Chapter One: She Should Have Stayed an Agent
Following Kill Ari Part 1 and 2
The telltale swoosh of the sliding glass doors was the only signal of an arrival in autopsy. Dr. Donald Mallard glanced over his shoulder at his entering guest; Gibbs was at his side before the doors closed. The ME smiled at his old friend, glad for his company, but confused by his presence. Their latest case had just been closed, the murderer caught and the victim's body shipped home to a proper internment.
So it was surprising for the team leader to venture down to autopsy so late and without obvious purpose.
"Jethro!" Ducky greeted him. "Everything squared away, I trust?" Ducky knew his friend well enough to know there was a reason for this visit, whether it was stated or not. However, if that reason had anything to do with a case that he had worked or would soon be working, Gibbs would quickly let it be known with his familiar, "What have you got for me, Duck?"
The silver haired man nodded once. "Case is done," he confirmed, moving away from the desk where the doctor sat and fiddling idly with the surgical instruments lining the autopsy table. He offered nothing more, as was typical of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
Suspecting that the conversation was yet to begin, Ducky shuffled aside the paperwork on his desk. It appeared that this visit was not due to professional motivation. And that meant it was personal motivation that brought the silent man to his haven. And with Gibbs one never knew what that meant.
If he had to gander about the oncoming subject matter, Ducky would wager it had to do with the familiar redhead now sitting behind the director's desk upstairs. While Gibbs was a highly private individual, Ducky was a friend he would and had confided in. And a good number of these infrequent heart to hearts had involved Jennifer Shepard.
Deciding to breach the subject himself, the medical examiner swiveled his chair to face his friend. "Thinking about our new director?" It was perhaps a tactless way to begin, but Jethro had never been the type who appreciated subtlety.
Gibbs' hand stilled momentarily and then swept along the table's edge as he paced the large room. He was quiet so long that one who didn't know him so well might have repeated the question. Ducky merely penned his signature to some important forms as he waited. Finally, Gibbs answered. "She should have stayed an agent."
The doctor's eyes lighted across the room to land on Gibbs. He shrugged easily. "Jennifer was always one for big dreams. This job is one she's worked hard for."
It was impossible to tell, of course, but he could almost swear he saw a hint of visible pain pass through Gibbs' eyes. "She was a good agent," he said at length.
"Trained by the best," Ducky smiled. "But I do believe she'll be a fine director as well. Heaven knows we need the best in that job."
The younger man made his way back to Ducky's desk, his hand now trailing the edge of the sink. He nodded once, acknowledging the truth of this statement, then shook his head with a soft snort. "I just can't see her staying behind a desk."
Ducky stacked the papers before him, slipping them into the appropriate files. Gibbs had a valid point. Over their years working together, Jenny had been a dynamic agent, never afraid to get her hands dirty if it meant getting the job done. Of course, her new political playing field would be far from clean.
"Just because it's a job you'd never set foot in, doesn't mean it takes any less skill." He looked pointedly at his colleague. "Or bravery."
Gibbs scratched distractedly at his hairline. He let out a lingering breath, audible in the still morgue. "She should have stayed an agent," he repeated with quiet finality.
"Blast it, Jethro!" Ducky said, rising and facing his friend. "Do you mean she should have stayed an agent, or that she should have stayed with you?"
The Marine remained motionless for long seconds. His gaze was directed past the doctor, seeing instead, the ME suspected, visions of European adventure and Parisian nights. "Yeah, well," Gibbs said, his blue eyes now boring holes into Ducky, "She didn't stay."
That was all he said before spinning away in one of his fast paced exits. Ducky sank into his chair and let out a sigh as the doors whooshed into place.