Disclaimer: Rise of the Guardians, NCIS, and all their characters belong to their respective owners
Chapter 1: Going Home
It was late autumn in the northern hemisphere. The leaves had already changed their colors in the crisp, cool air, as the wind forced each one to let go of its fragile hold on their tree branches.
The windows of NCIS headquarters were fogged up with condensation from the warm office air meeting the chill that seeped from beyond the large panes of glass.
Jamie Bennett absentmindedly doodled on the glass with his index finger, painting images of intricate snowflakes and swirling patterns. He mildly acknowledged that the janitor will be pissed at him again, smearing fingerprints all over the windows, but at the moment he didn't really care. He was bored and at a loss for ideas. Their current case was at a standstill and everyone was getting antsy. They had already caught and got a confession from the killer, but they were still missing a body.
The killer had been too cocky and inadvertently revealed his entire scheme to an undercover Ziva David, thinking he would have escaped long before anyone came looking for her. Little did he know, the rest of the team had been there the whole time, at the ready to take him down the moment he confessed his involvement.
Unfortunately, while they knew who the victim was and who killed him, they had yet to actually find the body of the dead marine. It was a bit of a backwards case, but, from what Tony DiNozzo had told him, they'd had weirder.
Jamie had been officially part of the NCIS team for three months now. It had taken quite a few years of hard work to get there, but he was proud of himself for making it this far. Ever since he was a kid, all he'd ever wanted to do was help to protect people, so when a chance opportunity came up during his senior year of college, he knew he had to take it. At twenty-two years old, Jamie hoped this was the place that he could finally make a difference in the world. He certainly didn't feel like his job was making any kind of difference at the moment, though.
He let out a sigh as he slumped in his chair, the movement pushing him back a few inches as he swiveled slightly away from the window. When the office had been rearranged to accommodate the newest team member, Tony had adamantly insisted on having the desk by the windows. He claimed that he needed the vitamin D or something. His efforts rewarded him with a slap upside the head and an eye roll from their boss, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. As Jamie found out later from Timothy McGee, everyone knew that the only reason Tony wanted the window desk was so he could ogle at the 'hot agents' walking by down below. Gibbs assigned the desk to Jamie with the acute understanding that the younger man would not become as easily distracted.
It was soon after the arrangement that Jamie became the target of Tony's childish revenge pranks. It started with simple objects on his desk going missing. A pencil here or there, or his stapler; nothing he couldn't put up with. It was his lack of reaction though that spurred Tony into an all-out mission to mess with the 'probie'. Since then, as per Ziva and McGee's warnings, Jamie had been on constant lookout for DiNozzo's next move.
It was his current state of frustration and boredom that found Jamie falling prey to Tony's anticipated revenge, quite literally. As he swiveled his chair to the side, a springy pop sounded from underneath him and the back of the chair gave way.
"Ah!" Jamie yelped, flailing his arms in a futile attempt to catch himself. He heard Tony snicker as he lay sprawled on his back in the walkway, waiting for the room to stop spinning.
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs walked into Jamie's line of sight, stopping just above his head. Jamie gave a sheepish grimace as his boss glanced down at him with a raised eyebrow before rolling his eyes and shaking his head in exasperation.
"Yes, boss?!" Tony jumped to attention. Gibbs always had a habit of showing up at that perfect moment.
"Get your gear, we have a lead," Gibbs said walking over to his desk. "Local sheriff called it in this morning. Definite signs of a struggle and victim's dog tags found at the scene."
"Location?" Ziva asked.
"Burgess, Pennsylvania," Gibbs answered.
"Wh-what? Burgess?!" Jamie scrambled to his feet.
"You know it?" McGee asked curiously, furrowing his eyebrows.
"I grew up there," Jamie said unsurely. It was a little nerve-racking to think that a small, quiet town such as his could be the location of their current crime scene. It really hit home, in quite the literal sense.
"Alright then," Gibbs tossed him the car keys, though Jamie fumbled to catch them and ended up dropping them instead.
"W-wait, what?!" Today was just full of surprises.
"You're giving Probie the reins on this one, boss?" Tony questioned doubtingly.
Ziva rolled her eyes.
"I, for one, think it will be a great learning opportunity," Ziva stated matter-of-factly. "It will give him some experience leading an investigation in the field with the advantage of familiar territory. A chance to practice his knots, as you say."
"I think you mean 'learn the ropes'," DiNozzo said dryly.
"What else is there to learn about ropes other than tying knots?" Tony opened his mouth to reply but closed it again in contemplation.
"Touché"
Jamie turned his gaze back to Gibbs.
"Are you sure I'm ready? To go out in the field, I mean. I–"
"You'll never learn without doing," Gibbs cut off his nervous ramblings, "Now's your chance. Take it or leave it."
~~~''\*/''~~~
The drive to Burgess only took a few hours. The closer they got, the more Jamie started to feel a conflicting mix of excitement and anxiety. It had been a while since he'd been home. Between college and work, the only chances he really had to visit were on the holidays. In between semesters he could stay for a few weeks at a time, but since graduating, he'd only gotten short weekends off to make the trip.
He knew he should have made the effort to visit his mom and sister more, or keep in better touch with his friends, but everyone understood. They were just as busy 'adulting' as he was. Pippa, Monty, Claude, Caleb, and Cupcake were spread across the state, each having gone to a different college and starting their careers. As far as he knew, none of them had yet to move back to Burgess, if they even planned on it at all. The last time they had all managed to get together, the summer after graduating high school, they made a promise to each other that they would never let growing up get in the way of their friendship, or their memories of childhood. They promised each other and themselves that they would never forget the events that happened thirteen years ago, and that they would never stop believing.
Jamie smiled slightly to himself at the sentiment. He had seen less and less of most of the Guardians as he got older. He understood though. Their priority was protecting the children of the world, and he wasn't exactly a child anymore. Every once in a while he caught a glimpse of one of them, and made it a point to say hi when he could, but he knew they were busy, and he took no offense to it. There was, however, always one Guardian that made a point to keep in touch, even through both of their busy lives, and Jamie was always sure to make time for him as well. After all, Jamie was his first believer; the first person who could see him after three-hundred years of loneliness.
Jack Frost, the boy who saved him from doubting everything he'd ever believed in.
Despite the age difference, Jamie considered Jack his best friend. The older boy was always there for him when he needed him, and Jamie tried to do the same. It was a bit odd as Jamie grew up, while physically, Jack didn't. Jack would remain frozen in time, forever having the body and mind of a seventeen-year-old (although, sometimes the wisdom of his true age made itself known, usually at the weirdest moments). It was when Jamie himself reached seventeen that he realized he'd even grown a few inches taller than Jack.
While Jack just laughed it off with mock hurt, Jamie knew that deep down it really did bother his friend. He couldn't even imagine what it must be like, knowing that someday, those you care about will grow up without you, will no longer be there, and you'll be left with nothing but memories of a time long past, destined to continue on without them for all eternity. It was really depressing when he thought about it like that, but Jamie was determined to make this lifetime count for something, and he would make sure that Jack stayed a part of it.
Jamie was pulled from his musings as they passed the old-timey sign indicating their arrival.
Welcome to Burgess, Pennsylvania
Population: 3,251
Jamie gave Gibbs directions as they got into town, the GPS not updated with the current road closings that blocked their route. Jamie knew his hometown better than the back of his own hand, and while he hadn't been there in what seemed like ages, nothing had really changed. He felt a sense of nostalgia wash over him.
After a few minutes they found themselves at the police station and headed in.
The officer at the front desk looked up at the sound of the door opening. His bushy eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw who walked in.
"Jamie Bennett, is that you? Why, I haven't seen ya since you left for college! And workin' with the feds, no less. Good fer you!" He turned his attention to Gibbs and offered his hand. "Officer Dan Parker, at your service," he introduced himself.
"Special agent Gibbs, with NCIS. These are agents McGee, David, and DiNozzo," Gibbs shook the offered hand.
"Pleasure," the old officer nodded. "Sheriff Cunningham is waitin' for ya at the scene," he looked to Jamie, "That pond in the woods ya'll kids played around when yis were younger, that's where ya'll be headin'. You know the one, right?"
Jamie's eyes widened, a bit surprised that that's where they were going. "Y-yes sir". Parker turned back to Gibbs.
"Can't miss it, got tape sectioning the whole thing off. Bennett here will show ya where it is."
"Alright, thank you. We'll check back in when we're done there, before we head back to D.C." Gibbs gave one last nod to the man before turning around to head back to the car.
"Oh, and Bennett! Be sure to stop by your mum's house before ya'll head back. I know she worries sick about ya."
"Yes, sir," Jamie smiles politely, red heating up his cheeks in embarrassment.
When they were out of the building, Ziva spoke.
"Well he was a friendly fellow," she said, slightly surprised.
"Small town," Jamie said with a shrug, "practically everyone knows everyone. And he was definitely holding back, too. He's always been quite the, uh... conversationalist. Honestly, I'm surprised he didn't start regaling you with stories of my friends and me when we were kids. Especially the sledding incident."
"Sledding incident?" McGee asked curiously.
"Heh, yeah. I was about nine I think. We were playing out in the snow and I kind of managed to accidentally ride my sled right into the road. It was so icy that I couldn't stop it, and I just held on for dear life as I flew down the street. Somehow managed to avoid getting hit by a car," Jamie chuckled to himself, "I did get hit by a couch though. Even lost a tooth," he gave McGee a toothy grin, "It was pretty awesome." He then scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish expression and a wince, "Caused a bit of a mess though," Jamie admitted.
Gibbs motioned for Jamie to drive and they all got in the vehicle.
They reached the woods at the edge of town after only a few minutes. Several vehicles lined the street near an opening in the trees, where police tape blocked off the dirt path and surrounding area. Gibbs lifted up the tape for his team as they all ducked under it and headed along the trail.
"It's just over here," Jamie said as he led the way, leaves crinkling beneath his feet. They soon found themselves in a clearing with a large pond at the base of a rocky ledge. The local forensics specialist was busy placing yellow cards with numbers next to potential evidence and taking pictures, while another timid looking man carrying his gear stood there awkwardly, as if he didn't know if he should offer to help or to just continue to act as a caddy. An officer stood off to the side talking into his radio when he saw the NCIS team approach.
"They're here, I'll get back to you on that," he said into the com before putting it back on his hip and walking over to greet them. "You must be Gibbs," The man said as they shook hands. "I'm Sheriff Cunningham. Thanks for coming." He directed them toward where the other two men were working and began explaining everything they found so far. "And right here we got some obvious drag marks and footprints going right into the pond, so I think it's safe to assume that that's where we'll find the marine's body. Just waiting on your Ok before we disturb the crime scene".
"What do you mean?" Jamie asked.
"Well, with all the rain we've been having lately, the pond is too murky to have diver's go in. They'd never find shit with that kind of visibility. So I reckon we'll have to dredge the bottom. If there's anything else you gotta get pictures of before we go in tearing the place up, now's the time to do it. Just give me your say so and I'll have my guy over here in ten minutes with his boat and equipment."
An hour later, the team found themselves standing around the pond, waiting for the old fisherman-turned-pond-dredger to catch anything. Feeling a slight resistance in the pull, the old man, Bart was his name, yelled out across the water.
"I think I got sumthin'!" he exclaimed. Pulling the netted rake up, Bart gagged at the sight. "Yep, definitely found 'im."
After the small boat was back to shore, the team got to work analyzing the remains. While the body had been in the water for at least a few days, there was no doubt that it was their missing marine.
"Well, guess that's it then," Tony said, flinging his dirty used gloves at McGee, who was focused on a clump of sludge caught in the net., "We'll get him bagged up and ready to go."
"Uh, guys?" McGee got their attention as he untangled something from the net. "I think we've got another body." McGee turned around to face them. In his gloved hand was a piece of a human jawbone.
A/N
If there's one thing I've learned in the 10 plus years since I started writing fanfiction, it's that I'm terrible at finishing stories. I tend to either loose interest in the fandom before finishing, I get too busy and forget where I was planning on taking the story, or I just had great ideas for the beginning but didn't plan ahead and was making it up as I went. I've got multiple unfinished stories saved on my computer that I hope I can someday share with you guys without disappointing you. I know anyone who is following me was probably hoping I had finally updated my DGrayMan fanfics, and I appologise for leaving you hanging. I hope someday I'll get back to them and finish them.
Anyways, I am happy to say that this story is completely written! (Aside from a few short bonus scenes that I'll add at the end as I finish them, maybe even some one-shots if I get any good ideas) I've separated it into 7 chapters, and will update once or twice a week, depending if anyone is actually reading this.
Also, this story is going to be purely bromance/friendship. No slash. I know some people were probably hoping for that, but I see Jack and Jamie's relationship as wholesome brotherly love. Bromance stories are my favorite :)
anywhoo~ Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!
