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"Don't you lock your door?" Tony asked, looking down from the top of the stairs at Gibbs in the basement.
"Nope,"
Lauren pushed past him and went down the steps with a bounce in her step and a coffee in her hand.
Tony rolled his eyes and rubbed his shoulder from the indelicate manners of the young woman, "It would keep out the crazy blondes," Tony glared playfully at Lauren, who smirked up at him.
Gibbs continued to sand his boat, but a small grin lit up his face, "I thought you liked crazy blondes?"
Tony scoffed and watched Gibbs' eyes trail every movement Lauren made until she was only a few inches away from him, offering the cup.
"I gotta say," Gibbs chuckled, "I like crazy blondes," He continued, taking the cup and having a sip.
Lauren sent him an unimpressed look and took the cup back once he had his fill.
"I got a call. Quantico. Marine got killed in an exercise." Tony announced.
Lauren hopped up onto the work table and took a sip of coffee while Tony walked down the stairs. "Killed by squats, huh? Never thought I'd see the day."
Gibbs shot her a dry look and paused in his sanding, "How?"
"Night training jump," Tony answered, "Guy's shoot didn't open."
Lauren winced, taking another sip. It was too early for this.
"Is this a boat?" Tony asked, circling the wooden frame. His eyes widened as Gibbs and Lauren sent his matching looks of distain.
Lauren blinked a few times at Tony's sheer 'Tonyness' before shaking her head to get her mind back in focus, "Did the reserve fail as well?"
"I don't know." Tony squinted at a glass of brown liquid before turning to Lauren with wide eyes, "I tried your cell," He leaned next to her and faced Gibbs," Tried your hard line, too." He sighed, gesturing to the phone on the desk only a few feet away from his boss.
Gibbs paused in his sanding and gently brushed the wood, "Don't ask,"
Tony rolled his eyes and walked over to Gibbs, "You know, my dad gave me a power sander for my birthday -"
Lauren scoffed, taking another sip of coffee while ignoring her friend's glare. Like he would ever use it.
"-I don't really power sand much..."
Lauren snickered, brushing off some wood chips from her trousers. Man, that was an understatement. The box was collecting dust under his kitchen sink.
"You're welcome to it," Tony offered the man, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Aside from that bare bulb there and a plug going into that idiot box, you see a power cord around here anywhere?"
Tony spun around, searching the room with a grimace.
Lauren grinned, setting down her cup. "And he only has that idiot box for me."
Gibbs matched her grin and continued sanding, "To drown out all the chatter."
Lauren scoffed and hopped off the table, moving to collect all his tools, "Like it's me who chatters the most." She rolled her eyes and started sorting the equipment.
Tony raised a brow at the two, "you use hand tools, huh?" Watching Lauren tidy up.
"I use my hands," Gibbs corrected him, handing Lauren his sander, "Did you call Ducky?"
"Not yet," Tony clicked his tongue.
Gibbs started up the stairs and pointed at the man, "Give me your cell."
Without hesitation, Tony chucked the man his cell and watched him disappear back upstairs. He grimaced at the rotary phone and shook his head.
"Ren? DiNozzo?"
"He's a weirdo," He murmured under his breath as Lauren yelled back an affirmative to the boss.
"Yeah," Lauren breathed out, crossing her arms as she too stared at the broken rotary phone. "You were pawning off the sander to make room for your blender, weren't you."
"I was being kind!" Tony set a hand over his heart and sent his friend a faux shocked look.
Lauren smirked, shaking her head. "You so want to make smoothies." She pat his shoulder and moved to the stairs.
"Is that so bad!?"
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Lauren's mouth dropped open as she stared at the wreckage of the navy man. He was halfway through a large vehicle and - if she was going to be honest - was an absolute mess.
"He impaled an SUV?" Tony asked.
"Like he was laser-guided, Sir."
Lauren pulled her gloves from her bag and tilted her chin up at the soldier. "Where are the other jumpers?"
"Over there, Ma'am." The man gestured over to a small group of soldiers, "They landed in the drop zone, 400 meters north of the road."
"Just one stick?" Gibbs asked, his eyes on the group.
"Yes, Sir. I guess the jump master held the others back when the victim's chute didn't open."
Lauren pressed her lips together, nodding silently to herself as they walked around the scene.
Gibbs squinted his gaze, flickering all around the park. "Did you secure the paraloft and the aircraft?"
"Yes, Sir." The soldier confined, "I also have the marines who didn't make the jump under guard at the hanger."
"Yeah, put them with the others. Let's keep them separated."
"Yes, Sir."
Lauren smirked at the two. She loved it when Gibbs acted like this. His shoulders squared, and his air of nonchalance just commanded authority.
She jumped as a young lady on the sidelines spoke up. She had a thin pink cardigan on and looked absolutely freezing. Her messy knotted brown hair moved with her as she stared wide-eyed at the ground, shaking her head in panic.
"Witnesses?" Lauren asked the Soldier, frowning as the girl turned to another soldier almost crying as she pleaded with him.
Gibbs turned to Lauren and gave her a nod before gesturing for her to follow him.
"My dads going to kill me. He's on duty, and he doesn't know that I took his SUV."
Lauren couldn't help but empathise with the girl. She knew what it was like to have a dad like hers. She also would never have taken the car, but that was neither here nor there.
"You say your dad's a marine?" Gibbs questioned her as they got closer.
The girl's shoulders lessened in defence and instead squared back as she wrapped her arms around her waist. "Yes, Sir. Master Sergeant Tom Shaefer, Sir. He's a T.I at Quantico."
Tony raised his brow and looked at the young man standing only a couple of feet away from the girl, his beige jacket splattered in blood. "Your dad a marine too?" Tony crossed his arms.
"No way." The boy hunched in on himself, scratching the back of his head.
Lauren scoffed under her breath, rolling her eyes. She shrugged off her bomber jacket and wrapped it around the girls' shaking shoulders. "Can tell," She grumbled, sending the girl a cheeky wink. He didn't even offer his date a jacket, let alone a hug for body heat.
The girl giggled, pulling the jacket closer as Lauren pulled back. The blonde smiled at her before gesturing to herself, "I'm Special Agent Walker. This is Special Agent Gibbs and Special Agent DiNozzo. NCIS."
"Want to tell us what happened?" Gibbs stepped in, shooting Lauren a grateful glance.
"We were parked -" She began before the boy interrupted pausing from his cigarette.
"We were hanging out and listening to Dashboard Confessional."
"What?" Gibbs sighed.
"Emo." Tony and Lauren answered in unison for the man.
"Emo?"
Lauren nodded, rocking back and forth on her feet, pulling her t-shirt sleeves over her hands. "Emotional music."
"You got to get a radio, Gibbs." Tony laughed, shaking his head.
Gibbs ignored him, giving Lauren a once-over before turning back to the girl, "Okay, so you were listening to music and..." He trailed off.
"He smashed through the roof." The girl finished his sentence, her brows furrowed as her eyes welled, and she pulled the jacket tighter around her shaking body.
"And wham, pow, blood everywhere." The boy exclaimed.
"I screamed, and we ran for help." She sniffed, wiping her face, smearing the blood on her cheeks.
"I met them about a click down the road on our way to the scene." The soldier told them.
"I felt bad for leaving him there," the girl murmured.
Lauren frowned and hopped up to sit next to her, moving to wrap an arm around the girl. She gently squeezed her and pulled a tissue from the jacket around her shoulders, handing it to the young brunette.
"He was alive?" Gibbs asked in a gentle tone, ducking his head slightly.
The girl nodded and accepted the tissue with a small smile. "I heard him groan," She insisted.
"It was a death rattle." The boy scoffed at her before his confidence wilted at Lauren's fiery glare.
"You ever hear a death rattle?" Tony clenched his jaw, staring down at the boy.
The boy took another puff, "I was using that as a trope." He defended weakly.
"A what?" Gibbs asked, letting out a frustrated, ragged breath.
"A trope. A figurative use of...expression." The boy stuttered under the unimpressed looks from the agents.
Lauren grimaced at him, "Maybe read the room before opening your mouth, kid."
The boy went to speak before Gibbs held up his hand, effectively shutting him up. "Call her dad." Gibbs nodded to the girl. "Have him pick her up."
"Does that mean I get to go?" The boy asked.
"Not until after Master Sergeant Shaefer gets here..."
Lauren watched as a small smirk curled at his lips. He held a hand out to Lauren to help her hop down from her seat next to the girl on the bed of the truck. She grinned at the teasing wiggle of his eyebrows and squeezed his hand before letting go.
"I'm sure he's going to have a trope or two for you."
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Lauren adjusted her cap, crossing her hands around her middle as she traipsed through the dark forest, content with the heavy arm around her shoulders holding her close as Tony humphed beside them with the cases She leached the heat radiating from Gibbs and fiddled with the zip of his jacket as she was guided around various suspicious things on the ground.
"Ducky's here." She announced to her boys as she blinked up at the older man who was perched on a ladder, leaning over the car.
"I'll get the monopod." Tony sighed.
Gibbs paused a few feet away from the scene and pulled Lauren closer to his side before letting go and unwrapping the half of his jacket he had put around her.
He felt his breath catch in his throat as she faced him. Her lips pulled into a sweet smile as she brushed out the wrinkles in the fabric that she made.
Letting out a forced breath from tight lungs, he gently pushed the brim of her hat down to cover her smile and thankfully hide his own.
"The last time I was up this high, I was hanging a pinata at my nephew's birthday party," Ducky spoke up, distracting the duo.
Gibbs and Lauren shared an amused glance and moved to join their friend and colleague.
"What do we got, Duck?" Gibbs asked, hiding the slight shake in his hands by shoving them in his pockets.
"Oh!" The man exclaimed, shining a touch at the victim, "Abrasions, the tree must have slowed him a bit." He told them, gesturing upwards at the overhanging branches of the surrounding flora. "Purple discolouration, neck's broken, I'd say."
"Not the only thing broken most likely." Lauren frowned, raising herself up on the balls of her feet to see better.
"I won't disagree with you, my dear. It's hardly surprising given the rapid descent followed by the equally rapid deceleration." He nodded with a sigh, "Lauren, my girl, where is your coat?"
Lauren smiled at his fatherly concern and waved him off, "I've been all warmed up, Duck."
Ducky hummed, looking her over before conceding and turning back to their marine.
"The girl back there, and her boy said he groaned after he decelerated." She told him.
"It's possible. I won't know till I do the autopsy."
She watched as Gibbs crouched by the remnants of the marine's chute and joined him.
"Looks like a number of his shroud lines failed," He sighed, "Enough of those go, chute doesn't catch air. It tootsie-rolls. Let you down like a Roman candle."
Lauren winced, standing to glance up at the marine.
"Were they cut?" Ducky asked from atop the SUV.
"No, look worn." He answered. "Still got his reserve chute on."
Lauren's hands set on her hips as she pursed her lips, "Why didn't he pull it?"
"Hey!"
Lauren turned at the sound of Tony's voice. She grinned and left Gibbs by the side of the car once she saw who he brought with him.
"MP's weren't going to let her pass." He told them.
Lauren chuckled as Agent Todd stumbled in her heels. Her cheeks were puffed out as she glared at the ground as if it was annoying her purposefully.
"I got my Sig and badge, but HQ didn't issue my photo ID." She explained, coming to a stop by Lauren, who grinned at her, happy to have her join the group of testosterone-filled males.
Kate smiled back before looking at the scene and grimacing. "Is this real?"
"Unfortunately, my dear, it is." Ducky shot her a sympathetic glance.
Gibbs finally shuffled over and handed her a set of gloves, telling her to put them on. Lauren rolled her eyes and patted the woman's shoulder.
"He means hi," The blonde grinned.
"Your first crime scene with us, Caitlin," Ducky announced.
As she tugged the gloves on, she glanced at Lauren, who gratefully took the camera from Tony. "What about Air Force One?"
"Doesn't count." Ducky shook his head, "You were in the Secret Service."
He turned to Tony and paused.
Lauren and Tony giggled like children as the blonde lifted up the camera, and Tony held his hand up in a peace sign before her flash went off and Lauren cackled.
Chuckling at the two, he garnered their attention, "Ren, take a team photo for posterity."
"Forget po-"
Gibbs was interrupted as another flash lit up the scene. He looked up to see Tony and Lauren with their arms hooked, Ducky atop the SUV with a double thumbs up, and Kate stood stock straight with a pained but amused smile on her face.
He watched as Lauren walked up to the marine she had coerced into taking the photo and thanked him profusely, and scowled at the dazed look on the man's face as she gave him a quick hug.
"The sun's going to be up soon." He called out to the blonde who nodded, cheeks flushed as she rushed to him, camera in hand, leaving the red-faced marine with a disappointed frown.
"Welcome to the NCIS." He sent Kate a sardonic smile, opening the case in front of her.
She pulled out a boot and scoffed, "How'd you know my size?"
With a cocky smirk, he struggled his shoulders and handed her the case.
Lauren rolled her eyes and nudged the woman, "He asked me, he's hopeless."
Kate laughed, shaking her head as the blonde wandered away but not without sending the man a glance. Kate watched Gibbs watch Lauren as he pressed his lips together.
Her laughter slowed to a stop, and she looked down at her boots with furrowed brows, "Wait, how'd Lauren know?"
"Couldn't tell you," He murmured. She had jabbered on about the agent for the past week. He never got a word in edgewise. She had gone shopping for her newfound colleague and, due to her excitement, had gone a little overboard. The agent would soon find out what exactly the blonde had bought for her once she saw her desk back at HQ.
The blonde didn't have to say anything. The team could see how excited she was to have the woman join them. She and Abby had even made her up a welcome box that had been hidden in the agent's top desk drawer to find later.
Kate pulled out an NCIS cap from the case and raised a curious brow at Gibbs.
"Matching caps." He huffed, shoving his hands into his pockets.
She opened her mouth to ask - all NCIS caps were the same. How could she match the blonde - but Gibbs had around turned the cap in her hands and tapped lightly on the edge of the brim. Proudly sitting on the left-hand side of the sloped brim sat a green embroidered star.
"Like it?"
Kate looked to Lauren, who stood by the SUV with an expectant expression as she rocked back and forth on her feet.
"Love it!" Kate shouted back, putting it on her head matching the blonde's grin.
Lauren whooped and turned to Tony, pointing at him accusingly, "Told you,"
"I don't know what she is talking about." He held a hand to his heart and sent Kate a puppy dog pout.
Lauren shoved the camera back to the man with an eye roll and walked back to Kate, hooking their arms and pulling her away from the scene, "Come on, lets find you a corner to change."
Gibbs followed the women and stopped a short distance away to speak to another marine as they hid around the corner.
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"Ducky?" Tony looked up at the man on the SUV once Gibbs and the ladies left.
"Huh?"
"Why would Gibbs rip his hard line out and dunk his cell phone in a jar of paint thinner?"
"Oh, dear." Ducky breathed out with a wince.
"And why would he not tell Lauren."
The older man took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his wrists before putting them back on. "Oh dear."
"What?"
"I should've realised the time of year." He descended the ladder and shuffled into the backseat of the SUV and peered at the deceased legs of the marine. "It's his anniversary."
"Which marriage?"
"The last one, of course."
"Hey, Ducky? I'm not following." Tony ducked into the backseat and shook his head.
"Every year, ex-wife number three gets drunk on their anniversary and calls him. Repeatedly."
"Why doesn't he, uh, change his number?"
Ducky chuckled, "I have no idea. In case you haven't noticed, Gibbs is a man of more questions than answers."
Tony agreed and yet was still confused. But Lauren always had the answers when it came to Gibbs. Firstly, Lauren showed up a few minutes after him, which had never happened before. She was either always already inside or had just arrived when he did.
She didn't seem to know anything was going on with the man, or she wouldn't have let him tease the man about the phones. There was something about Gibbs that Lauren didn't know.
Tony could help but feel angry on his friend's behalf. She shared everything with them. More than she should. She had her heart on her sleeve when it came to the team. He could help but be protective of it when she so kindly handed it out.
He wasn't jealous that the two were always around each other. They knew each other in a different way, it seemed. They would just dance around each other, knowing exactly what to do and say. They would orbit like planets from the dawn of time, always there - perfectly balanced.
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A/N
Hello, folks.
A few lovely people have asked recently that they would like another chapter so..um here ya go!
I recently have manged to find time to actually write and it's been awesome. I missed Ren and I've missed my other OCs like crazy.
Anyway ignore my ramble - I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, also point out any mistakes as I definitely will have missed some with my horrific editing skills.
I hope you have a lovely week.
- El