Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Rating: T

Summary: Jenny was very hard on Abby in that scene in the lab in 'Brothers in Arms'. She realises that she needs to apologise.

Director Jennifer Shepard felt like she had been sucker punched in the face. She had been so close to getting proof that La Grenouille had been shipping arms, but he had chosen that exact shipment to not do so. Coincidence? Well Jethro didn't believe in them, and she had learned over the years that he was always right. She couldn't help brooding in her office, she had been so close! He had been within her grasp only to somehow get away far too many times! She sighed in frustration. She would get him! He had other clients and it was only a matter of time before she found one to flip for states evidence. She picked up her glass of Bourbon and took a healthy swallow, the burn almost unnoticed as she stared at the photo in front of her. Why did he always get away? She didn't want to go down to the bullpen, the Agents had seen her reaction to the note La Grenouille had left and she was, well… embarrassed. It had hurt to have that thrown in her face when she had been so close, they didn't know how that felt! One did though.

She felt bad about how she had acted towards Abby. Troy Webster's phone had held information she had needed, so when they had destroyed it in her lab she had over reacted. She had been upset with the loss, but had channelled it in to anger so she could get back on with the case as fast as humanly possible. When Abby had come over to hug her, she had still been trying to convert her distress, if she had actually hugged her, she might have cracked. It was over now though; the shipping container was full of useless water guns and the trail had gone cold. She could afford to show a little weakness now. She shook her head at her lame excuse for an apology to Abby. The new computer she had given her was necessary for her to continue her work, so she probably didn't even realise it had been intended to rebuild the bridge. She was easy to hurt and Jenny knew her actions had hurt her feelings. She sighed and rubbed her forehead, she really needed to apologise face to face. She finished off her Bourbon and smoothed her clothes before leaving her office and walking along the catwalk towards the elevator. As she crossed above the bullpen, her eyes were drawn down to the Agents there. Tony, Ziva and McGee were talking and laughing, the conversation only just reaching her ears. Something about Tony being too afraid to deliver something. She shook her head and her eyes searched out the other Agent she expected to be there. Her eyes connected with his, the bright blue already watching her progress on the upper level. Her heart fluttered a little, and she felt the overwhelming urge to lick her lips. She tried hard to ignore the feelings Jethro could evoke within her from just a look. She averted her eyes quickly and entered the elevator, taking it to Abby's lab.

As soon as she stepped off the elevator, the music assaulted her ears. She winced; she hadn't had much sleep thanks to Troy Webster's tip and the following investigation, so her headache was in full swing. She hesitated outside the door as she surreptitiously watched the unusually restrained Goth tap away at her keyboard. Steeling her resolve, she stepped in to the room and walked up behind Abby, touching her shoulder gently to let her know she was no longer alone.

"Abby?" The Goth spun around quickly, her smile faltering when she saw who her visitor was, and Jenny's heart gave a tug at the action.

"Director! What brings you down here?" Abby's eyes flickered to the doorway hopefully, probably wishing someone else would turn up and save her.

"Abby, I… Well, I think I owe you an apology." Abby's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak, just as Jenny held up her hand to stop her. "No, don't speak. I was… upset with the loss of Troy Webster's' phone, but that was no excuse for shouting at you. My behaviour was… inexcusable. I know Gibbs has a rule about apologies but I think in this case, it would be wrong not to give you one. So, I'm sorry Abby."

"Thank you Director, but I was about to say you don't need to. I know you were all fired up over that Arms dealer, so I shouldn't have tried to hug you. It was just bad timing" God bless Abby. "We should have looked for booby-traps anyway, I mean I'm sure we could've got around it, so we did kind of deserve it."

"No Abs, you did not deserve it. I shouldn't have shouted when you were so close to me, it was hurtful and disrespectful. Troy Webster was bringing me that evidence of his own freewill, there was no reason to look for booby-traps." Abby grinned happily and then threw her arms around Jenny, trapping her in a bone crushing hug.

"Better late than never." Came the muffled explanation from the overjoyed Goth. She suddenly pulled back, remembering something. "Permission to hug?"

Jenny's rapid intake of breath and her minute nod was all the answer she needed to launch another attack on her lung capacity. Jenny was losing the ability to breathe but she actually enjoyed being hugged. As Director, she had to limit the amount of contact she had with her Agents, in some cases she couldn't even give someone a hand up if they fell over. It was supposed to stop unprofessional behaviour and the ever present chance someone could accuse her of sexual assault. Abby was the exception to the rule due to her hug-first-ask-permission-later philosophy. She could hug Abby with no consequences and she hated to admit it, but she needed the contact. It was very lonely at the top, and the other people on the Hill were married men, who couldn't understand the reason for her solitude. They couldn't understand what it was like to be so completely in love with someone so off limits, someone she had left and now couldn't get away from. The worst thing was she didn't want to get away from him. Jethro was as much an integral part of her day as her morning coffee. Abby disengaged herself from the embrace and then started shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"What's wrong, Abby?"

"Don't get mad… but… well, when I was checking over your car, I found something of yours, and well, I asked Tony to give them to you, we even drew straws and he lost so he was supposed to get them to you. How hard is that? I mean I was just checking over my results from that trace when Tony brought it back. Well, more like threw it in the lab, the short straw following shortly after, and then ran for the elevator before I could say anything." Jenny shook her head, wondering what she was talking about.

"Abs you lost me." Abby bit her lip and reached inside her lab coat, withdrawing a familiar pair of panties, pink panties with white frilling, in an evidence bag. Jenny felt her face heat up as she realised what Abby was saying to her. "You found my underwear in the car…" Abby nodded, studiously avoiding eye contact with her. Embarrassment seemed like her lot today. Maybe this was her punishment for all the crap she had put them through over La Grenouille.

"In the glove compartment." Jenny nodded jerkily, wondering how long it would take for Abby to forget she ever saw them, when something hit her.

"Who drew straws?" Abby gulped and replied in a small voice.

"Me, Tony, Ziva and McGee." Every name made her internally cringe and she was positive she couldn't get any redder. They had all seen her panties! "Tony was supposed to return them to you!" Oh, Great!

"What was DiNozzo doing with your panties?" Both women's eyes widened and they spun on the spot, trying to hide the panties behind their backs, and Jenny did an award winning impression of a goldfish as Gibbs slowly walked into the lab his eyes flickering from both women, waiting for one to crack and tell him. The two seemed incapable of any kind of movement or noise for a second as the shock wore off. Jenny's mortification was complete. She couldn't believe this was happening to her, today of all days. Was it too much to ask for the floor to open up and swallow her whole?

"What panties? Are you sure your eyes aren't playing tricks on you? Or your ears…" Abby trailed off as he glared at her. The tension in the room was too much for the bubbly Goth, so she decided on an escape plan. Abby handed the panties to Jenny and ran out of the lab, throwing something about Caf-Pow over her shoulder. Gibbs let her go and Jenny had to struggle for composure as her only ally ran for cover, leaving her alone with the last person she wanted to discuss her underwear with. She glared at the floor accusingly for abandoning her in her time of need and then straightened up, looking him in the eye. That didn't last long, as soon as she saw the amusement in his blue orbs; she decided looking at him was a mistake.

"I'm not sure what you heard, but your team drew straws and Tony lost…"

"My whole team had your panties?! Just what were they drawing straws for?" His incredulous exclamation was almost her undoing; she was so humiliated she didn't want to ever have to look any of them in the face again. If only she could escape like Abby had… Gibbs moved further between her and the door and she realised she had given away her intentions. Damn.

"To give them back to me. Tony lost…"

"Yeah, I always wondered how close you two had gotten while I was away." Jenny's eyes snapped to his furiously.

"How dare you! Unlike you, I don't sleep with my subordinates!"

"No, you just hand out your underwear!"

"I left it in my car which was taken to evidence, I didn't hand them out!" She tried to push past him but he grasped her arm and drew her back to him.

"I know Jen, I was just teasing you. Don't let the hunt for this guy rob you of your sense of humour." His voice was sincere and her resolve to turn tail and run left her. He took the panties from her hand and held them up between them. "So, you like pink now?" She couldn't stop the smile spreading across her lips as the embarrassment gave way to amusement.

"I always liked pink; I just didn't wear it in the boys' club." She lifted her eyebrows suggestively and his face suddenly changed colour, a pink blush about a shade away from her underwear tingeing his cheeks a little.

"I remember, Positano." He turned the panties over appraisingly. "They were satin though, these aren't even part of a set." She bit her lip slightly, remembering the steamy nights they had indulged in, even when he had taken a bullet in Positano and she felt the beginnings of arousal within herself. She leaned closer to him, so she could whisper in his ear.

"Yes, they are. I left the bra in my other car." He shook his head and laughed with her, catching her hand and raising it to his lips for a soft kiss, the contact burning a trail of pleasure through her body. His eyes met hers, holding a passion she had thought long gone and she felt her body respond to it instinctively. It's a bad idea, he's off limits! It was such a good idea though, her body remembered how good, and it was determined to overrule her mind on this one.

"How about I help you find it. Glove compartments can be… tricky." His low voice sent shivers down her spine, the pleasure bubbling up into her more sensitive areas. She had already admitted to herself that she loved him, surely giving in wouldn't be so bad. No, it really isn't bad…

She held his eyes and then walked slowly out of the lab towards the elevator, knowing he wouldn't mistake her intentions. He didn't disappoint her, following her to the lift and then in, once it opened at their floor. He guided her in, his hand on her lower back, her very lower back, and then they faced the doors, hitting the button to start the elevator. Once the doors closed and the lift started its journey, Gibbs flicked the emergency stop, plunging them into semi darkness, and they sprang at each other, bodies and lips pressing together, tongues seeking entrance. The panties were dropped to the floor and instantly forgotten. Jenny's hands tangled in his hair, pulling his head closer to her, not letting him get away from her now, not that he wanted to. She felt Jethro's hands travel all over her body, down her side, across her hips and over her butt, pulling their lower halves hard against each other, so they were separated only by clothing. Jenny knew where this was going and there was no stopping it, she needed to feel her legs around him, she needed to taste his skin. She dropped one arm to wrap tightly around his shoulders and then jumped up slightly, wrapping her legs around his waist, cursing the fact she wasn't wearing a skirt. He pushed her up against the wall and pulled out of the kiss, trailing his lips down her throat; paying special attention to the spot on her neck that he knew drove her wild. She threw her head back, moaning loudly and she felt him grin against her skin. Something was niggling at the back of her mind though, something that seemed to be getting further away in her foggy mind. She concentrated on it and then she realised.

"How did you know it was in the glove compartment?" her breathy voice managed to ask while he trailed his kisses down the dip of her blouse. He nibbled her skin a little causing her to grind her hips against him and it was his turn to moan. He raised his face to hers and gave her a deep kiss, pulling back to hover teasingly over lips and he said in a perfectly serious voice:

"I guess we'll never know."

The panties weren't alone on the floor for long.