Chapter 35
Thank you to the readers who reviewed the last chapter. Really working toward some more fun but we need a little drama too. Remember Gibbs and Sam are kindred spirits with many issues in the past that will affect the future. I promise Sam's issues with her aunt and uncle will not be anything physical.
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of the characters created for this series. Just enjoy the show and wanted something new to happen to our favorite characters.
Gibbs took another sip of his drink and looked Sam in the eyes as she started to tell him the story about her aunt and uncle. "Ok Gibbs, but promise you will not plan to get your sniper gun and head to New Mexico. Despite the crap they have tried to pull over the years my aunt was my mother's sister and they are my cousins' parents." She took another sip of the bourbon. Gibbs nodded his head and mouth I promise. "Another thing I want to make clear. They never ever physically hurt me. For all the things they have done they truly feel that it was for my own good, in their opinion."
"Samantha, that email that told you to leave me despite our love is for your own good. That is bull you know." Gibbs was getting a little angry. He had a sense these people hurt her emotionally and here she was defending them.
"Of course and I knew it as soon as I read it. What upset me was the reminder that she believed that loosing David was my fault."
"How?"
"Let me give you some back ground first. I never felt comfortable with them. I enjoyed being with my cousins a lot. Being an only child for such a long time I really missed kids my age and they were family. When they would go up to visit my mother's parents about twice a year I insisted to be with them. My cousins were fun."
"I understand. Only child here too remember."
She smiled and moved closer to him allowing him to put his arms around her. "I know. Well there was one time we were there and my parents could not get away from work. My grandmother's house was only 3 bedrooms and my great-grandmother had one of them so some of the kids had to sleep on the floor. We took turns." She rubbed his arms with her hands. "I really could not sleep on the floor in that house. My grand-mother made beds on couch cushions but it was still on the floor."
Gibbs looked at her questioningly. "Why could you not sleep on the floor?"
"Remember this was on a ranch in rural New Mexico, very dry country and many, many snakes." Gibbs held her closer. She had told him many times of her total fear of snakes. Knowing that he put it together, she was afraid that a snake would crawl in the door and end up in her bed.
"Sweetheart, I understand. What did they do to you?"
"When I voiced my fear, and remember my parents weren't there, he started a tirade of how I was a baby and needed to grow up. " He could feel her shutter. "My grand-mother was raising a group of orphan lambs and she was bottle feeding them. He went in and got one of the bottles and chased me around the house until I started screaming and clinging to my grand-mother. She stopped things but I never forgave him." Gibbs held her closer and nuzzled her neck.
"I understand."
"Then you could see when my parents wrote their wills and told me that they were going to make them my guardians if something happened to them that I went ballistic. I wanted my grand-father. My dad's father had always been my closest family."
"Why did your parents not consider him?"
"He was dying Gibbs. He had major heart problems. I was lucky to even know him at all." She smiled rubbing the emerald ring on her right hand. "A present from him on my 18th birthday. He had 3 major heart attacks and a stroke before I was 10. All my life, he told me he might not live to see me grow up. He was a tough old bird."
"Didn't you say he lived until you were in the Marines? "
"Yes, I had just finished basic when he got worse. I came home and three days after I got back he walked to the living room and died before he hit the floor."
"So when your parents were killed, what happened with your Aunt and Uncle?"
"I was with my grand-father when they stormed in and insisted that I go with them right then. My uncle said he was in charge of me and I would do what he told me to do."
"Bastard," Gibbs muttered.
"I was fifteen Gibbs. My grand-father was heartbroken. My dad was his only child and he adored Katy. I felt I had no choice so I went with him. Major stress could have killed him. "
"Now they did not physically abuse you."
"No!" Sam was very firm about that. "It was all a head game. They started that day. I was told my parents were weak and did not raise me to stand on my own two feet. That I did not need my grand-father to protect me. I was fifteen and needed to be strong and accept their judgment for my life. They called me a looser. " She looked at Gibbs and he saw tears rolling down her face. "I had just lost my parents, my sister and they were taking away all my dreams. I was told that after the funeral I would go home with them and never see my grand-father again. "
"Oh sweetheart, that was cruel."
"I know and I had my first panic attack that night. My cousin Tracy knew and I made her promise not to tell."
"Did they treat your cousins like that?"
"No, I never really understood what they had against me. Something about my father I think. I was never told". Sam reached for the bottle of bourbon and poured herself another drink. This time taking a large ship larger than Gibbs had ever seen her take. "That night I had my first panic attack. I told my cousin Tracy not to tell because it would make me seem weaker. When I managed to fight off the attack, I slipped out and called my grand-father. He had always said if I needed him to call and he would be there to protect me. Knowing the law was on their side he told me to stay put until he could get a lawyer."
"Basically, I challenged them for my rights. I fought hard and won my emancipation from them. I then moved into my grandfather's house. I still had a fight ahead of me for control of my parents' estate. Granddad decided that we could fight that another time. Luckily he had not signed over his estate to my dad to save on taxes. He quickly signed it over to me so when he died I would have no issues with them."
"How did they take your emancipation?" Gibbs asked kissing the tears from her eyes. "They had to be pissed that you stood up to them."
"Oh yeah, they were livid. Did not contact me for three years until my graduation from high school. I kept in touch with my cousins through my mother's mother. I mistakenly told Tracy about my dream of becoming a Marine. She told them. They showed up at graduation with a lawyer telling me if I joined the Marines I would never see any of my parents' money."
"So, great threat there."
"I know but it caused my grand-father to have another mini stroke. I did not join the Marines for another year. They thought they had won."
"So you emailed Tracy about our engagement and she told them. What I don't understand is you keep telling your cousins things even when they betray you constantly."
"Stupid I know. I just felt they were my friends and after granddad died they were the only family I had left. Aunt and Uncle not included."
"Ok is there more? You said that your aunt used David against you. "
"Yes, I wanted my cousins at my wedding and I know stupid move again that had to include my aunt and uncle. When David did not make the wedding it became my entire fault. He did not show up because I was worthless and a slut. Then when he died it was punishment for me because I broke my promise to my mother to stay chaste until marriage."
"Why is that any of their business?" Gibbs had really begun to hate these people.
"That really hurt me deeply. I would never ever do anything to shame my parents." She grabbed the glass and started to take another big slug of bourbon. Gibbs took her glass and put it back down on the table.
"Drinking may dull that pain sweetheart but it does not take it away." He turned her around and looked deeply into her eyes. "You don't have to accept their critique of your life" he told her firmly. "I think you are doing a great job. You are a super fine lady and I don't choose to just love just anybody." He took her in his arms and kissed her.
She pushed away from him with tears in her eyes. "Thank-you Gibbs. I am so glad you chose me." Then she hugged him close. "But why I don't deserve to be your fiancé Gibbs. I mean after yesterday how could you still want me. I was weak and did not even deserve to call myself a Marine."
Gibbs pulled back with his hands firmly on her shoulders. He was livid and it was not with her. He loved her. After hearing all about her family and then hearing what she had just told him, he knew that he had to impress his need and desire for her. "Sam," he whispered. "What makes think what happened last night changed my mind about you? I really love you and nothing you could ever do will change that. I am not going anywhere." He lifted her chin so that she was looking him squarely in her gorgeous eyes. "I could grab me rifle and head for New Mexico but I promised not to. Those two deserve to be shot for what they did to you and are still doing to you."
"But Gibbs." Samantha started and Gibbs put his finger to her lips.
"Let me finish," he said. "Usually I don't offer advice but I can't stay silent on this one. You need to break away from your old family. They are not your family. I know five other people besides me that are your family now. Your aunt and uncle do not deserve to be on the same planet as you." Samantha saw the anger and sorrow in his eyes. "You are the strongest woman I have ever known and your character is above reproach."
Again Samantha started to cry, Gibbs kissed away her tears. "Gibbs?"
He silenced her again with a kiss and then he looked firmly into her eyes. "This is my suggestion; tomorrow you call your family and declare your independence. Tell them you are through. That you are no longer in their family, you have a new family who loves and supports you. Let them know that you are worthy of a happy life."
"I don't know if I can do that Gibbs."
"Of course you can. If you need me to, I 'll sit right there with you to offer my support."
Samantha looked at him and this time saw nothing but support and full love. Right then she made a decision to call her aunt and tell her what how she felt. Gibbs saw the change in her face. She had changed from a scared little girl to the strong independent Marine he knew she was. "Gibbs, I will call her in the morning. It is time I push myself away from them. I guess I always stood there and took it because my parents always told me they were family."
"Well again you have a new family who loves you."
"I have a family that supports me much like my first family. Mom and Dad loved me and never ever made me feel less than special. Granddad always said I was beautiful even when I wasn't at my most well dressed... "
"I think you are the most beautiful when you are not all dressed up." He kissed her again. "How about we change the subject? We can face all this in the morning. Why don't you go upstairs and get into a warm shower? Then let's curl up on the couch and watch one of your comfort movies."
Samantha just looked at him and smiled. "I love you so much Jethro. Just being near you makes me stronger."
"Being with you makes me happier that I have been in years." Samantha pulled away from him not before hugging him close to her.
She took his face in her hand and whispered in his ear. "You make remember what it was like before my parents died. I felt loved growing up and I know you love me."
He swatted her on the behind and sent her up the stairs. After she left to go her shower, he poured himself another shot of bourbon. Taking another drink he put his head in his hands and the anger and tears he had been holding in to be strong for her just exploded from his body. "They will never get a chance to treat her that way again. Not on my watch." Gibbs got up and found one of Samantha's special movies on the shelf and got it ready to go.
He sat back on the couch and continued to nurse his bourbon until he heard the shower stop and the bathroom door open. He got up and went into the kitchen and brought in some popcorn and a can of diet coke. He grabbed the remote and turned on the movie. Then he looked to the stairs as he saw her coming down the stairs. She looked the more beautiful than he had ever need her. He met her at the bottom of the stairs offering her his arm. He then escorted her to the couch took her on his lap and just held her. No words needed to be said. Tonight they were totally in love and together. Tomorrow would bring challenges but with their family with them they would concur them together. "Tomorrow will be your independence day darling. You will be free of their control. We can put them behind us and begin to forge a new life with "our family""
Just as he said that she let out a sigh and snuggled into his chest. "After I make that call, we can bury them and begin anew." Then Gibbs had an idea. He would call Abby tomorrow and ask for her suggestions and help. Tonight, he would enjoy just holding her and trying to make her know his passion for her would never change.