I do not own NCIS or any of the characters. This work is entirely a piece of fiction.
Chapter One
The bar was dark and quiet which was the way he liked it. He was in no mood to converse with anyone. He wanted to drink and he wanted to forget. This weeks case had been particularly bad and had resonated around his mind. A young marine had lost his wife and child because a fellow marine had become obsessed with him and thought the only way to show that obsession was by murdering everything he held dear. The marine was distraught and his despair formed a cloud over Gibbs' head that only bourbon could fix. He headed to a booth in the back and nursed his first drink of many.
By the time he was in his third drink his brain was starting to get fuzzy and he was beginning to forget what he had started out to forget. The door opened and let in a gust of freezing cold air. The winters in Washington seemed to be getting colder and colder. Or maybe Gibbs was just getting older. The gust of air blew a bunch of napkins off the bar which the barmaids scrambled to collect.
"Vodka, neat with ice."
Gibbs looked up at the sound of the female voice and wondered whether he had drunk more than he realised. The woman who was now perched on a bar stool took his breath away. Her hair was a myriad of colours which seemingly changed when she moved her head. The bartender said something to her as he put her drink on the bar and she laughed out loud. She downed the drink in one and motioned for the bartender to give her a refill. She must have sensed someone was looking at her because she turned around and looked straight at him. Gibbs held his drink up in greeting and she did the same. Gibbs had hoped that she would have taken that as a invitation to come over but she stayed sat at the bar flirting with the bartender.
Gibbs looked up from where he had been staring at the table deep in thought to find that the woman was no longer sat at the bar. He silently berated himself for not making a move earlier. Normally he would never have a problem talking to a beautiful woman but apparently not tonight.
"Mind if I join you?" a glass of bourbon was pushed into Gibbs' field of vision. He looked up and stared with an open mouth at her. "Well I'm going to take that resounding silence as an affirmative answer and just sit down anyway." she laughed and slid herself into the booth next to Gibbs. She held out her hand in greeting.
"Hi, I'm Kasey."
"Gibbs."
"Just Gibbs?"
"Sorry. Habit. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Jethro really." God, he had no idea why he was so tongue tied. Ridiculous.
"Hmm Jethro. Interesting name."
"My fathers tribute to his best friend."
"In that case I would like to re-evaluate my initial conclusion on interesting to touching."
"So then Kasey, what brings you to this particular bar?"
"Well I was told that you could meet some interesting people here so I figured I'd give it a go."
"Interesting people."
"Interesting marines to be exact."
"You don't look like the kind of girl to have a thing for marines."
"What can I say? I like their morals. There's too many men out there today without morals. Or any idea how to treat a lady."
Gibbs motioned to the barmaid to bring them some more drinks over and they settled in for the night.
Several hours and many, many drinks later Gibbs and Kasey staggered out of the bar arm in arm.
"Well I'm not going to be needing my car keys tonight. Now I just need to find a cab."
"That would be a marines speciality."
Gibbs leaned into the road and hailed a cab. Kasey stood on tiptoes and whispered in his ear.
"You're going to need another one of those marine."
"I would never have thought any different."
Gibbs opened the cab door for Kasey and she stepped towards it.
"Can I take you out to dinner Kasey?"
"Of course you can Jethro."
Kasey turned and got into the cab. Gibbs held the door open to stop the cab from driving off.
"It would be easier if you give me your number."
"Oh Jethro, you're an investigator so investigate. I have every faith in you."
Kasey pulled the door shut and the cab drove off. Gibbs stood there wondering what the hell had just happened and how come he'd spent hours talking to a wonderful woman but didn't know whether he was ever going go see her again.
"What's up with McGee?"
Tony stopped at Ziva's desk where she was leant against it with a cup of coffee in her hand. They were both silent for a few minutes, watching McGee pacing up and down in front of his desk.
"Apparently the Director has agreed to let someone to shadow Abby for a few days….."
"Someone?" McGee interrupted Ziva mid-sentence. "She's not just someone. She is one of the best, most wonderful, fantastic crime writers there has ever been. And I have been dying to meet her for the longest time."
"Are you going to go all Misery on us probe?"
"Misery? McGee hardly looks miserable Tony. I think you are finally losing your mind."
"Misery? 1990 classic with Kathy Bates and James Caan?" Ziva still looked blank. "Crazy woman has a favorite author who has killed off the main character in one of his books and she doesn't agree with it. She finds him after a car accident, and breaks his ankles with a sledgehammer to stop him from leaving and re-write the book."
"Ah. Really? Someone did that?"
"It's a film Ziva, not reality."
"Which is exactly why I am not planning on kidnapping her and hobbling her with a sledgehammer." McGee walked away from Tony and Ziva and continued his pacing.
Gibbs strode into the pen, coffee in hand. He stopped next to Tony and Ziva.
"Late night boss."
"None of your business Dinozzo. Grab your stuff guys. We've got a dead marine."
"But boss…."
"What McGee? Something stopping you from joining us today?"
"No boss. Well yes boss. To be honest. Director Vance has agreed to let a brilliant crime writer shadow Abby while she works for a few days and I was hoping to spend some time with them."
"And that's more important than a dead marine McGee?"
"No boss. Of course not boss."
"Then what's the problem McGee?"
"No problem boss.'