There was a breath on the line. Fast. Stifled. Likely just as hindered by a bubble of emotion rising in his throat as her next one was.
And while his voice was small and more than a little breathless, it was still his and the very sound of it seemed to simultaneously break and heal every bone in her entire body. She knew this had been a bad idea. She should have just let it ring.
She could practically see his gears turning. Scrambling. Trying to come up with the best way to ask without really asking (because the answer had the potential of hurting more than either was ready for).
But she already knew the answer, knew it’s impact, and therefore let him off the hook. Just this once.
And thank god for his sigh of relief, for it covered the sound of her strangled sob (strangled with relief, but strangled nonetheless).
“Wow, I…” He sighed again and she pictures him running a hand through his sandy hair (now peppered with grey, as she had witnessed many times while keeping tabs on her daughter), “I don’t even know… what to say. What to do. God, I can’t imagine how you must be feeling after all of this…”
“I am fine,” She offers as a blanket statement. A temporary salve. In reality, she was quite far from fine. So tired and weak and broken. But these were deep pains, and certainly not ones she cared to get into over the phone. With their former boss just inside the door.
And based on his curt laugh, Tony picked up on as much.
She smiled into the dark of the night, allowing only the trees to witness her unchained glee at the sound of her sarcastic partner making sarcastic-partner comments. How she missed him truly with every cell of her body.
The creak of a floorboard left her spinning back toward the cottage, coming eye to eye with Gibbs who made himself at home leaning against the pane of the door. The question in the air had already been asked by the older man and answered. And yet he seemed almost amused as he watched her pace the length of the porch and mull over her next words.
“I have one more thing to do. It won’t take long. Just someone I need to see. An old friend without whom I couldn’t have done any of this.”
“Please tell me it’s not Orli.”
Sweet laughter. How it had abandoned her over these years. Only allowing light chuckles and distasteful huffs of air that never made it beneath the surface. And now, mere seconds into a phone call with the man she placed every ounce of her faith in over these years in… it came pouring out of her as naturally as if she’d never stopped.
“No,” She wiped pathetically at a snotty nose as she forced herself to swallow the rest of the blessed laughter, “Not Orli. Just a friend.”
Silence fills the thousands of miles between them and she finds that, despite its usual burden, she quite enjoys the quiet.
But, alas, she enjoys his voice so much more.
“What about after that? Where are you going then?”
Gibbs stands up tall and gives her a look like he is somehow aware of the current conversation. And to think he claimed to miss things sometimes.
“Home,” She practically whispered, “If the two of you will have me?”
And the half-second of waiting for his response could be labeled as pure torture, though greats writers might prefer to label it suspense.
“I’m hanging the streamers now. Do you prefer white cake with chocolate icing or chocolate cake with white icing?”
She laughed again. The smile on her face made her cheeks hurt. And snot run over her lip. But it was worth it.
“You know the answer to that.”
“You’re right. I do. Estimated time of arrival?”
She fingered her necklace now. Out of stress. Anxiety. Anticipation. She wasn’t sure which one.
“Count to a million, Tony. I’m on my way.”
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