Note: this chapter took a bit longer to write, but I hope you enjoy it and that it was worth the wait. Please leave a comment on your thoughts. I love to write, and I also love to hear your thoughts on my stories.
Navy yard
Jack is sitting on a bench in the navy yard. While enjoying her lunch sandwich, she is watching a young couple being flirty and teenage silly. She has been watching them for a while. At first, the young woman ordered a coffee cup, and then the young man walked over to her. They walked to a bench and sat down to enjoy their coffee. Jack noticed how they first tried to seem very professional with an appropriate distance to each other, but Jack also caught the moment they sat down on the bench how the young man couldn't keep his hands from her and how they looked at each other. Jack is a trained profiler and observer of human behavior. From the moment she saw the young couple together she knew they were more than just professional colleagues. Even though she has never met them before, she can tell. Jack is eating her lunch sandwich while Jack is observing the young couple. After a while, she turns her head when she notices someone else is sitting on the bench. It is Gibbs. He hands her a cup of coffee.
"I can't help you with the case, Gibbs." She says, a little irritated over the fact that Vance hasn't succeeded in keeping Gibbs away from her.
"I know. You have blocked most of your memories from your second deployment."
"I am trying to remember." She says, irritated, and takes a bite of her sandwich. She looks away from Gibbs and back at the young couple.
"Did he ever mention his mother to you?" Gibbs asks and takes a sip of his coffee. Jack turns her head quickly to look at Gibbs, who tells him that he hit something spot on.
"I don't remember, why? You think she has something to do with what he is doing?" Jack asks, wondering. Gibbs shrugs casually and takes another sip of his coffee.
"you wrote in your profile that the suspect has issues with women. Most men who grow up to have issues with women often come from childhood issues with parents."
"yeah, but…" Jack says but doesn't finish her sentence. It seems to Gibbs like she is trying hard to remember something.
"he wasn't like the traditional women hater kind of type who either has a narcissistic attitude towards women or just straight-up misogynistic. He was more of a pleaser. He wasn't the ladies' man with the childish, annoying charm like Torres." That comparison makes Gibbs smile. "Or the kind of guy who is head-turning-charming but doesn't realize it." Jack looks over at Gibbs with a smile to see if he realizes that she is actually referring to him, but he is just looking straight ahead while enjoying a long slow sip of his coffee cup with the sun hitting him just perfectly in the face.
"he was more like a little kid who just wanted to please his mother," Jack explains.
"explains why he joined the army to provide for his mother."
"I don't think it was just to provide for her. I think it was also to make up for his father's sins and prove he wasn't like his father." Jack says.
"Did he ever tell you about his father?"
Jack takes a sip of her coffee. "I don't remember."
Gibbs gets up from the bench.
"I know a thing or two about dealing with battle scars too, Jack," Gibbs says and puts on his sunglasses. "Don't deal with this alone." Gibbs has a soft smile on his face and then walks away. As Jack is watching Gibbs walking back to the building, she begins to remember something from Afghanistan. Maybe Johnny did tell her something about his family?
Flashback – Helman Province Afghanistan 2007
It is in the late afternoon, and the sun is setting over the mountains surrounding the camp base. Jack comes out from her barrack. She has been on duty all night and returned to their bunks at around 5 am. Jack took a shower and a nap when she came back from patrol. It has been a couple of days since she last has spoken with PFC Holland. Their schedules have been different lately. There has been a lot of hostile activity in the area. The Wingos has been putting in many hours in the local community to support the gathering of intelligence about a very dangerous group that there has been some chattering about lately. The Wingos has helped create a trusted relationship between the US troops and the local village to gather better intel on the group.
Jack is now standing right outside the barrack, where her fellow unit members are still snoring loudly in their bunks. Jack looks around the base where there is a lot of preparation going on. She, as an officer, are aware of the reason hostile activity that has been going on. Recently there has been a large number of enemy fires happening. A group of soldiers is playing soccer while another small group is playing some football. Jack usually is persuaded by her fellow unit members to join in on the sports because her unit members know that some of the younger soldiers are afraid to tackle a female officer. According to Hale and Anshiri, some of the younger soldiers have a crush on Jack, which means they are scared to attack her when wearing shorts and a tank top. Jack refuses to buy into their fellow younger soldiers' theory viewing her as female instead as an equal fellow soldier, even though she knows they are probably right.
Hale and Anshiri are loudly snoring in their bunks, and Jack needs to relax. She has a notepad and pen in her hand. Jack is looking around for a place to sit in the sun and relax. She notices someone is sitting in a remote corner of the base, isolated. As she walks closer, she recognizes it is PFC Holland. On her way over to PFC Holland, the soccer ball comes towards Jack. Jack kicks it back to the guy who comes running towards her.
"you want to play, Lieutenant?"
"not today, Brody. You guys don't play fair." Jack says with a smile.
The guy, a staff sergeant, pretends to be offended by her accusation but breaks into a big charming smile before taking the ball and dribbling it back to the other players. Hale and Anshiri from Jack's unit have been teasing her about Brody because Jack might have a soft spot for Brody's charming smile even though she hasn't admitted it.
"How ya doing?" she asks with a smile as she stands in front of PFC Holland. He looks up at her briefly before looking back down at whatever it is he has in his hands. When he doesn't respond, she sits down next to him. The moment she sits down, he hides away what seems to be a piece of paper and a pen.
"Why are you hiding it from me?" Jack asks with a smile that tells Johnny she thinks he is ridiculous.
"I… did you see it?" he asks nervously.
"no should I?" she asks now with a slight hint of concern. "if you are committing espionage, I am obligated to report you." she jokes.
"I'm… I'm not." He says nervous and shows her his piece of paper.
"I was writing a letter." He admits nervous.
"Yeah, me too," Jack says and bends her leg to use her thighs as a base for her notepad.
"Really?" he asks, surprised.
"Yeah," Jack says. "I know it is a bit old-school, but… I like to do it," she admits and starts writing. She quickly notices how Johnny is looking over and reading what she is writing. The moment she looks over at him, he looks away, but Jack has already caught him.
"you have nice handwriting," he compliments when he realizes she caught him. Jack chuckles.
"Thanks."
"are you… hm… writhe to… hmm… your boyfriend?" Johnny asks, a little insecure and nervous. Jack laughs while she continues drawing scrolls, roses, and little hearts on the corner of the paper.
"No. I don't have a boyfriend." Jack looks down at the notepad she is drawing on.
"It just looks…"
"girly?" Jack asks, finishing his sentence.
"no, I mean. It looks romantic with what you are drawing." He compliments.
"ha. Nah, it helps me think. I used to draw stuff like this in my diary when I was a teenager. My grandmother taught me how to draw roses." She continues to draw and notice he hasn't written another word on his letter since she sat down.
"What makes you think I have a boyfriend?" she asks, wondering why he would immediately draw that conclusion about her writing a letter.
"I… I.. hmmm." He seems nervous and uncomfortable by the question.
"you said when we went for a run that you have a partner at home that you do workouts with. I just assumed."
"not that kind of workout," Jack says and laughs. It makes Johnny blush and look away from her.
"I'm sorry about that." He says and is about to stand up and walk away.
"hey," Jack says and takes his hand.
"It is okay," she says with a kind smile. "I don't have a boyfriend. It is an old fellow student from the college. Her name is Isabel."
"That sounds great," Johnny says, impressed.
"not really. We don't like each other. We compete against each other because we both hate to lose, and it helps us push ourselves harder."
"oh…" Johnny says, not sure what to say.
"who do you write a letter to?" Jack asks, looking over at Johnny's paper.
"oh hmm…" he covers the name he wrote with his hand.
"come on, man. I write to my parents. I told you mine. You tell me yours." Jack says with a smile. Johnny blushes and looks away from her to avoid her reaction when he removes his hand and reveals the word 'mom.' "I know you think I'm a little kid." he mumbles and looks embarrassed down at the ground.
"hey." She says to get him to look at her. "it is okay to be human." Jack says, looking directly into his eyes.
"It just feels childish to miss my mom. I feel like a little kid."
"Hey, listen, I never thought I would say this, but I miss my brother," Jack says.
"you and your brother don't get along?" Johnny asks.
"ehh. We are siblings. We fight a lot and argue. Sometimes even fistfights. Nothing serious, but it drives my mom crazy." Jack says and smiles at the memory of her and her brother having some ridiculous argument and yelling and pushing each other. And the memory of her mom screaming and telling them that they will have to go outside if they want to fight.
"I got a letter from my mom last week where she wrote to me that she misses me, and my brother fights. Things must be tranquil at home." jack jokes, but she notices it doesn't seem like Johnny can relate to how she feels about her family.
"do you have any siblings?" Jack asks, turning back to her serious conversation with Johnny.
"no. I'm an only child. I don't think my father ever really wanted me."
"you have never mentioned your father before," Jack says.
"he died," Johnny says casually.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"well, I'm not. We were never very close."
"I'm sorry about that." Jack says, but Johnny doesn't really seem very heartbroken about the loss of his father or the lack of relationship with his father. "so, it is just you and your mother?" Jack asks. Johnny nods.
"yeah."
"she must be proud of you. serving your country." Jack says.
"yeah, I guess. We are close. My mom has always been there for me my whole life."
"It is tough for you to be away from her?" Jack asks. Johnny nods with sadness on his face.
"hey, I miss my family too. Especially my mom and dad."
"what do your parents think of you being in the army and down here?"
"hmm… my mom is not thrilled about it, but she knows it is what I like to do, and she knows I help a lot of people, so she supports me, and my dad is really proud. He always says, 'he so proud of his little girl.'" Jack tries to imitate her dad's deep voice, and it makes both laughs. "I bet your mom is pretty damn proud of you too," Jack says, looking over at Johnny when she notices the sadness on his face has returned after he stopped laughing.
"I think what she is the proudest of that I am not like my father," Johnny says casually and shrug.
"he was not a good guy?"
"he was a violent alcoholic." Johnny looks down at his hands that are resting on his paper. Jack has placed a comforting hand on his. "I don't like to talk about him," Johnny admits.
"I sorry I brought it up." Jack gently brushes her thumb over the back of his hand.
"It is okay," he says and looks up and meets her brown eyes. Jack notices how he blushes when his eyes meet hers. She just smiles at him softly.
"lieutenant Sloane." Their moment is interrupted by the voice of Jack's unit leader King.
"yes, sir," Jack says and is about to stand up properly, but her unit leader holds up a hand to signal to her that she doesn't need to. The moment King speaks, Johnny pulls his hands away from Jack's.
"We have a tactical meeting at 18:00 before we are on duty at 19:00.
"yes, sir," Jack responds, and King turns around and walks away from them.
"tactical meeting? A lot is going on right now." Johnny says.
"I can't tell you. it is classified." Jack says.
"right. sorry I asked." Johnny says and looks away from her.
"hey," Jack says and waits for him to look back at her.
"how about we write our letters to our families, and then we go for a run?" Jack suggests. Johnny nods with a big smile.
Present time – navy yard
"His mom was the rock in his life," Jack says out loud to herself. She then stands up from the bench, throws the wrapper from her sandwich and her empty coffee cup in the trash can, and walks determined back to the office. Jack walks into her office and sits down at her desk. A written note on her desk isn't her handwriting, but she quickly recognizes the handwriting as Gibbs's. The message reads: steaks are ready – don't be late.
The note makes Jack smile. Steak night at Gibbs's house always makes her smile. She looks up at the painting of the elephant with a dreamy smile. The thought of why Gibbs gave her the painting always gives her a sense of butterflies in her stomach. He isn't exactly the most romantic guy in the world, but the painting was his way of saying that he is aware of something special going on between them, although the "elephant" remains unspoken off. The last few days have been challenging for her. the memory of Afghanistan, her army unit and Johnny Holland has ripped many open wounds that have just started to heal. It has been painful for her to force herself to remember, but she has been willing to do it for the case.
Tonight, she is telling herself, is going to be relaxing. She is not going to think about Johnny Holland, Afghanistan, or the Wingos. She will have a nice steak and probably some bourbon at Gibbs's house, and for the first time since this case started, she isn't going to have nightmares about Masahun. Her thoughts about the evening she will spend with Gibbs are interrupted by a caution knock on the door.
She quickly sits up straight in her chair when she realizes she didn't close the door. She looks over, and Leon is standing in the doorway with a concerned look on his face.
"you seem lost in your thoughts, Jack." He comments and enters the office and closes the door behind him.
"no, I'm fine." She says casually, hoping he didn't notice the dream smile she probably had on her face while looking at the painting and thinking about her evening. Leon takes a glance around the office.
"do you need something, Leon?" Jack asks, suspicious.
"no. I was just checking to see how you are doing. I know this case is rough on you and it rips open a lot of bad memories."
"it is fine. I'm fine. I can handle it." Jack says, forcing a reassuring smile on her face, but Leon doesn't seem to buy it. Jack gets up from her chair and grabs her purse and her jacket.
"how is Gibbs treating you? is he hard on you?" Leon asks as they leave Jack's office.
"no, he is fine. Although…" Jack says and stops and looks at Leon with a serious look. "your protection skills seriously suck." She says with an accusing tone, and Leon look completely cut off guard. "it is a good thing it isn't someone who is actually trying to hurt me that you were supposed to protect me from. It took Gibbs less than 12 hours to find me."
Leon smiles apolitically to her.
"I'm sorry, Jack. I though a direct order was enough."
Jack looks at him with profound disbelief. "when has an order ever stopped Gibbs from anything?" they both smile because they both know that is the truth. Nothing can stop Gibbs once he has decided to pursue something or someone.
They continue to walk down the hallway towards the stairs leading to the bullpen. They are meet by Ducky, who has just climbed the stairs.
"good evening, Doctor." Leon Greets.
"evening Director. I see I am late." Ducky says, a bit disappointed.
"late for what, Doctor?" Leon asks.
"I was coming to see how you were doing, Special Agent Sloane. And I intended to invite you for dinner so you wouldn't need to sit alone." Ducky admits.
"It is very sweet of you, Ducky." Jack says. "but I am…"
"feel free to join Dor. I was going to get Jack a ride home and some dinner on the way." Leon says.
"you where?" Jack says. "thanks for letting me know, Leon." Jack says sarcastically. Jack knows she shouldn't be surprised. For a long time after Jack was back stateside from Afghanistan, Leon would often drive by her place and bring her food as an excuse to check up on her, and when she started working for him at the NCIS field office, he would drive her home, and they would stop for dinner on the way. Jack would often protest, so over time, Leon stopped inviting her and just tricked her with a walk and talk to his car. It has been a while since he has last done that, but she shouldn't be surprised that doing a case that hits her personally, he would pick up his old habit of checking up on her.
"I am sorry, gentlemen, but I will have to decline both of you kindly. I have other plans tonight." Jack says politely with a smile to Ducky, and then a more annoyed look to Leon that he knows isn't as seriously meant as it might seem.
"Jack, you should not be alone tonight." Leon insists concerned.
"I am not going to be. I have already made other dinner plans." Leon looks surprised, but Ducky has a knowing smile on his face.
"well, have a wonderful evening, my dear," Ducky says as he receives a kiss on the cheek by Jack before she runs down the stairs to the empty squad room.
"who would she have dinner plans with?" Leon asks more to himself than to Ducky.
"I think Director…" Ducky says as the two men begin to walk down the stairs slowly. "it is with someone who understands what it means to have suffered battle wounds better than either you or I will be able to."
Leon seems to realize who Ducky is talking. "oh." Leon says. Both men look towards Jack. She is waiting in front of the elevator. "so much for the need of protection from him." Leon says with a smile to Ducky.
Note: thanks for reading. I always try to write the character's dialog as accurate to what I think it would be in the show as possible. But I must admit Ducky is a tricky one for me to write due to his British/Scottish accent. I hope I get him right. If you have any comments or thoughts on how I can improve. Please let me know.