A/N: I am quite glad you all are enjoying the story:) Just note here I've made myself a hypocrite by having Levi at a bowling --I'm not sure if 5 is considered 'young' for bowling or not, but regardless I HATE when people have kids that young running around at the alley. *shuts mouth*.
Kelly Gibbs smiled as she watched her son shove a bowling ball down the lane with the help of Abby Scuito. Even if the particular ball he was using weighed a maximum of seven pounds, it was comical to watch Levi bowl.
Five-years-old might be a little young for bowling, but it was his birthday and Kelly wanted to do something he hadn't done before. She was glad the team had been eager to celebrate with them. It gave her a feeling of having a big family for Levi.
McGee nudged her in the shoulder as he resumed his spot next to her, handing her a coke that he'd retrieved from the concession stand. She smiled gratefully and thanked him.
"It's my turn to bring you a drink," he said warmly. She brought him coffee every single morning. Kelly laughed and nodded at the small cup in McGee's hand.
"That mine too?" she asked, lifting her eyebrow.
"Huh? Oh, no," he stammered sheepishly, showing her the slushy contents of the drink. "It's a slushy for Levi."
"Oh," Kelly said solemnly, looking up at McGee. "Beware that if you give that to him, he will forever consider you his best friend."
McGee smiled and shrugged.
"Levi," he said, holding it up when Levi looked over from where Abby was trying to keep him from dashing down the bowling lane. "You said cherry slush, right?"
Levi leapt excitedly away from Abby and darted over to McGee, throwing himself eagerly at the agent's knees and reaching for the cup.
"What do you say?" Kelly asked, giving him a look.
"It's my birthday!" he replied smartly, and Kelly laughed.
"Smart kid," Tony remarked seriously, wrestling a bowling ball away from Kate. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Behave, Children," Jenny ordered mildly. McGee handed Levi his slushy.
"Thank you TIM!" yelled Levi, snatching it close. He threw his little body halfway over McGee's knee and beamed up at Kelly excitedly. "Me 'n' Abby knocked down TWO PINS!"
Kelly giggled, patting his head fondly. So he didn't understand the concept of the game, it didn't matter. He was having the time of his life—and Tony didn't have to worry about letting the kid win because Levi seemed to think the more pins you knocked down, the worse you were doing.
Levi pointed at Tony teasingly as the senior agent pulled off another strike and started jumping around excitedly.
"DiTony is bad at bowling," he hissed, and Kate laughed at the disheartened look on Tony's face.
"Kid, my name is just Tony. Sheesh. For the last time!" Tony pleaded.
Kate kicked Tony in the shin and Levi laughed hysterically when Tony squealed girlishly.
"Hey, Levi, can I help you next?" Kate asked nicely, looking up at the screen. "I'll tell you all DiTony's real nicknames."
"Abby might be jealous," Levi answered seriously, looking over at the excitable Goth. She giggled and gave Kate and Levi a thumbs up.
"Your turn, McGutter-Ball," Tony leered, giving McGee a mocking look. "Go show Levi how to do it."
Levi scrambled away from McGee, over his knees, and into Kelly's lap, turning to watch McGee with rapt attention. Kelly wrapped him in a bear hug and kissed his cheek, resting her chin on his head and watching as Tim reluctantly picked up a bowling ball.
"Oh, McGee," sighed Abby fondly, collapsing into the chair he'd occupied. She smirked at Kelly and they watched as Tony mocked the Geek.
"C'mon, McSporticus, you can do it!"
"Shut-up, DiNozzo, you're losing, remember?" Kate teased, smiling at Levi. Levi nodded vigorously.
"Hey, Jenny's glaring at you," Abby pointed out to Tony. He looked over to the bench where Jenny was with Kelly's dad and noticed her sharp eyes on him. Tony quieted demurely.
"Good luck, McGee," he said seriously.
Kelly smirked. She tapped Levi lightly on the back and handed him off to Abby, taking pity on McGee.
"Timmy," she said in exasperation as he started to swing his arm back. "Tim, Jesus, let me show you how to throw it…"
Tony cackled with amusement and Kate folded her arms, sharing a look with Abby as Kelly rolled her eyes and showed McGee which technique would help him most.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs watched the antics with silent contentment. Celebrating his grandson's fifth birthday like this gave him a chance to observe the people Kelly worked with and pass judgments on them.
Of course, he'd already made a few steadfast judgments on the one sitting next to him.
Jenny snorted as she watched Tony mock McGee. Levi stood up on Abby's lap holding his slushy and watched raptly as Kelly stepped back to watch McGee make his shot.
"Ten bucks says he strikes," Jenny murmured to Jethro.
He snorted skeptically.
"In the absence of a legitimate answer from you, I'll take that as an acceptance of the bet," Jenny stated, narrowing her eyes as McGee threw the ball down the lane. He knocked every single pin down.
Jenny smirked triumphantly as the team, barring Tony (who just looked shell-shocked) burst into applause and cheers for Tim. She turned her coquettish eyes on Jethro and noticed he was still starring with narrow eyes at McGee and glanced back.
"Ah," she murmured, as Kelly hugged McGee with a huge smile and gave him a playful kiss on the cheek, punching him in the arm for good measure. Levi, even if he thought McGee had lost, smiled and hugged his legs, eager to be included in the fun.
"Is there something there?" Jethro asked gruffly, nodding at his daughter and McGee. "Them?"
Jenny shrugged, non-committal, and took her beer from the seat next to her, taking a slow drink.
"They're both dancing circles around it," she commented.
"You don't put up with that," Jethro said, turning to Jenny sharply. "Team mates dating? Or dancing?" he asked with a growl. Jenny smirked, locking her eyes on his and shaking her head slowly.
"Rule twelve," she stated, "Never date a coworker. But, alas, Jethro, I just don't have it in my gentle little heart to let them know that they are not, in fact, pulling the wool over my eyes and/or being subtle. I find it much too cute that they think they're going to get it past me."
"Humph," scoffed Jethro, glaring at McGee unbeknownst to the dorky agent.
Jenny laughed at him took another drink of her beer, looking around the bowling alley with a critical eye. It was a busy Friday night, with a mixture of teenagers, families, and odds and ends such as the group she was with.
This was odd in and of itself. Jenny Shepard didn't spend her time out side of work hanging out with her team. She spent it alone with work at home, or more recently of late with Jethro.
Kelly was nudging Tony and McGee back to take her turn, claiming she didn't want them crowding her.
"Levi, come help Mommy," she said.
Levi scampered.
"Speaking of that child," Jenny said, pointing at Levi as he stood next to his mother encouragingly. "I acquired him a birthday gift."
"Kelly said no gifts," Jethro said sternly.
"Kelly doesn't have the authority to boss me around," Jenny retorted, smiling wickedly.
"What'd you get him?"
"Patience, patience, Cowboy," Jenny purred, pinching his arm. "I've dropped it off at your house to surprise him. Left it in your basement."
Jethro glared at her suspiciously. He didn't trust such a mysterious, ambiguous statement at all. Not one little bit.
"What did you get him?" he repeated apprehensively.
Jenny just smiled blithely and took a drink of her beer, batting her eyelashes. Jethro grumbled and pulled her hair playfully, earning himself a kick to the ankle with the pointy end of a Steve Madden heel.
"I'm not going to like this, am I?" he muttered, glaring at her.
Jenny set her beer down and patted his chest patronizingly, scooting closer and giving him a very wide-eyed look.
"Easy, Jethro. There's nothing in the least to worry about. Once you take a look at its big, puppy eyes, you'll never be able to be the least bit angry…"
Puppy eyes.
Jethro stared at her with his mouth open, turning his suspicion into a scowl in seconds.
"Jen, you didn't," he growled.
She gave him a sweet look.
"Puppy eyes," he groaned, the pieces half-fitting together. He gave her a look of pure horror after it clicked for real. "And you left it with the BOAT?!"
"GUNNY! JENNY!"
Jethro's distress was put on hold as Levi dove in between them and hopped up, jumping on the bench.
"Mommy got a spare! Mommy beat DiTony!" he informed them ecstatically, pointing eagerly at the rest of the team. Tony looked dejected. Kelly looked prim. McGee was, in an interesting turn of events, laughing at Tony's defeat.
"Your turn, Bucko," Kelly shouted, holding up his smaller sized bowling ball.
"Luck," Levi demanded, turning to Jethro and holding up his hand for a high-five. "Give luck, Gunny!"
Jethro complied and Levi saluted him, whirling back to Jenny.
"You help me this time," he said seriously, and bent down to whisper, "I think Kate and Abby are bad at this."
Jenny snickered and hesitated in her movements, looking at Levi searchingly.
"I'll help you, Levi," Jethro said gruffly, shifting forward.
"No! Jenn-eeee!" Levi retorted, glaring at Jethro. Jenny looked past Levi's small shoulders with a superior, arrogant look.
"I do not believe your name is Jenny, Jethro," she said loftily. She gave Levi an indulgent look, wrinkled her nose, and nodded in agreement. "You'll have to go pick up the ball though. I don't know if I'm strong enough…"
Levi clapped and jumped off the bench, dashing to take the ball from Kelly. Jenny stood up as Jethro slipped his arm from around her shoulders, giving her an unreadable look.
"I am not going to have a meltdown, Jethro," she said sharply, hardly looking at him, "just because there's a kid around."
She pushed her hair out of her face, securing it behind her ears, and traipsed off after Levi, heels clicking. Jethro watched her, his eyes roaming over her just a little, and watched her crouch down next to his grandson, putting her arm around his shoulders and pointing instructionally.
He looked at the scene hesitantly, imagining Jenny with her own son. He found it somewhat surprising that such a thing was easy to do. She had hard edges and a quick, witty tongue, but the soft gentility in her was blended well with that demeanor.
Jethro was glad he had invited her to Levi's birthday celebration, but he watched her interaction with his grandson with caution, wondering how it made her feel.
"Hey mini Gibbs, need help blowing out those candles?" Tony asked eagerly, pushing through the people to worm in next to Levi as he clambered up onto one of the bowling alley chairs to see his little birthday cake.
He shook his head firmly.
"NO!" he cried, pointing individually to each candle. "I'm five. I can do it myself!" he informed Tony, and rolled his eyes.
Tony held up his hand with a grin.
"Jeez, kid, you look like your mom when you do that," he said.
"'Cept Mom carries a gun," Kelly said pleasantly, shoving Tony out of her way so she could take her place next to Levi and holding up the lighter she held. "Right, Levi?"
"Not allowed to touch," Levi answered her solemnly.
"Good Levi," she cooed, kissing his head and clicking the flame to life on the lighter. Levi clapped excitedly and watched her light his candles carefully. Abby snapped pictures furiously, grinning like a madwoman.
Levi looked up and stuck his tongue out. He leaned towards his cake eagerly but Kelly grabbed him warningly by the scruff of his neck.
"You're too old to shove your face in it this year, boy," she said, giving him a look.
"He was too old last year," grumbled Jethro, remembering the mess there'd been to clean up.
"I'm sure you shoved your face into your fair share of cakes, Daddy," Kelly retorted, rolling her eyes.
Jethro glared.
"We all have," Tony said solemnly, nudging Jethro. Jethro just glared at the younger man. Tony stopped smiling. Kelly punched Jethro in the shoulder.
"Stop," she growled pointedly. "Sing," she ordered, looking at everyone.
Abby was by far the most enthusiastic 'Happy Birthday' carouser. She appeared to have made up a dance. Levi progressively puffed out his chest as he prepared to blow out his candles when the song was over.
Kelly tapped him on the shoulder when it was time and he excitedly let out his breath with a whoosh!, dousing all the candles.
He pointed to the cake and screamed:
"LOOK!"
"Awesome job, Levi!" Kelly exclaimed. "You know that means your wish will come true?"
Levi nodded proudly and held up his hand for the nearest person to high-five him. He received one from a smiling Kate, but Abby just stumbled through them and picked him up, squeezing him until he turned blue.
"Let's eat cake!" she cried, jumping up to the table.
Levi squirmed out of her arms and resumed his chair, ordering Kelly to give him the part of the cake with his name on it—no, the Spiderman part—no! The one with his name.
"I just want a small piece," Kate said, when Kelly offered it to her.
Tony rolled his eyes and shoved forward.
"Well I'll take the rest of Kate's piece and a big piece. Because I enjoy life," he announced, making a face at Kate.
"And that's why Kelly and I chase down suspects faster," Kate retorted disdainfully, taking her petite piece.
"I don't have to chase suspects!" Abby said brightly, holding out a paper plate. "Load her up, Kelly!"
Kelly laughed. Levi snatched a plastic fork from Jethro and tucked into his piece of cake happily, still managing to get icing on his face.
"Must you be so messy, Levi?" Kelly muttered, shaking her head.
"Hey, he's got something in common with the Probe-meister!" Tony sniggered, pointing at the glob of icing McGee had managed to fumble onto his shirt. Kelly giggled as McGee tried to clean up, sitting down next to Levi and reaching for a paper napkin.
"Here, Tim!" Levi said, waving one at him. "Mommy hates messes!"
"We know," answered about four people at once, earning a glare from Kelly.
Jethro snorted.
"Dad, you want some?" Kelly asked, holding up the cutting knife menacingly at his laughter. He shook his head, making a face.
"Right, you don't like sweets unless Jenny's feeding them to you," Kelly muttered, earning a horrified look from Tony. Kelly snickered at her own tease.
"Where's Shep, anyway?" Kate asked.
Abby perked up and looked around, pigtails dancing.
"Oooh," she squealed mystically, "She did that thing where she slinks off mysteriously into nowhere again!"
Kelly looked at Jethro expectantly but he just shrugged. He didn't know where Jen had gone; he hadn't noticed her slip away. Something told him, though, that it had something to do with the overwhelming display of affection between Kelly and Levi. Or, perhaps, just the overdose of Levi himself.
He was not even quite sure how long she'd been missing. Things had gotten hectic when they'd finished bowling and taken Levi to the arcade part of the center, having had to chase him around and watch him like a hawk.
"She's probably puncturing the tires on Tony's car," Kate snorted. "Again," she added and Tony shot her a look. He didn't say anything. Kelly shrugged and cut Jenny a piece of cake anyway.
"She'll reappear and scare the hell out of us all," she said cheerily, and then winced and looked at Levi sternly. "Mommy said a bad word. Don't repeat it."
"Since when is 'hell' a bad word?" Tony asked loudly, looking confused.
Abby smacked him.
"It's the context!" McGee said, rolling his eyes.
The group had resumed their banter and attention to Levi, apparently accustomed to their leader's disappearances. Jethro quietly excused himself as if to use the head, but as he was turning away, Tony DiNozzo put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.
Jethro gave the deviant agent a cool look, annoyed at being stopped. Tony pointed towards a side exit of the building.
"She went out that way."
Jethro looked at him impassively for a moment.
"How long?" he asked gruffly.
"Half an hour?" Tony estimated. He looked towards the exit. He wasn't at looking at Jethro when he continued, in a low voice. "She said she told you about Jim and Peter."
Jethro nodded tightly.
Tony looked at Jethro determinedly.
"She'll want a drink. She won't get it herself, because then she won't stop," he offered neutrally.
Jethro gave the younger man a look of developing respect. It seemed Tony had been around to deal with this before. He gave Tony a more accepting nod this time but Tony just looked away, towards the exit he'd pointed to, and then bounded off with a smile plastered back on his face to join in the fun.
Jethro slipped away towards the concessions area and purchased Jenny a beer, fervently wishing for a good shot of Jack Daniels at a time like this. He left the cacophony of the bowling hall through the exit Tony had directed him to, and paused outside the door to glance around.
To the left was an employee, leaning against the wall and smoking obliviously. To the right was Jenny, sitting on the hood of her car. The car had been moved; she'd parked with everyone else at the beginning of the night.
Jethro wandered over to her and climbed up next to her, nudging her hand with the bottle of Corona. She took it wordlessly, while Jethro shot a menacing glare at the kid smoking. Smoking Kid promptly stomped out his cigarette and slunk into the bowling hall.
Jenny took a drink of the beverage and looked up at the stars, her eyes narrow.
"Miss me?" she asked, shooting him a look through her eyelashes.
"Only when DiNozzo opened his mouth," he retorted, shrugging.
She smirked half-heartedly.
"Damn, you really missed me."
He shrugged good-naturedly and nudged her shoulder. She didn't quite play back with him, instead looking down at her hands clasped around the bottle.
"You take a drive?" Jethro asked.
"I performed a highly classified, covertly important errand," she answered, glancing over at him again. She smiled a little. "I checked to make sure Levi's present hadn't eaten your boat."
Jethro glared at her and muttered darkly under her breath. He gave her mischievous face a dirty look.
"Thanks for getting me a puppy, Jen," he said sarcastically.
She lifted her brows, questioning him.
"Levi's starting kindergarten in a few weeks. Kelly works," he clarified, indicating he'd be home with the dog.
Jenny shrugged and gave him a sly grin.
"Retribution, in Kelly's name," she said, and when Jethro looked suspicious and a bit confused, she clarified her own statement: "She whined that you never let her have a puppy."
Jethro glared at nothing and no one in particular. Kelly just wasn't going to let that go, apparently. One Christmas present she just didn't end up getting and she had to pout about it to the whole world.
They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Jethro wondered what was going on inside her head; what she was thinking about. Maybe she'd already chased the sorrow out of her system for now. She wasn't acting as if she was affected.
"How long did you wear your wedding ring?" Jenny asked quietly. "After Shannon died," she murmured in addition.
He looked over at her and noticed she'd reached up absently to run her fingers along the thin silver chain of her late husband's charred dog tag.
"I didn't," he answered shortly. It was the honest answer, but he couldn't really tell her why. He couldn't say he didn't like looking at it, because he'd often stared at it endlessly. It just felt like Shannon was still there when the simple gold band was on his finger, and he hadn't been able to bear it.
She didn't say anything; she took a drink of her beer.
"Peter started kindergarten the week before the attacks. He loved it."
He looked at her steadily, but she didn't look at him—until a few moments later, moments that had been silent, when she knitted her brows just slightly and gave him an almost frustrated look.
"Why do I tell you these things?" she murmured. It may have been rhetorical; it may have demanded an answer. He responded:
"It's part of the charm," and turned towards her, touching her face and taking the drink away from her carelessly. Her eyes were brighter than usual. He tactfully ignored it and studied her face, a face he found so captivating and beautiful.
He ran his calloused thumb over her bottom lip and she bit him gently, wrinkling her nose. He tangled his hand in her hair and pulled forward; placing a lingering kiss to her temple where skin met her crimson hair.
He hesitated briefly.
Then asked:
"Is it hard for you to be around Levi?" Cautiously; he was simply trying to find a way to take away some of the heartache she might stumble across. She just shrugged.
"I cannot explain how it feels," she answered dully. "I don't talk about my feelings, Jethro," she added airily.
"Yeah, me neither."
"I suppose that's why I haven't kicked your ass to the curb yet," Jenny quipped. "Predominately because you don't make it your business to bother me about it or care."
"I do," he said sharply, correcting her before he had a chance to think. The comment stung him before he processed why it bothered him. "Care," he mumbled.
She looked at him and swallowed when he said that. She glanced downwards and up at the stars intently.
"Well, I'm mighty appreciative," she said quietly, affecting a slight southern twang.
He worried about her, and slipped his hand to the back of her neck, stroking gently. She tilted her head back farther and he watched her relax, watched her chest and throat as she breathed in the summery night air.
"I care," he informed her grumpily again, still annoyed. Jenny rolled her eyes behind her lids. She hadn't meant him to take it the way he did.
"This is the part where we have sex because you're so sweet," she informed him, deadpan.
"You trying to seduce me, woman?"
She peeked on eye open in amusement.
"It was sort of a statement of fact, but if you want to play seduction games…"
He narrowed his eyes at her and growled, sliding his hand down her back and snaking it around her fit waist, snatching her towards him. He pressed his mouth to her throat and grazed his teeth against her carotid artery.
She was completely malleable to him when he assaulted her neck; it was something he'd previously discovered.
He placed a light trail of kisses up her neck to her jaw, and found her green eyes searching for him when he reached her lips, kissing gently. She slipped her hand over his thigh, fingers dancing up the inseam of his jeans.
He groaned softly when she touched him, teasing through denim.
She wanted to take him home and be with him. Not to forget about Jim or block Peter from her mind but because she wanted Jethro. This kind of intimacy—emotional and physical—with a man had been absent from her life for a while.
She flattened her hand against his abdomen and pushed him back a little, giving him a look sure to send shivers through him.
"What do you say we quit this little soiree fashionably early?"
Her voice was alluring, her hand warm on his skin through his shirt. He smirked roguishly and she removed herself adroitly from the car, jingling keys that quickly materialized in her hand. He got into her car, having travelled here with Kelly and Levi.
The irony of the two most senior members of the night's festivities ditching early for a bed and a locked door brought a wicked smirk to Jenny's lips, which in turn gave Jethro some peace of mind.
Kelly fumbled with her key with an indulgent smile on her face as she listened to Levi chattering incessantly to Tim about how much fun they were going to have playing the Shrek video game.
"I get to be Shrek, but you can be donkey and we can be on a team! Mommy can be Fiona since Gunny's not here—"
Kelly laughed as she finally managed to get the door open.
"Levi, Granpa will kill you if you tell people he plays Fiona," she admonished in amusement as Levi darted through the door past her. Tim snorted.
"I can't really see your dad being the Princess," he commented in disbelief.
"No?" Kelly asked, shutting the door tightly behind her. "You should have seen him rock the Cinderella tiara on my fifth birthday," she informed him matter-of-factly, hanging up her purse on the hook.
She stopped in the hallway suddenly. She turned slowly to look at Tim. She thought she heard muffled, pitiful yelping.
"Did you hear--?"
"MOMMY!" screamed Levi from the basement, and she darted for the stairs, followed by Tim.
It was when she was halfway down the treacherous stairs that she realized Levi's scream had been one of pure joy and excitement. The reason was tied to her father's boat, wriggling and wagging its tail excitedly, an overkill blue bow tied around its neck.
"Mommy! Look! A puppy! I got a puppy!" he cried, leaping up and down. He scrambled onto the boat and picked up a gnawed bone that had been next to the little, fluffy German Shepherd puppy.
"How do you know that's yours, Levi?" Kelly muttered, wincing as she looked at the gift. She glanced back at Tim in exasperation as she made her way down the stairs.
"He says my name," Levi said, stomping his foot and scrambling onto the boat. He reached for the puppy and it leapt towards him, barking excitedly, and glad to have company.
The bow around him had Levi drawn on it in glitter glue.
"Jenny," muttered Kelly darkly, watching with a slow smile as her delighted son wrestled with the excitable puppy.
"She wouldn't," Tim said, shaking his head.
Kelly raised her eyebrow and gave him a look.
He bowed his head a little.
"She would," he corrected.
"Oh, she would," Kelly reaffirmed, rolling her eyes.
She shook her head and swiveled back to Levi. That is when complete disaster caught her eye in the form of a chewed up leash and a very scratched up, bite-ridden rib of her father's precious boat.
"Jesus Christ," swore Kelly, her eyes going wide as she approached the marred section of the boat. Tim looked over her shoulder, wincing. Levi looked up in interest and gasped loudly. Even the just-turned-five-year-old knew the implications of such a catastrophe.
"Dad's going to stroke. No; he'll have a coronary—no," Kelly gasped, shaking her head in disbelieve. "Both."
Levi buried his head in the puppy's fur and giggled. Kelly straightened, her hand on the injured boat, and turned solemnly to Tim.
"Jenny may have never before been as close to death as she will be when he sees this," she said darkly.
"Uh, isn't that a bit dramatic, Kelly?" Tim stammered.
"No. No it is not, McGee," she answered seriously.
He stared at her, performing a relatively good imitation of a goldfish. He now had another reason to add to his list entitled 'Why I am frightened of Kelly's Father'.
Kelly watched Levi for a moment and turned sly back to Tim.
"You're off the hook in regards to Shrek the videogame. He'll be preoccupied for days," she remarked.
"I wouldn't have minded Shrek," Tim said, shrugging good-naturedly.
"I'm sure you'll enjoy some nice, adult coffee time more," Kelly said with a laugh. "That is what I promised you. I'll go get a brew started.
She retreated up to the kitchen, and Tim was left alone in Jethro's basement with Levi and his new puppy. He approached the kid and reached for a folded white piece of paper that lay next to the chewed leash.
He picked it up, glancing at Levi.
The note, scripted in his boss's flowy, elegant handwriting, snarkily confirmed that the puppy was indeed from Jenny.
"Wha's it say?" Levi asked curiously, peeking at Tim over his new puppy's head as he hugged it lovingly.
"Says it's from Jenny," Tim answered, showing the note politely.
Levi beamed.
"I like her! Gunny likes her too," Levi leaned forward and the puppy tumbled over, kicking its feet in the air, begging attention from Levi. "Sometimes he kisses her here." Levi touched Tim's lips. "I'm not s'pose to see!" he said secretively.
McGee smirked.
"I won't tell," he said truthfully. He liked Levi a lot. He usually didn't do well around kids, but Levi was a good one, and he was oddly well-behaved.
"Hey, Timmy, if that punk stars driving you crazy just do what I do and steal his nose!" Kelly called playfully down the stairs, and Levi gasped and covered his face.
Tim stuck his tongue out towards Kelly and then put a finger to his lips to indicate that was a secret. Levi laughed and nodded, mirroring the action.
"Tim, do you know how to play Lego Star Wars?" Levi asked loudly, distracted by the puppy and yet always questioning.
"Of course," Tim answered. Levi beamed. He swiped his small hand at the puppy's feet and the puppy growled at him adorably, nipping at his fingers. Levi chucked and squirmed away, growling at the puppy right back.
"You should name him, Levi," Tim suggested.
"What name?" Levi asked curiously.
"Uh," Tim fumbled. "Rex or Butch?"
"That's dumb!" Levi responded instantly, and Tim snorted.
"Be nice to Tim, Levi," Kelly reprimanded mildly, coming down the stairs with two coffee cups. She handed one to Tim and he thanked her gratefully.
"What name, Mommy?" Levi asked seriously, standing up and walking over to her. The puppy pounced on his feet, still wriggling contentedly.
Kelly looked at the dog, still exasperated and in disbelief that Jenny had pulled such a stunt. Then again; it was Jenny. Unexpected was the name of her game.
"You could name it after your grandfather," she suggested with a smirk.
"That's dumb too," Levi told her with a mini-Jethro glare. She shrugged.
"Well nothing's pleasing you tonight, little prince," she retorted, smiling fondly at him. He gave her a look and ran off, climbing off the boat and then hoisting the puppy down with him to play on the floor.
"I can't believe he's five," Kelly muttered, taking a drink.
"How old where you when he was born?" Tim asked. She'd already told them all, but he kept forgetting.
"Nineteen," she answered. "It was pretty scary," she continued voluntarily, turning to look at Tim thoughtfully. She lowered her voice a little. "When I told Levi's father, he hardly batted and eyelid, just said he'd pay for the abortion. I told him that wasn't a remote option; he told me I was on my own. That was pretty much the end of it."
She shrugged a little. She had dealt with this particular issue a long time ago. She did not mind talking about it now. Jenny knew a lot more than Tim, and Tim and Jenny knew quite a bit more than her father did.
"That's a really awful thing to do," Tim said, looking annoyed. "I hate—"
"Well, yeah, you would think so, Tim. You actually have a soul," she interrupted breezily. He flushed a little at the compliment. "You never know. It was a blessing in disguise. Dad was good about it. I think he thought it was his fault," Kelly paused and smiled a little sympathetically for her father. She took a drink of her coffee. "But he also thinks that's the first time I had sex, so he's slightly delusional."
McGee snorted again.
Levi started giggling as the yet-to-be-named puppy began barking and chasing its tail.
Kelly smiled at him. She was glad she had invited Tim back for coffee. She had acted upon the opportunity after Jenny and Dad had pulled that weird disappearing-act-slash-booty call and she knew she'd have the house to herself.
She looked back at Tim and he smiled and turned a little red. Poor Tim. He was such a bumbler sometimes.
"Um, Kelly?"
"Um, Tim?"
"You said your birthday was in a few weeks?" he asked hesitantly.
"I did say that," she answered neutrally. "September twenty-ninth, to be perfectly exact."
"Right. Um, could I maybe take you—take you out? On your birthday? For Dinner? Like a date? If—you know, if you want to?"
Kelly smirked and then laughed, amused.
"Tim, that question should not have been so difficult for you," she said, rolling her eyes. She paused and took a slow sip of her coffee, looking at him with sparkling eyes. "And yes. You could. And I want to."
He grinned. She got the impression he was rather pleased with himself. She allowed him that.
"Mommy's birthday party?" Levi asked suddenly, and they both turned to look at him. He looked up at them expectantly, holding the puppy awkwardly. It wagged its tail and whined very pitifully up at Tim and Kelly. "Can I come too?"
"Levi," murmured Kelly, starting to deny him.
"Sure, bud," Tim said automatically, and she looked at him in surprise. He met her eyes and shrugged good-naturedly.
"I'll just take you to Chuck. E. Cheese instead of Palena," he said.
Kelly smiled softly.
There were reasons she liked Timothy McGee.
Jethro hated cell phones.
His was ringing at the moment, repeatedly reminding him why he hated it.
Few people actually had his cell phone number, meaning he answered it when it rang. He reached for it, grasping for it blindly on Jenny's cluttered bedside table, and picked it up, fumbling.
"Gibbs," he growled, hoping it sounded as menacing as he felt.
"Um, hello Mr. Gibbs—sir, this is Tim—Tim McGee."
Jethro blinked, pulled the phone away from his ear, glared at it, and replaced it.
"McGee?" he asked threateningly. This had better be good.
Jenny lifted her head from the kisses she was placing lazily down his chest, arching her eyebrow mildly when she heard the name. She gave a soft smile at the look on his face and resumed her languid kissing.
"Um, yes. I work with Kelly um—"
"I know who you are, McGee. Why are you calling me?"
"Well, I wanted to ask—well, to get your permission, if it was okay to—"
"Spit it out," barked Gibbs.
Jenny laughed quietly. She ran her hands soothingly up his sides, patronizing him. Poor McGee.
"I want to date Kelly," McGee said instantly.
If he had been in the room with him, Jethro would have rolled his eyes and smacked him.
"You want to take my daughter out?" he repeated slowly.
Jenny's eyebrows rose a little higher; she didn't look up this time.
"Yes sir," McGee sounded a little more confident.
"McGee," growled Jethro. "She's twenty-three."
As noble as Tim McGee was being at the moment, he was interrupting, and Jethro honestly believed the 'asking to date the daughter' rule had expired when she had a child.
"Uhh, I know," McGee began.
"Did you ask her?" Jethro asked.
Jenny stretched out over his legs and traced circles on his abdomen with her tongue.
"Yes—I wanted your blessing, so…"
"I am very happy for the both of you. God bless your little hearts," growled Jethro, and violently hung up the phone, chucking it against Jenny's wall.
"I am fond of that wall. If you have chipped it in your childish annoyance, you'll repair it," Jenny murmured, crawling over him and settling into his side.
Jenny was not normally a woman who wanted to cuddle up to him in bed, but he figured she wasn't feeling quite herself tonight; he didn't mention it. She put her head on his shoulder and her face in his neck, and pursed her lips.
"Tim," she sighed, only a little mockingly. "Such a gentlemen. How kind of him to seek your permission in courting Miss Kelly."
"You gonna let them carry on with this?" Jethro asked gruffly, suspicious about the whole deal.
She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Shhh, Jethro-oooo," she hissed. "I don't know about it yet."
He snorted. Jenny laughed and let out a slow breath, kissing his neck slowly.
"Those poor souls," she murmured sympathetically, "Sweet little Kelly and well-meaning McGee. I shall rain torrents of embarrassment and mockery down upon their little lovebird heads."
"Play nice, Jen," he said sternly.
She scraped her teeth on his neck lightly.
He shifted to his side and rolled over on top of her, pressing his lips to hers and sinking into another kiss. He wanted to tire her out (if that was possible; he wasn't actually sure if it was). She had nightmares frequently, and he thought she might have more tonight due to the day's events.
Jethro moved from her lips to her jaw, to her throat to her shoulders, and then to her breasts, marking a trail with his mouth slowly. She moaned softly and bunched her hands in the sheets. He quickly forgot about Tim McGee's unnecessary and annoying interruption, much more inclined to occupy his thoughts with Jen and making her forget what lingered in the back of her mind.
It's McGee's turn to shine!
-Alexandra