dsmarian1 data

[dsmarian1]

Title: The Thousandth Man
Author: dsmarian1
Rating: pg13, for language
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Any mistakes are mine.


The bell over the door sounded as Abby entered the tattoo parlor.
"Hey George, ready to lay some ink on me?"
"Just a sec Abby-girl . Jaynes gotta open the circle on our last customer"
"Say what?"
"You know, some of our pagan customers want to have their tats done in sacred space so Jayne casts a circle, wafts a little sage and then applies the design."
"Ah, so that is what I smell. I thought I might have to turn you in for the smoking of some illicit substances."
"Christ, Abby, you work for your old man Gibbs at NCIS and you go all narc on me." George grabbed Abby in a bear hug, which turned into a headlock, and he then applied a few noogies on her head
"Ow, ow George you big galoot, let me go or I'll rip out some of your more sensitive piercings. Besides Gibbs is not my old man." Abby protested.
"But your medical records said…" Abby cut George off before he could finish the thought.
"Hey, I only gave you my medical history because, despite your looking like a hells angel, you run a legit, clean tattoo establishment. When that a-hole accused you of spreading hepatitis a few years ago I was willing to give up my records to clear you and because I trust you. The info about Gibbs is not for general consumption. Besides you, only my doctor, parents, Gibbs and Ducky, actually know. I want to leave it that way."
"Whoa Abby I was just kidding you. I thought you were ok with the whole donor thing."
"Yeah I'm ok with it but I love my dad and he is the guy who raised me with my mom." Abby aid defensively.
"Park it Abby," George indicated a nearby chair "I don't want to fubar our relationship by putting my foot in my mouth. Jaynes's gonna be a while yet. Why don't you give me some details so I don't mess up again."
"Listen to you George , using words like fubar. You sound like Gibbs when he is in full marine mode". Abby smirked.
"Hey, I was a marine."
"No way!" a shocked Abby replied.
"Not all ex marines clean up like your old ma…er boss. I did a tour in viet nam, Hell, I'm older then your boss."
"To me you are just a big kid George."
"Don't change the subject Abby. What's is the deal?"
"It's just that I didn't know that my dad wasn't my real dad until I was grown and I was told, up until that time, that Gibbs was just a friend of the family. The disease my dad had as a kid that made him deaf, also made him sterile. It took me a while to get over being ticked off at my folks and Gibbs when I learned that my dad was sterile and Gibbs did them a favor. They tried to pass it off as some brotherhood BS but I still get a little squicked if I think about it too much."
"What is it with you chicks anyway? You want guys who are sensitive and able to share emotional bonds but then you damn the bonds of brotherhood. Just because guys don't show emotion in the same way a women does or use flowery words doesn't mean what we feel ain't just as valid."
"Ah c'mon George how do you think I felt?"
"What about what your dad felt? What do you think a man feels when he knows he's shooting blanks? It makes him feel like less of a man. Do you know what it does to a mans pride to ask his friend to help? What about those raging bigots who thought your deaf parents shouldn't have kids? There is only one thing that makes it all worthwhile and that thing is love, baby. I bet all the pain and suffering was worth it when your dad first held his baby girl in his arms and I bet he thanked god that he had a brother in all but blood there to give him that gift of a beautiful girl. Love of a child, love of a brother, it's all about love."
"I guess you are right George. I know all that in my head but sometimes I still have the hurt feelings of a kid." Abby sighed "Y'know, with all this talk of love, maybe that's why I was surprised to hear you were a marine." Abby teased.
"It’s a good thing your father and Gibbs love you because you are such a mouthy brat."
"I don't know that Gibbs loves me. Dad… yes . Gibbs..who knows?"
"Hey, he feeds you gallons of carbonated caffeinated beverages so that's got to mean something."
"True. I actually cornered him once and asked him how he felt about me."
"Did he do the stoic marine thing?"
"Well I encouraged him first with a few drinks."
"Define a few."
Abby just grinned evilly
"So what did you do with an ex gunny, once he was three sheets to the wind?"
"I asked him how he felt about being my dad. He gets ticked off and said:
"I am not your f'ing dad. That man who raised you is. And don't ask me why I did what I did 'cause it's for your dad to say." Abby quoted Gibbs in her best, slurred drunken marine voice and then continued, " Your dad did more for me than I can ever repay and.. "
Abby stopped her recitation.
"What else did he say, Abby?" George asked.
"That's it. He just sort of stopped talking, called a cab, and left the bar. I never did find out what my dad did for him either."
"It sounds to me like they were each other's thousandth man." George speculated.
"What does that mean George?"
"Well I'm not sure I'm quoting this right but it is something like:"
"One man in a thousand will fight by you until death,"
"But the thousandth man will fight by you until death and then after"
"I like that thought." Abby stared off into space thoughtfully and then, inspired, said "Hey George, can we do two tattoo s today?"
"What, no bleeding rose tat?"
"I still want that one but I also want one to symbolize both my dad and Gibbs. Here is the design idea I have. Abby reached for pencil and paper.

A few days later Abby was showing Kate the bleeding rose tattoo on her shoulder. Nearby Kate saw an unusual glyph tattoo that she had never seen before.
"What is this Abby? It looks like the scientific symbol for male with the letter m in the circle."
"Oh that is a personal secret Kate." Only Abby and George knew the significance of the circle with an arrow and the Roman numeral for a thousand within.
"I bet Gibbs knows. I don't know how he does it but he always knows about your tattoos. I remember he knew about the one on your ankle before you showed it to McGee."
"Well, he just going to have to guess about this one." Abby said and then thought to herself
*When he tells me what dad did for him is when I'll tell him the meaning of this tat. *
"ABBY" They heard Gibbs shout. "Where is the result of the mass spec on that sample Tony gave you? " Gibbs handed Abby the very large drink he was carrying…"What the hell is that on your shoulder?"
The two women grinned knowing that it would bug Gibbs no end until he found out the meaning of the tattoo.
"That's for me to know and you to find out." Abby dodged Gibbs hand as he tried to grab the drink. No fair holding my caffeine hostage. I'll go get the mass spec results."
She scampered off.
Tony and Kate looked at this exchange with amusement but hurried back to work as Gibbs fixed them with his trademark icy glare. He then followed Abby to the lab.
Somehow he knew it was going to be a long day.

[Dinozzo'sChick]

:)This was good...i never would have thought to write a story where gibbs was abby's dad...i think that you should make a sequel...you know let gibbs in on the secret of the her tat...and maybe even let the rest of the gang in on the whole secret....lol

[dsmarian1]

Thanks for the feedback, Dinozzo's Chick. In the update thread I did the how and why of this fic. I was not enamoured of the idea but a challenge was issued and the plot bunny bit me hard. I think this will be a one shot as there is the canon issue of Abby's sibling(s?) to deal with. I also like the idea of Abby keeping Gibbs guessing ( I am evil that way). I Have a couple of other fics in the works. Thanks for the suggestions.

[nikkinor]

More fics, can't wait for those.

[LJ]

Your concept is incredible, your emotions are great, your dialogue is mostly good, and your presentation needs a little polishing.

Interesting idea! Even if it wasn't entirely yours (i.e. a challenge), I doubt the challenge mentioned a) the donor angle, or b) the relationship between Gibbs and Abby's parents.

The only problems were formatting and a maybe a little grammar, but very minor. Overall, good work!

[dsmarian1]

Thank you , It is so good to hear constructive feedback.
You are right the idea was only the parent concept. The donor angle was the only way i could conceive of it being remotely feasable, if not canon. I could not ignore the canon element of Gibbs knowing Abby's parents.
As to the dialogue and grammar (these two go hand in hand for me )
I tend to ignore some rules of grammar because I try to make the dialogue flow in a conversational way( I don't always succeed).
I also tend to favor characters speaking over descriptive exposition and this makes formatting that much harder. ( all that &%@# punctuation)
I thank you for your indulgence on these faults and for the praise on the stuff you liked.
Normally, I might send this message directly to you. As there are new writers (or old writers new to NCIS) coming to the list wanting pointers and help, I like to think such postings can be of some value.

[dsmarian1]

Title: A Dish Served Cold
Author: Marian
Category: Humor
Warnings/rating: PG
Disclaimer: NCIS is not mine. Any mistakes are.

Tony was going into Abby's lab. As he opened the door he heard voices and stopped before the persons talking saw him. Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing as he shamelessly eavesdropped on a conversation between Kate and Abby.

"No way, Abby. There is absolutely no way you could get Gibbs into…well… you know….that kind of stuff".
"Given the right incentive , I know Gibbs would wear, exactly , what I said."
Tony wondered what Abby was trying to get Gibbs to wear.
* Probably some kind of tux or other kind of monkey suit chicks are always so hot to get guys to wear. * Tony thought to himself.
What he heard next caused his jaw to drop to the floor.
"You can get Gibbs to wear hosiery?". Kate sounded aghast.
"Yep" Abby firmly asserted.
"Latex? "Kate questioned
"Uh-huh"
"Make-up? Purple eye shadow? " Kate pressed for confirmation.
"Oh yeah." Abby assured her.
"And then he'll let you pour syrup on him?"
"You got it baby" Abby smugly replied
"STOP" Tony cried out as he rushed over to Abby and Kate.
"You gotta be kidding". He looked at each woman in disbelief.
"Tony this was a private conversation." Kate snapped.
"Yeah this is just between us girls." Abby said.
"No way ", Tony insisted, " I had to be in on such an interesting topic of conversation and, based on what I just heard, I have to agree with my wise colleague, Kate. I also say that there is no way that you'll get Gibbs into that kind of weird stuff."
"Thank you Tony for your support." Kate smiled.
Tony grinned back at Kate, then turned to Abby, "That’s right. There has to be something at stake for a deal like this."
Disgusted, Kate said "You are trying to turn this into a bet? Why am I not surprised?"
"C'mon Kate, you said that Gibbs would never do this and I agree."
"I know Gibbs would wear everything I said." Abby assured them.
"Bet me then." Tony held out his hand in the time-honored way to start the betting process.
"Dinozzo, I am arguing this as a point of honor. Gibbs won't do it." Kate insisted.
"He will." said Abby.
"Abby, the day Gibbs puts on hose, latex, make-up, and syrup, is the day I would do an assignment in drag." Tony bragged.
"Really?" Abby brightened up "I bet you'd look great in a leather mini skirt."
"Which is something you are never going to see, since Gibbs won't let himself fall for your diabolic al scheme." Tony confidently replied.
"Fine, I'll take you up on that bet. The day I get Gibbs in the aforementioned items you, Anthony Dinozzo, will dress like a girl." Abby declared.
"Done." Tony and Abby shook hands as Tony added:
"If I win and Gibbs doesn't do what you say… Hmm, I'm going to have to think of a suitable prize to collect. " Tony mulled over the possibilities.
"I know! Abby doing a makeover for herself as Mrs. Brady for a day here at NCIS."
"Eeewww" Abby shuddered at the thought of 70's polyester and blond shag hair.
Kate had her hand over her mouth and was shaking her head as Dinozzo left the lab.
Removing her hand, Kate broke up laughing and Abby joined her.
"He fell for it." Kate gasped out between fits of laughter.
"Yes Kate. I told you he would." The two high fived each other.
"Do you think this will make him stop butting into my business and being a sexist pig?" Kate asked.
"No, but we will get to see him all girly like. You can give him grief him for months."
Kate sighed in happy anticipation.

One week later

"Dinozzo, Todd, Abby. Don't forget about tomorrow at 6 a.m.!" Gibbs ordered.
"What's up boss?" Dinozzo asked.
"It's the time to go to the mall." Gibbs answered.
"What mall?"
"The one being demolished." At Tony's look of confusion, Gibbs continued,
"Dinozzo , didn't you read the memo last month?"
"Which one?"
"The one from homeland security about interagency cooperation and training."
"Is that tomorrow?"
"Yeah." Gibbs gave Tony a look that indicated his patience was running low.
"So early?" Tony failed to notice the look.
"You got a problem with that?" Gibbs asked in a deceptively soft voice.
"Well, I kind of have a breakfast appointment and…" Gibbs stare finally registered and Tony stopped before he dug himself in deeper.
Before Gibbs blew a gasket Kate and Abby intervened.
"Don't worry Gibbs, it will take time to get things set up and get our part ready. " Abby assured him.
"Tony only needs to show up a half-hour before things begin." Kate added.
Not questioning a gift horse in the mouth, Tony sidled up to Kate. He wrapped an arm across her shoulders, while appealing to Gibbs "I'll bring your favorite coffee, boss."
"You'll bring us all our drinks for the day." Gibbs stated.
"No problem." Tony quickly left the premises.
"What are you two grinning about?" Gibbs asked Abby and Kate.
"Nothing." they replied in unison
*I don't want to know. * Gibbs thought as he left for the night.

At 8 a.m. the next day, Tony arrived at the mall. He was amazed at how it looked like a real disaster area.
Smoke was rising from the roof. Cars were wrecked and bloody bodies littered the ground.
Looking around the site, he stopped and put the drinks on a nearby table .
"Tony over here." called Kate. She was standing near a trailer.
"What's going on, Kate?"
"This is a disaster training simulation to test interagency emergency response. The papers and ZNN are here to show the public that we can all play nice together."
Considering NCIS colorful history with other agencies , Tony asked, "Don't tell me that Gibbs one of the head honchos?"
"No, we're lucky to be lower on the hierarchy, but we are still required to participate in the scenario. " Kate smiled innocently. "In fact, we have your stuff ready for you."
"What am I doing?" Tony did not trust that smile
"Well, the agencies wanted each of their people to represent a cross section of the population by acting as victims in this scenario." Kate clarified.
"What does that mean?" Tony had a bad feeling.
"You know- women, men, kids, Latino, African Americans, rich, poor, and…"
"And what?" Tony pressed for an answer.
"Transgendered. Ah, here's Abby with your outfit." Kate pointed to Abby who had just entered the area.
Abby handed Tony a black leather mini-skirt, a flowered blouse, fishnet stockings, heels and a wig.
"No, no, no! I won't do it!" Tony backed away.
"You said you would." Abby pouted.
"When?"
"Last week.. You know.. The bet?" Kate prodded.
"Yeah, but I don't see Gibbs prancing around in drag!" Tony exclaimed.
"We never said Gibbs would be in drag." Abby batted her lashes.
"But you said he'd be in hose, make up, latex, and syrup." Tony said on a note of panic.
"Dinozzo you have a dirty mind." Kate admonished.
"C'mon, all that stuff equals kinky to me. What else could it be."
"DINOZZO, get ready and get you ass over here!" A familiar voice shouted
Tony turned to see a corpse in the parking lot, rise to a sitting position.
"Er Gibbs? Is that you?"
"Move it Dinozzo!" The order issued forth from a bloody mouth.
Abby and Kate gleefully lead Tony to a nasty looking , severely injured Gibbs.
"Here you go Tony. Gibbs decked out, as promised." Kate smiled.
"I don't see the hose." Tony searched the body. Gibbs glared at him.
"It's on the right leg." Abby indicated.
Gibbs was wearing pants with the fabric torn off at mid thigh. There appeared to be a compound fracture, penetrating the skin of his lower leg.
Abby started pointing "You see Tony I know my slasher movie make up. A quick and dirty fracture uses a stocking to cover the leg . Cut a hole in which to put a fake bone. There's latex around the edge to simulate torn skin, purple eye shadow for bruising and karo syrup with red dye for blood. The bruising and blood on the rest of him was pure self indulgence on my part."
"That’s cheating." Tony protested.
"No, we just talked about what we could get Gibbs into and your sick mind did the rest."
"But.." Tony sputtered
"Where's my coffee?" Gibbs interrupted.
Glad for what seemed to be a reprieve from the possibility of doing the unthinkable, Tony pointed. "I put it on the table over there and… Oh no."
The absence of coffee on the table was enough to make Tony cringe.
"You WHAT? " Gibbs leaned close to Tony. With the deceptively soft tone that Tony knew heralded disaster, Gibbs said ,
"With all the other agents around you honestly didn't think to actually hand it to me?"
"Don't move Gibbs, you'll ruin my work of gory art." Abby begged.
"We know how to make him pay ,Gibbs." Kate held up the leather skirt ensemble.
Gibbs stretched his made -up lips into a cadaverous, wicked, grin.
"Suit up." he directed Tony.
"But boss…"
"Do it!"
Abby led Tony away to dress.
As he lay back down, Gibbs thought on a tardy agents and lost coffee.
Kate contemplated a fellow agent who had pushed the boundaries much too often.
Two minds with but one thought:
"Revenge is a dish best served cold."
And to that end Gibbs looked at Kate
"Kate?"
"Yes Gibbs?"
Gibbs smirk shone through the gore.
"Go get that camera crew from ZNN."

[littlecate]

that was sssssssssssoooooooo good i couldnt stop laughing

[nikkinor]

That was good, I laughed so hard. ;D