The scene that unfolded was not what anyone expected. Callie Montgomery stood with as much grace as she could muster, took her son by the hand and walked out of the interrogation room without a backward glance. Jon stood dumfounded, unable to process what he had seen. He had taken so many risks, tackled countless odds, and the woman he had treasured for so many years was still refusing to hear what he had to say.
"Callie, will you at least talk to me? Let me explain?" Jon asked tortured.
She walked on past without stopping. To the casual observer, she seemed unaffected by the appearance of her dead husband. To the trained investigator, it was obvious she was shaken. Gibbs crossed to intercept them before they could make their way to the elevator.
"Ms. Montgomery," he said politely, "I'd be happy to keep an eye on Brogan if you would like a private word with your husband." The look of relief that she gave him spoke volumes.
"Thank you, Agent Gibbs," she said softly as she turned to her son. "Baby, I need you to stay with Special Agent Gibbs and wait for Mommy," she said as she brushed his hair back from his brow with gentle hands. She kissed him on the forehead.
"Okay, Mommy," Brogan answered with a smile.
As soon as they were out of their young son's line of sight, Callie's composure began to crack. Jon put his hand on her shoulder just as she began to cry. She shrugged his hand off, and went into the conference room. After following her into the room, he shut the door behind him. Before he could reach her, she rounded on him and began to rant.
"Jonathan Montgomery, I cannot believe that you actually went through with this!! I told you so many times that I was against it, and that I didn't think our son would recover, and you still did it!"
"Callie, honey, I just wasn't ready to give you up," he pleaded.
"Jonathan!" she interrupted him. "When you first told me about this vampire thing, I told you I didn't want to keep you if that was the only way! I explained to you, very thoroughly, that I didn't want to have to share you with anyone else, didn't want our son to be confused or hurt, didn't want to grow old while you stayed the same, and I didn't want to BE with a vampire!" Her chest rose and fell as she tried to catch her breath.
"Why are you treating me like I am some kind of stranger?" Jon questioned.
"Because I was hoping you would take a hint, Jon!" she continued angrily.
"I just want to be with you and Brogan," he protested.
"I love you, Jon, I really do," she insisted. "But I am not comfortable with this. I told you that if you did this, you would get this result and you didn't listen!"
"So you're just being stubborn?" he asked incredulously.
"No, Jon," she said as she tossed her arms up in frustration. "I'm keeping my word. I wasn't just talking to hear the sound of my voice. I thought this through and made my decision. I thought we were in agreement," she jabbed him in the chest with her finger as she continued. "You are the one who changed the rules. You are the one who did what you had promised you wouldn't do. And then YOU took my SON from me!"
"Our son!" he corrected.
"You're DEAD!" she shouted. "I'm sorry, Jon," Callie continued as tears began streaming down her cheeks. "I'm sorry you were killed. I loved you. I miss you. But I can't keep you. Not like this."
"But Callie…" he began.
"Just go away. Stay away from me, and stay away from Brogan," she said determinedly as she pushed past him and left the room.
Maggie caught Noah's eye and motioned for him to join her. He crossed to the corner of the room, and she briefed him on the nature of the meeting between the Montgomerys.
"So he didn't need to explain why he was ‘alive', but had to explain why he went against her wishes?" Noah clarified. Maggie nodded affirmatively. After sending DiNozzo to take Callie and Brogan home, Gibbs joined them.
"So now what, Noah?" he asked.
"We'll take care of him," Noah said compassionately. "This does happen. People think our way of life is a way to make a relationship last forever. But if both aren't sure of the idea, it can be a recipe for a miserable eternity."
"See to it," Gibbs said.
As Noah and the entourage of vampires who had come in with Jonathan Montgomery left, Maggie caught the look Jonathan gave Gibbs. It was as if he was blaming his wife's behavior on him because he led the investigation.
The more she learned about vampire politics, the more Ziva regretted ever having been pulled into this preternatural hell that her life had become. Noah was exactly the kind of man she could be with forever. She chuckled to herself. Forever meant something different to him than it did to her. And Roy… Roy was a sweet beginning to something that could never be. How was she supposed to do this? Maybe she should just hook up with Tony. Lord knows, he'd been trying hard enough. She smiled at the thought. Maybe that was just what this situation needed.
"McGee, did you say Tony invited you to go somewhere this evening?" Ziva asked.
"Um, well, he mentioned there was this, uh, gathering of sorts taking place…" McGee began.
Ziva chuckled. "When and where, Tim?" She smiled as he rattled off the information. "You aren't going, are you?" she asked him.
"No; Abby and I have plans," he explained.
"Good," she said with a secretive grin.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.