Gibbs watches Sasha later that afternoon and worries about her as she is quiet and reserved with him. Suddenly she turns around and catches him watching her again. He can see that she is irritated and she stares back at him and then snaps, "What!!! Why are you staring at me?"
"I'm not staring at you." Gibbs lies.
"Oh really. Then what would you call it?" Sasha asks as she pushes herself up to a sitting position.
"What would I call what?" Gibbs asks becoming annoyed.
"Oh Jethro, just stop it. I know that you hate me and that you blame me for everything that has happened to your team. And I deserve it. I know. Hell, I'm surprised that I haven't been arrested yet." Sasha says as she rubs her head.
"Firstly, I don't hate you. I'm just mad that you didn't trust me enough to tell me what was going on. You let me believe that you were behind this. And secondly, no one's going to arrest you. You didn't hold a gun to our heads to force us out there." Gibbs replies as he sees how worked up she is becoming.
"It wasn't a matter of trusting you or not. Brett would have killed them if he knew that you were onto him. Your behaviour would have given you away and then he would have killed Stacey and Jason." Sasha shouts back. "And I tried to keep all of you safe. I just never figured on Tony being bitten by a spider or on you following me and getting yourself shot." Sasha shouts.
"Excuse me. So are you saying that it is my fault that I got shot." Gibbs shouts incredulously.
"Yes, you were supposed to take your team and get out of the park, not follow me. I would have figured out a way to get Stacey and Jason out." Sasha insists knowing how unlikely that would have been.
"So you would have sacrificed yourself and your friends!" Gibbs can't believe what he is hearing.
"I didn't want you to get hurt. I would have done anything to keep you and them safe." Sasha shouts back and then she realizes what she's just said.
Gibbs stares at her with such intensity that when he asks, "Why would you want to keep me safe?"
Sasha responds as she looks away and rubs her head again, "Because … because of your bubbly personality."
"Is that all? Could it be that maybe you have feelings for me?" Gibbs asks as he tries to hide the smirk on his face.
"Feelings for you! The only thing that interests me about you is how soon I can get away from you?" Sasha shouts incredulously.
"Then why did you ask to share my room." Gibbs asks, and then realizes that he has just steered this conversation into a direction that he was trying to avoid.
Sasha looks at him and calmly says, "I wanted to share your room so that we could discuss Shannon and Kelly."
"There's nothing to discuss!" Gibbs insists as he looks away. Just then Ducky opens the room door. He hears Sasha's words and doesn't reveal that he is in the room. He stands quietly just inside the door, hidden by the curtain on the side of Gibbs' bed, and listens to their conversation.
"I think that you feel guilty because you're still here and they're not." Sasha says.
"Sasha, leave it alone. It's none of your business." Gibbs glares at her.
"You were away and Brett tried to take advantage of Shannon and Kelly. You could not stop him and that lead to them being killed."
"Sasha, Shut up." Gibbs says as he clenches his fist and Sasha sees the strain in his arm and neck.
"But Gibbs you didn't force Shannon to get to know Brett and to remain his friend for a year. Nor did you place her at the scene of the marine's murder and ask her to be a witness." Sasha says calmly.
"But, I should have been here! I should have protected her!" Gibbs shouts in anger and despair.
"But you were doing what you believed in, what you thought would help not just your family and your country but people in other countries as well." Sasha says calmly, as she forces herself out of bed. She holds onto her IV line and pushes it over to Gibbs' bed. Her legs feel weak and the room spins as she gets to his bed. As soon as her vision clears she sees that Gibbs is lost in his thoughts. She sits on the bed next to him and she places her hand on his cheek. He looks up at her with pain filled eyes.
"I let them down." Gibbs whispers as Sasha pulls him close and lets him cry.
"I miss them so much!" he murmurs as he holds onto her.
"Shhh, I know Jethro, I know." Sasha whispers back. Gibbs responds by tightening his embrace as he lets all the pain and anguish he has held back all this time flow out of him. Sasha just continues to hold him caressing his head and back gently.
"Jethro, Its going to be okay. You just have to let go of the pain. And letting go of the pain doesn't mean that you are letting go of them. It just means that you are setting them and yourself free." Sasha whispers into his ear as she kisses his cheek.
"How do I do that Sasha? How do I separate the pain from their memories? The pain's all I feel when I think of them. I didn't even get to say goodbye. They were laid to rest before I got back!" Gibbs sobs and the pain overwhelms him. Sasha realizes that that's why Gibbs can't get closure on this. He needs to say goodbye to them.
"Jethro, would Shannon and Kelly be happy to see you like this?" Sasha gently asks. This makes Gibbs remember his dream where Shannon told him that it wasn't his fault and that he should go on with his life. Kelly had also said that she would be with him soon. And Gibbs has no idea what that means.
"Jethro, they would want you to remember the good times. You need to focus on the special times that you shared with them and not the moment when you lost them. I'll help you do this if you let me. And I'll help you to say goodbye to them." Sasha promises as she kisses his brow and he buries his face into her neck.
Ducky has tears in his eyes as he hears Sasha's commitment to Gibbs. I'm sure that this young lady is just what you need, Jethro. She will help you find closure. Ducky thinks as he quietly leaves the room.
Gibbs looks into Sasha's eyes and sees understanding, compassion and love. She caresses his face and repeats that she will help him to overcome this pain. And for the first time in a long time, he believes that he might just be able to get through this. He is amazed at how she got him to open up to her. And he actually feels a lot better right now. He leans his forehead against hers and says, "Thanks." And then he leans his face closer to hers and touches his lips to her. Sasha sighs as she opens her mouth to his probing tongue and returns his kiss, trying to convey all the love and commitment she feels for him. They end up lying side by side on his bed, kissing and caressing, being careful of each others injuries as they allow their emotions to run free.
As they break apart to catch their breaths, Sasha hesitantly asks, "Jethro, do you forgive me for what happened at the cabin?"
Gibbs looks at her for a moment and then he smiles as he says, "I forgive you, now shut up and kiss me."
Sasha's face breaks into a bright smile as Gibbs wraps his good arm around her and pulls her partially on top of him.
"Kiss you. mmm." Sasha taunts as she runs her tongue across his slightly parted lips. "Mmm." Sasha sighs and Gibbs holds the back of her head and pulls her towards his waiting mouth.
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