All NCIS characters do not belong to me. Original characters are mine. No money made, etc.
NCIS
JUST STAY
Rain pelted the windows, running down the pane crying rivers of angel tears that ran down the glass, the stone and wood of the house, and into the roses planted beneath the window sill. There was a humid fog that hung in the night air.
The sound of a constant hammering coming from the basement of the house with the roses beneath the front windows. That was where Leroy Jethro Gibbs was working on his boat deep into the night. It was Friday. He usually worked later knowing he wouldn't have to be at work the next day.
But tonight he had an audience. She sat quietly on the basement steps, watching his hands work. They both took turns on the bottle of Jack on the workbench. An ancient radio played softly a Beatles tune.
"When does it stop hurting?"
Gibbs shook his head. "After awhile."
Caroline 'Cari' Trent sat on Gibbs' steps. Here eyes were swollen and her long, red/blonde hair was pulled into a disheveled ponytail. The marine turned Bureau had served under Gibbs briefly and in that time, the two had developed a friendship that lasted years. Gibbs pondered the fact that it had never turned bad and sometimes attributed it to the fact that they had never taken it further. That seemed to be the downfall of most of his friendships with women. As soon as they went further, eventually, somehow, it ended badly. Counting 3 ex wives, one deceased wife, several deceased lovers, and counting.
Cari had recently been through some rough times. After and 8 year hitch in the Corps, she'd been battling injuries incurred while serving overseas as a linguist; she'd been involved secretly with several women, unbeknownst to the military and had some bad breakups. Swearing off women for good, she'd become involved with another FBI agent, and he too apparently had broken her heart. Now she faced those work related problems that always arose when business became personal.
She occasionally looked to Gibbs for a shoulder, and his was always there.
"Give it time," he advised, as he had been so advised many times. He knew it did little good in the moment, but upon reflection he was glad he'd been given the advice and hoped she would be one day as well.
"I'm about done for the night," he commented, beginning to put away his tools. After so many shots of Jack, he began to cut up his hands more than the work he got done and knew it was time to give it up for the night. It was after one anyway.
They walked upstairs, the dim lamplight providing enough to see. They both knew the house well enough.
"I guess I'll go," Cari said, glancing at the window on which rain was still beating.
"Stay," Gibbs returned. There was no hidden meaning, no games, no motives.
"Just rain. And no one ever died of a broken heart I suppose."
"Stay," he said again.
She nodded.
They didn't need talking when there were no words that could make up the space.
Gibbs showered to cool off from the humid summer night and changed into a pair of running shorts and a grey tee shirt. He was not surprised to find Cari curled up on one side of his bed. She'd put on one of his tee shirts as well.
He lay down on the bed as well, on his back, his hands resting on his chest. He listened to the sounds of the rain on the roof and Cari's even breathing beside him. He knew as well that sometimes just the overwhelming need for another human beside you was too much. He felt probably as comforted as she did.
He slid into a restful sleep listening to those sounds. Somewhere in the night, the two friends found each other and entwined, a restful solace for broken hearts.