Chapter 14
Gibbs, who always woke at five every morning, no alarm clock necessary, found himself opening his eyes to the sight of bright sunlight filtering through the single window of his bedroom. He read his watch to find that it was almost nine already. He’d never slept that late before. The rustling movements of the sheets brought his attention to the bed.
Lying tangled up in the sheets her back against his chest, Em was still sleeping. She was also usually an early riser. He knew she had been overworked on this last case and was likely running on little sleep and even more coffee than usual. He reached his arm back around her, pulling her closer against him, hearing a small contented sigh escape from her before he laid his head back down on his pillow satisfied the planet would not stop spinning if he did not get out of bed quite yet.
His thoughts ran backwards to the previous night. Just as he had expected, the hot bath led to making love, which he performed with the intended deeply expressive intimacy. Unexpectedly, the tenderness of it only served to heighten their pleasure, in turn, increasing their desire for one another and eventually leading to a second more intensely passionate love making that had kept them up far later into the night than planned.
Feeling relaxed and peaceful, he realized this was the first morning they had really had to spend together. They had spent nights together before, but with their crazy work schedules, constant weekend call outs, and the Reynosa manhunt, the following mornings had always been busy. Usually one or both of them had to jump right out of bed to dress and run off to the office, investigate a crime scene, or, in her case, hop on a Gulfstream jet to chase terrorists.
Her soft sleepy voice brought him out of his thoughts. “What time is it?” she asked as she rolled over, burying her face into his chest, not fully awake.
“About nine. Go ahead and sleep. There’s no need to get up.” He kissed her head and stroked her hair for a moment before reaching around her and pulling her closer to him.
She was breathing slowly and evenly so he thought she had fallen back to sleep when her voice floated up to his ears, muffled by her mouth’s nearness to his chest. “I’m probably driving you crazy. Go ahead and get up. I’ll get up soon. I promise.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m enjoying this. We never get mornings like this. Just go back to sleep. Sleep as long as you want. I’m not going anywhere.” He rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes, not to sleep, but just to capture the moment.
It didn’t last much longer before she finally became restless, waking up and declaring she had been in bed long enough. He had rolled over and managed to pin her down for a few minutes, kissing her into submission before he realized he was quite hungry and agreed to get out of bed.
Soon they were showered and dressed with teeth brushed, Gibbs freshly shaven, making the bed before going downstairs.
“We still going to the store after breakfast?” asked Em as she attempted to fluff up the pathetically flat pillow she had slept on.
Eyeing her actions, he replied, “Unless you either don’t plan on eating all weekend or just wanna live on takeout, we kinda have to.” Noticing the look of frustration on her face as she finally gave up and threw the pillow back on the bed he continued. “You know, it’s really not fair that you have to sleep like this when you’re here. I was thinking maybe while we were out we could shop for some new pillows, maybe some new sheets and stuff, something nicer than what I’ve got. I mean, sleeping at your place is like sleeping in some luxury hotel. It’s a little unfair, don’t you think?”
That earned a wide smile and brightening of her green eyes. “You really mean that, Jethro?” When he nodded with a grin she came around the bed, throwing her arms around his neck and exclaiming, “I think that’s the most romantic gesture. You can be so sweet,” and reached up on her tiptoes to kiss him.
“Well, I’m glad you think so, but really I just thought I was being sensible about the fairness of it all.”
“Whatever you want to call it, I call it romantically sweet, Jethro. Do you think Jack is going to mind being dragged all over the place shopping though?” she asked, relaxing her hold around his neck.
Gibbs sort of laughed and rolled his eyes. “I don’t think Dad plans on going anywhere with us today. He knows we need some time alone. Anyway, he started on a woodworking project in the basement to occupy his time. I doubt he’ll mind if we’re gone for a couple of hours.”
They finally made it downstairs to find Jack sitting at the dining table reading the Saturday morning newspaper.
“Good morning, you two. Sleep well?” he queried, glancing up from the sports page.
Em couldn’t help from grinning and slipping out a quiet giggle as she thought about last night’s events before they finally did fall asleep. “Oh yes, I definitely slept very well. I can’t believe Jethro let me sleep so late though.”
Gibbs responded, “In my defense, I actually didn’t wake up until almost nine myself surprisingly, and after that I just didn’t want to get up with you lying there in my bed like that. I was too comfortable.”
Ignoring this, Jack turned their attention to breakfast. “I would think the two of you would be pretty hungry by now. There’s coffee still in the pot and little over half a box of cereal in the cabinet. Milk’s in the fridge.”
They made their way to the kitchen, getting mugs of hot coffee poured right away. Gibbs reached in the cabinet for bowls and the cereal box before opening a drawer and taking out two spoons.
“None for me. Thanks,” she said when she noticed the two bowls and spoons in his hands as she stood sipping her coffee and leaning against the counter.
He gave her a questioning look. “Then what are you gonna eat?”
She walked over to the fridge, took out the milk, handing it to Jethro, and removed the pizza box. “Cold pizza,” she replied.
“Are you serious?” He gave her an incredulous stare as he stood there. “You’re not really having pizza and beer for breakfast, are you?”
“Well, not the beer part. I was thinking cold pizza and hot coffee.” She gave him an impish grin as she laid the box on the countertop, lifted the lid, took out a slice, and bit into it. “Yummy.”
He looked slightly amused as she opened a cabinet, got out a plate, placing her bitten slice and an additional slice on it before closing the box and returning it to the fridge. Giving up, he put the second bowl and spoon away then followed her to the dining room.
After they took their seats at the table, Jack set the paper aside and noticed Em’s choice of breakfast. “Leroy, there’s plenty of cereal in that box to share with her. Why would you make her eat that?”
Gibbs shrugged his shoulders as he shook his head. “I had nothing to do with it. Ask her why she’s eating it.”
She laughed at both of them. “It’s breakfast college-style.”
Jack raised an eyebrow but changed the subject to the heat wave they were experiencing leaving them each to eat their breakfasts, regardless of how strange one of them seemed to be.
Having both been extremely hungry, it didn’t take long to finish eating. Gibbs surprised himself by polishing off three bowls of cereal, emptying the box. His excuse to Jack was not having eaten enough at dinner last night, but he and Em both knew it was the calories burned after they went up to bed that had increased his appetite this morning.
“So, do you want to head out to do the shopping we talked about after we finish this up?” Jethro asked Em as he washed a coffee mug, handing it to her to dry when it was rinsed.
“That sounds great. If you don’t mind though, I really need to start a load of laundry before we go,” she replied, drying the mug and placing it in the cabinet.
Handing over his now clean cereal bowl, he responded. “I don’t mind. You’ve been living out of a suitcase for a week. What’s mine is yours. Feel free to use the washer, dryer, and iron as much as you need. I also have a great dry cleaner with 24 hour service who’s open on Sundays if you need.”
“Perfect. If I’m staying here till Monday I need clean work clothes. We’ll need to stop off at the dry cleaner first thing on our way out.” She smiled up at him as she dried off the last of the dishes.
Gibbs had drained the water out of the sink, dried his hands off with a paper towel, and was wiping up some water spilled over onto the countertop. He was glad she was comfortable staying with him despite that her own house was far better in many ways. It was newer, more spacious, far off the street, surrounded by trees and privacy. He could think of many reasons why it would really make more sense for her to want him to stay with her rather than be here.
In the center of her bedroom stood a knotty pine king size bed with a pillow top mattress, expensive high thread count sheets, and luxurious pillows, far different from his plain old queen size bed with its simple headboard, inexpensive mattress, and cheap pillows. Her master bath was huge with separate oversized shower and Jacuzzi tub along with double vanity sinks. His small master bath with the single sink and cast iron claw foot tub and shower combo couldn’t compare.
Somehow, to his amazement, she never complained. Em would gladly stay with him just as happily as she would have him stay with her.
As she hung up the towel, all the dishes dried and put away, he pulled her into his arms, hugging her and giving her an endearing kiss. “Thank you,” he said sweetly.
“You’re welcome. It’s really no big deal to help with the few dishes there were,” she replied, sliding her hands up his muscular arms, across his broad shoulders, and running her fingers through his short silver hair, stretching up to kiss him again.
Once their lips parted, he looked down at her and replied, “That’s not exactly what I meant. I just meant, thank you for everything. You know, for everything you do, for how you are with my dad, for how you put up with me.” He suddenly felt awkward for thanking her, knowing that if she really loved him she would do those things anyway, but he still thought he should have said it. It just seemed like the right thing to say.
“Oh, Jethro, what am I going to do with you? I love you. I don’t simply ‘put up with you’. I want to be with you. Sometimes you can be so brooding about yourself. Now come on. I need to get a load of clothes in the washer, gather up a bunch of stuff for the dry cleaner’s, and we should get going.” She kissed him on the cheek and started pulling him out of the kitchen.
It didn’t take long for her to have things done and for them to be ready to leave. Gibbs spoke to the agents posted outside the house briefly, checking in as he often did before leaving. Jack told them he had plans to watch a bit of TV and then work on his project in the basement for a while, taking a break to warm up a slice or two of leftover pizza for lunch. Em promised him she would cook something delicious for dinner.
After dropping everything off at the dry cleaner’s they both needed done for the coming week and climbing back into Gibbs’ car, he turned to her to ask, “Where to now? As you can probably tell, I don’t shop for pillows and bedding stuff much so I’ll go wherever you want.”
Without hesitation, she answered, “Bed, Bath, and Beyond.”
“Oddly enough, I know where that is.”
“That actually doesn’t surprise me since it’s right next to a Home Depot,” she retorted with a snicker.
He laughed. “That could have something to do with it, Em.” He revved up the engine, merged into traffic, and headed off to do the kind of shopping he’d usually dread. Either you’re just really in love with her or you’ve become extremely soft suddenly in your old age, Jethro. None of your ex-wives would have ever gotten you one foot into a Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
More than an hour spent in the store shopping for what seemed to him a very simple thing, pillows and sheets, had him getting slightly irritable, but through sheer determination and willpower he managed to pleasantly reply when asked for his opinion and not just grab the first thing Em showed any interest in and run for the cashier.
In the end, they walked out with bags upon bags full of bedding he didn’t know he needed and a rather large dent in his credit card because he refused to let her pay for it.
Gibbs now unwittingly owned 1200 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, a bed skirt, four pillows costing a hundred dollars each, several decorative pillows, a lightweight blanket, and curtains, all in coordinating colors to match the blue and green plaid patterned comforter purchased as well. He wasn’t sure it would all fit in the back of his car.
As they were driving to the café they planned to have lunch at, Em noticed he was quiet. “Jethro, you’re not mad at me are you?”
“No, of course not. Why would I be?” he replied.
She was unconvinced. “Well, you were pretty quiet in the store and you’ve stayed that way since we left. What’s bothering you?”
You’re stubborn and set in your ways. You say one thing, but do another. This morning you tell her you want to do this, you want her to be more comfortable at your house. Now that she’s making her mark on your home, suddenly you aren’t so sure. What’s your problem? Do you really love her? Are you ready to open up your life to her? “It’s just been a long time since I shared my personal space with a woman. I’m still getting used to it. Letting you keep a toothbrush and shampoo in my bathroom was a big step for me then before long I’d made room for you in my dresser and you had clothes hanging in my closet. Jumping to you completely redecorating my bedroom is kind of feeling a bit overwhelming.”
Em was a little surprised, but understood what he meant. It had taken her nine years to even date someone after losing Ben. She knew how hard adjusting could be. Scooting over as close to Jethro as she could get and leaning against him until he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tightly to him, she finally responded. “I understand, and if it’s too much we can return whatever you don’t want. I just appreciate that you think enough of me being in your life to want me to feel comfortable in your home.”
He was relieved she wasn’t angry and didn’t sound hurt. “No, we don’t have to take any of it back. I do like it, it’ll just take some getting used to,” he lied. He really hated the decorative pillows but for her he’d try to ignore them. When she wasn’t there he could always toss them in the corner.
They neared the café, parking along the street just a block away since it was so busy. Walking down the street, Gibbs arm around Em, talking about the long list of things to be gotten at the supermarket after they ate lunch, neither of them noticed the thirty-something man watching them from across the street.
Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he zoomed in on the couple walking down the street and captured a photo. In the bright light of the midday sun, his iPhone took a pretty clear picture.
The attractive young redheaded woman in the short white sundress stood out in stark contrast to the rugged silver-haired man clad in khaki shorts and a dark short-sleeve casual button down. He snapped a few others as he watched them, capturing a final one of them embracing and kissing.
He saved the pictures to his phone then sent one in a message to one of his contacts.
“Is this her? They’re heading to a café in downtown Alexandria right now.” He pressed send, hoping to get a response soon.
Within minutes, his phone signaled a text message. “Yes. Back off. Ducky said to wait till we’re all together.”
McGee returned to his car, calling Ducky to report what he saw once he got in.
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