Just Good Friends

Authors note:-
Now I am without a job I find myself with a lot of time on my hands Watching DVD's and catching up with shows. Then this idea came to me while I was working on another story. Taking a break I've decided throw this out there.

Just a bit of silliness, mostly because beyond the gimmick I can't think what else to do with the idea. If anyone can please go right ahead, just message me so I can read it!

Disclaimer
I own none of the characters used in this story and make no profit from it. It's all for just a bit of fun.

Jethro smirked as he drank his beer. Another case solved, another nightmare locked away and one more day on the job. It was Saturday and time for the weekly night at the bar. As usual Ducky was regaling them with another long winded story. Jethro had known the man for more than ten years and he still hadn't run out.

Sure, he repeated himself once or twice, but he always had another tale. Another old adventure or obscure fact he'd somehow picked up, despite spending nearly all of his time in the morgue. As Abby laughed at the story he sat back and took his team in at a glance.

McGee, while still being green, was maturing into a fine agent. Learning to trust his instincts as much as his computer skills. DiNozzo was still an idiot now and then, but over the last few years he'd had his heartbroken enough times to grow up. Just a little bit, but it was something. Ziva, Ziva hadn't so much changed as added layers to herself. Adapting to the life of an NCIS agent into her Mossad training. She might be a bit slower drawing her pistol these days, but that was because she was looking at every angle. It had taken him years to drill into her the idea you can't question a corpse, no mater how good Abby and Ducky were. Even so she still had no problem pulling the trigger when needed. Palmer was still a bumbling kid, but he was their bumbling kid. He had no idea how to act around the living and only a vague idea about how to behave around the dead. Still he'd shown guts in the past, he was brave enough to stand up for himself and others.

Thinking about it Abby was a bit more open than she was when he first met her. She still spent most of her time alone in the forensics lab, but before there was this sense that she wasn't comfortable outside of it. Now she was a little more confidant outside her comfort zone. That or she'd just expanded it.

As for Ducky… Ducky was Ducky. He didn't change. Jethro once been asked what Ducky was like when he was younger, truth was he couldn't remember Ducky being any younger. He'd always been the same age. Sure there'd been the occasional health scare, but the more Jethro thought about the more hollow they felt. Like, like he was going through the motions of growing older. As if it was expected, but not necessary for him.

Mid way through his punchline Ducky stopped and blinked, as if something unexpected had come up. Jethro's gut screamed that something was wrong, but before he could ask Ducky suddenly grinned. He was looking at the door and so was DiNozzo, only his grin was a lot more familiar and a lot more understandable. He always got that look in his eye around pretty women.

The woman at the door was no exception. She was the sort of beautiful that required very little effort, raven black hair with a skin tone a few shades darker than pale. She wore a long overcoat over a black dress that was more than flattering to her figure. Tony probably saw her as his latest conquest, but something told Jethro she was more than a match for the other agent.

She looked across the bar and saw them. 'Donald!' Her face broke into a grin and she headed towards them.

'Donald?' DiNozzo whispered. Everyone, and that meant everyone, called him Ducky.

Their M.E. met her half way 'Amanda.' Ducky said in a soft voice and hugged her. She on the other hand kissed him. Once on each cheek and then full on the lips. The last kiss lasted a lot longer than the others, long enough to make even Tony uncomfortable.

'Oh Donald, it's been a lifetime.' The woman, Amanda, laughed easily.

'Or two. Please, let me introduce my friends.' Ducky lead her to their table and told her their names. 'And this is Amanda Darieux, a good and dear and long time friend.'

The word old hung in the air, despite the fact she couldn't have been much older than thirty. 'Oh Donald, always the gentleman. Always my knight in armour.'

'You've always needed one my dear. Speaking of, how is Duncan?'

She grinned, 'Oh you know, married.'

'To you?'

'Oh, once or twice.' The pair of them laughed easily, sharing a joke only they could understand. She patted him on the shoulder and said, 'I'll get myself a drink.' With that she headed to the Bar.

'An old friend?' DiNozzo asked. 'Why didn't you introduce us sooner?'

Ducky sighed. 'I didn't know she was coming. Amanda is a lot of things, most importantly unpredictable. By the way, I would keep careful track of your wallets. She's a thief by trade, one of the best in the world.'

She came back to them, a whiskey in hand. 'Donald, please, thieves get caught.' Then, without any guilt whatsoever she pulled Jethro's wallet from her purse and gave it back to him.

It was all Jethro could don not to stare, he couldn't believe that someone was so light fingered that they'd picked his pocket. 'Come now, you don't expect a lady to buy her own drinks do you.' She said, giving him a look so smouldering he was half expecting to catch fire. Jethro just knew he was going hate this woman, or marry her.

Ziva and Abby were the only ones to laugh and even they stopped when Jethro glanced at them. Then he saw something odd. He'd almost missed it, but Abby was carefully trying to hide a tattoo on her wrist. Keeping his best poker face he saw Amanda look to Ducky and receive the smallest of nods back.

Something very important had just happened, and Jethro had no idea what that was.

Amanda pulled up a chair and sat next to the Goth 'So, Abby, I have to admit I love your outfit. That wouldn't be your beetle outside would it?'

End