16. An Agent Scorned (Tobias Fornell)
Tony could not believe the situations he ended up in. He was in a body bag being taken back to the FBI all so Gibbs could get ahead in the Air Force One investigation. He hadn’t missed the intrigued looks Gibbs was giving Agent Todd.
Still, he didn’t care about that. He just wanted out of the bag. He knew what Gibbs had said. He didn’t care. It was too hot and he was getting ill. He figured wriggling would get people’s attention.
Yep, the scream told him his plan worked. The zip opened and he gasped in free air. It was so much better than it was not two seconds ago. “You are a god amongst men.”
Fornell snickered, “My ex-wife would disagree.”
Tony smirked, “Then she is stupid. She did marry Gibbs so there is that.”
Tobias looked at Gibb’s SFA with a new light. He’d always assumed that he was there for Jethro’s amusement. He also wasn’t blind to the fact the young Agent was exactly like Jethro’s male tastes. “Now, how do you know that?”
Tony looked serious for a second, “I don’t work for anyone I haven’t checked out. I learnt that after my boss tried to sell me to the Mob.”One of his other Agents spat out his coffee. The casual flirting was odd but that was ridiculous. “What? Who is this boss?”
Fornell grinned, “Gentleman, I give you Agent Gibb’s protege, Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. You should know he has stayed with Gibbs for four years.”The looks at Tony, turned admiring. It was freaky. “What’s the big deal?”
Fornell snorted, “Gibbs reputation precedes him. He needs to take better care of his team. I could kidnap you.”
Tony’s eyes twinkled, “Is it a kidnapping if I am willing?”
“Not by the FBI definition.”
Tony shrugged, “Well, I can come with you and let you know everything I do about the investigation.”
Fornell wanted to laugh. He was getting a leg up in the investigation and he got to deal with someone far prettier than Jethro. One of his workers needed to learn to think before he spoke. “Won’t that make your boss mad?”Tony shrugged, still half in the body bag. “Well, he threw me in a body bag and seems way more interested in the Secret Service Agent than what I can offer.”
“So you’re an agent scorned?”
Tony’s smile grew wider. “Oh, I haven’t even begun.”Tobias hadn’t seen anyone look so attractive in quite awhile. He had to keep telling himself that he was too old. Why would Tony like an old guy like him?
&&&&&&&
The Director was amazed at the progress they had made. “So you have got all this even without the body?”
“Yes Sir,” Tobias was proud of what they’d accomplished. “It is thanks to the help of our NCIS Liasion.”
“We have one of those?” His boss asked in curiosity.
Fornell shrugged it off, “Well, Sir. It goes like this, Agent Gibbs decided to use his SFA as a decoy in the body bag. He was aggrieved and chose to add us on our side of the investigation.”
The Director smirked, “I will make sure our paperwork reflects that. What was the Agent’s name?”
“It was Agent Anthony DiNozzo Sir.”
Tobias was treated to quite the sight. His composed boss spat his coffee out. Such an action his boss was tantamount to sacrilege. “DiNozzo, who took down Mancuso?”
“Yes, he is.”
Now, his boss was chuckling. “See what you can do to make it permanent. I think I’m going to suggest a new programme. We need to foster inter-agency cooperation, a round of liaison agents will help.”
Fornell didn’t care how he chose to phrase it. Tony would be staying around the office for longer. He could work with that.
He walked back towards his office to see DiNozzo typing out his report. Tony looked up, “So what did the boss say?”
Fornell rolled his eyes, “He is so pleased he wants to encourage a round of inter-agency liaison. To foster inter-agency cooperation.”
Tony pouted because whilst the idea sounded fun. “Yeah but I wanted to ask you out.”Fornell had to laugh, “You wanted to ask an old guy like me out? Why?”
Tony stood up and closed the door. He didn’t care what the others thought about him. This was still Tobias’ place of work. “You are competent, caring, funny and sexy.”
Tobias huffed out a breath in surprise. In his mind, that description should be the other way round. “You are too young to want me.”Tony moved closer, more like stalked closer. “Let me know my own mind. I say you are enough.”
Fornell looked into those eyes and believed him. “You win and as you are not part of the Agency... There are no fraternisation rules.”
“Will your Director see it that way?” Tony explained, “I don’t want to make your life difficult.”
Tobias smirked, “From the conversation I just had ... I think he would be okay with me seducing you over to the Agency.”
Tony’s eyes widened but he couldn’t deny he liked the idea. Fornell wasn’t done,
“And besides I hope you are difficult in the best possible way.”
******
Gibbs knocked on Fornell’s door. “What are you playing at?”
Fornell had been friends with the man too long. He didn’t need any more context, “You mean Tony?”
Gibbs glared, “Of course I mean Tony, he is my Agent.”
Fornell just rolled his eyes, “He is not a possession Jethro. He is a human being.”
Gibbs repeated, “You have no right to interfere.”
Fornell sipped on his beer, “I didn’t. I took advantage of a situation and I really must say thank you. Throwing him out like that.”
Gibbs reared back, “But I didn’t. He was a distraction to grab the body.”
Fornell snorted, “Yeah, you used your valued investigator SFA to distract us. All whilst you waltzed off with the Secret Service Agent. I can’t imagine how someone would get the wrong idea.”
“You stole him.”
Tony had been hiding in the bedroom listening. His respect for Gibbs was disappearing by the second. He sounded less like the leader of the MRCT and more like an angry child who hadn’t gotten his own way. He was still dressed in a towel and knew if he walked out like this he could settle the argument once and for all.
This was bigger than just shutting up Gibbs. This was announcing what they were. It had been two months. Gibbs was pissed now because he’d submitted the paperwork to transfer fully. The FBI Director was asking him to work as his personal liaison. It was a job that he found suited him. He listened to all the information from all sources and he could piece the jigsaw together. He and Toby, already had all their paperwork changed so no rules were being broken.
“Hey Toby, where did you go?”
Tony looked at their guest. He started boldly. He was meant to be here, Gibbs was the uninvited guest. “Hey Gibbs. Can you pick this up some other time?”
“You are with Tobias?”Tony rolled his eyes, “Yes, now please leave. I wish you every success with the MRCT.”
He held out his hand but Gibbs stormed away. He hated losing anything so Tony didn’t hold his poor manners against him. They were finally alone in Toby’s apartment. He looked at his lover and dropped his towel. “Now where were we?”
Tobias pulled him close and they forgot about everything else.
To this day, no one mentioned the new Deputy Director by name unless they wished to face Gibbs’ wrath. It had taken only two years from transferring for the promotion.