Going the Distance

Disclaimer:
As always, I own nothing save for the ideas expressed in this story. I have also changed Covert Affairs's Annie Walker to Annie Gibbs for the purposes of this story.

Rating:
M (for … well … sex …)

Genre:
Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Family (with a kiss of angst)

Pairing:
Augnie (Auggie/Annie)
Tibbs (Tony/Gibbs)
Jibbs (Jai Wilcox/Leroy Jethro Gibbs)

Lyrics Used:
HIM "Death Is In Love With Us"

Death Is In Love With Us

I know it hurts too much | I know that you're scared | I know you're running out of trust | Wishing you were dead

In your misery | You're not alone | So come share your tears with me | And, witness it all go wrong

I know it and I feel it | Just as well as you do, Honey | It's not our fault if death's in love with us oh oh | It's not our fault if the reaper holds our hearts

Annie Gibbs' ears were still ringing as she stood uncomfortably at her brother's door – the door to the home he shared with his life partner, Jai Wilcox. She had no idea how she was supposed to tell her brother that the man that he loved was dead. As she replayed the events that had transpired, that afternoon, she couldn't help noticing the resemblance to the death of Gibbs' first wife. It's Shannon all over again … She thought to herself, before drawing a deep breath and summoning the courage to knock on the front door.

Upon hearing the knock at his front door, Leroy Jethro Gibbs was instantly on edge. He'd begun to worry when his partner hadn't returned home from work. Gibbs knew that Jai wasn't on any sort of op – Jai always called or texted to let him know he'd be away for a while with the promise to be in touch ASAP. So, he should have been home for dinner. And, when he wasn't, Gibbs began to worry. And, when he heard the tentative knock on his front door, he couldn't deny that he'd begun to panic. It couldn't be Jai – Jai lived there. There was no reason for him to knock. That meant it could only be one thing – as much as Gibbs prayed to whatever deity may have been listening that he was wrong. Finally, he opened the door to see his baby sister, Annie, standing before him. Knowing that Jai and Annie worked together, Gibbs couldn't deny it any more. She could only be there with bad news about Jai.

"Hey, Leroy." Annie offered, lamely. She was trying to keep her voice light, but, Gibbs had always been able to see right through her.

"What're ya doin' here, Annie?" Gibbs whispered, his voice quiet and tight with fear as he clung to the door for support – feeling his knees trembling.

"What?" Annie offered, feigning an innocent, light-hearted, tone as she spoke. "A girl can't just come see her older brother?" She offered, knowing Gibbs would see right through her bull – just as he always did. "Maybe I just missed y-"

"Cut the crap, Annie!" Gibbs snapped, his voice cracking and hitching audibly as he braced himself for the blow.

Sighing, heavily, Annie gave up the charade. "All right, I will." She finally conceded. "But, not here … Can I come in?"

One look in Annie's eyes and Gibbs knew this wasn't the type of conversation he wanted to have, here, standing in his front doorway. Reluctantly, he stepped aside for Annie to enter his home. Once they'd made their way into the living room, Annie lowered herself onto the couch as Gibbs lowered himself down onto the cushion next to her. As he did, he couldn't help noticing the way she was wringing her hands, nervously. "What're ya doin', here, Annie?" Gibbs repeated, quietly … For the first time in a long time … Leroy Jethro Gibbs was scared.

Annie remained silent a moment longer as she searched for the right words for what she had to say. Funny thing happened, at work, today, Leroy! You're really gonna laugh! Your boyfriend got blown up by a bomb planted in his car! Isn't that a riot?! But, she just couldn't find an easy way to deliver her news, so, she just opted for straight honesty. She knew Gibbs would rather she just be open and honest with him as opposed to beating around the bush. Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she'd taken, Annie began to recall the events of the day. "Jai left a note on my desk, at work, today … Asking me to meet him at the Vesta diner, just on the outskirts of town. … " She began, carefully. "When, he got there … And, I asked him why we couldn't discuss whatever it was he wanted to talk to me about at Langley, he told me it was because what he wanted to say was about Langley."

Gibbs was confused, but, trusted that his sister would get to the point of why this had to do with Jai not being home. "What was it?" He asked, curiously, hoping it would distract him from his worry about his lover. So, far … It wasn't working.

"He never told me." Annie pointed out, taking her brother's confused countenance as a cue to elaborate. This was the part of the conversation she'd been dreading. "He said he didn't wanna discuss it, there, and said that he'd drive. … We got up and I started to follow him to his car and the waitress told me that I'd forgotten my umbrella at the table. I went back to get it, and, the next thing I knew, I was being knocked down by a wall of heat and covered in the shards of the shattered window."

Gibbs would have sworn he'd felt his heart actually stop beating inside his chest. No … No, this can't be happening … Gibbs told himself. Even though, he'd known something like this could happen – hell, it was an occupational hazard in both their professions – but, that still didn't mean he was prepared to actually hear it. And, the timing couldn't have been worse. Just that morning, Gibbs had been given the greatest news he'd gotten in a long time.

"Jethro!" The doctor greeted him. "What can I do for you" She added, jovially. She appeared to be Gibbs' own age, an average height, with long, dark brown hair streaked bits of silver that fell beneath her shoulders. She possessed a persona that made Gibbs feel at ease around her – a sort of no-nonsense personality balanced with a cheeky sense of humor. Dr. Foken was not one to tap dance around an issue, and, he respected her for that.

"Well, Rosalie …" Gibbs began, trying his best to avoid getting his hopes up. He'd heard that this could happen to certain men – men that were built a certain way. He'd never been tested, but, he was beginning to suspect that he may be one of those men. "Been feelin' a little queasy in the mornings, my coffee suddenly gives me a rather violent urge to empty the contents of my stomach … And, just yesterday, I nearly blacked out at a crime scene." Gibbs remembered the moment disturbingly fondly. He tried not to think about the way DiNozzo's strong arms felt, wrapped around him, as they caught him before he hit the pavement. He loved Jai and thinking of DiNozzo that way was completely inappropriate. Shaking his head, he cleared his mind as he decided to focus on the here and now.

"All right, Jethro, I'm just going to do an over-all exam on you and we'll draw some blood samples and we'll see if we can't come up with any answers for you." Dr. Foken replied, trying not to smile to herself, as she snapped on a pair of exam gloves. She had her suspicions, but, she didn't want to reveal them until she had the evidence to back them up.

Gibbs sat back and complied with all of the doctor's orders as she completed her examination of him – frustrated that the process seemed to be going at an agonizingly slow rate – until she finally began to ready the vials and the needle for the bloodwork. He couldn't explain the relief that washed over him when Dr. Foken finally instructed him to roll up his sleeve. Once she'd inserted the needle into his arm, he waited with a patience that surprised him as he watched his blood fill a series of three small vials before she extracted the needle, covering the puncture wound with a cotton ball and white adhesive gauze.

"Okay, Jethro … We're all finished, here." Dr. Foken spoke, finally, as Gibbs literally hopped down off of the exam table. "I will get these straight off to the lab." Sensing Gibbs' anticipation, she smiled softly as she added "Don't worry … I'll make sure they're priority one." She offered, gently. "And, I will call you the minute I get the results."

"Thanks, doc." Gibbs replied, smiling as he could almost feel himself vibrating with excitement and anticipation as he eagerly awaited the doctor's phone call as he left to return to work.

Returning to the Navy Yard, Gibbs couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed that it was a painfully uneventful day. He'd hoped for a crime scene to take his mind off his anticipation and to pass the time until Dr. Foken called him with his test results. When the phone finally did ring, Gibbs pretended not to notice the stares from his team as he almost jumped across his desk to snatch the phone from its cradle. "Gibbs!" He barked, admittedly a little too eagerly.

"Jethro!" Dr. Foken greeted brightly. "Do you have a minute?" She asked, curiously.

"Course!" Gibbs replied, feeling his heartrate quicken as he anxiously awaited her news. "Whaddaya got for me?" He questioned.

"Well, I got test results for you." Dr. Foken replied, cheerily. "And, I do believe congratulations are in order, Mr. Gibbs." She added, taking admittedly just a little too much enjoyment out of making the federal agent squirm. "Congratulations, Jethro! … You're pregnant!" The good doctor replied, barely able to contain her smile.

And, in that moment, time seemed to stand still around Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He couldn't believe it. His suspicions had been correct. But, he still couldn't believe that he was really pregnant. He'd never though something like this would ever be possible for him. Sure, he'd always been attracted to both sexes. But, until he'd met Jai Wilcox, he never would have seen himself truly falling for another man – or anyone else, for that matter. He'd never fully given himself over to anyone else after Shannon – he'd been afraid of getting hurt. But, with Jai, he'd finally let go of all his defenses. And, they were ridiculously happy. But, now … Now, they were about to start a family, together. Jethro couldn't imagine how anything could be better than this. "Pregnant?" He repeated, his voice scarcely above a whisper and – thankfully – inaudible amid the mix of various office sounds around him.

"Bloodwork confirms it." Dr. Foken replied, happily. "And, from the looks of things, I'd say you're about seven weeks along." She elaborated. "Give or take a day or two …" She added, cheekily.

Tracing back in time, Gibbs smiled as he realized he must have conceived on the night of his and Jai's fifth anniversary. Jethro recalled that night, fondly.

He'd never been a fan of over-the-top romantic gestures. But, he couldn't explain the fluttering in his chest when he saw the trail of rose petals leading up the stairs and into the bedroom. Once there, he'd seen the entire room illuminated by countless votive candles scattered around the room. Jai came out of the en suite bathroom dressed in his favorite black silk robe – which he left open – revealing that he was fully naked underneath. "Welcome home, Jethro." Jai smiled, as Gibbs began shedding his clothes as he sauntered across the room before embracing his lover in his arms – kissing him hungrily. The passion was all-consuming as they stumbled across the bedroom – shedding more clothing along the way – until they both tumbled onto the bed, fully naked, where the kisses and touches slowed and became more deliberate. They took their time exploring each other's familiar bodies as if they were brand new all over again. They'd made love, that night. It wasn't the hot, wild, and untamed passion that they both enjoyed. It was purely romantic passion. Every touch filled with the unspoken tenderness and devotion they shared with one another. Their love-making was slow and gentle. Neither of them was in any hurry. They were just enjoying the love and passion evident in every tender touch and caress. Finally, Jai expertly flipped Jethro onto his stomach as he prepared his lover's opening with great care and gentility. He took his time slicking fingers with their favorite lubricant before he resumed nibbling gently on Jethro's earlobe – lost in the delicious moans escaping his lover's lips – as his fully erect penis moved into position to slowly enter Jethro.

As he entered his lover, Jai noticed this time felt different. Different from every other time he'd been intimate with Jethro. But, his mind was too hazy to try to comprehend why. What he hadn't realized was the fact that his penis had found a new opening he'd never previously known existed between Jethro's testicles and his anus.

Jethro was acutely aware of the difference as he cried out in both shock and unexpected pleasure as a whole new opening he didn't know he had was forced open. It was a delicious new experience and Jethro quickly lost himself in the sensations.

Jethro shookhis head to clear his mind, as he focused on the wonderful news he'd just been given. "Thanks, doc." He replied, his voice tightening around the lump in this throat, as he hung up the phone.

Knowing that he would never be able to concentrate, now, Gibbs looked around the room and decided that his team could hold down the fort and if anything did come up, they could call him if they needed him. Making up his mind, he grabbed his coat, his gun, and his badge and left in an undeniably giddy hurry, ignoring the questions and calls from his team.

Gibbs had been over the moon when he'd gotten the news. He couldn't wait for Jai to get home for him to share the joyous news with him. They'd been talking about wanting to start a family and, ironically enough, Gibbs had been meaning to get tested to see if he would even be able to conceive and carry a child ever since they'd learned that Jai was unable to do so. He wasn't sure if it was the news of his lover's death or the pregnancy hormones raging out of control – he suspected a little of both – but, Jethro remained silent for a moment before a violent sob exploded out of him. The subsequent sobs continued to wrack his body as he collapsed into Annie's waiting arms.

Annie simply held her brother in her arms – letting him cry out everything he was feeling in that moment. She knew she could never fully appreciate what her brother was going through. But, she also knew that bottling it all up inside wasn't healthy for him. That was why she was so relieved that Jethro was letting himself cry this all out, now, rather than later. She wanted to be there to comfort him through it the best that she could. However, she was soon confused by her brother's next statement.

"Of all the times …" Gibbs muttered, brokenly, sniffling as he pulled away from Annie to look her in the eye.

"Whaddo you mean?" Annie asked, curiously.

"I went to the doctor, this morning …" Gibbs elaborated, his voice thick and watery. Annie realized she'd forgotten all about her brother's appointment, that morning. Though, she figured that was understandable, given that she'd survived an explosion, that afternoon.

"Oh my God, Jethro!" Annie exclaimed, apologetically. "I can't believe I forgot about your appointment, today!" She added, remaining quiet for a moment before voicing her question. "How did it go?" Annie knew that now might not have been the best time for that, particular, question. But, she had hoped it might provide her brother with a much-needed distraction.

Jethro looked in Annie's eyes with a look in his own piercing blue orbs that his baby sister had never seen before – not even after he lost Shannon and Kelly. "I'm pregnant." Gibbs replied, his voice broken and devoid of the joy that had been there mere hours ago. Devoid of any emotion at all.

Suddenly the gravity of it all came crashing down on Annie all at once. She couldn't even begin to imagine what her brother had to be going through. To find out that he and the man that he loved were going to have a baby to learning that his lover had been murdered. "Oh, God … Leroy …" Annie breathed, awestruck.

Gibbs drew in a shakey breath, trying to pull himself back together, again – to compose his thoughts. "Who?" He inquired, quietly, not trusting his voice to fuction properly at any higher volume.

Annie had been dreading that question. But, it was exactly what she expected of her big brother. She figured that Jethro would try to treat Jai's death the same way he would any other murder laid at his feet to try to distract himself from dealing with the fact that he'd just lost the man that he loved and the father of his unborn child. "Leroy, you know-"

"GODDAMN IT, ANNE!" Gibbs shouted in a sudden outburst of rage as he leapt off the couch to pace across the living room. "JUST TELL ME … WHO THE HELL MURDERED MY PARTNER! THE MAN THAT I LOVE! THE FATHER OF MY UNBORN CHILD!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, as he pointed to his still flat stomach – his anger running away from him and running wild. And, in that moment, Leroy Jethro Gibbs just didn't give a damn anymore.

Annie Gibbs deserved an Oscar for remaining the epitome of calm, cool, and collected as he brother screamed at her at the top of his lungs. Though, she was a little taken aback by the use of her formal name. His anger left a wild look on his face and in his eyes that would have paralyzed any lesser person with absolute and utter terror. Annie, to her credit maintained her composure even under the famous Gibbs stare. "Leroy, you know better than anyone that – even if I DID have any promising information that I couldn't share it with you!" She explained, calmly, with a firm note of confidence in her voice. Rising to her feet, she halted her brother's pacing as she spoke, once more. "You know that this is a CIA investigation! … Not NCIS! The information pertaining to the investigation is strictly need-to-know!"

"AND, I NEED-TO-KNOW WHO THE HELL MURDERED THE MAN THAT I LOVE!" Gibbs demanded. Annie sighed. She couldn't help sympathizing with her big brother. She knew that – in his shoes – she'd be desperate for answers, too.

Gripping her brother by the elbows, Annie made sure to ground him as she spoke – her eyes boring straight into his. "And, I promise you, Leroy … As soon as I know … You'll know." She assured her brother. The sincerity in her eyes and in her voice told the elder Gibbs that his baby sister was telling him the truth. He knew she would never keep the name of his lover's killer secret from him.

As Gibbs released a long, deep, shuddering, sigh, Annie watched the angry tension bleed from his body as he collapsed into her arms, once more. "I know." He sobbed, quietly. "I know."

Author's Note:
I'm still relatively new to NCIS fanfiction. So, please be kind. And, don't forget to drop a review! This is technically a crossover between NCIS and Covert Affairs, however, it will be focusing more on NCIS. The Covert Affairs aspects will mostly be a background plot. The story will focus more on Tony and Gibbs' developing relationship.

~Skye Coulson