{"id":989,"date":"2024-08-25T21:04:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-25T21:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=989"},"modified":"2024-08-25T21:04:01","modified_gmt":"2024-08-25T21:04:01","slug":"docked-retirement","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=989","title":{"rendered":"Docked Retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Title:<\/strong> Docked Retirement
Fandoms: <\/strong>NCIS & Stargate SG-1
Pairing(s): <\/strong>Leroy Jethro Gibbs\/Donald “Ducky” Mallard
Genre:<\/strong> adventure, m\/m
Summary:<\/strong> Just some old guys fishing on the docks, Ducky tells a story and new opportunities arise.
Published: <\/strong>2023
Word Count: <\/strong>1385 words<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo this is what retirement looks like. Fishing and booze.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gibbs grinned as he looked up with a mischievous glint in his eyes to see his old friend standing next to him on the dock. \u201cI see you received my letter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d O\u2019Neill said as he waved the paper around. \u201cI got your letter, Gibbs. Honestly, it felt like a gust of nostalgia to receive an honest-to-goodness letter, written on good old-fashioned paper.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gibbs nodded in agreement. \u201cEveryone buries their nose into their phones or tablets. The reliance on the internet is alien to me. Nothing beats the feel of paper and ink,\u201d he said as he cast his line into the water, the fishing rod flexing as he reeled it in slowly. \u201cIt\u2019s moments like these that make retirement worth it. No deadlines, no missions, just fish and a bottle of the finest bourbon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack O\u2019Neill leaned against the wooden railing, watching his old friend for a moment before procuring another bottle out of his duffel bag. \u201cSpeaking of bottles, I brought something special from the stash,\u201d he handed Gibbs the bottle before sitting down in the chair next to his friend and picked up the extra rod. \u201cTo celebrate your retirement, it\u2019s been a long time coming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gibbs accepted the bottle with a nod of appreciation, the label catching the sunlight. \u201cWhat about your retirement? Weren\u2019t you always the one preaching and complaining?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O\u2019Neill shrugged for an answer as he looked over the calm waters. \u201cAs long as they keep giving me fun jobs, I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Oh, yes, the head of Homeworld Security,” Gibbs replied with a playful smile playing on his lips. “Since when did you find politics fun?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack barked out a laugh, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “You’ve got that right! Sometimes I think they’ve put their faith in the wrong person!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that, Jack,\u201d Gibbs rolled his eyes at his old friend. \u201cYou obviously have the knowledge and experience to guide those who don\u2019t into making good decisions about keeping the planet safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPolitics,\u201d Jack added with a wry twist to his lips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe one reason why I never took over NCIS.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack hummed in agreement and the two old friends sat in silence for a while, drinking and catching food for the night. Eventually, Jack spoke up again. “I’ve got to admit, retirement’s starting to look better by the minute,” he nodded towards the figure walking towards them. \u201cHow did you manage to convince him, Gibbs?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A warm smile crept across Gibbs’ face as he watched the figure draw nearer. \u201cAh, I—\u201d

\u201cHe didn\u2019t have to talk me into anything, Jack dear,\u201d Gibbs\u2019 life partner Donald Mallard retorted with a friendly smile on his face. \u201cThe wonders of modern technology allow me to still be of use back in Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Hey, Duck,” Gibbs gracefully offered his chair to his partner and planted a loving kiss on his cheek. “How’s Jimmy?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Oh, Jethro, they’ve got quite the intriguing case on their hands at the moment.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo they?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Would you care to hear about it?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gibbs hesitated, glancing toward Jack. “I don’t want to bore Jack with\u2014”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Oh, yes, let’s hear it,” O’Neill chimed in as he skillfully reeled in a fish. “Interesting cases are the best kind of stories.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery well,\u201d Ducky smiled contently as Gibbs sat down on the dock and continued to fish, but only after taking a large swig of his bottle. Ducky was telling the story of Petty Officer Vincent Micheal who had been found in a vault where classified government documents had been kept. The Petty Officer wasn’t deceased, but he had been drugged, bound, and gagged within the vault, and the classified documents were missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With every detail Ducky shared, the gravity of the situation became more apparent. The missing papers contained crucial information and the fate of national security hung in the balance. The Petty Officer had been cleared as a suspect almost immediately, seeing has he didn\u2019t have access to the vault, and was shown on CCTV footage to have been tied up and blindfolded serving as a helpless hostage to the culprits who seemed to have the access code to the vault.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The suspect pool was small, and after the body of Petty Officer First Class Bobby Johnson was found, the investigative team had hit what appeared to be a dead end. Until today, that is. Until Jimmy Palmer, with his earnest dedication to his work, had carefully laid out the body for Ducky and shared crucial case details with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jack listened intently, his curiosity piqued. “There’s no CCTV footage of them leaving the area with the papers, is there?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Correct, Jack,” Ducky affirmed with a knowing smile, recognizing the wheels turning in his friend’s sharp mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe papers are still there, likely hidden,\u201d Gibbs offered, having drawn a map of the crime scene in his mind. He also knew that particular vault very well. \u201cThere\u2019s no CCTV inside the vault, only on the outside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Ducky nodded appreciatively. “Precisely, Jethro. It seems our culprits may have concealed the documents within the vault itself, waiting for the right opportunity to retrieve them discreetly.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt times like these I do miss the excitement of a good stakeout,\u201d Gibbs mused as he took another swig of the bottle. \u201cAny idea what killed the POFC?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe death of poor Officer Johnson is unfortunately not related to the case, although his body was found in Petty Officer Vincent Micheal\u2019s office,\u201d Ducky retorted, watching as both men reeled in their fish. \u201cThey were co-workers, but Jimmy has already proven that there was no foul play in Johnson\u2019s death, just a long history of medical ailments. The only reason Johnson was at the office was to clear his desk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuch a shame,\u201d Jack said as he put the fish in the bucket and took a swig of his bottle, having seen the wide array of emotions flashing across Gibbs\u2019 face during Ducky\u2019s story. Nostalgia. Regret. He knew his friend missed the work, but he could also understand why he wanted to retire; Gibbs genuinely seemed happy here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn any case, what brings you to Alaska, Jack?\u201d Ducky asked, his curiosity piqued, especially as it had been a few years since he and Jethro had seen the General.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, Gibbs wrote me a letter,\u201d Jack retrieved the paper from his pocket with a playful grin on his face and waved it around. \u201cI couldn\u2019t pass that up, he\u2019d likely come and find my ass for ignoring it anyway if I hadn\u2019t.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDamn straight,\u201d Gibbs nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut here\u2019s a question,\u201d O\u2019Neill said as he put the fishing rod down and leaned forward to address himself to Gibbs who was still sitting on the dock. \u201cWe\u2019ve recently had a shake up at our Office of Special Investigations, and I think there\u2019s room to improve. I think with a new commander at the helm, we can make it run more efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you asking for recommendations?\u201d Gibbs asked, taking another swig of his bottle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

O\u2019Neill\u2019s expression was dead serious. \u201cNo, I\u2019m offering you a job, Gibbs. The only person you report to is me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs this a joke?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

O’Neill’s expression remained the same as he responded, “No joke, Gibbs. I know you as my friend. On top of that, I’ve been following your career, and I know what you bring to the table. We need someone like you to whip things into shape at the Office of Special Investigations.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just retired,\u201d Gibbs responded, but the wheels in his head turning with the possibilities. They had been discussing Jack\u2019s lack of retirement earlier, and that was simply because they kept giving Jack the fun jobs. Leading OSI would be a completely new challenge.

Ducky placed a gentle hand on Gibbs\u2019 shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. \u201cJethro, perhaps this is an opportunity worth considering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gibbs looked at his two closest friends; one his lover, the other his former lover. The water around them were reflecting in the fading sunlight. Whatever the decision would be, he knew that his future would be severely impacted, but in that moment, he couldn\u2019t help but smile. A fun job, such a fun twist. \u201cI\u2019ll think about it,\u201d he said as he reached for the bucket of fish. \u201cBut first, we eat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n