The Blue Guitar (NCIS fanfic)

Citizenship

So, kind of a shorter chapter and it took me a while to finish it off as I had a lot of uni work to do. Sorry!!! As always, vote comment and keep reading! Thank you all, much love :)

"Come on, up you get." Tony grunted as he pulled me up.

"Gibbs." I muttered through blood and pain.

"Right here." I heard Gibbs call from behind me. I turned and  tried to jump into his arms, but the pain shot through me like a knife. "Hey, it's OK, it's over." He whispered into my ear as he carefully hugged me, I nodded into his shoulder.

"Who shot him?" I asked.

"I did." Gibbs replied, "he only hit my vest." I pulled away from the hug to inspect the bullet lodged in Gibbs' bullet proof vest.

"Thank God." I stated. 

"Let's get back." Gibbs said.

"One of them are still alive, just a flesh wound to the upper arm." Tony told Gibbs.

"Good. Come on, back to the others." Gibbs once again ordered, as Tony supported my weight as my face and body throbbed through the beating I had just endured.

"Let's take that piece of trash back to the Navy yard." Ziva said to McGee, hauling an injured, handcuffed man with him to the cars.

"Not without the others." McGee reminded Ziva, she nodded and pushed the man into the back of the Chevy. I saw McGee and Ziva standing by the cars, waiting for us as we rounded the warehouse. They both came running towards us as they saw Tony supporting my weight and Gibbs walking sheepishly holding his chest.

"All's good, McGoo, let's go home." Tony stated, helping me and Gibbs into the van. "I'll drive the van, you and Ziva go in the chevy."

Once we were back at the Navy yard, Gibbs insisted that I let Ducky give me the once over, just to make sure I was somewhat alright.

"Ah Jethro - Eleanor, m'girl, what on Earth happened to you?" Ducky asked, rushing forwards to help me to a chair.

"I'm fine, Dr Mallard. Just a few bruises, nothing that won't heal." I stated with a strained smile.

"Well here, let me clean you up and bandage the cuts. Then you can take a couple of pain pills and that'll please Jethro enough." Ducky ordered, moving to pick up a gauze and bandages.

"Thank you." I replied, and quietly allowed Ducky to patch me up.

"All done, y'know - for once I wish you would come back to us completely healthy for a change." Ducky chuckled.

"Me too Ducky, me too." I replied with a smile and gave the older man a quick hug. "Thanks, gotta dash, we got one of them alive."

"Weren't you supposed to bring them all back alive?" Ducky asked.

"I wouldn't be here if we had of done." I replied, heading for the elevator, not waiting for Ducky's reply.

I entered the observation room, watching Gibbs staring at the man I'd shot in the arm squirm under his gaze. McGee, Tony and Ziva all joined me within minutes.

"He said anything yet?" Tony asked.

"No, but I reckon he's close to cracking." I replied, turning to look at Tony who grimaced at my face.

"Jeez Blue, you look like you've gone into the ring with Ali for a round or two." Tony observed. "It didn't look that bad with all the blood."

"Thank Tony." I replied with a chuckle. "It'll heal soon enough." Gibbs slammed his fists on the table, knocking me and Tony from our conversation.

"What do you think's gonna happen? You're going down, but if you tell me what I want to know, you'll only be helping yourself!" Gibbs shouted in the mans face. He broke immediately after that, describing how Ricktan hired him and the other men to protect him, they were just guns for hire. After RIcktan had killed me, the man said that their employment would be up and that was all he knew. Gibbs had him write everything down and then he was transferred to the Washington PD. We met Gibbs outside to interrogation rooms and he looked pretty tired, which was unlike him.

"You OK, Boss?" Tony asked.

"Fine." He stated. "I need coffee."

"Lucky I brought some, then Jethro." Director Sheppard called from behind us.

"Thanks Jen." Gibbs replied as he took the coffee.

"Agent Bluinto, how're you feeling?" The Director asked.

"Just peachy, ma'am." I replied with a chuckle, followed by a grimace of pain.

"I came to tell you you're mother is in my office and would like a word with both you and Agent Gibbs." The Director responded. I looked to Gibbs who nodded and the three of us headed for Director Sheppard's office.

My mother stood in the middle of Director Sheppard's office. She looked anxious, and even more so when she saw the state I was in. Her hair was disheveled and she looked like she hadn't slept.

"Oh! Ellie! What on Earth happened to you?" She burst out as she headed for me. She took a careful hold of my shoulders and looked me up and down, taking in the sight of my beaten face. "What did he do to you?" 

"He would have killed me if it wasn't for Gibbs." I replied, nodding my head towards my boss.

"Thank you." She directed to Gibbs. "Thank you for everything."

"Just doing my job, ma'am." Gibbs replied.

"Come on, I've booked us a plane home, you're safe now." My mother stated to me.

"Mum, I need to talk to you." I started. Stopping her from directing me to the door.

"We'll give you a minute." The Director continued, with a small nod. I returned a nod in thanks.

"What's wrong?" My mother asked, her voiced once again laced with concern.

"I'm not going back to England." I bluntly replied.

"Wh-Why?" She asked, her eyes already tearing up.

"I don't remember home yet. Not properly. I'm happy and safe here, mum. I want to stay with Gibbs and the team and NCIS. I can do some real good here, and help people who need it." I responded with the words I'd rehearsed in my head since my mother arrived.

"But, where will you stay - I can't afford to buy you any accommodation here and stay in England, and I don't want to move to America." She explained to me. I pulled her to sit on the sofas.

"I can stay with Gibbs, the paperwork is in order, all you have to do is sign it. I can come visit any time and you can stay in England. It will be better this way, I want to have a life here." 

"I need to talk to Agent Gibbs before I agree to anything, will you allow me that?" My mother asked.

"Of course, I'll call him in, he will answer anything you want." I replied, rising up from my seat. "Please, do this for me, mum, it's what I want."