Just Rewards

“General,” Tony said in greeting as he slid into a chair at the main conference room table.

“DiNozzo,” O’Neill said, voice dryly amused. He turned to watch as Cooper inspected the coffee service. “Cooper, it’s fine. You don’t need to grade the food services here. Sit down.”

“So, you say, sir,” Cooper replied as she poured hot water over a carefully selected teabag before doctoring her own coffee. Sliding the tea in front of Tony, she sat down beside him and stared at the general. “Okay, sir. Ready when you are.”

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Oh, Holy Shit Steve!

“Thank you, Captain, for doing this interview. I know you’ve been asked a lot of questions on how your life now and how you’re adjusting, but I wanted to know if there was anything about the 21st century that you are particularly happy with?” the reporter interviewing them ask. Margot Eely was a slickly presented woman and Steve had no idea how to read her.

“The advances in medical science, in food and water safety, in worker safety, in people having a work/home/life balance that actually seems to be good for people…,” Steve stared into space for several seconds. “Yeah, I’m going to say all of that. I don’t think there are many kids born today in the US who would have the sheer number of issues I had. Plus, the general acceptance of who people actually are and how they act.”

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Back Again

“Son of a bitch!”

Bilbo sat up and looked around his bedroom. This was not what he had expected when he had closed his eyes to sleep on the way to the West. He’d grown old and crotchety in his smial and moving to Rivendell hadn’t really changed that. Traveling to the West had just added to his attitude.

What he hadn’t expected was to go to sleep and then wake up in the past.

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Fuck You Very Much

“Well, aren’t you beautiful?” Dom complimented his spirit animal. He glanced up at Tony and raised an eyebrow at him. “A Black-footed Cat?”

Tony carefully ran a hand down Diode’s back. His spirit animal looked better. The healing that had started with Hedge had continued overnight while he’d been sleeping. “Yeah. How’d you know?”

Dom smiled as his own spirit animal appeared on the table. “I’ve been interested in cats since this guy appeared. Ciuffi has helped keep me sane since I came online.”

“Ciuffi? His name is Tuft?” Tony asked. He was slightly amused at the name of his sentinel’s spirit animal. When the animal flicked his ears at him, he nodded in understanding. Ciuffi was some species of lynx with very impressive ear tufts. He ran his hand over Diode’s back again. “This is Diode.”

“Diode, huh? I am utterly unsurprised that a man who deals with electronics bits on a daily basis named his spirit animal after one of the most important parts of a circuit,” Dom said with a smile. “Hello, Diode.” He held out his hand and grinned when Diode leaned forward to sniff at his fingers. There was no touching, but it was still progress.

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A Lion’s Roar

When a sheaf of paper hit his desk, he looked up to see Gibbs standing in front of him, looking smug. “Is that your report?”

“Nope. It’s your transfer packet. Already filled out and approved by your Captain,” Gibbs informed him. He started rocking back and forth on his feet and Tony could feel how smug he was. “You don’t have to thank me.”

“I’m not going to thank you,” Tony informed him with a low growl. He eyed the sheaf before he pushed it into his trash can. “I need your report. You have an hour to get it together before I’m checking out for the night. I suggest you find a desk and start typing.”

“Got you for that,” Gibbs said. He waved at the transfer packet. “Signed, sealed, and delivered.”

The look Tony gave him was very flat. “Given that I didn’t agree to that, I don’t see how you did.”

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