A/N: We're in the homestretch, folks, final chapter. This would have been done in, like, 2 chapters if Gibbs wasn't such a rock-headed S.O.B. But that's part of why we all love him, right? My thanks again to Bunny for the beta! And to everyone who reviewed and favorited!

Jesus, Gibbs cursed, shaking his head as he walked out to his car. He didn't have to work this hard at getting Shannon to marry him! And it wasn't like he could lure DiNozzo with candy and flowers - well, not with flowers, anyways. Maybe a year's supply of pizza would do the trick. Honest to God, it was like trying to win the hand of the fair maiden back from the evil ogre in some fairy tale. He just wanted his SFA back, wanted things back to normal. Why did DiNozzo have to be so damned stubborn and complicated? Why couldn't he have just...

Okay, this isn't helping, Gibbs decided. You have a mission, accomplish it by any means available, you're a goddamned Marine, just do what it takes! The only problem was, he just didn't know what it was going to take. God help him if an apology was involved, he'd - well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. He whipped out his cell and dialed 411 for the Adam's Morgan Rooftop Grill and made reservations. He figured a two inch-thick rib eye steak was a good place to start, and then he'd go from there.

Right now he had to figure out a way to get past that guard dog Tobias. He hadn't been able to get in touch with DiNozzo to meet him for lunch. Well, he wouldn't bother with his old friend Fornell, he'd just go straight to the H.R. conference room. And if DiNozzo wasn't there...well, he'd be screwed for another day.

He tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, not wanting a confrontation from anyone, yet all the while telling himself he had every right to be there and no one could just throw him out any more than he could drag Tony out by the ear. He peeked cautiously into the room, and saw DiNozzo wolfing down a pizza. Good thing he hadn't wasted his money on one. Although, he now thought that DiNozzo would have appreciated the gesture.

Well, too late now.

Tony saw the movement of the door and looked up.

"Hey, DiNozzo."

"Hey, Gibbs. What brings you here?"

"You. Came ta - bring ya home."

"Huh. Didn't realize I had one."

"Abby's calling my cell every hour to see if I've 'fixed' things. Kate won't talk to me except for work stuff."

"Hmmff." Tony nodded, and went back to eating his pizza.

"Can I sit down?"

"It's a federal building, I can't stop you."

"Do you want to?"

"Gibbs, what do you want from me? I'm not going to apologize until you tell me what I did wrong!"

Gibb's voice was calm, calmer than Tony had heard it in a long time. "You didn't do anything wrong, Tony. I - I should've done what you asked me to and gone somewhere else to talk instead of makin' a scene in the bullpen. Wasn't anybody's business but ours, I just - I saw those bottles and I lost it."

"Do you really think I get off on pain, Gibbs?"

There it was again. Gibbs. Not Boss. Well, he wasn't anymore, and it was his own damned fault.

"Not anymore. Ducky told me, you go loopy on Percocet."

"And Vicodin and Demeral and...Well, you get the picture. Haven't found one yet that doesn't turn me into a raving lunatic. So, I just take lots of Motrin."

"Huh. Okay."

"You could've asked before, Bos- Gibbs, I would've told you."

"I know. I already said I shouldn't have made a scene."

"Then why did you?"

Gibbs swallowed hard and looked away, looked anywhere but at DiNozzo. No, this had to be said, had to be done, or he'd be going back to the Navy yard without the kid, back to his doom. He looked back at Tony's expectant face.

"When you - when we were in that hotel room and…they were beating the shit outta you…you didn't…I could hear every hit, every fist that they landed on you. And you never once cried out. You were just too damned QUIET, DiNozzo, and I wanna know why!"

"Boss, please -"

"Your father," Gibbs began with the smallest breath of hesitation. "He hit you, didn't he? Like those guys did, only you were too little to defend yourself. You didn't make any noise when he did it so he wouldn't think he was hurting you and he'd stop. Now it's ingrained in you."

Tony's coloring went almost ghost-white. He crossed his arms in a self-hug and stared at his lap.

"Never wanted you to know, Bos-Gibbs, not something I want anyone to know. He didn't do it all the time, but…after my mom died, he just…he couldn't cope, drank a lot, took pain killers. It's a wonder he didn't kill himself."

"Too bad he didn't."

"No, Boss, he just had a hard time after mom died and -"

"And you didn't? That justifies beating the snot outta your kid?"

Gibbs was getting thoroughly pissed, and Tony could see the man's fists clenching and unclenching.

"It's in the past, Boss," he said quietly.

"Still affects you, and I'm not your boss, so quit calling me that!"

Whoa, Tony thought. Opening that drawer really opened a can of worms between us...No,he realized, it went back weeks before that. Ever since he got that smack-down in the hotel room, Gibbs had been surly, menacing, even, but only to him, and for the life of him, Tony couldn't figure it out, no matter how many times he went back over it in his head.

"Okay. Gibbs,"he emphasized, more to get under the man's skin than to placate him. He wasn't about to make this easy for the man, no matter what he had overheard of Fornell's and the Senior agent's confrontation. Or that the man had come to apologize in his own weird way. "You know, you're not exactly rollin' the red carpet out for me to come back to NCIS."

"What the hell do you want me to SAY, DiNozzo, you think this is EASY for me?"

"No, Gibbs," Tony answered quietly, deciding that maybe an extra day - hell, maybe a lifetime - away from the irrational man might not hurt. "I think it's probably gonna be easier for you to get another SFA. I seem to bring out the worst in you and you're bad enough when you're at your best. Go back to the Navy yard, talk to the Director. He can recommend somebody."

"I don't want anybody else, DiNozzo, that's why I'm here!"

"Then give me one good reason why I should come back, 'cause right now, I'm really not feelin' the love."

"Abby and Kate -"

Oh for the love of Sean Connery, Tony thought. How emotionally constipated could one man possibly BE?

"Yeah, Abby and Kate are pissed atcha, I got it. Well, Gibbs, I'm all for letting them stay that way. I've gotta get back to work, I'm on company time." It wasn't a lie. He just hadn't said whatcompany. He sat back down, and tuned Gibbs out. No wonder Fornell had ended up screaming at the man. Stubborn bastard.

Gibbs himself was readying to scream at Tony, to tell him to not tune him out, that he wasn't done with him yet. Fortunately, he managed to catch and stifle himself. Had to stop using that Gunny temper of his all the time, it only worked in the right situations. Certainly not this one. He knew this was make or break time, shit or get off the pot, like Fornell had told him. He took a calming breath.

"I was wrong, Tony."

DiNozzo's head snapped up so fast he thought he might have hurt himself. He stared dumbly at the man in front of him, not able to formulate a coherent thought, much less a sentence. Gibbs knew he had shocked the younger man to new heights and forged ahead in the stunned silence.

"Should've just asked ya what the hell was going on with ya instead of breaking my own rule."

"Never assume."

"Seen it happen a lot, both here and in the Marines. You start usin' the pain to drive yourself on, get yourself out of bad situations, next thing you know you're addicted to it, only way to know yer still a human being."

"Ever happen to you, Boss?"

"No. Much as it seems that way, I can't think right when I'm in pain, so I've learned to control it. Secret is to get ahead of it, get some kind of pain killer in ya before it gets out of control. Then it doesn't take as much to keep it at bay."

"Huh." Tony looked back down at his papers. "So. What were we talking about again? Oh yeah. You want me to come back on your team."

"Yeah. So. You comin'?"

Tony couldn't help but burst out laughing. "God, Gibbs, you're like a freaking mountain manfrom an old Gunsmoke episode! Crazy old Jethro come to get his mail order bride! Where's your fur hat and chewin' teebacky?"

Gibbs almost stomped his foot in frustration. "I ain't marryin' ya, DiNozzo, I just want you back on my team!"

Tony tried to get serious, but the sight of Gibbs squirming in front of him was just too classic. Nonetheless he schooled his expression down to a smirk.

"Why? And don't you dare tell me 'cause Abby and Kate are pissed' at you."

"'Cause you're the best agent I've ever worked with and you know it and I shouldn't have to SAY it!"

"Hmmm." DiNozzo tapped his bottom lip with his soda straw. "Well, that's a start. But ya know, it's just not enough. Tell me another reason."

"God dammit, DiNozzo, I didn't put up with this kind of shit from any of my ex-wives!"

"And let's just think about that for a moment, shall we? Ex-wives. Ex- agents. I see a pattern developing here."

'The vein' was starting to pulse on the side of Gibb's forehead. Tony knew if the man didn't ratchet things down a notch he was going to combust. Part of him wanted to see it happen. He could sell tickets. Step right up, folks, see the eighth wonder of the world Leroy Jethro Gibbs discombobulate right before your very eyes!Tony swung his attention back to the moment, and tried to decide how to help his friend get his act together and maintain some shred of dignity in the process.

"Okay, here's the deal, Gibbs. I come back to NCIS, and I get what from you in return? No more head slaps?"

"Nope. You'll still get them."

"Better parking space?"

"You know I don't have any control over that, DiNozzo."

"Yeah, okay. Seriously, though, Boss - you got a problem with something you think I'm doing or not doing, you tell me in private, not in front of Kate, and for sure not in front of the entire building! It's not professional and it's rude and I know you've got better ethics than that. You don't wait until you're ready to rip my head off and crap down my neck to talk to me about it. If it's legit and you ask me right, I'll most likely tell you. But you won't get jack shit out of me if you back me into the corner like you did the other day. You threaten me with Fornell one more time and I really will take him up on his standing offer."

"The hell? Haven't you already?"

"Not officially. Took a few days sick leave - didn't lie, I was sick, of you using me as doormat."

"DiNozzo…" Gibbs was clearly seething, ready to blow.

"You see, I really was out the door for good when I left the bullpen the other day, I wasn't yanking you when I gave you my badge and weapon, I really had quit. Then Morrow called and talked me into taking a few days off to cool down and make my decision when I wasn't in the throes of homicidal fantasies."

"So basically you lied to me the whole time you were gone and I was throwing myself on my sword."

"I don't know what Fornell told you, but I made very sure that I never lied to you, Boss. I was working for him on cold cases. I was just doing it gratis. Fornell fed me and entertained me and I got him some new leads to work on. Your rule, Boss, always be specific when you lie. Which I didn't, technically. Anyways, I got a break from you pissing me off every five minutes, and you got some time to decide whether or not you really wanted me on your team."

"I'll always want you on my team, DiNozzo. I'm just not very good at showing it."

"Yeah, well, I don't expect a lot of positive reinforcement from ya, Boss, but a little would be nice, and I don't mean headslaps."

"How does a ribeye dinner at the Adam's House Rooftop Grill sound for positive reinforcement? Made a reservation for 1800, my treat."

Gibbs had to work like hell to hide the pleased smile that came from seeing the equally pleased one on DiNozzo's face.

"Boss, you're kidding me! Really? For Adam's House?"

"Yeah. I'll even wear a tie and leave my fur mountain hat at home so I don't embarrass you."

"You probably actually have one of those, don't you, Boss?"

"Yeah, got it packed away in my basement along with my hatchet and long-johns."

"So, Boss, you never really said why else you wanted me on the team, other than the fact that I'm the best senior field agent in DC. You're kinda fond of me, aren't you? I'm growing on you, like Burley."

"More like a fungus, DiNozzo."

"See, now that's what gets you having to look through a new pile of personnel files, Boss. You could be a little more appreciative of what you've got, and maybe it won't turn into something you had, that now belongs to Fornell."

"I'm dressing up and buying you dinner at the best grill in DC, DiNozzo. That should count for something. Don't think I ever sprung for more than a bagel and coffee for Burley."

"Yeah? Okay then. Good. Help me clean this place up and I'll go tell Tobias-"

"Tell me what, kid?" the man himself asked as he stepped into the room. Gibbs frowned at him and Fornell snickered to himself, reading the senior agent like a book. So Gibbs didn't like him being so familial with his boy. Good. "Oh, look who's here. Jethro. Lunch time's over, he needs to get back to work."

"Yup, he does. He's comin' back with me."

"You agree to that, kid, or did he threaten you?"

"I didn't threaten him, Tobias, jeezus! We talked, got some things figured out. Alright, I got some things figured out. We're good."

Fornell looked to DiNozzo for confirmation.

"It's cool, Tobias. Looks like you're going to have to get somebody else on your cold cases."

"Huh, too bad, DiNutso, and I was so-o close. Another day of his futzin' around and I could have been signing off on your reports. Well, there's always next time."

"There's not gonna be a next time, Tobias," Gibbs said forcefully.

"Famous last words, Jethro. Go, take yer boy home, but just so you know, it's an open-ended invitation for him, he shows up on my doorstep again, we won't have to pull a fast one on ya, I'll forge his signature on his application myself, and don't think for one second I'm not serious!"

Gibbs knew Fornell was deadserious, just by the tone of his voice. And he hoped he never forgot that look when he started going off the deep end, as he knew he was so capable of doing. Repeatedly, it seemed. So he skipped over any sarcastic or flippant remark he might come up with and grabbed up the box of left-over pizza.

"Yeah, Tobias, I do," he said solemnly, and stopped in front of the man to look him hard in the eye. "Thanks for watching out for him. Maybe you can sue for part-time custody er something. In the mean time, he stays with me. Come on, Skippy, got work to do before the big dinner."

Fornell watched them troop out of the conference room as Gibbs was giving what looked to be a head slap but turned into a gentle squeeze of the back of his neck.

As much as he would enjoy having DiNozzo full-time on his team, he knew the kid would never really be happy or feel like he was at home. Only Gibbs could give that to him. And he was going to make damned sure, in his own covert way, that it didn't stop, even if it meant not ever being Tony's boss himself. But, for DiNutso, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.