Title: Age Is Just a Number
Fandom: NCIS
Author: Alidiabin
Words: 1,320
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Warnings: none.
Spoilers: General S7 and 'Broken Bird'
Parings: Ducky/Jordan
Summary: Ducky learns he is never too old for love with a little encouragement from Ziva and Abby.
Age Is Just a Number
Jordan Hampton frowned at the convoy of NCIS vans and cars as they parked outside the crime scene in Maryland. She looked at the dead petty officer.
"Well you're going to be in good hands," she muttered to the corpse. The baby faced uniform officer looked up down at her. She shot him a look that made him quiver. She watched as NCIS major case response team barked assignments by Gibbs. She watched as Ducky walked toward her and the dead petty officer.
"Well in my school days" Ducky uttered telling a grand tale from his youth to Ziva and Tony who only rolled their eyes in synchronization in response. "Doctor Hampton" Ducky uttered rather surprised he caught Jordan's eyes.
"Don – " she begun "Doctor Mallard" she corrected herself remembering the presence of Ziva and Tony.
" Jordan" the lead detective and her old friend Lewis Langdon called. She saw Gibbs standing next to him. "It's their body," he uttered. Jordan stood up. "And we got a dead body in the car park of Carlos' Bar" she picked up her bag and begun to walk away.
"Jordan" Ducky uttered softly. Jordan swiveled around to the sound of his Scottish accent she loved the way he strained the syllables of her name. She looked at him. "Oh no, it's all right" he said. Jordan turned back around and walked briskly toward Lewis who was playing with his graying hair in the mirror of the car.
"You two totally did it" Lewis cried sounding like his fifteen year old daughter. She shot Lewis a look that made him shudder. "All right Jordy let's go investigate a dead prostitute"
Lewis was wrong. Jordan Hampton and Donald Mallard had not slept together. Donny was a gentleman so far Jordan had only kissed him. She had rushed to his side, when she heard he had been stabbed. She had stayed in his lavish house. One of those nights had been spent in Donny's bed but that was only because they fell asleep reminiscing on grand adventures and youthful misjudgments, while a storm raged outside Donny's arms were wrapped tightly around her keeping her safe. Now, as she recalled those few days almost two years later, she found herself thinking it was simply like a student being in awe of a master. Ducky was after all much more experienced and knowledgeable in the medical examining. She had agonized over him not calling her like a schoolgirl with a silly little crush.
When she found his mothers obituary in the newspaper just over a year after he had been stabbed she drove to his house. She had found a for sale sign outside and watched through the window from a distance as he drank tea with a woman, who looked no older than forty which was even younger than Jordan who was forty-eight. Jordan watched with envy as she fixed Donny's long proper tie. (Though Jordan thought he looked more handsome in bow ties), At that point Jordan felt like the mistress who sees her lover with his wife and happy. It was getting too 'Fatal Attraction' for her liking. She walked away, and pretended she had not almost fallen in love with Donny Mallard.
Swish
Ducky heard the autopsy doors open. He was expecting to find Jethro or Palmer walking through them; instead, Ziva and Abby stepped through.
"Ziva, Abigail" Ducky cried in surprise "to what do I owe this pleasure"
"Jordan Hampton" the pair uttered in unison like schoolgirls. Ducky raised his eyebrow.
"Ziva told me what happened at the crime scene today," Abby said.
"What on earth are the pair of you on about?" Ducky said shakily.
"You like her" Ziva uttered. "Yes" she added. Ducky begun to stutter.
"Well" "Maybe" he paused "It is complicated," he finally added.
"No it's not," Abby said clapping her hands together "You like her"
"And it is quite obvious she likes you" Ziva uttered.
"My dears" Ducky said shaking his head. "I'm too old to be chasing after women"
"No" Abby said. "No excuses Ducky besides Tony's father still chases after women and you two are about the same age"
"Ducky you are always telling us to stop being stubborn and stop making excuses" Ziva said "Take your own advice" Ducky looked down.
"My dears" he uttered looking up, but they were already gone.
Swish
Jordan was elbow deep in a prostitute's gut when her phone rang the vibrations on the metal table echoed in the room reminded Jordan how alone she was in the cold windowless room. She pulled her white gloves off and grabbed the cell phone.
"Hampton" she said. For a second there was just breathing on the other end. Breathing that sounded familiar.
"Jordan" Ducky uttered nervously.
"Donny" Jordan replied happily. Then she became defensive "Before you ask I did not tamper with your body"
"I know" Donny said laughing. "Actually I was wondering if you could help me"
"What?" Jordan uttered. The cause of death seemed simple enough. Maybe the great Donald 'Ducky' Mallard was not as brilliant as she had once thought.
"Well there is something troubling me" Ducky said "Maybe you could come to NCIS and have a look"
"I could do that" Jordan uttered trying to hide her excitement.
Ziva led her down to autopsy, despite assurances that Jordan knew the way. Jordan mused that Ziva seemed happy about something. Maybe Ziva and DiNozzo had finally screwed Jordan thought because in Jordan's eyes the pair had more sexual tension than the cop and the writer in that silly cop show she watched.
Swish
Jordan walked into autopsy. She saw Donny standing in his aqua scrubs which in her mind at least she looked dashing in.
"So" Jordan uttered slowly.
"Well, why don't you look at the body" Donny said leading her to the body. Jordan leaned over the body. Donny leaned in close. Jordan looked at the gash on the victims' arm that was supposed to be the problem.
"Jordan" Donny uttered breaking the silence. Jordan looked up. Their eyes met. "I was um wondering" Donny paused. "If you would like to go to a play with me" Jordan let out a small chuckle. Ducky suddenly felt a pang of rejection. Jordan watched as disappointment crossed Donny's face.
"I'd love to go," she whispered. "It is just the first time I have been asked out over a body" A small laugh escaped Ducky, as he begun to relax.
"Believe it or not this is the first time I have asked someone out over a body," Ducky said. They laugh together.
Abby, Ziva and what sounds like Tony shout "Yes" through the speakers of the camera unit.
School for Scandal is a delightful play put on by an ammeter group of adults. Donny was nothing but a gentleman doing everything men did in those old movies. He opened her car door and offered his jacket when she shivered in the cool autumn air.
Donny walked her to the front door of her apartment. They stand in front of her evergreen colored door.
"How come you never called?" she asked as she handed him his coal colored coat back. "I left all my numbers, even my email address"
"I know" Ducky said "And I picked up the phone to call" Ducky paused "Then I wondered what a beautiful lovely and young woman like yourself would want with me" Ducky said. "I wondered what an earth you would see in me" Jordan looked at him. She had always been attracted to slightly older men, since college when she had slept with her married biology professor. Jordan leaned in. She touched his lips with hers. They kissed like waves crashing onto rocks. Her leg popped just like in those old movies.
"Does that answer your question?" she asked. Donny nodded. She unlocked the door. She led Donny in.
A/N: the reason Ducky is written as Donny when Jordans in the room is because in 'Broken Bird' she called him that.