Its been about three days since Jethro left. Three days for closure, and today was the day. I kept my face stone hard as I watched men dressed in Navy uniforms lower my father into the ground. Standing beside me was Luanne, my best friend. She'd been there for me when my mother and siblings died, now she was here for me for my father. Her face was just as hard as mine. She had a way of saying the right thing, by not saying anything at all. She was wearing a black pant suit, like a gothic Hillary Clinton.

Standing on the other side of me was my Uncle Sean. He was a very mysterious man. I only saw him once a year, during the winter break. Every year, Sean threw a New Year's Ball. He always bought me a beautiful dress, and accessories. While I was there, he always showered me with gifts. My father never liked it, he preferred that I live a subtle and non-material life. I don't know how my Uncle made his money, but I was never brave enough to ask. He had flown in from Ireland just for his brother's funeral.

The priest finished his sermon, and the funeral party began to disperse. I watched my uncle get into the back of a rented town car, and ride away. Luanne was griping my hand, reminding me that this was no time to cry. I smoothed down the hem of my pleated skirt, and walked back to the funeral home parking lot, where my Camero was parked.

The Camero was black with a white stripe down the front. I'd always wanted a car like this, and I finally got one. It was a gift from Sean. His way of dealing with grief was buying the most expensive things he could find, and then giving them away. A good boost for the economy, I guess, assuming he bought them in the US.

We got in, and, for a few minutes, just sat in silence. I took a deep breath, and put the keys in the ignition. The radio blared on. It was screeching out my mix CD of Mindless Self Indulgence and Hollywood Undead. Luanne reached over, and turned it off.

"It's a nice car." She said, finally.

"Yeah. It's a 1998 Camero. Originally red, put painted over. The hood is not the original, and there's a diesel engine, not normal." Talking cars always made me feel better. There were very few things I knew about, but one was cars. I was such a buff.

"You gonna work on it?" She was staring at the tree wwe were parked in front of.

"No, I think I'm going to finish up that boat dad was making." I put the car into reverse, and backed out of the parking lot. When we got on the main highway, Luanne looked at me.

"Do you remember what your dad told us when we were at your mother's funeral?" she asked.

'He said a lot of things."

"He said that we should be happy for her, because she's in a better place now. Wishing that she was still here would have been selfish. I think it's the same for him. For you to want him to be here for you, is selfish."

'I know. I don't want him to come back, I just wish I could have said something more to him than, 'yea dad, I'll turn the music down'." I gripped the steering wheel hard, but my eyes were dry. Thank god for little miracles.

"Semper Fi." She looked out the window, unable to look at me.

"Yea, Semper Fi."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I'm eighteen now. I'm going to the recruitment office in a few days."

"Recruitment?"

"Air Force. I wanna fly a plane." I turned off the highway, and into the business district of my town.

"Your dad wanted you to be a Marine." She looked shocked.

"Well, dad's not here." I pulled up into my driveway, not surprised to see a town car already sitting in my father's parking space.

"But, it seems your uncle is."

"Yeah, but by the way he acts, you'd think his cat died, not his brother."

"People have different ways of grieving, Mae."

"Whatever." I got out of the car, and walked up the sidewalk, Luanne trailing behind me.

Sean Grady had lived in Ireland all of his life. He was proud of his country, and his family. Which, that was normal for the kind of business he was in. He was a major crime family boss. He was always trying to get Damion to join the family business, and run drugs or something. However, he'd never asked me. He seemed to like me a lot. He never treated me like a niece, more like his own daughter. I didn't know if I could trust him, but I went into my house anyway, and acted like I did.

"My dear, how are you holding up?" Sean was sitting in my father's chair. I wanted him out of it. First Tony, now Uncle? I was starting to get ticked off.

"I'm doing well, Uncle." I kept my face empty, Luanne just looked scared. Obviously, she thought I was going to let my anger get the best of me.

"We need to talk." He looked to Luanne. "Alone, Maebh." Drat, he used my full name. This was obviously important.

"Lu, thanks for coming with me today. Can I call you later?" I asked, without looking at her. I was staring intently at Sean. She looked at me for a second, but I gave her a stare that said 'I'll tell ya about it later', and she left, quietly.

"What do you intend to do, now?" He stood up from the chair, and went to stand by the window. He was watching Luanne leave.

"Enlist. The Air Force always needs new people."

"'Air Force?"

"Yes."

"Now, why would you want to do that? Why don't you just come back to Ireland with me? There's a man I want you to meet. He would make a good husband."

"Uncle, I want nothing to do with the mob, uncle. It took Dad a lot of effort to keep me out of it in the first place, I'm not going to throw that all away." My anger was bubbling up. I was afraid that it might explode soon.

"Word on the grapevine is that you killed a man last week." His words shocked me. Where was he going with this?

"For once, the rumors were true."

"I knew you had it in you."

"Excuse me?" I looked to him, not so much confused, as angry. How could he say that? Did I act like a potential killer?

"You've got the Grady spirit."

"What spirit?"

"Revenge."

"I didn't kill him with the thinking of 'an eye for an eye'! It was me or him! I didn't even know he was the killer!" My top blew off. I couldn't hold in my rage any longer. How dare he accuse me of acting in revenge!

"The Family could use a sharp-shooter." His voice remained calm, steady.

"Are you asking me what I think you are, Uncle?"

"You are no idiot, Maebh."

"You want me to be your, what, personal assassin?"

"Yes."

"No dice."

"Well, I didn't expect you to agree out right. It'll take time."

"there will be no time needed. I will never be a hit woman. I'm going to join the Air Force."

"I have contacts in the Air Force. I can make sure you fail your medical exam."

"Then the Navy."

"also a place I have people."

"I'll try everywhere until I find something! You will not pull me into this." I could hear my father in my voice. I was ticked off, to say the very least. I wanted to hit him, but I knew I couldn't. Bruno had come into the oom, he must have been in the kitchen, and gotten worried because of the shouting. Bruno was Sean's bodyguard, and my cousin.

"Hey, B. How are you?" I instantly calmed down. I was good at instantly switching emotions.

"I'm good Mae. Is there any problems here?" He looked to Sean.

'No, no problem. Though, I think we should be leaving, Bruno. We shall meet another time, Maebh." He left. Thank God.

I sat down at my desk in my room. I was staring at my computer. There was a card on top of the monitor, and I grabbed it. It was an email address. I took a deep breath, and opened up my internet explorer. I opened up my email, and hit compose new. I typed in the email address, and then just stared t the blank page. What was I supposed to write? I started out simple.

Jethro,

How are you? My Uncle is an

I deleted it. How was I going to do this? I tried about thirty times to write a letter. In the end, this is what I got.

Special Agent Gibbs,

How are you? I hope all is going well, and your investigations don't cause you too much mental, or physical, stress. I know by now I should sound like a broken record, but I want to thank you for saving me again. Today was my father's funeral. I've decided that I'm not going to the other funerals. Does that sound selfish? How's Tony doing? Is he still an incorrigible perverted flirt? Well, I guess I'd better go and clean something.

~Mae

I sent the letter, and went into my room to crawl in my bed, and fall asleep, tears staining my pillows.