What's Yours Is Mine, What's Mine Is Yours

An NCIS oneshot

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The NCIS characters belong to Donald P. Bellasario, not to me. Sometimes a charrie's early line turns into gold for your ship later on. XD Read, review, and enjoy! *Note: This is set in my "20 Winks" universe and comes long after the oneshot, "Minor Details," but this can be enjoyed on its own~ I just highly rec reading the previous stories first for major feels. :3c

- ^-^3

Knight barely managed to lift her boot to nudge his door shut behind them, exhaustion sinking deep into her bones as she took the arm Parker held out for her. Her tiredness flowed out from her fingertips into him from where they touched. "I…am completely done with explosions and people seeking revenge," she declared.

Parker's mouth quirked up, just the right corner, while he took in the sight of her in one quick sweep and reached around Knight with his free hand to get the locks. "I'd like to say they're done with you, too, but our track record's not looking too great," he quipped.

She stared up at him without craning her head, so he got the full effect of her unamused expression. "Not the time to remind me, Alden."

He exhaled, heavily, and drew her to him, prying her claw-like grip from his arm and not minding when she clutched his back instead. A hug was better right now, anyway—better than a small point of contact, better than words.

Better, because Parker finally got to have Knight in his arms properly, and not because the world was crashing down around them.

He mulled that thought over for a beat. Months and months ago, he'd gotten to hold Knight like this, once before. But that had been a result of trouble at the hands of…well, they still hadn't determined that, actually. The Raven? His Unkindness? Steven Jang, former member? Someone else entirely? And Parker had held Knight then because explosions had rained down part of a parking garage on them.

They'd been lucky to escape the concrete cascade and subsequent tomb with their lives. Parker's head had gotten a few extra knocks during the initial fall, sure, and sometimes Knight or the others glanced at him with worry if he took too long to answer them, but he'd recovered fully. He'd recovered, Knight's minor wounds had healed, and they… Actually, he and Knight were better than ever.

Knight pulled away a bit at the same time Parker did, looking up at him again. He still felt the tension and tiredness in her arms around him, though, so he pressed a brief kiss to her lips. "You can get a proper night's rest tonight, Jess."

"Mm, but can I?" She sighed and let him go, dragging her feet to his worn, black, leather couch set dead center in his living room. Knight sank into the couch's middle and half toppled over. "I dunno—I still feel wide awake."

He snorted and toed his shoes off by the door before joining her. "Spending the last seventy-two-plus hours working on a case where you were the intended victim… I guess I can see how you might still have some adrenaline pushing you forward."

Knight straightened up, draping an arm on the couch's back and turning her body to face Parker. She pouted and furrowed her brow. "They blew up my apartment."

He frowned at the reminder. "But we quickly discovered 'they' were executing favors cashed in by Dalton from behind bars."

She huffed and ran a hand through unkempt hair. Parker thought he heard Knight mutter a curse under her breath as she stared at a fixed point on the couch leather. "…damn Tom. Dalton," she corrected. Parker had noted she'd been forcing herself in earnest to drop the familiarity with her former mentor the last several days, but it was still a work in progress. "Damn him and his stupid ties to law enforcement, making me hole up at the office."

Parker shed his blazer and reached for the fist Knight had clenched in her lap. "Hey. That was the best place to protect you, Jess, and you know that." He raised his eyebrows until she rolled her eyes and conceded with a nod.

What he didn't point out was how having Knight at NCIS had made it easier to assign her a protective detail she wouldn't shake. Parker vaguely recalled Special Agents Finley and Dawkins from his time in the hospital after the garage explosion, but Knight got on well with the pair of agents, apparently precisely because of that time, so Parker considered that a win. Additionally, Ronnie and Sawyer had assisted with their watch shifts during the night.

As for the rest of the MCRT—well, Parker still kept his foot down when it came to McGee and working overtime, since the guy had a family to go home to. But whether McGee was at the office with them or Parker had just Torres as his second set of eyes, they had Knight's back. Yes, she'd had a protective detail throughout the investigation, but Parker had assured her that he, Torres, and McGee would keep an extra eye on her detail, for reasons she'd just stated.

Of course, keeping an eye on her detail while working the case had come with its own perks. Being part of Knight's detail and not just working the case like usual had allowed Parker and Knight more moments at the office together, had allowed them to be closer, more often and in a way that didn't arouse much suspicion. Though it'd felt like a small consolation, given that deep dives into Ronnie's, Sawyer's, Finley's, and Dawkins' backgrounds hadn't crossed them fully off Parker's list during the case. Tom Dalton had the uncanny ability to make friends and acquaintances in a hot minute, even if not every last said friend or acquaintance necessarily owed him anything.

"But," Parker began, shoving the memory of briefly meeting the bastard in prison to question Dalton aside and instead running a comforting hand along Knight's upper arm, "that protective detail's over now. We got Dalton's for-hires, we did our due diligence and found no loose ends—we can put this case behind us, Jess."

She mustered half a smile for him. "You're just glad I've simmered down," she poked with a chuckle in her voice.

Parker didn't deny that. He flashed back to a couple days earlier, when they first arrived at the scene to find a soot-stained Knight and every agency outside her apartment building—

—and she stamped her foot on the curb, still too close to the building despite the fire crew constantly herding people away. It wasn't until Parker and the others arrived that Knight could be pulled from the mess that was…had been…her apartment. "Son of a bitch!" she snarled, her eyes still glued to the hole in the cream-colored stucco where her window had been.

Parker kept tugging, gently, on her elbows, and even Torres poked at her back to move her along. "Knight, how bad are you hurt?" Parker asked.

She did a double-take at him, as if finally realizing he was there. Knight grabbed a handful of his NCIS jacket to steady herself and then, seeing not only Torres but McGee and Jimmy, too, let the fabric go. She shook her head. "I'm—I'm fine. I'm—"

He settled her with a dry look. "Did you let one of the EMTs look you over yet?"

Even with her face darkened by grime, Knight visibly paled. He knew her well.

Parker caught Jimmy's eye, and the doctor hustled over. "Jimmy, if you would."

"Of course, Parker. Jess—"

But Knight found her voice again. She glared at them. "I told you, I'm fine!" She threw a hand behind her, where the fire had died out but black smoke billowed outside. "We have better things to be doing right now!"

"And the rest of us will offer NCIS' resources to the other agencies who arrived first," Parker said, his tone even but straining against his own irritation. Bad enough he'd gotten used to seeing Knight in dire straits. The last thing he wanted was for her to ignore an injury that turned serious later.

She flared her nostrils and glared up at him. "People—my neighbors, people I know and some I even like—got hurt." She paused, and he could hear the implied "Alden" she normally might've tacked on for emphasis there. "If someone wants me, they better just come after me and not get others involved!"

Parker gritted his teeth, matching her glare.

But it was Torres who interrupted with the obvious: "Uh, Jess, can you not shout an invitation to anyone who might be listening?"

Knight smiled now, pulling Parker from the reverie. "While I'm happy to be kicking back here at last…I am surprised Director Vance didn't make me keep the detail for a few more days, while the Cyber team finishes their deep dive into Dalton's background and his associates."

"If Cyber hasn't pulled up anything by now, I doubt there's anything to find," Parker remarked. "Plus, with Vance, we did shoot that offer down." He raised his eyebrows again, but this time it was accompanied by a smirk and a quick glance around his condo.

She laughed. "All right, point taken. I do prefer being here without other agents snooping around and wondering why I'm not holing up at some hotel or crashing at my sister's."

It was something Parker didn't want to imagine, either. Although the scene with Vance barely an hour ago replayed clearly in his mind—

—and Vance stood behind his desk in his office, hands clasped behind his back, eyeing all four members of Parker's team. Finley and Dawkins stood outside Vance's door, still on duty at the moment. "Congratulations on a job well done," the director told them.

There was a collective sigh of relief though none escaped them, although Parker thought he heard McGee exhale behind him, sitting at the conference table. Still, the minor, remaining tension in Vance's office dissipated.

"It's always a dark day to put away one of our own or to add charges," Vance continued, "but the reward is far greater." The last part he said with a nod to Knight on Parker's right.

Even with an inch between them, Parker felt her relax, and Knight smiled. "Thank you, Director."

Vance glanced at a form on his desk. "Former Supervisory Special Agent Dalton will be moved to a different federal facility and have no contact except with his lawyer for the time being, given his new charges." He lifted his dark eyes and looked between Knight and Parker. "That said, I am inclined to keep Special Agent Knight's protective detail in place for a bit long—"

"Ah—" Parker began.

"That's not necessary!" Knight blurted at the same time.

Vance blinked at them and straightened a little; behind them, also at the conference table with McGee, Torres shifted in his seat. Parker thought he heard one of Torres' familiar little snickers. "It's not, Agent Knight?"

"No! No, no, no," she said with a little too much enthusiasm. Knight put her hands up, dismissing the idea and bumping into Parker at the same time, close as they stood. Out of the corner of his eye, Parker noted how much color flooded her cheeks. "That is— I mean, during the case was one thing. But now? We've closed it, right? You just said so yourself. We did a good job. So we don't really need to burn through more resources, and everyone could use a rest right now."

Parker took that notion and ran with it. "She's got a point," he piped up. "If there's anyone else, they'd be stupid to come after her while we're on high-alert and expecting something. Besides—" He gestured behind him to McGee and Torres before motioning to himself. "None of us are that far from Jess. She's still in good hands," he added, realizing half a beat late his slipup.

Perhaps Vance hadn't noticed Parker's use of her first name? Vance looked at Knight instead. "My understanding is that your apartment will be unlivable for a while yet, Agent Knight. You have another place to stay?"

"Yep." She didn't supply details, just smiled.

The director nodded. "Very well. If you change your mind, know the offer still stands. You're all dismissed. Have a good night, all of you."

They mumbled their thanks, and Knight ushered the other two from the table. Parker heard Torres snickering again and Knight hissing, "Shut up, Nick!" as Parker went to leave with them.

But Vance stopped him. "Agent Parker?"

He turned on his heel. A funny lump formed in his throat while Director Vance's eyes rested on him, too curious.

At last, Vance broke the tension with one of his smooth smiles. "Send in Finley and Dawkins, will you? I want to update them on their assignment."

"Of course, Director. Have a good night." Parker tipped his head to him and did as asked without delay, sending the reed-like fellow and the California giant in before catching up with his team near the staircase.

But Vance wasn't the only one giving him curious looks this evening. Even McGee kept glancing at him, squinting and smiling oddly. McGee opened his mouth, ready to ask—but then he stopped himself. It was clear as day on McGee's features, especially as he nodded to himself when the team descended the stairs. He was willing to doubt his ears and eyes back in the director's office…even though there'd been a few other times during this case where Parker had slipped up, too, using Knight's first name without thinking.

But Parker hadn't dwelled on that long, just as he hadn't wanted to hypothesize on the director knowing or even guessing about him and Knight then and he didn't want to hypothesize right now, either. It was one thing, Torres working it out for himself, as Knight had told Parker shortly after his return to the office from his medical leave. As for anyone else… The mere thought gave him a fledgling headache.

"Hey."

Parker glanced at Knight.

She rested her head on the couch, her eyes meeting his. She shifted the arm she had draped on the furniture so she could reach up and comb her fingers through his hair. "You said it yourself. We can put this case behind us."

He nodded. "Although Vance wasn't wrong. You're not going to be able to live there for a while yet, unless another apartment in your building opens up."

Knight shrugged. "And one might, considering people get spooked by this sort of thing." She frowned. "Is it strange I'm not more concerned about the things I lost? Though I did lose a lot of memories there."

Parker shook his head. "Things mostly can be replaced…but we tend to tie memories to tangible items. It makes sense."

She mustered that half-smile for him again, though it was less mischievous this time, with her eyes a bit glassy. Then Knight blinked and sat up straight as if something occurred to her. "Oh! Wait— I wonder—" She was up on her feet and she kicked off her boots before disappearing down the short hallway to the bedroom.

Parker shook his head again, chuckling to himself. Tired but running on the dregs of adrenaline—so he'd been right about Knight's current state, after all. Nevertheless, he got up and followed her. And the sight on the floor by his closet and bureau dampened his grin. "Jess," he intoned.

But she ignored him and continued rifling through things, expanding her mess. On the one hand, anything of his she gently set aside. But her own things she tossed willy-nilly, with some things getting dropped on the floor and some flying towards the foot of the bed. A sweatshirt—her burgundy track jacket, he realized as he caught it midair before it smacked him in the face—went flying, followed by the pair of leggings she tended to wear with it. At last, the frenzy screeched to a halt when Knight sat on her haunches and yanked from the bottom of a pile in the closet a large, black-and-silver duffle bag of hers that…Parker didn't even remember when it had taken up residence there.

Huh. He knew they'd been making up for lost time and spending a lot of it together…and it'd been primarily at his place, perhaps more often than Parker had appreciated.

"There's more here than I thought," Knight stated, surprise, delight, and laughter mixing in her voice. She beamed up at him.

Parker shrugged and offered her a hand up. They sat on the side of the bed while Knight dug through the bag's contents. "I'll second that—just how much does that bag hold?"

She grinned but gave him an apologetic look. "Unfortunately…your favorite shirt you definitely left at my place. It's not here, Alden."

"Eh, I'll have another favorite shirt." He quirked an eyebrow as something peeked out from amongst her clothing. "…am I really this sleep-deprived or is that a stuffed walrus in your bag?"

Knight glanced down and laughed, withdrawing the plush with a huge sigh of relief. "He's here! Oh, jeez, I thought I'd lost Rufus."

"Rufus."

Knight pursed her lips at Parker. "Don't hate the name, okay? That's what you get from a middle schooler hopped up on pain meds while she has her tonsils out." She tugged on one of the off-white tusks. "Hm. I wonder if my fondness for mustaches started here…"

Now it was Parker's turn to roll his eyes, which made Knight laugh again.

She exhaled, though, and calmed while she hugged the old toy to her middle and leaned into Parker's side. "Rufus must've gotten mixed in with my laundry last time I did it… …I'm relieved to find him, as well as some of my other things. But—" Her voice caught. Suddenly the room sounded so quiet. "—mostly I'm just glad to be safe again."

"I'm glad you're safe, too," Parker mumbled against the top of her head. He pressed his lips to her hair, lingering, as if staying this way, staying close by would wipe away the more unsavory memories from the last several days.

After all, unsavory memories like attempts on their lives were quite the heavy price to pay for the softer, intimate moments like these.

But Parker mentally swatted away that thought as a surge of relief flooded him, precisely because he and Knight had come this far. He kissed her nearer temple, feather light, and propped her up, since she was drowsier now than before. "Well, we grabbed a bite on the way home, but if you need something else to eat before crashing—"

Knight shook her head and tucked Rufus back into her bag. "The only thing I need is a proper shower." She stood and stretched, removing her blazer and stuffing it in a ball on top of the other things in her bag. She pulled a face at Parker. "Ever since they installed those eco-friendly timers in the stalls at headquarters a few years ago, a person can't take a decent, de-stressing shower there…!"

He chuckled while she sorted through her mess of clothes and found something to wear. "Yeah, after this case and holing up at NCIS, I can understand the need for a soak. Take all the time you need."

She offered him a smile in thanks but paused, her copper eyes widening as she finally realized how it looked as though a tornado had blown through in here. Daubs of pinkish red appeared on the apples of her cheeks. Her eyes zoomed back to Parker's face.

"Jess, seriously, go on. I'll take care of this."

Knight ducked her head, only scooting out and hooking right in the hallway to the bathroom after Parker ushered her out.

He meant to change out of his own work clothes first, but…alas, that required a little bit of excavating. Still, once comfortable in sweats and a t-shirt, Parker gathered up Knight's things, folding and looking for proper places for everything. It turned out his closet was bigger than he thought (or maybe he'd been making room for her subconsciously? hmm), because quite a bit of her belongings fit back in there, including her jackets, which he hung up alongside his, even the blazer she'd balled up and thrown atop poor Rufus. The drawers in the bureau would take more rearranging, though—especially, Parker noted, if Knight were to be here awhile, with no apartment to return to.

While he set about straightening up, Parker's thoughts did briefly wander back to the case as he thought of her apartment, despite both of them having reminded one another that the case was over. He hadn't mentioned it to McGee or Torres, not even to Knight, and he had a hard time admitting it to himself, but Parker still mused over whether Dalton's case had been too easy. Following the trail of clues back to Dalton… Getting access to Dalton… Chasing down every last lead and capturing the remaining persons who owed Dalton favors…

But, no, they'd done a good job. Vance had said that. Parker believed as much. So why did this idea niggle at him so?

He considered the visit to Dalton in prison. He and McGee had gone, so as not to give the bastard the satisfaction of interacting with the agent who'd taken him down, but Parker had let McGee do the talking, not trusting himself in that interview while his thoughts swirled with concern for and rage over Knight's safety. The last thing they'd needed was for Dalton to spy something in Parker and use it against him and Knight. But, still, Dalton had been one man with a few favors. He wasn't the Raven with a wide-cast network that NCIS still hadn't comprehended fully…

…ah. That was it. Parker exited his room, coming to a stop in the doorway as things clicked into place: He wasn't worried about the specifics of their most recent case. Parker was just worried about the next time Knight would be in someone's crosshairs.

The water from the showerhead shut off then, and Parker heard cursing coming from the bathroom, which pulled him from his worries and made him chortle. But Knight groused from the other side of the door, "Oh, stop laughing, Alden! And loan me a towel already." There was a small thud and soft footsteps before the door cracked open and she jabbed a hand out amongst all the steam that escaped. "After all, mine are all ash, and I'm fonder of cotton."

Parker stifled his amusement. "Yep, just a sec," he replied, turning to the tiny hall closet across the way from the bedroom door. He slid the door open, found one that was the right size, and passed it in to her—but the action gave him pause, his brain halting and summoning to the front of his thoughts an analogy he'd once made to Vance a very, very long while back, about getting acquainted with the team—

—and the odd atmosphere in the room, Vance clearly wishing for Parker to adjust to NCIS and their way of life and Parker still coming to terms with having been fired from the FBI only for NCIS to come in and scoop him up without blinking.

And Vance, studying him after Parker's "I'm not ready to call anything mine" had left his mouth. Director Vance seemed so insistent on people being part of teams, owning teams, feeling at home here.

These were things that didn't make a whole lot of sense to Parker, who hadn't quite experienced the same welcome during his tenure at the FBI.

But Vance didn't miss a beat, remarking with aplomb, "I'm sorry to hear that."

And, shit, at the time that had sounded as though Vance was about to pull the plug on this little experiment, Parker and the MCRT. Parker was new to these faces—Knight and McGee and Torres—and they were new to him, too, but he wasn't ready to go looking for another new job so soon. So Parker fidgeted and said the first assurance that came to mind. "Eh, it's—it's like dating. I met someone. Someone great. But me and that someone still have to fall in love with each other before we start sharing bath towels."

Of course, thankfully Vance had taken the analogy in stride, but that wasn't what Parker focused on right now.

And, speak of the devil, Knight emerged from the bathroom then, wrapped cozy in one of his towels and patting the ends of her hair dry. Yet her brow was furrowed, looking at Parker. She reached up and touched his cheek. "Hey, something wrong? You've gone so quiet."

His own words had caught him unawares, so of course he'd gone quiet. But this…this was a big step, for Parker, realizing he didn't just enjoy Knight's company or like Knight. By his very own standards—

Parker was in love with Knight.

But the realization was too fresh, and he wasn't ready to say those words yet, especially in the hulking shadow of the last several days. No, something like this, the timing needed to be better, even though he was sure—

"Alden?" Knight's voice pitched a little higher in the quiet.

"I'm good, Jess," he assured her. "Just thinking about you," he admitted.

She smiled. "Hey, I'm still safe and sound," Knight reminded him, rubbing her thumb along his cheekbone.

"I know." But it was better right now, to envelop her in a big hug—better than a small point of contact, better than words. Parker didn't mind the dampness of her skin that spread through his shirt. He loved Knight's content chuckle as he pressed a kiss to her forehead and then another to her lips.

Yes, this was better, because Parker finally got to have Knight in his arms properly, and he finally understood just how much she meant to him.

- ^-^3

-w- Oh, man, the feels. So, this story…the main idea was to seize a chance to use those old, canon words (quoted verbatim from the ep, btw) of Parker's against him. XD And BOY did I! ;D I always thought that was a funny exchange btwn him and Vance, back in s19e11, and my muse (or, as my pal justto has dubbed it, my "mewse" XD) rly ran with it. This also was the aforementioned story in the closing A/N to "Minor Details" since, the more I reviewed the outline for this, the more I wanted to frame this in the "20 Winks" universe (altho can I get some kudos for not mentioning the damn handkerchief for once? ;P). But I also can't get the premise of turning Dalton into a bigger villain out of my head, *lol*, hence using that as a bkgd case for this story…and, as I write this (towards late May, while still I wait for the season finale to droppppp), I actually have an idea for a missing moment that cropped up for this particular case, so clearly the "20 Winks" universe isn't done with me yet. c: I also wanted to explore smthg in this universe from Parker's POV since the previous stories have all been from Knight's, and I wanted the readers to catch some of Parker's anxiety, too, wondering if Vance and/or McGee knows about Parknight by now. Which brings me to another point: There's quite a big timeskip btwn this and "Minor Details," I know. I drew up a list of pros and cons before ultimately deciding to make this part of the "20 Winks" universe, but I felt that the timeskip could work esp as cozy details showing Parknight have grown closer would be written in (it's cute seeing Parker caught off-guard by certain things here XD). Plus, since the story didn't harp on about the Raven, I didn't feel that this would be repetitive, even tho Knight lost her apartment in the process. :P Besides… *cue domestic scenes* Anywho! Pls look forward to the missing moment, "36 Hours," and feel free to lemme know if there's another missing moment you'd like to see written or even if you'd like to see the Dalton case in its entirety, *lol*! In the meantime, enjoy my hordes of other Parknights, fic and art alike, as well as additional content found on the parknights tumblr~ And always feel free to request or just chat with me about these stories or Parknight or NCIS! :D

Thanks for reading, and please review! Check out my other NCIS fics if you liked this. And, as with my other NCIS fics, show your support via tumblr with a reblog~

-mew-tsubaki :'3