Chapter 37: Jack breaks the ice

You Are Perfectly, Wonderfully,
Beautifully Meant To Be
You Were Meant To Be

Long Before You Took Your First Fall
You stumbled to the ground
God started telling the story of you to the angles around
Every failure and victory
Everything inbetween
Its all in his hand

You Were Meant To Be Touching
The Lives That You Touch
And Meant To Be Here
Making This World So Much More
Than It Would Be Without You In It

Meant to be - Steven Curtis Chapman

Maggie's finds Joseph standing by the big windows of the music room overlooking the garden, and the big wooden table they've put on the backyard a couple of years ago. She notices his tense shoulders and how emotionally raw he is, as the responsibility of his choices of the last days were weighting heavily on his shoulders.

"Joseph, I -"

"She's not retarded." He says in a resolute voice, not bearing space for discussion.

"We have to consider the possibility."

He turns to her, his instance tense as he stands with his feet apart and his hands behind his back in a position that she hasn't seen her husband take since he was dismissed due to his injuries from the Air Force. "I refuse to believe that."

"Honey."

"No, listen me out. She followed me here. I don't know how, but she crossed half of the country after some hypothetical ideal of what a family should be, thanks to the pictures I had in my wallet." He argues passionately, taking two steps towards Maggie, who shakes her head softly. "It has to mean something."

"I'm not dismissing what she has done as insignificant," he waves his hands wearily, and Maggie presses on, "but we have to consider the other children as well. I understand how you feel this... connection to her, but she will demand a lot attention. Attention that I don't know if we can give her."

"She was hurt, Maggie. She was..." Joseph shakes his head, as if denying what he's about to say, then he walks towards Maggie and takes her by her shoulders, "She was beaten. Brutally beaten. Her back..."Joseph blinks, and Maggie's heart is torn as Joseph starts to cry, "... her back is mess of scars. Some are a few months old, but some … I think she was beaten since she was a little older than Matthew." Maggie sobs, horrified at the thought of her sweet little Matthew going through that. "Yet she has survived. And I really can't turn my back to her, give her back to Sheriff Clay and wash my hands on the subject. If I do that, every single time I look at one of our kids, her face will haunt me."

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

"You know, I like this," says Jack, putting the Lego pieces together, noticing the little girl watching him from the corner of her eyes, her head low, but he was painfully aware how she was always extremely watchful of the position of his hands.

He smirks a little as he notices her awareness, and he is deeply convinced that she's not retarded as the airman had just suggested. Wounded, yes. Scared of her own shadow, definitely. Retarded, never. She was much too smart to be that.

He sees she has just noticed him studying her, and she lowers her head, hiding her eyes - therefore, her thoughts - from him.

Ahh... I've gotcha.

"You know, I've just realized that I've forgotten something, that might lead me into trouble with that lady over there," he points to Sarah, who is still talking to Grace. Heidy went upstairs to put Mark and Luke into bed as both boys, despite their complaints, were already falling asleep on the spot they were.

She looks up and studies him with her deep brown eyes, and Jack can't help chuckling when one tiny eyebrow goes up as if asking, "so what?"

"But I've just realized I can't do that on my own. I need help."

Her face is almost comical, as she looks at him as if he went crazy.

"I have a mission to accomplish, and only someone like you can help me. It's a very important mission for the United States Air Force."

She looks impressed, and then glances at Grace and Hope who are going upstairs with Sarah and Charlie, getting ready to bed.

What about them?

"Nah, they can't help me. Too noisy. I need someone silent. Because what I'm about to do," He leans forward, and the little girl leans forward to him as well, and Jack congratulates himself as she is losing her fear of him, "is a secret. Nobody can know," he whispers very low.

She looks at him, studying his face, then glance at the airman and at Matthew, who is yawing widely, and starting to drift with the Lego's in his hand.

"Ah, yeah, there's him, but -"

"I take care of him," says Heidy, coming out of the thin air and taking the little boy in her arms, who automatically leans his head on the crook of her neck and hugs her, "I'll put him to bed."

The nanny then leaves the living room, leaving only Jack and the little girl sitting on the floor, and the airman sitting in a chair in the corner.

"Wanna help in my top secret mission?"

She shrugs, and starts putting away the Legos in the box.

"Come here, I'll tell you what it's about." He moves his finger, calling her towards him, and after a minute looking him in the eyes, she approaches him in her knees, stopping a foot away from him.

Yes! thinks Jack.

Jack leans over the little girl and whispers in her ear, leaving the airman burning with curiosity what the major can possibly be whispering to the little girl. She leans back and glances at his face, and Jack nods as if to confirm what he has just said.

"I'm telling the truth." He points to the window, "It's out there. But I need help. Can you help me?"