You write Tony so well. I love the thought of him taking over *all* of Gibbs' responsibilities, even the ones off the job. You give the sense that it would be hard to hold all that together, and just as hard in some ways to give it up. Nicely done.

Oh, this is so angsty. *sniffles* I love it.

Depressing but true. ^_^

Awesome!! This could be another one of your awesome "novels!" *hint hint*

O... Bitter Tony. Liked it; loved it even, but it's kinda sad to see Tony's opinion of Gibbs drop like that.

Nice angst. I'm re-watching NCIS with a friend and he's so sad that there's no more boss-Tony leftovers in Tony's character. I miss boss-Tony, too, but I'm also glad that they brought Gibbs back, wouldn't be the same without him, though I'd've liked for them to treat Tony's demotion a bit nicer. And I've gone a little too off-topic, sorry.
Loved the fic, Tony was very much in character in my opinion.

"They had been his and now they weren’t. And in a month, they would forget that they had ever followed him at all. None of it would have made a difference."
Loved this bit.

Wonderful look beneath the surface of Tony's happy-go-lucky exterior. I love angst. And I love this side of him even though it makes me weep for his broken heart.

Great. It captures the feelings accurate and the dialouge is very believable. I feel bad for how heartbroken Tony is.

Wow, very angsty. Poor Tony.

Really, this crying thing needs to stop (i.e. me crying for Tony). But you capture Tony's anger and his disappointment and his loss so well in this, I can't really do much else but cry a little bit.

~~They had been his and now they weren’t. And in a month, they would forget that they had ever followed him at all. None of it would have made a difference.~~

That line broke my heart.

I don't have much else to say that would be coherent, except to thank you for sharing.

~Skye

I really enjoyed this story. A chance to experience some of Tony's desire to welcome Gibbs back mixed with his uncertainty about where he stands in the new structure.

The description of him taking the rest of the team out after a difficult case was very well done. I'm glad we got to know about that aspect of how the they deal with certain issues.

I can picture Tony consuming the milk, paying the bills, keeping everything in order. It is like he hoped Gibbs would return but at the same time, wasn't sure how he'd deal with that if he *did* return.

And now he gets to find out.

Favourite parts? I'll be here for*ever* if I mention them all. That'd put you to sleep so I'll just mention a few. No, really...

because no one else could get away with filling Gibbs’s basement with blood-red streamers and black balloons

(I can picture the decor, lol! And yes, Abby is probably the only one who could get away with something like this.)

- - but Tony was the one who had to clean up afterwards.

(Figures. And he's drunk, too. That's rough. It is almost as if he's cleaning up after the team, including Gibbs, and I'm not just referring to the party mess. This story just leaves me with the impression that Tony feels that's part of his role now, to make sure things are tidied after a party/case while others get to go home and relax. I like the little touches, like his own silverware soaking in the paint can and him tearing up the napkin the Director had used.)

“Thanks, DiNozzo.” Gibbs’s voice was warm and rubbed-smooth, like the sides of the boat, and Tony knew that Gibbs knew that they were talking about something else.

(Very telling, and I like the decription of Gibbs's voice.)

“Do you know what I think?”

“That you should have stopped at two beers?”

(Gave me a chuckle. What follows is very good dialogue and very in-character. The case with the petty officer and the soap on her lashes is very poignant without having to explain anything more than you do in this story.)

Gibbs touched his upper lip. “Older,” he said, then, “Tony. If you don’t want - -”

“No.” He had to interrupt before he was sure of what Gibbs was going to say, because he couldn’t take the chance that he would say yes, instead. “No. I wanted you back, too. Wasn’t the same without you. But it’s not the same now, either. I’m not sure . . .” He swallowed. “I’m not sure it should be.”

“Maybe not,” Gibbs said.

(A difficult topic and neither one is at their best. The discussion goes probably about as well as it could, since Tony's state has made him bold enough to raise the topic. Very well done.)

He turned to go, thinking that it was all over and hoping that he could still wheedle a ride home out of McGee, but then Gibbs said, “I didn’t know that I was coming back,” and Tony was too tired and too drunk and too heartbroken for that to really be a good excuse.

(Truly heartbreaking, yes.)

They had been his and now they weren’t. And in a month, they would forget that they had ever followed him at all. None of it would have made a difference.

(And that isn't fair at all. I hope the show deals with any tensions regarding the new dynamic, even if only a little. Maybe you should be one of the writers who should be working on this season?)

I hope to see much more from you. Welcome back. Does this mean you're going to finish 'Rictus'? *looks hopeful*

Cheers!
Mouse :)

Me, I'm still on season two .. but I was quite looking forwward to Tony having a bit more seniority .. after all he's been there five years - Gibbs maybe coming back as a consultant as some such - ... I have to say I'm hating everything i'm hearing about Gibbs' actual return. I hope at least that the show will give it the same measured consideration that you have here .. I like Tony being anrgy and resentful .. He has a right .. if they don't do it right I'll just decide that your way is how it happened in my universe!

OMG, that was just superb! and so f*cking true. we can only hope that the writers of the show see it the same way. keep up the good work!

Oh. My. This was so perfect. You have a great insight to the characters and I loved the story line. It really brought up how frustrated I felt during the episode. Good job!

You know what? I suddenly like the episode a whole lot more now. It was disappointing when no one really addressed Gibbs' abrupt departure, and I suppose there really wasn't a way to show that on screen, but stories like this define it better than the show could anyway. Details like the lip imprints/ripping her mouth in two, or "soap scum caked in her eyelashes" - powerful. Tony keeping the house up not knowing what else to do is a great image as well. But his voice increasing in volume as he vents pent-up anger at Gibbs...that was my favorite part. ("Must be just peachy to jaunt off to Mexico" - perfect)

Lastly, such a sad twinge to the end, how in a month they'd forget they'd ever followed him at all. I think you got at the root of his fear about Gibbs' coming back. Overall, A+ story. Yay, another piece for my printed collection!