Ducky watched the banter between Evie and Jethro with amusement. She was one of the few people that could get away with some of the smart aleck remarks aimed at Gibbs. And since they had married five years ago he had never seen Jethro happier or more relaxed. Ducky found her to be a charming, intelligent woman and the two had become dear friends. He had heard of the infamous Stetson case and was amazed at how well she had recovered. But what he didn’t know was just how well recovered she really was.
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When the two of them returned home from Hawaii, sporting the wedding bands that had tilted their world back onto the correct axis, there was a lot to deal with. Logistically and emotionally. And they were not the only two people it affected.
Tony and Abby knew of course, had known before they did it actually. And Abby insisted that someone hold up a cell phone during the short ceremony so that she could hear. And when Tony and Abby picked them up at the airport, Evie found herself in the middle of a bear hug from Abby that set the two women off on the path to forming a strong friendship. It took Evie and Tony a little longer to warm to each other. There was wariness between them, neither wanting to overstep or crowd the other and Tony petrified of saying the wrong thing to her. It was stressful, for both them and for Jethro and Abby.
Evie finally decided she had enough and she went to his apartment bearing a gift of fine Irish whiskey. After a couple strong belts each they loosened up and started talking and getting to know each other. When half the bottle was gone they were sprawled shoulder to shoulder slumped down on the couch with their feet on the coffee table. That was when the questions got heavy, and the answers even heavier. He cried, she cried and there was no recrimination for the tears. They were honest.
He had gone to the kitchen to get more ice when she surprised him by embracing him tightly and thanked him in a teary whisper for taking care of Jethro, for taking care of Him. And as he held her and stroked her hair he admitted to her that he missed Him and didn’t know what to do or how to feel.
More ice and more whiskey fueled them and they tried to sort it out, tried to figure out what to do that would be best for everyone. And later on Jethro and Abby found the two of them passed out cold, again shoulder to shoulder on the couch, empty whiskey bottle on the table. But the thing that warmed Jethro to the core was the fact that they were lying there with their fingers entwined, holding hands.
Evie knew that the relationship between the two men had undertaken a drastic change their last night together and she also knew that they had both refused to take some one-on-one time with each other to explore it. She and Abby ultimately solved the problem. Abby accompanied Evie back to Seattle to pack up her condo and settle her affairs out there. They in no uncertain terms told the two men that they wanted them to spend time together while they were gone.
They reluctantly agreed and spent the week sorting out where they had left things, and how they wanted things to continue. Evie had given her blessing for Jethro to continue his relationships with Tony and Abby. They fulfilled needs in Him that she knew she would never be able to again and she wanted him to be happy. She also wanted Tony and Abby to be happy too, they deserved it just as much as he did.
Their week was filled with reacquainting themselves with the old, and exploring the new. And the first time that Tony was able to make him fall he felt like he was flying in orbit completely untethered. He had never really understood until that moment what Evie had experienced when she went down , now he knew. And when the shaking stopped and he was able to think coherently they called the girls in Seattle, he just had to share it with her. But when he got her on the phone all he could say was that he never knew.
The other important thing resolved between the two men was Abby. Jethro finally acknowledged that he knew that they loved each other and he gave Tony his approval with the caveat that if Tony were to hurt her that he would have to answer to him.
When Evie and Abby arrived back from Seattle they settled into a routine. Their jobs made all of them crazy at times but life was good. And if He disappeared occasionally she knew that he was with Abby or Tony. A few months had gone by when Evie realized that she was jealous. Not of Abby or Tony but of the fact that they could fly and she couldn’t. She wanted it so badly she ached. But the thought of being bound or blindfolded could still send her into a panic attack, so she said nothing to any of them and kept her hurt to herself.
It wasn’t until Matthew came from New York to visit that it came out. He had knocked on their door and when she opened it and saw him standing with his arms open for a hug she melted into him biting back a sob. And as he held her tightly she let go of the tears and they talked. And they problem solved. And when Jethro came home, the three of them sat down and talked openly for the first time. He was heartbroken that she had been holding in her pain again, but he understood.
Matthew had suggested some lighter games that they could play, things that would let her fly but maintain some control. Things like instead of her being bound to the bed a long silk scarf was tied to the headboard that she could wrap her hands in and pull against but still be able to free herself if the panic surfaced. It was the blindfold most of all that bothered her, she to that day couldn’t stand to be in total darkness, so they found a way to set the mood differently, and a new lamp found its way to the dresser with a red light bulb in it. It offered enough light to barely see and made the room seem smaller and more intimate, and it was a visual cue that she could fall. The paddles and other pain inducing things that they had so enjoyed were replaced by other things that would send her over the sensual edge, things like fur mitts and glass beads, and Jethro enjoyed finding everyday things that he could tease and torment her skin with to make her shiver in anticipation.
There was no pain only pleasure. And the first time He used THAT voice and ordered her to her knees the silent tears streaming down her face were of joy and she fell for the first time. And later it was her that had to hold Him through his tears as the rush faded.
Tony ended up being the one to bring Evie’s confidence back the final leg of her journey. The four of them were having dinner together and Evie was tormenting Tony in the kitchen. Since the night of the Great Whiskey Caper as they called it, the two of them had become close. He could be in her personal space and she enjoyed the fact that he would casually touch her, a hand on the small of her back, or a shoulder rub. He was someone that she began to trust.
And it was on this night when he had had enough of her teasing in the kitchen that he warned her playfully that she was just asking for a spanking, and when she didn’t stop he flipped her up and over his shoulder and carried her into the living room where Jethro and Abby were sitting curled up together in the easy chair. They looked up in surprise but didn’t say anything hearing Evie’s laughter. Tony plunked down on the couch and situated her bottom up on his lap. He looked over to Jethro who didn’t say anything but just gave him a little nod, knowing that if Evie said to stop that Tony would.
The first swat to her ass so inelegantly hoisted in the air wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t soft either and it got her attention. She had sucked in a breath and went still. And when Tony leaned in and asked in a low firm voice if she wanted him to stop she shook her head and turned to meet Jethro’s eyes.
Abby had moved of his lap and he sat leaning forward on his elbows, his eyes never leaving hers. And as Tony’s firm hand applied blow after blow the final piece of trust that had been missing between Evie and Jethro was replaced. She knew he was there and would stop the pain if it got to be too much, he would protect her and not let the darkness have her again.
And when the sobs broke from her body as she let go it was in Jethro’s arms that she was wrapped in as they both cried. Tony had made it back to the kitchen on shaking legs that gave out and he hit his knees and was wrapped in Abby’s tight embrace as he tried to work through what had just happened. The idea that Evie would trust him that much was staggering. And the idea that Jethro trusted him enough to let him do it was even more overwhelming.
And later when all the tears had stopped, Evie sought out Tony and gently stroked his cheek and without saying a word, thanked him with her eyes, and kissed him gently, a soft benediction of all that she felt for him.
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tbc...
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