17: Surprise

Home Visit

Tony was stepping off the stairs and turning toward the kitchen when the front door flew open and a whirlwind dressed in black and red burst through and flung herself into his arms.

"Tony!"

Laughing, Tony hugged her back, twirling her in place before setting her down and grinning back into her happy face. "Hey, Abs."

Her eyes searched his face before she pulled him into another hug. "You look great!" She let go before he could return the hug and tilted her head to one side. "Gibbs is okay?"

Tony nodded. "More than okay. By the time we left the mountain, Gibbs and the spirit were friends, I think."

"That is so amazing! I want to hear all about it."

Tony nodded toward the kitchen. "Gibbs and Ducky are in there – don't worry, we were waiting for you to tell the story."

Abby ran to the kitchen; Tony watched her go, marveling as always at her ability to move so quickly in such large, clunky boots. He heard her exclamation of "Gibbs!" followed by the muffled impact just as he arrived; he stood next to Ducky as Gibbs regained his balance with an armful of Abby. The two men exchanged smiles while Abby talked a mile a minute, asking questions and speculating about the answers without letting Gibbs get a word in.

Finally, Gibbs silenced her with a single finger over her lips. "Abby," he said gently, "we'll tell you about it after dinner."

Abby dropped a quick kiss on the tip of his finger, then stepped back to look around. "Ducky!" She moved rapidly in his direction, slowing down just as Tony thought he might have to run interference.

Ducky returned her gentle hug. "You seem quite happy, my dear girl."

"I am! Gibbs and Tony are back where they belong, Tony said Gibbs and the spirit are friends now, and all is right with the world again!"

Gibbs' eyebrows shot up as he looked Tony's way. "Friends? That's one way to put it."

Tony grinned at him. "What would you call it, then?"

Gibbs' lips twitched as he repressed a smile. "I'll get back to you on that."

A short time later they were seated at the table, eating the dinner Ducky had brought with him. He'd insisted earlier on providing a healthy meal, stating emphatically that he was not about to consume pizza, and he had no interest in watching them clog their arteries while he was eating.

Once they were done with dinner and had moved to the living room, Gibbs simply sat back and listened as Tony told the story of the trip up the mountain. They had decided on a plan for revealing what had happened; Gibbs didn't want to talk about watching Tony nearly die if he didn't have to, so Tony talked about his struggle to breathe and his eventual blacking out.

Ducky interrupted at that point. "But, Jethro, the epi-pens I gave you?"

Gibbs shook his head. "My fault, Duck. I didn't read the directions, didn't realize I needed to carry them in my coat to keep them warm."

Abby gasped, her eyes widening as she stared at Tony. "They froze?! But then, how…"

"How am I not dead?" Tony reached out and took Gibbs' hand. "I didn't get to see it, but apparently Gibbs attacked the spirit's tree until the spirit came out and saved me."

Gibbs smiled at him, lacing their fingers together and resting their hands on the couch cushion. Abby stared at their hands and bit back a squeal, while Ducky seemed torn between happiness and distress.

"Jethro, Anthony… I am so very sorry. I should have warned you about the effect of such cold temperatures on the mechanism."

Gibbs shook his head. "It worked out, Duck."

Ducky nodded, clearly shaking off his guilt. "Yes, indeed, for Anthony is here and whole… and the two of you have apparently finally come to your senses. I do congratulate you both."

Tony grinned at Gibbs, leaning in to drop a quick kiss on his lips before moving back quickly to dodge the resulting head slap. Gibbs mock-growled at him, but was prevented from saying anything else as Abby leapt out of her chair and flung herself at both men for a group hug.

"This is the best thing ever! I hoped this would bring you guys together!"

It took a few moments, but eventually Abby was back in her seat and the conversation could continue. Ducky leaned forward. "So you were able to see the spirit?"

Gibbs nodded, and described what he'd seen. "Same thing I was seeing in some of my dreams," he commented.

"Are you guys still sharing dreams?" Abby asked.

Tony nodded. "Which is cool… especially since I didn't get to see the spirit myself, being unconscious and all."

Ducky looked seriously at Gibbs before shooting a meaningful gaze at the joined hands still resting on the couch. "Then you are confident in your control over your own feelings?"

Gibbs and Tony looked at each other for a moment; Gibbs squeezed Tony's hand and let go. "Sure am. In control of more than that, too… I'll show you."

He left the room; Tony sat back, grinning, while Ducky and Abby just looked slightly confused. Abby shook it off, and asked Tony in a stage whisper, "Is Gibbs good in bed?"

Ducky shook his head at her while Tony laughed. "You think I want the mother of all head slaps, Abby? No way I'm answering that question."

Abby grinned at him. "I'll take that as a yes." She looked in the direction Gibbs had gone. "What's he doing, anyway?"

"You'll see… I think you'll like this."

Abby narrowed her eyes at him; the sudden change in her expression told Tony she figured it out just before the silver fox padded into the room.

"Oh, my," was Ducky's only comment as the beautiful fox jumped up on the couch and curled up next to Tony.

Abby surprised them all by sitting quietly, gazing at Gibbs before reaching up to brush a little moisture away from the corner of her eye. "You can control it now?"

Gibbs nodded. He looked at Ducky, tilting his head to one side, inviting comment from his old friend.

Ducky simply smiled, then extended his hand. "May I?"

Gibbs nodded again, jumping down and walking over to Ducky, wagging his tail slightly while Ducky ran his hand over the soft fur.

"This may be one of the most truly amazing things I have ever witnessed," Ducky said.

Tony smiled. "It gets better." He rose to his feet. "Be right back."

Neither Ducky nor Abby paid much attention as he left. Abby moved to the floor, hugging Gibbs and talking animatedly with Ducky, answering what she could since Gibbs couldn't speak.

Tony jogged up the stairs and into the bedroom, noting Gibbs' neatly folded clothes on the bed. He stripped quickly, tossing his own haphazardly into a loose pile before willing the change. He stretched all four legs before moving silently out of the room and down the stairs.

He peered carefully around the corner of the living room. Gibbs was back on the couch, trying to answer questions with either a nod or a shake of his head. Neither Abby nor Ducky was looking in his direction; he took a deep breath, then trotted into the room with his head and tail held high, jumping up on the couch next to Gibbs.

Abby's scream and Ducky's exclamation were highly gratifying. Tony nudged Gibbs' shoulder as he turned to face his friends, his tongue lolling from his mouth as he grinned at them.

Abby's hands covered the lower half of her face. Ducky simply sat there, open-mouthed, for once stunned into silence.

"Tony?" Abby whispered.

He nodded. Abby got up and sat down next to him, reaching out to gently stroke his back. "Oh, wow. You're gorgeous."

Ducky stared at his friends, still at a loss for words. Gibbs got up, shook himself, then jumped down and trotted over to him, nudging his hand with his nose.

"I apologize, Jethro," Ducky responded, clearly forcing himself out of his shock. He gently rubbed Gibbs' neck. "This is quite a bit to take in." He looked over at Tony and Abby; the latter was talking quietly and intently to Tony, who licked her face. "Did the spirit turn Tony into a fox to save him?"

Gibbs' eyes met Ducky's as he nodded once. Ducky saw the remembered pain in his friend's eyes, and sighed quietly. "I feel I must apologize again. If I'd warned you about the epi-pens, I'd have spared you both all of that."

Gibbs shook his head and looked back at Tony. He nudged Ducky's hand with his head, then moved back onto the couch, paw-slapping Tony, making both Abby and Ducky laugh.

Tony turned to glare at Gibbs. He lifted his lip from over one long, sharp canine tooth, then nose punched Gibbs in the side. Gibbs huffed out a breath, pushing back. Tony rose to all four feet, then nose punched harder, following that by leaping off the couch, barking once, then leaping back on and nose punching Gibbs again before jumping down and running out of the room.

Gibbs growled, then took off after him. Abby and Ducky both got to their feet and watched the foxes zoom around the house, chasing, jumping, and rolling around on the floor play-biting at each other's legs and feet.

Abby sniffled; Ducky turned away from his fascination with the foxes, looking at her with concern. "Abigail?"

"I told Tony he was gonna save Gibbs," she said quietly, then impulsively hugged him.

Tony and Gibbs ran up the stairs. Ducky and Abby waited for a moment, taking their seats again when the two didn't reappear right away. They talked quietly about what they'd just seen, with Abby giving Ducky more details about Gibbs' time as a fox before their first trip north.

Upstairs, Gibbs and Tony had both resumed their human forms. They were both half-dressed when Tony reached out to grab Gibbs' arm and pulled him close, kissing him passionately.

Gibbs pulled away after a few minutes. "Not now, Tony… they're still downstairs."

Tony smiled. "Later, then. And we have to do that more often… that's a hell of a lot of fun."

Gibbs grinned at him. "Agreed."

They finished dressing, returning to the living room. Abby got up and gave Tony a hug, then let him join Gibbs on the couch. The two men linked hands again, and the conversation picked up where they'd left off, as Gibbs and Tony described the rest of their experience on the mountain. They left out Greg's transformation, having decided it was the shaman's decision whether to share that information.

Ducky leaned forward as the conversation turned toward the team. "Do you think you shall let Timothy and Ziva in on this secret?"

Tony and Gibbs looked at each other for a several seconds before Tony answered. "We'd like to. I actually did, when we first got back from New Hampshire and they were bugging me for details… but they didn't take me seriously." He looked at Abby. "Abs? What do you think? Can they handle it?"

Abby thought it over. "I think so. Timmy will… you know he'll keep your secrets, even if he likes to tease you, Tony. Ziva… I think she'd have to see it to accept it."

Tony nodded, then looked at Gibbs. "I don't know if I'm ready for that," he admitted.

Gibbs squeezed his hand. "No rush, Tony. I'm probably not either."

It was late when their friends left. Tony locked the door after them, then turned to look at Gibbs, smiling slightly.

"Now?"

Gibbs grinned at him, then waved an arm toward the stairs. Tony ran up the stairs, but wasn't fast enough to avoid a smack on the rear.

"Hey!" He stopped and turned to look at Gibbs, who blinked innocently at him.

"Is there a problem?"

Tony rolled his eyes and continued up the stairs backwards. He then bolted for the bedroom, with Gibbs following closely, laughing as he ran.

A Gift

The next morning, Tony shifted uncomfortably on one of the tables in Autopsy, shivering slightly as he sat with his shirt off while Ducky listened to his lungs. Finally, Ducky removed the stethoscope from Tony's back and moved in front of him. "Am I gonna live?"

Ducky shot him a slightly annoyed look. "Yes, Anthony, you shall live. What I don't understand is why your lungs sound as clear as they do. There should be some residual noise from such a severe attack."

"Healthy living?" Tony hazarded, while Ducky sighed and shook his head.

"I can certainly notify Director Vance that you are cleared for work… but I would like to take an x-ray to see what sort of shape your lungs are in, if I may."

Tony shrugged. "X-ray away."

A short time later Ducky was looking at the back-lit x-rays on the wall, while Tony stood nearby. Ducky was silent for so long that the younger man was getting nervous. Just then the door slid open and Gibbs strode through.

"DiNozzo cleared for duty, Duck? We've got a body."

Ducky turned to look at him. "He certainly is. Not only that, he's healed."

Gibbs and Tony exchanged glances. "Um… what do you mean?" Tony asked.

Ducky looked back at the x-rays. "I mean, quite simply, that your lungs are pristine."

Both men simply stared at him. Ducky looked back at the x-rays, then went to Tony's open medical file that had been sitting on the table, pulled out an old film, and put it up on the wall next to the new one.

"Notice all the stippling here, and here?" He pointed out the regions. The lungs on the old film appeared cloudy. "That was from the plague. Now look here." He motioned toward the new x-ray. "It's all gone."

Gibbs shrugged. "So, he healed up."

Ducky sighed and shook his head. "No, Jethro, he did not. Scarred lungs don't just heal. That sort of damage is irreversible." He looked at Tony. "I assume Dr. Pitt told you that."

Tony stared at the picture of his clear lungs while he nodded. "Yeah… yeah, he did. Told me my career in the field would likely be shorter than it could have been because of it."

Gibbs stared at him. Tony felt his gaze and turned to him, smiling apologetically. "Didn't see the point in worrying you about it, Boss." He accepted the resulting head slap without complaint.

Ducky was back to staring at the x-rays. "It appears that I am witness to three miracles in two days. There is no medical explanation for this, so I must hazard a guess that your spirit friend healed Anthony's lungs when he gave him the ability to shift form."

Tony absently reached up and rubbed his chest. "I'll have to go back for a visit and thank him."

Gibbs laid his hand on Tony's shoulder and squeezed. "Me too." He dropped his hand and looked at Ducky. "We've got to go; McGee and David are waiting." He handed the medical examiner a slip of paper. "Meet us as soon as you can."

Ducky nodded. "I shall just phone the Director with the update on Tony's clearance; I'll file the paperwork upon my return."

The two agents headed for the elevator. Tony hit the button for the upper floor, and was only mildly surprised when Gibbs hit the emergency stop seconds later. The older man pulled Tony into a hug, hanging on fiercely for a moment before letting go, restarting the elevator, and straightening his jacket.

Tony just smiled and said quietly, "Thanks, Jethro," before the doors opened and it was business as usual.

Surprise

It took them three days to track down and arrest the young seaman's killer. They hadn't slept much during that time, and certainly hadn't left work, not once they'd learned that more people were being targeted. An infuriated Gibbs had obtained a confession fairly quickly, then sent his team home shortly after midnight, telling them reports could wait until the next day.

Gibbs made it to the house before Tony and was in the kitchen grabbing a couple of beers from the fridge when he heard the door open and close.

"We so need to get away this weekend… go camping, have some fox time."

Gibbs joined Tony in the living room where he was sprawled on the couch, and handed him a bottle. "No kidding. I'm all for it, as long as we don't get put on call."

Tony looked at him strangely. "What are you talking about?"

Gibbs sat down, took a long drink, then shrugged. "Camping. Like you said – fox time."

Tony sat up and stared at him. "Jethro… I didn't say anything."

"Sure you did. I heard you."

Tony shook his head. "No, seriously. I didn't say anything."

Gibbs shot him an exasperated look. "Tony, I'm too tired for this."

Tony reached out and took Gibbs' hand. "Look at me."

Gibbs sighed. "Okay, I'm looking."

Tony stared at him, his lips compressed into a thin line. "I didn't say anything, Jethro. I was thinking it. You heard me thinking – can you hear me now?"

Gibbs stared back. Tony's mouth had never moved. "I don't believe this. Yes, I heard you."

"What did I say?"

"That you didn't say anything, that you were thinking it, that I heard you thinking, and then you asked if I could hear you then."

Tony continued to stare for a moment, then released Gibbs' hand and sat back, closing his eyes and laughing quietly. "Well, hell."

Gibbs started to smile. "Guess our friend gave us another present."

Tony opened his eyes and turned his head toward Gibbs. "Think at me."

Gibbs blinked, than shrugged. "How about we go to bed? I've missed you."

Tony grinned. "I missed you too. No damn privacy on a case." He stood, grabbing his beer and holding out his hand. "Come on."

Gibbs took his hand and let Tony help him up. "We're being awfully calm about this."

It was Tony's turn to shrug as he tugged Gibbs toward the stairs. "Jethro, we can turn into foxes and talk to spirits. What's a little telepathy between friends and lovers?"

Gibbs laughed as he turned off the light. "You've got a good point there."

"I know."

Much later that night, the two men were curled up in bed together, fast asleep.

The two foxes sat at the base of the tree, each with a front paw resting on the bark. They took turns thanking the spirit for healing Tony's lungs and for the additional gift of mental communication. Moments later the spirit emerged from the tree, reaching out to greet the foxes with gentle touches from long, twig-like fingers. With the touch came understanding, and the two foxes knew they could control this new ability. The spirit walked toward the rocky outcrop it used as an observation point, flanked by a fox on either side. They spent the night watching over the mountain and its creatures, as the spirit, with images and short sequences of words, told them some of its long history.

End

Author's Note: There will be another story in this series... Angstqueen gave me a lovely plot bunny. I'm probably headed back to the FIOverse next, although it will be a while while I deal with work and other real life issues. I'll be planning out my next stories, though! Thank you all so much for reading. :)