#alden cole

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Bruno & Louise Huber - Man and his World - Samuel Weiser - 1978 (cover art by Alden Cole)

[speedygal]

probie to acting director my beloved 🥹

Season 2, episode 1. Sub Rosa.

Season 21, episode 7. A thousand yards.

[djkerr]

NCIS Season 22 behind the scenes

📷 @cbstv via IG

[bullet-prooflove]

The Secret: Alden Parker x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @sarakafarrah@mandy426@caffeinatedwoman@elefrog25-blog

You’re mad at him. Alden can tell because you’ve re-arranged the items on his desk. You know it drives him completely crazy. His workspace has a certain feng shui, everything in its rightful place but today, his stapler’s on the wrong side, his orchid’s tilted at a 90 degree angle and he doesn’t even know where his hole punch is.

He sighs as he returns the stapler to its correct place because the truth is he should have told you he was meeting up with Viv. He just didn’t want to get into it because it brings up a lot of other things, things he doesn’t want to talk about.

He knows it’s not the fact he caught up with Vivian that bothers you, it’s the fact he kept it a secret, the fact you found out because you literally ran into them. He’d told you he had an early meeting as you were heading out for your jog, promised he’s catch up with you at lunch if you were both in the office.

He’d been coming out of the Café Futo with Viv when he’d glanced up and saw you coming, skin flushed, ear buds in. You’d been talking about changing up your running route, he just hadn’t realised in which direction it would take you.

He’d seen the look on your face, the moment you’d realised he’d been keeping something from you. Your ex-husband used to do that too. He’d fuck other women, make you think it was all in your head. He’d taken a step towards you, but you were already gone.

“You haven’t told her.” Viv had said as you disappeared from his view. “You should explain why we do this once a year.”

“It’s not that simple.” He tells her and Vivian gives him the look he knows so well.

“This thing, it erodes marriages.” She reminds him as she removes her car keys from her jacket pocket. “It destroyed ours.”

He waits for you at the apartment that night but you don’t come home. Some of your clothes are gone along with your phone charger. You’ve only taken a few items and he thinks that’s a blessing, it’s a sign you’re coming back. Right now you just need space.

The next time he sees you, he’s stepping onto the elevator. You don’t say anything when he takes up residence alongside you, the grip on your purse tightens and he hates that he’s causing that tension, that he’s the one doing this to you. He has the power right here in his hands to stop all of this. He just needs to strong enough to say it.

“Viv and I…” He says quietly. “We used to have a daughter. Yesterday was her birthday.”

You tilt your head towards him and he stares straight ahead at the closed doors.

“Losing her is the worst thing that has ever happened to me.” He tells you, swallowing hard against the agony in his chest. “I still can’t talk about.”

“Alden…” You begin and his jaw clenches because this he thinks, this is the worst thing he’s every done to you.

“I never meant to keep it from you. I just…” The words die on his lips because simply there is no way to explain it.

“Alden…” You whisper, your hand slipping into his. He tilts his head towards you then and you can see his heart breaking into a million pieces right before your eyes. “Alden, I’m sorry.”

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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[theoceanandthestars]

Stand By Your Man

A/N Inspired by the song ‘Stand By Your Man’ and a vanilla custard filled choux bun I had recently that I can’t stop thinking about. Apologies for any mistakes :)

Summary: After Parker, who your beginning to develop a crush on, discovers your hidden talent, you go undercover at a country bar to find a suspect.

Word Count: 2391

____________________________________________

You’d regretted revealing your hidden talent to Alden Parker the minute it had slipped from your lips. It was a moment of weakness on your part. You had initially rejected the agent as Gibbs’ replacement, you told yourself it was because he was too cheery and not as professional as Gibbs, but you knew that your resentment for Parker was, in reality, the manifestation of your sadness at Gibbs leaving and Parker taking his place meant that he really was gone. However, after a particularly hard case which ended with Parker offering you a vanilla custard filled choux bun from a bakery he had found on the drive back to the NCIS building. Your resentment had completely crumbled and amongst the praises for the pastry, in what you believe was a sugar induced moment of insanity, you had confessed your talent for singing to the older agent as a type of olive branch, who had been trying to encourage you to divulge a secret talent to him for the entirety of the case. The grin on his face was what immediately triggered a sense of regret within you, wishing that the pastries’ ability to loosen your lips hadn’t worked and it was that same grin that reignited that flame of regret within you 4 weeks later, when Parker told you that you would all be going undercover at a Country Bar. It was that grin that told you everything you needed to know in a matter of microseconds.

It was that grin that you could still see now as you were standing, dressed in a pair of jeans, a white flowy bell sleeved top and cowboy boots, being handed a microphone to go and sing on the stage of your suspect’s favourite hangout.

Parker had argued that it was imperative that the team could see every face within the bar in order to find the suspect and that the only way to truly do that was to have someone on stage and the rest of the team sat around the bar. You, on the other hand, had not felt the same and had rolled your eyes while Torres sniggered at your annoyance, promising to film the whole thing so he could torture you with it, following Parker’s divulgence of your talent to the rest of the team as well as his plan to catch the suspect. You had silently thanked McGee for not mentioning that he had in fact already heard you sing, (after an evening out drinking with him, DiNozzo and Bishop had led you all to a karaoke bar, which in turn had led to some very questionable renditions of many, many songs), not wanting to have to explain your karaoke too.

But as hard as you tried you couldn’t really be mad at Parker and truthfully you did think that Parker’s plan made sense, it was subtle, you could find the suspect without him realising you were looking for him and keep his attention away from whoever ended up grabbing him in the crowded bar.  Over the past four weeks you had softened to Parker, accepting that while he was replacing Gibbs in terms of his job, he was so different from him that he could never take his place. You liked to think of it as a different place, just as good as Gibbs but in different ways. Unfortunately for you during the past four weeks as well as coming to terms with Gibbs’ absence and Parker’s arrival, you had started to develop a crush on your boss. A crush you were almost certain he didn’t reciprocate.

You took a breath and shook your hair slightly before returning your mind back to your current situation, thanking the man who had handed you the microphone before the band began to play the song you had chosen to sing. As the music started to flow to your ears you calmed, the familiarity of the feeling settling in. It’s not that you hate singing in front of people, it’s more that you would rather just gouge your eyes out than have to sing in-front of your co-workers and boss/crush.

‘Sometimes its hard to be a woman’, the words flowed out your mouth effortlessly. As you continued, you shifted your focus from the words you were singing to the faces in the bar, scanning each one for the face of your suspect. However, after a few lines, you realised that there was no way you could get a clear read on half the faces in the bar without getting closer.

So, despite the resistance of every fibre of your being, you stepped of the stage and started to walk around the bar as you continued to sing. At first it was just a brush of your hand to someone’s shoulder so they would lift their gaze and you could see their face, but after a minute of singing you began to get bolder. As you continued to move around the room you found yourself sliding on the edge of the booth McGee was sat at, who like you had been searching for your suspect, and found yourself wrapping your arm over his right shoulder, directing the words of the song at him, and leaning your head on his other shoulder. This elicited a chuckle as he laughed softly at you. If you were being forced to do this, you were at least going to have some fun.

After moving away from McGee, you continued to make your way through the packed bar, the eyes of all the patrons now focused entirely on you, the words of the song falling effortlessly from your lips, and unbeknownst to you wowing the entire bar full of people, including your team. Unlike Jess, who had never doubted your ability to sing, Torres was in utter disbelief, still holding his phone recording you like he had promised, but now with the knowledge that there was very little to tease you with. McGee, on the other hand, was not surprised by your beautiful singing at all, after all, he had heard you sing drunk all those years go with him, Tony and Ellie and he knew if you sounded that good while that drunk, and you had all been very drunk, that sober your voice must be angelic.

Meanwhile, Parker’s gaze had stopped moving around the bar and instead fixed itself on you. When you had admitted to him that you could sing he had thought you would instantly take it back, and from the look on your face at the time he could tell you regretted it. He knew that you, like Torres, were having trouble adjusting to him taking over from Gibbs, but over the past few weeks both of you had been getting on very well. So well in fact, that he had developed somewhat of a crush on you, however, he also convinced himself that being your boss, as well as much older than you, made this crush entirely irresponsible and wrong, besides he was almost certain that you didn’t reciprocate it. In this moment though, he couldn’t take his eyes off you. He had been stunned into silence when he had first seen your outfit as you ran into the elevator which he had just gotten into, as you were about to go to the bar. The words he wanted to say, that you looked beautiful, had sat at the back of his throat and instead he opted for a smirkish smile as he told you he liked the outfit, to which you had rolled your eyes gently while chuckling softly, trying to hide the flush of your cheeks at the fact he had even commented on the outfit.  Now Parker was watching as you continued to move around the bar in his direction, admiring your voice and attempting to ignore the way his heart beat faster when you walked over to him as you sang, wrapping an arm over his shoulders as you placed yourself on his lap.

After singing a few lines of the song sitting on Parker’s lap, which was something you knew you would regret instantly the moment you did it, you forced yourself to get up and continue to search the bar as you sang. You were surprised for several reasons when you had sat on Parker’s lap. Firstly, you surprised yourself that you would do something that bold, but more importantly to you, you were surprised by Parker’s reaction, he had smiled at you, laughed softly and placed his arm around your waist, holding you close to him. An action you were sure had caused your heart to stop beating momentarily.

As you continued to sing you tried to shake the thoughts of Parker out of your mind, convincing yourself that he, like you, was undercover, he was just playing the role. Suddenly though you were snapped out of your spiralling as you caught sight of the man you had been searching for, who was staring at you. The suspect was sitting with another man, also looking directly at you. You moved over to them trying not to rush and maintain your cover.

As you reached them, you placed your hand on the man’s shoulder, turning to make eye contact with Nick, McGee, Jess and Parker, as you empathised the words of the song, ‘stand by your man’. You had chosen the song for this specific reason, that when you found the suspect, it would be easy to tell the team where he was. That and the fact that it was a short song and you didn’t want to have to sing longer than necessary.

After receiving nods from all the team, you removed your hand from his shoulder and walked back to the stage, with only a few lines left to sing. As you finished singing and the room burst into applause, the team quickly moved towards the man, their actions hidden from him by the applause, before grabbing and arresting him. The rest of the bar remained mostly oblivious thanks to the noise that was no being created.

You received a small rush from both the applause you received, and the relief that the suspect was now in custody. But as quickly as you had been handed the mic, you handed it back to the same man who had previously given it to you and rushed to the entrance of the bar to catch up with your team. As you left the bar and got outside the first thing you saw was Tim and Jess, who were putting the suspect into one of the cars, but you couldn’t see Parker or Torres. That was until you felt an arm wrap around your shoulders as Nick began to tell you how he was never actually going to tease you, which he definitely was going to do, and sang your praises. Eventually after he came down from the apparent high he was on after you singing, he jogged over to McGee, still giggling slightly, while you just shook your head and smiled.

Not a second later did Parker join you, after having disappeared somewhere, retuning with a box under his arm as he clapped softly, causing you to laugh and blush rather furiously.

‘When you told me you could sing, I assumed you could carry a tune, I didn’t expect you to have the voice of an angel.’

‘Thank you’ you blushed even more at his compliment, avoiding meeting his eyes, ‘just don’t think this will be a regular occurrence, I don’t think I could handle that’ you added pointedly.

He chuckled, ‘I don’t think it’ll be that easy, now they’ve heard you sing’, he gestured to the team, who were still chatting amongst themselves, occasionally glancing over at you and Parker, ‘they are going to try and get you to every chance they get’. This caused you both to chuckle.

‘Oh god’ you groaned, ‘I hadn’t thought of that’, eliciting yet another laugh from Parker, before he moved the box he had perched under his arm and held it in front of you.

‘But since you’ll probably never be given a break from this now, I got you this’ he stated opening the lid of the box to reveal one of the same vanilla custard filled choux buns he had given you all those weeks ago when you first confessed to him your talent.

Your eyes widened in excitement upon seeing the choux bun, taking it out the box and moaning as you took a bite of it. ‘This makes it all worth it’ you smiled, content with the pastry in your hand and completely touched by the gesture.

Meanwhile, by the van the other three agents continued to watch you and Parker after giving up on just sneaking glances at the pair of you.

‘Aww’ Jess cooed as they watched Parker give you the pastry he had bought especially for you, ‘Do you think they realise how much they like each other? Or just how obvious it is?’ she then asked the two men next to her.

‘Oh they have no clue’, answered Nick immediately, smirking as he watched you both.

‘Yeah they’re oblivious. I’m pretty sure they both think the other one doesn’t fell the same’ added Tim, returning his gaze to the two agents in front of him.

‘They’re the only ones who don’t see how much they like each other; I mean it’s pretty obvious to literally anybody else’ added Nick.

‘What’s obvious?’, you asked as you and Parker had made your way over to the three agents standing in a huddle as you continued to eat the choux bun in your hand. Jess and Tim looked like deer caught in headlights, but Nick began to smirk.

‘We were just saying how oblivious people can be sometimes’, looking directly at you and Parker who were both proving his point and being entirely oblivious, adorning expressions of confusion as he then added, ‘you know like the suspect, just sitting their not realising he was about to be arrested by the five agents in the bar.’

‘Oh right’

‘Yeah, that makes sense’.

Both yours and Parker’s answers were met with small giggles and nudges as you all began to move into the cars, which once again the pair of you where oblivious to.

Part 2?

[writeandsurvive]

Guest star Shelby Flannery sharing some BTS pics of the 1,000th ep! So happy to see Joe Spano, can't wait to have Fornell back 😍

Also, Gary Cole. Like, just-- GARY COLE. 🔥

[n-evermores]

Alden Parker

[shinsfangirling]

some black bathrobe fluffy Parker

[rookheeya]

NCIS S22 promo shot

[goldenhourchapman]

Alden Parker in 19x05 (Face the Strange)

[thegrandrealmofgifs]

Gary Cole as Alden Parker

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

William G. Gray - Magical Ritual Methods - Samuel Weiser - 1980 (cover by Alden Cole)

[djkerr]

NCIS Season 22 cover art. 😍

📷 CBS Studios/Paramount+ via @jessknight_ncis IG

[bullet-prooflove]

4500 Follower Celebration Bingo - Left Behind - Alden Parker x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @sarakafarrah @caffeinatedwoman @elefrog25-blog @writeandsurvive

When Alden disappears it’s you that’s under fire, you that takes the brunt of it when you return to NCIS HQ from working a case in Norfolk, to discover your husband is now wanted for murder and on the run with his ex-wife Vivian.

“They fooled you Lisa. It’s time to wake the hell up!” Agent Terry snarls at you across the conference room table. “Why are you protecting the man that’s been carrying on with his ex-wife behind your back?”

“If you had proof of that you’d be thrusting it in my face right now.” You tell him, your elbows coming to rest on the surface of the table. “Instead you’re throwing shit at the wall, hoping that it sticks.”

“Do actually believe him when he tells you that you’re the love of his life, that you’re the only woman he’s ever truly connected with?” He hits back because you aren’t playing ball. “Are you that fucking dumb?”

That’s when you realise they’ve been bugging your home, that they’ve been in your bedroom.

You shut down then, cross your arms over your chest and refuse to answer anymore of their questions because all you can think of is how this man and dozens of his colleagues know exactly how you fuck your husband.

The humiliation continues when they inform you that you’re suspended and march you through the building and all the way to your car. You’re not to contact anyone from NCIS, including Alden’s team so you have no idea what’s going on or the way the investigation is heading.

You know this is the FBI’s way of isolating you. They’re hoping you’ll trip up lead them to Alden or that you’ll feel so scorned that you’ll turn on him yourself.

More fool them, you think as you pick up a pack of cigarettes from the bodega and light one up. You don’t have a clue where Alden is and what he’s up to. This morning when you woke up you were happy, you’d made love to your husband, kissed him goodbye and then headed out to Norfolk for your case.

Now you’re technically homeless because you refuse to let the FBI witness your grief in the apartment you share with the man you love. You have no clothes, no luxuries, just the ring on your finger and two FBI agents trying to look inconspicuous as you smoke outside the hotel you’ve decided you’re staying in tonight.

You’ve barely been in your room an hour before the package arrives. You sign for it before tearing it open and tipping the contents onto the bed. There’s three items, a leaflet on orchid care, an eight of spades playing card and a key you don’t recognise.

It’s a message from Alden, one you read loud and clear.

 The Orchid House in the Botanical Gardens, 8pm.

Alden’s been sneaking in there for years, taking clippings for his own collection.

You disconnect the alarm attached the rear fire exit before you slip out the door, leaving a folded piece of paper from the desktop notepad tucked against the snip so you can sneak back in later.

It takes twenty minutes for you to walk to the gardens, you avoid security cameras and hop the fence near the broken street light to avoid detection. You use your pocket torch to light up the darkness as you track through the foliage, trying not to leave a trace of your presence.

When you reach The Orchid House, it’s pitch black and locked up tight. Your own ghostly reflection looks back at you before you insert the key in the door and step inside. The humidity hits you like a wave, the same way it always does when you walk in here. It makes your sweater cling to your skin as you stride towards the bench where Alden always likes to sit.

Something rustles a couple of metres away and you lift your head to see your husband striding towards you. His black overcoat flutters behind him, the moonlight catching the profile of his  features and your heart beats just a little faster in your chest.

“Lisa.” He whispers and you hurtle into his arms, because the past twelve hours have been an absolute, living hell and you need this right now, you need him. “Oh sweetheart I’m sorry, I’m so god damn sorry.”

“They bugged our house.” You tell him, burying your face into his chest. “Our bedroom…”

His grasp on you tightens because it galls him that the FBI are doing this to the both of you, that they’re listening to your private moments, that they’re breaking you apart.

“How can I help you fix this?” You ask him, drawing away so you can look into his eyes. “How can we clear your name?”

We.

That’s what he’s always loved about you, when there’s a problem to be solved it’s always a we. He’s never alone, not when he has you.

“I need you to stay strong for me sweetheart.” He murmurs as his forehead comes to rest upon yours. “To keep believing in me because things, they’re about to rough.”

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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[bertruce]

"the Bermuda Triangle" | fanfic

NCIS. Hollis Mann and Alden Parker.

Note: English isn't my native language.

gif - @mcrsdin

*** Director Leon Vance met her on the second floor of NCIS headquarters, right at the top of the stairs. It felt just like the day they first met all those years ago.

The difference was that now DiNozzo wasn't boring into her back with a surprised look, and McGee wasn't jumping up the stairs two at a time to warn Jethro of her arrival.

Today there was no one to warn.

Hollis closed her eyes for a moment, allowing herself a brief moment of weakness, took a deep breath, and finally smiled at Vance after saying hello.

He was as friendly as ever, looking at her attentively and inquisitively, waiting for something.

"I'm here at your request, Leon," Hollis reminded him when the director still didn't respond with anything but the same inquisitive, studying looks.

"You know, in case... you haven't noticed the change..." Vance began, raising his eyebrows expressively and gesturing slightly toward the common room downstairs.

"Jethro's in Alaska. I know,” Hollis replied evenly, almost casually, though the corner of her lips twitched treacherously.

Vance seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, grinned at some unspoken thoughts, and gestured broadly toward his office. However, the curiosity in his dark eyes was so intense that she felt she didn’t need it, and Hollis almost regretted responding to the director's request and agreeing to help.

She wasn't ready to talk about Jethro—or, for that matter, about how four lonely years in Hawaii had turned out to be much happier for her than the last two weeks in Alaska. And yet again she was only trying to help - to someone who didn't even know how to ask for help.

Unlike Jethro, Vance was at least the very picture of kindness. He filled her in on the details of the stalled investigation at length, making no secret of his team's failures or attempting to downplay them, saying only:

" We did well enough without Gibbs, Hollis, but we did stumble somewhere along the line."

She nodded silently, reserving the right to ignore any mention of Jethro in the future. Just as Jethro had ignored her for nearly three weeks while she tried to save his ass.

But what else could you expect from a man who first calls to warn her that she might be the target of a psychopath hunting him, only to ignore her calls when that psychopath actually shows up on her doorstep?

Save yourself, Hollis. Not for nothing does your resume include twenty years of military service, a stint in the Defense Department, and deployments to "hot spots". You'll figure it out... somehow.

The wound under her shoulder blade, which had healed but still ached, responded unpleasantly. She had to close her eyes again, take a slow, deep breath, and exhale raggedly and longingly.

"Are you okay?" Vance asked, and his quiet voice sounded genuinely concerned.

"Rough flight," Hollis answered shortly, sipping her cold coffee and looking down at the papers on the table again. Well, there wasn’t much required of her today: to act as a liaison between NCIS and the DoD, provide access to classified files, and ensure there were no leaks. Even though McGee was now the only one left from the old field team, Hollis had no qualms about NCIS.

Moreover, the DoD was full of moles—and downright idiots—as Vance had learned from his experience. Deep down, Hollis was glad that, of all the DoD investigators he knew, Vance trusted her.

She took another long look at the investigation summary, finished her coffee in one gulp, and, feeling the familiar excitement rising in her soul, she summed it up:

“I’m in.”

“Of course. But...” Vance made a sly, fox-like face. “No calls to the Secretary of Defense or... who else is on speed dial?”

Hollis couldn't help but smile, even though she knew exactly what scene Vance was remembering: her first conversation with Jethro in six years. Here, in this office.

She had actually had to call the Secretary of Defense to end the jurisdictional dispute.

And honestly, Hollis still didn't understand why Jethro had let his personal side get the better of his work side that day, especially in front of witnesses. And while they had managed to talk and seemingly settle things, he had looked at her like a wild wolf again during the next mission and was unhappy with her interference, which didn't stop him from trusting her with his back when it came to a shootout.

Yes, she had always had his back, and he had left her alone with a mad killer.

Hollis shook off the sad thoughts, allowed the smile she had intended for Vance to warm a little, and then slammed the file closed as she got up from her desk.

"I'd be happy to call the Secretary if I had to. But I don't see anyone brave enough to fight me for jurisdiction."

The door swung open just as Hollis finished speaking, and a loud, righteously angry male voice filled the room.

"What the hell, Leon?! We agreed! If my team made a mistake, we'll fix it. Not some office rat from the DoD!"

Hollis frowned, showing what she thought of this type of work communication, but ultimately decided that her calm, impassive expression would be much better - she was not about to get involved in another pointless argument and fighting for the right to lead the investigation. For once, she was quite content to be an invited guest.

Besides, Hollis understood that the unknown special agent's anger was not directed at her personally, but primarily at his own impotence. The team failed, the investigation was stuck, like a cart bogged down in mud, and new body was added to the morgue this morning...

The new team leader, a burly, gray-haired man, continued to talk to Vance, but Hollis remained silent. She only noted that the special agent who had replaced Jethro seemed no different from him in his usual behavior and also had no regard for work ethic. Well, she had been there, she knew.

"Alden Parker," Vance finally said in a businesslike tone, taking advantage of the pause to turn his entire body away from his irate subordinate and toward Hollis.

Parker turned after him, slower and slower with each passing second, as if he had just noticed the presence of a third party. Hmm, not very attentive for a special agent.

And then, without waiting for Vance to introduce her, he blurted out, "Hollis Mann."

"You two know each other??" Vance was surprised.

"No, we don't" Hollis replied confidently. Of course, she knew in absentia who exactly had taken Jethro's place, but Alden Parker was not Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and that was enough.

"I saw your picture in the file McGee sent," Parker's tone was no longer angry. Already calm, if slightly surprised Parker explained and with a sweeping gesture pushed his thick blond hair off his forehead.

"In the Gibbs Bermuda Triangle?" Vance clarified, and his eyes sparkled with amused curiosity again.

Hollis snorted softly and rolled her eyes - she had nothing to lose. She knew all too well about the "ex-love" file, and the talk that was going around NCIS about her and Jethro - she had witnessed it herself more than once. "The fourth ex-wife", "Gibbs' whisperer" and other, sometimes pleasant, sometimes not so, epithets.

"The Bermuda Triangle"? - Parker asked, puzzled, and switched to a businesslike tone. - Nope. The files on Sharif and Pars.

"Why do you need the files on Sharif and Pars?" - Vance was surprised. "They're old cases. They're both dead.

"Not exactly," Parker winced and leaned his hand wearily on the edge of the table.

"Do you think they might have followers?" Hollis asked cautiously, stepping towards him.

— Maybe... After the bio-attack in Alexandria, the explosion near the Admiralty and yesterday's attempt on McGee's life, we decided to reopen old cases related to terrorism. It seems that we need to look for someone who would want to harm Gibbs or his entourage.

Hollis raised her eyebrows in surprise, looked at Vance, and asked again, raising her voice expressively:

— Yesterday's attempt on McGee? You were going to tell me about that?

— Tim is fine, — Vance waved his hand, and his tone made her hope that McGee really was fine. Which could not be said about the victims in Alexandria.

But Hollis clung much more to the word "yesterday" — the man who had stalked her and Jethro had been lying in the Anchorage morgue for three days and, of course, could not have attempted to kill McGee.

"What makes you think it's about Gibbs?" Hollis asked, turning to Parker and gesturing for him and Vance to sit down; the conversation was going to be long.

"After McGee went to the hospital, we needed more staff, and we accepted Fornell's help." Parker paused, looking at Hollis, silently asking if she knew who he was talking about, and when he received a curt nod, he finally continued, "Fornell's noticed a pattern in the attacks that have happened in Washington over the past month: each one is a copy of one or another of Gibbs's old cases. Ari, Sharif, Dearing, Parsa..."

"Mishnev," Hollis finished, and grabbed the back of her chair, standing there, staring out the window that was behind Vance.

Sergei Mishnev killed Diane (Fornell's wife and one of Jethro's ex-wives). In the end, the bastard got what he deserved, but as strange as it may sound, it was Mishneve who caused Hollis’s seemingly happy marriage to falter and crumble.

She shouldn’t have stayed in Jethro’s basement that night, shouldn’t have drunk the stale, flavorless bourbon from dusty cans, and shouldn’t have gone up to the kitchen for another bottle. And even though nothing had happened between her and Jethro for which she could ask her husband’s forgiveness — just a midnight conversation that was more silent than spoken — she knew when she left Jethro’s house that morning that if she had to choose a man to put herself in the line of fire for him, her first choice would have been Jethro, not the man who had put a ring on her finger and shared his life with her for three years. And so she was right to get a divorce.

Then Mishnev, despite Jethro’s alarm, didn't make no attempt to target her or anyone else but Diane. But years have passed, and Jethro again has another enemy: not a second, not a third, not even a tenth.

“I’d like to believe it’s one terrorist,” Parker continued. “But it’s possible that a cell or network was activated.”

“Gibbs crossed paths with many terrorists,” Vance agreed, turning to Hollis and asking, “Has anything suspicious come through the DoD channel?”

“Give me one minute. I got back from leave a day ago,” Hollis replied, pulling her tablet out of her bag to check the reports.

She knew she had to tell Vance about her trip to Alaska, about her encounter with Jethro and the body in the Anchorage morgue, and how even if the world went to hell, Jethro wasn’t going back to Washington to stop the apocalypse someone wanted for his soul.

Because he was “tired,” because he had “put the past behind him,” because “you’ll figure it out on your own.” He hadn’t even come to Ducky’s funeral. What the hell else was there to talk about?

“Okay,” Hollis gave herself a few more seconds to collect her thoughts, cleared her throat quietly, and pulled up the Anchorage photos on her tablet. “Whoever’s behind this, let’s get these bastards.”

Vance chuckled approvingly, settling back into his director’s chair. Parker stood up from the table and reached for the half-empty coffee pot.

“How about something to eat first? How about Hawaiian manapua with sweet potato? I have a whole box downstairs.” He added, slightly sheepishly, but with a bright smile, “It don’t seem to be very popular with the team. They like desserts more.”

“Hollis had lived in Hawaii” Vance said.

“And there, manapua with sweet potatoes is not popular with anyone. Except perhaps with tourists.”

“You just haven’t had the real thing. I know a restaurant in Alexandria. We’ll close the case, and then we can have dinner there.”

“I’m all for it,” Vance interjected, laying out the paperwork he and Hollis had recently been reviewing on the table.

“Don’t be cheeky, Leon. I didn’t ask you out,” Parker chuckled.

“A date?” Vance played along.

"Shut up, Leon," Hollis said back. Suddenly, she felt a smile forming at the corners of her lips."

gif - @weatherlysexual

[writeandsurvive]

AUTHORS NOTE: like I posted recently, this was supposed to be short at first, but here we are now, cutting it in two parts. I'm not sure I did a good job but I really liked the idea. So I hope I did it justice and you guys will enjoy it! 🫣

SUMMARY: your husband wants to open your marriage and Alden Parker is there for you.

WARNINGS: Fem!reader, marriage, open relationship, nsfw, protected sex, piv, oral, spanking, age gap (30s-50s), fall, injury, concussion, lies, vegetarian!reader, Alden kinda teaching sex, ass man!Alden, toxic!mom, reader being her (real) daddy's little girl

Taking over ~ Alden Parker 1/2

From the moment your husband of five years asked for an open relationship, you knew it was over. Bigamy was never your thing, you dedicated yourself to one person at the time and you thought it was the same for him. But somehow, after almost ten years of dating and five of marriage, he needed something new, someone else. Of course, he already had a person in mind; his cute coworker who had been eyeing him for a while, she was barely in her twenties, and was everything you were not. Beautiful with prominent curves, tall. The woman who wears high heels and makeup every single day of their lives, no matter what the circumstances. Your work as an NCIS agent didn't allow you to be this girly kind of woman, not that you'd be even with another job. It wasn't you and you thought your husband liked it, or at least, was fine with it. How wrong.

You were not sure why but you agreed to his request. The wedding vows meant something to you; you were ready to make it work, no matter what. To be entirely honest, the idea of divorcing in your mid thirties wasn't appealing at all, especially with the job taking eighth percent of your time. It felt impossible to meet someone new and start all over again. The plan was for you to have kids soon, not your husband fooling around with his hot new coworker.

There was no way you'd tell the team about what was going on. They wouldn't understand, especially Nick and Tim, who love and protect you like their sister. They like your husband very much, he became family too but this wouldn't sit right with them, and you wouldn't blame them. It didn't sit right with you in the first place. So you hid it to everyone for a couple of months. Every night your husband was out with her, you felt betrayed and thought so little of you. Were you a fool for agreeing to this?

But you decided to stop feeling sorry for yourself. After all, it was an open relationship, which meant you could be with someone else too. But who? You had never been the type of person to go out and hook up with the first stranger you found attractive, so going out just to meet someone wasn't an option. Sleeping with someone from work? The only option was the new team member Alden Parker, who you admittedly found very attractive, but this could be a very bad idea. You were still learning to know one another and getting used to the new team dynamic.

You felt desperate and alone.

You thought you hid it well, but you were quite wrong. During a stakeout, where it was just you and Alden in the car, he didn't wait long before asking how you were. "I'm fine, why?"

"I know I've only been here for a few months, and we're still getting to know each other, but I can tell something's wrong with you. You're closed off."

You laughed softly, earning a side eye from Alden. "Surprising that you're the one noticing."

"Maybe I'm paying too much attention-- to the team. So, what's up? You know you can trust me, right?"

You locked eyes with him for a moment, seeing how sincere and sweet he really was. "Yeah, I know. It's just-- embarrassing? Sad? Wrong? I don't know." You sighed, looking around the area because you had a job to do.

"Is this about your marriage?" He asked suddenly, catching you off guard. You looked at him with a puzzled look. "You don't talk much about your husband, even when the guys asked about him. They mentioned not seeing him in a while." You played with your wedding band while looking at it. "I've been married for ten years. Nothing you'll say will surprise me."

"Think so? Did your ex-wife ask for an open relationship?" You didn't really think before talking, and immediately regretted telling Alden about it. Your cheeks turned red, and you avoided his eyes for a very long time afterwards.

"Okay, um. I admit that-- you surprised me, good job." He paused. "Did he ask that suddenly?"

Since you spilled the beans, you might as well tell him everything. You needed to talk to someone, have someone's opinion. So, you gave him a resume of the past two months. How your husband told you about it, his coworker he's been dating, how you had been feeling, your fears.

"Honestly, I don't even understand how he could've asked that. I mean, if I was your husband, I wouldn't want another woman, and I definitely wouldn't want to share you."

You uncontrollably smiled at that despite the tears threatening to fall. "Too bad you're not my husband then." You joked, but Alden didn't laugh. He softly put his hand on top of yours, stopping you from nervously rubbing them together. The simple contact felt very nice, you didn't remember the last time your husband held your hands.

"I don't know your husband, and I want to meet him even less than before, but it does sound like he just wanted to be with this girl, without actually cheating. But mark my word, he'll regret it. I'm pretty sure that the moment you tell him you're seeing someone, he won't like it."

"Yeah, well I don't know if that'll happen, so..." You trailed off, looking down at your joined hands. His thumb was rubbing small circles on your knuckles, and that tiny gesture felt great. All you wanted to do was reach out for a hug from him. You were certain he'd give the best hugs; gentle and tender but tight.

"Why not? I mean, you could get anyone."

"Even you?" You weren't sure what had gotten into you, where this bluntness was coming from but since it was out of your mouth, you turned your face to lock eyes with Alden. He was already looking at you, leaning just slightly. He stayed silent for a moment, his eyes going down to your lips a couple of times.

"Anyone." He repeated softly.

Silence filled the car from a moment, it was just you and Alden speaking through your looks. Eventually, you broke it off by laughing. A soft and nervous laugh, and you immediately buried your face in his shoulder. He chuckled too, unsure of what this meant.

"I'm sorry," you said. "I laugh when I'm nervous. I'm not sure what's happening here, or even what I'm supposed to do."

His cheek was resting on the top of your head. "I didn't mean to make you nervous. I don't want us to be awkward with each other. It's just-- yeah, you can have me if you want."

You slowly lifted your head, just enough to look him in the eyes. He was sincere. After a moment of hesitation, you reached out and pressed your lips against his. Alden immediately melted into the kiss, holding the back of your head to intensify it. Before you knew it, his tongue was inside your mouth, allowing you to taste the coffee he just drank. The kiss lasted a long time and you couldn't remember the last time you'd been kissed like this. He truly wanted you and at this moment, he was all you wanted.

Remembering that you were on a stakeout, you eventually pulled away. Growling, Alden took a second to adjust himself and that was when you noticed the obvious budge in his suit pants. It seemed...big. "Oh wow." You said, uncontrollably.

Alden followed your eyes to his erection, and readjust himself again. "Um, yeah, sorry. I can leave the car--"

"What, no! Absolutely not! It's just-- intriguing? How big are you?"

He laughed - not without a certain pride. "Nothing to be afraid of." He smirked and winked.

"I highly doubt that." You said, still looking at it.

After a split second, you felt Alden's fingers stroking your chin and pressing gently to make you look at him. "Let me take you out to dinner. No pressure, just a nice time between two friends."

"So, not a date?"

"If you want it to be a date, then a date it is."

"Do you want it? I mean, it's not a regular situation and I'd understand if you didn't want to get in the middle of this."

"Your husband is clearly failing in his duties, and I'll be happy to take over, show you how you're supposed to be treated."

"Okay then."

Okay then. You and Alden did your best to take your hands and mouth off of each other during the rest of the stakeout. It was rough, because all you wanted was to climb onto him in the driver seat and discover how he feels. How he would make you feel.

But Alden was the perfect gentleman. After agreeing to have the date once the case is closed, he kept a reasonable distance from you. Too much time with you would prevent him from acting correctly, because he desperately wanted you.

He had since he joined NCIS. But he immediately noticed your wedding band - plus the age difference - so he tried to shut his crush down. However, everyday was a challenge. You were everything he ever dreamed of in a woman, and not just physically. He felt like a teenager around you, which pissed him off sometimes. How could he, a fifty-something years old man, could have a stupid crush on his thirty-something years old coworker? He felt highly inappropriate for months, especially when you stopped talking about your husband and Alden wondered if it could mean something. For a second, he hoped you had split up before being mad at himself for thinking about something like that. Now, the opportunity showed up, and if he had to be the side boyfriend, then he would be.

It was Friday night, the case was finally closed and you were working on reports and paperwork. Alden told McGee and Palmer to go home and be with their kids, when Nick complained about not being able to leave early cause he didn't have kids. "Fine, go home too before I change my mind. You too girls." He added, looking at Jess then you. Nick and Jess were in the elevator before you had time to respond. You stood up and walked over to Alden's desk.

"Good job, boss." You giggled.

"Nick is too predictable, that was easy."

"Now what?" You leaned against his desk, and it took him all his self control to keep his hands to himself.

"You tell me. Is it too late to go on that date?" He stood up from his chair, his body dangerously close to yours.

"I don't think so, but I'm gonna need an hour to go home and get ready."

"Why are you still here?"

Unconsciously, you pecked his lips before leaving. Alden smiled at that little gesture, before rushing out, so he could go home and get ready too.

Good thing your husband wasn't home. He had texted you that he would be out for the night, with her you assumed, not that you really cared anymore. Alden texted you, asking if he could pick you up, and if he should park away from the house. 'I'm home alone, act like you'd do normally.' you answered. So he did just that.

You opened the front door to find Alden Parker all dressed up, holding some flowers. You couldn't control your grin, nor the butterflies in your stomach. "You had time to pick up some flowers for me?" He handed them to you, and leaned over to kiss your cheek, making you blush and feel other things.

"They are actually from my greenhouse. I picked the most beautiful ones, but you are the most beautiful flower."

You giggled nervously while smelling the flowers, before walking towards the kitchen. "Come on in for a sec -- they are so pretty, Alden. Thank you so much." You couldn't remember the last time your husband offered you some flowers.

"Are you sure that's okay? For me to be in?" To be honest, he felt a bit uncomfortable there. It was just a reminder that you weren't completely available. You were married and would never be his entirely.

"We're not doing anything in the house. I'm just putting these in a vase."

To Alden's relief, you were out just a minute later. He held your hand up to his car, opened and closed the door for you. It wasn't much, but those small things melted you. "Where are we going?" You asked, after he started to drive.

"That's a surprise." He smirked.

"Not to be a pain, I don't know if you know, but I'm a vegetarian and it--" you felt his hand on your thigh. His touch was soft and gentle.

"I know, don't worry, okay?"

You obviously didn't have to worry because Alden took you to a vegetarian restaurant. It was fairly new and you hadn't been there yet, so you were excited. Again, he acted like the perfect gentleman, holding doors, keeping his hand in the small of your back, telling you to pay no attention to the prices.

The dinner was amazing, both the food and the chemistry between you and Alden. The conversation flooded easily, you got to really know each other, talking about your families, childhoods, hobbies. At any point did you talk about work, nor your marriage. "I could eat more vegetarian dishes." He admitted, tasting how good the food was.

"That'd definitely be better than your current diet." You teased.

"What's wrong with my diet?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Don't make me say it." You giggled.

"Please do."

"It's the diet of an overworked bachelor, plus pastries. Tons of pastries."

"Overworked bachelor, huh?" He smiled. "And I thought you liked my pastries."

"I do, very much. I just think you should eat healthier."

"Point taken. It's nice to have someone who cares."

You put your hand on top of his, and he welcomed it. "I do care, Alden." He brought your hand to his lips and kissed your knuckles.

"So do I." He answered.

Were you supposed to care in a situation like this?

After the restaurant, Alden asked if you wanted to keep the night going or if you wanted a ride home. There was no way you were going home just yet, so you drove for about fifteen minutes, before pulling over to the Bowlero. Alden laughed when you looked at him with a grin. "I knew you'd like that."

"So much! I'm so gonna kick your ass at every game!" This time Alden didn't have time to circle the car cause you were out before him. You grabbed his hand and rushed him inside.

You started with the arcades. Alden knew you were a competitive person, he heard you arguing with McGee over a game you played together, he even remembered Jimmy saying something about Victoria being upset during a board game because you wouldn't let her win. But Alden would let you win every game possible if it meant you'd smile and do a ridiculous happy dance. He wanted to kiss you every time you mocked him for losing, and also punished you in his very own way.

Then you offered to play pool. Except that pool was Alden's game. He was ridiculously good at it, probably because he spent long hours playing with friends when he was younger. However, he was distracted. Every time you leaned over the table for your turn, showing off your pretty ass in that tight dress, his cock twitched. The things he wanted to do to you in that position. "I thought you were a killer at pool?" You teased, mid-game.

"I'm a bit distracted." He said, positioning himself over the table.

"By my ass?"

Since you were on the other side of the table, you slowly turned around and shook your hips just slightly. "Fuck, sweetheart. You can't do this here. That ass is only for me to enjoy."

You turned around again, laughing. "Looks like those teenage boys enjoyed the view."

Alden immediately turned his face to where you were pointed, ready to give those boys a death glare. But there were no boys, or anyone else. "Not funny." He turned back to you. "Get out of my eyesight, so I can win this."

You circled the table to be behind him. You actually checked out his ass too. After hitting the white ball, and watching two balls going inside the holes, he faced you. "Much better." He smiled, proud of himself.

You got closer, pressing your body against his. "I didn't pin you for an ass man." You whispered.

He cleared his throat. "I'd always considered myself a tits man. But you--" he pressed his forehead against yours, his hand roaming at the small of your back. He wanted to touch your butt, and so did you. "You drive me crazy." He just said.

"Let's finish this game, fast."

To your displeasure, Alden won, even though he did fail a few balls on purpose. On the way back to the car, you kept talking about the game, what you did wrong, even accused him of cheating which made him laugh. "Damn, you don't deserve sex tonight." You finished the rambling, as you reached the car.

"Okan then," he opened the passenger for you but stood in the way. "I'll just drop you off." He had a tiny smirk on his face, but his instinct told him you wanted sex as much as he did, but he was also afraid you just wanted an excuse to go home. "Can I kiss you good night now?"

"Idiot." You said, grabbing his collar into a fist and bringing him into you. His body crashed into yours as he didn't hold his weight back on purpose, so he could catch you. His hands were immediately on your ass, right before his lips were on yours. If that kiss in the car had been something, this was even more. You and Alden were practically making out in the parking lot, not caring that you could be seen. "I wanna see your greenhouse." You whispered, out of breath.

The greenhouse was prettier than you expected. While holding your hand or your waist, Alden showed you some of his plants and flowers, even telling you about the ones he offered you earlier. But your eyes were more focused on him, his face, his lips, than anything else. "You're not listening to me, are you?" He chuckled.

"I'm a bit distracted." You said, reminded his words from earlier.

He gently grabbed your face in his hands and locked eyes with you. "I gotta ask-- are you sure about this?"

"Are you?"

He kissed you as an answer. Then he carried you into his bedroom, and put you down, without ever breaking the kiss. Your lips were probably bruised and swollen by now, not that you cared one bit. He paid attention to your neck, finding that sweet spot, while his hands traveled your body. You were completely melting under his touch. "Have you told how fucking sexy you are?" He asked.

"No."

"Then I'm sorry. Cause damnit you are the sexiest woman ever." His hands and mouth were working on your breasts as you were desperately trying to unbutton his shirt. His words did something to your core and to your heart.

"I need to feel your skin, Alden." You whined. He stopped so you could get rid of his shirt and he took the opportunity to strip you off your dress. Seeing you in your matching lace underwear shortcut his brain. There was so much he wanted to do and say, he couldn't decide where to start.

You touched his hairy chest, kissing his pec then his neck. "Alden? You with me?" Growling, he picked you up just enough to lay you down on his bed. He covered your body with his, kissing you roughly.

"I'm right here, sweetheart." He whispered. "Right here with you."

You both agreed to skip the foreplay, and orals, as you just needed to feel each other right away. Alden was already painfully hard, while you had already ruined your panties. So he grabbed a condom from his nightstand, rubbed his length against your slit for a moment before intruding your core. You both moaned at the feeling, even though he wasn't fully in just yet. "I knew it. I was right to be afraid."

Alden got confused for a second before understanding. He completely laid down on you, stroking your hair and softly kissing your lips, chin and cheeks. "Just a couple more inches, baby. I know you can do it. You're my good girl, aren't you?" His praises worked wonders on you.

He gently thrusted without going fully, until you told him he could. When he bottomed out, you screamed out loud, your eyes rolling back inside your skull. Alden didn't hold back his noises either - which got you even wetter - as he stared down at you with pure lust. It took all of his willing power not to pin you down and fucked you hard. "That's it, princess. I told you you could take all of me." He kissed you. "Fuck, your pussy is sucking me in." He nipped your bottom lip. "Can I move, baby? Please?" He sounded desperate.

"Fuck yes, Den. Fuck me." He didn't need more.

It wasn't a long and sweet love making. You were both so worked up and desperate for each other, it didn't take long until you and Alden came undone, shouting each other's names. While his cock softened inside you, he collapsed on you, listening to your heart pounding in your chest, just like his was. Your hand was resting in his hair.

"That was--" he tried to say.

"Yeah." You agreed.

Soon after, Alden left for a minute and came back with a wet cloth and some water. He cleaned you up, while you drank and stared. "I didn't hurt you, right?" He asked, concerned.

"Not at all." You stroked his cheek. "but you're definitely bigger than--" you stopped there. His brows furrowed together and he was speaking again.

"Was he the only one you've ever--"

"Yup." You confessed, looking down at the glass of water which suddenly seemed intriguing.

"Oh, um. I didn't know," he drank from his own glass.

"Would it have changed something?"

"I don't know. Maybe?"

"Well I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It seemed irrelevant." You started to move. "If you want to pretend this didn't happen, then fine with me, I'll--" Alden grabbed your arm before you could pull yourself on your knees and brought you against his chest.

"That makes me your second?"

"One, two... You can count, good job." His hand immediately smacked against your butt cheek. You looked at him in disbelief but with a smile on your face.

"I should teach you how to count the right way." He spanked you again. Your eyes went dark, and he knew you liked it very very much. Perfect.

"How many was that? Four?" You teased and two more spanks hit you. You uncontrollably moaned in his chest, and bit his nipple. He let out a high pitched yelp, making you giggle. He put his glass down on the nightstand, - almost dropping it - before getting on top of you, face down on the mattress. Since the four spanks had been on the same cheek, it was already pink, and it sprung Alden's cock back to life. He gave your other cheek a spank.

"No biting, little brat."

You could feel his cock resting between your ass cheeks and for a moment, you considered giving Alden what you always refused to your husband. This ass, your ass... was Alden's to love, fuck and spank.

"Not even a little?" You asked, innocently and earned another spank. You moaned against, burying your face in the pillow - that smelled wonderfully like Alden.

He grabbed a handful of your flesh, leaned over and bit your ass, before smoothing it with his tongue and lips. "Alden," you whined.

"What is it, princess? Do you want something?"

"Your tongue." You whispered.

He spanked you again but was a bit gentler this time. "Louder. You need to be loud and clear."

"I want you to eat my pussy!" You cried.

"Ask and you shall receive."

He turned you over and did exactly what you wanted.

After you came in his mouth, allowing him to drink every bit of you, Alden was painfully hard and ready to go again. He teased your entrance with the tip but you stopped him. He immediately pulled away, giving you space, afraid he did something wrong. But when he saw you turning around with a mischievous smile on your face, he understood. "My turn."

You knew you gave good blowjobs...to your husband. Then again, he was smaller than Alden's so it was easier for you. As you started to suck on Den's cock, you were desperately hoping he would enjoy it. You didn't want to disappoint him. But you could barely take half of him without choking. Still, from his noises, growls and words, he seemed to love it. "Relax your throat, baby. No rush, no worries. You're doing so good." This man could read you like a fucking open book.

You followed his instructions, took your time and slowly, you were able to take a bit more of his length. "Baby, if you choke on my cock one more time, I'm gonna cum." Since it was exactly what you wanted, you took as much as you could, choked and drank to the very last drop of his release.

As bad as he wanted to fuck you one more time, Alden's cock was unresponsive for the rest of the night. So you simply cuddled in bed, made small talk before quickly drifting away.

For a month, everything was great. Things with Alden were amazing, he was an actual dream. Most of the time, you forgot you were married to someone else, it was all about Alden, Alden, Alden. He was extremely sweet and thoughtful, he cared and wasn't afraid to show it, he treated you like a princess, except sometimes during sex. You always liked sex, but with your husband, it has never been too crazy, not that it was bad either. However, with Alden, you discovered yourself, found out you had some kinks and he was more than happy to oblige them.

The team complimented you several times, saying that you were glowing. Thanking them, you saw Alden smirking behind their backs, knowing he was the reason for that glow. It was crazy that they didn't notice what was going on, or at least, they never said or hint anything.

Your relationship with your husband was practically non-existent. You'd run into each other here and there, talked briefly about stuff but that was it. You obviously told him you were seeing someone, and he didn't ask anything, not even who was the guy, or if you were respecting the rules. It felt like he didn't care anymore, and eventually, you stopped caring too. All your focus apart from work, was on Alden and your relationship with this wonderful man.

It was your husband's birthday, and as a tradition, his family and your parents would come over for dinner to celebrate. You turned down Alden's offer to go on a date, mostly because you felt like you had to be there. The families had no idea what was happening and you couldn't just bail on them.

You were preparing a couple of dishes when your husband came home after meeting with his best friend - he said. He surprised you by hugging you from behind and planted kisses in your neck. You instantly stiffed, and tried to wiggle your way out. "What are you doing?" You asked.

"Kissing my wife. Am I not allowed?"

"You haven't touched me for months. Not even a hug."

"I know." He grabbed your waist and spined you around to face him. "It was my mistake and I'm sorry."

He leaned in to kiss you, but you pulled away before his lips could touch yours. "Wait, what is happening here?"

"Did you seriously pull away from a kiss?"

"You can't just come over to me, after months of ignoring me, and expect kisses, cuddles or whatever."

"I don't remember you trying either. I mean, you've barely been home this past month."

"You know exactly where I was."

"Right, with him. Who is he anyways?"

You let out a dry laugh. "So, now you're asking?"

"I am, and I expect an answer." He folded his arms against his chest.

"Someone from work."

He stayed silent for a second. "Nick?"

"Ew, come on."

"I know for sure it's not Tim, nor Jimmy! Wait-- is it the new guy? What's his name?"

"Parker, yes." There was no point in lying.

"Oh my god," he had a humorless laugh. "I can't believe this. That's why I never met him."

"No, you never met him cause you haven't cared in a long time."

"Says the girl who only cares about her job and her team!"

"If that was the problem from the beginning, you could've just said so and asked for a divorce."

"I don't want a divorce! I love you still." You stayed silent. He was obviously expecting you to say it back, but you couldn't. You didn't know if you still loved him. "You're not saying it back."

"I've got to get ready. The parents will be here soon."

You and your husband basically ignored each other, which wasn't difficult. Between the parents, siblings and kids, you each focused on different persons and nobody questioned it. Dinner was barely getting started when your phone rang. It was Alden, so you picked and listened while he told you there was a crime scene and gave you the address. "sorry for ruining your evening, sweetheart." He said.

"Oh no, don't worry." You were somehow relieved.

You got back to the living area where everyone was. "I'm sorry I've got to leave guys. Duty calls." They seemed disappointed but they knew how your jobs worked. "Gonna get changed." You rushed upstairs.

You had barely taken off your dress that your husband merged inside. "It was him, wasn't it?" He asked, angry.

"He's the team leader, he gets the calls and then calls us, so yes." You put on some pants.

"How do I know it's really about work?"

Onto the shirt. "Our families are here. Do you think I'd give up on them?"

"No, but you'd give up on me. You are."

"Stop." You opened the door, and walked away but your husband stopped you right next to the stairs.

"Don't go, stay here with us, with me."

"It's my work, I have to go."

"Work, yeah right." He was raising his voice. "You just want to see him."

"I said stop it!" You tried to pull away but he wasn't letting go of your arms.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" He yelled.

"Let go of me!"

You fought him off, and that was all you remembered but it went dark.

Alden knew something was wrong and so did the team when you never showed up at the crime scene. They all tried to call you multiple times for hours until finally someone picked up when Alden called one more time. "Sweetheart, hey, is everyth--"

"I'm sorry, do you call all of your colleagues 'sweetheart'?"

"Hmm." Alden didn't recognize the voice on the other side but it definitely wasn't you. He suspected the woman to be your mother. "Why isn't Y/N answering? Is she okay?"

"She's at the hospital." Alden's heart stopped at this moment. "She fell down the stairs while she was getting ready and hurt her head. I just got back to the house and found her phone."

"Oh my god," his heart was pounding. "Which hospital is she at? She's gonna be okay, right? The injury isn't too bad?" Nick who was hearing the conversation, called out the rest of the team to approach.

"She has a mid concussion, they are keeping her overnight but she's fine."

"Thank god!" Alden exclaimed uncontrollably. "Which hospital? I'll go see her--"

"No."

"No?"

"She's a married woman, so you need to stay away from her."

"Ma'am--" he tried to talk, say something, anything but your mother kept going.

"I don't know exactly what happened, but it honestly doesn't matter. Whatever was going on between you and my daughter, it ends now. As her superior, and a man old enough to be her father, you should be ashamed."

"Ma'am!" He tried again.

"You know what, you should quit. But if you don't, I'll make sure she doesn't come back to NCIS. It'll be for the best anyways, this job takes too much of her. And it's not taking her marriage. So don't come anywhere near her, and have Nick call next time." She hung up.

Completely stunned, Alden had to sit so he opened the car's door and let himself fall onto the seat. The team was staring as he covered his face and rubbed his eyes. "Parker!" McGee brought him back to reality.

"Yeah, um. She fell down the stairs apparently and has a concussion. They are keeping her at the hospital for the night."

"Okay, move Park, I'm driving." Nick said, waiting for Alden to leave the driver's seat vacant.

"I don't know which hospital. Tim, please tell me you got your laptop?"

Luckily, Tim did have his laptop, and they checked every hospital admissions until they found which one you were at. Nick did drive himself and Alden, while the other had to stay behind to finish up on the crime scene. The team leader didn't say a word during the ride, and Nick respected his silence. He's known about Alden's crush on you for months.

After a few hours and multiple exams, the medical team finally put you in a room. The doctor asked you to not sleep for now, even though you were exhausted and in pain. Your dad joined in, and you were relieved to see that he was alone. "You scared the shit out of me, babygirl." He said, gently kissing your temple. "I'm glad you're fine. The doc doesn't want you to fall asleep just yet, so we're gonna talk, okay?"

"Dad, I don't want to talk right now."

"I need to understand what's going on. You know I'm not judging you and I never will, but did you have an affair with that new guy in your team?"

"That's what he told you?" Your dad nodded.

Of course your husband lied, but you told your father the entire truth. From months ago, to the moment right before you fell down the stairs. You told him about Alden, how you were falling with this man, and how you wanted to be with him and just him. You've been a daddy's little girl from day one, and have always been honest with him, he was kinda hurt you didn't confide in him when it all started, but you know he wouldn't react well.

"Where is he?" You asked eventually, speaking of your husband. "I don't want to see him. Please, don't let him in, dad."

"He's probably getting his nose patched up right now. And I warned him, don't worry. I don't want him anywhere near you." You looked at him, puzzled. "Whether you had an affair or not, I don't care. You fell because of him. Did he--push you, honey?" Your father's jaw was clenched, as well as his fists. He was ready to fight some more.

"No, no! He was just holding me back, I was trying to get out of his grip and the stairs were right there."

Your dad relaxed his fists only slightly, but he didn't have time to say anything.

"You fell because of that motherfucker???"

Alden and Nick were standing at the door.

You never saw that look on Alden's face before, never actually heard him talk this way. Nick wasn't looking any better, very much like your dad, he was ready to fight. Smiling shyly, you extended your hand towards the man you loved. Alden took it, while your father stood up from the bed.

"You two!" You called out your dad and Nick. "You're gonna stay in the hallway, but I swear to god if you go rogue, I'll kick both your asses."

"Yes ma'am!" They both answered, before leaving the room.

"You--" you turned your attention back to Alden, who was breathing heavily. "Sit." He did, and you stroked his beard. "I'm okay."

"You fell, you have a concussion, because of him. That's not okay for me."

"Just hold me, love. Stay here and hold me." He did. "And don't let me sleep."