#and it's gibbs fault it all started with him

[timothyolyphant]

NCIS S03E14

[allthingsfangirl101]

Not-So Good Cop – Timothy McGee

Trigger Warning: violence, mention of rape

"Grab your gear," Gibbs said as he walked into the squad room. "We got a Navy Lieutenant who was attacked in her home."

"Dead?" McGee asked.

"Worse," Gibbs sighed.

"What's worse than dead?" DiNozzo asked.

"Raped."

The three drove to the crime scene in silence. They didn't usually, but things were done differently when it was a case like this. They didn't make jokes. They didn't act childish. They were gentle and respectful.

"Wait. . ." McGee mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing," McGee stuttered. "It's just. . . Y/N lives in this building."

"Ohhhh," DiNozzo said singsongy. "Lieutenant McGirlfriend lives here. Maybe we'll run into her."

They headed to the Navy Lieutenant's apartment and McGee froze when they reached the door.

"It can't be," he whispered.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"Y/N lives here." Without saying anything else, McGee walked into the apartment. Gibbs and DiNozzo shared a look before quickly following McGee.

The second McGee walked into his girlfriend's room, his stomach plummeted. She was sitting on her bed, tears streaming down her face, tightly holding onto her robe which was wrapped around her body, as she talked to a female police officer.

"I'm sorry, sir," another officer stopped him in the doorway. "This is an active crime scene. I can't let you in."

"He's NCIS," Gibbs said, appearing behind McGee. "And she is. . ."

"Tim?"

Everyone turned when Y/N shakily said McGee's name. She let out a small sob as she stood up and ran over to him. She jumped in his arms and he instantly caught her.

"I'm here, baby," he whispered.

"It was horrible!" She sobbed. McGee tightened his arms around her as she buried her face in his chest.

"She's a Navy Lieutenant and he's an NCIS agent," Gibbs finished explaining to the officer. "Not to mention that they've been dating for over a year."

"Oh," the officer said, his eyes still on Y/N shaking in McGee's arms.

"We can handle it from here," Gibbs said. "Thank you."

"Y/N," McGee whispered. "Can you tell me what happened?"

She looked up at him with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Are you asking as my boyfriend or an NCIS agent?"

"Both?" McGee shrugged.

"No offense, Tim," Y/N sighed as she tucked back into his chest, "but I think I'd rather have NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee right now."

"How about NCIS Special Agent Boyfriend?"

"Okay," Y/N chuckled weakly.

McGee grabbed her hand and led her out of the room. He looked around when he saw all the people in her apartment. They sat down on the couch and Y/N instantly tucked into his chest. McGee looked up at Gibbs and sent him a pleading look before glancing down at Y/N.

"DiNozzo, clear the room," Gibbs whispered.

"On it, boss," DiNozzo said. He started to walk away but stopped. He looked over at Y/N in McGee's arms and his heart sank. When he saw how tightly McGee was holding onto Y/N, he gently added, "Let's find this son of a bitch."

"Y/N," McGee whispered, "what happened tonight, baby?"

"I was getting ready for bed," she started to explain shakily. "All of a sudden, there was this loud bang. I still don't know what it was."

"The door was kicked in," McGee explained gently.

"Oh," she said, her voice breaking. "He came out of nowhere. He hit me so hard it knocked me out. I woke up to him. . .  on top of me."

"I tried to get him off of me," she started to explain quickly as she quickly pulled out of McGee's hug. "I fought and I fought. But he kept hitting me. He put his hands around my neck at one point, Tim. I was scared. . . I thought he'd. . . I couldn't breathe."

When Y/N started sobbing, McGee pulled her back into his chest. All he could think about was how badly he wanted to find this guy and hurt him.

"I'm sorry," McGee heard through Y/N's sob. He pulled out of the hug and turned Y/N toward him.

"What on earth are you sorry for, baby?" He asked as he reached up and caught a tear with his thumb. "Y/N, this was not your fault. Nothing you did caused this. You're the victim here. And I am going to find this son of a bitch and make him pay for hurting you."

"Tim. . . He. . . You know what he did to me," she barely got out.

"I know," McGee said. His eyes softened when he realized what Y/N was so worried about. "Baby, this doesn't change anything."

"But. . ."

"It doesn't change anything between us," he gently cut her off. "Y/N, nothing some coward does is going to change how I feel about you."

"You still love me?" She asked, her voice breaking. McGee leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers. He broke the kiss and smiled at her, keeping his face inches from hers.

"Nothing would ever make me stop loving you."

* * * * *

Ever since she was attacked, Y/N's been staying at McGee's place and McGee hasn't left her side. He wanted to go in and stay at NCIS until he found this son of a bitch, but he didn't want to leave Y/N alone. And Y/N didn't want him to leave her.

McGee woke up after a rough night of Y/N barely sleeping. He looked over to see her finally getting some rest. He jumped when his phone started ringing. He quickly answered it to turn off the ring but didn't say anything.

McGee quietly left his room and slightly closed the door to keep from waking Y/N up as he answered the phone.

"McGee!" DiNozzo yelled the second McGee answered the phone. "We got a lead on the bastard that attacked Y/N."

"Really?"

"He tried to attack another Navy Lieutenant last night. They caught him on a neighbor's ring camera. Abby's running facial recognition on the creep now." DiNozzo paused before adding, "I thought you and Y/N would want to know. How is she?"

"She's. . . better," McGee sighed.

"She still not sleeping through the night?"

"No," McGee said as he sat on his couch. "It takes a long time for her to fall asleep and then when she is asleep, she wakes up to the slightest noise. It seems like everything scares her now. I can't even leave the room without her getting scared."

DiNozzo was silent for a while before saying gently, "Stay with her. I'll call you if we get a hit on the BOLO."

After McGee hung up with DiNozzo, he leaned his head on the back of his couch and closed his eyes. After a few minutes of silence, he stood up and went back to his room. When he walked in, he was surprised to see Y/N awake. She was sitting against the headboard, clutching a pillow to her chest.

"Hey, gorgeous," he said gently as he walked over and sat next to her. The second he was by her side, she turned and cuddled into his chest. "Did you get any sleep?"

"A little," Y/N mumbled. McGee heard her take a few breaths that soon turned into soft sobs. "I can't stop thinking about it, Tim."

"I'm so sorry, baby," McGee whispered. "I wish, more than anything, that I could change what happened. What I can tell you is that it'll go away."

"When?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "I wish I did, but I don't. There is some good news though. The team got a lead."

"They what?" She stuttered as she slightly pulled out of his arms.

"Tony just called me," he explained. "He said that there was a guy who tried to attack another woman in the Navy last night. They caught him on the security camera. Abby is trying to identify him from the recording."

"That's. . . Good, right?"

"It is," McGee said quickly. "It's really good, baby. My team is the best group of NCIS agents we have. Especially when it comes to family."

"I'm not family," she blushed. "At least not yet."

McGee leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. He broke the kiss and smiled at her. "My team loves you. I love you. We'll find this son of a bitch. For you."

* * * * *

It took a couple of days, but eventually, McGee's team found the man who attacked Y/N.

McGee slowly hung up his phone and looked up to see Y/N making lunch. She didn't notice when he walked into the kitchen. She turned around with two plates in her hands and stopped when she finally noticed him.

"Hey, you," she said softly. "Who called you?"

"Tony," McGee answered her as he walked over to her. She was about to put down the two plates but froze when he said, "They got him, baby."

"They what?" She stuttered. McGee took the plates out of her hands and gently put them on the counter.

"My team caught him, Y/N. DiNozzo called me to tell me that they found him and were bringing him back to NCIS."

"So," she said slowly after thinking about it for a second, "it's over?"

"Almost, gorgeous," he whispered.

"Almost?" She stuttered.

McGee hesitated before explaining, "I need to take you to NCIS so you can ID the man they caught as the man who attacked you."

"You want me to. . . I don't know, Tim. I don't think I can. . . I can't face him."

When McGee noticed Y/N slowly start to go into a panic attack, he gently grabbed her arms.

"I am not putting you in a room with that monster," he reassured her. "I promise, baby. All you have to do is stand in the observation room and tell us if he was the one who attacked you. He won't even know you're there."

"Promise?" She asked, her voice soft.

"I promise." McGee could see that something was bothering her. "Is there something else on your mind?"

Y/N hesitated before finally asking McGee, "Do I have to do this alone?"

"Of course not," McGee said quickly. He pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "I will be by your side the entire time."

McGee kept his promise. He held her hand the entire drive to NCIS. He kept his arm wrapped around her the entire elevator ride up. He led her through the squad room and into the observation room. When they walked in, McGee's team looked at the two.

"How are you feeling, Lieutenant?" Gibbs asked gently.

"I'm okay," she shrugged as she stepped closer to McGee.

Gibbs walked over and lowered his voice. "It's almost over, Y/N. All we need you to do is tell us if the guy we have in the other room is the same one who attacked you. Once you do that, you can go home and we will take it from there."

Y/N looked at McGee and nodded. McGee kept his arm wrapped around Y/N's waist as DiNozzo switched on the light in the interview room.

"Lieutenant," Gibbs said gently, "is this the man that attacked you three nights ago?"

Y/N's eyes filled with tears as she tightly grabbed onto McGee. She tried to form words but they got stuck in her throat. All she could do was picture everything that happened that night.

"Just nod, baby," McGee whispered. She covered her mouth to try and stifle the sob. The tension in the observation room thickened when Y/N nodded her head.

Y/N jumped when Gibbs knocked on the window. She tucked into McGee's chest before she finally let her sob out. McGee caught her when her legs gave out.

"Get her out of here," Gibbs whispered. "She doesn't need to be here anymore. We can handle the rest."

With his arms still wrapped tightly around her, McGee led her out of the observation room. They left the room and were walking down the hallway when Abby came running toward them.

"Y/N!"

McGee smiled when Abby pulled Y/N from him and wrapped her in her arms. They pulled out of the hug and started talking. McGee didn't bother to interrupt. This was the first time since Y/N was attacked that she smiled and acted a little like herself.

"McGee."

He turned around to see Gibbs walking out of the room. "I want you to interview him."

"Are you sure?" McGee asked. "What about Rule number 10?"

"It goes out the window when the bastard attacks the woman you love," Gibbs said simply. He patted McGee on the back as he added, "Go get him, McGee. I'll be in the observation room if you need me."

McGee looked over his shoulder to see Y/N talking to Abby. He slowly turned back to Gibbs and tried to control his anger.

"I won't be the one who needs help."

* * * * *

Abby took care of Y/N while McGee interviewed the man who attacked the woman he loves. His name was Louis Jackson. Apparently, he was kicked out of the Marine training camp for coming onto his female superior. Because of that, he's been going around to Navy bars and attacking women. Y/N was the first woman he followed home.

And McGee couldn't wait to ask what made Jackson follow Y/N home.

With the file clenched in his hand, McGee walked into the interrogation room. DiNozzo and Gibbs shared a look as McGee sat across from Jackson.

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" DiNozzo asked. "McGee is gonna kill him."

"Wouldn't you if the woman you loved was attacked by this slime ball?"

"Exactly," DiNozzo chuckled. "McGee loves Y/N more than he's ever loved a girl. I saw the way he held her as she cried in her apartment the other day. While he was holding her, I saw the anger in his eyes. And I've never seen that kind of anger in Tim."

Gibbs was slightly taken back when DiNozzo called McGee by his first name.

"We are about to see a different side to him, boss," DiNozzo said gently. "To be honest, I'm worried about him."

"Then go."

"What?"

"Go in there with him," Gibbs clarified. "Not to take over the interrogation, but to have his back."

DiNozzo nodded before leaving the observation room and walking into the interrogation room. McGee didn't say anything as DiNozzo walked in. DiNozzo sent McGee a nod as he positioned himself behind him.

"Where were you two nights ago?" McGee asked, already struggling to keep his anger under control.

"Hanging with my buddies, watching a football game," Jackson said a little too quickly.

"What football game?" McGee asked. He didn't bother to hide his smirk when Jackson opened and closed his mouth.

"I don't know," Jackson said slowly. "We were a little focused on the drinking part."

"You got that part right," DiNozzo mumbled. Jackson looked over McGee's shoulder and glared.

"Where were you three nights ago?" McGee asked, his jaw clenched.

"I don't remember," Jackson said as he leaned back in the chair.

"What kind of bars do you like to attend?" McGee tried to bait him.

"You can cut the act," Jackson sighed. "I know what game you're playing. You, the good cop, are laying out everything you know before the other guy comes in and bashes my head in."

"Are you saying I'm the good cop?" McGee chuckled, instantly making DiNozzo nervous.

McGee grabbed Jackson's arm and pulled him forward. He used his other hand to force Jackson onto the table.

"What the hell?!" Jackson yelled. "Get this guy off of me!"

DiNozzo looked between McGee and Jackson and put his hands up in defense. "Hell no," he laughed. "I ain't getting in between you and Agent McRocky. Plus, I wasn't the one who attacked Lieutenant Y/L/N."

"This is about that little tease?"

McGee twisted his arm, cutting him off and making him yell out in pain.

"I wouldn't talk about his girl like that," DiNozzo chuckled.

"I am far from the good cop," McGee sneered into the guy's ear. "You attacked the woman I love. The only reason I haven't killed you is because she needs me."

McGee twisted his arm a little more before finally letting him go.

"You have no proof," Jackson tried to scoff but both McGee and DiNozzo could tell he was bluffing.

"We have a ring camera video of you and we have multiple witness statements. Every single one of the women you've attacked has given us police sketches that look just like you. You have even been identified."

"That little skank IDed me, didn't she?" Jackson asked through his teeth.

McGee went to grab him but DiNozzo stopped him before continuing, "We have all the evidence we need to lock you up for a looooonnnng time, Jackson. We don't even need your confession."

"Then why did you drag me in here?" He asked through his teeth.

"You can call it a professional courtesy," McGee said through his clenched jaw.

"In other words," DiNozzo gently corrected, "we're giving you one chance to come clean and maybe, maybe, we can talk to the judge."

The two agents stared at Jackson and waited for him to confess. He glared right back at them as he tried to cover the pain. McGee and DiNozzo shared a look. McGee closed the file and stood up. The two loudly talked as they left.

"Too bad," DiNozzo sighed. "I was sure he was gonna take the plea deal and only go to prison for the last two attacks."

"I know," McGee said, almost choking on the words. "Now he's looking at twenty-five years instead of ten, maybe eight with good behavior."

McGee's hand was on the doorknob when Jackson spoke up. "Wait!" McGee and DiNozzo shared another look before slowly turning around, acting like they didn't set this up.

"Did you have something you wanted to say?" DiNozzo asked overly nice.

"Talk more about this plea deal."

* * * * *

After finalizing the details, McGee felt like a giant weight was lifted off his shoulders. He and DiNozzo walked out of the interrogation room the same time that Gibbs walked out of the observation room.

Gibbs looked at McGee with an unreadable expression on his face. "How are you feeling?" He asked McGee.

"I'm fine," McGee sighed.

"You're tired," Gibbs said with a soft chuckle. "Why don't you find Y/N and take her home? DiNozzo can finish Jackson's paperwork."

"You're okay with that?" McGee asked, turning toward DiNozzo.

"Not really. . ." DiNozzo started to say but Gibbs cut him off with a slap to the back of his head. "I mean, absolutely. I am one hundred percent okay with it, McGee. Take your girl home."

"Thanks," McGee said with a small chuckle. He patted DiNozzo's shoulder as he handed him the file and turned on his heel, heading toward Abby's lab.

He was just outside Abby's lab when he heard the two girls laughing. Instead of interrupting them, McGee leaned against the doorway and watched them interact. Whatever story Y/N was telling had the both of them in tears.

"Tim!" Y/N gasped when she noticed him watching them. He laughed as she hopped off the stool and ran toward him. She jumped into McGee's arms, almost knocking them both down. She pulled out of their embrace and looked up at him. "Is. . . Is everything okay? I mean. . . Is it over?"

McGee reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. His heart sank when he saw the hope in her eyes that was hiding behind the fear.

"It's over, baby."

[thebeast-dennis-etcetera]

Gibbs Knows Best

Gibbs x Reader One Shot

Prompt: Gibbs is over for a dinner date when your daughter gets into a car accident.

Notes: Just Gibbs being his usual protective self. Mentions of a panic attack.

————

Running into the kitchen, you stopped the little cooking timer and put your oven mitts on to pull the delicious smelling salmon out of the oven. You threw a few spices on top and then got started on the mashed potatoes.

The dinner you were preparing was your idea since it was so hard to get Jethro available for longer than a day or so before he would get another case. It was only your 4th date but everything was going so well. Even your daughter was a fan and she hadn’t even met him yet.

You weren’t sure if he told his team about you but you had told your own coworkers plenty about him. The way he’s such a gentleman, always offering help or paying for everything every time you two went out as much as you would try to convince him otherwise.

You heard the front doorbell ring and went over to open it, seeing Jethro standing there in his work suit but holding a small bouquet of flowers.

“I picked these up on the way,” he offered with a small smile. You took them and let him in, letting him give you a small peck on the cheek.

“Smells great. Salmon?”

“Yeah. I was just about to make the mashed potatoes and the asparagus is keeping warm in the oven.”

He followed you into the kitchen and immediately took his jacket off and rolled up his sleeves to continue where you left off as you looked for a vase.

“How was work?” you asked for small talk. He never went deep into conversation about his work but you’d thought it’d still be nice to ask.

“Alright. Got the bad guy.”

You filled the vase halfway with water and trimmed the stems before putting them in and setting it on your kitchen counter.

“That’s always a win.”

Your phone started ringing and your daughter’s Face ID popped up on the screen. She was suppose to be spending the night at a friend’s and you hoped everything was ok as you answered.

“Hey sweetie, what’s up?”

The sound of your daughter’s scared voice shot a jolt of fear through you.

“Are you alright? Where are you?”

Your frantic questions caught Jethro’s attention who stopped cooking to listen.

“Ok. I’ll be right there, don’t go anywhere,” you advised, hanging up the phone and turning the oven off.

“Everything alright?” Jethro asked.

“No. My daughter just got into a car accident. I have to go, I’m sorry.”

“Well let’s go,” he simply stated, turning the stove off and going over to put his jacket back on. You could’ve told him that you were fine and could go by yourself but decided to welcome his help as you both rushed out of the house, taking his car, red and blue lights flashing all the way there.

>>>>

As you rounded the corner, you could see half the street blocked off as fire engines and cop cars were parked in the middle. You saw two cars. One was smashed into a light pole and the other a few hundred feet away, visibly damaged.

Parking as close as you could, the both of you got out and made your way through the nosy crowd of onlookers, catching the attention of the officers.

“Please stay back with the rest of the crowd ma’am.”

Before you could protest, Jethro spoke for you.

“Special Agent Gibbs, let her through. Her daughter is one of the injured,” he ordered, flashing his badge. The officer nodded and stepped aside, allowing you to come through. You saw your daughter over on the sidewalk, talking with the EMT’s looking seemingly unharmed and called her name.

“Mom!” She ran over and you hugged her tight.

“Mom, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know he had been drinking so much! Sean..I don’t think he made it..”

She was crying hysterically and trying to catch her breath but failing. You knew a panic attack was coming on but there wasn’t much you could do. It was something she had struggled with ever since her father died 3 years ago.

“Honey, you gotta calm down.”

She shook her head, only crying harder. “It’s..my..fault..”

“No honey, it’s not. You can’t blame yourself for this.”

You were surprised when you saw Jethro walk over and take your place, putting his hands on her arms.

“Hey, I’m a friend of your moms. Let’s go over here,” he said, leading her a little further away from the crowd and accident. He then had her sit down on the grass, crouching down in front of her.

“Let’s get your breathing slowed down alright? I want you to take a big breath in for every 3 seconds ok? 1..2..3, big breath.”

He held onto her hands that were shaking and opened them up, keeping them from cramping while chanting his count.

“That’s it. 1..2..3..Now let’s take a big breath and hold it for a second before letting it out, alright?”

You watched the two of them counting and breathing together before eventually her breaths became slower as she calmed down. He continued massaging her hands, making her open and close them.

“Better? I know this was a lot to handle but your mom’s here and I’m here. You’re safe and that’s what matters.”

He gestured for you to come over and you sat down next to her, pulling her into your side, giving him a grateful look. He gave a small smile in return and stood up.

“I’m gonna go see what’s going on and see if we’re clear to take her home.”

You nodded and he left to speak with a few of the officers as your daughter stayed quiet, occasionally sniffling and taking in a deep breath.

>>>>

After a few questions answered, we were given the ok to leave. The drive home was silent except for the low music playing on the radio and Jethro’s hand never left yours.

Once home, you sent your daughter upstairs to take a shower and change as you and Jethro went into the kitchen. He pulled you in for a hug, allowing you to let out a shaky breath, while holding back tears.

“Thank you. For me and her. It usually takes forever for her to get out of an attack like that.”

“I’ve had a bit of experience with anxiety attacks in the past so I just did what usually helped me.”

You pulled back to look up at him and leaned in for a gentle kiss.

“This wasn’t how I wanted the two of you to meet.”

“Well we can try again tomorrow morning if you’d like,” he proposed.

“Are you suggesting you spend the night?”

Neither one of you had spend the night over at either one’s house yet but his question got your hopes up.

“Is that ok? I can sleep on the couch if you’d like-“

“No. I mean no I’m not gonna have you sleep on the couch. And of course you can spend the night.”

“Good. I’ll make the coffee, you make the eggs?”

“Deal.” You couldn’t hold back the grin and gave him another deep kiss.

[iguana-eyanna]

NCIS: Damon Pt. 2

It's been two weeks since he's been in the hospital. He still couldn't fathom that he wasn't in the military anymore, and it hurt a part of him that couldn't be healed.

But what hurt most was that he may have lost you again.

Damon's been thinking a lot since he saw you. He wished he wouldn't have broken things off with you in the first place. He loved you with every bone in his body, but he was too scared to bring you into his messy life. But the damage was already done, and he regretted not being there for you and his baby girl.

So when Gibbs came to his hospital room and gave him a medal and a slip of paper that had your new address, he took it as a sign to make things right.

With the spare change he had, he took a cab and arrived at your doorstep in a small apartment. Damon took a breath and hesitated to knock at your door. And he stood there for what felt like a millennium until he heard his name.

"Damon?"

He turned around and saw you holding bags of groceries, looking beautiful as ever. He saw how your bump grew bigger the last time he saw you, and how tensed you must have been standing there.

"Could I help you with your bags?" Damon asked.

He could have said something along the lines of "I still love you" or "I'll be a better man and father for your baby" but he needed to earn your respect first.

"Y-yeah." You said with a bit of hesitance.

He came down the steps to help you as you unlocked the door. Inside, he found more spacious than it was outside. You had a big living room that connected to your kitchen and had a great view of the city. He placed the groceries on your counter as started to place the food in the fridge.

"You um - have a nice place." Damon said.

"Thanks, I saw it in an ad and thought moving closer to my job was the best decision. I got promoted and my hours changed."

"Congrats! That's... amazing." He said, taking a seat by the counter.

You paused where you stood in front of your fridge and turned toward him.

"I heard what happened about your discharged, I'm sorry." You said.

"No, don't be. This- this was my fault. All I wanted was to serve and I lost sight of what mattered most."

You nod in a small manner, using your hands to lean by the marbled countertop.

"What matters the most to you now?"

He hesitates and he looks up to you with teary eyes.

"Trying to be a better man for you."

Your heart began to ache. One part of you just wanted to envelop your arms around him like before, wanting to take back the words you said to him the last time you saw each other. But the other was hurting too much, always feeling you were second place in his life.

You walked ever so carefully to him, placing one hand on top of his.

"I know you're trying to make amends Damon, but I don't think we can be what we were, just not yet."

He nodded his head, understanding that the way you two left things had left scars that hadn't healed. But you held his hand firmer to break out from his thoughts.

"But I do want you here, in our baby's life. She has the right to know who her father is, if you're ready."

A flicker of hope shone through his eyes and gave you a smile that he hadn't seen in a while.

"I'll be here any time you need me."

Since then, Damon has chosen to live near a motel. He wanted to give you space but still guaranteed to be by your side through the end of your pregnancy. He helped you buy some clothes for the baby as well as help you with the nursery. It was your favorite day to be with him as you started to fool around with the paint, purposely painting each other's clothes.

You haven't laughed in a while, and it felt like your heart was being repaired, piece by piece. You offered Damon to stay the night and he looked a bit reluctant, but he knew you wouldn't take no for an answer. So, he slept on the couch that night.

Since your pregnancy, you haven't had a peaceful sleep. So when you heard noises from the living room, you had to investigate.

Your feet slowly padded your hallway and you walked through the dark room.

"Damon?"

You saw him tossing and turning, murmuring. Slowly, you go up to him, softly shaking his shoulder.

"Damon, wake up."

Suddenly, he abruptly wakes up with a cold sweat. He looks at you with wild eyes, like the ones you saw when he was in the interrogation room.

You reach out to touch his face, but he flinches away, his jaw clenched. But you stood your ground.

"Look at me. Please." You begged, whispering.

He hesitantly looks up, fearful. His body screamed at him to run away, to not hurt you, but his heart stood its place, knowing he would never do something like that.

All you could see was his eyes softening, then became glossy as a tear fell.

He began to sob, and he landed his face in your chest. It caught you by surprise, but you held him closely to you, trying to calm him down by combing his hair that was growing and kissed his forehead. You two both stayed in that position until you brought him to your room where you both sat at the end of your bed as you listened to him attentively.

He talked about saving his friends lives in the line of duty, yet feeling like a failure to himself and his country.

"I couldn't recognize myself, I thought I became this monster. All my life, I was too weak to do anything. I almost didn't qualify to serve due to my health records. That's why I started taking enhancements."

Your mouth rounded in a small 'o' as you never new that part of his life before the army.

You intertwine your hands in his and look at his eyes that faced so many wars.

"You fought so much in your life, Damon. I know it seems like you given up but you didn't. You saved so many lives. I know I can't give you much-"

Damon whips his head towards you, hurt.

"What do you mean? You given me the world." His hand softly goes to your growing belly and looks at you with those loving eyes that you once remembered.

You held on to each other, feeling his heart beat slow down as you two laid back in your mattress where you two fell asleep.

When you woke up, you see him snuggled by your belly as you comb his hair that grew much longer through your fingers. He smiles then flutters his eyes open, adoring you again with his gaze.

Both of you know the risks of dating each other again, as no one wanted to break the other's heart.

But you had to at least try. Cause Damon would be damned if he repeated the same mistakes again.

He could promise you that, but for the time being... He was happy where he was now, entangled in bed with the woman who had his whole heart and more.

[crazycurly-77]

Healing processes - Ch 11

This bath was the most beautiful and relaxing bath you've ever had.

The warm water, the gentle foam... leaning against Jethro's strong chest and embraced by his strong arms... it was a wonderful dream. You haven't felt so comfortable and safe in a long time.

He was definitely right. Bathing is better... but only with him, you thought mischievously.

Much to both of your regrets, the water slowly got cold and as both of your stomachs started to growl, you unfortunately had to leave your little paradise.

Just as Gibbs helped you into the tub, he helped you out again and wrapped you in a warm, cozy bath towel after he himself got out of the tub.

He carefully ran his hands over your body to rub it dry as gently as possible and your injuries thanked him.

He was so tender and considerate...the complete opposite of how he always presents himself, always the tough guy.

And he was so focused on not causing you any pain, no matter how unintentional, that he didn't notice your broad grin. Because of course you couldn't resist taking advantage of his complete lack of protection and his cluelessness.

Unnoticed by him, you stood on tiptoe and surprised him with a loving kiss. But you lost your balance and almost knocked him over, so that he had to take a step back to avoid falling over.

Jethro held you in his arms while you held on to his strong shoulders. With a loving look you whispered: "You are the best nurse I could wish for."

This touched him deep in his heart, where his guilt was still simmering.

He whispered: "...I owe it to you. After all, it was because of me that you fell off the cliff."

He said that so infinitely sadly and doubting himself that it stabbed you right in the heart. He is your hero and you love him with all your heart, which is why it hurt you so incredibly much to see him like that.

“No, stop,” you demanded of him, close to tears.

“Yes, that's how it is. If I hadn't ordered you to climb up…” he continued to insist, shaking his head more and more violently. He was in danger of drowning in his guilt. You couldn't and shouldn't allow that.

With a sharp “…stop,” you interrupted him. He fell silent abruptly and stared at you.

“Yes, you ordered me to climb up, but I went too close to the edge and was careless,” you tried to make him understand that it was an accident. Nothing more and nothing less.

Full of desperation, you put his hand on your heart: “can you feel that?” He nodded.

“I'm alive and I have YOU to thank for that,” you explained to him gratefully and hopefully.

But he refused to accept that it wasn't his fault.

“No, I'm a danger to you,” he insisted, his voice broken, his hand still resting on your heart.

How could you make him understand that it wasn't his fault? And how was it possible to ease his mental anguish?

It hurt you to see him suffering so much and full of self-doubt.

You gently cupped his cheek and spoke softly:

“No, you're not. Quite the opposite. YOU were the one who convinced me to come back. YOU and your unwavering love and support that filled my heart with warmth...if it hadn't been for YOU, I would have given up.”

He kissed you gently and pulled you into a tight embrace. “I wouldn't know what to do without you,” he whispered.

With your head leaning against his chest, you listened to his steady, strong heartbeat and replied: “I wouldn't know either.”

After a few seconds of silence he cleared his throat: “Come on, let's get dressed and eat something. I'm already dry now.”

The moment of peace was over.

He quickly got you both dressed, then left the bathroom, went into the living room and ordered Chinese food.

When you came downstairs, he had already set the dining table and shortly afterwards the delivery man arrived.

You were absolutely surprised: “Wow, how did you manage that?”

Jethro grinned and replied with a wink: “I know the cook.”

The food smelled delicious and you ate everything with pleasure. The dishes were also quickly done, so you could finally end the day.

You made yourself comfortable on the couch, snuggled up close to each other and turned on an old western.

But neither of you watched it, because it was so pleasantly cozy that you fell asleep arm in arm. Both of you smiling contentedly in your sleep and dreaming of a wonderful life together.

...at least part of the night, because while you slept exhausted in his arms (which was important for your healing), Gibbs lay awake half the night trying to fight his demons.

Were you really right? Was it really just an accident and was he really no danger to you?

(To be continued in Chapter 12.)

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

Here you will find the other chapters of this story.

Back to the overview of this story

Back to the main Masterlist

Back to the alternative Masterlist

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

Tags: @ilovemark1951, @hobby27

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

[coimbrabertone]

Hear Me Out...It's Not Logano's Fault

I'm going to preface this by saying I'm not a Joey Logano fan at all. I think the Shell/Pennzoil scheme is decent, but the two different shades of yellow are annoying, I wish Pennzoil would let them put the logo across the rear fender, and in my opinion, it looks worse with the next gen rims than most schemes.

As for Joey himself, well...I kinda find myself agreeing with the whole "two-faced" comments. He's this smiling, kinda awkward suburban dad type guy out of the car, but then in the car he's super hotheaded and aggressive. It doesn't line up. That doesn't inherently mean it's an act, just that racing brings out a different side of him.

All that being said...I don't really think he's to blame for the 2024 NASCAR championship.

So, for context: yesterday was the final round of the NASCAR playoffs. Sixteen drivers make the playoffs based on regular season performances: this year, fourteen won their way in, and another two (Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr.) got in on points.

Three rounds of three races followed, whittling down the field from sixteen to twelve to eight and finally four.

This year, the final four were:

Tyler Reddick, driving the #45 for 23XI Racing - Tyler won the regular season championship, won at Talladega and Michigan in the regular season, and won Homestead in the Round of 8 to make the championship four at Phoenix.

William Byron, driving the #24 for Hendrick Motorsports - William won the Daytona 500, Circuit of the Americas, and the spring Martinsville race. In the Round of 8, he squeaked by into the finale thanks to the help of Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon, whilst Christopher Bell was penalized for a wall ride. You can read more on that in last week's blogpost.

Ryan Blaney, driving the #12 for Team Penske - Ryan was the 2023 champion, and this year, he won at Iowa and Pocono to make the playoffs, and then won Martinsville in the Round of 8 to make the championship four.

Joey Logano, driving the #22 for Team Penske - Joey had the most circuitous route to the playoffs. He won at Nashville off the back of five overtimes and Hail Mary fuel save, won the first playoff race at Atlanta to advance to the Round of 12, got eliminated in that round at the Charlotte Roval by Alex Bowman, and then got reinstated in the playoffs when Alex Bowman was disqualified. Joey then, back in the Round of 8, won the first race of the round at Las Vegas to lock himself in the championship four.

So, one win in the regular season, a plate race, advancing through someone else's disqualification, and then even at Las Vegas - Joey's most legitimate won of the season so far - Bell was clearly the fastest car that day, but Logano got out ahead through strategy and managed to hold him off for the win.

Naturally, people started taking notice of this.

Already, they started saying that if Logano won - who was 15th in points at this point - would be an undeserving champion.

Some went so far as to claim it would be the final nail in the coffin for the playoff system.

So of course...Penske shows up to Phoenix and dominates. Joey Logano gets out into first, holds off Ryan Blaney, and Penske finishes 1-2 in the championship.

Joey Logano wins the 2024 championship with an average finish of 17.11 and based on a full season points format like the Winston Cup was, he'd still only be eleventh, despite the three wins late in the year.

Some have deemed it the worst championship performance of all time.

However...

What did you want Joey Logano to do? Not win the championship?

I don't like the guy, but like...he's a racing driver, of course he's going to do whatever he can to win the championship. He hasn't been particularly good or consistent through the season, but this format has kept him in play, so of course he's going to try and win his way to Phoenix and take a third championship.

Joey Logano doesn't care if you think his titles are illegitimate. He still gets his name up there with the likes of Petty, Earnhardt Gordon, and all the other multi-time NASCAR champions.

If a driver can win, they're gonna try to win.

The problem is the playoff format. Logano was fifteenth in points with one win but because the playoffs start with 16 teams, he was allowed to fight for the championship. Then, the win and advance format let him lock himself in right away with Atlanta. The Round of 12 was weak for him, but Bowman got disqualified and Logano was next in line in the points, so of course he was going to advance.

He went from out of the playoffs to back within a chance of winning the title overnight. So...he wins at Las Vegas, locks himself into the championship four, and gets to use Homestead and Martinsville to prepare for Phoenix.

And that preparation shows, because Blaney and Logano were far and away the fastest cars in Phoenix.

Logano got ahead with a pass early in the final stint, Blaney was faster and tried to pass him back almost immediately, but Logano was able to hold him off. Aero blocking, forcing Blaney to use the useless upper lane in the corners, and focusing on maximizing his exit onto the brief straightaways.

In short, Logano and Team Penske have figured out how to min-max the NASCAR playoffs.

Logano effectively won the championship with the fewest wins possible.

Once in the regular season, twice to move on in the playoff rounds, and then at Phoenix to win the championship.

I suppose that technically speaking, the fewest number of wins would be one. Win in the regular season to get into the playoffs regardless of whether or not you're consistent, manage to advance each round by points, and then have a non-playoff car win at Phoenix so you can win the championship without having to win in the championship race.

So perhaps Logano's season isn't the bare minimum the format requires, but it's pretty damn close.

Which again, not the driver's fault. They're going to try and win the championship for as long as they can. Logano had a shitty season, but the playoffs kept him in it all the way, and he was able to do enough to win it.

The fact that's enough to win it is the format's fault.

Let's go back to 2003 for a moment. NASCAR says that the playoff format was in the works for a few years before the 2003 season, but 2003 was widely seen as the reason why the chase format was ultimately adopted.

Matt Kenseth in the Roush #17 won in the third round of the season at Las Vegas and then consistent results kept him in the lead.

Meanwhile, Ryan Newman in the Penske #12 won at Texas, Dover, Chicagoland, Pocono, Michigan, Richmond, Dover again, and Kansas.

People didn't like the fact that a driver winning one race won the title while another driver took eight wins.

Two problems with that.

One: It's not like Ryan Newman was like second or anything, he was sixth. He didn't lose the championship because wins weren't worth enough in the Winston Cup points format, he lost the championship because he was checkers or wreckers all year long. Ryan took his first win of the season at Texas, but after that, he was 39th at Talladega, 38th in Martinsville, 42nd at Fontana, and 39th in Richmond. One win, followed by four races where he barely scored any points at all. That is why he lost.

Two: This year, Kyle Larson was the winningest driver, winning at Las Vegas, Kansas, Sonoma, Indianapolis, Bristol, and the Charlotte Roval. So if the format is supposed to favor winning, it didn't exactly do that, given that the championship four consistent of four guys who each had three wins, with Logano taking a fourth at Phoenix to win the whole thing.

So, this format doesn't favor winning the most, nor does it favor consistency. Instead, it favors winning at specific times.

Technically speaking, someone could win all twenty-six regular season races and then lose the championship off the back of a poor playoff run. Would that ever actually happen? No, it's not realistic, but it does show the flaws of this format.

And if you want more realistic proof that the regular season doesn't matter in this format, then just look back to 2015. Kyle Busch broke his leg, missed eleven races, and then used the playoff system to win the championship.

This is what NASCAR is now.

Logano in 2024 is just the latest example of that.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Well...I suppose you can hate the player too, just understand that the game is the real problem here.

[ncisfranchise-source]

You may have questions before sampling CBS‘ NCIS: Origins, which launches Monday, Oct. 14 at 9/8c with a double-episode premiere.

Well, since Rule No. 15 tells us to “always work as a team,” let’s see if TVLine can’t dot some I’s and cross some T’s for you, ahead of the prequel spinoff’s debut.

Opening in 1991, NCIS: Origins follows a young Gibbs as he starts his career as a newly minted Special Agent at the NIS Camp Pendleton office. There, he will forge his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by the legendary Mike Franks.

Austin Stowell (A Friend of the Family, Secret Life of the American Teenager) fills the role of Gibbs (played on the original NCIS by, of course, Mark Harmon), while Kyle Schmid (SIX, Big Sky) channels a young Muse Watson as Franks.

The series regular cast also includes Mariel Molino (Promised Land) as Special Agent Lala Dominguez, a former Marine with a dark sense of humor; Tyla Abercrumbie (The Chi) as Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Hayes, who has wryly dubbed herself “HSIC” (Head Secretary in Charge); Diany Rodriguez (The Blacklist) as Special Agent Vera Strickland, a no-nonsense Brooklynite who’s tough as nails; and Caleb Foote (Made for Love) as Special Agent Benjamin “Randy” Randolf, the “golden boy” tasked with showing Gibbs the ropes.

Read on for answers to a dozen questions we had, and maybe you do, too….

01

DON'T WE KNOW ALL OF THIS ALREADY...?

To longtime NCIS fans who assume that across 19 seasons with Mark Harmon‘s Gibbs — including visits from Muse Watson’s Mike Franks and a smattering of flashback episodes starring Harmon’s son Sean as a young Gibbs — they already know everything about Jethro’s beginnings, “I would tell them, they don’t know as much as they think they do,” says co-showrunner David J. North.

On NCIS, “We talked about things, and we had little flashbacks that we went to, but that doesn’t come close to getting into the texture of what could be explored there,” North explains. “Seeing Gibbs arrive at NIS on Day 1, and seeing how Gibbs became Gibbs…. there’s so much to explore. Even for [co-showrunner] Gina [Monreal] and I, every day in the writers room is something new. When I was writing the mothership [NCIS], I never pictured Gibbs exactly like this, but of course he would have done that, of course there was a time when he actually learned where his gear is.”

Adds Monreal, “Gibbs as probie, we’ve not seen that before. We’ve not seen that dynamic between Gibbs and Franks.”

02

HOW WILL NCIS: ORIGINS DIFFER FROM ANY NCIS BEFORE IT?

The series’ co-showrunners had just reviewed the first dailies from the premiere before sitting down with TVLine, “and as proud as I am of what we’ve built at NCIS, this doesn’t look like that,” David J. North shares. “Tonally, we’re a little darker, and the whole look of the show, we wanted it to look current yet ’90s, and I think that our [set designer and DOP] delivered that perfectly.”

Monreal zeroes in on the juxtaposition of the “big orange” NCIS squad room where “they have everything their fingertips” and the Quonset Hut at Camp Pendleton from which Gibbs, Franks et al work: “It’s just so messy and gritty and underfunded, and that’s been really fun to explore.”

03

DOES YOUNG GIBBS HAVE FAULTS?

After all, the older Gibbs who we got to know over nearly 20 years of NCIS was the sharpest and savviest, if not chattiest, of Special Agents. But as a probie, will he have rough edges that need sanding?

“I wouldn’t call this a ‘fault,'” says Monreal, “but when we’re meeting him [in 1991], he’s so fresh out of the Marines, and that is a totally different perspective than we’ve seen. We’re seeing him transition to being a civilian and a civilian agent, and that gives him a different kind of shading than we’ve seen before.”

North then chimes in, alluding to the failed psych eval mentioned in the series’ trailer.

The recently widowed Gibbs’ “biggest fault, in a large, 30,000-foot sense, is taking a job as a Special Agent at NIS that he maybe is not ready for,” the EP offers.

04

IS MARK HARMON PROTECTIVE OF HIS 'YOUNGER SELF'?

Is Mark Harmon, as Gibbs’ longtime portrayer (and an executive producer on NCIS: Origins), protective of the character he created? Has he set up “guardrails” for just how green (or even bumbling) young Jethro can appear to be?

“No,” co-showrunner David J. North answers. Rather, “He’s as hands-on as we want him to be.”

Harmon is “there for us to talk through things, if Gina and I can’t come to a consensus on something,” North elaborates. “If we’re not sure which way to go, left or right at a fork in the road, and we need another opinion, he’s there for us. Mark’s not going to bulls–t you. And he’s certainly there for Austin [Stowell, who plays young Gibbs], which has been a huge thing and obviously is important to us.”

05

WHAT IS THE GIBBS/FRANKS DYNAMIC LIKE?

In two words? “Boss” and “probie,” says co-showrunner Gina Monreal.

“The way that Austin [Stowell] is playing it, the way he looks at Franks, you can see the bit of awe in his eyes, which is so interesting for both of the characters,” the EP shares.

“I describe them as ‘there’s nothing I love writing more,'” adds North. “Seeing Gibbs in these situations that you could have never imagined Mark in has been wonderful.”

Situations such as…?

“The other day, Gina and I said to Mark, ‘Did Gibbs ever ride in the back seat of car?’ And Mark said never, in 20 years. Because Gibbs was the leader.” So, expect to witness that “first” in the series premiere.

06

AGENT VERA STRICKLAND? THAT'S A DEEP PULL, NO?

Diany Rodriguez’s Special Agent Vera Strickland is a character first played by Roma Maffia once — and only once — in a random Season 11 episode of NCIS. “It is a deep pull,” co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal acknowledges, “but we looked at the timeline and she would have been there [at Camp Pendleton]. She was described [on NCIS] as Franks’ first partner,” though that is no longer the case when Origins opens… and for conspicuously vague reasons.

“Vera has some mysterious elements as well,” Monreal teases, “so being able to flesh out a character that was so clearly defined in that one [NCIS] episode has been really fun, for sure.”

07

WHAT SCENE STEALERS SHOULD WE WATCH FOR?

Tyla Abercrumbie as “Head Secretary in Charge” Mary Jo “is dynamite,” raves co-showrunner Monreal. Adds North: “She’s so, so good.”

But most every character gets a fun moment to shine in the double-episode premiere. “There’s a scene between Mariel (as Lala) and Diany (Vera) that’s really great, and powerful,” North previews.

08

WILL WE MEET A YOUNG DWAYNE PRIDE? HETTY LANGE?

Younger versions of Mike Franks and Vera Strickland (characters played on NCIS by Muse Watson and Roma Maffia) appear on NCIS: Origins. In success, could the prequel one day also cast/introduce Gibbs to circa-1991 versions of Dwayne Pride (played on NCIS: New Orleans by Scott Bakula) and/or Hetty Lange (NCIS: LA‘s Linda Hunt)– the former of which Jethro met as a young agent? “Sure!” affirms North. “I don’t think we want to say no to anything.”

09

WAIT, HOW CAN GIBBS' ESTRANGED DAD BE A PART OF THIS?

When the late Ralph Waite first guested on NCIS, it was established that Gibbs and his father had not spoken since Jethro’s wife Shannon’s funeral, in 1991. So, how will Longmire‘s Robert Taylor figure into NCIS: Origins, playing a younger Jackson?

Addressing the canonical conundrum, co-showrunner David J North says, “We did solve it. We’re very aware of the canon and what’s been set up, and we’re working within that. But I’ll say this: Jackson is an important role, and we’ll see the influence of him on Gibbs.” 

10

REMIND US, WHAT IS '90S CRIMESOLVING TECH LIKE?

Gotta reach an agent in the field? Ping their beeper.

Need to report back to the office? Hunt down a pay phone, or use the wall phone in the dead petty officer’s kitchen.

Need to walk everyone through the evidence? No smart boards here! Grab a bunch of thumbtacks.

Such 1991 constraints are “wonderful,” North avows, because “it pushes you to solve the stories in ways that’s not just fingers flying over a keyboard, or answers popping up for Kasie in the lab. It pushes us to go further into character, and that’s what we’ve done.”

11

WILL THIS 'GRITTIER' NCIS STILL HAVE HUMOR?

Yes, by way of the characters played by Caleb Foote (“golden boy” Special Agent “Randy” Randolf) and SNL vet Bobby Moynihan (forensics lab boss Woody Browne), among others.

“Woody is this overworked guy who’s working the forensics/fingerprints thing, but [in 1991] everything takes forever,” North says with a laugh. “The crew had to try to stop from laughing when [Bobby] was shooting, he’s that good.”

12

IS THERE A REASON WHY ADULT GIBBS, AS NARRATOR, IS TELLING US THIS STORY? NOW?

Yes, NCIS vet Mark Harmon will occasionally appear on-screen, as the older Gibbs relays this story of his NIS beginnings… to anyone in particular?

Why is he looking back on this time in his life? Now? Is he being interviewed? Writing a book? Maybe it’s (gulp) an epitaph of sorts?

There is a reason, North assured me.

He and co-showrunner Monreal later elaborated in an email, “As the creators of the show, we viewed Gibbs telling his own story as an enormous opportunity to actually get into the head of one of the most iconic, enigmatic characters ever.

“As far as how we’re getting this peek behind the curtain — meaning, in what way exactly is our beloved Gibbs telling us his story? — that will be answered on October 14th,” they promised.

[fights4users]

Corporate greed and a Hostile takeover | Dillinger, Sark and the MCP

Dillinger is a interesting case, they never make you feel bad for him in a ham fisted “my father never hugged me as a boy” sort of way. You feel sorry for him in the way in which he dug his own grave but he’s not exactly sympathetic, he’s quite open with what he is and that, is a greedy slimeball.

Re reading the novelization makes this all the more clear, he’s a horrible person but in a fun way.

Unlike Gibbs this is a man who is perfectly aware of how cutthroat and corrupt the boardroom side of business is and relishes in it. Throughout his portions of the book it talks about how much he likes the luxury and little privileges that come with being CEO. He’s equally paranoid by this as he knows exactly what shady dealings got him to where he is today- he took advantage of being slimy and is terrified of the idea someone might do the exact same thing as him.

Possibly my favorite part is that he is a victim of a monster of his own making. “It’s my fault, I’ve programmed you to want as much.” As I do.” Has to be one of my favorite lines in the novel. We watch ad the secret to his success basically holds him hostage in his position, he starts to realize just how deep water he has gotten himself… and possibly humanity, into. It ends in jail either way but he’ll be damned if he’s not going to enjoy the last extent of the power he has for the short time it will last.

“I programmed the machine to want and now it wants things!!!”

He has created something that not only has similar motivations and shady tactics but is 100 times better at it than Dillinger could ever dream of. The ambitions get bigger and he becomes a smaller and smaller man subservient to something that, at last, wants more than he does. It’s fascinating how he has two sides of himself reflected The MCP is his greed and want and tyrannical want for power while Sark is that frightened side of him who wanted the benefit and the comfortable living but has only begun to realize what exactly he sold himself to.

Sark is an addict for power, he wants more, he wants to be in charge and he doesn’t particularly mind how it happens (as seen by who he aligns with) or he thinks it doesn’t matter, anyway. He’s a command program he wants to be in charge, it’s understandable, but like Dillinger he’s a bit too ambitious for his own and others good. Also similarly, he realizes the error of his ways far too late. Both of them are too proud to admit said error and instead double down on the side of the MCP than admit fault or give up a sliver of the power and comfort given to them.

[the-last-rat-standing]

I was doing a little research on a fic I’m starting and needed some canon info on Hollis Mann when I was reminded of this:

Hollis: I want to apologize.

Gibbs: There’s no need. 

Hollis: Oh, stop that. I forgot how infuriating you could be.

Gibbs: (laughs) Was that the apology?

Hollis: No. No, this is. I... I liked you. I really liked you, okay? And what happened between us, it was good. It was great, even. But there was a wall that wasn’t coming down. Your past. And I could see what was going to happen. How bad it was going to get. Me, trying to... pull things from you, and you not ready to let go. So I made an executive decision- I left. So that we could remember the good.

Gibbs: You should have just asked.

-’Kill Switch’, s11e12

Jethro, sweetie, what the fuck is THAT supposed to mean? Ask you what? About Shannon and Kelly? I know it’s been 6 years since the conversation in the elevator (’Ex-File’, s5e3), but:

Hollis: Divorced three times.

Gibbs: I told you that.

Hollis: Married four. You never told me about your first wife, Shannon. Or that you had a daughter, Kelly. Why, Jethro?

Gibbs: They’re dead. End of story. I’ve put it behind me.

Hollis: Have you?

Rather than answer, Gibbs flicks the elevator back on and they continue in silence.

She DID ask you about Shannon and Kelly. And that was your response. Was she supposed to think it was going to get better? 

This was always a major irritation for me when it came to Gibbs and how the (no surprise- male) writers saw him. He never seemed to be at fault for the 3 failed marriages, and any time he admitted he might’ve had a part in the failure, it always came back around to Shannon and Kelly, so you felt bad for putting blame on a poor grieving guy who lost his first wife and only daughter. It was the Wounded Lone Wolf trope that they milked to literally the very end. (Though they had one shining moment of character growth when Gibbs told Jack about Shannon and Kelly, without having to have it pulled out of him.) He’d be the first to say all those women deserved better, but it doesn’t change the fact that he didn’t seem to believe it enough to want to change himself.

As a side note, I love that the 2 Army women show their affection by buying him small batch whiskey.

[starthetripledevil]

Mario Legacy Challenge: 1985 (Part 2)

This year is already nearing its end. Jumpman has already completed his aspiration, but things aren't quite done yet.

Jumpman has gone to work like normal but things aren't going that well. The gorilla that's quite possibly the main attraction of the circus, Donkey Kong, has escaped.

Now this isn't just bad for the circus. Donkey Kong has been wreaking havoc on the city. (This screenshot was actually from like a day or two earlier so when this happened in-game, it was too early for Donkey Kong's escape to have happened. But I thought this could be a fitting screenshot for the moment.)

Jumpman doesn't know it yet, but Donkey Kong has kidnapped Lady and taken her to a nearby construction site. This is his idea of getting revenge on Jumpman for capturing him. Also a sign of the Kongs being more intelligent than typical gorillas since he was able to identify Jumpman's wife.

Jumpman's boss, Harrison Gibbs, blames Jumpman for DK's escape. After all, maybe if Jumpman hadn't constantly mocked the gorilla for messing up the pineapple juggling trick, he wouldn't have become so angry.

Jumpman, feeling embarrassed, knows laughing at the gorilla wasn't exactly the best idea.

Harrison orders Jumpman to look for Donkey Kong... of course he does...

Jumpman is so angry. It wasn't his fault the circus wanted to have a gorilla! But he knows he can't just let DK get away. That gorilla could cause so much damage to the city.

After some searching, Jumpman spots Donkey Kong in the distance. But that's not all. DK has captured Jumpman's wife. Now Jumpman is even angrier than before! And he has more motivation than ever to stop the gorilla!

Donkey Kong has spotted Jumpman approaching him. But he won't let Jumpman win so easily. Jumpman took him away from his home, now it's time for him to suffer!

And here's where the plot of Donkey Kong (1981 arcade) starts. (Due to in-game limitations, we're not actually seeing any barrel throwing and climbing here.)

Above all, Donkey Kong is feeling sad. He misses his old home. But since he doesn't know how to get back, he focuses on revenge instead.

After a long climb and constantly dodging barrels and fireballs, Jumpman has finally managed to catch up to Donkey Kong. Now it's time to get Lady away from the gorilla safely.

Donkey Kong has been defeated... for now. The next step is to get him back to the circus. If only Harrison was actually here to help Jumpman instead of accusing him.

Before taking DK back to the circus, Jumpman has a brief romantic moment with Lady. But even then, he's thinking about the strength he'll need to transport the gorilla.

It's time to return to the circus. Jumpman attaches DK to some kind of leash to keep him from escaping... but it can't be easy considering how heavy and strong the gorilla is.

Donkey Kong has been brought back. He's asleep so at least that means he won't be escaping for now. But who knows how soon he wakes up?

Jumpman tells Harrison all about how he found DK. How his skills in running and jumping, which he did a lot as a basketball player, came in handy.

Harrison seems to be a lot happier now than he was before the gorilla was caught. Instead of angrily accusing Jumpman, he's now... kind of friendly?

Harrison tells Jumpman about a new plan for the circus. Instead of staying in one location, they will travel around the world, giving them the chance to have even more visitors than before. And, of course, Jumpman will have to join them if he wants to keep his job...

Jumpman starts to consider the pros and cons of this. On one hand, he gets to explore some other locations in the Mushroom World. He's pretty much been in Brooklyn (or nearby areas) nearly the entire time since the 1964 Olympics, aside from a few times when he visited Kaori's family in the Seaside Kingdom. But on the other hand, he will have to spend longer periods of time away from his family. He'll still get to return home multiple times a year, including for all the major holidays, but is it often enough?

Harrison tells all the details about the travels while trying to convince Jumpman to join. He explains that every time they go to a new location, there will be lots of packing. But all travel expenses and other costs that come from being in different places will be covered by the circus.

The circus will leave in January 1986, so Harrison will require an answer by then.

Jumpman and Lady are so happy to be back home again. Their daughter Pauline is instantly here to greet them. She has been worried ever since she heard about the gorilla escaping.

Lady and Pauline hug. They're all glad that Jumpman and Lady are both fine after what just happened.

After Pauline goes back inside the apartment, Jumpman and Lady spend some time being flirty.

But of course, the main thing Jumpman needs to tell Lady is about the new changes to his job. Jumpman tells every detail about what Harrison just told him. Lady is quite surprised by the news.

Lady states that no matter what Jumpman chooses - to travel with the circus or to lose his job - she will still love him either way. And Jumpman will also love her.

But for now, the year is reaching its end (and we didn't even get a single picture of toddler Mario for this post, but oh well). Also, by the end of 1985, both Mario and Luigi managed to master all of their toddler skills.

For Jumpman's experiences in 1986, see this post.

[stevishabitat]

Finally Watching Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

So... I am a longtime POTC fan and Willabeth shipper. Somewhere in both ff.n and AO3 there are fics to prove it. I saw all of the first trilogy in theaters. Multiple times.

Then movie #4 happened. And I was so incredibly disappointed with pretty much everything about it. I was heartbroken that a film series I loved so much had disintegrated into almost a bad parody of itself.

So when I heard there was to be a fifth movie, I was pretty much against the whole idea.

Then I discovered it was going to resolve the Willabeth plot line and basically do the thing ficcers had been doing ever since the release of At World's End. I was still extremely skeptical, but curious.

Unfortunately at the time Dead Men Tell No Tales came out, my life was crazy. I was depressed as hell. And I just didn't have the mental and emotional bandwidth to deal with the potential let down if the movie sucked. Or even to cope with the emotional impact of it being good. Basically, I needed this particular fandom/ship to stay in stasis. I didn't really have money to go to the theater, I would have had to get a babysitter and I didn't have anyone to go with so I would have been subjecting myself to this emotional thing alone.

So I just... Didn't.

I blocked tags on Tumblr. I avoided the fandom on AO3. I did see screenshots of the reunion scene on Pinterest at some point, but tried to purge any POTC content in my feed so I really didn't know much beyond a few pics.

So when I recently inadvertently ended up back on the Orlando Bloom bullshit. (Damn you Prime and your ads for Deep Cover), I decided to take the plunge and watch the final movie.

Behold, my live reactions...

Adorable tiny child wtf are you doing?

Flying Dutchman?

Oh do we get my baby back on screen already???

William ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The "One Day" theme 😭😭😭

Pirate Bonnet you say.... 👀

Holy shit... They actually found an actor who looks like he could literally be the offspring of Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom.

Turner in the brig. Seems familiar.

Mired in unnatural fog. Something in the water. Seems familiar.

What, this guy takes his own wind with him wherever he goes? Dramatic bitch

Let me guess, you're cursed and it's Jack's fault? Seems familiar.

You are telling tales right now, actually.

Oh god is that Jack's daughter?

Is Jack gonna be in the vault?

She's gonna steal that wagon.

Jack is in the vault

Is his hair... Bleached?

Oh our crew... Marty! Gibbs! Other... Guys

They're... Stealing the whole bank

That vault is going to be totally empty by the time they get it wherever they're going

That is a lot of horses

Empty.

Not you too, Gibbs

How many guns is he wearing, ridiculous

This is a lot of exposition by two very pretty people with very large eyes

No. Do not trade your compass for rum. Terrible idea.

And now the rum is gone

I'm not sure that whoever wrote the dialogue in this script had any idea what made the original trilogy so endearing.

Why would Jack not just use the kid to escape and then deal with whatever his mission is later? Is that not how the first movie started?

Is Barbossa scratching under his wig with a toothpick? So relatable.

And is that "A Pirate's Life for Me" on string quartet? This man is living the dream

Sorry, it's a trio

I think Geoffrey Rush has forgotten how to do the accent, it's really uneven

Paul fucking McCartney?!?

And where has Henry gone?

Oh, he has a plan then...

Is a heroic version of "One Day" Henry's theme now?

Marty gets some good action

But what I really need to know is if Henry has any sword skills

Port and stern are not opposites ffs

Dear god I want a word with the script writers.

Creepy de-aged Johnny Depp. Did they paste his face on a kid? God that's awful

Wicked Wench... That's baby Black Pearl, right?

Did they totally retcon how Jack got the compass?? Wtf. Why?

Is this literal jumping the shark? Because I feel like that ship sailed long ago...

Runs towards the sea with his little bottle and then chucks it on the rocks? The Pearl is not going to be happy about that

Oh, hah, the Pearl was *not* in fact, happy about that

Jack the Monkey, was he in the bottle too?

Wow really reusing the whole soundtrack from movie #1

Carina is about to find out her father was a pirate...

Ooooh wait... Is it Barbossa?

He wants the compass, rum, and.... *not* the Black Pearl?

Shit, Barbossa is going to die in this movie, to save Carina. Calling it now

Jeez, the figurehead? That sure is a choice I guess

Carina needs some breeches

This is some Moana shit

Finally a fucking sword fight, but Henry's possessed, and it's not even good. disappointing

I called it. RIP Barbossa

"my name is Barbossa" = "no, he's a pirate"

As "He's a Pirate" theme starts playing. Damn. That was actually pretty good

FUCK YEAH. WILLABETH REUNION. THIS IS WHAT I CAME FOR!

Bring me that horizon?

Wait... Beyond? Please tell me they didn't think they were going to make more...

OK, this was a lot of mediocre mess just to get my happy ending for Willabeth

Post credit scene... Awww my babies, peaceful in bed

Fuck

It occurs to me that POTC was doing post-credits scenes before the MCU was a glimmer in Feige's eye. I remember making my siblings sit thru the credits because I'd seen it first and then took them. And they were so skeptical.

So, I've been shipping Willabeth for 22 years, and I literally avoided the last movie for the past... eight years?! because... Idk I didn't want to know? I didn't want it to be the end? I thought it wouldn't be satisfying? The fourth movie sucked so bad? All of the above?

And although I knew Will's curse would be broken, and they'd be reunited, and I've seen gifs of the reunion, I totally did not know about the post-credits scene. So that was new for me.

Anyway... I guess it's officially over now

I feel the need to rewatch the OG for a bit of a reminder of why I loved the franchise in the first place.

These last two in particular really felt like although clearly they spent a ton of money, there was just no passion in it at all. Like the people in charge, the people writing it, and at least some of the actors had lost any enthusiasm for doing it. And like... Why? Why do it if your heart isn't in it? Why write a script that's so hollow of anything that people loved about the original trilogy?

It's like the sole focus became big impressive stunts, which, yeah, big and impressive. And a lot of physical gags. Which, yes there were plenty in the first three films, and we did enjoy them. But, there was so much *more* than that.

These last two just had the formula (and believe me the formula was fucking obvious in #4) and no heart. And, like, they had new actors that could have breathed some life in, but... The script was so rough, and as pretty as they were, the actors didn't have the depth that Keira and Orlando gave their characters. And yes, even in the first movie there were moments the script was lacking a bit, but the actors performed the hell out of it. If the dialogue wasn't great, they were pouring the sincerity out of their pores so it never felt trite.

This coming from young Mr. Orlando "I pull faces when I don't know what else to do" Bloom who was fresh off of LOTR (in which he mostly pulled faces and tried to look solemn while saying the world's most inane lines. (no disrespect to LOTR, inane lines is, legitimately, a key aspect of Legolas's role in the Fellowship. And Orlando understood the assignment, if not what to do with his face when not the focus of a scene).

But seriously. Every actor in the Curse of the Black Pearl knew they were making a movie based on a theme park ride, and that it was outrageously over the top and stupidly ambitious for that premise. But they fucking went all in. They decided to be 100% sincere about it and put in the work. And it paid off.

Yes, there were funny moments, clever one-liners, and there were gigantic action scenes and wild stunts. But connecting all of that were characters that were easy to get invested in. Even the small parts. Because everything was sincere. Even the bits that were literally put in as references to the theme park ride, they felt real in the context of everything that was happening.

Obviously in the next two movies, the plot got a bit more expansive, but it still felt like everyone was fully invested.

Stranger Tides felt like it was trying to be a reboot of the first movie, following a formula but without really understanding what made the formula work in the first place.

I actually checked IMDB and was shocked that it was the same writers. What happened???

Definitely some responsibility falls on the directors. Clearly Verbinski understood the assignment where the later two didn't. But why are the scripts/story so bad? Was the writing phase rushed? God, it really makes you wonder wtf went wrong.

Ultimately, I'm glad I watched it. I think if I'd watched it when first released, I would have been more angry and upset. I don't think I missed out on anything by waiting. Eight years is obviously excessive, but that's just how things happened.

I'm kind of curious now about fics that might have done some good AUs/rewrites/fix-its. So maybe I'll visit ye olde AO3 next...

[vegan-in-healing-blog]

Care to explain exactly how Ziva is abusive?

First, I encourage you to research the different types of abuse and the behaviors that go along with them. Abuse is not just physical or sexual, it’s also mental, emotional, verbal. Ziva is not the only guilty party by any means. However, in terms of Ziva the lis is long: her bullying & belittling Tony for years, demeaning him, disrespecting him, kicking his feet out from under him & jamming her g*n into his chest, questioning his authority as senior agent, telling Gibbs to choose between her or him, her struggles over the years with protocol, anger issues, cutting everyone out of her life like she did, putting someone she doesn’t even know in a headlock, which is intimidation, blaming Gibbs for abandoning her when she was at fault because she cut everyone out of her life, comparing herself to his murdered child, not to mention hiding that little girl from Tony. There are others, but it’s a decent start. These are all abusive behaviors, most people don’t even understand that these things are abusive because we are not taught them, at least most people aren’t taught them. Just like the Ezria ship had many abusive aspects on PLL, yet it was end game. I understand that some fans love them together, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s an abusive, toxic, & dysfunctional relationship. If they had truly wanted them to end up together, they should have written Ziva differently as a character.

[brooklynislandgirl]

Tony is totally going to owe her a nice bottle of wine and fettuccine Alfredo when this night is over. She notices that he's being gentle shaking Ron's hand, she's seen him crush McGee's in a grip and she's seen him put a hand on a man's shoulder when collaring him and those could shatter the little bird bones that make up her entire body. She hopes Ron is just as courteous, she doesn't want to put a splint on Tony who will have to explain it to Gibbs. Or worse, make her explain it to that silver fox of a boss and Beth isn't very good with lying on the spot.

She also can't help but notice the slight but warm bur to his voice, something that he typically reserves for her when they spend time together. Of course people have the wrong idea about them for as often as they're seen painting the town or going away for holidays together, and Beth doesn't think that's quite an accident. It's true that she's talked about Ron for a while now, but really, it's her cousin's fault for not agreeing to be set up in the first place. She could have ordered the drink herself, though the brand is not one she's familiar with. Granted, she's not much of a gin girl. When he mentions not knowing how much Beth has said, she silently wobbles her head one side to the other as if to indicate that she's kept his best secrets, his deepest ones. She isn't surprised that he mentions his brothers so early, though she wonders if he's going to mention that he's a younger twin. She sometimes forgets that's an important fact to some people, but she'll be the first to tell Tony that Reg is really the human equivalent of a cactus right up the rectum. Ron train-wrecks the thought with his pronouncement on the gin which if that was whispered in her ear? The date would end in bed, because that tone is rumpled sheets and morning cuddles. She firmly believes Tony won't have a hard time with Ron's thick East End accent, not when he can understand her perfectly well with random word order, incomplete words, and sometimes foreign loanwords all in one go. She's also sure Ron will go melty when Tony starts crooning Italian at him. She offers Ron that beatific Mona Lisa smile of hers, and she's clearly content to sit dreamily between the two men, considering herself the luckiest girl in all of DC tonight. She angles herself toward Ron while reclining to a certain degree with her back and shoulder to Tony. Her not visible hand rests on his leg under the cover's table. Both for moral support and maybe familial Morse code if need be. She's reminded of that quote 'Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine' but not in the same context Bogie had. Part of her hopes that Tony doesn't feel compelled to talk about Senior. Nor does she want to get into his trials and tribulations with the boss, but she doesn't think he's going to allow himself to be so vulnerable on a first date. "..'S da kine...fascinating really." She slides Tony's drink closer. ~*~ @big-d-little-i-big-n-little-ozzo, @ronmanmob

Like Buttercup and Wesley. Tony thinks about that for a minute, what it would be like to have an epic love, the kind of love they made movies about. He's never thought to have that for himself, but if Beth thinks that he can now, if she thinks that this man might be the one he can have that kind of love with, he owes it to her to go into this with an open mind. He can do that much for her, can be open to new adventures.

He watches as the other man, the highly acclaimed Ron, walks into the restaurant. He takes the time while Ron is taking off his coat to get a good look at the other man. He's shorter than Tony, but stockier, built with the kind of muscle that makes Tony drool just a little bit. There's strength in those green-clad shoulders, a different kind of strength than Tony's. This is a man who could probably easily lift Tony if needed, and that's a thought that sticks with him.

Ron's got his watch on his right hand. A leftie, then. Tony can write with both, a necessity after Ziva shot him, but he still wears his watch on his left wrist. A habit born of a lifetime of doing so. Ron's jacket is nicely tailored to his body, letting Tony get a nice look at the trim cut of his waist.

He reaches his hand out to Ron, grasping his hand in a firm grip, not too tight because he's not looking to intimidate the other man, but not so loose that he feels like a limp fish. There's a lot you can tell about a person by the way they shake hands. Tony has used it as a way to size up opponents before. He's not trying to size Ron up like that, though. No, he's looking at the strength and thinking about all the things those hands could do.

He's going to owe Beth a nice drink if this night goes well.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he's got an amiable tone to his voice, not the Very Special Agent tone he uses at work. "Beth's been singing your praises for weeks. I'm glad to put a face to all the rumors. You're from London, right? My mum was from Henley-on-Thames. I've only been over there once and that was when I was still a child. I'm sure that everything I remember has probably changed drastically since then." He pauses, breathes for a moment, takes a second to think. "What brought you to New York?"

@ronmanmob @brooklynislandgirl

[tragic-shadows]

could you do 7 “she had a way of making you see things differently” and 29 “ there has always been good in you” with gibbs please 🙏🏼

i had so much fun writing this for reasons i cant explain so enjoy!!

Title: Always Good.

Word Count: 2219

Warnings: None

Pairings: GibbsxReader

Summary: After you try and quit ncis after an… incident your boss does whatever he can to make you stay. You can't figure out why.

.

.

.

"Agent Y/L/N. You wanted to see me?" Director Shepard called you into her office.

"Yes ma'am," you answer. You take a seat and nervously place a file folder on her desk. "I wanted to talk to you about this. In regards to the incident last week?"

"You already gave Agent Gibbs your written statement, I don't need it as well."

"It's not a statement, ma'am." You flip the folder open and hand her the papers inside. "My month's notice," you explain. 

"Excuse me?" The director took the paper, not daring to read a word of what was written on it. 

"All I need is for you to sign it and I'll pack up and go."

"Y/N I can't sign this."

"You have to," you insist, pushing the papers back over. "It's a full letter of resignation all of the reasons filled out. Gibbs already said he won't hesitate to fire me if I screw up like this again. Better that I just resign now. Please." You found yourself with a lump in your throat for no reason whatsoever. "I already applied for a job with the FBI under Fornell."

"Fornell?!" Jenny blurted. "Are you crazy? Y/N it was a mistake, we all make them, that doesn't mean you have to go and work with Tobias!"  Her tone wasn't angry, just confused.

"Director with all do respect, I need," you took a breath, swallowing your tears. "I need you to sign this."

"Have you talked to Gibbs about it?"

You hadn't. She took your silence as a no.

"Talk to Gibbs and see how he feels about you leaving, then I'll consider signing. Is that fair?"

You nod slightly. It wasn't fair. You knew you needed Gibbs' signature to make it official, but normally he would sign whatever you threw in front of him without even thinking twice. 

"You alright?" Jenny stood to see you out, putting her arm around you gently. She had a mother like quality that you absolutely adored but you just couldn't do that right now.

"Fine." Is all you say as you exit the office, closing the door behind you and getting a sympathetic look from her secretary, Laura. 

"Y/N!" Gibbs barked from his desk. "Let's take a walk."

You sighed. Chatter ran pretty fast in the office but you weren't sure how it was found out THAT fast. 

"Yeah what's up boss?" You joined him in the elevator which he promptly shut off as soon as the doors closed. 

"You wanna tell me what you were talking' to director Shepard about?"

You let out a breath realizing he didn't know. "Just about last week," you answered.

Gibbs tilted his head. "You lyin' to me Y/N/N?"

You bit your lip and leaned against the wall of the little metal box that was the farthest away from your boss. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" 

"It was a personal issue."

"Personal? Don't know why you can't talk to me 'bout it."

"It doesn't concern you!" You snap, immediately regretting it. You shake your head. "That's not what I meant, sorry. And before you even say it, rule 6 I know I know." 

"You tryin' to leave me Y/N? Cause that won't fly."

You grimaced.

"You are tryna quit." Gibbs' voice softened and he looked you over. "Why?"

"What do you mean why!?" You exclaimed, the tears you had been holding back when you were with the Director threatened to fall again. "Gibbs, I let a woman die!" 

"It wasn't your fault," Gibbs argued.

"But it was! You didn't see the look in her eyes as she begged me for help. And what did I do? Nothing. I couldn't save her. Every night I close my eyes and I can see her face. Her once sparkling blue eyes draining of life as I held her in my arms. I let her die," you lamented. "I. Let. Her. Die."

"It. Wasn't. Your. Fault."

"I can't do this anymore Gibbs!" The tears finally started falling as you babbled on. "I can't watch someone else I love get hurt. This isn't what I'm good for. I have no good left in me. So many victims that we can't do anything about. We can find the killer but it doesn't bring them back." You wipe the tears from your cheeks as you go on. "One little girl is saved and another is kidnapped by some wacko holding a grudge against her mother. I can't keep watching people die! First it was Gerald almost dying, and then Ducky taken hostage. Tony had the damn Plague!! I had to watch my best friend die in your arms. I loved Kate like a sister, don't you get that?"

"Understand you, Y/N," Gibbs said gently.

"I would die for my country, Gibbs, but I'm tired of seeing others die in my place. I'm done. That commander was my last straw. She was taking her son to school. I'm sorry, I just can't." It wasn't just quitting it was feeling like you were breaking up with your boyfriend of four years. Even though you had never actually dated, you were madly in love with your boss and leaving would break your heart more for that reason than any. You slap the elevator back on and bolt out as soon as the doors open, trudging down to Abby's lab to lock yourself away.

.

.

.

About an hour later Abby came back with dinner, setting it beside you she sat down. "Wanna talk about it?"

She was the only one you had told about leaving, and though it broke her heart, she understood. "Not really," you answer.

"Gibbs really wants to talk to you but every time he comes down here you ignore him."

"Abs what am I supposed to do?? I mean, NCIS has been my life for 4 years."

"Whatever your heart tells you. I want you to stay, I told you that, but if you can't then you can't. Everyone here will give you good recommendations no matter where you go. I love you so much Y/N." She pouted, wrapping you in a big hug. "Now I'm going home. You're welcome to stay here for the night, there's a cot and bedding in the closet but if I were you, I'd talk to Gibbs."

"Yeah, you're probably right." She was. "Thanks for everything Abby. I'll talk to Gibbs and let you know what I decide."

"Okay," Abby smiled. "See you tomorrow."

.

.

.

Rain and hail pelted your car windows as you sat outside Gibbs' house. The radio was turned up too loud playing Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls. You sang along, waiting for the rain to let up a little so it was safe to either drive away or go inside

"And I don't want the world to see me…" you screamed to the song, "cause I don't think that they'd understand. WHEN EVERYTHING'S MADE TO BE BROKEN, I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW WHO I—" a knock on your passenger seat window made you jump and you paused the song and reached for your weapon, turning to see who was at the window. 

"Didn't mean to scare ya!" 

"Oh gosh Gibbs." You groan, unlocking the doors so he could slide into the passenger seat. "You brought me an umbrella?"

"Not gonna let ya' get hailed on."

"Thanks." 

"Wanna come in?"

"Yeah I was just waiting for the rain to let up a bit."

"Not gonna. Checked the radar a bit ago."

"Boss, you know how to use the radar?"

"I know how to change TV channels," he grins. 

"Righttt. Alright let's make a run for it."

Like a gentleman, Gibbs covered you with the umbrella the best he could until you were inside. Both of you were a little wet but not as much as you would have been if you had nothing at all. 

"I'll get ya' a towel."

"Ok." You answer, taking a seat on the couch to wait. Gibbs may have made you laugh on the outside but you still felt like hell on the inside.

.

.

.

"Here." He hands you a towel and you take it gratefully. "Come here to talk about this mornin'?"

"I didn't want to but Abby kinda convinced me to."

"Mhm. Can be pretty convincing."

"Yeah. So.." You hand him the same file you had given the director. "I need you to sign this. I was going to wait until tomorrow but I needed it done tonight."

"You jokin' Y/N?" Gibbs shuffled through the papers with a frown. "Not signin' this."

"Why not?"

"Cause' you're not leavin'."

"Like hell I'm not!" You hiss.

"What makes ya' so sure that that's your only choice? Do you know how many mistakes I've made since joinin' NCIS?"

"Doesn't matter how many, it matters how badly. You taught me that."

"Also taught ya' rule 51, sometimes, you're wrong."

"I didn't come here for you to talk me out of this, I came here for you to get me out of this. Sign."

"No," Gibbs answered. "Get Director Shepard to sign it first and then I will."

"I guess I will." you whisper. "Thanks for everything Gibbs." You push past him and as your hand touches the doorknob you feel him grab your arm.

"Please don't," your boss looked at you with desperation in his eyes but you weren't going to let him win.

"This isn't up for debate."

"Aware of that. That's why I'm tellin' ya you ain't leavin'!"

"Why do you want me to stay so bad? I'm just another damn agent. The same as Tony or McGee or Kate or anyone else." 

"Not the same as everyone else," Gibbs answered. 

"Oh but I am. There's nothing different between us all except that Kate's dead. I know you didn't forget that. You held her lifeless body, don't you remember?" 

"You think I don't? Think I don't remember how her frame felt? How her eyes drained as I begged her to stay? Not gonna lose someone else."

"I'm not dead," you point out. "And I don't plan to be. I'm just working with the FBI."

"Yeah in California."

"Why do you care so much if I stay or not?"

"Remember this morning when ya' said you had no good left? Know what I think? I think there has always been good in you. Rule number 5, don't waste good. Can't let go of someone I care about so much."

You scoff. 

"What's so unbelievable 'bout that?"

"You? Caring about anyone other than yourself? C'mon Gibbs, even you have to admit that's a little crazy. But that's not enough to make me stay, not in a place where I seem to kill everyone around me." Tears started falling again

"Y/N I can't see you like this."

"Then I'll leave! Why is it so damn hard. Just let me quit, please boss. Please." You weren't one for begging but you were doing it now.

"No." Gibbs cautioned.

"If you can tell me why you want me to stay so bad, maybe I will," you offer.

"Ya' have a way of making me see things differently." 

"What do you mean by that?"

"You are good, Y/N/N. In so may ways. You did not kill that woman. You did not kill Kate, you did not kill anyone but the bad guys. Ya' know why I want you to stay so bad? Same reason I wanted Kate to stay so bad."

"Good agent?"

"Nah. That's second. Cause I think somehow I fell a little bit in love with ya."

"What?" You shook your head thinking you had heard wrong.

"No secret I was sleepin' with Kate. Everyone knows that."

"Yeah of course, but.."

"But what? Been over three years since we lost her. Ever since, just couldn't shake the feeling what we had was too much lust, not enough love. Then little by little things about you were different. Kate and I were lovers. She was filling something Shannon left empty. You? Instead of filling the hole you fix it. No more holes, Y/N. Fell for your smile, not your body."

"B-but I.. I thought you and Jenny? You're not together??"

"Nope. That was a long time ago. Not expecting ya' to do anything in return. Just wanted to let ya' know that people love ya' and I'm one of em." 

"Oh."

"If ya' really wanna leave, I'll sign it. Put in a good word for ya' with Fornell, much as it pains me."

You shook your head. You didn't want to leave, you never had. "One condition," you say quietly. 

"'Course."

You stood on your tip toes and pressed a gentle kiss to your boss's lips, one he certainly wasn't expecting by the look on his face when you pulled away. "I should get home before the rain gets worse."

"Yeah. Yeah you do that." Gibbs reached for the door but stopped. "Or you could stay."

"With you?"

"Just for tonight. I'll make steak."

You smile, "You drive a hard bargain but I suppose," you say. You grab your papers off the coffee table, bawling them up and throwing them in the fire.

"How ya' like it?"

"Medium rare," you answer. "Oh and boss?"

"Mhm?"

"Thank you, for showing me that I'm enough."

TAGS: @aleck-cross @ah-blossom @ilovemark1951 @marennnx @originalsoulcollector @hotch-meeeeeuppppp

[imeternallylove]

Halo, can you continue the ‘bullet’ story when you and Gibbs slept together? I have a hard big time in my own life so can you make them cuddle and nuzzle each other? And he asked you to live with him 🥺 please, I know you could be busy so take your time! I really love you so much! Thanks!

<3

Halo, anon! Wishing you the best and happier for every step of your life and I love you too!

* 　　　 ˚          . 　˚  　　　 ⋆ . · 　　 +   　　     ˚

> part one

Gibbs x Reader

genre: fluff, implied lemon

words: 571 words

(gif belong to me)

* 　　　 ˚          . 　˚  　　　 ⋆ . · 　　 +   　　     ˚

The sheets felt oddly cold against your skin, and your boss was sweating profusely slightly as you both lounged in the afterglow. He laughed a bit as he watched you shrink away from the blanket and snuggle into his arms. His skin was hot- you were flushed all along this day. The agent was at ease, studying your face with a small smile as he ran his hand through your hair, tidying its messy after-sex appearance before dipping down and kissing your shoulder.

"You're stunning." His lips started to press to your neck. His fingers trailed from your shoulder down the length of your arm to your torso. His gaze followed you, memorizing every inch of yours. You wrapped your arms around his firm neck, bent to brush your lips across his, giggling in the sad sight. "Not for my tummy. I have that awful scar."

"No," Gibbs gently moved his mouth to yours, slid his other arm around you, drawing you closer to him, and you felt him keep smiling into the kiss. "Doesn't make you any less attractive to me," his breath was warm when he parted your legs, you moaned, "Gibbs-"

"Jethro," he smirked as he sat back and waited for you to rise. You nodded and locked your gaze on his icy snare, pleasure coursing through your veins. You wish it could be longing for it to last forever. "All right, Jethro." Then you sighed and shifted to get off the bed. "Well, I guess I'll have to dash back to my apartment."

"You could… move in here."

You turn back with a tilted head. "What?" He shuffled over, opting to focus on the article of clothing he was holding. He paused: handing it to you and pressing cold metal to your palm. He glanced up, looking into your watering eyes, and repeated himself. "Just come to live with me."

You flickered a few times in amazement, inspecting the key's ridges, watching him stroll towards the dresser. Your gaze never left his form, and your hand closed around it. It's a big step for him to take, you knew, and it signified a lot. You walked over to him after putting the clothes on the mattress. You tentatively touched his shoulder before wrapping your arms around him and nuzzling your face on his bareback.

Gibbs didn't react right away, but he slowly brought his hand to cover yours before entangling his fingers in yours. It was a quiet, heavy, emotional, and happy moment jointly. "Um, you- you're not needed to do this." You sighed, fully aware that way too much he let you in. He turned around and drew you in close. "I got shot because I decided to do so, to protect my team. I only did what a federal agent like us would do." You returned his key. "It wasn't your fault at all."

Instead of responding, Gibbs raises your chin and reaches forward, breathlessly splaying his lips across yours, kissing you with all the energy he can muster. He soothed your face, ran his palm across the angled curves of your cheeks, and sailed his thumb along with the point with fondling. All you know is you could die by his touch.

"I just want you to stay together with me," he says, brushing his forefinger against your lips, "nothing more or less than that."

And, you know, it was 'I love you,' from his tight-lipped lips. 

* 　　　 ˚          . 　˚  　　　 ⋆ . · 　　 +   　　     ˚  ˚

[crazycurly-77]

Healing processes - Ch 13

You spent hours going through the files, the photos and various theories.

One of these photos also showed the small, colorful object that you saw from the rock. It was a small ball. When you zoomed in, you could see bite marks on it... it was a dog's toy!

Tim immediately called the responsible hunter, who confirmed that he had found a stray dog ​​whose owner had not yet been identified.

This was probably the dog with the ball. Tim asked the man to bring the animal to Abby for a saliva sample.

Suddenly things happened very quickly, because as soon as he hung up, your team leader's cell phone rang.

"Gibbs," he answered briefly.

Then he listened intently to what the person on the other side had to say.

After a short while, he raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked: "Are you sure?"

Again he paused briefly. Then he grumbled: “Good, thanks,” and hung up.

You all looked at him curiously and waited for his report. No one dared to say a word. But none of you had expected what Gibbs had to tell you - not even him.

“That was Ducky,” he began. “The dead man died of natural causes. Heart attack. Bears, coyotes and other animals saw him as food, but only after his death.”

“And the dog?” you asked.

“What about the dog?” he asked impatiently.

“Maybe he belonged to him and wanted to get help?” you expressed your suspicion with concern.

Tony then laughed out loud: “Y/N...that's not Lassie, who barks twice and the rangers already know that his master is lying behind a rock 543m away and having a heart attack.”

He grinned mischievously, whereupon you narrowed your eyes and replied snippily: “So? Maybe he did, but the rangers didn’t understand him?”

Your argument was so absurd that you both burst into loud laughter. You still had to hold back a little, but it was already much better than right after the operation. The injury healed well, just like your other injuries.

“Good, now that the case has been solved, you can start writing the reports,” Gibbs intervened.

What a killjoy, he could have at least let you have fun for a few minutes, you thought with a collective eye roll.

But it didn’t help, the reports had to be written. So you all got to work and were finished by the end of the day.

You wanted to invite Tim and Tony to dinner together, but they disappeared faster than you could blink. “Then not,” you thought, shrugging your shoulders.

During dinner, Jethro and you talked about the case and especially the dog. If it was the victim's dog...what would happen to the poor animal?

"I'm not taking him. I don't want to put another living creature in danger," he immediately protested grumpily.

"Why? Who are you putting in danger?" you asked him worriedly.

He froze and looked at you intently. Then he looked away briefly as if he was considering what to say.

Finally, he looked you straight in the eyes and said sharply: "You."

You looked at him in horror. "No, please don't," you thought in panic. Your heart was pounding so hard with fear that he would push you away that you thought you would faint.

He couldn't live with the guilt. Despite her assurances, he thought he was dangerous to her. She is certainly better off without him.

That thought alone almost tore his heart apart. How was he supposed to live without her? He would be alone in this cold house again and as additional torture he would see her every day without being allowed to touch her.

He felt so miserable and hopeless that he almost cried. But he had to think about her, everything else was unimportant. He had to push her away for her own safety.

...but he hadn't counted on you and your stubbornness, which was in no way inferior to his.

"He's doing it again. He's trying to push me away. I won't let him. I can't and won't let him. He has to finally see that it's not his fault and that we belong together and are good for each other," you thought in desperation.

You had to do something and fight for him and for your relationship - against him if necessary. It was all for the good of the both of you. So you went on the offensive.

You stood up, fixed your gaze on him and almost begged him:

"No, don't do that. You could do that with the others, but not with me!

I won't let you just hide in your shell and push me away.”

You paused for a moment to let him process this. Then you continued:

“Yes, I didn't want to climb that rock because it was too unsafe for me.

Yes, you ordered me to climb up anyway.

And yes, I slipped and fell and you couldn't prevent it.

But you know what?

It was ultimately MY decision to climb up.

It was MY carelessness that I stood too close to the edge and didn't pay enough attention.”

He stood there and just looked at you in silence. In his eyes you could see the storm and the battle within him. He was fighting against the hope that you were right and that there was actually a future for the two of you together. But he didn't want to allow it.

You continued your fight in a whisper:

"And do you know something else?

Thanks to your patience and persistence, I feel better every day and I love you for that.

In my eyes you are a wonderful person. Who sacrifices too much to help and protect others and it is high time that someone protects YOU.

Yes, I am very grateful to you for everything you have done for me and I have fallen in love with you during our time together despite all your rough edges.”

Hope shone in his eyes and made them shine.

“But I don’t want to force you to do anything and especially not out of guilt towards me.

I only ask you one thing:

If you think that one day you might be able to love me as much as I love you, then please give us a chance.

I don’t want anything more.

A chance. Nothing more and nothing less.”

This was your closing argument. You had thrown everything you had into the battle arena. If he were to push you away now, everything would be lost because you had nothing left to convince him of a future together. Everything depended on him now.

What will he do?

(To be continued in Chapter 14.)

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

Here you will find the other chapters of this story.

Back to the overview of this story

Back to the main Masterlist

Back to the alternative Masterlist

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

Tags: @ilovemark1951, @hobby27

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