BANFF, ABERDEENSHIRE, SCOTLAND. NOVEMBER 2008

No one paid any attention to the two older men who walked along the beach, not even though the shorter and older man had his arm through the taller and younger man's.

After a while they stopped and turned to face the sea. The taller man slipped his arm around the shorter man's shoulders and together they stood in silence.

Finally the younger man spoke. "Did we do the right thing, Duck?"

Ducky turned slightly under the lose embrace and gazed up at his long-time lover; as he did, his mind slipped back six months.

"Dr. Mallard."

"Director Vance.

"I've been looking at your personnel file."

"I imagine you have."

"You are sixty-six this year."

"Yes."

"The standard retirement age for NCIS employees is sixty-five."

Ducky stared at Leon remembering him as a young agent. "Why are doing this?"

"What exactly do you imagine I am doing, Dr. Mallard?"

"Trying to force Jethro into resigning or retiring."

"Is that what you think I'm doing?"

"Can you look me in the eye and tell me you are not." Ducky waited. "I see. I thought as much. Very well, Director Vance, I shall make this easy for you. I will retire with immediate effect, and I have no doubt Jethro will do the same once I inform him of what I have done. And Abigail and Mr. Palmer will resign five minutes after that. Good afternoon, Director."

"Duck?"

"I'm sorry, my dear. I was thinking. In answer to your question, we did the only thing we could do. And that makes it right."

He never had, and never would, tell his beloved the real reason behind the team being reassigned had simply been a move to force Jethro to retire. His lover didn't need to know how much someone had hated him.