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''Twenty Four Frames" for lucifers_toy (part one)
Title: Twenty Four Frames

Author: Beckymonster

Request:“A fic that includes: Tony/Gibbs, Tony/McGee or Tony/Ducky. Happy endings necessary. Must be set season 1, 2 or 3, NOT 4.”

Rating: PG-13

Warnings/Spoilers: Warnings for occasional potty language. Set in Season 2/3. Spoilers for pretty much anything after ‘Meat Puzzle’. Also re-writes ‘Twilight’ and ‘Kill Ari’, in a *nice* way;). Namely Kate doesn’t die but Mme Director puts in an appearance.

Genre: Slash

Pairings: Tony/Ducky friendship with a side order of Gibbs/DiNozzo. Mentions of previous canon (Gibbs) relationships, ditto Gibbs/Ducky (in the past) and current Ducky/OMC (phew!)

Word Count: 12,594 words (no, that’s not a typo!). Due to length, I’ll post the story in it’s entirety in two posts.

Can an artist make cover art for this story? Oooo yes please! - it might take a little time for me to write the reply but I’ll do my best to repay in kind.

Disclaimer: NCIS and all its characters are the property of Donald P. Bellisario and CBS. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: To lucifers_toy . My thanks for the prompt. I had a lot of fun (tearing my hair out) writing this. I hope you enjoy the story. Happy New Year to you.

To periwinkle27 who was wonderful enough to be my beta. I wish to express my undying gratitude, not to mention sacrifice several rubber chickens at her feet. Her unstinting hard work whipping this behemoth into shape has been invaluable and she didn’t Gibbs slap me once - even when I was sending two versions of the same piece in the space of 24 hours!

My thanks also tomini_nanowrimo for their support and prodding throughout November. Also my thanks (and abject apologies) to my flist too - who have put up with my panic attacks/whining/stress over the last two months all down to this fic!

My thanks to twoweevils for hosting and organizing the whole shebang. Finally… Happy New Year one and all!



Twenty Four Frames by Beckymonster

“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
‘Casablanca’

It had begun, as many of their days did. With a dead body.

Female Naval officer, found in her quarters at Norfolk, strangled by person(s) unknown. The crime scene revealed very few clues as to the identity of the attacker or even an MO for the attack.

Tony might have been the first to notice, but Ducky was the first to say it.

“It would seem the lieutenant had a penchant for ballet and or cinema,” the ME explained as he respectfully sat on the bed beside the corpse of the dead Naval Lieutenant.

“How did you work that out?” McGee asked curiously, as he paused from taking photos of the scene.

“Red ballet shoes on the wall, Probie,” he stated, as he pointed out the scarlet shoes sitting on a bookshelf. “The Red Shoes was a very famous Fifties British film,” Tony returned to his measurements and carried on talking, at the same time. “About a dancer who had to choose between her career and love-”

“With tragic consequences, I might add,” Ducky muttered as he took the liver probe from Jimmy.

“Martin Scorcese claims it’s his favourite film ever,” Tony continued, nodding in deference to the ME.

“DiNozzo,” Gibbs stated, using the ‘cut the crap and get working’ voice.

“Can’t say as I blame him,” Tony continued, pushing the boundaries as usual. “The use of colour, the dance sequences, Moira Shearer… beauty beyond compare,” He turned and grinned at his CO, “Your type of girl, Boss,”

Gibbs just glared at him.

“Tony is right, Jethro,” Ducky continued, oblivious to his old friend’s mood. “Hair nearly as red as the titular shoes. An astonishingly beautiful woman, both on and off screen, as well as an amazing dancer. I was fortunate enough to see her at Covent Garden, when I was young. Admittedly, it wasn’t the Royal Ballet then but-“

“Ducky! Time of Death?” Gibbs snapped.

“Approximately ten to twelve hours ago.” Ducky replied calmly. “I’ll have a better idea when we get her home.”

Gibbs nodded and started barking out orders. Tony bent his head to his work. There would be time to continue the conversation later. He was definitely with Marty Scorsese on this one.

*******

Tony had received the ‘Dear John’ text message from Katee, first thing that morning. It had been expected, just not right then. He thought that he had another week or two before it all went belly up. The first break up had been a few weeks before. The reconciliation had been well worth it; the sex had been fantastic. Other than that, nothing to write home about.

Tony knew what the problem was. He was. His heart just wasn’t into chasing girls anymore. What his heart was into, he couldn’t have. So he did what he always did. Acted as if nothing was wrong.

The day didn’t get any better. Traffic was a bitch. Gibbs was a bastard and he had a ticket for the Powell & Pressburger season going wanting. Not exactly ‘should’ve stayed in bed’ material but not one of his better days either.

Their current case, privately dubbed by Tony as ‘The Red Shoes Case’ wrapped up just after lunch. In a documentable instance of the Universe having a questionable sense of humor, the case mirrored the film he’d been discussing with Ducky not 24 hours before to the letter.

“The boyfriend confessed,” Tony explained to Ducky. He’d run down to Autopsy to give the nod for the body to be released to the grieving family. “He’d given her an ultimatum. Him or the sea.”

Ducky’s shoulders slumped over the paperwork. These were the cases that made them all question humanity the most; the crimes of passion.

“The poor child should never have been placed in such a position,” Ducky muttered as he signed off the paperwork and handed it back to Tony. “Despite some of the Military’s more arcane rules, this is not the Dark Ages,”

Tony considered making a crack about lack of electricity but decided against it. Now was neither the time nor place.

“Unfortunately for the petty officer, her boyfriend didn’t hold the same views as you,” Tony noted, taking the file. “Gibbs landed the confession about an hour ago. Just finished processing the scumbag. She chose the sea and he went crazy,” he noted sadly.

Ducky nodded and turned away to tidy away the x-rays on the wall.

“You’re unusually quiet today, Tony,” the older man commented. “Are you well?”

On any other day, Tony would have smiled and waved away the concern with a witty rejoinder. Today, he just felt… vulnerable.

“Got a ‘Dear John’ this morning,” Tony stated, looking down at the pristine cement floor.

“Letter?” Ducky asked sympathetically.

“Nope, text message,” Tony stated, not taking his eyes from the floor. The action meant that he missed Ducky shaking his head in sympathy.

“Technology will be the death of good manners,” Ducky grumbled. “If she was going to break your heart, she should have at least had the good manners to do it in person.” He handed the x-rays over to Jimmy who was hovering silently nearby, ready to take the file for processing. “It reminds me of when one of my compatriots at University was given the heave ho by his young lady. She pinned it on-”

Tony closed his eyes and counted to ten. The last thing he wanted to deal with right now was one of the Medical Examiner‘s stories. He had things to do, starting with finding someone to come with him to the cinema that night. There was a ticket to see ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ going begging. It wasn’t the money that bothered him; he just wanted the company more than anything else.

He wanted to find someone who’d appreciate if not his company, then certainly the film itself. It was one of Powell and Pressburger’s finest films; the use of Technicolor and black and white made it a feast for the eyes. Even more so than ‘The Red Shoes’-

Tony paused in his woolgathering with a start. It was a crazy idea, so crazy in fact that it might just work….

“Ducky,” DiNozzo wheedled, turning his best smile on his older co-worker. The one that always pretty much got him a result every time he used it. “I’ve got a spare ticket for a showing of ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ tonight.” Tony explained, “Katee was supposed to be coming with me but…”

Tony watched the ME’s expression closely. He was listening intently, interested in what he had to say. Definitely a start.

“I was wondering, if you’d like to go see it with me, instead?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Tony winced internally. He was definitely not on his game today. How could he have forgotten about Ducky’s mom? Until he’d met her, Tony had thought that the eccentric Brit stereotype seen in movies didn’t exist. Ducky didn’t count because… he was Ducky. He had his quirks but no more than anyone else he’d worked with. Even so, he should have remembered that she always got anxious if Ducky wasn’t at home at night. If Gibbs had been listening, that would have earned him a headslap.

He glanced over at the other man. There was definitely a frown on his features. Tony turned to leave, wracking his brains over who else he could ask. The list was distressingly short. Abby was out of the office at a seminar, McGee had no appreciation for classic films-

“Mother has her Bridge club tonight.” Ducky stated loudly, making Tony stop in his tracks before turning to face the older man. “I usually try to make myself scarce on such occasions,” Ducky smiled, his face lighting up. Tony felt himself smiling back, “A trip to the cinema would be lovely,”

“Great!” Tony exclaimed, “Um, the movie starts at 7 pm. Do you want to go for a drink beforehand?” he asked. “There is a quiet little bar near the cinema. Comfy leather chairs, waiter service and no loud music,” he explained.

Ducky nodded his agreement. “One small request, Tony,” the older man asked, softening his voice. Tony moved away from the door, towards Ducky to hear what he had to say, “We talk about everything else apart from work,”

Tony nodded decisively. More than fine by him. He had to have some small part of his life where work didn’t intrude and movies were just such an oasis.

“Sure, meet you in the foyer at finishing time?” Tony asked over the ringing of the telephone. Dollars to doughnuts, he knew who’d be on the other end of the line. Gibbs.

Ducky nodded his agreement and turned to the desk to answer the phone. Tony walked out of Autopsy and into the lift, catching snippets of the conversation as he did so. As he thought - Gibbs was still a bastard. Whatever else the day would throw at him, there was at least something for him to look forward to.

*******

The evening spent in Ducky’s company surpassed all of his expectations. He’d been hoping for a good night’s entertainment, a drink and a film, in good company.

He got all of that and more. A drink with Ducky before the film had signaled the start of a long conversation that had begun with Ducky completing his anecdote from the day before about seeing Moira Shearer on stage. From there the conversation had moved onto favorite films. They had gotten so involved that they only had bare moments to find their seats in the cinema before the houselights went down.

The film was as wonderful as ever, with an audience quiet and respectful in the presence of such a masterpiece, which privately pleased Tony no end, as well as a companion that didn’t keep leaning over every five minutes or so to ask what was going on. Score one for maturity over youth.

The post film discussion slid easily into a highly enjoyable dinner and another drink at a different bar, one suggested by Ducky. All the time, the conversation was lively and interesting, on all manner of topics but their work. Before Tony knew it, the two of them were standing outside the bar, waiting for the taxi that would take Ducky to the Navy Yard to pick up his car. Tony would use the time to get some work done and sleep there. Wasn’t like he hadn’t done that before.

“Really had a good time tonight,” Tony noted, glancing down at his watch, it was gone midnight. He winced. He could function on a few hours sleep. Gibbs might ream him out because of it but that was part of the course. He could live with that.

“As did I,” Ducky remarked with a smile. “Haven’t had so much fun in…” he looked pensive for a moment, “Too long.” He looked down at the pavement, “If you are ever bereft of company for another cinematic excursion-“

“You’ll be the first person I call, Duck.” Tony stated, patting the other man on the back.

*******

“Did you go home at all last night, Tony?”

Tony started at the scathing tone in Kate’s voice. He cracked an eye open to look at his teammate and (verbal) sparring partner.

“Nope,” he replied truthfully, grinning at her as he yawned and stretched.

After he’d seen Ducky off, he’d come into the squad room and worked on some reports (which were now on Gibbs’ desk) When his eyes had grown too heavy, he’d succumbed to sleep and its dreams of making love to a beautiful man with silver hair.

“Looks like someone got lucky last night!” Abby commented with a smile as she hopped up to sit on Kate’s desk. Tony glanced around Kate to see her picking out the best spot for the ensuing fireworks.

Kate planted herself in front of his desk, hands balled on hips, her expression torn between scorn and annoyance.

“Tony, you are… impossible!” Kate hissed. The office was starting to get busy for the new day. There was no need to cause a scene or more gossip, despite the fact that Tony knew that Kate and his regular arguments were good grist for the office rumor mill.
Hell, he had even heard that there was a pool as to how long it would take before he and Kate were lovers. He was too kind hearted to break delusions like that, not when there was money involved.

“Let me guess,” Kate snarked, “Blonde?”

Tony considered for a moment before replying. Ducky was blond, his hair had gotten darker with age, from ash blond to a darker shade but still blond. Besides, Kate made it too damn easy sometimes.

“Yep,” he replied with a grin.

“Blue eyes?”

Tony nodded, his grin getting wider. He didn’t know who Kate had in mind but he wouldn’t mind meeting her.

“And you’re just with them for the company.” Again true. There was only one older guy who did it for him and it wasn’t Ducky. No offense to Ducky, of course.

Before Kate could reply, Gibbs came striding out of the elevator, coffee in hand. Tony caught a glimpse of his expression. Not good. He stood up, ready to gear up to go wherever directed.

“DiNozzo, call your date. We’ve got a suspicious death over at Bethesda.”

“On it, Boss!” Tony called out as he picked up the phone and hit the speed dial for Autopsy.

He could see Kate doing a doubletake out of the corner of his eye. She looked totally confused, glancing over at Abby who was giving the best impression of innocent this side of a litter of puppies.

“Autopsy, Mallard speaking.”

Tony was about to reply when he heard Kate’s disbelieving cry of: “Your date was Ducky?!”

*******

“I’m a MAN!”
“Well, nobody’s perfect!”
‘Some Like it Hot’

To Tony’s delight, Ducky suggested the second film, Fight Club, a week or so later. The ME had heard some of the other agents talking about it and expressed a desire to see it. The suggestion made Tony’s day, even more than getting the phone number of the hot redhead in the coffee shop down the street from the Naval Yard.

“Surely you’ve seen it, though, Anthony?” Ducky asked as they walked down the block to the theatre that evening.

“Sure, but it’s nice to actually go see a good film with someone who…” Tony stopped and faced the other man, scrunching his face up, trying to find the words that would express what he was feeling. “I don’t have to ‘persuade’ to come see a movie with me.”

Ducky paused and turned to the younger man, ignoring the ebb and flow of pedestrians on the busy street around them.

“I was under the impression that you had no problems ‘persuading’ your lady friends to do anything!”

Tony chuckled, feeling a curl of heat in his cheeks. “Cinema is a completely different matter to the bedroom, Ducky. As I’m sure you’re well aware.”

Ducky laughed softly. “You are right there, Tony, Jo is not one for the cinema. It’s the only thing we don’t see eye to eye on.”

Tony started at that revelation. He didn’t know that Ducky was seeing someone. It had to be a recent thing. Scuttlebutt noted that Ducky was rather taken with the doc who pulled the Stalag 17 trick. Doctor Janice Byers, Tony remembered. She was pretty, not his type, mind. Then there was the whole cremating her patient to cover up her mistakes thing.

“I understand what you mean; it is lovely to simply be able to enjoy a film in the company of someone who understands your love of the art form.” Ducky said, deftly changing the subject on Tony. “We both love the classics but you are happy to bring me up to speed with more modern films, without making me feel like an old fart.”

“Two things,” Tony stated as he started to walk towards the cinema, Ducky beside him, “One, it’s my pleasure and two, you’re not an old fart. Gibbs is an old fart. You are not!”
Ducky didn’t reply to that statement. Tony could see out of the corner of his eye, Ducky regarding him with a look that made the younger man feel as if his innermost secrets were there for all to see.

*******

Time passed. Tony’s cinema excursions with Ducky turned from being a sometime thing to a regular occurrence. It didn’t happen every week. Their work and Ducky’s mom put paid to that. It would happen whenever schedules and inclination would allow. Each time, there would be a movie, there would be dinner, sometimes there was alcohol but most of all, there was talking.

To Tony’s eternal surprise, it wasn’t Ducky who talked the most - it was him. Sure, the ME could talk the legs off a donkey and did so on a regular basis. Despite that, there were times when… the older man would just throw out a topic and it would be Tony who’d be doing most of the talking.

Like when they had gone to see Psycho. During dinner, Ducky had started talking about his school days at Eton. Tony hadn’t realized that Ducky had a schooling very similar to his own. Away from home, reputedly the best money could buy… Before long, Tony was spilling his guts about his parents. He stopped abruptly when he realized what he was saying; berating himself for his lapse in manners. Last thing Ducky wanted to know was what a fuck up his family life was. It was supposed to be a pleasant evening, not an airing of the DiNozzo closet skeletons.

To Tony’s surprise and relief, Ducky explained that the oath he took, as a doctor, meant that whatever was said to him was said in confidence. If Tony wanted to talk about his family, then Ducky was happy to listen. He wouldn’t analyze or offer advice, just… listen.
He nodded, thanked Ducky and said that he’d be happy to return the favor.

Tony got that chance when they went to see The Day the Earth Stood Still.

When he and Ducky arrived at the cinema, there had been this guy, whom Tony swore blind he knew. The thing was he couldn’t place him, which annoyed the hell out of Tony.
Tall, kinda gangly, dark curly hair, nose buried in a book. Dressed in the scruffy/smart way that seemed to be in vogue, to Tony’s disgust; jeans and Chucks combined with a dress shirt and jacket.
It was Ducky who realized who it was a lot quicker than Tony did. It was Jimmy Palmer.

It was only when they ‘scared’ the daylights out of Jimmy; causing him to drop the book (which Tony, in a flash of physical dexterity, caught before it hit the floor) that he realized why he didn’t recognize him before. Jimmy wasn’t wearing glasses; the change made him look… if one guy could say it about another, handsome.

Tony had to take pity on Jimmy when Ducky asked Jimmy if he’d like to join them. In a moment, he’d regressed back to the stuttering klutz he knew from work. Calling Ducky, ‘Doctor Mallard’ and Tony ‘Agent DiNozzo’. Ducky put an end to that business quickly.

“Jimmy,” he said, softly as if talking to a frightened child, “We’re not at work, there is no need for formalities here.”

“First rule of ‘Movie Night’,” Tony explained, “Is that we don’t talk about work.”

“The second rule of ‘Movie Night’ is that we don’t talk about work!” Ducky finished, glancing up at his assistant, who was looking more dazed than normal.

The young man smiled and asked Ducky if he’d ever seen Fight Club. To which Ducky laughed and replied, yes, he’d dragged poor Tony to go see that a few weeks before. The look on Jimmy’s face was priceless.
Ducky took pity on him and explained what ‘Movie Night’ was all about. An opportunity to watch good films, eat good food and enjoy good company, shriven of the cares of work.

Tony wished he had a camera to hand when Ducky asked Jimmy to join them for that evening. The younger man looked so pleased, Tony thought he’d spontaneously combust. He grinned at how pleased such a thing would make Abby. She was into all that weird stuff. Then again, perhaps not, as it would deprive her of an admirer.

Tony was glad that Ducky had asked as Jimmy proved to be excellent company. Once he had gotten over his shyness, Jimmy let show that he was as much of a film fan as the other two and what he didn’t know about film scores wasn’t worth knowing. Tony carefully questioned the younger man, trying to get to know the guy behind the geek. Find out what, apart from work, films, film music and gothic forensic specialists, made him tick. The answer was simple; quite a lot actually.

Ducky thanked Tony for his patience and his drawing out of his assistant the next day. He had come up to the Squad Room to drop something off for Gibbs. As he wasn’t there, he left it on his desk and chatted with Tony instead.

Tony stopped what he was doing, writing a report he knew he would get thrown back at him, to usher Ducky to the break room where they could have the conversation in (relative) peace and quiet. While he didn’t exactly have his boss’ famous gut, Tony knew that Ducky had something on his mind.

He was right - the ME wanted to thank him for what he had done and to talk to him about his assistants, both past and present. Tony poured them both coffees and let the older man talk.

It became clear that Ducky cared a great deal about all of his assistants. He had no children of his own; they fulfilled that role quite nicely, thank you. From the ones who stayed not nearly long enough for him to get their names right, to his ‘favorites’. Like Sapphire Hammond, a tiny redhead from Texas who was currently working as a fully qualified ME for the FBI. Woe betide anyone who mentioned aliens in her presence. Quite why, he couldn’t understand. Gerald Jackson, who was to be back at work soon, as recovered as one could be, thank heavens, and of course, Jimmy.

As he listened, Tony wondered if Gibbs ever felt the same way about the agents he had working under him. After all, he’d been pretty cozy with Stan Burleigh, when they’d been hauled out to the Enterprise to deal with some doped-up deckhands. He mentally shook himself, how long had it taken Gibbs to get the poor guy’s name right? Three years?

Tony put the idea out of his head. He was already in love with the bastard, there was no need to get even more hung up over him.

“DiNozzo! Why isn’t that report on my desk?” Gibbs barked, dragging Tony away from his woolgathering.

Tony heard Ducky apologize on his behalf as he downed the rest of the coffee-like sludge with a grimace. “Be with you in two, Boss,” he said as he left the room, nodding his excuses to Ducky as he went. As he left, he could hear Ducky softly chiding Gibbs. For all the good it would do him.

*******

By Tony’s usual standards, it had been a quiet week. Only one new case, involving a kidnapped Navy brat. Thankfully it had ended without bloodshed and the family being happily reunited. Justice served and all of that.

The rest of the week had been spent in the usual pursuits: teasing Probie, verbally sparring with Kate, talking with Abby, doing paperwork, goofing off and eating his heart out over Gibbs. Tony knew that something had to give. Given his track record, he knew damn well, who it was going to be. He’d been at NCIS two years longer than each of his other postings. Perhaps it was time to move on. He was good at what he did, very good in fact, maybe it was time to cut his losses and run.

Ducky came into the squad room to have a word with him on Friday afternoon. It was just a quick visit; he wanted to get the paperwork squared away before letting Jimmy go for the weekend. The younger man had arranged to see Raiders of the Lost Ark that evening and had, rather nervously asked if Ducky would like to join him.

“Of course, I said ‘yes’,” Ducky explained to Tony, making himself comfortable in a chair pilfered from Kate’s desk. “I came up here for two reasons actually.”

“Which were what, Ducky?” Tony asked, happy for his friend and a little annoyed that he had other plans. Raiders was one of Spielberg’s masterpieces.

“One was to ask if you cared to join us,” the older man asked quietly, “More at my request rather than Jimmy’s. He finds it easier to talk to you, I feel, than he does me.”

Tony shook his head, “Sorry Ducky. No can do,” He said regretfully. “Promised Abby I’d help her with some furniture moving,” his eyes narrowed in mock suspicion at the ME, who at least had the good grace to look abashed. “She told me I came recommended. Know anything about that?”

“That was Mother, Tony.” Ducky replied, not meeting the younger man’s gaze, “Not I,”

“Anyway, she’s bribing me with home cooking and Evil Dead movies.” A fair trade in Tony’s eyes. “If she wasn’t, I’d take you up in a heartbeat,” he replied truthfully.

“Which brings me, neatly, onto the other thing that I came up to talk to you about.”

“Which is?”

It was only later on, as he called the elevator for the forensics lab to meet Abby; that Tony realized something. When Ducky asked him to join him on Sunday for lunch and a film (the ’58 version of A Tale of Two Cities,) he didn’t look him in the eye once. He was looking over at Gibbs’ (empty) desk the entire time.

Weird. There had to be a reason for it. He decided to ask about it on Sunday.

Part Two is here