A/N: Sorry for the longish update….I just was in the procrastinating mood :). Thank you Jeanne for helping me out with this chapter when I got lazy.
Enjoy!
Chapter Seven; Histories
"Ughhh!" Andrea flopped down on the couch in her sister's living room ungracefully.
"Feel better?" Jen asked sarcastically standing over Andrea's disheveled form.
"Shut up."
Jenny gave her a sad smile and turned to go upstairs.
Andrea let out a huge sigh in the overly quite house; she didn't understand how Jen could live in such a dark place that held so many memories, good and bad.
It had been snowing all day and well into the night; they were going to have a white Christmas. The door bust open and two little girls ran into the house. Snow was falling off their jackets and was being ground into the hard wood floor by their matching pink snow boots.
The oldest one, barely eleven, had flaming red hair that hung in two loose braids and her shoulder turned to her four year old sister. "Were gonna hide from Mommy and Daddy okay?"
She just nodded in return; her blonde hair falling into her eyes.
"Come on Andy." Jenny grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her up the stairs enthusiastically.
Just as they made it into the closet of the room they shared a winded man and a laughing woman entered the foyer. Spotting the puddles of water their children had left the red-headed woman turned to her husband. "I think they're hiding."
"Well then let's find 'em." He said grinning.
"Jennifer Marie" They called as they headed in different directions. "Andrea Elaine!"
--
The little girls were still in the closet trying hard not to giggle as they heard their parents go through room by room looking for them. By the time they heard them in the blue painted bedroom next to their pink one Jenny knew the jig was almost up.
As their father opened the door she jumped out and into his arms. Andy sat still sucking her thumb stopping only to ask for her 'Momma'.
-0-0-0-0-
They had been polar opposites as children. Jenny was daddy's little girl and Andy her mothers daughter. Jenny had bright red hair and fierce green eyes, while Andrea was the softer of the two with white hair and robin-egg-blue eyes. Jenny would speak her mind and always be the boss in their games while her little sister was content to just follow her big sister's lead. They had been different, but close.
Or at least close until one faithful day not long after Andrea's eighth birthday. Jen had been out with her friends; she was fifteen and way too cool to spend her time at home with her annoying little sister, their father was on a business trip and Andrea was at home with her mother.
It would be two days till Jasper Shepard would return from his Pentagon conference and the family had planned to have a Barbeque in honor of his return.
"Andy we have to run to the store." Jacquelin Shepard called to her youngest daughter who sat in her bedroom playing with a doll. The doll wasn't hers, it was Jenny's, but Andrea had always liked it, and Jenny had never wanted to give it up. (She may be fifteen but she had the right to keep some of her favorite toys.) Andrea hopped up off her bed and snuck into the room next to hers. True, it was painted blue, but Jenny had decided she could make do with the color in exchange for her personal space. The little girl opened the bottom drawer of her sister's bureau and laid the doll lovingly inside it.
She had just hopped out of her sister's room and was in the process of closing the door when her mother snuck up behind her. "Were you just playing with Jenny's doll?"
Instead of answering Andrea just blushed and kicked at the carpet.
"That's okay if you were," Her mother said squatting down to be face to face with her. "I won't tell." She smiled and held out a jacket for Andrea to put on.
--
The whole backseat of the car was full up with groceries and one very squished eight year old. She had begged her mom to let her sit up front but Jacquelin had stood her ground. So now she sat pouting on the drive home from the market. It was getting dark, and what happened next was unexpected. To both the mother and daughter and the drunk driver that was headed straight for them.
--
Jenny and Jasper Shepard raced into the Emergency Room. He had been able to leave the conference early and was planning on surprising his family. But, instead of coming home to the welcoming arms of his wife and daughters, the house was empty. Not five minutes into him being home he had received a call noting that his wife and youngest had been in a car accident. He had headed towards the hospital picking up Jenny on the way.
"Family of Andrea Shepard?" An older nurse asked from the nurse's station.
They both headed up to her.
"She is doing fine, has a few cuts and bruises but should be able to go home tonight." The nurse said not hesitating to give the eager family members any good news she could. "You can go in and see her, room 4A, end of the hall."
Jasper nodded his thanks to her and walked into the room where Jenny was already next to Andrea, who was sitting up legs dangling over the edge of the bed.
"Where is Momma?" The little blonde girl asked her father.
"I don't know Andy." Jenny said embracing her sister.
Just then a somber looking doctor had entered the already crowded room. "Are you the family of Jacquelin Shepard?"
The two girls nodded and the older one helped her sister off the hospital bed.
"I'm sorry, she didn't make it."
At that the youngest girl broke down into tears, not understanding how her mother could just be gone. Jenny held her sister and silently cried while the doctor led a stunned Jasper out of the room to identify the body and explain the injuries that ultimately caused her death.
Jenny had turned to her father even more than usual after her mother's death. Andrea had felt lost, sure she loved her father, but her mother had been her confidant. Jenny and Jasper were so much alike, they spent time in the study him working and her doing her homework. She had been interested in his military career and he didn't hesitate to teach her to shoot; never mind the fact that she wasn't a boy. Andrea had been the one who would help in the kitchen and play house when her mother had the time.
Growing up she almost resented her sister, she had got to grow up with a mother and father for the most of her childhood. Jenny had got to have her father at her graduation and through college. Jasper died a year before Andrea had a chance to graduate. She was ripped of both her parents and her sister had closed herself off.
It was odd, to be spending so mush time with Jen after years of little to no contact. But they fell into a rhythm that came naturally to the sisters. And Andrea just hoped that with this new found connection they could stay in touch.
Jen headed down the stairs dressed in comfortable pajama bottoms and a NIS t-shirt that may have at one point belonged to an agent that had been around for the switch to NCIS. She handed Andrea an NCIS t-shirt and similar pants. After she had dressed Andy left the bathroom and flopped back onto the couch while she waited for Jenny to get done lighting the fire.
"How come mine has more letters than yours?" She asked noticing the deference in their shirts.
"They changed the name a few years back." Jen said settling into an overly squishy armchair. "Do you wanna talk about him?" She asked.
"Not really." Andrea answered. "Do you wanna talk about him?"
Jen looked confused for a second. "Who?"
"The guy who you stole that shirt from." She said with a small grin.
"How do you know I stole this shirt from anyone? I am The Director you know, I can get a shirt from my agency." Jen said.
"I'm not stupid Jenny; you weren't in the agency when they were NIS." Andrea said. "I'll make you a deal…."
Jen sat up to look at her sister properly, waiting for her to finish with her proposal.
"You tell me about Mr. NIS…. Who I'm sure I've met today… and I'll tell you about Aaron." Andrea said as she put her legs up on the ottoman in front of her, looking way to self assured.
Jen pondered the deal, she really didn't want to talk about Gibbs, but she did want Andrea to talk about Aaron, it can be hard enough loosing someone; especially after you've lost enough people already. "Deal."
"You gonna get us a drink?" Andrea said teasing her sister who did just as she asked returning with two beers. "Beer?"
"I'm getting a little tired of Bourbon." Jenny lied, she could never get tired of it. Honestly she just thought Bourbon was too oppressive for the .
"Okay, well I'll start." Andrea opened her bottle with the opener Jen had handed her and reached over to do the same for her sister. "Where did you meet Gibbs- I mean Mr. NIS?"
She shot her sister a glare after sipping her beer. "I met him when I was a probie, he was team leader."
"Too vague. I need details."
"1997 at the office you just spent all day at." Jen added.
"Hmmm. What desk did you sit at?" Andrea asked shifting on the couch.
"Ziva's desk." Jen paused. "I already know where you met Aaron, so how long were you two together?"
"Only about six months officially."
Jen cocked her head to the side, only guessing what un-officially meant.
"Yeah he took me on a couple 'Friend' dates before he technically asked me out." Andy chuckled. "You?"
"Officially?" She asked to clarify.
"When was the first date?" Andy asked.
"Well we never really had a first date….." Jen drawled.
"Well then when was the first time you guys…you know.."
At this Jenny started laughing and turned a light pink with embarrassment. "An attic in Marseilles."
"And the last time?"
Jen nearly choked on her drink. "I believe it was my turn." She needed to get away from the topic of the last time.
"Fine, avoid my question, but just know I'll ask it again." Andrea said finishing off her beer and walking to the fridge to get two more.
When she got back Jen asked the question she spent the small break coming up with. "Did you love him?"
Andrea stopped in her tracks at the bluntness of Jenny's question. She settled back down on the couch and opened the new beers before answering. "I think so."
Jen had opened her mouth to say something comforting, but Andy didn't want to hear it. "So my turn right?"
Jenny nodded, knowing that if Andrea didn't want to go into it than she shouldn't push.
"When was the last time?" Andrea asked with a smirk; this was the question Jenny had been avoiding.
"Paris." Jen said taking a particularly large drink of her beer. "1999"
"Did you love him?" Andrea mimicked Jen's earlier question.
"Yeah."
"Do you still?" Andrea asked. She knew she was venturing into dangerous territory; she could face the red-headed wrath of her sister, or her sister could break down and cry. She didn't know which one was worse.
"It's not that simple," Jenny said finishing her beer exceptionally quick.
"Yeah it is. It's black and white; you love him or you don't."
"He kissed me today." Jen blurted out hoping it would suffice as a decent distraction tactic.
Andrea's face lit up. "When? Before or after your date?" She teased.
"It wasn't a date!" Jenny said throwing a pillow at Andy. "And it was after, only an hour or so before we left."
They sat laughing quietly before Andrea had an epiphany. "Are all the old movies mom used to watch still here?"
"Yeah I think they're in attic. Any specific one you have in mind?" Jen said grabbing the empty beer bottles and heading for the kitchen.
"Casablanca."
"Okay." Jen said walking up the stairs.
-0-0-0-0-
The movie was close to ending and Andrea was long asleep on one half of the couch. Jenny on the other hand was fighting the urge to close her eyes just so she could hear her favorite line.
"We'll always have Paris,"
There it was, she could finally sleep. And sleep she did.
-0-0-0-0-
It was too late when she realized that the banging wasn't caused by someone out of her dream. She realized this tiny fact when she felt a looming prescience beside her. She could smell the signature scent that mixed sawdust, coffee and bourbon – it was a smell that she was all too familiar with and could spot anywhere. It was the smell of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
"Jethro," Jenny called out in a husky voice as she opened her eyes and met his bright blue ones amusement clearly written in them.
"Shouldn't be sleeping on the couch, Jen," Gibbs told her seeing her position and how much pain she would be in the next day. Andrea was laying across the couch her head on Jenny's lap while Jen was sitting up, her head thrown back. Gibbs eyed the younger Shepard intently. "How she holding up?"
"She's fine. We were just watching Casablanca, try to re-connect," Jenny admitted knowing Gibbs could read her anyway.
"You two fix your problems?" Gibbs inquired watching as Jenny slowly lifted her sister's head and slipped out from the couch, putting a pillow to support her sister's head.
Jenny ignored the question leading Gibbs near the hallway thought still having her sister in her line of sight. "What are you doing here Jethro?"
"Brought dinner," Gibbs said motioning to the kitchen where he had detoured leaving the take out that he had bought for the three of them. "Didn't feel like eating by myself."
Jenny shook her head not buying into his explanation. "What are you really doing here?"
"Wanted to see how you were holding up," Gibbs replied honestly though he knew that Jenny had been aware of his intentions since she saw him. "So how are you doing?"
"I'm fine," Jenny replied her right eye twitching. In retrospect though, she was fine but this case, her sister being here and the usual hardships that her job brought was taking its toll on her. She was tired.
Gibbs looked at her not believing her seeing her right eye. He kept looking at her until she finally shrugged and sighed admitting to him how he was feeling. "I'm tried, but it's nothing a goodnight's sleep won't fix."
Gibbs followed Jenny's line of sight seeing her focus on her younger sister who would for sure wake up with kinks in her back the way she was sleeping. So, without further ado, Gibbs walked up to the couch lifting Jenny's sister up. Andrea didn't even twitch; it was a trait that separated her from Jenny. Her sister slept like a log, so content with the world. It was a trait that Jenny wishes that her sister would never loose.
Jenny followed as Gibbs walked up the stairs walking up to the guest room that used to be her sister's room. He placed her on the bed and walked out to the hallway leaving her alone to say goodnight to her little sister and tuck her in just as she had so many times after their mother had died.
She walked into the hallway walking with Gibbs side by side down the stairs and into the study knowing that there would be Bourbon in their near future. It was just how they did things. She sat down on the oversized couch as Gibbs went and poured them two glasses of bourbon.
"You never told me about her," Gibbs started as he handed her, her glass. Jenny stared in the fire letting the silence fill the air as she mulled the words in her head.
"Never came up," Jenny said. "You never told me about Shannon and Kelly. I think we're even."
Gibbs nodded his head not knowing what to say. He did know how Jenny felt, the less people who knew her sister; the less she would be put in danger because of something Jenny did. He understood that, he really did, but he at least thought that he was one of the people that Jenny could trust. Obviously he was wrong.
"What you gonna do now?" Gibbs asked her. She had always been one step ahead of the game; it was a trait that he loved about her.
After a few beats, Gibbs figured that she wasn't going to say anything more. He drank the rest of his bourbon and just as he was about to walk out of the study, he heard Jenny's faint whisper.
"I don't know," Jenny mumbled still focused on the fire cracking in her fireplace.
Gibbs walked back to where she was sitting engulfing her into an embrace letting her head fall on his shoulder as she fought for control. Distancing herself from her sister was supposed to keep her out of this exact trouble she was in now.
"It's okay, I'm here," Gibbs whispered to her comforting her.
"Thank you, Jethro."
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