Fiction: The Puzzle
Title: The Puzzle
Author: sharpiesgal
Word Count: 1165
Pairng: Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Donald 'Ducky' Mallard
Genre: Slash
Sub genre: Established relationship
Summary: A package arrives at NCIS.
Disclaimer: Don't own then nor am I making any money off of them.
Author's Notes: This is for our benevolent leader nakiesha. It is her birthday ficlet. Sorry it is so late, but blame the red head he was being stubborn.
Abby strolled into her lab a cup of Caff-Pow grasped firmly in her right hand as she decided how she wanted to torment Tony DiNozzo for spoiling her date with McGee. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the package sitting neatly in the middle of her work bench all thoughts of revenge driven from her mind.
She loved presents and surprises, but in this day and age of terrorism she cautiously approached the package.
Don't be silly, she told herself. This wouldn't have left the mailroom without being throughly checked.
She set the Caff-Pow down and picked up the package to examine it. The wrapping was ordinary brown packaging paper secured with clear packing tape and had a dozen stamps adhered to it. It felt heavy for its small size, and for a brief second she thought someone was playing a prank on her.
She dismissed that thought as she read the address. The atrocious handwriting could only belong to one person.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
&/&/&
Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard sat at his desk in Autopsy absently sipping from a lukewarm cup of Earl Grey tea. He was lost in thought.
Jethro
His lover… His friend…. His everything….
It had been two months since he had driven Jethro to the airport so the man could catch a flight to Mexico. They had been separated before, but this time there was a feel of permanency to it. As if, Jethro never intended on returning to the life he had had before the bomb in MTCA.
&/&/&
Abby walked into Autopsy carrying the package as if it was delicate porcelain. She had decided not to open it alone. She wanted to share her good fortune and the only person she could think of who needed an emotional boost was Ducky.
"Ducky?" she inquired gently so as not to startle the older man.
"Yes, Abigail," Ducky softly replied. He looked up at Abby who was doing her best not to bounce around the room. "Did you need something?"
Abby placed the package on Ducky's desk. "This was waiting for me and I thought I might share it with you."
"That's very thoughtful of you, my dear," Ducky said with a puzzled expression. "But why would you want to share something so private with me?"
"Because I hate seeing you look so sad, Ducky," she explained. "And, because it's from Mexico."
"Is it?"
Abby hid the smile that Ducky's hopeful tone elicited. "Take a good look and tell me if I'm wrong in thinking that it's from Gibbs."
&/&/&
Ducky picked up the package and turned it in his hands carefully studying it. He noted the barely readable handwriting with a sad smile. It certainly was from Jethro and Ducky was suddenly curious as to what it might contain.
He placed it back on his desk. He removed a letter opener from the center drawer of his desk and handed it to Abby. "Have at it, my dear."
Abby accepted the letter opener and sliced into the package trying not to destroy all of the pretty stamps adhered to the wrapping. She pushed the wrapping away from the box and wasn't surprised to see it tied shut with twine. Jethro was nothing if not inventive.
She heard Ducky chuckle and she smiled. It had been awhile since her Duckman had a reason to laugh. She cut the twine and opened the box. She pulled out a wooden puzzle in the shape of a duck.
"What does this mean?" she whispered. She handed the duck to a surprised looking Ducky.
Ducky took it. He turned it over and saw where Jethro had etched Kelly's name in one of the pieces. It was the very puzzle Jethro had given Kelly before he had shipped out for Kuwait.
"I believe, Abby, that is a call for help."
&/&/&
Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a lost man. He had fled to Mexico thinking he could sit on the beach fish, drink beer and maybe find some meaning to his life. He discovered three days in that he was wrong.
He couldn't sit still and just let the world go on without him, but he couldn't go back to the way his life had been before the bomb in MTCA. His memories of the past decade were slowly returning and so was the pain.
Pain at knowing he couldn't do anything now to change the past.
Shannon and Kelly were dead and buried. Sylvia had entered his life and he thought it would be forever, but she had moved onto Fornell. Diane was next and she had with the swing of a ball bat made him see what he had in Ducky. Gwen had reinforced that knowledge with a seven iron.
Ducky
His lover…His friend….His everything….
&/&/&
Ducky walked along the beach with the aid of a driftwood stick. Mike had given it to him knowing that Ducky's bad leg wouldn't be able to take the thick, shifting sand of the beach.
He paused when he spotted a familiar figure standing at the edge of the surf. He felt his heart leap into his throat. All the hurt and pain of the last two months just melted away.
&/&/&
Mike had gone up the coast to a cantina he knew about that served steaks that melted in one's mouth. Jethro had declined wishing to stay near the cabin, because he had the feeling that somebody was going to come for a visit.
So, he spent the better part of the afternoon walking along the shore skipping rocks into the surf.
&/&/&
"More wrist and less elbow, dearest," Ducky advised. He had pitched his voice so that it could be heard over the surf.
Jethro whirled around in surprise. "Duck?"
"Yes, my dear," Ducky said with a warm smile. "You were expecting someone else?"
Jethro smiled and slowly shook his head. He knew that Abby would have shown Ducky the puzzle. "No," he replied as he approached Ducky and drew the older man into a warm embrace.
&/&/&
Ducky relaxed into Jethro's embrace as they sat on the porch swing watching the sun set on another lazy Mexican day. It was the second day of Ducky's vacation and they had spent it walking along the beach and talking.
It had taken a lot of explanation on Jethro's part before Ducky relented and allowed the younger man to make love to him.
"I'm sorry I hurt you, Duck," Jethro whispered into Ducky's hair.
"I know, dearest," Ducky murmured.
"I want to come home, but I don't know if I can."
Ducky pulled out of Jethro's embrace and regarded his lover with warm affection. His light blue eyes reflecting all the love he had for Jethro. "You will when you are ready, Jethro."
Jethro swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. He lowered his head and captured Ducky's lips with his own.
&/&/&
Mike looked out the livingroom window and smiled. He figured by the time Ducky's vacation was over he would be a semi-hermit once again.
The End
Author: sharpiesgal
Word Count: 1165
Pairng: Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Donald 'Ducky' Mallard
Genre: Slash
Sub genre: Established relationship
Summary: A package arrives at NCIS.
Disclaimer: Don't own then nor am I making any money off of them.
Author's Notes: This is for our benevolent leader nakiesha. It is her birthday ficlet. Sorry it is so late, but blame the red head he was being stubborn.
Abby strolled into her lab a cup of Caff-Pow grasped firmly in her right hand as she decided how she wanted to torment Tony DiNozzo for spoiling her date with McGee. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the package sitting neatly in the middle of her work bench all thoughts of revenge driven from her mind.
She loved presents and surprises, but in this day and age of terrorism she cautiously approached the package.
Don't be silly, she told herself. This wouldn't have left the mailroom without being throughly checked.
She set the Caff-Pow down and picked up the package to examine it. The wrapping was ordinary brown packaging paper secured with clear packing tape and had a dozen stamps adhered to it. It felt heavy for its small size, and for a brief second she thought someone was playing a prank on her.
She dismissed that thought as she read the address. The atrocious handwriting could only belong to one person.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
&/&/&
Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard sat at his desk in Autopsy absently sipping from a lukewarm cup of Earl Grey tea. He was lost in thought.
Jethro
His lover… His friend…. His everything….
It had been two months since he had driven Jethro to the airport so the man could catch a flight to Mexico. They had been separated before, but this time there was a feel of permanency to it. As if, Jethro never intended on returning to the life he had had before the bomb in MTCA.
&/&/&
Abby walked into Autopsy carrying the package as if it was delicate porcelain. She had decided not to open it alone. She wanted to share her good fortune and the only person she could think of who needed an emotional boost was Ducky.
"Ducky?" she inquired gently so as not to startle the older man.
"Yes, Abigail," Ducky softly replied. He looked up at Abby who was doing her best not to bounce around the room. "Did you need something?"
Abby placed the package on Ducky's desk. "This was waiting for me and I thought I might share it with you."
"That's very thoughtful of you, my dear," Ducky said with a puzzled expression. "But why would you want to share something so private with me?"
"Because I hate seeing you look so sad, Ducky," she explained. "And, because it's from Mexico."
"Is it?"
Abby hid the smile that Ducky's hopeful tone elicited. "Take a good look and tell me if I'm wrong in thinking that it's from Gibbs."
&/&/&
Ducky picked up the package and turned it in his hands carefully studying it. He noted the barely readable handwriting with a sad smile. It certainly was from Jethro and Ducky was suddenly curious as to what it might contain.
He placed it back on his desk. He removed a letter opener from the center drawer of his desk and handed it to Abby. "Have at it, my dear."
Abby accepted the letter opener and sliced into the package trying not to destroy all of the pretty stamps adhered to the wrapping. She pushed the wrapping away from the box and wasn't surprised to see it tied shut with twine. Jethro was nothing if not inventive.
She heard Ducky chuckle and she smiled. It had been awhile since her Duckman had a reason to laugh. She cut the twine and opened the box. She pulled out a wooden puzzle in the shape of a duck.
"What does this mean?" she whispered. She handed the duck to a surprised looking Ducky.
Ducky took it. He turned it over and saw where Jethro had etched Kelly's name in one of the pieces. It was the very puzzle Jethro had given Kelly before he had shipped out for Kuwait.
"I believe, Abby, that is a call for help."
&/&/&
Leroy Jethro Gibbs was a lost man. He had fled to Mexico thinking he could sit on the beach fish, drink beer and maybe find some meaning to his life. He discovered three days in that he was wrong.
He couldn't sit still and just let the world go on without him, but he couldn't go back to the way his life had been before the bomb in MTCA. His memories of the past decade were slowly returning and so was the pain.
Pain at knowing he couldn't do anything now to change the past.
Shannon and Kelly were dead and buried. Sylvia had entered his life and he thought it would be forever, but she had moved onto Fornell. Diane was next and she had with the swing of a ball bat made him see what he had in Ducky. Gwen had reinforced that knowledge with a seven iron.
Ducky
His lover…His friend….His everything….
&/&/&
Ducky walked along the beach with the aid of a driftwood stick. Mike had given it to him knowing that Ducky's bad leg wouldn't be able to take the thick, shifting sand of the beach.
He paused when he spotted a familiar figure standing at the edge of the surf. He felt his heart leap into his throat. All the hurt and pain of the last two months just melted away.
&/&/&
Mike had gone up the coast to a cantina he knew about that served steaks that melted in one's mouth. Jethro had declined wishing to stay near the cabin, because he had the feeling that somebody was going to come for a visit.
So, he spent the better part of the afternoon walking along the shore skipping rocks into the surf.
&/&/&
"More wrist and less elbow, dearest," Ducky advised. He had pitched his voice so that it could be heard over the surf.
Jethro whirled around in surprise. "Duck?"
"Yes, my dear," Ducky said with a warm smile. "You were expecting someone else?"
Jethro smiled and slowly shook his head. He knew that Abby would have shown Ducky the puzzle. "No," he replied as he approached Ducky and drew the older man into a warm embrace.
&/&/&
Ducky relaxed into Jethro's embrace as they sat on the porch swing watching the sun set on another lazy Mexican day. It was the second day of Ducky's vacation and they had spent it walking along the beach and talking.
It had taken a lot of explanation on Jethro's part before Ducky relented and allowed the younger man to make love to him.
"I'm sorry I hurt you, Duck," Jethro whispered into Ducky's hair.
"I know, dearest," Ducky murmured.
"I want to come home, but I don't know if I can."
Ducky pulled out of Jethro's embrace and regarded his lover with warm affection. His light blue eyes reflecting all the love he had for Jethro. "You will when you are ready, Jethro."
Jethro swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. He lowered his head and captured Ducky's lips with his own.
&/&/&
Mike looked out the livingroom window and smiled. He figured by the time Ducky's vacation was over he would be a semi-hermit once again.
The End