It was late afternoon before Gibbs got back to the ranch. He had received no phone calls, so he could only assume that things were fine with Holly and DiNozzo. He had left Kate and McGee at headquarters after they had gone to inspect the scene of the fire. He had instructed Kate to take McGee and go interview first the firemen, and then any witnesses they could recall. He hoped DiNozzo would have pulled the police records by now, but had no idea what they had been doing all day. There was farm work to do, naturally, but had Holly decided to put any of it off because of the present circumstances?
He pulled his car up beside the truck, happy to see that it had not moved. Boomer barked, unaccustomed to Gibbs' car, alerting his people that someone was here. Once Gibbs stepped out of the car however the dog immediately silenced and trotted up to greet him, fluffy tail swishing back and forth. Gibbs crouched down to give the dog some obviously needed attention. He looked around but found no sight of his goddaughter or his special agent. The front door was open but the screen was shut so he assumed they couldn't be far. First he went and checked inside the house which he found to be empty. He checked the barn next and saw DiNozzo first, elbows up on the door of a stall leaning back against it. There was a horse tied to one of the iron posts and Gibbs saw thin legs on the other side. He stayed unnoticed, taking in the sight before his eyes. He heard Holly's voice, chuckling at something DiNozzo had said. What had he said? Gibbs was so wrapped up in this scene that he had yet to open his ears.
"There was this one time she called my school after my dad left town on one of his business trips. She said there was a family emergency and she was coming to pick me up. There wasn't really a family emergency. She just wanted to spend the day with me. She put me in the car and we just drove. We drove all the way up to Coney Island, and she loaded me up with junk food and let me ride all the rides and played all the games with me. That was the best day. When my dad got home, he was so mad at us. And the best part was he wasn't mad that we did it, he was mad-" DiNozzo was cut short.
"That you did it without him?" Holy questioned. DiNozzo nodded and laughed, but it wasn't a laugh Gibbs had heard before. It wasn't the mocking or teasing laughter that he gave to Kate or McGee. It was a sincere, hearty laugh from his belly that shook his shoulders as it traveled up his body. Gibbs stepped forward then into the barn, and DiNozzo looked up at him.
"Hey boss," Tony said easily. He knew he should have done more work today, he had felt it tug at him every now and then throughout the day. But the more time he spent with Holly the more comfortable she had gotten. There was silence for a long while, but it was not nearly as awkward as it had started this morning. She was calmer now, even enjoying herself even. Tony knew he couldn't whisk her problems away with a magic wand, but he could distract her from her sadness for a little while. And he had been successful. He started by asking about the ranch, which opened up a few stories about her mom. Her voice caught a little the first couple of tales she told, but it became stronger. She had asked about Tony's mom next. He knew to others it was morbid, to talk about your dead parents, but when you were in the dead parent's club it wasn't morbid, it was just life. They had been swapping stories about their mothers all day long, both of whom they had lost at the young age of eight. He had offered to help while he followed her in around in her daily routine, but she shook her head, so he just sat back and listened and talked. After all, it was what he did best.
"Hey," was all Gibbs managed back. Holly knew there was something wrong instantly. Her demeanor changed and she came around the back of the horse she had been grooming, hand anchored on its flank partially so the mare knew where she was, and partially for moral support.
"What's wrong?" she asked intuitively. Gibbs only looked at her for a moment before opening his mouth. Holly beat him to the chase though.
"It wasn't an accident." It was a statement, not a question, but there was a hope that lingered in her voice that it had just been that: a tragic accident. Because who would want her father dead? Sure, some people didn't like him, didn't agree with his opinions or all of his actions. But wasn't that the same for everyone? She never thought that someone would have the audacity to kill her father. A once marine, now volunteer firefighter who had served his country through the entirety of his adult life? Who could be so angry about that?
Gibbs only shook his head. He hated to confirm the cloud he saw hovering over Holly's head, but he wouldn't lie to her either.
"But we don't know who the target was either. It's likely that it wasn't your dad," Tony interjected. Holly took a minute to let his words sink in. Tony had a point. Who would assume that her father, among other firemen, would be the one to run into the burning building to save the people trapped inside? There was no way to know right now if any of the firefighters had been the targets at all, opposed to the residents of the apartment building. But if that were the case, then someone might still be in danger. The world turned right side up again in Holly's head, and she was almost relieved. It was very extremely possible that their original assumptions were correct. Her father had gone in the building to save innocent civilians, and simply hadn't made it out in time. It was an accident. It didn't make the loss any better or worse to Holly, but at least there was the reassurance that no one had intentionally killed her father.
Tony could not imagine what was going through Holly's head in the short moments between Gibbs arriving, the realization that her father might have been murdered, and that he might have just been caught up in a series of unfortunate events, as men in his field did sometimes. It seemed there was hardly time for her to process these things, but suddenly she was looking surely back at him.
"Right. So what happens next? Do you need to go talk to the rest of the guys on call? Or the people from the apartment building?" Holly jumped into work mode. She had been a children's services social worker, her job was to investigate into the why and how. What she wanted to do now was to help find the person responsible for her father's death, whether that was the intention or not.
"What can I do?" Holly asked Gibbs. Tony was shocked at her response. He had not expected her to suddenly be invested in finding the person responsible for her father's death, but was suddenly reminded of his detective days, ready to jump into a case at a moment's notice. Gibbs immediately put the kibosh on Holly's thought process.
"You can take care of yourself and Lilly. I'm putting a detail on you. Myself or someone from the team will be with you and Lilly at all times until we get this figured out," Gibbs answered her. He knew she had investigation skills, but she was not an agent, and there was no way he wanted her anywhere that would even possibly put her in danger. She glared back at him fiercely.
"I don't need a babysitter, I can take care of myself and Lilly just fine," Holly stated defiantly, infuriated at the thought that she should need help defending her daughter against a possible someone who had targeted her father.
"It's not a debate," Gibbs said simply. Tony observed the interaction between the two, shocked by Holly's sudden independent reaction. He had gotten the feeling throughout the day how she was more independent than most women he had known, and gathered that she had learned that from her dad, and likely Gibbs as well if they were as close as Tony suspected. He wondered how he had never heard of the family before last night, but immediately stopped that thought with the name Gibbs. He wondered instead how long it had been since they had really gotten together, Gibbs had never taken time off since Tony could remember.
Holly went back around the horse and presumably picked up where she left off in grooming the mare, though neither Gibbs nor Tony could really tell. As adult as the young mother may have been, she was still small in stature and disappeared behind the tall horse. Tony watched Gibbs stare in her direction for a few breaths, no one speaking, tension in the air palpable enough to make the horse snort and shift its weight. Tony wasn't sure what to do. He decided not to make any wise ass comments though, keeping quiet and watching dust fly up from Holly's rough brushing of the horses' hair. Before anyone could do anything else there was a honk of a car horn pulling up the drive. Even then no one moved for a moment.
"That'll be Jonas with the kids. I asked him to bring Lilly home," Holly explained quietly, still out of sight. She moved to put the brush in the bucket hanging from a hook on the wall, and Gibbs untied the horse, leading the mare to an empty stall. Holly brushed herself off a little, dust from the horse and the barn in general flying off of her. She stood up tall taking a visibly deep breath and walked past the two men out of the barn. Gibbs and Tony shared a glance before following Holly outside.
Tony saw a large black pickup truck, clearly newer than the one Holly had, and a tall man helping a little girl out of the extended cab. As soon as the little girl was placed on the ground, little purple backpack secured on her back, she turned to Holly and squealed, sprinting to her. Holly took a couple of large steps toward her and leaned down, arms stretched out to catch her as she barreled into her mother's arms. Holly swooped her up easily, swinging her around. As she faced Gibbs and Tony walking slowly behind her, Tony saw her face alight. Her smile was more genuine than any of the ones she had given him that day, and it made something funny happen in his chest that he inwardly swore never admit to anyone out loud. He smiled when she caught his eye momentarily before turning back to the man approaching her from the truck.
Tony turned his attention to the man. He was tall, well taller than Holly. As he got closer, Tony saw that the man was similar in height to himself. His skin was an olive colour, with dark hair and dark eyes to match. Holly stood openly so that there would be room for Gibbs and Tony to approach and be introduced.
"Jonas, you remember Gibbs," Holly started when they stopped, forming a little circle. Jonas extended his hand to Gibbs.
"Of course, Agent Gibbs if my memory serves correct," Jonas said, smiling easily.
"Jonas, good to see you again," Gibbs took his hand, nodding slightly.
"And this is Tony. Tony, my friend Jonas," Holly introduced. Jonas leaned over for another hand shake and Tony did the same.
"Very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo," Tony rattled off assertively, shaking Jonas' hand firmly.
"And this is Lilly. Lilly, this is my friend Tony. He works with Pappy's friend Jet," Holly told the little girl in her arms. Tony could only assume that Pappy's friend Jet was one in the same with his very serious boss, Special Agent Gibbs. To Tony's surprise, Lilly leaned toward him and stuck out her hand. Tony accepted it gently.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tony," she said in a very serious high voice. Tony withheld a chuckle, instead giving her a beaming smile.
"The pleasure is all mine," Tony told her.
Lilly took her hand back once Tony let go, and turned to her mother excitedly.
"Mommy! Can I go show Pappy what I made at school today?" The innocent question stopped everyone in their tracks. Holly recovered first, answering the eager child.
"Pappy's not here baby. Why don't you say goodbye to Jonas and Jamie, and then go put your things away, okay?" Holly said, putting Lilly back on the ground. Lilly nodded vigorously, and turned back to Jonas, who crouched down for the little girl to hug him.
"Thanks, Joney, bye Jamie!" she said before scrambling to the house. A small voice came from inside the truck, "Bye Lilly!"
"Headphones, dude," Jonas turned back to the truck and spoke before shutting the door. Tony assumed that must be Jamie. Jonas turned back to the other adults.
"Holly, is there anything I can do? I can take Lilly another night or two, or I send one of the hands over to take care of the animals. Whatever you need," Jonas started in, but Holly was shaking her head at him before he was finished.
"You're sweet, Jonas, but she has to know, before some dumb kid from school says something. His name is in the news already. I'll keep you posted if I need anything, but I took the week off work. I'll be okay here. Gibbs is going to stay for a while," Holly summarized to Jonas. Tony was both surprised and not at Holly's composure. Part of him knew she was putting on a face for her friend and her daughter, but she did it so well. He looked at her and realized that she wasn't as composed as he thought. A breeze blew back her hair and he got a clear view of her face. Tears shone in her eyes and he wanted to rewind back to the entire day that he had kept those tears at bay for her. He knew grief would be ever present for her, but he wished that she wouldn't be so heavy with it.
"Well you call me if you need anything, you hear?" Jonas said firmly, emphasizing the word anything rather strongly in Tony's opinion. Holly only nodded, giving him a watery smile. He stepped forward and she went into his embrace, hugging him tightly. Tony heard something whispered between the two of them, but couldn't catch the words quite. They let go and Jonas acknowledged the other two men again.
"Agents, it was nice seeing you. Take care of her," Jonas said, earning a subdued shove from Holly. Gibbs nodded to Jonas, Tony only looked on.
Jonas got in his truck and drove away, slowly making a circle to turn around and make his way back up the gravel drive leading back to the road. Holly and the men stood there for a moment in silence, watching the dust fly up from the truck.
"How do I tell her?" Holly asked no one in particular. The question hung in the air like a heavy blanket of sadness. There was no good way to break the news of a loved one's death. And there was no way to anticipate a reaction. And Lilly was a smart kid, the smartest Holly knew, though admittedly she was a little biased, surely Holly wouldn't be able to hide this for long. She suddenly wished her father hadn't kept such open communication with the five year old. Lilly knew her pappy's schedule better than Holly knew it. And she knew her pappy was supposed to be off of work today.
Holly turned around slowly and headed back inside, forgetting entirely about the two men standing there with her. Tony stared after her, seeing the complex pain in her eyes, mourning her father, but also mourning the loss of her daughter's grandfather. And from what he understood he was not only her grandfather, but her babysitter and her best friend. Tony stepped after her without even meaning to, and then stopped himself, remembering that he was not a part of this family. He looked at Gibbs for direction. He had no idea what had gotten into him.
Gibbs looked at him a moment and thought his agent looked a little worse for wear. He wondered how much sleep DiNozzo had actually gotten the night before, Gibbs knew he hadn't gotten any at all.
DiNozzo looked back toward Holly, who was walking slowly back to the house. Gibbs knew this would be tough for her. He was accustomed to telling adults of the loss of their loved ones. Kids were a different story and he didn't envy the task ahead of her, but he would support her in any way that he could. He started walking back toward the house, and DiNozzo followed him hesitantly. Gibbs walked up the steps, but instead of going inside he went to the side where two rocking chairs that sat angled toward each other and sat in the closest one. DiNozzo walked past him and sat in the other, rather heavily Gibbs thought.
"Take my car and go home for the night. But I want you back here tomorrow," Gibbs said after a few moments. DiNozzo looked up at him, confusion evident in his eyes, brows furrowed. Then the look softened. Whatever argument the special agent was about to use to protest faded with the realization of the tenderness of the situation. When Holly and Lilly reappeared it would be with the knowledge that Lilly's pappy wasn't coming home. And there were arrangements to be made. DiNozzo knew that, and so he nodded to Gibbs.
Inside, Holly was sitting with Lilly beside her, watching her eyes well up before the tears finally spilled over. Her lip stuck out and trembled and it was suddenly very hot and stuffy in that small room and Holly could no longer speak for the lump in her throat. She pulled her daughter close and willed her own tears not to spill again. The little girl climbed into her lap, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck, and Holly hugged her tightly as she cried.
Tony walked back into the house quietly and picked up his bag from where it had been sitting since that morning when Holly had emerged from her room, smelling wonderfully of sweet lavender and some sort of body wash that he couldn't quite identify. He collected his things and stood for a moment, counting his things, making sure nothing was left behind. He then walked out of the house, seeing Gibbs still sitting in the rocking chair there on the front porch. When Gibbs heard him, he stood, reaching in his pocket for the keys to the car. The sun was low in the sky, lighting up the horizon in a blaze of red, orange, and gold. Gibbs held out the keys to his agent, and Tony let his hand hover under Gibbs, who turned his hand for the keys to drop.
DiNozzo was still hesitant, and Gibbs was certain he knew why, but didn't want to think about it. They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Gibbs spoke.
"I'll tell her you'll be back tomorrow, go," Gibbs said gruffly. With that DiNozzo seemed to sag his shoulders a little, and nodded before walking off to the car. Gibbs didn't mention to DiNozzo that he was still wearing the obviously loaned jacket. He recognized it the instant he had seen it on his agent in the barn. It had been Holly's fiancé's and it had been hanging on the same hook for years since he had left for deployment. Holly used to wear it at times, especially right after she had Lilly, for it was then that she had found out that the father of her newborn child was not coming home. She had always hung it back up on the hook by the door, as if it were eternally waiting for its owner to return. Gibbs said nothing, thinking that either things were worse than he originally thought and she handed this jacket to another man unthinkingly, or that she was finally over that hurt.
Tony drove away silently. He was lost in thought, trying desperately to shut down whatever inside of him was making him soft so suddenly for this woman. He had no idea what had come over him. His day with her seemed to have passed by in a whirlwind and he wanted to have it back to get know her better. He recalled the odd feeling he had when she had approached Jonas, and thought it was familiar, but didn't know why. He remembered her sullenness as she walked back toward the house, defeated that she must tell her innocent child that her pappy was gone. He wanted nothing more than to fix everything for her and to see her smile again. The flash of light he had seen when she picked up her daughter was nothing short of beautiful. And suddenly Tony thought he'd gone too far down the road in his head. He turned on the radio, found a familiar station, and rolled down the windows, letting the chilly air hit him and the music drown out the thoughts in his head.
Holly emerged from the house unaccompanied. She walked straight forward and sat down right on the stairs of the porch. The sun was a little further down in the sky, and Boomer trotted out and stood panting beside her. Drool dripped on her shoulder and she lifted her hand up to scratch his wet chin. She sat a moment more and got up, walking down toward the barn. She opened the gate to the pasture and Boomer bounded out into the enclosed space.
"Go and get 'em buddy", Holly told the good natured dog. He was not a natural herding dog, but when their last collie passed away, they had decided to not continue with the multiple breeds of dogs on the farm. Boomer had been raised with the two border collies they had, and he had taken after them. It was hardly worth it with the smattering of sheep and the three horses. The horses usually came when called and the sheep generally followed. When they didn't, she would send Boomer out to round them up. The big dog loped around, eventually disappearing from sight. Dusk had set quickly and Holly waited for the dog to return with his charge.
The horses were already in for the night. Holly had finished grooming the last one when Gibbs had arrived. Normal farmers didn't bring the sheep in for the night, but there were only a dozen sheep, and with no herding dogs to stay with them through the night, they had started to bring the sheep in at night several years ago. Holly heard Boomer's deep bark and listened for it again. He kept barking, sounding an alarm, trying to ward of whatever was threatening his small flock, and she made a quick dash for the barn, picking up the shotgun that lay just inside the door. Gibbs was already hopping the gate, Sig secured at his hip, he reached down and drew it, pointing it at the ground as he ran. Boomers loud bark did not recede, and Holly followed Gibbs, praying that the barking would not reach her daughters ears.
Reaching the top of the hill, they saw Boomer barking frantically into the trees at the far edge of the clearing. The sheep were scattered and upon closer inspection Gibbs noticed one of them was down, bright red blood saturating the cream coloured wool. He pointed his gun at the trees where Boomer was barking. Holly reached the sheep first, Gibbs opting to run closer to the trees and take a look into the darkness.
"Oh my gosh," Gibbs heard from behind him. Turning around to glance back he saw Holly on her knees, shotgun abandoned on the ground beside her. He faced the trees again and backed slowly toward her, coming around to have the view in front of him where he could keep a wary eye on the forest. He looked down again at the view now at his feet. The sheep was clearly dead, the others in distress, and Boomer had not ceased to bark at the forest. Blood around its neck and a blank stare into the animals' eyes confirmed there was no life there any longer. Holly had her hands in the sheep's wool, parting it to inspect the wound. The wound was a clean slice, not a bite as Gibbs would have imagined. Rethinking his original thought that the attacker was also an animal, Gibbs placed his eyes back on the wooded area not far from where they stood, stepping forward again effectively placing himself between the danger in the forest and his goddaughter.
"Holly, get back to the house now and get Lilly," Gibbs said before whistling to Boomer.
"Oh my gosh," He heard Holly repeat in a more frantic tone as she picked up the shotgun. Her quick footsteps padded softly as she ran back to the house. Boomer directed his barking toward the sheep, backing off from the trees, and rounding up his friends he had failed to protect. Gibbs kept his gun trained on the forest with one hand, the other reaching into his pocket for his cell phone. He hit a speed dial and held the phone to his ear, waiting for the ringing on the other end to become a voice on the line.
"DiNozzo, change in plans."
