Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction. The characters are borrowed from the CBS network show NCIS for personal entertainment purposes only. No profit is or shall be made from this fan tribute to the show which is owned by TPTB. Any resemblance to actual persons is purely coincidental.
Set in time: NCIS 2015, a tag to "Neverland", season 12, episode 24.
Spoiler warning: 12×24 "Neverland", 3×02 "Kill Ari II", minor spoilers to various episodes from seasons 3-5, and 12.
Main characters: Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Jenny Shepard, Tony DiNozzo.
A/N: Gibbs has been shown thinking of Jenny several times this season; did you see Ducky making Gibbs blush? Definitely my Jibbs highlight of the season! - I would love to have you join in the forum discussion on season 12 topics in "Forums: NCIS Dissected" (thanks to shywr1ter who created the forum long ago). Direct links to both the forum, and one of the topics, are on my profile page. In the meantime, please enjoy my little dip into the NCIS pool. I look forwards to your comments!
Meet Me on The Other Side
(by VG LittleBear/vglb)
The voice calling "Agent Gibbs!" was familiar. Gibbs turned around and saw Luke pull a gun on him. Before he could even think of grasping his SIG Sauer, his feet went out from under him. Shocked at his leg injury, he nevertheless scrambled up on his knees.
"He's just a little kid!" protested his mind, all thought of getting out his own weapon forgotten. But Luke's weapon still pointed at Gibbs, and now his chest was in range.
The jolt to his upper body arched his back and threw him backwards. Bowled him over. Gibbs lay there like a helpless turtle on its back, his feet weaving, in agony. Someone grabbed his out-flung right arm, but he no longer heard the noise of the busy market place around him.
When he opened his eyes once more it was night, and he was sitting in a car.
"Jethro, don't you ever listen?" said Jenny.
"Huh", was his less than intelligent answer.
They were right outside Jenny's townhouse. The one he'd torched after Jenny's violent death. Only it looked like it had the evening he'd enticed Jenny from her home to be his partner in the field. He'd still seen his shiny new director as a field agent then. One of the best he'd worked with, and whom he trusted on his six unconditionally.
Surprised he looked at Jenny, who was twisting up her long hair like she used to before she got that ridiculous pixie cut. In his thoughts she always wore her hair long, to the point that he hadn't paid attention when she had it cut short. DiNozzo of course had noticed, and lost no time in pointing it out to him. Gibbs never worried about unimportant details, except that he'd really liked her long hair. He'd loved combing his fingers through it while both were recovering their true selves from another day undercover. It had grounded them during their common missions abroad. Jenny's hair had eventually gotten longer again, almost long enough to make resisting to touch it - complicated.
"Why are we here?" inquired Jethro.
"I wanted to talk to you."
"No, I mean why are we here, this place, that time?" asked Jethro, uncomfortably aware that despite appearances he was most likely still lying in the sands of Iraq.
"I'd rather have you be comfortable, while Tony is working on getting you stabilized."
"So there is no time."
Jenny smiled and told him mysteriously: "There's all the time in the world, and no time between two blinks of your eyes. And here, because everything was still possible then."
"You shut me up!" complained Jethro regarding the hand she had pressed over his mouth back when. He'd evoked the attic in Marseilles, where they had first fallen in love, or at least done something about it.
"I did, and I'm sorry!" sighed Jenny. "I didn't want to admit that I loved you. Wherever I went, I never stopped loving you."
"We made a mess of things," whispered Gibbs no less sorry.
"We never talked it out; I should have told you I was sick!" regretted Jenny.
"I knew you were sick," countered Jethro.
"You didn't know I was dying."
"Ducky told me."
"After I died."
"Yes. He thought it would make your death more bearable," explained Jethro.
"Was it?"
"No. I missed you, Jen."
They were both quiet, he had said the same words when she came back to DC as his boss, reversing their initial roles. She had been eager to prove to their sister agencies that she was the right choice as the first female director of an armed federal agency. She'd felt there was no choice but turn down the man she loved in a way to discourage all further entanglements. When at last her priorities had changed, she was out of time.
"I wish you had someone in your life, Jethro!" said Jenny softly.
"It's too dangerous, heck, it's even too dangerous being an ex-wife."
"Diane."
Gibbs nodded, "Tobias took it hard."
"And you didn't?"
Jethro gave Jenny a look that spoke of wounds too deep to express. He hadn't forgiven himself - for either of their deaths, Diane's, Jenny's, maybe more.
"He's dead. Ari's brother," explained Gibbs.
"It's not over yet," warned Jenny. "Mishnev sold the information he had on you, your team, current information. Sold it to 'The Calling' to cause further harm to all you hold dear."
"How do you know that, Jenny?"
"Partners look out for each other. Besides, I love you."
"Jen, you're dead."
"So what?" Jenny put on her most inscrutable mien.
"You can only tell me what I already know." Gibbs was pretty sure of that. Ever since Mike died, he'd had conversations with Mike's curmudgeon ghost when he was unsure what to do next.
Jenny was not in the least fazed. "Keep thinking that if it makes you happy. Meanwhile you better listen!"
"To my gut." This time there was no question in Gibbs' voice.
"Whatever. You're hard to get through to. Between carrying all the world's troubles on your shoulders, and worrying about every single of your kids, children have always been your weakness. What happened to rule ten and eleven?"
"I couldn't walk away, they got under my skin. How can I blame these misguided children, they were good kids until something broke in them! They are a new kind of child soldiers recruited right out of their comfortable bedrooms. As for our own, Palmer's daughter gets to call our dear doctor Granducky." Jethro's voice was a bit wistful.
"Hey, your goddaughter calls you Gibbsy!"
"So does Agah Bayar."
"He has a soft spot for you!" Jenny couldn't help a smirk.
Tenderly she reached a hand out to cup Gibbs' left cheek. "Now concentrate, and breathe through the pain! Until the next coffee date, take care, Jethro!"
Gibbs complained: "There wasn't any ..." as Jenny faded out.
"... coffee!" moaned Gibbs into the concerned gaze of Tony DiNozzo, who softly patted his cheek.
"Boss, only you would think coffee was going to help when shot! Now stay with me, breathe; Officer Teague called in her CIA buddies to get you some medical care. They should be here soon!"
- finis -
A/N: While there is no doubt most of Gibbs' rules are known to Jenny, I won't make you guess:
Rule # 10: Never get personally involved on a case,
Rule # 11: When the job is done, walk away.