Make This Go on Forever, Part V
Title: Make This Go on Forever, Part V
Author: Adrianna Coylho
Pairing: Gibbs/Ducky, pre-Gibbs/DiNozzo, post-Gibbs/Fornell
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 20,058
Spoilers: Up to and including Season 5 Finale.
Warnings: Nothing the rating doesn’t cover...
Summary: Set after the end of Season 5, Gibbs is attempting to work with his new team. When a local school blows up due to a faulty gas mains the team are called in to investigate the deaths of three marines mysteriously on the site. Gibbs’ mind, however, is not on the job after yet another relationship break-up and he turns to his oldest friend for comfort. Inspired by Snow Patrol’s ‘Make This Go on Forever’. Quote taken from lyrics by Gary Lightbody.
Notes: Much love goes to my wonderful beta & friend nakeisha . This was written just after Season Five finished, so it is now AU as far as the new team is concerned.
Fabulous Artwork by kaynyne : Artwork (Illos 2 may not be suitable to open at work ;)
| Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | ~ | Part VI | Part VII |
~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere off the coast of Florida
Jumping down from the helicopter, Gibbs spotted Tony hovering in the doorway leading off deck. He headed towards him and followed him in.
“Nice flight?”
Gibbs glanced at him and smirked. “Yeah. So what the hell did you drag me out here for, DiNozzo?”
“No new team members?” Tony looked behind him.
“Well, they were in the helicopter when we left, maybe they fell out...” It took Tony a few seconds to catch up.
“Oh, right... ha.” Tony stopped and poked Gibbs in the chest with a finger. “And you’re not out here as my boss either, just so you know.”
Gibbs shrugged. “Should hope not, now you gonna show me where to dump my kit?”
“Not yet. Captain of the boat wants to meet you first. He doesn’t like just anyone wandering about his ship.”
Gibbs let the ‘just anyone’ pass and followed a somewhat cocky DiNozzo through the endless corridors. He’d obviously got the hang of the place. Gibbs was actually having trouble keeping up with him. Tony also seemed to remember the names of every crew member they met along the way, plus some small detail, like a kid’s name or what they were working on in their spare time. Apparently he now paid attention. How much difference a month makes.
Captain duly met, Tony proceeded to drag Gibbs around for a further half an hour doing ‘essential’ calls before Gibbs had to put his foot down.
“Case or somewhere to drop my kit, DiNozzo, choose.” Gibbs was getting exasperated.
Tony just smiled. He was enjoying having his own turf.
“Right this way.” Tony headed off again at speed.
Gibbs stood for a second, wondering whether they actually would be heading in any kind of meaningful direction. Tony was way past getting on his nerves. If he carried on like this he’d be out of here on the next transport. Gibbs had little choice right now though. He shifted his kit on his back and set off again. A few corners later and he was relieved to see they were in sleeping quarters.
Tony pushed open a door and finally showing a little courtesy to his former team leader, held it open for him to enter first. Gibbs did just that. Walking in he could see straight away that this was Tony’s room. No doubt about that. Gibbs dumped his kit and turned back to Tony, who had now closed the door. Gibbs took the opportunity to push him up against it. He didn’t mind the boy asserting his own territory, but Gibbs needed to take back a little respect. The lad was acting like a jerk right now.
Gibbs faced off against him and held his gaze for a few seconds.
“Feeling the need to assert yourself again, DiNozzo?”
“Uh, aaah.” Tony was suddenly rather uncomfortable.
“DiNozzo, that had better not be what I think it is.” Gibbs tried to resist the urge to jump back. Okay, that was not the reaction he’d expected to generate with the words ‘feeling’ and ‘need’.
“What?” Tony raised his arms in slight protest. “It’s a natural reaction.”
“A natural reaction to what, DiNozzo? You’ve only been at sea a month. Was a time you gagged at the thought of kissing another guy.”
Gibbs was about to about to turn away when Tony moved to do just that.
“NO!” Gibbs pushed him back, hard. “Sorry, just... No, Tony.” That was not how Gibbs saw him, not at all. He wasn’t exactly ‘son’ material, but that was the closest thing Gibbs could think of that he saw him as. Possibly an errant nephew. He used the hand he had pushed him back with to pat him lightly on the chest before moving away. Tony looked like a wounded puppy.
“Look, I’m not offended, it’s just... I’m not available anyway.”
“And there you were thinking I was being a jerk before... now I feel like a jerk. I’m sorry, Gibbs, I thought you and Fornell were...”
Gibbs glanced back at him. Someone had been keeping him in the loop. He’d have a word with Abby when he got back.
“Over? Yeah, we are, Tony.” ‘And so is this conversation’ thought Gibbs. Tony chose to heed the unspoken decision.
~~~~~~~~~~
After a day of sifting through paperwork and chasing down the marines’ colleagues and friends, Gibbs and Tony had fallen back into their more natural roles. They had begun by alternating the interviews between them, but Gibbs was clearly getting further than Tony, so the younger agent had started to hang back. In fact he was getting more and more quiet. That hadn’t been the way Tony had intended on coming onto Gibbs and it sure hadn’t worked. Tony was regretting the whole situation. Now he was stuck in close quarters with him, hopes dashed and pining for him. He sure wasn’t concentrating on the task in hand.
Tony had had a few ideas about the case, but he hadn’t put any of them across well. Gibbs had got a glazed look fairly early on and decided to work from the bottom up on this one. The engineer had been trapped in the mechanism of the aircraft lift when it was lowered. No maintenance had been planned and anyone with an ounce of sense would have stayed well away. There were barriers so he hadn’t fallen into it, but admittedly no ridiculously overt hazard signs. But then, as Gibbs had pointed out, there weren’t any signs saying ‘don’t jump overboard’ either. Not to mention the guy was in charge of maintenance on the lift. He knew exactly how the thing operated.
Tony had contemplated that it might have been a rather drastic and effective suicide, but that hadn’t sat well with any of his friends and colleagues. The guy had no previous on any kind of depression or anxiety and had aced his psych tests. He was well liked, had been on tour three times before with no problems, basically was a sound marine. Gibbs didn’t come out with his usual ‘we don’t investigate suicides’ though. He seemed quite distracted himself.
They were still waiting on toxicology reports from Florida. Tony hoped that might bring something up. He mentioned it to Gibbs.
“Not all of them are as good as Abs, DiNozzo. For most of them it’s just a job.” With that they’d decided to give Abby a call.
“Tony! Hey, Gibbs. How’s it going?”
“Depends what you mean by ‘it’, Abs.” Gibbs let the idea hang for a second, his tone had been one of warning. Abby got the message. She would be in trouble when he got back. Oops.
“We’ve been waiting on tox reports from Florida, no chance you could speed them up down there?”
They could almost hear Abby beaming. “Already done my close-cropped warriors.”
Tony and Gibbs just looked at each other. Tony’s hair was a little on the short side these days. Had Tony been sending Abby pictures of himself?
“What? I fit in better, less time in the showers too.” Tony shrugged. Gibbs shook his head.
“He was clear of all the usual culprits you might find on a long cruise, so not recreational. But there was a weird combination of spikes that I had to get a second opinion on. They couldn’t figure it out down in Florida, but me and Duckman managed it.”
Tony thought he saw Gibbs perk up a bit at that. Well it meant he could get off this ship if they wrapped the case up soon. Tony’s heart sank a little. As much as it was awkward right now, he didn’t want him to go.
“Tell em, Ducky...” Abby’s introduction made Gibbs’ heart skip a beat.
“Yeeees, well the peaks we found were a very odd combination. Clearly more than one compound that shouldn’t have been in his bloodstream. The amounts were slightly odd too...” There was a little pause and some mumbled conversation at the DC end. “Anyway, we found that there were three distinct chemicals there that shouldn’t have been. Abby did a very good job at matching them to things that would have been in the young man’s work area.”
Abby was surprised Gibbs hadn’t interrupted yet to ask for the short version, so she thought she’d go that route anyway. “Basically, Gibbs, Tony, we found that he had some OB46 lubricant in his system, which may have been through skin contact from the lift. You’re not supposed to use it without gloves and eye protection but maybe that’s how it got in his system if he slipped up, and then there was some cleaner fluid used nearby, more contact, and some odd amounts of burnt aircraft fuel - so he probably breathed that in.”
“And your conclusion, Abs?”
“Our conclusion, Jethro, was that the chap had significant amounts of three things he really shouldn’t have had in his system, especially not at the same time, as combined they have a rather nasty hallucinogenic effect.”
Tony sat back. “So the guy was off his head. That would explain a lot.”
Gibbs looked at him with exasperation. “Ya think, DiNozzo? Okay, thanks, Duck, Abs, good job.”
Gibbs paused as he heard Ducky humph a little in the background before they hung up. He hadn’t even said goodbye. Not that Gibbs usually did, but it wasn’t like Ducky. Damn he wished he’d been able to see Duck before he left. At least with this information it shouldn’t be long before he was back.
Tony watched Gibbs. He looked troubled. He’d thought Gibbs was eager to get the job done, but he didn’t seem so enthused now. Tony wondered what it was bothering his ex boss. Tony wished he would let him in.
~~~~~~~~~~
One more day and the case was pretty much a wrap. This one would be a nightmare for health and safety guys. Yeah, it seemed the guy had neglected a safety precaution here and there, but his demise due to the accidental mixture had been quite horrific. The cost had been much greater than the crime. Not something you wanted happening more than once. Shame it had to have happened at all.
The helicopter couldn’t leave until the next morning though, so Gibbs was stuck onboard for the time being. He wished he could talk to Duck privately, but that just wasn’t possible on the ship’s line. He’d have to wait until he got home to see him, see if he was still waiting for him. He had the feeling things had somehow changed in his absence. He had no idea where he stood.
Cramped up in a corner of Tony’s room, file in hand, Gibbs pulled a knee up out of the way to let Tony pass him, but he sat beside him instead.
“Boss...”
“Thought I wasn’t your boss anymore?”
“Yeah, well, old habits...” Tony looked down at his hands as he fidgeted. “Something’s up. Isn’t it?”
Gibbs just looked at him.
“Wanna talk about it.”
Gibbs snorted. “With you?”
“Why not?” Tony stood his ground. “Is it Fornell?” Tony was going to need to push him a little if he was going to get anywhere here, and nothing got you over the last guy like the next, right?
Gibbs watched him carefully for a second then shook his head. He had the sneaking suspicion Tony was going to try something again. Trouble was, it was probably his own fault. He was needy, so much so that even Tony had noticed. He was missing intimate company. Odd considering he’d been single enough over the years with no real issue. But now he’d had a few days being able to call Duck ‘his’ things had changed. Gibbs really hoped he wasn’t making an invitation with the vibes he was giving off. Glancing back at Tony again, he saw a look of expectation, possibly inevitability there. Gibbs bolted for the door.
~~~~~~~~~
Winding through the corridors of the carrier, Gibbs’ heart slowed a little. He just needed some space, some fresh air. Heading out to an open section of deck, Gibbs stopped at the railings and leant on them as he watched the water moving past at a fierce rate. Strange how it always looked so calm, even going at that speed as the boat cut through it. Gibbs focussed on individual waves as they swelled and swept by.
He felt a heavy feeling, guilt, begin to fill him. It came at him from so many angles. God, he felt like a bastard right now. For Tobias, for going to Ducky so soon after, for not having gone to Ducky earlier, much earlier, for having led Tony on, if he ever had, for all those marriages he hadn’t said or done the right thing when it was needed. With all that in his mind, there was only one thought that kept pushing to the fore.
“God I need you, Duck.”
He hadn’t spoken the words very loud. They had just been for him to voice, nothing more. The crash of the spray against the carrier and the wind would have been enough to cover them, had Tony not been standing so close behind him. Tony took a step back. Well that explained it. A sense of wellbeing crossed him. He hadn’t been rejected so much as too late. Well that’s what he told himself anyway. He knew deep down that Gibbs’ initial reaction to his advances had probably been the most accurate, but losing out to Ducky, the man Gibbs idolized on a daily basis, was not something he would begrudge. It kinda made sense, those two. Using the same stealth he’d engaged on following his ex boss, Tony backed away, leaving him to his thoughts. He just wished that he could claim that small victory, that he’d actually managed to creep up on him, but he couldn’t exactly say Gibbs had been paying attention. He was a little wrapped up in his own head right now.
Tony sighed as he reached a safe distance. He watched Gibbs standing there, with a backdrop of ocean, wind tousling his hair. Tony thought back to the day he’d left for this duty. He thought everything had changed then, that nothing could be any more different. Now he realised the truth, it hadn’t changed then, they’d all just shifted sideways a little, but now, for him, it had changed. This was the end; a new beginning. Tony DiNozzo walked back to his office; his new home.
~~~~~~~~~
Next day, USS Ronald Reagan flight deck
Flight kit back on, Gibbs saw the signal from the helo. He was clear to board. He took one step before turning back to his former senior field agent. They exchanged a look.
“Good luck, Tony.”
Gibbs saw a familiar warmth reach Tony’s eyes. He put an arm out and gave Gibbs’ shoulder a squeeze. Moving forward, Gibbs pulled him in and gave him a proper hug. They stood for a second in the heartfelt embrace before parting with a couple of pats to the back. Tony’s eyes were still warm with friendship.
“Good luck with your new guy, Boss.” His smile was genuine. Gibbs just looked at him. He knew. Gibbs smiled as he began to turn.
“Hoping I won’t need it this time, DiNozzo...” He continued under his breath. “Hoping this one’s for keeps.”
Gibbs strode out onto the deck with a purpose he hadn’t felt in a while. He was going home and he was going to make it right. He would find the right thing to say, the right thing to do. He would make this work no matter what it took. Nothing like some sea air to focus the mind.
~~~~~~~~~
NCIS, Washington D.C.
Taking the stairs two at a time down through the NCIS building, Gibbs thought about what he’d say when he reached Autopsy. He knew from his chat with Abby that Ducky had been out of sorts while he was away, but then considering he hadn’t got the note until the next day (Abby would pay for that one) he wouldn’t be surprised if he’d been a little put out at his sudden disappearance.
Ducky was a grown man, but you soon knew if you’d upset him, he had a very persuasive pout for those who he cared to use it on. Gibbs laughed to himself as he imagined a grumbly Duck. He almost hoped that would be what he’d find. He was, quite honestly, a little nervous that he wouldn’t find him at all. Ducky had managed to avoid him very skilfully since he’d arrived back. ‘Well’ thought Gibbs, ‘he has to sleep some time’. A grumbly, pouty Duck he could placate with a little affection. That he wouldn’t mind doing.
There was a niggling feeling though, buried deep in his gut, that Duck may have changed his mind while he was away. That maybe he didn’t want to be messed around by a guy who couldn’t keep his promises or indeed any of his relationships alive. He couldn’t really blame him, but... well, he would cross that bridge if he came to it. Second guessing wouldn’t get them anywhere. Second guessing is what had cost him some of his other relationships. Much better just to ask outright, get everything out in the open from the start with Duck. Do it right.
As Gibbs hit the basement level and headed down the corridor he could see Ducky at his desk through the doors. He’d finally found him. Just then the elevator arrived with a ping and just as the doors began to open Gibbs saw Ducky tilt his head at the sound and head for the door to his right.
“Oh no you don’t.”
“Don’t what, sir, I mean, Agent Gibbs, I mean...”
Gibbs waved frustratedly at Palmer, who had just emerged from the elevator, and fought his way round the seemingly painfully slow movement of Autopsy doors as they opened, in an attempt to catch Ducky before he disappeared yet again. He reached him just in time to snag an arm before the billow of his lab coat swept through the door.
Ducky stopped at the tug and looked back innocently at his guest.
“Don’t give me that look, Doctor. I know you were running away.”
“Trust me, Jethro, if I had wanted to ‘run away’, I would have succeeded.”
Gibbs smirked as he pulled the ME back into Autopsy. The two of them glanced back to see Jimmy standing awkwardly by.
“You know, that was actually a good idea, Duck... Stay, Palmer.”
Jimmy did as he was bade as he watched the two older men slip back through the silver door. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself after that. He decided to clean down a table at the far end of Autopsy, not that it needed cleaning, but it was as far away as he could get and still obey ‘stay’.
~~~~~~~~~
| Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | ~ | Part VI | Part VII |
Author: Adrianna Coylho
Pairing: Gibbs/Ducky, pre-Gibbs/DiNozzo, post-Gibbs/Fornell
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 20,058
Spoilers: Up to and including Season 5 Finale.
Warnings: Nothing the rating doesn’t cover...
Summary: Set after the end of Season 5, Gibbs is attempting to work with his new team. When a local school blows up due to a faulty gas mains the team are called in to investigate the deaths of three marines mysteriously on the site. Gibbs’ mind, however, is not on the job after yet another relationship break-up and he turns to his oldest friend for comfort. Inspired by Snow Patrol’s ‘Make This Go on Forever’. Quote taken from lyrics by Gary Lightbody.
Notes: Much love goes to my wonderful beta & friend nakeisha . This was written just after Season Five finished, so it is now AU as far as the new team is concerned.
Fabulous Artwork by kaynyne : Artwork (Illos 2 may not be suitable to open at work ;)
| Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | ~ | Part VI | Part VII |
~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere off the coast of Florida
Jumping down from the helicopter, Gibbs spotted Tony hovering in the doorway leading off deck. He headed towards him and followed him in.
“Nice flight?”
Gibbs glanced at him and smirked. “Yeah. So what the hell did you drag me out here for, DiNozzo?”
“No new team members?” Tony looked behind him.
“Well, they were in the helicopter when we left, maybe they fell out...” It took Tony a few seconds to catch up.
“Oh, right... ha.” Tony stopped and poked Gibbs in the chest with a finger. “And you’re not out here as my boss either, just so you know.”
Gibbs shrugged. “Should hope not, now you gonna show me where to dump my kit?”
“Not yet. Captain of the boat wants to meet you first. He doesn’t like just anyone wandering about his ship.”
Gibbs let the ‘just anyone’ pass and followed a somewhat cocky DiNozzo through the endless corridors. He’d obviously got the hang of the place. Gibbs was actually having trouble keeping up with him. Tony also seemed to remember the names of every crew member they met along the way, plus some small detail, like a kid’s name or what they were working on in their spare time. Apparently he now paid attention. How much difference a month makes.
Captain duly met, Tony proceeded to drag Gibbs around for a further half an hour doing ‘essential’ calls before Gibbs had to put his foot down.
“Case or somewhere to drop my kit, DiNozzo, choose.” Gibbs was getting exasperated.
Tony just smiled. He was enjoying having his own turf.
“Right this way.” Tony headed off again at speed.
Gibbs stood for a second, wondering whether they actually would be heading in any kind of meaningful direction. Tony was way past getting on his nerves. If he carried on like this he’d be out of here on the next transport. Gibbs had little choice right now though. He shifted his kit on his back and set off again. A few corners later and he was relieved to see they were in sleeping quarters.
Tony pushed open a door and finally showing a little courtesy to his former team leader, held it open for him to enter first. Gibbs did just that. Walking in he could see straight away that this was Tony’s room. No doubt about that. Gibbs dumped his kit and turned back to Tony, who had now closed the door. Gibbs took the opportunity to push him up against it. He didn’t mind the boy asserting his own territory, but Gibbs needed to take back a little respect. The lad was acting like a jerk right now.
Gibbs faced off against him and held his gaze for a few seconds.
“Feeling the need to assert yourself again, DiNozzo?”
“Uh, aaah.” Tony was suddenly rather uncomfortable.
“DiNozzo, that had better not be what I think it is.” Gibbs tried to resist the urge to jump back. Okay, that was not the reaction he’d expected to generate with the words ‘feeling’ and ‘need’.
“What?” Tony raised his arms in slight protest. “It’s a natural reaction.”
“A natural reaction to what, DiNozzo? You’ve only been at sea a month. Was a time you gagged at the thought of kissing another guy.”
Gibbs was about to about to turn away when Tony moved to do just that.
“NO!” Gibbs pushed him back, hard. “Sorry, just... No, Tony.” That was not how Gibbs saw him, not at all. He wasn’t exactly ‘son’ material, but that was the closest thing Gibbs could think of that he saw him as. Possibly an errant nephew. He used the hand he had pushed him back with to pat him lightly on the chest before moving away. Tony looked like a wounded puppy.
“Look, I’m not offended, it’s just... I’m not available anyway.”
“And there you were thinking I was being a jerk before... now I feel like a jerk. I’m sorry, Gibbs, I thought you and Fornell were...”
Gibbs glanced back at him. Someone had been keeping him in the loop. He’d have a word with Abby when he got back.
“Over? Yeah, we are, Tony.” ‘And so is this conversation’ thought Gibbs. Tony chose to heed the unspoken decision.
~~~~~~~~~~
After a day of sifting through paperwork and chasing down the marines’ colleagues and friends, Gibbs and Tony had fallen back into their more natural roles. They had begun by alternating the interviews between them, but Gibbs was clearly getting further than Tony, so the younger agent had started to hang back. In fact he was getting more and more quiet. That hadn’t been the way Tony had intended on coming onto Gibbs and it sure hadn’t worked. Tony was regretting the whole situation. Now he was stuck in close quarters with him, hopes dashed and pining for him. He sure wasn’t concentrating on the task in hand.
Tony had had a few ideas about the case, but he hadn’t put any of them across well. Gibbs had got a glazed look fairly early on and decided to work from the bottom up on this one. The engineer had been trapped in the mechanism of the aircraft lift when it was lowered. No maintenance had been planned and anyone with an ounce of sense would have stayed well away. There were barriers so he hadn’t fallen into it, but admittedly no ridiculously overt hazard signs. But then, as Gibbs had pointed out, there weren’t any signs saying ‘don’t jump overboard’ either. Not to mention the guy was in charge of maintenance on the lift. He knew exactly how the thing operated.
Tony had contemplated that it might have been a rather drastic and effective suicide, but that hadn’t sat well with any of his friends and colleagues. The guy had no previous on any kind of depression or anxiety and had aced his psych tests. He was well liked, had been on tour three times before with no problems, basically was a sound marine. Gibbs didn’t come out with his usual ‘we don’t investigate suicides’ though. He seemed quite distracted himself.
They were still waiting on toxicology reports from Florida. Tony hoped that might bring something up. He mentioned it to Gibbs.
“Not all of them are as good as Abs, DiNozzo. For most of them it’s just a job.” With that they’d decided to give Abby a call.
“Tony! Hey, Gibbs. How’s it going?”
“Depends what you mean by ‘it’, Abs.” Gibbs let the idea hang for a second, his tone had been one of warning. Abby got the message. She would be in trouble when he got back. Oops.
“We’ve been waiting on tox reports from Florida, no chance you could speed them up down there?”
They could almost hear Abby beaming. “Already done my close-cropped warriors.”
Tony and Gibbs just looked at each other. Tony’s hair was a little on the short side these days. Had Tony been sending Abby pictures of himself?
“What? I fit in better, less time in the showers too.” Tony shrugged. Gibbs shook his head.
“He was clear of all the usual culprits you might find on a long cruise, so not recreational. But there was a weird combination of spikes that I had to get a second opinion on. They couldn’t figure it out down in Florida, but me and Duckman managed it.”
Tony thought he saw Gibbs perk up a bit at that. Well it meant he could get off this ship if they wrapped the case up soon. Tony’s heart sank a little. As much as it was awkward right now, he didn’t want him to go.
“Tell em, Ducky...” Abby’s introduction made Gibbs’ heart skip a beat.
“Yeeees, well the peaks we found were a very odd combination. Clearly more than one compound that shouldn’t have been in his bloodstream. The amounts were slightly odd too...” There was a little pause and some mumbled conversation at the DC end. “Anyway, we found that there were three distinct chemicals there that shouldn’t have been. Abby did a very good job at matching them to things that would have been in the young man’s work area.”
Abby was surprised Gibbs hadn’t interrupted yet to ask for the short version, so she thought she’d go that route anyway. “Basically, Gibbs, Tony, we found that he had some OB46 lubricant in his system, which may have been through skin contact from the lift. You’re not supposed to use it without gloves and eye protection but maybe that’s how it got in his system if he slipped up, and then there was some cleaner fluid used nearby, more contact, and some odd amounts of burnt aircraft fuel - so he probably breathed that in.”
“And your conclusion, Abs?”
“Our conclusion, Jethro, was that the chap had significant amounts of three things he really shouldn’t have had in his system, especially not at the same time, as combined they have a rather nasty hallucinogenic effect.”
Tony sat back. “So the guy was off his head. That would explain a lot.”
Gibbs looked at him with exasperation. “Ya think, DiNozzo? Okay, thanks, Duck, Abs, good job.”
Gibbs paused as he heard Ducky humph a little in the background before they hung up. He hadn’t even said goodbye. Not that Gibbs usually did, but it wasn’t like Ducky. Damn he wished he’d been able to see Duck before he left. At least with this information it shouldn’t be long before he was back.
Tony watched Gibbs. He looked troubled. He’d thought Gibbs was eager to get the job done, but he didn’t seem so enthused now. Tony wondered what it was bothering his ex boss. Tony wished he would let him in.
~~~~~~~~~~
One more day and the case was pretty much a wrap. This one would be a nightmare for health and safety guys. Yeah, it seemed the guy had neglected a safety precaution here and there, but his demise due to the accidental mixture had been quite horrific. The cost had been much greater than the crime. Not something you wanted happening more than once. Shame it had to have happened at all.
The helicopter couldn’t leave until the next morning though, so Gibbs was stuck onboard for the time being. He wished he could talk to Duck privately, but that just wasn’t possible on the ship’s line. He’d have to wait until he got home to see him, see if he was still waiting for him. He had the feeling things had somehow changed in his absence. He had no idea where he stood.
Cramped up in a corner of Tony’s room, file in hand, Gibbs pulled a knee up out of the way to let Tony pass him, but he sat beside him instead.
“Boss...”
“Thought I wasn’t your boss anymore?”
“Yeah, well, old habits...” Tony looked down at his hands as he fidgeted. “Something’s up. Isn’t it?”
Gibbs just looked at him.
“Wanna talk about it.”
Gibbs snorted. “With you?”
“Why not?” Tony stood his ground. “Is it Fornell?” Tony was going to need to push him a little if he was going to get anywhere here, and nothing got you over the last guy like the next, right?
Gibbs watched him carefully for a second then shook his head. He had the sneaking suspicion Tony was going to try something again. Trouble was, it was probably his own fault. He was needy, so much so that even Tony had noticed. He was missing intimate company. Odd considering he’d been single enough over the years with no real issue. But now he’d had a few days being able to call Duck ‘his’ things had changed. Gibbs really hoped he wasn’t making an invitation with the vibes he was giving off. Glancing back at Tony again, he saw a look of expectation, possibly inevitability there. Gibbs bolted for the door.
~~~~~~~~~
Winding through the corridors of the carrier, Gibbs’ heart slowed a little. He just needed some space, some fresh air. Heading out to an open section of deck, Gibbs stopped at the railings and leant on them as he watched the water moving past at a fierce rate. Strange how it always looked so calm, even going at that speed as the boat cut through it. Gibbs focussed on individual waves as they swelled and swept by.
He felt a heavy feeling, guilt, begin to fill him. It came at him from so many angles. God, he felt like a bastard right now. For Tobias, for going to Ducky so soon after, for not having gone to Ducky earlier, much earlier, for having led Tony on, if he ever had, for all those marriages he hadn’t said or done the right thing when it was needed. With all that in his mind, there was only one thought that kept pushing to the fore.
“God I need you, Duck.”
He hadn’t spoken the words very loud. They had just been for him to voice, nothing more. The crash of the spray against the carrier and the wind would have been enough to cover them, had Tony not been standing so close behind him. Tony took a step back. Well that explained it. A sense of wellbeing crossed him. He hadn’t been rejected so much as too late. Well that’s what he told himself anyway. He knew deep down that Gibbs’ initial reaction to his advances had probably been the most accurate, but losing out to Ducky, the man Gibbs idolized on a daily basis, was not something he would begrudge. It kinda made sense, those two. Using the same stealth he’d engaged on following his ex boss, Tony backed away, leaving him to his thoughts. He just wished that he could claim that small victory, that he’d actually managed to creep up on him, but he couldn’t exactly say Gibbs had been paying attention. He was a little wrapped up in his own head right now.
Tony sighed as he reached a safe distance. He watched Gibbs standing there, with a backdrop of ocean, wind tousling his hair. Tony thought back to the day he’d left for this duty. He thought everything had changed then, that nothing could be any more different. Now he realised the truth, it hadn’t changed then, they’d all just shifted sideways a little, but now, for him, it had changed. This was the end; a new beginning. Tony DiNozzo walked back to his office; his new home.
~~~~~~~~~
Next day, USS Ronald Reagan flight deck
Flight kit back on, Gibbs saw the signal from the helo. He was clear to board. He took one step before turning back to his former senior field agent. They exchanged a look.
“Good luck, Tony.”
Gibbs saw a familiar warmth reach Tony’s eyes. He put an arm out and gave Gibbs’ shoulder a squeeze. Moving forward, Gibbs pulled him in and gave him a proper hug. They stood for a second in the heartfelt embrace before parting with a couple of pats to the back. Tony’s eyes were still warm with friendship.
“Good luck with your new guy, Boss.” His smile was genuine. Gibbs just looked at him. He knew. Gibbs smiled as he began to turn.
“Hoping I won’t need it this time, DiNozzo...” He continued under his breath. “Hoping this one’s for keeps.”
Gibbs strode out onto the deck with a purpose he hadn’t felt in a while. He was going home and he was going to make it right. He would find the right thing to say, the right thing to do. He would make this work no matter what it took. Nothing like some sea air to focus the mind.
~~~~~~~~~
NCIS, Washington D.C.
Taking the stairs two at a time down through the NCIS building, Gibbs thought about what he’d say when he reached Autopsy. He knew from his chat with Abby that Ducky had been out of sorts while he was away, but then considering he hadn’t got the note until the next day (Abby would pay for that one) he wouldn’t be surprised if he’d been a little put out at his sudden disappearance.
Ducky was a grown man, but you soon knew if you’d upset him, he had a very persuasive pout for those who he cared to use it on. Gibbs laughed to himself as he imagined a grumbly Duck. He almost hoped that would be what he’d find. He was, quite honestly, a little nervous that he wouldn’t find him at all. Ducky had managed to avoid him very skilfully since he’d arrived back. ‘Well’ thought Gibbs, ‘he has to sleep some time’. A grumbly, pouty Duck he could placate with a little affection. That he wouldn’t mind doing.
There was a niggling feeling though, buried deep in his gut, that Duck may have changed his mind while he was away. That maybe he didn’t want to be messed around by a guy who couldn’t keep his promises or indeed any of his relationships alive. He couldn’t really blame him, but... well, he would cross that bridge if he came to it. Second guessing wouldn’t get them anywhere. Second guessing is what had cost him some of his other relationships. Much better just to ask outright, get everything out in the open from the start with Duck. Do it right.
As Gibbs hit the basement level and headed down the corridor he could see Ducky at his desk through the doors. He’d finally found him. Just then the elevator arrived with a ping and just as the doors began to open Gibbs saw Ducky tilt his head at the sound and head for the door to his right.
“Oh no you don’t.”
“Don’t what, sir, I mean, Agent Gibbs, I mean...”
Gibbs waved frustratedly at Palmer, who had just emerged from the elevator, and fought his way round the seemingly painfully slow movement of Autopsy doors as they opened, in an attempt to catch Ducky before he disappeared yet again. He reached him just in time to snag an arm before the billow of his lab coat swept through the door.
Ducky stopped at the tug and looked back innocently at his guest.
“Don’t give me that look, Doctor. I know you were running away.”
“Trust me, Jethro, if I had wanted to ‘run away’, I would have succeeded.”
Gibbs smirked as he pulled the ME back into Autopsy. The two of them glanced back to see Jimmy standing awkwardly by.
“You know, that was actually a good idea, Duck... Stay, Palmer.”
Jimmy did as he was bade as he watched the two older men slip back through the silver door. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself after that. He decided to clean down a table at the far end of Autopsy, not that it needed cleaning, but it was as far away as he could get and still obey ‘stay’.
~~~~~~~~~
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