Ellie wasn't even sure what she was doing at this party. It was some fancy gala for a non-profit that all of NCIS had been invited to, but she knew none of the others would be there. When she got her invitation, it felt like an escape, and she just happened to be in desperate need of one. It was 6 months since Qasim was murdered, and she was honestly doing okay. A lot of that was thanks to Gibbs. He had been there for her in a time when no one else really knew how.
Speak of the devil. As she scanned the room to see if there was anyone she could possibly know in this huge ballroom, her eyes stopped on the back of a familiar silver haired head. She smiled and let out a sigh of relief, once again Gibbs would be the one to save her. This time it would be from standing alone in a pretty dress. As she made her way towards him, she felt something strange in the pit of her stomach. There was an older woman all over him. She couldn't pinpoint how that made her feel, but it wasn't a great feeling.
She could tell Gibbs was uncomfortable with the attention, especially given how loud and obviously drunk the woman was. Ellie made a split second decision. She would be the one to save him tonight.
She took a deep breath, stood straighter, and walked up behind him.
"Hey honey!" She said with a smile, interlocking her fingers with his. His eyes moved from her blushing face to their hands connected between them. Before he could say anything, she stood on her tip-toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. It didn't take him as long to respond as she thought it would. He pulled away with a relaxed smile. "Hey."
"Oh, well then!" The woman who had been flirting with Gibbs said with surprise. She was looking at Ellie like she had stolen her diamond earrings. It made her smile widen. She even threw in a caddy wave of her fingers for good measure.
Once the woman had walked away, Ellie grimaced. As she turned towards Gibbs, she almost expected a head-slap. "I'm sorry," she said sheepishly. "I could tell you didn't know how to get away from her."
"You'd be right about that," he said, but there was something in his eyes that relaxed Ellie. She realized that her hand was still embarrassingly connected to his. She went to pull away, but he wouldn't budge. She looked up at him in confusion.
"You're coming with me. I can't spend this while thing being ogled by old rich women." His eyes were smiling, which was Ellie's favorite of his expressions, she decided.
"Okay, works for me," she said quietly. He gave her hand a squeeze.
"You want a drink?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes, definitely." She was absolutely glad she had decided to come to this party.