The Bracelet

Disclaimer: I don´t own any characters or anything

Summary: What is the meaning of the bracelet Gibbs is wearing? Ducky knows, buthe´s not telling.

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2- Flashback

The clock on the computer screen read 3:24 am. Kate looked at it for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. She was tired and had a hard time concentrating on the files on her desk. The dead officer they had found seemed to have a more complicated life than anyone she knew. "Kate, finished with the background yet?" Gibbs´ voice cut into her thoughts and she sighed. He had been almost unbearable ever since they returned from the scene. There was a strain in his voice and she could tell that he was just as exhausted as the rest of them, but of course he tried to hide it.

"I got three more files to go. This guy has more girlfriends than Tony." She said and continued to read, but knew that she wouldn´t get anything done. Her concentration was screwed and she kept seeing colored spots dancing in front of her eyes.

"Well, get going then." He got up from his desk, throwing his empty cup into the trash can. As he passed McGee´s desk, he slammed his fist onto it. "McGee, this is not a sleepover. I´m still waiting for that report on the cell phone."

"Boss, the phone company just has an emergency hotline that´s busy all the time. It´s after hours and..." McGee started and Kate ducked behind her desk. If there was one thing that set Gibbs off on a day like this, it was complaining about how late it was.

"That was not what I was asking for. Get going and do it NOW!" With that, he rushed out of the bullpen and Kate dropped her head onto her desk.

"Could anyone just kill me?" She muttered and wondered how long they would be here this time. Their record was 3 days, but at least Gibbs had let them sleep for 4 hours each night during that assignment. This was hell for sure.

"I´m too tired for that." Dinozzo replied and rolled up under his desk, resting his head on his jacket. "I´m going to sleep." He mumbled and really was sound asleep only moments later.

McGee followed his example and rolled up under his desk as well. He put the report on top of his desk and a paper with the words "Out of order" next to his head before closing his eyes. The floor was hard and uncomfortable, but after working for more almost 24 hours straight, he was more than just simply tired. "Night, you two." He said and dozed off.

Kate sighed and decided to follow the example of her two colleagues. She knew rather well that Gibbs would give them hell when he returned, but she could hardly keep her eyes open anymore, so she figured that even a few minutes of sleep would be wonderful before not getting any at all. She knew her back would kill her in the morning, but still, Kate fell asleep about the same moment the elevator opened again.

Gibbs walked back into the bullpen, noticing that it was completely quiet now. He took a sip of his coffee and smiled slightly. Eventhough he still wanted to get going on this case, he could understand his three agents rather well as he looked at the three sleeping figures under the desks. McGee had put his jacket on like a blanket and Tony wore a thick sweatshirt. He took his coat and walked over to Kate´s desk, carefully covering her up. He knew that she would be freezing in her thin shirt and somehow, he cared about her too much to let that happen.

Sitting at his desk, he watched them sleep. They had been working together for a long time now and somehow, he regarded them as his family, inspite of how strange that would seem to an outsider. He took the small bottle out of his pocket and put a few drops into his cup, noticing that the bottle was almost empty. He made a note to get a new one the following day. As he put it back into his pocket, his silver bracelet touched his watch and he cringed at the sound of it. This sound had been following him for almost 20 years now, but he still hated it. It reminded him of how much everything had changed on that Wednesday in late October.

"Blue team, east entrance, red team, west entrance. Black team, give them cover. Green team, you´re moving in." The sound of the teamleader came through the comm system and 24 year-old Jethro Gibbs felt his heart beating louder. His muscles tensed and he gripped his gun tighter. Adrenalin was rushing through his system, quickly taking the tense feeling away. This was what he had been trained to do, this was what he wanted to do. He had just recently been promoted and he was going to prove that he had really earned it.

He looked around at his team. Everyone had a green patch on the back of the helmet, showing the team they belonged to. "All right, everyone. Let´s go!" He shouted and raised his gun, running towards the main entrance of the building. He knew that there would be resistance, but they were going to finish this assignment. Shots echoed from the building and he heard bullets hitting the ground all around them. He heard his second in command cry out in pain as he fell to the ground next to him. "Tim, get up!" He called at the man, who had become his friend over the last months and turned around. The next second, the world was a red and black explosion and he was lifted off his feet, crashing into the ground several feet back.

Sharp pain shot through his whole body and he could hardly breath. The air seemed to burn his lungs and he gasped for air. A figure appeared above him, but he didn´t see the face. Everything greyed out and there were just black flashes dancing in front of his eyes as he tried to breath, but felt no air getting in. His chest was on fire and unconsciousness finally covered him like a soft blanket, which he welcomed without any second thoughts.

Gibbs shook those memories off and tried to concentrate again, but somehow he couldn´t. He knew that he wasn´t going to get much done and walked down into autopsy to get some sleep. The autopsy table wasn´t really comfortable, but he had slept here before. The nightmare came back that night and he woke twice with a start, calming his breath. It took him a few moments to realize that everything was okay, but with every breath he took, he calmed down more. Everything was fine, just fine. He was fit for duty, fitter than anyone had expected him to be. It had been hard work and still required lots of exercise, but he was willing to put that work in to stay on the job. He wouldn´t let it destroy his life.