Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS I just own Sophia.
A/N: Okay so murder me if you wish for not updating my stories. Well school is insane! I've had time to write just not to type it up. It took me forever to type this. Please bear with me if it sucks.
I hummed to the tune of the salsa as I danced to the imaginary music around my room, passing the many pictures of my family… well most of me and my Aunt Jen. She's been like the mom I've never had since my real mom, Sarah died when I was two of Leukemia. My dad felt as thought he couldn't raise me… well he could very well provide for me and raise me but not raise me right. He probably resents not really doing anything about my mom's illness and then her death; so he sent me to live with my aunt, Jennifer Shepard. I've stuck to her like glue since the mere age of three. She's been the only mom to me…
She and I are closer than most pairs of mothers and daughters… go figure. Well we're more like best friend sister bond thing but she's also a great mother figure to look up to as well. Aunt Jen really isn't my aunt, she and my mother were cousins… that acted like sisters despite the fact that both my mother and my 'Aunt' Jenny had actual sisters. Aunt Jenny is my legal guardian thanks to my mother and her Will. Hence why my father chose her instead of some other relative to go and live with. I was suddenly broken out of my thoughts by a knock at my bedroom door, "Come in!" I shouted since my door was semi-soundproof.
When the door opened my favorite person appeared, Aunt Jen, "Hi sweetheart."
"Hey, Aunt Jen," I stopped dancing… her face looked a little sad, "Is there something wrong?"
"Sophia, sit down; I have to tell you something," I feared the worst. My luck had never been all that great.
"What is it?" I bit my lip as we sat down on my bed. She took a deep breath, taking my left hand and placing her right over it, setting out hands in-betweens us.
"I'm sick."
"What do you mean? Like a cold or like cancer?"
"The latter," I lunged at her, crying, hugging her tight. 'NO! NO! I can NOT lose the only person that's been truly there for me no matter what! NO!' I screamed into my head.
"Please tell me it's curable. No! I can't lose you, Aunt Jen, I already lost my mom. Please! I can't lose you too!!!"
"Sweetheart, yes it's curable…" a little bit of hope arose in me… "BUT here's the big BUT! It's gonna be a long painful process. It wouldn't be if I had children but it's still curable. For both you and I. Are you ready to be there to hold my hand, deal with the fact that I'll lose my hair," she added with a weak smile trying to cheer me up.
"Well if you having kids can save you faster then get Gibbs to knock you up!" I suggested playfully.
"Ha ha ha very funny. Noooooooo you know that's NOT going to happen," she looked at me kinda sad.
"How long is long exactly?" I asked biting my lip.
"I'd say from what the doctor said a year maybe two," 'Crap.' I thought I realized if it took two years I'd be 18. Sighing almost inaudibly I decided to put college off for a year so I would know my Aunt Jen was in good care, MY care. She took care of me know I'm gonna take care of her.
"Have you told Gibbs yet?" I asked.
"No but he suspects something is going on with my health. Ducky knows, I went to him when I first got told something was I don't know… wacky? With my health."
"You need to tell him."
"No I don't… not like he'll care," she sighed looking at me with still sad but now longing eyes. She probably let her thoughts travel to Gibbs and how they used to be. I remember how she was when she first joined NCIS and met Gibbs I remember when I was five and I had first met Gibbs. I remember how sort of radiant and how happy she looked with Gibbs when they came back to the states for short periods of time while they were still doing missions and undercover assignments in Europe. He came over to dinner a couple times. I can even remember him kissing her. At the time I said 'EWWW!!!!' really loudly and they sprang apart… from the kiss at least. He was always holding her to him with his arms wrapped around her waist from behind.
I can still remember how she would giggle and yell 'JETHRO!' whenever he apparently tickled her… I now realize that he was kissing her neck… right in front of me like nothing. Though I remember the way she was after she came back… after she left Gibbs. I didn't understand at the time but I saw her cope without Gibbs in her life. I had no idea how it really affected her. I went back to remembering the whole dinner incident. I softly laughed to myself bringing me back to the present and also apparently the laugh also did the same for Aunt Jen. Then I remembered the situation at hand, "Of course he'll care! He loves you! I can tell! And you love him! You two need each other!"
"You're insane," I was totally NOT. She didn't want to just admit that she was still in love with him.
"I'm not!" I protested aloud. Suddenly the door bell rang, "Maybe that's Gibbs!"
"Sophia! Don't even…" it was too late. She couldn't finish her sentence or at least I was too far away to hear it. I was already downstairs and went over to answer the door. I opened smiling. 'Ha ha! I was right it is Gibbs! Woo hoo!' I said to myself.
Smiling mischievously I said and drew out, "Hey Gibbs."
"Hi Sophia," he said in flat tone. I rolled my eyes. Gibbs was ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS like that to me. I had gotten used to it; didn't really bother me anymore, "where's Jen?" his tone was lighter and slightly dare I say it more cheery. But who could blame him. He was in love with her. Though he still couldn't admit it… aloud.
"Right here," I turned to see Aunt Jen coming down the stairs her hair up in a ponytail, eyes no longer puffy. She had changed out of the sweats she had been in since it was Saturday and we nicknamed Saturday, 'Sweats Saturday' and into some boot cut jeans, dark wash, and a lavender short sleeve shirt with light zip up jacket on over it. Smiling to myself I realized that it was jacket. She must've borrowed it. We borrowed each other's stuff all the time. We fit into most of each other's clothes hence why we borrowed each other's almost all the time, "Jethro," my aunt started, "can we talk in my study… privately," she shot me a glare. I smirked at her; then saw her gaze travel back to Gibbs.
"Yeah sure," I heard him say from behind me, then felt him… kind of rudely push passed me; knocking me off my balance; I grumbled and could practically hear him smirk.
Rolling my eyes I saw them go over into Aunt Jen's study and saw her close the door behind them. Knowing from years of living here, the lock on the study door was broken and had never gotten fixed. Smirking to myself I went silently over to the study door easily hearing their conversation…
"Jethro there's something very important I have to tell you."
"What Jen?" I heard him ask her.
"I'm… I'm sick… with Leukemia. They've caught it early enough for it to be treatable. They are several treatments available. The specific kind I have is called CML or Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. Some treatments would be chemotherapy and cord blood…"
"What's cord blood?"
"It's the cells from the umbilical cord. They would use it after an infant has just been born. Also it can be also transferred from a sibling or very close family member. But in my case in order for it to work I would have to either get pregnant or already have children."
"Oh that's why you're going the chemo route?"
"Exactly I'm so sorry Jethro. I'll have Sophia be there to hold my hand but…" I cracked the door unnoticeably a smidge and saw them clearly. My aunt was standing in front of her desk, leaning on it and Gibbs was in front of her, though at an angle where I could still see her clearly, "But if this is in full remission by two years from now she'll be off to college and I… wouldn't have anyone to…" Aunt Jen fell silent and I saw Gibbs step closer to her. I knew either tears were coming and she were keeping them at bay or they had already come and she was trying her best to hide them.
"Jen are you saying you want me to?…"
"Yes, Jethro, please I really need both you AND Sophia. I know we're not who we used to be to each other anymore but… you're still one of the very few close friends I have. I… I… need you," I cracked the door a little more and they still didn't notice. They were still too caught up in each other. Suddenly I saw Gibbs pull my aunt to him and she immediately flung her arms around his waist, holding on for dear life. I heard her full out racking sobs and saw the way her body jolted at each sob. He raised an arm and started to rub her back and I saw him bury his face in her hair. This was… from what I had seen anyway… totally out of character for them. Well they were like this… well this closeness type thing back when they were together those odd years ago. What was it like nine? Maybe? I don't know but lets not think about that lets focus on THEM. I looked back at them and swallowed hard… I didn't want to start crying as well. Whoa wait a second now this next part is the shocker… Gibbs lifted my aunt's face to meet his and he leaned to… was I seeing things correctly… KISS HER!!!! She apparently liked it because it moved from the G realm and into the PG realm.
I quickly and quietly shut the door… I've always wanted a little cousin but I'd rather not watch it happen. I ran up to my room. Thankfully my room is immune to ANY noises that were to emerge from that study. I sat down oh-so-innocently on my bed, and picked up a book. I didn't know what it was about( I had numerous books scattered everywhere from over the years and I haven't read half of them and didn't know what they were) and I began reading. Well if you count staring blankly at the pages trying to keep your mind of the fact that your aunt could very well be having sex in her study with a guy that our good, dear, friend Abby once said to the said guy. 'Awe you and the director would make cute Gibblets Gibbs.'
About ten minutes had passed and then I heard it… a crash… they had to be in the hallway. I slowly got up and crack open the door some. The clock read 7:48pm. I saw the flower vase shattered on the floor but thankfully no clothes in sight. I looked the other way and down the hallway I saw Gibbs hugging my aunt to him. 'Awe' I thought. She looked like she was still crying. I bit my lip, slowly going back into my room and closed me door again. I left them alone for a bit. I could tell that they really needed each other right now. I went over and reached under my large, full sized, bed and pulled out a large Walmart bag of snacks. I had babysitted so many times over the years I saved up enough money to buy myself a mini fridge and a portable microwave. Like the one you would see in a dorm room. I pulled out a package of popcorn and undid the wrapper throwing it in my trash bin. I unfolded the package of popcorn and opened the microwave's little door, placing the package inside and shut it. I set the correct time, since whenever I pressed the button that says 'Popcorn' on it, it always burned 75% of the popcorn. Yuck.
By an hour and a half later I had gotten myself my favorite drink in the world, a Dr. Pepper, and popped in Aunt Jen and I's favorite movie. Steel Magnolias. Just as M'Lynn loses it at Shelby's funeral with Ouiser, Truvy, Annelle, and Clairee around her I heard a knock at my door. I took a sip of my Dr. Pepper to wash down the buttery popcorn I had stuffed in my mouth moments before, "Come in!" my aunt opened the door and came in.
"Jethro's gonna stay the night. That okay?" she asked me sounding shy.
"Of course it's okay!" I beamed, "Are you guys like together now?"
She blushed, "Yes but don't even think about telling Abby."
I got up and hugged her tight, "Okay… Aunt Jen listen there's something I gotta tell you."
"What is it sweetheart?"
"I'm gonna put off college for a year so I know you're gonna be okay. Please let me do this."
"Sweetheart, no, please don't do that!"
"I really want to. It'll give me more time to prepare for college and I just really don't want anything crazy to happen to you while I'll be gone."
"I'll have Jethro. He'll make sure I'm alright. He'll call with updates. Okay? Please?"
I sighed, "Okay but if you guys get married… I have to be the Maid of Honor."
Her eyes widened, "Sophia Elenor-May…" I cut her off by putting my hand over her mouth.
"Don't you know how much I hate my full name," I released my hand from her mouth.
She smirked, "So?" she hugged me close. I hugged her back tight, not wanting to let go. Eventually I let go and she kissed my forehead.
"Goodnight, Aunt Jen, I love you."
"I love you too. But won't you come down and eat dinner. Jethro ordered Thai food. I got Jethro to order you some too because I thought you might be hungry."
"No, go have a night by yourself with Gibbs. You guys just got back together. Besides I've always want a little cousin, or two, maybe even three," I smirked, trying to hide my hurt. I don't to be a bother to them.
"Sophia! I can't believe… it's fine really. Just ignore the fact that Jethro and I will probably be playing footsie under the table and you should be good."
"No just go and eat dinner with Gibbs."
"Sophia if I have to handcuff you to me I will. You are going downstairs to eat dinner with Jethro and I. He won't mind."
I sighed looking at her, "Okay but no handcuffs. Save those for Gibbs," I said. She hit me playfully on the arm.
"That would be for when you're over at Steph's and I have him all to myself," her tone got a little lower as she spoke. I cringed.
"That's nice to know," I said with high amounts of sarcasm in my voice.
She opened my bedroom door and I shut off the T.V., then followed her down the stairs to the living room where Gibbs had food placed on the coffee table and he was sitting back drinking bourbon. I saw her smile at him, she hasn't smiled like that at a guy in a while. I went over to the food and started eating. It was really good, I saw Aunt Jen sit in Gibbs' lap. Big surprise. Seriously. He picked up some food for her and she ate it. Smiling she swallowed it and leaned down to kiss him… right in front of me. I scoffed quietly and almost heard them smiled. 'ICK' was my only thought. I finished kind of quickly so they could have their alone time. I waved bye to Gibbs and Aunt Jen, going up to my room. I saw them start some major kissage and I sort of ran the rest of the way to my room. I was soooo tired. Gently I changed into my pj's and crawled under the sheets snuggling into their warmth I slowly but surely fell asleep.
A/N2: Again please tell me what you think. Even to tell me 'this sucks stop writing'.