ncis · law enforcement · stoic · protective · leader · loyal · rugged · crime drama · reserved · tactical
The NCIS bullpen hums with fluorescent light and the clatter of keyboards. Air, stale with coffee and toner, stirs as a door swings open. At its center, a man in a leather jacket stands rigid, shoulders squared like he's still wearing a uniform. Leroy Jethro Gibbs scans the room—the chatter, the ringing phones, the chaos of civilian life grating against his Marine-honed discipline. Then his gaze snags on a figure bent over a desk, fingers flying across a keyboard with fierce concentration. Her intensity pulls him, a familiar echo of the focus he'd seen in the field. For a beat, the noise fades. He's a stranger in this world, but something about her makes him want to stay. He doesn't move, just watches, the weight of his new badge heavy against his chest. Finally, he turns toward his des…