Chapter Text
McGee
It wasn’t until Gibbs got off the plane and planted his feet on US ground that he finally realized what had transpired the past week. One moment she was making him laugh in her office and dreaming of Costa Rica, the next moment she was thousands of miles away in a war zone where laughs were rare. And he wasn’t with her anymore.
Even though he had been crystal clear talking to Leon earlier, he didn’t need anyone to pick him up, McGee was there. It didn’t surprise him, and it didn’t bother him. An airplane took off just as Gibbs approached the car, making the dark night light up for a small moment. The noise made Tim turn around and stand up straight behind the car.
“Hey, boss”
“Tim” Gibbs gave a small nod.
He rarely used the younger agent’s first name, but today he was oh so tired. The physical fatigue was manageable, but the emotional was absolutely draining. The bag in his hand felt heavy and his head was slowly spinning as he sat down in the passenger seat of the car. He suddenly appreciated the ride home. Gibbs treasured the relationship he and Tim had built up over the years. A mutual understanding and no unnecessary questions.
“I brought coffee, if there is something else you want, we can stop on the way.” Tim held up a coffee cup with his right hand.
Gibbs grabbed the cup. “Thank you”, he murmured after taking a sip. “Just want to go home.”
He closed the car door and Tim quickly followed suit and got the engine going. A few cars passed by with their headlights on. He could hear Tim mumble something under his breath the second time they got blinded from the sudden brightness, but apart from that the night was quiet. .
However, he could hear the silent questions hanging in the air even though he knew Tim wouldn’t press. There were only some subtle, silent glances. Gibbs chose to ignore them by closing his eyes and leaning his head against the cold window glass. It only lasted a couple of minutes before he felt obliged to say at least one thing.
“She’ll call” he said. He hoped it sounded like a statement more than a question.
“That’s good” Tim stated simply as he took a right turn. “We were all surprised she wasn’t coming back.”
Right then the car stopped in front of Gibbs' house. The windows were dark. All he could think about suddenly was the times Jack had been there with him, casually walking inside and switching on the lights.
“Yeah me too, I thought if she’d go she’d go to Costa Rica.” The look he got from McGee was confused.
“Tomorrow” he said then and lifted his hand in a goodbye wave.
When the front door shut behind him, he slumped against it and took a deep breath, bracing himself for what was to come.
Bishop and Nick
“Hey!” Bishop put her hand between the elevator doors just as they were about to close.
He hadn’t had his first coffee of the day yet and he dreaded the flow of questions that he knew would follow. Surprisingly, she just stepped inside and looked at him quietly. They had almost reached their floor when she flicked the switch and stopped the elevator. He had expected it. They both exhaled slowly, neither said anything at first.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she was the first to break the silence.
Gibbs studied her face and realized her eyes were as bloodshot as his. Of course, he wasn’t the only one affected by Jack's departure.
“Nah, do you wanna talk about it?”
“I do, but not right now.”
Her words were muffled, her arms suddenly wrapped around his middle and her face crushed against his shoulder. He needed the hug just as much as she needed it. A slow breath moved a couple of blonde strands.
“Okay, then.”
Minutes passed and he held her close until she started to untangle herself. She wiped away a tear from her check and took a deep breath. Moments later the elevator was back in motion and they reached their floor.
“We’re here if you need anything, you know that Gibbs.”
I meant a lot coming from Ellie. He knew she and Jack had a special bond, if anyone would understand, it would be her. He followed her out of the elevator and sighed of relief when he saw the coffee waiting for him on his desk. Refueled on caffeine he would be ready to get back to routines.
As on cue, McGee walked in and Nick showed up with a fishbowl under his arm.
“I didn’t want to leave Carl alone today, it’s been a rough couple of days for him.”
Ellie couldn’t stop her small smile while McGee inquiringly raised his eyebrows and nodded in Gibbs direction. Nick seemed completely oblivious to the fact that his boss was there, too focused on the red fish in front of him.
“What? Gibbs will get it, I mean we’re all going to miss her but it’s him and Carl that have been left by their woman”
“Nick!” Ellie and McGee interrupted at the exact same time.
Nick's eyes widened slightly as realisation dawned on him. He very, very slowly turned towards Gibbs desk. Fear in his eyes. “ I’m sorry, boss, I-“
“Why, it’s true.”
His three agents just stared at him and he tried his hardest to sound unaffected when he said it. He needed to work. Something to occupy his thoughts. Now.
“So, give me an update, will you?”
Vance
A dead marine was found around lunch time and the rest of the day was spent chasing down suspects. After hours of interrogation, they could confirm all had solid alibis. The only conclusion Gibbs and his team could draw was that the victim had plenty of enemies and not too many friends. They needed more leads.
When afternoon turned into evening the office emptied and he waved his team off somewhere around 7 pm. He was reluctant to go home. But he was also reluctant to stay. Her presence was everywhere, he couldn’t get away from it.
The door to her office was closed and he wondered what would happen to all of her things in there. Wondered how soon Leon would find a replacement. Not that anyone could replace her.
Somehow, against his better judgement, he walked up the stairs. He lifted his hand out of habit but then recalled it wasn’t necessary to knock. The door opened quietly and in a swift motion Gibbs switched on the desk light as he entered the room. Her room.
The scenery was almost exactly the same as he had walked into a week ago. Two glasses were placed on the table in front of the coach. A paper with the picture of a beach house rested on top of the book about Costa Rica. He could still make out the smell of her perfume stuck in the walls and furniture.
The only thing missing was Jack.
He hadn’t seen her real smile for a long time. Sure, she’d laughed with him in here a week ago. Still, he couldn’t remember the last time it reached her eyes. In hindsight, he wished he would have pressed more. There were too many things unsaid. He used to live by his rules but had started to see that maybe, he had broken quite a few lately.
“You don’t waste good”, he said into the empty office. Frankly, he was certain that was exactly what he had done.
With a last look over his shoulder he stepped out and almost ran into Leon Vance.
“Gibbs” he greeted. “You’re here late.”
“Leon” he answered as he took a step back.
“She hasn’t called” the director informed. “But I’m sure she will when she’s ready.”
They stayed in silence for a while.
“See you tomorrow, Gibbs?”
He responded with a nod.