#(she's a gibbs husband!)

[academicgangster]

they're literally the same person

[op1umeyes]

i raise u hotch x f!r who was pronounced kia but she comes back?

— Home

— 🧠 synopsis. After being pronounced KIA, reader shows up after a year.

— 🧠 warnings. Foul language

part one

‘‘We regret to inform you-‘’ was the first and only thing Aaron heard before his vision blurred and his hands went slack.

If had happened, his biggest fear: you were never coming home. The only personal effects Aaron received was your wallet and dog tags with your wedding band on it. The flag that the marines handed him was heavy in his arms.

As they left, Aaron dropped his head in his hands and set the things he was handed down carefully on his desk. Before he did anything else, he shut his office blinds and sank into his chair. 

God, he thought, what do I tell Jack? 

— 🧠

It had been about a year since being kidnapped by the cartel your unit was attempting to bring down. One year of sensory deprivation. One year of curling into yourself at night dreaming of waking up with Jack laughing as you swung him around on your arm. One year of thinking about Aaron’s gravely voice whispering a sweet ‘good morning’ right before he kissed your temple. 

“You ready?” One of your longtime mentors/father figures Jethro asked. 

You nod and bit your lip. “Jethro what if he’s moved on from me? What if… he stopped loving me?” You asked, malnourished body shaking from your anxiety. 

The man only scoffed. “Not Aaron Hotchner, y/n. He wears your dog tags, you know. He hasn’t moved on from you, kid.” 

Finally you stepped out of Gibbs’ truck and nodded. You truly hoped Jethro was right. Your fresh uniform was big on your frame- you had lost a lot of weight and muscle after being fed only a meal every two days. 

Stepping into the elevator made you want to cry. The familiar beep of the machine soothed your soul more than you ever thought possible. 

Your stomach did flips as you stepped into the bullpen, hoping and praying that your reunion went well. 

— 🧠

In the year that you’d been gone, Hotch changed. 

He no longer smiled. Ever. The laugh he had with the team alnost every day after meeting you was gone. Aaron had no patience for anything either. 

Emily recalled one month anniversary of your deathdate. Hotch’s eyes were the reddest they had ever been and he genuinely looked like he had just been stabbed in the gut. That day, he had yelled twice at the two cops that had continued to bicker over evidence. And once at Rossi. 

The only reason Rossi didn’t say anything in response to Aaron’s anger was because he knew exactly where Aaron’s mind was: with you and your apparent grave on the other side of the world. 

But she watched your boots hit the ground, hair pulled back into the bun you had taught her all those years ago when you and Hotch first started dating. Emily watched you stand nervously in your spot, eyes scared. 

Emily never remembered seeing you scared. 

Your lip quivered as you made eye contact with her. 

No one else had seen you yet, so Emily sprinted over to you and let you sink into her embrace. 

“Aaron?” You asked, voice hoarse.

Emily nodded, vision blurred. “Go see him, y/n. He’s- none of us… we thought…” Her voice cracked and wavered. 

“I love you, Em,” you said, slipping out of her grasp again. But this time, Emily knew you were alive.

The walk up the stairs made your heart race. 

You brought your hand up to the door and knocked. Below, you could already hear Emily talking to the team. You heard your name, some gasps, and then silence.

“Come in,” Hotch called gruffly from the other side of the door.

You twisted the door handle and pushed. And then you stepped into the room. 

“Can I help you?” Your husband asked without looking up. His head was bent and he slouched, something he always nagged on you to make sure you never did. How far did he fall in one year?

“I wanted to see my husband,” you say, voice shaky. “I heard he was here.”

Aaron shot up from his chair, seat flying backwards. His eyes. Oh, his eyes.

“Y-y/n?” He asked. His hair was a mess; it looked like all he had done lately was worriedly run a hand through it. Your heart ached for the man in front of you.

You stepped forward. “Hi, angel,” you said, taking another step forward. 

“You died, y/n. I- we all… Jack and I-“ Aaron stuttered, tears falling from his cheeks as he watched the love of his life stand in uniform, an arms length away.

“I missed you. So much,” you say, crying now.

Aaron strode over to you and hugged you, letting his body fall slowly to the floor as you cried in his arms. “Oh my love,” Aaron cried, hiding his face into the crooke of your neck. 

You were home.

[thebeast-dennis-etcetera]

Karma

Prompt: You go undercover with DiNozzo as his wife, and Gibbs, your boyfriend has no choice but to watch from the sidelines.

You weren’t happy about being partnered with DiNozzo on your current undercover case but not nearly as unhappy about it as Jethro. Nothing against DiNozzo but pretending to be his wife was almost close to a nightmare for you. Vance denied Jethro posing as your significant other only because he didn’t fit the profile and Tony already had established contact, which actually worked in your favor since you and Jethro had gotten into a slight argument before the op and had you been partnered with him, you might’ve ended up strangling him.

So as Tony and you stood in the elevator, you closed your eyes and mentally stepped into your alias.

“Alright DiNozzo, Y/L/N. Com check,” you heard Jethro speak in your earpiece.

“Heard ya loud and clear boss,” Tony responded.

You ignored him, finishing going over your cover story in your head, making sure you remembered every detail. The way you talked, walked and even smiled mattered.

“Y/N!”

“No need to yell in my ear Gibbs, I can hear you just fine,” you finally responded as the doors opened and the two of you walked out into crowded lobby.

The plan was simple. Your target was having dinner in the hotel restaurant, all you two had to do was have some dinner as well, scan the room so Abby can run facial recognition software through Tony’s glasses and get out of there safely.

“Hi, reservation for my husband and I,” you told the hostess with a fake smile as your hand intertwined with DiNozzo’s.

“Of course, right this way ma’am.”

She led you two through the restaurant, seating you in one of the corners, per DiNozzo’s request so that you had a better vantage point at identifying your suspect. She then handed you off to your server who stood by the table and handed you both a menu.

“May I start you off with any drinks tonight?”

You spoke before Tony got the chance.

“We’ll have 2 glasses of your Coup De Foudre Gauchiste and start off with Gruyère and Crab Palmiers please.”

DiNozzo gave you a slight look of bewilderment but quickly covered it with a smile. The server nodded and left as you heard Gibbs speak.

“We have a budget on this op, Agent Y/L/N.”

“Hm. Then it’s a good thing I brought your card just in case,” you answered back while taking a sip of water. It was quiet for a second before you heard him sigh in exasperation.

“Torres is a really good teacher. You should think about starting a class.”

“Abby get anything yet boss?” DiNozzo jumped in, changing the subject.

“Not yet. Keep looking.”

You both spent the rest of the fake dinner, sipping on the expensive wine, scanning the room, and you giving DiNozzo occasional caresses that you knew made both him and Jethro uncomfortable. Once the dinner ended and the both of you had gotten up to leave, you noticed something out of the corner of your eye. A man matching the description of your suspect was following you. You knew you couldn't let him follow you to the surveillance van so using your high school improv skills, you pulled DiNozzo by the hand into the opposite direction, once you were outside.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked you which you replied with a fake giggle.

"Just follow my lead. We've got a tail."

You pulled him back towards the side of the restaurant where it was dimly lit and stood so that his back was against the wall. You made sure you weren't standing completely in front of him so that his glasses could pick up a good picture of the man following you.

Keeping up the act, you smiled fakely at him and began playing with his tie, moving your hands so they trailed up his chest and settled around his neck. He chuckled nervously, clearly unprepared for the unscripted intimacy.

"Ah, jeeze. I can't watch this," you heard Jethro speak faintly in your ear, making you smirk. Serves him right.

"At least pretend like you're enjoying this Tony. Has he passed by yet?" you asked, snapping him out of it.

"Uh, not yet."

He finally put his hands on your waist and then unexpectedly pulled you into his chest for a hug, pretending to nuzzle your neck.

"Got him," you heard Abby confirm. "It's him."

"Tell me when he leaves," you whispered to Tony, continuing to pretend that you two were just a lovestruck couple cuddling in the parking lot.

"McGee, Bishop. Move in now," Gibbs ordered a little harshly.

The two of you gave it a little more time before pulling apart and now following the suspect as you saw McGee and Bishop's car come speeding in from the other side and stop in front of him. They both got out and pulled their weapons out.

"NCIS, stay where you are," McGee called out.

The suspect turned to run but stopped once he saw you and Tony aiming your own weapons at him.

"Too bad you didn't stay for dessert. Their Tiramisu was delicious," Tony joked, making you roll your eyes.

- - - -

You watched from the other side of the interrogation window as Jethro slammed his hand on the table, making both McGee and the suspect jump.

"You think he's a little worked up?" you jokingly asked DiNozzo who stood next to you.

"Yeah, I am not envious of McGee right now. I already feel the major head slapping that's coming to me for the stunt you pulled in the parking lot."

"Stunt? Hey, I was doing my job," you defended.

"Yeah well Gibbs had direct feed to my glasses, seeing what I was saw and you were making it very difficult to keep an eye on the suspect."

You laughed and turned to Tony, putting your hand on his shoulder.

"He's not gonna fault you for being a man, Tony. You did your job. Very well might I add."

He smiled just as the door opened and Jethro stood in the doorway.

"Uh, good talk Agent L/N but I think I should go see what Abby is up to," Tony stuttered, stepping away from your touch and turning to leave. Jethro stayed where he was, blocking Tony's path, increasing his nervousness.

"Uh boss. About earlier. I really wasn't expecting any of that to happen. I mean-

"Get out of here DiNozzo," he ordered, stepping into the room, allowing Tony to pass.

"Right away boss."

He pretty much ran out and you couldn't help but giggle. Jethro's hard stare turned to you as he shut the door and you bit your lip. Your plan definitely succeeded in getting Jethro thoroughly worked up and you loved it. He slowly took steps towards you until you were inches apart, his chest level with your face but your gaze never leaving his. The air was charged as he spoke.

"Is this what I should expect from you every time we have an argument?"

"Only if we have an undercover op the next night."

His hand came up to brush some hair behind your ear and trailed down your jawline to hold your chin.

"Then I'll have to make sure you're always partnered with me."

[allthingsfangirl101]

Deep Undercover – Timothy McGee

"Rise and shine, Mr. and Mrs. McGee!"

McGee and I jumped awake. We looked at each other and rolled our eyes. "Better hurry, Mrs. McGee. You're going to be late for work," DiNozzo jokingly taunted.

"Do you enjoy this, Tony?" Y/N asked as she got out of bed. McGee quickly looked away as she slipped her robe over her thin tank top and shorts.

"Enjoy what, Y/L/N?"

"Watching us play house?" She teased. "Or are you jealous that you don't get to pretend to be married to Tim?"

Y/N and McGee smirked when DiNozzo instantly stuttered an excuse. "Don't daydream about it too much, boys," Y/N teased as she entered the bathroom and shut the door. McGee's heart jumped into his throat when he heard the shower turn on.

He leaned against the bedrest and ran his fingers through his hair. He and Agent Y/L/N have been undercover as a married couple in a neighborhood heavily owned by Navy families. Gibbs put them here a month ago due to a tip NCIS received about an underground home-grown terrorist group. This group was full of civilian husbands, married to women in the Navy with big careers. Y/N and McGee's job was to make friends with the neighbors and get McGee an invite into the group. Getting an invite means looking like a proud Navy husband with a hint of anger and resentment. They had a plan in place to show that hint but they needed to build rapport with the neighbors first.

While Y/N showered, McGee went downstairs and made breakfast. When she came down, she was now in her Navy uniform.

"You don't have to keep doing this," she chuckled as she walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Keep doing what?" He asked as he put the pancakes onto a plate and turned toward her.

"You don't have to keep making breakfast every morning," she smiled as she took the plate from him.

"It's what I would do for my wife," he said. His eyes widened and he quickly added, "If this was real, I mean. I'm just trying to make all of this believable."

"I didn't say it like it was a bad thing," she chuckled. She smirked as she added, "If I was to make this real, I wouldn't have showered alone."

She walked away, fully aware of McGee frozen as her words sank in. She sat at the table and started eating the food McGee made them.

"If this was real, my husband would join me for breakfast, McGee," she called over her shoulder without turning around.

"Right," McGee stuttered. He cleared his throat as he made himself a plate and walked over to the table. He sat down across from her and the two ate without saying anything.

"What are your plans for today, sweetheart?" She asked, putting extra emphasis on the nickname.

"I need to run to the hardware store and pick up a few things," McGee said not sounding so confident. He lowered his voice and added, "Gibbs gave me a list. He thinks I'll run into some of our neighbors at the hardware store."

"We don't have to whisper in our own home, Tim," she whispered. Her voice went back to normal as she continued, "It's a good idea. If I wanted to talk to some of our neighbors, I'd go to the grocery store."

"Why can't I go to the grocery store?"

"Gender stereotypes, my dear husband," she chuckled as she stood up and cleared the table. "They suck but they are what they are around here."

Y/N leaned down and kissed his cheek before doing the dishes. They went through the rest of their morning as they usually do. Soon, McGee walked Y/N out of their house.

"Good morning, Kingstons!"

In the neighborhood, they were known as Kyle and Emily Kingston. Y/N's cover was a flight instructor for the Top Gun program based on her background as a Navy pilot before she joined NCIS. McGee's cover was as a computer forensics professor at MIT. To better sell their backstory, Y/N really did train pilots for the Navy while McGee taught a class at the local college.

The two turned to see the couple across the street waving at them. "The Nelsons," Y/N whispered. "She's a Navy lieutenant who works in IT. He works in some shoe store downtown."

"Morning!" McGee yelled as he raised his hand and waved. He and Y/N turned toward each other and let out small awkward chuckles.

"Show's on," Y/N whispered. She stood on her toes and pressed a gentle kiss to McGee's lips.

"Come on, McLoverboy," DiNozzo taunted into their earpieces. "Kiss your wife goodbye. You never know what will happen at training today. This may be the last time you get to kiss Y/L/N."

"I am going to kill him," McGee mumbled as they broke the kiss. Y/N laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Breathe," she chuckled. "He's just jealous he didn't get picked for this undercover assignment. You know how much DiNozzo loves dressing up and acting like someone he's not."

"I still think Y/N and I look more like a married couple than her and McGee," Dinozzo grumbled.

"McGee makes the more convincing husband," Gibbs countered. Y/N just laughed as she kissed McGee's cheek.

"Don't forget to get more of the paint we need for the baseboards," Y/N said, slightly raising her voice.

"I will," McGee said, matching her voice level. "As long as you don't forget to be careful and to make it home alive."

"I always do," she teased as she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. McGee watched as Y/N got in her car and headed to work.

Y/N was gone all day and McGee was home. Gibbs set it up this way so McGee would be the in. The group was made up of mostly husbands whose wives had big careers in the Navy.

While Y/N went to the base to train pilots, McGee did some digging on their neighbors. A little after noon, he decided to go to the hardware store. He walked through the aisles, grabbing the things from the list Gibbs gave him. His phone rang the same time it does every day.

"Hey, you," he answered it.

"Hi, honey," Y/N said sweetly. "How's your day going?"

"Oh, it's great," McGee laughed. "I'm at the hardware store now."

"Good," Y/N chuckled. "Gibbs will smack the back of your head if you forget anything."

"I'm terrified I'm gonna get the wrong wood or finish," McGee admitted. "I still don't get why you want the house fixed. We're not staying long."

"I don't care if the house is. . .Oh," Y/N said, her voice dropping. "If there's a neighbor nearby, try to talk but act as if I interrupted."

"I don't want the roof to cave in either, honey, but. . . We're not. . ."

"I think it's time to get your invite into the group," Y/N said. "Act as if I just told you I have to stay late. Be upset about it."

"Again?" McGee played along. "This is the third time this week, Emily."

"Wow," she chuckled. "Way to point out how many times I've been late. That's evil, McGee."

"Do you have to stay late?"

"What? My job isn't important?" Y/N laughed as she began to play along.

"I'm not saying your job isn't important, Emily," McGee sighed. "But we haven't had dinner together in what feels like months."

"I'm going to stay on the Navy base tonight. I'll run by NCIS and have Abby set things up. I'll be home early tomorrow," Y/N told McGee her plan. "We should move up our final act."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Having it go down when I get back after a night I don't come home can lead to a natural fight between husband and wife. That will draw the attention of the others."

"Whatever you say," McGee said. "Just be safe, okay?"

"You too, Tim," Y/N said, her voice soft.

"Call me when you're. . ." McGee sighed like Y/N had hung up on him midsentence even though he said it after she hung up. "Love you too," he mumbled as he hung up.

"Everything okay, Kyle?"

McGee looked up to see Tyler Nelson, the neighbor they waved to this morning, walking over.

"Yeah," McGee said, clearing his throat. "Emily is stuck at work. Again."

"She stuck at work a lot?" Tyler fished.

"Occasionally," McGee shrugged. "The group of pilots she's training have a mission in a few weeks. According to her, they aren't close to being able to succeed. She's just trying to make sure they make it home alive."

"Still," Tyler shrugged. "You're her husband. She should be there for you too."

"I'm proud of my wife, Tyler," McGee said a little too harshly.

"Supportive but tired husband, McGee," Gibbs reminded.

"But if I'm being honest," McGee continued calmer, "it's getting tough. I know she loves her job. She's good at it. I've seen her in training and I've seen the pilots she's trained. She's good. But. . ."

"But what about you?" Tyler asked.

"Can I be honest about something that will make me sound like a horrible American?"

"Of course," Tyler said, his voice sounding more eager. "I've probably said it too."

"Really?" McGee asked. He cleared his throat and looked around before saying, "Sometimes I hate Emily's job. And sometimes I hate the Navy for taking my wife away from me."

Tyler put his hand on McGee's shoulder and smiled softly. "It's perfectly okay to feel that way, Kyle. I have felt like that time and time again."

He patted McGee on the shoulder before walking away. Once it was clear, McGee took out his phone and sent Y/N one text.

We're in. Tomorrow is a go.

* * * * *

McGee walked out of their undercover house as Y/N's car pulled into their driveway. McGee could see Tyler Nelson watching from his kitchen window.

Y/N wasn't confused when she saw McGee in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. She got out of her car and instantly started to play along.

"What's with the glare?" She asked, not moving away from her car. "Come on, Kyle. It's not like I was at work all night and didn't call you."

"That's not the point, Emily," McGee said, unable to stop himself from glancing at the car. She needed to move. He needed to get her to move.

"Look," Y/N sighed, "I know that I've been working a lot. Their mission is almost over."

When she still hadn't moved closer, McGee decided to walk over to her. He had to move her away from the car.

"Once it is," Y/N continued, "I will request some time off."

"I've heard that before," McGee sighed.

"What if," Y/N smirked as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "I told you this time it would be different?"

"I've heard that before too," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned in and whispered, "We need to move, Y/N."

"Not yet," she whispered back.

"But. . ."

"It needs to look good, Tim."

"That doesn't mean you need to get hurt, Y/N."

The two pulled apart and it was then that Y/N saw how nervous McGee was. She sent him a smile to try and calm him down. She took his hand and intertwined their fingers.

"How about I make us breakfast?" She offered. They were three steps away from the car when it blew. The blast knocked them off their feet. In order for their plan to work, Y/N needed to be knocked out by the blast.

"Emily?" McGee said, making sure his voice was full of panic. He sat up and pulled Y/N into his chest. He ran his finger through her hair as he tried to get her to wake up. "Emily? Come on, baby. Open your eyes."

"Kyle? Emily? Are you two alright?"

McGee looked to see Tyler Nelson running across the street.

"Tyler, call 911!" McGee turned back to Y/N. "It worked," he said under his breath.

"It worked a little too well," Y/N said through a painful gasp. McGee looked down to see a piece of shrapnel in Y/N's side.

"Your cover is rock-solid," he started to stutter. "We'll get you to the hospital and they will call in NCIS. Vance will send Gibbs. I can handle the rest."

"No," she gasped in pain. "You can't do this alone."

"Tyler Nelson has something to do with all this," he whispered as he gently held her face in his hand. "He's interested in me. This explosion is going to make him come talk to me. I know it. You can stay in the hospital until you're better."

"But Tim. . ."

McGee leaned down and kissed her. He broke the kiss and kept his forehead pressed to hers as he whispered, "I'll be fine."

* * * * *

McGee and Y/N were taken to the hospital. As soon as they got there, Y/N was taken into surgery. McGee waited until Gibbs and DiNozzo came running into the waiting room.

"I thought we told you two to get far from the blast," Gibbs said.

"I tried to get her to move," McGee sighed. "Y/N thought it would be more convincing."

"If what?" DiNozzo scoffed. "She got killed?"

Gibbs instantly slapped the back of his head. "It worked," Gibbs said. "Besides, she's going to be fine."

"Mr. Kingston?"

McGee looked to see a doctor walking over. He jumped up and met him halfway.

"How is she?" He asked.

"Your wife is extremely lucky," the doctor said gently. "There was only one large piece of shrapnel in her side. It didn't hit any of her vital organs. We got it out and sewed her up. We want to keep her here for a couple of days to make sure she doesn't get any mercury poisoning in her blood from the shrapnel."

"Can I see her?" McGee asked.

"Of course," the doctor smiled. "We are settling her into a room now. When she's there, a nurse will come get you."

"Thank you."

McGee turned toward Gibbs, his stomach still in knots. "I'm sorry, boss," he whispered. "I tried to get her away from the car but. . ."

"This wasn't your fault, Tim," Gibbs tried to reassure him.

"Kyle!"

McGee turned to see Tyler Nelson running over. "Are you kidding me?" Tyler scoffed when he saw the NCIS agents talking to McGee. "His wife is fighting for her life and you're already bothering him with pointless questions?"

"It's fine, Tyler," McGee stopped him. "They're NCIS."

"I know who they are," Tyler practically spat at them. He sent Gibbs and DiNozzo one more glare before turning toward McGee. "How is Emily?"

"She's going to be okay," McGee sighed. "They're moving her into a room now. I can see her soon."

McGee walked over and sat in a chair. He put his head in his hands and stayed there.

"We can come back later," Gibbs said, sending Tyler a look before he and DiNozzo left. Once they were gone, Tyler walked over to McGee and sat next to him.

"You okay?"

"No!" McGee said honestly. He stood up and started pacing. "This explosion wasn't an accident. This had something to do with her damn job. Emily has sworn her life to protect the Navy and her country. And how do they repay her?! She gets blown up outside our home!"

To sell the part, McGee kicked a chair over. Tyler calmly walked over and to McGee and lowered his voice.

"What if I told you there was a way to make them pay for this?" He asked, his voice low.

"What are you talking about?"

"What if I told you, you could take things into your own hands and make them pay for not taking care of your Emily?"

* * * * *

A few days later, McGee and the team had successfully taken down the entire terrorist cell. While they arrested everyone involved, Y/N was still in the hospital. The piece of shrapnel that had gotten stuck in her side gave her a mild case of mercury poisoning. Luckily, the doctors caught it before they couldn't reverse it. It took a lot of medication, but they eventually successfully got all the mercury out of Y/N's system.

Y/N woke up to a steady beeping.

"Y/N?" Someone softly gasped next to her. She turned her head to see McGee scooting his chair closer to her bed.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said, her voice soft. "Is the house still standing?"

"Sadly, no," McGee smiled. "We need to move, my dear Emily. Half the neighborhood was arrested. I told you we should've kept looking."

"You got everybody?" Y/N asked, no longer playing along. McGee reached forward and moved some hair out of her face.

He kept his hand on her face and nodded. "The entire cell is gone, Y/N."

"You did it," she smiled weakly.

"We did it," McGee corrected.

"All I did was get blown up," Y/N tried to laugh.

"It was your idea and it worked. When you were in surgery, Tyler came to the hospital and told me all about their group." He stopped talking when he saw how tired she was. "You should get some rest," he said, his voice dropping. "We can debrief later."

Y/N quickly grabbed his hand when she thought he was going to leave. "My husband is allowed to stay past visiting hours," she said, her voice breaking.

"I don't have to play your husband," he started to say but stopped himself. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her forehead. Y/N grabbed his face and brought his lips down to hers. He smiled as he deepened the kiss. When he broke it, their faces were inches apart.

"We don't have to play pretend anymore. At least. . . I don't want to. I want this to be real, Tim," Y/N said, tears filling her eyes and her voice breaking.

"So do I," he whispered. He leaned in and kissed her again. This time, when they broke apart, she was smiling.

"I'm so glad Gibbs made you my Undercover Husband and not DiNozzo," Y/N said with a small giggle.

"Believe me," McGee chuckled, "I wouldn't have allowed it."

[hail-brod]

A Tale of Woe

Masterlist

Jack Sparrow x FReader

Summary: Gibbs tells Will about the time he saw Captain Jack Sparrow fall in love, betray, and shatter from his own undoing.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

A/N: haha I'm back. Just a short one and it's a Captain Jack Sparrow fic! Didn't see that one coming, eh? You can probably expect more of it. Soon. I'm rolling with so much love for this pirate and other Johnny Depp characters. They'll come around, don't worry (✿◡‿◡)

For the meantime, lemme just release this into the wild. I can't keep suffering like this anymore and not post something TT

Credits to the owner of the GIF; got it from Pinterest.

Warning/s: light angst, betrayal, break-up (heartbreak), alcohol, bit of self-deprecation.

WC: 569

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

William Turner could not believe his ears. Hearing the tale Gibbs was relaying unto him was nigh unimaginable.

The Captain Jack Sparrow, reckless and mad and unpredictable, was once a man who could love a woman, leveling his love for the seas. Not a one time thing, but quite a serious one.

“The betrayal part, that I can still imagine. But what exactly happened?” he asked, leaning and intently listening.

The old man darts his eyes around cautiously before answering his question. "Left her alone by the hands of the navy. An’ he just fled from there, choosin’ treasure over her darling freedom. Noble she was. Her family wanted her back. But she didn't want to.”

"So this woman," he started with a frown. “sailed out just to be with Jack?”

“Aye," Gibbs agreed. "Lovely woman, I say. Shame i’ had to end that way.”

The man swigs a drink from his tankard as it clanks back down on the table. Will prances at the thought as he strayed his eyes somewhere behind Gibbs. Could Jack actually do that to someone that's dear to him? To be honest, there shouldn't be much faith given when it comes to him but surely there are some things that could be excused. Maybe a valid reason that could justify his actions?

Even a heartless choice at that?

Who is he kidding? Why should I even bother defending that mad pirate?

“Did Jack even regret it?" he asked once more.

But all he received was a bubble of grumble as it erupts into a chuckle. Hints of redness spreading on his cheeks from the alcohol. “Of course he did. Even more so when he saw the lass again. Shattered him real good. Or bad.”

That perks Will’s attention up, brow raised. "Why?”

"Funny how I don't remember allowing you to share my sob story, Mr. Gibbs.”

The pirate himself stood before them, elbows tucked at his sides as he slightly swayed, eyeing one of them. Eyeing Will.

He didn't look upset, but it unnerved Will seeing the cold expression Jack wore. It was so unlike him. But it was also quite sad. Somehow.

Before he could utter an unflattering apology, Gibbs himself beat him to it.

“My apologies, Capt’n. Rum’s might've gotten through me head too much than usual.”

Even as Gibbs tried to explain himself, Jack didn't break his stare on him. The man walked closer towards Will, staring him down under his nose. At this point, Will isn't even sure if he's actually pissed or just being the unpredictable person that he is.

Moments after, Jack was now bending down onto his level. “Curious, are we?"

Will eyed him suspiciously, wondering what's going through the pirate's mind. “What if I am?" he bit back, tipping up a nod.

Jack Sparrow just smiled. One that can easily be mistaken as satisfaction, but Will can see it. The tight creases at the ends of his smile and the empty hollowness that resided in his eyes. He didn't know Jack Sparrow was capable of such emotions.

The said man leaned back up again, standing on his always wobbly toes. The front of his expression daring to fall.

“Right,” Jack said. "Why don't we start with her good ol' merry family of both husband and children? Sounds about right for self-condemnation, aye?”

Maybe Captain Jack Sparrow is not so heartless as he seemed to be.

Ko-fi?

[writing-until-i-drop]

Hey! Call me Bet, I'm a writer who gets so absorbed in the stories in my head that I forget to do important things...like my actual job... And fun fact, my mom reads my fics (she's very supportive, it's validating and mortifying)

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WIPs

Rooster x Single Mom!OC

Sneak peek

After divorcing her gay, marriage of convenience husband, Olivia and her teenage daughter move to North Island. Her daughter's one wish for Christmas? A hot step dad. And damn, if Rooster's Hawaiian shirts don't look like the perfect wrapping paper.

[Chaotic teenager daughter plays wingman | Rooster has total dad vibes | Olivia's exe just wants her to be happy | Olivia really needs to get laid | Her exe and daughter agree | Lots of domesticity | Olivia is the best mom to her gremlin daughter | Fresh start at life | Accidental pregnancy]

Hangman x Marine Corpsman-Devil Doc!OC

Sneak peek

Every time Fiona "Kitten" Reid is deployed, something bad happens. Win-a-medal type bad. And when Warlock is looking for a survivalist instructor for the Daggers during the uranium mission, he's shocked that the top recommendation from his colleagues is a young medical corpsman the Marines she served with dubbed "Kitten." After making a grand entrance at the expense of Jake's older brother and Bob's sanity, Fiona finds herself squarely in Hangman's sights. But he better pay attention in class because her lessons come from more than a textbook...

[Its classified sweetheart | Tequila makes her want to dance on elevated surfaces | Fiona has a Meredith Grey level disrespect for her own well being | Jake really wants to know how Fiona knows his brother | Fiona prepares the Daggers for being shot down in enemy territory | Warlock is a chaos enabler | Lots of Marine slang | Big Gibbs vibes | She once ran towards gunfire with a stethoscope around her neck | Bob is a great dancer | Penny will kick Jake's ass personally if he hurts her | She'll also kick Fiona's ass if she hurts him | Penny needs a raise]

NCIS! Top Gun Maverick AU

Blurb to come...

[crazycurly-77]

Undercover Lap dance - Chapter 6

Fandom: NCIS

Pairing: Gibbs x reader

Warnings: It's getting very hot, but non-explicit

After the rehearsal, there was a break. Satisfied, you went to take a shower and then enjoyed the pasta you had ordered beforehand.

The delivery came from the Italian restaurant around the corner and was brought by a nice, handsome young man.

Chantal laughed when she saw him: “Hi, Luigi.”

“Hello, pretty. Who is your new beauty?” he asked with a grin.

“That's our new colleague, Y/N. She dances in a very skimpy samba costume,” she replied and was amused when his eyes almost popped out of his head in amazement.

“Skimpy samba costume?” he forced out with difficulty.

“Typical man. This sweet one is no different from all the others,” Chantal thought amused and decided to tease him a little by describing it to him with a delighted smile: “Ooohh yessss… it’s green with a big feather crown and wings made of feathers. The bra and panties are embroidered with sequins and only cover the bare essentials. And her curves… I wouldn’t be surprised if she accidentally exposed herself while dancing…”

Luigi stared at her and his eyes grew wider and wider. He was so taken by her description that he had almost forgotten to breathe. In fact, he was only breathing because it was automatic.

Chantal had to laugh at his reaction. The poor guy would never get that image out of his head. 

At that moment, Amber joined them and took the food from his hands. “I don’t want to starve because of your gossip,” she said bitingly and went to the table.

"Uhm...", poor Luigi swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to collect himself. He wiped the thin film of sweat from his forehead with slightly shaking hands and his eyes wandered back to you. He just couldn't stop staring at you. Now even less than before.

But then he broke out in a panic because you were coming towards him. After showering you had put on normal casual clothes, but in his mind you were almost naked.

"Hi," you greeted him with a warm smile.

"Uhm, Uhm, Uhm," Luigi stuttered in response, which elicited a small laugh from you. He was visibly nervous, so you decided to shorten his suffering and turned to Chantal: "Are you coming? We don't have much time left before the show starts."

“Yes, I’ll be right there,” she replied and you went back to the table.

“Does she have a boyfriend?” the young man wanted to know.

Chantal winked at him: “I’ll find out for you. See you tomorrow.”

He nodded vigorously: “Yes, yes. Tomorrow.” He left the dressing room, tripping over his own feet in excitement, while she sat down next to you and also started to eat.

During the meal, you finally had the opportunity to introduce yourselves to each other.

Grace grew up in a sheltered environment in the country and was a volunteer carer for neglected young people.

Chantal came from D.C. She had separated from her husband because he had come out as gay after several years of marriage. That was completely fine with her, but it still hurt her because he was the love of her life.

Amber...she just described it coldly and matter-of-factly: "I grew up in an orphanage and because nobody wanted me and I was too old for the orphanage, I ended up here. And as you'll soon see, men are the absolute last thing there is. So, NEVER ask me what I think again."

Wow, that was intense and definitely aggressive. But was it aggressive enough to commit a treacherous murder...? It couldn't be ruled out.

But now you had to put on your makeup and change for the show, because it was high time.

Everyone was busy getting ready and you helped each other where necessary.

The mood was good and the excitement was growing. You all had decided to have as much fun as possible tonight.

But as you were putting on your makeup, a thought came back with full force and threatened to knock you over.

You had almost forgotten it, but in no time at all you would be dancing on a stage in front of an audience again.

And right in the middle of the audience will be Gibbs and DiNozzo.

The latter will probably be drooling with desire like he did at the audition in the gym and like he does with every attractive woman he meets.

But Gibbs...that was something completely different. What would he think of your performance? He had certainly seen professionals dance like that and you couldn't keep up with them. But you will do your best.

In the meantime, the club had opened. Your colleagues were there on time and had taken their seats in the front row.

Tony was visibly excited and couldn't wait for the show to start and Gibbs...

... kept reprimanding him, a little annoyed.

But if he was honest, he wasn't doing much better than Tony. The sight of you in the costume haunted him every free minute he had and the memory of your erotic dance made his blood boil.

Soon...soon it would finally be time and he would not only see you dancing again, but you both would also disappear into the private room together. Just the two of you. Alone. He cleared his throat and tried to concentrate on his surroundings, which was clearly easier said than done.

Then the lights went out and the spotlight came on...and there you were.

Your heart was racing with excitement and your eyes were searching for HIM. And when they found Gibbs, they became inseparable from him, just as his eyes fixed their intense gaze on you and never let go.

That evening you would dance only for him. For him...and no one else.

(To be continued in Chapter 7.)

------------------------------------------

Here you will find the other chapters of this story.

Back to the overview of this story

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Tags: @ilovemark1951, @hobby27

------------------------------------------

[bullet-prooflove]

Pillow Talk: Alden Parker x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @mandy426 @caffeinatedwoman @elefrog25-blog @toheavenwmydrms

Companion piece to:

Left Behind - You come home to find Alden on the run with his ex-wife Viv.

See It (NSFW) - Alden returns to you after being on the run.

The Middle - Alden does not want to be caught in the middle of your case.

Alden’s in a mood, you can tell from the way he huffs as he flips onto his back and stares up at the ceiling. You lie beside him in the darkness, listening to the sound of his breathing.

“You’re pissed I invited her to stay.” You say and Alden sighs.

“No.” He drawls out the word. “I’m pissed you didn’t get her to tell Nick.”

He’s talking about Harper, Nick’s life partner. She’s been receiving gifts from a man calling himself Casanova, horrible intimate gifts. It’s been going on for months, Alden discovered earlier today, months without a word to Nick from neither you or Harper.

“It’s not my place to…” You begin but Alden cuts you off.

“We had dinner with them last week.” He hisses as he tilts his head towards you. “You both sat across from him and said nothing!”

“Alden.” You whisper fiercely so you don’t wake up your guest sleeping on the couch in the other room. “It’s a case, you know I can’t discuss my cases outside my department, the same way you can’t and I can’t force her to tell Nick if she doesn’t want to.”

“Lisa,” He says and you can hear the undertone of agitation in his voice. “How do you think he’s going to feel when he realises his friends, the people he thinks of as his family kept this secret from him?”

Despite what Alden may say he is fiercely protective over Nick Torres. He’d been hurt, paranoid and suspicious after Gibbs had left for Alaska and it had taken Alden months to start building that trust.

“Look I know it’s hard to understand but I get where she’s coming from…”

“Oh you do, do you?” He says cutting you off again. “Is someone sending you diamond earrings and dirty panties that I don’t know about?”

There’s silence then and Alden’s gaze lowers to your hands. You’re playing with your wedding ring, your thumb rubbing lightly over the band.

“Lisa.” He says, propping his head up on his arm. “Do not tell me the same asshole…”

“No.” You say resolutely, your gaze lowering to the peach sapphire residing in the fitting of your ring. “Nothing like that. It’s Kris, he started sending me letters while you were away.”

Kris. Your ex-husband, the one that’s currently in prison for trying to kill you. The fact he decided to contact you when Alden was on the run was no coincidence. He can only imagine what those letters to you must have said.

“How many?” He responds testily. “How many did he send you while I was away?”

“Three.” You say quietly. “You weren’t here so I took care of it myself.”

It feels like you’ve plunged a knife into his heart and twisted. He’s sensitive about the time he’d spent on the lam, about disappearing from your marriage, turning your life upside down and leaving you to deal with the FBI. Those letters they’re just another example of his failure. He wasn’t there to protect you the first time Kris came after you, he wasn’t there this time.

He says nothing as he turns onto his side, his back facing you. He squeezes his eyes shut as he crosses his arms over his chest. He knows why you didn’t tell him, you knew he would have gone to that prison and torn Kris’s fucking head off.

“Alden…” You say softly but he doesn’t want to talk anymore.  

 “I’m tired Lisa.” He says, his voice devoid of emotion. “I need to get some sleep so I can be up to meet Nick off that chopper in the morning.”

“Oh.” You whisper and he can hear the sadness in your voice. “I understand.”

But you don’t, not really because Alden, he’s a shitty a husband. You just haven’t realised it yet.

Love Alden? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[allofmytoxicity]

hey, I saw that your requests were open and I wanted to ask if you could write a comfort fic with tony dinozzo.

I am a person who doesn't make friends easily nor do I fit in social situations easily. When I am out with friends and other people my age, i find it diffcult to fit in, I feel like I don't belong. So using this as an outline, could you write something where the reader went to an afterparty for an event her company hosted and she felt left out and that she didn't belong there and tony comforts her.

Hope this isn't too long or stumps your creativity. I just needed some comfort after the week i've had.

What was I made for?

a/n: okay, no. 1, sorry I pretty much dropped off the face of the earth for months (life is hard, okay!?), no. 2, when I got this ask in, I felt seen. Yes, people may see me on here, think I have it all put together. I don't. And many people like me don't. This piece of writing sparked the creativity I needed just now and getting this ask felt healing after the year I've had, because to cut a long story short, there has been a lot of crying because I didn't fit in. no. 3, I looked at your profile, I am also a McLaren and Ferrari girlie (sadly not max) but, if you want to send me a message after COTA that would be fine! Anyway, enjoy!

Summary: At a work after party you find yourself questioning why you're there until a certain NCIS agent comes along.

Word Count: 1.4k

TW: shit coworkers along with some tooth-rotting Tony comfort fluff while I anxiously sit and wait for formula 1 results.

Why on earth did you think this was a good idea?

Why? Just why?

Your work had decided to put on an event launching something you'd been working on, with an afterparty at the office later on in the night, and even though it was an optional thing, you'd still decided to come.

But even with the hustle and bustle though of the evening, you were stood in a corner, questioning why you'd even come tonight, because there you were, standing in a cinnamon coloured halter-neck dress with a lemonade in your hands beside a plant pot you'd bought years ago for the office.

This plant pot, like your current self, had gone unnoticed by everyone and was left to wither in the background as everyone got on with their lives.

It wasn't even as if it wasn't the norm for people to bring things in to brighten up the dull grey scale office walls, bar the slight accents of burnt orange on things like the company logo on the walls. Around the same time you'd brought in the plant, Anne-Marie round in marketing had brought in a painting that she had hung just outside her office and ever since she'd been complimented on it, whereas your plant? People acted as if it had always been there, but never watering it.

That's what it was normally like for you. There, but never seen, haunting the halls as everyone worked, your existence ghost-like to everyone around you.

It was what made it all worse. You had no work friends, no acknowledgement, not even regular emails because you were just missed out on projects. Sometimes you did literally think about working from home, but that, of course, would be the one time when someone actually needed you.

Taking a sip of the lemonade you were holding, you double tapped your phone as a notification ping came through, the bright light from the sudden action making you squint, before you gazed down at the notifications from your husband, very special agent Tony Dinozzo.

The string of messages that had been sent through, that as you read them, sound like Tony was just texting what had first come into his head. It ranged from texts like 'Sorry I missed dinner, Gibb's has got us working on a stupid case' to 'Are you okay!? The house is empty and I expected you to be home!' to finally 'oh wait you're at that work thing aren't you?' which were all sent in the space of a couple of hours.

Through the regret of turning up tonight as well as the feeling of not belonging, you smiled and breathed out a laugh at the array of emotions playing through the texts.

After a few seconds and quick typing you shot back a reply, 'I'm at the work thing, but I'll be home soon. Not exactly feeling like I belong here.'

The next notification ping about a minute later was Tony's reply, him clearly having just typed it up, 'Good job I was coming to get you anyway, huh?'

You actually, properly, laugh for the first time that night send back just a love heart before moving away from the withering plant in the corner, but not before you donate the last of your lemonade to it first.

After that, you walk towards your desk, just a couple of metres away from the potted plant, but beside where a few of your coworkers were talking, as well as where you'd hidden your coat and bag, grabbing those along with your laptop just to catch up on any emails, or even resign like Tony had been telling you to do for years.

Making your way back through the crowded sixth floor of your office building and making it to the elevator, hitting the green G and let the doors close, slipping your laptop into your bag while they do so.

Quickly putting you bag down on the ground after, you stick on your coat as the elevator moves, not wanting the cold October air to catch you out with a cold as you wait for Tony, so you make sure to fully zip it up as you pick up your bag just as the doors open.

Walking briskly out of the building, you spot Tony standing outside of his car, his scarf and gloves on with his hair perfectly gelled, and begin to rush towards him.

You had walked to the launch party part of the night as it was only a couple of blocks from your apartment before the walk to the office building which you were all taken to by car, so at least your feet weren't too sore, but you were sure not to wear heels tonight jut in case Tony got off work really late.

As you get closer, you smile and Tony reflects it back and it isn't long before you're crashing into his arms, letting a relaxed sigh out into his neck.

"Hey." Tony says quietly, letting you go and kissing you in the middle of the dark car park.

"Hi," you respond, looking him in the eyes. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Tired, but good." Tony replies, looking at you with a smile.

"Why don't we go home?" You ask and Tony nods, opening the right-hand-side car door to let you in before running around to the other side for him to get in the car.

Reversing back and getting on the road, Tony multitasks and takes his gloves off as well, sticking them in his lap before putting a hand on your thigh, not wanting to freeze your leg to death in the short drive.

"How did it go?" Tony asked after a short while, not taking his eyes off the road, but clearly listening.

"Okay. I nearly didn't go tonight. Probably shouldn't've" You reply, looking towards Tony with your head against the leather headrest.

"Why?" Tony continues, flicking his mind away from driving for one second to look at you.

"You know, you've seen the messages. I... I never fit in and I'm always forgotten." You whisper, tears starting to brim against you eyes.

As Tony turns into your street and parks up, he turns in his seat to look at you, before asking one very important question.

"Why do you not just quit?"

You left out alight scoff, letting a few tears fall before you give Tony a reply.

"Because, I don't know what I'd do. It seems all I was made for is to work there and be a pencil pusher. I have no other goals in life. I was left by my childhood friends, I have a useless degree and my coworkers ignore me." You say sniffling, letting more tears fall as you play with the rings that the very special senior agent gave to you all those years ago.

Tony sighs and looks at you before taking your left hand and holding it, rubbing his thumb against the back of it, brushing by the gold bands encompassing your ring finger.

You both sit there in silence for a moment before Tony clears his throat and looks directly at you.

"Quit and I'll get you a job." Tony nearly whispers and your head shoots up from where it originally was facing in your lap.

"What?" You ask, almost in disbelief at what he was saying.

"Quit and I'll get you a job. NCIS will have to have somewhere you can work, and put your degree to use. The team loves you, even Gibbs- which I still don't get- but anyway, you'd have somewhere where people love and respect you." Tony rambles while you start to feel hot tears of pure joy at the fact he was sitting there, telling you that he would work his butt off to find you somewhere where you could be you and be happy.

"You're really doing this? You really want to work with me?" You ask, using your free right hand to wipe your eyes.

"Honey, I think there's a reason those rings are on your hand," Tony says and you laugh. "Yes, I want to work with you, and to be fair, so does Abby. She's been begging me to do this for months."

You giggle at the sentiment and as Tony releases your hand, you both get out of the car and start walking up to your apartment, hand-in-hand, you have a soft smile on your face, knowing that even if you were forgotten by everybody else, there was at least someone fighting in your corner.

Even if they could be a little shit sometimes because they've eaten all the brownies you'd baked the day before.

a/n: there you go! I really hope you feel better after this (also, sorry it took so long to write this). This was really actually therapeutic for me, so I'm glad I wrote this.

requests are open!

[glitteringsunshine]

Gibbs’s Gal

Part 1

Pairing : Leroy Jethro Gibbs x Reader

( crossover with madam Secretary)

Reader’s POV:

“Okay the reports done.” Jay said. “ You think these joint task force reports would be easy, but getting approval from all the departments is a real headache.”

“ So what’s the final title of the report?” I asked.

“ Corruption in selected foreign military and the difficulties in building Infrastructure” Phew. Err some parts of the NCIS report has been redacted. I don’t know why.” Blake said.

“ Well we need to find out. I mean the it’s their marines who are working for the state building infrastructure. But state has the right to know ground data.” I said.

“ Yeah ,I tried to talk with the NCIS Director but he shut me out. “ Nadine said.

“ Well its not only State’s development money , but it is also the funding of many international Agencies. We can’t put up redacted reports to the UN.” I stated.

“ Well I will ask Russell Jackson to look it up. After all nothing is Privy from POTUS”. As his chief of staff Russell Jackson will know what to do.

….

“ Y/N , come with me to Russell Jackson”. The Msec said.

“ About the Corruption report?” I asked .

“ Yes”.

I quickly hopped in with Msec in her motorcade.

“ Ohh wow aren’t we going to his office?” I asked.

“ Apparently a top secret meeting is going to happen here.” She said.

“ Really ! In the Men's Restroom.” I rolled my eyes.

“ Well not my first choice” she chuckled.

“ Apparently Henry is coming in too” she said.

“ What’s DIA have to do with the report?” I asked.

“ Yeah I would like to know why I am meeting my husband in a men’s room too Y/N, sorta reminds me of college” she chuckled.

“ I heard the door open and saw Tony and McGee walk in.”

“ Hello Y/N, nice to see you”. McGee said.

“ Hello” Tony said warmly. “Gibbs asked us to come here, any idea why?”

“ Vague one. BTW meet the Secretary of State”

“ Huge fan” They said in unison. “ Ma’am you are my favourite politician” Tony said.

“ Don’t say that . She hates the word” I chuckled.

“ Done being a fan, Dinozzo ? Then we can discuss stuff.” I heard Gibbs say as Henry ,Gibbs and the Director of NCIS walked in, followed closely by Russell Jackson.

Introductions were made. Though all of us knew others by reputation.

“ This is Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs” Henry said. He is a fellow marine. He served under me in the marines. I believe you two have met before.”

“ Yes we crossed paths a few times related to work” I nodded.

“OK”said Russell Jackson. “In a Joint mission by NCIS and DIA we have uncovered alarming human rights violations in the countries mentioned in the report. The part redacted is actually the source that helped us uncover this.”

“ We studied the file” . “ Well State knew we were fighting Corruption, but this is cruel”.

“ Yes” Henry said. “ They kept it so hushed up , even CIA did not catch wind.” One of the translators working there when we were deployed as Marines has now rose in their military ranks. He brought this to us.”

“Henry, I mean Dr . McCord worked extensively with him, the asset ,our source. . Henry was not only my superior officer in the Marines, but we hung out together. Anyhow that’s how we met him , in a bar while we were hanging out. He was young , idealistic and Dr McCord hired him . We were in dearth of translators and he helped us. Anyhow we are planning to present the military leader in the international Criminal Court.”

“ We have frozen some of his assets. However he got wind of it. The dictator thinks there is a leak. Before we can pursue the dictator , we need to get our asset out. Now the state is visiting to Geneva right , to sign a trade deal?”

“ Now the asset trusts only Henry and Gibbs” Russell Jackson said. “ The asset is visiting Geneva with the dictator. We can take him in safety there. Henry and Gibbs have to go. Henry’s cover is as Msec’s arm candy. Gibbs will your date Y/N. Since the event in WTO mentions that staff could bring dates, he will be yours.”

I nodded.

“ Oh one more thing. The week in Geneva, you will be sharing a room with him. The dictator suspects we might to do an extraction. If by any chance he gets to know a staff’s date is in a separate room, he will get our plan. We need to be careful. “

“ I am Okay with it if Special Agent Gibbs is” I said , to which he nodded.

“ While Henry and Gibbs works the extraction, your job is to get the trade deal signed by him. It’s a multilateral agreement and when we present him to the International Criminal Court, there will be instability in the country. We don’t know if we could get his successor to agree to the trade deal. Since they control vital maritime routes , it’s important we get them to sign the deal. “

“ Now that his assets are frozen, he might use the trade deal as a leverage to unfreeze it. We can’t unfreeze the assets. Then the dictator would escape before we could get to him.” Russell said.

“ So Y/N” you would have to drop into NCIS once to work on your cover.” Henry said.

“ While you are at it familiarize Jethro with the protocols okay.” Msec said.

…

Jethro’s POV:

I saw Y/N walking in with a huge binder. How on earth does she work in those heels. Well they were sexy though. I would like to fuck her with those boots on. Wow from where did that thought come from. I blinked to get that image off my head.

“ Well here are the protocols. Covers the banquets ,dinners etc. There are pointers on the meet and greet style for people from different countries. Learn them” she said taking off her coat.

“McGee pointers” I said handing the file over to him.

“ Gibbs protocol is important. Go through it.” She said leaning against my desk.

As she did ,I could see her cleavage peeking out from her blouse. I suddenly had this urge to cup her voluptuous breasts, knead them. She was inches from my mouth. I wondered how her lips would taste. Her dark red lipstick looked so enticing. I got this urge to brush my thumb on her lips, to kiss her with a passion she has never known. Her eyes beneath her glasses spoke of wild seduction and pure temptation. Like the finest whiskey in a crystal glass, it sparkled against the light. What attracted me more was the inherent kindness and exuberance that was reflected in her eyes, like hot chocolate on a cold December night. I couldn’t look away from her. She held my gaze until she blinked. “ Gibbs you have to read them okay. I don’t care if Mcgee helps with a framework or something , but get it done, okay. McGee I will highlight the important points.”

As she bent down to talk to McGee, I couldn’t help but stare at her ass. The loose skirt she wore did not really highlight her body, but as she bend down, I could see her attractive curves, the voluptuous beauty if it, from the bent of her hips and ass to her lovely thighs. I heard her laugh with McGee. Suddenly I was filled with an insane jealous rage.

“ Do your job McGee. You can laugh and fool around later. Y/N in Abby’s lab now. Let’s get it over with the cover story . I have other cases to solve.” I said.

I barged out ,Y/N following me.

“ Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs” Abby said. “ Look I went through the Admiral’s journal.He was going through a divorce right. So I finally managed to read through it , not easy because of the codes , but look he found out that his lawyer arranged for someone to roofie his wife and take suggestive photos , making everyone believe that she had cheated. That’s when our missing Admiral wanted to confront the lawyer.”

“ I need more Abby.”

“ See the lawyer meets her clients out of her office. She has this weird jamming programme where we can’t triangulate her cell location. But if we get her to meet , I can access her cell data, her client list , her records of who she set up , how she got the roofie, who she used a photographer, everything.”

“ We need to get the location of our kidnapped admiral. Or else she would leverage that for a deal.”

“ Well Gibbs you can go in as a client. You can tell her to meet at a bar my friend owns. She has great tech that breaks signal jammers for video games. She uses them in her bar ,so she could play video games without any interference. I can put in someone undercover as a waitress . In that way while I attach a chip on you to hack her phone data, someone can get her phone locations.”

“ Well, Ziva, Kate, Jessica and Ellie have all interrogated and talked to her. So who to put.” I ask.

“ Her” Abby says looking at Y/N.

“ You can go undercover right?” I asked. Why didn’t it strike me before.

“ What me? Hmm ok” Y/N says.

…

“ Stop fidgeting Y/N” I said, looking at her in her waitress uniform.

“ The skirt is too short and tight” she said pulling at it.

“ Ohh God. I don’t have the body for such an outfit. I look awkward. There’s no way I can pull it off. Your lawyer will know something is off.”

“ Relax. You look wonderful. You can’t pull it off. “

“ Uhh huh keep the coat in the van and walk. There is no way a waitress can afford such a coat.” I said.

“ Got the data Boss” we have her. McGee said.

“ Yeah got all the locations she had been. “ Abby said.

“Okay Tony ,Nick follow the lawyer.”

“ Jessica , Ellie get to location 1 ,Ziva and Kate to location 2”.

…

As I walked Y/N to my car, I realised she disnt have her coat. She was shivering. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her.

“ Thanks” she said.

“ Good Job” I smiled at her. Dropping the menu to get close to her for the signal. Brilliant” I smiled.

“ You know you should smile more often Gibbs. It really looks good on you.”

“ Says the woman who forgot to smile in her year book photo” I chuckled.

“ So you did a background check on me” she laughed.

“ Well I needed to know who I am sending undercover. Plus I was curious . I wanted to know you, understand you better.” I confessed.

“ I was trying to portray the bold mysterious enigmatic look in that yearbook photo” she chuckled. “ You know typical teenage rebellion phase.” She laughed. “ I was a need but a rebel too, breaking rules , being a brat, resisting authority. In some sort of way I thought not smiling in my yearbook photo was an act of rebellion. I was a brat then, pretty mischievous. But my grades were really good. Plus I had this knack of avoiding suspicion, so didn’t get into trouble.”

“ You are still a brat.” I chuckled. “ It has worked Well for you though, helping you think out of the box.”

“ You have your fair share of out of the box thinking, disregard of protocol too, cowboy.” “ Yeah I looked you up too.”

I didn’t realise when I have gotten so close to her, her lips centimetres away from mine. It will be so easy to brush my lips against hers. She leaned in slightly. I leaned in too. Suddenly her phone rang.

“ Yeah , thanks Blake. I would look into the keynote speaker for the International Women’s Education Summit.” She said.

If only that stupid phone didn’t ring right now. I was so close to kissing her. I would have loved to hold her close to me, kissing her ,exploring her, feel her heartbeats against mine. Get a grip Marine.

…

Reader’s POV:

“ So how do you two meet?” “ Uhh Dating website, that’s a good cover.” Abby said.

Gibbs was standing behind me , bending down to look at the computer screen. His close presence made me feel butterflies in my stomach. “ Nope, find a better one” Gibbs said.

“ Maybe in a coffee shop, while we were getting coffee?” Gibbs continued.

“ Boring” Abby said.

“ Maybe at a bar. Two complete strangers. Fucked behind the alley. Had on and off casual sex. Then started dating.” I mused.

“ Wow , Hot.” Abby Exclaimed.

“ English Lit major here. I know how to write a good story. You should always be specific when you lie you know.” I chuckled.

“ That’s one of my rules too” Gibbs laughed. “ So who made the first move? How many times in the alleyway ?”

“ What?”

“ Specifics remember?”

“ I Will let you two work that out” Abby laughed.

…

We were going through our covers. We saw the lawyer being escorted out. Suddenly she took out the gun of an NCIS agent holding the entire squad room at gunpoint.

“ I will not go to prison” the lawyer said.

“Okay ,Okay ,we can talk” I said.

“ I will walk out from here, you will not follow me” she said. “ Get me that box of money and fake passports you confisticated now”

“ OK, Ok I said . I am bringing it.” Then looking at my shoes, I looked at Gibbs, a silent understanding passing between us.

I took the evidence box and approached her . Then jammed my foot on her, my stilleto shoes causing her real pain and she dropped her gun. Gibbs immediately slipped it away as Ziva tried to handcuff her.

“You bitch” she shouted at me, and she attacked Ziva, snatching her knife and throwing it at me. Gibbs immediately pulled me down on the floor , protecting me with him on top of me before Ziva subdued her. The knife however hit the window and a piece of glass cur my shoulder. I gasped at the pain.

Jethro’s POV:

I looked at Y/N. I saw the blood from the glass that had cut her shoulders.

I pulled her up. She looked shaken. I pulled her in a hug , holding her tight against my chest.

“ Get Ducky now”. I said to Kate.

“ You know Y/N it’s okay to say it hurts while getting stitches.” Ducky said. “ You don’t have to grit your teeth and put up a brave face.”

“ You gave me painkillers Ducky. Plus the Alcohol you made me chug helped me with the nerves, as you said.”

“ You gave her painkillers with alcohol Ducky?”

“ Well it helps with the nerves . Though I suggest she doesn’t drive today.” Ducky said.

“ I will take her home Ducky.”

Ducky finished doing her stitches. “ Well you can take her home now Jethro.”

“ Come Y/N , let me take you home.”

“ But I don’t want to go home. I wanna see the world” she pouted.

“ What painkillers making you loopy kid?” I chuckled. “ Come.” I said as I took her hand.

“ Ahh such a gentleman. You don’t have to be so kind. I won’t sue NCIS for the damages” she giggled. “ I am sorry about your jacket though. I can buy you another.”

“ It’s okay Y/N.”

She tiptoe on her feet ,suddenly brushing her lips against mine and softly sucking on it. “ Kind of wanted to do that all day long” she giggled.

I lost my self control then. I crashed her lips against her passionately. She gasped at the sensation and as she parted her lips I shoved my tongue inside her . I felt so close to her. She responded eagerly. As we broke for oxygen I looked into her eyes. “ I have wanted to do that all day along too”.I said . Her eyes reflected the desire I felt. I picked her up and carried her to my car. I buckled her seatbelt before driving.

“ That’s not the way to my home.” She said.

“ I am taking you to my place?”

“ To your bed” she giggled.

“ I would be lying if I said I don’t want you in my bed Y/N. You have no idea what has gone through my head from the morning, Ohh the things I want to do to you.” “ Well how drunk are you?”

“ Drunk enough to really have the nerves to go to bed with you.Not enough for you to think guily of taking advantage of me.” She said dazed.

“ Ohh Y/N I want to be with you tonight. But you have alcohol and painkillers in your system. I don’t want you to do anything you will regret in the morning.”

“ You don’t want me?”

I took her hand into mine placing it against my crotch. “ You feel the hardness Y/N . You did that. I want you so much Y/N. But it’s not fair to you. I would like to take you when you are fully sober.”

“ She rubbed her hands against my crotch. I did that .” She giggled. “ I would like to feel more of that hardness.”

My cock throbbed against my pants. “Y/N , you are making it difficult for me to concentrate on the road.”

“ Oops Sorry. She withdrew her hands and started biting her nails and sucking her thumbs.”

This girl is really gonna test my patience and my honour. I have to keep my self control control.

“ Don’t bite your nails. It’s a bad habit.”

As a response she stuck out her tongue at me, making me laugh.

We arrived at my place. I carried her to my bedroom , put her down on my bed. I gave her one of my hoodies to change into.

When I came to the room again after changing to a hoodie and sweatpants , I found her half asleep. I gently tucked her in, kissing her forehead and Patting her forehead.

“ I wish you would stay” she mumbled.

“ You really want me to?”

“ Only if you are comfortable”

“ Good. Cause I want to.” I said . Then I laid down beside her, pulling her close to me ,cuddling her as we both drifted off to sleep. The sensation of her against me really turned me on , but I also felt a comfort, a warmth I did not want to lose. Her touch was like a drug to me.

…

“ I woke up in the morning. Y/N laid in my arms fast asleep. I have never felt so much peace ,so much bliss, that I felt at that moment. Gently I nuzzles at her neck. “ I think I maybe falling in love with you” I whispered. Gently kissing her forehead, I got up.

I was rock hard and needed a cold shower. I willed my Dick to go down, but it had a mind of its own. I imagined Y/N’s mouth and fingers around my cock and stroked my Shaft. I thought of how it would feel to be inside her. I shot my load in my hand and floor. Then taking a cold shower , I went to cook breakfast.

“ Hi good morning” she said. “Smells delicious.”

I offered her some coffee. “ So how would you want your eggs? Runny or dry.”

“ None. Cause I think your pan’s on fire.”

“ Shoot fuck I said” putting it out.

We both ended up laughing together. At that moment I felt so whole. I moved towards her. Then holding her gaze I cupped her face before claiming her lips.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.187 Passing the keys

That night, I went back to the rental website to fill the vacancy because it didn't make sense to wait. The house had been sitting all this time, waiting to generate income for us, and it was past time I did something about it. I decided to rent to the older gentlemen, but his application was no longer available. I was kind of bummed because I had already formed a picture in my mind of what he would be like based on the information he shared on the application, and now I'd have to start over. The plus side is that I found a young family like I originally wanted, so I accepted their application right away. In the morning, I got a notification saying they had moved in already, so I went over there after breakfast to introduce myself and get to know them. The application stated they were a married couple with twin infants. The house wasn't exactly setup for two babies, but they can make it work.

As I approached the door, I overheard them arguing, and my whole body tensed up. They reminded me of Mama's friends, who stayed with us and argued literally day and night. I hope to the Watcher these two are not like that. I pressed my ear to the door to see if I could get an idea of what the issue was. It turns out the woman was flustered because she saw a lost dog who needed help but ignored it. She felt guilty about it and wanted to go back and find the dog, but the husband didn't get it. He was very dismissive and said dogs get lost all the time and it was none of her business if someone can't keep track of their animal. Oh boy. This better not be a bad omen. I knocked, hoping to interrupt him berating her, and they let me in. Owen and Jilliana Sage are their names. Owen works at a store and seemed to have a good sense of humor, so maybe he's not so bad. Jilliana is more serious and super smart. She works at the space center, but I don't remember what she said she does there.

She tried to introduce me to the babies, Xavier and Zahava, but they both started screaming because Owen had the TV way too loud. Xavier calmed down enough to let me hold him, though. He was so tiny and made me miss Desiree at that age. I didn't intend to spend the day with them, and they clearly had things to do, so I told them to call me if they needed anything and made my exit.

I had to pass by Chi Chi's house on the way back home, so I stopped by to tell her we were moving to Gibbs Gardens soon. She was bummed about not being around the corner from us anymore, but relieved we weren't leaving the city. Behind her eyes, however, there seemed to be more than just disappointment at losing her favorite neighbor. I asked if something was wrong, and in Chi Chi-like fashion, I got way more than I bargained for.

As she began this tale, my initial reaction was to beat myself up again about not being a good friend because the details of her story started a while ago. But I stopped those thoughts before my brain ran away with them. We all have super busy lives. No one has time to be involved at such a granular level anymore, and no one is expecting us to know everything. I am a good friend, and I don't have to know every detail to prove it. Come to think about it, my friends—minus Dub—know less about me than I know about them. Needless, I'm done with stressing myself about this.

Chi Chi's woes began with her birthday a few weeks back. Like many women her age (especially when they are as fine as she is), she didn't handle the adult birthday well. Of course, she knew her body would change, but like me, seeing it hit differently. Between that and the little lines creeping from the corners of her eyes and across her forehead, she's feeling frumpy. I almost laughed. She is still one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. Frumpy where?? She would turn heads wearing a paper bag. I bet she could gain 300 pounds, shave off her hair, and still have a trail of thirsty men following her everywhere. Still, if the aging stuff was the only thing she had to deal with, she would be fine in time. The problem is all her other worries reinforce the aging issues, and she is struggling. The short version of the story is her life has not turned out how she imagined. She once told me she wanted to remarry and have more kids, but all the dates she's been on led nowhere. Now, as an adult, she's thinking about giving up on that dream, especially when she's about to be a grandmother! Karmine, her daughter, is grown grown now. She moved her boyfriend into the house without even discussing it. Then, she got pregnant and moved out, so Chi Chi is all alone in the house with nothing but these crushing thoughts to keep her company, and she's not doing that great.

I had no idea if it would help, but I decided to share my midlife crisis story. It felt wrong at first because I never told Sophia I was struggling, but if Chi Chi can walk away feeling better, the discomfort will be worth it. Even though her story is different, I identified with everything she said because I realized life rarely turns out exactly how we plan. The reason is because we never factor in trouble or change. Our plans are always perfect and positive. When change and trouble comes, we feel out of control, like our world is falling apart. But the world isn't falling apart. It's the same as it always was. We just haven't taken off our rose-colored glasses yet.

I told Chi Chi everything would be okay, and she should look at it from a positive perspective. Because she's not starting a new family, and is an empty nester, she's got so much extra time to do all those bucket list things she's been looking forward to. And since she won't have any young children to raise, she has time to time to be super grandma and help her daughter through those oh so difficult first two stages. She's still really young and can reinvent herself if she wanted. And when love finally finds her again, and I believe it will, it will be all about them with no one else coming between them. They'll grow old together and be annoyingly in love.

Like I said, I have no clue if my little pep talk helped, but at least I left her smiling. Kinda like grieving, she'll find her way to accepting her new normal, and when she does, she'll appreciate the picture I painted for her.

[handeaux]

The Further Adventures Of Cincinnati’s Curious Real Estate Investors And Scoundrels

Nicholas Longworth’s Still When he first arrived in Cincinnati in 1803, Nicholas Longworth was almost penniless. Twenty years later, he was the second-richest man in America, behind only John Jacob Astor. In 1830, he purchased what is now the Taft Museum as his home. Longworth’s rise to wealth began with a copper still. As a young attorney, he was engaged to defend a man accused of stealing horses. The defendant had no cash to pay the lawyer, but did have a copper still and a horse. Both were entrusted to the care of Joel Williams who, in addition to working as a surveyor, maintained a local tavern. Longworth suspected that both still and horse might be stolen but accepted the still as payment, the horse being more likely to be repossessed. Longworth won the case, his client rode off on the horse, and the attorney visited the tavern to collect his still. He discovered Williams boiling sour mash and unwilling to part with the device. Willliams offered instead fourteen and a half acres out on Western Row near Eighth Street. Longworth agreed. By 1859, that plot was worth $750,000.

Iron Chest Company By the 1830s, despite often violent repression, Cincinnati developed a small but influential Black middle class. Among these citizens were Samuel T. Wilcox, owner of the Dumas House, the only hotel catering to Black guests; Gideon Mercer Langston, who kept a livery stable and John Woodson, a barber who served as superintendent of a school for African American children. In September 1838, these men and others formed a mutual aid society called the Iron Chest Company. Each member contributed one dollar every week and with this fund the company built three brick buildings that they rented to white tenants. The company also helped fugitive Black people escape from slavery and assisted their less fortunate neighbors.

Oh, Susanna! Among the most unusual property transfers in Cincinnati was accomplished in 1902, when Susanna Gibbs transferred a parcel of land at the intersection of Hewitt and Fairfield in Evanston, valued at $6,000, to Susanna Turner. The identical first names were no coincidence. Susanna Gibbs and Susanna Turner were one and the same person. She was born Susanna Turner in 1825 and became Susanna Gibbs when she married Joel Gibbs in 1849. The couple separated in the 1860s and eventually divorced. Her ex-husband took poison and killed himself in 1875 and neighbors said Susanna Turner/Gibbs had acted strangely ever since. When she herself died a few years later, it was hypothesized that Susanna had converted all of her property to her birth name to shield it from her son, a notorious gambler and spendthrift.

Van Tress Empire A farm boy from Waynesville, Roy Van Tress rose quickly from rags to riches. It is too bad that his rise was a fabric of scam and sham, lies and outright larceny. Tress wanted to build an empire out west, centered around a city named for himself. To establish this western empire, Van Tress incorporated in 1910 the McAlester Real Estate Exchange with offices in downtown Cincinnati at the Union Central Life Building. Van Tress enticed customers with options to purchase some of the Indian Lands the U.S. government had grabbed in Oklahoma. Van Tress promised oil rights, timber reserves and lush farmlands for a few dollars an acre. Investigators soon discovered that Van Tress sold options to buy twice as much land as he had authority to sell and that most of the land he actually had rights to were barren, already timbered, and thoroughly devoid of any oil reserves. Some were essentially vertical plots on the side of steep bluffs. Van Tress was arrested in 1913 and spent the next decade in court. The interminable litigation took its toll and Van Tress died from pneumonia complicated by anemia in 1924.

Black Real Estate In A Segregated City On Easter Sunday in 1950, more than 6,000 people toured the brand-new and very elegant Manse Hotel in Walnut Hills. The Enquirer called the Manse “the finest hotel in the United States owned and operated by Negroes.” Because Cincinnati’s downtown hotels were segregated, the Manse for many years accommodated nearly every Black celebrity visiting the Queen City. The Manse was created by Horace Sudduth, a Black man born in Covington who built a solid real estate enterprise in Cincinnati against the considerable obstacles of a very segregated city. Sudduth opened the Creative Realty Company in 1910 on West Fifth Street. His company sold residential property and also provided investment counseling. The secret to Sudduth’s success was his emphasis on service over profits. Sudduth directed his staff to match each buyer with the most appropriate property, and wealth would follow. He counseled his clients to think of real estate as an investment, famously declaring “You do not buy a home like you buy a hat.” By 1950, Time Magazine noted that Sudduth had accumulated a fortune of more than half a million dollars.

Hopple Street Mystery In 1916, a city block’s worth of real estate at the southeast corner of Beekman and Hopple streets was, at least on paper, sold by Charles E. Miller of Northside to Ben Rubenstein, president of the Benn Lumber Company. What, asked the Cincinnati Enquirer [23 July 1916], did Mr. Rubenstein intend to do with that property? Enquirering minds wanted to know because “sources” claimed the land could not be used for storing lumber. Mr. Rubenstein said he had no idea what the land would be used for. He insisted he had no financial interest in the transaction and only allowed his name to be used “as a matter of convenience” for other, unnamed, parties. The Enquirer never discovered who actually owned the land, but Mr. Rubenstein – at least on paper – sold part of it two years later to Hooven & Allison Company, twine manufacturers.

The Park That Became A Castle Don’t believe everything you read on Wikipedia. According to that communally edited resource, Loveland Park was created as a subscription gimmick by the Cincinnati Enquirer. Not true. It was the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune that offered, in 1924, a plot of land along the Little Miami River to anyone who purchased a six-month subscription to the newspaper. These lots were too small for building, measuring only 20 feet wide and 100 feet long. The newspaper played up their virtues as a summer resort because subscribers could pitch a tent and walk to the river. Buyers were mostly wealthy; that half-year subscription ran to $58.50. Many of the original buyers bailed. Lillie Gegner was one. On 12 June 1929, she sold two adjacent plots to Harry D. Andrews. Three months later, Andrews laid the cornerstone for Chateau La Roche, later known as Loveland Castle. The quasi-chivalric organization Andrews founded, the Knights of the Golden Trail, now owns more than 6 acres of land surrounding their castle. The Commercial Tribune created a real estate debacle when they subdivided the former Apgar farm into all those tiny parcels. The stunt properties extend beyond Loveland up into Warren County’s Deerfield Township and lawyers were still trying to sort out land ownership and street dedications well into the 1980s.

One Bad Apple Cincinnatians were introduced to the title “Realtor” in 1916, when Thomas Ingersoll, national secretary of the Real Estate Exchange, announced to a gathering of Queen City “real estate men” that, henceforth, they would be known by that trademarked title. According to the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune [17 June 1916] Ingersoll claimed “realtor” would “be synonymous with honesty, straightforwardness, and everything nice and pleasant along real estate lines.” Apparently Edna White didn’t get the message. Mrs. White, owner of Edland Realty Co., spent 1954 in court to face charges she had swindled at least 11 of her clients out of $13,000. Plaintiffs testified they had given Mrs. White amounts ranging from $900 to $1,300 as down payments on houses but, when unable to secure enough financing to complete the deals, Mrs. White refunded their money with personal checks that bounced. By the time she was sentenced to one to ten years in the Marysville Reformatory, 22 counts of embezzlement and additional rubber check charges had been added to the indictments.

What’s Hidden In Your Deed? Homeowners in Hamilton County document their ownership of a parcel of land through a deed and that deed commonly references a prior deed, which references an even earlier deed, and so on. Follow that trail and it is common to find a racially restrictive covenant in the original deed to your property, something along the lines of: “No lots either improved or unimproved on the said subdivision shall ever be sold, leased, rented or occupied, except as servants in a household, by any person not of the White or Caucasian race.” Such covenants were declared illegal by the Supreme Court in 1948, but the language persists in the official records. For many years, The Hamilton County Recorder’s office refused to transfer racially restrictive covenants when a property was transferred. That practice was challenged in 1980 over a piece of registered land – property surveyed by and with boundaries guaranteed correct by the state. Removing the covenant could invalidate registered deeds, a land examiner claimed. The court sided with the examiner, but County Recorder John E. Held removed the covenant on his own authority. The Ohio General Assembly finally eliminated all remaining obstacles to erasing such covenants in 1998.

Friends of Joe If you believe your property taxes are too high today, you may appeal to the Hamilton County Board of Revision. Before 1990, there was another, much more expeditious, method to get your property taxes lowered – you made friends with Auditor Joseph L. DeCourcy Jr. That year, an investigation by Cincinnati Post reporters Randy Ludlow and Molly Kavanaugh revealed that DeCourcy and his staff had improperly reduced the tax valuations on more than 1,000 properties, amounting to $1 million in lost tax revenue over the previous two years alone. The improper reductions were recorded on forms initialed “FOJ,” which, sources said, meant “Friend of Joe.” Although DeCourcy claimed to have no idea what those initials represented, he was indicted on 190 counts of reducing the taxes of his friends and political allies and eventually pleaded no contest to lesser charges, receiving a fine and a suspended jail sentence.

[roses-of-the-romanovs]

Hello! I'm creating a Romanov roleplay so could you give me a list of members and friends of the Romanov family, and others (Standart officers, Bolsheviks, etc.) for people to roleplay? That would be very helpful since I know I'm going to accidentally miss some characters (^^”).

Hi! These are some people who were involved with the Romanovs:

Friends:

Anna Vyrubova—quite possibly Alexandra's dearest friend. Typically viewed as a bit of a simpleton or a cunning spy--the reality is probably that she was neither. Also very attached to Rasputin.

Lili Dehn—another of Alexandra's friends, a lady-in-waiting. Also close with Nicholas and the children; was with Alexandra when Nicholas abdicated.

Elizabeth Naryshkina—the elderly mistress of the robes.

Sophie Buxhoevedon—lady-in-waiting, affectionately known as "Isa" (also spelled "Iza").

Catherine "Trina" Schneider—also attempted (unsuccessfully) to teach the Romanov sisters German. Taught Russian to Alexandra. Lutheran.

Grigori Rasputin—infamous. Especially intimate with Alexandra, also a sort of mentor for the daughters. Killed in 1916.

Kolya Demenkov—Alexei’s friend.

Gleb Botkin & Tatiana Botkina—the children of Evgeny Botkin.

Sofia Orbeliani—Alexandra’s friend and an invalid. Died in 1915.

Countess Anastasia “Nastenka” Hendrikova—family friend.

Family:

Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna—OTMA's grandmother. But a bit frosty in her relations with Alexandra.

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna—Nicholas II's sister. Often the grand duchesses spent Saturdays with her.

Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna—Nicholas’s sister. Her family was known as the Ai Todories due to their estate. Her daughter Irina especially was close to the daughters. (Irina’s husband, Felix Yussupov, was one of Rasputin’s assassins.)

Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich—one of Nicholas’s favorite cousins, and once considered a possible groom for Olga. Under the care of Elizabeth Feodorovna. One of Rasputin’s assassins.

Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna—Alexandra’s sister. Became a nun after her husband Sergei’s assassination in 1905; sent coffee and chocolate to the family during imprisonment. Murdered by the Bolsheviks.

Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich—Nicholas’s brother. Married morganatically and exiled. Saw Nicholas before Nicholas’s departure to Tobolsk. Also murdered by the Bolsheviks.

Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich—commander in chief of the Russian army during WWI until Nicholas II took over. Not liked by Alexandra due to his dislike of Rasputin.

Tutors/Staff:

Pyotr Vasilievich Pyotrov—the Russian tutor, known as "PVP."

Pierre Gilliard—the French tutor, especially close to Alexei. Often called "Zhilik" or "Monsieur."

Sydney Gibbes—the English tutor, often known as "Sig."

Sofia Tyutcheva—Known as "Savanna," OTMA's unofficial governess when they were young. Outspokenly against Rasputin, and not popular with the Romanovs' other friends.

Margaretta Eagar—OTMA's Irish governess, dismissed in 1904.

Anna Demidova—lady-in-waiting who accompanied the family and was eventually killed with them. Known as “Nyuta.”

Aloise (Alexei) Trupp—footman who was killed with the family; unique in that he was Latvian, and Catholic.

Ivan Kharitonov—cook killed with the family.

Leonid Sednev—companion of Alexei during captivity, eventually sent away by Yakov Yurovsky.

Eugene Botkin—doctor (primarily Alexandra’s). Killed with family.

Nagorny and Demenkov—Alexei’s “sailor nannies.” Only Nagorny continued on with the family to Tobolsk.

Standart Officers of Note:

Pavel Voronov—Olga's love interest in 1913. She wrote of him as "S." in her diaries.

Alexander Konstantinovich Shvedov—Also Olga's love interest in 1913, took place before Voronov. Referred to as "AKSH" in diaries.

Viktor Zborovsky—Anastasia's crush. She also exchanged letters with his sister Ekaterina "Katya" in captivity. Nicholas's favorite tennis partner.

Patients during WWI/Nurses, Doctors:

Dmitri Shakh-Bagov—Olga's love interest. Known as "Mitya."

Dmitri Malama—Tatiana's love interest. Gave her a dog known as Ortipo, named after his cavalry horse.

Valentina Cheborateva—OT’s friend and fellow nurse.

Margarita Khitrovo—fellow nurse and friend. Known as “Ritka” or “Rita.”

Dr. Vera Gedroits—female doctor. Known as “Princess Gedroits.” After the tsar’s abdication, her behavior turned increasingly unconventional.

Vladimir Kiknadze—Tatiana’s love interest after Malama. Considered a dangerous flirt by the other nurses and doctors.

Politicians:

Sergei Witte—Served as prime minister 1905-1906.

Pyotr Stolypin—Served as prime minister 1906-1911. Sofia Tyutcheva, Nicholas II, and OT were there at his assassination.

Mikhail Rodzianko—state chairman of the Duma, 1911-1917.

Bolsheviks/Captors, etc.:

Alexander Kerensky—member of the Provisional Government. Oversaw the Romanovs’ house arrest.

Eugene Kobylinsky—commandant during house arrest; nevertheless on good terms with the family.

Vasily Yakovlev—commissar, searched the house at Tobolsk; helped transfer the family to the Ipatiev House at Ekaterinberg.

Alexander Avdeev—commandant at the Ipatiev House.

Yakov Yurovsky—commandant at the Ipatiev House after Avdeev. Orchestrated the murders.

Pyotr Ermakov—one of the executioners, his accounts of the Romanovs and their murder are highly exaggerated and untruthful. Was drunk on the night of the murders.

Ivan Skorokhodov–despite the rumors there is no reliable evidence to support the idea of a liaison with Maria. However, he was really a guard at the Ipatiev House.

[thebeast-dennis-etcetera]

The One

Prompt: Hours away from your wedding, you visit Gibbs, needing to ask him a question that’s been on your mind for years.

Various family members had come in and out of your room, helping you get ready for your wedding that was set to happen in 6 hours. It wasn’t a big venue, just mainly close family and friends and their plus ones. The location was a botanical garden your fiancé’s parents had decided on, even after you had voiced that you preferred it in a small church. During most of the wedding planning you didn’t get much say at all, all of it being organized by your future mother in law who felt she knew best.

Your fiancé was too submissive to go against his parents wishes, not wanting to ruffle anyone’s feathers at the cost of making you feel unimportant.

You looked at yourself in the mirror, hair finished as your curls fell over your shoulders and sighed. Something was keeping you uneasy all morning. You could just blame it on cold feet but that wouldn’t explain why you couldn’t stop thinking about a certain someone that wasn’t your husband to be. You looked down at the multiple unanswered texts you had sent him throughout the day, telling him you really wished to see him at the wedding.

He was your friend of 5 years, you two met on a joint operations case between the FBI and NCIS. The both of you kept in touch, meeting up for a quick cup of coffee and chat almost every week. You would be lying if you said you never thought of him more than just a friend but for whatever reason, it never exceeded friendly conversations and occasional late night cafe dinners. The last thing you wanted was to ruin your friendship by catching feelings that most likely weren’t returned.

4 years later and multiple bad breakups later, you found the one you wanted to marry. Or at least think you did. Sure, the two of you weren’t as compatible as you’d like but it’ll work itself out with time, right?

Another big sigh from you, it became clear what you were gonna have to do. Getting up and dressing into something casual, you grabbed your keys and left your room. No one stopped to see where you were going, all too worried about whatever task they had been given by mother in lawzilla, so getting in your car and leaving went smoothly.

The drive wasn’t long as you pulled into the quiet neighborhood and parked just outside his house. His old truck parked in the driveway told you he was there as your hands suddenly became clammy with nervousness. You got out of your car and made your way up to his door. You knew it was unlocked and all you needed to do was walk in but you were frozen. You hadn’t thought your plan all the way through and now your head was filling with doubts.

As if your body knew something you didn’t, your hand opened the door and your legs carried you in. Surely, he had heard you come in so there was no turning back now. The house was quiet except the sound of power tools being used from down below.

The floor creaked as you walked towards the basement and began to descend the stairs. You were going to call out his name in announcement but he was already standing there looking up at you. Dressed in a plain blue plaid button down and some cargo pants slightly dusted in wood shavings, it was a good look for him.

“Hey Jethro,” you started.

“Hey Y/N.”

You made it to the bottom of the stairs and continued until he was only a few feet in front of you.

“You haven’t been answering any of my texts.”

He licked his lips and looked down guiltily before responding. “I know.”

Feeling antsy, you walked over to the boat and ran your hands over the newly sanded edges. He took that time to grab two small glasses and pour 2 fingers of his whiskey in them, handing you one.

You took a bigger sip than necessary, hoping it would help the building anxiety.

“I can’t believe I’m getting married in less than 6 hours,” you said, leaning against his workbench.

“Lucky man,” he responded flatly.

“Is he?” He gave you a look of inquiry. “I mean we don’t have that much in common. His parents don’t really like me and..”

You stopped, refraining yourself from finishing the sentence and took another sip of the whiskey.

“I don’t know. I mean did you think your ex wife was gonna be the one when you married her? Marriage is a big deal, you don’t just go and marry anyone. What’s so special about me?”

“I don’t think I’m the one to ask about marriage,” he said with a short chuckle. “But I’m sure he has many reasons why you’re special to him.”

“I don’t know Jethro. I never really thought in depth about our relationship until now. It almost feels as if the last year and a half was a blur, nothing standing out too much. Our relationship isn’t like what they describe in all the romantic books and movies. Sometimes I feel like he’s more of a platonic friend than fiancé.”

“Then why say yes to marrying him?”

You didn’t have a straight answer for his question. The proposal had gone so fast and in public, you didn’t have much time to think about it without looking like you were gonna say no.

“I don’t really know. Because it was the logical choice? We’ve been together for almost 2 years now.”

He shook his head and swirled the amber liquid in his mason jar, taking a step towards you.

“You don’t marry someone because it’s logical Y/N. You marry them because you can’t see yourself with anyone else and want nothing more than to spend every day coming home to them. You marry all of their traits that you fell in love with, including the weird ones. Marriage is a team effort and if you aren’t both absolutely on the same page, it’ll never work.”

Tears welled in your eyes, his words making you realize just how dumb you have been. You knew your fiancé wasnt your soulmate. You had more in common with Jethro than him. And that’s what bugged you the most. Being best friends with the person you wanted something more from and not having the courage to say anything. But now it’s time. It’s time for you to know if there could’ve been anything between you and Jethro.

“I just need you to answer one question Jethro. Is there something more between us than just being friends? Because every time I’m with you, I can’t think straight. I enjoy every moment we spend together and can’t wait for the next one. You always make me feel so happy and cared for but am I alone in those feelings?”

He sighed and finished his drink, turning to walk away.

“Don’t ignore the question Jethro! Please. Just talk to me.”

“What do you want me to say Y/N? That I’m jealous that your boyfriend of 1 year gets to marry you instead of me? He doesn’t know you. He doesn’t know that you like to look up at the stars at night when you’ve had a bad day at work. He doesn’t know that you actually have a PhD in science but don’t tell anyone because you don’t want to feel like you’re better than anyone else.”

He turned back, now headed your way, confessions continuing to spill from his mouth.

“I bet he doesn’t notice the way you arch your eyebrow when you’re lying. Or how you pour half a gallon of milk into your coffee after adding a cup of sugar. You’re right Y/N. There is something more between us but it’s too late. You’re gonna marry him and I’ll be there for you just as your friend.”

You let the tears fall, elated and heartbroken at the same time.

“But I want to be the one,” he said cryptically, /settng his whiskey down.

“One what?” you asked as he came closer, causing your breath to hitch.

“The one to kiss you before he takes you away from me,” he breathed, closing the gap between the two of you. Almost reflexively, the glass you had dropped to the floor and overcome with so many emotions it made you light headed, you kissed him back, holding onto him for support. One hand on the back of your neck and the other holding you tight, your tongues met and danced with each other until both of you were out of breath.

Both of you let out heavy breaths as you pulled apart but he didn’t let you go. He placed a gentle kiss to your forehead, your nose, your jaw and your neck, making your eyes flutter closed. He then released you and took a step back. His words and actions had changed everything.

You couldn’t get married now knowing what you knew. You weren’t sure how to put it into words but something told you that Jethro knew that as well.

“Thank you,” you finally answered. You were sure your makeup was ruined from all the crying and stress but it didn’t matter any more. You pulled him in for a hug, arms wrapping around his neck and just breathing him in. Without hesitation, his arms held you close again. Yeah, you could get use to this.

[allthingsfangirl101]

Personal – Timothy McGee

McGee's POV

I hated leaving Y/N like that. The look on her face was burned into my brain as I headed into the office. I walked over to my desk and dropped my bag.

"What's with you?" Bishop asked as I sat down.

"Trouble in paradise, McHappy?" Tony asked.

"Y/N and I got in a fight this morning," I grumbled.

"Baby fight?" Tony asked, his tone changing.

"Baby fight?" Bishop repeated. "What's the baby fight?"

"Y/N and I have been married for three years," I explained. "She's always wanted kids, but we've been waiting to have kids because of my job. I guess she's. . . She's getting impatient."

"I'm sorry, man," Tony said with absolutely no teasing in his voice.

"I'm just. . . I'm worried. It's been causing a little tension. I don't want to lose her. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I can't lose her. I definitely can't risk something happening to our baby. What if I can't protect her and our kids?"

"Come on, McGee," Bishop said lightly. "You wouldn't let anything happen to Y/N or your future children. Besides, you have us to help keep them safe."

We let the conversation drop as we went back to work. Right before our shift ended, we got the call.

"Grab your gear."

"What do we got?" Tony asked.

"A woman was just attacked," Gibbs said. "Someone broke into her home."

"This woman in the Navy?" DiNozzo asked.

"Her husband is," Gibbs said, sending me a side glance that made my stomach sick.

"What's the address?"

My heart stopped as I heard the address. "McGee? What's wrong?" Bishop asked.

"That's my house," I mumbled.

"What?" DiNozzo and Bishop asked in sync.

"The woman attacked is Tim's wife, Y/N," Gibbs clarified. "One of his neighbors called it in. Metro called us when they realized she's the wife of an NCIS agent."

* * * * *

I opened the door with my gun instantly raised. I wanted to call out to her but I knew that wasn't the best thing to do. Especially if that guy was still here.

"It's okay," Gibbs whispered. "Call out to her."

"But. . ."

"The neighbor said she saw someone running away."

"Y/N!" I yelled. "Where are you?"

"Tim?" I heard weakly from our bedroom. I put my gun in my holster and ran upstairs. My heart jumped into my throat when I finally found Y/N hiding in our walk-in closet. I collapsed to my knees in front of her and gently pulled her into my arms.

"It's okay, baby," I whispered. "I'm right here. You're okay."

My entire body tightened when Y/N began to sob into my chest. She was trying to tell me what happened but it was hard to make it out in between her sobs.

"McGee?"

I looked over my shoulder to see Gibbs, Tony, and Bishop all watching from the bedroom.

"Ducky came," Gibbs continued softly. "When he heard it was Y/N, he insisted on coming and seeing if she was okay."

"Y/N?" I said softly. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, tucking more into me. "Okay," I said a little louder. "Can Ducky check you out? To calm my nerves?"

She nodded her head and I slowly helped her stand up. With my arms wrapped around her, I escorted her out of our bedroom. Ducky and Palmer were eagerly waiting in our living room.

"Hello, Ms. Y/N," Ducky said sweetly. "How are you feeling, my dear?"

"I'm okay," she said shakily, still holding onto me tightly.

"I'm glad to hear it," he smiled. "But do you mind if I check on you? We just want to make sure you are alright."

"Sure," she shrugged. She looked at me and I knew exactly what she wanted. Or more like didn't want.

"It's alright," Ducky said slowly. "Timothy can stay right here the entire time."

Just like Ducky promised, I stayed right by Y/N as he looked her over.

"McGee," Gibbs called for me but I hesitated.

"It's okay," Y/N whispered. "Go. Ducky's got me."

"I do, Timothy," Ducky said sweetly. I looked between him and Y/N before kissing her forehead and jogging over to Gibbs.

"I know we have questions," I said under my breath, "but boss, she's still in shock. Can we do this tomorrow?"

"Of course," Gibbs nodded. "We can get you both in a safe house for the next couple of days and you can bring her to the office tomorrow morning. Bishop, help Y/N pack a bag."

"A bag?" Y/N stuttered as she walked over to us. When she got to me, she instantly grabbed my arm.

"It's okay," I soothed her. "NCIS is putting you in a safe house until we figure out what's going on."

"Alone?"

"No," I said quickly. "Of course not, baby. I'm coming with you."

* * * * *

I woke up before Y/N did. I looked down and saw her tucked into my side just like we fell asleep. I didn't fall asleep right away last night. Instead, I spent most of the night watching Y/N sleep as I imagined that guy pointing a gun at her. The only way I got to sleep was by imagining what I would've done if I had been home when he broke in.

I got up slowly to make sure I didn't wake her up. I went to the kitchen and started making us some breakfast. My heart jumped into my throat when I heard Y/N let out a yelp. I dropped the spatula and ran down the hallway.

I burst through the bedroom door to see Y/N tossing and turning in bed. In a matter of seconds, I was by her side.

"Y/N?" I tried to wake her up. "It's okay, baby. You're safe. Wake up."

She gasped awake, sitting straight up in bed with tears streaming down her face. "Tim?" She stuttered.

"I'm right here," I soothed. I wrapped my arms around her and held her as she calmed down. A little while later, I whispered, "I made breakfast."

After we ate, I drove her to NCIS. She rarely let go of my hand as we walked into the office and headed up to the squad room. We walked in and the team instantly looked at us. Without saying anything, I led her over to my desk and had her sit down.

"I'll go get us some coffee," I whispered. I kissed her forehead before heading to the breakroom. After grabbing two cups of coffee, I walked back to my desk.

"Thanks," she said softly.

I was about to pull an extra chair over, but Gibbs walked over. "Good morning, Y/N."

"Good morning, Agent Gibbs," she responded with a weak smile on her face.

He walked over to me and lowered his voice, "Did she say anything about last night?"

"No," I sighed. "She's barely said ten words since we got to her. Promise me you'll be gentle with her, Gibbs. She's not. . . . She's struggling."

"You do it," Gibbs said, handing me the file. "You ask her the questions."

"Are you sure, boss?"

"She's your wife, McGee," he said simply. "And it happened in your home. It's your case."

I looked over to see Y/N having an intense staring contest with her cup of coffee. I walked over and knelt next to her.

"You feeling up to some questions?" I asked gently.

"Tim. . ."

"I know, baby," I sighed. "But we need to know what happened."

I held my breath as she hesitated to say something. "Okay," she whispered. I grabbed her hand and led her to the conference room.

"Shouldn't this be happening in the interrogation room?" She said with a soft, fake chuckle.

"This isn't an interrogation, Y/N," I said gently. "Tell me what happened, darling."

"I thought it was you," she started off soft. "I thought you had gotten off work early. I was really excited. When I heard you struggling with the door, I thought, maybe, you had brought home dinner and your hands were full so I went to help you."

"Oh no," I whispered. She nodded as the tears built up in her eyes.

"I opened the door and he jumped. Next thing I knew, he had a gun pointed at my face," she continued as the tears started streaming down her face. "He forced me inside. I thought he was going to. . ."

"What did he do, gorgeous?" I asked when she didn't continue.

"He wanted to know where you were and what cases you were working on," she whispered. "I kept telling him I didn't know, but he didn't believe me. He got angry and. . . He hit me."

I wrapped her in my arms as she started sobbing again. "I woke up and he was gone," she sobbed. "I tried to. . . I couldn't find my phone. I would've called you, baby, I swear. But then I thought I heard him coming back to finish me off so I hid."

I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I believe you," I whispered. "Our neighbor called 911. They called us when they found out you were married to an NCIS agent. I'm just glad he didn't hurt you."

"I got a good look at him, though," she said, her tears slowly stopping. I instantly grabbed my phone and called Abby's lab.

"How is she?" She asked the second she answered the phone.

"Y/N got a good look at her attacker," I said. "I'm gonna bring her down so we can get a sketch for the BOLO."

"I'll be here."

* * * * *

Y/N and Abby worked together to get a digital picture of the attacker. The more the picture came together, the tighter my fists got.

"That's him," Y/N said under her breath. "That's the guy who almost. . . That's him, Tim."

I walked up behind her and grabbed her shoulders. "Good work, baby," I whispered and kissed her cheek.

"I'll send this to Tony and have him run the BOLO," Abby said.

"Thanks, Abby."

I smiled when Abby gave Y/N a hug. "We'll find him, Y/N," Abby whispered.

"Abby's right," I said as they broke their hug. "We'll find him."

As Abby ran the sketch up to Tony, I slowly spun the chair Y/N was sitting in until she was facing me.

"Good job, gorgeous," I said softly. "My team is the best there is. We'll find him."

Y/N grabbed my hands and intertwined our fingers. "I'm sorry for what I said before you left yesterday," she whispered. "We should've had a calm conversation but I turned it into a screaming match. I'm sorry."

"To be fair," I chuckled, "I didn't exactly help the situation."

"Look," Y/N sighed, "I still want to have that conversation but after yesterday. . ."

I pulled Y/N off the chair and into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and felt her let out a shaky breath.

"You could've been hurt," I whispered.

"All I could think about was what if we had a baby?" She said under her breath. "That man broke into our home and stuck a gun in my face, Tim. If we had a baby, he could've hurt our child. You were right to wait."

"Actually," I pulled out of the hug, "I was wrong."

"Wait, what?" She stuttered.

"We shouldn't have waited," I try to explain. "We should've had a baby a long time ago because, the truth is, we never know what's going to happen. Our child would give each of us a piece of the other to hold onto."

"Are you saying. . ."

"I think it's time to start our family, Y/N. Before it's too late."

[slutforsilverfoxes]

Letters From the Sky

[A/N: Bruv I so rarely write angst because I am a weakling and it makes me Big Sad, but this has been floating around in my drafts and I just binge watched a bunch of NCIS episodes that made me cry so 🤲🏽 a ficlet for u, here u go. It's not really the saddest ending so there's that, at least? I hope? I sorry] Pairing: Jethro Gibbs x wife!reader TW: references to funerals/loss, implied character death

__________

Settling down on the couch in your living room, you tuck your knees underneath one of your husband’s old USMC hoodies and create a makeshift table out of your lap. Writing a letter can help you deal with your emotions, help you move on with life, your mother had advised, and so here you were, pen in hand, staring at the blank piece of paper before you. Hi, I love you and I miss you didn’t quite cut it. And were you supposed to keep adding to the letter daily, filling him in on your life? Was time passing differently for him? How long would it be until you heard his voice again? Could you ask your friend for her thoughts, or would your questions bring up too many bad memories? Head growing fuzzy and eyes growing watery from your endless stream of questions with no answers in sight, you opted to just start writing. Foregoing a greeting, figuring your husband would know exactly who this was from, you let out a deep breath and put pen to paper. 

Funerals are such a funny thing, aren’t they, Jethro? The many faces from your past and present gathered around to celebrate life, lament loss, and say things aloud that they should’ve said to the person who needed to hear it most.

I miss you more than I could ever put into words. It was so strange being there today without you. How many of those solemn events did we attend together throughout the years? Family, friends, colleagues… Too many to count, and most of them senseless losses.

I don’t know how to keep going without you by my side, but it’s been such a blessing to be surrounded by your loved ones. We’ve been trading so many wonderful memories, stories about your fearless feats, your never-ending pursuit of justice, your stubborn nature, your devotion to those lucky enough to know you. I even met one of your former lovers after the funeral, and honey, let me tell you, we got to gossiping. Turns out you’re a regular Casanova, huh? It’s those steel blue eyes that keep you coming back for more, I swear.

I like to think that, even though we’re physically apart now, you can still hear me. After all, you always did say that about my optimism- “from your mouth to God’s ears, sweetheart”. Do you think, if I yelled loud enough, I could get a message delivered to you?

This big house feels even bigger without you. I guess I can think about it like those cases that would last for days, where I wouldn’t even get a glimpse of you until your perp was behind bars, but we both know it’s not quite the same. At least I can raid your closet without hearing you grumble about your favorite hoodies going missing- silver linings, my darling Jethro. I’m not sure how long they’ll keep smelling like you, but I’m determined not to wash them, just in case… My secret’s safe with you, right?

Speaking of secrets (more like hidden gems), I found a stash of Kelly’s artwork upstairs and I’ve started adding her drawings to the gallery of photos on the walls. I know I made some changes after we got married, but the sheer lack of decor when I moved in still astounds me. You’re such a man, she said lovingly.

Anyway, I think you’ll be pleased to know that

The sound of the front door opening alerts you to your friend’s return, and you hurry to jot down your last few thoughts.

Anyway, I think you’ll be pleased to know that your girls are all together in this big house of yours :) Hopefully, we’ll see you soon.

P.S. Not too soon. I know I call you my old man, but you’re not that old- yet.

Gibbs puts his truck in park on the driveway, returning home after another day added to the list of longest days of his life. He sits in the cab for a few prolonged minutes, trying to muster up the courage to enter your big house that feels even bigger now.

When he finally trudges up the walkway, he pauses with his hand on the doorknob and releases a heavy sigh before pushing the door open. And then, for just a split second, he swears he hears you calling his daughter’s name and her answering giggle overlapping with her mother’s voice.

The moment is fleeting, and no matter how hard he strains, he can’t conjure up the sound again. But the house feels warmer, lighter somehow.

And he smiles.

—————

LJG tags 🖤 @ilovemark1951 @doctorwhofan24