He had been working on his boat for hours losing all track of time like always. Flashbacks of memories had been plaguing him all night. He had not returned to Mexico because of his conversation with her. That night, she had showed concern, respect, and love for him.
"You don't want me back?"
"No, I don't."
"Worried you can't handle me, Director?"
"No…afraid you won't be able to handle yourself. You've already been in two comas. You might not come out of a third. Fact is, you're good…the best. When you're as good at something, when you can make a difference like you can, you don't just quit."
Clearly, he had to prove his ex-partner, lover, and boss wrong. Leroy Jethro Gibbs could handle himself and make more of a difference. He would prove it to Jenny Shepard. He took another long drink of bourbon from his coffee mug and sanded more of the boat before calling it a night. There was work to do in the morning.
Since his return to NCIS, the team had been readjusting to the presence of Gibbs. Abby was the happiest to see him, always greeting him with a bear tight attack hug. Tony had to learn he was no longer in charge of the team, a hard spoonful for him to swallow. McGee and Ziva were grateful there wouldn't be any more campfires. Ducky hadn't given him such a warm welcome. His old friend was distant, slightly cold, and formal to him. No recalling of stories from days gone by…only the meat of the findings in autopsy.
Gibbs stepped off the elevator from getting coffee, and he saw Ziva, Tony, and McGee working at their desks. Paperwork had stacked up from the influx of cases from the previous week. There was a slight lull to this week. He felt as if he were being watched. When he looked up to the stairs, he saw Jenny staring down at him with her watchful director eyes. She shifted her weight in her stance and took a sip from her cup before cutting off the gaze, going back into her office. Gibbs silently smirked and sat down at his desk.
After lunch, Ducky stepped off the elevator with Jenny on his arm. The two had gone to lunch to discuss current situations and catch up on the week's events. Jenny was smiling and listening to Ducky as they talked quietly, passing by the squad room. Gibbs was the only one back from lunch although he hadn't left the headquarters. He had ordered take out.
"Yes, my dear…I do believe it agrees with you," Ducky whispered, smiling warmly at his lunch companion.
Jenny returned the smile, nodding her head softly. "Thank you, Ducky." She kissed his cheek, hugging him and walking up the stairs. She would stay buried in paper work if she didn't work on it until her time in MTAC.
Gibbs watched the pair suspiciously as soon as the elevator doors had opened. Now, he watched Jenny. She could feel his eyes burning through her. He focused his attention on Ducky when she didn't respond to his stare. "Hey Duck…"
Dr. Mallard turned on his heels and looked at him. "Yes, Jethro?"
"Is there anything I should know about?"
"What do you mean?" Ducky played dumb.
With his blue eyes, Gibbs motioned in the direction of Jen's office. Ducky nodded his head. "Oh well…you would have to talk to her about that. I cannot divulge anything said or told in confidence especially when it concerns her health."
Gibbs mumbled under his breath, a thousand thoughts going through his mind. He hated Ducky not breaking confidence to him considering it concerned Jen. "Okay, Duck…I wouldn't want you to break confidentiality," he said as he pushed himself up from his chair, throwing away his coffee cup. Ducky patted him on the back, "Jethro…go easy on her. It's been rough since you've been gone." With that, the doctor left the bullpen to go back to his home in autopsy.
Upstairs, Cynthia attempted to stop Agent Gibbs from barging into the Director's office, but it was of no use. He never listened to her pleas not to go into her office without a warning or to see if Director Shepard could even see him.
The door hit the wall with a loud bang, not surprising Jenny at all. She didn't flinch from the noise and continued reading a case file. There was a large stack on the corner of her neat desk. "Just as I was getting used to my door being treated as a door," she said, acknowledging his presence with mild irritation in her voice. However, she still hadn't looked up from the file.
Gibbs shook his head and rolled his eyes at the door, closing it quietly. "Jen, we need to talk."
She closed the case file and finally looked at him, their eyes locking. "Talk, Jethro. I'm listening."
"Is there anything you want to tell me?"
"Nothing comes to mind," she said casually.
"You know when you lie…your right eye twitches…always has, Jen." He moved closer to her desk, putting his hands on the desk and lowering himself enough to look her straight in the eyes.
She sighed heavily, cursing silently that he knew her so well. "Jethro, it does not…and I am not in interrogation either." She slightly glared at the position of him on her desk. Who did he think he was?
He smirked and straightened up. "Yes, it does. Your eye is still twitching. What are you hiding from me, Jen?"
She folded her hands in her lap and looked intently at him in silence. She was as cold as ice towards him. "What I keep from you or tell you is my business, Agent Gibbs."
There it was…her use of Agent Gibbs. She had pulled the director act on him. He'd lost the battle before it barely began since she pulled that card on him. He knew there was something behind the director act. She only used that when she didn't want to talk, get under his skin, or if she was mad. He usually didn't experience those reasons separately. He stared at her, still reeling from the ice queen routine.
"What Gibbs doesn't know can't hurt us," he threw her rule back at her and stormed out of her office. She felt sick after he left her office. He couldn't honestly expect to come back in without difficulty after leaving NCIS and her.
When he jogged down the stairs, the team was back at their desks. Tony whispered to McGee and Ziva, "I wonder what that was about…Gibbs trying to get back into her good graces after resigning…I wonder if they did more than talk up there. You know, I bet those Paris moments get relived."
Both McGee and Ziva rolled their eyes. Each had their suspicions about Gibbs and the Director's past. Tony had painted a hot, steamy Paris affair between them in his mind. He didn't know his musings were accurate.
"It probably wasn't anything, Tony," McGee replied to his nosy teammate.
"How do you know?
"Know what, DiNozzo?" Gibbs questioned and glared while restraining from giving a head smack.
"If there's been anything interesting that happened while we took lunch, Boss."
"Uh huh, DiNozzo. I'm going for coffee." Gibbs hit DiNozzo on the back of the head before walking to the elevator. In turn, Ziva and McGee laughed. Tony mumbled under his breath while rubbing the back of his head.
When Gibbs returned from the coffee run, he jogged up the stairs to go into MTAC. Tony watched him and looked at his partners. "That's something! He got her coffee!"
Ziva shook her head, "Tony, it is a gesture."
McGee nodded in agreement. "Everyone isn't like you, Tony. Gibbs brings coffee to the Director. He brings Caff-Pow to Abby. No big deal."
Inside MTAC, Jenny sat in one of the chairs on the front row, her usual spot. Gibbs took a seat next to her, putting her cup in the holder. She nodded a thank you and kept her eyes on the screen. She took a sip and put the cup down. It was Jamaican blend. She desperately needed the caffeine but left the coffee alone even if she felt dead on her feet. She had cut caffeine out much to her dismay.
"You should be proud of him," Jen stated before he could start asking questions.
"Who? DiNozzo?"
Jenny nodded her head. "When you left there were some rocky moments, he really held the team together."
"It's what I trained him to do."
She turned and looked at him. "I just think you should know he excelled at it."
Gibbs nodded his head. "Jen, why aren't you drinking the coffee? It's not poisoned."
"I decided to cut back on caffeine this week."
He nodded his head and took a long sip of his coffee. She inhaled the smell of his coffee. He got up and left MTAC. The iciness coming from her was unbearable. She shook her head, watching him leave MTAC.
Director Shepard dismissed Cynthia at 1800 and stayed at NCIS until 1900. She needed to go home early. She was about to fall asleep at her desk. Last time, she had a crick in her neck from falling asleep in her chair. She put on her coat and walked down the stairs instead of taking the elevator. She stopped at the bullpen, saying goodnight to everyone. Gibbs looked at his team and silently adjourned them for the day. He watched her walk to the elevator. Gibbs put his things together and left the office about ten minutes after everyone else. He would pick up her favorite meal and drop by unexpectedly.
When Jenny entered her house, she yawned, took off her heels, and walked into the study. The briefcase was laid on top of her desk. She carried her black heels in her hand as she walked up the stairs to change into something more comfortable. She grabbed a pair of black yoga pants and a gray NCIS sweatshirt. She let out a sigh of relief and went back downstairs to watch television. As tired as she was, she wasn't ready to fall asleep yet.
A half hour later, Gibbs stood on her doorstep. He rang the doorbell and knocked several times before using his spare key. He stepped into the house, looking around.
"Jen?" He called out from the foyer.
No answer. He found her sleeping on the sofa. He smiled softly, kneeling down. She always looked serene when she slept. He shook her shoulder gently, watching her begin to wake up. She must be exhausted if she didn't wake up when he opened the door. She had always been a light sleeper. Slowly, Jen opened her eyes, sitting up and stretching out her body. She groaned softly and looked at him. "How did you get in?"
He held up the spare key. She nodded her head and looked around, getting her bearings back. She had no concept of when she fell asleep or how long she'd been sleeping.
"I got take out for us," he informed, walking into her study, getting the bourbon and two glasses.
Her eyes opened wide. Jethro was in her home. He had used his spare key, and he brought dinner. She darted up from the couch and followed after him into the study. "Why are you here?"
"To have dinner with you."
She folded her arms over her chest and glared at him as he poured himself a glass of bourbon. "I didn't invite you."
"I know you didn't."
Truthfully, she didn't feel like having a round two with him, and she was hungry. She smirked and picked up the bags, taking them into the kitchen. She peeked into the bags once she sat them on the kitchen counter. Of course, he'd gotten her favorite. He was kissing her ass. She joined him in the study, and he handed her a glass of bourbon.
"No thank you, Jethro."
No coffee. Now, no bourbon. Was she dying? She had to be if she wasn't drinking either one. "Jen, what the hell? Something is going on with you."
She walked over to her favorite leather chair in the study and sat down, tucking her legs under her and looking up at him. She wished she had that glass of bourbon in her hand. She needed liquid courage for this conversation.
"Jethro, something happened the night before you went back to Mexico." She stared over at the desk, remembering.
He grinned devilishly, remembering that night in her study. During their meeting in her office, she had brought up Serbia and the farmhouse…a whole week with nothing to do other than make love. He'd left a photograph of her from that assignment with McGee and let DiNozzo, Ziva, and Jen think he was gone, but Jen had a feeling she would see him again…sooner than anyone else. She was right because she found him in her study and helping himself to a bottle of bourbon.
Jen quickly snapped him out of it. "JETHRO! Get your mind out of the bedroom."
He corrected her, "Study."
She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm pregnant, Jethro." The words escaped her lips before she could take them back. Jenny Shepard never thought she'd utter those words to a man. She knew if she ever had to speak them that she wanted to say the words to him however.
There were not many happenings in life that could throw him off balance except for those words coming from Jenny's mouth. He stared at her silently before downing his glass of bourbon. He felt the burn of the alcohol and sat the glass down. He was thinking, taking the news in.
Jenny pushed herself up from the chair. She walked over to him, refilling his glass and rubbing his back. "Jethro…say something, please." Her green eyes begged him to speak.
He finally turned and faced her. "Jen, how long have you known? And don't lie to me…I'll know."
"I've known since August."
"Why didn't you tell me as soon as you found out, Jen?" His voice rose with anger. "Why?" He stared at her, blue eyes deep and concentrated into hers.
She moved away from him, walking to her desk and leaning against the front of it. "You left! Are you forgetting that? I woke up to an empty bed…no note…only emptiness, Jethro." She looked him in the eyes, tears almost present in her own. "You went back to Mexico and your damn retirement! You closed the door on us that time…not me. What did you expect…for me to call you and tell you the joyous news over the phone?" She twisted her ring and looked down at the rug. "Maybe you should go…I'll be fine without you. I can take care of myself."
He picked up his glass of bourbon and drained half, turning and watching her. She wiped a tear from her eye and kept looking at the floor. "Jen, you must have known I'd come back. You didn't file my retirement papers," he reminded her, closing the distance between them. "Look at me," he requested, pushing her chin up to see her face. She turned her face to the side, not wanting him to see her cry. "You're stuck with me now. I won't let you do this alone." He slipped his arms around her, pulling her against him. In turn, she buried herself into his chest. "How far?" He asked of the pregnancy.
"Not quite three months. Before you ask, only you and Ducky know," she answered. That was going to be his next question. She had the habit of being able to read his mind.
He nodded his head, rubbing her back in circles. "Explains the coffee and bourbon."
"Jethro, I hate not drinking coffee or bourbon. You aren't helping either." He looked down to her face, eyebrows raised. "You smell like both." She kissed him softly. There wasn't any more ice queen left in her.
He smirked at her. "What have I missed?"
"Morning sickness, coffee withdrawal, and a doctor's appointment." She noticed the look in his eyes, guilt. "Don't."
He nodded his head, placing his hand on her flat stomach. "Let's eat and get you into bed."
"Jethro," she warned, unsure if there were any ulterior motives to getting her into bed.
"Get you into bed to sleep, Jen."
"Good. I need the sleep." She hadn't been sleeping well since he'd been gone. She had become used to sleeping next to him. Also, she'd been worried about him in Mexico and didn't want him to turn into Mike Franks.
The two left the study and walked into the kitchen to have a late dinner. After dinner, Gibbs made sure the house was locked, security system on, and all the lights off. Jenny waited for him on the stairs, occasionally yawning. They walked hand in hand to her bedroom to sleep in each other's arms.