A/N: Well I'm going to try to make this short and sweet, okay? I AM planning on finishing this story. I only think it'll be about 10 chapters. If you have any ideas, I would love it if you would review. I'll reply to all. I also love suggestions.
Disclaimer: No, NCIS is not mine. Trust me.
Summary: After Gibbs gets back from Mexico, and Hollis starts coming around, Jenny changed. She isn't herself, and Tony notices. Things between them change, and Gibbs gets weary. Tony/Jenny/Gibbs love triangle.
Once again, I appreciate you reading!
It had been a month since NCIS Director Jennifer Shepard has been into Team Gibbs' portion of the bullpen. A month since she has called Gibbs to her office to have a shouting match. She had started spending more time in her office and less looking out over her fortress. Most of the agents had assumed it was family trouble, or a large work load. He had been the only one to make the connection.
After the first week, it became noticeable. Jenny didn't seem to care when Gibbs cursed out a news reporter and left her a mess to deal with. She hadn't even talked to him about it. She didn't seem to get angry or even moderately upset about anything that he did. People had noticed the difference, but, of course, no one had the courage to ask her about it. Though the team didn't enjoy work as much.
The director didn't ever go out for drinks anymore. She barely spoke to anyone unless it was something important about their current open case. She might as well have tuned them out completely, and it wasn't fair to the people who actually cared about her.
Very Special Agent DiNozzo did know what was wrong with the Boss Lady. She was heartbroken. It didn't take a genius to understand as to why. Gibbs had let her think that things were getting better between them, and that their relationship could change to something else again. Then he started a new relationship with Colonel Hollis Mann.
It had perplexed a lot of people. She was blonde, and not as leggy as most of his other conquests. But both adults had seemed happy about it, so the relationship hadn't been questioned.
But Gibbs had brought her around and flaunted her around in Jenny's face. He was a jerk. It irritated Tony that because of what Gibbs was doing, the whole team had to suffer without the influential woman in their lives. She was distancing herself from them so that they couldn't see the hurt in her eyes, and she wouldn't have to lie to them. Ducky had also noticed, but he too could tell the reason for the redhead's attitude adjustment.
Tony worried that one day it would be too much, and that Jenny would resign and move away. Then they would get a new director, probably Vance. No one likes him. They all loved Jenny, and loved working with her. But the new Jenny was someone that Tony didn't favor.
So naturally, because Tony was so worried about this, he decided he was going to make a change, no matter how late it already was. They had just finished an exhausting case, and he needed a break. The team was gathered together in the bullpen. Ziva and Abby were talking animatedly about the movie they were going to go see, and McGee was tinkering around on his computer doing god knows what.
Tony was sitting parallel to his desk with his feet up, pretending to be asleep. What he was really doing, though, was watching for any sign of the director. If she was on her way to MTAC, then he would wait to talk to her until Monday, because you do not want to get in the way of a working Director Shepard.
Tony was then pulled out of his thoughts by hearing the ping of the elevator and Hollis' voice wafting through the bullpen. She came in regularly to pick the boss up, seeing as he stayed most nights at her place. She would hang around at his desk until he decided that it was an acceptable time to leave. They would share an inside joke, and gossip like teenagers.
Tony had had enough of the Colonel's company and pretended to wake up. He grabbed the paperwork he had finished, and jogged up the stairs to the director's office. The team watched as he went on his way in silence. He waved hello to Cynthia and waltzed into the inner office. Jenny was so focused on whatever she was doing on her computer screen that she hadn't even noticed that he had walked in.
"Oh," she said once she looked up, "is there something I can do for you, Tony?" She looked down to find her watch.
"No," he shook his head. "I just wanted to talk to you." Jenny leaned forward, her elbows on the desk, confused.
"What are ya doing on there?" He asked, nodding towards her computer.
Looking lost, she turned the computer towards him, smiling slightly, revealing that she was playing tetris. "I am currently playing level 16, and am about to lose."
Tony smiled back up at her. He swallowed and decided that he should tell her the reason he was really in her office to talk to her. "I know you haven't been yourself lately, and I think you should go out and relax, and," he hesitated for a moment. He took the chance to glance at her face, and her eyes were a bit wider then they had been a moment before. "I wanted to know if you'd like to go out for Chinese to celebrate. It's my half birthday in a few days."
She stared at him for a minute. Just when Tony was about to apologize, she turned around and grabbed her blazer from the back of her chair. "Are we all going to go?" She asked, shifting her eyes to the door, most likely wondering if Gibbs would go, bringing Hollis with him.
"Nope, just you and me." He replied simply, trying not to sound uncertain. She calmed down a little bit and followed Tony through her office doors.
"Go home, Cynthia, it's been a long week." She smiled at her secretary.
They walked down the stairs together, and Jenny waited as Tony grabbed his bag. Ziva and Abby were heading towards the elevator, and Gibbs had just come up from autopsy. "Ready to go?" He asked his boss's boss.
She nodded. Jenny smiled at Ziva and Abby as they held the elevator for them. The director didn't relax completely until she was in the passenger seat of Tony's car and they were well on their way to town.
Jenny glanced at the man sitting next to her, always with his sense of humor, but caring when need be. They drove to the restaurant in a silence that wasn't uncomfortable, but not totally without nerves. When they arrived is when Jenny saw the reality of the situation.
She really hadn't realized it, but the couples happily munched on their food had made her get to the conclusion that in a seriously twisted way, this was a date.
The shock must've been evident on her face because Tony was giving her a concerned look.
She told him that she was alright and Tony made her promise that they wouldn't talk about work for the rest of the night.
They had discussed their schooldays to music, and eventually the conversation strayed to movies. It was an interest that they shared. As more time passed, Jenny felt more comfortable, and smiled a lot more. She was enjoying herself. Tony took control of most of the conversations, but watched the Boss Lady most of the night.
Tony was going to be honest. He had originally asked Jenny to dinner to cheer her up because he missed her presence in the bullpen, but the more she smiled and found out about her interests, he knew that it was more than that.
He hadn't really acknowledged it, but she really was funny, opinionated, strong, and beautiful. Her face was young, and she wasn't much older than him.
He wasn't sure why he hadn't truly noticed her before. It may have been because her thing for Gibbs was as obvious as his love for movies. He could have been attracted to her, just hadn't seen the point of pursuing it. Everyone had assumed that one day Jenny and Gibbs would have gotten together, but Hollis had come down the road.
Tony was attracted to her, but Jenny was his boss, therefore he had a dilemma.
The pair eventually left the restaurant on the later part of 10 p.m. with Tony having a decision and Jenny feeling lighter. Tony didn't let anything show as he drove Jenny to her townhouse in Georgetown.
Jenny was just about to exit the car when she heard Tony's voice, "Director?"
She smiled at him and nodded for him to continue. "I hope you're back to yourself on Monday. The team has missed you lately."
"Well thanks to you, Tony, I feel a lot better than I have in a while."
"I'm glad I could help." He told her as she got out of the car and walked up her driveway. She unlocked her door and went inside.
Tony backed up and headed home with only his thoughts to keep him company.
A/N: Once again, thanks for reading. Should I continue?