Catalyst 13/?
Feb. 25th, 2013 08:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
emerald_green37
It was well before daylight when Gibbs woke up, but he enjoyed the still mornings at the cottage very much. In a routine he'd very much like to have, once the coffee was made, he went out onto the front porch with his cup and a slice of pie. The first streaks of daybreak were starting on the horizon when he heard a rustle in the nearest tree before a thud over his head. Even though he couldn't see anything through the metal roof, Gibbs eyes went up and followed the thumping and scratching as it moved across the porch. "Morning, Norman."
The noise stopped at the far end and a furry face peered down at him, upside down, and chattered for a few seconds before scurrying further up the roof line. Eventually, Gibbs heard the upstairs balcony door open and McGee speaking too softly for his words to carry downstairs. The door closed and Norman thudded back down onto the porch roof, retracing his steps until he ended up back in his tree. He was clutching something, but the light was still to dim for Gibbs to see what it was. Instead, Gibbs turned back to the ridge and watched as the local family of deer made their way down the trail.
It was another half hour before McGee made his appearance. Ziva arrived just a few minutes later. She started to pull traditional breakfast ingredients out of the refrigerator until she saw the pie that McGee was cutting for himself. Ziva stood there with the eggs in her hand for a moment before putting them back and diving into the pie, leaving the last slice for Tony.
Ziva refused to acknowledge Gibbs' smirk when she joined the two men on the front porch. Tony joined them five minutes later, eating his slice directly from the pie pan. He looked up at the three amused faces. "What? No point wasting a dish."
With only four mugs, three plates, one pie pan and a handful of utensils, clean up was fast. Ziva washed while McGee dried and put everything back the way he wanted it. Ziva paused as she washed the last of the cups. "It is very peaceful out here, McGee. I can understand why you like it so much. Perhaps someday you will feel comfortable sharing it with us away from the job."
Tim shrugged as he put the plates away. "Well, we did manage to survive a couple of days out here without killing anybody, so I guess that's a start. Maybe this summer we can all come out here for a couple of days. For the size of the town, Milford puts on one heck of a Fourth of July celebration and it's our one holiday we're not scheduled to be in town."
"That would be nice." Ziva was pleased with even that small concession. "It is too bad you have to go back to DC to work tomorrow. You could have an extended weekend here."
If she was angling for an invitation for the three of them, McGee didn't pick up on it and Gibbs interrupted before it could go further.
"Cathy Young's psych evaluation won't be ready until Monday. Instead of one of us driving back out to talk to her doctors, you can keep the sedan and stay here, McGee – take a personal day Friday and drive back on Monday after you talk to her doctors."
"Thanks, Boss." In reality, Tim was grateful for the break, the chance to reclaim his space as his alone again and deal with the emotions the questions had raised, not to mention a chance to mentally prepare for Patterson's release next week.
---NCIS---
Three go bags were stuffed in the back of the truck so that the returning members of the MCRT would not have to backtrack later in the day. While Ziva and Tony returned to the house for one final sweep, Gibbs wandered over to Norman's tree, checking over his head for the grumpy squirrel. He'd been suspicious ever since he'd heard Norman's trip up to the balcony that morning and, sure enough, peanut shells were on the ground. Gibbs had to smile at the thought of Tim bringing a bag of peanuts to share with the wildlife
Chattering told Gibbs he was no longer alone and he turned to find himself almost eye to eye with the curious creature. "Hey, Norman, you take good care of him when I'm not here, okay? I'll bring you back some good treats the next time I'm back."
Norman stilled, staring at Gibbs, before he chattered in response and scurried back up his tree.
---NCIS---
In reality, Gibbs didn't expect to find anything new at the site of the kidnapping, but he always believed in being thorough. By noon he was convinced that they hadn't missed anything and the entire group retreated to town for lunch before the three of them headed back to DC. By unspoken agreement they went to the town's only pizza parlor. Tim returned the pie pan and they all hit the lunch buffet. The men had a hearty lunch, there was no doubt, but they started chuckling at Ziva when she made her sixth trip back through the line.
"Are you a bear in disguise, Ziva? Little late to be stockpiling for a Winter hibernation, even for a Ninja."
"Very funny, Tony. Just for that, I will not share with you."
"Share what, Ziva? You've eaten them out of house and home. Wiped the place clean. Cleared the pantry... well, hello, what is this?" Tony peered at a take out box one of the waitresses brought over.
"Thank you." Ziva took the box and her credit card with a smile as she signed the receipt before looking over at DiNozzo. "This is what I will not be sharing with you."
As they continued to bicker, Gibbs almost announced that he was staying with McGee. It was only the temptation of being alone in the house with the younger man that stopped him cold, so instead he head slapped them both. "If you're going to snipe at each other all the way home, you'll both be riding in the back and the food will be up front with me."
---NCIS---
After a hug, a back slap and a nod from his respective teammates, McGee found himself alone on the sidewalk watching the truck grow smaller in the distance. He spent the next few hours exploring the antique booths, not looking for anything in particular, but buying several interesting woodworking tools. Later that afternoon there was a quick visit with some local friends and a stop at the store before he returned home. It wasn't all that late, but he found himself exhausted. Dinner was a simple bowl of soup before he locked up downstairs, hoping to get a better night's sleep than he had the night before.
He'd turned down Ziva's offer to wash the bedding the team had used and now he found himself picking up the pillow Gibbs had slept on, burying his face against the smooth cotton, taking in the scents so uniquely Gibbs. He set the pillow aside and loaded Tony and Ziva's bedding into the washer before taking the pillow and sheets from the sofa bed upstairs. Smelling the coffee and sawdust that he associated with the other man, he fell into a deep and undisturbed sleep, hugging the pillow close.
---NCIS---
Much closer to DC, another member of the team was finding it hard to sleep. Gibbs wandered around his home, acutely aware of every car that drove down the street, even an occasional jet overhead. He wandered down to the basement, looking through his stockpile of wood, planning out some better furniture for the porch at McGee's house. Eventually satisfied, Gibbs went upstairs and stripped down to his boxers. As he tossed his clothes in the hamper, he spotted the towels he hadn't managed to wash yet. Picking one up, he remembered that night of passion. Forcing the memory back into the corner of his mind, Gibbs ignored the ache in his groin and retreated back to the sofa instead of facing the newest memories in the bedroom.
no subject
Date: 2013-02-25 04:53 pm (UTC)And I love Norman!
no subject
Date: 2013-02-25 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-26 06:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-26 05:02 pm (UTC)That's one way to look at it.
no subject
Date: 2013-02-26 05:05 pm (UTC)