pity on the other man. "Relax, the gummy worms are for the kids." He reached into another bag and pulled out an apple and a package of caramel squares. "Homemade caramel apples."
"With worms, of course." Now grinning, Gibbs understood how fun that would be for the children who were too young to be interested in the football game. His smile faltered as he thought about Kelly and how much she would have enjoyed Tim's plans, but Tim had already turned his attention back to the stove.
Ziva's arrival kept his mood from spiraling downward and he held the door open for her as she struggled with a large, flat box. After a murmured thanks to Gibbs, she turned her attention to Tim. "You were right, McGee, the farmer's market had figs this morning. I bought a whole flat of them."
"Great." Tim turned off the stove and wiped his hands on a towel as he joined them at the table. He checked the ripeness of one of the dark brown fruits and nodded. "Ripe, but not mushy, they'll be perfect for the grill."
Gibbs couldn't remember the last time he'd had tree-ripened figs and he snatched one as Ziva followed Tim outside with the box. She set it on one of the tables Gibbs had set up earlier and Tim started precooking the pizza crusts on the grill. "Is there anything I can help you with, McGee, before I leave?"
Tim was surprised. "You're not staying?"
"I have an errand, but I will be back soon." Once in her car, she hit the speed dial for Tony as she headed in the direction of Waverly University. He picked up on the second ring.
~DiNozzo.~
"Were you successful?"
~She's not with me, but at least I gave her a lot to think about. What about you?~
"I am on my way there now. She called this morning and asked for a ride."
---NCIS---
Rebecca glared at the stack of files on her desk. She'd been so distracted lately that she was now stuck aboard the Yard all weekend getting caught up on her paperwork. It was all Tim McGee's fault, of course, just the latest in the long string of losers she'd tried to hook up with. She should have known something wasn't right about him when he turned down her advances, but instead she'd wasted several weeks having coffee with him.
The only thing she'd accomplished over those weeks was the discovery that they both took the same migraine medication. He didn't need his medicine very often, so she'd taken other opportunities to express her displeasure, but all her hard work had just strengthened his ties with his lover and their friends.
A new plan had started to form that morning after a walk through the squad room. She'd noticed the tip of the strap from his backpack under the edge of his desk. Disconnecting the security camera would be too risky a second time, but the files might just give her another way, as long as he didn't come back for his backpack. With any luck Gibbs would keep his boy-toy busy all weekend and she'd have time to put her latest plan into action.
---NCIS---
Gibbs let his fingers trail against the wood as he walked past the door to Kelly's old room. It had been many years since childish laughter echoed in his back yard and he found himself looking forward to it. The first of the neighbors were starting to arrive, Mrs. B was listening to one of Ducky's stories as they puttered around in his kitchen. Gibbs wasn't sure if they were a help or a hindrance to Tim, but he was laughing with them as he moved between the kitchen and back deck. Getting out from underfoot, Gibbs moved outside.
Tony was already there, helping Larry set out the ice and beers. The small pool had been set off to the side, next to a tall bush that would keep it shaded.
"Looks like we timed it right." Everyone looked up as Palmer entered through the side gate, carrying several cases of drinks. Behind him was another man, similarly laden. Their arrival brought Ducky and Tim out of the kitchen. Jimmy waited until they had set everything down before making introductions. "Everyone, this is my... my boyfriend, Brian Slater. Brian, this is Jethro Gibbs and his partner, Tim McGee and that's Tony DiNozzo; they're all agents at NCIS. Over there is Dr. Mallard, he's my boss."
As Larry took over the introductions of the neighbors, the rest of the team was able to observe Jimmy and Brian together. Physically, they were quite opposite. Brian was several inches shorter than Jimmy, but quite broad-shouldered and muscular. His blonde crew cut and bright blue eyes also contrasted with Jimmy's darker features. The one striking similarity was the wide smile whenever they looked at each other.
As Jimmy started to help lay out the drinks, Brian came over to Gibbs and Ducky, offering his hand. "Dr. Mallard, it's nice to finally get to meet you, and Agent Gibbs, thank you for the invitation. It means a lot to not have to hide from Jimmy's friends anymore."
"I'm glad." In truth, Gibbs was at a loss for words. He was certainly glad that Jimmy no longer felt that he had to hide his personal life, but the hidden details and secret feelings surrounding his own relationship with McGee made him feel slightly hypocritical being cast as a role model for the younger couple. As always, Ducky stepped in to take the pressure off him.
"So, tell us how you and our Mr. Palmer managed to meet."
Brian's smile widened even more as he glanced over to see Jimmy adding the mini wine bottles to the pool. "My twin sister, Breena, introduced us. She's a mortician in training and they met over a body. I was her ride home that day and, well, the rest is history."
After being so badly hurt by Lee, Ducky was thrilled to see someone so completely enthralled with his assistant, but wanted to know more about him. "You and your sister are close?"
"Yes, sir." If Brian knew he was being interrogated, he didn't seem insulted. "Being the only two openly gay teens in a small town meant that we've always been each others support system. We double date a lot when one of us has to be someplace that isn't very tolerant."
---NCIS---
The party didn't officially start for an hour, but one couldn't tell that from the large group already milling around the back yard. Gibbs watched indulgently as Tim helped the first of the children make their own caramel apples, dipping first into the caramel and then rolling it against one of the many treats laid out. The worms were popular, of course, but the candy corn and crushed cookies were equally popular. Lily and Jared Vance had already finished making theirs and had moved onto the next table where Tony was mixing fruit juice sodas. Darryl and another teenager were next to Tony, ready to take over mixing duties while several more teens were taking turns throwing a ball for Jett.
In between helping the kids, Tim was directing traffic, making sure that the side dishes, desserts and pizza toppings made it to the correct tables. There was enough food already to feed several neighborhoods, but what had everyone's anticipation was the pizza bar. Stacks of pre-grilled rounds of dough were ready and waiting, along with various different pizza sauces and more toppings than one could imagine.
Tim was shuffling dishes around, making room for the roasted asparagus that Darryl's mother had brought when a familiar voice caught his attention. "You got room for some peanut butter and pickles?"
"Sarah?" Tim met her across the yard, a look of wonder on his face.
She threw herself into his arms. "I'm sorry, Tim, I was such a jerk. I can't believe I let Daddy get to me like that."
"Just trust me, okay? That's all I ask. Jethro will never hurt me, and I know what I'm doing."
"I know, I've always knows that, it's just..."
"This was the one time I didn't tell you something first." After he finished her sentence, Tim touched one of the freshly taped cuts on his face. "Sometimes it's not safe to talk about private things at all."
Her eyes widened as she took in the injuries she'd been too angry to notice earlier. "Somebody hurt you because you came out?"
"And vandalized my car, twice. Now, don't you think there's somebody else you need to apologize to?"
Sarah looked embarrassed, but determined as she nodded before walking over to where Gibbs was watching them. Once she was moving, Tim turned to Ziva, who had obviously brought Sarah with her. He hugged and kissed his friend. "Thank you."
Gibbs had moved close enough to catch the mood of the conversation between McGee and his sister, even if he couldn't hear all that was said. She stopped in front of him, her eyes filling with tears. "You're nothing like the man that hurt him. I know that and it was really horrible of me to say that to you. I'm so, so sorry."
"I won't hurt him, Sarah, ever, and I won't let someone else hurt him if I can prevent it. Even you." He waited to see her reaction.
She saw both the forgiveness and the worry on the older man's face. "Fair enough, but you won't have to worry about me anymore. I give you my word."
Even those who didn't know the details of the earlier confrontation could sense that this was an important moment for the men, but Kyle and Martin distracted the group by herding them towards the food. A few minutes later, Gibbs and Tim walked to the deck, Sarah tucked in between them, both teasing her about her usual pizza topping choices. Just as Tony was reaching for his usual pepperoni, Sarah answered back that she'd try something different if Tony would. Never one to turn down a challenge, DiNozzo soon found himself handing over a pizza loaded with shredded lamb, roasted vegetables and feta cheese over a pesto sauce to be grilled.
Tim grinned at Tony when he took the pizza to be cooked. Sarah's was soon on the grill next to it, she'd been thrilled to see her brother's famous spicy Thai peanut sauce as one of the options and had given her crust a liberal coating before adding thinly sliced chicken and roasted peppers. She opted for the grated mozzarella to hold it all together while Brian followed behind with a similar pizza, only with more vegetables and some of the freshly made soft mozzarella Susan had brought. Apparently unable to make a decision, Jimmy's pizza was carefully divided into quadrants with the asparagus, each section with a different sauce and topping combination.
Not surprisingly, Gibbs' pizza was loaded with the sliced prime rib meat from the night before, as was Leon's, but the married man had smartly added the marinated artichoke hearts his wife had brought.
With everything precooked, it went surprisingly quick, and Tim received a round of applause as he pulled the last pizza off the grill. It felt so natural, that Gibbs didn't even realize he'd pulled Tim close for a kiss until the applause shifted to whistles and catcalls. They both blushed when they pulled apart, but the only one that looked surprised by their PDA was Vance.
---NCIS---
Abby drove in circles for almost an hour before she turned onto the familiar street. She parked and made her way to the new side gate, wondering exactly when Gibbs had finished fencing his yard. The laughter was loud and boisterous, allowing her to watch through the fence, unnoticed.
The first thing she saw was Gibbs, looking relaxed and happy as he was stealing something off Ziva's pizza. For her part, Ziva was laughing as she tried to slap his hand away while behind them, Tony was high-fiving a muscular man with blonde hair that she didn't recognize. The blonde turned away from Tony to take a drink from the bottle Palmer was holding. She looked around more and spotted Tim at the grill. He was flushed and his face was damp with perspiration, but he looked to be having the time of his life as he handed out food. Apparently it was the last of the food because the crowd started clapping and then cheering as he stepped away from the grill. As she watched, stunned, Gibbs spun McGee around and kissed him on the mouth. Feeling very much like an outsider, Abby back away and returned to her car.
---NCIS---
The football game was good, but only the most hardcore fans went inside to watch, the rest were content to listen to the announcer over the speakers Tim had moved outside as they continued to eat. By the end of the first quarter, Gibbs and Tony had given up trying to explain the details of the game to Ziva and decided on a more hands on lesson. The demo caught the attention of most of the teens and a large number of the men and by halftime the impromptu game moved to the street for more space, leaving Jett to happily clean the back yard of every dropped crumb hidden in the grass.
It was dusk by the time the street game wound down, Ducky bandaged the last skinned knee, and the group returned to the back yard for the pies, cakes, cookies, caramel apples and grilled fruit waiting for them. Nudged into action by their mothers and bolstered by the sugar rush, the kids made short work of the clean up, sweeping across the deck and yard with garbage bags. Two hours later, Gibbs and Tim were sitting alone on the deck, enjoying the evening.
"Quite a party, Larry wants to make it an annual event." When he didn't get an answer, Gibbs looked over to find Tim sound asleep in the lounge chair. He watched the other man sleep until the bugs and the chill forced them both inside.