Ex-Files Take Two
- Chapter 3: Flowers -
"Why does every night always end working on your boat?" Hollis questioned as they walked down the stairs to the basement. He shrugged thankful that she seemed to have forgotten Emily Fornell's whispered conversation. "Jethro?" He noticed her eyes fall on the workbench and spotted a golden pocket watch.
He walked over to it inspecting it. Sure enough it was the pocket watch from his grandfather; the one Diane had taken when she'd left. He ran his hand over it fondly and noticed the envelope beside it propped up against the tape player. He opened it and read it carefully.
Jethro,
They wouldn't want you to be this way. Don't let the right one walk away again. Just because the clock keeps spinning doesn't mean that time is eternal.
-D
He smirked briefly reading the note again before realizing that he wasn't alone to enjoy it.
"Beautiful pocket watch."
"My grandfather's," he answered. "Diane found it."
"So your ex-wife married you friend, you are a strange man Jethro."
"We were over for at least a year when Tobias started dating her, hell I didn't even know till he told me he was going to marry her. Tried to warn him."
"You never had a child with her."
"She didn't want kids, then," he answered gruffly. He moved past her to go upstairs while she fiddled around, he froze on the step as he heard the tape player click on. Kelly's voice filled the air followed by Shannon and then Kelly's piano playing. He was riveted, and managed to sit down on the stairs unaware of how much the pain would hurt. For a moment he remembered Emily and Jenny in their spot, but then that too was gone.
"Jethro..." Hollis's voice was quiet. He didn't say anything, there was nothing left to say. "How come you never said anything?"
"We already talked about this."
"How can you be in a relationship with someone and not tell them things?"
"I do tell you."
"Really? Then what did Emily Fornell have to say?"
"I told you already, nothing."
"She risked punishment to tell you something, must have been important too because you're still thinking about it."
"It's nothing Hollis, drop it."
"No of course not, it's for you and Jenny to talk about." He gritted his teeth simply fro the fact that he had no intention of ever telling Jenny what had been said.
"What's really bothering you Hollis?" He asked.
"What's bothering me? Jethro, two months ago you said you were alright with starting something, we've gone nowhere since then."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I'm almost at my retirement, and I'm ready to settle down, retire somewhere and you're just as still married to your job as you ever were."
"I tried the retirement thing, you know that."
"I didn't know why, I still don't. I still don't even know how you managed to get your team back, though I bet the Director had something to do with it." He didn't have to answer that one. "You don't even want to take a break."
"It's my job."
"No it's not your job, it's her, and your team."
"The team always comes first, you knew that."
"I do know that Jethro, but when won't they come first? I can't wait around for that to happen and I'm not sure I want to be the other woman in your life." He was silent again. Somewhere in the back of his head he supposed he might want to protest a little, but the fact was he'd decided long before Emily Fornell had whispered in his ear, that this relationship was pretty much a stand in and the question then became did he want the stand in relationship to convince the other person he wasn't available so that she would move on, or did he want to go recoinvince her that rule twelve was meant to be broken?
"Hollis I..."
"Don't Jethro," she chuckled for a second. "Go see her and tell her whatever the big secret is." Hollis Mann then turned and left his basement for the last time. He felt surprisingly light after he heard the front door close. He glanced at Diane's note again, before running upstairs to change.
---
Jenny sat at her desk in her study listening to soft music while enjoying a glass of bourbon and the case reports she'd dragged home with her. She supposed it was easier to be distracted by case reports than by her over active imagination. She had just reached the reports from the day when the phone rang. She glanced over at the clock. Ten sure is late for anyone to be calling, she thought briefly.
"Shepard."
"Aunt Jenny?"
"Emily?" Jenny asked in surprise. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"I just wanted to know what you thought?"
"About what sweet heart?"
"About what Uncle Gibbs said?"
"Uh honey I..."
"He didn't tell you?" She sounded out raged.
"Honey I haven't had the..."
"No but he promised! Why wouldn't he tell you? He said it would be okay if I was his flower girl!" She protested loudly. Jenny held the phone from her ear starring at it in shock.
"Flower girl for what Emily?" Jenny inquired trying to keep her emotions at bay.
"The wedding!" Jenny felt her heart fracture and she sat back in her chair trying to take deep breaths. Damn bitch.
"I wanted him to tell you so I could get a dress to match yours, because Mommy said that the flower girl's dress matches the bride's dress," Emily explained sadly. So then why would she want to match my dress... Jenny faded off as her heart hovered over certain break.
"Emily, whose wedding are we talking about?"
"Yours and Uncle Gibbs!" The little girl announced like it was what they'd been discussing for months.
"Right, right honey, we're not getting married."
"You will be..."
"Who told you that?"
"Aunt Jenny every one knows that's what happens when you love someone, you marry them!"
"Right, of course," Jenny agreed starring at the phone again. When did kids get so smart? She heard noise in the background and glanced at the time again. "Emily you should be asleep though, how about we talk about this tomorrow alright?"
"But Aunt Jenny!"
"I'll call you when you get down with school, alright?"
"Okay," the little girl huffed. "Good night Aunt Jenny."
"Good night." She heard the phone click and placed hers down on her desk. She glanced at her empty glass of bourbon and looked to her shelf. This calls for a celebration. She walked over to the drink case and held out her glass shakily reaching for the bottle. A knock to the door startled her and the glass shattered. "Ouch shit!" She glared at the piece of glass that had managed to get in her hand.
"Jenny?" His voice came as somewhat of a surprise. "Jenny, are you okay?" He called again through the front door of the house.
"I'm coming damnit." She glared at her hand again. "Ouch." She moved toward the door pulling it open with one hand and found him standing on her porch holding a bouquet of flowers.
"Hi, are you okay?"
"Just peachy," she responded looking at him questioningly.
"Right, uh can I come in?" She hesitated a moment glancing between him and the flowers. "Oh these are for you." She looked very surprised at that.
"For me?" He nodded. "Okay, which agency did you piss off in the five hours you've been gone?" He laughed as he came in the door setting the flowers and their vase down on the side table.
"None I assure you, actually they have a purpose, but...what happened to your hand?" His voice had gone from happy and joking to worried and confused and he reached for her wrist with speed she'd forgotten he had.
"Oh I dropped the glass, I wasn't expecting visitors, you startled me."
"Sorry," he said gently, keeping her wrist in his grasp heading for the kitchen, her following along. He went to pull out the glass and she looked the other way. He carefully and methodically cleaned it before wrapping a paper towel around it, not finding a bandage.
"So what's the reason you're on my door step at ten-thirty at night?"
"Oh uh, to bring you the flowers," he tried.
"You don't bring me flowers."
"That's not true, I sent you those orchids."
"Sent, not delivered yourself, and you owe me for not telling Tony that you're a floral expert."
"Right, so I...uh had something to tell you."
"I'm listening."
"Yea so..." he knew he was stalling, was pretty sure that she knew it as well. "I should get your hand bandaged." She rolled her eyes but let him have the out.
"Top shelf in the bathroom medicine cabinet," she called over her shoulder going back into her study.
"Which bathroom?"
"Mine."
"Uh...."
"It's not like you haven't been in there." His phone rang just as he was about to take the first step and he answered.
"Gibbs."
"Uncle Gibbs I am very displeased!"
"Emily! Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"You broke your promise!"
"No I haven't."
"I asked Aunt Jenny she..."
"Emily, I just got to Aunt Jenny's house, we've barely had time to say hello," Gibbs defended hoping the little girl hadn't told Jenny everything. Emily was rather silent for a minute. "Emily?"
"I...Okay Uncle Gibbs, but you better tell her!"
"I will tell her, okay?"
"Okay."
"Good night Emily."
"Night." He waited till her heard the click of the phone before closing his phone and continuing up the stairs. He found the bandages easily enough, trying to ignore everything else about her room. He came back downstairs only to find the study once again deserted.
"Jenny?"
"In the kitchen," she called. He walked into find her kneeling on the counter trying to change a light bulb. "Find them alright?"
"Uh yea," he answered trying to figure out what she'd done.
"Is it really so fascinating to watch me change a light bulb?" She questioned shaking him from his thoughts. He smirked, she obviously decided she didn't like the position and turned back to sit on the counter, her legs hanging over the edge. She pointed to the middle switch and he flipped it. There was light. "Well one chore down."
"Director of NCIS doing chores." She shot him a glare. "Okay, okay, no commentary. Let me see your hand." She held out her hand and he carefully undid the paper towels standing just to the side of her.
"So what was it you were going to tell me?" She questioned ignoring the tingling sensation in her hand.
"Oh right, uh Emily wants you to know that she's free during the week after school, except for the days she has some dance class..."
"Ballet," she interrupted.
"Right when she doesn't have ballet and she's free on Saturday."
"Was that the hint that I should take her to the zoo or something on those days?"
"Sure, zoo sounds like a great idea," he agreed hoping she would accept that as is.
"Except that doesn't explain the flowers."
"Oh uh the flower zoo?" he tried.
"The Botanical Gardens," she corrected.
"Right the Gardens, yea hence the flowers."
"Really?" She raised an eyebrow looking at him; he could feel the glance but kept his eyes focused on his task.
"Really."
"You know when you lie, you don't make eye contact," she informed. He looked up at her in surprise. She laughed.
"I do not."
"Nope, but you try not to look guilty when someone suspects your lying," she laughed some more.
"Well if you think I'm lying, what do you think she said?"
"Wouldn't know Diane forbid her to tell me, which is why I'm guessing its not a trip to the zoo, so what was she telling you she was available for?" He returned his eyes to bandaging her hand and was pretty sure it was more than acceptable as he'd wrapped it three or four times.
"She wants to be a flower girl," he said.
"Diane's getting remarried?"
"No."
"Fornell?"
"Nope." She looked at him trying to make sure she looked surprised.
"I didn't think you and Hollis were...uh at that point," she said.
"Eh...we're not any point anymore, but that's beside the point, guess again."
"Back up, what?"
"You heard me Jen."
"Yea, but...is this about Diane?" He shrugged. Her amusement in the conversation dropped a few notches and she stared at her hands for a second. She wasn't about to start lying to herself, so she couldn't say she wasn't happy about this, but she also didn't want to be the cause. "So...what happened?"
"Nothing."
"Was it Emily and Diane?" Which he knew was her other way of asking about Kelly and Shannon.
"We just didn't want the same things." She looked at him for a moment processing his typical vague answer.
"And what do you want Jethro?" She watched as emotions flickered through his eyes.
"Got any more of that bourbon?" She nodded and he headed toward the study she stayed sitting on the counter for a second running through the conversation in her head.
"You never answered the question," She reminded. He stopped at the doorway and looked back at her with something almost like shock in his expression. "Who's getting married?"
"Apparently you," he replied before turning again.
"And just who would I be marrying at this wedding?" She called again. She heard him stop again just outside the door. "Jethro?"
"Who would you want to be marrying?"
"Depends on who asked, doesn't it?" He came back into the kitchen and stared at her for a second sitting on her kitchen counter like she hadn't had a care in the world. "At this wedding of Emily's, who was I marrying?"
"Well she thought...probably because..."
"Sometime today."
"She thinks it would be a great idea if you married me," he said rather rapidly. "But probably because you're her unmarried her aunt, and I'm her unmarried uncle and she's seven and hooked on Disney." She laughed softly and he wasn't sure just what she found so amusing. "Something about that funny Director?"
"No Jethro, not at all," she snickered. "Emily seems to think the flower girl's dress should match the brides."
"She already told you," he assumed.
"Yep!" She smiled proudly at his familiar Gibbs glare she just widened her smile. "You made your niece a promise to tell me, I wouldn't want her to get the idea that you don't keep your word."
"How very thoughtful of you," he mocked.
"The flowers were a nice touch."
"Want a drink?" He inquired going to leave again. She caught his arm. "What Jen?" She let go surprised by his tone.
"Never mind." She went to slide off the counter and winced as she placed her hand down forgetting about her injury. He caught her mid motion so she wouldn't slide off and so she could mover her hand.
"Still hurts?"
"Just a little, I'm sure it'll be fine," she assured. When he thought about what he did next he was sure he wouldn't' be any closer to coming up with the reason for it. He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the bandaged palm watching her eyes widen slightly and the most curious pink color cross her cheeks.
"Better?" She wasn't sure her voice was going to work after that, so she nodded, and accepted his help to get off the counter. She followed him into the study fully aware her injured hand was firmly locked in his tender hold.