There were no lights visible at Gibbs' house when Ducky pulled up outside and cut the engine, the growl of his Morgan dying away, leaving only the usual sounds of a suburban evening. Ducky got out of the car and climbed the steps to the front door. When he turned the door handle, it opened without resistance. Shaking his head, he stepped inside. As he walked through the house, he flicked on the light in the living room, then the kitchen. The door to the basement was ajar and Ducky could hear music playing, a radio on low. He pushed the door open fully and walked slowly down the stairs.
Gibbs was measuring a board, marking it with a soft pencil. At his elbow, a mason jar had an inch of bourbon in it. Ducky waited until Gibbs had put the board down before he spoke.
'Aren't you going to ask why I'm here?'
'Figured you'd tell me when you're ready.' Gibbs took a sip of his bourbon, then wandered over to a workbench at the side of the room and began rummaging through the items strewn across the top.
'Don't you want to know how Anthony's doing?' Ducky toook a couple of steps further into the room.
'I spoke to the hospital an hour ago. If there'd been an emergency, someone would have called.' Gibbs returned to his boat with a handful of wooden pegs and put them beside the board.
'Are you planning on visiting him?' Ducky asked.
'Tomorrow.' Gibbs clamped the board in a vice and retrieved his hand drill.
'You should talk with him, Jethro,' Ducky said softly. 'There are matters you need to discuss.'
'Why, Ducky?' For the first time, Gibbs looked directly at his friend, and Ducky could see the lines that the past few days had etched deeper into the skin at the corner of his eyes and mouth. 'Far as I can tell, all we need to discuss is what the hell went wrong.'
'Jethro...' Ducky stepped forward and put a hand on Gibbs' arm. 'I talked with him this evening. Just prior to going undercover, he received some news.' Uncharacteristically hesitant, he searched for the right words before continuing. 'It was from Doctor Childs.'
A muscle jumped in Gibbs' jaw and Ducky could feel the tension radiating off the agent. 'I don't want to hear it.'
'But-'
'I said I don't want to hear it, Duck.' Gibbs kept his voice low, controlled, but for a moment, Ducky swayed back, away from the threat. He stood his ground, though, his grip firm around Gibbs' forearm, and when he spoke, his voice was firm.
'You imprinted.'
'Damn it! No!' Gibbs exploded, wrenching his arm from the older man's grasp. He snatched the jar, downing his bourbon, then threw the jar at the far wall where it exploded into shards. He ignored them as he started to pace.
'Whether or not you like it, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, you have a responsibility to that young man and right now, he needs you,' Ducky snapped, his temper flaring. 'He didn't ask for this any more than you did, and from where I'm standing right now, he's definitely got the worst of this unfortunate turn of events. He, at least, is thinking of the effect of this imprinting on you rather than the rather greater impact on himself.'
Gibbs turned to glare at him. 'What do you mean? Ducky? What impact?'
'Ah, so you do care about Anthony after all,' Ducky said cuttingly. 'I'd suggest you try talking with him about this, but since we both know that talking isn't your strong suit, why don't you use your intellect rather than your temper and try thinking clearly about it.' He turned. 'I'm going to put the kettle on. I suggest you join me.' He walked stiffly up the stairs, the line of his back radiating disapproval.
The coffee had brewed by the time Gibbs came up into the kitchen. Ducky poured him a mug. 'I don't know how you drink this foul muck, especially this late at night,' he said, taking a sip of his tea.
'You made it,' Gibbs pointed out. He took a seat at the kitchen table. 'Kind of hypocritical of you to tell me off for drinking it.'
'Yes, well, rather the coffee than the bourbon. So?' Ducky took the chair opposite.
Gibbs stared into his coffee. 'I kinda figured I was the imprinting kind. Heck, it makes sense of the whole thing with...'
'With Shannon,' Ducky said gently. 'And with the outcome of your subsequent marriages.'
'Yeah.' There was a long pause. 'But Tony? Heck, he's not imprinted, Ducky. From everything Childs said, he wouldn't be interested in... He dates a lot. I'm pretty sure he gets laid regularly.'
'Are you so sure, Jethro?' Ducky asked. 'Our Anthony is very good at making people see what he wants them to.'
'I'm pretty sure he didn't make those hickeys by himself,' Gibbs said sourly.
'No, he didn't. But love-bites are not intercourse, as many teenagers can attest.' Ducky remarked archly. 'When is the last time you could say for certain that Anthony achieved the latter and not merely the former?'
Gibbs thought about it, sipping his coffee. 'Jeanne,' he concluded.
'Which was eighteen months ago, at the very least,' Ducky said.
'But-'
'Anthony is a young man with a very healthy sexual appetite. He craves physical contact; he is one of the most tactile people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. What do you imagine the last eighteen months have been like for him? Practically the only human contact he has, outside of those rather enthusiastic hugs Abigail inflicts upon us all, are the cuffs you so kindly supply to the back of his head. And for some reason, even those have been less forthcoming of late.'
'I couldn't... It wasn't right,' Gibbs said hoarsely. With his hands wrapped around his mug, he gripped so hard his knuckles were white. 'I couldn't touch him, not when it... Not when I... Not when laying a hand on him gets me hard and aching.' His voice cracked on the last phrase, leaving him sounding forlorn, broken.
Ducky reached across the table and covered one of Gibbs' hands with his own. 'Oh, Jethro, I am so sorry. For both of you, suffering alone in silence. I cannot imagine what either of you has gone through. If only you had talked, to me or to each other.'
'How could I, Ducky? I couldn't even talk to myself,' Gibbs said, meeting Ducky's gaze with pain-filled eyes.
'Your suspension is due to end tomorrow, is it not?' Ducky asked, keeping his hand over Gibbs'. When the other man nodded, he continued. 'In that case, I'm placing you on medical leave for at least one week and probably two.'
'Duck-' Gibbs protested, pulling back, but Ducky continued, his voice level, his manner implacable.
'Jethro, your reactions have not been entirely under your control. I cannot in good conscience allow you to continue in the field until you have a greater understanding of this condition and how it affects yourself and Anthony. Use the time wisely; go to him, see if you can't work some of this out. He's as lost as you are, Jethro, and in a very real sense, if he doesn't have you, he doesn't have anyone. And that, my dear boy, is as true now as it was on the day you both met.'
Calmly, Ducky finished his tea as Gibbs sat in silence, as if it were any other social visit, as if he hadn't just turned his friend's world upside down. 'Can you drive?'
Gibbs gave a jerky nod. 'Yeah.' He finished his coffee and stood. 'Let yourself out when you're done.' He switched off the coffee pot.
'I'll handle the paperwork and talk to Leon. You realise this is going to have to go on your medical records,' Ducky said, taking both cups over to the sink and rinsing them out.
Gibbs merely grunted and left the kitchen. Ducky followed, turning out the lights as he went. Gibbs pulled on a light jacket, picked up his keys and by the time Ducky had closed the front door behind them, he was already in his truck. He peeled away from the kerb with his customary haste, leaving Ducky standing by the kerb.
'Good luck and may the gods smile upon you both,' Ducky murmured as he watched the departing truck, then he climbed into his car and drove home.
It was a little after eight the next morning when the ME arrived in the office. He went straight up to the director's office. 'Good morning, Cynthia. Is Director Vance in his office? I need to speak with him.'
The secretary smiled at him. 'Good morning, Ducky. He has a meeting with Special Agent Gibbs in five minutes, but he's free until then.'
Ducky tapped the edge of the appointments diary that lay open on the desk. 'About that... I think you'll find the meeting is cancelled, my dear. May I go on in?'
Cynthia's eyebrows arched in curiosity. 'I'll let him know you're here,' she said and pressed the button on the intercom. 'Doctor Mallard to see you.'
'Send him in.'
Ducky opened the door and went inside, making sure that the door closed behind him.
'What can I do for you, Doctor Mallard?' Vance asked, looking up from the pile of paperwork on his desk. 'Please, take a seat.'
'Good morning, Director,' Ducky said as he sat down. 'I wanted you to know that I have placed Special Agent Gibbs on medical leave for the next week. It's possible that will stretch to two weeks instead.'
Vance leaned forwards. 'What's wrong with Gibbs? The man never gets sick.'
Ducky sighed. 'It's rather a delicate matter, I'm afraid, Leon. Tell me, how much do you recall of the murder of Petty Officer Jameson?'
By the time he had finished, Vance had chewed through three toothpicks and was staring at the ME in horror. 'What am I supposed to do about this? Move DiNozzo to another team? And what the hell do I tell Human Resources?'
'Leon, Anthony and Jethro are not currently engaged in a relationship beyond that of team mates. Whether or not that changes remains to be seen, but they are both very stubborn men and they are having to come to terms with something that alters the very foundations of who they believe themselves to be.' Ducky leaned forwards. 'You cannot ask Anthony to move to another team simply because of something that might happen. Besides, he has always been the only one who can handle Jethro at his worst, or had you not noticed the team's turnover prior to Anthony's arrival? I believe attempting to part them would be disastrous. As we have already seen, Anthony and Jethro have had a lot to deal with after their separation because you promoted Anthony to be an agent afloat.'
Vance winced. 'I didn't know.'
'None of us did, or it would never have happened,' Ducky said gently. 'As for Human Resources, I'm afraid I am unable to help you much. Jethro is already listed on Anthony's paperwork as next of kin for medical purposes. Their status as an imprinted pair should certainly be listed, together with a description of what that means. Given Anthony's propensity for getting into difficult situations and Jethro's protective nature when any member of his team is threatened, I doubt anyone will notice a change in behavior. It could be that now they are aware of their imprinted status, they may react a little more extremely in the face of threats and violence to each other, but it is something that only time will tell. But there should certainly be a note made in their files that one must not be reassigned without the other, and if anyone wishes to send Anthony undercover away from Jethro, I'm afraid I shall have to insist otherwise on medical grounds. '
'So tell me, Ducky, what does it mean for my agents?' Vance asked. 'Put it in its simplest terms.'
'It means that, outside of each other, they are incapable of sustaining an intimate relationship. It means that when one is injured or under threat, the focus of the other will be on rescue and possibly retaliation. And it means that if one is killed, the other is also more likely to die,' Ducky said heavily.
'So what do I tell HR as to why Gibbs is on medical leave?' Vance asked.
'That, my dear director, is up to you. They need the time to work things out between them, to discover what this means for them in terms of their existing relationship as well as in terms of their jobs,' Ducky said. 'And given their stubborn natures and their track record with intimate relationships, I think it's probably better to keep the initial storm out of the office, don't you?'
Vance shook his head. 'I don't know who I feel most sorry for, Gibbs or DiNozzo. But once word gets out, hearts will be breaking all over the east coast.'
'Yes, I dare say there will be a weeping and a wailing and a gnashing of teeth, all right. If you could have someone send the requisite forms down to my office, I'll get Jethro signed off. And it would probably be for the best if I inform the rest of his team. I can at least answer a few of their questions.'
Vance grunted. 'Okay, thanks for letting me know, Ducky.' He looked distinctly unhappy.
The ME left with a sympathetic smile for the harried director. Fornell was waiting impatiently outside Vance's office and as Ducky passed Cynthia's desk, he heard the intercom sound; it was Vance requesting coffee and aspirin. Ducky had the feeling he would also be in need of aspirin before this was over.
'Ah, Timothy, Ziva, may I have a word?' He gestured towards the elevator.
Ziva looked around for Gibbs before standing. 'Of course, Ducky.'
'Sure,' Tim said, following with a frown creasing his forehead. 'What's up?'
'Patience, Timothy,' Ducky said and took them down to Abby's lab, where the goth was bouncing around to the very loud strains of Android Lust, looking happier than she had since Tony had gone missing.
'Hey, Ducky!' she greeted the ME enthusiastically, bouncing over to her keyboard and silencing the music. 'What can I do for you?' As Tim and Ziva moved into the room, her face fell. 'Uh oh, this looks serious. Is it Tony? Is he all right? He was doing better when I left yesterday and the hospital said he was improving-'
'Abigail, calm down,' Ducky said, closing the door behind him. 'I merely wanted to let you know that Special Agent Gibbs will not be coming back into work for the next week and possibly the next two.'
Abby gasped. 'Gibbs is sick? Hurt? Oh my god!'
'Abigail!' The unaccustomed snap in Ducky's voice cut through her babble. 'Jethro is fine, as Anthony will be in due course.'
'Are you sure? Because Tony was worried about him when he woke up in hospital yesterday,' Abby pushed. 'What's going on, Ducky? Don't try to fob us off: I need to know!'
'My dear girl, if you would let me get a word in edgeways, perhaps I could explain,' Ducky said testily. 'Not another word from you until I have finished!' He held up a finger sternly. 'And the same goes for you too, Timothy, Ziva.' He looked from one to the other until they nodded, Abby miming zipping together her lips, for good measure.
'I can't imagine either Anthony or Jethro being desperately happy about my sharing any of this with you, but it affects you too,' Ducky began. 'There may have to be a few changes made to the way in which the team works and there will certainly have to be some allowances made. I suggest if you find that you have any issues with what I'm about to tell you, that you talk them through among yourselves or with me or with Director Vance rather than with anyone else and I most certainly don't want you taking them out on Anthony and Jethro.'
Abby's eyes were huge and she had to keep a hand pressed firmly over her mouth to stop herself from interrupting. Tim and Ziva glanced at each other, clearly concerned.
'Anthony and Jethro have imprinted on each other,' Ducky said. He paused, waiting for the inevitable outburst. It came from Tim.
'But Tony-'
'Yes?' Ducky asked, eyebrows raised.
'He's-'
'What about Tony's women?' Ziva cut in.
'That is an issue you will have to raise with Anthony if you feel you must,' Ducky said. 'The results of the blood tests are quite clear.'
'Why didn't they come to me to run the tests? I can be discreet!' Abby said, her face a picture of wounded innocence.
'Doctor Childs ran the tests and I get the impression that they weren't expecting the results to come back positive,' Ducky said. 'It's no reflection on their faith in you.'
'Gibbs' mysterious redhead?' Tim asked.
'Children, do you really want to spend your time speculating about their relationships with women, past or potential?' Ducky found himself becoming exasperated. 'That has never been anyone's business but theirs and I see no reason why it should be any different now.'
'You're right Ducky,' Tim said. 'Sorry.'
'Never apologize,' Ziva said, jabbing him in the side with her elbow. 'So Gibbs and Tony are... together?'
'No. That's something they will have to work through privately,' Ducky said.
'But what about Rule Twelve?' Tim asked. 'And won't one of them have to move to another team?'
'Again, that's for them to decide, and no, on medical grounds, I would oppose any attempt to transfer either one.'
'I don't understand,' Ziva said. 'If they are supposed to be imprinted, should this not have happened when they first met? They have worked together for years.'
'I have a theory regarding that very question,' Ducky said. 'Please bear in mind I have no way of knowing if it is true. With them both having so many issues surrounding relationships, and with the need for physical contact being satisfied in part by the many headslaps Jethro sees fit to deliver, I suspect their stubborn natures have forced the imprint to develop slowly in certain regards. Looking back, it's clear that from the start, they have shared a very profound connection and I'm not at all certain of how knowing their status as imprinted will change things.'
'You know, it makes sense of Gibbs punching Fornell,' Abby said slowly. 'I mean, they don't always get along, but they've known each other for a long time. And we didn't know Tony was in trouble at that point, not for definite.'
Ducky nodded wearily. 'Yes, yes, it makes sense of so much of their behavior, but they are clearly able to control themselves extremely well for it to have taken so long to reach this point. Still, I expect you to inform me of any changes that you notice, not that I expect many. Anthony has always looked to Gibbs for approval and support, and Gibbs has always been possessive and somewhat indulgent in return.'
'Indulgent?' Tim asked, incredulous.
'If you say so,' Ziva said, doubtfully.
'If you wish to learn more about the condition, I believe Abigail has the research to hand. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get down to Autopsy before Mister Palmer reports me missing.' With that, Ducky left them to it.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.