Yeah!!!! I'm so excited!!! This is my hundredth story for Gibbs - my dream comes true. Thanks to you all for joining me on this voyage. 🥰🥰❤️🥳🥳
The morning at NCIS headquarters smelled like always: of stale floor cleaner, paper, the metallic scent of gun oil, and - right next to me - the best coffee in all of D.C. I sat at my desk, staring at the monitor, waiting for the world to explode.
Instead, I found a piece of paper.
It was lying right on my keyboard. A plain white slip of paper with this information written on it in handwriting that looked old-school and disciplined:
"You will receive 100 more messages. Figure out what they mean. No tech. Find out who I am."
Tony flinched so violently he almost fell off his chair.
"I didn't do anything! I swear, the thing with McGee's keyboard was an accident!"
“Did you put this here?” I asked, holding up the note.
“Nope. Looks like a scavenger hunt. Pretty old-fashioned. Not my style.”
I just looked at him. Then I turned and looked at Gibbs’ desk. The boss was staring at his screen, his face like it had been carved from granite. He didn’t even notice me looking at him. Or at least he pretended to.
I looked at you. Out of the corner of my eye, of course. You were holding the first note and looked as bewildered as I’d hoped. Your hair fell slightly across your face as you turned the note this way and that, as if there were an invisible ink that only appeared under UV light.
Rule #3: Never believe what you’re told. Check it out.
You would check it out. You were good at it. Too good for my own good. I sipped my coffee and felt that rare, almost forgotten ache in my chest. 100 notes. It was insane. It was sentimental. It was totally not my style. And that's precisely why she would never guess they were from me. At least not right away.
"It wasn't long before note number one surfaced. It was plastered to the inside of my closet, saying “S'agapo”.
I stared at it. “S-a-g-a-p-o?” (Greek), I murmured. What was it? A code? A name? A blood pressure medication?
I was about to pull out my phone when the first message came flooding back: No technology.
For the next three days, my life became a bizarre game of hide-and-seek. I found notes in my desk drawer, in my coat pocket, even one inside my ID badge.
The messages grew increasingly cryptic:
(Note #3) Ke a rata (Sotho)
(Note #4) Nalingi yo (Lingala)
(Note #5) Ek het jou lief (Afrikaans)
I spent my lunch breaks in the old library in the basement, poring over thick dictionaries and phrasebooks. My head was spinning.
"What are you reading?" a voice growled behind me.
I jumped. Gibbs was standing there, a cup of coffee in his hand, his gaze unfathomable.
"Nothing," I said quickly, closing the book. "Just... a hobby."
"A hobby," he repeated dryly. He leaned forward, so close that I caught the smell of sawdust that always seemed to surround him. "You seem stressed. Rule 10, kid."
"Always carry a knife?" I asked, confused.
"No," he grinned that crooked, almost invisible grin. "Never take a case personally."
He turned and left. I stared after him. Had he just smiled?
You were going crazy. I saw you in the library. You looked so determined trying to translate Lingala. I could have made it easier for you, but where would the fun be in that? Besides, the look on your face when you found a new note was priceless. A mixture of triumph and pure frustration.
I placed the next ones in quick succession.
(Note #6) Inuuinniq (Inuktitut) - In your glove compartment.
(Note #7) Anh yêu em (Vietnamese) - At the coffee machine, right on the 'black' button.
(Note #8) Wo ai ni (Mandarin) - Among the files of the current case.
I watched you sitting at your desk, writing lists. You were trying to discern a pattern. Geographical? Alphabetical? You couldn't figure it out.
"Do you need help?" McGee asked on day five.
"No!" you retorted. "I can handle this on my own."
"Sarcasm is the refuge of the helpless," I remarked in passing.
You gave me a look that would have killed a weaker man.
"Says the man who speaks in riddles, Gibbs."
"I don't speak in riddles. I'm just making sure you're paying attention.”
The weeks passed, and the slips of paper became a constant in my life. I kept them in a small box in my desk drawer. It was as if someone were drawing a secret map of my surroundings.
The list in my notebook grew, and I spent nights trying to match the terms. It was an insane mix of dialects and extinct languages.
(Note #9) Tave myliu (Lithuanian) – Behind the mirror in the ladies' room.
(Note #10) Amo-te (Portuguese) – On the floor of my car.
I was getting nervous. Who was getting into my car? Who knew when I used the stapler? I started to see the office in a different light. McGee? Too shy for such a worldly gesture. Tony? Too loud; he would have been bragging about it by now.
(Note #11) Volim te (Croatian)
(Note #12) Maite zaitut (Basque)
(Note #13) Milujem ťa (Slovak)
(Note #14) Jeg elsker dig (Danish)
(Note #15) Szeretlek (Hungarian)
The languages became more exotic, the locations more brazen. I found note number fifteen inside my work phone when I picked up the receiver.
"What's a 'Szeretlek'?" I asked.
Tony looked up. "Sounds like a vacation destination. Or an exotic disease."
Gibbs just snorted into his coffee.
I started copying the notes and pinning them to a bulletin board in my apartment. My head was spinning. Were they threats? Sleeper Agent Codes?
(Note #16) Rakastan sinua (Finnish)
(Note #17) Te iubesc (Romanian)
(Note #18) ỉnk mr.k (Ancient Egyptian)
(Note #19) Eg elski teg (Faroese)
(Note #20) Bi chamd khairtai (Mongolian)
After the first twenty notes had turned my life into a linguistic minefield, I began eyeing every object in the NCIS building with suspicion. Whoever was playing this game was a ghost.
(Note #21) Kuv hlub koj (Hmong)
(Note #22) Mahal kita (Filipino)
(Note #23) Saya sayang kamu (Malay)
(Note #24) Abhi-pay-cha-ya (Sanskrit)
(Note #25) Thane piyar karu chu (Gujarati)
(Note #26) Njan ninnu premikkunnu (Malayalam)
(Note #27) Naanu ninnanu preethisuthene (Kannada)
(Note #28) I mog di (Bavarian)
(Note #29) Obicham te (Bulgarian)
(Note #30) Te sakam (Macedonian)
I found this note in the surveillance room. I stared at the letters, trying to form them in my mind. "Te... sakam?" It sounded gentle. I crept back to my desk and glanced sideways at Gibbs. He was typing a report, his glasses perched on the tip of his nose. He seemed so focused that I almost dismissed the thought that he might be behind it. Almost.
(Note #31) Ti volim (Serbian)
(Note #32) Ljubim te (Slovenian)
(Note #33) Kocham cię (Polish)
(Note #34) Miluji tě (Czech)
(Note #35) Es tevi mīlu (Latvian)
(Note #36) Ma armastan sind (Estonian)
(Note #37) Ég elska þig (Icelandic)
(Note #38) Jeg elsker deg (Norwegian)
(Note #39) Jag älskar dig (Swedish)
(Note #40) Ik hou van jou (Dutch)
"Who's doing this?" I whispered one evening when only Gibbs and I were left in the office. The darkness outside pressed against the windows.
Gibbs was standing at his desk, packing his things. “Maybe someone who wants to tell you something they can’t say out loud.”
“But why so complicated? Why 100 languages?”
Gibbs stepped closer. He was now standing directly in front of my desk. “Maybe because one language isn’t enough to express what he feels.”
My heart skipped a beat. Was that a hint? No. That was Gibbs. He was sarcastic, a loner, he built boats in the basement and drank coffee like water. He wasn’t the type for romantic notes.
(Note #41) Bahibak (Arabic)
(Note #42) Ani ohev otach (Hebrew)
(Note #43) Seni seviyorum (Turkish)
(Note #44) Ez te hez dikim (Kurdish)
(Note #45) Doostat daram (Persian)
As I pulled this note out from under my keyboard, I felt a glance and looked up. Gibbs stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching me. His face, as always, was a mask of granite.
"Problems?" he asked curtly.
"Just... a puzzle, Boss."
He moved closer, so close I could feel his body heat. He leaned over me, his hand almost brushing mine as he reached for a file.
"Sometimes," he said softly, his voice a deep growl, "you have to stop searching to find."
Before I could reply, he was gone. My heart was pounding in my chest.
(Note #46) M'bi fe (Bambara)
(Note #47) Jarabi (Dioula)
(Note #48) Wa m'bi fe (Malinke)
(Note #50) Me dɔ wo (Fante)
I was halfway through. And I wasn't a bit wiser.
"You’re looking for patterns where there aren't any,” Gibbs grunted as he walked past.
"There is a pattern, Gibbs!” I called after him. “They’re messages!”
He stopped, turned slowly, and arched an eyebrow. "Maybe someone's trying to tell you you're spending too much time with paper.”
You started to suspect me. I saw it in your eyes. Every time I brought you coffee or handed you a file, your fingers would search for a piece of paper.
Once I was careless. I slipped note number sixty into your lunch while you looked away for a moment.
(Note #51) Ayor anosh'ni (Navajo)
(Note #52) I dhou we (Cherokee)
(Note #53) Qanta munani (Quechua)
(Note #54) Rohayhu (Guarani)
(Note #56) Munakuy (Inca dialect)
(Note #57) Я тебя люблю (Russian)
(Note #58) Alofa au ia te oe (Samoan)
(Note #59) Faka'apa'apa (Tongan)
(Note #60) Mon amé (Haitian Creole)
You took a bite of your sandwich and pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of the lettuce. You laughed. It was a genuine, bright laugh that echoed through the room.
“Enjoying your meal?” I asked dryly.
“Very informative, Gibbs. Did you know my salad speaks Haitian today?”
I just shrugged. “Maybe it’s organic. More educated.”
You shook your head and smoothed out the note. Your fingers were trembling just a little. You suspected it. But you weren't sure. Not yet.
The finale is drawing near
I became obsessed, searching everywhere. The languages became more and more beautiful, more melodic, even if I could barely pronounce them.
(Note #61) Tha gaol agam ort (Scottish Gaelic)
(Note #62) Grá agam ort (Irish)
(Note #63) Rwy'n dy garu di (Welsh)
(Note #64) Kernow (Cornish)
(Note #65) M'e d'e (Breton)
(Note #66) T'estimo (Catalan)
In the middle of the third week, I found "T'estimo" sewn into the lining of my coat, right over my heart. My heart skipped a beat. This was no longer a coincidence. Someone had to have been physically very close to me to place it there. I looked around the office. McGee was buried in his coding, Tony was flirting with a witness, and Gibbs was nowhere to be seen. He was like a shadow.
(Note #67) Quérote (Galician)
(Note #68) Maite zaitut (Basque)
(Note #69) Aimi (Occitan)
(Note #70) I't bieu (Corsican)
(Note #71) Amo-te (Portuguese)
(Note #72) Mi stimabo (Papiamento)
(Note #73) Mi lobi i (Sranantongo)
I started testing Gibbs. Whenever I found a note, I’d place it provocatively in plain sight on my desk.
When I found “Mi lobi i” (Sranantongo) - stuck to the underside of my desk chair - I shoved it right under Gibbs’ nose.
“Do you know what this means, Boss?”
He took the slip of paper, his fingers brushing mine for just a brief moment. A jolt of electricity shot through me.
He stared at the paper, then looked me straight in the eye. “It means you’re neglecting your work. Are you looking for evidence or for poetry?”
“Maybe the poetry is the evidence,” I retorted boldly.
The corner of his mouth twitched. Only for a fraction of a second.
(Note #74) Mi ta stima bo (Bonaire)
(Note #76) Inuuinniq (Greenlandic)
(Note #77) S'ayapo (Cypriot)
(Note #78) Te amo (Latin - Classical)
(Note #79) Luv'ee (Hawaiian)
(Note #80) M'bi fe (West African)
Only twenty were left. I could feel the circle closing. The places where I found them were becoming more personal. Inside my favorite book on my nightstand at home (how had they even gotten into my apartment?), in my purse, even inside a sealed evidence bag that only I was authorized to open.
(Note #81) Wo ai ni (Cantonese)
(Note #82) Daisuki desu (Japanese)
(Note #83) Saranghae (Korean)
(Note #84) Chan rak khun (Thai)
(Note #85) S'ayapo (Ancient Greek)
(Note #86) A-mi-re (Esperanto)
The hunt became physically exhausting. I searched in evidence bags, under car tires, and in coffee filters.
One evening, while we were at a crime scene in the woods, I found “A-mi-re” (Esperanto) carved into the bark of a tree, right next to the yellow police tape.
“Gibbs, do you see that?” I called out.
He stepped up behind me, his body almost pressed against my back. “What?”
He leaned in, his breath grazing my ear. “Maybe the tree is a romantic.”
“It’s not funny! Who is doing this?”
He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Maybe someone who isn’t afraid of the truth. Only of your reaction.”
(Note #87) Qanta munani (Quechua)
(Note #88) Nalingi yo (Congo)
(Note #89) M'bi fe (Mali)
I was on note number eighty-nine by now. I had made a list: Geographical? No. Chronological? No. It felt as if someone were circling the entire globe just to arrive at my doorstep.
I was getting thin-skinned. I suspected everyone. Even the mailman.
“You look pale,” Gibbs said one morning, setting a cup of coffee down in front of me. Black. Strong. With milk.
“I’m not sleeping much. These words... they don’t make any sense.”
“Maybe you’re trying to understand them with your head,” he said calmly. “Try using your gut.”
(Note #90) M’bi fe (Senegal)
(Note #91) main tumse pyaar karta hoon (Hindi)
(Note #92) Nakupenda (Swahili)
(Note #93) Ich hab dich gern (Swiss German)
(Note #94) Aku cinta kamu (Indonesian)
(Note #95) Ég elska þig (Icelandic)
And then they came. The final five. The languages I recognized instantly.
I was sitting alone in the office that evening. Gibbs was already gone - or so I thought.
A small stack was lying on my chair.
(Note #96) Te amo (Spanish)
(Note #97) Je t’aime (French)
(Note #98) Ti amo (Italian) (Wait, I knew that one… didn't I?) - No, it was Italian, but was it really? I was unsure.
(Note #99) Ich liebe dich (German)
I stared at the last note, which was still face down. My hands were shaking violently now. Ninety-nine messages. Ninety-nine times “I love you.”
It wasn't code. It was a confession.
But from whom? Tony? No, too much effort. McGee? Too shy. Palmer? Too taken.
I sat there, staring at it. Suddenly, I felt a rush of heat. The handwriting. Those precise, almost harsh lines that nonetheless carried so much emotion in the curves of the letters.
I knew this handwriting. I saw it every day on mission briefings and case reports.
A shiver ran down my spine. Could it be? The man who wouldn't say three words in a row if it wasn't about a case? The man who loved rules above all else?
There was only one man persistent enough to learn a hundred languages - or at least research them - who had access to my apartment, and who knew that I hated technology when it came to the things that truly mattered.
My stomach did a somersault. These weren't codes. This wasn't a case. It was a conquest. And I was only just beginning to stop fighting it - to finally raise the white flag of surrender.
It was a declaration of love. In a hundred different ways.
And suddenly I also knew why technology wasn't allowed.
Because it wasn't about translating.
And I knew that the last one - the hundredth note - would upend the world as I knew it.
It wasn’t like the others. It was larger. And it was in English.
Below it, in the same disciplined handwriting, was written:
"Come down to the basement and bring the bourbon.”
I was nearly running. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. As I hurried down the basement stairs of Gibbs’ house, I heard the rhythmic sound of a plane on wood.
Gibbs was standing by his boat. He wore an old T-shirt, and his hair was dusted with sawdust. He didn't look up as I entered.
“It took you a hundred languages, Gibbs?” I asked, my voice slightly unsteady.
He paused, set the plane aside, and turned around slowly. His gaze was intense, blue, and so full of warmth that my knees nearly buckled.
"99," he corrected me. "The last one was my own."
He stepped closer, took the bottle of bourbon from my hand, and placed it on the workbench without taking his eyes off me.
“Because I’m a stubborn old man. And because I knew you’d only listen if I challenged you properly.”
“You could have just said it.”
He chuckled softly, a deep, throaty sound. “Rule number four: The best way to keep a secret is to tell everyone, but in a way no one understands.”
“I get it,” I said, taking the last step toward him.
He placed his hands on my face. His skin was rough from the wood and from working, but his touch was incredibly gentle. “It’s about time.”
“Sarcastic bastard,” I whispered.
“Stubborn investigator,” he replied, before kissing me.
It tasted of coffee, of freedom, and of the end of a very long search. But also of all the unspoken words and feelings between us, now clear and open before us.
A year later, there were no more notes. At least not every day.
Sometimes I'd still find a note in my lunchbox - usually a reminder of Rule 12 (Never date a co-worker… “unless you absolutely have to,” he'd added by hand).
Our future together wasn't always easy. There were still cases that kept us up at night, and Gibbs was still Gibbs - a man with too many rules and a basement full of wood. But when we sat together in front of the fireplace in the evenings, him with his bourbon and me with a book, I knew that the 100 languages were just the beginning.
We had found our own language. One that didn't need words. Just a glance, a quick nod, and the knowledge that we were both finally home.
And Gibbs? He was already building a new boat. He said it was for us. I believed him. After all, he'd promised me he'd never write 100 notes again.
“Although,” he said one evening with a twinkle in his eye, “there are still a few dialects in Southeast Asia that we haven’t covered yet…”
I threw a pillow at him and he caught it, laughing.
Happy ending? No. A damn good start.
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Tags: @ilovemark1951, @hobby27, @newttheglue250, @mrs-pride-archer-gibbs