For Jennifer Sheppard the day had been, eventful (For lack of a better word).
Interesting? Definitely.
She had spent it cleaning up a certain Agent's mess, an occurrence that had become to be more and more routine in the last couple of months. But, this time there wasn't just his little blonde girlfriend tagging along making her job harder. No, this time it was two people who probably didn't think very highly of her.
They had every right to be angry towards her; hell she would be angry at herself if she was in their shoes.
Why?
For having an affair with a married man, who was at the time her boss.
For falling for said man, and letting him get under her skin.
For sitting and wasting her time contemplating things she could do nothing about.
For still letting him get to her.
Dragging her mind from the thought of the day's events she turned her attention outside the tinted windows of her details car.
Almost there, almost there, almost there…
She was so fed up with working late only to come home and be too tired to enjoy a hot bath or a good book, and that was the reason for taking an early day. While it was normal for most to get home before the sun set, it was early for her. Way early, since she usually doesn't come home at all.
As the car finally turned into her driveway she felt herself relax. That is until she noticed another car waiting for her. Not only was she surprised but Stanley and the rest of her detail refused to let her get out of the car. Instead, they excited with their guns raised high ready to shoot.
Of course her detail had a fit, but soon realized it was not a threat and they allowed her to exit the car.
Of all people she wished to see, Diane was not one of them. Of all the people she had expected, Diane would've been at the bottom of her list. Jenny didn't even know that Diane knew where she lived.
Fornell. Jenny thought. I'm going to kill him with my bare hands.
"Your detail almost shot me," the redhead standing on her front porch called out to her as she snatched her briefcase from the backseat.
"It's their job, death threats seem to pile up like paperwork, these days," Jenny said giving Diane a sideways glance as she unlocked her front door.
"Well, I'm not here to kill you," Diane stated with a small smile. "Promise."
"If you're not here to kill me, why are you here?" Jenny asked her as Diane stepped inside her front door and into the hallway, both of them walking into Jenny's study where she dropped her suitcase by the desk and sat at one of the armchairs urging Diane to do the same.
"Just to talk."
Jenny stood up walking over to her little collection of bourbon. No doubt this talk would require it. She poured two glasses as Diane joined her.
"You picked that up from him too?" Diane asked sipping form the glass that was handed to her.
She just replied by taking a deep drink of her Bourbon.
"I don't like her," Diane stated.
Jenny tilted her head as if to ask who her was. She didn't have to, of course. She knew who they were talking about; Lieutenant Colonel Hollis Mann.
"You didn't like me either," Jenny pointed out. Diane had never liked her, even before her relationship with Jethro. Diane had always suspected that Jethro was cheating on her with Jenny. Though, she could never prove it to be true.
"That hasn't changed. I still don't."
"Is that all you wanted to tell me? You still don't approve of me?" Jen asked turning to face the other woman.
"Well if it makes you feel better, I don't like her anymore than I like you," Diane paused looking over at the other woman. "If anything, I actually like you better."
"Thanks," Jen replied with sarcasm. She was surprised how easy this conversation was coming, when just hours ago they had been ready to kill each other.
"I'm not staying long; have to get home to Emily." Diane said setting her half empty glass on the desk. "You know, he's just doing the same thing all over again. He is going to marry her if you don't stop it."
"It's not my concern whom Agent Gibbs marries, and I have no right to interfere in his personal life," Jen stated avoiding Diane's piercing eyes knowing what she would find there.
"You can keep telling your self that. But, when you do realize you two were and still are good together, I hope it's not too late." Diane said walking closer to her and handing her a box.
Jenny looked down at the delicate brown leather box. "What's this?"
"It was Jethro's grandfather's," Diane stated watching as Jenny opened the little box revealing an antique watch, its second hand filling in the silence with slow ticks.
"It's beautiful," Jenny breathed out outlining the watch. She looked up at Diane, her green eyes clouded by confusion. "Why are you giving me this?"
"Jethro had told me, that it's a family heirloom," Diane explained. "It should stay with his family."
That was the last thing Diane said before she walked out of the study and the front door leaving Jen in her study looking down at a watch.
Some people could still surprise Jen.
Hollis Mann sat at the stairs of his basement watching him sand the boat. His calloused hands were working flawlessly on the boat that he was calling 'Kelly'.
"Who's Kelly?" Hollis asked him for what seemed like the millionth time. A part of her wasn't really expecting an answer, but she was still hopeful that he would just this once.
Gibbs sighed wiping his hands at the small towel walking over to his workbench to add some more varnish.
"Holli…"
"Well she obviously meant a lot to you," Hollis observed. "Otherwise you wouldn't be naming the boat after her."
"She did mean a lot to me," Gibbs admitted shocking Hollis a bit. Still dose, will always, Gibbs thought. Kelly was always going to be a part of him, for better or worse. She will always be his daughter.
"How, Jethro?" Hollis started. "Was she an ex-wife? An ex-girlfriend? Someone who was in your team? You have to let me in, Jethro."
Gibbs didn't say anything but just continued on working on the boat. Hollis knew that sometimes, he just didn't want to talk. Okay, he didn't want to talk most of the time, but it wasn't his fault. It was just that, with Hollis, it just felt a little off.
"I bet Diane knows who she is," Hollis muttered loud enough for him to hear. "I bet even Stephanie and your Director."
"You leave them out of this, Hollis."
"Why don't you just tell me who she is?!" Hollis exclaimed walking down the steps and coming closer to him. "What's so important about her that you'd be willing to hide her identity for our relationship?"
They could hear the click-clock of heels coming towards the stairs. They both turned to the stairs expecting someone to come down. They weren't disappointed when Stephanie Flynn poked her head inside the door.
"Am I interrupting something?" she asked them looking from Gibbs to Hollis then back to Gibbs.
"No," Gibbs answered roughly.
Stephanie nodded walking down the stairs taking one step at a time. She could feel the heated atmosphere between the two lovers, and it wasn't a good heated either. She heard Hollis' exclamation from where she was upstairs and flinched at it unconsciously. It was one of the sore subjects for Jethro, his old family. It did surprise her thought that he was making a boat for his dead daughter.
His boats were a sign that he was letting the women go. He made one after Diane, herself, his mother and Shannon. But his daughter, it was something that she would never have imagined he would make a boat for, Kelly, and Jenny too.
"I… just came to bring you these," Stephanie said reaching deep into her right pocket for something she had found but refused to let go off. It was his dog tags. Letting go of them, returning them, somehow meant that she was letting him go. Returning his heart when she never really had it to begin with. "I found them in the drawer… about six years ago."
"I thought I lost them," Jethro said nodding holding his hand out for her to drop it in.
Hollis looked at the two awkwardly, taking three steps away from Jethro. "I'm just gonna… leave you two alone."
"No, no," Stephanie said shaking her head making her way up the stairs again. "I'm not staying."
She could tell that she needed to leave at that moment. They looked like they needed to talk, and she knew that Hollis was the one who was gonna do most of the talking.
"I'll walk you out," Gibbs said falling a step behind.
Stephanie looked back meeting Hollis' eye before looking over at the name of the boat that was beautifully written. "Good luck."
There was no malice behind Stephanie's words. If anything, she had meant them. Hollis Mann needed all the good wishes that she could get. Falling in love with a man is hard enough as it is. Falling in love with a man who is still clearly in love with another woman isn't even on the same scale. Stephanie would know. She's been in that position more times that she would care to admit.
"Thanks," Hollis replied trying not to read too much on her words or actions. She saw the look that Stephanie had when she glanced over at the name Kelly. She must know who Kelly is as well.
Her eyes followed them as they went up the stairs. Jethro, being the gentleman that he is, had his hand at the small of Stephanie's back leading her, yet letting her lead at the same time.
"It's sweet," Stephanie commented as they got through the door. Gibbs looked at her to continue. "Naming your boat after her. I gotta say, Jethro. Naming a boat after Kelly, it's something I never expected you to do."
"Why's that?"
"You build boats for the women who left you," Stephanie stated. "You built one for all three of your ex-wives, for your mother. Even for Shannon. You build them when you've finally let go of them."
Gibbs remained silent as they walked through his front lawn. An image of Kelly playing there flashed through his mind and he quickly shook it off.
"It's good, Jethro," Stephanie said. "You're finally letting her have her peace."
Gibbs nodded. "Heard you quit your job."
It was a distraction tactic and Stephanie knew that she should take it. He wanted to change the subject and it wasn't her job to push him to talk anymore. While she took that bait, Hollis Mann sat inside the basement tracing her fingers of the name Kelly. She was going stir crazy down there while Gibbs and Stephanie were upstairs.
She walked over to his workbench seeing a tape player there.
"Jethro, you never cease to surprise me," she says as she takes the case of the tape player wanting to look at what he was listening to. It was an empty clear case. The investigator in her wanted her to press it, the lover wanted to just leave it alone.
This time, she had let the investigator side of her win. It's better to seek forgiveness, than ask permission. Wasn't that one of his rules? Well, she'd just seek forgiveness for pressing the play button that seemed like was calling her name.
"Music," she says as she hears the tone of a familiar children song. She walked over to the boat to resume the task he had started, thinking that they would be up there for a while.
Hollis was on the process of changing the sheet of the sander so that she can sand the boat with the grain, she thought with a smile. When all of the sudden, a voice so innocent rang throughout the basement.
"What do you think, Daddy?" the innocent voice of a little girl asked. Hollis could hear the smile from her voice. "I got second place!"
"You would've been proud of her, Jethro."
Another foreign voice. One that no doubt belonged to an older woman, a redhead, perhaps.
"I love you Daddy," the little girl said. It sounded so innocent that it almost broke Hollis' heart to hear it. Daddy? Jethro was a father. He had fathered a young girl who was no doubt named Kelly. "When you come home, I'll be really good at it, I promise."
Hollis was so caught up by this revelation into the elusive Leroy Jethro Gibbs' life that she failed to hear his footsteps coming down from the stairs. She walked closer, slowly, to the tape player almost afraid that if she touched it, the people talking in there would come to life.
"I love you," the young girl said.
"Kiss for daddy," her mother said.
"I love you, Daddy. I love you," the young girl said.
"I love you Jethro. We miss you."
The tape stopped and Hollis stood in her spot speechless. She sensed him behind her turning around to see his defeated body, sitting on a step atop the staircase.
"I…" Hollis started not sure what she wanted to say. She knew how Gibbs felt about apologies and she wasn't really sure if she was sorry for finding out about them.
Gibbs met her green eyes and she knew that whatever she was even meaning to say was useless.
She had found his biggest secret. She got her answer; he had named his boat after his daughter who, whether was dead or alive was no longer with him.
She knew that this was it. This was the end, because just looking at him, and the pain in his eyes. She didn't think she could bear to see it anymore ever again.