NCIS Halloween By: Ardin
Disclaimer: It's not mine, but if someone with the opwer would be willing to give me any part of it for Christmas I wouldn't object.
A/N: This is kind of an AU, Twilight-denial piece. The time period is around the beginning of third season, but Twilight never happened. It's also a KIBBS story, but only in the sense that there is an established Kate/Gibbs relationship going on. I wanted to focus more on the fun Halloween aspect than the Kibbs.
Anyways let me know what you all think and Happy Halloween!
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She wasn't actually convinced that what she was doing was a good idea. She hadn't checked to make sure that the address was the same and as she pulled up to the curb and looked towards the packed driveway she became increasingly sure that he had moved. Jethro had never been one to socialize and the three cars, none of which she recognized, suggested that some kind of gathering was in the works.
Won't hurt to check, she told herself as she stepped out of her vehicle and headed up the front steps. She smoothed her skirt and took a few moments to compose herself before ringing the bell. As much as she tried to tell herself otherwise, the six years since she had last seen him did not change her feelings for the gruff man.
Pressing the ringer beside the door, she had to wait only moments before the door was opened. The young man who stood in the entrance way was most definitely not Jethro Gibbs and she was startled by his appearance until she remembered with a jolt that it was Halloween.
His cape, white face, slicked hair, and fangs made him easily identifiable as a vampire though the confused look on his face clashed dramatically with the image. She was just about to ask about Jethro when he spoke instead.
"You're not Gerald." Giving a slight shrug and head shake, he opened the door wider to allow her to enter before shouting over his shoulder. "Hey Gibbs, you've got a visitor."
Her breath caught in her throat as his strong, masculine voice sounded from down the hall. "Hold on a second. Make yourself at home." In a gruffer, almost annoyed tone he continued. "Dinozzo, don't touch that." The vampire who had shown her in swiftly pulled his hand back from a framed photo on the wall. With a bright smile that implied that it was not the first time he'd had the Gibbs sixth sense pulled on him, he gestured for her to precede him into the living room just off the main hall.
Stepping into the tastefully, if somewhat sparsely, decorated room she took in the colorful array of people. The vampire, who introduced himself as NCIS Special Agent Tony Dinozzo, made additional introductions around the room. The stocky Indiana Jones was Agent Tim McGee, who stood almost protectively beside the fairytale princess, Abby Sciuto. He was just about to introduce the monk who stood in front of the fireplace, when a familiar voice came from under the cowl.
"You're looking quite well, Jennifer." The distinct British accent gave his identity away before he even raised his head.
"You too, Ducky." She stepped forward and gave the older man a quick hug before allowing him to introduce her.
"May I present Jenny Sheppard, who, if the rumors are correct, will soon be the new Director of NCIS." She had just shaken hands all around when Jethro's voice once again sounded from the back rooms.
"Tony."
"Yeah, boss." Jen smiled at the title. It seemed that even outside the office, he still had the ability to be the authority figure.
"Send whoever this mystery visitor is back. I'm trying to finish getting ready."
After being given brief directions by Tony, she made her way down the hall until she stood just short of the last doorway which would take her into the master bedroom. Pausing she took a couple of deep breaths and, not for the first time that evening, seriously reconsidered just walking out. But once again the Gibbs intuition beat her to the punch as his stern voice sounded from in the room.
"Well, don't just stand there. Come in. I don't bite." She smiled at that as a memory from many years back surfaced. She spoke as she entered the room.
"Now, I know that's not true." He had his back to her as she entered the room. He stiffened when he heard her speak and turned slowly to face her. Whatever surprise he might have felt was instantly and expertly covered up as he continued to straighten the maroon tie around his neck. The others waiting in the living room suggested a Halloween party of some kind, but she couldn't figure out what Gibbs was going as dressed in black slacks, white dress shirt, black shoes, and a tie. She did note that the bedroom seemed to be much more lived in than she would have expected from the workaholic she'd known. Finishing with his tie he gave her a large grin.
"It's good to see you, Jen. Or should I start getting used to calling you Director." As he spoke he attached a pair of black suspenders to his pants and, rather than look at her, he concentrated on adjusting them. Spotting the Fedora sitting on the dresser she finally figured his costume out.
"Jen is fine for now. Looks like you guys are all getting ready for some big shindig." Reaching out she grabbed the hat, giving her hands something to do.
"NCIS Halloween party. You should come; it's going to be a lot of fun. At least that's what they keep telling me." As had always been true, her heart sped up at the sight of his wide smile. She was just about to speak again when the bathroom door she'd noted earlier opened to reveal a pretty brunette in a maroon flapper dress. She'd been threading an ornate period earring through her ear, but stopped at the sight of Jen. Gibbs didn't even hesitate in his introduction.
"Kate, this is Jen Sheppard. Jen, Kate Todd." Turning fully to face Kate he gave her a gentle smile Jen had never before seen and continued. "Jen was my partner at NCIS when I was in Europe." Kate nodded vaguely to Jen before finishing with her earring. Noticing him struggling with his cuff buttons, she stepped over and did them up, again earning that smile that Jen had never seen.
Their obvious comfort around each other hit Jen hard. She had never really expected him to have moved on so thoroughly. Setting the Fedora back down, she excused herself to the living room, but only after agreeing to attend the party. As she walked slowly down the hallway she reflected on what she'd just seen. During the entirety of the year that Jen had known him in Europe, Leroy Jethro Gibbs had never once been as happy and content as he'd appeared in the few moments she'd watched him with Kate. There was a distinct comfort that existed between them and a relaxation that had not been a part of the Gibbs she'd known.
With a slight sigh, she stepped into the living room. "They're almost ready." Exchanging small talk for the next few minutes with the rest of the team, Jen discovered that Gibbs had been talked into attending the party, but that it hadn't actually been all that difficult. Another difference from the man she knew. As much as she wanted to allow herself to be depressed that he'd moved on while she had not, the group's enthusiasm was contagious and she found herself looking forward to the party.
When Jethro and Kate stepped out a few minutes later, looking for all the world like they'd just stepped off the streets of New York circa 1920, she couldn't help but smile with the rest as they piled into a pair of cars and headed off to the Navy Yard.
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The NCIS headquarters building was a sight to see. Despite the incredibly full parking lot, the entire building appeared to be deserted and all but one entrance had been sealed, instructions taped to the doors to go in through the garage. And the sight that greeted the group as they entered the side door was just as spectacular.
This was nothing like the evidence garage that Jen had toured just days earlier. Black crepe paper and black and orange balloons cluttered the ceiling as a large crowd danced to loud music. All of the storage lockers had been hung in black cloth so their contents couldn't be seen and electric strobe lights played on the walls. As the door closed behind them and the artificial light from the outside street lamps was cut off, they received the full effect. It was like walking into a nightclub. Up on the DJ platform a bare-chested Indian chief gave them a wave before turning back to his setup.
"Palmer." Tony said with amusement. "Apparently that's how he paid his way through undergrad." The words were barely out of his mouth before a scantily clothed cat whisked him away for a dance. Gibbs and Kate followed their lead onto the dance floor, though Kate seemed to be the one dancing while Gibbs merely stood and watched. Abby and McGee quickly spotted the drinks table and, after offering to get something for the others, went in search of a beer, leaving Jen and Ducky standing near the elevator.
"This is not the NCIS that I expected." The words were out of her mouth before she could sensor the somewhat harsh tone. Ducky laid a gentle hand on her arm. Waiting until she was looking at him, he spoke.
"This is their one opportunity each year to spend fun time together. We don't have a Christmas party, there is no agency barbeque on the Fourth of July, and the rest of the year is spent chasing after dangerous madmen. Don't let this one night effect how you view them as agents."
She gave him a slight smile and turned to look out over the dance floor. The grin instantly widened as she watched McGee successfully swig from a beer as he twirled a laughing Abby. "You're right. I just expected something so much different, I think I'm just surprised. There's no harm in a little dance party down here I suppose."
"Actually, it's not just a little dance party." A smiling Kate informed her as she and Gibbs returned from the floor. "Abby, Gerald and a few others have been planning this for weeks. Second floor is the only one still operating as normal for the couple of cases that couldn't be put on hold." She paused as Abby once again joined them, her tiara slightly crooked. "I'm not sure what all there is, but I did hear something about a haunted house."
Abby grinned wickedly. "That's on third floor. We can go do that. I wasn't in charge of that so it'd be fun to see what they came up with."
Gibbs scowled slightly as though the idea of a haunted house in his bullpen deeply offended him. His tone remained steady as he spoke. "We'll see. What are our other options?" As he talked, a passing pirate bumped slightly into Kate and Jen felt a pang of pain when Gibbs put an arm protectively around her waist. Her jealous thoughts were interrupted by Abby.
"Third is the haunted house. Second is off limits. There's an alien autopsy in autopsy, the interrogation rooms are now torture chambers, and my lab is now a food stop over facility – providing cotton candy, nachos, hot dogs, and every kind of Mars bar made. Director Morrow told us to leave his office well enough alone, but is letting us play "The Shining" on the big screen in MTAC." She finished with a bounce and a grin which turned into a jump and a small shriek as Tony 'attacked' her from behind.
He grinned as she smacked him lightly on the shoulder, before joining the discussion. "So what's first?"
Jen kept silent as the team had a tactical debate over the finer points of each option. She couldn't believe that anyone had ever agreed to allow such a large scale event in a federal building, but as she recalled Ducky's words earlier and watched the group interact she had to admit that it was a good idea. She tuned back into the argument as it seemed to be coming to an end.
"If we watch the movie than we probably won't get a chance to do much else." Kate's words were smooth and even, as though she were discussing the facts of a case. McGee responded just as logically.
"If we work our way down from third, we should have time to see everything and still have an hour or so to dance down here before the costume contest at midnight."
"I agree with Kate and I agree with Probie and you know how that makes me crazy. But if we…" Tony's words trailed off as he spotted someone on the crowded dance floor. He groaned deeply. "Veronica Madison came as a Playboy Bunny. 'Scuse me." With out waiting for their reply he ran off.
Gibbs gave a short chuckle as he watched the younger agent. Turning back to the team he spoke. "Looks like we're starting with the haunted house."
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The evening progressed quickly as the six of them made their way through the barely recognizable NCIS offices.
The haunted house was spectacular. Unlike at a commercial haunted house, there was no concern about children coming through and the designers had done a spectacular job of making it spooky.
Upon exiting the elevator on the third floor, the group was immediately greeted by a series of dark corridors made of PVC piping and painted cardboard, which wove around the floor until eventually letting out at the stairwell. The motif was an old mansion and at varying intervals everything from chainsaw murders to skeletons popped out to scare passersby. The entire team seemed to be barely affected by all of it at the beginning, but as they wandered deeper and deeper through the halls the creepy vibe began to get to them all. Abby, Jen and Ducky were frequently startled and would crowd closer to the other half of the group, while Kate, Gibbs and McGee could be seen reaching towards hips where guns were usually holstered. When they reached the stairwell no one objected to the idea of grabbing some snacks before continuing.
Abby's lab provided an interesting contrast to the rest of the building. It was lit quite normally and food of various kinds was spread out on festively decorated tables. Grabbing small plates of food and glasses, they headed down to autopsy, stopping only briefly to admire the apparent accuracy of the medieval torture chambers.
After the thoroughly creepy atmosphere of the haunted house, which even Gibbs admitted had seemed real at times, the 'alien' autopsy was a fun stop. The usually neat room was cluttered with spider webs, jack 'o' lanterns and fog machines. On the center autopsy table lay a very real looking alien body that Gerald, dressed as a mad scientist, was busy cutting into. The entire place was lit in green and the group watched as the 'doctor' removed various organs. The spectacle ended with the alien sitting up on the table and attacking Gerald. The lab tech then took a bow and ushered them out of the room, before resetting everything for the next group.
With a half an hour to go until midnight they found themselves back in the garage and the team dispersed to dance and await the coming costume contest.
After several dances with Ducky, a quick swing number with Director 'Sherlock' Morrow, and a few fast dances with Tony and McGee, Jen found herself standing with Abby near the drinks table. Noticing no one but herself out of costume and remembering several references to the costume contest she turned to the young Goth.
"So who decides the winner of the contest?" She had to shout to be heard over the music.
"Winners. Plural. There's more than one category. And everyone votes. There's a ballot box over by the DJ station. There's best overall. I voted for Daniel. He's the wizard currently dancing with the nurse. There's most appropriate, which is for when someone's costume reflects who they are. Ducky should win for that since monks were the original scholars and educators and no one fits that description better."
Jen agreed readily with that. She had always found Ducky's tangents to be extremely fascinating, even when they did frequently wander far off the original topic. She glanced around for the older man, but her gaze landed instead on Jethro and Kate who were dancing to a slow number, foreheads leaning against one another, unable to break their eye contact or drop their smiles. The jealousy and pain she'd felt earlier in the evening was no longer there. After watching them all night she knew just how much they belonged together. She turned back as Abby continued to speak.
"There's most ridiculous costume, which was a hard decision for me. I mean you've got your six foot smerf, your Santa Claus, and the wide array of barely dressed female animals to choose from." She laughed happily before continuing. "Last category is for best-" Her words were cut off as Palmer cut through the noise.
"Okay everyone. Just a few minutes before Halloween officially ends, so we'll award the costume prizes and have just enough time for a last dance." He grabbed a small stack of envelopes next to him and began presenting the awards, pausing only long enough for the winner to come onstage and grab the envelopes, which apparently held gift cards of various types. Abby, as it turned out, was an excellent judge of the winners. Both Wizard Daniel and Brother Ducky won as well as the Santa Claus, whose actually name was Mike. As they got to the last category, which Abby hadn't been able to tell her about, Jen tuned back in to what was being said.
"Now for best couple's costume. Unlike all the other votes this one wasn't even close. We had a definite pair of winners and they are…" he paused dramatically, "Special Agents Gibbs and Todd." A loud cheer went up as Kate smiled broadly. Gibbs just shook his head as they made their way up to the stage to get their prize. As they stepped down and the music for the last dance started, Jen saw him pull Kate to him in a gentle hug before leading her out onto the dance floor, where space instantly cleared for them.
Moving to the door, Jen stopped just long enough to let McGee know she was going to take a cab before heading out into the night.
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When she arrived at headquarters the next day to have lunch with Director Morrow, Jen fully expected to find a messy building full of hung-over agents. Instead she was greeted by the same neat workspaces and professional attitudes that she'd seen on previous visits. Walking past MTAC from the elevator, she paused as his familiar voice rang through the air.
"Dead marine found in the George Washington forest. Grab your gear. Tony get the truck, Kate let Ducky know, McGee call a park ranger. I want someone who knows the area waiting for us when we get there." A smile played over her lips as the team that had laughed and talked back to him just the night before moved quickly and efficiently to their jobs. As they stepped into the elevator, she resumed her trip to Morrow's office, the smile firmly in place.
She was already trying to come up with a costume for next year's party.
The End
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A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that. I have another story that is Halloween and is pure KIBBS, but I want to write another chapter in "This Dance We Do" before I continue on it so it may not be done until after the holiday is past. Please let me know what you think.
Secondary disclaimer: One of Tony's lines is from "West Wing" and I don't own that anymore than I own NCIS. It's where he says he agrees with Kate and McGee and that makes him crazy. It was in the pilot of WW in a slightly different form.