JF42
A loud knocking at the front door startled Tim from his slumber, early Sunday morning. He quickly untangled himself from Kelly's sleepy, naked body and threw some shorts on. He grabbed his sig from the lock box on his nightstand and made his way to the door. It was still very early, not quite 0600 hours and no one he knew would be awake that early in a day off.
Spying a short figure, with a mess of blonde hair and two duffel bags on her shoulders, Tim immediately lowered his weapon and opened the door, as soon as he recognised Ellie. "El?" he asked, surprised. He was wondering what was going on. "Is everything OK?" Her cheeks were red, so was her eyes and her nose. Her hair was a mess. He could tell that she had been crying. He took the bags from her shoulders and ushered her inside. As soon as Tim lowered the bags to floor, she gently hugged him.
"Sorry Tim, I didn't know where else to go." she sobbed into his shoulder, through her hiccups that reverberated through her hug. Tim could feel a wetness on his shirt and realised that Ellie was crying again.
"Hey, it's OK." Tim murmured, as he soothed her back in a comforting manner. "It's OK. You can always come to me, Ellie. We're always here for you, you know that."
She held onto him for a second longer before she pulled back from him and wiped at her eyes furiously with the back of her hands. "Gibbs dropped me off last night." That was as far as she got before another round of fresh tears began. He gathered her close to him and rocked her slightly, until she composed herself. "Jake wasn't home, which I expected. He had been called into work. I packed up some food and thought I'd take it to him at his office."
Ellie took some more deep breaths. Kelly had thrown on some sweats and joined them, keeping her distance, not wanting to intrude too much. But she could see her friends hurt and hear the distress in her voice." What happened next, El?" Tim asked her softly, not liking what he suspected. He hoped he was way off base.
"His PA Angela, she wasn't at her desk. Which isn't unusual if he's been called in." Ellie explained, looking up and taking the tissues that Kelly was now offering, as she moved to sit on the coffee table to help comfort her friend. Ellie was obviously in pain and she felt helpless, sitting so far away. "I let myself into his office and he was on the phone. I quietly took a seat, as he wrapped up the call. He didn't look happy to see me. He looked ... Panicked."
Ellie began sobbing again and Kelly hugged her friend tight while Tim rubbed Ellie's back, comfortingly. She said something indecipherable into Kelly's shirt and neither of them could understand what the blonde agent had said. "El, what was that?" Kelly asked, she looked at Tim and she knew he was reading her mind. Kelly suspected too, that Jake had done something wrong.
"His PA ... she was under the desk." She sobbed again, mopping up her tears before they had a chance to fall. "She was blowing him!" she finally cried out in anger! Her frustration coming through in her tears. Her anger radiating from her body.
This time Kelly hugged her tight and Tim just patted her back. He wasn't sure what she wanted from him. All he could say for sure was; that Jake was an asshole for doing that to his wife. "That bastard!" Kelly declared, vehemently. She was angry and Kelly responded with some expletives of her own and now Ellie was angry at Jake and letting loose. "Can I castrate him?"
She looked emotionally worn out and exhausted. Kelly looked up, seeing Tim looking a little lost. Ellie yet out a yawn. "Come on El, have you had any sleep?" Tim asked as he and Kelly helped her off the sofa and led the exhausted blonde agent down the hall and into the guest room.
Inside the guest room, Kelly lowered the roller shutters and blinds, as Tim pulled back the covers. "Thanks Tim, I don't know what I'd do without you two."
"Get some rest and we can figure out your next move. In the meantime, anything we can do for you?" Tim offered. Before being with Kelly, he had been dumped so many times, it was ridiculous.
"My truck is full. I packed up everything." She sobbed again, as she began crying, again. Kelly climbed onto the bed, beside her and hugged her friend. "He didn't even try to stop me. He just sat there feeling sorry for himself, as I packed up my belongings."
"Tim and Dad will get it off the street. I'll stay here with you. You're safe here. Jake can't come up here and we won't let him, unless you want him to." Kelly told her, as she settled Ellie back down. Tim was glad to see that Kelly had the situation a hand, because Tim was steaming mad and he was pretty sure that Gibbs was going to be ropeable.
"You can tell Gibbs what happened, no one else, yet." she told Tim and he reminded her to relax and get some sleep, as he left the ladies, alone.
Tim padded back down the hallway, out into the living room, retrieved his sig and headed back into his bedroom to call Gibbs. He didn't want someone to rob Ellie of all her belongings while she was getting some sleep.
Tim took his cell of the nightstand and called Gibbs. His usual gruff greeting was gone and replaced by a softer greeting and Tim briefly wondered if he had woken their team leader. "Yeah, Gibbs." the softer than usual voice came through the phone line.
"Ah, it's Tim." Tim identified himself, praying that Gibbs didn't bite his head off for the early morning wake-up call. "I need your help."
"What's happened?" Gibbs asked, through a yawn as he rolled over and sat upright in his bed. "Is everything ok?"
"I need you to come here and help me get Ellie's truck to your place, empty it, and bring it back here for her." Tim explained and he was beginning to get more angry at Jake for hurting Ellie like this. "Long story short, Ellie caught Jake getting a blowjob from his PA his office, last night."
"Oh shit, where is she?" Gibbs asked, as Tim could hear in the background the sound of Gibbs getting dressed and snatching his truck keys from the green ceramic bowl by the coffee maker in the kitchen.
"She rocked up here a good half hour ago, Kelly's got her laying down in the spare room." Tim whispered, as he zipped up his own pair of jeans, tossed his MIT hoodie on and tugged his cross-trainers over his fresh socks, as he held his cell to his ear with his left shoulder.
"Good, I'll be there in fifteen." Gibbs said softly, as he ventured into his own kitchen. "I'll bring Ducky with me and he can check her over. We can leave Ducky here with the girls and have Dorney met us to move her stuff from the truck."
"She only wants you and me to know, Gibbs." Tim gently corrected him. "She bought two duffels with her. We didn't get as far as what her plans are next."
"That's ok, I'll see you soon."
With the call disconnected, Tim padded into the hallway, lingering by the door, waiting for Kelly to look at him. He used ASL and signed to her that he was going to run to the market for food, super-quick. That he would be back before Gibbs arrived, holding up the keys to Ellie's car. Tim made a mental note to start car shopping. He still hadn't replaced it from when it was sideswiped on Delilah's birthday. The insurance money was just sitting in the bank untouched and the loaned agency sedan was still parked in the underground resident parking.
As Gibbs was heading out the front door, Ducky appeared in the living room. "What ever is the matter, Jethro?" he asked, taking in the extremely angry look and countenance of his dear friend.
"Tim needs some help with something. I shouldn't be gone more than an hour and a half, Duck." Gibbs explained, trying to be as vague as possible. Personally, he really wanted his good friend, Duck, to look her over. She had a big shock and he knew that could manifest into physical symptoms. "When I get back... You know what, I'm not sure what I am expecting. I'll give you a call, Duck."
Waving his friend off, he climbed into his truck and headed toward Georgetown. Not breaking Ellie's confidence was hard, every fibre of his being was screaming at him that he should be bringing Ducky with him. He wasn't sure if it was because they all relied on Ducky for the health of their team, or if his gut was trying to tell him something.
Given the early hour of the Sunday morning, traffic between Alexandria and Georgetown was light. He made the twenty minute trip in twelve and didn't break any laws, for a change. He saw that Kelly's car was on the street, not in the underground resident lot where they'd left it last night. He wondered if Kelly had been called to collect Ellie, before remembering that Tim stated that they'd been woken by Ellie's visit.
Quickly, he pulled in the vacant spot behind Ellie's truck and parked close to her. So close, there was no chance of someone slipping between the vehicles to lower the tailgate to help themselves to her belongings. Georgetown was quiet right now, but soon the usual Sunday morning chaos would start.
He waved to the boys on the security desk. They knew Gibbs by sight now, he frequented their apartment so much, now. Gibbs smiled to himself when the elevator doors opened now and he found himself in the vestibule with the lockable wooden door he and Tobias had built and installed for them. He didn't want to wake Ellie with his loud knocking, so he called Tim's cell phone instead to tell him that he had arrived.
Kelly answered the door quietly. She was dressed in an oversized tee that was from a comic book store in Massachusetts pair of her pyjama bottoms that he recognised as the pair he bought her last Christmas. "Hey Dad." Kelly said, letting him come into the apartment. She kissed him hello, before hugging him tight.
Kelly had always been an empathetic person, ever since she was a little girl. He used to worry about her, when she was planning to go into medicine because she too empathetic. But, that being said, she was no shrieking violet, either. "You OK, Kell?" he asked, surprised by the hug.
"Bad memories." she said, muffled into his shirt. Before she pulled back and wiped a stray tear from her face.
Gibbs nodded at her, wordlessly asking if she was OK. He scrutinised her closely. He saw two large purple and yellowish love bites on the right side of her neck. They looked like they'd began to fade and the pieces fell into place for him. That was what was going on behind Kelly's closed bedroom door, yesterday. "Where's the owner of that handiwork?" he asked, with a finger to her neck. He watched to see her blush.
"Kitchen." Kelly answered, before leading him there.
"Do we need to have the talk, again?" he asked her, seriously.
"Nope, not talking about that with you." Kelly declared, as they entered the kitchen. "I'm drawing a line, Dad. This relationship between the two of us is serious. We love each other and we do make love too. Obviously, it's a little more evident than usual. But just because you see it, doesn't mean we have to talk about it. You could even keep it to yourself and not even mention it, too. It's not hard."
"You think I want to think about a man, any man and my daughter? Being intimate together, because I don't." Gibbs swore, winking at Tim. "This is payback for every time you'd tease me, squeal eww or fake gag at me and one of my partners, wives, girlfriends."
"What about me?" Tim asked Gibbs. "What am I?"
"Collateral Damage." he grinned at Tim. "Now, where's Ellie?"
Kelly took over from Tim and Tim led him down the hallway, to their guest room. Gibbs peeked inside and saw a mass of pillows, blonde hair and a small body bundled under the covers. He tiptoed into the room, lightly and looked down at the sleeping agent. He softly brushed a stray lock of her golden blonde hair off her face and those brown eyes opened up at him. He gave her a reassuring smile and she closed them again. Eventually, dozing back off.
"Jake, the fucking snake." Gibbs seethed, quietly as Tim closed the door back over. "He would not want to cross my path anytime soon."
"He's lucky Tony isn't here, he'd lose his shit at that Jake." Tim warned, before letting out a dry chuckle. "Kelly offered to castrate him."
"Let that be a lesson to you, not to cheat on my daughter." Gibbs told him, sternly and Tim looked at Gibbs like he'd just been slapped. Tim felt the sting in that comment. He felt prejudice against him, based on Jake and Ethan's actions. Even though Gibbs knew that Tim wasn't like that. He wasn't that kind of man. "Not that you would." he quickly amended his threat, seeing how offended McGee had become by his threat.
After that, the two men headed outside. The older man snatched up Ellie's keys to the truck and turned back around, ready to leave. Only to stop and witness his agent kissing his daughter in the lips and speaking in low tones to her. Gibbs grinned, a full, wide, happy grin at the loved up couple, as they spoke. He never thought his heart could feel this happy for his daughter, but it was.
The two men made light work of getting Ellie's truck to Gibbs' house. Ducky came out to see what was happening, but held his tongue as he watched the two agents. Tim paid the two young men across the street twenty bucks each to help move the heavier things of Ellie's into the rarely used formal dining room. After the boys were paid, Gibbs made a big show of locking the dining room door, before Gibbs and Tim had a quick coffee. "I take it, Eleanor is not ok." Ducky surmised out loud, as he joined the two of them in the kitchen.
"Ya think, Duck?" Gibbs quipped. "No one deserves what happened. Jake wouldn't want to come sniffing around here wanting anyone's help to get her back."
"We should get her name off their apartment lease, get her to get her funds and her money out of any joint bank accounts today. Before the banks open tomorrow and Jake has a chance to hold her money hostage." Tim added, looking to Gibbs. "Maybe even get her set up with a lawyer to make sure that we haven't missed anything."
"Luckily for her. I know more than one and have them on speed dial." Gibbs quipped at Tim. "And it's not for me, this time."
"I take it young Eleanor and young Mr Malloy are going through a rough patch?" Ducky enquired, following their conversation.
"What I want to know is how the hell did Ellie get all that stuff in her truck?" Tim asked, turning serious. He was impressed by both the amount and the sheer volume of belongings she had packed in the bed of her truck.
"Never underestimate the strength of a woman scorned, Timothy." Ducky advised him, seriously. "When women are angry, it's amazing at the strength they can conjure up."
Ducky had hit the nail on the head. Gibbs and Tim shared a look. They had been trying very carefully not to mention any of the details that they were privy to. "Ah, Duck?" Gibbs asked his friend.
"It's not rocket science, gentlemen. There are very few things in this world that could separate a married couple that fast." Ducky stated. "You don't even have to be married to know that titbit. Jethro, you of all people know how fast an affair can end a marriage. When you caught Diane in bed with Tobias, after you were done yelling it was only, what two hours? She was fully moved out."
"Yes, but she came back the next day while I was at work with removalists and took everything else, except Kelly's belongings and Shannon's grandparents dining room set." Gibbs replied. You could hear his anger and frustration at the situation in his voice, still. "She would have taken those too, if she thought she could get away with it. Warning Tobias seemed like the right thing to do. Seeing her do it to Tobias felt like I had been vindicated."
"Nevertheless, I want to examine the young Eleanor, as soon as I can." Ducky told the other two men. "I shall fetch my bag and we can return to Timothy's."
"It's going to be a tight squeeze in the truck, but we will manage." Gibbs said, rolling his eyes at Tim, as Ducky scattered off to get his bag.
Back at Tim's, Kelly was working on her laptop in the living room. The apartment was quiet, as Ellie caught up on some much needed sleep and her father and Tim were sorting out Ellie's belongings. Hearing the key in the door, she went to greet them and warn them that Ellie was still asleep, to be quiet.
She was surprised to see Ducky with them, before remembering that Ducky was currently living with Gibbs while his house was rebuilt and repaired. Tim led Ducky down the hall to where Ellie was sleeping, in the spare room and showed Ducky. Ducky, sent Tim away with a nod and gently woke Ellie up. It was nearing on lunchtime and the good doctor wanted her to be examined and wanted her to eat something.
Gibbs and Tim were in the kitchen, making sub rolls for lunch for the five of them, while Ducky argued his way into examining Ellie. For a man as meek and mild as Doctor Mallard, everyone on the MCRT knew that the older man could be pushy and determined to get his way, no matter what.
"I thought I said only Gibbs." Ellie grumbled, as she came into the kitchen, before everyone grabbed a drink and their own plates and headed for the dining room table.
Tim looked sheepishly at Ellie. "Sorry." And he truly meant it, he too hadn't foreseen Ducky finding out or having questions because he was living with Gibbs.
"Do not be sorry, Timothy." Ducky chastised him, gently. "I am currently living with Jethro. Timothy, nor Jethro told me anything. It was an easy situation to surmise and I promise that I will hold it in the strictest confidence. I am not privy to the particulars, nor do I need to be. Please know that you are never a bother to me, my dear. I am always here for any of you and whatever I am told is always held in confidence. Whether it be to lend an ear, or medical treatment or advice, never feel like you are imposing."
"Sorry Tim, sorry Ducky." Ellie yawned, as she took a bite of food and large sip of coffee. "My head's a mess right now."
"No need to apologise, El." Kelly reassured her, hugging her friend in a one armed hug. "I've been where you are. So has Tim and Dad. We know how you're feeling. Well, Dad's been exactly where you are, more than once. Obviously Tim and I haven't been married before so not exactly where you are. But we've been in a similar position before."
"What my well-meaning daughter meant was, we're here for you and will support whatever decision you decide to do." Gibbs amended, throwing a look at his daughter. "Kelly knows this already. I have told her this before, now I am telling you. I need you to keep telling yourself this. Once trust is shattered, it's hard to put back together again. Sometimes, it's broken so bad, you just can't repair it. Even if you had the world's best super glue and the world's best puzzle person. There's going to be some pieces missing still. There's a Japanese artform of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. It's called kintsugi. It embraces the flaws or imperfections in the object. By that rationale, keeping an object around even after it has broken; it can also be a justification of kintsugi itself, highlighting cracks and repairs as events in the life of an object, rather than allowing its service to end at the time of its damage or breakage. The philosophy of kintsugi is a variant of the adage, "Waste not, want not". It is their own version of rule five; You don't waste good. I need you to keep telling yourself that. One day, you will be whole again. Whether it's with Jake, or someone else."
"Thank you, Gibbs." Ellie said in a small, scared voice. She was workaholic, like Tim and Gibbs and had never taken a day off since she started at NCIS. "I think I need to go home for a while, get my head on straight. Home to Oklahoma, home. Not to that apartment. Besides, my big side board, I couldn't fit in the truck. I want nothing else from that apartment."
"Well, let's go get your sideboard and drop it with the rest of your belongings at my place." Gibbs suggested. "You need to think about finances and your lease too, which is hard to do without a clear head. But if you have joint accounts, you need to get your portion out and take your name off the account. Preferably before the banks open and Jake has a chance to freeze your money."
"Same goes for the lease." Tim added gently. "Take photos of the condition of the apartment when you leave, too. You need to cover your back so that Jake doesn't do any damage and blame you. I know Jake might not be vindictive like that, but break-ups bring out the worst in people and unfortunately it brings out petty and vindictive behaviour too."
"Tim and dad are right." Kelly chimed in. "When I left Ethan, he smashed up our apartment. I did exactly what Tim suggested and I wasn't legally liable. Ethan had to pay for all the damage he caused."
"Jake and I never combined our finances, as such. We have a joint account that pays for our bills. We each deposit our share in there." Ellie told them and Gibbs was relieved. He had learnt the hard way, that keeping separate finances was less messy. He just wished it was a lesson he had learnt sooner.
"Only leave enough to cover your share until tomorrow." Tim advised her. Ellie told Tim what their monthly rent was and when the last payment was made, as well as what their utilities cost. Tim did some quick calculations and advised Ellie to transfer that much in, with an explicit instruction that it was her share of the bills, up to and including to this particular date. "Tomorrow morning, go to the leasing office and have your name removed from the lease. Be sure to attach photos to the leasing office and make sure your photos are date and time stamped."
"Have you got a lawyer?" Gibbs asked, gently. He wasn't trying to overwhelm the woman, but she needed guidance. "Not a divorce lawyer, but an actual lawyer that you can trust to follow up on your behalf. Just thinking out loud here, so hear me out. Jake is a lawyer and I know getting a lawyer, it violates rule thirteen. But Jake's a lawyer and you've told us how good he is. We know when he has helped us in the past, that he isn't afraid of slimy, sleazy tactics. What's to stop him from using them on you?"
Kelly hugged her friend tighter, seeing Ellie start to lose her composure again. "No...he wouldn't, would he?"
"I'll call a friend of ours, Bud. He works for JAG, but he owes us a few favours." Gibbs said and Tim nodded along with him. "We'll get him on it and we'll go get whatever else you want from your apartment."
"Then you can do whatever else, you like." Tim added. He could see that Ellie was still exhausted and wondered if she didn't want to sleep some more. "I have the our leave form stored on my laptop. We can get them filled out and Gibbs can sign them while he's here. I think heading home for a bit, might help you decide."
The ringing of Ellie's cell phone shattered the conversation and they all watched, while Ellie sent he call to voicemail. "I can't talk to him, right now." She sighed softly.
Ellie, Tim and Gibbs went back to the apartment that she had shared with Jake. Thankfully he wasn't here, although Gibbs and Tim were secretly hoping he would be. They had some choices words to say to the slimy lawyer. They had moved Ellie's beloved sideboard, learning that it had belonged to her grandmother. As well as her desk, antique vanity dresser and stool. Ellie also took the coffee machine and the coffee. After all, Jake hated the machine and she was the one who had purchased it. Tim held up a small crystal dish above the sink on the window ledge and Ellie profusely thanked him. The dish had contained some random jewellery pieces and the crystal ware had belonged to her late grandmother, also.
While Gibbs moved the last of the furniture and whatever else Ellie had chosen to take, Tim meticulously photographed the entire apartment, just as he had advised Ellie to do.
They made light work of moving it all into Gibbs' unused formal dining room and he reassured Ellie it could stay there as long as she needed it to. Before the trio returned to Tim's.