NCIS: Reunion
When a Dead Naval officer is pushed under the wheels of Gibb's car, it leads a dangerous trail to close to home.
Disclaimer:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Word Count 5082
Rating K+
Triggers; Murder, Crime, bad jokes.
I do not own, yadda yadda yadda, only the story is mine.
I know I keep writing these OFC's and goodness I'm embarrassed by them. However I've fallen in love with the genre "A and love, not A in love" and I'm rubbish at SLASH.
Hope you enjoy.
SJxxx
The bright yellow Hemi Kangarooed through the parking lot. Revving high, and then braking heavily. The lot was surrounded by green lawns and red leaved trees, behind the furthest row of autumnal fauna the decks of rows of a grey painted warship could be seen. The car changed up heavily with a clunk and a burst of blue smoke, the gears wheels screeched for a moment and the car shot forward 100ft before stop violently.
"Gently" Special Agent Leroy Gibbs cried for the umpteenth time that morning, "less pressure of the accelerator more on the clutch." He hissed as the car lurched again pitching him forward.
"Look, I preferred driving the truck, I wanted to drive the truck, and I don't see why I have to learn to drive a stick shift?" Kimberley Flanagan O'Rourke, Gibb's current lover complained giving the stick a vicious tug.
"Because it's a useful skill, and if you hit someone in this your less likely to kill them than the truck." Gibbs explained, putting her hand back onto the stick and holding it with his own.
"I'm in the car park of the Navy Yard, on a Sunday, who am I likely to hit?"
"You're not going on a road, till you've learnt not to hit anything in a big empty space!" He pushed her hand forward. "First" He pulled it back "Second" The car shot forward "Less revs, and look at the road"
"Gibbs!" the girl shrieked and looked upwards at the road, just in time to see the young man in the Navy uniform appear from the hedgerow to her left, she shrieked and took her hands off the wheel as Gibbs beside her grabbed the wheel and skidded the car to right. There was a shriek of tyres and a nasty thump.
The car came to a stalled halt, and Gibbs looked round at the shaking girl. "You OK?" he shouted, she nodded slowly. "Come on".
They got out of the car slowly, Gibbs walking round to the driver's side before Kim had managed to get further than opening her door. She stepped out and looked at him first, he was staring at the ground immediately behind the door, and she as she closed the door she took in his thoughtful look and pale face. "Gibbs?" She looked down; between them there was a very dead body.
"Driving Lessons?" Ziva asked dumping her bag onto the desk. Sunday afternoon she'd been out jogging when the call had come in from Gibb's. "In the Navy Yard?"
"Apparently so" Tony confirmed, he wasn't wearing his usual designer suit, and instead was wearing chinos and a polo neck.
"Don't people normally learn to drive as teenagers?" Ziva asked
"Yeah, but this was boss and his psycho basement girl wasn't it, she didn't get chance to …."
"Dinozzo!" Gibbs came down the stairs coffee in hand
"Sorry boss" he looked up and saw a very, very pale Kimberley following Gibb's into the bull pen. He'd met her twice before once when she'd had charges officially dropped against her for theft, and once a couple of weeks later when Abby had thrown a Halloween party. "How you feeling?" he asked her.
"Better" she said, a weak smile splitting her lips. "Psycho basement girl?"
Gibbs laughed and slapped Tony round the head "What we got Dinozzo?"
"Body is that of Corpsman James Herbert, serving on the USS Reviere currently based at the Navy Yard after a fault was found in the computer systems during a training op."
"What was he doing crossing a closed car park?" Gibbs asked the room in general "Tim take Kim's statement, I'm going to see Ducky."
"OK boss" McGee said to Gibb's retreating back "Did he just call me Tim?" he asked the room.
"It's for my benefit" Kim told him, "He thinks I'll be able to provide a better witness statement if I think of you as a friend, rather than an investigator."
"Oh"
"So lead the way Timmy" she smiled at his worried face.
"Good afternoon Jethro" Ducky called as Gibbs walked into Autopsy.
"What you got Duck?"
"Well I did have Sunday lunch plans, a lovely Georgetown Bistro, some wonderful company, but alas…"
"The Corpsman?"
"Well you'll be pleased to know your young lady had nothing to do with our unfortunate friend's demise."
"C.O.D?"
"He'd been shot" Ducky walked over to the table and lifted the sheet over the body's chest, "2 identical shots in the heart."
"A double tap?"
"Exactly" Ducky walked back around the body and ran a finger under the bullet wound, "the first shot would have killed him instantly." Gibb's stiffened and the ME watched him closely "I know what you're thinking Jethro, but Corpsman Herbert had been dead for at least an hour when he hit the corner of your car."
"What?"
"Someone pushed the body into your path."
"You were having an argument?" McGee asked gently, wishing he wasn't having this trip into Gibb's home life.
"Well its Gibbs, so I yelled and he looked disapproving, then he yelled and I yelled back a bit" Kim explained and then laughed.
"And at the moment of impact?" McGee asked.
"She was yelling at me" Gibb's came behind and informed his agent, "you OK?" he asked Kim.
"Yeah, are we done? Can we go home?" She asked him.
"McGee take her home" Gibb's pulled her up by her wrist and planted a kiss on her head.
"You not coming?" She asked
"Nope"
"Everything OK boss?" McGee asked
"Corpsman was murdered" Gibbs told him, still looking at Kim.
"Gibbs, Jethro I, it was" She stammered
"He was shot" Gibbs told her "Nothing to do with you"
"But the car?" She looked gobsmacked
"He was dead when you hit him" he looked over her head to McGee "take her home".
"Will do boss" McGee grabbed his bag, and offering Kim his arm they started towards the elevator.
"DON'T LET HER DRIVE!" Gibbs shouted at their backs.
In Abby's lab Tony was watching the Forensic scientist dancing in front of her computers. "If I there was anybody I wouldn't want to teach me to drive, it would be Gibbs." Abby told him, "I mean he takes 'drive it like you stole it to another level'"
"If I was teaching a chick to drive I wouldn't be doing it in my 1971 supped Hemi" Tony told her "I mean the chick's crazy hot and everything, but that car is….."
"That car is what Dinozzo?" Gibbs asked walking into the lab.
"A classic boss"
"What you got Abs?"
"The bullets that killed the Corpsman went through and through, but they left traces in the wounds, it's not exact but if you pushed me I'd say he was shot with a Naval M9."
"That puts you in the clear boss" Tony laughed, and Gibb's head slapped him.
"Can you trace it Abby?" Gibb's asked
"Not from this, but I compare these wounds to others in the system it might give us a clue" Gibb's looked at her "I'll go to it."
Gibb's gave Tony the look next and the agent shifted uncomfortably "Yeah boss I'm going to follow up with Herbert's CO, see if there's any skeletons in the closet" The stare continued "I'll erm, yeah go and do that now, bye boss." He hurried from the room.
Gibb's shook his head and smiled "Crazy hot?" he whispered under his breath.
McGee pulled up outside Gibb's house in the NCIS sedan, "Well here we are" he said pointlessly, they'd run out of things to say a few miles ago, due to Kim's lack of knowledge regarding computers or TV, and McGee's unwillingness to ask about any aspect of Gibb's private life.
"Well thanks for the lift Tim" Kim said uncomfortably "erm sorry about you having to work on a Sunday and everything." She got out of the car, and he came around to help her.
"I have a key and everything Tim" she said digging into her coat pocket for Gibb's spare key.
"Yeah, but I've got to see you in and safe, or the boss will kill me." He laughed "And you could make me a cup of coffee?"
"Trust me Tim, you don't want to drink the coffee I make." She opened the door to the cosy little house, and let Tim go in first as per Gibb's usual instructions.
"OK I need to use your bathroom, then I'll make you a cup" he looked at her sceptical face "I swear the way I make it, it'll be drinkable."
She laughed and flopped onto the sofa as McGee ran upstairs, for a moment she closed her eyes and felt the warm comfort of the overly stuffed sofa bed. Then she flicked them open again. This was stupid she was the hostess, she could make a cup of coffee that wouldn't strip polish from the cups. She'd seen other people make coffee, there was milk in it and less coffee grounds and more water she was sure.
Walking into the kitchen she took out 2 mugs from the hand crafted shelves. Gibb's being a selfish bastard had built his kitchen for his own height and use. She understood it had been done to piss off one of his wives, but she wasn't clear on which one, she just knew it had annoyed her so much, she'd made him build her a little step. She was climbing up to get the coffee when the front door opened.
"Tim?" she called, into the silence followed by "Gibb's?" There was still no answer so she took a boning knife from the block on the counter and crept down from the steps. She kept her breathing calm and crept towards the doorway. She heard someone's soft footsteps and breathing coming towards the kitchen. She had no idea what to do, she suddenly wished she could remember anything Gibb' had told her over the last couple of months. Strangely all that came to the fore was 'less revs, more clutch'. Her heart was thumping in her chest, and for a moment she was paralysed with fear. The man stepped into the kitchen. Too slim for McGee, too well dressed for Gibbs. "Who the hell are you?" she shrieked, the man turned fast, there was a moment of shock and confusion on his face before he raised his gun.
Suddenly a rather enjoyable weekend being thrown around Gibb's bedroom came back to her, she stepped into the man, kicked him in the groin and reached her hand up to break his nose. For a moment she forgot the knife she was carrying until she looked up and felt hot blood splashing down her arm.
"TIM!" she screamed at the top of her lungs "TIM!"
By the time the agent rushed into the kitchen weapon drawn, the man was dead on the floor with a boning knife sticking from his throat.
"Am I in trouble?" Kim asked Ziva as they sat on Gibb's bed. Downstairs the entire MCRT where keeping Gibb's from murdering Agent Fornell's FBI team.
"No" Ziva patted her uncomfortably, she like the rest of the team were uncomfortable around Gibb's mistress. It wasn't that the girl was unlikeable, it was just Gibb's relationships were always short and ended in disaster, and Gibb's was fanatical about keeping his private life private. "Gibb's is a federal Agent, the FBI investigates all crimes involving Federal Agents." Ziva explained.
"I didn't mean to kill him" Kim explained, waving a bloody hand.
"But you did" Gibb's told her from the doorway, both women turned and looked at him, his face was stern and his steal blue eyes bore into Kim.
"Gibb's….Jethro, I didn't mean too, I'm, oh God I…."
"Ziva leave!" Gibb's yelled, and pushed the younger agent out of the door.
"Jethro" Kim started to speak as he came and sat beside her, her eyes darted across his face searching for sympathy.
"You OK?" he asked quietly.
"I didn't mean to kill him, I just tried to do what you taught me."
"I know"
"And I've got nowhere to go if you want me to leave"
"I know"
"And Rule 9" she stuttered
"I know" he kissed her head.
"You're not angry with me?" she asked turning to him, and seeing him smile.
"Not with you, no, I'm quite proud."
"But"
"Just wanted rid of Ziva" He stroked a hair away from her face. "Are you going to be OK?" he asked again quietly into her ear.
She nodded sadly, she wanted to retch, but she settled for leaning heavily into Gibb's. "What was he after? You also said I was safe here, your house was safe."
"I know, it should be." He was close to apologising always a dangerous place to be, "you ever seen the guy before?" His voice was harsh again.
"Gibbs…I?" she shuddered.
"Seriously" he stood up and walked to the dresser, on the top was a sparkly black hairbrush, he picked it up and smirked, she'd stopped hiding her things away, it was a bad sign, he was becoming screwed. "I know this is hard, but do you remember him perhaps….from before?"
"He was a Marine?"
"Marine Private 1st Class Steven Edward Morten, based out of Quantico, returned from Kabul 8 weeks ago, currently reassigned to training." Ziva read to the bull ring on Monday morning.
"Where's Gibbs?" Director Leon Vance interrupted her.
"Erm" McGee started "we er…."
"The boss isn't here yet" Tony confirmed guiltily
"It's 10am?" Vance questioned
"And yesterday his girlfriend killed a man, in his house" Ziva reminded the Director.
"I am aware Agent David" The Director snapped, "So where is Gibb's?"
"Here Leon" Gibb's spoke from behind him, coffee in hand.
"Everything OK Boss?" McGee asked
"Yep" He didn't spare his agents a glance "You need a word with me Director?" He gestured vaguely at the stairs and the two men walked off together.
"I would currently do anything to be a fly on that wall" Tony expressed to the other Agents.
"I've looked the other way when it comes to your private life" Leon started slamming the case reports on to his desk, "but it's getting harder to ignore…."
"Not doing anything illegal Leon" Gibb's said quietly, swigging his coffee.
"Your girl has been implicated in three murders in the 12 weeks you've, known, her."
"Got anything to charge her with there?" Gibbs pointed at the manila file.
Vance shot his Agent a look, "she killed a Marine yesterday."
"He broke into the house and tried to kill her"
"And she stabbed him in the throat, 'by accident'." Vance rubbed the bridge of his nose "Did she know him?" Gibb's shifted uncomfortably, "I'll take that as a yes?"
"I wouldn't"
Leon sat heavily on his desk chair "You planning on marrying this one?"
"Leon!" Gibbs sighed "Are we done?"
"Where is she?" The Director asked
"Safe"
"You going to tell me any more than that?" He asked, but Gibb's was already walking out of the door.
"You know it's nice to have someone to help out in the store" Jackson Gibb's told his sons lover as she helped him unpack boxes onto shelves. She giggled and passed him a box, "what did you do to make Leroy dump you down here?"
She looked round "I killed someone" she told him sadly.
He nodded, "figured it was going to be something like that, you OK?"
"Did Jethro tell you about me?" She asked him, "About how we met?"
"No" Jackson admitted "Didn't know a thing about you till you arrived last night."
She nodded, "I've never had a job before" she smiled
"Then this is going to be somewhat of an education then Young Lady." He passed her a pricing gun.
"What you got Abby?" Gibbs asked walking into her lab.
"GIBBS!" she shrieked and hugged him "I'm so pleased to see you, Tim said you hadn't come in and I worried, and I thought."
"I'm fine Ab's" he told her hugging her back
"But, oh I haven't told you?"
"Told me what Ab's?"
"I put the bullet fragments from the Corpsman through the computer, I came up with blank"
"Then why am I here Ab's?"
"Because I was running tests on Steven Morden's side arm, you know because…"
"I know Ab's, go on."
"Yeah, well I fired it and…"
"Morden shot the Corpsman?"
"And then threw him under your car."
Gibb's turned quickly and ran towards the elevator.
"Gibbs!" Abby yelled "There's more"
"Margaret O'Rourke, that's Kim's mother?" Ziva asked Tony as they stood in front of the plasma screen in the bull ring.
"Yep, she was released from an Alexandria Mental Institution last week." Tony confirmed
"Does she know her daughters alive?"
"Apparently not." McGee told her, chewing on his pen "and Kim doesn't know her Mothers alive either."
"Gibb's can be a right bas…."
"What Dinozzo?" Gibb's came down the stair and barked.
"The Woman's clearly disturbed boss, it's possible she's targeting Kim without…."
"Knowing who she is?" Gibbs nodded, and rubbed his hand over his face.
"Morden's last phone call, was made outside your house a few moments before he was shot, to a phone registered to Margaret O'Rourke, boss" McGee reiterated "We've been through both phone records, she contacted him from her house at Forest Springs 2 days after her release."
"They let her go back to the house?" Gibb's asked
"Apparently" Tony nodded, "we think Morden was one of the Marines that…"
"You think Dinozzo?"
"Look, this would be much easier if we could talk to Kim." McGee told his boss momentarily assertive, before dropping his gaze in the face of Gibb's stare.
"She doesn't know anything McGee" Gibbs told him firmly.
"Then how did Morden find and target Kim?" McGee asked.
"Actually boss I think I've got something there." Tony shouted from the corner of the room.
Gibb's sat across from Director Vance his jaw was set rigid, as Leon read the update.
"You asked for anonymity on her behalf, but you didn't ask it for yourself?" Leon asked incredulously.
"Mrs O'Rourke wasn't held legally responsible for what happened to her daughter, didn't mean she wasn't." Gibbs told him levelly.
"So she knew the woman she held responsible for ruining her life was in a relationship with you, but not who the woman was." Leon sighed "This is a mess Gibb's. I don't even know how you managed this bull?"
"I know a good lawyer"
"You were married to one" Leon reminded him, "I thought she hated you?"
Gibb's smiled "Can we pick O'Rourke up?"
"This is circumstantial evidence, have you got anything else?"
"Leon, just because one of her Marines died, doesn't mean there isn't a black book of more."
"You worried for your safety Gibb's?
"Nope."
In The Stillwater General Store the payphone was ringing, Jackson was standing behind the counter explaining how the till worked to Kim. "You stay there and serve Betsy" he told the girl, "I'll just get the phone" The girl grinned widely and started entering the older woman's purchase prices into the old till.
"Hey Leroy" Jackson said picking up the phone "Yes everything's fine here, sure I'll put her on." He waved the girl over and she grabbed the phone.
"Hey Gibb's" she greeted excitedly "Can I get a job?" she followed up immediately. There was a short laugh at the other end of the phone.
"We can talk about it when you get home"
"Can I come home?" She asked looking round at Jackson
"Not yet, look listen to me, I think I may have been a bastard to you…"
"Gibbs?"
"Listen to me Kimberley!" Gibb's yelled
"Sorry Jethro" she yelped
"Don't apologise, just listen, your Mother is alive she's living in DC and she's trying to kill me." He lied slightly
"Ma?" She asked quietly "Does she know what happened?"
"Kim, I've known she's alive and I haven't told you, I thought I made it impossible for her to find you, I didn't." He swallowed
"Why?"
"Because, I wouldn't be doing this over the phone unless I had to, because all the time you were locked in her basement, through everything you went through, she was living with O'Rourke, she lived 10ft above you for 15 years, and you deserve better than that"
"What do you need from me?" she swallowed hard as 300 miles away he smiled.
Gibb's stood looking through the interrogation room glass, sat on the single chair facing the window Margaret O'Rourke stared back. He knew she couldn't see him, but there was something in her eyes that showed him she knew he was there. Ducky stood beside him observing them both with concerned eyes.
"Tell me Ducky"
"Would you like me to assure you that you are not a complete bastard, Jethro?"
Gibb's grimaced "would it be true?" he left no doubt that the question was rhetorical.
"I've read her file from the Alexandria Mental Institution, she seems to be entirely unable to grasp the depth of her husband's crime. Before your intervention she was informed that her husband was responsible for Kimberley's disappearance." Gibb's looked at him "No, no I know you're thinking they didn't actually inform her she was still alive, in fact they were hoping to force a mental connection between the girl she saw carrying Natasha Zacherenko's body, and her missing child."
"It clearly didn't work"
"No, instead she seems to have fixated that the girl she saw was responsible for her husband's death, and his crimes, the connection with you appears to have come from her lawyers access to the edited case files."
Gibb's sighed "3 months"
"Jethro may I make an observation?" Gibbs shrugged " Your romantic history is littered with disasters, your choice in women has for nearly as long as I've known you been a terrible joke. Your desire to stop yourself from receiving any further hurt, has led you to a place where your obsession with your own privacy repeatedly isolates the people you love."
"I don't love….."
"Jethro!" Ducky exclaimed "as you have just expressed you have known this girl for all of 12 weeks, I wouldn't expect you too"
"I did with her" Ducky nodded knowing full well who the 'her' was in this situation.
"What I am trying to say is, in this case you may have to break your own personal rule, and apologise."
Margaret O'Rourke still sat at the same table as Gibb's came into the interrogation room. He puts a cup of tea down in front of her, before placing his own coffee down opposite her and taking a seat. He watched her focus on him, and her eyes widen slightly, then he watched her jaw set. He'd seen that look before, he had three ex-wives who had all given him that look.
For a moment it looked like she would say something, then he noticed the tea cup. Not a plastic cup filled with machine made weak tea, but a china cup and saucer containing a creamy sweet smelling blend.
"It's Irish Breakfast Tea, Maggie" Gibb's told her "It's made with three sugars and full fat cream." He smiled.
"I don't understand" She looked confused "You're Agent Gibbs?"
"Yes" Gibbs confirmed quietly
"The girl, she and you?"
"Yes" he nodded "we are, drink the tea."
"I don't understand?" she looked around for the trap.
"Tell me about Sean, Maggie"
"Sean, what's he got to, are you trying to torture me?" Gibb's shook his head "Sean was my first husband. We we're neighbours in Dublin, and I married him just after my Eighteenth Birthday. He worked on the Irish Ferries Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire, he was an Engineer. He'd work all hours for weeks at a time, and then he'd have a couple of weeks off and they'd be out on their boat."
"He and Kimberley?"
"Yes, they were inseparable, they used to watch these old Westerns together, there wasn't a lot of time for me. Sean died at sea, there was a leak in the Engine room, I don't really understand how and he drowned."
"You came to the states?" Gibb's asked
"Kim, she wanted to be American since she was tiny" She laughed and sipped the tea "we got a big pay out from Sean's death in service and so I took her on holiday, California."
"And you met Michael O'Rourke?" Gibb's prompted.
"Kim was so excited that she was going to be American, but it all went wrong." She sipped the tea again gently her face had softened.
"Seoithín, seo hó, mo stór é, mo leanbh, Mo sheoid gan cealg, mo chuid gan tsaoil mhór" Gibbs sang gently
"What?" She looked at the tea and the Interrogator.
"Tell me about Kim, describe her to me Maggie."
"The greenest of eyes, the prettiest red hair, she was a minx though, a child through and through, as fey as they come but with this hot little temper. The nuns, Oh they would laugh and complain, and Sean would tell them she was an Angel, he was always her Angel." She gone into a trance of reverie talking about Kim, and Gibb's couldn't help but smile.
"Kimberley Aingeal" Gibbs said quietly
"Her confirmation name was Bernadette, she hoped, Sean hoped she'd see Visions" Maggie laughed, "She used to make me Irish Tea in the mornings" she drained the cup.
"I know"
Maggie looked up, "What?"
"I know, she told me exactly how you like your tea, how you'd sing "Seoithín, seo hó" to her when she was scared, I think she sings it better than I do." Gibbs fixed her with a glare.
"My Kimberley is dead" Maggie told him firmly
"She told me how her Da, would call you Maggie, she told me how you'd braid her hair just there" he gently touched her right temple, "braid it with a single yellow ribbon."
"Kim?" Maggie looked at him "You've seen my Aingeal?"
"You have as well" he whispered "12 weeks ago, at your house." He let that sink in.
"Kim?" She paled
"Long red hair, the prettiest of green eyes…." Gibb's whispered letting the image of a nearly naked girl carrying a body out of her house sink in, before he pushed a photo across the desk. It was a copy of a photo Leila had taken of himself and Kim in Mexico, he looked embarrassed, but she looked radiant, finally free.
Tony stood beside McGee staring down at Ziva's desk, "So she thinks her daughter is a stranger involved, so she blames the stranger for her husbands death. Come home finds a list of naughty little Marines, blackmails them into helping her take the girl out, finds the stranger is her daughter, creepy."
"This is sort of thing is uncommon, but not unheard of" Ziva commented
"You been watching Jerry Springer there Ziva?" Tony mocked her.
"What's Gibb's going to do?" McGee asked
The phone in the Stillwater store rang again, this time Kimberley ran straight to it. "Stillwater General Store" she answered as Jackson had instructed.
"Aingeal?"
"Ma?" Kim asked so shocked her throat felt like it was contracting.
"Darling girl, I'm so sorry, I didn't know" Maggie O'Rourke sobbed down the phone "My darling, darling girl"
"Ma? Where are you?"
"I'm with your friend Gibb's, I'm so sorry. He's explained everything."
"He said"
"He's explained he was trying to keep you safe, I should have kept you safe, I'm so sorry."
"Ma, I love you"
"I love you too Aingeal, I'm sorry"
"Kim?" Gibb's voice came over the line "Do you want to come home?"
"Jethro I…please" she smiled "Please can I come home?"
Gibb's lay awake in the darkness of his bedroom, normally afterwards he'd take a shower, get dressed, go down to the basement. Tonight he'd lain there for a good hour, his life whirring round and around in his brain.
"Have you not got a project, Jethro?" the sleepy voice next to him complained and shifted uncomfortably at the edge of the bed.
He looked over and could see her shadowy outline under the sheet, lying on her side, her knees drawn up, her back towards him. He was an absolute bastard. "Come here Kim" he whispered.
"No please, I'm tired" she complained snuggling away from him.
He closed his eyes and rolled towards her, he put his right arm around her, pulling her into his lap. "Are you happy?" he whispered into her ear.
"Gibbs?" she wriggled in his arms trying to face him "are you?"
"I really like you" he whispered "but…"
"Jethro, it's OK, honestly it's alright" she kissed him and made him sigh "I'm not going anywhere, unless you want me too?"
"Kim, I'm an utter bastard, and I'll break your heart."
She looked up at him and laughed, a genuine heartfelt laugh, "Would you beat me? Would you tie me up and rape me? Would you make me lie naked in the cold and filth for weeks at a time? Will you carve obscenities into my back, burn me with cigarettes, hire my body out to your friends? Cheat on me?"
"No" he kissed her head "No, of course not."
"I know you like coming home to a warm house, I know you like coming home to someone, having someone to sit with, to make you dinner, I know you like the sex…"
"Stop" he cried out.
"I like you too, Jethro, you make me feel safe, you took me in and gave me a home, you made me safe, I'm happy with that if you are."
"There more in life than that" He told her firmly, "you deserve more than that."
"Don't you?"
"I've fallen in love, I've been in love its more than…"
"I don't mind being your human anti-depressant if that's what you need, but you make me laugh, you make me smile, and you are equally fulfilling that role for me." She kissed him full on the lips and pressed herself into him.
He groaned, his body responding as his mind still punished him. Tomorrow he'd wake beside her, he'd see her hair splayed across the pillow and he'd see Shannon, as he had with every one of the red headed parade of women that had passed through his bed in the last 20 years.