Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A.N.: Thank you to Mrs. Elizabeth Gibbs, alix33, Huddly, black widow mistress, MissJayne and HesMines for reviewing!
Gibbs followed Ducky in to Tobias' room, leaving Hollis out in the corridor, looking vacantly at the room across the hall, the room her two people were losing the struggle for life in. The families had been anything but understanding, how could they? They were about to lose their loved one for the life of a child they didn't know or care about. They said two lives for one wasn't fair trade, but they didn't know about the full extent of the case, about just how many children had been taken from their families and how many more would have been if they hadn't killed the perv, whose name was still pending. The FBI had refused to give him one because all of the names they had found for him had been aliases, but Gibbs was confident Abby would find the man's real name.
Ziva looked around as they entered, the fixed smile on her face dropping a little into a relieved look. She had been trying her best to cater to Emily's needs, but it was quite taxing to smile all of the time when she didn't feel all that happy. She was relieved it was over, but letting the FBI take the case back felt like giving up, and she didn't like to leave a case unfinished. Besides, what would happen once they told the FBI they had solved their case, the case they had pretended to know nothing about? She shook herself from her thoughts and stood to one side so Gibbs and Ducky could see past her to Emily.
Emily Fornell was curled up with her father on the hospital bed, silent tears rolling down her cheeks, her eyes unfocussed. She was still in shock, but Tobias' presence was calming her. Tobias himself was staring contentedly at his daughter, his arms holding her to him tightly, giving away his every intention to never let her out of his sight again. He was fighting sleep to make sure she was still with him, and when he lifted his eyes to Gibbs, his arms tightened reflexively. He knew Gibbs was here to take her away from him, he knew he would take care of her, but a voice in his head told him Emily had been safe with Diane, and now she was dead. What was to stop Emily being taken from Gibbs or whoever he leaves her with?
The nurses in the room nodded to Ducky and Gibbs politely and then began to unhook Fornell from the wires around him. He would be taken to the ambulance now and they would take him to Bethesda. Gibbs walked over to Fornell and put a supportive hand on his shoulder.
"It's time." He said simply, and Tobias nodded. He shuffled around and then spoke softly to Emily.
"Hey Em, I need you to go with Agent Gibbs for a while. He'll look after you until you can visit me next." Tobias stared hard at Gibbs, letting him know he would definitely expect to see Emily regularly while he was at Bethesda, regardless of where she was supposed to be. Emily stared at her father and then nodded slowly, making a slightly pained look cross Tobias' face. He steeled himself and then gave her a gentle nudge towards the edge of the bed. "That's a good girl, Angel. Go on." She moved a little further to the edge and then Ziva approached her, lifting her off the bed and setting her on the floor. She didn't fuss or react to being touched, which both relieved and worried the adults around her.
"I will take her to the car." Ziva said, holding on to Emily's hand and walking her out into the hall, where Hollis took the other hand and the two women took her outside. Gibbs and Ducky moved out of the way, allowing the nurses to wheel Tobias out of the room and in to the hall, then they followed him all the way to the ambulance.
"I want to see her, Jethro, and I want to know how she is coping. I want to know everything. I'll discharge myself as soon as I can and take her home if it gets too bad." He enthused, not about to lay around in hospital when his daughter needed him.
"I'm asking Jenny to take her in. Living with a woman may be the best thing for her." Gibbs said, in an attempt to put him a little more at ease, by knowing she would be with a trustworthy person. Tobias frowned for a moment, but then he recalled Jenny had allowed him to work the case, she had allowed him to have any team he wanted to find Emily, rather than turning him away, which would have been the best thing for NCIS. She had put his daughter before the welfare of her Agency and the good(ish) relationship with the bureau.
She would be a good choice for Emily to be left with, even though Diane had hated her. Even that serpent tongued woman wouldn't begrudge Emily the care and attention of someone who had risked so much to help him. Well she probably could, but he couldn't. He nodded his agreement to Gibbs and then the ambulance crew closed the doors, the ambulance driving away. Gibbs and Ducky looked at one another and made their way to their car, hoping the trip to NCIS would be quick.
The hour long journey back to NCIS had been rather uneventful. Emily had begun to get more aware of her surroundings when they had entered the navy yard, but the presence of the two women around her had kept her from playing up or becoming scared. Ziva and Hollis stayed on either side of her, moving her to the back of the lift when they entered it so she was as far away from the men as possible. It worked, and they could only hope their good luck would last until Jenny got her home.
Gibbs and Ducky stepped off the lift and then made their way up the stairs past the bullpen. Jenny wouldn't leave until they came to tell her how the mission had gone, and hopefully convincing her to take Emily home would be an easy task. Gibbs waited for Ducky at the top of the stairs, earning him a surprised glance from the elderly ME. He didn't usually wait for anyone; in fact the only person he waited for on the stairs was Jenny, though that was usually because he was trying to win a disagreement. Ducky's confusion increased when Gibbs not only held the door to Cynthia's office open for him, but also smiled at the harassed looking assistant and waited for her to tell him to go in. Cynthia was so surprised she stared at him open mouthed for a few seconds before realising she had a chance to call ahead for once. She pounced on the intercom, casting a wary eye at Gibbs' strange behaviour.
"Do you feel the need for moral support, Jethro?" Ducky enquired, raising a sly eyebrow at his unexpected gallantry.
"No, just giving her no reason to turn me down." He glanced quickly at the barely suppressed smile on the ME's face and corrected himself. "To turn Emily down."
"Of course Jethro."
"You can go in now Agent Gibbs." Cynthia said to him, giving him a rare smile. He returned the gesture and opened the door, closing it after Ducky and then coming to stand in front of Jenny's desk. Jenny watched him warily, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Gibbs was only nice when it suited him, or when he had done something wrong. Cynthia's surprised voice had tipped her off to his uncommonly civil attitude, and after witnessing his behaviour towards her door, she was now very worried.
"Alright. What have you done and how much is it going to cost the Agency?" she asked, watching his face carefully. Gibbs smirked and then put an expression of mock hurt on his face.
"You're very suspicious Jen." he retorted.
"You're being nice, Jethro." she replied, and his expression changed slightly. He thought back to the other times he had been nice to her. He had brought dinner to her office at least twice, he let her steal his coffee without complaining and had brought her one after her kidnapping, he had complimented her on his return from his temporary retirement and… and… hmm. Was it bad that he could count those times on one hand, when she had been a part of his life again for two years? He looked over at her and resolved to try to change that, though she could put a little effort in, too.
"We came to give you a report on the mission." He said, keeping his tone light and putting on a genuine smile. Jenny's heart fluttered in response and she could feel an indulgent smile fighting to manifest itself. She squashed the impulse, blaming the Bourbon she had been drinking last night for her flirtatious behaviour. She cleared her throat and gestured for him to speak.
"Please, go on." She replied, leaning back to listen to the story.
"The mission was a tentative success." Ducky began and Jenny's eyebrows drew together. Tentative? Gibbs took over, explaining in detail what had happened, and then Ducky filled her in on the medical conditions of all involved. "Emily is in the squad room with Ziva and Colonel Mann."
"Why?" Jenny asked, a little confused as to why Gibbs hadn't taken the girl home already. He was, after all, Tobias' best friend. She had expected to hear that he had demanded that Jethro take her home. Ducky stayed quiet and looked at Jethro, making Jenny turn her curious gaze to him too.
"She has been traumatised by her captor, her male captor. I thought it would be better for her if she stayed with a female until she was better. Right Duck?" he said, hoping Ducky would back him up.
"That would be best, Jethro." Ducky agreed, watching Jenny carefully for any signs of refusal.
"Ziva can't do it, and Hollis will be continuing the investigation, so she wouldn't be at home, so…" Jethro trailed off and looked at her meaningfully. Jenny just looked back and waited for him to continue.
"So?" she prompted. Gibbs blinked, amazed that she hadn't figured it out already.
"I think it would be best, and Tobias agrees with me, if Emily stayed with someone who is constantly in a safe environment so she never feels threatened." Jenny still didn't seem to click so he clarified. "You."
Jenny looked away for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She wasn't surprised Jethro was trying to get her to look after the child; she had just hoped she had mistaken his intent. Of course she hadn't and that didn't sit well with her. She had stayed in her office since they had left last night, and spent quite some time finishing up her paper work and drinking. She wasn't proud of it, but she just needed to not feel for a while. The Bourbon had helped her to deal with losing la Grenouille, and it had put her thoughts and hurt feelings in a fluffy haze. It had worked its way through her system now so she had more clarity than she'd had just an hour ago, but she knew she was fresh. It really wasn't the best idea for her to try and look after a traumatised young girl when she couldn't really look after herself.
But not looking after her would tip them off that she had a problem, and she didn't, not really. It was just a coping mechanism; she only drank when she was depressed. Which is most of the time; after all, what good are you doing for your father's memory when you can't even catch his killer? She thought angrily. You've been trying for ten years and you're not getting any closer to him, just closer to failure. She shook her head, trying to chase away her negative thoughts. If Emily needed to stay with her for her safety then she could, just as long as she left again as soon as possible.
"Alright, I'll be going home now. Bring her down to the town car when Melvin brings it around." She said and then stood, collecting her already packed things and walking them to the door. Gibbs nodded and walked right out, leaving her to speak with Ducky. The older man watched her carefully, not speaking until she turned her slightly annoyed gaze to him.
"You've been drinking." He said simply. Jenny rolled her eyes irritably. Why did he care?
"Yes, a few hours ago." She replied somewhat testily. Ducky stopped her from leaving and pushed the door closed.
"You are still drunk Jennifer." He stated, looking at her seriously. She shook her head.
"No I'm fresh, it's working through me. She'll be fine with me Ducky; she doesn't even have to see me. Noemi will look after her if I can't." she told him as gently as she could. His eyes hardened and then turned sly.
"Why couldn't you Jennifer? You know now that you are taking her home. You also know that it would be silly to begin drinking again when you get home. You should just put her and then yourself to bed." He spoke softly, his voice reasonable and she found herself nodding, then she narrowed her eyes at his words.
"Is it a crime to enjoy a drink now and again?" she asked angrily. How dare he try to tell her what to do?
"No, but it is a crime to neglect a child." He replied frostily. He could see her struggling with the influence of the alcohol, but her mood was too black to put up much of a fight and that worried him. How long had this behaviour gone unnoticed? He had certainly never seen her drinking like this before, he would have said or done something if he had. This called for drastic measures.
"I'm not going to neglect her, Ducky; I could have been a good mother." She said to him, a wounded tone giving him pause when he was about to talk back to her. That sounded almost like defeat. Was there a reason she'd never had children? He thought back to what Jethro had said about children not being part of her 'five point plan'. What plan? Was this behaviour linked to it? Sometimes he wished knowing psychology made him a telepath, things would be so much simpler that way.
"Yes, you could have. Didn't you want them?" he said, the curiosity loud and clear in his voice.
"I didn't have the time." She replied, looking past him over at the wall mounted TV. It was off now, but she could still see his face. Her job wasn't finished yet, she would get him, and next time she wasn't backing down. Ducky followed her gaze, unaware of why she was staring at a blank screen, but unwilling to let his chance slip past him. She was forthcoming at the moment, perhaps she would give him the answers he wanted.
"Because of your five point plan?" he prompted and Jenny sucked in a breath almost like she had been punched and shook her head at him. This conversation was hitting too close to home for her liking. She couldn't hate herself any more for her past mistakes, leaving Jethro being one of the largest, most painful ones, but she couldn't talk about it yet, not until she had completed her goal. Having a friend tell her about what she could have had was too much for her.
"Ducky, don't." she whispered to him, her pained eyes pleading for him to drop the subject. He sighed and nodded.
"Very well, Emily is waiting for you." He let her leave and then followed her out, opting to take the stairs when she went to the elevator. She was obviously unsure of her footing and didn't want to fall on the stairs. Well at least she wasn't self destructive. Ducky caught Gibbs' eye and approached him.
"What kept you Duck?" Jethro asked, curious about the worried look on his face.
"Jethro, have you noticed anything off about Jennifer's drinking habits?" Ducky enquired, his apprehensive expression making Jethro search his memory for anything 'off'. He couldn't think of anything though.
"No, why?" he asked, lowering his voice slightly. Not that it was necessary since no one was in the squad room at the moment. Tony and McGee were down in Abby's lab trying to help her get through her work load and Ziva had taken Hollis and Emily down to the garage to wait for Jenny and her town car.
"I think she has a problem Jethro, and it worries me. I'm even thinking about going home with her; she wouldn't dare to throw me out, though it would make it easier for her to ignore Emily." Ducky replied just as quietly. He was very worried and at this moment he wasn't sure who he was more worried about; Jennifer or Emily. Gibbs shook his head, Ducky was too soft hearted to force Jenny to look after Emily by ignoring the child, but he wasn't.
"Tell you what Duck, I'll go over and check on her and Emily later today, how about that?" Gibbs said, compromising with his old friend and not realising he had played right into Ducky's hands. Ducky smiled gratefully, attempting to keep the smug grin from taking over his face. It was Jethro's fault Jennifer drank Bourbon and, if what his psychology training was informing him was correct; she drank it to feel connected to him. It was time he reaped what he had sown.
"I think that would be a very good idea, Jethro."
Jenny walked up to her town car and slid in the back, nodding to Melvin and waiting patiently for Ziva and Colonel Mann to bring Emily down so she could go home. She was tired, she had been up for a long time; the remnants of the alcohol making her even sleepier. All she wanted to do right now was slip into bed and sleep until tomorrow. She jolted when the car door opened and she realised she had nearly dropped to sleep.
She shuffled over and smiled at Ziva, who smiled back and then lifted Emily into the car. Jenny reached around her and buckled her in, and then remembered to buckle herself in. The bourbon influence was almost gone and she hadn't made a fool of herself in front of anyone. She looked back at Ziva, who was staring at her calculatingly. Great, another person to see her fresh today. Ziva didn't say anything; she just smiled encouragingly at her.
"I will come and see you later, Emily." She said to the staring girl and then she looked up at Jenny. "I will enquire with Agent Fornell about Emily's clothes and belongings." Jenny closed her eyes, nodded and then bit her lip. She hadn't thought of that, she hadn't even thought about what Emily would wear to bed. She would need to give her a pair of her old pyjamas, just for tonight. When Ziva brought the girl's things over she would be able to wear what she wanted. Ziva closed the car door and Melvin started the car, taking them out of the navy yard and towards home.
Jenny watched Emily throughout the short car ride, the girl stared at nothing in particular and sometimes a tear would escape from her eye, but other than that she did nothing. Jenny reached over to her and drew her into a one arm embrace. At first Emily stayed still and straight, but then she sagged into Jenny's warmth and buried her face in her chest. That was the first movement she had made that seemed like she'd made a conscious decision to do it. Jenny held her close for the entire ride home and when the car stopped, she unbuckled their belts and gathered Emily into her arms. The little girl clung to her, burying her face in her neck and not even looking around when Jenny stepped out of the car and carried her into her house.
"Well Emily, here we are. This is my home; I'm Jenny by the way." Jenny spoke softly to Emily in the hopes she would respond, or at least remember what she was being told. "You're safe here. I'm the Director of NCIS so I have my own security team too." she said, hoping that if she knew there was a team of security she would feel safer. Emily made no noise, nor did she lift her head from Jenny's neck. Jenny sighed quietly, wondering what she should do with her now. "What do you want to do now, Emily? Have a shower? A bath? Some supper? Go to bed?" she enquired, but Emily still didn't say.
Well it was relatively safe to assume she may need the toilet, so Jenny carried her upstairs, her arms beginning to ache. Emily was about eight years old, so she wasn't exactly heavy but she wasn't a small child either. Jenny pushed open the bathroom door and set Emily on her feet. Crouching down in front of her, Jenny attempted to catch her eye.
"Emily? Do you need the toilet, honey?" Emily did nothing at first but then slowly nodded her head. Jenny smiled and squeezed her hands encouragingly. "Alright, I'll leave you to it. I'll be just outside the door, ok?" Emily nodded again and Jenny turned around and closed the door behind her. She was responding to her and that was good. She stayed outside until the toilet flushed and then she knocked on the door. No sound came from within so Jenny gave it a few more seconds before opening the door and poking her head in. Emily was sat on the bath rug rubbing her dry hands on a towel, staring at the glossy white wall tiles.
"Emily?" Jenny said softly, but the girl didn't turn. It seemed her responses had come to an end. Jenny reached down to her and lifted her in her arms. Once she did that, Emily threw her arms around her and buried her face once again in her neck. The young girl's strange behaviour was really beginning to worry her, and Jenny decided that as soon as she put Emily to bed she would call Ducky.
"Do you want a shower or a bath, honey?" Jenny asked her gently. Emily clearly hadn't been washed since she had been taken from her home, but Jenny was wary of bathing her. Who knew how the girl would react to being unclothed by a stranger and really, she didn't seem capable of doing it by herself. Should she give it a go anyway? "Emily? I'm going to run you a bath alright?" she placed Emily back on the floor and then turned on the bath taps. She put the plug in and picked up a bottle of bubble bath. She showed the bottle to Emily.
"Would you like to have bubbles in your water?" Emily nodded once, and then continued to stare at nothing. Jenny resisted the urge to sigh, it wasn't Emily's fault, she was just traumatised. Jenny poured a generous amount in the water and mixed it in, watching the bubbles spring into existence. She wanted Emily to feel as comfortable as possible, and having lots of bubbles to hide in might do it. The bath filled slowly, and neither of them moved until it was full. Jenny turned the taps off and then turned Emily to look at her.
"Ok Emily I want you to listen carefully to me. I have filled the bath for you, do you want me to stay with you while you bathe or go?" Emily said nothing, but she did meet her eyes. "You went to the toilet by yourself; do you wish to bathe by yourself?" Emily nodded and then shook her head, a few tears springing into her eyes. Jenny hugged her and decided what she would do. She pulled back and then lifted Emily's chin so she could look right in her eye.
"How about this, I'll wait outside while you get undressed and into the water, and then if you feel you need me, you can call me in. Is that alright?" she asked her, and Emily nodded. Jenny smiled and then stood. "I'll get you something to wear for bed. Call me if you need me." She turned and left, closing the door behind her. This was a little harder than she had thought it was going to be. Moving quickly to her drawers, Jenny withdrew a pair of pyjamas with bottoms that had a string pull and stood outside the bathroom door. it was a full fifteen minutes until Emily called for her. Jenny opened the door and placed the pyjamas on the floor, then moved to the tub. Emily was dry from the shoulders up, which told Jenny she had probably just sat in the water staring into space the entire time. She knelt by the tub.
"Emily, would you like me to wash your hair?" She nodded and Jenny smiled, picked up a cup and some shampoo and began to pour water on her hair to wet it, then squeezed the shampoo onto her head. Emily didn't move while Jenny washed her hair, nor did she move when she rinsed out the suds. Jenny decided it would be safer to just get Emily to bed, so she pulled the plug out and held up a towel, closing her eyes so Emily didn't feel self-conscious. She opened them again when she felt the towel get tugged from her hands and then she began to vigorously dry the little girl, and then dressed her in the pyjamas. She then lifted Emily back into her arms, feeling her bury her face once more in her neck, and carried her into her guest bedroom.
During the short trip she felt Emily's small fingers threading into her short red hair, and her heart skipped a beat. Her red hair, the same colour as the girl's mothers. She sighed softly and gave Emily a squeeze. Her mother wasn't here, but she was. She placed Emily on the bed and then pulled up the covers. Emily grabbed her hand and refused to let go of her, so Jenny sat on the edge of the bed and watched her fall asleep.
Emily looked so peaceful while she slept, and Jenny felt her heart melting. She would have been a great mother; she could have had a few children by now if she hadn't left Jethro in Paris. If only she… but it didn't matter now. She had made her choice and he would never forgive her, and definitely never take her back. She had made her bed, now she had to lie in it, no matter how lonely it was. She brushed Emily's hair back from her face and pressed a kiss on her forehead. Her little girl would have looked similar to Emily; she knew it in her heart. Maybe it wasn't too late, maybe… Jenny closed her eyes, thinking of her own daughter and joined Emily in slumber.