Christmas dinner had been quite enjoyable, and Jethro, thankfully, had the next few days off as well which meant that he just got to relax and spend time with his family. His father had stayed at his place for a couple of days as well, which was quite nice. Especially now that his father's spirits were up, the man coping much better with the robbery, they were really able to enjoy each other's company.
Waking up that Thursday, Jethro was reeling a bit. He was taking the day off of work in order to help Kelly and Maddie with the move to their new place in Georgetown.
Apparently, it was showing on his face, at least somewhat, because his wife walked up and gently placed a hand on Jethro's shoulder while he was pouring his second cup of coffee of the day.
"She'll be nearby," his wife reminded him.
"I know," Jethro replied softly. He knew that she'd more than likely be just fine, but he simply wasn't quite ready for his daughter to leave just yet. It felt like he had just got her back. The only real consolation in his mind was the fact that Kelly was going to be with Maddie and a hell of a lot closer than Philadelphia which meant that if something went wrong he could get there to help within a matter of minutes.
Not wanting to make a big deal about it, Jethro took a sip of his coffee and headed to the living room where his daughter was playing a song on the piano.
She was already packed and was just wasting some time and having fun.
"I'm glad you still play," Jethro stated, giving his daughter a warm smile. He had loved listening to Kelly play as a little girl and was quite pleased to learn, shortly after she'd moved back in all those months back, that she had kept the skill up.
"I've always enjoyed it," his daughter replied with a smile before she gently closed the piano and turned to face him. "Can I talk to you about something?"
"Of course," he assured her, curiosity immediately piqued. "What is it, Kellz?"
Kelly gave him a knowing look. "You're upset I'm moving out, aren't you?"
Jethro immediately gave his daughter a hopefully reassuring smile. She didn't need to take his personal issues onto herself. "Kelly, baby, I'm your father, I'll always want you close. That's never gonna change." She gave him a curt nod. "But, I also want the best for you, and, right now, this is what ya need to do. Go live your life."
"So we're okay?" she asked.
Jethro walked up to Kelly and pulled her into a hug. "Always, Kid. I'm so damn proud of you, young lady, and can't wait to see what else you accomplish." Pulling back after a moment, Jethro locked eyes with his daughter. "Don't even consider holding yourself back on my account, got it?"
Kelly nodded, smiling widely now. "Got it." The twenty-seven-year-old then pulled him in for another hug. "I love you, Dad."
Jethro tightened the hug. "I love you too, Princess." He pulled back. "Now, let's go see what Mom's up to and get this show on the road."
"Okay," Kelly readily agreed.
Forty-five minutes later, the truck and Kelly's car were loaded and they were driving to the apartment in Georgetown.
They all unloaded Kelly's stuff and then Jethro made a trip with Maddie and a friend of hers to Maddie's old place to start grabbing her things.
"I really appreciate the help," Maddie said.
"It's nothing," he assured the young woman, giving her a small smile. "Wouldn't have offered the other day if I minded." He'd offered the truck to her as well as there was zero reason for her to spend a bunch of money on renting a moving van.
"Still," Maddie said, "thanks."
Once they got Maddie stuff moved and unloaded, he left the women to start unpacking boxes and went back to Arlington to grab a couple more of his daughter's things from his and Shannon's place before quickly stopping by his daughter's storage unit, at her request, to grab a few more of Kelly's things for her.
Once back at the Georgetown apartment, they quickly helped him unload the truck and he went inside with them to help with the unpacking so that the girls were settled in as quickly as possible.
Once the girls were good to go, Maddie's college friend left. He and Shannon, however, stuck around for a bit and, given the time, ordered some take-out for dinner.
It was just after 1900 that evening when both he and Shannon finally said goodbye to the girls and headed back to their home in Arlington.
It was New Years Eve, but neither of them were particularly in the mood to go out, the pair preferring to just relax together at home.
Jethro was doing fine until he went upstairs to grab something for Shannon while she was making them both some hot chocolate. He'd grabbed the blanket that his wife had asked for and, as Jethro started heading back downstairs, the door to what had been Kelly's bedroom caught his attention.
If Jethro was being honest with himself, it wasn't just that his daughter had moved out that was getting to him, or rather there was more to the reason it was getting to him. Reminding himself that Kelly was perfectly fine, that she was alive and safe, he took a deep breath and continued towards the stairs.
"You okay?" Shannon asked as he made his way into the living room.
"Yeah," he assured her. "Up for a movie?"
"Sure," his wife replied with a small smile. Shannon was handling Kelly moving out far better than Jethro at the moment but was still feeling slightly unsure if you could put it that way. "What d'ya wanna watch?"
He passed her the remote. "You pick one," he said with a shrug.
"Okay," she readily agreed, immediately getting up from the couch and starting to flip through their DVDs to select one for them to watch.
After Shannon picked a movie, they both sat there in front of the television watching it and sipping on their drinks. They'd only gotten a half-an-hour into it before the pair started discussing some funny memories of their daughter.
Hot chocolates finished, movie forgotten, Jethro grabbed a beer from the fridge before sitting back down beside his wife, the couple continuing to chat until they both passed out on the couch.
