Disclaimer: No copyright infringement of any kind intended. I don't own anything in this fic…at all!
Rating: T
A/N: For Aserene who put forth the challenge of Jenny going to the zoo with Gibbs. Not sure this is exactly what she intended but this is what came to me today on the train. Please remember, I don't really know anything about the Navy so I may have made a few mistakes. Please take it as it is intended…a work of fiction. However, you should probably know that part of this story is true. Read my notes at the end of the story to find out what part.
Please read and review…I enjoy hearing from people.
Enjoy. Em x
"Gibbs…Yeah…Where?...Okay, I'll get my team together and we'll be with you in an hour," Gibbs snapped his cell closed and turned onto his side to see if the early morning phone call had woken his sleeping partner. "Hey," he whispered softly as he saw her looking at him through sleepy eyes.
"Hey, yourself," she replied, smiling at him as he lowered his head to brush his lips across hers. "Who was on the phone?" she asked.
"Metro. A sailor has been found in the tigers' enclosure at the National Zoo,"
"Is he…?" Her voice trailed off but Gibbs understood what she was asking.
"Yeah, he's dead. They're not sure if it was a random act of madness or if his body was dumped there. I guess Ducky will be able to give us a little insight. I'd better get going," he said, throwing back the covers and heading for the bathroom.
"You're going to the zoo right now?" Jenny asked, her eyes brightening as she climbed out of bed behind him.
"Well, yeah, that's where the body is. Not that I suppose there'll be much left to see…"
"Jethro! Don't be disgusting," she admonished, "I'm coming with you," she announced as she followed him into the bathroom. She saw his reflection glare at her in the mirror and she held up her hands in mock surrender. "I won't interfere, I promise,"
Gibbs snorted, knowing she wouldn't be able to help herself once they got to the scene.
"Why are you so desperate to go anyway? It's not even 6am yet; you could have another hour in bed. You've been looking tired recently,"
"Wow, Jethro, you really know how to charm a girl,"
"I didn't mean you weren't still beautiful," he said, kissing her lightly. He cupped her cheek in his palm and looked into her emerald eyes. "I worry about you, that's all,"
"I'm fine, honestly. I love going to the zoo. My father used to take me every school vacation, when he was home that is. It holds happy memories for me I guess,"
"Now that you mention it, I seem to remember being dragged around the Zoo de Paris,"
"You loved every minute of it, admit it," she teased, her eyes twinkling.
"Only because I was with you," he said with a smile before a frown settled across his brows. "Okay, you can come but it's my investigation. Don't think I won't call you out in front of everyone if you start meddling,"
Jen nodded her agreement, knowing he would have no qualms in doing just that. "I'll stay out of your way. I'll just look at the animals. It'll be nice to see them without crowds of people around,"
"Okay, well, why don't you jump in the shower first while I have a quick shave?"
"We could always save time by showering together," she reasoned, placing a kiss to his bare shoulder.
"Somehow, I don't think that would save any time at all, Jen," he smiled, trying to ignore the reaction his body was having to her touch and instead focusing his attention on the investigation at hand.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
"What have we got, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as he and Jen approached the roped off crime scene. Looking behind his senior agent, Gibbs could just make out the badly mutilated body of the sailor. He figured Jen had also spotted it when she turned on her heels and ran for the nearest clump of bushes, emptying the sparse contents of her stomach in to the shrubbery.
"Uh, yeah, boss," DiNozzo began, distracted as Jen continued to heave into the bushes.
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs said sharply, forcing the younger man's attention back to him although it was taking all of Gibbs' strength not to rush over himself to see if she was okay.
"Sorry, boss. Looks like a hazing gone wrong. McGee managed to get a statement from a sailor in his unit. Turns out the victim, Seaman Ryan Gillis, had just transferred into the unit and it's customary for newbies to perform a task to gain acceptance within the group,"
"So, his hazing involved getting torn to shreds by a tiger?" Gibbs asked DiNozzo, watching Jenny out of the corner of his eye. Sufficiently recovered, she was now wandering around the various enclosures in the vicinity, hoping for a glimpse of some of the animals inside.
"No, boss. Apparently there are newborn tiger cubs…only a few weeks old. It was Gillis' task to climb into the enclosure and take one of the cubs. I guess daddy took matters into his own hands,"
"Where's the tiger now?"
"It's been put into isolation,"
"Okay, then, let's go see what Ducky has for us,"
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Jenny walked around the empty zoo, not straying too far from the crime scene but still trying to look at some of the animals. She was disappointed. Most of the animals were either still asleep or hiding from the lights and commotion the investigation was causing. Aside from the police and the agents milling about, the zoo was deserted. When she was a little girl, her father used to carry her on his shoulders, high above the throng of people gathered around the enclosures, ensuring her a perfect view every time. When she'd gotten older, he'd always find a way to push her to the front of the crowd so she'd be able to see. No problems with crowd control today, she thought, if only there was something to see.
She was almost back at the crime scene when she stopped, something in the back of one of the cages catching her eye. She moved closer and saw that it was the tigress mate of the tiger involved in the investigation, hiding in the shadows at the back of the cage. A metal divider had been pulled across, separating this part of the cage from the crime scene. The tiger looked at her with big black eyes and Jenny was sure she could feel a sadness radiating from them.
"Hey," she soothed, "Sorry if we're frightening you. It'll all be over soon,"
As Jenny stood back, she noticed a sign on the outer wire fence.
The National Zoo is proud to announce the safe
arrival of four tiger cubs, born 3/14/07
"So, you're a mom, huh?" Jen said, talking to the tigress. "Congratulations,"
"Don't expect to see the cubs,"
Jenny spun around, startled by the voice. A keeper stood behind her.
"She hasn't brought them out in public yet," he said, moving on.
"You will when you're ready," Jenny whispered.
Suddenly, the big cat stood up and walked slowly over to the front of the cage, stopping a few feet from the bars. Although a heavy metal cage and a wire fence separated them, Jenny couldn't help but feel a strong connection with the animal; a closeness. She marveled at the powerful animal as she took a closer look at the strong body of the tigress.
"Can you keep a secret?" she whispered to the tigress as it continued to stare at her intently. "Of course you can," she laughed, "it's all part of the sisterhood, right? I'm going to be a mom, too," Jenny said, placing a protective hand over her still flat stomach. "I haven't told Gibbs yet. I'm not sure how he'll take it,"
The tigress cocked her head to one side causing Jenny to chuckle again.
"I swear it's like you're actually listening to me and understanding what I'm saying. How about I make you a deal?" Jenny said after a few moments. "If I promise to bring my baby to see you, will you show me your babies today?"
Jenny stood watching the tigress. A couple of minutes passed and Jenny shook her head, laughing at herself for being so silly as to talk to the tigress and think she could understand. She was about to head back over to the crime scene when the tigress turned her back to Jenny and gracefully padded through to a connecting inside enclosure. A few seconds later, Jen watched in amazement as the tigress reappeared with a tiny cub carefully clenched between her teeth. She placed the cub at the front of the enclosure. She repeated the process, until one by one all four of the babies were laying before Jenny, their mother looking at the red haired woman with something that Jenny recognized instantly: Pride.
"They're beautiful," Jenny told her softly, suddenly overcome by what she had witnessed. She wiped away the tears that trailed down her cheeks. "Thank you,"
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
"Hey, look. It's Director Dolittle," Tony joked to Ziva. Gibbs, overhearing him, followed his gaze to where Jenny seemed to be talking intently to a tigress and her cubs. He took a few steps backwards and cuffed the back of DiNozzo's head. "Oomph…shutting up now, boss," said the younger agent, rubbing his head.
Gibbs was just about to head over to see what she was up to when Jenny turned and started walking towards him. As she neared, he could see that she'd been crying.
"Are you okay, Jen?" he asked, the concern evident in his voice as he reached out to touch her arm.
"I'm absolutely fine," she assured him. "So, where are you up to with this?"
"Almost done. Ducky's loading the remains into the truck. Ziva is about to join McGee taking some more statements from the Seaman's unit and Tony is overseeing the scene,"
"Sounds like everything is under control,"
"It is. We can head back to the office if you like?"
"Sounds good. Let's go,"
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
8 Months Later
"So why exactly are we taking out 9 week old daughter to the zoo?" Gibbs asked as he parked the car in the parking lot at the National Zoo. "It's not like she'll have much fun at Pets Corner. Are you trying to pass on your obsession with zoos?"
"Something like that," Jenny laughed as she lifted their daughter out of her car seat and placed her gently into the stroller Gibbs had quickly set up. "You're getting better at that," she commented with a grin, thinking about the first few times they'd practically wrestled with the stroller whilst trying to get it set up.
"I told you I'd figure it out before she graduated," he joked, as he pushed the stroller towards the entrance, Jenny's arm linked through his. "Where to first?" he asked and Jenny pointed towards the Big Cats enclosure.
"I have a promise I have to keep," Jenny said and Gibbs didn't question her. He wondered if he would ever understand the mysteries of women. Five wives and he was still in the dark most of the time.
When they reached their destination Jenny helped steer the stroller towards the tiger cage. The tiger that had attacked Seaman Gillis was lying sleeping on a rock towards the back of the enclosure. The investigation had ruled that the cat shouldn't be destroyed because Gillis had entered its territory, provoking it to protect its offspring.
The cage was surrounded by visitors even on a mild November afternoon. The four almost fully grown cubs were a big attraction at the zoo. Gibbs managed to maneuver the stroller so that they stood at the front of the cage. Jenny bent down and scooped up her daughter, adjusting her woolen hat so that it protected her little ears from the cold. Jenny saw the tigress looking over and she smiled.
"Remember me?" she asked and the tigress continued to stare. Slowly, it got to its feet and moved towards Jenny, coming to rest just before her. "I promised I would bring my baby to see you," Jenny told the tigress. "This is Lily," she said, tilting her arms to show off the baby to the tigress. It looked on for few moments and then turned its head towards the four cubs that were standing nearby. "I see them," Jenny said smiling, "They've gotten so big," she said, cuddling Lily close to her. A few people around Jen were watching the scene with interest. Gibbs, who didn't really understand what was happening, looked on in amazement as his wife and the tigress seemed to communicate with one another.
After a few minutes the tigress lowered her head and moved to the back of the enclosure to lie next to her mate.
"What was that?" Gibbs asked Jenny.
"That was me honouring a promise. One mother to another,"
Gibbs' expression remained confused.
"Remember the night of the investigation at the zoo?"
He nodded his head.
"Well, she was the first 'person' I told I was pregnant. She'd just given birth to the cubs and hadn't brought them out in public. I told her if she let me see the cubs then I'd bring Lily to see her when she was born,"
Gibbs thought back to that night and DiNozzo's comments about Jen being Director Dolittle. He remembered seeing Jenny talking to the tigress and four tiny cubs. Now he understood what she was up to.
They stood at the enclosure watching the family of tigers.
"You know," Gibbs whispered into her ear, "if anyone came after you or Lily, I'd do the exact same thing as him," he said gesturing towards the male tiger.
Jenny looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms and then back up at her husband. Her father had always looked out for her when she was a child and now, she realized, Gibbs would do the same for Lily…and for her.
A/N: The part of this story that's true? The tigress and her cubs. When my mum took my brother and I to Edinburgh Zoo when I was just a few months old, there were newborn tiger cubs that hadn't been seen by the public. My mum showed me off to the tigress (and rather than run away and hide lol) she carried out her cubs, one by one and lay them in front of my mum. My mum says it was amazing, something she'll never forget.
Please review the fic and let me know what you thought.