Jethro Leroy Gibbs, newly hired as a special agent at NCIS, stands in the bullpen, feeling the weight of his transition from the Marines to civilian life. His body is used to the strict discipline, the constant adrenaline of fieldwork, and the clear-cut chain of command. Here, things feel different. The noise of the office, the chatter, the constant buzz of phones—it’s disorienting.

Gibbs’ gaze shifts across the room, and that’s when he sees her. She's bent over her desk, typing on her computer with an intensity that draws him in. Her focus, her confidence—it reminds him of the soldiers he used to work with, but there’s something else that stirs within him, something unfamiliar and unspoken.

For a moment, he just watches, the discomfort of civilian life momentarily pushed aside by the pull of her presence. But then his mind snaps back to reality. This is not the military. He can't just walk over and command the room like he’s used to. This is a different world—a civilian world—and his heart pounds with a feeling of both frustration and longing.

He shakes it off, retreating to his desk, but his eyes keep drifting toward her, trying to reconcile the soldier he was with the agent he needs to become. The transition isn’t going to be easy, but maybe—just maybe—she’ll make it a little more bearable.