"Why does he want me to come?" Grace asked, slightly worried. She hadn't seen much of Gibbs but what she had seen suggested he wasn't they type to call for a social chat. She had agreed readily last night, mostly for the opportunity to see Abby and Ducky again, but she was growing steadily more nervous as they drove.
"I don't know. Maybe –" Kate stopped herself.
"Maybe what?" Grace had inherited her mother's curiosity.
Kate sighed. Why not? "I was late to work yesterday because of the whole cereal fiasco. Gibbs wasn't exactly mad, but then I made a really big mistake interviewing someone. He's already not happy about our situation, and yesterday…well, I think maybe he wants to talk to both of us. Set some parameters."
Grace nodded, though more in acknowledgement than understanding. Great, she thought. Aunt Kate's hard-as-nails boss wants to talk about rules. This'll be fun.
Gibbs was not at his desk when they arrived, so Kate sent Grace to Abby's lab to hang out. Grace was all too happy to postpone the moment where she would have to face the frustrated former Marine. Approaching the lab, she was surprised to hear no loud music blaring. According to Kate, Abby always played her music at almost unbelievable decibels. If there was no noise, there was no Abby.
Disappointed, Grace changed direction and headed downstairs. She hadn't been to see Ducky in his lair before but following the hall signs wasn't too difficult. The elevator opened right in front of Autopsy and Grace walked in, pleased with herself for finding the way.
Voices were floating in the air, slightly distorted by the strange acoustics of the room. Grace was fairly certain she could identify Ducky's voice, though, coming from what appeared to be a small office of sorts. Not wanting to interrupt, she crept back toward the elevator. Until, that is, she heard her own name.
"It's certainly not fair to Grace," Ducky was saying. Grace couldn't help herself; she listened.
"I know that, Ducky," an exasperated voice groused. It sounded like it might be Agent Gibbs. "But if this keeps happening…"
"Jethro, they just need a little time," Ducky replied, confirming Grace's suspicion about the identity of the second speaker. "Settling in to new routines isn't easy, for anyone. I'm sure the tardiness will stop before too long."
There was an odd sound of moving air that Grace realized must be Gibbs sighing. "You know what's really weird? The late thing doesn't bother me so much."
"You, Jethro?" Ducky wondered aloud, his tone a cross between surprise and amused sarcasm.
"Yeah, I know," Gibbs laughed slightly before sobering again. "But after yesterday, I'm more worried about her psych status. You should have seen her, Duck, screaming at that woman. If she hadn't been crying so hard, I would've thought she was going to hit her. It was unnerving. I mean, Kate of all people!"
"Yes, it is disturbing, isn't it? Poor Caitlin has never allowed herself to face what happened to her, to feel emotion regarding it, and thus she has never truly healed. Grace's arrival has caused all the memories and emotions that she had not dealt with adequately fourteen years ago to resurface."
"I understand that; I just don't know if I can let her keep working after this. Her judgment is seriously impaired."
"Once she truly allows herself to feel the emotions, she will be able to deal with them and move on."
"And you say you're not a shrink," Gibbs commented wryly. Ducky chuckled lightly before Gibbs continued in a troubled voice. "I can't just take her off every rape case we get. What if she hauls off and socks a suspect during an interrogation? We can't risk the legal consequences."
"Your concerns are certainly valid, Jethro. However, you must understand that her anger is not at the rapist. She is angry at herself for, in her mind, allowing it to happen. In fact, very little of her emotion has to do with the rapist at all. It's a very internal crime, as far as emotional fallout."
Grace stepped backwards, shocked at the revelation. Aside from feeling terrible for Kate's violation, it didn't take a giant leap of imagination to connect the dots. Fourteen years ago? No wonder Kate was so reticent about Dominic Fleming.
Unaware of her surroundings, Grace backed right into a surgical table. The contents clattered noisily and she cringed, anticipating her inevitable discovery. The voices ceased abruptly and the two men scurried out of the office, looking around for the source of the racket.
Grace was standing sheepishly among an assortment of stainless steel surgical implements, her face trying to decide between an expression of shame and one of defiance. It settled, somewhat in the middle, on shock.
"Oh, dear," sighed Ducky, eyes deeply sympathetic.
"Grace," Gibbs addressed her more straightforwardly, "let's go upstairs. We need to talk to Kate."
Grace didn't respond but when Gibbs put his hand on her shoulder and guided her gently toward the door, she followed docilely. The elevator ride upstairs was silent, as was the interminable walk to Kate's desk. Grace was coming out of her shocked state and beginning to get a little miffed. Why had Kate not told her? She knew, rationally, that it had been for her own protection but it still hurt that her…mother…didn't think she could handle the information.
She also realized why Aunt Kate had taken her back. Of course she hadn't wanted Grace as a baby; it wasn't as if she'd planned to have a child. But now, fourteen years later, she felt guilty about abandoning her child and was absolving her guilt by reclaiming Grace.
They finally came to a halt in front of Kate's desk, Gibbs' hand still on Grace's shoulder. Kate looked up, startled, as Gibbs cleared his throat meaningfully.
"Gibbs!" she exclaimed. Grace's presence and their serious expressions told her that this was not a pleasure call. "What's the matter?"
Gibbs' tone gave away nothing as he said seriously, "We need to talk. All of us."