I thought the car ride was quiet. Standing here, waiting for their private plane to be ready for them is just listening to the silence get louder and louder.
Two men took their suitcases from them and already boarded them on the plane. The plane is being prepared in its own huge garage. There are men everywhere dressed in black. None of them seem to be talking to one another but on their earpieces. Looking at them doesn't make me feel better about Tim leaving to work with people he doesn't know.
They showed their badges when we made it to the garage. Then, the man looked at me and asked me if I was Melissa Peters. I didn't need to show him an NCIS ID, just my license. I guess they knew I was their driver tonight. Gibbs must have told them. There's no way I get passed anything if it isn't for him.
"Do they have a place for you guys to stay while you're there?" I'm not trying to make small talk. I just want my friends safe. I hope talking will help fight against the cold.
They shake theirs heads as much as they can with the wind hitting them. Abby is wrapped in her jacket and her arms. I don't know whether her eyes are watering because of her emotions or the wind. I can't tell for me either. I look at Tim and his eyes are fine. It must just be us.
A man with a blonde buzz cut hair comes up to us. "Alright, the plane is ready. You can board now. We leave in 10." He shouts because the have the plane started and the propeller going crazy.
10 minutes. The time where anything can be said. Anything can happen and the outcome can always change. All I have is 10 minutes with the people who have kept me afloat. I'm drowning in my feelings and my tears from the wind. Sure, the wind.
"Alright!" Abby throws her hands out of her pockets. "I go first because you guys are just too cute not be each other's last goodbye."
Tim looks at the ground and smiles when she says it. I want to look away, but I can't. My best friend is leaving me. It's not like I'm going to have anything to tell her about me and Tim since we won't be together. It was comforting knowing that she was in the lab or minutes away to talk to. A phone call is just not the same.
She stares at me with her big eyes. I see more water start to come out of her eyes. Before they fall, she throws herself on to me and tries to squeeze all my worries away.
"Peters. I'm going to miss you so much."
I have to wait before I can respond. If I talk, my tears will fall, and voice will crack. I hug her tighter. I shut my eyes even harder so the tears will stay back.
"Come on, now. This isn't goodbye. You'll be back. Just remember that." Easier said than done.
The fake fur on her coat rubs against my stuffy nose. I don't move. I just keep holding on until she needs to let go. Yes, need. If I had it my way and the way I wanted; they would be coming home with me right now.
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What Really Happens: NCIS
FanfictionGibbs rule #12 starts to have less purpose when Melissa Peters starts feeling the chemistry between her and Timothy McGee. Melissa is always cooped up in Abby's lab. Trying to do her job and keep her personal life as far away from the lab as possibl...