I always said that I wouldn't do a sequel to Second Chances, mainly because I end up abandoning them only a few chapters in as I find them difficult to keep in character.

But I just couldn't help myself this time. So if I start to stray into the realms off OOC then don't hesitate to let me know.

The case referenced in this chapter is from mid - late season 2 and is entitled Pop Life. Jenny's cases will be original and unlikely to come from any of the episodes.

This will probably make more sense if you read Second Chances first.

I honestly don't know how frequent updates will be, I have the feeling the time scale will vary greatly.

I don't own anything apart from the original characters.

And lastly, I hope you enjoy :)

July 2005

Leaning over the stair banister, Jenny yelled up the stairs, "Lexie, are you ready yet?"

"No."

"Well hurry up or we're going to be late."

Sighing, Jenny headed towards the kitchen, where Jethro was leaning against the counter, gulping down some coffee. He nodded his head towards the percolator. "You wanting some?"

Jenny shook her head, frowning as she lifted up the pile of Lexie's colouring books off the kitchen table, checking underneath them. "Have you seen the car keys?"

"No, you had them last."

"I know I had them last," Jenny grumbled. "I was just asking if you'd seen them, I swear to God that they have legs."

Gibbs eyed her warily, when Jenny got like this it was best to get out of the way. "You want me to go check on Lexie?" he asked, figuring that that had the double advantage of getting him out of the way and making him look helpful.

Running a harried hand through her hair, Jenny looked up and gave him a small smile, "That would be great."

Nodding he placed his mug onto the counter and headed up the stairs. Sometimes he could scarcely believe how much his life had changed in the last four months, his life had morphed from calm and verging on empty, to full and chaotic. As he reached the top of the stairs, he could hear Lexie chattering away in her bedroom. Pushing open the door, his face broke into a grin as he took in the sight of Lexie wearing fairy wings and singing 'Under the Sea' to Roxie, while trying to place a pair of pink fluffy deely boppers on her head. Not that Roxie was receptive to the task, her head moving whenever they brushed against her ears, and contenting herself with giving Lexie's hands a lick every so often.

Gibbs gave a small cough, causing his daughter's face to swivel in his direction. She beamed up at him, telling him cheerfully, "I'm getting Roxie ready."

His eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, "Ready for what?"

"The day."

Leaning forward, Gibbs took the deely boppers out of her hands and replied, "I don't think that Roxie needs these….." he trailed off, unsure of what these actually were.

As though she was reading his thoughts, Lexie added, "Deely boppers, they're pretty."

"But they're not for dogs."

"Yes they are."

"No, they're not."

Lexie frowned up at him. "You didn't know what they were, so how do you know that they're not meant for dogs?"

"I just do."

"That's not possible," Lexie replied petulantly.

"Yes it is, now why are you not getting ready?"

"Because I'm helping Roxie get ready."

"Roxie is staying here and Naomi will be round to take her out later. You on the other hand need to get ready for day-care."

She shook her head, red curls swinging as she did so. "I'm not going."

"Really? And why's that?"

"I don't like it, Miss Kelly's mean," she declared decisively.

Gibbs frowned at that, his voice slightly sharper, he asked, "What did she do?"

"She told me off and I didn't do anything wrong."

"What did she tell you off for?"

Lexie gave an exaggerated sigh, "Well it was snack time and I was finished, because we were having bananas and oranges and I like them, but other people were taking ages. So I got up to go and read and she told me off and said I couldn't leave the table until everyone was finished."

Gibbs felt his shoulders relax, crouching so that he was level with her. "Lex, Miss Kelly has a point, it's rude to leave the table before other people are finished."

Lexie glared up at him. "But they were taking ages! It's not my fault that they're so slow, and it's not fair that I get in trouble for it!"

"Well if you don't do it again then you won't get in trouble for it."

"That's silly, that won't make them eat quicker."

"No, but it's polite to wait."

Lexie shot him a pitying glance as she shook her head. "I'm not going."

"Yes you are," he told her firmly. "Now go and put your shoes on."

"I don't know where they are."

Gibbs sighed. "Where did you take them off?"

"I can't remember."

"Well start looking for them."

"But I don't want to go!" Lexie whined.

"You need to, your Mom and I need to go to work."

"I could come with you."

"No you can't, Lex."

I can stay with Abby."

"Abby has to work."

Lexie pouted, her eyes wide. "Daddy please don't make me go."

Gibbs felt his stomach lurch at the plea, he knew deep down that Lexie was just sulking about being reprimanded, but she knew exactly which buttons to push. He ran a hand through his short grey hair as he replied, "Lex, go and find your shoes." He hooked his arms under her shoulders and lifted her to her feet. Pushing her back lightly, he prompted her, "Come on, off you go. Remember to check under your bed."

The scowl on her face deepened as she let out a small, "Harrumph."

Shaking his head, a smirk threatening to break across his face, Gibbs clicked his fingers at the dog, getting her to follow him as he left the room, deciding to check if Jenny had found the keys yet. As he walked back into the kitchen, he quickly realised that the answer was no, she was currently raking through the kitchen drawer that was filled with random pieces of junk. She glanced up at him as he walked through the door. "Is Lexie ready?" she asked.

"She's just finding her shoes. She doesn't want to go."

Jenny glanced up at that and shook her head. "She's not still going on about getting told off, is she?"

"Still?"

"Hmmm, she went on about it all of last night." Jenny glanced up at him, her eyes glinting teasingly as she continued, "If you'd managed to make it home you would have lived through it as well." Her face took on a slightly more serious edge, as she asked, "How's the case?"

"We sent Dinozzo undercover into the club."

Jenny snorted with laughter, "I bet he was in his element."

"Like a kid in a candy shop."

"He and Kate still arguing?" she asked slyly.

"Yeah, last I heard they'd went to Ducky to sort it out."

Jenny nodded, a small smirk playing around her mouth. As Jethro turned to look at her however she made sure that her face was a serious as possible. She smiled softly as his hand cupped her chin, mumbling quietly, "Jen, about last night-"

"It's fine," she interrupted him, placing a chaste kiss to his lips. "Once this case is done, we'll have that early night we keep talking about." At that she tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, "Or we could get one of our teams to baby-sit, we could go out for dinner and miss the debacle that is trying to get Lexie to go to her bed early."

Gibbs grinned at that. "That sounds like an idea." His eyes narrowed slightly, as he warned her, almost playfully, "No rubber chicken dinners though."

"Wouldn't dream of it. For one thing taking you to a restaurant that's bound to be filled with politicians is not a good idea."

Chuckling, Gibbs leaned forward and kissed her softly. "To be honest I'm not really that bothered about where we go to eat."

Tsking softly, Jenny shook her head, struggling not to laugh. "Well if I don't find these keys we won't be going anywhere."

"You check the fruit bowl?"

Jenny frowned, watching as he leaned forward towards said bowl. "Why would I check-" she stopped as he dangled the keys between thumb and forefinger. Drawing in a hiss of breath between her teeth, she narrowed her eyes at him. "You better not have known that they were there all along, Jethro."

He shrugged, not really giving an answer one way or the other, instead telling her, "I'll drive."

"Fine," Jenny replied, grabbing her bag. "Looks like we might make it to work on time after all."

"It's only half seven, Jen"

"You know I never thought I'd see the day that Leroy Jethro Gibbs was so blasé about going into work."

"Things change."

"Either way we still better get going." Walking out into the hallway, Jenny yelled up the stairs again, "Lexie!"

The little girl appeared at the top of the stairs, her teddy bear Jake tucked under one arm. "I'm ready," she replied in a sing song voice.

Jenny looked her daughter up and down and shook her head. "No. Go and put your proper shoes on."

Lexie glanced down at the red glittery shoes she had on, and pouted. "These are proper shoes."

"Not for playing they're not. Now go and change them."

"I don't know where my other shoes are."

"They're in the kitchen, now go."

Letting out a high pitched whine of annoyance, Lexie flounced down the rest of the stairs and past her Dad, into the kitchen. She appeared a few seconds later, her shoes grasped in one hand. She dropped down onto the floor and tugged her red shoes off, pushing her feet into the other hated shoes, before very slowly and hesitantly doing up the buckles. Gibbs watched as Jenny inhaled deeply, her eyes narrowing. "Do you want me to help you with that?"

Lexie shook her head, her tongue sticking out in fierce concentration. "No, I can do it."

Jenny glanced at her watch. "Lex we really need to go."

"I can do it!" she insisted. Beaming up at them triumphantly a few moments later. "See," she crowed.

At the look on her daughter's face, Jenny felt her annoyance slip down a notch and gave her a genuine smile. "Well done." She held out her hand. "Now come on, lets get you in the car."

"Ok," Lexie replied, reaching out and taking the proffered hand. As the small family walked out the door, Lexie looked up at her Dad and asked, "Will you be back to read me my story tonight?"

"I hope so," Gibbs replied, lifting her onto her booster seat and fastening her in place.

"Me too," Lexie agreed sagely. "Mommy doesn't do the voices properly."

"Hey!" Jenny exclaimed jokingly from the front seat.

"Well you don't!" Lexie insisted.

Kissing her forehead, Gibbs told her, "I'll do my best to get home in time."

"Good."

They arrived at the day-care centre twenty minutes later. Jenny was just about to unclip her seatbelt when she felt Jethro's hand fold over hers, she looked up and met his gaze. "I'll take her in," he told her.

Jenny shook her head good naturedly, knowing that he wanted to double check that Lexie was just exaggerating about her dislike of the centre. "Fine, but remember and tell them that Naomi is picking her up today."

She watched them go, Lexie swinging off her Dad's arm, and she smiled. It hadn't been the easiest couple of months, they'd found that settling into life as a ready made family wasn't as simple as they'd first hoped. The last time she and Jethro had been in a relationship it had just been the two of them, and now they had to adjust to working their relationship around being parents. Trying to get time alone was a nightmare now that they were both working full time. They spent most of their free time with Lexie and a lot of the time the only alone time they got was when they went to bed, it was a lot to adjust to.

That wasn't the only issue, she was also having to adjust to joint parenting. She was used to making decisions regarding Lexie on her own, now she couldn't do that, everything had to be joint. She loved Jethro, and she loved Lexie, she wouldn't change her new life for the world, it was just trying to adjust to how much things had changed that was a struggle.

"You get the photos from Abby?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, just waiting for McGee to bring up Willy Taylor then we can get an ID." Tony craned his neck around the bull-pit. "No sign of Gibbs yet."

"It's still early."

At that, Agent Will Drake hung over the partition that separated Gibbs and Jenny's team areas, "You needing a hand with anything?" he asked.

Kate smiled and shook her head, "No. You not got a case?"

Will shook his head, running a hand through his floppy blonde hair. "Just finished writing up the Dixon case." He eyed Kate up and down appreciatively, "So if everything stays quiet here, and if you tie up that case, you wanna go for dinner tonight?"

Laughing, Kate replied, "You forgotten Rule 12, Will?"

"We're not the same team, so it doesn't count."

"Still never going to happen."

"You say that now."

"I'll say that forever."

Tony watched the exchange with narrowed eyes, before butting into the conversation, "I really feel I should be taking down this conversation for our sessions with Ducky."

Kate rolled her eyes. "You can't be serious."

"Why not? I flirt with a girl and I'm a creep, but you're allowed to flirt with him?"

"I'm not flirting!" she protested.

"Yeah, right," Tony scoffed.

Will smirked at the exchange between the two Agents, it really didn't take a lot to start the bickering and it really did brighten up a dull day. The smirk rapidly disappeared from his face when he felt a hard tug on his arm, and felt himself falling into his seat. He looked up dazedly into Josh's disapproving brown eyes. "Do you have nothing better to do?"

"We don't have a case, and I've finished writing up," Will protested.

"Yeah, well if either Jenny or Gibbs catches you distracting that pair, you'll find yourself cleaning out the toilets. Again. They're bad enough without your input." Continuing to glare at the younger man, Josh dropped heavily into the seat at his desk and switched on his computer. "If you're really struggling to find something to do then you can check the Probie's report."

At this Michelle Lee glanced up from the report she was proof reading for the third time. "That would be great, I think I've caught any errors but a second pair of eyes won't hurt," she smiled.

Will scowled, a small noise of disgust escaping his throat. "Fine, pass it over." He took the file and shook his head. "You know Lee, you really need to get a social life."

"Leave her alone, she's just being conscientious," Josh told him tersely. "Something that wouldn't do you any harm."

"There's a fine line between conscientious and anal," Will mumbled as the elevator doors swished open, and Jenny and Gibbs stepped out.

Gibbs rolled his eyes as he took note that Kate and Dinozzo were bickering yet again. Walking over to them, he noted that neither had noticed him yet, and smacked the back of Dinozzo's head. The younger man jumped and rubbed at the back of his skull. "Hey Boss."

"Shouldn't you two be working?"

"We're just waiting on McGee bringing up Willy Taylor."

"You got the photos?"

"Yes Boss," Tony replied sitting down at his desk, he pulled a face across at Kate, who merely rolled her eyes in response.

Jenny who had been watching the exchange, stifled a laugh and resisted the urge to shake her head. Instead she turned her attention to her own team. "You all finished your reports?"

They all nodded. "Good, just put them on my desk and I'll read them over." she looked pointedly over at Will as she added, "And your writing better be legible this time."

"It's so neat it's almost art," he told her.

"I'm sure," she replied, a neat eyebrow arched in scepticism. Heading over to her desk, she had only just sat down when her mobile went. Flipping it open she answered easily, "Sheppard."

Her team watched in interest, they wanted a case, it was no fun sitting here with nothing to do - not that that happened often.

When she hung up, Jenny found her team blatantly staring at her. "Problem?"

"Want us to gear up?" Will asked hopefully.

Jenny gave a slight nod. "Yes, body of a marine has been found in Oxon Run Park."

"On it," Will replied, jumping eagerly to his feet and easily beating the rest of the team to the elevator.

Jenny let out a small sigh, she hadn't even had a coffee yet, it was going to be a rough morning she just knew it.