The Clause [fic with meet_thunder]
Heather was really tired of people giving her the double take. Abby’s arnica cream had worked wonders on the bruises, but she still looked like death had taken his scythe to her face. But at least the kid from Fed Ex didn’t look around like her abusive husband was going to come racing out of the bushes with a club. Caroline was sweet, but she understood the situation. And Lucy, the mother of the little boy who was James’ age had come around quickly, but Heather did notice that Patrick was not yet allowed to come over to play.
With a sigh Heather closed the door with her hip, opening the package and pulling out an official looking envelope stamped with the return address of Charles’ family lawyer. For a moment she just stared at it. She’d already talked to her family’s lawyer, her papers were on the way, but that she was holding Charles’ side of the agreement made it frighteningly real. Yes, Leroy made her feel everything she’d been missing for the past fifteen years, but a huge part of her soul was invested in the happiness of Charles Thomas. Now she was staring at the dissolution of their world and it was a world that hadn’t been terrible. It just wasn’t the world she wanted.
Honestly, living in a world where her sister hated her wasn’t what she wanted either, but her breaking point had been reached and if it meant Jen had to come to her, then Jen had to come to her. Keeping one ear on the lack of noise from upstairs, she scanned the pages. Most of it seemed typical and expected - including a request for a paternity test on both boys - but something on page four caught her eye and she caught air in her throat so violently she started to choke.
Confused, she read it again. And a third time. The words floating above the page like some computer generated graphic on TV. No way in hell was this happening and no way in hell was she signing anything with that kind of a clause in it. She was willing to go through the embarrassment of the paternity tests and suits and having Leroy have to adopt his own biological son but she was not going to stand for what Charles had written out on page four. Not after fifteen years of doing everything he’d asked of her.
Spitting fire, she stormed across the living room to the garage door. It was ajar and she could hear Leroy inside, humming while he worked. She had to give him credit - he didn’t bring work home (though a lot of it was to keep her away from the mess of it, she knew) and when he was home he was as much with her as he was his woodwork. Old habits died hard. She still got dinner ready right at six and asked if he wanted a drink when he walked through the door. He still went for his workbench. But they did it together, and that was what mattered. The door was always open and he never begrudged her interrupting him. Which was good since she needed him.
“Leroy?”
His concerned look made her realize she looked as upset as she felt. Her hands were shaking, making the papers rustle. “What is it, Babe?” He put down the sand paper and walked over to her, stopping a couple of feet away. “Heather?”
She closed the rest of the distance and just handed him the papers. “Charles sent these over today. It’s an early look at the divorce papers. If I sign them, it’ll save us the battle.” Her voice was as incredulous as it was annoyed. “Forgetting what kind of custody he wants of Daniel, check out page four, section twenty.”
Gibbs stared down at the papers, peering through his glasses at the legalese, and she took heart in his suddenly confused expression. He was used to this kind of paperwork - his own three divorces having been solved through lawyers and paper (she knew for a fact two of those marriages had ended with infidelity issues strewn through the paperwork). But he’d never used this kind of language. “What the hell?”
“So it’s not just me losing my mind? It actually says that?” She crossed her arms and shook her head. “I get that I wasn’t exactly faithful to him, but I honored that damned obey part of my vows.”
He still stared at the words. “What the hell is a “Disobedient Spouse” clause?” He looked up at her and grinned. “And why the hell didn’t I know about it?”
Heather grabbed the folder from him and smacked him over the head. “Funny, Jackass.” But the exasperation flowed from her and she sighed and rolled her head a bit before stepping closer to him. “For the record,” she teased, “that Word is not getting used again.”
He grinned and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “That a promise?”
She nodded and leaned in a bit closer, wanting to tell him to just make it official, but she knew he had something up his sleeve so she’d let him be romantic. He was so good at it. “Yes.”
“Good.” She expected him to kiss her to punctuate the statement but instead he chuckled and moved away, walking back to his workbench.
“What are you doing with those?”She squirmed a bit nervously when he reached across the bench for his lighter. “Leroy …”
“Relax. There should be a duplicate set in the envelope.”She checked. He was right. She started to breathe again. Burning her husband’s version of the divorce papers wouldn’t go over so well if he was complaining she’d been a disobedient spouse.
“Hold on,” she laughed and crossed over to him. “I’m the disobedient one, remember?” Taking the lighter, she set fire to the papers, starting with the one that outlined everything she’d failed to do in fifteen years of marriage. It was a good thing the outside door to the garage was open - the smoke trailed out with the wind. “God!” She rolled her eyes and stared at the ash. “What the hell was he thinking?”
“That apparently, it’s still 1955.” Leroy was laughing and he pulled her close. “If it is, why isn’t dinner on the table?”
She smacked him playfully in the chest. “Because you said you were cooking, cave man.”
“Oh yeah.”
“So put down the bed and make me something.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He smirked and leaned over to kiss her again. “I like it when you get bossy.”
She grinned. “I’ll remember that.”
Leroy took the envelope from her and left it on the work bench next to the pile of ashes. Charles would get her lawyer’s response to this in the morning.