I am so sorry for such a long wait. I had absolutely NO ideas with how to proceed. Everything seemed wrong. If you have ANY IDEAS AT ALL, please PM me. I'll give you credit if you'd like! I hope to start writing again, but it is quite possible I could go on another hiatus. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Jude's POV
I woke up the next morning with pain searing through both of my hands. I laid in my bed and silently recalled the events of last night. Callie had been taken from me. I had an NI flashback. I beat the crap out of one of the pillars on the porch.
"Jude! It's time to get up and get ready!" Lena's voice cut through my thoughts. "We need to leave for NCIS in less that 20 minutes."
"Okay, I'll be down soon." I called back but I didn't move. I continued to stare at my ceiling until I absolutely had to get up. Quickly I threw on some clean clothes and ran down to meet Lena at the car.
We drove in silence to the naval base. I could tell that she wanted to ask me a million questions. Her restraint was obvious but I was grateful for it.
"Okay, love. Mom will pick you up at four o'clock for your doctor's appointment. Call if you need anything." Lena leaned across the center console and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Will do. Bye, mama. I'll see you later tonight." I climbed out of the car and smiled when she blew a kiss my way.
I pulled my bag over my shoulder and winced in pain when the cuts on my hand were stretched open. Rose, the receptionist at the front desk gave me a loving smile and handed me my visitor's badge when I walked in the building. I pulled a peach from my bag and she handed me a thermos full of apple cider. It was our usual exchange whenever I visited.
I sipped on the warm drink as I rode the short ride to the main floor of NCIS. The usual buzz of the squad rooms was like music to my ears. Even though it was chaotic it was incredibly comforting. Life at New Intelligence never slowed down. It was something I had become accustomed to.
"Jude!" Connor rounded the corner with a smile spread across his entire face. "I didn't know you were coming in today! My dad STILL hasn't heard back from the school I'm supposed to be going to so I'm stuck here again."
"I'm sorry dude. I understand wanting to get back to school. But does it really get that boring here?" We walked towards the desks as we talked.
"Well it does for me. I wish I could ride along with them when they catch a case but my dad says its way too dangerous. So I basically wander around here all day bored out of my mind. Callie keeps me company but she's been super busy trying to get her paperwork done so I try not to bother her." Connor plopped down on Agent DiNozzo's chair and propped his feet up on the desk. "Speaking of your sister, where is she? She and Ziva were supposed to be here like four hours ago."
"Some stuff came up last night but they should be here any minute now." My cheeks reddened a little. I was embarrassed about my tantrum last night. Connor must have read my expression because he didn't question me.
We sat in silence for a few minutes. I was trying to think of a good conversation topic. Luckily the elevator doors opened and Callie and Ziva entered the squad room.
"Callie!" I jumped up from her desk and embraced her in a tight hug. "I'm so happy to see you."
"What happened to your hands?!" She pushed me back from her a little and carefully turned my hands over in her own.
"I had a flashback. I really don't want to talk about it." I hung my head in shame.
"It's okay buddy. You don't have to." Callie kissed the top of my head and then slung her arm around my shoulders and led me back to her desk.
"Callie, I'm going to go call Stef and Lena. Let Gibbs know where I am if he comes up here." Ziva said as she ran up to the conference room for privacy.
"What happened? Did everything go okay with Ellie?" I asked quietly.
"Yeah, everything went really well. Ziva got approved to be my guardian until I have my evaluation. That's going to happen in a couple days. So hopefully I'll be back home by Saturday." Callie rubbed her fingers through her wavy hair. I knew she was frustrated but she was doing a good job of keeping her cool.
"Stef and Lena seem very confidant that you'll be able to come back. They believe in you."
"I know, but it isn't up to them. If this doctor thinks I'm a threat I'll go to a high-risk group home until I turn eighteen. I would barely be able to see you." She grasped my hand gently and gave it a light squeeze. "I think that would kill me." Her voice was becoming shaky.
"It's not going to happen. You just have to keep telling yourself that."
Callie smiled weakly at me. "I'm going to go talk to Ducky for a little bit. I want to know how my bruises are healing. Come down in fifteen minutes or so. I want him to take a look at your hands."
I nodded in agreement and leaned back in my chair. I so badly wanted to just fall asleep. I was on the brink when someone tapped my shoulder.
"Jude?"
Connor's POV
After Callie came upstairs I walked around the building for awhile to give them some privacy. Something was up with Jude. His hands were bandaged with gauze and I could see blood starting to soak through. I wanted to ask him what happened but he didn't seem like he was in the mood.
As I walked around I couldn't think of anything or anyone but Jude. Ever since I met him I felt a connection to him. Whenever we were around each other my heart started to beat fast and my palms became sweaty. I really didn't know what it meant. Did I like him? Like... more than a friend?
All of these thoughts were running through my mind and I knew I had to talk to him about it. I saw the way he looked at me and the way he laughed just a little too hard at my jokes. He was flirting with me. And I flirted back. But did that mean I'm gay?
Luckily when I went back to the squad room Callie was gone. He was leaning back in her desk chair. He looked like he was asleep. He looked so peaceful. I felt bad waking him but I had to talk to him.
I walked up and gently tapped him on the shoulder, careful not to scare him. "Jude?"
His eyes popped open and he sat up quickly. "Sorry, was I snoring or something?" He rubbed his eyes and yawned widely.
I laughed a little. "No, you weren't snoring. I was just wondering if we could uhh... well I wanted to ask you if..." I sighed in exasperation and gathered my thoughts. "Do you want to go somewhere and talk?"
His face was blank. He looked slightly shocked but mostly confused. "Uh, yeah sure. Where should we go?"
"We could go down to the garage. There is a little break room down there with tons of good snacks."
"Sweet!" Jude jumped up from the chair. "I'll race you!" He gave me a little shove and then took off towards the stairs.
I quickly regained my balance and was soon on his heels. But, he must have been holding back. As soon as I caught up to him he raced away like a bullet. I was fast, but Jude had super-human speed.
I made it to the break room seconds after him and he was bent over catching his breath between laughs.
"That was fun! You're really fast!" He grinned up at me.
"You're one to talk, Usain Bolt!" I smiled back and took a seat at the small table. Suddenly my heart was beating fast again and my mouth felt incredibly dry.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Jude wiped some sweat from his brow and sat down next to me.
"Well, this is going to sound really weird and I hope it doesn't freak you out. But, I just have this... well, I think I have feelings for you. As in more than a friend..." My cheeks flared up bright red as soon as I spoke. I mean, I barely knew this guy and I was telling him I had feelings for him. Even though it seemed super weird, I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders.
Jude stared back at me with his mouth hanging wide open.
"Jude?" I tapped his knee to try and get his attention. "Jude, are you in there?"
Sorry for such a short chapter and sorry it isn't super interesting. Like I said, I haven't had much inspiration. This was kind of just a filler chapter. I know this relationship is going SUPER fast but it will all work out in the end. Let me know what you think!