Idyll

Tony stared at the letter on his desk. He remembered the last letter he'd received. It had been sealed with a kiss and led to the plague.

This one Jimmy had delivered and hadn't that been interesting, watching Jimmy blush as he stammered about it. Apparently, someone had sworn Jimmy to secrecy as to who the letter was from, but Jimmy promised it didn't hold any nasty surprises. Tony still wasn't sure he wanted to open it.

“It's a letter not a snake, DiNozzo.” Gibbs barked.

“Yes, boss.” Tony agreed, tucking it away in his backpack. He'd read it later when there weren't so many prying eyes.

Gladness filled Tony as the day came to an end. He'd caught Gibbs watching him more than once today, which wasn't normal and was freaking him out. He couldn't wait to get home and relax.

Packing up, he noticed the letter he'd received as he shoved his jacket into his backpack. Walking back to his car, he grabbed the letter. He wouldn't read it now, but he didn't want to forget about it either.

Arriving home, he set about making dinner. Once he had his pasta cooked and ready for eating, he settled in front of the TV. Grabbing the letter, he started to read in between bites.

To say he was shocked would be an understatement. Someone had gotten Jimmy to deliver a billet-doux to him. The letter read as an idyll and he couldn't help being impressed with how much effort the person had gone into to write it.

When he reached the end of the letter and saw that Gibbs had signed it, he almost fainted from shock. The words on the letter were so out of character for Gibbs. It made Tony wonder if this was a prank of some sort.

He read the letter again. It was hard for him to believe that Gibbs had really sent this to him. Picking up the phone, Tony called Jimmy.

He delivered the letter. He would know who it was from. “Hey Jimmy!”

“Tony?”

“Will you be straight with me?”

“Of course. What’s going on Tony? You’re scaring me.”

“Did Gibbs really give you that letter?”

Jimmy paused. He had a feeling that his answer would be really important. He knew he promised to keep it a secret, but if Tony were asking he already knew and needed the confirmation. “Technically, no, but I know Gibbs gave it to Ducky, who gave it to me.”

Tony hung his head in disappointment before the rest of Jimmy’s answer registered. “Thank you, Jimmy!”

Tony grabbed the letter and jumped in his car, heading for Gibbs house. Barging into Gibbs house, Tony demanded, “Did you mean it?”

“Have I ever lied to you?”

Tony smiled. Marching up to Gibbs, he pulled him in for a deep kiss. “I love you, too.”

They both got lost in the kiss, but finally Tony pulled back. “Why now?”

“You needed to know.”

“What changed?”

“You did and I did too. I didn’t want to wait any longer when it seemed like you might feel the same.”

“I do.” Tony smiled stupidly at Gibbs. “But what about your rules.”

“Sometimes you’re wrong. Rule 51.”

Tony had never thought he’d hear Gibbs admit to being wrong, but he couldn’t bring himself to make a big deal about it when he’d just been handed everything he ever wanted. Not everything was going to be sunshine and roses, but he knew that together they would survive it all.