Chapter 17 – Connecting the Dots

Brenna had Tim take her to Abby's to pick up her truck the next morning, and then she headed straight for the hospital. She was torn between floating on air that they were no longer in danger and regret that they would be leaving DC soon. Entering Jenna's room, she panicked when the bed was empty. "Jenna?"

"In the bathroom," Jenna called.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Brenna asked.

Walking slowly out of the bathroom, Jenna smiled at her sister. "I'm being released today."

"What? After one night of observation?"

"Yep. It was that or I was going to leave against medical advice. You know I don't like lying around all day and hospitals make it worse. I gave the doctor my word that I'd rest at home. I didn't tell him that home was in San Antonio. Besides, there isn't anything they can do for the rib anyway." Jenna made her way back to the chair beside the bed, holding her left arm close to her side. "So, as long as I walk slowly, don't take deep breaths and rest a lot, I'm able to leave today."

"Where is Agent Gibbs? He can't possibly have agreed to this?"

"I didn't, but Jenna talked the doctor into it," Gibbs answered, suddenly behind her.

"You couldn't intimidate him into listening to reason?"

"Your sister's smile blinded him."

Jenna laughed, and then gasped. "Very funny, Gibbs. So, Brenna, where are we staying until we go home?"

"Well, Damien offered…"

"You're staying with me. I gave my word to the doctor that I'd watch you."

The sisters stared at Gibbs for a minute, and Brenna said, "Well, at least your things are already there, and Lord knows I shouldn't stay another night with Agent McGee."

"Wear out your welcome?" Gibbs asked.

"Something like that," Brenna answered softly. Catching the look in her sister's eyes, Jenna made a note that she needed to be sure to make some alone time to talk with her sister – and soon, by the look of things.

---

The team was waiting on the front porch when Gibbs pulled up, Brenna following in her truck. Gibbs carefully lifted Jenna out of the passenger seat of his car and carried her into the house. The agents got a chuckle when they saw her sleepy head lying on his shoulder and heard her say, "I can walk, Agent Gibbs."

She barely roused herself when Gibbs laid her on the bed she had slept in two nights before. She snuggled into the pillow and sighed when he pulled the covers over her. He headed back downstairs to find Tim and Brenna standing close, but looking almost miserable. Tony and Abby were talking and Ziva was looking at him as if she had something to tell him.

"Larson's team found some new information today," she said and everyone stopped talking.

"What?" Gibbs asked.

"Adam Franklin was a prawn in this whole drug thing."

"That's pawn, Ziva," Tony corrected.

"Thank you, Tony. Franklin was a pawn. They used him because he had access to the labs at DAX. The DEA and Larson were trying to search for the money behind this and they found it."

"And they have that person in custody, right?" Brenna asked.

"No," Ziva told her. "Because he's on Ducky's table at NCIS." Everyone stared at her and she smiled. "Sterling Lancaster was the money behind the development of the drug. They were very careful not to leave any paper trails, but there were meetings that Daniel Carver uncovered while digging into Franklin's past."

"So everything really is alright then?" Brenna wanted to know.

"Looks that way," Gibbs said.

Brenna smiled and then laughed. "That's great news! We won't have to be looking over our shoulder anymore!" She looked at Tim and some of her jubilation faded. "I'm going to go check on Jenna and tell her the news."

As she walked up the stairs, she could feel his eyes following her. She reached the top and realized she didn't know which room Jenna was in. Taking a chance, she opened the door on the right and found her, nestled under the covers. Brenna leaned down to kiss her on the forehead and Jenna said, "Bren? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is perfect," she said, laying a hand on her sister's arm. "The threat against us has been completely alleviated. It turns out that Franklin was working for Lancaster! Can you believe that?"

"Are you serious?" Jenna asked, trying to connect the dots in her medicine-fogged brain.

"Completely," Brenna said with a smile.

"What happened last night? With Agent McGee?" Jenna asked. Seeing her sister's hesitancy, she continued. "Don't even say 'nothing'."

Brenna grinned sheepishly at her sister who knew her so well. "Nothing and everything. What do you think of DC?"

"What do I think of DC?" Jenna asked, very confused. "Please just tell me, Bren, I can't play guessing games right now."

"Actually, things were going very well. We found out that you were fine, and then that we were most likely safe – everything was happy. And then he kissed me. Which was… well, there are no words. I'll just say very good. And things started, well, you know…"

"You slept with him?" Jenna asked, surprised that her sister would move that quickly, especially considering it had been at least a year since she had really dated anyone.

"No. Well, yeah, I slept with him – he only has one bed. But no, we didn't have sex." Brenna let out a long sigh. "I wanted to. I really, really wanted to. I think he's just amazing. But the fact is we live really far apart, and I'm just not built for casual sex. I can't do it. So after leading him on, I pushed him away. He was really frustrated with me, and I don't blame him."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Jenna told her. "You were just being honest. If he's any kind of man, he'll respect that."

"Easy for you to say, you didn't have to sleep next to a man that you want more than anything and can't have."

Jenna gave her sister a frustrated look. She knew exactly what she meant.

---

After a great night's sleep, Steph was feeling very refreshed. She'd spoken with Ziva and learned that everyone was gathered at Agent Gibbs' house for dinner. Ziva had invited her over and so she was looking through her clothes to find something appropriate. She chose a pair of black pants and a blue shirt that made her blue eyes pop. She checked her reflection in the mirror and then left the hotel. She had to return to New York soon, but she was determined to have fun while in DC.

---

Gibbs brought Jenna downstairs to sip on soup while everyone else was preparing to eat steak and baked potatoes. Jenna looked longingly at her favorite meal and sighed. She was supposed to stay on liquids for another day and then move to soft solids. What exactly was a 'soft' solid?

The team was mingling and setting the table, looking forward to some much deserved wind down time.

Pulling his coworker aside, Tony asked, "What's up with you, Probie? You're walking around like you just found out Darth Vader is your father."

"It's nothing," McGee said distractedly.

"Or Leia's your sister." Tony gasped, "Brenna's your sister?"

"No, Tony," McGee shook his head, finally cracking a smile. "Things are just stressful right now."

"Stressful? You have much to learn, young Padawan," Tony said, patting him on the back. "The threat against the girls is gone; now's the time to make your move."

"Duh, Tony," McGee answered. "Did that."

"Oh-ooohhhh!" Tony said. "I see; shot down…"

"Not exactly."

"So you…" Tony wagged his eyebrows and nodded toward Brenna. "You… you know…"

"No."

Tony sighed. "Well, when you got it, you got it. And when you don't…" he trailed off and gave McGee a sympathetic look.

"It wasn't like that," McGee insisted.

"Sure," Tony said, picking up his beer and heading back into the kitchen. "Someday I'll give you a lesson," he called back over his shoulder.

The doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of someone unaware of Gibbs' 'open door' philosophy. He opened it and Steph was standing there. From where she was sitting, Jenna could see she was lovely and she noticed how Gibbs took several moments to appreciate that. Then he smiled at her and ushered her into his home with a hand on the small of her back. Jenna ducked her head and stared into her soup.

Brenna crossed the room to give Steph a hug. "Thank you so much for all your help in this. I mean, besides knocking Tony out and trying to nab Abby, of course."

Steph laughed. "I guess all your secrets are safe now."

Ziva chimed in, "Ducky said the records have shown that, even without the car race, the drugs Mike Lancaster took that fateful night would most likely still have killed him."

"The way I see it, no one ever has to know," Gibbs agreed.

"Know what?" Tony teased.

"Gibbs," Abby called. "What are we going to do now?"

"EAT!" Tony replied loudly, causing everyone to laugh.

"You would say that, Tony," Ziva scolded him.

"Everyone's a critic," Tony muttered. "But seriously, I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry," Tim reminded him.

"Jenna-babe," Brenna gave her sister a compassionate look. "Would you feel better if I ate soup?"

"Yes!" Jenna said with a pout.

Brenna chuckled as she walked over to the cabinet to exchange her plate for a bowl.

"You're seriously gonna eat soup?" Tony asked.

"Sure," Brenna said. "Steak is literally Jenna's favorite food in the world. I can wait until she can eat."

"Aww…" Abby said. "I'll take soup, too," she smiled. Brenna handed her a bowl.

McGee and Tony exchanged worried glances.

Ziva shrugged, "Suit yourself. I'm having steak."

Jenna smiled. "That's sweet, but I was kidding. Y'all can eat steak."

"Not a chance," Tony said, not wanting the others to show him up. Tim frowned and then shrugged his shoulders, accepting the bowl Brenna offered.

Gibbs smirked. "I invite you to dinner at my house, and only Ziva will eat my cooking?"

Jenna met his eyes and mouthed the words 'thank you', to which he responded only by the slight nodding of his head.

Soon, everyone was eating steak and baked potatoes, and enjoying themselves. Even the tension between Tim and Brenna seemed to have eased a little.

"I'm gonna miss y'all," Jenna said, looking around the room at her new-found friends.

"Oh, I know!" Abby said excitedly. "You should just move to DC!"

The sisters shared looks from across the table, and Jenna could see how much Brenna would like that to be true.

"You never know," Jenna said cryptically. She noticed her sister give her a curious look, but answered it only with a smile. She then turned to look at Gibbs, "Besides, the way I see it, you owe me a steak."