This is NOT a Hiatus fic, it does however draw on the back-story suggested in Honor Code and confirmed in the finale. I’m a sucker for spoilers even if they don’t tie in with what I want to believe about our guys’ relationship. If it doesn’t fit? Get a bigger hammer. Or, you know, just ignore it completely. I will state now that I have taken one or two creative liberties – not least Gibbs’ attire at the beginning of part 2. This was started some weeks before Hiatus aired. The title translates as ‘Only the Good Die Young’, the literal translation being very similar - He whom the gods love dies young.

Please note: Story does contain discussion of the death of a child.