Summary: Gibbs has difficulty after a case.
Categories: Gen Characters: Leroy Jethro Gibbs, T.C. Fornell
Genre: Angst, Friendship
Pairing: None
Warnings: Dark story
Challenges: Series: None
Chapters: 1
Completed: Yes
Word count: 724
Read: 1976
Published: 03/12/2010
Updated: 03/12/2010
Story Notes:
This is my first story, so please be gentle. Also, all of the violence takes place "off-screen," but it's still there.
1. Aftermath by russell
Author's Notes:
Gibbs has difficulty after a case.
Gibbs finally looked at his watch, and was surprised to realize that he didn’t know what time it was. Not that he couldn’t read his watch, his eyesight wasn’t bad. He just didn’t have a clue if it was six AM, or six PM; one of the disadvantages of being in his basement being the perpetual dearth of sunlight. His team had finally solved their case, and had been given a full three days off. The normal celebratory mood, however was rather severely hampered by the fact that they had been, quite simply, too late. They arrived at the rural house where the missing petty officer was being held, and got out of the sedan just in time to hear the sound of gunshots. Gibbs burst through the front door to see Petty Officer Sanchez, minus much of the left half of her face. Next to her was her ex-boyfriend, who displayed very similar wounds.
He could still smell the gunpowder...
Gibbs’ reflection was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and the familiar greeting, “Hello, Jethro. Enjoying your days off, I see.”
“Tobias.”
“I thought you could use some of the good stuff, not that rotgut you insist on drinking.” So saying, Fornell produced a bottle of McClelland’s from his trench coat and walked over to the workbench.
“When are you going to start keeping glasses down here, so I don’t have to worry about getting poisoned every time I drink?”
“If it bugs you so much, then don’t drink. Or drink somewhere else.”
Fornell chuckled as he dumped a collection of hardware out of a glass jar, before pouring a respectable measure of scotch into it and handing it to Gibbs. “Then who would stop you from burning a hole in your stomach with that rat poison you call bourbon?”
Gibbs reluctantly accepted the jar of whiskey. “What do you want, Tobias?”
Instead of answering, Fornell emptied another jar and poured himself a smaller amount of alcohol, and turning around to lean against the workbench. He then proceeded to stare at Gibbs until he showed signs of losing his temper. “Tell me about it, Jethro,” he said.
Gibbs gave the shorter man his trademark “go to hell” glare, but Fornell merely sipped his liquor, and waited. Finally Gibbs sighed and said “We were too slow. I heard the gunshots, and by the time we were in the house, he’d killed her, and himself. He beat her, Tobias. He raped her, held her hostage, and he killed her, and he got away with it. The bastard never even saw the inside of a prison cell, never felt the handcuffs on his damned wrists.” Gibbs took a gulp of the amber liquid in his “glass” and tried to control his emotions.
“Jethro-“
“I had to tell her fiancé, Tobias. I had to tell him that we were too late, and that he got away with it.”
“I know, Gibbs. I know how hard it is when a case ends badly, and how hard it is to tell the family. I’ve done it a time or two, myself. I also know that you can’t let it swallow you. You have to move on. Let me ask you something, if you quit NCIS after your first case that ended badly, would you still be working at NCIS? Would you have been there to solve Jenny’s death? Would you have helped Dinotzo after he was charged with murder? Would you have found Abby’s stalker? Or found out who poisoned McGee’s sister? Would you have gotten Ari, and destroyed his Al Queda cell? Would you have stopped the sarin attack on that sub? Would-“
“I get it Tobias.”
“Would you have been there when they thought I was a mole?”
“No.”
“I know that the successes can never fix the failures, Jethro. But they do count for something. Now come on, you need to get out of this hole.”
Fornell took the nearly empty jar out of Gibbs’ hand, and guided him up the stairs. Before he left, he paused a moment. “Get some sleep Jethro. You’ve got work in the morning.”
End Notes:
This is my first story, so please be gentle. Also, all of the violence takes place "off-screen," but it's still there.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.