I know, I know, I should totally be updating Let Me Back In, but I'm stuck in a rut about that one and this just attacked me. ATTACKED. I will try my best to update it soon. In the mean time, I hope you guys enjoy this. It is a new beginning to a new story. R&R please?
S. I.
The Plea of a Wife and Mother
"Laur, hurry up!" The woman hollered up the stairs of the old Georgetown brownstone manor, "I have to run an op in MTAC and I can't be late."
Standing at the landing of the stairs, she expertly scraped her long red waves into a immaculate tight ponytail gathered at the nape of her neck.
"Lauren Anastasia, get your little four year old butt down here this instant!" She half jokingly yelled.
A slight, lanky figure bounded down the stairs, her scarlet tresses billowing behind her. She wore a simple light green sundress that brought out the ice blue of her almond shaped eyes that were surprisingly warm.
Her father's eyes.
Jenny caught her daughter as she flung herself off the last few steps, swinging her around and placing her gently on the ground.
Grasping a portion of the hair on Lauren's head, Jenny began to twist the fiery strands into a neat French braid. She ran her index fingers down the back of the daughter's ears quickly with practiced precision and then patted the young girl on her head.
"Can we go now, Mama?"
"Sure, baby."
When the young child was safely placated and secured in her booster seat in the car, Jenny got in beside her and motioned for her driver Stanley to take them towards NCIS.
"Mama, will I see Papa today?"
"Yes baby, he's shipping in today. We are going to pick him up later, alright?"
"Okay. I wanna show him my picture."
Jenny held on to the small Eiffel Tower pendant Jethro had gotten her. He always promised that someday he would take her to Paris on a lover's getaway.
But now, he was always away. Deployed oceans away with the Marine Corps.
She did know what she was getting into back then, but it never struck her that it would be as painful as it was to send him off and wait for his return.
Their daughter was barely four - her Papa had missed her birthday, but she was eternally optimistic, choosing instead to focus on the date that he would return.
This time, after fourteen months away, her Marine would finally return.
For that very reason, her daughter was exceptionally excited today. Jenny chuckled at the thought of Cynthia, her long suffering assistant, trying to control the exuberant child while Jenny had meetings with the Secretary of the Navy.
Jenny was the youngest ever director of an armed federal agency at only thirty one, and also the first ever female director.
The job, of course, came with its perks despite the disadvantages.
For one, her salary was higher than that of a Special Agent's, even that of the leader of the Major Crimes Response Team, the post she had previously held.
She could also bring her young child to the Navy Yard and settle her in a corner of her office.
It did assuage the guilt she sometimes felt over Jethro being gone so often.
She strode past the bullpen where Ziva and McGee were already seated. Tony DiNozzo, who had taken her place after her promotion, was nowhere to be found. The additional spot on the team had yet to be filled.
"Aunt Ziva!" The young redhead sprinted over to the Israeli who had known her since their early days in Europe and Spain on intelligence ops together.
"Morning, tateleh. Did you give your mother a lot of trouble this morning?" Ziva hugged the girl warmly, before turning to Jenny, "Shalom, Jen."
"Shalom, Ziva. Good morning, Tim." Jenny reached one lithe hand out towards her young daughter, "Come on, sweetheart, I have to get to MTAC and you have to get to Cynthia."
"Okay Mama."
The bundle of green dress and red curls dashed up the stairs to the catwalk before her mother could say another word.
"You know, Jen, maybe if you did not wear such high heels, you could catch up with-" Seeing the director already at the top of the flight of stairs ahead of her daughter, she amended her statement, "Oh, well, never mind then."
Jenny chuckled as she led her daughter toward the large metal door with a plaque that read 'Jennifer Elizabeth Shepard, Director, NCIS'.
As she helped Lauren to push the heavy doors open, she called out to her assistant.
"Cynthia?" She stepped into the reception area in front of her office and proceeded with wide strides toward the next set of double doors when she found her assistant's desk vacant.
"Cynthia, are you here?"
Lauren had ran in ahead of her into the office itself but an unmistakable yelp from the four year old sent Jenny careening in as well.
Her flustered assistant schooled her features quickly, gesturing toward the men in uniform sitting at the conference table opposite her desk.
"Director Shepard, these men are from the Marine Corps." Cynthia made to grasp Lauren's hand, beginning to usher her out the door, "They say they need to speak with you."
Only when her daughter was out of the room did Jenny allow herself to blanch and seat herself down shakily.
"So, gentlemen. We both know there is nothing even close to positive about this visit, so cut to the chase and tell me what has happened to my husband."
Her tone was clipped as she ran her bony fingers through the satin threads of her hair.
"Well, M'am, Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs was-"
The official who had been speaking burst into a coughing fit, harsh coughs roughly racking his frame.
She rose to get him a glass of water out of courtesy.
She was not sure if she wanted to hear what they had to say.