They all thought the day was going to be gloomy with a hint of rain, but they were wrong. The sky was clear and blue. The birds were chirping and somewhere, soldiers were yelling orders. For the rest of the people, who would be cutting their front lawn or eating ice-cream with their lover, this was a perfect day. But for some, this day was the end of an era.
They all decided to carry the coffin. In the end, it was the right, logical decision. They looked sad beyond words. No one ever believed to part of this day but there they were. Once the coffin was down, they all sat on their seats.
Tony sat next to Ziva. He looked at her quickly and squeezed her hand. She was like lost in her thoughts and was nowhere to be found. Tim also looked at Abby and saw her crying silently. He kissed her temple and whispered that everything would be okay. She wanted to believe that, but it was more than hard. Jimmy entwined his hands with Breena and bit his lip. Ducky crossed his fingers like he was praying and wished this would be over soon.
Fornell had found out about Gibbs' health issues way too late. He was bitter at him for keeping him out of the loop, but on the other hand, it was Gibbs. He understood his ways of actions. Fornell had given his life on his hand for so many times, that the trust was like a stubborn stain in his life – permanent.
Tom Morrow and Vance came to give their respects. Vance held the hands of his children and smiled at them. He thought about his wife and how his life had turned around. He thought about the team Gibbs left behind and felt sad for them. Facing loss was hard and moving on was even harder, but in the end, there was nowhere left to go but forward.
Gibbs' ex-wives showed up and also Hollis Mann made her appearance. None of them pledged eternal hatred towards him.
Stan took a leave of absence from his shipment to honor an old friend. He looked at Gibbs' team and smiled sadly. He thought what kind of an impact his former team leader made on them – and him.
The minister began to talk, but it seemed like no one listened.
Tim's memories took him into the orange halls of the Navy Yard, back in the time when his grandmother was a lead witness in a murder case. He had almost yelled at Gibbs for keeping Penny in custody! He wanted to question her himself, it was his relative after all. Tim had told Gibbs that his grandmother meant everything to him. Gibbs had insisted that he'd be the one interrogating her. Tim stood his ground and said Gibbs that she'd talk to his grandson. Tim remembered that moment as clear as yesterday but he didn't know the part where Gibbs walked to the observation room with a proud smile on his face.
Abby remembered the moment when she found out that she was adopted. She had felt lost and like a stranger to herself. Gibbs had told her that family was more than just DNA. She remembered his warm words and how they affected her. They made her feel safe and blessed. She remembered thinking how lucky she was to have her own Gibbs. In reality, she looked in a coffin and a part of her broke apart forever.
"You don't have to do this alone, Abby. You've got a family and we'll help you through it", she remembered his words. Now they were all that she had to rely on.
Ducky though back to the time when there had been slight bad blood between him and Gibbs. He hadn't told him about Shannon and Kelly. Gibbs had expressed his feelings towards the rule number 6, but he had ignored it and apologized Ducky for keeping a secret. He had felt appreciated. Gibbs had made an exception for him.
Jimmy remembered the first time he had endangered his life and defined the rules. Gibbs had specifically told him to stay in the car and not try any funny business. Jimmy thought that being a loser wouldn't help his friends or if a tough place would come, save them. He drove through his fear, literally. He had felt a little smart-ass when he told Gibbs that he indeed had stayed in the car. Gibbs had smiled at him. Jimmu had felt like he was worthy of something – and proud of himself.
Tony's memories took him back to Baltimore, specifically his first moments with Gibbs. He was a strange and smug NCIS agent. Tony had thought high hopes for himself but they all got wrecked. In the end, he wasn't even mad about it. Gibbs had opened Tony's eyes. The day he joined NCIS was the start of his new life. He gave the lead to Gibbs with pleasure. He made him a father-figure when his own father wasn't doing a very good job. Tony had pretended to be a tough guy with a pocket full of jokes and movie references but Gibbs saw beneath those layers. He saw the real Anthony DiNozzo, that only few people had ever seen. Tony raised his boss into a level of God that unraveled before his eyes. As time flew by, Gibbs became a just a man, but even in his weakest and fragile moments, Tony had seen the strength in him and the hero of the story. Gibbs had said that his rule number 5 said not to waste good, which Gibbs saw in Tony. He swore never to forget those words.
Ziva could see it like it was yesterday... Gibbs lying on the hospital bed, not being able to remember barely anything. With tears in her eyes, Ziva had explained how her brother had killed Kate and Ziva had shot her own brother. Slowly it came back to Gibbs and Ziva broke apart.
"You killed your brother to save me?" Gibbs had remembered.
She had said yes and started crying. She had trusted a total stranger and shot her own brother. It was still a blur to her after all these years. The trust was a tight bond that was never truly broken, no matter what, not even when Gibbs had found out that she had had orders from Mossad to earn his trust. With tears in her eyes, Ziva swore that she hadn't known about Ari's actions. Ziva was upset that the closest thing to a father was accusing her and at that point something within Gibbs slipped right back into place. The puzzle had been completed and the bond stayed as strong as it could be, until the very end.
Tony and Ziva received the folded American flag. They wanted it to be a memory to pass on for their son, so that he'd never forget where he got his name. Tony stood proudly with the flag in his arms and Ziva leaning against his shoulder.
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust", the minister pronounced.
Soldiers fired shots.
Abby began to cry.
Ziva's poker face didn't hold any longer. She turned to Tony who's eyes glistened just the same and let out a small whimper. Tony nodded kissed her cheek. She leaned against his chest and cried.
Ducky dried his tears along side of Tim and Jimmy.
The soldiers orders seemed to echo far away when the funeral finally ended. They had planned a small ceremony afterwards. It was time to say final words of honor.
Before they left the graveyard, Ducky turned to the grave and smiled, "Fair winds and following seas, my friend".
Sorry that this is again too short.
I did a lot of research about Navy funerals. I found this interesting article with different variations of the ceremonies. I picked the one that seemed the most appropriate. I don't think Gibbs had any blood relatives so I replaced them with his former team mates. That seemed natural to me. What also seemed natural was to add the flashbacks of the past. For some of the people it was hard to find a memorable and significant scene with Gibbs, but I think I managed to find something even slightly important.
I hope I got it all right.
And yeah, the end is coming soon. Hang on for a little more :)
- L
