The first Mrs. Gibbs

Leroy Gibbs ran his fingers along the smooth edge of the wood. Perfect, he thought. He moved around to the other side of the wooden frame and began to sand it down. "Kelly's gonna love you," he whispered to the skeleton that would soon be a swing.

"Leroy!" A sing-songy voice called from outside. Leroy stuck his head out of his workshop and smiled freely at the sight before him. His wife stood hands on hips, lips pursed in mock anger, her slender body framed perfectly by the door frame. The sunlight reflected off of her hair making it shine a bright red. Leroy thought that this only aided her in her attempt to look angry.

"Yes dear?" He asked, trying to sound as innocent as he possibly could. She shook her head and pointed her finger at him, jabbing the air to emphasise her words.

"Don't you ‘yes dear' me Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Have you forgotten that my parents will be arriving for dinner in half an hour?" Leroy kicked himself mentally and put on his best ‘I'm sorry. Please forgive me' puppy dog eyes. He had forgotten and he knew that Shannon knew that he had forgotten.

"I was just coming in to get ready now." He looked at the dirt that covered his hands and arms. "I think I'm gonna need a need to take shower." Shannon shook her head at and gave him the amused kind of look that adults give to children who've done something silly. She turned to back in the house before calling back over her shoulder to Leroy.

"I think a shower would be a very good idea Leroy. When you've done that you can get Kelly up and dressed." Leroy nodded and put his work belt back on the shelf. He made his way to the bathroom, leaving his boots at the backdoor.

The warm shower and the water hitting his muscles which had begun to ache felt good but Leroy knew that he didn't have time to stand there, enjoying it. He washed and dried himself quickly; his towel-dried hair was pushed into place by his fingers.

A sappy grin covered the marine's face as he walked into his young daughter's room. She looked so peaceful and happy he thought that it was a shame he had to wake her up. Stroking a stray hair off her cheek, he shook her gently. Kelly blinked several times before focussing her bright blue eyes on her dad.

- Hello sleepyhead - He signed to her.

- Hello dad. - She smiled and stretched all of her muscles at once. Leroy stood and lifted Kelly from her bed. Holding her in his left arm, he pointed with his right hand at the clothes that Shannon had laid on the chair next to the bed.

- Your mom wants you to wants you to wear these when Grandma and Grandpa get here. - Kelly nodded and Leroy put her on the ground. - I'll be back in 5 minutes to help you with the zips and buttons, ok? - Kelly smiled and nodded.

Leroy leaned against his daughter's bedroom door. She wasn't very good at dressing herself yet but he knew how much she loved to feel independent. He loved the way she would tell him, ‘I'm a big girl, daddy. I can do it myself.' Suddenly there was an almighty crashing sound downstairs.

"Shannon," he whispered to himself, instantly worried. He knew that Kelly wouldn't have heard the crash and so she would be obliviously carrying on with getting dressed. Leroy ran down the stairs and almost threw up in reaction to the scene before him. A small, almost invisible, hole in the window; a tray of freshly baked muffins dropped on the floor and his wife, his beautiful wife, lay on the floor; a small drop of dark red on her forehead and an ever-increasing pool of deep red liquid under her head. Blood, it was blood that gathered beneath the head and matted her once glowing red hair together.

As Leroy's eyes took in the sight of brain matter splattered on the kitchen cabinets his ears picked up the sound of Kelly's bedroom window opening. He knew it was Kelly's from the way it creaked. It was the only window he didn't oil. She couldn't hear it, so it didn't bother her, and he used it to make sure he knew when her window was open, so he could stop her from falling, or climbing, out. Leroy's heart pounded as he realised that Kelly had no reason to open her window as she thought she was getting ready to have dinner with her grandparents.

"Shit! What if the same people who shot Shannon are after Kelly?" Leroy ran up the stairs faster than his legs could carry him. He tripped on the top step and stumbled in into his daughter's room, at which point he did throw up. A man dressed all in black was running from the tree, which grew just under Kelly's bedroom window, to a black van, with no plates, parked on the driveway. Leroy could see his baby slumped over the man's shoulders, she looked unconscious. There was blood on Kelly's bed but Leroy didn't know if it was hers or her kidnapper's.

Leroy picked up the phone in his bedroom and called the base MPs. They told him not to touch the body or his daughter's room. Leroy just hung up, he knew the drill. The next call he had to make was a little harder. He called Shannon's parents and told them that something had come up and that they would have to cancel dinner. When they questioned him he told them that it would be better if they spoke face o face; he promised them that he would call round as soon as he was able, to explain what was going on.

When he hung he punched the wall several times before turning around and leaning against it. He slid down the wall and hugged his knees to his chest, rocking backwards and forwards. If he closed his eyes tight enough maybe he could erase the sights he had seen downstairs, if he tried hard enough maybe he could make it so that it was all a bad dream and he would wake up, his wife would be alive, telling him to hurry up because her parents would be here soon; his daughter would be in her room waiting for him to come and help her fasten her zips and buttons, and he wouldn't be waiting for MPs and NCIS agents to arrive, he wouldn't be waiting for his baby's kidnappers to contact him with their demands.

It is just a bad dream. It is just a bad dream. Leroy banged his head against the wall as he repeated his mantra.

The first Mrs. Gibbs - Part 2

Leroy couldn't really fault the job the MPs and NCIS agents did. The MPs came as a courtesy to him because they knew him and he had called them instead of 911. The NCIS agents were very efficient in their work. They cordoned off the area, took photos, took his wife's body away and they did all of that without Leroy seeing a single thing. One of the agents took him to one side and asked him questions, he knew that he had told them everything he could but he couldn't remember what any of the questions were. Everything was blurred, like a bad dream that you want to wake up from but don't know how. They tried to get him to go and stay with someone else but he refused. He promised that he wouldn't go into the kitchen, back yard or his daughter's bedroom. He couldn't leave, what if his daughter's kidnappers phoned, what if she escaped and came home to find no-one here? If he left he would be abandoning her. He wouldn't do that. They told him that if he stayed then they wanted someone to stay with him, they wanted to fit cameras around his home and bugs on his phones. He just agreed, whatever it takes he had said. He had to stay at home.

Donald Mallard heard about the tragedy that had befallen the young marine, whom he had met just a few months earlier. He remembered how, when the young man was so far from home, his face would light up when he spoke of his wife and child. ‘His girls' he called them. The marine was new to the area and most of his friends were overseas at the moment so Donald decided to pay him a visit, check on his mental welfare. If there was ever a time when a trained killing machine needed a friend with a shoulder he could cry on, this was it.

When Donald arrived at Leroy's home he wasn't surprised to see the crime scene tape cordoning off great portions of the garden and the upstairs window. He knocked on the heavy oak door and waited patiently; he had seen an unmarked black car in the drive and guessed that young Leroy would be being ‘babysat' by an NCIS special agent. He was proved correct by the man who opened the door, he was a little older than Donald but he wasn't an unfamiliar face.

"Special agent Mackey," he greeted the older man politely, unsure if the special agent would recognise him from the brief period of time that they had spent working on opposing teams in the same district. Donald had been the Medical Examiner for the local police, while special agent Mackey had been an FBI agent. He needn't have worried though because instant recognition flitted across Mackey's face.

"Dr. Mallard! Long time no see. Where have you been hiding yourself man? Have you moved up in the world or are you still working for that little police dept.?" Donald smiled and shook his head.

"No I left that part of town a couple of years ago. I'm working in the morgue at Bethesda at the moment." Mackey frowned.

"That's a long way from here Dr. so what brings you to this part of town?" Donald gestured inside the house with a nod of his head.

"Well when I was working at Bethesda I met a young marine who could tell stories that rivalled my own, and were a lot more interesting. He would tell me of his beautiful family and how he couldn't wait to get back to them. Then my sources told me that something terrible had happened to his family and, when I enquired as to which members of his squad were with him, I was told none because they were all overseas. I came to make sure he has a friend to support him through this nightmare." Mackey nodded and opened the door.

"He's right this way doctor but I've got to warn you, he might not even know you're here. He's kinda out of it." Donald nodded, he knew what to expect; he had seen so many people who'd suffered unbearable loss to know that his friend wouldn't be anything like the man he remembered.

Leroy looked up when he heard Donald walk in. He handed the Dr. the photo he had been talking to.

"Remember my girls Dr.? I told you they were beautiful." Donald looked at the photo. He could see the family resemblance between mother and daughter in the fiery red hair and fair skin. Leroy was right they were beautiful. Donald was amazed by how much Leroy's daughter looked like him. She had his strong facial features and yet she still looked very feminine; her brilliant blue eyes were so intelligent and inquisitive, mirror images of her father's. Donald handed the photo back to Leroy.

"Yes, Leroy I remember. You were right they are beautiful." Leroy laid the photo carefully on the table, like it was a piece of treasure so fragile that one wrong move would disintegrate into dust. Donald supposed that for Leroy it really was precious. Leroy picked up a brown envelope and looked Donald straight in the eye. The intense sadness in those blue eyes was painful for Donald to witness.

"That's an old photo Dr. Mallard," he passed him the brown envelope and continued. "That's what they look like now." Donald took the envelope and reached inside it. He pulled out two photos and a letter from the envelope. He read the letter first, to allow himself time to prepare for what he knew he would see in the photos. Donald was taken aback by the harsh bluntness in the letter.

Mr. Gibbs,

I hope you like the photos; I think they are some of my best. I must admit I was expecting to feel a little more of a buzz when I shot your wife but, to tell you the truth, it was kind of boring. I'm going to have much more fun with your daughter though. You are a marine, a trained killing machine. Now I'm going to show you what it means to be on the receiving end of your skills. I will contact you again.

Your war-hating friend,

Mr. Y (I think Mr. X is becoming a bit too much of a cliché nowadays, don't you?)

Donald had to sit down and, when he did so, Leroy gave him a strangely knowing look and nodded at him.

"Yeah that was my first reaction too." Leroy showed Donald his hands, palm down. The knuckles were split and there was dried blood covering he backs of his hands, where he'd obviously tried to wipe the blood away. "This was my second. Special Agent Mackey's partner grabbed me and sat on me until I calmed down. I gave him a broken nose for his troubles. NCIS have examined these photos and the letter like crazy. Apparently everything used was so common that they couldn't trace it and there were no finger prints or anything. It summarises the end of my life and yet it tells them nothing."

Leroy wiped his hands down his face before putting his head in them. Donald watched the broken man clench his fists tightly and press his knuckles into his forehead, before turning to look at the photos. The first one was of Mrs. Gibbs, Shannon, if he remembered correctly. Although it wasn't a very nice thing to look at, the photo showed nothing the Medical Examiner hadn't seen before. The lady in the photo was easily recognisable as the lady from the photo that he had seen just a moment ago, apart from the fact that she was, quite obviously, dead. Her skin had begun to grey from the lack of blood in her body, a small drop of blood precariously covered the hole in her forehead and the pool of blood underneath her head stretched further than the photo's edges. Donald put the picture of the wife on the table and had to take a deep breath to stop himself from retching at the picture of the little girl.

"God, she can't be more than five years old." He croaked. How could someone do that to such a young child?

"She's four." Leroy whispered so quietly that Donald barely heard him. Donald put the photo of the tortured little girl face down on the table and twisted in his seat to face Leroy. He ran his hand up and down the marines upper back before resting it on his shoulder, he wanted to comfort the man but felt powerless and unsure how he could show him that he would be there for him.

"Oh lord, Leroy I'm so sorry." Leroy stiffened suddenly. He squared his back and lifted his head. After wiping his eyes harshly with the heels of his hands he stared straight at Donald, a mixture of unbreakable determination and pure hatred covering his face. Donald wasn't afraid to admit that at that moment the marine had scared the crap out of him, he would have had to have been a complete idiot not to have been afraid.

"No need to be sorry Dr. Mallard, I'm going to get her back. I'm going to find the evil monsters who took my wife from this world and my child from my arms and I'm going to show them just how good I am at my job. I know over 20 ways to kill a man with my bare hands, I know five times as many ways of inflicting pain without causing death. I'm going to let them feel each and every one of them and then I will give them the slowest death they could have ever imagined." Donald shivered slightly as a wave of cold passed through him.

Leroy had obviously screwed his marine head on as tight as it would go; Donald suspected it was his minds way of defending itself against the overwhelming emotions he must have begun to feel. He watched, concerned, as the marine picked up he ‘old' photo of his wife and child and began to run his finger over it, tracing the outline of their faces. Donald could here him whispering to the photo and, when he heard the words, he knew that the young marine wouldn't find peace until he had his daughter back and his family's destroyers obliterated.

"No body hurts my girls and gets away with it. Shannon you've got to tell Kelly I'm coming for her. I need to see her again. To watch the lively way her hands bounce from one sign to another as she speaks to me, to hold her in my arms and never let her go, to help her fasten her zips and buttons. I'm gonna get our baby back Shannon. I'm gonna make them pay. I promise you."

The first Mrs. Gibbs - Part 3

Donald pulled his car up in front of the large suburban home and turned off the engine. His passenger sat staring at his hands, his breathing sped up and he wiped the palms of his hands on his trousers.

"Leroy, are you sure you want to do this alone? I will come in with you if you'd prefer." Leroy shook his head firmly and clenched his jaw muscles until the pain reflex forced him to stop.

"I have to do this. Shannon would have wanted it to be close family who explained the details to them. It's nothing more than they deserve." Donald nodded to show he understood but his tone of voice reflected his unhappiness at having to let his friend face his demons alone.

"Very well, what time would you like me to come back and pick you up?" Leroy paused, frowning. It was obvious that he hadn't given any thought to how long he would be here. Donald waited, patiently; he wasn't about to suggest a time, in case it seemed like he was pressuring Leroy to rush what he was about to do or that he was abandoning him to his fate.

"I think, about two hours. Then I can explain what happened, answer any questions they may have and leave without it seeing like I am dropping this on them and doing a runner straight away." Donald was startled by the detached expression on Leroy's face, now he knew what the marine's mask looked like. It was rather chilling.

Leroy walked the short distance to the front door of his in-laws' home. Outside he looked calm and in control, some might say he looked cold but he could be forgiven that, if they thought it was shock. However, inside, he was shaking so bad he thought it would never stop. He could feel his breath catching on the lump that was growing in his throat each time he breathed in. There were tears begging him to let them flow but he couldn't, he wouldn't, cry any more. Not ever again. He paused in front of the heavy oak door and took a deep breath. Letting the breath out slowly, he raised his fist and gave two sharp raps on the door.

It swung open as a well built man with salt and pepper hair met Leroy at the door. Leroy didn't know whether or not he was going to get hit, all he knew was that he wasn't going to defend himself. His only love's father stared at him for a moment before stepping aside and beckoning Leroy into the house with his head. Leroy bowed his head and stepped into the house. When he had closed the door Sheridon O'Malley gave his son-in-law a good looking over.

"You don't look so good boy." It was just a statement, Sheridon wasn't surprised that his baby's husband was looking ill. He had just lost his wife and his daughter was missing, no man could go through that unscathed. He put a hand on the young man's shoulder and guided him into the sitting room. Leroy was confused; he had expected to be hit. He hadn't protected their daughter or their granddaughter even though he had promised them that he would. - Ah well, I suppose that will come when I tell them why their daughter is dead. -

"Leroy! Look at you boy! My God how much weight have you lost?! You're like a ghost, so pale and thin!" Leroy looked down at his hands. It was true he could see the bones there now and his clothes were a little looser now but he didn't think he had lost that much weight. He shrugged his shoulders, it didn't really matter, so he had forgotten to eat every now and again and he may have gone a little over the top at the gym a few times but hey.

"I'm sorry Mrs. O'Malley. I didn't mean for this to happen. I should have stopped it. I should have done something to protect them. I failed them and now I'm being a nuisance to you. I just…" Mrs. O'Malley shushed him sharply.

"Leroy you have always called me Ramona and now is not the time to stop. What happened to Shannon wasn't your fault and nor is it your fault that they took Kelly." Leroy sat down in the seat that Ramona ushered him into. He looked from her to her husband and back to her again. As he watched them sit down in the sofa opposite him he figured out how he was going to word what he had to tell them.

"There are some things you need to know before you decide that it's not my fault." Mr. and Mrs. O'Malley looked at each other before Sheridon looked at Leroy with an expression that told him to continue.

"The police found out who shot Shannon yesterday." Ramona gasped, while her husband wrung his hands together. It was Mrs. Sheridon who spoke first, her voice quivering.

"Who… Who was it? Did they… Did they say why?" She saw how white her husband's knuckles were getting and so she covered his hands with her own. When Sheridon looked at Leroy, Leroy saw the same desperation and need to know that he had felt not so long ago.

"They… were anti-war activists." He paused. All three of them knew the implications of Leroy's statement. If his family was targeted as a result of someone's hatred of the war, then, in effect, Leroy was to blame for his family's misfortune. Something in Mr. O'Malley's mind clicked.

"Were? Are you saying they're dead?" Leroy looked at the older man. His eyes were devoid of all emotion as he nodded his head. The deathlike appearance of those blue eyes sent a chill down Ramona's spine.

"What about Kelly, Leroy? Where is she if her kidnappers are dead?" At the mention of his baby's name, Leroy squeezed his eyes shut. Every muscle in his body tensed as he pulled himself into a tight ball, he sat hugging his knees and rocking himself backward and forward. Realisation and pain dawned on Shannon's parents' faces simultaneously. Mrs. O'Malley dropped her head into her hands and began to sob. Mr. O'Malley just stared at his daughter's widower in shock.

"No. Leroy, tell me it isn't true. Tell me Kelly is ok. Tell me she's just a little shaken but that she's going to be ok." Leroy stopped rocking and faced the desperate man in front of him. He shook his head slowly.

"I'm sorry, sir. God I'm sorry." Rage began to boil inside Sheridon. He clenched his fists and his jaw.

"Get out! You were supposed to protect them, not get them killed! How could you do this to us! To them! Get out! Get out now, before I kill you" Leroy nodded and stood slowly. With his head down he left the room and made his way out of the house. He had only been here for half an hour so he expected to spend the next hour and a half sitting on the sidewalk. He considered walking to a local store and buying something to make himself go numb again but he figured that he owed his girl's more than that. He had to fell the pain; forever would he keep the pain of loosing them at the forefront of his mind. Memories - that was all he had left. He sat on the edge of the curb and didn't even notice that Dr. Mallard's car was sitting in the same spot it had dropped him off from. In fact Donald hadn't left.

"Leroy!" The doctor called through the open window. Leroy looked up and frowned as if the presence of the car confused him.

"Dr. Mallard? What are you doing here?" The doctor shook his head and leaned across to open the passenger side door. He gestured with his hand for Leroy to enter the car. Leroy got up slowly and got into the passenger seat. He slumped forwards and rested his forehead on the dashboard. Donald saw the defeat in the man's body language and knew the meeting hadn't gone to well.

"Ducky, Leroy. My friends call me Ducky. Only my boss and some of my patients call me Dr. Mallard and only my mother calls me Donald." Leroy sat up and looked at Ducky. Death coated his eyes until they were as dark as a navy uniform. He shook his head slowly.

"My name is Jethro." Ducky frowned. "Leroy's dead Ducky. He died when his girls were stolen from him. When they were ripped from this earth, his heart just gave up. Leroy's dead; only Jethro remains."

The end.

The first Mrs. Gibbs - Part 3

Donald pulled his car up in front of the large suburban home and turned off the engine. His passenger sat staring at his hands, his breathing sped up and he wiped the palms of his hands on his trousers.

"Leroy, are you sure you want to do this alone? I will come in with you if you'd prefer." Leroy shook his head firmly and clenched his jaw muscles until the pain reflex forced him to stop.

"I have to do this. Shannon would have wanted it to be close family who explained the details to them. It's nothing more than they deserve." Donald nodded to show he understood but his tone of voice reflected his unhappiness at having to let his friend face his demons alone.

"Very well, what time would you like me to come back and pick you up?" Leroy paused, frowning. It was obvious that he hadn't given any thought to how long he would be here. Donald waited, patiently; he wasn't about to suggest a time, in case it seemed like he was pressuring Leroy to rush what he was about to do or that he was abandoning him to his fate.

"I think, about two hours. Then I can explain what happened, answer any questions they may have and leave without it seeing like I am dropping this on them and doing a runner straight away." Donald was startled by the detached expression on Leroy's face, now he knew what the marine's mask looked like. It was rather chilling.

Leroy walked the short distance to the front door of his in-laws' home. Outside he looked calm and in control, some might say he looked cold but he could be forgiven that, if they thought it was shock. However, inside, he was shaking so bad he thought it would never stop. He could feel his breath catching on the lump that was growing in his throat each time he breathed in. There were tears begging him to let them flow but he couldn't, he wouldn't, cry any more. Not ever again. He paused in front of the heavy oak door and took a deep breath. Letting the breath out slowly, he raised his fist and gave two sharp raps on the door.

It swung open as a well built man with salt and pepper hair met Leroy at the door. Leroy didn't know whether or not he was going to get hit, all he knew was that he wasn't going to defend himself. His only love's father stared at him for a moment before stepping aside and beckoning Leroy into the house with his head. Leroy bowed his head and stepped into the house. When he had closed the door Sheridon O'Malley gave his son-in-law a good looking over.

"You don't look so good boy." It was just a statement, Sheridon wasn't surprised that his baby's husband was looking ill. He had just lost his wife and his daughter was missing, no man could go through that unscathed. He put a hand on the young man's shoulder and guided him into the sitting room. Leroy was confused; he had expected to be hit. He hadn't protected their daughter or their granddaughter even though he had promised them that he would. - Ah well, I suppose that will come when I tell them why their daughter is dead. -

"Leroy! Look at you boy! My God how much weight have you lost?! You're like a ghost, so pale and thin!" Leroy looked down at his hands. It was true he could see the bones there now and his clothes were a little looser now but he didn't think he had lost that much weight. He shrugged his shoulders, it didn't really matter, so he had forgotten to eat every now and again and he may have gone a little over the top at the gym a few times but hey.

"I'm sorry Mrs. O'Malley. I didn't mean for this to happen. I should have stopped it. I should have done something to protect them. I failed them and now I'm being a nuisance to you. I just…" Mrs. O'Malley shushed him sharply.

"Leroy you have always called me Ramona and now is not the time to stop. What happened to Shannon wasn't your fault and nor is it your fault that they took Kelly." Leroy sat down in the seat that Ramona ushered him into. He looked from her to her husband and back to her again. As he watched them sit down in the sofa opposite him he figured out how he was going to word what he had to tell them.

"There are some things you need to know before you decide that it's not my fault." Mr. and Mrs. O'Malley looked at each other before Sheridon looked at Leroy with an expression that told him to continue.

"The police found out who shot Shannon yesterday." Ramona gasped, while her husband wrung his hands together. It was Mrs. Sheridon who spoke first, her voice quivering.

"Who… Who was it? Did they… Did they say why?" She saw how white her husband's knuckles were getting and so she covered his hands with her own. When Sheridon looked at Leroy, Leroy saw the same desperation and need to know that he had felt not so long ago.

"They… were anti-war activists." He paused. All three of them knew the implications of Leroy's statement. If his family was targeted as a result of someone's hatred of the war, then, in effect, Leroy was to blame for his family's misfortune. Something in Mr. O'Malley's mind clicked.

"Were? Are you saying they're dead?" Leroy looked at the older man. His eyes were devoid of all emotion as he nodded his head. The deathlike appearance of those blue eyes sent a chill down Ramona's spine.

"What about Kelly, Leroy? Where is she if her kidnappers are dead?" At the mention of his baby's name, Leroy squeezed his eyes shut. Every muscle in his body tensed as he pulled himself into a tight ball, he sat hugging his knees and rocking himself backward and forward. Realisation and pain dawned on Shannon's parents' faces simultaneously. Mrs. O'Malley dropped her head into her hands and began to sob. Mr. O'Malley just stared at his daughter's widower in shock.

"No. Leroy, tell me it isn't true. Tell me Kelly is ok. Tell me she's just a little shaken but that she's going to be ok." Leroy stopped rocking and faced the desperate man in front of him. He shook his head slowly.

"I'm sorry, sir. God I'm sorry." Rage began to boil inside Sheridon. He clenched his fists and his jaw.

"Get out! You were supposed to protect them, not get them killed! How could you do this to us! To them! Get out! Get out now, before I kill you" Leroy nodded and stood slowly. With his head down he left the room and made his way out of the house. He had only been here for half an hour so he expected to spend the next hour and a half sitting on the sidewalk. He considered walking to a local store and buying something to make himself go numb again but he figured that he owed his girl's more than that. He had to fell the pain; forever would he keep the pain of loosing them at the forefront of his mind. Memories - that was all he had left. He sat on the edge of the curb and didn't even notice that Dr. Mallard's car was sitting in the same spot it had dropped him off from. In fact Donald hadn't left.

"Leroy!" The doctor called through the open window. Leroy looked up and frowned as if the presence of the car confused him.

"Dr. Mallard? What are you doing here?" The doctor shook his head and leaned across to open the passenger side door. He gestured with his hand for Leroy to enter the car. Leroy got up slowly and got into the passenger seat. He slumped forwards and rested his forehead on the dashboard. Donald saw the defeat in the man's body language and knew the meeting hadn't gone to well.

"Ducky, Leroy. My friends call me Ducky. Only my boss and some of my patients call me Dr. Mallard and only my mother calls me Donald." Leroy sat up and looked at Ducky. Death coated his eyes until they were as dark as a navy uniform. He shook his head slowly.

"My name is Jethro." Ducky frowned. "Leroy's dead Ducky. He died when his girls were stolen from him. When they were ripped from this earth, his heart just gave up. Leroy's dead; only Jethro remains."

The end.