Their next stop was the dress shop. Jethro found it easily based on his dad's directions. As they entered the store, a handsome older woman glanced up from the counter with a pleasant smile. As she recognized Gibbs, her welcome became even warmer.
"Leroy Jethro Gibbs – what a nice surprise! I heard you were coming to town, but I didn't expect to see you," she said, moving toward them and holding out a hand.
He pressed her hand briefly. "Good to see you, too, ma'am. This is my fiancée, Ziva David; Ziva, this is Mrs. Clayson."
Ziva held out her own hand. "It is nice to meet you," she said with a small smile.
A brief look of surprise crossed Helen's features. "It is a pleasure to meet you, too, dear. Leroy, I can't believe your father hasn't told your good news from one end of town to the other."
Gibbs gave her his half-smile. "He just hasn't had time yet."
"I imagine he's delighted at the prospect of a wedding," Helen speculated.
"Actually, that is what brings us here," Ziva explained. "Jackson wants to take us out to celebrate tonight, but I did not bring anything with me for going out to dinner. Perhaps you would have something appropriate, Mrs. Clayson?"
"Please, call me Helen. You, too, Leroy; you're not in high school any more – and neither am I," her eyes twinkled with humor. "I'm sure I do, Ziva. Let's take a look. Where is he taking you – the Hawthornes' place?" Helen asked, already eyeing the racks of clothing with a practiced eye.
"Yes," Ziva confirmed.
"Leroy, why don't you have a seat over there," she gestured to a small couch by the changing rooms. "Ziva and I will join you shortly."
Jethro looked at Ziva first; with a squeeze of his hand she silently communicated that she was fine and he should go sit.
Helen guided Ziva to a couple of racks and they chose a few dresses for her to try. Ziva took them into one of the changing rooms, sparing a wink for Gibbs as she went by him.
She tried on a couple without success, then slipped on a mid-length black wrap-around dress with fitted sleeves that ended just below her elbows. It clung in all the right places without being tight. Hmmm…this felt like a good choice.
She opened the door of the changing room and stepped out to show Jethro. "I like this one; what do you think?"
He motioned for her to turn around. With a roll of her eyes, she did.
"Looks good," he agreed with a smile.
Just then Helen returned, carrying another dress over her arm. "Ziva, that looks lovely," Helen remarked approvingly, "and it will be perfect for the restaurant tonight."
"I do not suppose you have any shoes that would go with this?" Ziva asked, mentioning her size.
"I carry a few pairs; I believe I have something that will do nicely. While I look, I was wondering if you'd like to try this on." She held up a beautiful dress in a rich, gemlike shade of burgundy. "I couldn't resist ordering this from my supplier, but I'm afraid there's not much call for it around here. Perhaps you'd have use for it in DC? I think it would look gorgeous on you."
Ziva breathed in appreciatively, unable to stop herself from touching the soft fabric. Then she started to protest that she'd really only been planning to buy the one dress for dinner tonight.
Gibbs hadn't missed her first reaction and, besides – he thought she'd look beautiful in it, too.
"Try it on," he suggested.
Ziva looked at him.
"Please?" he asked with his charming half-smile. She never could resist the combination of that word and that smile, so with a slight shake of her head she took the dress and went back into the changing room.
After hanging the black dress back up, she slipped on the burgundy one. Fortunately, the zipper was down the side, so she could close it herself. Her eyes widened as she took in the full effect. The bodice slanted across her chest, leaving her left arm completely bare. In contrast, the slightly billowy right sleeve appeared to cover her from shoulder to wrist – until she moved and you noticed the slice of skin peeking through the slit that ran almost the length of the sleeve. The hem was on an angle; it was longer in the back, with the front ending just below her knees. She had to admit, it was indeed gorgeous…but she couldn't think of a single place where she would actually wear it.
"Ziver?" she heard through the door.
With a last look, she stepped out almost shyly to show Jethro. His eyes darkened appreciatively.
"What do you think?" she asked softly.
"I think," he said, standing to step close to her, "that we're buying two dresses today." Capturing her hand, he pressed a kiss to her fingers. "You look stunning."
She glowed at his words and the heat in his eyes, then her practical side took over. "But where will I wear it?"
"How about you let me take you out next Saturday and we'll find a place for you to wear it?" he suggested.
Her face lit up.
"We can go anywhere we want now," Ziva realized happily, excited at the prospect. Squeezing his fingers, she added, "I love your idea."
A wave of satisfaction rolled though him at her reaction.
"You know," Ziva marveled softly, "in some ways it will feel like another first date." She looked up him with a smile that was both bashful and delighted. His own lips couldn't help but curve in response.
They heard Helen's voice before they saw her. "Here we go – "
She stopped a few feet from where they were standing, admiring the sight before her. "Oh, Ziva. I just knew that dress was perfect for you."
"Thank you, Helen. It appears we are buying two dresses today after all," Ziva smiled, turning to face the other woman, but keeping her hand in Jethro's.
Helen beamed. "I brought some shoes for you to consider with the black dress. I also took the liberty of bringing these out." She held up a shoe that matched the burgundy in the second dress exactly, and Ziva couldn't help but try them on. Gibbs grinned to himself as he watched Ziva's face. She was such a contradiction sometimes. She could completely kick ass one moment and look dazzling in evening apparel the next.
After Ziva chose a pair of black shoes also, she changed back into her casual clothes and they took everything to the counter. Ziva reached for her credit card, but Gibbs beat her to it.
"Jethro," she protested, "you do not have to -"
"I know." He disarmed her with that smile again.
With a shake of her head, she backed off and they completed the sale. Helen waved them off with a hope that they would stop by again on their next visit to town.
They headed back to Jackson's, though Gibbs took a roundabout route so Ziva could see more of the town. Their companionable silence was broken by an occasional question from Ziva about something she saw that interested her or aroused her curiosity.
When they got home, Jackson had lunch ready for them to enjoy during the game. The older man commented that it looked like they'd had a successful outing. Ziva agreed, and they carried the clothing purchases upstairs before joining his dad.
They all ate lunch in front of the television as the football game started. Jethro liked football, too, but he was not quite as passionate - or vocal - about it as Ziva was. Near the end of the first quarter, she had her first outburst.
"That was pass interference!" she shouted at the TV. "How did they miss that? Are you blind? !" The last was directed at the referees on the field. The fact that they could not hear her did not deter her in the least.
Jackson looked at Jethro in surprise.
"Told you," Jethro murmured, heading out to work on the fence.
Jackson threw him a look that said coward as Jethro made his retreat.
Throughout the game, Jackson was surprised at Ziva's grasp of the rules; even her questions showed a real understanding of what was happening. He got used to – and even enjoyed – her verbal eruptions when she got frustrated with a particular turn of events.
"Did Leroy teach you about American football?" he asked curiously during half-time.
"Some," she told him. "I also read a book about it and Tony filled in the rest of what I have learned so far."
Ziva got very disgruntled when Penn State pulled ahead by a field goal in the third quarter, which Jackson thought looked absolutely adorable on her. Fortunately, his sense of self-preservation kicked in and he refrained from saying so. Her mood lasted until the fourth quarter when Navy tied it up with a field goal of their own.
The game came down to the last minute when Navy intercepted the ball and ran it in for a touchdown. Game over.
"Yes!" Ziva shouted. She jumped up, pumped her fist in the air and did a happy dance.
Jackson was a little annoyed at the loss by his team, but he honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed a game so much.
Ziva stepped over to Jackson, resting an arm on his shoulders. "Your team played well today," she offered magnanimously.
A teasing glint came into her eye. "But I warned you not to underestimate the Navy." He couldn't help but chuckle in the face of her excitement.
"I will cook breakfast tomorrow anyway," she decided.
"No, no," Jackson protested. "I always pay my debts."
"We could cook together," she suggested, one eyebrow raised in question.
"Now, that'll work," he agreed, just because he'd enjoy sharing the task with her.
After she helped Jackson carry their dishes to the kitchen, Ziva walked outside to check on Jethro. Attempting to sneak up on him, she waited until he'd straightened at one point, then she made a running leap onto his back.
He huffed out a laugh and immediately reached his arms back to grasp her under her thighs to hold her in place.
"Knew you were there," he said smugly.
"You did not," she denied.
"Did so," he teased with an inward grin.
"Which door did I come out of?" she challenged.
"Front," he said, his arrogance peeking through in his tone. "Then you came around that side of the house." He nodded in the right direction.
She pretended to scowl for a moment, then she chuckled and pressed a kiss to his neck.
"OK, you knew I was there," she allowed.
"Navy musta won," he observed.
"And how do you know?" she asked archly.
"You're in a good mood – and I could hear you yelling 'yes!' clear out here," he grinned.
She laughed again and smacked a kiss to his cheek, hugging tightly against his back.
"So Jackson is cooking breakfast again, huh?" he asked.
"Actually, we are going to cook together," she informed him.
"Generous of you," he pointed out.
"The truth is I am looking forward to it," she admitted softly, resting her chin against his shoulder.
He squeezed her legs in acknowledgement of her happy tone. Then, in a quick move, he pulled her around to the front of him, trapping her bottom between his body and a section of fence he'd just repaired.
"Very smooth, Special Agent Gibbs," she noted appreciatively, humor adding a sparkle to her eyes as she tilted her head up at him.
Giving her a look that suggested she hadn't seen anything yet, he took one more step toward the fence so that he was pressed more tightly against her. Skimming his lips up her neck, he took her earlobe in his teeth and bit just hard enough to sting, then he soothed it with his tongue. She gasped and arched into him.
"Jethro," she breathed in vague protest, her eyes closing involuntarily, "we are outside…"
Blocked from anyone's view, he slid one hand between them and under her jacket to caress her breast. When he gently squeezed, her breath caught again.
Suddenly, he pulled back and said, "You're right; better stop," he agreed maddeningly.
Her eyes flew open, then narrowed at the smug grin on his face and the teasing glint in his eyes.
"Well," she pretended to huff, pushing her way down to flounce away from him. "We will see how you feel about that later."
Suddenly she found herself being pulled back and tossed over his shoulder. He had raked a pile of leaves away from the fence earlier and he tossed her lightly into it, following her down.
That earned him another gasp, then a giggle. She had never fallen into a pile of leaves before. She enjoyed the sound and the smell, and the feeling of him on top of her.
"You wouldn't really hold that against me tonight," he asked, rubbing his nose against hers, "would you?"
"I might," she returned coyly, even as she softened to cradle him more fully against her, giving lie to her words.
She knew he was smiling as he laid his head against her shoulder and tucked his nose into her neck. With a silent sigh she could feel, he relaxed into her.
It was a beautiful, sunny day. Ziva looked up at the blue sky with its white, puffy clouds and around at the trees that still held most of their colorful fall leaves. She reached out to crinkle some of the fallen leaves in one hand, holding Jethro with the other. She grinned and rained a handful of leaves down on him.
"Trying to sleep here," he pointed out without moving, causing her to chuckle.
She took in a full breath of the autumn air and let it out slowly. She couldn't remember a time when she'd felt more content…and it was all related to this man. Her hand moved up to caress his head and neck. Sliding her fingers into his hair, she pressed him just a little closer.
"I can hear you thinking," he mumbled into her throat.
She dropped a kiss to the top of his head, then responded to him softly. "I have never fallen into a pile of leaves or watched a game with someone who feels like a father to me or felt this happy…you have given all that to me."
He slowly raised his head to look into her beautiful brown eyes. Her heart tripped at the love she saw shining in his.
"That's nothing compared to what you've given me," he countered.
She looked at him quizzically.
"I'm alive again," he said simply.
Melting inside, she cupped his face in her hands. Sharing an intimate smile, their mouths moved slowly toward each other, brushing lightly, then pressing gently, clinging … then opening, each welcoming the other into a deep, slow kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck.
When he lifted his head, she slowly opened her eyes to find him gently tracing her features with his gaze.
"I love you," she told him, looking intently into his brilliant blue eyes.
"Love you back," he returned.
"I am so glad," she whispered.
Smiling, he pressed a brief kiss to her lips then pushed himself up. Reaching a hand down, he pulled her up and helped brush the leaves from her hair and clothes.
"Can I help you?" she asked, nodding toward the fence.
"Sure," he said.
He handed her the pry bar and showed her how to remove the broken or rotten pieces. She was a quick study and went to work on that while he followed behind her with the replacement boards to attach in their place. After she had removed all the damaged parts, he showed her how to line up the new pieces and nail them in. She looked so proud of herself after she had done one completely by herself that he couldn't help but grin and press a kiss to her cheek.
His father had always left the fence its natural wood color so once all the new boards were attached, they were finished. Gathering the tools, they returned them to the garage that sat behind the house and crossed the yard to join Jackson inside.
The old man was watching them through the living room window, finding the two of them much more mesmerizing than the second football game. As they walked toward the house, Jethro's arm was slung over Ziva's shoulders and her right arm was wrapped around his waist, thumb hooked in one of the belt loops on his jeans. Ziva was talking animatedly about something and both looked so thoroughly happy that he couldn't take his eyes off them. Blinking back tears, he realized he hadn't seen his son this content since before Shannon and Kelly had died…and maybe not even then. There was a maturity and a peacefulness about him now that had been missing all those years ago.
He lost sight of them as they entered the house through the back door. He heard them washing up in the kitchen, then they made their way to the living room.
"What game are you watching now?" Ziva asked, interested.
"Ohio State and Iowa," he told her.
"Who is winning?"
"Ohio State," he answered her.
"That will make Tony very happy," Ziva observed.
"It's a pretty good game, but the Buckeyes will win it," Jack predicted.
Ziva and Jethro settled in close together on the couch and watched some of the game with his dad. At half-time, Ziva excused herself to take a shower before they went out to dinner. Even though she'd had one that morning, she wanted her hair to look nice and sometimes the curls were more manageable just after she'd washed them.
Both men watched her leave the room.
Jethro turned his attention back to the television, but the older Gibbs observed his son.
"It's good to see you so happy, Leroy," Jackson said into the silence.
Jethro looked toward his dad. He started to let it pass without any response, and then reconsidered. "Feels good," he admitted.
"Your mother would have loved her," Jackson reflected.
After a pause, Jethro agreed in a low voice, "I know."
"I thought her father was still alive," Jackson commented, his tone questioning.
"Technically, he is," Jethro responded, neither his voice nor his face giving anything further away.
Jackson stared at his son for a moment, part of him hoping to hear more. When Jethro stayed silent, Jackson observed, "Then he's a damn fool."
Jethro cocked his head in acknowledgment, satisfaction in his gaze at the old man's words.
By unspoken agreement, they moved their attention back to the half-time report and the rest of their sparse conversation focused on that.
When the game started up again, Jethro stood to go upstairs and see if Ziva was finished with the shower so he could take a turn. Before leaving the room, he stopped by Jack's chair.
"Thanks for saying yes when she asked you to walk with her at the wedding," he said quietly.
Jackson looked up at him, a touch of amazement in his eyes. "I'm so tickled to do it, I feel like I should thank her for asking me," he admitted.
Jethro's lips curved in a faint smile as he gave his dad's shoulder a squeeze before heading upstairs.
He found Ziva in their room, her long damp hair pulled all to one side as she combed her fingers through it. She was looking at the two pictures that sat on the top of his dresser.
She caught his gaze in the mirror with a small smile. "I was admiring your pictures. I hope you do not mind."
"You can look at anything you want," he assured her, coming to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Shannon was very beautiful," Ziva observed softly, looking at a picture that was taken before they were married.
"She was," he agreed, pulling her a little more tightly against him. She wrapped her arms over his.
"Is that your mother?" she asked, nodding to the other picture.
"Mhm," he confirmed.
"She was lovely, too," Ziva noted. After a moment she added, "I cannot help but wonder if she would approve of her son marrying me."
"She would have loved you," he told her, echoing his father's earlier words.
Ziva tilted her head up at him in disbelief. "Jethro, I threw a knife at my own father yesterday. That does not seem like the kind of behavior of which she would approve," she said with just a hint of sadness.
Gazing at the picture of his mom, he smiled. "Actually, she was a lot like you in some ways."
Ziva looked at him incredulously. "That cannot be true," she denied, feeling worlds away from the well-coiffed woman smiling openly into the camera, dressed in a skirted suit and pearls in a style that was decades old.
"It's true," he responded. "Strong, loyal, spoke up for what she thought was right." Finding her eyes in the mirror again, one side of his mouth pulled up in a smile. "And she would definitely have gone to the rescue in that parking lot today." Ziva's eyes widened as he described his mother that way.
"She had an office in New York City," he revealed, smirking at the shock registering on Ziva's face at that news.
"She was a vice president of the United Methodist Women. For years she took a train into the city once a month for a couple of days to take care of business," he explained.
"That would have been very unusual at the time," Ziva correctly noted.
"Their group supported a nursing school, and she cast the deciding vote to allow African American women into that program about fifty years ago," he continued, in a rare moment of disclosure.
It was impossible to miss the pride in his voice.
Surprisingly, he elaborated. "She'd been held up at another meeting and when she rushed into the room, the decision was at a dead tie. It was supposed to be an anonymous vote, but she was the only one left. Everyone would know how she voted, but she didn't let that stop her from doing what she knew was right."
Ziva was speechless for a moment, in awe of the woman in the picture. "I wish I could have met her," she whispered, reaching out to gently touch the picture.
"Me, too," Gibbs admitted, feeling the loss of his mom more keenly in that moment than he had in years.
She turned in his arms, wrapping hers tightly around him and resting her face against his chest.
"I imagine it was not always simple for your father when she was doing things that most women did not do back then," Ziva pondered out loud.
Jethro was silent as he considered her words. His dad had never seemed anything but supportive of his mother in her pursuits even though he was old-fashioned in other ways. Ziva's comment made him realize that Jackson had been breaking the mold in his own way at the same time.
Rubbing her cheek against his shirt, she thought about both his parents and murmured, "No wonder you turned out so well."
"Don't know about that," he snorted.
"I do," she said firmly.
He was content to hold her quietly for a few minutes, marveling at his luck in having been loved by three amazing women in his lifetime.
Eventually, she stirred. "What time is it?"
He glanced at the clock. "5:45."
"We are leaving at 6:30, yes?"
He nodded.
"The shower is all yours. I will get dressed," she said. "But first…"
Ziva twined her arms about his neck and pulled him down for a kiss that kicked his heart rate up a notch or three. When she pulled back a little, she looked at him with her lips curved gently. "Thank you," she said.
"For what?" he husked.
"For sharing," she clarified.
He smiled that half-smile of his. "Promised you I'd try," he reminded her, referring back to their talk months ago in her favorite garden after the unwelcome visit of Shannon's mother.
She smiled back, recalling that conversation, too. "That is when we first talked about having children," she said softly.
"I remember," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Jackson says you make a wonderful father," she informed him, "and that he wishes he had always been the father you needed."
"You two covered a lot of ground over breakfast dishes," Gibbs side-stepped.
Her smile telegraphed her understanding. He'd hit his limit with the sharing stuff for the moment. "We did," she confirmed, releasing him with a pat on his chest. "Now go take your shower."
Before he went, he gently lifted her chin and kissed her softly, silently thanking her for taking him as he was.
As he went off to shower and shave, Ziva pulled her new black dress from the closet and slipped it on, then stepped into her shoes. After applying her makeup with a light hand, she went to work on her long dark curls. Just as she finished fussing with her hair, Gibbs stepped back into the room wearing nothing but his jeans and a towel slung around his neck.
He walked over and stood behind her in the mirror again. "Beautiful," he told her, resting his hands on her shoulders and giving a squeeze.
"Thank you," she smiled, fastening her earrings back in. She turned to rest her hands against his chest, fingers flexing appreciatively. "I hope you are planning to wear more than this or I will be too busy scaring off other women to eat."
"There are other women out there?" he asked with mock surprise.
"Good answer," she smirked, eyes twinkling up at him.
He grinned.
With a quick peck of her lips to his, she advised she'd see him downstairs and left the room.
He quickly pulled on a pair of dark khaki pants, t-shirt, light blue polo shirt and a dark jacket. He never went anywhere without at least one set of his usual attire.
On his way downstairs, he passed Jackson in the hall. The old man said he'd be down shortly, and soon they were on their way to dinner.
A/N: The story about Gibbs' mom was modeled after my friend Dorothy, who passed away about 12 years ago at the age of 93. She was a remarkable woman who did indeed cast that deciding ballot for the integration of the Emory University School of Nursing. I was privileged to know her.
The next chapter will finish up our visit to Stillwater and should be posted on Monday. Please note that it will be rated M for an intimate scene between Ziva and Gibbs in the second half of the chapter, although we'll start out at the restaurant. I think you'll like that part, as well; Bobby Lee makes a return appearance and Ziva handles things in her usual captivating style. ^_^ Thanks for reading and I'd love for you to share what you think of this chapter.