Chapter 3
Team Gibbs, Jimmy and Ducky all gathered at the lawyer's office when Tony's will was read, and it contained some surprises. He had left everyone, including Ducky and Jimmy, tidy little sums of money. He had also left them notes. Sealed envelopes with each of their names printed neatly.
Months had passed since Tony's death. Senior had not taken a part in the dispensing of Tony's belongings. He had, however, gotten upset when he heard about the money and had protested the will. He said the money was his. Tony had inherited it through his mother, and now was rightly Senior's. He had been the bread-winner in the family. The argument did nothing to change the will and had only served to delay the reading.
Ducky had been the first to leave NCIS. He did, indeed, decide to retire early. He hadn't worked because he needed the money anyway. He called Jimmy and Team Gibbs and they talked several times a month. Things seemed easier without the constant reminder of his old workplace.
Jimmy continued in forensic medicine. He chose to work at the Virginia Crime Lab to finish out his internship. He was helped by the strong letter of recommendation that Ducky provided and the fact that Ducky knew the head M.E. there. Jimmy kept in touch with Tim and Abby. He had even called and spoke to Gibbs and Ziva a few times.
Gibbs retired about a week after Ducky retired and two weeks before Jimmy left. The pain of having to see Tony's empty desk was too much. He had considered asking Vance to move the team to another location. But he knew the only spot that was open was Pacci's old bullpen. And when Gibbs thought out it, seeing another team in 'his' bullpen was too much to take. Another agent in Tony's chair…at his desk, it was too much to comprehend.
Gibbs finally spoke to Ducky about his fears of alcoholism. Ducky recommended he find two other hobbies. So Gibbs gave up his boat building, his bourbon and then his house. He found out he only drank bourbon if he was working on the boat. And part of the reason he built the big boats was because his basement was so big. He found a house with a smaller basement. He didn't build boats so therefore, he didn't drink. Gibbs still had all the things Tony had left at his house boxed up in the attic in a box marked with Tony's name. He had not been able to part with even Tony's toothbrush. Gibbs wanted to keep in touch with his NCIS family. But he didn't make a lot of calls. The only person he called was Ducky. But he was grateful, beyond words, that they all cared enough to call him.
It was two days after Ducky retired that Tim's transfer to Cyberville came through. McGee knew he would still be in the same building. But in his position as supervisor he would rarely have to venture upstairs if their department had to sometimes make computer repairs. This only happed in the rare occasions that the tech department got over-loaded. Tim could almost forget he was in the same building, as a matter of fact, because the atmosphere and surroundings were so different. The change helped a great deal with his transition from field agent to full-time computer geek. And as supervisor Tim had a lot of free time. He spent that time emailing and web-caming with Abby, Jimmy, and Ziva in his office. He had even convinced Gibbs and Ducky to open email accounts to make it easier to talk.
Ziva was hired by Fornell two weeks after the meeting in his office. She was placed on a special terrorism task force and she loved her new job. She still wondered, though, what it would have been like if for some reason Tony had left NCIS and came to work for the FBI. She, too, never lost track or touch of her NCIS family. Even though one important member was missing and could never be replaced.
Abby was enticed by one of the job offers she usually received in an annual bases. She joined the lab of a major pharmaceutical company. She had actually been the last to leave. She liked the work. But she missed having a lab to herself. And, truth be told, she missed forensics. But she couldn't see going back to NCIS and, as much as she wanted to work for the Virginia Crime Lab, they did not have any open positions.
It turned out it WAS a lot easier to talk/chat when you're not face to face. The pain of their loss muted, somewhat. So, when they did see each other at the reading of Tony's will, the atmosphere was a little tense. No one was sure what to say. They each had moved on enough so that there was no office/NCIS small talk for them to engage in.
They each received their notes and money in silence. They had no idea Tony had money. Plus, each of them was a little apprehensive as to what Tony would have to say to them in a letter.
It was suggested that they all go out to eat together. They found a secluded corner in Tony's favorite restaurant and enjoyed a meal of several of Tony's favorite dishes. It was then that decided they would share the letters from Tony. They would each place their letter in the middle of the table. Someone would close their eyes, draw out an envelope. They would read the name on the outside of the letter and then read the contents.
They each were anxious to know what Tony had written to them. But they were pretty sure they would not be able to read through their own letter at one sitting. And they were all positive they didn't want to be alone when they read them.
Tim volunteered to go first. He reached his hand into the pile and drew out the first envelope. He read out the first name. "Ducky, this one is yours."
Ducky nodded and smiled sadly as Tim opened the envelope and began to read.
TBC
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.