New Year's Day Party

Naples Field Office, Italy

January 1st, 1999

2200

She sought Gibbs out through the smokey haze and found him – as she knew she would - standing at the periphery of human interaction. Sipping his bourbon and keeping a wary eye on the people around him. Callen was holding court a few feet away, Decker and Pacci were engaged in what looked like earnest conversation not too far from him, and Vance was leaning against a wall – being chatted up by an effusive female.

"Am I boring you?"

She realized with a start that the man beside her was still talking and that she'd stopped listening.

"Of course not," she said with a smile. "It's just really loud in here. I missed the last part of what you said."

"I was just saying that it was psychological warfare. No, I mean it," he added with a laugh when Jenny gave him a disbelieving look. "The recruiter must have been a model or something. For the first six months I couldn't look at a fatigue shirt without seeing those .. you know .."

He gesticulated nervously with his hands, betraying his age.

Not to mention his experience with women.

"You mean breasts?" Jenny asked with a smile as she leaned closer.

"Well yeah. And to think I went to the mall to get a new electric toothbrush!"

"Hey Jenny," Calhoun shouted at her across the room. "Check out the buffet."

Jen sauntered over to the table – and her eyes lit up appreciatively.

"The things I do for you," Calhoun said as he stepped up behind her and tried to wrap his arms around her waist. "See the sign?"

He sounded very proud of himself.

Jen grinned as she saw a piece of paper saying For Jenny Only propped up against the plate.

"Where did you get them?"

"Fell off the back of a truck," Calhoun said with a grin.

"No, really. Asparagus only grows in Australia at this time of year. Supermarkets don't carry them round here."

Calhoun's grin grew wider.

"Need to know," he whispered into her ear.

"I need to know," Jenny said, turning and pinning him against a nearby wall. "Because I may need some more very very soon."

"Can't resist me any longer, huh?" Calhoun said.

"Do I need to set Pacci and Callen on you?" she asked sweetly.

"Ah come on Jenny, you find me irresistible. You know it, I know it. You've been dying to feel me up since you got here."

"You wish," she said with a smile as she crowded him a little more. "So .. asparagus?"

"Landlady's brother-in-law's cousin's cousin works in a restaurant in Piazza Dante. What? This is Naples," he added as he watched her work her way through the connection. "It's the way they do things round here. Take you to dinner there sometime if you like."

"Nice try," Jenny said as she patted him on the cheek and released him.

"Ah come on Jenny. Give a guy a break."

"Get in line, Calhoun," a voice said from their left.

They looked up to find Decker standing there.

"We need to talk," he said abruptly.

"Well .. duty calls," she said cheerfully to Calhoun as she made to step away from him, "but thank you."

"That's all I'm getting? Thank you?"

"What do you want? An IOU?"

"I'll think of something."

"I'm sure you will," she said with a laugh as she turned back to the buffet table and picked up the plate of asparagus. "Sorry .. have to go talk shop," she said to the young marine who was still standing there.

She felt a twinge of guilt as she watched him grimace and walk away, but Decker was at her elbow.

Waiting. Impatiently.

"Calhoun bothering you?" he asked in a low and urgent tone.

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked.

Not liking the look of annoyance in his eyes or the way they shifted to the other agent as he spoke.

He had just opened his mouth to reply when his cell phone went off.

"Goddamn phone," he growled as he pulled it from his pocket. Rolling his eyes as soon as he realized who it was. "Sorry. I gotta take this call."

"No problem." She hoped he couldn't hear the relief in her voice. "I'll be around."

She wandered round the rooms of the apartment until she found a fairly quiet spot. She was halfway through the plate when she became aware that Jethro was in the room. Watching her intently – and edging slowly closer.

"Cut it out," he hissed as he walked past her onto the balcony.

She was stunned for a moment. More by the vehemence of his tone than by his words – although they made no sense either. She was in the process of following him outside when Decker reappeared.

"We still need to talk," he said.

"About?" She looked over his shoulder as she asked the question. Still concerned about what was bothering Jethro.

"Hey Will, got a light?" someone asked.

"Yeah." Decker tossed the man his lighter and took Jenny by the elbow. Leading her into a far corner and looking round once to make sure nobody was within earshot.

"Scuttlebutt is they're setting up a new task force," he began.

"And?"

Decker smiled when he heard the enthusiasm she'd managed to inject into the one tiny word.

"There's talk of you being a likely candidate for the post. Lets talk about this after the weekend," he said as his phone started ringing again. "Come by my office sometime Monday?"

"Okay," she said as he walked away, phone to his ear.

Thoughts spiralled through her head a lot faster than she could keep up with them. She had learned pretty fast that Decker was not a man to be underestimated; but her eyes drifted back onto the balcony and settled on Jethro – and she realized with heavy heart that promotion would mean reassignment. In all probability reassignment back to the United States.

She stepped outside – telling herself firmly that she wasn't going to worry until she had something tangible to worry about.

Something was clearly eating Jethro, and at the moment that was more important than any half-baked ideas that Decker might have put into her head.

"Hey .." she said as she put her back to the railing he was leaning over.

Gibbs tossed his head slightly and took a sip of his drink.

Unsure what to say, she picked another spear of asparagus off her plate and sucked the Hollandaise sauce off before biting into it.

"Jethro?" she asked as he gripped the railing with his free hand.

"What?" he snapped.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Making sure they were alone before sidling a bit closer.

She picked up another spear and almost dropped the plate when Gibbs growled her name. It took her a moment to realize what was going on, and he only really gave himself away because he was staring at her mouth.

She felt a bubble of mirth well up inside her and didn't bother to hide it.

"Something funny?" He sounded irritated, and she struggled hard against the laughter that was threatening to erupt.

"You're not serious, Jethro .." she said as she toyed with the asparagus and moved just a little closer. Testing her theory by insinuating her hand between him and the railing, and brushing her palm against his jeans. Snorting when she found him more than slightly aroused.

"We done here?" he asked.

"Want to take me home and have your wicked way with me, Special Agent Gibbs?" she whispered as she picked up the last piece.

Gibbs' hand snaked out and clamped her wrist before she could put it into her mouth.

"Drop it," he said hoarsely as he pushed her hand over the railing.

"I'm not dropping asparagus onto someone's balcony," she said as she peered over the edge.

"Then trash it."

She was having an incredibly hard time controlling laughter now.

"Jen ..." Even his threat sounded funny.

"Do you have an asparagus fetish?" she asked, her shoulders shaking.

"Only when you eat them."

There was nothing frivolous about the way he said it, and the honesty stunned her into silence.

Decker's words started to rise up in her mind again, and suddenly she just wanted to spend the rest of the evening in Jethro's bed. Not on a balcony in the middle of Naples, surrounded by people who couldn't know about their relationship. The shift from frivolity to seriousness was almost overwhelming, and for a moment she wondered if he, too, was aware that there was a promotion opportunity for her on the horizon.

"I'm done here, Jethro" she said softly. Knowing he'd understand.

Gibbs nodded and drained his glass.

"Yours or mine?"

"Mine," he said as he stalked indoors without a backward glance.

Author's note:

Rating will switch to M for the next chapter.