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Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
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Published:
2020-11-05
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1,119
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1/1
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Worth every cent

Summary:

To raise money for NCIS dependents, Jethro organizes a Charity auction. Taking their seats, his team realize he hasn’t arrived.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Disclaimer: The characters from the show aren't mine, they belong to others. No copyright infringement intended. Any characters you don't recognize are mine. Feedback would be nice, positive feedback would be nicer. Enjoy!

Category: NCIS gen fic

Rating: Suitable for all

Characters: Gibbs and the gang

Series: No

Spoilers: Anything up to the end of S4 might slip in, and beware of the Notes below…

Summary: To raise money for NCIS dependents, Jethro organizes a Charity auction. Taking their seats, his team realize he hasn’t arrived.

Archive: Just tell me where it's going and keep my name attached

Additional 'stuff': I’m offering this one to you, the readers. I have some ideas for the second part, but tell me what you want to see and I’ll write the most unusual/popular/strange one I can hang a story on. Just two things – no crossovers or character death suggestions please!

WARNING: None

Notes: The NCIS/health cover/retirement thing might not be right, but it fits my needs. In early eps, Jethro mentions he pays three alimonies. In later eps, we find out Tobias married one of his ex-wives. Surely Tobias, not Jethro, would be paying her alimony, which leaves two…

**************************************

Title: Worth every cent

Jethro’s conscience had been pricked when he’d spoken to a former co-worker while attending a funeral for another.

Retired for several years, the man was having to send his eldest boy to Community College because the college fund he’d saved since the boy was old enough to talk had been spent on his wife’s cancer treatment.

Retiring from NCIS his health cover had become an expense he couldn’t keep up, and he’d cut back. Three months later, the wife had been diagnosed.

Jethro sympathized but knew there was nothing he could do but offer moral support. Paying two alimonies, his own financial situation wasn’t exactly comfortable.

But it bothered him and he found himself thinking about it for the following few days.

******************************
NCIS HQ, a few days later…

Riding up in the elevator, Jethro’s usual impatient expression was replaced with a smile, and, passing his bemused team, he jogged up the stairs to Jen’s office, breezing in with his usual disregard of Cynthia or the closed office door.

Cynthia didn’t bother to try to stop him – the Director was alone and eating her breakfast over her morning emails – and smiled resignedly as she made a note of his time of arrival in the diary under her hand then picked up the phone to push the 7.30 am appointment the Director had back.

Closing the door behind him, Jethro sat on the edge of the desk, handed over one of the two coffees he was carrying and waited until Jen looked up.

‘Something I can help you with Special Agent Gibbs?’

‘I need to organize a fundraiser.’

Sighing inwardly, Jen reached for the coffee, sipped it, grimacing at the strong Jamaican blend Jethro favored, and sat back. ‘For?’

‘Retired NCIS personnel.’

Jen nodded. ‘What are you thinking? Silent auction?’

Jethro frowned. ‘Silent what?’

Jen smiled. ‘You write down a bid for something and the highest bidder at the end of the evening gets it.’

Jethro shook his head. ‘That’s stupid. You have to wait the whole evening to find out what you won?’

Jen hoped her meeting with the JAG second-in-command was being rearranged as she spoke.

‘What did you have in mind Jethro?’ Jen sat back and steepled her fingers, an eyebrow raised.

‘How about…I dunno…’ Jethro was cross at not having thought the idea all the way through.

‘Why don’t you think about it and come and see me at the end of the day?’ Jen suggested, not wanting her meeting to have to be pushed back past lunch.

Jethro nodded and strode out.

Sighing, Jen followed him out, extending her hand to the man who got to his feet as she appeared in the doorway ‘Thank you for waiting Commander.’

********************************

Jethro had, reluctantly, consulted his team on the fundraiser idea, and been surprised at the range of ideas they came up with.

Jen’s stupid silent auction seemed the most popular idea and he quickly sat on the repeated similar suggestions with increasing sharpness. The open plan Squad Room didn’t lend itself to private conversations and the entire third floor heard his ‘FOR GOD SAKE’S NO, NO SILENT AUCTION!!’

A number of people who had been about to suggest the idea crossed it off their notepads and found something to do which didn’t include making eye contact with the scowling silver-haired agent as he headed out for a coffee refill.

******************************

Two weeks later…

Tim had on a tailored suit, Ziva had on a slinky black mini dress and Abby had on a red leather pants suit.

Ducky had on a tuxedo finished with a yellow and polka dot bow tie and sat beside Jenny who had chosen a calf-length shimmering grey silk dress.

Tony sat back, grinning, his own midnight blue silk shirt and Armani suit making their table easily the best, and most expensively, dressed at the benefit dinner.
Then he realized one of the chairs at their table was empty. ‘Um, where’s the boss Duck?’

The ME frowned and scanned the room. ‘After all the effort Jethro put into this evening, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s lying exhausted somewhere.’

Tony smiled, but he was concerned. True, Gibbs had taken on organizing the event himself, but he’d delegated most of the tasks involved and Tony doubted the effort had done the boss any physical damage.

*************************************

The end of the evening…

Jen got up, the small piece of paper held in her hand. After a few seconds, the room fell silent and everyone looked up at her expectantly. Looking around, she realized the one person she was sure would have been there wasn’t in the audience.

‘Thank you everyone for coming tonight and being so generous.’

There was a smattering of applause while Jen opened the sheet of paper and looked up, smiling.

‘Well, tonight, we raised…’ She paused as the cell phones of everyone on table seven, including her own, in the purse on the seat beside Ducky, rang at once.

‘Um…we…raised…’

Tony, Ziva, Tim and Ducky got to their feet as she started speaking again and Abby walked over to the stage after a hurried, and whispered, conversation with Tim.

Jen rushed the words she had planned to deliver with a dramatic pause. ‘Um…seven thousand six hundred dollars.’

Moving to the edge of the stage, she hissed: ‘What is it Abby?’

Her face showing her shock, Abby whispered: ‘Gibbs is…’

Jen felt her heart stop. ‘Gibbs is *what* Abby?!’

Continued in Part Two…

Notes:

This orphaned work was originally on Pejas WWOMB posted by author fanficwriter101.
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