IT WAS TIME

Navy Base

Gibbs and Mara was at the Navy Base Lila Jenkins served on, and the place made Theresa feel a little nostalgic. She spent so many years on different bases, TOC stations, all around the world in service of her country. She would never regret it, not for a second. But that doesn't mean she wouldn't wonder.

Wonder about what her life would have looked like if she never joined the Navy. Would she be married already? Have a family? Maybe a house and a dog? Playing housewife while her husband was at work.

Mara suppressed a shudder and didn't wonder any further.

Her real life is much better and satisfying than she would have ever imagined it to turn out when she was seventeen. She gave almost twenty years of her life for the Navy and saw the very worst of mankind. It made her throw up, cry, scream, shout, loose herself, darkened her soul and nearly drown in anger. And when she almost shot an unarmed hostile in the Philippines, Mara knew it was time for her to get out. Before she could destroy herself and everyone around her.

Still, she would never be able to sit still or do a mundane job, so she applied to NCIS and completed her probationary years in LA before transferring to Washington.

So, yeah, being on a base again made her feel nostalgic. Part of her missed it. A bigger part of her knew that it was the right choice. With a start, Mara realizes that its been three years. Three years since she's left the Navy and become a civilian. Or, as much of a civilian as she can be as a federal agent.

While Gibbs was talking to Lila's former CO, Mara started to take a crack at the Seal team Lila was signed to, way back when. She finished talking to the members of the team and just had to talk to the 2IC and the Commander of the team. The latter of whom seems to be avoiding her. Mara didn't take offence. Not when she understood perfectly why he was doing it.

She herself hid from one or two NCIS Agent over her sixteen years in the Navy.

Right now, she was talking to Second-in-Command, Lieutenant Zane Casey. "What can you tell me about Petty Officer Jenkins."

"Nothing." Came the short, clipped and much excepted answer.

Mara suppressed the sound of frustration that was clawing at her throat. "Look, I get it. You want to protect your brother's-"

"You can't possibly understand." He cut her off, voice something short of a scoff.

Mara raised an eyebrow at him before pulling up the sleeve of her t-shirt and showing Zane her right shoulder. His eyes widened when he laid eyes on her Seal tattoo. "Believe me, I understand perfectly well."

"You're Mara Ellis." He said, his body straightening and his hands flying behind his back.

"Yes, I told you that." Mara nodded, not understanding where the sudden respectful posture was coming from. She introduced herself at the beginning of her questioning. A second later, she had some idea.

"No, I mean, you're the Mara Ellis. That's the mark of Seal Team Two and there are a lot of stories, all around the Navy, about you." At Mara's surprised look, he spoke even further. "When a woman makes it through Seal training and serves for as long as you did and reaches the rank you did, it makes a lot of tongues loose."

So that's where the posture came from? Because he's heard about her? Just what kind of stories are there going around about her? Mara almost scoffed. She's been out for three years already. One would think they'd find a new and better topic of conversation to talk about.

Mara bit her tongue to ask. That wasn't why she was here. She has a job to do, answers to find. "Okay, that's really flattering and all, but let's not venture of topic here."

"My apologies, Lieutenant Commander." Zane said, voice full of respect and back still ramrod straight.

She waved him of, being addressed by her rank felt foreign. "No, it's okay and Ellis is just fine."

"Yes, Ma'am." He nodded.

Seeing that she wasn't going to get anywhere, Mara just concealed a sigh, followed her own advice and got back to topic. "So, Petty Officer Jenkins. Did anyone on the team have any trouble with her?"

Zane hesitated at the question long enough for Mara to notice.

"Look, I understand, truly, that you want to protect your brothers, but if that means protecting the murderer of a woman, her husband and her two five year old children, then that brother doesn't deserve your protection."

Mara saw his resolve crack completely, with the ever so slight slump of his shoulders.

"There's only one person I know of. Adrian Johnson. And before you ask, no I don't think he could have killed her." Zane paused, tilting his in contemplation. "But then again, if you didn't show me your tattoo, I would have never have thought that you could be a Seal either. No offense."

"None taken." Mara assured him as she scribbled the name down on her notepad. She remembers talking to a Johnson earlier. He was still on this Seal Team, after all these years. "What kind of trouble did she have with Johnson?"

"He had a crush on her. And right before she transferred to a desk job, he asked her out. She refused because she was happily married."

"And?" The female Seal prodded.

"And Adrian didn't take it to well. They had a really, really heated argument."

"Did it get physical?"

"No way." Zane shook his head firmly. "None of us would have allowed him to. We all liked Lila. She was like the sister I never wanted, but got stuck with for a year anyways."

A faint smile tugged on Mara's lips at his explanation. Her mind quickly drifted to her brother, wondering how he was doing on his first day alone since he got released from the hospital. Mara pushed those thoughts away and focused on her job. "Any other arguments between the two?"

"No. Lyla transferred after her blow out with Adrian."

Mara nodded. "Do you know if Johnson still has feelings for her?"

"He didn't really talk about it after she left."

"Okay, that's all for now. Thank you for your help." Mara gave him a small smile as she pocketed her notepad and pen.

"My pleasure, Ma'am." He told her before his hand flew up and he saluted her. "It was an honor meeting you."

"You too." She returned the salute.

Mara turned around and walked away smiling. Maybe the stories they told about her weren't all bad.

After finally tracking down the Lt. Commander – who was with his CO and Gibbs – and asking him a few of her own questions and getting basically nothing, Mara and Gibbs made their way back to the car.

Gibbs glanced at her briefly as he started the car, "Find out anything interesting?"

"Oh, yeah." Mara grinned.

NCIS

Major Case Response Team Bullpen, Navy Yard

"So," Kate started after Gibbs and Mara finished sharing what the learnt at the base. "This guy, Johnson, he not only argued with Officer Jenkins after she rejected him, but also stalked and harassed her for a year after she left the team?"

Tony's grin was that of the cat that caught the canary. "Sounds like a solid suspect to me."

"There is just one problem." Mara said from where she was sitting by her desk with her feet propped up on it, making three heads turn to her. Gibbs wore a half smirk on his face, silently telling her that he came to the same conclusion she did. Kate and Tony just looked at her in confusion. "All of this – the argument, the stalking, the harassment – it was four years ago. Even if it was him, without any evidence, he could argue that it was a long time ago and in the mean time he's gotten over Officer Jenkins."

"Elle is right," Gibbs pushed up from his desk. "And no matter how good he may look for this, we have no concrete evidence that it was him and until we do, we need to keep looking at other possible suspects.

"We don't have any other suspects." Kate deadpanned.

"Then start over and look again." Gibbs told them.

Tony's face soured. "Well, that's just perfect."

Mara saw the exhaustion on Kate and Tony's faces and felt a little sorry for them. "Gibbs, it's late and we're at a dead end."

"Your point?" He asked dryly, giving her a hard stare.

Mara stared back unflinchingly. "I think after a good nights sleep, we'll all be able to think much better."

"Okay," He nodded. "Go home and get some rest. We'll start again tomorrow."

Kate and Tony – shooting her identical looks of relief and gratitude – didn't take long to pack up and leave.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her when she picked up the evidence folder but made no move to get up for leave like the two younger members of their team. "Thought you were tired."

"I never said I was tired." Mara told him with a smug smirk. "I said it was late."

Gibbs huffed lightly. "And people tell me I'm clever with words."

The smirk turned into a grin, "Thanks for the compliment."

Gibbs' eyes softened ever so slightly as he looked at the green-eyed brunette. "You need sleep too, Elle."

"Do you have any idea how much sleep I got in the last two weeks? A fuck-ton. And, apart from that, there is also the fact that I don't sleep much to begin with." Mara spoke with a tone somewhere between deadpan and matter-of-fact, twirling a pen in her right hand. "Besides, I wasn't at the crime scene, so I want to take a look at the photos. Maybe I'll see something you won't."

Gibbs nodded after a while and sat back down at his own desk. He ignored the pointed look Mara was giving him.

With a slight shake of her head and a small smile, Mara opened the evidence folder that was filled with the crime scene photo's that Tony took.

Ten minutes later, Mara froze on her face and let out an almost inaudible and clearly horrified, "Oh God, no."

Gibbs heard her and immediately looked up, eyes nearly widened on the pale look on Mara's face. He rose from his desk and walked over to her. "Elle, are you okay?" No answer. "Elle, what is it?" Dead silence. He looked down at the photos. The two laying on top of the pile was a picture of the wife's beside table. "Elle?" He tried again. No answer. Gibbs placed a hand on her shoulder and gently shook it. "Mara."

"Nausea tablets and crackers." She said immediately, breathing a shaky sigh and pointing to the picture of Petty Officer Jenkins' bedside table.

Gibbs didn't get it. "What about it?"

"Do you know what kind of woman would be most likely to have those things on her bedside table? No? Well, I'll tell you. The pregnant kind."

a/n: if there is anyone out there still reading this, then i humbly thank you for your patience.