Title: The Assistant Director.

Rating: M for anticipated future content.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with NCIS. Sadly.

Summary: There's a 'new girl' roaming the halls (and MTAC balcony) of NCIS. Just who is she, and what is her story? AU because Jenny still exists. Rated M for anticipated future content.


Chapter 1: He's always late.


Tony checked his watch for the third time in what seemed like a minute as he jogged towards the elevator in the muggy indoor parking garage of NCIS, cursing the minute hand for not having moved backwards. He was relieved to only have to wait a few minutes for the elevator door to open instead of the usual ten, and was checking his watch again when he heard the shrill female voice call out,

"Hold the doors!"

Quickly, he stuck a hand out to reverse the motion of the closing doors of the elevator, casting his eyes to the heavens to silently ask what he did to deserve this. His displeasure quickly faded, however, when he saw the person that the voice belonged to. She entered the elevator in a hurry, expertly keeping her balance in her four-inch heels as she took a tighter grip on the coffee cup in her left hand and the file folders that her right arm was hugging to what Tony noticed to be a very tiny frame.

"Shit, I'm so late." She muttered under her breath, and cast her brown eyes up to meet Tony's green ones. "Thanks. For holding the door?" She said breathlessly, adding the last part at the confusion that played in his eyes, and giving her left shoulder a little shrug to prevent her handbag strap from slipping from it.

"What floor?" Tony asked, and the tiny blonde gave her head a light shake.

"I'll just get off on yours." She said. She turned towards him as she took a sip from her coffee cup and smiled. "You're Special Agent DiNozzo, right? You're on Special Agent Gibbs' team."

"Yeah. Tony." Tony replied quickly, nodding his head, not bothering to question her on how she knew that piece of information. It wasn't like he didn't know about the stories about him that floated around the office rumour mill.

"Special Agent Jessica Shaw." She said. "I'd shake hands and everything, but..." She trailed off, looking down at her occupied hands, and Tony chuckled, nodding.

"Yeah, it's cool." He said, watching as Jessica twisted the arm that was holding the rather intimidating-looking pile of file folders in it to look at her watch, and then looked up at Tony, smirking a bit. "Gosh, you're about...forty minutes later than I am."

"Traffic..." Tony started, and Jessica jumped in.

"Is a bitch around here, I know." She said, laughing a bit, and Tony chuckled. The two stood in silence for the short time that was left in the elevator ride. The doors opened with a dinging sound, and Tony let Jessica step out first. "Have a good day, Special Agent DiNozzo." She said over her shoulder as she walked off, and Tony smiled.

"Thanks, you too." Tony called after her, and then made his way further into the squad room and towards his desk, bracing himself for the blow that would be Gibbs' anger when he realized how late Tony actually was.