Ask Her
Author: A'serene
Category: Humor
Rating: PG
Spoiler: 5x16 "Knockout"
Contents: Tag to Knockout. "I know if you want to know something, you'll ask my wife."
"Yes?"
"He came by my house, claimed I was using my seat for personal agendas," Vance snapped into the phone.
"I can see why he would've had an issue with that, given his recent history."
"You're enjoying this?"
"Only a bit more than a lot." There was a pause after a soft laugh. "Any other problems Director Vance?"
"He spoke to my wife."
"He does get along with those, but that was it?"
"We had a dinner."
"Dinner is not a terrible thing, many relationships change over dinner."
"She told him how we met."
"It was a very sweet story, one your children adore."
"And you?" Vance asked. "It's never been quite clear to me, how..."
"You could ask him."
"Somehow I don't think the story would have come out if my wife hadn't been there." There was another pause and Vance switched the shoulder he balanced his cell on.
"Well, you know the best way to keep a secret is to keep it to yourself, second best is to tell one other person if you must, somehow I think he wouldn't mind talking about it." Vance sighed, he really didn't want to bond with Gibbs on that note. "Now, I was in the middle of a book..."
"Yea, right." The line went dead and Vance stepped from the shadows with in his office. He'd just arrived back from the memorial service in Chicago. Seemed he'd been attending quite a few of those lately. He spotted Gibbs in the bull pen and started down the stairs. "Don't you have a coffin to help build?"
"She wants to try it out for herself," Gibbs answered.
"Walk out with me," Vance suggested and Gibbs got up and followed the director toward the elevator. "Seems to me we don't quite have a balance."
"That so Vance?"
"Well, as my wife as basically given you all the history you could endure, seems I should find someone to ask about you."
"I have nothing to hide."
"So a story for a story then, balance the knowledge."
"You have my file."
"Which as you pointed out my predecessor had her own agenda with." Gibbs leaned back against the wall. "Seems there weren't very many updates aside from the notice of medical leave two summers ago and the plethora of complaints from the press. I suppose you would ask that I was just as thorough."
"Well, now you have your story."
"I was thinking of a story in the same vein."
"Which wife?" Gibbs inquired with a smirk.
"Why don't you tell me how you and my predecessor met?" Vance questioned.
"She was observing a mission in MTAC turned around after Morrow left."
"I meant the first time."
"Autopsy."
"Funny, she said a coffee shop," Vane informed. "Way she tells it..."
"Told it," Gibbs corrected trying to keep his voice level. "And if you already knew then we're even," came the gruff response as the elevator doors opened. Vance stepped out glancing at his lead agent. "Forgot my coat."
"You didn't have one," Vance reminded. "Come have dinner, Jackie wouldn't mind."
"Buying for Ducky."
"Before you do that," Vance called as Gibbs headed for his car, and he turned back. "Need you to escort a witness to safe house."
"Isn't DiNozzo your errand boy?"
"Thought you didn't approve of directors using your team."
"Where is this witness?" Gibbs asked ignoring the comment.
"Potomac Field, the flight lands in about forty minutes, be on the tarmac, alone and armed." Gibbs headed for one of the blue cars. "Take yours, I told them to look for it." Gibbs headed back toward his Dodger. "I'll follow to the airport and get you through the gate, they may come out of the hanger, don't shoot."
"I know how to do a protection detail," Gibbs informed.
"I can think of a marine who will have issues if the witness ends up dead." Gibbs said nothing more and got in the car as Vance followed in the white escalade. Gibbs watched in the rearview mirror as Vance turned away after he cleared the gates.
Gibbs stopped the car in front of the plane and got out looking around for this witness. He heard the faint ringing of a phone, he glanced toward the gate and found Vance standing against it phone in his hand. He pulled out a megaphone from behind his back.
"You can come out," Vance said. The door at the hanger opened and the sound of heels on blacktop reached Gibbs ears. "He said to ask you." Gibbs looked over at Vance who waved and got in the car pulling away.
"Ask me what?" Gibbs spun back around sure he was imagining things. There in the tiniest strip of moonlight were two black heeled boots that led to denim encased legs an emerald green sweatshirt and flaming red hair. "Jethro?" Gibbs walked slowly around the so called witness admiring the curves he knew intimately, ensuring they were not an illusion. He reached out and was met with the soft material of her sweater that he traced up her arm to her neck, his hand gently cupping her face as he had in his last goodbye.
"Jen?" She leaned into the touch surprised at how easily the doubts of her resurrection disappeared when his skin was against hers. She felt his hand drift around her neck pulling her close and he embraced her in a marine bear hug that swept her off her feet, just as he had once up a time. He placed her back on them still holding her tightly to him, ensuring she was unable to escape. "Why?"
"You know why, Jethro," she responded.
"Vance knew."
"He isn't such a bad guy after all apparently," Jenny sighed. "Was a little pissed about the splitting up of your team, but he brought you back together, so I couldn't complain."
"What...where have you been?"
"Working on my tan, now could we go, I'm freezing. It was 85 in Mexico," she said burrowing into him. He led her to the car and could feel her eyes tracing it. "Nice."
"Dad gave it to me," he said, wondering if she might have been informed.
"I heard you saw him," she answered.
"So..."
"Yes, I'm officially dead, yes you can tell the team its only on paper, and I'm here because Vance has found walking in my heels to be a bit of a challenge, especially in regards to his lead agent."
"Don't know what he's talking about," Gibbs assured.
"He also feels at a disadvantage."
"How so?"
"Well, he feels you can know ask his wife anything, he cannot be afforded the same, so he called me to be the resident expert in "Gibbs-speak"," She answered making quotes around the words. "So what did you tell him to ask me?"
"How we met, apparently you have yours men mixed up."
"Oh?"
"We met elven years, seven months, and ten days ago, give or take a few hours," he answered. "In autopsy after..." Her hand covered his mouth.
"You don't remember the coffee shop?" She sounded hurt and turned to face the windshield.
"What?"
"I can't believe you, even Abby remembers the coffee shop and I only told her once!" He sighed knowing silence might be his best option.
"Since you are to be the resident expert, where are you residing?"
"Cute," she all but snarled. "Vance said you had a guest room still."
"He's wrong, only have one bedroom now, guess will have to share."
"You can sleep with the boat," she sniped as they pulled into his drive way. He caught up to her at the door.
"Can't, bad back and all," he lamented as he cornered her against the door. She tilted her head back to meet his eyes. "You wouldn't happen to have a cure?"
"I..." He leaned down and kissed her, finding his own medicine. He briefly thought he should call Ducky, but it was quickly brushed away as she returned the kiss. He didn't care where she'd been, or why she'd done it, he knew, deep down he knew she hadn't been gone and after three months he had pulled her files and knew she wasn't really sick. Questions would be saved for later, she tended to respond more truthfully when they were wrapped around each other. He let his own hand wrap around her back breaking the kiss to bend and scoop her up. "Thought you had a bad back?"
"Must've found a cure." He carried her up to his room and found that they could come up with a cure for every ailment except the loss of time, and even then they came close to making time stop. Hours later, when panicked calls to Ducky had been returned, and they were simply to tired to do anything more than cling to each other, he felt her breath easing out. "About when we met?"
"I still can't believe..." He hushed her in a way he found she responded to.
"I first saw you elven years, seven months, and thirteen days ago, in a coffee shop where you were looking for Jamaican blend and the quickest way to the Naval yard; we were introduced three days later, right before you..."
"Yea I know."
"So I didn't get it wrong."
"You even knew what coffee I was looking for?"
"Didn't occur to you when I brought you that first cup?"
"I was so miserable after that day, flu, the case, everything... That was months into our partnership."
"I...used to go to that coffee shop for those three days every day, waiting to see if you returned, imagine my surprise when I'm introduced to you as the new probie."
"You didn't seem to have a huge problem with me, we got along just fine."
"I always thought we were more than fine," he teased.
"That was nearly seven months later!"
"That tiny attic...wasn't the first time I considered it."
"Me neither, but we've talked about this...then at least."
"I uh...was going to ask you out, if I saw you in the coffee shop again, tried so hard to get the guy to give me your name, think he always had a bit of a crush on you."
"Now that you never told me," she laughed, her smile infectious.
"It closed a few months ago, the shop," he said when the laughter died down, she gave him a sympathetic look, knowing what the lack of caffeine might be doing. "So I guess this will have to work..." he drifted her off as he pulled her closer.
"Jethro?"
"Will you tell Vance how we met, all the stories?" She nodded. "He first asked me when I met his predecessor, told him it was in MTAC. When has asks me when I met my partner, I want to tell him I met her on a tarmac, with almost no moonlight," he whispered. "And I took her home, and convinced her to stay."
"Jethro..." she trailed off her voice laced with emotion.
"Some of the women...they say they didn't want to compete with a ghost, but the only ghost that haunts me now is yours."
"I'll stay," she assured, swearing her words in kisses and gentle caresses.
---
The following morning
NCIS Headquarters
"DiNozzo glad to see you finally decided to join us," Gibbs snapped slapping the back of his senior field agents head.
"Sorry Boss, alarm...you know never mind. What's going on?"
"Boss wants us in MTAC," McGee answered following Gibbs up with Ducky and Abby. Tony turned to Ziva looking slightly confused.
"What did we do this time?"
"I haven't the cloudiest clue."
"Foggiest, Ziva," Tony sighed dramatically sure his partner did it on purpose now. The passed Director Vance who let them into MTAC and cleared the room of technicians.
"So what's the big secret Gibbs?" Abby demanded.
"I want the children to meet their new mother."
"Not the blonde," McGee muttered.
"That would be the wicked stepmother," Tony whispered.
"I am not familiar with that," Ziva said turning towards Abby who said she'd explain it later, not quite hiding her anger at Gibbs and a woman.
"Jethro are you quite sure..." Ducky began but cut off at the glare he received. The good doctor looked away swallowing harshly and hoping he would not have to be the bearer of bad news.
"So...how did you meet?" Abby inquired.
"Ask her."
"We saw each other in a coffee shop..."
END