Title: Sympathetic Fibers
Author: Tearsofamiko
Rating: K+ (will likely rise)
Disclaimer: Don't own them, but they're ever so fun to play with.
Spoilers: No
Summary: AU Jibbs. When a Marine Gunnery Sergeant and his wife are killed, leaving their little girl as the only witness, Gibbs meets the ones who can change his life for good, if only he can see beyond the past.
A/N: I've decided to write an AU Jibbs tale! Might be slow going at points, because it's also kinda a casefic and I've never written a detailed one of those before. Try to have patience, especially since my classes start on Monday. I'll try my best, though; I got a really good outline, so actual writing shouldn't be too hard. Hints on writing are welcome, though. ;D
.:::.
"We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results." – Herman Melville
.:::.
"Jeff! Shelley! Kelsey! Hey, guys! Guys?"
Her voice echoed through the quiet house, the only response to her queries. Frowning at the unease filling her, she turned and shut the front door, closing out the half-lit yard. Glancing into the dining room, she took in the place settings on the table before turning and stepping into the family room.
"Jeff? Somethin' going on? Where—" The words caught in her throat as she registered the scene before her. Horror swept over her, froze her in place as she stared at the chaos and blood in the tastefully decorated room she knew so well. Tears welled in her eyes, thankfully obscuring the scene, and she felt her knees wobble, threatening to send her to the floor. Despite her training and experience, it was all too much and only by clinging white-knuckled to her resolve and the doorframe did she stay on her feet. She trembled, sobs building deep in her chest.
As the crimson light from the setting sun washed over the room, training took over and she took a shaking step forward into the room. Carefully avoiding the broken furniture, mentally recoiling from images of what might have happened, she made her way to the crumpled forms near the fireplace and knelt between them. With cold, numb fingers, she felt for the pulse points in their throats, stubbornly refusing to look into their dull, glassy eyes. A sob broke free as tangible proof confirmed what she already knew. Sinking back on her heels, the grief rolled over her, consuming her as she stared into the light of the setting sun.
When she finally found her way back to herself, the room was filled with the strange gray light of twilight and her feet were numb underneath her. A nagging thought fluttered at the back of her mind and she frowned, looking unseeingly at the chaos surrounding her. Then, with a gasp, she stumbled to her feet, tearing out of the room fast enough that her heels slid on the hardwood floor. She clambered up the stairs, bruising her knee once as she tripped before kicking her heels off and running through the hallway. Catching herself on a doorframe, she stared into the room, breath sobbing in her lungs as panic took control. Frozen in the doorway of the empty room, she forced herself to listen, to carefully search, holding her breath to hear better. Straining her ears, she slowly stepped into the room, a small sound raising hope within her chest. Her knees weakened again even as she threw herself toward the room's closet, collapsing in front of the door as she tugged it open.
"Kelsey!" she breathed in relief, clutching the sobbing child to her chest , too overwhelmed by everything to do more than cling to the warm body in her arms and let the tears come.