Twenty-Five Years
by Periwinkle

Written For NCIS_tinsel

Request: Include Gibbs/Ducky and do not include Jen
Rating: PG-13
Warnings/Spoilers: none
Genre: Slash
Pairings: Gibbs/Ducky
Word Count: 1331
Can an artist make cover art for this story? yes

Disclaimer: NCIS and all its characters are the property of Donald P. Bellisario and CBS. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a work of fan fiction and I am not making any money off of it.

Author's Note: ignores "Hiatus" and assumes Gibbs and Ducky met long ago.

Gibbs had found it hard to decide what to get Ducky for Christmas; they’d been together now in some fashion or another for twenty-five years and he wanted the gift to be meaningful and special. He had finally found something he thought expressed what he wanted to say and now he was wrapping it preparatory to going over to spend some time on Christmas Day with Ducky and Mrs. Mallard. He just hoped that Ducky would get the message he was trying to convey with the gift. Twenty-five years of friendship. Loving and something more. Something indescribable, some sort of bond between them that made them closer than just lovers or friends. To call Ducky his “lover” didn’t begin to touch on the full meaning of their relationship. For Ducky was by turns also his protector, his comforter, his companion, his shoulder to cry on, his pal to get drunk with. Gibbs smiled as a multitude of memories flashed through his head. Twenty-five years. How to show Ducky how much the man meant to him? He needed the perfect gift, one that would express what he couldn’t put into words. Gibbs knew he was poor about telling Ducky that he loved him. It wasn’t his nature to put things into words. He shook his head ruefully, thinking of missed opportunities, times when he should have spoken but never did. He needed a Christmas present for Ducky that could speak for him and say all the words he should have.

Twenty-five years. Four wives. And always Ducky there as the constant in his life, never judging, never refusing to love him no matter what his Jethro did. Gibbs knew Ducky didn’t always approve of his actions, knew he had torn Ducky apart each time he married (especially as Ducky had known the last three wives wouldn’t work out), and yet Ducky had stuck with him. Gibbs didn’t know what he had done to earn such loyalty; he knew he didn’t deserve it. What he did know was that he never wanted to go through life without Ducky by him. He also knew that it was way past time to tell the older man how much he loved him. Twenty-five years. He had just been a grunt when Ducky had returned from Viet Nam to work stateside for the rest of his tour-of-duty. Gibbs had needed something from Med and run into Ducky there. Something had clicked between them, Gibbs still wasn’t sure he could identify what it was, but they had sat talking long after Gibbs should have gone back to his quarters. After that, anytime they were both free they would meet for coffee and chat. Gibbs was fairly sure he had fallen in love with Ducky that very first day, although recognition had been slow in coming.

Twenty-five years ago, Marines had to be discreet about liaisons. If it was discovered that the serviceman, or woman, was a homosexual the soldier was immediately dishonorably discharged from the service. So he and Ducky had been discreet. Both of them hid their homosexuality deeply; so much so that Gibbs didn’t pick up on Ducky’s interest in him until one day when Gibbs was stressed out and falling apart and Ducky took him in his arms to soothe him. Then Ducky had laid a soft kiss on Gibbs’ head, apparently meaning to comfort him. Gibbs, surprised, had moved to look up at Ducky and in moving had rubbed against Ducky’s unmistakable desire for him. But when Gibbs leaned up to kiss Ducky, Ducky had shook his head, and sadly said, “Not here, dear boy, and not now.” Gibbs had understood, but in his sleep that night he had dreamt of Ducky, kissing him and making love to him.

It had been a long frustrating time or the two of them, but when their bodies finally met, when they could show each other what they felt, it had been bliss. And it had remained bliss. They matched so well, and Gibbs had never stopped to think about life without Ducky, because he knew they would always be together. And they had always been together, until this year, when he had walked out and gone to Mexico. He had wounded Ducky deeply and Ducky was still showing some anger. Gone were “dear boy” and “Jethro,” replaced by “Agent Gibbs.” Gibbs cringed inside every time Ducky called him that. He knew it was deserved, that he had been cruel, and that didn’t lessen his guilty feelings at all. In addition, he knew that in some fashion he had to make it up to Ducky, to show him that he still cared; that Ducky was still the most important thing in his life.

Twenty-five years to be marked by this gift, so it was very important it be perfect.. Additionally, it needed to be an affirmation of love and an apology in one present. As he tied the bow on the top of the box, he smiled. He thought this would do it, if he knew his Ducky. As he had done whenever possible for the last twenty-five years, Gibbs drove to the Mallard residence, the gift tucked securely in his pocket, trying not to be nervous about Ducky’s reaction. When Ducky answered the door, Gibbs stepped inside and gave Ducky a hug, caressing his hair with his lips. “Merry Christmas, Ducky. It’s been a wonderful twenty-five years with you.” Ducky looked up at him and brushing his lips against Gibbs’ lips, replied “Happy Christmas” then pulled Gibbs’ head down for a longer kiss. The kiss was sweet and soft and oh so Ducky and Jethro reveled in it as he kissed his lover back. Jethro then deepened the kiss until he felt Ducky react, moving his hands up and down Gibbs’ back.

“Duck” Gibbs said.

“Yes, dearest?”

Warmed by the name he hadn’t heard in months, Gibbs said to Ducky, “Let me take you to bed. Let me show you some love.”

“I don’t need you to show me to know of it, Jethro,” Ducky replied, “but reaffirmation is always welcome.” Gibbs noticed a bit of a twinkle in Ducky’s eye and realized that his lover was had already begun to forgive him. He sighed in relief, than took Ducky’s hand in his. They went upstairs, where they began a private Christmas Celebration.

Twenty-five years had attuned them to each other. Thinking only of their partner and not themself, they knew just what to do to produce the reactions they wanted from each other. It was both comfortable and amorous, joined together in body and soul, each wishing to bring the other joy and happiness as they each gave the other the greatest Christmas gift of all.

Later, when they had finished and were nestled comfortably in each other’s arms, Gibbs excused himself and got up to get a warm washcloth, snatching up the gift on the way. He cleansed Ducky, and dried him, did the same to himself, and crawled back into the nest they had made in the bed. Giving the gift to Ducky, feeling a bit anxious, he hoped that it would speak to Ducky and that Ducky would hear the message.

Ducky carefully removed the paper from the gift, lifted the lid and looked inside. Then his lip began to quiver. “Oh, Jethro …” and for the first time in twenty-five years, Gibbs saw Ducky become speechless. Gibbs took Ducky in his arms and kissed him on the cheek, glad that Ducky was so pleased. Ducky rested there for a few minutes until he had gathered himself together. Finally he reached in and pulled from the box two exquisite gold paperweights. Each paperweight was in the shape of a heart with Chinese characters engraved upon it. Ducky looked at the paperweights again, holding them in the palms of his hands so that he could read the Chinese and then carefully laid them on the table with the script facing up.

“Twenty-five years.”

“Forever.”