Gibbs was really surprised, but slightly relieved. Abby always remembered his birthday. Every year, from the day they had met. But she seemed to have completely forgotten.
Seemed.
That was the word that made Gibbs suspicious. Maybe she really only seemed to have forgotten. What were they all planning?
The elevator stopped and opened. Gibbs approached the bullpen slowly, which gave him time to observe his team. They were all clicking away at their computers.
"Hey, boss," Tony called. "We found out who our bad guy is."
McGee engaged in their conversation. "His name is-"
"Jonathan Meyers."
"You guessed," Tony said.
"He graduated in-" McGee started.
"1983 from University of Washington," Gibbs finished McGee's sentence.
"Yeah, and now he lives in-"
"Annandale, Virginia."
"He works in-" Ziva tried too.
"In a company that makes office supplies. Go bring him in."
The whole team looked at Gibbs with their jaws dropped.
"You trying to catch flies?" Gibbs asked amusedly.
"That was really creepy, boss. What do you need us for when you already know everything?" Tony asked, his voice weak.
"I need you to keep me company," Gibbs joked. "I'm going for coffee."
And he was gone.
"That was really, really creepy," McGee commented, watching Gibbs disappear to his beloved elevator.
"It almost seems like Abby is the one who gets the facts, Gibbs the one who hears them, and we are just here for housekeeping."
"And to do paperwork."
"Yeah."
"Is he still here?" Abby yelled, running to the bullpen. The team looked at her in bewilderment.
"Is he still here?" Abby asked again, stopping abruptly in front of McGee's desk.
"No, he just left to get coffee," McGee told her, assuming she was talking about Gibbs.
Abby moaned and moved around a little, unsure of what to do next.
"Is something wrong, Abby?" Ziva asked with a hint of concern.
Abby looked at her with anxiety in her eyes.
"Yes, Ziva," she replied, then she turned back and spoke to the whole room. "The man, who is supposed to be our killer, died two weeks ago."
X
Gibbs was again in the elevator. How did he always end up in there?
He thought maybe he had been a bit impolite when he hadn't let his team give him the answers, instead giving them himself.
But yet again he figured they could live with it. If he wouldn't do that every once in a while, the job at NCIS would eventually get boring. Who could live without a bit of joking?
Gibbs stepped out of the elevator and headed out towards the coffee stall where they sold his favourite coffee. Strong and black.
He paid for a big cup and sat on a bench nearby to drink the scalding dark liquid from the white cup he was holding and to gather his thoughts.
Now he was almost sure that his team had forgotten his birthday. Not that it made him sad. He wasn't even disappointed. It was just that they had remembered every year before.
But maybe they hadn't forgotten. Maybe they had just confused the dates. Maybe they'll come to him tomorrow with balloons or something equally horrible. That would be twice as bad. To think that he has escaped it, and then get it the next day? No, Gibbs thought. That was not something he wanted.
He took a long sip of his bitter coffee. It always helped him relax. Then he stood up, still holding the half-empty cup, and headed back to the office ready to face whatever awaited him inside.
He stepped back to the cold metal box and pushed the button. The elevator started moving.
It was just like it had been in the morning. He was standing in the elevator, wondering if his team remembered their boss's birthday, and fervently hoping they didn't.
He felt his mind spinning back to the times when his birthday had been a special day. To the happy days that were long gone.
He flipped the emergency switch, leaned against the cold metal wall and slid to the elevator floor.
He remembered Kelly being excited about her daddy's birthday every year. It had been more of a joy for her than Gibbs himself, but everything that made his daughter happy made the father happy too.
He remembered Shannon smiling her gorgeous smile, a slight wind blowing her long red hair to her face. He had pushed it away gently, not wanting to miss a single moment when he could see her face, her smile.
"Happy birthday, Jethro," she whispered. Gibbs could still hear her voice as clearly as if she were beside him. He was relieved he still remembered the sound of it.
And then he had kissed her. He had never kissed anyone like he kissed Shannon. Not before her, not after her.
He had never met anyone like her again. She was special for him. He knew who she was. She was his soulmate. With Shannon, he had felt complete. Their love had been so perfect. They had a perfect life, a perfect daughter.
There were moments when Gibbs secretly wished he had died with them, and when he sat on the metal floor of the elevator, he knew it was one of those moments.
But to some extent he was already dead. A part of him had perished with the only real family he had ever had.
Gibbs allowed himself a few more moments to remember his family and then got up. He couldn't stay in that elevator forever. Finally, he realized, his team would call the security.
He flipped the emergency button back to normal and continued his ride upwards.
The elevator stopped and Gibbs stepped outside, forgetting his empty coffee cup on the floor.
I know this chapter was a bit less joyous than one would expect from a birthday fic, but the next one will be happier. Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. Please keep reviewing, it means more to me than you think.