Boondock Blues
by iheartGibbs
Written in response to the Bubba Shot the Jukebox Fanfiction Challenge (NFA)
Rating – T (PG-13)
The original challenge:
Let's go visit Ruby again!!! Because we know how much fun the gang has in the boondocks!!!
Your challenge is to take the immortal words to the song "Bubba Shot The Jukebox" and convert into an NCIS tale.
Specifics:
Length: At least 1500 words min to whatever your little fingers care to type max :)
Character requirements: Ruby must appear in a meaningful way, not just a mention.
Ships: Ducky/OFC – find him someone nice, sane, and NOT a criminal
Rating: doesn't matter as long as story is annotated
Slash: doesn't matter as long as story is annotated
Other requirements: Plot must include the scene from the song somehow, either as part of the main case or as a scene witnessed by the NCIS gang.
LYRICS TO BUBBA SHOT THE JUKEBOX
We were all down at Marge's bar tellin' stories if we had one
Someone fired the old jukebox up - the song, it sure was a sad one
A teardrop rolled down Bubba's nose from the pain the song was inflicting
All at once he jumped to his feet just like somebody kicked him
---
Bubba shot the jukebox last night
He said it played a sad song, made him cry
Went to his truck and got a .45
He shot the jukebox
Dropped it with one shot
Bubba shot the jukebox last night
---
Now Bubba ain't ever been accused of being mentally stable
So we did not draw an easy breath 'til he laid that Colt on the table
he hung his head 'til the cops showed up - he dragged him right out of Marge's
They told him, "Don't play dumb with us son, you now damn well what the charge is"
---
Bubba shot the jukebox last night
He said it played a sad song, made him cry
Went to his truck and got a .45
He shot the jukebox
Dropped it with one shot
Bubba shot the jukebox last night
---
When the sheriff arrived with his bathrobe on the confrontation was a tense one
He shook his head and said, "Bubba boy, you always was a dense one"
Now reckless discharge of a gun - that's what the officers are claimin'
Bubba hollered out, "reckless, hell! I hit just where I was aimin'"
---
Bubba shot the jukebox last night
He said it played a sad song, made him cry
Went to his truck and got a .45
He shot the jukebox
Dropped it with one shot
Bubba shot the jukebox last night
---
Well he could not tell right from wrong through the teardrops in his eyes
Beyond a shadow of a doubt it was a justifiable homicide
---
A/N: I took the title of this story from Tony's comment in the episode "Suspicion", where the team was first in the boondock town of Edenvale. Please bear in mind that throughout this story many of our small town residents will not be speaking with the structured grammar to which we have become accustomed. It's part of the character. Get over it.
---
---
Chapter 1
Special Agent Timothy McGee printed out the information he had been sent, began the process of powering down his computer, and starting gathering things and placing them in his bag.
"Um, what are you doing, Probie?" Tony asked him, his expression mirroring that of this coworker, Ziva David, who was peering inquisitively at McGee.
"Case," McGee answered simply.
"Grab your gear!" Gibbs shouted, making his way to his desk. "Nice hustle, McGee," he said, patting the younger man on the back as they headed toward the elevator.
"Where're we going, Boss?" Ziva asked curiously, as she and Tony fumbled to catch up.
Gibbs only smirked, nodding his head toward the younger man who had entered the elevator before him.
"Edenvale," McGee answered with a triumphant grin.
Tony's face fell. "Boondocks again? What, did Tyler Barrett get released and decide to set up more out-of-towners as terrorists making bombs in their garages?"
Gibbs turned on him, giving him a silencing stare. "No, Tony, two marines were murdered and dumped at the edge of the river," he said soberly.
Repentant, Tony winced and turned away from his boss to face the silver elevator doors.
"So, how did McGee…?" Ziva questioned, looking from Gibbs to McGee and back.
Gibbs interrupted with a knowing look. "I would imagine he was contacted by Roo-bee."
Tony and Ziva both turned to face the younger man. McGee blushed at their scrutiny and shifted slightly under the weight of his bag.
"What?" he asked, as if he didn't already know the answer. "We've kept in touch. I've been encouraging her," he explained.
"Oh, is that what they're calling it these days?" Ziva teased, causing Tony to chuckle and Gibbs to smirk. McGee rolled his eyes and tried to keep the blush from further darkening his cheeks.
"It's something friends do, Ziva. Friends," he emphasized.
"Sure, Probie," Tony said, pounding him on the back as they stepped off the elevator.
"Where's Ducky?" Ziva asked, looking around as she followed the others to the vehicle.
"Already on his way," Gibbs said shortly. "Called him first."
---
Sheriff Tom Barrett walked out to meet the team upon their arrival at the crime scene in Edenvale. Gibbs was pleased to see that they had been contacted in time enough to actually work the scene this time, as opposed to their last run-in with the locals.
"Agent Gibbs," Sheriff Barrett greeted, "I can't say it's a pleasure to see you again, under the circumstances."
Gibbs met his eyes, clearly asserting his authority. "Thanks for the quick call," he conceded. "What do we got so far?"
"We got a call early this morning from Wayne Packard. He works down to the local hardware store," Sheriff Barrett explained. Catching Gibbs' impatient look, he continued, "Said he saw something unusual down here. Said we outta come check it out. As soon as Ruby saw they was Marines, she told me to call you. Then y'all high-tailed it down here. You'll get more information from your man, Ducky," he pointed toward the location where Ducky and Palmer were examining the bodies.
Without a word, Gibbs briskly walked to the edge of the river where his medical examiner and assistant were laboring over the bodies of the marines. He tossed a half-smile at Ruby, who was photographing the scene. She stopped and gave him a cheerful wave.
"McGee, bag and tag. Tony, sketch. Ziva, interview Wayne Packard." Gibbs motioned to the left, where Sheriff Barrett was speaking with an older grey-haired man.
Gibbs leaned closer to the older man next to him. "What do we got, Duck?"
"Our two victims each sustained three gunshot wounds; one to the head and two to the chest. Liver temperatures suggest they expired some time around midnight last night. Of course, I cannot tell anything for certain until I get them on the table," Dr. Mallard explained, looking around the scene. "Now where did that 'man' go?"
"Beg your pardon?" Gibbs looked at his friend in confusion.
"Oh, I forgot you haven't had the pleasure," Ducky said sarcastically. "Harry Lawson. The town's coroner. He was at the scene when Mr. Palmer and I arrived, just before you. I thought I saw him near the coffee lady."
"Coffee lady?" Gibbs questioned, sure that he'd heard the other man incorrectly.
"Oh, sorry again." He paused a moment and continued perusing the area. His eyes lifted in recognition when he spied the object of his interest. "Over there. Her name is Marge."
Gibbs turned and saw a sight he had never before seen at a crime scene in his many years of investigation. A beautiful blonde woman, who looked liked she had walked straight out of a 1950's television program, was canvassing the edge of the cordoned off area and serving coffee to the men and women who had responded to the crime scene.
"You gotta be kiddin' me," Gibbs said, with a combination of frustration and amusement.
"It's excellent coffee, actually, Jethro."
Gibbs turned a speculative gaze to his medical examiner, cocking an eyebrow at the tell-tale foam cup resting next to his tools. Ducky shrugged, unrepentant.
"Only in Edenvale," Gibbs muttered.
---
"Both victims were shot with the same weapon," Ruby began to explain to the team gathered together at the Sheriff's station in downtown Edenvale; such as it were. "From the tests I ran on the slugs, it appears the gun was a .45 caliber weapon. Striations on the slugs imply there was a lot of wear on the barrel," she paused and attempted to push past the unsure expressions on the faces of the team. After a few moments, she continued, her cheeks tinged pink, "Agent McGee sent samples of everything back to Abby at NCIS, so you can get confirmation. You don't have to take my word for it." She turned her back to the room and walked out.
Gibbs raised his eyebrows in surprise, his esteem of the young girl coming up a few notches. He knew the team had a tendency to jump to conclusions as to the competency of others based certain stereotypical ideals. He also remembered the lesson they learned the last time they under estimated Ms. Ruby Rae.
"McGee!" Gibbs ordered, nodding toward the door. "Go get her."
McGee nodded his assent and left on the heels of the young lady. Unfortunately, she had a bit more of a head start that he realized, and he didn't know this town like she did. He exited the building in time to see her car speeding away from the courthouse. He headed back in to give Gibbs the bad news, shoulders slumped in defeat.
