Disclaimer: NCIS is not mine. I come to play. Alright? Good. Enjoy.
Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, NCIS, rolled his shoulders back and tried not to think about the comforts of his leather couch at home. Gazing around the bullpen, he took in a familiar sight. Abby was bent over McGee's desk, trying and failing to hide the surreptitious touches she would sneak whenever she thought no one was looking. Ziva was busy typing away at her computer, and DiNozzo was – naturally – staring very intently at Abby's rear. He rolled his eyes, stood, and did the only thing that could release any frustration.
*whack!*
"Ow!"
"DiNozzo!"
"Yeah, Boss."
"Quit staring at Abby's behind and get me the report on Lt. Commander Lisa Cameron."
"Sorry, Boss. On it."
Tony reached for the file on their current case, that of a Lieutenant Commander found with a slit throat and "severe rape trauma," as the ever-polite Ducky had phrased it.
"Ziva!" The Israeli snapped to attention.
"No known sexual harassment reports in the last six months, Boss, but from what I've heard of the American military that doesn't mean much." She flinched under his piercing stare, and for the first time he could remember, Mossad Officer Ziva David, NCIS liaison, ducked her head and flushed. It was McGee who rescued her. "I'll get on the line with her CO, Boss."
He nodded once, sharply, and barked, "Abby!"
Abby spun her chair around, saluting smartly as McGee stepped to the side. "No evidence of semen but I did find traces of spermicide… the kind used in Magnum XL condoms, I believe." His lips twitched upward for a fraction of a second as Abby slurped her Caf-Pow and continued, "Fingernail scrapings produced a hit: Ensign David Francis, under the command of none other than Lisa Cameron. Looks like this one's watertight, Gibbs. He must have thought the spermicide would erase all evidence… he didn't count on her scratching him up, and that's why he killed her and dumped her in the Chesapeake."
"Good. DiNozzo! David! Car, fifteen minutes, and bring your gear."
Ziva jumped a little at that, Gibbs noticed… jumped and stumbled right into Tony. Gibbs could see Tony's eyes cloud and his breath hitch as he reached out to steady his fellow agent, and he had to hold back a laugh. Those two had been dancing around each other since Ziva showed up in the NCIS office so many months ago. She'd knocked Tony off balance right from the start, and he'd never recovered. He'd watched them closely since the La Grenouille undercover op, and though Ziva might have liked to pretend otherwise, her feelings were plain to anyone with eyes... anyone on Team Gibbs, that is. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment until Gibbs broke the silence.
"Today, DiNozzo!" he bellowed.
"I wouldn't leave just yet, Jethro!"
The familiar British lilt echoed through the bullpen as Ducky strolled out of the elevator.
"We found other DNA under her fingernails. Second Lieutenant William Sculder, United States Army. You'd best bring CID in on this, Jethro."
A blind man couldn't have missed the beaming smile that flashed its way across Gibbs' face, but within seconds he was all business again. "So what are you saying, Duck? They gang-raped her?"
"Well it's beginning to look that way, old friend. But one never can tell."
"Don't go anywhere just yet, David, DiNozzo. I'll bring Army CID up to speed."
~*~
It was awful. It was the absolute worst thing to be thinking right now. But at this particular moment, Leroy Jethro Gibbs had never been more grateful for a soldier's violence.
It brought in CID, and CID meant Hollis Mann.
"Hello, Colonel. I believe we have a case for you…"
Within the hour, Holly was strolling through the doors of the NCIS office, dressed in combat fatigues with her hair braided back, a combination that never failed to drive him insane. "I want the lead on this, Agent Gibbs."
"Not a chance, Colonel. I trump you two to one."
Her voice was chilly; her eyes, however, were flashing in a look he knew all too well.
"Conference room. Now."
They tried not to run for the elevator. Ten seconds later, he was plunging the emergency switch, and two seconds after that, he stopped thinking completely.
He pinned her against the wall. Her knees gave out as he ravished her mouth with his, and they sank to the floor, gasping for breath. Her hands trailed down to his sides, and his arms slipped around her, holding her tightly as he planted soft kisses on her neck. "Holl, I…" The burning ache of unadulterated need swamped him completely, and he struggled for words, desperately trying to get out just how much he missed her, how frustrating it had been, falling asleep before she came home and going to work before she woke up. They were both exhausted, flooded with cases in both agencies, and they'd barely spoken more than ten words to each other in weeks. "Holly…" he tried again, catching her eyes with his.
"Shhh, Jethro… I know. I know." She buried her face in his shoulder, and he held her close, relishing the fact that, despite the hustle and bustle of the bullpen, they were alone… even if only for a few minutes, they could be at peace and with each other – not Lieutenant Colonel Hollis Mann, Army CID and Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, NCIS, USMC, but just Jethro and Holly.
Just how a frustrating, domineering, fiercely intelligent Lieutenant Colonel had stolen his heart, he would never know. It had taken him months to figure out that what he had with her was more than what he'd had with anyone except Shannon – even Abby, even Jenny. All he knew was that, when she'd left for Hawaii, he'd nearly gone mad. When an understanding Jenny Shepard had strode into his house a week after her departure, intent on waking him up, he'd wanted nothing more than for her to go away. But his former lover, still one of his closest friends, had – ironically – been the one to make him see that he was a complete idiot if he threw her away, and while Gibbs was many things – brusque, a bastard, a Marine – one thing he was not was an idiot.
He caught a plane to Hawaii the next day.
One very well-placed call from the Director, and Holly was once again Lieutenant Colonel Hollis Mann. They'd moved in together not long afterward, not wanting to be apart too much after their near miss – or rather, he thought wryly, his near miss. His mistake.
His hold around her tightened, and she lifted her head, her eyes meeting his.
"What are you thinking?"
"How glad I am I decided to go to Hawaii."
Her eyes smoldered, and she leaned in to kiss him, long and slow and sweet. Slow burn, he thought dizzily. No flash in the pan, but something real and strong and meant to last.
Their peace was abruptly shattered as someone started banging on the door, bellowing, "When you two have finished sorting out who won the pissing contest, we might want to go follow up on Ducky's lead, Boss!"
"DiNozzo, vanish. Now!"
Holly laughed giddily.
"Now, Agent Gibbs, I believe we were to decide who – ah – should take the lead." She gasped as he kissed her neck, then continued breathlessly, "Might I suggest a…" she gasped again, "… joint investigation?"
His eyes blazed as they met hers, and she leaned forward to kiss him. "I believe, Lieutenant Colonel, that a…" he groaned as her hands slipped under his sweatshirt, "…joint investigation…" he groaned again, "…is the best solution – ah – all around."
She stood gracefully and extended her hand to haul him up. "Good. Then let's go figure out how two rapist bastards slipped past the United States Military."
~*~
"I will never cease to be amazed at what love does to people."
They strolled in their front door as Hollis went over the facts of the astonishing case yet again.
"Sculder was sleeping with Cameron, hence the DNA under her fingernails. Francis, Sculder's best friend, had – what – been secretly lusting after her? So he catches them together, kills Sculder in a rage, while Cameron tries to stop him, so he rapes her and dumps her body too?"
"You really think that was love?" His voice was quiet, earnest, his eyes unusually vulnerable. Holly stilled immediately.
"God, no. Lust, yes, but love…" Her eyes met his, and he remembered just how scared he'd been when Francis had jumped her in the conference room, doing his best to strangle her. If it hadn't been for Jethro's quick defense, she might well be in the hospital right now.
"I love you, Holly."
She moaned and kissed him hard.
"You know, this is the first time we've been together, alone, awake, for an extended period of time, in over six weeks?" he murmured against her lips.
She groaned as his hands slipped down her arms and under her shirt. Her breath hitched, her eyes clouded, and she knew she was done for. In this one part of her life, she was completely and utterly at his mercy. Their clothes came off fast, faster than she'd ever thought possible. He kissed her neck – she'd noticed how much he loved doing that – as her hands fisted in his hair.
His voice was low. "It was torture being around you all day and not being able to touch you. Do you know what that uniform does to me?" She laughed softly against his hair, then kissed his eyelids, his nose, his cheeks, his mouth, and took him deep. Her hand crept lower, closing around him and causing him to buck into her touch. Gibbs glanced up at her, strawberry-blonde hair loose about her shoulders and framing her face. Her eyes had darkened with raw desire, and Gibbs closed his eyes in self-defense. Now, with her open and vulnerable and flushed, she was easily the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life. Though he would never forget Shannon, his first love, he knew that he could finally let her memory rest in peace. And right then and there, Jethro Gibbs made a decision.
Then her hand moved, and he lost all capacity for thought beyond Ohgodhollohgodmoremoremore! She rolled on top, but he rolled her right back under him, and he gasped in her ear, "Need… you… oh God…"
Her hips lifted and he slipped inside her, fighting for control. She was gasping in his ear, biting her lip to stifle her groans of ecstasy. The ache was sharp and sweet and very nearly unbearable.
He opened his eyes and met hers. The ache was exquisite now, and his movements became erratic. He could see her eyes clouding over, but still he watched her beautiful face as he slipped a hand between her legs and rubbed.
She came apart in his arms, crying out his name on an oath. He followed her over the edge almost instantly, his vision going white as he shuddered and gasped her name into her shoulder. His universe lurched, reeled, then exploded. As their trembles eased, he rolled onto his side, pulling her close and murmuring in her ear.
"I don't know what the rest of our lives hold, Holl, but..." he leaned over to kiss her softly, "...what do you say we make it a joint investigation?"
She looked at him, hardly daring to hope that he was saying what she thought he might be saying.
"Are you..."
"Will you marry me?" His voice was vibrant with longing, hope, and not a little fear.
She closed her eyes in relief and said the only thing that came to mind.
"I believe, Agent Gibbs, that a joint investigation is the best solution all around."
"Yeah?" His voice was low and rough. "I'm not good at this sort of thing, Holly. I never thought... after Shannon... but then you came into my life. I'm a bastard, right enough, and worse without coffee, and I'm... not good at expressing my feelings. But I'm yours. I have been since you won that very first 'pissing contest', and I might have been an idiot once, but..." She cut him off, kissing him fiercely.
"Yeah." She smiled, radiant, and tucked her head into the curve of his shoulder. He stroked her hair, grinning like a fool.
He was just drifting off to sleep when a voice long silent echoed low in his ears.
It's about bloody time.
He started and blinked sleepy eyes, trying to ground himself.
"Shan?"
If you hurt her, Jethro, I will find a way to kick you from here to Russia, dead or not dead. You spent enough time moaning over me. Of course I miss you, but I never wanted you to stop living. Be happy with her. She loves you… only God and I know why, but she does. Kelly and I will see you both on the Other Side, darling. Be happy. Colonel Mann? Keep him in line. I love you, dearest.
He felt a ghostly pair of lips touch his cheek, and he looked at Holly, her eyes sleepy.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I did." She smiled, not the radiant, beaming smile of an hour ago, but a soft, drowsy smile of contentment. He gazed at her, exquisitely beautiful in the moonlight, and felt his chest tighten and his heart skip a beat. She was his. Tears rolled down her cheeks from beneath closed eyelids, and her wet eyelashes fanned out on her creamy skin. He wiped the tears off that ravishing face and felt his heart clench.
"Hollis." He stared unabashedly at her, eyes damp. Her eyes fluttered open and they just looked at each other, eyes locked, breathing ragged, drinking in the moment.
Hovering in the corner, a ghostly, red-haired spirit watched him pull his fiancée close. She smiled to herself, laughter tinkling like bells, and vanished. Her stubborn husband had finally come to his senses.
A/N: This is actually the third installment of my Learning to Breathe series, which chronicles the relationship of Gibbs and Hollis Mann from their initial meeting in "Sandblast" through God-knows-when, since, in my own personal NCIS canon, Gibbs chased Hollis to Hawaii (after a serious kick in the ribs from Jenny Shepard), finally told her he loved her, and pulled a few strings to get her old position back. The first episode of the series, a multi-chapter fic tentatively titled Falling Slowly, will cover the entirety of their relationship from "Sandblast" through "Ex-File". The next installment, tentatively titled Rush Rush, will begin with "Lost and Found" and end with Gibbs and Hollis in Jenny's office. Following this story is a fic that will occur right after "Judgement Day" and Jenny's unfortunate death, and then another multi-chapter casefile. I intend to take this series as far as my plot bunnies allow, but I will follow NCIS canon to the letter. Falling Slowly will most likely begin posting in the fall of '09, and Rush Rush will be up on the site by 1 June 2009. More info can be found on my profile. Enjoy!