An excellent story.

Aeesome, awesome story! Love how you had Gibbs and Tony coming together!

Great story,

This was a really good premise for a story explaining how Tony met Gibbs and why he decided to leave Baltimore. I liked the expansion on the bond the two men sensed early on, which was hinted at in "Baltimore" but which, imho, left a lot to the viewers' imaginations. (Gibbs did a nice job in the earlier "Flesh and Blood," when he told Senior that Tony was the finest young agent with whom he'd ever worked (I love that scene!), and I've always liked the way Tony's insecurity was shown, and subsequently eased a bit by Stan Burley, when Gibbs, Tony and Kate had to go out to the carrier on which Burley was the Agent Afloat. This is the type of continuity at which the show's writers excel and is, I think, one of the reasons (besides its wonderful characters) the show has been so popular for so long.)

As sad as it was, I also liked the way you handled "the Wendy issue" in this piece. Her appearances in canon left me a bit unsettled, seeming to suggest that she could just waltz back into Tony's life, crook her finger, and he'd happily follow. She *is/was* a huge part of Tony's backstory; in my own head canon, I think Tony really did love her and was eager to create with her the type of family life he didn't have himself and, when she called off the wedding, he decided (consciously or subconsciously) that he'd never put himself in the position of being hurt like that again...hence the seasons-spanning string of one-night stands and short-lived relationships. Rather than bring her to life in canon, I think I would have preferred to have her- and the impact of her decision- referenced through the occasional comment, or via the type of flashback we saw in "Baltimore."

Once again, I thought your OCs were well thought out and added a lot to the story. They each had their own place, and also served to highlight who Tony is at his core.

For what it's worth, I did notice a continuity hiccup in this. The case that initially brought Gibbs and Tony together was the murder of the Milner family, which followed the Griffon family murder Tony was already working. At some point in the story, the families seemed to get reversed, with observations being made that suggested that the Griffon murders occurred subsequent to those of the Milners. I suspect it happened because you were juggling not only a ton of work and family responsibilities, but also several stories at once, and keeping so many readers happy with as many updates as possible. (I noticed a similar flip, likely for the same reasons, in "The Long Road Home." When we were first introduced to Olivia and Megan, Olivia was the mom and Megan was her daughter. Later, in Abby's apartment, Megan was the mom and Olivia the daughter...but then it switched back at the AA meeting Tony attended...at which Olivia was the leader. I hope you'll take this in the spirit of constructive criticism, and not just a random reader trying to find fault; the fact is, I was so engaged in your storytelling and with the characters you'd created that these flips really jumped out at me!)

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, despite my heart breaking for Tony numerous times. I found it plausible that Gibbs was able to size up what was going on with Tony almost immediately, and you did an excellent job of slowly building Tony's acceptance that someone really could and would look out off for him, while still maintaining the insecurities and desire to please that are/were so much a part of a wonderfully complex character. Stories like this are, for me, what fan fiction should be: an exploration of, or expansion on, what canon didn't or couldn't show due to the time constraints of an episodic show. Well done.

I loved this story! You wrote it wonderfully :)

Such a wonderful awesome story. Well written and nicely done. :D

Yay! Tony has a home! I like the sound of his neighbors.
I enjoyed it very much. I'm sad that Tony's fiancee died, but I'm glad that Tony is okay.

Well Tony, you better get used to it because he's going to be there for you for ten more years, if not longer. Believe me, you won't regret this.

Yay! I cannot wait for the next chapter! Well done!

YES! FINALLY! Tony is getting a break! Yay! team-building exercise, even if Tony isn't officially a member of Gibbs' team yet.

Poor Tony. When it said that Gibbs had been hurt, I thought it was something super serious. Glad to know he's mostly ok.

Well, I hope that had its intended effect on Waters. I really don't like him. Go Gibbs!

Ha! The bond is beginning. Uh oh. Some one's following Tony. Not good, not at all. Hope that Tony doesn't end up in the hospital, but this is categorized as h/c AND has eighteen chapters, so there's obviously going to be a little more hurt before we get to the comfort.

Hi, thanks for an interesting AU take on Tony and Gibbs meeting up. Gibbs always was more open about his past when he met someone going through the same anguish he had.
Small disconnect in Abby's lab ... Tony's phone was NOT destroyed as he continued using it until Gibbs took it.
Pray tell about the time Gibbs slept in Abby's coffin ... would love to have you write a short story about it!
Thanks and cheers!

Great fic! It's always interesting to read other writer's takes on Gibbs' and Tony's first case, and your version of it was fascinating - not to mention well-written. You always capture the dynamic quite well between the two agents, and this time is no exception.

Cheers,
Jimelda