Counsel

Ducky had just settled into his favorite armchair with a book and a cup of tea when the doorbell rang. He checked the time, surprised that someone would be at his home so early on a Sunday. The sense of surprise lessened when he found Ziva standing there.

"Good morning, Ducky. I apologize for showing up so early…" Her expression was uncertain, and Ducky could see that she probably hadn't slept.

"Nonsense, Ziva, come inside. I just made some tea."

Ziva gave him a small smile and followed him into the living room. He fetched the teapot from the kitchen, filled a cup, and gave it to her. She sat on the loveseat, angled to face him, and sipped her tea, cradling the cup afterwards and staring at the fireplace, clearly trying to gather her thoughts.

Ducky gave her a few minutes, then gently began the conversation. "If I remember correctly from our meeting with Anthony on Friday, you were going to speak with Joann Fielding."

Ziva nodded. "Yes. I drove to Philadelphia, to her home." She frowned. "She is such a contrary woman."

"Indeed? How so?"

Ziva's expression darkened. "She says Gibbs is a good man, but then she seems to hate him for moving away, as if his family should not have gone with him."

Ducky pursed his lips and thought back to the encounter with Joann a little over a year ago. He hadn't had much to do with her directly, but Gibbs had talked with him after the case was closed. "Based on my conversations with Jethro, I do believe she blames him for Shannon's death, and of course what everyone thought was Kelly's."

"Oh, she does," Ziva said, shaking her head. "She refused to believe me at first, that Kelly is alive… and I admit my tactics may have contributed to her animosity."

Ducky sat forward, interested. It was always fascinating to see how the different team members approached problem-solving in their own ways. "Tactics?"

Ziva set her cup down on a coaster on the coffee table, resting her elbows on her legs. "I already knew she didn't forgive Gibbs for their deaths. I needed to know if she buried his family when she did out of malice, if she knew Kelly lived but misidentified the body on purpose, so Gibbs would lose his daughter."

Ducky stared at her, shocked. "Ziva! You can't possibly think Mrs. Fielding would have gone so far; she lost her granddaughter."

Ziva shot him a wry smile that belied the pain in her eyes. "Given what my father has asked me to do on more than one occasion, it is perhaps too easy for me to believe all families are ready to make such sacrifices for an ideal, or a hatred."

Ducky rose from his chair and moved to sit next to Ziva, taking her hand in his own as she tried to force back the tears. "Ziva… you can, nay, should let yourself grieve for your family. Grief is a natural human emotion, and as difficult as it can be to process, it can do wonders to help one heal. I am well aware that it is important for you to stay strong, but expressions of grief do not make one weak."

Ziva stayed silent for a short time, then admitted, "It is not easy for me to let go in such a way."

Ducky squeezed her hand. "Forgive me if I overstep, my dear… but I do recall your strong reaction in Abigail's lab, when the DNA results proved Samantha was in fact Jethro's daughter."

Ziva shot him an embarrassed smile. "Yes, it was an emotional moment."

"If you don't mind me asking… why did it affect you so strongly?"

Ziva gripped Ducky's hand with the one he held while the fingers on her other hand picked at the upholstery on the arm of the loveseat. "So many reasons… more than I could handle at the time."

Ducky watched as several emotions manifested on her face, and could see the moment she made the decision to open up.

She spoke slowly. "I was thinking of Gibbs, how he would react, how happy he would be, and how sad for all the lost years. It made me think of my own father, and the distance between us that seems impossible to cross. I saw Sammie's reaction, and how she turned to Tony so naturally…" Her voice trailed off, her brow furrowed, and she stared at the floor.

Ducky considered her for a moment. "Ziva, do you have feelings for Anthony?"

Ziva sighed. "Not the kind you mean. Mostly it is that I thought I could, someday. I had not given it all that much thought, until I saw their interactions. It made me realize that on some level I have thought he would always be there, as a possibility." She turned her head to look at Ducky. "But my actions not so long ago, both here and in Israel… well, I believe that door is firmly shut, as it should be. I like him, he is a teammate and a friend, but I do not think he is what I need, even if we could get over my past behavior. And if I am honest with myself, I do not think I am truly what he needs."

Ducky nodded. "I do understand mourning the realization of what can never be."

Ziva's eyes narrowed. "I think…" She hesitated, then went on. "I think it is more that he was there for her in a way I do not think he would be for me. I believe I have burned that … bridge?"

"Yes, bridge is correct." Ducky shifted his position on the loveseat. "Ziva, you know Anthony would lay down his life for you, and I recognize that is because you are his teammate. That is something to hold on to, and can be the beginning of repairing a friendship. Have you talked with him, cleared the air?"

"No," Ziva replied. "I tried, the other day, when Director Vance warned me and McGee not to repeat the mistakes we made when Gibbs went to Mexico after his memories were lost. He said our behavior then was forgiven, but…"

"Ah, yes… that was work-related, not personal as such."

"Yes."

"I do think he would hear you out, should you wish to talk about it with him."

Ziva looked doubtful. "Reopening old wounds… sometimes it is preferable to simply keep the scars."

Ducky smiled at her. "That is a decision only you can make."

Ziva nodded, and they sat in silence for a moment before she spoke again. "There is more."

Ducky waited, but she didn't continue. "Do go on, my dear. I would very much like to help."

She smiled at him. "You are helping, Ducky." She removed her hand from his and turned to face him. "I see Sammie trying to integrate two lives. I recognize that her situation is different from mine, but I see parallels. And apparently they are obvious enough that even Joann could see them."

Ducky's surprise clearly showed on his face. "Did she say something?"

Ziva took a deep breath. "She insisted on her right to see Sammie. I responded that Sammie is an adult with her own life and plans. Joann asked me who took my own life from me." A few tears escaped, and she reached up to quickly wipe them away.

Ducky rested his hand on her shoulder. "Ziva, my dear girl, you try so hard to be stoic. I have often wondered if Mossad was the life you chose, or the life you were given. I hope you realize the world is open to you, and there are many paths you can follow if you so desire."

Ziva glanced at him and nodded, her lips pressed firmly together and she tried to contain her emotions.

Ducky looked at her seriously. "I do think you should have a talk with Anthony, clear the air, see what is needed for a fresh start and a better friendship. And I also advise you to talk with Jethro. He is a man of few words, but those few can be very meaningful. Perhaps there is some repairing to be done there as well?"

"Tony… he is now my team lead. I think our professional relationship must stabilize before I try to fix the personal, and form a stable friendship with him again. And Gibbs… he has enough to handle with his daughter's return to his life. I will talk with him, in time."

Ducky smiled at her. "Excellent. I am very glad you came to me, Ziva. Please know you are always welcome." He got to his feet. "Now, I feel the need for a good meal. There is a restaurant nearby that serves a wonderful brunch. Would you be so kind as to be my guest?"

Ziva smiled, took his outstretched hand, and let him help her up. "Ducky, I would love to."

Leaving

Gibbs stood in the doorway of Kelly's room, watching as she packed her duffle bag and made sure all of Jack's toys, bowls, and food were in the box. He was trying to figure out what to say and was at a loss.

Sammie looked up and saw the expression on his face; she walked over to him and pulled him into a hug. "Come for dinner? Wednesday?"

"I'd love to. Should I bring anything?"

She moved away and started stripping the sheets off the bed. "I'll order in… you can text me that morning to let me know what you're in the mood for."

She glanced over when he didn't reply and laughed at his horrified expression. "Never mind, I forgot your phone dates back to the Dark Ages. Email, or call… if I'm on shift, my phone will be silenced, but you can leave a message."

"Works for me."

She gathered up all the sheets and the pillowcase and headed for the hallway; Gibbs walked over to her bag, slinging it over his shoulder and picking up Jack's box. He left both of those things near the front door, then followed her down the basement steps.

Watching her load the washing machine, he cleared his throat and said, "You know… you could move back here."

Sammie paused, standing up straight to look at him. "Wow." She thought about it. "Actually… that could work out really well. Besides being here with you, I mean. My lease is up in a couple of months… I'm renting from one of the veterinarians associated with the practice, he gave me a great deal, 'cause he needed someone at the house while he participated in a sort of exchange program with a practice in Japan. He's been offered a permanent position there, and he really likes living in Tokyo, so he wants to sell and I have to find a new place." Her head tilted to one side. "And this is actually about fifteen minutes closer to work, so it would cut down on my commute." She suddenly stopped talking and shot him a rueful smile. "Have you noticed that I tend to talk a lot when I'm nervous?"

Gibbs moved closer to her. "The idea of moving back here makes you nervous?" He tried to hide his disappointment, but she caught it right away and reached out to grab his hand.

"Not in a bad way! I promise… it's just, change makes me nervous sometimes. I was nervous when I came to see you Thursday morning, hence the babbled memories. Well, that and I wanted you to really believe I'm me."

Gibbs pulled her into a hug. "I believe, trust me."

"Hey! If I move back here, I would get to know Abby, Ziva, and the rest of the team better!" She smirked as she looked up at Gibbs. "Especially Tony."

Gibbs was ready this time. He released her as she stepped away to finish loading the washer. "You know, I've been thinking about you and Tony. Couldn't ask for a better protector, besides me."

She looked up at him, startled. "Ah, that's… good?"

Gibbs nodded, absently reaching up to rub his chin. "Yeah… if you were with Tony, I wouldn't worry about you." He cocked his head, looking at her seriously. "The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. I know he likes you… tell you what, I'll give him a call right now, let him know you're interested, that it's okay with me."

He pulled out his phone, flipping it open and pretending to call Tony, backing away as soon as he heard the high-pitched 'eep' that came from Sammie's general direction.

"You wouldn't!"

He held one hand up, palm out toward her, while he brought his phone to his ear. "Hey, Tony, everything good with Franks?" He paused. "Yeah, we're great here. Jack's good… my dad, not the dog, dog's good too, though…" he laughed, as if Tony had said something funny. "So, listen, it's about Kelly, we were talking, and –"

There was another, louder 'EEP' and then he was tackled, almost falling over as Sammie grabbed for the phone. "Don't you dare! Dad!"

"Tony! I'll get back to you!" he yelled as he held the phone up out of her reach. She managed to scramble up by grabbing his shoulder, got ahold of the phone, and stared at it. "Oh, thank God," she said as she realized he hadn't actually made the call. Then she smacked him on the arm with the phone, and he started laughing.

She glared at him for a few seconds, which just made him laugh harder, and then she couldn't help it, and she was laughing too.

After they both quieted down, she smacked him on the arm again, and said, "You wouldn't really say anything, would you? I still don't know if I'm interested in him as a brother, a friend, or something else."

Gibb reached out and smoothed her hair away from her face. "Nah, I wouldn't. Your life, your call, Kells. If you decide to date Tony, just go in with your eyes open. I'll admit, I don't really want to see you as another notch on his bedpost, but a real relationship? The man's been on my six for ten years. I trust him with my life, why not yours?"

"Thanks, Dad."

She got the laundry running, then followed him back up the stairs. He grabbed her bag and the box while she put Jack on leash, and they walked out to her car.

"You'll think about moving back home?" he asked after he put her things in the front passenger seat while she got Jack settled in the back.

"I'll think." She hesitated. "We'd need some ground rules… so you think too, about what you can and can't handle." She reached out and pulled him into a hug. "My shift Wednesday ends at four, so you can show up any time after five."

"I can't wait."

She pulled away, tears in her eyes. "I kinda don't want to go."

"I don't want you to," he replied. "But, you have work… and I have stuff to do with this house if I'm going to sell you on moving back home."

She made a face at him. "You're a big enough draw," she said softly. "Love you, Dad."

"I love you, too. Drive safe."

"I always do… you, on the other hand…" She shook her head at him, then grinned and got in the front seat. "I'll call you after I get home… but not right away, so don't freak out if I don't call at the earliest second I could possibly be home."

It was his turn to make a face at her. "Don't get smart with me, young lady!"

She stuck her tongue out at him, then grinned as she pulled the door shut and started up the car. She waved at him, then backed out the driveway and set off. He watched until her car turned a corner and was out of sight, then took a deep breath and walked back to the house.

Friends

Gibbs was sitting at the kitchen table, making a list in a notebook when Ducky came in.

"Hey, Duck. Pull up a chair."

Ducky put his hat on the coat rack near the door, then walked over to where Gibbs sat, taking a seat to Gibbs' right. "Jethro, it's good to see you." He looked Gibbs over carefully, then smiled. "You look well."

Gibbs smiled. "Haven't felt this good in a long time."

"Excellent. I'm so pleased." Ducky glanced at the notebook. "What are you working on?"

Gibbs sat back, tapping his pencil on the paper. "List of things I need to do if Kelly decides to move back here."

"That would be marvelous! Has she asked for anything in particular to be done with the house?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No… she wants me to think about how I expect things would go. I'm having dinner with her Wednesday at her place, so I guess we'll talk about it then."

"I take it Samantha has gone home?"

Gibbs' jaw clenched; Ducky noticed. "Ah… would you rather I referred to her as Kelly?"

Gibbs sighed. "I prefer it, and she doesn't mind me and Jack calling her that, but she's still Sammie to everyone else."

"And that bothers you."

"Yeah… I understand it, I do, but…" his voice trailed off and he looked unsettled.

Ducky reached out and patted Gibbs' hand. "It must be painful in some respects; every time someone calls her 'Sammie' is a reminder of what happened."

Gibbs' brow furrowed for a moment, then he nodded slowly.

"She's a lovely girl, Jethro. Some of that is certainly due to you and Shannon."

Gibbs' soft smile was one Ducky had rarely seen. "Thanks… she's everything I wanted for her when she was little. Independent, confident, happy, her own person. Just wish I'd been there to see it happen."

"Still, having her back in your life is a tremendous gift."

"Wouldn't trade it for anything, Duck."

"She is a private person as well. Abigail and Ziva asked her quite a number of questions that night she stayed at my house. She deflects as well as you do."

Gibbs laughed. "She told me they did that. Appreciated that Tony didn't, not more than he needed to for his investigation."

"Anthony is much better at reading people and sensing boundaries. Timothy also has a natural sense of what's appropriate. Ziva has her Mossad training, and Abigail…"

"Dog with a bone, when she wants to know something." Gibbs grinned suddenly. "When she first met Diane, she had a checklist of questions for me."

Ducky smiled. "And you didn't answer a single one."

"Nope."

Ducky sat back, thinking. Gibbs watched him curiously until Ducky looked at him. "Ziva… she is struggling, Jethro."

"What's going on?"

Ducky shifted uncomfortably. "I don't wish to break any confidences. I did encourage her to come talk to you. She said she will, but will wait for a while, to give both you and her time to sort through some things."

"I'll wait for her to come to me… unless I hear it's affecting the job."

Ducky nodded approvingly. "Yes, that would be best. This entire situation with Samantha has opened some old wounds for her."

Gibbs sat forward, resting his arms on the table. "Her father."

"Indeed. And to some degree she empathizes with Samantha needing to integrate her separate lives. On top of all that, she had a difficult conversation with your mother-in-law yesterday."

Gibbs' eyebrows shot up. "I can imagine. Joann's not an easy person to deal with."

"I believe she wants to give you those details soon. She intends to update Anthony first."

"Good."

"It appears Joann was perceptive enough to twist the knife, as they say."

"No surprise there." Gibbs sighed, reaching up to rub at his face. "You see Ziva tomorrow, remind her my door's always open."

"She knows." Ducky looked at Gibbs thoughtfully. "And you, my friend? How are you handling all this?"

Gibbs shot him a mock glare. Ducky merely raised an eyebrow, and Gibbs relented. "I wish Shannon could see how Kelly's grown up."

Ducky smiled sadly. "There are times when I feel Mother's presence, and I suspect you have felt Shannon's on more than one occasion." He reached out to lay a hand on Gibbs' shoulder. "I like to believe she knows and is very happy."

"Thanks, Duck." Gibbs reached up to pat his friend's hand. "Stay for dinner?"

Ducky smiled and sat back. "Only if I can see you eating something green and leafy, Jethro."

"Long as it comes with a side of meat," Gibbs commented, as he got up to grab some take-out menus.

Checking in

Tony pulled into Gibbs' driveway around ten pm and parked the car. Sammie's car was gone, and there was a light on in the basement. He pulled out his phone and tapped on the text he'd received from Sammie before delivering Franks to Vance: Check on my dad?

He responded: Just arrived. Light on in the basement. Going in.

Grabbing the six-pack of beer he'd picked up on the way, he went into the house, deposited it in the fridge, and pulled out two cold beers before heading downstairs.

Gibbs was seated in front of the toys, a paintbrush in one hand, toy truck in the other. He put it all down, got to his feet, and walked over to the workbench where Tony had put the bottles. Tony took off his jacket, set it down on the bench, and was suddenly engulfed in a hug. Eyes wide, he tentatively returned it as Gibbs said "Thank you" in a gruff voice. The older man backed off, clearing his throat, and reached for a beer.

Tony gave him a real smile, picked up his bottle, clinked it against Gibbs', and drank. "Sammie okay?"

Gibbs nodded. "She's great. Left around three this afternoon, called a few hours later… may move back here in a few months."

Tony grinned. "That's great news. How did Jack handle the big reveal?"

"Better than I did. Thrilled. They got along just fine." Gibbs leaned back against the bench.

Tony studied him for a moment. "How long before you come back to work?"

Gibbs sighed. "Probably another week. Dinner with Kelly Wednesday… don't want a case to interfere. Gotta start cleaning the place up if she's gonna move back, so I could use the time." He looked at Tony, then continued, "Not ready to retire… but might start backing off on a few things, especially if she does move in."

Tony nodded. "Gotta tell you, I have mixed feelings. Hard to imagine you not being at work, but… I think I'm ready to lead a team."

Gibbs snorted and gave him a light head slap. "You've been ready for years."

Tony smiled. "Vance said the only reason he hasn't offered me a lead position is that there hasn't been one that fits… and he figured I would take over for you."

Gibbs smiled. "I was hoping he was keeping you there to step in after me."

Tony looked at him, then away. "He told Tim and Ziva off for not following chain of command when you left for Mexico five years ago."

Gibbs sighed and looked at the toys without really seeing them, then faced Tony. "I should have done better, said the right thing, when I handed you the team. And then I should have stopped them when I came back."

Tony gave him a look. "Like I told them both the other day, water under the bridge. We're good." He raised his beer to Gibbs, who returned the gesture. They both took a drink, then Gibbs headed back to the toys, and Tony followed. Gibbs sat back down, picking up the truck and the paintbrush, dipping the latter back in the paint before resuming the work.

Tony sat opposite him "You do know it's only April, right?"

Gibbs shot him a slight smile. "Plenty of kids who need toys." He gestured toward some sandpaper piled near Tony's arm; Tony picked some up, then found a toy plane with rough edges and started sanding. "Besides," Gibbs continued, "Kelly wants to build a boat together, so might as well get them done while I can."

Tony nodded and concentrated on the sanding. After a moment, Gibbs said "Hey," and Tony looked up.

Gibbs' eyes met Tony's. "Door's always gonna be open for you, Tony. Kelly being here doesn't change that."

Tony's eyes searched Gibbs' and he smiled. "Thanks, Boss."

"Gibbs… or Jethro, when we're not at work."

Tony blinked at that, then his smile widened, though he didn't say anything.

After a while, Gibbs asked, "Franks?"

Tony sighed. "Slippery bastard. Agreed to come back with us, then tried to give us the slip when we stopped for some food. Tim caught him… Franks claimed he just needed a smoke."

Gibbs chuckled. "That's Mike."

Tony glanced at him. "Brought him to Vance at the Yard. Vance thanked Franks for coming… Franks said," Tony lowered his voice "Didn't think I had a choice." Tony smiled. "Then Vance replied, you didn't."

Gibbs laughed. Tony grinned at him. "Vance put him up in a hotel, threatened to leave an agent at the door, and told him not to contact you. He's to report for an interview at eleven tomorrow morning."

"You handling it?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"Not sure he can offer much, and positive Sammie's gonna want to head slap him from here back to Baja." He looked up at Gibbs and stared at him until the man looked back. "Don't come."

Gibbs' lips twitched into a very slight smile, but he didn't say anything.

"I'm serious," Tony said, although he was also smiling slightly. "I don't know if there's going to be anyone to prosecute here, but if there is, you need to stay out of it. You're way too close to this one. And we'll come over to catch you up tomorrow after work, if that's okay."

Gibbs nodded.

Tony let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Think you'll be getting a visit from him soon anyway… he knows he needs to explain whatever he can… and apologize."

Gibbs paused in his painting and glanced at Tony, his expression skeptical. Tony grinned. "Tim already threatened him with Ziva… and with Sammie. I think Mike might be afraid of your daughter… the way he described Shannon, she clearly had his respect."

Gibbs smiled slightly, his expression both proud and sad. They continued painting and sanding for a few hours, until Tony crashed in the guest room and Gibbs did the same on the couch.