One Last Assignment
Author's Notes:
This is my first NCIS fan fiction. Reviews and constructive criticism welcome. (Also, I may edit this story eventually.)
Warnings: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH!
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or the characters.
Sometimes you have to move on. No matter how much pain it causes you. Every task has its due date. Sometimes you can postpone. And sometimes the assignment is final.
People stress about deadlines. But often you don't even see them coming.
Maybe that's a good thing.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs slapped one last file shut and threw his glasses onto his desk. He rubbed his eyes with both hands, breathing out a sigh of relief.
Anthony DiNozzo grinned at his boss from across the bullpen. "Another case solved! Pity we didn't get any news coverage."
"We never do, Tony." Timothy McGee said in an exasperated tone as he began to shut down his computer.
Gibbs chuckled along with both younger men and Eleanor Bishop, who was packing up her backpack.
Jimmy Palmer came waltzing through the bullpen. "I'm off home, everyone! Goodnight, Tony, Tim, Ellie. Goodnight, Agent Gibbs."
Gibbs merely smiled slightly as the others chorused goodnight. A nice young man, Palmer; Gibbs thought to himself. Married, starting his own family…Sometimes he seemed extremely juvenile, but in reality, he was a good person. Faithful. Loyal. Dedicated.
Eleanor Bishop swung her pack onto her shoulders. "I'm going home, too. Jake and I have dinner planned. Goodnight, everyone."
Gibbs watched her until she entered the elevator. She was a smart young woman. And very caring. She would do well with her life.
As he turned back to clearing off his desk, his mind wandered to two other women who had sat at Bishop's desk.
A woman with long auburn hair and a biting sense of humor that hid a sensitive soul. Kate Todd, beautiful and clever. Gibbs smiled slightly, remembering her teasing manner, her joyful laugh. Kate had been suspicious and defensive right after she joined NCIS, but soon she had opened up. She had been a good agent, and a better friend. She had died horribly, but her life had not been in vain.
Then Ziva had arrived. Cold, distant, wild Ziva David. She had been in NCIS for so long, and had been so much a part of the team, that when she left forever, it had hurt like hell. The longer she was at NCIS, the more they had come to know her carefully guarded heart. She would do anything to protect her family. And she had done so. She, like Kate, had left their lives suddenly, but the impact the two women had had on their lives would never disappear.
Gibbs smiled to himself. What was he doing; becoming nostalgic? Had the recent case brought up all these memories? Why?
It had been a simple one, but satisfying. A Marine officer had been abducted, leaving a terrified wife and son behind. Soon it had turned into a ransom case; the Marine had recently become heir to a substantial sum from a deceased uncle. Through pursuit of multiple leads and forensic evidence left by the abductor, the Marine had been located and the criminal arrested. The family had been reunited; all within thirty-six hours. Now it was Friday night, and the entire team was ready to go home for a well-deserved weekend.
McGee finished with his computer, but didn't leave the bullpen. Instead, he began to chat with Tony. He was probably waiting for Abby, Gibbs realized. As he watched Tim, he remembered the bumbling young agent who had first come to NCIS almost by accident. He'd grown; after much encouragement and constant guidance; to a responsible, skilled field agent. Many cases had been solved quickly because of his quick mind and technological skills. Countless times, he had fixed Gibbs' computer despite having the lead agent breathing down his neck. He was insecure at times, but incredibly loyal.
Abigail Scuito and Dr. Donald Mallard came into the bullpen together, talking animatedly. Abby rushed over and hugged Tim. "Ready for our outing, Timmy?"
"Yes! Should be fun; a night bowling with a bunch of nuns." But McGee didn't seem very sarcastic. He grinned goofily and picked up his shoulder bag. "You ready, Abby?"
Abby jumped up and down. "Yeah, let's go! Goodnight Tony, Ducky, Gibbs!"
"Goodnight, my dear." Ducky answered with a smile.
"Night, Abby." Tony yawned, his feet propped up on his desk.
Gibbs caught her eye and gave her a special smile. "Goodnight, Abs. Have fun."
"We will!" Abby came over to give him a brief but tight hug before hurrying of with McGee.
Ducky came over to Gibbs' desk. "You're quiet tonight, Jethro."
"Just tired, Duck. You headed home?"
"Yes. Would you care to join me for a drink?"
Gibbs laughed. "You don't drink, Ducky."
"Oh, goodness, no, but I thought I'd have some tea and I'm sure I have a bottle of your bourbon somewhere…"
Gibbs smiled at his old friend. "No, I don't think so, Duck. Not tonight."
"Oh, well, another time, then?"
"Maybe." Gibbs didn't know why he couldn't just say yes tonight. For some reason, it felt wrong. "Goodnight, Ducky."
"Goodnight, Jethro."
Then it was just Gibbs and Tony in the bullpen. Tony got ready to leave, yawning at intervals between words. "A night with Magnum P.I. and…" yawn, "a quart of ice cream before sleeping in…" yawn, "on a weekend. Just my kind of night. Pity I don't…" yawn again, "a date tonight. Oh well, another day. Goodnight, Boss."
"Goodnight, Tony." Gibbs watched his senior agent leave. He knew that Tony had once turned down a promotion offer because he wanted to stay with the team. But Tony could be a leader. He had it in him. Underneath that joking, laughing, playboy exterior, there was a tough yet compassionate interior. He just didn't let people see it often.
A few minutes later, Gibbs completed the cleanup of his desk and stood, throwing away his last coffee cup. His knees and back hurt slightly; no more than usual. But he felt tired. Very, very tired.
He walked slowly to the elevator and descended to the car garage. As he climbed into his pickup, he felt a sudden surge of exhaustion. He stopped for a minute, leaning against the car door. Then he hauled himself into the driver's seat and started the vehicle.
He drove slowly, unusually slowly, to his house. All he could feel in his body was exhaustion, but in his mind, he felt peaceful, even happy. At the very least, he felt content.
After arriving at his house, he didn't feel much like sleep. So he wandered down into his basement. The ribs of yet another sailboat lay there. But he didn't feel working on that, either.
Before he went back upstairs, he grabbed a bottle of bourbon and some photo albums. Sitting down on the couch, he began to go through them, stopping only to take occasional sips from the bottle.
At first, he looked at recent photos. He poured over pictures of Tony, Tim, Abby, Ducky, Palmer, Bishop, and himself. Then he moved on to older photos; including ones of Ziva and Kate and Jenny.
Finally, he looked at the ones of Shannon and Kelly. His beautiful wife and sweet daughter were never far from his mind these days.
But in the end, he returned to a particular photograph from a few months previously. The team had been invited to a Christmas party at Ducky's house. Breena, Palmer's wife, had taken the picture.
Ducky, clearly trying to look serious and failing, sat in the center. Jimmy knelt beside him, grinning in his sheepish way at the camera. Tony stood right behind the ME assistant, one hand on his shoulder, the other on the back of Ducky's chair. He had the classic DiNozzo smirk on his face. Eleanor Bishop and her husband Jake stood next to him, arms around each other and appearing delighted to be part of the family.
On the other side of Ducky, McGee stood, smiling only slightly but happily. His right arm was draped over Abby's shoulders; her left arm was wrapped around his. She wore a bright red and black dress decked out with silver and gold tinsel. Her hair was also adorned with tinsel, and a huge smile was on her face.
Gibbs was positioned next to Abby, one arm around her waist, the other hand shoved in his pocket. He was half-smiling, and looked calmly out at the present-day Gibbs, who stared just as calmly back. "What do you know; I almost look cheerful." he chuckled to himself.
He suddenly felt exhausted again. After taking a final look at his team, he set the bourbon and photo albums on the coffee table. Clicking off the lamp and settling back on the couch, he eyed the ceiling for a minute. Strange; it was pitch black outside, but he could see perfectly clearly. So clearly…And now he could swear he heard voices. But he was all alone.
Good job, Probie. You gave it your best shot. Can't do better than that.
Glad you didn't take my place as director, Jethro. You would have really hated it.
Well, I guess it's okay that you were late to my funeral, Gibbs. You sure thought it was humorous, and I guess that's a good thing.
Son, I'm proud of you. Very proud.
Leroy, baby, you made me proud too.
We're waiting, Daddy. We love you, Daddy.
I've missed you, darling. I love you.
"Mike… Jenny… Kate… Dad… Mom… Kelly… Shannon… Is that you?" Gibbs whispered as he fell asleep.
He never spoke again.
A/N: I have a sequel for this that deals with the reactions of the team, but I haven't decided if I'll publish it yet. What do you think?