My inside of my eyelids shined a bright orange as the morning light filled the room and I groaned. I had no wish to remove myself from this comfortable oasis of cotton sheets. Rolling over to the left end of the bed, my hand reached out blindly for a clock of sorts. My nose was buried into a pillow that had an aroma of sawdust and Old Spice. Suddenly my eyes shot open and I remembered where I was. The red lights on the old alarm clock blinked 6:13 A.M. repeatedly. Hastily putting on a pair of sweatpants from my luggage, I shuffled my way down the hall and into the kitchen, not bothering to brush my teeth.
"Coffee," I mumbled, operating the old coffee maker I had spotted yesterday and dumping two spoonfuls of coffee grind I had found hiding in a bottom cabinet. The hiss of the fresh coffee dripping was welcome in the overall silence of the house. "Nancy?" No answer. I guessed she must be roaming somewhere in the house. I waved my hand to my non- existent audience. "I'll find her later."
My eyelids drooped. It was rather peaceful here. If I hadn't known better, I would think I was in the middle of the woods, miles away from civilization on a retreat. It was the complete opposite of the normal hustle and bustle of the Capitol. My fingers drummed on the mismatched black mug I had found, the words "Number 1 Boss" painted in bright yellow on it. I traced the letters. No doubt a gift from Tony or Tim. It didn't seem Ziva's style.
The coffee maker shrieked a high note, signaling the coffee was done. I pour the dark brown liquid in my mug that already had a pile of sugar sitting at the bottom. There was no milk in the fridge so I found myself sipping black coffee.
I coughed and gagged at the bitter taste on my taste. It was as if I had swallowed pure coffee beans. Abandoning the mug on the corner, I took to the sink to thoroughly rinse out my tongue. Obviously Gibbs' blend was too strong for normal consumption. Minorly annoying but fully awake now, I headed back to the bedroom and went to brush my teeth in the nearby bathroom. Splashing water on my face, I noticed the mirror medicine cabinet and peeked inside. There was Old Spice, a cheap brand of deodorant, shaving cream and razor as well as some spare toothpaste. I took a tube and squeezed some of the white substance onto my brush. As I brushed, I couldn't help looking around. There were no decorations on the walls except for a single frame crayon drawing. It hang directly behind and depicted three stick figures sitting on what look like a poorly drawn picnic blanket with red and white checkers. Two of the figures had brown scribbles for hair while the other had bright orange lines on either side of its face. Spitting into the sink, my mind flashed back to the framed photo on the nightstand.
I walked back to the kitchen, this time planning to drink water for the sake of my taste buds. I reached over for the mug of coffee to dump the far too strong coffee down the sink. My hands reached at nothing. The mug was gone.
My stomach instantly knotted and I spun around nervously. I probably just emptied it out automatically…right? "Nancy?" I shouted, feeling the need for some canine protection. There was a muffled bark but not from the location I was expecting. It sounded like it was coming from below the house. I shook my head in confusion. Suddenly aware of the fact that I was indeed alone in a strange house, I took a knife from one of the kitchen drawers and began walking toward the sound of the bark I had just heard. Nancy barked again, ending the sound in a whine. My heart hammered in my chest.
This time I could tell it came from a door passed most of the bedrooms and toward the back of the house. Hesitantly, I opened the door slowly, revealing an old wooden staircase. My head popped in and I found myself looking at the huge skeleton of a boat. Gibbs was seated on its right side, sanding something down based on the scratching noises I heard. Nancy was at his feet, looking at me and wagging her tail in excitement. The coffee mug from earlier was resting on a stool nearby.
I carefully went down the stairs; they creaked with every step. It was only when I reached the bottom that Gibbs finally lifted his head and nodded to me. "Morning," He said shortly. His eyes flickered from my face to the knife in my hand.
I blushed, realizing how I must look. "I…um," I stepped forward and set the knife down next to the mug. "I thought you might still be at NCIS…" my voice trailed off and I pressed my hands to my red cheeks.
He slowly rose up from his seat and made his way to the stool with the mug. Raising it to his lips, his eyes twinkled a bit. I had a sense he was amused. "Thanks for the coffee."
AN: I struggled writing this but ah well. It needed to be done xD kinda short and choppy - sorry. Anyways, if you guys had any episodes you might like to see featured in this story, let me know! So far I only have Requiem in mind so please share your thoughts :)