Chapter Text
Quiet reflection. That’s how Gibbs saw his life in Alaska. He loved going fishing and enjoying the vast, glorious nature that surrounded him. It didn’t take long for most of the people around Naktok Bay to accept him into their community. It helped that he was handy. At least he had good enough skills to barter or get paid in cash for what he needed to survive in the rustic, rural area. Aside from taking on carpentry and repair jobs, he also fished, hunted, and chopped firewood, which all amounted to more opportunities to earn money. His expenses were low, as he didn’t need much beyond the rent he paid for a rustic dry cabin, picking up a few cases of canned goods once in a while, and enough bourbon on hand to get him through the cold winter months.
As the temperatures began to drop, he would dress in layers, pulling his coat tighter around his lean frame as he sat outside at night next to his fire pit, watching the flames dance in the frigid air. Leaning his head back, Gibbs would stare into the sky and watch the stars. They were so clear and bright this far from any city. It felt like this was exactly where he belonged. However, he knew he couldn’t stay here forever and was counting on his gut to tell him when it was time to leave.
One day, Tony would retire, and they planned to live together in the Alexandria home. But for now, Tony was working in California for the FBI, and Gibbs was letting his body and mind settle into retirement by escaping to the small fishing town in Alaska.
Mail was slow to Naktok Bay, and Gibbs had no delivery service at the isolated cabin he was renting. Picking up mail and packages required a trip to the small post office in town. Gibbs didn’t get to town often. He also didn’t get much mail. His only real bill in Alaska was his rent, and the bills for his Alexandria house were being handled by his friends until he returned. Now and then, there was a letter or small parcel from Ducky, Tim, Tony, Fornell, or even Vera Strictland, and occasionally a letter or postcard from someone else, but never anything urgent so far.
Then one afternoon, Jack, the man who was renting the cabin to Gibbs, drove up in his old burgundy Bronco and honked the horn three times. Gibbs stepped outside to greet him and saw that Jack was holding an envelope in his hands.
“Millie at the diner said that Henry at the post office mentioned you’d gotten a letter from a lawyer. He thought it might be important and asked her to tell you about it next time you stopped by for coffee.”
Casually leaning against a post on the cabin’s porch, Gibbs lifted the mug he held. “Got coffee here,” he said plainly before taking another sip of the dark, hearty brew.
Jack smiled slightly and stepped closer, handing over the envelope. “I figured. That’s why I said I’d bring it out to you. And now, you’ve got mail.”
Gibbs nodded as he took the envelope and grunted out a brief, “Thanks.” He was already back inside the cabin before Jack turned his vehicle around and drove away.
Gibbs had been a reticent man much of his life, especially in later years. He had stories, lots of stories. There were many things he’d buried deep inside for far too many years. He wondered why any attorney would be bugging him and couldn’t imagine it would be anything urgent. Setting the envelope on his table, he added another log to his fireplace and used the poker to settle it in the perfect spot. His knees creaked. They weren’t as good as they used to be. Using the poker against the hearth, he pushed himself upright again and returned to his favorite chair in the cabin. It was an old, upholstered wingback chair, with a well-worn, faded green pattern of some sort, and a few stray threads poking out here and there. It wasn’t pretty, but it was still comfortable enough for him.
Next to the chair was a table with a few journals. Gibbs had been writing down his life’s stories, some dating back to his life with Shannon and Kelly. Others focused on his early time at NIS, working with Mike Franks, Lala, Vera, Randy, and the other people he’d known from Pendleton. The stories didn’t always come to him in chronological order; he just wrote whatever story popped into his head on any given day. Some made him smile; others brought the pain back to the surface, and he’d reach for the bottle of bourbon.
Later in the afternoon, he brewed more coffee and put a pot of beans on the grate over the fire. There was some deer meat in the fridge that he could grill over the open flame whenever he felt hungry enough for dinner.
Three hours after Jack’s visit, another vehicle arrived, and someone knocked firmly on the cabin door just as Gibbs settled back into his chair. “Crap!” he muttered aloud. “Who the hell is that?” He couldn’t remember the last time he had two separate visitors on the same day.
Pushing back the curtain, he peered out the window and saw Tunu Alonak’s blue and white pickup truck parked outside the cabin. And he wasn’t alone. Tunu never drove out Gibbs’ way just for idle chitchat. There was always a reason for the trip.
Blinking his eyes, Gibbs tried to adjust to the dimming light outside. It was dark enough that the vehicle’s headlights were on. Tunu had left the ignition running. A clear sign that he didn’t intend to hang around for long.
A passenger stepped out of the truck, silhouetted in the bright beams, wearing a baseball cap, with a backpack slung over his shoulder, and carrying a suitcase. Gibbs didn’t need to see his face. He could tell exactly who it was from the way the man walked. It wasn’t an expected visitor, but one who was always welcome.
Opening the cabin door, Gibbs nodded to Tunu. The man handed him a large fish wrapped in plastic and said he’d had a good catch earlier in the day.
Gibbs smiled, “Catch that, too?” he asked, nodding to the passenger, who was approaching the door.
Tunu smiled. “Saw the plane drop him off and figured he’d be needing a ride out here to see you. I gotta get back to the boat.”
Approaching the door, Tony DiNozzo smiled mildly. It was good to see Gibbs, but he hated that he had bad news to share.
“Staying long?” Gibbs asked as he stepped aside to allow Tony to enter before closing the door.
“No. I asked the pilot to come back in the morning.”
“Mighty long trip for such a brief stay,” Gibbs said as he pulled Tony into a tight hug.
Setting his suitcase down, Tony returned the hug. As they moved further inside the cabin, he explained, “I heard there was an attorney’s office trying to get hold of you. Tim was going to fly out, but he’s busy with the twins, so I volunteered. I wasn’t sure if I’d beat the letter here.”
“That one?” Gibbs asked as he nodded to the envelope sitting on the table.
Picking it up, Tony read the return address and rolled his eyes. “Yeah. How long have you had this?”
Closing the cabin’s door, Gibbs walked over to the fridge. “If you’re hungry, I have some deer meat and beans, or I could cook up that fish Tunu dropped off.”
“Deer meat is fine. Jethro, the letter? You haven’t even opened it.”
As he placed the meat on the grill, Gibbs listened to it sizzle on the hot grate. “My landlord dropped it off a few hours ago. I didn’t think it could possibly be anything that couldn’t wait until the morning.” Then he suddenly froze and turned to look Tony in the eye. “Ducky?” he asked softly.
Shaking his head, Tony divulged, “No, not Ducky. He’s off on another book tour. It’s… your Uncle Theo passed away. You’re listed as his executor, so the attorneys insisted on holding the body until you return to discuss the estate. They’ve been trying to reach you for a couple of weeks, leaving messages at your house and on your cell phone. When you didn’t return their calls after a few days, they finally called Ducky.”
“Who you said is on a book tour.”
“Yeah. He explained that you were on extended leave in an Alaskan fishing village with no phone access and gave them Tim’s phone number. Tim reached out to me, and here I am.”
“I’ll be ready to go in the morning,” Gibbs replied solemnly, as he flipped the deer meat steak on the fireplace grill. He gave the beans a good stir, then pushed himself back up and pulled out two plates along with some silverware, and set them on the table.
“I don’t recall you mentioning an Uncle Theo,” Tony said as he tossed his backpack onto the sofa and moved his suitcase from next to the front door, closer to the bed. Taking a seat at the table, he continued, “Not that you’ve ever spoken much about your family.”
Gibbs’ plates were metal, the sort of thing Tony imagined were used by the Marines while serving in combat zones. He watched as Gibbs bent over the pot of beans and ladled two scoops onto each plate. When the meat was ready, Gibbs pulled it onto his own plate, then cut it in half, and moved one piece over to Tony’s plate. It almost felt like old times, except that they were in a rustic cabin nestled in the Alaskan wilderness, rather than Gibbs’ home in Alexandria.
“Beer?” asked Gibbs.
“Sure. What side of the family is Uncle Theo from?” Tony tried again.
“Mom’s. He was my mother’s brother. You met him.”
Tony’s brows furrowed. “When?”
“Near the cabin back home. The neighbor with the lake and the horses,” said Gibbs as he placed two beer bottles on the table and took a seat.
“The old dude with the castle?”
Gibbs smiled as he spooned up some beans. “Yeah. Theo was the old guy with the castle near the cabin.”
Nodding, Tony admitted, “I never realized he was your uncle.”
“Didn’t I tell you I helped him build the castle in the summers?”
“Well, yeah. But you said your parents sent you out there to help because you were getting into trouble in Stillwater, not that he was a relative.”
“Both things can be true. I was sent to help my uncle, and also to keep me from getting into trouble back home.”
“I remember your stories about building the castle and riding horses in the fields.”
“And fishing in the pond.”
“I’m glad you have good memories of your uncle,” said Tony as he cut into the deer meat. “Food’s good.”
“Thanks.”
There were a few minutes of silence accented only by the sound of their silverware against the tin plates and an occasional crackling from the fireplace.
“Hey,” Tony said suddenly as he glanced up. “Does this mean the castle is yours now?”
Gibbs shrugged and drank his beer. He seemed lost in his thoughts for a few seconds before he replied, “Most likely. Theo never married and had no kids. There are other relatives, but he was closest to Mom and me. And I did bond with him over building that castle in the summers.” Another minute passed before he shrugged again and added, “Or maybe he donated everything to charity.”
Tony checked his watch. “Well, I promised to bring you back with me, unless you want to make other arrangements.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“We’ll have an early flight to catch, then can rest up at your house in Alexandria, and meet with the attorneys the next day. I can go with you if you want me to.”
“Are you on vacation or something?”
“Yeah, something. My team’s cases are caught up, plus we have a new guy just assigned to us who is learning the ropes. It’s a good time for me to take a few days off. Of course, if my boyfriend is the lord of his own castle, maybe I’ll need to rethink going back at all.”
The comment earned a hearty laugh from Gibbs as he pushed back from the table and took his empty plate and flatware over to the sink. “We’d better get some rest tonight. It’ll be a long flight home.”
“I packed light if you need me to carry anything,” Tony offered.
“As the potential lord of a castle, I think I can afford to check a couple of bags.”
~~~ *** ~~~
The time they spent apart never created any barriers between them. Tony had visited the cabin a few times since Gibbs decided to remain in Alaska. They were always able to manage their bedtime routines around each other. They shared the only bed in the cabin. There was no need for Tony to ask which side. He undressed, then slipped between the sheets, covered by a blanket and a thick comforter, and knowing that Gibbs’ arm would wrap around his bare waist a couple of minutes later.
They both slept well. When Tony awoke, Gibbs was gone from the cabin, but there was a note on the table that said there was coffee made and that Gibbs had gone up the road to talk to Jack about vacating the cabin. Tony could tell from the amount of packed luggage sitting next to the door that Gibbs wasn’t planning to return.
While he’d never say anything aloud, Tony was secretly very pleased. He smiled broadly. While he loved Gibbs wholeheartedly, getting to Naktok Bay was a royal pain in his ass in the best of times, and Tony didn’t feel that he was built for the rustic lifestyle that Gibbs so easily blended into.
Tony snooped around the kitchen, hoping to find something he could use to doctor up Gibbs’ ultra-strong black coffee, and settled for adding a little milk and a pack of hot chocolate mix. It wasn’t ideal, but he never could choke the stuff down straight.
There wasn’t much to look at in the cabin. The fireplace was down to glowing embers. Tony chose to grab one of the warm, thick throws and go sit on the porch and stare at nature as he drank the coffee. The cabin had no television, DVD player, computer, or any cell service. Shaking his head, he knew he would never understand the allure it held for Gibbs.
At least it was late spring. Had it been during winter, it would have been next to impossible to get to Naktok Bay and this isolated cabin.
Closing his eyes, Tony enjoyed the warmth of the sun shining down on his face and imagined he was someplace with a few more amenities.
Several minutes later, Jack pulled up in his Bronco, with Gibbs in the passenger seat. Exiting the vehicle, Gibbs called to Tony, “Wash your cup. Jack’s going to give us a ride to the dock.”
Tony nodded, then gulped down the rest of the mixed brew before going inside to wash the mug while Gibbs grabbed their luggage and loaded it into the back of Jack’s Bronco. They made sure the fireplace embers were out and cleaned up the fireplace. The coffee pot was returned to the kitchen and washed out, and then Gibbs did a final check around the cabin.
Finding nothing else needing his attention, Gibbs shooed Tony out the door, locked it, and handed the key to Jack. “Let’s roll,” he said.
Traveling down the gravel roads at a slow pace took a while, but they finally reached the dock. After unloading their luggage, Gibbs thanked Jack and told him there was a fresh fish and some other meat in the fridge and freezer he could take, give away, or pitch. Leaving Tony with the bags, Gibbs walked over to the Cecelia, Tunu’s fishing boat that was painted blue and white, very similar to his pickup truck.
It was a sunny, cool day. Tony stood on the dock watching Gibbs until he disappeared. At that point, Tony kept an eye out for the small aircraft to arrive. His stomach growled, and he wished they had time to grab breakfast. Gibbs’ coffee was nearly strong enough to wake the dead, but did little to satisfy one’s hunger.
Not long after the plane could be heard overhead, it dropped into view and landed on the lake, then puttered over to the dock. Tony and the pilot had just finished loading and securing the luggage when Gibbs reappeared, carrying what appeared to be sandwiches wrapped in wax paper and placed in a clear plastic bag.
It was a short flight to a larger airport, where they would catch another flight. They’d have to make a couple of other short hops before boarding a larger plane headed to DC. As they waited, Gibbs dug into the bag he’d been holding, took out one sandwich for himself, and handed another one to Tony.
“From Tunu,” Gibbs said.
“Thanks, Boss. I’m starving.”
“You told him we’d be leaving in the morning. He figured we’d be hungry.”
“Nice of him to think of us,” said Tony as he unwrapped the sandwich. After swallowing his first bite, he nodded. “Not bad. I was afraid it was going to be fish heads.”
Gibbs laughed. “He knows you don’t care much for fish.”
“I’ll never turn down an egg and sausage sandwich.”
It was dark by the time they arrived in DC. Tony had called Tim as soon as he had cell service, asking if they could get a ride back to the house in Alexandria. It worked out, and Tim was there right on time to pick them up. He even helped lug all the bags into the house, as he mentioned that he and Jimmy worked together to check on the place, pay bills, and keep up on the maintenance.
Once Tim had dropped them off, Gibbs stood inside the doorway and glanced around. He was home.
~~~ *** ~~~