Chapter 11

Previously….

She reached the door and opened it, surprised to find a familiar, tall, dark haired, blue eyed man standing in the hallway "Ed what are you doing here?"

Now…

Ed looked his former wife up and down for a second, something was different about her, he couldn't quite tell what it was, she looked different, she had a different air about her something he'd never experienced in their time together.

"I ugh thought it was time we talked" Ed explained to her "About everything, why I'm doing what I'm doing" he said almost cryptically as he could hear the kids talking and didn't know if Jenny had told them that they were most likely going to go to court to get custody of the children.

Jenny nodded "I've been busy, otherwise I would have called" she explained giving her ex-husband a small smile "Come in" she added standing aside to let him in.

From her place sitting next to Gibbs on the sofa, Abby heard her father's voice and her head flew to the direction of the door, Gibbs himself didn't recognise the voice but heard Jenny call him Ed so only presumed who it was.

"Daddy" Abby said getting up off of the sofa and running to the door where Ed had just stepped in and he picked her up and held her close.

"Hey Abs" he said pressing a kiss to his daughters brown hair that was so similar to his own.

Jenny smiled at Abby before going over to where Gibbs was now standing by the sofa with Tony next to him and discreetly grabbed Gibbs' hand with her own and squeezed it gently.

Gibbs looked to his side at Tony and saw how the normally bubbly excitable boy had changed, he seemed to have stiffened and was trying to stand as tall as he possible could.

"Hey buddy" Ed said putting Abby back on the floor and looked at Tony.

"Hi dad" Tony gave his father a small smile, Ed and Jenny didn't know why but since they'd split up, since Tony had really understood that his parents weren't together he'd been a little cold to his father despite all of Ed's efforts to try and get the boy to bond with him.

Ed's gaze then travelled to Gibbs, he hadn't expected to find another man here "You must be Gibbs, Abby told me a little about you" he said offering his hand, in truth the little girl may have told him a little too much about Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded "You must be Ed" he said with a small smile, meanwhile Jenny let out a little breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. not really sure why she was actually worried about her ex-husband and boyfriend meeting.

Cynthia then stepped in "Hey Ed" she greeted him with a small hug and a kiss on the cheek, they having been friends for years.

"Hey Cynthia, how you doing?" he asked her with a small smile.

"I'm doing good, you?" she asked him.

"That's why I'm here, Jenny can we talk?" he said turning to face the redhead.

"Of course" Jenny nodded looking around the small apartment for a moment, there wasn't anywhere really where they could talk privately.

"Hey kids" Cynthia said getting their attention "Why don't we got to the park like I promised?" she suggested.

"Yeah" Abby squealed excitedly before running to go and get her jacket on the hanger by the door and Tony followed behind his sister, wanting to stay so he could find out what the adults were going to talk about.

"I'll come too" Gibbs suggested, shooting Jenny a quick glance and she gave him a small nod, as much as she wanted him there at her side for support she thought that the conversation she was going to be having with Ed needed to be shared between just the two of them.

Gibbs went gave Ed a quick nod before following Cynthia and the kids to the park, leaving Jenny and Ed alone.

Jenny sat down on the sofa and offered for Ed to sit down beside her "Okay so tell me" she began "What's changed that's make you want to take my children away from me?" she asked her voice maybe a little harsh than she'd intended it to be.

"I got a job as a partner at the firm I've been working at and I've moved to a new house, I feel like I've really pulled myself together and I think I can offer the kids a better life" he explained.

Jenny shook her head, she felt like her heart was being cut into a million pieces and fed it to a pack of wolves "I'm their mother" she told him "the kids have a life with me and you can't it away from them" she told him.

"They won't have to change schools or anything" Ed told her "They'll just be living with me" he explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

"But they don't need to live with you, I love them, they live here and they like it" Jenny told him, standing up from the sofa, her hands on her hips.

"Oh come on Jenny" Ed almost laughed at her, making her remember the reason why she divorced him in the first place, she even began to wonder why on earth she had even fallen in love with him in the first place. "You live in a cramped three bedroom apartment in the middle of a busy D.C city and you work as a teacher, you barely have enough money to support them" he told her "They need support and you honey, just can't give them it" he added with a cocky smile.

"If you think I won't fight for my children" she told him "You are sadly mistaken"

"And there's the fiery Red I knew and loved" Ed said with a chuckle his hands going to grab her ass.

"Don't call me Red" Jenny automatically moved his hands away from her and took a large step back from him, "You are no part of the man that I knew and loved" she told him "Plus I now have someone twice the man you could ever be" she reminded him.

Ed almost laughed again "Really twice in age maybe" he snickered.

"Abby and Tony seem very attached to him" Jenny told Ed, hoping the fact that Tony liked Gibbs would hurt him just a little.

The dark haired man took a step forward to her and almost gritted his teeth "I'm their father, not him" he reminded her, "I'll not let him raise my children" he added before turning around and going to the door and walking out, slamming the door behind him.

Once he was gone Jenny flopped down onto the sofa and buried her head in her hands, he was right, if she wanted to support the kids, to give them their best chance in life she would have to make a lot of changes, a new boss, a new house, but all that was easier said than done.

TBC…

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