Summary: Gibbs and DiNozzo are sitting in traffic when a song causes them to remember their lost loved ones, contains mentions of Tate (Tony and Kate) and Shibbs (Shannon and Gibbs)
Warning: contains mention of character death ad is particularly angsty
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or 'Lips of an Angel' by Hinder
Dedicated to Violet92, her own story of the same name inspired this story and as such I feel the desire to acknowledge her and recommend you red her fic.
Line Break Xx
Tony lets out another sigh from the passenger seat as he and Gibbs wait in traffic as they travel to a crime scene, behind them in the MCRT truck is McGee and Ziva and behind them is Ducky and Palmer in the ME's truck. Tony reaches over and turns on the radio to stave off his boredom.
Honey why you calling me so late?
It's kinda hard to talk right now.
Honey why are you crying? Is everything okay?
I gotta whisper 'cause I can't be too loud
Tony cocks his head to look at the radio, Gibb's eyes flicker to the radio as both men listen to the lyrics. Well, my girl's in the next room
Sometimes I wish she was you
I guess we never really moved on
It's really good to hear your voice saying my name
It sounds so sweet
Coming from the lips of an angel
Hearing those words it makes me weak
Both men feel the song's lyrics tug at their hearts, the song causing both men to remember lost loved ones.
Gibb's Flash-back
Gibbs takes a seat at Stillwater train station; on the seats behind him is a young red-haired woman who he'd seen around town a couple of times, she turns to him and asks his name.
"Leroy Jethro Gibbs" he answers, her smile widens;
"I'll just call you Gibbs," she says as she introduces herself,
"I'm Shannon,"
Gibb's flash-back end;
Tony's flash-back
Tony ran down the stairs relaying what the pilot told him about not taking off until the Secret Service agent chick signed off on it. He stops midway when said Secret Service chick glares at him.
Tony's flash-back end;
And I never wanna say goodbye
But girl you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel
Gibb's flash-back;
Gibbs was furious, here he was burying his wife and daughter, and his father has the audacity of bringing a date to their funeral.
Gibb's flash-back end.
Tony's flash-back;
Tony looked down on the flag covered casket, his mind flooded with memories of his deceased partner, as he laid a single red rose.
Tony's flash-back end.
It's funny that you're calling me tonight
And, yes, I've dreamt of you too
And does he know you're talking to me
Will it start a fight
No I don't think she has a clue
Gibb's hands on the steering wheel tighten as he thinks back to all his failed marriages, none of them were Shannon. He knew it was because he kept comparing each wife to her that his marriages failed, because he couldn't let go because he didn't want to.
Tony's mind drifts to Jeanne and how he was slowly falling for her. He was lying to her about everything else, about who he was, what he did for a living and why he started dating her in the beginning. But no matter what he did, he kept comparing Jeanne to Kate, always wondering if he could have had what he has with Jeanne with Kate. Could he and Kate have been a couple? Well my girl's in the next room
Sometimes I wish she was you
I guess we never really moved on
It's really good to hear your voice saying my name
It sounds so sweet
Coming from the lips of an angel
Hearing those words it makes me weak
Tony reaches into his wallet and pulls out a worn and creased photo of Kate that he'd managed to snap one day at a crime-scene, she'd been laughing at something that had happened to McGee, her laugh forever captured in this one photo. He'd never told her how he felt when she was alive, never said those three little but powerful words, never got to find out if she'd say them back.
Gibb's remembers back, to the first time Shannon had said those three little words;
Gibb's flash-back;
Gibbs and Shannon lay in the back of a pick up truck, looking up at the starts, Gibbs was meant to be back at base but he'd snuck off to visit her, his sniper skill allowing him to sneak past patrols.
"I love you," she said suddenly, he turns his head to regard her, a smile breaking out on both faces as they kiss lightly.
"I love you too Shannon," he replies, meaning every word.
Gibb's flash-back end.
The traffic had started to move, but neither man noticed, too caught up in the song and their memories, behind them Ziva and McGee exchange looks as they wonder why the car in front of them hasn't moved.
And I never wanna say goodbye
But girl you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel
Gibb's flash-back;
Their first kiss had been chaste, she'd pecked him lightly on the lips before he'd even noticed, she proceeded to giggle at his stunned expression as she pulled him into their second kiss. His mind finally caught up to him as he started to kiss her back.
Gibb's flash-back end.
Tony flash-back;
"What?" she demanded breaking him out of his thoughts,
"Sorry Kate, did you say something?" he asked trying to cover the fact he'd been staring at her
"You better not have been staring at my chest DiNozzo," she threatened, he hadn't been staring at her chest, he'd been staring at her lips wondering what they felt like, what did they taste like, he'd been so lost in though imagining kissing her that he hadn't noticed that he'd been caught with his hand in the metaphorical cookie jar.
Tony's flash-back end.
Neither man noticed Tony's phone ringing as Ziva called them from the truck behind to find out why their car hadn't moved yet.
It's really good to hear your voice saying my name
It sounds so sweet
Coming from the lips of an angel
Hearing those words it makes me weak
Both men replayed memories of their respective loves calling their names, remembering how their name had rolled off their loved one's tongue, Gibb's blinks furiously as tears build up behind his eyes while tears start to stream freely down Tony's face. And I never wanna say goodbye
But girl you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel
Both men remember where they were when their loved one died.
Gibbs had been on deployment in the Gulf when his commanding officer broke the news to him, Shannon and Kelly had been killed in a car collision by a drug cartel for witnessing a murder. Despite killing their killer, avenging their deaths, he still hadn't achieved closure he'd hoped.
Tony had been standing next to her as the bullet fired from Ari's sniper travelled through her head, her blood splattering on him as she dropped to the ground. A part of him resented Gibbs for killing Ari, he had wanted to be the one to kill the bastard, but he knew that killing Ari wouldn't bring Kate back, but he still wanted the closure avenging her would bring to him
And I never wanna say goodbye
But girl you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel
The faces of their respective loved ones, looks back at them in their minds,
"Shannon, Kelly"
"Kate," Honey why you calling me so late?
Ducky peered into the car as both men continued to sit there in silence staring ahead at something unseen, neither man noticing that the song had ended or that Ducky was just outside their car, too caught up in their memories. Ducky noticed Tony stroking the picture of Kate and correctly deduced that both men were currently trapped in the past. With a heavy sigh, he walked back to the MCRT truck, Ziva leans out the window to speak to him.
"What's going on in front?" she asks the medical examiner,
"Their…remembering…and grieving my dear, best leave them for the moment and continue on ahead, they'll catch up when their ready," replies Ducky solemnly as he continues the walk back to the Medical Examiner truck. He climbs inside and lets out a deep sigh his mind on the two men sharing a common pain.
McGee, Ziva, Palmer and Ducky watch Gibbs and DiNozzo as they all drive past on their way to the crime-scene, knowing that there was nothing anyone could do but wait for Gibbs and DiNozzo.
"Shannon…Kelly"
"Kate,"
"I miss you,"
Line Break Xx
Hey,
First of all I'd like to blame Violet92 for turning me into a blubbering wreck, but also thank her for inspiring this story, secondly; I'd like to note how well Hinder's song unintentionally captures the loss of Shannon, Kelly and Kate so well. Finally; NCIS for causing all of this in the first place when Shannon, Kelly and Kate were all killed.
May Gibbs and DiNozzo be watched over forever by these three remarkable women.
Greenie