He couldn’t help the flash of pride he felt whenever he looked at his daughter, or the tug of sadness that he hadn’t been there for the first almost sixteen years of her life, but the pride was generally stronger. She was pretty, that was very clear, even though she spent most of her time in jeans and T-shirts and sneakers with her hair up in a ponytail. But when she put the effort into her looks, she was more than merely pretty. In his opinion, his little girl was stunning in her knee-length black skirt and the crisp white blouse that she wore for church. She’d done something with her hair and it now curled over her shoulders in waves, glowing bronze with the reddish hints that reminded him so much of Jenny’s fiery hair. She wasn’t wearing much make-up, just some colour on her eyes and a clear-coat lip gloss that made her lips shimmer a soft pink. He couldn’t help raising an eyebrow at the changes and she glared at him, instantly her mother’s daughter. “I hate skirts.” She muttered, more to herself than him, and he stifled a laugh, pretty sure it would receive the same reaction it had always gotten from Jenny; a swift elbow to the gut.
“I think you look nice.” He said instead, and she looked vaguely appeased. “Shall we?” he asked, holding out an arm to her. He was wearing one of his nicer work slacks/jacket sets, and he noticed the envious glance that she cast him over being able to wear pants as she took his arm and followed him out the door. For all that she looked and acted like her mother, she had none of the desire for glamour and femininity that Jenny had always secretly harboured. Cali was obviously just as much his daughter as hers. He ignored the wondering glances they got when they entered the church together and sat down. Most of the congregants knew him from when he had a wife and daughter before and had seen the general progression of events as he remarried, divorced, remarried, divorced.... He knew that these same people were dying to know who the girl was with him, but Cali seemed entirely unaware of the attention she was being paid, so he didn’t say anything either. He watched with interest as she moved through the service, only stumbling occasionally, and his eyes followed her slim frame as she moved across the room after to the Confession rooms. He wondered a little, what a teenager would bother to confess, and whether it would have anything to do with him.
Before he could follow this chain of thought, he felt a hand clap him on the shoulder and another, smaller set of arms hug him gently. “You’ve been gone a long time, Jethro.” Chided Melissa DeFonzo kindly. She was a sweet, motherly type who always seemed to be involved in something, the poster child for stay-at-home soccer-moms. “We’ve missed you!”
“Yeah, after service coffee hour isn’t nearly as interesting without all the case stories.” Joked her husband, Jeremy. The Italian couple were both a little older than him and had raised all their children and kicked them out of the house several years earlier. They were, in his opinion, the closest friends he’d ever had outside of work. “Where’ve you been?”
“Working.” Replied Gibbs with a laugh. “I haven’t had much time to do anything else lately unfortunately.”
“You need to take time off every now and then.” Melissa told him firmly. “Or you’ll make yourself sick.”
“Yes, maám.” Smiled Gibbs. “Well, I’m here today, aren’t I?”
“Yes you are. And with a guest.” Jeremy’s eyes sparkled in amusement. “Too young to be your girlfriend though. A niece, perhaps?”
Gibbs’s smile faded a little. “My daughter.” He corrected easily, but he knew that his pain was obvious in his eyes, and would be even more obvious in Cali’s later.
Melissa’s eyes widened in surprise and Jeremy even looked taken aback. “That...That can’t be Kelly.” Said Melissa hesitantly.
“No.” agreed Gibbs quietly. “Her name’s Cali, her mother.... Jenny was killed on duty about a week ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry Jethro.” Murmured Melissa, hugging him again and giving him a kiss on the cheek. “That must be very difficult for you. Jenny was such a sweetheart too. I didn’t know you two had a daughter though.”
“Neither did I.” replied Gibbs grimly. “But she’s a good kid. She wanted to come today.”
Jeremy patted Gibbs’s shoulder sympathetically. “I wish you luck, Jethro. The girls are never easy, especially as teenagers.”
Melissa nudged him, rolling her eyes and offered a more optimistic view. “If you do need any help, feel free to call us, I’ll do anything I can. Jenny was your only good choice after Shannon, if you don’t mind my saying, and I liked her.”
Gibbs chuckled at the bluntness of the comment. “I know, Melissa. Jenny was special. I may take you up on that offer, because, quite frankly, I think I’m in over my head with Cali.”
“Why don’t you two join us for lunch?” Suggested Jeremy thoughtfully. “We were planning on going to lunch anyway, and it might be a nice introduction for her. Was she living in the area before?”
“They lived in Fairfax.” Said Gibbs. “But I think they probably traveled a lot, with Jenny’s work and everything.”
“We were in Woodland Hills until Mom got the Director’s position.” Said Cali from behind him. She moved up shyly, holding out a hand to Melissa. “Hi, I guess you probably already know, but I’m Cali.”
“It’s nice to meet you dear.” Replied Melissa kindly. “I’m Melissa. My condolences about your mother, she was a lovely woman.”
Cali’s eyes were sad, but she didn’t let the emotion escape past there. “Yes, she was, thank you.”
Gibbs brushed her fingers reassuringly and she didn’t move away from the gesture this time. “What d’you think about staying out a little while longer, Cal? Melissa and Jeremy invited us to lunch with them today.”
“Sounds nice.” She agreed, nodding. “Thanks.”
“Not a problem dear.” Melissa waved it off easily. “Now, why don’t you tell me what you’ve been doing in school, you must be in, what, the tenth grade? Or the eleventh maybe. I’ve always thought....” She’d been guiding Cali away from the men during this and Gibbs and Jeremy exchanged a brief, amused glance at Melissa’s actions before following them out.
Cali sat under the boat frame while her father worked, watching him curiously. “So, how are you going to get to school tomorrow?” he asked, not pausing in his work.
“I used to walk.” She replied thoughtfully. “But I don’t think it’s close enough anymore. I could drive.”
Now he stopped, raising an eyebrow at her. “You don’t have a license.” He pointed out dryly. “You’re not sixteen for a while yet. Where is this place anyway? And if you don’t get along with the kids, can’t you just transfer to a high school here in DC?”
“Because Mom already paid the tuition for this year and it’s non-refundable.” Replied Cali. “It’s a really good school. They have kids who stay there during the week, I could talk to the headmaster about boarding.” She offered.
He frowned, not remotely pleased by this suggestion. “I’m not going to send you away for school.” He informed her decidedly. “That is definitely not an option. Well, when do classes start in the morning? Maybe I can drive you.”
She looked up at him, startled that he would want to take so much of an interest already. “My first class is at seven thirty.”
“Would it be okay if I got you there at seven?” he asked, going back to the boat.
“It’s not like I’ll be the only one there.” She shrugged. “I could take a taxi, though, you know.”
But he shook his head again. “In the afternoon maybe, but I don’t want you alone in DC in the n morning. I work crime scenes for a living, Cal, a pretty girl alone in DC at seven in the morning? I don’t think so.”
She felt a proud glow at having been called pretty, even by her father, but also an annoyance that he was implying she couldn’t take care of herself. “I used to walk. That’s more dangerous than taking a cab. Besides, Mom taught me how to fight, I’m good.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet you are.” Laughed Gibbs. “I should’ve known. But I’m not saying that you’re helpless, I’m just saying that I’d be worried out of my mind all day and I’d about hit the ceiling every time I got a call from Dispatch. Just humour me and let me drive you in the mornings.”
“Kay.” She shrugged, pushing herself up and swinging out from under the boat. “I’m gonna go to bed. Night.”
“Night Cal.” He sighed, watching her jog up the steps. He wasn’t completely oblivious to the fact that she hadn’t ever addressed him directly in the last three days, not as Dad, not as Leroy, Jethro, or even as Agent Gibbs. She simply avoided any form of a name for him. It hurt a little, but he pushed the pain away, knowing that she was just not comfortable enough with him yet. After all, they’d only met each other for the first time three days ago, and she’d very pointedly blamed him for...for Jenny’s death or for not being around? He wasn’t entirely sure which, but either way, he knew he couldn’t expect her to just act like there was nothing weird about this. It was just going to take time.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Cali feels the need to go to church, and Gibbs gets the chance to return to the faith he's abandoned so many times.
Chapter End Notes:
No, before you ask, I'm not Catholic. I have little to no idea what Catholic traditions, services, etc. are like, so I'm sorry if I wasn't accurate. All I know is that it has been suggested enough (When Kate was around) that Gibbs had a Catholic background, and I figured that was as good a choice as any. The point is merely to show that they both turned to some form of God to help themselves heal.