Title: A Close Call
Author: steffenyp
Rating: M
Pairing: Gibbs/OFC
Summary: The near loss of another member of his team makes Gibbs realize he can't hide his feelings any longer.
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Author's Note: This story contains my original character Leann Hollaway. This is a stand alone story not in any way connected to any of my previous stories. Also, if Gibbs seems a little out of character my apologies. I have always thought that if Gibbs ever did truly fall in love again then he would be very open with that person in private. I write him as I interpret his character, if you don't like how I write him, you don't have to read, but I would love it if you would read and review my humble little story.
Part 1
Leroy Jethro Gibbs couldn't sleep. He had worked in his basement until his eyes became too blurry to focus and yet he still couldn't sleep. He had nearly lost another member of his team today, the newest member, Leann Hollaway, who had been assigned to the team to ease their work load. He had been attracted to her from the moment they met, not just physically, but there seemed to be a connection between them from the start somehow and her personality sucked you in and wouldn't let you go. She had been on the team for almost two years now and coming so close to loosing her today, had made him realize that he couldn't imagine not having her in his life.
They had been searching a warehouse for a suspect when he saw a man come up behind Leann, his gun aimed at her. Gibbs yelled her name and she turned just as the guy fired. The bullet grazed across her shoulder blades instead of hitting her in the back of the neck where it had been aimed. She came away with a vicious gash across her shoulder blades, but if she had taken the shot as it was aimed, she would be dead. If that had happened, Gibbs wasn't sure he could have stayed sane.
Gibbs had known for a while how important Leann was to him, they had become very good friends, spending much of their free time together. However, until he had experienced the near loss of her today, he hadn't realized just how important she had become to him. He wasn't sure when it happened, but at some point he had fallen in love with Leann. To his utter surprise she was the part of him that had been missing since he had lost Shannon, Leann, he realized could make him whole again.
As the full impact of his feelings for her hit him, he decided he would tell her exactly how he felt. He didn't want to loose her friendship, but if there was even the slightest chance she felt the same way about him, he was going to take the chance to be truly happy once again.
Her home was not too far from his, so he went to his truck and drove to her place. Less than ten minutes later he let himself in her front door with the key she had given him for emergencies. He needed no lights to guide him, he knew her home as well as he knew his own, so he quickly made his way to her bedroom door. Moonlight poured in her bedroom window, revealing her beautiful features to him. She lay on her stomach, the gash across her shoulders visible in the moonlight. It had been cleaned and bandaged at the hospital, but the doctor told her to leave the bandage off at night.
Gibbs approached her with every intention of waking her to talk, but seeing her bare back revealed to him in the moonlight, he decided to simply drink in her beauty. He sat down on the edge of the bed and of their own accord, his fingers began to lightly trace a line across her shoulders just below the gash. He wanted to sooth the ache he knew to be there.
He traced his fingers down the curve of her spine and back up again, marveling at the silkiness of her tanned skin. Instinct told him to look at her face and when he did, he found her green eyes open and twinkling in the moonlight. A soft smile curved her lips and she reached out and caressed his face.
"Jethro?" she whispered and in that soft utterance of his name were a thousand questions and in her eyes he saw uncertainty and hope.
"I thought I was going to loose you today. If you had died today, I would have too," he told her and she pulled the sheet up to cover herself so she could sit up to face him.
"Tony and Ziva had you covered, you wouldn't have died," she answered misunderstanding what he meant.
"Yes, I would have, because if you were gone, if you were no longer in my life, I would have no reason to live. I wouldn't want to live with half of my soul missing," he told her and before she could utter another word, he pulled her forward and kissed her.
Author's Note #2: Okay what do you think? Do you want me to continue this? If you do then please leave a review.