Lost Humour
An NCIS fan fiction by Ahn-Li Steffraini
Summary: Someone leaves an email chain-joke on Gibbs desk thinking he'll find it humourous. The humour is lost on Gibbs... or is it?
Disclaimer: I only wished I was remotely associated to CBS and NCIS beyond that of simply watching it at home! In other words - NCIS (as in the TV show, not the US Federal Agency!) is, as far as I know, the intellectual property of CBS. Or someone. Else. Not me. Nor am I making any money by doing this, it's just for fun.
A/N: My husband is alot like Gibbs. Okay, I am married to a Gibbs-clone, complete with some of the background (including serving in '91... no really...). Complete with the silver hair, blue eyes... kinda creepy sometimes. No wonder Gibbs is my favourite character and I am so thoroughly hooked to the show.
A/N #2: Met and married my husband long before I started watching NCIS and before it was on my fannish radar. You could say my marriage is what hooked me to the show because it was just... uncanny...
A/N #3: And before I get the "OMG, you're so lucky!"... considering how uncannily similar my husband the character Gibbs are to each other... there is a reason Gibbs was married 4 times. Half the time I want to strangle mine... I never will though because I love him but there are times when I wish he wasn't so... himself and intense. Oh, and technology clueless. Oh, and I have to buy another new cellphone and make sure it has nothing too complex on it. You know, beyond that of Talk and End because otherwise it may hit a wall by a very good throwing arm.
I think that about covers it, lol.
Gibbs walked off the elevator, coffee in hand, into the area of work affectionately known as the bullpen of the NCIS office. He set his coffee down on the desk and, noticing a slip of paper on his desk very obviously placed in the very center of his work area, he turned it around to read it. For a long moment, he was very still.
A few moments behind him, but still while he could do nothing but stare wordlessly at the printout, the bickering Agents DiNozzo and David walked in. Strangely they were not bickering. He looked around at the MCRT area of the office. McGee was no where to be seen. It was still early for Abby and Ducky, and Tony and Ziva had only just arrived. "Is there something wrong, boss?" asked Tony, seeing the printout but not outwardly seeming to know what was on it.
Gibbs' eyes thinned, "Then you wouldn't know anything about this, then?"
"What is it?" asked Ziva, taking it from him.
It was a printout of an email, the to and from fields carefully blanked out using coloured correction tape or marker... and then cunningly photocopied on the laser photocopier so that impressions were effectively erased. There was no way to be able to tell where it came from, or whose desk. Reading it, Ziva's lips twitched and she handed it to Tony, who reading it seen the same painstaking steps to hide where it was from but also, upon reading the content began to snicker.
They looked up at Gibbs and instantly stopped laughing at the look on his face. "Is there something amusing?" he asked.
"Well, you have to admit you do have... some... issues with technology," started Tony.
"Uh huh," Gibbs leaned against his desk.
Tony felt a bit stuck like a deer in headlights. He looked at Ziva for support, "It was not I who gave it to you... otherwise... well, it is the first I have seen of it."
Tony was also quick, "Wasn't me, boss, but you have to admit... it is kinda funny."
"Uh huh," with that Gibbs walked towards the elevator after snatching from Tony's hands.
At the same time Gibbs was about to walk on the elevator, McGee walked off it, his own coffee in his hands, "Good morning, boss..."
Gibbs walked past him and when the elevator closed, Tony walked over, checked Gibbs phone and turned off the speaker right after a, "See, I told you I figured it out," which effectively cut off Gibbs' using Tony's own trick to hear what was going on.
He looked up at McGee, "Wow... wish I'd thought of that."
He turned to see McGee snickering as he sat down at his desk. Ziva looked at McGee, "You did not."
"I got it in my email early this morning and when I saw it I couldn't help but think of Gibbs," answered McGee.
Tony and Ziva looked at each and then both of them slapped McGee in the back of the head at the same time. "You do realize that if he figures it out, you're dead," pointed out Tony.
* * * *
Gibbs stared at the paper. It had been entirely too difficult to keep a perfectly neutral face when he had first read it... and then seeing the looks on Tony and Ziva's face after reading it and trying not to laugh for fear of offending him had nearly pushed him over the ledge. Hitting the emergency button, he finally relaxed his face into his first reaction - hysterical laughter that if his team had heard would have likely thought he had finally lost his marbles.
Folding the printout up, he slid it into the inside pocket of his sport coat and hit the resume button on the elevator.
He was still chunkling quietly to himself all the way to his favourite coffee shop.
He'd have to show it to Ducky who would likey laugh just as hard as he did.
THE END
Contents of the email (with cartoony pictures for each caption)
Teknology I Growed Up With
Log On: Making the stove hotter
Log Off: Coolin' er down
Monitor: Keepin' an eye on 'er
Download: Gettin' the firewood off the truck
Mega Hertz: What you get if yer not careful gittin the firewood
Floppy Disk: Wutcha git from tryin to tote too much firewood
Windows: Whut ya shut when its cold outside
Click: What you hear when you cock your gun
Double-Click: What you when you really mean business (see above)