JF 8
By Friday evening, Vance and his family had declined Penny and Tim's invite, with Leon's mother scheduled to arrive for a couple of months. Abby had declined too, after Elaine had showed Gibbs the security footage of Abby verbally berating Tim and closing in on him, making him feel trapped. Ducky and Gibbs, as well as Vance had lectured her on how she had triggered Tim's flashback and how she shouldn't have behaved that way. Gibbs had thought it prudent to show Rachel the video too and she had agreed with the men, which had angered her even further.
The Palmer's were off on a romantic weekend away together while the Slater grandparents watched little Victoria, with plans to take her to Disney on Ice. If not for Breena's parents having already bought tickets, Ducky would have offered to bring her to the beach house for the weekend. He was sure it would have been OK, especially since Timothy and Penny had invited her along when they invited her parents.
Kelly had been eager to see her pup again, she had missed her and had actually played hooky on Friday and made her trip to Norfolk earlier in the day, leaving Alexandria around eight in the morning.
Tony, Ducky and Gibbs were going to carpool together leaving after lunch and Ellie and her husband would follow them up there in her truck as they had a family birthday lunch in Richmond for Jake's mom on Sunday.
Tim was rushing around, making sure everything was perfect for their arrival. Penny had encouraged him to take a break and relax, that Ducky had told her they would be arriving at 6.
By midday, Kelly was pulling up in the driveway and got out of the car. She couldn't believe the size of Tim's grandmother's house. "Welcome." Penny said warmly, hugging the young lady. "You're Kelly, right?"
"Yes ma'am." she answered politely, declining Penny's wordless offer to take her bag.
"Please call me Penny, Ma'am makes me feel so old. Now, Timothy is relaxing by the pool. Why don't I show you to your room, so you can change and join my grandson. You look like you've had a hard week, my dear." Penny led the way up the stairs to the last room at the end of the hall. "Here, this is your room for the weekend. This room has one of the best views of the whole house. It's actually my old bedroom, I've moved downstairs now. Getting too old to climb those stairs every few hours of the day. Bathroom is through here and Tim's across the hall if you need anything. "
Kelly looked out the large bay windows that spanned the room, it gave her a 180-degree view of the wetlands, lake and the stream that flowed into the ocean. She loved the view. She thought it might be problematic with the early morning light at first with no sheers, but no one else's house looked in on the view and she noticed electric roller shutters to block the morning light out.
Looking around the room she saw a four-poster queen size bed in a dark mahogany wood and a sheer white canopy. The bedspread was a rich turquoise and she loved the artwork on the wall. She went into her bag and pulled out her bikini, eager to see her pup and Tim.
Once she was in her black bikini with the gold buckles, she slipped a short sarong over her black bottoms and a thin, well worn, white tee which bore the letters NIS, a cast over from her dad.
Downstairs she found Penny relaxing with a jug of iced tea and tall glass. "Timothy is out in the pool and Sharni is relaxing by the day bed, drying off. Tim had her swimming in the ocean early this morning. Go on out there, my dear."
Penny was encouraging the young woman. She was grateful when Tim had told her that the vivacious auburn-haired beauty would be joining them earlier than the rest of their guests. She was keen to watch Kelly and Tim interact with each other, without the young woman's father hovering by. Although, Gibbs had surprised her, being a fairly laid-back father. She was expecting him to be overprotective.
Penny stood by the bi-fold French doors that led out to entertaining area and the swimming pool, as well as the path that led them to the beach. She watched keenly as Tim greeted Kelly, noting the two of them hugged shyly. Tim had yet to get fully wet, he had been sitting on the edge of the pool, his long legs dangling in the water.
He offered the young woman to sit beside him, and Penny headed back into the kitchen to prepare the vegetables for tonight's dinner, which would go in the oven at 3 as a side dish to accompany the beef brisket she and Tim had cooking on the outdoor grill.
"Hey Sunshine." Tim quipped at her, deliberately not looking at the black bikini with the gold buckles that she was wearing. The bikini was smoking hot and Tim, he had an ex-girlfriend who'd owned a similar bikini and he was willing his body not to react to it. "Take a load off. I'd offer you a beer, but Penny has a no alcohol near the pool rule."
"That's OK, Atlas." Kelly grinned at him, giving him his own nickname. "I can wait until later. Contrary to earlier in the week, I don't have to have alcohol."
Tim asked her about her work, in particular if the office was any more pleasant than when he had seen her last and her ex and the woman, he'd cheated on her with had announced their engagement. Nodding her head, no, Tim offered his hand in sympathy. And she had explained that she had expected it to die down soon.
Kelly asked Tim how his physical recovery was going, and he grinned at her. "Not bad, I walked three miles today and ran almost two of those back home. Thanks for letting Sharni stay with me. Having her around has helped me so much this week." Tim gently nudged her playfully with his shoulder into hers.
"You might have to get yourself another pup." she nudged him back.
"Probably once I'm settled in at my new place." Tim said, as he explained why he was moving and where he was moving to.
Kelly automatically offered her assistance, and it was gratefully accepted. "Actually, I need a favour. You can totally say no, but next Friday night, I have a work function. Can you please come and be my plus one? I really don't want to drag Dad to another publishing house function. He hates them and I always end up having to do him a favour in return. It's always something awful, like helping him clean the attic or worse. Helping him hoist up the boat."
"I don't know." Tim hesitated. The situation was not too similar to the Conrad Gala, and he was worried. "Can I let you know? Tuesday night?"
"That's fine, Atlas." Kelly understood the similarity of the events and the enormity of what she was asking.
They talked about the house and how Grandpa Nelson had bought it when he and Penny had first married and how over time, it had started out as a shack and as the family grew, so did the house.
Gibbs was quiet and kept to himself in the car ride on the way down to Norfolk. Tony was watching a movie on his phone with headphones on and Ducky was snoozing beside him in the passenger seat.
He was worried about Kelly. He hadn't seen her since Tim and Penny left the house four days ago. He had received a text from her late last night saying she'd drive down by herself earlier in the day. Although he had protested, she hadn't replied, and he took that to mean the conversation was over.
He had called Penny every night since they had left, he had been worrying about Tim and how he was doing. Penny had reported that Tim was doing better every day. He was fretting that maybe Tim was hiding his true feelings from his grandmother. Gibbs knew he would feel better once he saw Tim for himself.
Pulling into the driveway he was surprised to see the size of the colonial style house that sat before them. He remembered that Tim had mentioned the house had twelve bedrooms and in his younger days it had been where the whole McGee clan would gather for Christmas, Easter and July 4.
"Whoa!" Tony gasped, as he looked up to see the size of the house. "Probie wasn't kidding about the size of the house."
Joining Gibbs, Tony and Ducky, Ellie and Jake climbed out of their truck too, the latter suitably impressed too with the size of the house.
"Welcome! Come on in." Penny gushed, throwing open the door to her guests.
Tony and Gibbs exchanged hugs with the grandmother and Ducky and Penny exchanged Kisses on the cheek as well before Gibbs introduced Ellie and her husband, Jake to Tim's grandmother. "Lovely to meet you Jake, and you Ellie; both Tim and Tony have told me so much about you. I'm going to tell you what I told Tony and Ziva when I first met them. 'You are my granddaughter and I'm your Penny, because Tim is a brother to you.' Now Ducky, I've given you this room here. The rest of you are upstairs."
"I can take the sofa, Penny." Gibbs offered as they climbed the stairs.
"Don't be ridiculous, Jethro." Penny admonished him lightly. "Ellie, you and Jake are in here. Tony, you're across the hall, in here. Gibbs room at the end of the hall is for you. There's two main bathrooms on this floor and a half bath through here. Now freshen up, Timothy and Kelly are out, relaxing by the pool."
Gibbs was the first one changed, as Tony, Ellie and Jake got side-tracked discussing the film that Tony had watched on the drive down. As he arrived by the bi-fold doors that joined the outdoor dining area with the indoor dining area, he actually wasn't very surprised to see Kelly and Tim sitting by the pool discussing Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. What did surprise him was how close the two of them were actually sitting together and how one of them would occasionally nudge the other with their shoulder. He smiled a little grin. If he hadn't have known that Tim was still grieving Delilah, they could have passed for a couple of old friends, catching up.
"They've been like that all afternoon." Penny whispered in his ear, sneaking up on Gibbs, from where he had stopped to watch the duo. "Anyone would think that they were long lost friends. I've barely gotten a word in, edgewise."
"Kell's a chatterbox, I swear she brings it out in him." Gibbs offered, noticing now that Tim was calling her Sunshine. That was new.
"No one has ever been able to break through Tim's exterior like that before." Penny murmured. "I'm going to take it as a good omen."
Gibbs noted that their conversation had a slightly provocative undertone to it, especially when she called him Atlas. He had no idea when the nicknames had come into play or how, but it made him grin a little, before slipping his game face on. Gibbs noticed that both Kelly and Tim had both their cell phone's out of reach of the water, sitting on a sun lounger. Sneaking up behind the two of them, he saw both of their feet dangling in the water. He saw Tony, Ellie, Ducky and Jake had arrived and were heading over towards him. Impulsively, he decided with one hand on the back of each of them to push them in the water.
Tim and Kelly both came up spluttering, due to their unexpected dip into the pool. He knew both Tim and Kelly were good swimmers so there was danger of them drowning. Although Kelly offered her hand out for Tim to grab on to. Tim waved her off, slipping his now wet MIT tee off and tossing it over the edge of the pool beside where they were sitting. "Miss me?" Gibbs quipped, grinning at Tim and Kelly.
"Careful Gibbs, you should be nice to me, never know what might come out of my mouth." Tim threatened, as the others joined Gibbs laughing.
"Thank that's funny, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, before pushing Tony in too. Before Gibbs could reach for Ellie, Jake scooped her up and tossed her in too.
Ducky was watching the scene with great amusement as Jake jumped in too. He sidled up beside Gibbs and as soon as he noticed Gibbs drop his cell on the pile of them on the sun lounger, Ducky gave him an almighty shove, sending Gibbs flying in the air, into the water. Which had all of them laughing before Ducky snuck down to the other end of the pool and slipped in, before Gibbs could send any retribution his way.
When Gibbs came up for air he was laughing and Ducky called out that he was protecting them from Gibbs, that they should thank him, oh, and protect him. Penny dove into the water and joined them, having set the timer for an hour.
Soon enough they were all splashing each other, as the group relaxed. "Atlas, think fast." Kelly called out, tossing the beach ball Tony had bought with him to Tim. Instead of catching it, it hit Tim in the head. "Swim, Sunshine, swim." Tim threatened and soon Tim was chasing Kelly, as her laughter roared, trying to get away from him. But she was no match for Tim's long legs and arms.
Despite the colourful bruising and rib injury, Tim managed to catch her in a matter of seconds. He dunked her under the water, before helping her back up. Somehow, they had managed to end up away from the rest of the swimmers. Kelly looked at him and realised he had a look of guilt in his eyes. "It's OK Tim. I'm sure Delilah wouldn't mind you having a little fun." she put her arm on his forearm in comfort. "No one can fault you for that. In fact, it might make the other's feel like you're beginning to heal. Even if it doesn't feel like it, to you. Nothing to feel guilty about."
"Thank you." He whispered and pecked her cheek softly. "Your friendship has been invaluable to me, so far. It has helped me more than you know, especially having Sharni by my side when you couldn't be."
"No need to thank me." She said, blushing slightly under his gaze. The praise he had had for her friendship had already ears turning red. "Like I told dad, you need a friend to give you some normality, that's me."
Ellie was pelting Tony with water, through laughter, Tony was pleading for mercy, while Jake attacked Ellie with his own water attack. Gibbs and Ducky watched from their vantage point as Tim swam the length of the pool, followed by Kelly and they both climbed out. Once out, Tim handed Kelly the towel, wrapping her in it, then rubbing her arms to warm them up before snagging one for himself. An alarm sounded on a cell phone and Penny told them dinner was in thirty minutes, that if they wanted to eat, they needed to dry off. As everyone scattered out of the pool to dry off for dinner.
The summer's night air was warm, and the breeze had the salty scent hanging in the air. When Gibbs re-emerged from changing, he heard the piano playing in the living room off the dining room. He expected to find Kelly or Tony tinkering on it, as he knew they both played. Kelly had had lessons and Tony tinkered when he decompressed after a big case or when he was stressed. He didn't expect to see Tim, expertly playing the piano. Kelly was beside him, giving gentle encouragement, playing the high notes. "He hasn't touched the piano, since his mom died, Gibbs." Penny whispered as she joined Gibbs in the doorway. "That was his mom's piano, he couldn't bear to part with it when she died. John wanted it out of the house, so I gave it a home. Do you play too?"
"No, not me. Kelly and my wife did. It was their thing." Gibbs replied, watching as Kelly began playing alongside Tim. "Kelly loved the piano, stopped playing after she died."
"I guess that's another two things they have in common." Penny added as they watched the scene continue.
At the end of the song, which Gibbs recognised as Shannon's favourite piece, the two parental figures by the door quickly slipped into another room, almost bowling Ducky over in the process to not be seen. When the elders of the group had safely and successfully hidden in the kitchen, as not to be seen by Tim and Kelly, Ducky finally spoke. "Was that Heart and Soul, I heard? I wasn't aware either of them played the piano."
"That's Nikki's piano, Donald. No one has touched that piano since Timothy's mother died. Playing the piano together was their thing." Penny told the two men. "Timothy was really confused and upset when she died. I never agreed with John's decision to not tell Timothy she was sick, or that she was dying. She was just here one day and gone the next."
"Shannon and Kelly played too, Shannon was a music teacher. She loved music, was very passionate about it. She played guitar and piano. Kelly will occasionally pick up a guitar, but until tonight I haven't heard her play the piano since just before Shannon was killed." Gibbs whispered, his voice barely carrying to Tony, Ellie and Jake in the outdoor dining area.
Soon enough, Tim and Kelly came in, and they joined everyone for dinner. Over dinner, Penny regaled them with tales of sky camping in Shanghai, walking the length of the great wall of China and an interesting experience with a meerkat in a wet market in Beijing. After dinner, Tim and Gibbs did the clean-up, rinsing and loading the dishwasher. "Thank you, Tim." Gibbs said softly as Tim started the machine. "It's been a long time since I've seen Kelly at a piano. Something I never thought I'd see again."
"Oh God, you were listening?" Tim asked mortified. "I haven't played in years, at least twenty-five years. I was fumbling my way through. Kelly is much more talented than me."
"Sounded pretty good to me. Explains why you're so good with the keyboard on the computer." Gibbs reiterated with a smile. "You two should start practicing, Ducky's going to want you two on the piano for Christmas this year for the sing along, this year."
"Gibbs... I can't, not really. Playing the piano tonight, I was just messing about, I couldn't really play, I don't remember." Tim argued, trying to explain in not so many words how he was feeling.
"Not without your mom? Penny told me it your mom's piano, something you and your mom enjoyed together." Gibbs guessed, based on what Penny had told him. "Shannon and Kelly shared the same passion. Do you play anything else?"
"You name I can play it." Tim laughed out loud, and Gibbs smiled, enjoying beginning to see Tim not to feel guilty about finding things funny. "I wanted to be a rockstar when I was a kid. But music was an unacceptable extracurricular activity, and the Admiral demanded it ceased, immediately. At our home in Reston, Penny has videos of me playing piano, guitar, drums, you name it. Pretty sure there's even me singing and tap-dancing recitals too."
"You tap danced?" Gibbs asked shocked. He always knew there was more to Tim than what he showed the world, but he never expected that.
"Any dancing really." Tim admitted shyly. Gibbs gave him a surprised look and Tim grinned at him. "What? It was the nineties, and it was a good way to meet girls. Certainly, helped that I was good, too. Made them all want me."
"What were you good at, Probie?" Tony asked, interrupting the two of them talking. Gibbs wasn't going to dare repeat what Tim had just told him, mostly because he could scarcely believe it, himself. Also, Tim might just blab about the dreaded leaves of three incident.
"Something you need, DiNozzo?" Gibbs growled and Tim looked down to play on his phone, mostly to control the grin.
"No boss, Penny just sent me inside to hurry the two of you up. She's going to open a bottle of wine and make a toast." Tony explained, getting the wine goblets as requested.
Out on the back alfresco dining area, the cool breeze that occasionally blew through on the warm, humid night was refreshing and relaxing. Gibbs knew that glass of wine would probably knock him out. It had been a long, warm day and between the good food and the food coma he was experiencing from the delicious brisket dinner, it wouldn't take much. Once everyone had a glass, Penny raised her glass. "To family, blood or not. Always there for one another, no matter what."
A chorus of cheers rang out and Tim had slipped his arm out to rest along the bench seat he was sitting on. His hand tangling in the back of Kelly's ponytail. Ducky noticed first, thinking he was seeing things, he managed to catch Jethro's eye and convey the silent observation. Kelly shifted her body and partially relaxed herself against Tim's side, which was the non-injured side as Penny regaled them with another tale from her travels, this time was when she went to Italy and stayed in a vineyard on one of islands that made up the Aeolian Islands. That while she was there, she had visited all seven islands: Lipari, Vulcano, Salina, Stromboli, Filicudi, Alicudi and Panarea.
This particular island it happened on, she declined to mention, but the town's priest would regularly come up to the vineyard and get the wine for the communion and by Sunday morning, he would have drunk it all and the local family that owned the vineyard would always have to carry an extra bottle on hand. But one particular day, Sunday morning they were in church and there was an almighty roar from beneath their feet and the island nearby that house the Volcano had roared to life, causing the ground to shake beneath them. The priest had sworn it was God and he immediately confessed his sins to the congregation and never touched another drop wine. Leaving church, they saw the smoke and lava spewing into the sky and pouring down the volcano and into the sea below.
The owner of the vineyard had led a small group of visitors down to the beach for a better look before offering to take them out on his boat for a better look. Penny had been incredibly curious and gone on the boat, the only woman. The men kept telling her, in the native dialect that it was too dangerous, but she had refused to listen. But it was one of the best natural sights she had ever seen, and it still stood out, to this very day.
She told them about marching and protesting everything from animal rights to civil rights, for women's rights before Tim was born. Tim changed the subject to ensure that Penny wouldn't mention how she had saved his life before he was even born. "Penny is a professor of women's studies, Ellie." Tim said proudly. "She tours on the lecturing circuit, travelling around and inspiring women, and the few men who sign up for the class, thinking it's something completely different, to fight for women's rights and to stand up for social justice and inequality."
"Wait? Professor Langston? I took your class at the University of Oklahoma, in '05." Ellie recalled the class, amazed she was staying with the same woman who had wowed her back then, too. And that she was Tim's grandmother. "Tim, your grandmother single handedly rallied women all over the US to fight for Equal Opportunity for male dominated jobs and academic positions especially at the Centre for National Intelligence in Oklahoma. She's the professor that inspired me to apply to the NSA. Her speech, the one she made to my alma mata in '05, it made me want to join the NSA, to become an analyst and she's your grandmother!" Ellie was astonished to say the least, she felt like she was in the presence of royalty.
"Grandmother, that word. So old fashioned and patriarchal. I told you before to call me Penny and I'm your Penny, too." Penny smiled warmly at the young blonde woman. She admitted to herself she barely remembered faces, let alone names. She was rarely there for more than two or three days sometimes, before moving onto the next school. Especially in the early 2000Os when she had more energy and was built for speedier tours.
"Well then, Penny. I thank you for bringing Ellie to the NSA. Because that decision; bought her to me." Jake added and Kelly awed him out loud, remarking how sweet he was.
Before Gibbs could comment, Tim was already on it. "Told ya already Sunshine, you've been dating the wrong kind of men." which prompted Tony, Gibbs and Ducky to laugh out loud. "You need to date a better class of men."
Another wine bottle was opened and consumed before people started heading off to bed. "Come on Atlas, it's bedtime." Kelly said out loud, then groaned when she realised what she had said. "That's not what I meant. You go to your bed, and I'll go to mine. That's what I meant."
"Sure." Tony grinned at the slip of her tongue. "Sounded to me like you wanted to take my probie to bed."
"Well, he is adorable." Ellie grinned; thankful Jake had already begged off to bed, claiming he needed to check in at work first. "Like a big teddy bear to snuggle with."
"A snuggle bug." Penny added, watching her grandson blush under all the comments.
"Snuggle bug?" Gibbs teased with a chuckle, looking over at Tim.
"On that note, I'll leave you to discuss snuggle bugs without me. Come on Sunshine, you've had enough to drink." Tim announced, taking the wine glass out of Kelly's hand and ushering her inside the house and upstairs, with his hand on the small of her back. "I'll walk you upstairs. Make sure you don't fall on your ass. Good night, all." he called out over his shoulder.
"Well, that was enlightening." Ducky announced as they watched Kelly's hand find Tim's on the small of her back and take him by the hand, their fingers interlacing.