First of all, thank you all for yesterday reviews. I really appreciated them. I've no time to reply to them today because the family situation I mentioned when I first posted this story has just gotten more serious. I'll leave for the hospital to relieve my mother in 20 minutes, so I've just the time to post this chapter.

I hope you'll like this final chapter/epilogue. Please let me know what you think of it...You know reviews always cheer me up, and right now I need a lot of cheering up. :(

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-x-

Gibbs stared straight in front of him as they returned to their bedrooms, not sparing a look at Tony's bathrobe clad body as they stepped into the elevator to avoid any temptation to reach out and touch or kiss him.

His mind was still reeling with what they had done in the pool—and with how fast it had happened. They had passed from not knowing how the other felt to declaring their love and desire to have a committed relationship, to almost having sex in a public place, all within five minutes.

Gibbs wasn't surprised by the strength of his feelings for Tony now that he had finally voiced them, and he didn't really care to know when he had started loving the younger man. He just knew he did with the same certainty he had known he loved Shannon by the end of that fateful train journey, and that he was loved back.

Their first kisses had been so good. They had been natural, almost familiar, as if they had already done it. Gibbs couldn't remember the last time it had felt so spontaneous to make out in public, but the pool had felt so good, with its warm water surrounding and cradling them. He hadn't wanted to leave it, but his common sense had prevailed. He didn't care the place belonged to Tony, getting caught having sex by some tourist or, worse, by someone able to recognize one or both of them, wasn't something he wanted to experience.

Gibbs looked at the elevator display noticing with approval it had almost reached their floor. When it did, they almost bolted from the car and walked to Tony's bedroom, where Gibbs looked on, increasingly impatient, as the younger man fumbled with the key card. It was nice to see cool, refined Anthony DiNozzo so affected by what they had just done, and by the idea of what they would do.

Once the door opened, Tony gestured Gibbs to go in first. The older man did, and then stepped aside to let his companion pass. Tony made a move for the chairs, but Gibbs grabbed him by his bathrobe and shoved him into the wall a second later, pressing against him, hot and hard.

The older man took Tony's head in both his hands to keep him still and kissed him, thoroughly. Tony answered with matching ardour, his own hands rising to cup Gibbs' nape.

Then Gibbs left the younger man's lips and began nipping along his chin, down his neck, tasting and sighing.

"Jethro..." Tony breathed, his arms sliding down to cup his lover's buttocks.

"You taste so damn good..." Gibbs replied, grinding his hips against the other man. There were too many clothes in the way, so he stepped back and got rid of his bathrobe, as Tony did the same. A moment later the former Marine was again on the other man, running his tongue against the shell of his ear.

"What do you want?" he asked softly.

"You," Tony answered, rocking his hard cock against his own.

"You need to be more specific," Gibbs teased, reaching down with a hand between their bodies, and slipping it inside the younger man swim trunks. Many years had passed since the last time he had held a cock that wasn't his own in his hand, but the knowledge of what Tony liked returned to him after a couple of strokes.

"Feels good," Tony moaned, bracing with his hands over Gibbs' shoulders.

"It's supposed to," the older man commented before claiming his lover's mouth in a scorching kiss.

Tony bucked up against him, moaning loudly into his mouth. Then the younger man started pushing at his shoulders, until Gibbs took a step away.

"Stop..." Tony groaned, closing his eyes and panting harshly. "Don't move or I'll come in your hand, and I don't want that."

"What do you want?" Gibbs repeated his earlier question, removing his hand from Tony's groin.

"I want you inside me...like back then...I wanna see if it'll be good as I remember...if you're still able to make me come as you fuck me..."

Gibbs' cock twitched upon hearing those words, and his voice was rough with need when he said, "Is this a challenge? 'Cause, you know, I love challenges..." He caressed Tony's lower lip with the fingers he had just removed from his cock, and he almost came right there when the younger man pulled them in his mouth and sucked on them.

"On the bed...now," Gibbs growled.

Tony shivered in response to his command, dropping his swim trunks as he went. The older man stalked after him, his own trunks quickly abandoned. They fell together onto the bed, hands stroking, lips kissing, teeth nipping, and tongues licking.

As they rolled on the bed pressed together, Gibbs briefly remembered the time when he had wondered if he would have been turned off by a hairy, male body. The answer, now he knew, was a big no. Tony's now sported a considerable amount of body hair, and Gibbs had quickly discovered he liked the feel of it under his hands, or brushing against his own skin.

Before long, Tony rolled on his side and reached out for the night table, pulling out lube and a condom from the drawer.

"Here," he said, putting them in Gibbs' hand, "make good use of them..." Then laid on his back and pulled his knees to his chest.

This was the first time Gibbs would have to prepare Tony, because in the past the younger man had always gone to him already ready to be taken.

He poured a generous amount of lube on his fingers and, despite the need pulling at him, he set out to prepare Tony as best as he could. He took his time fingering and stretching, until the passage he was readying became loose and very slick and Tony was moaning almost continuously and trying to fuck himself on Gibbs' fingers.

Gibbs lost no time in putting on the condom and slicking it with some more lube. "Do you want to roll over?" he asked, remembering how he had always taken him from behind in the past.

"No...I want to see you..." Tony answered, spreading his legs even more.

Gibbs nodded and positioned himself at his lover's opening, slowly pushing forward, breaching the body beneath him. Tony moaned, hands tightly gripping the sheets, but he was smiling as Gibbs sank deep inside him, a smile that became a broad grin when the older man bottomed out.

"You okay?" Gibbs whispered as he rocked languidly, enjoying how the tight channel milked him.

"Never better...you feel as good as I remembered...Now move and make me fly..." Tony answered, arching his neck to give him a brief kiss.

Gibbs laughed at the murmured command, and did as he was told. He began to thrust, first slowly then more quickly. Tony arched his hips, eagerly meeting each stroke, as their moans and groans filled the room.

Far too soon Gibbs felt his balls tightening as he drove into his lover, his pace increasing, so he took Tony's thick cock in his slick hand, stroking down its length in counterpoint to his thrusts.

Tony cried out, his movements increasingly frantic as the sensations became overwhelming. His prostate was being hit with every thrust, sending shocks of pleasure throughout his body and his cock was in Gibbs' tight grip, the slick fist causing an unbearably pleasurable friction.

A few pumps more and Tony's body convulsed as he came, with a strangled "Jethro!" so remindful of the "Gunny!" he had screamed the first time Gibbs had made him come...a lifetime ago.

The clenching of his lover's body around his cock made Gibbs lose his control, and he came too, groaning Tony's name against the younger man's skin.

Some time later, Gibbs finally slipped out of Tony's body and collapsed at his side. The younger man rolled over, and rested his head over his lover's chest as they both sighed.

They lay like that for a long time, resting, simply being with each other. Then Tony moved his leg and grimaced, "We're gonna be stuck together."

"Let me get something to clean us up," Gibbs said, sliding out of bed and walking to the bathroom to get rid of the condom and return with a wet towel. It was the work of a few moments to clean them, and then he dropped the towel by the bed and climbed under the covers with Tony. It was only mid-afternoon, but neither of them seemed inclined to move.

"Thank you," Tony said, rolling to use Gibbs as pillow again.

"Mmm... my pleasure," the older man said.

Tony snorted, "Mine too."

"I hope so."

"Oh, yes. It was exactly how I remembered...no better. This time we were both making love, not just fucking." Reaching out one hand, Tony found Gibbs' and intertwined their fingers. "Love makes everything better."

"Yeah..." Gibbs nodded, squeezing Tony's finger and wrapping his other arm around his shoulders. "It does."

"Not always..." Tony murmured against his chest.

Gibbs frowned. "What?"

"Love can also cause complications. It did to me in the past...it might still."

"You worried about something?" Gibbs asked, perplexed by the turn taken by the conversation.

"Not about me, about you. Women will flock to buy my book if I write in it the Navy cop that busted me is my first, long-lost love and that we're now together again. But you...this relationship could cause you problems with your job," Tony explained, raising his head to look at him straight in the eyes.

"No, it won't. We'll be discreet and my Director won't mind it long as I keep my private life out of the office. After all, I won't be the first or the last law enforcement officer falling for a prostitute."

"Yeah, but those usually are cops falling for streets hookers—and I was never one of those," Tony pouted, but his eyes were full of mirth.

"I know. You were a high-end gigolo, not to mention a terrific dancer," Gibbs answered with a smile.

Tony's eyes flashed with a light Gibbs couldn't recognize, and then he bolted out of bed and opened the closet.

"What are you doing?" the older man asked, confused, rising to sit on the mattress.

"Wait and see," Tony answered from behind the open closet door that hid him.

Gibbs heard some grunts and a muffled curse and arched an eyebrow. What was going on?

Finally Tony's head peeked from behind the closet door and he asked, "Remember when I told you how I wanted to show you my tattoo upon your return from your mission?" Gibbs nodded. "Well, this is how I had planned to do it..."

There was a slight click and then a sexy, sultry beat filled the room, as Tony stepped out from behind the closet door wearing his 'biker' costume from his shows at the Sensual Delights: a red bandana around the neck, black leather pants and fingerless gloves, biker boots. The pants were now too tight – and Gibbs thought they were the reason of the muffled curse he had heard—so Tony had to left them open, which made the whole attire even sexier.

As Tony danced around the room, thrusting and twisting his hips in rhythm with the music, Gibbs felt transported in time. He remembered the evenings spent at the Sensual Delights, watching Tony dance and fantasizing the youth was dancing only for him.

But now, Gibbs thought with a smile, as he scooted down the bed to be closer to the younger man and touch him as he moved, the fantasy had become reality and from now on, Tony would dance only for him—or with him.

Epilogue

Alexandria, Virginia, July 4th 2011

Cassie Mills stepped out from the taxi and looked at the house in front of her.

"Are you sure this is the correct address?" she asked to her companion.

Rick Owens limped closer to her and checked a small piece of paper. "Yes, this is the right place. Why do you ask? Is there something wrong?"

Cassie didn't answer as she observed the house. There was nothing wrong with it. It was well-kept and freshly painted, with rose bushes on the front and surrounded by a white-picket fence. It was the typical American middle class house, the dream of every couple who got together and hoped to raise a family. But it wasn't the place where Anthony DiNozzo would ever choose to live, at least as far Cassie had thought.

Tony always had a taste for fine things: designer clothes and shoes, silken sheets, stylish haircuts, expensive cars. Cassie had expected him to live in ultra-modern condominium with annexed gym and indoor pool. After all, he didn't lack for money. He owned a restaurant and a luxurious resort, and his just released book, which Cassie still had to read, was already a best seller, and the Hollywood majors were fighting among each other to buy the rights to make a movie out of it.

"Are you gonna to ring the bell or do you plan to stay here for the whole day?" Rick asked.

Cassie threw him a dirty look before pushing the gate open and walking toward the door. As she got closer to the house, she heard voices and laughter coming from the back of the building and smelled the scent of grilled meat. Her stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten anything after the small meal she had got on the plane hours before, and their stop to the hotel had lasted just long enough to register and drop their luggage. He hoped that whoever was cooking in the backyard – she was ready to swear it wasn't Tony, who was known to burn water – had something left for them too.

Cassie rang the bell and heard a well-known voice call from inside the house. "I'm going to get it. They must be my friends from California."

A few seconds later the door opened and the first thing Cassie noticed was how good and how happy Tony looked. His smile was broad, genuine and it set his green eyes alight with joy. It relaxed Cassie, and all the vague worries that had assaulted her after Tony's invitation and at the sight of this house, disappeared. She responded in kind to his enthusiastic embrace and kiss, as her heart swelled with joy. Her kid was well—hell, more than well.

"Cassie, sweetheart, you look wonderful," Tony complimented her.

"And you still are a very handsome and convincing liar," she retorted playfully.

"You wound me," Tony replied, putting his left hand over his heart and he greeted Rick with his right one, "Hey Rick, good to see you again, man."

"You too, Tony."

"Come inside now, lunch is almost ready. We were waiting for you."

"Sorry for the delay," Cassie commented as she stepped inside, looking around herself with curiosity, "but we...I wasn't sure this was the correct place."

Tony laughed at her look and comment. "I get it. You think this house isn't my style...You're right. But you see, its owner, my partner, he is exactly my style, and he didn't have to work very hard to convince me to move in with him. As a matter of fact I was already nodding while he was still at the 'Tony, would you consider to-'..."

'My partner'. That's why he's so happy! Cassie thought. She smiled broadly and pulled Tony in her arms for another hug. "I'm so happy for you, kid! I feared for a long time you would never get over your crush for that Marine. I'm so relieved you finally managed to get over him and find love again."

Tony stepped back from her arms and gave her a little grin and a look she couldn't decipher. "Come on, I want to introduce you to my man," he said as he started moving.

As they crossed the house toward the backyard, Cassie commented, "I guess you finally got rid of that tattoo, uh? I bet it hurt like hell to have it removed."

Tony didn't reply, and Cassie didn't insist, because they were now on the porch overlooking the backyard. There were several people sitting at a long, sturdy wooden table, and Tony led Rick and her toward them.

"The one sitting at the end of the table is Doctor Mallard, but he goes by Ducky. He's NCIS chief Medical Examiner, and has an encyclopaedic culture and can go on talking for hours. Near him, there is his faithful assistant, Jimmy Palmer. He still needs to work on his story telling skills, but he is progressing well. At his right, there is NCIS Special Agent Ziva David—don't make her angry, 'cause he used to be a Mossad operative and claims she can kill a man using a paperclip in eighteen different ways. In front of her there are Special Agents Timothy McGee, who moonlights as a novelist, and Stanley Burley, who today will eat only salad, for he's nursing an ulcer he claims has been caused by working with his boss. One would guess he should have an iron stomach by now, since he has been working for the same man for the past twelve years. At last but not least, we've our Mistress of the Dark, Abby Sciuto, NCIS Forensic and Ballistic specialist, another woman you don't want to cross, 'cause she could kill you without leaving any forensic evidence. This is the bunch of people that busted me, but they're now all great friends."

Cassie and Rick moved toward the table and shook hands and exchanged introductions with all the persons sitting around the table, but her eyes kept darting toward the man Tony had yet to introduce. The guy was standing near the grill, with his back turned toward them. He was dressed with a blue t-shirt and khaki shorts, and sported a nice back, a fine ass, and a silver-haired head. Cassie was more than a little intrigued.

Tony noticed her glances and cocked his head, "Come; let's satisfy your curiosity."

As they crossed the backyard toward the grill, Tony asked idly, "Remember I didn't answer to your comment about my tattoo?"

"Yes, I do" she replied, curious.

"I hadn't it removed 'cause my Gunny here wouldn't like if I got rid of it." And speaking so, Tony put an arm around the silver-haired man and whispered something in his ear.

Cassie's mouth opened in surprise as the older man turned around and she saw his face. His features were far more lined than he remembered them to be, and the hair, of course, was no longer dark—but the eyes were the same: blue, intent...and full of happiness.

"Cassie," Tony murmured, wrapping again an arm around his partner's waist. "Let me introduce you former USMC Gunnery Sergeant and NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

Cassie shook hands with the man, and then Gibbs returned to the grill and whistled—hard. "All right people, food is ready. Come here with your plates and we'll fill them."

The group sitting at the table rushed toward the two men, talking, laughing and generally having a good time. Since Cassie was already near the grill, she had her plate filled first, so she could step back and watch as Tony and his Gunny worked side by side to fill the plates. They never bumped elbows or got in each other's way, a coordination that spoke of familiarity and many meals prepared together.

When everyone was served and eating, the two men went to fill their own plates, and walked toward the table, where they stopped a moment to look at each other before sitting down.

Cassie felt a lump in her throat as he saw the looks of pure love Tony and his Gunny exchanged, and she found herself thinking she had been wrong, all those years ago. Fairy tales a la 'Pretty Woman' and 'My Fair Lady' did happened—even if sometimes it took them twenty years to reach the long dreamed 'happily after ever' end.

Cassie shook his head and then, with a smile she walked toward the table, and joined the rest of the group. This was really gonna be wonderful 4th of July.

THE END

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Well, it is done. Thanks so much for all the support you showed these past two weeks. When I posted this story, which, as I mentioned, is one of my favourites along with its sequel, I hoped it would be well received, but your response went beyond my hopes. I'm really, really happy so many of you enjoyed the story.

And speaking of the sequel, "Jethro's Love" , here there is the summary: when Gibbs is tortured by Paloma Reynosa, it will be up to Tony to pick up the pieces and deal with Gibbs' wounds, both physical and emotional. How will this situation affect their recently-born relationship?

It will feature Jackson Gibbs, Mike Franks, Ducky, Vance etc...and a situation that, as far as I know has never been dealt with in Tibbs stories...

Stay tuned for it!