A/N:Hi! This is my first NCIS fanfiction, but it was originally for school as a WW1 soilder reenactment. We could choose any character we wanted fictional from any text, show, or movie, completely original, or an ancestor, so I chose Gibbs. He probably will be out of character and so will the others. Also in this AU, Gibbs has a half-brother, named Michael Livingstone, and a hunting dog named Galahad. His mom isn't Ann Gibbs anymore, as well. She is now Patricia Livingstone. Sorry about all those changes. :( This will be a four part series so expect that to be coming up within the month. Enjoy the story!
I am a simple soldier. Not much to my name but a badge and a few other possessions. My name is Private Leroy Jethro Gibbs. My father, Jackson Gibbs, is a boat builder for my hometown of Blackpool, Lancashire. My mother, Patricia Livingstone is a nurse and the mother of my younger half brother, Private Michael Livingstone.
Nothing would make me happier than to go home to my wife, Shannon and my daughter, Kelly. That would mean the world to me, but that won't happen. They aren't in this world any more. They were killed right before I left for war. Kelly was only two and Shannon was 23. My girls were too young to die. I almost avenged them and convicted the man who did it, but I was deployed. From what I know about what Jake sent me in the mail, he was executed.
I was a police investigator as a civilian. A well paying job with some benefits. I didn't need the money, my family is rich. Mom's work provided us with good income, as well as Dad's and Michael's father's. That helped me get through secondary school. I decided not to go to University. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I can make my way around. Father always said that I didn't need school to be smart. Mom encouraged me to do what I wanted to, and that was bringing justice to the world and protecting people. Part of that is why I enlisted to fight in the war. I also wanted to prove to my family that I was doing well on my own after what happened to my girls.
This war is a struggle. Weeks on end sleeping in trenches full of dirt, rats, and disease. My platoon is currently on the front lines. I can never sleep at night with all the gunshots and screaming I hear. My line of work was no walk in the park, with blood and mutilated bodies every day when I go to work, but the amount of blood, death, and mutilation I see now makes it seem like a picnic. We are told we will get a break soon and will be able to get rest. Another group of soldiers will come in and replace us on the front lines. Maybe I can write to Dad and Mom soon. Dad would be glad to know that the hunting lessons when I was younger were helpful to what I did now. He'd be proud that I'd be serving my country.
A yell snaps me out of my thoughts. "L.J.!" Rory yells at me. He's standing next to me with a rifle in his hand. "Take it." He shoves the rifle into my hands. "The Germans are gonna try to get through No Man's Land." I nodded at Rory and positioned myself up for fire.
Dad shoved the rifle into my hands. "Alright, Leroy, just aim for the hare like that." He was in a hunting position and had his own rifle in his hands. He pulled the trigger and the sound of the shot ran through my ears. I watched as our English Foxhound, Galahad, went after the hare that Dad had shot. Jet came back trotting with the hare in his mouth. Dad pet him and took the hare from the dog's mouth.
My hands trembled while holding the rifle and I set up to aim. I was only ten at the time he taught me how to hunt. Michael was only five at the time and he wasn't allowed to come with us, no matter how much he wanted to. I watched as a Mallard duck flew through the air. I pulled the trigger and it fell from the sky. Dad patted me on the back and I gave him a weak smile. Galahad ran to the duck and brought it back. I couldn't look at it and I felt sick. I looked away and mumbled something along the lines of 'I guess we got supper for tonight, Dad.' I couldn't look at my reflection for a week after that. I had killed something so innocent that probably had a family. Who knew that I would end up doing the same a fourteen years later, but with people.
The only way I could bring myself to shoot those people, the Germans, was to dehumanize them. Make them seem like murderers, which they generally were, or game. They started this war because their king was a power hungry nut-job! They invaded a neutral country that didn't even have to get involved! I hate the Germans, but they were people like me. At the end of the day Rory and I usually counted up our kills. I generally had the more, Rory beating me sometimes. He always congratulates me and says that we're doing an honor for our king and country.
I see another German try to crawl through the barbed wire in No Man's Land. I aim at him and fire my gun. He falls to the ground, blood gushing out of his side. I wish I didn't have to kill these people. They have families, friends, and children, I bet. I see them as similar to me, yet different. They are fighting to defend the honor of the people of their nation, just like myself. This time when I shoot another man, I get sick. I turn behind me and throw up. I'm sick of this war and I try to blame the rations I ate earlier for my sickness. I try, but I can't. I know that it's the fact that I'm hurting people. They're innocent as I am, and they have lives as well. Rory asks me what's bothering me, but I don't say anything and just begin aiming, again.
I don't know what Shannon would say. I was supposed to help people, not hurt them. She was the reason I started helping people. In secondary school she was always kind to everyone and helped them. She helped me and I fell in love with her. We got married and years later Kelly was born. Shannon always made me happy. I can't remember a day where I was with her and I was upset or unhappy. My girls were the light of my life, and everything changed in a heartbeat.
I set Kelly down in her crib as she was sleeping peacefully. Shannon watched from the doorway and smiled at me. "You're always so good with her, Jet. She has you wrapped around her finger."
I smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss. "So do you, Shannon." I put my arm around her shoulder. We walked over to the bed and lay under the covers. The fire was still burning and the room was warm. She leaned on me and my heart fluttered like it did when she was with me.
Shannon spoke again, "Jet, I'm going to my parents' house tomorrow with Kelly for a little while. They want you to come over after you finish work so we can all eat supper together." Her eyes stayed staring at the fireplace, not even looking over to me. "I know you and my father weren't on the best terms last time we were there, but please be civilized about it."
"Don't worry Shannon, I'll be there. Hopefully, a case won't make me run late. Tony and Tim have been stepping up their game with the investigations lately. If anything, they can cover for me if I have to leave early. Leon knows very well that things change on a minute's notice, so I don't think he'd mind his top detective leaving early." I said softly. I stroked Shannon's hair as we sat together, not talking much and just enjoying each other's presence. She yawned and covered her mouth. "Maybe we should get to bed. It will be a long day tomorrow." Shannon nodded and rolled over. I wrapped my arms around her waist and fell asleep.
The next morning I woke up at dawn, as usual. I woke Shannon up and got ready for the day. I put on my uniform for my hometown's police department. Shannon made me a small breakfast before I left for work. We ate silently, with small conversation as usual. She got Kelly out of her crib and I kissed my them before leaving the front door.
I walked to the police building not far from my home. The scent of the sea air always reminded me of the boat my father was building or when Michael and I used to play by the docks when we were younger. It reminded me of when I met Shannon and when Kelly was born. I lived in Blackpool my whole life with my family and I loved it. It was a peaceful town with not much to do. The ocean near by led for an interest in fishing and boats. I walked into the police station and went over to my desk. The chief, Leon Vance, was enjoying a cup of tea. The three other detectives, Jake Malloy, Timothy 'Tim' McGee and Anthony 'Tony' iNozzo, sat at their desks. My close friend, Donald Mallard, commonly called 'Duck' by our co-workers, was sitting at his desk next to his assistant James 'Jimmy' Palmer. I said good morning to them and sit down at my own desk.
Detectives didn't get much work done in the Blackpool with murders or killing. Mostly just petty things like theft. We didn't mind though. Instead, we helped the 'bobbies' out with what they were doing, like patrolling the city.
Today, one of the bobbies came in yelling about a murder he spotted by the docks. Duck asked him the basics - How many victims, any suspicious characters nearby, when he saw it, if there was another bobby there with him or at the scene - Nothing strange. The bobby said that the victims were a woman and her young daughter. I began to worry, Shannon would have been on the way to Shannon's mother's house by now. I got sick, and threw up in a waste basket. Tim asked me if I was okay and Tony said that he'd head off to the scene and get a head start on any leads. Jake went with him while Tim stayed behind with me and made me a pot of coffee. Many people would give me a hard time about liking the dark roast, but I always liked it better than tea. I had it plain with no sugar and no milk or cream. I calmed down by the time Chief Vance told us to go start investigating and that Tony and Jake probably needed help. Tim and I nodded and went after Tony.
When I arrived at the scene, my head was spinning and I felt sick again, as soon as I saw the bodies. Sure enough, my bad feeling was right. It was Shannon and Kelly. Witnesses said they had been floating in the water and a fisherman had pulled them out. Duck declared them dead at the scene. I felt tears well up in my eyes. Jake told me to go home and that he would tell Chief Vance about what happened. I told him I was fine and that Chief Vance would take me off of the case if he knew my relation to the victims. Jake ignored me because he knew that I knew that Chief Vance knew my wife already and that I would be benched.
Duck offered to go with me back to the station. I nodded and mumbled something. I walk back to the police station where my coffee has gone lukewarm. Duck was telling me one of his long winded stories again, but I didn't pay attention. My only thoughts were about my girls and how they were gone. Chief Vance asked me and Duck why we were back so early and Ducky explained it to him while I stare into my coffee cup. Leon told me to go home. He would send Jake or Tim to see Shannon's family and tell them the news. Duck had to stay so he told Jimmy to walk me home. Jimmy was nice company on the way home, quiet and didn't ask questions. He told me to let him know if he or the rest of the group could do anything for him. I don't remember the rest of the night. I just remember the taste of bourbon and an empty bed.
I also remember the next day and enlisting in the army. I enlisted to prove that I would be fine to my family. They knew I was planning to and the death of my wife and daughter didn't change anything about me. I knew that I wasn't okay, but I needed to seem like I was. It was the start of the 'Great War' and I had nothing to lose. Then I walked to work as usual. Tony asked me how I was doing. I said I was fine and that he should get back to the case.
Weeks passed and the team tried to solve the case. We knew who the killer was and I was ready to strangle him. We just had to find him. The day we caught him made me feel better. My head was now focused on work and the trial. Then I got a letter the night before the trial. I had been called to duty for the war. I had left the day of the trial.
At boot camp I met Rory, now one of my best friends. He didn't know about what happened. Jake had sent me a letter and told me that the man who killed my girls was to be executed. It filled my chest with pride. The rest of the team sent me letters too. Tony was telling me how he missed having his boss around and was doing good filling in for me when he wrote to me. Chief Vernon was saying how Jake, Tim, Jimmy, and Tony had all enlisted, leaving him and Duck by themselves due to their age if they went off to war. I was in this for the long run now. It wouldn't get my girls back, but I'm fighting for more than them now. I'm fighting for myself and Rory and Duck and the team and my country. There's no going back now.