FIC: Bound (Chapter 1; Part 2) G/Ducky/OMC FRAO

Due to the crowds and the misdirection of a lot attendant they had been forced to park in the furthest part of the lot behind the theatre. But the neighborhood was good and it was barely sunset and a little exercise for two NCIS agents wouldn't do them any harm. They would make it to a family cookout at Arlington Estates just as things were winding down, dessert and coffee. Angela was assured him her family would welcome him, that the coffee would be nice and strong. Gibbs chuckled. He loved this woman, had begun to look at rings, wondered how he was going to present it to her... if she would even accept...

A sharp sting erupted on the side of his neck. Gibbs smacked the area in response in order to kill the offending insect. But his palm encountered something hard... odd. A moment later his perceptions closed up as movement became almost impossible. Confused he managed to turn his head. He expected to see Angela a step or two ahead perhaps wondering where he was...

But she lay on the pavement, her gray eyes open, full of terror.

"Run, Jethro!" Her desperate whisper reached his ears. "Run! Run! Run!"

Run? Jethro reached for her. Danger. His body began to fail as unwelcome warmth surged through him. "Angie-"

He was aware. He was alert. He could almost touch her. Grab her. They were under attack... drugged. He needed to get her away but as his fingers brushed her clothes he fell to his knees. An instant later his arms were taken from behind in a punishing, almost dislocating grip. He was hauled to his feet and held up as if on display. In front of him stood a man of medium height and build. Caucasian. Blond. Athletic. The lot attendant who has misguided them. The man's eyebrows lifted as hazel eyes regarded him.

"This is the one?"

"Sure is," a deep voice behind him confirmed.

The man measured Gibbs. A brief buzz scattered through his mind then left. His kidnapper's attention shifted to a point behind Gibbs. "Quite a prize," he commented dryly. "Not only the Regent's granddaughter but a Half Born..."

"Let him go!" Gibbs heard his beloved whisper weakly. "He doesn't know anything!"

"Empty gesture," the blond man responded, clearly disinterested. "Get them into the truck then prepare them for travel." Pause. "Kenneth... don't touch him more than you need to... right now. Sebastian will want to see him first."

"Fuck," came the irritated, clearly disappointed reply.

Gibbs opened his mouth but no words came out as he was thrown into a van. He never lost consciousness as they were stripped... tied... touched...

All the while Angie's cries filled his ears. Her terror and pain assaulted his nerves...



Something soft and wet pushed his cheek. Small. Curious. Jethro jerked awake and barely managed not to strike as his mind registered the source and his eyes beheld the sight of white fur dotted with bright colors. A second later a motorized purr reached his ears as tiny claws began to knead his face and jaw. What the-

"That's Bristol."

Bristol. Kitten. Calico. Jethro sat up. The kitten jerked back, startled from her task. She raised herself on her back legs in threat then fell backwards as she over balanced. Her emerging copper eyes still held hints of blue as they regarded him, wary but willing to play if Gibbs was game. She was, he thought quickly, six or seven weeks old.

"Six," the voice corrected him. "A very precocious six."

Gibbs looked up. A man sat on the bed beside him. With a practiced eye he could see his visitor was about his own height when standing but a slightly larger build. His hair was dark with small streaks of gray at the temples and scant scatterings throughout. He wore a black t-shirt over a pair of basic jeans. His eyes were blue, his gaze friendly but intense. //Like Joshua,// came Jethro's first thought. //Like Sebastian and Peyton...//

The man frowned, his posture stiffened. "I'm nothing like them," he said darkly then sighed and seemed to dismiss the thought. He gave Gibbs a small smile. "My name is Gil Grissom. I'm Healer to Sorens House." He paused as Bristol decided Gibbs had lost his charm and crawled over to Grissom to casually climb his shirt and sit on his shoulder. Grissom spared her a brief pet. "How are you feeling?"

Concern. Inspection. Jethro felt the presence this man inside him, along with Joshua's, like a mosaic though Grissom's mind seemed more... detached... less intimate... but closer and, for the moment, stronger. "I don't know," he said before he could think. His heart began to beat a little faster. He hadn't meant to answer. He looked around. When he woke the last time the room had been nearly dark. Now sunlight drifted through the windows to his right and a pair of french doors just beyond the foot of his bed.

Sunlight. Gibbs stiffened as the warm rays touched his skin. "I-" He felt gentle heat but nothing more. But the last time had been painful... punishment... one of the ways they had convinced him...

"We can be exposed to sunlight, Jethro," Grissom said. "We're not vampires. Vampires really are a myth."

We. Gibbs studied him, sensing what he had sensed of Joshua, of the others who had held him. "You're L-L'Sangri?" he asked as his mouth and tongue struggled over the word.

An approving smile appeared on the Healer's face. "Joshua said he told you something. You remember? Last night?"

Jethro's cheeks tingled then burned as the memories presented themselves. Joshua. Ducky. He looked around. Their scent was still here but they were gone.

"Josh will be back shortly. He and Ducky needed to eat and Duck needs to rest." Grissom accommodated Bristol as the kitten climbed down from his shoulder to settle in the crook of his arm where she threw up a tiny hind leg and started to clean herself off in total trust that the man would support her. "We've been with you since you were brought here four days ago."

Four days. He could remember... last night. Waking from a nightmare to a dream. His body was weak and achy but remembered the intimacy... the pleasure. Gibbs tongue swiped the inside of his mouth, still tasting the lingering taste of blood... Ducky's blood. But otherwise all was as it had been. Normal... though Jethro wondered if that term could ever be used again in relation to himself.

"Normal has different standards," Grissom stated in answer to his thoughts. "Normal for you has changed."

Gibbs glared at him, suddenly angry. Last night, in the intimacy... in getting what he needed it was all right but now his brain was buzzing, his thoughts scattering among the random thoughts of others. "Since when did my mind become a metro station!"

Grissom shrugged but his eyes glinted with mild amusement. "That's a normal you're going to have to adjust to," he told him. "All humans have some capacity for psychic abilities. In L'Sangri the abilities are more natural, more apparent rather than latent." Grissom cocked his head. "From what I understand you've always had some empathic ability. You're known to be an exceptional interrogator. You've always been able to sort out truth from lie, to sort out friend from foe in a fight. Now it's going to be more intense along with some new abilities surfacing. But we'll show you how to control and protect yourself."

Control. Protect. "What did they do to me?" he asked then frowned at the pleading quality in his tone.

The question drew a deep sigh from Gil Grissom who glanced down at the kitten now curled in the crotch of his pants, asleep though her eyes seem to be slit open as if watching. Then he faced Gibbs again. "L'Sangri have existed as a part and apart from other humans a very long time. We stay hidden in plain sight because we are human but we are also different... different enough to have caused a near genocide." Grissom pursed his lips in thought. "In school you learned about Darwin and the evolution of man. Primate to Homo Sapiens with minor variations that died out along the way, including Neanderthals... though there's debate as to whether they really died out or simply integrated into the main line."

Anthropology. Gibbs wondered what this had to do with... what happened to him.

Grissom's eyebrows went up. "What I'm telling you has everything to do with what happened to you," he said in a fashion that warned Gibbs to pay attention. "As one of those lines that didn't die out we understand the myth that there is only one species of Man. About fifty thousand years ago, as far as we can tell, there was a mutation among a group of nomads in the Gauls of Eastern Europe and down into the northern Mediterranean. Men began to need the blood of others or they died long agonizing deaths. Yet when they got the blood they lived many, many generations."

//Vampires.// Gibbs mind supplied then winced as the word struck him wrong as Grissom's presence also took offense. "Sorry," he muttered, confused. He flinched then sighed Grissom's fingers brushed his face, as the other man's blue eyes glinted thoughtfully and a soothing sensation filled Jethro... instant absolution.

"You don't have the words yet." Grissom's fingers continued to linger on Gibbs' face to pet the hairs Jethro knew had grown on his cheeks and chin. Since the age of eighteen, with exception of undercover assignments and in the midst of war, he had religiously shaved every day. The feel of a beard growing unchecked was hard to miss and vaguely uncomfortable. But he found he liked Grissom's touch, felt a building bond as he had with Joshua and Ducky... but not quite as intimate.

"L'Sangri are not vampires. Vampires are a myth that came to be because we evolved along side humans and like humans we spent our time dominating and enslaving. But, unlike most humans, and because of our unique needs and abilities, we were far better at raping, pillaging and ruthlessly ruling. But our population is fragile and humans used this to overthrow and disperse us. Yet somehow we managed to survive and change as human civilizations changed."

Now Gibbs was interested. "So what about now?"

Grissom shrugged. "There's a lot that's happened between then and now. Now nearly all of us live on the North American continent. Some few Houses still exist in England and France. Two in the Middle East... Israel and Egypt. And there's one in Eastern Europe though that one may be gone now. But the Prime House is in Upstate New York and the policies and laws set forth there are what all Houses are suppose to enforce for the safety and benefit of everyone, L'Sangri and humans."

"You have a government that our government knows nothing about?" Life long training put him on alert. Secret society? Threat to his government? Gibbs glared as soft laughter whispered through him from Grissom. "It's not funny!"

Grissom smirked. "Our government has existed in America since more than century before yours did." He smiled. "If we were some conspiracy out to destroy free society we've had plenty of time."

True. All true. Bristol was awake. She was in a stalking pose, her eyes fixed on Gibbs' foot as it moved minimally under the thin covers. In a moment of lightness Jethro purposely moved his toes and the kitten sprang. Her entire body engulfed most of Gibbs' foot as tiny claws and teeth tried to take down her prey. Gibbs smiled at the distraction. Her claws and teeth were too small to hurt but she was hanging on, determined. He remembered then at Angie had had a cat... Sensei. Tabby. Friendly.

An unexpected rush of emotion made Gibbs' vision blur. "Angie's dead," he said unnecessarily. Latent concern for the cat drifted through him.

"Sensei is being well cared for, Jethro," Grissom assured, his tone changing with Gibbs' mood. "Her cousin has his littermate. It'll be all right."

//No.// Gibbs pulled his foot away. Bristol found herself attached to the blanket with nothing to attack. She looked at him with what Jethro might have considered a glare if he hadn't known better. //Nothing will ever be all right.// He was tired... sick... changed. Part of him wanted to understand; part of him wanted to wake up and thank god it was some strange dream.

//No dream.// Grissom picked up Bristol and put her back on his lap. She pawed his hand a moment then settled into a tiny meat loaf position. "Jethro, everything will be all right if you want it to be. First step is to understand who we are so you can understand what's happened to you." Grissom's warm hand enclosed around Gibbs' fingers. Contact. Monitoring. Almost like a doctor taking a pulse and more. "Brief biology lesson. About eighty percent of all women and sixty percent of all men carry the L'Sangri gene on one or both genetic pairs. Women, whether they inherit one or both genes, do not become full L'Sangri. We believe it's because they would never survive their monthly periods or childbirth. Men who inherit the gene only from the mother show no signs. Men who inherit from both parents are known as Full Borns. They are L'Sangri in all respects from birth. Then there's you and I."

Calmed somewhat by his contact with Grissom, Jethro remembered something he heard before- "Half Born."

Grissom seemed surprised. "They told you?"

Gibbs shook his head, as much to clear the images forming in his mind as to answer the question. "When they first took us they said something about the Regent's granddaughter and-" He paused as he realized what he'd just said. "Who or what is a Regent?"

Grissom frowned then cocked his head. He released Gibbs and held his hands out expansively. "There are Houses... Prime House and Regency Houses then other Householdings. Arlington is a Regency House, headed by a Regent who answers only to the Prime House. Angie wasn't his granddaughter but she might as well have been. There were close ties."

Gibbs absorbed this. "I don't understand. Why are you helping me then?" //After what I did to her--//

"Because you need help." Grissom petted Bristol who seemed content to remain as she was and purr. "Jethro, you're not responsible for her death. You're not responsible for the kidnapping. If there's blame to be met out then the Regent is responsible, though that's only if one judged in hindsight. When you found the Harvesting last month you should have been taken in then but we wanted to go slow, take care-" Grissom smiled sadly. "We didn't want to lose you."

//Why?// Gibbs eyes narrowed. "What's so special about me?"

Grissom considered him. Jethro felt the gentle wash of the Healer's mind strengthen then withdraw back to where it was. "You need to eat," he said in response. "Josh is coming back and he can help you clean up and get dressed. Then you can come down and start learning more by getting to know us better."

No answer. Gibbs glared at Grissom. "So no more answers?"

"Not right now." Grissom met his gaze. "You were supposed to have a choice, Jethro. But the choice was taken away from you. It's our responsibility to guide you into your new life but you're in no condition to absorb too much at once." His eyes wavered over Gibbs. "You're malnourished. Dehydrated. You've been traumatized on a physical and psychic level. This isn't the first time this has happened but you're one of the few to overcome it and remain who you are." He smiled. "That alone makes you extremely valuable to everyone for a variety of reasons, personal and professional."

Professional? Gibbs suddenly oriented. "I'm an agent with NCIS," he announced even as he wondered why he hadn't thought to say something before. If what he was being told was true he had been missing for over two weeks. His supervisor... the Director... had to have noticed. "I-"

Grissom touched his shoulder in assurance. "You're on Medical Leave. Seems you had an accident... drunk driver went into the side of your car." His eyes glinted with a sharp mixture of emotions. "You were lucky to survive and are expected to make a complete recovery after some time off to let your injuries heal."

Nice. Neat. Casual. No expectations of investigation or inquiry. Gibbs suddenly understood. "You guys have infiltrated NCIS?"

Grissom's shoulders moved with a brief shrug. "We're not separate from human society. We serve and protect our country and our world, but we also protect ourselves." His eyes became sad. "As far as the outside world is concerned Angie didn't survive the crash."

Jethro bowed his head as he willed away the sting in his eyes. He would not break down and cry as he had last night. He was stronger than that. He had to be...

Suddenly faint pressure rolled up his thigh then Bristol came into view as Gibbs continued to struggle for control. Her tiny eyes gazed at him expectantly. Because of the extra digits, her paw appeared more like a soft paddle as it hazarded out to touch him as if testing.

"She likes you," Grissom told him quietly. "I'm jealous."

Gibbs studied the small feline. He was more a dog person but generally liked animals. Tentatively he put out his fingers to pet the kitten. Bristol took it as a signal and engulfed as much of his hand as she could; her teeth nipped, her back claws scratched lightly over his palm. But oddly her eyes remained on him, watching, as if trying to figure out what to do for him.

"She's very sensitive," Grissom said. "She doesn't like people she's decided to like to be unhappy."

Now Bristol was alternately licking and play-biting Jethro's hand. Caught in the moment he gave the kitten a half smile then carefully folded his hand together to pick her up. Immediately Bristol purred and began to knead his hand.

"I see Bristol's given him her approval."

Gibbs looked up as a more familiar presence wafted through his mind and brushed his thoughts with affection and lingering concern. Joshua Karas was coming into the room through a door that was set between Gibbs' bed and the kitchenette. In daylight and without the fog of madness that had consumed him last night he studied the man. Joshua was four or five inches shorter than himself with dark hair and dark eyes. His light olive skin was smooth and taut over prominent cheekbones. His body, dressed in a casual shirt and pants, was well proportioned and healthy. Attractive but nothing that would stand out in a crowd.

"Not everything can be seen on the surface, Jethro."

The words were spoken with amusement. Joshua's eyes held a pleasant gleam. Still Gibbs' face burned with a rare blush. He didn't mean...

"I know you didn't." Joshua came up and brushed his fingers over Jethro's cheek, a gesture Gibbs was beginning to understand as familiar contact, to greet, to sooth, to check. "You must have a way with animals," he said as he caressed the now sleeping kitten in Gibbs' hand.

Gibbs didn't know how to answer. Suddenly he was tired and irritated. His head felt crowded and raw. His stomach felt tight. His skin crawled with the need to be clean.

A hand cupped his chin and drew his face up so he faced Joshua. "It's going to take a long time to come to terms with everything, Jethro, but not too long." He picked up Bristol. The young feline continued to sleep undisturbed as she was given to Grissom who stood up as he received her. "See if Kelly would mind doing a small brunch in the side kitchen... maybe an hour?"

Gil smiled. "Do you want-"

Joshua stopped him with a shake of his head. "Thanks."

Grissom turned his smile on Jethro. "I have to go to the clinic," he told him. "I'll be back for dinner." With that he left the room.

The door closed softly. For a long moment Jethro and Joshua merely stared at each other. Jethro fought to keep control over his growing discomfort and exhaustion... even his vague embarrassment. Last night they had all been lovers... now what?

Joshua appraised him then gripped the sheet that covered Gibbs tentatively. "You'll need help to stand," he said casually.

Help? Gibbs straightened his back. He was hurt and sore but he moved around on the bed all right last night. He was in top physical shape. He didn't need...

"Humor me," Joshua stated in a light tone. With that he drew away the sheet covering Gibbs. Instinctively Jethro flinched as he realized he was still naked. "Nothing I haven't seen... or touched."

The words were spoken gently, with fondness. Gibbs took a deep breath and let it out, realizing how ridiculous he was being. Joshua's grip was strong and warm as he lifted himself from the bed then grunted in surprise as his legs began to give out.

"Just give yourself a moment. You've been in bed for almost four days."

//Okay.// Gibbs nodded as his eyes wandered to his legs as if to will them to support his weight. He frowned. Something wasn't right. He was a physically active man, a runner... yet his legs look somewhat thin, soft and pale. His fingers rested on his stomach. Very thin...

"Once you're stable and start eating you'll be all right."

The reassurance was physical as Joshua's arm came around Jethro's waist, and psychic as now familiar soothing calm invaded him. Still, one word out of place caught his attention. "Eating?" Gibbs met Joshua's gaze. "They told me..."

"I know what they told you." Joshua's expression was suddenly cold. "I know everything they did to you."

Something powerful and negative burned through Gibbs and he jerked away from Joshua's support to get away. But as quickly as the darkness came it left. Jethro found himself sitting on the bed again, disoriented and a little afraid. Joshua knelt in front of him. His hands held Gibbs' firmly, projecting reassurance.

"I'm sorry, s'alet," he said sincerely, his presence once more comforting. "I don't have the control I once did... which is why Adam is here." His eyes were moist. "You were brought into the middle of a war, my friend. A war that has gone on for thousands of years virtually unseen by Outsiders." He bent forward and kissed the hands he held. "You aren't the first I've lost or almost lost."

Images. Flashes. Faces and names filtered through him. There was a young looking man with green eyes and a woman with blue... both with light brown hair... a boy sat on the man's shoulders... darker... brighter... laughing... then Angie... all connected...

"Jethro, look at me."

Command. Gibbs drew a deep breath as if he had never taken breath before in his life. He resisted then gave in as he focused on the dark brown eyes that glinted with their own light. Gentle hands surrounded his face; fingers massaged into his hair. Jethro sensed the same deep grief he had sensed the night from Joshua but now he understood, a little. Letting instinct guide he wiped a tear that strolled down the other man's face. //I barely know his name but it's like we were raised together...//

//z'cra//

It was more a concept than a word. Jethro smiled a little. He continued to caress Joshua's face because he liked the feel of the smooth skin, the quiet feelings it brought.

Finally Joshua covered Jethro's hand with his own and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss. "Let's try this again," he said as he stood, still holding Jethro's hand.

Gibbs made the effort, satisfied when he barely swayed as he stood again. Joshua led him to the bathroom and stepped behind him as he guided him around. "Something else I want you to see so you won't be shocked because I know another lie they told you."

At first Jethro wondered what Joshua was referring to until he saw it. He faced a mirror. "No." He stiffened as he remembered...



Creature, see! You're not there! If the sun doesn't convince you this will! You've lost your soul, creature! You have no reflection!



"Look, s'alet," Joshua commanded quietly.

Gibbs trembled as he could do nothing but look. He stood. Naked. Thin. Battered. He had lost muscle tone. His ribs were more noticeable. Somewhere in the back of his mind he expected this. The shock was in actually seeing his reflection at all...

"There is some truth to that myth, Jethro," Joshua told him, his own face reflected just above Gibbs' shoulder, his dark eyes watchful. "We are solid objects, living beings. We do reflect. But when we are in Need we understand that our chemistry changes. We absorb and reflect light differently. In a reflective surface the background dominates and we become invisible to those who don't know how to look." He patted Jethro's back and moved to stand beside him. "Just watch," he said quietly. His tone and expression became focused. "I can't risk the drain to do this more than a moment."

Still numb from shock of seeing himself, Jethro barely nodded. Joshua drew a deep breath, his eyes on his own refection. Gibbs saw Karas' eyes take on a more prominent glow then it was as if the wall and toilet behind them simply swallowed Joshua whole.

"Do you feel my hand?"

Jethro flinched at the warm touch. In the mirror he thought he could see faint movement, like a ghost. Gibbs turned his head, wary but relieved to see Joshua whole, to see the long fingered hand resting on his upper arm. "They could do this?" he asked in realization, almost embarrassed by how much he had believed.

Joshua nodded. "Look now."

He did. Joshua was there. Gibbs was there. All very normal. "What am I?" he asked through gritted teeth. His captors had lied, had used him. No one had ever used him. He could always see through their deception...

"You are Jethro Leroy Gibbs. You were born to be L'Sangri." He stepped back and stripped off his shirt then opened his pants. "The process should have been a celebration but Sebastian..." Joshua paused to strip off his pants and socks. "There's a lot to explain, Jethro." The bathroom was small but the standup shower stall was large. Karas opened the beveled glass door and reached in to turn on the water then he gestured towards Gibbs. "But I don't want you overwhelmed. Come on."

Jethro stared at the smaller man. Last night he really hadn't seen him, only felt him... Now Joshua stood naked in front of a running shower with an invitation to join him. Before he could stop it his eyes wandered over the other man's body. His cock twitched in response. Joshua expression brightened, his eyes twinkled.

"I'm not sure you're up for that right now," he said, his tone a little lower, betraying mutual attraction. "But we have a long time, my friend. I promise." He waved his hand. "Come on. All I want to do is make sure you don't fall then we'll go and eat."

Jethro let out a long breath though he wasn't sure if it was in relief of disappointment. He took an uncertain step towards Joshua and caught the outstretched hand and let himself get drawn in, feeling somewhat safe for the first time since the nightmare began...


[end of chapter 1]