Chapter 4

A/N: To my readers I'm sorry for the delay. My other hobby quilting has called me back so I've ignored my writing. (Jethro wouldn't talk to me as well.) BB53

I don't know how long I sat there in the dark before the adrenalin and endorphins finally stopped running through my veins and then slugged my way up the stairs to bed. Sleep overtook me quickly but it was probably a restless repose at best. It seemed like I'd just fell into a solid sleep when I awoke to the smell of fresh brewed coffee and bacon. I'd forgotten that Jay was an extremely early riser. It was seven o'clock and if I was to be ready for the Forensic Team I needed to get myself up, dressed and have my brain in gear to deal with it all.

When I finally got downstairs Jay was nowhere to be seen but coffee was. The bacon was neatly stacked on a plate between paper towels to gather the grease. The pan was already washed and in the dish drainer. Yeah, he's the same old Gibbs that I knew all those years ago.

The door to the basement opened and Jay walked through it. "Hey, good morning I was just putting tools away. I fixed your pantry door. It was sticking." He gave a small smile. "You know you really could use some more tools."

I liked the smile. He never smiled enough back then. I gave a little laugh. He really hadn't changed that much. "What would I do with them? When I need something fixed I call someone. They come with their own tools hence the empty tool box." I took a moment to breathe. "Thank you for fixing the door." I ran out of words at that point, at least the words I wanted to use, and it was beginning to get awkward. I gave a thumb towards the refrigerator. "I'll get the eggs going."

He grabbed two mugs from the drainer, filled them and handed my cup to me.

The kitchen is narrow especially when there is more than one in there working so when I went for the milk and sugar for my coffee we bumped elbows. It felt like a bolt of electricity whipped through us. At least I felt it and I nearly dropped my mug because of it.

Jay stopped moving and caught my arm sending a second bolt through us and at that moment I knew he felt it too.

I gathered my emotions back to where I felt comfortable, took my arm back and started for the refrigerator again.

He stood there watching me but never said a word about what had just happened.

I pulled the eggs and milk out of the fridge. I poured some milk into my coffee and wondered what that look from Jay meant. I knew that he'd tell me when he felt ready but not before that. The case would have to be solved first. I grabbed the carton of eggs and remembered that Jay liked scrambled eggs. That would be great with the bacon. That nice clean pan in the dish drainer that he'd just washed, would be put to use again.

I'd just finished scrambling the eggs and putting them on the plate when Bishop and Torres knocked on the back door.

Gibbs went to let them in. He eyeballed both of his agents as a father would check on his kids.

My hospitality kicked in, "Get some coffee. Do you need breakfast? I can whip up more eggs if you need something."

Both agents declined stating that they ate breakfast at their hotel.

Gibbs and I ate our breakfast in silence.

Torres eyes flicked back and forth between Jay and I and I could sense his questions. How well did we know each other? How did we spend last night? He'd be sorely disappointed in Gibbs if he knew.

I wondered at first why he didn't ask Gibbs but I realized what Jay's likely response would be…the deadly stare. He gave it to everyone who asked him personal questions. I'd been on the receiving end of them more than once and they are incredibly uncomfortable.

Fifteen minutes later the Sheriff's Office Forensic Team drove up and parked in front of my house. They went right to work in the yard and I noticed that they didn't walk in the gardens unless they absolutely had to. I guessed I had Jeff to thank for that small favor.

Gibbs watched from the window far enough back that no one could see him from the outside. "Torres, where's your car?"

Nick chuckled and then sent a quick side glance to Bishop. He'd been waiting for the question. "We parked up the street and walked in like last night…you know…just in case."

Ellie went to the kitchen and grabbed more coffee. "Gibbs, I checked in on Tim this morning. He's awake. He asked about you and if you got them."

Gibbs didn't take his eyes off the forensic team. "Not yet, but we will Tim…we will."

I'd heard that voice before. It was when Ziva went missing and was presumed dead. Anytime one of his team gets hurt he sounds like that; heavy voiced, angry, full of guilt even though it's not his fault. I went back to the kitchen to make another pot of coffee. Jeff was due soon and I knew the conversation between Gibbs and Jeff would be a longer, tougher one. It was the nature of both men.

I'd guessed nine o'clock last night as to when he'd arrive and I wasn't far off. At five after nine his patrol car pulled up behind the forensic van and he went to talk with them. I'd been steeling myself for Jeff's response after finding Jethro in my house. His gut had been churning last night when he'd left here and that must have bothered him all night. I wanted those feelings to stop for him and Gibbs would be the only person to do that.

I watched Gibbs size Jeff up as the Sheriff conversed with the forensic people. Jay had always been good at reading people.

Jeff headed for the front door and I met him before he could ring the bell. "Good morning Alex." He came in past me and was met with the NCIS team in my living room. His back went up and he spun to face me. The anger showed and I felt it. "I see now why you weren't honest with me last night. I thought you were supposed to call if anything changed or if you remembered something? Why didn't you call?"

I had to admit those words stung coming from him, like he'd slapped me

Gibbs moved between us and met Jeff's eye with a shake of his head. "No…it's not like that. She didn't know about me being here until after you left. Those three men were after me and I hid from them. One of them is John Crandall, the head of the paramilitary group up the hill in a cave. He's a cruel, vindictive son of a bitch that starves his victim and then beats and tortures them until they talk. Special Agent Ortiz was held and tortured for six days before he was shot in the back just as he was getting to the town of Bishop. Crandall let Ortiz think that he'd escaped and then killed him. My fate was to be the same. Crandall didn't think I'd escape so he was pretty free with the information." Jay then pulled his shirt up to show the bruises and cuts that'd been inflicted on him. "I want that bastard."

I heard my gasp and watched as Bishop winched at the sight of his wounds.

Jeff made his way to the kitchen for coffee without saying a word.

Gibbs turned his gaze on me. His look questioned me about Jeff.

I shook my head because I honestly didn't have a clue what was going on in Jeff's head. I'd never seen him this way before.

Jeff poured his coffee and came back into the living room. He let his gaze fall on me. It was a soft kind look. Then the look hardened when it went back to Jay. "I know who these two are." He pointed to Torres and Bishop. "But who the hell are you? Why are you here? How did you choose this particular house? Did you know Alex lived here?"

Gibbs sat down on the couch and offered the chair opposite him to Jeff.

I wanted to be anywhere else. Hell might even have been preferable.

Torres and Bishop took the other chairs and began listening to the conversation between the Sherriff and the Special Agent.

I turned away from them and walked upstairs to make beds and hopefully disappear for a while and to get my sanity back.

As I finished making my bed Ellie came up. She carried my book. "I've read this. It's pretty good. I came up to use the bathroom. I think Gibbs wanted me to check on you as well. I'll be right back." She headed into the bathroom.

I finished up in my room and had bundled up some laundry to carry downstairs when Bishop came out of the bathroom. "I've been wondering how you know Gibbs?" She put her hand up to stop that thought. "Let me rephrase that, Nick and I wondered that. You both have an ease with each other with an over-lay of tension. Both Nick and I noticed it last night. Gibbs tries to act like it's not there but it is. Nick made the comment last night that only Gibbs can come almost three thousand miles and find a long lost someone from his past. I thought it was funny when he said it but I had a whole night to think about it… so what is up with you two?"

I sighed. I was finding myself doing that a lot lately. "I lived in DC for five years a ways back. Gibbs and I had met through the Senator that I worked for as an administrative assistant. We dated for about a year and a half and then my worries for him took over. His job is dangerous and he doesn't think about what might happen or at least he didn't back then. We fought for months about it. Finally one night we had a rip roaring fight and we both said things that I felt we couldn't take back so we decided to end it. That is probably the tension you feel. We are tiptoeing around each other's feelings, and I for one don't know what to do with those feelings. There are moments when I want to strangle him and others…" I hoped my expression didn't give too much away.

Ellie shook her head in agreement. "I've never been in a romantic relationship with Gibbs but working for him… he can be mule headed. We've all been part of that. He can also be secretive but mostly with his personal life. I think he knows all everything about our lives but won't let us in and that bothers us: McGee included. What I'm trying to say is that he needs us even if he won't admit it. I think you are included in that. Give him a little time to come around. He's not the same man he was ten years ago." Ellie smiled again and went back to the planning session down stairs.

I watched her go and in my own mind I had it admit it. She was right. Gibbs had seemed a little softer that the old Gibbs. The greeting he gave them last night had been the first sign of a changed Gibbs that I'd seen. I thought back to the conversation in the basement and realized that he could have bit my head off last night when I was being bullheaded but instead he let me make the decisions that affected my own well being. Ten years ago that would not have happened. It would have been his way or the highway. I grabbed that bundle of clothing and towels and headed back down to the laundry room to start wash and then to clean up the kitchen. If I know Gibbs and Colton, I needed to make more coffee.