Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS
A/N- so here is my new story. It is based in series 2 and Jenny may be slightly OOC, but I wanted to show a different side of her. I hope you like it. I will update ASAP but my updates may be slightly spontaneous as per usual. Anyways I am waffling once more. I hope you enjoy reading this…
Case File : Confidential
Case Number: LNSK117301
Senior Investigating Officer: Assistant Director Jennifer Shepard
Based: Central London Office
Case Notes: 24 married marine couples murdered over the course of 2 years, between August '01 and August '03. 1 couple murdered each month. The woman killed first. Tortured then had her throat slashed. The man killed around 2 weeks later. C.O.D. was poisoning.
Note added October '03: no more killing have been reported in the Central London district. Searches are currently underway to find if any other killings have taken place with the same M.O.
Case Status: Cold (active)
Case File : Confidential
Case number: DCSK117703
Senior Investigating Officer: Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs
Based: Washington DC Navy yard
Case Notes: 6 married marine couples killed over the last 6 months, since September '03. 1 couple killed each month. The woman killed first. Tortured then had her throat slashed. The man killed around 2 weeks later. C.O.D. was poisoning.
Case Status: Active
Jennifer Shepard was currently sat on a plane flying from London Heathrow to Washington DC, with her team. Special Agent James Hayes was her senior field agent. He was a prankster, and a pain in the backside at times, but he was also undoubtedly a good agent and friend to his boss and colleagues. Sarah Jones was Jenny's latest addition. She'd only been on the team eight months. They had all met when Sarah was in the metropolitan police force and Jenny and James were working a joint case with them. Her boss at the time had not exactly respected her to say the least. One of Jenny's team had just been promoted leaving a vacancy on her tem. Jenny had offered Sarah the job and she had accepted in the blink of an eye. Sarah had and still was proving herself worthy of the job. Sarah and James worked well together, and were good friends too.
Jenny had been trained by Gibbs. He'd been strict when she was a probie and always made her follow his 'rules'. She was either punished with the glare which was the more frequent occurrence, yet from time to time she'd also been head slapped. Jenny though treated her team different. She treat them all like equals and called each other by first names. Instead of a head slap Jenny collected money ( 1x head slap = £5) which seemed to work. By the end of the month the collected money was either spent on coffee or if they had enough on a night out. Jenny considered her team also as her friends, and for her, who had little but her job these days Sarah and James meant the world to her.
Seven years ago Jenny had left Jethro, who was by then her lover, on a plane with just a 'Dear John' letter for an explanation. She'd always regretted her decision to leave since the nest day. Yet six months later when she had finally built up the courage to ring him, she found out he was already engaged to another woman. It had hit her hard. After five years of dwelling on Jethro she finally decided to attempt to move on. She met a man called Mark who happened to be nothing like Jethro, but she decided that was most likely a good thing. The only downside was that Mark had a reputation for being a hard core play boy. Yet Jenny being Jenny, she found the best in him. And the pair were wed after 8 months of dating. 2 months ago Jenny found out that her husband had been having a string of affairs throughout their marriage and so she filed for divorce. A month ago with the divorce still going through, Jenny applied for a restraining order after she'd found Mark following her and looking at her phone records. Since then her team were the only thing that kept her sane. She thought she'd get through it all by burying her head in work and living on coffee. But Sarah and James had other ideas, they'd drag her away from work and take her on a night out, or on a Saturday evening they'd cancel their plans and turn up at her door armed with Chinese and a film.
To make things worse, Jenny now had to go to DC and work a joint investigation with Gibbs and his new team. The one man she truly didn't think that she could face at the moment. But once more she knew she had her loyal team behind her and that thought alone mad her have even the slightest bit of hope she could cope.
xXx
Gibbs sat in Director Tom Marrow's office awaiting the arrival of the Assistant Director. Marrow was reading one of the many case files he was requires to read. Meanwhile Gibbs was sat tapping his fingers on the old Mahogany desk. Leroy Jethro Gibbs may well be one of NCIS' best agents, but he was not known for his patience. This fact was becoming ever more evident as the minutes passed.
"Where the hell is the Assistant Director? I do have a job to do you know sir!"
"I am well aware Gibbs. Unless you have forgotten I am the one who signs your pay check at the end of every month. The plane was delayed but they will be here soon. I know this may be hard for you but be patient."
Just as he spoke the words, the intercom buzzed into life.
"Director Marrow, the AD is here." His assistantsaid.
"Thank you Cynthia. Let her in."
Gibbs was shocked to hear that the Assistant Director was a woman, after all NCIS was such a male environment. Yet his shock grew when he laid eyes on who stepped through the door.
Her red hair was considerably longer than it had been the last time they met. No longer did she wear the casual clothes they'd both worn undercover. Now she wore a fitted pencil skirt which he was sure was way too short to be allowed, a green silk blouse and a fitted blazer. She looked different, smarter. It dawned then on him that over the last seven years Jenny Shepard had grown up, she'd gone from being his loyal probie to the grown up Politian and Assistant Director she was now. In his heart he felt a sense of bittersweet pride.
"Tom, my sincere apologies for being late. Today has been a hell of a day, first I had a blazing row with customs because they were not going to allow me and my team to travel with our side arms. Thankfully James managed somehow to persuade the young lady that we were not about to commandeer the plane how I'll never know. Then the plane was delayed."
"Jenny, it is perfectly fine. At least you're here and no one is dead. Although I believe if you had been any longer I would be sat alone in this office. Gibbs, Jenny you two already know each other so we don't need to linger on the pleasantries."
"Shepard."
"Gibbs. Shall we spare the; you haven't changed a bit gibberish."
"Why start lying to each other now Jen?"
"I take it there won't be any issues with you two working together once more. If I remember correctly you two worked some of the toughest undercover operation NCIS has ever dealt with and succeeded. You two were and if I hear correctly are still considered the best undercover operatives NCIs has and has ever had."
There will be no problem at all sir. We are both full grown adults after all."
"No problem as long as she remembers where she stands."
"I'm not your little probie any more Jethro."
"I also remember you two were unfortunately renowned for you arguments which could empty the building in seconds. I would appreciate it if you could at lease attempt to begin working before you kill one another."
Jenny smiled at Tom before attempting to build up her strong fearless front on. All the while Gibbs was playing on her mind. She knew he wanted to wind her up and he knew how to. That's where the problems laid.
"Sir special agent Hayes is briefing Gibbs' team in full on our investigation."
"DiNozzo'll be doing the same."
"Good. I do hope this partnership will work as effectively as it always used to. Either of you any questions?"
"Who's in charge?"
"Purely on the grounds of it being Gibbs' turf he is. Only though due to me being aware Jenny has other responsibilities and also personal things going on"
"Perfectly fine sir." Jenny replied with a false smile. With that the duo began to leave.
"Oh, whilst I remember, Jenny; seeming as you're in the country will you be attending the SecNavs birthday dinner. It'll only be small, close friends, agency heads and important people in his world. He requested you attend seeming as you never are able to with you being based in London."
"Tell him I'd be honoured."
She exited the office and met Gibbs. It was strange to see him after all these years. He hadn't changed much though, his hair was now more salt than pepper and he had a few more lines on his face but there again so did she. The worst thing was she still found him attractive, only she banished those thoughts from her mine. For now at least.
"I suppose congratulations are due. Choosing the Job obviously proved to be right for you."
"I take it you have read the case file Agent Gibbs."
"Yeah Jen, I have. Or should that be Madame?"
Jenny just walked off down the stairs. With her divorce going through and her husband finding it amusing to ring her every five minutes the last thing she needed was him winding her up. Her patience at the moment was near enough none existent and it wasn't going to take a lot for her to snap and her walls to fall down. They had a job to do for now though. The sooner it was done, the sooner she could return and begin to pick up the broken shards of her so called life and rebuild it.
Jenny walked down to the bull pen with a slight smirk on her face. Taking in the grand scale of things not that much had changed. The walls and dividers were now an atrocious orange and computers were on each desk but the majority of things were the same. Gibbs desk was still clear and he no doubt had not a clue how to use his computer. Her team seemed to be getting along with Gibbs' like a house on fire which mad her smile.
"Gibbs meat my team: James Hayes and Sarah Jones."
"Nice to meet you sir." Said Sarah.
"We've heard a lot about you Gibbs." James added.
"DiNozzo, Kate meet Assistant Director Shepard." He gruffly said.
"Please call me Jenny. I take it you weren't born 'DiNozzo'."
"Tony."
"Well it's nice to meet you both. My team all call each other by first names apart from when we are with the director."
Jenny sent James and Sarah to set up at the two desks just behind the ivied whilst she sat at the desk opposite Jethro's where she used to sit as a probie. She glanced at Jethro and their eyes caught each other. Then the awkward moment came when they broke contact and began to work.
It seemed as though there were going to be a few awkward moments in the next few days. At 20 00 Jenny looked across at her team and saw them drooping, they'd been up since 04 00 UK time and where suffering from Jet lag.
"Go home all of you. We aren't going to get anything else tonight. Off you go."
Jenny's team smiled and got their stuff before giving her a hug and leaving. Kate and Tony looked at Gibbs and he reluctantly nodded telling them they could go. Once the pair had gone Gibbs looked at Jenny.
"Why you send 'em home?"
"They were falling asleep. They've been up since 04 00 Greenwich mean times and have Jet lag. And your team, well if they work half as hard as you made me Stan and Chris work then I know they'll be dead on their feet too."
"Go home Jen. You're shattered. It may have been over seven years but I can still read you."
Her phone rang, it was Mark. She quickly ignored the call before turning to Gibbs. In that split second she couldn't help but wonder what her life could have been like had she stayed. She'd give her position to be allowed the chance to stay with him. Banishing one more thoughts of him from her mind she made her way out. Smiling sadly at him before leaving. That smile said more to him than words ever could, then again they'd never needed words. Hopefully, they never would either.
Hope you enjoyed!
Please review, I'd love to know what you thought of the first chapter! :D