Well, that's a very desolate image on which to close...

It's nice (for the reader, not the characters) that Gibbs doesn't always find it quite so easy to peel back the layers of a problem.

Intrigue! after all the Emotional Drama. Nice pacing. And the mental image of Gibbs buried, flaps-down in his ushanka is priceless. As is the image of our analogue Gibbs shifting uncomfortably around what I imagine to be a very white-and-stainless steel apartment.

Gibbs has always seemed to me something of an anachronism: a man who believes in absolutes, moral and otherwise, in a post-modern world where there isn't always a center to hold. I often wondered if that wasn't at least as much the source of tension between him and the erstwhile Director as anything else, including their history. All of which is a roundabout way of saying that Duky has, again, found the right advice-- even if at the wrong moment. (Also, that my love for _The King and I_ is deep and abiding.)

Hooray for Cynthia! I'm tickled that you've fleshed her out wonderfully in a really short space-- given her love and loyalty and regrets AND a boyfriend. And perhaps also a nemesis. (And let her say some things that were very pointed and had me silently nodding along.)

Dear Ducky: truth-teller, intrepid in the face of the famous glare. He has a special kind of bravery. It is possible that, without Ducky and Abby, Gibbs would be unbearable. I would be sorry Ducky didn't succeed here if it weren't for the fact that his failure probably means a much more interesting story.

I can't believe I'm just getting around to reading this, but there you are. This first chapter is extremely tantalizing-- and Gibbs opting for anger over the hollowness of his grief both is poignant and rings exactly true.

I decided to start over... read from Chapter 1 to 7. You've laid quite the foundation and are buiding on it beautifully. I, like many others, love that you included Abby's piece... the look on their faces said volumes and you represented that so well. Sometimes even the whisper of a name can be a poweful thing *sigh* Am looking forward to the next chapter!

No worries--I haven't abandoned you! =D Lots of things to juggle this week...

Wonderful job as always, and am looking forward to the next installment!

You mean, these chapters were easy? Wow...I feel like I'm watching some kind of spy movie based around Gibbs whose haunted by his partner's ghost to find the answers that led to her death. I mean, I know it's NCIS based but really...I'm so intrigued right now. I want answers as much as Gibbs!

The frustration and disappointed Gibbs feels when he's at the house only to find it abandoned with no answers forthcoming is so well captured!

I love the flashbacks though that keep us remembering that this is about Jenny and how he's trying to make her death (and life) have some kind of meaning (at least that's the way I see it).

Awesome!

Wow. The plot thickens for sure.
Feel sorry for Darya, this can't be easy for her.
Great job of capturing Gibbs' grief and guilt.
Glad you incorporated the Legend bit.
This part - "A part of him that he refused to give a name to contorted in anguish as the whispers rose in his mind. One of you. Director. Previous administration. She. A painful reminder that, apart from Ducky, nobody had called Jen by her name in almost two years.Not even him." - well written but so sad.
The comparison of the frozen sea to Gibbs' wintery soul - excellent writing. And chilling. Gave me the shivers.
ME in spurs and a wielding a whip - ROFL at that visual.

The way you're building Jethro's frustration level, at the end somebody is gonna be in for a VERY bad day. Keep it up.

I liked this chapter:)

Loved it! I just want to hug Gibbs...

Thanks for the update! I can just feel Gibbs frustration. Excellent writing! More soon, I hope.

WOW. I can't hardly wait for an update to find out if Pavel Is Jasper Shepard or if it's just a red herring. This just keeps getting more and more complicated. I love it!