Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS nor it's characters.
AN: Well, this is a sequel of sorts to Here Comes Goodbye. You don't necessarily have to read it, but it may help. This may be OOC and slightly AU. You've been warned. Hope you like the first chapter!
It's been a year since she came back into his life, but not as a colleague or junior agent, but his boss. What's worse is that she seemed to not remember how much he loved her and how much they had meant to each other. He tried to remind her, after he could remember himself.
After the explosion, everything was fuzzy, but his hiatus gave him a chance to remember everything and the chance to relive everything. Her love, her goodbye, and his pain were no exceptions in that case. He wished that she could have been forgotten, but there was no chance in that happening.
He sits at his desk, trying to fill out the paperwork for the latest case. He sent his team home hours ago. He keeps losing his focus as his mind drifts to other things. He couldn't make himself understand that she didn't care anymore, didn't want him anymore. It pissed him off so much that she toyed with him and then left with nothing but a letter. Part of him wanted to know why, to confront her about everything, but he couldn't do it. Anytime he'd bring up the past, she would change the subject.
"Jethro?" said her voice.
He looked up to see her staring at him questioningly.
"Director," he said gruffly.
"Why aren't you headed home?" she asks.
Because there is nothing there for me, he thinks. He indicates the paperwork.
"Still got some work to do," he said.
"Paperwork can wait til the morning, Jethro. Go home. Get some sleep," she said. He snorted.
"That an order, Jen?" he asks. She looks at him.
"Do I need to make it one?" she retorts. He smirks slightly.
"I'm fine," he replies. She rolls her eyes.
"Fine," she says and walks off.
He thinks for a minute about everything that has happened. Why did she care whether or not he got sleep? It wasn't just a superior looking after her employee in her voice. There was genuine care there. Maybe he had a chance to remind her about their past, their love.
Two weeks and many other cases later made him suspicious as to what her agenda had contained. She was secretive and she would often pull Tony and send him on some other ops.
He found her in MTAC this time and he was determined to find out what she's hiding. She's not paying attention to those around her, but studying the file in front of her.
"Working late Director?" he says and she startles in her seat.
"Don't sneak up on me like that," she growled at him. He chuckled and sat down next to her.
"What do you want Jethro?" she asks slightly annoyed at him.
"What's going on with you Jen?" he asks.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replies. He scoffs and she turns to glare at him.
"I'm serious. You've been working so late. You've had a temper lately that's worse than usual and you've been pulling DiNozzo every time I turn around. What's going on?" he asks.
"It's need to know and you don't need to know," she replies.
"Damn it Jen!" he growled.
"What? You think I have to tell you everything?" she snapped, "That's not happening Jethro so drop it!"
He got up and stormed out of MTAC. Once on the catwalk, he leaned on the railing and took some deep breaths to calm him down. He shouldn't have blown up like that. She has no idea what she does to him.
He looked when he heard the door to MTAC open and she came out with her hands full of files and was trying to juggle them and a cup of coffee, but some slipped out and fell to the floor. That was when he knew for sure that there was something definitely on her mind. He walked over and squatted down to help her gather them together.
"I've got this," Jenny said. He grunted and slid the last of the files back into her arms.
"Didn't look it to me," he grumbled. She glared at him and stormed off to her office leaving him frustrated even more.
The next morning, he decided to pull a different approach. He stopped at his normal coffee shop and picked up two coffees. He walked into the outer office and noticed the door was open and Cynthia wasn't there. He poked his head around the door and noticed Jenny wasn't in yet either. He walked in and sat one of the cups down on Jenny's desk. He grabbed her pad of post-its and wrote a small note before leaving and starting the day.
Jenny walked into her office. She was exhausted and angry that she was no closer to finding La Grenouille. She was also a little miffed with Gibbs sticking his nose in her business. She sat down and that was when she noticed the coffee and the note. She felt the cup and it was warm. She took a sip and it was just how she liked it. She picked up the note and read:
Jen,
You know how I feel about apologies, but I'm sorry about last night. Enjoy your coffee.
Jethro
She smiled a bit at this and reread the note a couple of times to make sure that the words on it were real. She couldn't believe that he did this. She'd thank him later, but she had to focus on catching the arms dealer who ruined her life and cost her father's his.
He was working late again. He hoped she was in a better mood than she had been last night. That's when he heard her coming toward him. He looked up as she stopped by his desk.
"Thank you for the coffee this morning, and I'm sorry about last night too," she said. He smiled a genuine smile.
"You're welcome. Did you need anything?" he asked. She shook her head.
"No, I'm on my way out," she said.
"Give me a minute and I'll walk you out," he said. She nodded and he gathered his things.
"What changed Jethro?" she asked as she pressed the button to the elevator.
"What do you mean?" he asked. The doors opened and they stepped on. Jenny pressed the button and the doors shut.
"I mean, why the coffee and the sudden interest in what's going on?" she asked.
"I don't know. I guess wondering about how you're doing," he said. She looked at him and raised her eyebrows.
"I'm fine," she said. He grunted. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," he said. She wasn't taking that for an answer.
"No, seriously, what's that supposed to mean?" she asked again, more determined for a direct answer.
"It means that you're lying. You're not fine," he said.
"How would you know?" she asked.
"I know you Jen. At least, I did," he said adding the last part softly.
"I'm not lying and I am fine. I've got an agency to run and that's what I'm doing," she said.
He grunted again and she huffed. The doors opened and she walked out with him following. They got to her car where her detail was waiting. He opened her door for her and she put her things inside before climbing in.
"Have a nice night, Director," he said snippily and shut the door.
He shook his head about the conversation. Why couldn't she just open up to him? Then he realized that she couldn't because he couldn't. He wasn't an open person and kept secrets from everyone. That's when he thought back to her face in the elevator and noticed that she seemed relieved when he told her he knew she was lying. The major question was: how to open up to her?
The next couple days were extremely busy and he hardly had any time to mull things over, but he still brought coffee to her in the mornings and walked her out each night.
She began to notice that he was wanting to be with her a little more often and on Friday she decided to call him out on it.
She walked to the bullpen and he got up with his things. They walked to the elevator and got on. As it began to move, she flipped the emergency switch. He looked at her.
"Alright, what's going on?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" he countered. This was starting out like it did the other night.
"I mean, the sudden urge to be nice to me with the coffee and walking me out," she said.
"I can't bring coffee to you or walk you to your car?" he asked.
"You're avoiding the question," she said. He sighed.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner," he said. She looked at him stunned.
"Dinner as in friends or dinner as in a date?" she asked. He looked at her.
"As a date," he said. She sucked in a breath.
"Um, sure, I guess. When?" she asked.
"Tomorrow night at eight?" he asked and she nodded. He smiled as his heart began to beat a little faster.
"Pick you up at seven-thirty," he said and she nodded again before flipping the switch and they continued their decent. Phase one was complete.
AN: There's chapter one. The next chapter is their dinner date. Leave a review, please and thank you!