Journey Series: Ellick

The Morning After

Nick awoke with a start and shot up off the couch, immediately on high alert. This was not his apartment, not even close. Where the hell am I? Before the panic could set in completely, his mind recalled flashes of the night before. Him drunk off his rocker, calling Gibbs, expecting a rebuke, getting a... a what? What the hell happened last night? He was in Gibbs's house. Knowing that, he was able to relax slightly as he recalled with increasing concern, what had happened the night before. Did Gibbs like... interrogate me? About my sleeping habits. Of all the things... oh no no no shit. A shock shook his body as recalled vaguely the other things he had spouted off about. Damn, no. Um, hopefully that part was just a dream. Nervously he rubbed his eyes. "Morning, Torres," Gibbs's voice broke into his thoughts. Torres grinned cheekily. "Please tell me it's actually morning still," his eyes searched the room for a clock. He heard Gibbs chuckle. His eyes finally found the time: 0519. Gibbs made commentary, "You got about three hours of sleep Torres." "That's a new record for me," he replied. "Well, since you're finally up, wanna help me in the basement," Gibbs asked. Is Gibbs, like, making a joke?

Gibbs was already descending into the depths of his basement, leaving him little time to think. Without thinking, acting more on instinct, Torres bounded down after him, forcefully and expertly shunning the reaction the normal human body has following a night-early morning of heavy drinking.

He literally did nothing. For the first time in a very long time, Torres lost the hungry, restless feeling that had been plaguing him. But it came to him sitting on those basement steps watching Gibbs build probably his umpteenth boat, that it wasn't going away without a fight. How he was going to defeat it would take time. He needed the right answers. A familiar pull had been stirring inside him for a littlewhile since his confrontation with that bastard. It was funny how the thing that he felt like was breaking him also felt like it could make him whole again. He needed to do this.

So he sat and sat on that basement step for probably two hours until he finally said slowly, "Gibbs?" The older man acknowledged him with a glance." "I need to get out of here...for a while. I need some time to find something." His words saturated the basement. As the silence stretched on, the air seemed to thicken with the dark intentions behind what he had said. Finally, the older man said, "I know." Torres couldn't help pointing out the parallel. "Damn, Ellie's like you Gibbs. You both have this like, intuition. It's, uh, cool, but, creepy." Gibbs smiled slightly. Damn, guess that it wasn't a dream then. They continued to push the patience of the silence until Gibbs said, "Go find what you're missing Torres." "Thanks, Gibbs." For everything, were the words he left unspoken. He got up and turned to go. "Oh and Torres," Gibbs said. Torres spun on his heel to face him again." "Make sure you tell her goodbye."

Torres stepped out into the cool morning air. He inhaled deeply. Dread, anxiety, anticipation, and even a little giddiness swirled within him. He took off running back towards his apartment. His next stop would be to Director Vance's office. He was going back undercover.