DISCLAIMER: Navy NCIS and its characters belong to CBS, Belisarius Productions, and Paramount. This story was written purely for entertainment purposes. No money is being made from it and no copyright infringement is intended.



In Gibbs We Trust

by Nelson and Alex



The evening humidity was stifling as the NCIS team rushed the back of the single-story house, guns drawn, their senses on high alert. Tony lifted his cap and wiped droplets of sweat from his forehead. He watched Gibbs intently for direction as they passed through the fence at the back of the small yard, overgrown with unkempt shrubs and grass, long overdue for a trim from what he could tell from the hazy light from the streetlamp. They ducked behind a hedge of wiry shrubs and Gibbs pointed toward the left side of the house.

"Tony, over there. Hold position," he directed with two fingers toward the left side of the house. "Kate, hold position back here. McGee?"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"You're with me," Gibbs said. He cued the microphone on his headset and spoke to their unseen backup, "Everyone in position?"

The earpiece came to life, responding first with static, then with the voice of the FBI agent in charge at the front of the house. "Ready."

"We're going in," Gibbs reported back with a glance toward the blackness at the back of the house where his team had taken their places, while he and McGee stormed the rear door.

Tony pressed his body close to the side of the house keeping his eyes and ears open for anyone who might try to escape out of a side window. He ducked low to position himself near the window and still keep an eye out around the home's perimeter. From the corner of his eye, he saw movement in the darkness from behind him. It shouldn't be Kate. She was told to hold position in the back just like Tony was to do the same at the side. Curious as to what might be happening and to be sure Kate was all right, Tony crept to the back corner of the house and peered around the edge.

He immediately heard the sounds of a scuffle, presumably between Kate and whoever had fled the house. The sounds from his earpiece told him that the rest of their team and the Feebies were all engaged inside the house. For a split second, he debated radioing in about the situation in back; however, the sound of a gunshot chased the thought from his mind and sent him running blindly toward Kate's position.

When he got close enough to see what was going on, the sight sent chills down his spine. Kate was wrestling with an unknown man dressed in a torn t-shirt, and having what appeared to be a gun stuffed in the back of his pants. Their struggle, like a frenzied dance, afforded Tony no shot at the perp. Kate freed her gun-hand, but just when Tony was about to breathe a sigh of relief that everything was under control, the situation changed in a heartbeat. The attacker slammed Kate's hand against a tree, sending her gun flying off into the shadows. In a split second, the assailant had shoved Kate up against the side fence, and pulled his weapon from his waistband. Kate was a fighter, and proved that yet again as she continued to struggle. Using that as a distraction, Tony sneaked up behind them, raised his gun overhead, then brought it down hard against the man's thick skull, sending the attacker falling heavily to the grass.

"Kate! Are you ok?" Tony asked anxiously as he bent over his prey.

"Tony! What the hell are you doing back here?" she asked indignantly as she turned from the fence. "I can take care of myself."

Tony readjusted his cap and settled it back on his head while peering up at Kate. "You're welcome," he said, slapping cuffs on the man under his knee.

McGee trailed Gibbs out the back door, Gibbs having already trained his gun in Kate's direction when he had heard the gunfire, his eyes blinking rapidly as they tried to adjust from the brightly lit house to the darkness outside. Gibbs could see Kate turning from the fence with her hands in the air. Suddenly, a head rose up quickly from behind the bushes, followed by a well-built torso, and Gibbs' finger tightened against the trigger of his gun as he zeroed in on the man looming in front of Kate. He relaxed his hold on the gun and lowered his arms when the letters "NCIS" in 10-inch print glowed on the back of the man's dark jacket.

"Tony!" he snarled.

Tony turned slowly at the sound of his boss and partner's voice. It was a growl he recognized. He smiled awkwardly at Gibbs and said, "Hi, Boss."

"Who's watching the side of the house?" Gibbs fired at his partner.

"Uh," Tony said uncomfortably. "Kate was in trouble."

"I wasn't in trouble," she disagreed.

Tony gave her an unconvinced glance. "So why is your gun ten feet away?"

"I can handle myself, DiNozzo."

"A little help here?" Tony said under his breath with a nearly indiscernible nod over his shoulder toward Gibbs.

Kate opened her mouth to respond, but Gibbs spoke from directly behind Tony causing him to jump in surprise. "I don't need Kate to help me understand why you're back here when I told you to hold position at the side of the house."

Tony gave Kate a nasty scowl for not signaling that Gibbs was right there then he turned a pleasant expression to his partner. One by one, FBI agents were hauling other perps out of the house and down the sidewalk behind them. Tony watched the parade behind Gibbs but tried to answer when he felt blue eyes burning a hole in him. "I saw something and thought she might need help."

Gibbs eyebrows hovered higher than they should and the icy eyes didn't waver. "And you didn't feel the need to let us know what was going on?" The Baltimore temperature rose at least 20 degrees in spite of the cold glare, as Gibbs tapped at the headset he was wearing.

"Boss…" Tony began.

"We have reports to complete," Gibbs said and followed the FBI agents and their prisoners out the back gate and to the car. Tony clamped his mouth shut on what he was planning to say, realizing it wasn't going to help anyway, and trailed Gibbs to the car while he watched his step on the cracked sidewalk.

**************

It was a solemn ride back to the office, Gibbs and Tony not speaking, and Kate having the wisdom not to try small talk. McGee had the nerve to try but shut up quickly when his attempt fell flat and Kate gave him a quick shake of her head from beside him in the backseat.

The silence was killing Tony and he itched to have the confrontation over and done with. Gibbs led the way out of the elevator and Tony quickened his stride to keep up with him. He maneuvered in front of Gibbs and turned his head so the back of it was within striking distance.

"Go ahead, Boss," Tony said, pointing at the exposed target. "I know you want to."

Instead of a swipe to the nape of his neck, Tony heard a much more ominous sound. Gibbs' proclamation. "This is so far beyond that, Tony." Tony turned to face Gibbs and was met with an icy stare. Without taking his eyes off Tony, Gibbs said to the team, "Get your reports written and to me before you leave."

Tony's fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed out his report, anxious to finish and get home, out from under Gibbs' accusatory looks. Well, the ones he was getting at the office. He knew the silent treatment wouldn't last long once they were home. Probably no more than two seconds after Gibbs walked through the door.

Tony couldn't seem to keep his eyes on the monitor and they kept darting toward Jethro where he typed his own report, seemingly oblivious to Tony. At one point, their eyes met at the same time, and Gibbs looked back at Tony with a stony expression. Tony tried a half-smile hoping for a reaction but got nothing. Shit. He exhaled heavily in resignation and went back to his report but could still feel his partner's eyes on him.

His fingers tapped out the last word and period, and Tony saved his report, attaching it in an email to Gibbs. He powered down the computer, grateful to be heading home ahead of Gibbs.

"I'm going home," he said hovering by Gibbs' desk.

Without looking up from what he was doing, Gibbs said, "I won't be far behind you." He clicked the mouse and Tony saw Gibbs was opening the report he just forwarded.

"No rush," Tony said, and Gibbs settled his stare on his partner.

"I won't be long," Gibbs repeated. "I'll see you at home."

Kate watched Tony leave then went to Gibbs' desk. Gibbs continued to watch the monitor as he spoke. "What is it, Kate?"

"You know, I can take care of myself, but Tony was the one who got the guy on the ground…"

"Your point?" Gibbs asked looking up curiously at her.

"Just that… I mean. He probably helped me by coming back there."

Gibbs stared pointedly at Kate, saying nothing.

"Right," she said. "Sorry."

Gibbs watched her leave the room, followed by McGee. "'Night, Boss," McGee said quickly as he paced Kate to the elevator.

She pushed the call button and turned around when she heard McGee behind her. McGee said, "I hope Tony's making up the sofa. I think he'll be sleeping there tonight."

The doors opened and they stepped inside, appropriately facing the doors after they entered. Kate said, "Weather report for their neighborhood: cold, chance of storms."

"Severe storms," McGee agreed as the doors closed them inside.

**************

Tony berated himself all the way to the house, doing a thorough job of self-chastisement, maybe better than Gibbs would do himself.

"Stupid, STUP-id, STUPID," he told himself, smacking his palm against the steering wheel. "'Who's covering the side of the house?'" he mimicked Gibbs' reaction to finding Tony around back earlier. "Hold position means to hold position. I *know* that!"

He continued to war with himself as he pulled into the garage. A beer seemed appropriate and he grabbed one out of the refrigerator on his way through the kitchen, tossing the lid in the trash as he passed by. He tapped two fingers against the neck of the bottle as he tried to relax slumped against the sofa cushions.

The hands of the mantle clock crept by and no Gibbs. Tony finally heard the garage door and he tried to look natural, watching the tube. Gibbs walked directly over to the sofa and moved the beer bottle on the coffee table to sit on a coaster.

"What does 'hold position' mean?" Gibbs said.

"Hi, Boss." The name that started out as a way to address his superior had turned to one of affection and Tony rarely used any other name for his partner.

"HOLD position," Gibbs repeated. "What does it mean?"

Tony watched every movement of his partner, every nuance. He was still mad. It was evident in every fiber of his being, from the thin line of his pursed lips to the deceivingly passive lift of his eyebrows. "I know what it means, Boss, I just -"

"Just decided to disobey orders and do what you wanted?"

"I saw something around back. I thought Kate might be in trouble, then the gun went off…"

"Kate is an experienced agent. Do you have any idea how close I came to putting a bullet in you tonight?" Tony held eye contact no matter how difficult it was at the moment while Gibbs continued the lecture. "All I knew was that a gun went off and Kate was alone. Supposedly," Gibbs added wryly. "I had pressure on the trigger when you stood up from behind that bush!"

"I helped Kate," Tony offered desperately. "I caught the guy."

He fell silent when Gibbs' expression told him it wasn't working. "Tell me, Tony, why do you think it's important to stay where you're told?"

"To minimize the chance of friendly fire," Tony said quietly.

"Which we *could* have had tonight had I been trigger happy."

"But you weren't."

"Anthony."

"Well, you weren't! Nothing bad happened! I don't know what you're so mad about."

"I'm mad that not only did you fail to trust me as your boss, but you failed to trust me as your partner. Whatever I do, I always do it with your best interests in mind. Trust, Tony. You have to trust me and the decisions I make. Quit being a hero and doing things on your own."

"I trust you," Tony said.

"Do you?"

"Yes! It… It was just… impulse!" Tony said, fighting for the right words.

Gibbs sighed and said, "You'd better learn to control your impulses, Anthony. Until you do," he reached out and took Tony's hand, pulling him to his feet, "office."

"Wait. You aren't really going to…"

"Yes, I'm really going to. Office."

"Jethro!" Tony exclaimed.

"I'm not in the mood, Tony," Gibbs said wearily. "Move it."

Turning toward the office but not walking that way, Tony said, "I'm not going to let you spank me for that."

"It isn't your decision, Tony." Gibbs put his knuckles to Tony's lower back, nudging him down the hall.

"But it's stupid! I didn't get hurt! I actually *helped* Kate. You can't punish me for helping her!"

"The point," Gibbs said with conviction, "is that you disregarded a direct order, putting yourself at risk." He stopped just outside the office door and turned Tony to face him. "When I tell you to do something, especially in the line of duty, I'm telling you to keep you safe and because I think it's the best thing for you."

"I was safe. I didn't get hurt."

"You could have."

"But I didn't!" Tony said urgently.

"Tony," Gibbs said as patiently as he could, "the fact that what could have happened didn't is no reason for me not to address this. Besides," he added pushing Tony through the door, "this is about you not following direction which did, in fact, put you in danger. The very reason you need to do like I tell you."

"But if Kate or McGee had done the same thing, they'd just be in trouble at work! This isn't right."

Gibbs took a seat on the sofa and pulled Tony around to his side then began to unfasten Tony's belt and dress pants. "Aren't you lucky I care enough to do more than that with you?"

"Work stuff shouldn't bleed over into home," Tony said as the weight of his belt pulled his lightweight dark slacks southward as soon as they were unzipped. When Gibbs' fingertips slipped into the waistband of Tony's boxers, he exclaimed, "Wait! I want to talk about this!"

Gibbs looked up at Tony and said, "What would you like to talk about?"

"I shouldn't be spanked for work stuff!"

"You're not. You're being spanked for couple stuff. Your partner told you to do something and you ignored him. Your partner just happens to be your boss. Any questions?"

Tony's mind reeled for a response to that and came up with nothing. He disobeyed his partner. His boss. He sighed in resignation and shook his head, eyes down, and Gibbs slipped his boxers to mid-thigh.

Tony quickly hid his burning face by bending over his partner's knees and facing the carpet. He felt the knees under his mid-section move when Gibbs shifted to get comfortable.

Gibbs was a man of few words and he was no different when it came to corporal punishment. Without lecturing, he lifted his hand and brought it down again and again on the bottom turned up across his lap. Gibbs focused all his attention on spanking Tony, making sure he would think twice before doing the same thing again.

Tony's throat constricted in a hot knot of pain as he struggled to control his emotions. His back was rigid and his stomach taut as Gibbs relentlessly continued the spanking, covering every inch of Tony's backside. His focus blurred when Gibbs paid special attention to the undercurve of Tony's butt, heating it to a level that would leave Tony remembering this session during work the next day.

Gibbs delivered a few final swats, and then began to run his hand along the heaving back of his lover. Tony scrambled to his feet, quickly getting himself out of the compromising position, and tugged his boxers and pants up over his reddened backside. He scrubbed hot silent tears off his cheeks and turned to leave, stopped by his lover's hand on his wrist.

"Come here," Gibbs said, settling Tony carefully in his lap.

Tony's resistance didn't last, and he gave himself over to the now-soothing touch of his lover, and he gripped Gibbs tightly. The only signs Gibbs had of Tony crying were the hitching of his chest and an occasional sniff. He understood Tony's reluctance to lower the walls. They were men, after all, and society said they weren't supposed to cry. No matter how much he assured Tony that he would think no less of him, he still fought it every time.

As the muscles in Tony's back began to relax, Gibbs said, "We're clear on the meaning of 'hold position'?"

"Clear, Boss," Tony said.

"Trust me, Tony," Gibbs ordered gently, and Tony leaned hard into Gibbs.

Gibbs' hand slipped down the length of Tony's back and rested on his bottom, causing Tony to flinch. He lifted his head to look at Gibbs and said, "That second 'b' really does stand for 'bastard'."

Gibbs lifted his hand from Tony's butt and gently swatted the back of his head. "And don't you forget it," Gibbs said. He allowed himself a wry grin at Tony's intended message: we're ok.

Tony said, "I *knew* you wanted to do that."

Gibbs chuckled in response, pulled Tony close and kissed his temple.

~~~~~~~~~

TBC…