"Faithful"- Chapter 7
A/N: BIG chapter ahead- will definitely answer some questions! Enjoy!
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NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo drove through Washington D.C. in silence as he chauffeured the Bernard's to Charity's house. However, the grieving parents were in deep conversation with one another. Tony figured out that they were speaking Polish, but could only pick out the occasional word.
"He's more familiar with our daughter than he's letting on," Dr. Bernard said in his wife's native tongue. "I'm certain of it."
"Maybe," Nina replied, "But he seems like a nice young man."
"When he escorts us in, we'll corner him in there," he told her.
"Michel, please," Nina replied. "They were friends, definitely. He's reeling from the loss, just as we are. Let's not overreact if there was something more there."
"He would have been all wrong for her," he muttered.
"Charity is -was- a smart girl," she insisted. "She knew what was right for her. Now, shush… he'll figure out what we're talking about."
"Grzywny," he snapped in Polish. "Fine. On jest w domu."
"And, here we are," Tony exclaimed in an awkward tone as he pulled into the driveway, and turned off the car. "You guys need a key?"
"We have one, thank you Anthony," Nina politely replied.
"Go on in, then," he told them. "I'll grab your luggage."
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"We'll take our bags up to the guest room, Agent DiNozzo," Dr. Bernard told the young investigator once inside. "We're going to take a couple minutes to freshen up."
"Of course," Tony replied. "Whatever you want to do."
"Do you suppose that you could have some coffee ready when we come back down?" Nina asked. "That stuff we had on our flights was vile."
"I understand that," Tony told her, with a grin. "I'll get right on it."
"Thanks," she said, as they headed toward the stairs. A few minutes later, they re-emerged from the second floor. Tony poured three cups of fresh- ground hazelnut flavored coffee, and set them at the bar. "What do you take in your coffee?" he asked them.
"I take mine black," Dr. Bernard answered. Tony handed him a mug.
"I take mine with creamer and Splenda," Nina answered.
Tony went into the cupboard next to the sink, and found the reduced- calorie sweetener. He headed next to the fridge, and located the half and half. "Here you are, Nina," he said, setting them down in front of her.
"You certainly know your way around here," she observed.
"Yeah," he replied nervously. "I've been here before."
"How many times before?" Dr. Bernard asked, with a slightly harsh tone.
"You know what? I should probably let Ellie out," he blurted out nervously. "You've met Charity's dog, right? If not, I'll go get her." Tony went to the laundry room, and let the hyperactive Chocolate Lab- mix out to the backyard. "Now, what were you asking me?"
"Sit, DiNozzo," the older man ordered. Tony obediently sat down at the bar, and Charity's parents faced him. "I want an honest answer from you- how close did the two of you get?"
Tony let out a sigh. "Okay, here's the deal. I initially wasn't that close to Charity, at first. About a week or two after she started working with us, I was at home in my apartment late at night. The man that lived above me at the time was a Petty Officer in the Navy. Someone threw a firebomb into his place, and torched him to death."
" My heavens! Go on," Nina urged.
"The burned body fell through the floor, and landed in my apartment," he explained, "and caused some major damage to my apartment. Like a real- life version of Backdraft. Anyway, at the time, no one was able to let me stay with them, so Charity, living up to her name, let me stay in the guest room here, until my place was fixed."
"She let you, or you imposed upon her?" Dr. Bernard demanded to know.
"She volunteered, sir," Tony answered sternly. "The first night I was there, she laid out the rules for me. Staying in our separate bedrooms, one of us in the master bath at a time, that sort of thing. It was weird at first, but I understood that there were personal standards she wanted to maintain, and I was cool with it."
"So, how long did you stay here, then?" Nina asked.
"I was finally able to move back in to my place last night," he answered, "So, about a month."
"Did you fall in love with her?" she asked bluntly.
"No," he replied. "Well, not romantically, Mrs. Bernard. We became sort of like brother and sister. We'd watch movies, play Nintendo Wii, argue over dirty dishes in the sink, compete for the hot water. You know, normal everyday stuff."
"Do you know if she fell in love with you?" Dr. Bernard asked, with less edge in his voice.
"Oh gosh, no," Tony replied with a chuckle. "She was still mourning Silas, and she told me straight-up that I was too old for her."
"How old are you, Agent DiNozzo?" the older man asked.
"Not quite forty," the younger man answered. "Can I ask you something now?"
"Certainly." Dr. Bernard took off his glasses, and cleaned the lenses.
"You had mentioned that there was a 'long version' of the story of how Charity was hired at NCIS," Tony remembered. "I've told you what you wanted to know, so can I hear that story now?"
The Bernard's looked at each other, and smiled. "Sure," Nina replied, and nudged her husband. "Michel?"
"As you probably know, Char- Bear went to a small Christian college, where she majored in Criminal Justice, and minored in Information Technology," Dr. Bernard explained. "In addition, she kept up with all the languages she had learned as a child. In 2007, shortly after she graduated, because we weren't able to come to the ceremony, she came to visit us in France. After about a week, she headed back to the States to start looking for a job.
"While she was at de Gaulle, waiting to check in, she saw a family that was having trouble communicating with the airline staff. They only knew Japanese, the staff knew French and very little English, and Charity, of course, knew all three." He paused.
"I'm guessing Charity helped them out," Tony concluded.
"You would be correct," Nina said, and continued. "She helped the family get checked in for their flight home to Japan. Like we've said, she always willing to step up and help those who need it. Anyway, the woman behind her in line was very impressed. As it would turn out, Charity and this woman ended up being seated next to each other on a very long flight to D.C."
A light bulb went off in Tony's brain. "Wait a sec," he interrupted, "Was the woman next to her Director Jenny Shepard, of NCIS?"
"Correct again," she told him with a smile. "They spent the whole flight talking. Director Shepard was impressed enough with Charity's abilities that when they landed at Dulles, she hired her on the spot, despite being younger than the average recruit."
"Wow, that's quite a story," Tony exclaimed. "I wonder why she never told me?"
"She does not enjoy being fussed over," the proud father replied. "She was just very thankful to be offered the job, and she thanked the Lord for being seated next to the director on the fourteen hour flight."
"She was very strong in her beliefs, for sure," Tony noted. "But I have to ask you two- seeing as she's dead now, you aren't angry at God, or whatever, for taking your daughter away so young?"
"I know it's hard to comprehend," Nina told him, "But we aren't. We believe that He had a plan for her life, as short as it was. She impacted many people in her nearly 26 years. We know that she's in a better place, and now she's also with Silas. They're together forever."
Tony frowned. Even though he had been to the occasional Mass as a child, and had heard some Bible stories, the concepts of Heaven, eternity, and the like, it was still a lot to wrap his head around.
"It's getting pretty late, Agent DiNozzo," Dr. Bernard said, "And we've been flying all day…"
Oh, of course," Tony replied as he rinsed his coffee cup, and placed it in the dishwasher. "I should probably head home. If you need anything, though, just give me a call."
"We will," Nina assured him. "Tomorrow morning we'll need you to bring us to NCIS again- we have appointments to visit funeral parlors with Dr. Mall- Ducky, and Director Vance wants to go over service arrangements, as well."
"How does seven sound?" Tony asked them.
"We'll see you then," Dr. Bernard said. "Have a goodnight, Anthony. It was nice to talk to you- I apologize for being so harsh."
"Don't," Tony replied. "I should have been more up front about everything."
"It's okay," Nina reassured him. "Wszystko jest dobrze."
"All is well," Tony translated. "She taught me a little Polish." He opened the front door. "Milej nocy."
"Goodnight, Anthony," the Bernard's replied as he went to his car.
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