November 25th, 2006

Mclean, VA

It was the windows of her office that she liked the most. They were large and gloriously clear, giving her a view of the woods surrounding the building as well as the night sky above it. Leaning back, Carter drew her tea to her lips, the warmth of the mug the only similarity to the cups of coffee she used to have constantly, and stared, her eyes looking for Saturn amidst the stars. She smiled when she found it, taking a sip of the peppermint flavored liquid, before moving it back to her lap. Her green eyes stayed locked on the planet as the shouting started outside her door.

She'd been expecting it as soon as his calls had started to blow up her phone.

Lipton was almost yelling the loudest, that booming voice perfected after years of being in the Marines. His competition, though, had him beat, the benefit of many more of those years on his side.

Age… maturity… the thing that had drawn her to him the first time she'd read over his profile. Carter wasn't a woman with time on her hands. She and Odette orchestrate her days so Carter could get the maximum done in the limited hours available to her. Juvenile men always needed so much, they were only ever useful to her when she craved the feel of skin on skin.

Or expendable labor.

Adele and Mai Lan had entered into the fray now, prompting other voices to join in. The ruckus had the potential to turn into a melee quickly if it wasn't diffused and seeing Carter was the only thing that would diffuse this.

She reached out, pushing the button on her phone, an answering ringing immediately sounding outside her door.

"Yes, ma'am?" Carter smiled at the panicked voice of her secretary, Odette. The girl had the technological skills for this agency, but not the stomach or steely nerves needed for field action. Her loyalty ran deep though, and there was no one else Carter or her team members would want at that desk.

"You can let Agent Gibbs in Odette. It's ok." The younger girl stayed silent, almost as if she wanted to say something in reply, but eventually, she let out a breath, one Carter struggled to recognize as recognition or relief.

"Yes, ma'am."

Carter heard the phone placed back down on the hook and the click of her office door lock being released. She turned in her chair to face the door just before it swung open, Curtis Lipton's face greeting her. Carter saw Gibbs right behind him, his face unreadable, but at least smooth. She hadn't been a fan of the facial hair and had prayed it wouldn't make a random repeat appearance. Blue eyes locked on green and at that moment all the doubts and questions that were lingering in Carter's mind about what Gibbs might or might not have remembered were answered.

He knew.

Curtis hadn't stopped his staring or his blocking of the door. It made her smile slightly at the loyalty and protectiveness that man showed for her. She nodded at him, reassuring him that she knew what she was doing, before returning to watching Gibbs elbow his way past Curtis and enter her office. In response, she moved closer to the desk, maintaining it as a strategic barrier between them. She didn't stand, instead leaning forward to place her arms in front of her, blocking any good look at her.

When the door clicked closed, a strange sort of wave of expressions went through the man in front of her. He was still processing everything, she could tell, but there was no doubt in her mind he knew enough.

"Something I can do for you, Special Agent Gibbs?" She tried to start the situation off with confident levity, but she knew that wasn't the right move, but Carter had also been sitting forgotten for six months, and a part of her was bitter and unwilling to be easy.

"You know why I'm here Carter." She looked down and closed her eyes, the sound of his voice, softened as it always was when they were alone together, made her almost cry in relief.

But there was more at stake here, and she had to maintain her resolve.

"Do I?" She finally threw back, a pained smile crossing her face. He didn't return it, just continued to search her with his eyes, searching for something before he finally settled on what to say.

"Stand up."

That was the one thing she wasn't willing to do.

#####

May 25, 2004

NCIS, Washington, DC Field Office

Ari's laughter rang out of Autopsy as the doors slid shut behind Gibbs. Shooting the bastard had felt good, but he knew it meant that this would also be just another escalation in the game the two of them were playing.

One that was sure to end with one of their deaths.

"The gunshot was a nice touch. I can't say I haven't wanted to shoot him a time or two myself, but I'm impressed you actually did it." So focused on what had just happened, Gibbs had missed the black-clad figure leaning against the wall off in the corner of the hallway. The darkness of the room did nothing to help him get a good look at her, beyond the stock of red hair that lay around her face. She moved closer and he caught sight of her shapely figure.

Awe, hell was all he could think for a moment.

"Who are you?" The woman smiled and crossed her arms, seemingly amused by his question.

"The person who's in charge of getting that bastard out of here and back to his next mission."

"So, Mossad than." At that, she laughed loudly, the idea of being under the thumb of the Israelis amusing her beyond belief.

"No, no, no. I wouldn't be caught dead on their payroll. Let's just say I work for the United Nations, Special Agent Gibbs, and leave it at that." His eyes narrowed and he stepped closer to her, only a little bit surprised that the woman in front of him didn't flinch or step back.

"I don't like spooks, especially ones who help that bastard."

"Join the club. Neither myself or my team or exactly happy with patching up and shipping out Mr. Mole, but those are our orders and we do our job well." She looked him up and down for a second before returning his glare. "You can appreciate following orders you aren't exactly proud of, now can't you Gunny." The pupils of his blue eyes flared and Carter couldn't help but smile a little in satisfaction.

"Lady, you don't know what game you're playing at but-"

"I'm not playing any games, Gibbs. I just want you to know I'm on your side and I really wish I could have shot that bullet." A flash of a face from behind the autopsy door window caught her attention and she saw her team lead give her a thumb up. Hashwari was secure and her job there was done.

"And why should I care about what you think Miss…"

"Anderson. Carter Anderson." She reached out her hand for a shake and he took it skeptically, his expression still guarded. "And you should care because I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of each other."

"And why is that?"

"Well, to start, the walls between counter-espionage and law enforcement are quickly crumbling, and more and more of my time seems to be spent swimming through this alphabet soup you call Washington."

"And to finish?" Carter's smile came out in full force then, her right hand grabbing a black hair tie she'd left on her wrist and then moving to collect her hair in a messy bun on top of her head. She caught Gibbs watching her with just a hint of desire before he clamped it down.

"You just shot a maniacal and completely off-script, potentially to the point of going rouge or turncoat, man was a thirst for vengeance. And while that certainly does mean you have one hell of a set of balls on you-"His eyebrows raised at her remark "- it also means you have a target on your head, and it's my job to make sure that doesn't turn into a problem for the integrity of Ari's work."

"Oh, I can take care of myself." He leaned into her space this time, her inhale causing her to take in a whiff of his scent. She was thrown by the smell of sawdust and wood sealant he carried on him and for a second she thought about asking him about it, but Mai Lan was now standing at the door, clearly waiting for her to give the go order.

"I don't doubt that at all, Jethro, but forgive me if I don't keep an eye on things from time to time. For my peace of mind, you understand." Moving around from him she headed towards the steel doors to make her way out to the receiving bay, Gibbs eyes boring holes into the back of her head. Turning around one last time after she gestured for Mai to go ahead, she couldn't stop herself from questioning him about the sawdust.

"You seem to already know all the answers, Carter, why don't you find out yourself?" She smiled at his challenge before nodding her head and walking into the darkened autopsy bay, calling her answer out behind her.

"I think I just might Jethro… I think I just might."

I have no idea if I have any business entering this amazing fandom with these memorable characters that I probably won't do justice, but I've had this story idea for months and I had to get it out. PLEASE provide any feedback, critiques, or comments you can think of. I know it isn't much of a start, but I promise you I have a plan.