It wasn't long until they both were back in school and doing fine. People treated them a little different, but otherwise, everything was normal. It took a while for them to catch up with the classes, but they got caught up and going as soon as possible.
One day, sometime in April, Jake met Willow at her locker. They had been on several more dates since the incident. Willow was getting very close with him. He couldn't think of anything worse than hurting her, so it made Tony feel safe letting his daughter hang around him.
Jake waited at her locker for her to come back from class. And he waited. She was running late. He wondered why. When he finally appeared, with a minute until the tardy bell rang, she looked upset.
He questioned her as she came. "Is everything alright?"
She put her stuff in her locker, not saying a word.
"Willow, what's wrong?"
"Talk to me, Willow! What's up?"
She turned around. "I hate this school. I hate the teachers. I hate the students. I hate everything about it."
She hugged him, hoping that he could somehow make it better. The bell rang. "What happened?"
"I... I have no time to explain. I don't want you to be in trouble for being late, AGAIN because of me."
Willow rushed off with her books, leaving Jake standing there wondering what the heck just happened. Jake came into class several minutes late and snuck into the back row. The teacher didn't seem to notice.
After that class had ended, Jake rushed back to willow's locker to see if he could find out what happened. She never came. He stayed five minutes after the late bell rang, but she still didn't come. He didn't see her at lunch either. That's when he called her.
She didn't answer. Not the first time. So he called again. This time, she answered. "Hey..."
"Willow? Where are you?"
"I went home. Not feeling well..."
"Oh. Okay. I was getting kind of worried. I guess I'll see you later."
"Yeah. See ya."
He hung up. She didn't sound very well either. He went through the rest of his day, bored. The class they usually had together was extremely boring.
After school, he drove to her house. He knocked on the door. Ziva must've come pick her up and take her home, but then she must've gone back to work because there was no car in the driveway. Willow came to the door. She was in some old, baggy t-shirt and sweatpants.
"Hey Jake. What are you doing here?"
"I came to check on you... I felt bad so I brought a movie and some chocolate?" He said, holding out some Hershey's cookies 'N' Cream bars, which are by far Willow's favorite, and her favorite movie, Taken. She said she likes the idea of someone going through a lot of trouble to save his daughter.
Jake sat and watched the movie with her. Eventually, she had fallen asleep leaning on him. So he was watching the movie by himself with her next to him when Tony and Ziva came in with Andy. Andy came running in.
"OooOoo! Willow brought a boy home!"
Tony came in and was about to say something, but saw Willow at ease next to him and asleep and he said nothing. Ziva saw the scene and waved to Jake, leaving Willow to sleep. She knew that Willow needed her rest.
Tony took Andy back to his room and played a board game with him until the movie was over. When it was over, Jake slowly got out from under Willow, leaving her to sleep on the couch. She sill had nightmares every once in a while about the incident. But she would call him and they would talk for hours until she fell asleep again.
Tony and Ziva didn't know about this. They didn't know about most of the things that Jake and Willow did together. It wasn't anything wrong. They just didn't question. Jake went home and Tony, Ziva, and Andy had dinner. Tony and Andy finished while Ziva was still poking around at her food.
Tony glanced over at her, then at Andy. "Andy, bud, why don't you go play in your room now, okay?"
Andy nodded and left. Tony put his hand on Ziva's. "Ziva? What's up?"
"What do you mean?"
"You've barely touched your food. What's going on in that gorgeous head of yours?"
She sighed. "I'm worried about Willow. She doesn't seem to spend much time around us anymore. She's always with Jake. He's always here when she is here. Like today. She didn't let me know that he was coming over. She didn't text me and tell me that he was over when he arrived. What if they get tempted to do stupid things that maybe all her friends are doing? I just don't know where she is in life. I don't know if I can trust them together alone... And I hate not knowing."
"It's okay to be worried, Zi. Sometimes I worry for her. But Jake is a good man. and I wouldn't say that about anyone. He is truly good. And I think he respects her and our wishes. He knows where we stand on him touching her, and he knows when to back off... I think it's fine."
Ziva sighed, "and if you're wrong?"
"Then he will die," he said with wide eyes.
Ziva slightly smiled.
"I saw that smile. You would kill him too and he knows that. So no need to worry. Now eat. You'll need the energy for tomorrow."
"What's tomorrow?"
"Life."
