I do not own Harry Potter, or NCIS.

Chapter 2

Ianthe Potter had finally done it. After the decline of her marriage, (and 'The Incident') Ianthe had often thought about leaving Britain. It was normal, she assumed, to want to escape from your troubles. There was so much pain and hurt, so much anger, that she knew it would eat her alive if she let it.

The final straw in her leaving the country wasn't her marriage per se. It was more that the contentious divorce negatively affected her working environment, until it had become untenable. She had been offered a couple of amazing opportunities, and had chosen to work for the FBI.

She really hoped that this would be a good move for her, personally and professionally. If she was honest with herself, (and she generally tried to be) she was scared half to death. Moving by yourself to a whole new country was way out of her comfort zone. She had left all of her friends and family- what little she had of that- behind. Hopefully she would make new friends here.

'I am never moving again!' Ianthe thought. The whole process was exhausting! Ianthe quickly opened a bottle of Alamos Malbec, a deep red wine that tasted of blackberries and plums. She turned on some music, and sipped slowly. She was contemplating ordering take out, when there was a loud knock on her door. She grinned. 'Typical LEO', she thought.

"Hush, Cloony!" She scolded, causing him to give her a pitiful whine. Damn dogs' face was so sad, he always made her feel horrible for fussing at him. She knew he did it on purpose, too! She unlocked the door, and opened it to meet who she assumed was her new neighbor. 'Wow! Silver fox alert!' Ianthe thought as she smiled warmly at him. She pulled back on Cloony's collar, just in case he decided to jump her visitor. (She wouldn't mind jumping him, either. She thought irreverantly)

"Hello. You must be Agent Gibbs. Ianthe Potter, it's a pleasure to meet you." Ianthe said, holding her hand out.

He took her hand, and she could see a flash of attraction on his face. "I can honestly say that the pleasure is all mine."

"Come in, please." She said, moving herself and the dog out of the way.

"Thank you." He said, moving to pet Cloony's head as he walked by. "Please, call me Jethro." He said, as they moved into the open living room/kitchen. He could see a bottle of wine open on the island.

"Have a seat, please. Would you like something to drink? I've got red wine, bottled water, and coke in the house." She asked.

Gibbs wasn't a big fan of wine, but he liked a glass of red occasionally. "Wine sounds good." He said.

"I'm afraid I haven't unpacked my dishes yet. I hope a plastic cup is ok." She said, gestering to a package of red Solo cups sitting on her counter.

"I'm not picky." He said, watching her pour him a cup.

"I was actually getting ready to order some pizza. Would you like to join me?" Ianthe asked.

Gibbs wondered if she was offering just to be polite, or if she wanted company. He had noticed her give him a subtle once over as he came in the door. Was she attracted to him? "That sounds great. I haven't had dinner yet." He said, deciding to take her up on her offer. She grinned at him, and handed him a cup.

"Is Supreme ok? I like a little bit of everything." She said, sitting down next to him.

"Sounds good." He said. He was slightly distracted by her proximity. This close, he noticed that she smelled like oranges and honeysuckle. It was fresh, and slightly intoxicating. After they ordered, they started talking about her new job.

"I will be starting on Tuesday. They are giving me a couple of days to settle in."

"That doesn't seem like much time. Is there anything I can help you with?" 'Like taking your clothes off?' He thought.

"Oh, thank you! I can't think of anything, but if I do I'll let you know." She said. 'I can think of many things I'd like you to help me with.' She thought.

There was a look in her eye that he couldn't place, then she looked slightly flustered. He wondered how old she was. "Fornell was saying you have a great case closure rate. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you look awfully young to head a department." He said, hoping she would tell him her age.

She looked at him impishly. "Is that your way of asking my age?"

Gibbs sputtered slightly, then recovered. "Yes, it is." He gave her a small smile.

"I am 33. I will be 34 in July." Ianthe said. Just then, the doorbell rang. The dog raised his head off of the rug and barked, then lumbered over to the door. Ianthe followed him to the door, dealing with the pizza boy.

'So. I am 17 years older than her.' Gibbs thought. 'Am I a dirty old man?'

"Did you just ask me if you were a dirty old man?" Ianthe asked, slightly incredulous.

Gibbs eyes widened. 'Did I say that out loud? Oh, shit!' "Sorry. I...I didn't mean to say that out loud." He said. "I was thinking about asking you on a date, but I am 17 years older than you. That probably makes me a dirty old man." Gibbs said, flushing slightly.

Ianthe blushed pink. "Maybe if I was 18, and you were 35. I am amazingly flattered, by the way." She said, handing him a couple of paper towels. "The first thought in my head when I answered the door was 'silver fox alert'. Does that make me a dirty young girl?" She said, then blushed hotly. 'Oh my God! Did I just say that?' She thought, mortified.

Gibbs promptly choked on his wine. They finally settled down, eating their pizza. "So, would you like to go out sometime?" He asked. Dirty old man or not, he wasn't letting this chance pass him by. She was attracted to him, and she was gorgeous. They were both beyond consenting adults. What was the harm?

"I think I'd like that very much." Ianthe said, smiling warmly at him.