Title: One Last Time
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Donald Bellisario, and I hope he won't mind that I continue to borrow them for my own amusement.
Warnings: This story contains the spanking of an adult, as well a D/s theme (mild as these things go, but still present). There is no sex in the story, but there is a vaguely sexual undertone to the relationship. There is also (extremely limited) coarse language. If any or all of these things bother you, please either don't read this fiction, or at least refrain from telling me about your displeasure.
A/N: This story is tagged to the Season 3 opening episode Kill Ari – Part I. It references the conversation between Jen and Gibbs when she is introduced to him in MTAC as the new NCIS director, as well as the continuation of that dialogue on the stairs. However, beyond this I've pretty much ignored the timeline of the episode. In particular, it's best to not try to fit this story around the scene in Gibbs' basement where they discuss his boats and ex-wives, or any other Gibbs/Jen interactions in the Kill-Ari double episode. Since the entire premise of my story requires some significant suspension of disbelief anyways, I've chosen to take such liberties with the canon in order to write an alternate follow-up interaction for them as I see fit.
"On the job, you'll address me as Director Shepard or ma'am," she'd said. Of course, she'd meant it, and it wasn't the first time she'd had to clarify the expectations of her authority to a male subordinate. As she'd worked her way up the NCIS hierarchy, there had been plenty of instances where she was spoken to in a manner that she found unacceptable – sometimes the offender was making a deliberate mockery of the presence of a woman in a senior position, while other times it was mere thoughtlessness by an agent too comfortable with the status quo. But this hadn't been a careless slip-up by a junior agent. This had been Gibbs.
"On the job, you'll address me as Director Shepard or ma'am." As she'd admonished him, Jen was well aware that nothing Jethro said or did around her was accidental. Gibbs didn't believe in accidents any more than he believed in coincidences. Calling her by her first name, not once but three times, was very much a conscious choice on his part. But Jen knew that Jethro wasn't a chauvinist, not at work and not outside the office. Gibbs treated the women he worked with equitably, and although there had never been a female director of NCIS, Jen didn't doubt that Gibbs had no inherent problems reporting to someone of the opposite gender. No, he'd used her first name to provoke her on a much more personal level.
"On the job, you'll address me as Director Shepard or ma'am," Jen had informed him icily. She had perfected the cool director's voice for just such situations. Or, more accurately, for such situations with other people. But Jethro Gibbs wasn't other people to her, and he knew that. Jen was acutely aware that Gibbs would know quite clearly what memories would be stirred up inside her when she saw him in MTAC after all these years had passed. The scenes had been playing in her mind for days in anticipation of meeting Gibbs again in these reversed roles, and she was determined to make it clear that their former relationship was firmly in the past, and that she took her new position very seriously. She would not allow her authority at work to be compromised by any sort of frivolous liaisons outside of the office.
Thus she had intended her instruction, "On the job, you'll address me as Director Shepard or ma'am," to be taken quite literally. But even as she spoke the words, her stomach tightened, because she knew they would both hear another instruction in their minds when she said it.
"In this room, you'll address me as 'sir'."
The title had been chosen deliberately because they both knew how much Gibbs hated being called 'sir' at work. Referring to him in that way ensured that there would be no confusion between their roles in the outside world, and the roles they chose to assume when they entered that space. It wasn't the entirety of their intimate relationship, but it had been an integral part of their lives together at that time, in that place. And when they parted ways, it was the absence of that aspect of her bond with Jethro that caused the greatest void inside of her. She had never recreated that sort of relationship with any man that she became involved with after him. There had never been anyone she could trust to respect the boundaries that Gibbs had – to take her where she needed to go when they were alone, to allow her to be vulnerable in this confined environment, and then to be her partner – in all respects – when the sun came up.
She called him on her personal cell. It was new, and he wouldn't have the number yet. He'd recognize her, though. He always did.
"Gibbs." The greeting was abrupt, just as she remembered.
"I'm at home…" she faltered, her assuredness that this was what she wanted quickly draining away.
"Jen?"
"I want…I mean…I need…"
"Are you OK, Jen?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Jen wished she sounded more convincing. The conversation from this afternoon replayed one more time in her mind.
"On the job, it is Director Shepard or ma'am."
"OK, what about off the job?"
"There won't be any off the job, Agent Gibbs."
"That's too bad. I missed you, Jen."
She took a deep breath. "What you said on the stairs, about it being a shame that there would no…off the job…interactions…"
"I meant it, Jen."
She hesitated, but knew that it was now or never.
"I'm asking for one last time, Jethro."
There was silence on the other end. Shit. Fuck. She squeezed her eyes closed and bit her lip hard. What the hell had she been thinking when she picked up the phone? Shit. Should she hang up? Apologize? Oh lord, this was so, so bad.
His tone was different when it broke into her thoughts.
"Try again, Jennifer."
Did he not hear her the first time? No, he must have. But then why was he making her repeat her request? Did he want her to take it back? Pretend she hadn't asked? Was he just trying to torment her?
Suddenly she got it.
"I'm asking for one last time, sir."
Another agonizing moment of silence. Then, "Leave the door unlocked." The phone clicked, and she knew without looking at the screen that he'd hung up on her. It was an infuriating habit of his that always drove her crazy, but in this situation she wasn't entitled to criticize. All that was left to do was wait.