Consonant Cravings
Author: VerityFrancesB
Category: Romance, H/C
Rating: P12
Contents: Jibbs one shots/drabbles, each title prompt word beginning with a consonant.
A/N: Ok, someone mentioned this a while ago when I was doing Vowel Sounds, I can't remember if it was Aly or Ellie, but here goes...Aly, this is for you, becaise I promised! I told you I would!
Chapter title suggestions will be appreciated, but all the chapters are going to be relatively short, more like drabbles.
Jump to letter: B C D F G H J K L M N P Q R S T V / V2 W X Y Z
Some men were legs men, some were breast men, or butt men. Me...its her back that causes me endless amounts of grief. The expanse of almost porcelain skin, as close to perfect as anything I have ever known, she shows it off on purpose, knowing that it will kill me slowly until I can get my hands on it, run my fingers down her spin, murmur incoherent words of want and need whilst my mouth follows my fingers. It's why I always rest my hand on her back when I want her to do something, because I know that she is thinking of the last time I ran my mouth down the length of her back. It makes us both look at each other with undisguised want and it takes everything I have not to pull her to me.
I love the way her hair used to tumble down her back, I love the way now that it is exposed by her short hair. I love the two dimples on her lower back, I love running my tongue over them, and I love the way she groans when I do.
"Behave." She playfully swats at me as I flick the switch in the elevator and run my hands down her back, she shivers under her hands and even through her clothes I can feel her skin heat up by several degrees. My hands find their way under her blouse and my fingers splay out against her back, flatten enough to render her immobile against my chest. The skin is warm and soft under my fingers and I spare a thought to my sanity, because being obsessed with her back is definitely not normal. I enjoy the look of arousal that flicks across her face. She may say that she wants me to behave, but if the look in her eyes is anything to go by, that is the last thing she wants.
She had never thought about giving into her constant want and need for her boss in the car, but the first time he pulled her through the divide and had his wicked way with her, she knew it was going to be a long time before she got into the car and didn't think about his hands almost ripping her clothes off, his smirk everytime she shifted uncomfortably in the passengers seat was almost enough to give into the urge to punch the knowing smile off his face.
Since then they have done it nearly every way possible, over the hood and up against the side, in the front seat and crouching behind it. But they have got to stop using the back seat, otherwise she is going to end up with a permanent crick in her neck and he was going to have to pay for new upholstery and his pay check, or insurance, didn't quite cover "Acts of Godlessness".
The door to her office flew open and she resisted the urge to tell him he was late, she had been expecting his fury for at least 2 hours now. She had seen the look on his face as she had walked past and was not unsurprised at the fury which seemed to be radiating off him in waves, but did she also detect a hint of lust and possible arousal?
"You did it deliberately, didn't you?" He crossed his arms in front of him and watched as the smirk that he had come to love and hate at the same time, slid across her face.
"I didn't, but I will in future because I am loving the reaction its evoking in you." She watched as he battled with himself, half of him wanted to pull her roughly to him and knock some sense into her, so to speak, and the other half wanting to stay angry, loving the way anger mixed with lust.
"Well, next time you do it, I cannot be held responsible for my actions." He warned. She almost laughed.
"Is that a threat?" His fingers closed around her wrist and he pulled her sharply against his chest. Before she could even breathe, he had her pushed against a wall, her legs wrapped around his waist, him buried deep inside her. Her desperate moans were muffled by his hand and he shuddered his release only a second after she did.
"It's a promise." He quickly release her and swept out. She made a mental note to eat strawberries in front of him more often.
He stared at the offending piece of cloth, the red, white and blue material seemed to be burning a hole in the back of his neck the whole way home and now it was sitting on his work bench. He could see a couple of stars the way it had been folded and he resisted the urge to rip the material into little bits. He had been given the flag at the funeral of his ex partner, because he was the closest thing she had to family. Truth was he wasn't sure if he deserved it, let alone if he wanted it. It would be a constant reminder of the fact that she wasn't here anymore, she wasn't here to tell him off for pissing off the sister agencies, wasn't here to share a late night bourbon with, wasn't here to gently flirt with, sharing a dinner and wishing he was sharing more. He spared the material another glance as he picked up the bottle of bourbon that had been almost constantly by his side since she was ripped from his life and took a long swig straight from the bottle. The alcohol burned his throat and he welcomed the pain, wishing it would last, wishing that it would dull the pain of her absence. It didn't so he placed the bottle to his lips again. When he had finished the bottle he let a tear escape and angrily brushed it away, when he had finally had enough and the alcohol had muddle his brain enough to let him sleep, he slept on the floor under the boat. And when he slept, he dreamt of her, wrapped in the flag.
She had lost a game she wasn't even aware they were playing. She had given into temptation, knowing that it would have driven her crazy to keep resisting. She had given in and now felt stripped to the bone, naked and vulnerable. She knew he had been playing a game with her, knowing that as soon as he had got her gain, he would have drifted away; just liked he was doing right now.
She was almost surprised when he turned up at her door late one night. Almost, being Jethro constantly surprised her. He covered her lips with his before she could ask what the hell he was doing there. She pushed him roughly away.
"It's all just a game to you, isn't it?" Her accusation rang through the hallway of her quiet house. His fists balled at his sides as he resisted the urge to shake her for being so stupid. Of course it wasn't a game, didn't she know that he wanted to feel her skin under his fingers every single waking minute? Didn't she know that every dream he had was about her?
"You can't make me fall for you then push me away, Jethro, it isn't fair." She said, suddenly sounding tired. Her hand reached up to the bridge of her nose and she closed her eyes. He reached up at took her hand.
"It's not a game, Jen. Why can't you see that? Why can't you see how much this terrifies me?" He managed to whisper. The quiet hallway made it sound louder than he had intended. She flinched slightly at the words before they registered and she stared at him.
"What?" She whispered in reply. He brushed his fingers over her wrist, feeling her heartbeat speed up at his gentle touch.
"Christ Jen, sometimes you can be an idiot." She laughed slightly.
"You taught me everything I know, Jethro." He laughed in return and pulled her to him, locking his arms around her, rendering her immobile.
"I love you, stupid." He murmured into her hair and suddenly she had never felt happier about losing.
The concrete floor is cool beneath her cheek, despite the arid heat that is seeping through the walls and shattered windows of the diner. She knows she only has minutes, if not seconds left in this world, and all she can think about is the fact she had done the right thing. She may be lying helpless, bleeding and broken, spilling her life out onto the dusty floor, but the right action had been taken and she would do it all over again if she had to, she would do it to save him.
She hears someone come through the side door and put a bullet in what she can only assume was someone she missed. A cool hand covers hers and she tries to speak. She hears Franks telling her to be still and quiet, that he will get help. She knows he is only saying it to keep her calm and she knows that this is the end. She can only hope that he tells Jethro that she did what she had to do.
Her last fleeting thought, before she succumbs to the darkness is of Jethro...
"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, did gyre and gimlet in the wabe..." Her dulcet voice drifted down the stairs into his basement and he paused. It sounded like she was speaking gibberish. He slowly climbed the staird and stood at the bottom of the next flight.
"All mymsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe..." He frowned and shook his head, walking silently up to the landing. He paused outside the second bedroom and pushed the door open. She didn't immediately notice he was there. He could have stayed watching her for hours. She was leaning slightly over, her hair was covering her face, but he knew she had a serene smile on her face.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!" He stifled a laughed and she turned to look at him. She placed a finger on her lips and motioned him to come in. He walked up to her a placed an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, relishing in her soft curves and gentle scent.
"Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch!" She spared him a quick grin as he raised his eyebrows in question. She once again put her fingers to her lips and looked down at the sleeping baby. The boy had brown hair like his father. Jenny bent down and brushed some of the hair from his forehead and his little hand, beside his head, twitched in his sleep. Jenny resisted the urge to wake him up to see the beautiful green eyes that she had fallen in love with instantly and looked at Gibbs. He grinned down at her and gently tugged her out of the room, silently closing the door behind him.
"Why were you teaching my son gibberish?" He asked. She playfully pushed on his shoulder.
"It was the Jabberwocky, Jethro." She said in explanation. "He took his vorpal sword in hand: Long time the manxome foe he sought?" She recited, expecting the penny to drop in his mind. His blank expression was enough to tell her he still had no idea what she was talking about.
"Did you never read when you were a child?" She placed her hands on her hips looking exasperated and slightly shocked.
"Nope...I built things and rescued damsels in distress." He swept her off her feet and kicked open his bedroom door.
"Why does that not surprise me?"
---
A/N: I do not own the Jabberwocky, he/it, and the poem, belong to Lewis Carroll. Sorry if you don't know, it is kinda weird, but a poem of my childhood, my father knows it off by heart and would do loads of different voices for each "animal"...good times!!
You had to know him first, before you could read him, and that was easier said than done. Even now, after all these years, I still don't know if I know him completely. But I know him as well as anyone can. We have shared so much after all, it's only natural that I would have picked up some reading tips. I know when he is in pain from the way his eyes glazed over. I know when he is angry because his eyes change to an icy blue. I know when he wants to touch me, his pupils dilate and his eyes go a shade darker. I know what he's thinking when I am trying to be angry and his eyes flicker down to my mouth; it throws me completely off balance. Or when he turns up at my door, with the most intense look in his eyes, I know what he is doing there. I know the secret places that he hides his emotions and the right buttons to press to make him angry. I know how to hold him after another nightmare; I know how to touch him to drive him crazy. I know what to say to shut him up. I know he is a bastard, but I know he is my bastard.
I also know that I will love him for the rest of my life.
It had been happening a lot lately. He had been more considerate, slightly. He had been knocking on my office door instead of barging straight in. He had given up blaming me for everything that went wrong with a case, and he didn't even shout at me when I handed yet another case over to the FBI. I was starting to get worried.
I got more worried though, when his hand brushed mine as he walked past me yesterday. It was a fleeting touch, almost as if it never happened, and that was probably his intention, to make me wonder if he had done it on purpose or not.
I have always gravitated towards him, but lately he has been doing the same, seeking me out in the secret (or not so secret) places that I hide from the world, trying to drag me out, to engage me. I don't know why, but it makes me happy that he is finally showing that he cares. Like he finally ready to reach out of the darkness.
Yesterday, he tucked my hair behind my ear and kissed my cheek. Lately he has been acting strange, but I hope with everything I have that it stays this way.
It wasn't meant to be this way. It was meant to be her standing up there next to him, beaming up at him. It should have been her hand he was grasping. Instead, she was standing in the back, in the shadows, trying to stifle the tears that threatened to spill over.
"Oh Jethro." She sighed, "I hate to see you do this to yourself." Abby sat in the front row, her arms folded, sulking. Jen spared a brief smile at the loyalty of the goth. Tony was standing behind Gibbs, surreptitiously checking out the guests, although every time his eyes rested on the imposter bride they would narrow. McGee gazed around wide eyed with confusion as if expecting to see her hiding in the shadows. Only Ducky stood at the back with her.
"Oh Jennifer," He whispered, "I am so glad you aren't here to see this." A small tear ran down his face and Jen ached to brush it away for her loyal friend.
"It's ok Ducky; I can't expect him to mourn for me forever." She replied, knowing that the doctor wouldn't hear her, but wanting to express her opinion anyway. She wished Ziva was here, but no one had been able to get hold of her. She wanted to see her old friend, wanted to see her and Tony flirt and try to deny feelings for each other, wanted to see the way she was with McGee, she wanted to see Abby happy, flinging her arms around people like she used to do, before all this happened. Before Jethro settled for the first woman he came across, just to try and erase memories, before she, herself became just a memory.
The brides family and friends burst into applause, Jethro's side gave muted claps, signifying the end of the ceremony. Jen spared one last look at her old family before turning away. She would be there for him when it all broke down, she would sit beside him whilst he drank himself into oblivion in his basement, she would be there when he broke down and called out her name in his sleep, she just wished she could touch him.
"I don't need to." He pouts.
"Oh really?" She replies dubiously. He crosses his arms in front of him chest and takes a step towards her. She unconsciously takes a step towards him, meeting him in the battle that she knows is going to ensue.
"Really." He looks down at her and she raises her eyebrows.
"Wanna bet on it?" She asks, slowly licking her lips. His eyes flicker down to her mouth for a split second and she resist the urge to smirk.
"Stop cheating." He practically whines. "That's not fair." She suddenly steps away and his fingers encircle her wrist and pull her back. She looks questioningly up at him.
"I thought you said you didn't need to?" She says, once again licking her lips. She parts them slowly and angles her head upwards.
"I don't, but I want to."
His lips come crashing down on hers, his tongue runs over her lips and she parts them, granting him access. She wraps her arms around his neck and tightens her grip. His arms winds around her waist and tugs her closer, pulling her off her feet. Her fingers wind into his hair. He pulls back and grins at her. She struggles against his arms and he places her down on the floor. She smirks triumphantly up at him.
"You lost."
"I don't care." He replies, pulling her back to him.
---
Thank you CK for the suggestion!
"Stop pouting."
"I'm not pouting." She pouts.
"Yes you are..." He cocks his head and looks at her. She frowns at him. "You look cute when you pout."
"I'm not cute." She crosses her arms in front of her chest and resists the urge to stamp her foot to prove her point. "And I'm not pouting."
"You are cute and you are pouting...stop it." He replaces the binoculars to his eyes and stares out of the car window. She tries to bore a whole in the side of her head with her stare.
"So...it's a no then?" She asks, he is staring once again out of the window. She grabs an apple from her bag and takes a bite.
"Yes...it's a no." He says as she munches on the apple. She licks a trail of juice from the side of her hand and stifles a smirk as she notices the muscles in his thigh quiver in restraint and his jaw muscles ripple.
"Jen..." He says threateningly. She does it again, more slowly this time, never taking her eyes from his.
"Jethro..." She copies his tone and he gives her a glare.
"We're meant to be working." He says, more firmly this time, trying to convince himself of a good enough reason why he isn't dragging her into the back seat and giving her exactly what she wants.
"Fine." She says.
"Fine." He replaces the binoculars. She places a hand on his thigh and his muscles ripple again. "Stop it."
"Just a quick one?" She asks pleadingly. He looks at her and she looks up at him through her eyelashes. His hands tighten around the binoculars.
"When Decker and Smith come to relieve us...ok?" He replies. He wants the bastard they are watching and even Jen practically begging to give her what she wants isn't enough to break his resolve.
"Fine." She snaps, crossing her arms once again and staring pointedly out of the window. He spares her a brief smile, knowing that if she caught him smiling she would punish him by withholding sex longer than he ever could.
"Fine...." He replies, and unable to resist that one last dig at her, he adds, "...and stop pouting."
"Long live the Queen." His words lingered in her office long after he had left. His tone of voice tinged with sarcasm and bitterness. She knew he was angry at her, knew that he suspected that she had killed La Grenouille, but one side of her couldn't find it in her to care. She had done what she needed to do for her own piece of mind, especially because she knew she didn't have long left. The other side longed to call him back, beg for his forgiveness and kiss him till he gave in, till he melted into her touch and didn't leave her side till she departed from this life. She let out a bitter laugh at his analogy of her, the Queen indeed, if only he knew how much she wanted to be his slave.
---
The elevator juddered to a halt and he slammed his fist into the back wall. His body was vibrating with anger, and he had a very strong urge to march back into her office and shake her till teeth rattled and her bloody stubborn personality gave up and she admitted she was wrong. Another part of him was fiercely proud, after all, he had done the same thing when Shannon and Kelly had been killed. He blinked away an image of her sitting on her throne surveying her kingdom. She was the Queen, regal, upright, and willing to do whatever it takes. She wasn't just the Queen of the Agency though, as much as he hated to admit it, she was Queen of his heart too.
Jen angrily kicked off her heals and started pacing the study. Hitching up her skirt so she could take longer strides she sighed and poured a glass of bourbon, throwing it down her throat she starting pacing again. This is ridiculous, she though, how did she let Jethro talk her into this? Oh, because she loved him and he said jump, she said how high? She felt like a lamb ready for the slaughter though and hated the thought of everyone outside waiting for her. She took a shaky breath and took another swig of bourbon, suddenly and irrationally wanted her father with her.
Sitting heaving down on the coach she pulled her shoes back on. Come on Jen, she berated herself, you have wanted this for years, you're ready for this.
"Jenny...ready?" Her friend and colleague Ziva stuck her head round the door and gave Jenny an encouraging smile. Jen grimaced slightly and shook her head, earning herself a brief smile from Ziva who sat down next to her.
"Yes you are, so stop stalling." Ziva said gently, hauling her out of her seat and gently pushing her towards the door. Jen stuck her arms out to stop herself falling through the door and Ziva pushed harder, causing Jen to stumble straight into Duck's arms.
"Ah Jennifer, are you ready my dear?" The old Doctor asked, offering her his arm. Jen sighed dejectedly, guess it was time to get this wedding over and done with, then she could concentrate on being Mrs Leroy Jethro Gibbs...finally.
"Bullet wound, 1998. " He whispered, she was tracing small intricate patterns over his chest, her fingers finding their way to the scars the littered the hard expanse of skin.
"Shrapnel, Desert Storm." He murmured as her fingers hovered over his shoulder. They tightened on his skin briefly as if she was giving him her strength, before moving down over his stomach.
"Knife wound, that one's DiNozzo's fault." She laughed lightly and kissed the jagged line across his stomach. She placed a small hand over his heart and kissed his skin next to her fingers. He placed a hand on her hair and ran his fingers through it, running them down her spin.
"Cairo." She said quietly, as his fingers found the small knife scar on her lower back. She lifted her head and both his hands were in her hair again, finding the scar that lay at the base of her neck, a scar that had been caused by a mistake he had made, a scar that drove him crazy with guilt. She reached behind her and pulled his hands back, kissing his palms.
"Forget it." She whispered and lay her head on his chest.
"Jen..."
"Forget it." She repeated and her fingers once again found their way to his scars on his chest and he smiled as she lifted her head and studied them. He caught her left hand and his finger traced the small, almost invisible scar at the base of her thumb shaped like a J. Her fingers found an identical one on his left hand.
"That one's your fault." He grinned at her and placed her hand over his heart with her fingers entwined with his.
"It's my favorite." She says quietly, leaning down to cover his lips with hers.
"Mine too."
A/N: I just saw Escaped again and this line, as well as being funny, made me wonder how Jen knew.
Michelle Lee – "Where is he going?"
Ziva – "Basement"
Tony – "Fornell"
McGee – "Whiskey"
Jen – "Not tonight, the Real Estate Agent is fumigating his house...Gibbs got termites."
---
The hallway felt unfamiliar to me, and I hated it. Not the hallway, but the feeling. There was a time that I knew this hallway as well as my own, knew all the sounds that the house made and it moved slightly, knew all the smells that wafted from the basement, the kitchen and his bedroom. Now I stood there, almost paralyzed by my sense of unknown. It probably went with the fact that I felt I didn't know him anymore. I heard a crash and his curse from down stairs. I stifled a laugh as I reached the stairs to see him sprawled on the floor of the basement, the remains on one of the banisters in his hand.
"What happened?" I asked and was amused to see him jump slightly and haul himself up, dusting off his jeans. He looked sheepishly at me.
"Bloody handrail broke." He said, brandishing the offending item of wood at me. I hid a grin as he turned around and I studied his form. His hair was longer and I wanted to run my fingers through it. As much as I hated beards I wanted to feel his next to my skin. He turned suddenly and I looked at the floor.
"Anything I can help you with Jen?" He asked taking a step towards me. I unconsciously took a step back, wondering why his eyes had gone an icy blue.
"Just wondered if you need any help packing?" I asked, suddenly feeling incredibly hot. He had taken another step forward and my back hit the work bench. He had cornered me and he knew it.
"That desperate to get rid of me?" He asked, the glint in his eyes was dangerous, I had seen it too many times before. It was a playful but deadly glint. One minute ago I had been wondering what it would be like to kiss him with that beard and now I was desperate to get away from his teasing eyes.
"No...I...think you have termites." I blurted out and nearly slapped myself. Although the chance of him having termites was very high, it had nothing to do with anything we had been taking about, I just wanted him to stop advancing, wanted to catch my breath, I wanted to say anything to stop the temperature in the room rising anymore than it had already.
"What?" He asked, his confusion was almost funny. I gestured to the broken and crumbling banister still in his hands.
"Termites." I repeated. He laughed and placed the banister on the workbench.
"I'll sort it tomorrow." He said pulling me towards him. I resisted for a second, my heart constricting in my chest. He was leaving again soon, he was going to rip my heart out once again, and I struggled against the urge to kiss him. I wanted to punch him for making my heart beat faster, I wanted to slap that knowing smile of his bearded face, I wanted to tell him to unhand me, but everything stopped when his lips landed on mine.
"Yes...Victory...I win." Jen smirked across the bed at Gibbs who squinted at the board in between them.
"Hang on a second...Discombobulate isn't a word. So I think you'll find that you are down two points." He grinned smugly at Jen who rolled her eyes.
"Um...Jethro, get the dictionary." She held out her hands and Gibbs slapped the large book into her hands. She opened it and flicked to the right page.
"Discombobulate," She read out loud with obvious smugness in her voice, "to confuse or disconcert somebody...North America to throw somebody into a state of....eeek." She squealed as Gibbs tore the book out of her hands and pressed her firmly to the bed with his strong body.
"A state of what?" He asked nuzzling her neck. She arched into him.
"Confusion." She replied, dragging her nails down his back. He hissed as her wriggling underneath him became almost unbearable.
"Use it in a sentence." He said, his lips over her pulse point. She moaned slightly.
"I feel discombobulated when you do that." She replied turning her head and capturing his mouth. She wound her arms around his neck.
"Let's play again." He said suddenly pulling away. She groaned as the cool air in the bedroom hit her body and sat back up staring at him.
"Honestly Jethro, anyone would think you hated being defeated by a woman." He placed his hands on her face pulled her closer and his lips hovered millimeters from hers.
"Jen..." He murmured. The vibrations sent shivers down her spin.
"Hmmm?" She replied, inching forward to close the gap. He let her face go and sat back, grinning at her.
"This time...I will claim victory." She laughed and crossed her legs, setting out the board again.
"At Scrabble against me? Wanna bet old man?" She giggled at the determination on his face.
"You're on, Jenny."
So I hope no one minds me adding a second V chapter but the idea was mentioned to me and I ran with it!! I'm not going to tell you the name of the chapter, by the end you will get what it is andway!
Ok, this idea was a joint effort from M E Wofford and CK who mentioned both it this morning, completely unrelated reasons, but thank you!
Jen is goading Gibbs into sex once again!
"You think I need what?!" His incredulous voice rebounded off her office walls, floating through the door, making Cynthia wince in sympathy for her boss. Jen put both her hands on her hips.
"There is no need to shout Jethro. It happens to the best of men. It is just the natural process of aging." She said calmly. His hands fisted by his sides.
"It was one time, Jen, and I was tired. Can't you let it go?" He asked, his voice dangerously close to whining now. She bit back a laugh and took a step towards him.
"No, I think you might need some help." She placed one of her feet on the desk and leant forward to "check" her shoe strap. She ran her hands slowly up her leg as she placed it back down on the floor, ignoring the almost feral growl that was emitted from Gibbs.
"What exactly are you trying to do, Jen?" He asked taking a step towards her. She shrugged off her jacket shook her hair out of the clip that was holding it off her neck.
"Nothing." She replied innocently. She licked her lips slowly and ran her fingers through her hair. She looked at him through lowered lashes and his anger dissipated, only to be followed by want. He pushed her against the wall, reveling in the surprised squeak that escaped her throat and the self satisfied smile that followed it.
"What exactly are you trying to do Jethro?" She asked, her voice was low and husky and she leant forward and kissed his throat. He groaned as she nipped at the skin. His hands tightened around her arms and he ground his hips into hers. It was then her turn to groan.
"Trying to prove you wrong." He whispered as his lips came crashing down on hers. Her hands pulled him closer and she smiled against his mouth.
It was short and intense and everything she loved. She loved the way his eyes suddenly darkened and he hitched her around his waist. She loved the way he placed his hand was over her mouth the whole time, trying to stop Cynthia coming to see what the commotion was about. She loved the way he shuddered against her just before she clenched around him. He placed her back on the floor and she stood, with shaky legs, looking up at him triumphantly.
"I can't believe you said I needed Viagra." He said, straightening his pants. She grinned up at him and helped him re-button his shirt.
"Well, you sure showed me didn't you?"
"Remind me again why I'm doing this?" He tugged at his bow tie and grimaced, feeling constricted as the unfamiliar material seemed to contract around his neck.
"Because you lost a bet and said I could have anything I wished." Jen descended the stairs of her town house slowly and elegantly. He almost forgot to breathe at the sight of her in the simple black dress with a dangerous slit up the side.
"I should have set some ground rules." He murmured to himself.
"That'll teach you to keep your mouth shut." She retorted as she picked up her bag and spun around to look at him. She cast an appreciative eye over his hard chest which was currently encased in a crisp white dress shirt.
"Would you stop staring at me like that? And why can't we just stay here anyway? Why do I have to go out in..." He paused, looking down at himself and trying to find the right word. "this...penguin suit?"
"You know," She said, reaching up the straighten his bow tie, "For someone who isn't afraid of anything, you sound kinda scared." He caught her hands and tugged her body close to him, wrapping his arms around her, effectively rendering her immobile.
"I'm not scared, just would prefer to see that dress off rather than on." He grinned suggestively. She skillfully spun out of his arms and he tried another tact.
"You don't even have your security detail Jen, anything could happen." She turned around from the hallway mirror and rolled her eyes, waggling a finger at him.
"Don't even try to get out of this Jethro. You promised me anything I wish and I wish to go dancing...without my security detail. So suck it up old man, you're taking me dancing." She grinned triumphantly. He sighed dejectedly and held out his arm, there was no way he was getting out of this one.
"As you wish."
Jen
The door to her office slammed, not as hard as usual because he was with her but enough to prove his point. She smirked to herself. If she wasn't so angry with Gibbs for parading Holis around like his latest toy she would have laughed in his face, and she did have a tough time not laughing when he was standing in front of her with Holis, who was hiding a similar smirk to hers, beside him. But she was angry, angry at herself for being angry and jealous. Angry at him for making her angry. She sighed and poured a glass of bourbon. There was a small part of her that felt sorry for him though. But another part wanted to offer the only form of sympathy she knew how to give and she knew it would be thrown back in her face. She laughed to herself. Unfortunately, it wasn't Diane who was involved in the case...now that really would have been funny.
---
Hollis
Hollis clenched her fists by her sides. Jethro and Stephanie were over, she kept telling herself. But why did the sight of him walking out touching her lower back bring a familiar pang of jealousy to her stomach? She swallowed hard and glared at the boat, like it was its fault. She knew she felt jealous because he always touched Jen like that. His eyes always lit up whenever someone mentioned her, no matter how much he tried to hide it, he might not even be aware of it, but something softened in his face when she was around. As much as she admired the woman, some small childishly jealous part of her hated her, because she knew that Jethro still loved her.
---
Stephanie
He wrapped his arms around me and I almost melted into them. I wasn't still in love with him but it was the touch of a man who genuinely cared. It was so unfair. He was such a loving man if only he would let someone in.
I got into the car and sat there for a while, thinking about his new girlfriend who had been in the basement with him. Sure she was pretty, but everyone knew Jethro had a thing for red heads. I laughed bitterly to myself and my mind moved onto his boss. Now she was Jethro's kind of woman. If the way they looked at each other was anything to go by, she was very swiftly going to become wife number 5.
It had been years since I had seen him. Years since I had felt his skin under my fingers, or felt him run his hands over my body and I had missed him every single day. My stomach knotted itself once again as I sat in my seat. I twisted the hem on my suit jacket in my hands and picked off an imaginary piece of fluff. I was so nervous, I had dreamed about this moment for years...since I had stolen out of our hotel room in the dead of the night leaving nothing but my coat with a letter in the pocket. I silently offered up yet another prayer that he had found the letter and had understood. My stomach did another flip and I willed it to stop, if only to keep my nerves. I smooth my skirt once again and stood up, slowly turning to face the man that had haunted my dreams for the past 6 years.
"Hello Jethro."
Zabernism
(...is an obsolete word for the misuse of military authority or excessive use of force or bullying)
"What is your problem?" The door swung open and she quickly hid the smirk. She had been waiting for his out burst. She looked up from the file she was studying and took off her glasses.
"What's my problem? You're the one who can't walk through a door without nearly ripping it off its hinges." She retorted, knowing that it was going to antagonize him further, and if there was one thing she loved it was rubbing him the wrong way.
"The power has gone to your head Jen. You can't make us do this." He said, leaning over, his hands flat on her desk.
"I can do whatever I want Jethro...it's my agency." She stood up to face him, mirroring his stance and he glared at her. He suddenly stood back.
"Fine...but you can't make me go." She walked out from behind her desk and raised an eyebrow at him.
"You wanna bet?" She challenged. He crossed his arms in front of him as she stomped out of her door and yelled over the catwalk.
"DiNozzo!" Tony winced and spun around in his chair; Jen ignored the questioning looks from the rest of the team.
"The team is yours again; Mr Gibbs no longer works here." She caught a glimpse of the fear and confusion on Tony's face before she spun on her heel to face an outraged yet speechless Gibbs. Cynthia was visibly cowering behind her desk.
"What the hell Jen?" Gibbs found his voice. "You know I hate award ceremonies...it's not fair." She nearly burst out laughing as he visibly deflated. She pulled him back into the office and shut the door.
"Jethro, you're getting another Meritorious Service Medal...it's embarrassing that Tony keeps accepting them for you...please go. For me?" She asked sweetly, her hand drawing small circles on his chest. He detached her hand and practically shoved it away.
"Not gonna happen." She shook her head.
"I really didn't want to do this Jethro, but...no sex for a month if you don't go. And we both know there is no way you are going to be able to cope with that." She smiled triumphantly and watched as the cogs turned inside his brain. His "other brain" obviously won out because she saw the defeat in his eyes.
"Fine...but I won't enjoy it." He sulked, crossing his arms again.
"Yes you will." She reached for her glasses and felt his glare from across the room. She turned suddenly, pleased to notice that the movement had Gibbs jumping slightly, and sashayed over to him. She wound her arms around his neck as he stared warily down at her.
"You will enjoy it...my reaction to seeing you in a suit always makes you...happy." She murmured. He closed his eyes for a second reveling in her closeness before he pushed her away.
"Oh no...don't go using your feminine wiles on me, you...zabernist!" He
"Oooh, looks like someone took my advice and got a dictionary." He spared her one last glared before stomping towards the door.
"Oh Jethro?" She called, he hated the tone of her voice, sickly sweet but with an undertone of menace, he turned slowly dreading what she was going to say. "You will be making a speech...otherwise I will fire you for real and I will carryout my one month ban." His reply was to slam her door even harder than usual.
END
___________
Series finished.