Somewhere I Belong by [to be announced]
Title: Somewhere I Belong
Character(s): Surprise! (Or not, if you’re attentive.)
Genre(s): Character Study
Word Count: 534
It was the thing he coveted the most - having a place to belong.
His whole life had been a series of meeting people, attempting to befriend them and having them disappear, slightly worried smiles on their faces as they did so. He couldn’t help their reactions; he’d always known he was a bit different.
From the time he was small, he had spent more time with his nose buried in a book or conducting his own science experiments than he did playing with the other children in the neighborhood, leading him to be well-educated, but perhaps not socially adept. The things he found interesting or amusing didn’t always go over so well with others, and it had left him with a feeling of alienation. Most of the time he wasn’t bothered by the solitude; he needed the time to study and learn, and he enjoyed the pleasure of his own company. But there were times when the loneliness became too much and all he wanted were friends, people with whom to share his time, and people who accepted him for who he was, eccentricities and all.
That was easier said than done, however, and while he’d met people here and there with whom he’d shared a few interests, they had never stayed in his life for long and he soon found himself alone again. It was a cruel cycle, and he was beginning to wonder if he’d ever find a group of friends who would be there for the long run, and if he could keep himself interested in whatever he was doing long enough to make the loneliness worth it.
And that was when he started at NCIS.
Originally he was just brought in as a temporary replacement, to help out where needed, and while he’d enjoyed the experience, he hadn’t expected to be able to stay. Working in law enforcement, for a federal agency? The thought excited him and made him feel like he was making a difference, that all the work he’d put into school and all those years of searching for the right fit hadn’t been fruitless. That was years ago and now . . . Now NCIS is the place he’s realized he belongs.
It’s the people here - Gibbs, who acts gruff, but has a heart of gold; Tony, who was one of the first people to take him seriously and listen to him, against what anyone would have predicted; Abby, Kate, Ziva . . . all the women at NCIS who don’t treat him like just another geek, but are sweet to him, and make him feel like his job matters.
And then there’s the person who inspires him most - Doctor Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard. Ducky is wise, extremely fascinating and, above all else, encouraging. When there is doubt in someone’s voice, Ducky takes him aside and says, No, you will succeed, and in most cases, he’s right.
It’s the combination of personalities, how no two people here are the same and how that’s okay that makes his own unique character a perfect fit with NCIS, with these people he’s come to think of as a second family, and for Jimmy Palmer, that’s all he ever could have wanted.
THE END
Character(s): Surprise! (Or not, if you’re attentive.)
Genre(s): Character Study
Word Count: 534
It was the thing he coveted the most - having a place to belong.
His whole life had been a series of meeting people, attempting to befriend them and having them disappear, slightly worried smiles on their faces as they did so. He couldn’t help their reactions; he’d always known he was a bit different.
From the time he was small, he had spent more time with his nose buried in a book or conducting his own science experiments than he did playing with the other children in the neighborhood, leading him to be well-educated, but perhaps not socially adept. The things he found interesting or amusing didn’t always go over so well with others, and it had left him with a feeling of alienation. Most of the time he wasn’t bothered by the solitude; he needed the time to study and learn, and he enjoyed the pleasure of his own company. But there were times when the loneliness became too much and all he wanted were friends, people with whom to share his time, and people who accepted him for who he was, eccentricities and all.
That was easier said than done, however, and while he’d met people here and there with whom he’d shared a few interests, they had never stayed in his life for long and he soon found himself alone again. It was a cruel cycle, and he was beginning to wonder if he’d ever find a group of friends who would be there for the long run, and if he could keep himself interested in whatever he was doing long enough to make the loneliness worth it.
And that was when he started at NCIS.
Originally he was just brought in as a temporary replacement, to help out where needed, and while he’d enjoyed the experience, he hadn’t expected to be able to stay. Working in law enforcement, for a federal agency? The thought excited him and made him feel like he was making a difference, that all the work he’d put into school and all those years of searching for the right fit hadn’t been fruitless. That was years ago and now . . . Now NCIS is the place he’s realized he belongs.
It’s the people here - Gibbs, who acts gruff, but has a heart of gold; Tony, who was one of the first people to take him seriously and listen to him, against what anyone would have predicted; Abby, Kate, Ziva . . . all the women at NCIS who don’t treat him like just another geek, but are sweet to him, and make him feel like his job matters.
And then there’s the person who inspires him most - Doctor Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard. Ducky is wise, extremely fascinating and, above all else, encouraging. When there is doubt in someone’s voice, Ducky takes him aside and says, No, you will succeed, and in most cases, he’s right.
It’s the combination of personalities, how no two people here are the same and how that’s okay that makes his own unique character a perfect fit with NCIS, with these people he’s come to think of as a second family, and for Jimmy Palmer, that’s all he ever could have wanted.
THE END