For those who have read Samson, yes I did change a few things between these two stories to make this one flow easier. And yes, I did take part of the last chapter of Samson to fill this one.
Obsidian—Chapter 5
When the three humans and Samson arrive back at Gibbs place, the younger man can tell immediately that something happened while they were gone. Its a few subtle things that are out of place, not immediately noticeable unless you've been trained by Mike Franks. He says nothing as he follows Laurie outside to the rose bush where two black kittens are sleeping.
"They look like Samson did when he was a kitten."
At the mention of his name, the cat in his arms wakes up and carefully stretches, making sure not to harm Gibbs with his claws. Samson blinks a few times, and then realizes where he is. He lightly leaps down and edges under the bush where the kittens are sleeping. Not to their surprise, he calmly lies down by the kittens washing their fur.
Laurie starts to stand up and Gibbs is there to steady her. They watch Samson as he cares for his kittens. Jack comes to stand beside them and they watch as the kittens waken from their slumber and start piling over Samson, obviously glad to see him. One of the kittens has the barest hint of white on one paw and is clearly the leader of the two.
The other kitten while playful is also more cautious. Clearly this one is looking before leaping. Gibbs can't help comparing the two kittens to Tony and Tim. The one with the white paw reminds him of Tony and how he takes command of most situations, often leaping in without thought to the consequences. The other one, the pure black one, is more methodical, like Tim, as it watches, learns and plays, almost seeming to analyze its surroundings.
Samson stands up and walks over to where the three humans are, the kittens following close behind. Once they are within a few feet of the humans Samson reaches out and picks up the white-footed one by the scruff of his neck. Samson gently drops him at Jack's feet. He then proceeds to do the same with the pure black one; this time he paws at Gibbs shoe. Gibbs kneels down and Samson drops the kitten in his hand.
"Samson, what are you doing?" Gibbs has a sad idea forming and isn't sure that he wants confirmation. The cat nudges Gibbs with his head, encouraging him to start petting the kitten. Laurie kneels down too, keeping a hand on Gibbs shoulder as she gives him quiet support. Samson stares hard at Gibbs, then at Laurie. Clearly he's asking the humans to watch over his kittens.
(A/N: this is where the story will change just a bit)
Gibbs looks at the cat, then at the kitten in his hand. He hands the kitten to Laurie and picks up Samson, cuddling the big cat close as he walks away from the others. "You can go to our girls, but I need a favor from you first. I need you to stay alive long enough to participate in my wedding. I'll have either Jack or DiNozzo hold you, but I need you there. Can you do that for me Samson?"
The cat stares at him, uncertain just what Gibbs is demanding of him. Those icy blue eyes are full of tears, as he acknowledges that Samson is almost ready to leave him. Samson reaches up with his two front paws, keeping his claws sheathed and puts them around Gibbs neck, as he nuzzles his human's face.
A small howl of pain brings both heads back to the kittens. Samson gives a sigh as he sees Obsidian crying and Fleck sitting there looking all confused and innocent. It's obvious to the cat that his sons had been playing a little too rambunctiously and Obsidian had gotten his tail bitten.
Gibbs strides back over to where the kittens are and still holding Samson with one hand reaches down for Obsidian.
"Hey little buddy what happened? Fleck bite your tail too hard?" A soft mew of confirmation brings a smile to his lips and he turns his head to Samson. The big cat can tell that this was a ploy to get Gibbs to pick up the kitten, to start accepting him and he purrs his approval to the kitten while grumbling his disapproval to Fleck.
Laurie and Jack watch Gibbs as he interacts with all three cats. He's gotten down on the ground and both kittens are crawling on him, exploring the man while Samson sits by his side. Jack takes Laurie off to the side, so they can continue to observe yet not interfere. She tells him about the silly plans the two had made, about Samson being Gibbs best man and Jack giving her away.
"There's no reason we still can't do that Laurie. I can give you to my son and be his best man. If he wants me to that is."
"He does, he was kinda upset when I first told him about Samson being his best man as he thought that meant that you didn't want to be."
"My son never was very rational when it came to personal things. Come on let's go tell him the good news."
"What good news Dad?" Gibbs is standing there with a kitten in each hand and Samson draped around his neck. He hands Fleck, the white-footed one, to his dad while looking at him. Jackson takes the kitten and starts petting it, enjoying the feel of the soft fur and the purring that ensues from his petting.
"He said that he could be your best man and walk me down the aisle."
"Or I could ask McGee and DiNozzo to be my groomsmen, while Dad concentrates on bringing you to me."
They both look at him and he's smiling. He still has a few tears lingering in those blue eyes, but he's smiling as he nods at the kittens.
"We have new family members that need taken care of. I think that DiNozzo would be highly put out if I didn't make him my groomsman; McGee to a lesser degree, but yeah, Tony would pout for weeks, and I don't need that particular DiNozzo pouting at me."
Laurie looks at the black kitten. It's curled up in the crook of Gibbs arm, reminding her strongly of Samson. She smiles at the little pink tongue that curls out of the kitten's mouth when it yawns. Tiny claws start kneading Gibbs arm as the kitten readies itself for a deeper sleep. Laurie asks, "So what are you gonna name this furball?"
"That sounds like a good name." he smirks at the incredulous look his father gives him. A soft smack at the back of his head brings the smile out fully. He grabs the hand that smacked him and kisses the palm.
"Furball it is. Whatcha think about that name, Furball?"
The kitten mews a soft protest bringing laughter to all three of them. They rack their brains for all names that might fit a black furred kitten. When Gibbs mentions the word obsidian, the kitten raises his head and meows.
"Obsidian, huh? Okay, that works for me."
They walk inside, each man carrying a kitten as they discuss the week to come. Samson looks over at Laurie and she reaches out her hands to him. The cat looks up into her eyes and she knows immediately what he's asking her. She nods her head; she can keep him alive long enough for him to help with the wedding ceremony.
The men look at her and she tells them that the cat just wanted to make sure his kittens were all right. Neither of them believe her, but they aren't going to comment on it. For now they have a wedding to plan and two groomsmen to tell about their roles. Gibbs pulls out his cell phone.
"DiNozzo, pick up McGee and meet at my house ASAP."
"Is it okay to bring Sarah and Donny boss or is it a case?"
"Nope, bring'em and see if Holly can come too." Gibbs hangs up knowing that Tony will be full of questions when he gets there. He then turns to Laurie who already knows what he's going to say.
"I'll have a meal ready by the time they all get here Jet. Why don't you and Jack go sit on the porch while I get stuff going in here?"
Gibbs instead heads for the den so that he can get the luggage stored away before the rest of the family arrives. Jack offers to help him but Gibbs gives him a look and the older man sits down. Fleck curls up in his lap and Jack can't help but look at the kitten. From what he's seen so far, this young scamp will definitely keep him on his toes when he finally gets back to Stillwater. In Jack's eyes, this kitten is more like his Leroy than DiNozzo, but he's not about to tell his son that.
When Gibbs comes back down, he finds all three cats curled up on his dad and all four of them are asleep in the recliner. Samson raises his head from his position by Jack's feet; for now he'll watch over the older Gibbs as the younger one is busy. Gibbs pets the cat and tells him, "Thank you for watching over Jack."
Laurie watches from the doorway, knowing that it's going to almost kill Gibbs when Samson does pass away. She steps into the room, places a hand on Jack to verify his health knowing that Jethro is concerned by his need for so much sleep. Gibbs watches silently; sees the almost invisible lavender healing cross over not just his dad but all three cats as well.
He busies himself with the last of the luggage not turning around when Laurie comes into the room and wraps her arms around him from behind. She rests her head on his back as she tells him that his dad will be fine; he's just a little run down from the last cold he'd had.
"What about the cats? I saw the healing encompass them too."
"I'm ensuring that Samson can be there for our wedding and the kittens fought a rat this morning. I'm making sure that there isn't any poison in either of their systems."
"What's wrong with me? Why am I so damn emotional? I'm not supposed to be."
She steps in front of him, looks him in the eye. Knowing that he's going to be difficult to get through on this subject at least she sits him down on the bed and taking his hands hin hers, kneels in front of him.
"When you lost Shannon and Kelly all those years ago, you still had a constant connection to them. He stayed out of your way all these years, but he was still there. In a way, you probably sensed him out there watching over you. Jet, Samson is over 20 years old. In cat years, that's almost ancient. You know in your heart of hearts, in that one part of you that is so afraid of losing this last link to your wife and daughter, that he's going to leave soon."
"He brought me his kittens. He knows he's going to die soon and he brought me his sons."
"Yes, the one human he trusts more than anyone else. That's a great honor you know. Cats are finicky yet when they find that one person they trust above all others, they're devoted to you for life."
She reaches up and wipes away the silent tears. "Hey, DiNozzo's gonna be here soon, you gonna let him eat all our food?"
"What are you making anyway?"
"Pizza." She smiles at his questioning look. "I'm a cook, Jet…trust me."
A soft mew of agreement comes from the doorway. Obsidian is there, asking for entrance. Laurie nods and the kitten walks in slowly, clearly reading the emotions that are in the air and unsure of what he can do to ease Gibbsgrr's pain.
Laurie picks him up and gently puts him in Gibbs lap. "He's ready to love you Jet; if you'll give him that opportunity."
Obsidian gives a meow of agreement and the two humans laugh. Gibbs heaves a sigh, wipes his eyes one more time and looks at the other two. He rubs Obsidian gently on the head before picking him up and looking at him nose to nose. "Just one rule: that is your bed, this is mine." He stands up and takes the kitten to the bed that's lying between the twin chests of drawers. He gently sets the kitten down before turning his attention to the woman still kneeling by his bed. He extends a hand to help her up.
"As for you…" his soft growl is interrupted by her lips on his.
"Go take a quick shower or at least run a cool cloth over your eyes before the kids get here and start pummeling me for hurting their dad."
His lips quirk up at the reference of Tony and Tim being his kids. He has to admit that Tim, Tony and Sarah would probably start hounding her if anything happened to him, especially Tony. A swat on his ass makes him growl mockingly at her and she just stares him down.
"Today Jet, they'll all be here in half an hour."
She turns to leave him alone and he pulls her back to him. His lips are on hers before she can formulate a response. Obsidian puts his paws over his eyes, convinced that he's way too young to watch what the humans might be doing. Two minutes later Gibbs comes up for breath. Laurie's breathing is just as ragged as his, and Gibbs smirks in satisfaction. A soft smack to the back of his head tells him she knows just why he's smirking and he heads into the shower.
A/N: Reviews are welcome.