Judgment Day- Role Reversal

By Gunnery Sergeant

A/N: This story is not a Jibbs, and Jenny's feelings for Gibbs are canon, based on her actions and what she said to Franks in "Judgment Day". Also there are mentions of another, non-canon pairing, my OTP. However I classify this story as gen because the romantic relationship is not the focus of the story, but just a sub-plot, as much as the Gibbs/Hollis or Tony/Jeanne pairings were in the series.

Part One

Los Angeles, May 18, 2008

Leroy Jethro Gibbs had always hated attending funerals, especially when the deceased had died long before their time-- something that, unfortunately, had happened too many times in his life.

However, today's funeral wasn't very hard to endure, for he and the deceased had never been close.

Gibbs was there in Jenny's place, as she had been summoned to a last-minute meeting with the SecNav, but had still wanted that someone from the NCIS Washington office attended William Decker's funeral.

Gibbs had been chosen because he had known and worked with Decker years before, when he and Jenny had been sent on an undercover mission in Europe .

When the funeral ended, Gibbs watched as Sasha, Decker's girlfriend, was helped into a car and left the cemetery. Gibbs had noticed that Decker's family members had shunned the girl before the ceremony, perhaps because they hadn't approved his relationship with a woman so much younger than him.

Gibbs felt a sparkle of irritation: as someone happily in love with a younger woman, he knew that when all the important things worked in a relationship, age wasn't such a problem.

He was about to walk toward his rented car and leave, when a man hardly dressed for a funeral, climbed the steps two by two and approached the clerk that stood by the church gates with the registry the attendees signed on their way out.

Gibbs' gut gave a sign of warning and he stretched his neck to hear what the newcomer wanted.

"Sorry," the church clerk was saying, "What was that name again?"

"Mr. Oshimaida."

Gibbs' felt his blood chill upon hearing a name he had never wanted to hear, but he forced himself not to react in any way, as he inwardly cursed. It looked like the past was returning to haunt them again. Wasn't all the grief they had suffered with the recent La Grenouille fiasco enough?

Gibbs kept on listening to the conversation between the clerk and the man, as his mind worked out a plan of action. He was too far away from his car to follow the man when he left, so he had to think of something else…

"First name?"

"There are more than one?"

"No, sir, in fact, there's nobody here by that name."

"Check again," the man insisted.

Gibbs nodded, relieved. So he didn't know who was looking for, which gave the NCIS agent an advantage on the man, if he played his cards well.

"Sorry, sir. I've checked the registry twice. There is no Mr. Oshimaida. But if you'd like to leave
your name, perhaps, I can-"

The clerk didn't complete the line, because the man had turned on his heels and left.

Without losing time, Gibbs took his cell and, making sure he wasn't seen, he started snapping pictures of the man as he followed him down the steps and toward a dark SUV. As he snapped shoots, Gibbs blessed Abby's stubborn insistence in teaching him to use that function of his phone.

He continued taking shoots until the SUV disappeared from his sight, then walked toward his own car.

He had to find a phone stall, because he had two calls to place, and one of them couldn't come from his cell.

-----

Gibbs was in his hotel room, sitting on a table with the prints of the pictures he had taken spread in front of him. The shots weren't much; Abby too had complained about them when – following her detailed instructions – he had managed to send them to her.

Gibbs hoped his favourite lab rat would be able to find something that would unable her to identify the man at the funeral. He also hoped Abby would keep her mouth shut and not go to DiNozzo or, worse, to Ziva or Jenny.

What he was doing was meant to keep them safe. Ziva wasn't as directly involved as Jenny was, but Gibbs knew she would run to him if she just suspected he might be in trouble, and he didn't want to put her life in danger.

Gibbs was aware that, in the bottom of his heart, he was a chauvinist, but he believed it was a man's job to protect his women, and not vice versa. He had failed in the past-- he hadn't been able to protect Shannon, Kelly and Kate—but he was dead set it wouldn't happen again. He might no longer be in love with Jenny, but he still loved her. As for Ziva, Gibbs didn't want to even think what losing her would do to him.

There was a knock on the door, and Gibbs stood up, gun in hand.

"Who is it?" he asked, back pressed against the wall.

"It's me, Probie. Now open this damned door before I return to Mexico," a rough voice answered.

Gibbs smirked, and pulled the door open, letting his old boss and friend inside.

"Hello Mike," he said, putting his gun away and briefly embracing the other man.

Mike grunted in response and, just like the investigator he was still was, he walked straight to the table and looked at the photos spread on it.

"Have these anything to do with the fact I'm not on my beach enjoying my siesta?"

Gibbs nodded and sat on the table, while Mike lightened one of his cigarettes.

"Do you remember Special Agent William Decker?"

Mike shook his head. "Not much, just the name. He was hired the year I retired. Why? Is he in some kind of trouble?"

"He's dead- and I'm next, unless I kill them first," Gibbs paused a moment. "I need your help, Mike."

"You know I'm always ready to help you, Gunny, but why me? Can't you ask to your team for help? They are all good guys, and your dark-eyed Israeli beauty is much more lethal then me," Mike said, leaning forward.

"I don't want to involve my people or NCIS, Mike. In a way, I'm trying to protect them," Gibbs answered, looking briefly out the window.

"Protect them from what?"

Gibbs returned to focus on his friend. He had the right to know everything since he was going to put his life at risk for him.

"Ten years ago, I spent time in Europe with another agent-"

"Let me guess, your redheaded Director? You told me you were partners."

"Yes, it was Jenny with me."

"I take it you two weren't sightseeing…"

"We were, but the sights we were looking for weren't on any tourist map," Gibbs grimaced.

"The op?"

"We were trying to infiltrate a Russian spy ring, and Decker was our contact agent there. We had all agree that the name Oshimaida would be the code word we were to use in the event our cover was compromised."

"And was it?"

"I always thought we got out clean, but today, at Decker's funeral, this man," Gibbs tapped one of the photos, "asked for Mr. Oshimaida- he was quite insistent about finding him."

"Coincidence," Mike shrugged and blew some smoke.

"I don't believe in coincidences, Mike, you know it."

"Yeah, I know…" Mike sighed, "I taught you not to."

"Only Decker, Jenny and I knew that name. Whoever this man was, he heard that name from Decker, and he would have used it only if he thought he was about to be killed," Gibbs said, standing up and walking to the window to look outside. "The coroner said Decker died of a heart attack, but there are many ways to simulate one. My gut tells me Decker was trying to get me and Jenny a message."

"You're next?"

"Yeah. Whoever this guy is, he believes one of us is Oshimaida and I need to find and neutralize him before he finds me…or Jenny."

Mike just nodded and smashed the cigarette in the ashtray. "You can count on me, Jethro. Where do you plan to start?"