AN: So, the family drama is, if anything, increasing in frequency. And since I hate leaving things unfinished, I've made this the closing chapter. I know it probably leaves a lot to be desired, but honestly, I like having things open-ended like this. It gives you guys a lot of room to fill in the blanks with your own imagination. Keep in mind, depending how life goes, I may begin a sequel.

If you have any questions about the story, feel free to message or email me. I hope you enjoyed the story, and I'm sorry it was so long in the waiting.

Chapter 15

Believe it or not, his epiphany hit him at the sticky counter of a Texaco station.

Tony was staring at the coconut shaped keychain with 'Monty Python' quotes, trying to imagine what elderberries must smell like and waiting for the kid behind the counter to come up with the difficult calculations of one large cup of sludge that might be coffee and twenty bucks of gas.

"What station you at?"

He mentally cringed and wondered what the next generation's grammar will be like in another decade, before giving a wide, fake smile. "Number three, kiddo."

Said kid glowered at him with all the powers of his teenage angst and pointed at his name tag. "It's Michael."

To be fair, the tag did say Michael, printed in neat and bold block letters. Michael had sand colored hair that looked a little greasy and a couple of pimples on his chin that weren't quite hidden by the peach fuzz trying to grow. Michael probably started out as a Mikey, whose hair would have been blonde and who would have had a lisp, judging by the slight hiss in Michael's voice. One day, though, Mikey must have stood up and said his name was Michael and, no, he wasn't a kid anymore, thank you very much. Maybe later, during or after college, or at least when he outgrows the acne, Michael might feel comfortable enough in his skin to be a Mike. But for now, he was Michael and Michael was awkward and unkempt, and that was that.

Tony could relate. During his countless covert assignments, Tony had learned that, sometimes, your name was all you were.

If he was scouting a bar, most of the time, he'd use Tony. Tommy if there's an O' in front of the name, or Troy, if they offer wet T-shirt contests on Wednesdays. Tony's a good guy, just like everyone else there, chugging down beers and bitching about his boss. He was the kind of fellow who's easy to talk to, the kind that you knew would understand that sometimes a man's just got to open fire at a crowded plaza to get his point across.

Other times, he would be a Tonio. Now, Tonio, he was educated, but not quite as smart as you. Tonio could joke with you over mojitos and give you advice on your girlfriend. He can talk shop and stock, but still be one of the guys, and he'd smile obliviously at the work of fiction that you called the company accounts.

DiNozzo? Mr. DiNozzo? He was the kid in the back of the class, that was alternately too quiet and too loud, whose name always had to be called twice. Sometimes, he made his classmates cringe with his sharp eyes, and sometimes, he made them smile with his smooth voice.

He'd been Junior for the better part of his childhood, until his mom died and his dad crawled into the bottle. That's when Anthony made his appearance and out-stubborned the world that dared to try and treat him like a child. Tony didn't really become a Tony until he arrived at Ohio State and regressed his mental age with the help of a fraternity. Unlike Anthony, Tony saw the benefits of balancing an adult's mind with a kid's wonder. And, unlike Junior, Tony was a man—his own man—who could live his life as good or as bad as he liked.

Sometimes, your name was all you were. The key to it, though, was to remember that the face behind the mask never really changed, just shifted a bit.

Tony pushed another button on the keychain, was informed to do something rather improbable with a herring, and hummed thoughtfully. He picked up the keychain and placed it down on the counter next to the tar like beverage. "Thanks Michael," he said sincerely.

Michael looked down at the coconut, scowled fiercely, and sighed, before clearing the cash register and starting over again.

Coffee shop?

Tony stared at the message on his phone for a full minute or two, before finally sending his acceptance. He stood, grabbed his jacket and turned to Gibbs. "Coffee run, Boss?"

Gibbs stared for a moment, searching his face for something, then nodded. He ignored the curious looks from Ziva and McGee, and headed for the elevator. Neither Gibbs or Ducky had warned him that Evan had returned from his two week long absence, so the message had been a surprise. When he'd seen the sender's number, his insides had coiled and tightened in anticipation. And if his hand shook a little when it reached for the ground floor button, well, there was no one else in the elevator to see.

When he got to the coffee shop, he immediately spotted Evan, sitting at one of the outside tables and staring into his tea, with a still steaming cup of coffee placed across from him. Evan looked up at his approach, and the closeted romantic in his mind would swear his heart stopped at the sight of the other man's shy smile and hopeful green eyes. He took a deep breath and walked forward to the empty seat across Evan, noting that it was his favorite hazelnut coffee in the cup in front of him.

Evan signed a tentative greeting and Tony smiled back.

"Hey," he said, half reverently. The ache that had been present in his chest for the past two weeks was gradually lifting and, after too long, Tony felt like he could breathe again. "You know, I didn't mean for you to disappear to South America when I asked for space."

Evan huffed a laugh, looking a bit chastened. I needed space as well, he signed.

"It's okay, I get it," Tony shrugged.

The other man nodded, one corner of his lips quirked upwards hesitantly, but he still shifted uncomfortably.

Tony cleared his throat a bit nervously. "I mean, I really do get it...Evan," he stressed the name.

Evan stared at Tony, searching his face much like Gibbs had just moments ago, before his shoulders slumped and he relaxed back into his chair, letting out a hissing laugh. Tony laughed with him, as all the weeks' worth of tension dissipated, and in that moment he wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss the younger man.

"Oh." Tony leaned back to dig in his pocket for the keychain he'd been carrying with him for the past few days. "Here. I got you a little something," he said, sliding it across the table to Evan, who took it curiously.

Evan read the phrases on the package with a raised eyebrow and pushed the top button. "Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?" He stared at the coconut, blinked, then looked back up at Tony with an expression of complete confusion.

"They're quotes from a comedy show, 'Monty Python.' It's funnier when you hear them in context."

"I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of Elderberries," said the keychain. Evan looked doubtful.

"Okay, they still don't make much sense, even in context, but they really are funny," Tony promised him. "Don't worry though. 'Monty Python' is something that you have to work up to, so we'll start with some older and simpler movies first. I've got a whole list worked out for you," he said with an excited smile.

The other man hesitated, averting his gaze. You expect me to be here for long, he signed questioningly.

The ache in his chest flared up and he coughed to rid himself of the lump in his throat. "Well, I... Yeah, I'm hoping you will be," he hedged with what he prayed was a charming look.

Evan's fingers twitched and his brow furrowed in a familiar expression, that told Tony he was trying to figure out how to sign something simply for Tony's meager Sign Language skills. Giving up, Evan reached into his pocket for his pen and pad, and scribbled something down. He paused, his hand stalled on the paper, before he finished and decisively slid the notebook over to Tony.

'There's a position as an American liaison open at work,' he read.

Tony looked back up at Evan, who was staring at him intently once again. "Have you applied for it?"

Should I, he asked pointedly.

Finally giving in to the urge, Tony leaned over the table and Evan met him half way. He couldn't help but sigh into the kiss, as he fully realized how much he'd missed all the small, intimate touches he'd grown accustomed to during their courtship. "Yeah," Tony whispered against Evan's lips. "I really think you should."

Evan smiled and Tony was certain that the moment was perfection. That was, until he saw Evan's eyes widen at something over Tony's shoulder, and he heard an all too familiar squeal of joy, followed by the click of a camera.

Tony whirled around to see the Troublesome Trio, and yes, they did deserve the capital T's. They were seated at a table that was just out of Tony's peripheral vision and hidden from Evan's sight by a post office box. Clearly, Ziva had chosen it. Said Mossad stealth assassin was smirking at them in her usual evil way, while Abby snapped pictures like a born paparazzo and McGee tried to hide his steadily reddening face behind a newspaper.

"Aww, they got past their first fight," Abby cooed, as she continued to click her camera with lightning reflexes.

"So, this is the stage in their relationship where they 'kiss and make out,' yes?" Ziva asked, as if discussing the mating habits of an aardvark.

McGee's face grew a bit redder and he hunched farther behind the paper, until only his tomato-colored forehead could be seen. "Make up, Ziva!"

"They wear make-up, as well?"

Abby made a strangled noise in the back of her throat and stared at Tony with the widest, brightest eyes she could muster.

"No," he said flatly. Abby deflated and he turned back around in his seat towards Evan, who was grinning and shaking slightly from suppressed laughter. "Any chance I could convince you to use that stick of yours and make them disappear?" He mumbled under his breath.

"We are the Knights Who Say...Ni!" Proclaimed Evan's coconut.

"I'm going to regret that thing, aren't I?" He asked, pointing to the keychain accusingly.

"Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem."

Tony groaned and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you can say that again."

Evan nipped and licked along his jaw teasingly, before he dived in for a deep kiss.

Tony hummed against his lips indulgently, before reaching around Evan to grab the popcorn off the counter and turned back towards the living room. "You're not getting out of this," he called over his shoulder as he walked. "I put too much thought into picking out your first movies. This marathon's happening, so just sit your butt down and enjoy it."

He heard Evan huff, before light footsteps followed after him. Evan plopped himself down on the couch and grabbed his box of chocolate blueberries, stuffing a handfull in his mouth with a pout, no doubt dreading having to sit still for longer than half an hour. Tony rolled his eyes as he set the popcorn on the table with the other snacks and drinks, dimmed the lights, and made sure everything was comfortable. The other man smacked his hands away when he tried to fluff the couch's pillows, giving him a pointed glare.

"All right, all right," Tony mumbled. Fluffing the pillows probably was over doing it a bit, but he wanted everything to be perfect for Evan's first movie.

Settling into the cushions next to his lover, Tony grabbed the remote and hit play.

Tony kept an eye on Evan's expression as the movie started, and was surprised that he lasted nearly five minutes in before there was tap on his arm. He turned his head towards Evan with a raised eyebrow. Evan brought his hand up to his ear and shook it outwards with a questioning look.

"This is the first 'Wizard of Oz' movie," Tony explained. "No one was allowed to talk in the film, because it was made before they learned how to record sound with the picture. That's why there's no noise."

Evan glanced between him and the TV with a look of utter fascination, and Tony smiled.

Now quiet, he signed. Look.

Evan smiled back, before turning towards the screen again, pushing himself more firmly into Tony's side and leaning into him contently.

Now this, Tony thought, really was about as close to perfection as there could ever be. Honestly, he didn't even care that Abby had posted pictures of his and Evan's first 'make up' kiss on her website.

...Well, as long as Gibbs never saw it.