Disclaimed: No copyright infringement of any kind intended.
Rating: K+
A/N: My take on Ducky's story from Smoked. I've taken a few liberties, please excuse me. I hope you enjoy it.
"Run!" was all she heard before she felt Jethro's strong hands push her into the darkness. Under normal circumstances she would have fought back, insisting she was every bit as capable an agent as he was but this time she knew better than to argue. Their only hope of getting out of their current predicament was for one of them to escape and return for the others. She wasn't stupid; she knew she was the right choice over Ducky and so she ran as fast as she could through the dark, unfamiliar French countryside, the sound of the Gendarmes' shouts ringing in her ears. The shouts grew quieter are she hurried along the dirt track that she hoped would lead her to safety and a solution. She still hadn't figured out how their presence had been made known to the French police. They had been working undercover for weeks and had been careful to be as discrete as possible as the success of their mission relied on them remaining incognito, even to the authorities.
This had been their fourth night camped out on the cliff top and all was going well until the sounds of sirens had filled the night air. With Ducky in tow a clean getaway was out of the question but one look from Jethro and Jenny knew what she had to do.
As she stopped for a moment to catch her breath, something caught her eye. A small fishing boat bobbed up and down in a tiny harbor less than fifty feet from where she stood. She quickly ran down the hill and onto the wooden jetty, jumping aboard the boat. She sent a quick prayer up when she saw the keys were in the ignition and within seconds she was heading out into the water.
Her eyes scanned the cliff tops high above, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ducky and Gibbs. She hugged the coastline, going as near as she dared without hitting off the jagged rocks. In the distance, she spotted a group of figures, the darkness making it impossible to make out who was who. She tried to increase the speed of the boat by turning various levers but the tiny vessel refused to travel any faster. She raised her head just in time to see the silhouetted group begin to scuffle and she watched in horror as someone was pushed off the cliff and into the water below.
"God, no!" The cry was out her mouth before she realised it. She had hardly had time to process what had happened before her eyes, her mind convinced that it had been her lover who had been pushed into the icy water, when she saw two of the group break away and run in her direction. Even in the darkness, she recognized Gibbs' strong physique and she exhaled loudly, suddenly aware that for the past few moments she had been holding her breath.
She searched around the small cabin for something to use as a signal for them. Finding a torch tucked away in a waterproof bag Jenny flashed the light several times. She knew they'd seen her when Gibbs grabbed Ducky by the hand and pulled him further down the track. As the track moved further towards the village, the cliff became less steep and Gibbs helped Ducky scramble down towards the water.
Jenny's eyes flitted back and forth between the two men making their way towards her and the Gendarmes who had stood for a few moments looking over the cliff where their colleague had fallen but who were now in hot pursuit of Ducky and Gibbs.
"Jen?" Gibbs called out to her from the bottom of the cliff.
"Gibbs! I can't get the boat any closer. You'll have to come to me!"
For several minutes, Jenny's heart was in her mouth as she watched Gibbs and Ducky wade out into the freezing water and begin swimming to the boat. The Gendarmes had gained on them and were now making their way down the cliff. She could only pray they didn't have guns as the distance closed between the two groups of men.
After what seemed like a lifetime, Gibbs appeared at the side of the boat and hauled himself up and between them, Jenny and Gibbs pulled Ducky out of the water.
"Go!" Gibbs instructed, as soon as Ducky was safely onboard and Jenny engaged the engine again, turning the boat around and heading back to the village, leaving the angry Gendarmes in their wake.
Two hours later, the threesome had located their car and made their way back to their hotel. Ducky had excused himself to his room, stating that a hot bath and a nip of whisky was required to take the chill off his bones. Before he'd gone he'd recommended the same to Gibbs but Jenny had other ideas for warming him up and it didn't involve alcohol. Although it may include a bath…
A wicked way to end it? I may write something about Jen warming Gibbs up…if people want it. Let me know what you thought! Em x