And there ain't no point in the words I write
There ain't no way to know me
But it sure felt right when I saw your eyes
But now they feel like, oh yeah they feel like Mondays…

Mando Diao – All My Senses

Chapter VII – The New Life

Finally Kate pulled into the drive-way and they could get a first proper view of their new home. Although it was dark they could make out the silhouette of the two-story house considerably well.

"Pretty large for three persons…" Jethro mumbled and Caitlin nodded. They decided to move from New York to Vermont in the night so they wouldn´t draw too much attention on them. The two got out of the car and the former brunette got the sleeping Brady out of his seat, while Gibbs rounded the car to get some of their bags with the stuff they bought in New York.

He was still wondering when he was on a shopping tour the last time. The trip had been weird in his own way they had to buy everything from clothes over toiletries and toys for the five-year-old to groceries. But the strangest part had been the one when they had to change their hair. It was easy with Brady since they only shortened his hair a few inches and it was mostly the same with Gibbs. The long strains were gone now, but Kate had the most drastic change. Her hair had a deep auburn shade now and was shorter.

"Well there had to be an upside of being here." She said and the silver-haired man decided to just overhear the bitter tone in her voice. He knew she wasn´t feeling good in this situation but neither he did and Brady surely didn´t too. The boy was quieter since they left Washington but wouldn´t talk about what was bothering him, so there was no change on that aspect.

The trio went inside and Caitlin laid the child into his bed, he woke up when they stepped into the room which was obviously his. He didn´t say anything just changed into his pajamas and fell asleep in his new bed again. It looked like the Marshals bought a few things for them as well. After she was sure that Brady was sleeping relatively peaceful the now redheaded woman went downstairs again where Gibbs was rummaging through the kitchen cabinets. "What are you looking for?"

"Coffee…" The gray-haired man mumbled and opened the next cabinet, so Kate could watch him for a moment. She had to admit that she liked his new haircut pretty much, though she liked the old one too because it was just him, but the short hair looked even better.

"It is two in the morning." The younger woman replied and watched her `husband´ starting the coffee machine. "I still don´t know how you can drink coffee on every occasion and at any time."

"It helps me to think clearly." He stated simply and glanced at the crutches leaning against the counter. Of course the Marshals supplied him with a pair, but as well as in D.C. he wouldn´t use them. "I´m wondering what else they arranged for us."

"Yeah, you´re lucky you have a job I´ll stay here and pick up law school again. I´m just glad they didn´t make me a full-time housewife." Caitlin said and went towards the living room. "But I´m really concerned about Brady, he is back to talking only about the essential stuff."

"Kids are tough they adjust better to new situations than you think. Give him some time, I´m sure he will come around and talk to one of us as soon as he is ready." The red-haired woman nodded but looked at him questioning. The determination in his voice was confusing to Kate and he recognized her look. He took his coffee and limped after his `wife´, sitting down on the sofa next to her.

"Why are you so sure about that?"

"We had to move quite some times when I was on active duty." He paused and recognized that his companion looked up at the word `we´. "I was actually married four times. I just don´t like to talk about the first one."

Kate just furrowed a brow and remained silent, she was still a little clueless what he was talking about, but she was sure he would go straight to the point within the next sentences. "My first wife –Shannon- witnessed the murder of a Marine. She decided to testify and was under protection. Their driver was shot while driving and triggered a crash. Shannon and Kelly never made it to hospital while I was in Kuwait attending Desert Storm."

"Oh god…" Kate whispered at the lack of other words which made sense to her at the moment. For a moment hid blue eyes met her brown ones and she could see all the painful memories replaying on his mind. Immediately she understood why he wasn´t talking about them, it was too painful for him and he wasn´t able to hide such strong emotions in front of people who knew him, unlike he did it with every other emotion. "And Kelly was…?"

"My daughter, she was only eight at that time." Gibbs answered her question and her eyes widened even more. The gray-haired man looked down and stared into his coffee.

"I´m really sorry, Jethro…" The redhead said and squeezed his arm in a comforting way. He looked up at her and nodded his thanks. His CO said the same when he told him that they were dead, except for the fact that he addressed him as Gunnery Sergeant.

"It´s late… Maybe we should go to bed." The gray-haired man said and the younger woman nodded, respecting it that he changed the topic. The two stood up and after he drowned his coffee in the sink they went upstairs in silence. They discovered another bathroom and a study and finally the master bedroom. "I can take the futon in the study if you want."

"No… No, it´s okay." Kate replied and the two went inside. They changed into something suitable for the night, but before they could lie down in their shared bed a soul-piercing cry echoed through the rooms. "Oh crap…"

The younger woman went over to Brady´s room and found the boy twisting violently in his sheets, but he was still asleep and obviously having a nightmare. She went over to his bed and sat down on the edge, rubbing his back to sooth him without waking him up at all.

"Momma…" He whispered and slowly calmed down. The blond boy was still sleeping and Caitlin sighed. She already assumed that he would have nightmares, but being in the situation to calm him was different story than just thinking about it.

"No honey, I´m sorry I´m not your momma…" She said and stood up when she was sure that the five-year-old was in a dreamless sleep again. Leaving his door ajar and the light in the hall turned on, the red-haired woman entered her own bedroom again. Gibbs was still sitting on the edge of their bed and she sat down next to him, sighing. "He had a nightmare, I just hope that you are right…"

"Well, we´ll find a way to cope with this situation for him too." Jethro said and laid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer when he didn´t feel any resistance. This time he took one more step and kissed her head, deciding that he could go that far. Afterwards Caitlin looked up at him and a small smile appeared on her lips. Now he knew that it was the right decision.

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I fixed that obey/agree thing in the last Chapter, thanks for pointing it out. Same as always please review, take care.