"Gibbs! Your wanker of a kid isn't sharing!"
"Really? You're going to tattle on me?"
Tony looked up at his Boss from across the kitchen table. Gibbs was calmly sipping his coffee as the violent thumps combine with indignant yells emanated from from up the stairs.
"You made a good call bringing Sabina and Tom here, Boss. They sure are helping Alex feel more at ease." Tony noted as he packed up the last of his overnight bag. With no threat to Alex or Gibbs it was finally safe for DiNozzo and McGee to leave Gibbs' couch.
"No kidding. He's talked more today than he has since he got here." McGee exaggerated.
"Yep." Gibbs replied calmly as what sounded like World War III continued to thunder from above them. Secretly Gibbs was pretty happy with how much his one phone call had made a difference for the boy.
Small smiles were coming to the teen's face now but Gibbs was also wondering how long it would last. What would happen when Sabina and Tom left tomorrow? Would Alex revert back to his depressed demeanor or was this lighter version of the boy here to stay?
The Marine knew the events of the trial were more than likely going to take a toll on Alex but he was determined to get him through it.
More thumps banged from upstairs as if the two teens were trying to tear down the whole second floor. So far Gibbs hadn't even flinched at the noises, just continued to drink his coffee and read his papers.
Tony and McGee exchanged glances, not knowing if they should leave Gibbs with the demolition team upstairs.
"They're making a lot of racket, Boss. You want us to go take a look at the damage?" Tony asked.
Gibbs shook his head, knowing what was going on in the room already.
"It'll stop soon." He replied as he finished his coffee and stood up to get a refill.
Their heads turned to the hallway as footsteps barreled down the stairs towards them and an out of breath Tom appeared in the doorway.
"Good, you're still here. Tony, we need your help." He announced.
"With what?"
"Moving Alex's bed. We need some muscle...but I suppose you'll have to do." Tom replied, causing McGee to laugh.
Tony glared at his friend before following the teen back up the stairs.
"What are they doing, Boss?" McGee asked.
"Tom went into Alex's old house and brought him a lot of his things to put up in his room before he leaves tomorrow."
"Does Sabina leave tomorrow as well?"
Gibbs nodded. They managed to get two flights worked out at nearly the same times so that Alex could say goodbye to his friends at once.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()().
Alex rolled his eyes as he waited for Tom to extract his bags from the trunk of the car.
"You could help, you know." Tom grunted as he heaved it out.
Alex gestured to his wrist with the stitches.
"If I lift more than a cup of tea and strain these stitches Ducky will kill you, me and Gibbs." He answered lazily.
"Yeah, yeah. Likely excuse, mate." But his baggage was suddenly lifted from his hands as Gibbs whisked by them, throwing the bag over his shoulder with ease.
"Pick up the pace. Tom, your flight leaves soon." Gibbs called over his shoulder, not pausing in his stride. It was obvious that his leg was healing fine.
"You're going to be okay here, right?" Tom asked quietly after a few moments of walking.
Alex considered the question as he looked ahead to the Marine in front of them.
"Yeah. I really think I will. Might take some time though." The blonde said.
"Good. And just because I'm in London doesn't mean that's an excuse to keep me out of the loop. I wanna know how this plays out."
Alex smiled lightly at the underlying worry. His friend was afraid they were going to drift apart.
"McGee let me have his old laptop. It's got a webcam. I'm going to have to tutor you through Spanish class. I'm the one who made you take the class in the first place."
They shared a look and nodded in agreement. Ocean would be the last thing that ruined their friendship.
They approached the stewardess taking tickets and Gibbs busied himself looking out of a nearby window as the two boys shared a quick hug before pulling apart.
"Bye, Al'" Tom called, walking to the door leading to the plane before stopping and running full force into Gibbs.
"Goodbye, Gibbs! You take care of Alexis." He ordered as Gibbs sighed.
"Kid, if you don't get on that plane..."
"Call me when you're home, okay?" Alex replied.
"Yes, mother." Tom called with a wave before disappearing the door.
Gibbs looked over at Alex.
"Brace yourself" He warned.
"What?" Alex asked confused before suddenly arms enveloped him from behind and he stumbled to keep his footing
"Alex! I'm going to miss you! You have to promise me to call more!" Sabina announced, spinning the boy around to face her.
"I will, Sabina." Alex said, pulling her in for another hug.
"Promise?" She whispered into his ear.
"Of course," He answered, mimicking her.
They pulled apart and Alex saw Sabina's dad smiling at them a few feet away.
"Alex. It's been good seeing you. You need anything you don't hesitate to call us. We'll be more than willing to help. I just wish there was more we could have done for you."
Alex nodded.
"Thanks, Mr. Pleasure."
Gibbs shook hands with the man as Sabina and Alex shared one more hug before the father and daughter also disappeared through a door to their own plane.
Alex sighed heavily and Gibbs clapped him on the back.
"I don't know about you but I'm hungry. You wanna go the diner and grab something to eat?" The Marine asked.
"Is this the diner where you and that lady hit on each other the whole time?"
"I do not hit on her the whole time."
"Yeah, I'm sure she just gives you all that free coffee because she likes your conversational skills."
"Just be glad I'm not using you as a way to pick up women like DiNozzo tries to do."
Alex laughed as they walked out of the airport and moved to the man's car and they weaved through DC to the nearby diner.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Alex sighed as he looked around the empty house. He finally had a moment to himself to collect his thoughts. Gibbs had went to the Navy Yard after they had eaten to look in on the team and Alex had decided to stay behind. This was his first time alone since he had landed in America.
Allison Hart would be stopping by later and Gibbs had already warned him to be ready for the woman's grueling questions.
He was hit with a sudden pang of loneliness and he was suddenly thinking he should have taken Gibbs up on his offer and went with him to NCIS. Then, it struck him how much he was beginning to depend on the team to keep him grounded. This was new to him. Before he had met these people he would not have minded being on his own but here he was wishing the team was with him.
Being a spy you were normally just on your own. Gibbs was slowly getting that out of his head.
As he lounged on the couch, idly looking at the flickering TV his thoughts drifted to the trial. What was he really expecting to result from this trial? For Blunt to just lose his job? Prison? Death? They were in America. It was certainly possible.
Anger rose up in him when he thought of Blunt going to sleep peacefully at night while he tossed and turned as nightmares encompassed his mind.
This man had ruined his life and it was time the man knew what it felt like to have his life upturned against his will.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Gibbs rubbed his eyes as it was finally time to leave the office. They had done nothing but catch up on paperwork and the whole team was understandably worn out from it.
This was the first time he had left Alex alone since the whole mess started and while he trusted that Ziva had taken care of SCORPIA he couldn't help but feel anxious.
He was starting to gather his things to leave when he felt a body approaching his desk.
"You're early. Steaks won't be on the fire until at least another hour and a half."
"I know. I figured I could get there early and I could speak to Alex while you cooked. And I come baring news. The prime minister has suspended Blunt pending the court's verdict, and Blunt's been summoned to DC. He'll be staying in a safehouse until it's over." Allison informed.
Gibbs simply nodded, but he was secretly impressed by the progress she had made.
"You can come but you're not going to overwhelm Alex. Not in his own home." Gibbs warned as they made their way into the elevator.
"You know you can't protect him forever."
Gibbs looked over at the woman.
"It's time somebody protected the kid. We'll see if you still feel that way after you've heard his story."
"You've heard the whole story?"
"Nope."
"Then how do you know how bad it will be?"
"That's the point. I don't need to hear the whole thing to know how bad it is."
The woman gave a half shrug and Gibbs felt a pang of sympathy for any kids the woman may wind up having. This woman was cold.
The elevator dinged and opened at the parking garage. Gibbs went to move to his car before the woman called after him.
"Can I get a lift or should I drive my own car?"
Gibbs shrugged, not stopping his walk to his car.
"If you ride with me you'll have to take a cab home. After dinner I told Alex we'd work on the boat."
"You're making him work on your boat with you? Is that why you took him in? Cheap labor?"
"If I wanted cheap labor I would've made DiNozzo do it."
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Alex looked up from his laptop as he heard the rumble of Gibbs' car pull up in the driveway. He closed the computer and made his way to the stairs.
"I put the potatoes on boil like you asked. You're on your own with everything else unless you want your kitchen burned down." Alex joked as he heard the door open.
"Ah, you can't be any worse than DiNozzo." Gibbs called back to him.
Alex smiled at the though as he got to the end of the stairs. His smile faltered as he realized they weren't alone. His new lawyer was standing beside Gibbs. Alex's stomach dropped. She wasn't supposed to be here yet.
"Hello, Alex." The woman greeted as he pulled her coat off.
"Hi." He could only answer lamely.
Hart moved to the couch and sat down with her briefcase and began pulling out papers.
Gibbs walked to the kitchen and immediately Alex followed him.
"I thought she wasn't going to be here until later."
"Changed her mind."
Alex sighed heavily.
Gibbs looked up from where he was dragging out his cooking supplies.
"You knew you were going to have to talk to her tonight." He noted.
"I know. I just thought I had a bit more time is all."
"You'll be fine." Gibbs assured.
The teen looked curiously at the man.
"It doesn't bother you that I'm about to go into that room and tell a complete stranger something that you deserve to know more than she does? I mean you're the one who took me in Gibbs. You nearly died because of me and you want me to tell her all the events that led to this before you."
This made Gibbs stop what he was doing to peer bemusedly at boy.
"Because I know for a fact that you're not going to tell her the whole story. You'll give her the formal briefing that you gave Blunt after your missions and that will be it. And you're only tell her this because you know you have to. I want you to come to me on your own. Like I said before I'm not going anywhere."
Alex smiled as a sense of warmth spread throughout him at the statement.
"Still doesn't make this any easier." He said, having to fight the urge to glare childishly in the direction of the living room where he knew the woman was.
"Well, think of it this way. The quicker you get done, the quicker we can eat." Gibbs bribed.
"What are you cooking?" Alex questioned.
"Steaks. Mashed potatoes and whatever else I can find in the cabinet."
"Steaks, yeah, that's good blackmail." Alex said with a smile.
Gibbs smirked and they shared a look with each other before Alex sighed.
"Fine. But these steaks better be good and if you hear a thumping noise that's just me ramming my head against the wall. Repeatedly."
"Duly noted." Gibbs called to Alex's retreating back.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Alex sighed heavily as he finished the last summary of his last mission. Like Gibbs had predicted, he had kept to the facts and kept it simple but even as he tried to keep it simple the look of disbelief on Hart's face was priceless as he finally lifted his gaze from the spot he had chosen to stare at as he spoke.
Suddenly aware of the uncomfortable silence that had enveloped the room, Hart schooled her features as she cleared her throat and put away her notes she had been taking.
"Well, Alex, I think it's safe to say you have a case against Blunt."
"Do ya think, Hart?" Gibbs asked dryly as he sauntered in with the steaks he was about to put in the fire.
"Are we done?" Alex questioned, looking up the stairs and towards his room.
"Yes, I think so," Allison replied. That was all Alex needed to hear before he dashed for the stairs, mumbling something about going to his room as he went.
Allison sat back on the couch as she let out a deep breath.
"You're a good man for helping him, Gibbs. By the sounds of it you're the first one to have done much of anything for the boy." She said. Her earlier lack of caring demeanor now crushed and filled with pity for the teen. Just as Gibbs had predicted.
"What defense are you suspecting Blunt will take?" He asked, changing the subject swiftly.
"Insanity is about the only thing I think the man would pass for if I was on the jury. I mean blackmailing a kid and then ordering a hit on his guardian is not going to be easy to try to talk yourself out of. I don't care what kind of lawyer he gets."
"Do we know when the preliminary hearing is?"
"Soon, I hope. The sooner we know his angle the sooner I can get to work on crushing it."
"How long do you think this is going to last?"
"Military trials can be drawn out. It all depends on Blunt's defense. You said we had an MI6 agent that was willing to testify against Blunt?"
"Ex MI6 agent and yes. He's still hanging out around DC. I asked him not to stray too far and he agreed as long as it didn't cause him problems." Gibbs explained as he flipped the steaks over.
"I'll need to speak with him as well. I need to know all that he knows. When he first met Alex down to the last time. He's Ben Daniels, right?" She asked as she pulled out her legal pad to make a note of the name. She heard Alex mention his name a few times towards his last summary of his mission.
"Yeah. I'll call him in the morning and ask him to meet you at the Navy Yard."
"And lastly, do you have any medical records of the boy? He was shot, I know, but that was about it on the medical details I could get from the boy other than ' I got a few scrapes, nothing major'."
Gibbs prodded at the steaks some more before deciding they were done. He pulled them off the fire and onto a plate.
"I know a file was sent to Vance about his health issues, mainly the GSW. I think Ducky still has it."
She nodded once, glad that her evidence was falling into place. She tossed the legal pad back into her bag before sighing.
"Tell me the food's done."
Gibbs nodded as he carried the meat back to the kitchen table.
"Alex! Food's done."
The Marine heard Alex's door open before a very distinctive laugh emanated from the teen's room that made Gibbs stop what he was doing and glare at Alex as he came down the stairs.
"Was that Tom's laugh I heard in your room?"
Alex looked blankly at the man, "Yes?"
"How?" Gibbs questioned wildly.
"We were on Skype together." Alex said as if that explained everything to the man.
Gibbs' blank stare made Alex laugh as the boy assumed he was pulling his leg. Upon Gibbs' dead serious expression he turned to Hart who was trying her best not to laugh.
"You're serious?" Alex asked in disbelief as he looked back at Gibbs.
"What's a Skype? And why is Tom laughing on it in your room? Alex, I swear if Tom did not get on that plane..."
"Oh boy...Good luck, kid." Hart said to Alex as she walked into the kitchen to get herself a drink.
Alex sighed with a smile as he attempted to explain to the electronically handicapped man in front of him what Skype was. Apparently telling Gibbs about Tom's rebellious antics from their childhood wasn't such a good idea after all.
A/N- hehe. That ending cracked me up...a bit OOC but I liked it so it stayed for some reason.
I don't know how I managed to get this done out of ALL the weeks I could've done this. This week is the last week before my finals start but apparently I choose NOW to write. My brain is not a fan of me.
Again, I'm sorry for the wait...and the fact that not much happened. I'm TRYING to wait until after February to start writing any major trial parts because if I DO decide to put a lot of the trial in this story I need to be more...familiar with courtroom proceedings...and guess what I got a few weeks ago? JURY DUTY YAY...not. But I think it will help me a bit in writing even for a military trial.
And I know you hate me. I'm seriously becoming the worst FF writer ever by making you guys wait so long for something that isn't all that good to begin with!
For all of you guys who want Alex to be more independent I think you're going to like how this 'trial' plays out. ;) I had a lightbulb idea the other night and it's a doozy.
OH, and I've been re reading this story...I don't know HOW you guys managed to keep reading this after reading some of the earlier chapters. Whew. I'm going to be going back and revising some of these chapters. It won't change anything there's just a few technicalities that need to be fixed...I mean Gibbs GIVING Alex a gun? WHAT was I thinking? That will be changed. It's things like that that will be changed nothing major enough to go back and re read. I'm telling you this because I'm not sure if when I redo a chapter if it will alert anyone that has this on story alert...if it does I'm sorry.
AND I will be changing my username from "Midnight Muse14" to "Alexsonnn" soon. I hope that doesn't frustrate too many people. It's just easier for people from other websites to find me through this name.
And to the guest user AgentStorm- YES, you can request a story. I have written down your request I will get to it now that I have updated this story. ^_^ I love getting requests. I'm just sorry it took so long for me to get to it! Look for it soon! I will post the name "AgentStorm" in the summary box so you'll know what to look out for!
I have an Ask Tom blog on Tumblr that collaborates with the AskAlexanderjohnrider blog! Go follow it and ask Tommy questions!