*Love Don't Live Here Anymore~ Lady Antebellum
(Jethro thinks about how Jenny leaving him has changed him but makes a surprising discovery when she shows up in DC as the director of NCIS)
Well this heart of mine has been hardened like a stone
It might take some time to get back what is gone
But I'm movin' on and you don't haunt my dreams
Like you did before oh when I would curse your name
Jethro was sitting at his desk thinking about the things that had just happened. A member of his team had just been killed. Kate was gone. She was someone he thought of not only like a co worker but a really good friend. A lot of people were surprised that Kate was on his team. He was not known for working well with a lot of people, especially women. Some might even think of him like a chauvinist, holding the idea that women were not equal to men. Having three ex-wives didn't help the matter. The truth of the matter was, that was not the case. He actually thought that women could be good agents. One of the best agents he had ever trained was a woman. However, she was the reason he is like he is.
JENNY.
That name alone brought up many different emotions. She had been the first woman he had ever worked with at NCIS. He could still remember the day Marrow introduced him to her. Just one look at her, he knew he was in trouble. She was young, beautiful, and a red head, all he things that turned him on. However, she was stubborn, hard headed, and very determined to show that she could be a good agent, despite being a woman. She challenged him in ever way possible. Then she moved from his probie agent to his partner and their relationship changed. The attraction he felt in the beginning became harder to hide and their second night in Marseilles they made love. They worked together undercover for two more years and in that time he feel head over heals in love with her. He thought she felt the same. Then at the end of their assignment she ripped his heart out. They were supposed to come home together but she left him on a plane in Paris with nothing more than the coat he got her and a Dear John letter.
For years he would dream about her. He would dream about making love to her. They would be the most erotic, realistic dreams. They felt so real that he could feel her in the bed with him and he would reach out to hold her only to find she wasn't there. It took him years to get to the point that he wouldn't curse her name when he woke up. He even got to the point where he didn't dream about her every night. He had moved on but the pain she had caused him still affected him. He had hardened his heart to the women he worked with because there was no way he would ever allow himself to go through that again.
Well I heard the news that you were back in town
Just passin' through to claim your lost and found
But I'm over you and there ain't nothin' that
You could say or do to take what you did back
Well you got nerve to waltz right in
And think what's mine is yours again
Now he was sitting in MTAC with Marrow. He didn't understand the uneasy feelings he had sitting in this seat. He never felt this way when talking with the director but ever since he stepped foot his this room he has had a gut feeling that things were about to change. He waited patiently as Marrow watched the live footage of an ops. He listened as the people working the ops talked in a language he didn't understand and watched as the jeep they were watching travel down the road blew up. He heard everyone congratulating each other and then he heard one voice sound above all the others.
"Good job, everyone."
He knew that he had to be losing his mind to hear that voice now. It had to be because of the fact she has been on his mind with Kate's death. He heard Marrow talking about something but couldn't focus on the words that he was saying because he was too busying watching all the people walking by, making sure he didn't see her walk by. When he was certain that she wasn't there, he began to engage in a conversation with Marrow. They talked about Ari and Kate, and then Marrow informed him of something that he knew could have the potential to change everything. "I have been offered a Deputy Directors job with Homeland Security."
"You would leave NCIS, sir."
"I feel it's time for a change. The Agency could use some younger blood."
"Who would be replacing you?" Jethro watched as Marrow's eyes focused on him. "Not me Sir."
Marrow laughed. "As much as I like you, I would not shoot NCIS in the foot."
Jethro watched him walk away. As he passed by the first rows of seats he said, "He's all yours director."
Jethro noticed for the first time that not everyone had walked out of the room earlier. He watched as the person stood up and knew that this person might have the ability to change his life. When he saw the person turn around, his world was rocked.
"Hello, Jethro."
Cause I've been doin' fine without you
Forgettin' all the love we once knew
And girl I ain't the one who slammed that door
But now you say you've changed your thinkin'
But I ain't got a heart for breakin'
So go and pick your bags up off my floor
Oh cause love don't live here anymore
Just those two words brought it all back. He saw the moments that had haunted his dreams. He could see the two of them in bed like it was yesterday. He could taste the salty/ sweet taste of skin as he kissed her neck. He could feel the slick, sweat soaked skin that made him grip her a little tighter as she moved against him. He could hear her moan out loud as he moved inside of her.
Well baby you can try to tell me how it is
And try to justify everything you did
But honey I'm no fool and oh I've been down this road
Too many times with you I think it's best you go
Well I got one thing left to say
Is you can lay in the bed you've made
"Should we skip the you haven't changed a bit bull?"
Sitting here looking at her he knew that the truth of the matter was, she hadn't changed in the years they had been apart. She was still as beautiful as she was in Paris. Her hair was still fire red, just the way he liked. He couldn't tell the length because she had it up in a bun but he knew it still had to be long. And her body. No, nothing had changed about her physically but she was different. It seemed like she had built a tough shell around her. She was a different person. She wasn't the Jenny he knew and loved.
"It's been six years. Why start lying to each other now?"
This was exactly how he needed to be. He had to be cold and distant to her. Never let anybody close, especially her. He couldn't let her hurt him again. She was the one who left him; he would be a fool to let her close again. It was her fault he was the bastard he was today. She left, ran away, and never had to deal with the repercussions. Now she was going to have to.
"Are you going to have a problem taking orders from me?"
He knew what she was asking. "You mean as the director or as a woman?"
"Both."
Cause I've been doin' fine without you
Forgettin' all the love we once knew
And girl I ain't the one who slammed that door
But now you say you've changed your thinkin'
But I ain't got a heart for breakin'
So go and pick your bags up off my floor
Oh cause love don't live here anymore
He knew what she was thinking. He was always able to read her mind. She wanted to know if he could handle her being his boss. She had been his probie agent. She had been the one who took orders from him. Not only that but she had been the woman he loved. The woman he shared a bed with and planed a future with. She was also the woman who left him on a plane in Paris and ripped his heart out.
Oh no that love don't live here anymore
Oh no, no
Sugar no, no
And you don't live here anymore
Love don't live here anymore
And since you walked out of my door
Love don't live here
Love don't live here girl
Oh love don't live here anymore
He wanted to hate her. He wanted her to feel just an ounce of the pain he had felt when she left but standing here now he couldn't. Seeing her made all those feelings come running back. It just felt too easy to fall back into their old relationship. The old playful banter between them was just too strong. "You were always a good agent, Jen. Especially undercover."
"Jethro."
That was all it took. That playful smile and the way she said his name was his undoing. He didn't give a damn anymore what she had done, he wanted her back. He smirked back at her with that smile he knew made her go weak at the knees. "Madam Director."
Being with her, alone here made him know that he was a fool to believe that love don't live here anymore.