A/N – The beginning of each scenario will be the same with minor changes. Please allow for that as scene setting.

Zahko, Iraq.

"Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs turns to see young Luke Harris looking up at him. In that instant, the bustling market place melts away and it is just him and Luke. For an instant they lock eyes. Gibbs sees something has changed in the boy's eyes and senses the kid is about to do something unimaginable.

Luke slowly and calmly raises his arm. Gibbs reaches for the weapon secreted in the waistband at the back of his pants, but he is a fraction too slow. Luke has his weapon aimed at him and the first shot rings out. The impact of the first bullet takes his left leg from under him as it strikes below his knee. He cries out in pain as he falls face first to the ground.

Despite his pain, he manages to get to his knees and is attempting to stand. In shock, he looks Luke in the eyes but the child is intent on his mission. Gibbs is thrown backwards as the second bullet strikes him high in his chest. He lands on his back, winded on the sandy ground, unable to believe that the young boy he had tried to help has shot him.

The noise of the market place fades as shock set in and a ringing begins in his ears as his body tries to cope with the initial trauma. The pain is excruciating and Gibbs knows that he will inevitably pass out. His military training kicks in and he hears voices from his past ordering him to keep his eyes open as he lies there struggling to take a breath. He forces them open and stares up at the sky. It's so beautiful, he notes, just a wispy white cloud breaking the azure blue of the Iraqi sky. Would that be the last thing he sees, he wonders, as he coughs and tastes blood in his mouth?

Tony races to where his boss has fallen. He reacted to the first shot and was running to his boss' aid, when he was forced to watch in horror as the second bullet sent Gibbs flailing to the ground and the teen gunman melded into the fleeing crowd. DiNozzo has to decide whether to give chase and apprehend Luke or help his boss. It's an easy decision. He drops to his knees beside Gibbs.

Gibbs looks up into Tony's face. Then everything starts to blur and he feels as if he is floating. Then his eyes gently close.

He feels no pain. There is a lingering silence. It's dark. He is confused and wonders what was happening? Then in the distance he sees it – the light he had been expecting. Instinctively, he is drawn to it. As he nears the light, his surroundings illuminate. He feels a gentle warmth envelope him, offering comfort and reassurance.

Just then he notices a blurred figure approaching him. As it nears him, the figure comes into focus and he recognizes the smiling features.

"Hello, Son."

"Dad," Gibbs says, throwing his arms around his father and hugging him tightly. "It's good to see you."

"I wish I could say the same," Jackson replies forlornly. "You shouldn't be here, Leroy. Not yet."

"Where is here?" Gibbs asks as he scans his surroundings.

"Where do you think?" Jackson replies. "I'm surprised at you, Son. You've given up, but I was sent to show you how your decision to accept death so easily affects the people you leave behind."

"Dad, I'm tired. I'm done. It's my time," Gibbs says with resignation. "Where are they? I want to see my girls."

"They're fine, Leroy, and they will be waiting for you when your time comes, but not yet. Just come with me," Jackson says, putting his arm around his boy's shoulder and guiding him away.

Suddenly, Gibbs finds himself back in the dusty market square amid scenes of chaos. Security services are pouring into the square. He can see Tony sitting on the ground, clinging desperately to a lifeless corpse; his lifeless corpse. Officer Teague is trying to comfort the heartbroken agent as local security forces comb the area for more gunmen.

He watches as an ambulance arrives and the medics attempt to pry his body from DiNozzo's arms.

"Let him go, Tony. He's gone," Joanna says softly, placing her hand on the shattered agent's shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

Reluctantly, Tony relinquishes his boss to the care of the ambulance crew. Sitting on the ground, broken, Tony looks like a lost little boy, tears streaking his dust-covered face. It breaks Gibbs' heart to see him like that. He turns to his father.

"He'll be fine, won't he?" Gibbs tells him. "He'll get over it. It just takes time. I should know."

"I'm not so sure. Everyone deals with tragedy differently," Jackson says before they suddenly jump from that the scene in the market place to another very different one somewhere in the future.

Gibbs is a little disorientated by the suddenness of the change of surroundings. It takes a moment before he recognises where he is. He's back in his beloved basement and strangely enough Tony is there, but not the Tony he knew. This Tony is overweight, disheveled and obviously drunk.

"What's going on? What happened to him?" Gibbs asks sounding distressed at the sight of his agent.

"It's two years later. He never forgives himself for your death. He becomes obsessed with finding Luke Harris, traipsing around the Middle East for nearly a year after your death. Vance is patient with him and tries to get Tony to come home. It takes some time and he eventually does come back, but he struggles to commit to his job or settle back into his life. He buys your house from the charity you leave it to. Because of his obsession, his girlfriend leaves him and Vance is forced to fire him. He takes a security job to pay the bills but he never forgives himself for what happened in Iraq."

"Ah, Tony," Gibbs sighs in disappointment. "This is not his fault."

"Of course it isn't, but he loves you, Son, and failing to save you breaks him. Today, the day you choose to give up, is a turning point for so many lives," Jackson tells him.

Suddenly Gibbs finds himself in the living room of a beautiful, traditionally furnished apartment. He recognizes it as Ducky's new home, the home he and the team had celebrated his house in warming only a few months ago. However, it has changed quite a bit since he was last there. It is dark and dusty, obviously lacking in TLC. Ducky shuffles through the door from the kitchen in his stocking feet, wearing a stained shirt, no bow tie. His hair is unkempt. He takes a seat in one armchair and calls a small terrier to his side. He feeds it a treat from a bag he keeps close and then opens a newspaper to read.

Gibbs frowns, confused, as he has never seen Ducky look anything but prim and proper. For the first time, Gibbs sees him as an old man. He turns to his dad for an explanation.

"Ducky couldn't bring himself to carry out the autopsy on your remains. Losing you was all too much for him. He had been thinking about retiring before you went to Iraq but your death was the push he needed. He visits your grave once a week and talks to you as if you are still here. He misses you terribly," Jackson tells him.

Gibbs feels sad for the aged M.E.

"Jimmy and Ellie both try to convince him to come back, but he just can't muster up the strength to face any more death," Jackson explains. "I guess your death is the straw that breaks the camel's back."

Gibbs feels terrible. How could his death affect his friends this much? They are intelligent people. He knows they care for him but he never thought he had such an important place in their lives. He expected they would be shocked and a little upset but not to this extent.

"Have you seen enough or should I show you what your death does to the lovely Abby?" Jackson asks.

"Abs?"

Gibbs knows exactly how much Abby cares for him. He has no doubt she would be devastated by his death. She is the one he worries most about. He doesn't really want to see it though.

"I'm not sure I have the strength to fight anymore, Dad," Gibbs admits, hoping he would stop the show.

"You have, you just need to want to, Son," Jackson tells him. "You have so many people around you that love you and will help you through the rest."

Gibbs remains stoic. His lack of conviction results in another preview of the future.

He's in Abby's lab all of a sudden. He is about to protest but stops. The first thing he notices is the silence.

"No music," he points out to his dad.

"The day the music died," Jackson comments sadly.

Abby walks into the lab promptly at 9am. She wears a pant suit, a plain white blouse, sensible shoes and has her hair styled in a functional bob. She sits down and smiles at the photo on her desk. Gibbs looks to see and realises that it is a picture of him and her taken at the dinner in Ducky's new apartment a few months before he left for Iraq. She looked happy and so did he.

"She just goes through the motions now," Jackson tells him. "Clocks in at 9am and leaves at 5pm. Her spark is gone. She can't bring herself to enjoy music because she feels that she shouldn't be happy now that you're gone. It feels wrong. She leaves work and goes home. She and Tony don't even talk anymore because she blames him for not protecting you."

"She wouldn't do that," Gibbs tells him.

"Well, she does," Jack replies. "She never got to say goodbye to you. She struggles with that. She's immersed herself more in her religion and is starting to question her life. It's been hard on her."

"Enough of this Dad," Gibbs says, growing tired. "Did this happen to you when you passed? Were you tortured? Who put you through it?"

"No one, Son, because it was my time," he says with a resigned smile.

"I suppose you're going to subject me to McGee and Bishop's tragedy next," Gibbs says.

"Not if you don't want me to. McGee actually does okay as it happens. He takes Dorneget's position in Cyber a couple of months after he gets wounded trying to help Tony in the Middle East. Delilah makes him take a step back and reluctantly he does, just to make her happy. They get married but she tells him to keep his distance from Tony as he has become destructive and he does. Ellie stays with NCIS. She has a little trouble on the marriage front, but they've just found out she's pregnant and their troubles are behind them, you'll be glad to hear."

"I'm happy for them," Gibbs tells him. "Jake's a good guy. That's how it should be. People moving on with their lives.

"Yes, well some people do better than others. Then there are others that keep going with their missions."

With those words the scene changes once more. This time Gibbs doesn't recognise where they are. They're standing in a bustling railway station. Gibbs looks around but nothing is familiar to him. An announcement over the address system is in Spanish. According to a sign at the arrivals platform, they are in Madrid. He looks at his dad with confusion.

"What is this? Why are we here?"

"You'll see," Jackson tells him. "Look closely. Recognise anyone?"

Gibbs scans the faces. Then his eyes fall on a nervous-looking couple. They hug each other and walk towards separate trains. As they turn towards him, Gibbs immediately recognises the teenage boy. It is Luke Harris. He may be older and a little taller, but Gibbs recognises the eyes. He then turns his attention to the young girl and realises that it's the same girl from the market square, the American girl with the fancy trainers. His gut starts to act up at once. HE looks to his dad for an explanation but nothing is forthcoming. He returns his attention to them.

Both of them are wearing backpacks and heavy coats even though its ninety degrees outside. They wave a final wave to each other before boarding the trains. The guard calls last call before closing up the carriages. The train is full of carefree tourists and locals alike. As it begins to pull out of the station, a massive explosion rips through the train sending glass and metal flying through the air.

"No!" Gibbs' exclaims in horror.

Gibbs position shifts and he is above the scene, watching the carnage. Shattered carriages and broken bodies litter the station. Survivor's cries and moans echo throughout. It's harrowing to watch. Then as emergency services begin to arrive, the young girl detonates her backpack on the second train, creating another deadly explosion.

"God damn it!" Gibbs yells out.

A huge rage builds up in Gibbs when he witnesses the devastation caused by these two kids. He feels sick.

"This can't happen," he yells at his dad. "You can't let this happen."

"I can't do anything about it," Jack tells him. "I'm dead, remember? But you can. You just need to want to."

"Of course I want to," Gibbs replies with vehemence.

"Good boy. That's all I need to hear," Jack says as he instantly returns Gibbs to the illuminated area where they initially met. Without a word, he begins to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Gibbs asks as his father starts to fade.

"I'll be right here," Jack says. "But you have work to do. I'm so proud of you, Leroy. Save them."

With that Jack is gone and Gibbs is alone in light. He becomes more aware of pain and a heaviness in his chest. Then the area illuminates so much that the brightness hurts his eyes.

He squints before he re-opens his eyes. To his surprise, he sees Tony staring down at him. Gibbs looks around and a sharp antiseptic smell invades his nostrils. That means one thing – hospital, yet his surroundings didn't resemble any hospital he was familiar with. He noted the grey steel ceiling above him.

"Hey, Boss," Tony says looking relieved.

"Where am I?" Gibbs asks, the weakness of his own voice surprising him.

"You're on board the USS Abraham Lincoln." Tony explains.

Gibbs forehead creased as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

"Joanna arranged a medevac out of Iraq and onto this ship which was on a humanitarian mission in the Med. They have a great surgeon on board and he saved your life, Boss. I have to say, you scared the hell out of me," Tony admitted. "I thought we were going to lose you."

Gibbs signals for Tony to lean closer.

"Did you get him?" he asks in a whispered voice.

"Not yet, Boss. But I will," Tony tells him.

"I know you will, Tony," Gibbs says and closes his eyes and welcomes the darkness. And I'll help, he thought.

Rest and recuperate, he decides, and then back to work.

The End

A/N - Let me know what you think of this version. Another scenario will be posted in the next few days.