Life's a Show (Open up our Hearts)

Disclaimer: I do not own or make any claim on NCIS; it is the property of its respective creators.

Author's notes: This story was written for Jennie (colorguard28) in the 2013 NFA White Elephant Exchange. I chose to use her second prompt: "Get busy living or get busy dying." Jennie, I hope you enjoy this! Thank you for such a wonderful prompt.

Thanks to sondheimmcgeek and tigyr for beta-reading this story. You were both so helpful.

As far as I know, no such bakery as the one I made up exists, but if it does, I don't own it.

Story title comes from the song "Something to Sing About" from the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical episode Once More with Feeling. Which was written by the amazing Joss Whedon, who also owns it, which is to say that I don't.

Summary: A cannon based A.U. that asks what if Tony DiNozzo and Jeanne Benoit met each other soon after Gibbs left, before the Director ever had a chance to put her plan into action. Well, in keeping with the DiNozzo Luck™, their first meeting gets rather explosive, and the fallout triggers changes in more lives than just theirs.

Rating: F15

Chapter One: When Tony Meet Jeanne

Chapter title inspired by the movie When Harry met Sally, which I do not own.

This very well might have been one of the worst weeks of his life, Tony DiNozzo thought. He'd just pulled up in front of his favorite guilty pleasure coffee shop, Sweets and Treats Café & Bakery, after a long, horrible meeting with the Director. He needed a reward for behaving so well while having to listen to her tell him he had the week off while she considered whether his 'promotion' by Gibbs 'was in the best interests of the team, himself, and the agency.' Best interests of the team? That would be to have Gibbs, but he'd left. His own best interests were not going to be to take him from his friends and his job, his life. If she wanted to fire him, she should have just told him that flat out. He knew very well she didn't like him, didn't think he was a good enough agent. The story of his life, not a good enough son, not a good enough athlete, not a good enough cop, not a good enough fiancé, and the one person he'd been busting his ass trying to please for the last four years, the one person, since his mother, who he thought believed in him, saw something in him, and all he got as praise was a "You'll do!" He left him with "you'll do!" It was his father all over again. He slammed the car door just a little too hard.

Well, he was Tony DiNozzo, and he was used to abandonment. He'd learned long ago once someone left, it was no use hoping they'd come back. And even if they did, you couldn't trust them when they said they'd never leave again, when they swore they'd be there for you. If they left you once, they'd do it again. He just never thought he'd have to use these lessons with Gibbs. He'd never thought he'd leave. But then, he's not really sure he knew Gibbs at all anymore. He knew himself, though. He was used to being abandoned, to being left behind, either by choice or death. He hadn't let it break him before, and he wouldn't now, and he wouldn't leave his people behind, employed or fired, injured or healthy. When he loved someone, he loved for life; he was there for them for life, standing right next to them or a phone call away.

He took a deep breath. He'd come here to get away from these thoughts, not bring them with him. He was alive. Everyone he cared about was alive, well, of those on the list of who he loved; there's been no need to have to switch anyone from "Living" to "Dead", always a good thing; the list under "Dead" was entirely too long already. They're not okay, not by a long shot, but right now he's just going to enjoy being at his favorite coffee shop. Gibbs would say their place was an insult to coffee everywhere, but Gibbs can go to hell. Oh, wait, he might have already been there, and dragged the rest of us with him, he thought wryly.

As he opened the door to the café, his chaotic thoughts were cut off by the heavenly scents of chocolate, coffee, cakes, things that all combined into an aroma that made his stomach growl and reminded him of home, when his mother used to bake. A grin broke out over his face. This was just what he needed. He headed for the line. The girl behind the counter raised her head and grinned.

"Tony! What can I get for my favorite federal agent today?" Ashley, as written on her name tag, not that he needed it, asked him. Her blonde hair was up in a bun, and she'd dyed a couple strains pink. Her brown eyes were grinning as much as the smile on her face. He grinned back at her as he scanned the display case.

"Hello, Ashley. I'm fine, and how are you? How are your classes going? Are you enjoying learning about the wonderful world of business and finance? How'd you do on your exam?" He knew she wanted to open her own business one day, and that she loved numbers. They'd spoken about things she learned in class. Just because he hadn't followed dad into the family business didn't mean he didn't know it.

"I love it! And I aced it! That example you gave me made so much sense!" she all but squealed, beaming.

"That's fantastic! I'm so happy for you! And I'm going to make my blood sugar go sky high, and have a blondie with a vanilla cappuccino with double shot of caffeine, with sprinkles," he ordered, knowing Ducky would give him hell on his next checkup. If Ducky does give me my next checkup, said the little voice in the back of his head, which he told to be quiet.

"Bad day?" asked a woman's voice from behind him. He turned around and his eyes met gorgeous blue eyes in a heart shaped face, with deep brown hair with lighter high lights held up in a messy bun on top of her head, belonging to a woman with pale skin wearing a doctor's coat, and green scrubs. She was smiling at him.

"More like a horrific week, almost two. How about you?" He smiled back at her.

"A very long shift, I'm dead on my feet. I'm sorry to hear that you've had such a bad week. I'm Jeanne." She held her hand out to him. He took it in his and kissed it, like a prince did a princess.

He heard a laugh, and saw another woman in scrubs standing behind Jeanne, grinning. She had curly brown hair, matching brown eyes and tan skin, with a lovely smile. She waved a hand at him.

"I'm Carly, this one's friend, just off the same shift. Please, don't mind me, continue." She was smiling, so he decided she meant it.

"I'm Tony. It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Jeanne." She blushed prettily, and tugged her hand out of his.

"And it's lovely to meet you, Agent Tony, but I usually like to know someone's last name before they kiss me." She grinned at the look of surprise on his face. "I overheard you talking to Ashley. So, how about I order, and then you can tell me about your horrible two weeks, and maybe your last name?" Ashley came over with his drink and blondie at this point, and grinned at the two of them.

"Okay, but only if you tell me about your shift and your last name in return, Dr. Jeanne. I don't usually go around kissing pretty girls without knowing their names, after all," he teased, taking out cash to pay for his order.

"Oh? So am I special then?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sure you are," he replied, grinning. She blushed, and Carly rolled her eyes. He reached to take his order and let Jeanne have her turn. She gestured Carly to go ahead, and reached her hand out again, and grasped his.

"Benoit. It's Dr. Jeanne Benoit. And you are, Agent Tony?"

"DiNozzo. Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, NCIS," he told her, returning her hand shake, and meeting her gaze.

"NCIS?" she asked, letting go of his hand.

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service. I'm a navy cop."

"Sounds interesting. Have anything to do with your bad weeks?"

"It is. And yes, but it's-"

"Classified. I was engaged to a cop once. I know the drill," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Was?" What was the breaking point, he wondered, she didn't like the hours, couldn't deal with the secrets, some of most common reasons civilians divorced law enforcement officers going through his head.

"I called it off with him because when he refused to get help for his alcoholism, I came home to find him in bed with my now former best friend," she said with a bitter smile on her face.

"I'm sorry. He was an idiot," he told her, dead serious.

"Oh?"

"For letting you get away? The alcohol must have rotted his brain," he assured her. He couldn't believe how forward he was being, couldn't believe how much he meant what he was saying.

"Thank you. Well, you still owe me a conversation about the parts that aren't classified," she replied, blushing.

He smiled at her. So, this very well might have been one of the worst weeks of his life. Gibbs got blown up, was in a coma for three days, woke up with amnesia and thought it was fifteen years ago, I found out he had a first wife and a daughter that no one knew about that were murdered. There was a terrorist on the loose, I was team lead and none of the team was behaving or listening to me. My government killed nineteen of its own people and covered it up, causing Gibbs to quit NCIS and leave me with a measly "You'll do"; abandoning us to go off to who knows where, which left us stuck behind to clean up this mess. I might not have a job, Abby's having a nervous breakdown, the Director hates me, and more things I'm probably forgetting, but right at this moment everyone's alive, I have my favorite coffee, a beautiful doctor seems really interested in me, and I have a week off, so these horrible almost two weeks are looking up. And of course, in following with the Anthony DiNozzo Luck™, as soon as he finished thinking that, that was when the guy wearing a ski mask and holding a gun walked in and screamed for everyone to do as he said, or he would start shooting.