A/n; And, here we are with another one of those long chapter stories I'll update once every blue moon. I'm not quite sure where this came from, I saw a Lauren Holly movie the other day("Before You Say I Do", I think), and then I watched Covert Affairs and thought how she sort of treats Annie like a little sister, and this little plot bunny decided to take up residence in the overflowing petting zoo in my head.

Um, things you need to know:

Anastasia Jaqueline "A.J." Shepard (19 in this chapter): Youngest child of Jasper and Elanor Shepard. Nine years younger than Jenny. Takes after her father in looks and coloring, while Jenny takes after their mother. Blonde, blue-grey eyes, slightly taller than Jenny. Tomboy, consummate flirt, very sarcastic, distrustful of others, commitment-phobe, prankster, personality somewhat like Gregory House and a younger Tony DiNozzo all rolled into one.

Jasper Shepard has been dead for two years as of this chapter. Elanor Shepard died three years after A.J. was born. Jenny became A.J.'s legal guardian after Jasper's death.

Jenny just recently got the job at NCIS working with Gibbs. The Jethro-Jenny relationship will factor into this story somewhat, but the majority of it will be the relationship (or lack thereof) between the Shepard sisters.

The story will likely skip around the timeline as ideas strike me, so the chapters do not need to be read in order, I'll post the relevant date and any spoilers at the beginning of each chapter.

This will very likely end up AU by the end, just because of the way my head works.

-meg

DISCLAIMER: Not mine, no matter how much I wish it. I just mess with them.

1. Dissapointment

October 18, 1996- University of Notre Dame (Pre-series)

Special Agent Jennifer Shepard leaned against the outer wall of McGlinn Hall, bright green eyes surveying the picturesque campus of the University of Notre Dame laid out in front of her. She flicked a glance down at her watch, letting out an irritated sigh as she slipped her cell out of her pocket, flipping it open and dialing a number from memory.

"'Lo?" A distinctly groggy voice crackled through the other end of the line.

Jenny smirked, shaking her head. She was anything but predictable. "A.J. I take it you've forgotten what today is?"

There was a significant pause followed by a muffled curse. "Bugger. Hang on; let me put some clothes on. I'll be down in a tic."

Jenny nodded slowly, smirking as she snapped the phone shut.

The side door to the dorm opened, a tall, lithe blonde scrambling out, jerking a grey "Fighting Irish" hoodie over her head. "Hey, Jen."

Jenny ran a quizzical eye over the girl, taking in the rumpled hair and khaki shorts two sizes too big, held up with a belt cinched to the last stop. "Whose pants are those?"

She smirked, shrugging one shoulder lazily. "No-one you need to concern yourself with, sis." A.J. swept slate grey eyes over the redhead in front of her. "I take it you got the job, then." She jerked her head towards the gold badge resting at Jenny's belt.

Jenny raised her eyebrows at the brusque subject change, giving her sister an odd look. "Yeah…but that doesn't change the fact that you're clearly wearing someone's pants, from the looks of them, a male someone."

"You gonna snoop into my sex life now, Mum?" A.J. let out a derisive snort, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, right. None of your business. Let's just accept the fact that they're clearly not my pants and move on."

"Um, no we won't."

"Yeah, we will, or you'll be getting right back in that Benz of yours and driving your little old self right back to D.C." The blonde folded her arms across her chest, giving Jenny a pointed look. "My private life's my life, Jen. You stay outta mine, I'll stay outta yours."

She acquiesced with an irritated huff, stuffing her hands in her jeans pockets. "Fine. You still owe me a tour, though."

A.J. nodded, relaxing her defensive posture. "C'mon. Let's go get some food. I'm starving."

They sat at a table near the back wall in the dining hall, Jenny making sure to face both exits. A.J. gave her a quizzical look, frowning slightly. "Why are you so paranoid?"

Jenny blinked, blushing slightly as she realized what she'd been doing. "Sorry. Habit from the job. Or, well, more of a lesson beaten into my head by my boss."

The blonde made a vague noise, tucking into her scrambled eggs and hash browns with gusto. "I'm hoping you don't mean literally beating, J."

She bit her lip, glancing down at the cinnamon roll on her plate.

A.J. looked up, her eyes glinting with a slightly dangerous light. "Jen…"

The redhead shrugged nonchalantly, breaking off one of the outer edges of the roll. "It's just a little tap to the back of the head. No big deal."

"Not a big deal?" A.J.'s fork lay forgotten on her plate as she stared across the table at her elder sister, an almost murderous look flashing in her eyes. "I'll kill him."

"A, no." Jenny reached across the table, gripping her sister's hand tightly. "I can take care of myself. I took him down a few pegs in the gym, so I got even."

"Still, Jen, that's not right."

"He's done it twice since I've been hired, yet he hits Burley on an hourly basis. I'm pretty sure I've got the better end of this deal, A.J."

She relaxed after a moment, returning to her food with an uncertain glance at Jenny. "Alright…"

Jenny took another bite of cinnamon roll, grinning. "Thanks for the protection, though."

"Hey. Nobody messes with my big sister and gets away with it."

"Mmhmm. I'd like to see you stand up to that claim with Gibbs."

A.J. snorted, stabbing another bite of potato and eggs. "What, is he some muscle-bound, iron-pumping Navy brat?"

"Nope. Marine sniper." Jenny tilted her head sideways, picturing Gibbs in her head as she described him. "He's got a rule about everything. Always has a knife, mainlines coffee. I think he's in the middle of his second divorce now, if the phone arguments are anything to go by. Quite the temper, too."

"Yeah, right. Bet I could still deck him."

She shook her head slowly. "He's fast, and strong. Six-one, two-ten or so, really broad shoulders. He's got this sort of…salt and pepper hair, like Daddy had before he went completely grey…blue eyes…" She trailed off, not noticing the slightly disgusted look A.J. made across the table.

"Jesus, Jen, why doncha just jump right into bed with him? Sounds like you've done enough checking out of your own." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively, shaking her head.

Jenny flushed, glaring down at the half-eaten roll on her plate. "I am not going to sleep with him! He's married!"

A.J. smirked, pointing the fork at her teasingly. "You said yourself he's heading for divorce."

"So! That doesn't mean I want to sleep with him! He's my boss!"

"Riiiiiight. And we all know what you think of rules regarding people of authority and 'relationships' with them." A.J. waggled her eyebrows again, the smirk widening.

Jenny's blush deepened as A.J.'s insinuation to her 'relationship' with her college history professor sunk in. She shook her head sharply, glaring at her sister. "Not happening."

"Whatever. This devil-dog Marine boss of yours got a name other than 'Gibbs'?"

She grinned slightly, raising one shoulder in an amused half-shrug. "Er…Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

A.J. snorted with laughter, spluttering on the drink of orange juice she had just taken. "You're kidding."

Jenny shook her head slowly, chewing on another bite of cinnamon roll. "Definitely not kidding. There's no way I could think up anything that ridiculous myself."

"Damn. And I thought I had a bad name."

"Your name isn't that bad. I think Anas-." Jen was cut off as A.J. lunged across the table, clapping a firm hand across her sister's mouth.

"Shut. Up."

She smirked beneath her sister's hand, her eyes flashing mischievously. "What? It's pretty."

A.J. snorted, removing her hand. "It's not me."

"What do you mean, 'not you'?"

"It doesn't fit my personality."

"That's the biggest load of-." Jenny stopped in the middle of her sentence, noticing her cell ringing shrilly on the table. A.J. darted forward, snatching up the phone and answering while using her free hand to keep Jen at bay.

"Hi there. You've reached Jenny Shepard. She can't come to the phone right now, she's a wee bit occupied. 'Kay thanks!" The blonde shut the phone with a decisive snap, slipping it in the pocket of her cargo shorts.

"A.J….give me the phone."

She shook her head, folding her arms stubbornly."Nuh uh. You're off this weekend, and you're up here visiting me. Work doesn't get to take you away from that."

"A.J.! I need my phone! I have to know who called!"

"It said 'JG-Mobile' on the caller-id. Who's J.G.?"

Jenny paled visibly, scrabbling around the table to practically tackle her sister. "Give me that phone, now!"

A.J. yelped, grabbing onto the edge of the table to prevent the both of them from tumbling to the floor. "What the hell, Jen?"

"Give me my phone! Now, A.J.!"

"No! You're up here visiting me, and you promised you wouldn't let work get in the way."

"A.J., seriously, I need my phone. One call, that's it." Jenny pleaded with her sister, trying to slip the phone out of her pocket secretly.

"Fine. One call, five minutes max."

Jenny took the phone back, cradling the thing as if it were a baby. She re-dialed the last call, listening as it rang.

"Where the hell are you, Shepard?"

"I took the weekend off! We're not on call! What do you want, Gibbs?"

"Rule Three, Shepard. I expect you back in D.C. in two hours. We're going to get your firearms quals."

Jenny paled, glancing sideways as she spoke. "I—I can't, Gibbs, honestly. I'm not in town, and I took a personal weekend."

"Cancel it. You have two and a half hours, Shepard, or you're finding a new team to work on."

"I—but…" Jenny trailed off as the phone went dead with a click, sighing unhappily. She turned to A.J. with a slightly apologetic look on her face. "A…I've got to go."

The blonde's face fell. "Jen, you promised."

"I—I know, but I have to, he…I'll make it up to you, I promise."

She watched as A.J.'s face closed down, hiding the rejection well. "Fine. Go. I'll talk to you later, I guess." A.J. stood abruptly, jamming her hands deep in her pockets as she walked away, her shoulders stiff.

Jenny sighed as she watched her little sister go. She had a sinking feeling this wasn't going to be the first time she disappointed her sister for the job.

There's Chapter 1. Chapter 2 should be up in a day or two, I'm almost done with it.

yes, Gibbs is a jerk. I figure with him going through a divorce with Diane, he probably would be more...Gibbs than usual. Thus, ripping Jenny's free weekend away. So he's a little mean. Sue me.

Review, tell me what you think!

-meg.