A/n: Oh, I've missed writing and you guys! So, here is the long, long overdue sequel to Redhead Next Door. The prologue to this one is actually the epilogue to the last one I suppose lol. I really do hope you like it as much as the last, or maybe even more? *wink wink*.
xoxo-
Monkeys :)
"Gibbs!" the shrill, undoubtedly furious voice of one Leroy Jethro Gibbs' latest probie rang throughout his house followed by the resounding slam of the front door.
He looked up briefly from his task and rolled his eyes before returning to sanding his boat. Now, normally five week old probies didn't just barge into his house to yell at him, but this was no ordinary probie. No, the woman stomping-or as much of a stomp as one could manage in ridiculous high heels-down his steps was none other than Jennifer Shepard: his former lover and unfortunately, adopted mother to his child.
"Gibbs," she growled, lingering in the shadows at the foot of the basement stairs, and he exhaled heavily before turning to face her.
She stood there livid: her mouth set in a thin line, her eyes flashing, a piece of paper crumpled tightly in her left fist.
"What the hell is this?" she demanded, waving said paper in the air as she advanced on him; the dim lightof his work lamp illuminating her face.
"Looks like paper, Jen?" he murmured with uninterested inflection, turning his back to her once more to top off his mason jar of bourbon.
"Do not mock me, Jethro," she snapped. "Why the hell is your wife's lawyer subpoenaing me for your divorce case?"
His mood took an immediate turn and he spun to face to her, his eyes meeting hers with rapt attention.
"What?" he demanded, snatching the paper from her. "Give me that."
His eyes flitted over the document, his grip tightening with every word. He was so angry at the other redhead that he hardly registered the one in front of him making a grab for his bottle of bourbon.
"She's crazy," he growled, throwing the subpoena to the ground.
"I won't argue with you there," Jenny muttered, raising the bottle slightly before taking a sip, her eyes on the white piece of paper as it floated to the ground deceptively innocent looking.
"She took my grandfather's watch. She's already trying to clean out my bank account. Now this?" he grumbled, speaking more to himself than Jenny.
"Mmm," she murmured, clearing a spot on his workbench before hopping up to sit on it.
He stopped , realizing that she wasn't really listening-not that he had expected her to be-and watched her turning his ring on her finger. Technically it was her ring, but he had bought it for her. She wore it on her right finger rather than her left, but he would know that ring anywhere. He noticed that she toyed with it when she wasn't thinking about it. Her eyes snapped up suddenly and he was pulled out of his thoughts.
"What?" she demanded, furrowing her brow self-consciously.
He raised a brow slightly and shrugged almost imperceptibly.
"Stop looking at me like that," she ordered though her lips turned up into something reminiscent of a smile.
They fell into a comfortable silence then: Jenny swinging her black pump on her foot in rhythm with the sound of Jethro's sanding, each of them lost in their own thoughts.
Eventually, Jenny lost interest in watching her shoe swing like a pendulum and let it drop to the floor before hopping down and covering the few feet to the frame of his boat.
"What do you find so interesting about sanding this damn boat?" she muttered, reaching for a sander identical to his own.
In all the years she had spent in his house, she had refrained from venturing into his basement for the most part. She, for one had no desire to contract some God-awful disease.
"Put your shoes back on," he insisted, knowing full well how many rusty nails likely lied on the dirty floor just waiting to imbed themselves in her bare feet..
"I'll be fine," she brushed him off airily.
"Jen," he growled lowly in warning and she arched a brow indignantly.
She yelped in surprise when he dropped his sander and lifted her off her feet, setting her back on the workbench. He swiftly dropped to kneel in front of her and grabbed her left ankle and slid her feet onto her shoe before moving to her right, eyeing her pointedly.
"Honestly, Jethro," she sighed with feigned annoyance. "I have my shots. It is not my goal in life to die of tetanus. "
"No you don't," he replied immediately in a matter-of-fact tone as he moved to his feet.
"And how do you know?" she challenged petulantly, narrowing her eyes.
He smirked.
"You hate shots," he shot back, taking up his task of sanding once more. "Reason you get the flu every year."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxx
The next morning, Jethro walked into the bullpen carrying a cup of steaming Jamaican blend, his morning scowl on his face to see Jenny glaring at Burley who seemed to be enjoying being the bane of her existence that particular morning.
"Burley!" he snapped, and Stan jumped a mile, earning him a snicker from Jenny.
"Yeah, boss!" he replied promptly.
Gibbs grabbed his phone to check his messages.
"When you and Shepard are done playing grab-ass, maybe you might do some actual work."
"Boss! I wasn't…she was-" Stan sputtered, but Jenny slid out of her chair, making her way across the floor to Gibbs' desk.
"Aww, Gibbs, are you sad the other kids don't want to play with you?" she cooed patronizingly, and Gibbs glared up at her as her form cast a shadow across his desk.
"Don't you have something productive to do, Shepard?" he asked as she took a seat on the edge of his desk and started fiddling with the things there.
Eventually she started to agitate him and he stilled her hand, placing his over hers.
"Stop it," he growled, hanging up the phone. "Go harass Hodges for the results on the Tanner case."
"I'll be sure not to tell him it's for you. Apparently you're mean," she said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Pansy," Jethro muttered, and Jenny laughed before heading toward the elevators to do as she was asked.
When Jenny returned, Jethro was nowhere to be found. She glared at Stan for no other reason than shthe fact that she had an intense dislike for him, and proceeded to make her way towards Gibbs' desk.
"Where's Gibbs?" she asked, tossing the forensic results onto the aforementioned man's desk.
"Coffee," Decker and Burley replied simultaneously, keeping their eyes on their reports.
She shrugged and headed for her own desk. She took a seat and wrinkled her brow at the blinking red light on her phone indicating that she had a message. She grabbed it off its hook, punched in her code and listened for the impending message.
She eventually sighed, and placed the phone back on it's hook and stood from her chair before pulling her drawer open, pulling out her gun and badge. She placed them in their rightful places on her belt and knocked the drawer closed with her knee.
"Where are you going?" Burley demanded as she swung her blazer over her shoulders and slipped her arms into the sleeves.
"This great little place called none of your damn business," she snipped, smiling sweetly as she pulled her hair out of the collar. "Tell Gibbs I went for coffee if he asks," she added, directing the latter statement at Decker.
"You can't do that," Stan protested petulantly.
"Really? Because, I kind of thought that's exactly what I'm doing," she shot back sarcastically as she backed out of the bullpen before turning on her heel.
She laughed softly hearing Stan's voice again just before the elevator doors closed.
"Can she do that?"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx
Jenny kicked her car door shut forty minutes later, crossing her arms over her chest as the spring breeze whipped her loose hair. Her heels clicked against the asphalt as she made her way across the Georgetown Elementary parking lot.
She strode through the door of the front office, smiling at the plump looking secretary that greeted her.
"Hi, Jenny," the blonde greeted her sweetly. "Are you here to get Kelly?"
"Hey, Marge" Jenny replied with a cordial smile, resting her arms on the counter. "Yeah. The nurse called at work."
"Oh, yes, Kelly wasn't looking to well when she came in," the secretary recalled sympathetically. "She'll be just through there though," she added, pointing to the adjoining nurse's office.
Jenny thanked the woman and took the few steps to the other office, pushing the door open. When she walked in she was met by a small, mousy looking woman in purple scrubs.
"Are you Ms. Shepard?" the woman asked, and Jenny nodded.
"I am," she replied, and the nurse smiled moving to her feet.
The brunette crossed the room with Jenny at her heels.
"If you'll just sign her out here, you can take her home," the nurse said, handing Jenny a book of signatures and a pen. "Her fever was 101 about an hour ago and the poor thing was sick as a dog. If her fever gets any worse, I would say take her to the emergency room, but it looks like a case of the flu. The kids have been in and out of school with it for weeks. Give her plenty of fluids and let her get plenty of rest."
"Thank you," Jenny whispered so as not to wake Kelly as she lifted the small child into her arms.
The nurse looped Kelly's backpack over Jenny's arm and the redhead smiled in thanks before making her exit. Jenny mouthed a thank you to the blonde secretary and carried Kelly to the car.
She buckled the small brunette into her seatbelt, blowing several errant strands of red her hair out of her face. Kelly began to stir with a small moan, and Jenny cupped her face affectionately.
"Mmm, mommy, I don't feel good," Kelly murmured, barely opening her eyes, and Jenny eyed her sympathetically.
"I know, honey," Jenny assured her. "Go back to sleep. We're going home, okay?"
Kelly nodded and fell back into a fitful sleep.
Halfway to her house, Jenny's phone rang as she knew it would, and she rummaged through her purse while trying to keep her eyes on the road.
"Shepard," she answered as had become habit.
"Where the hell are you, Shepard?" Jethro barked through the phone.
"I got a call from Kelly's school. The nurse thinks she has the stomach flu. I'm taking her to my house now. Magda will stay with her," Jenny replied sparing the child a quick glance. "Your little minions think I'm going for coffee. I'll bring some back with me."
"She okay?" he asked, his voice dropping to a much lower tone so as not to be overheard by Burley and Decker she assumed.
"She'll be fine," Jenny assured him. "Magda will have her back to school in no time."
"Just get your ass back here, Shepard," he snapped for appearances, and Jenny laughed.
"Yes, boss!" she replied teasingly, and he could practically hear the patronizing salute.
When Jenny did arrive back at NCIS headquarters, she carried a tray of coffee with her as promised. The elevator doors closed behind her with a mechanical whoosh and she rounded the corner into the bullpen.
"I brought coffee," she announced, making her presence known and set the tray of drinks on the edge of her desk before tossing her car keys there as well.
"There's only three," Stan, said, hesitating.
"Oh, Burley, you learned to count," she mocked him, and he glared before snatching one of the cups out of the tray. "Gibbs doesn't get one," she said, eyeing the man in question pointedly.
"Did I tell you that you could get coffee?" Jethro asked in response, and she raised a brow reproachfully.
"I wasn't aware I had to ask permission," she replied, wrapping her fingers around her own cup of coffee. "You went for coffee, and you never offer to bring me back any, or any of us for that matter."
Both Decker and Burley cleared their throats, ducking their heads, a clear message of, 'don't bring me into this.'
"It's very inconsiderate, Gibbs," she continued. "We all need caffeine once in a while. I would have brought you a cup if you hadn't already gone for one."
She smirked, a gleam of wicked amusement in her eyes, and took a sip from her cup.
"Conference room," he ground out, grabbing her by her arm, and she stumbled only slightly before going along with him.
He stood to the side, allowing her to go in before him-ever the gentleman-and she rolled her eyes before doing so. He slid in behind her and flipped the emergency switch.
"She alright?" he asked, referring to his daughter, and Jenny nodded leaning against the wall of the elevator.
"Sleeping," she replied, holding out her coffee in offering, but rolled her eyes when he grimaced at the idea of cream and sugar.
He nodded in satisfaction and flipped the elevator back on, and as they stepped out he leaned in close as he strode past her, a triumphant smirk on his face.
"You do ask permission to get coffee."
She caught up to him, grinning as they walked into the bullpen.
"You're enjoying this boss thing far too much."
Jenny finally made it home around seven: an early night for Gibbs' team, but none of them had been complaining. Said man was at her heels as his reason for letting his team go early laid in her home, likely sleeping.
Jenny slid her key into the lock and pushed the door open, stepping inside while Jethro stood aside before following behind her and shutting the door. Magda appeared in the hallway with a curious look on her face.
"Jenny, you are home early," she observed, question hanging in the air. "And with Senor Gibbs," she finished with a little distaste.
Magda never had quite re-warmed to Jethro after the incident nearly two years prior.
"Magda, please," Jenny sighed, sending the older woman a pleading look.
"Kelly is in her room," Magda said, wringing her hands on a dishtowel, knowing the next words out of Jenny's mouth would be questions regarding the brunette's wellbeing. "She has been sleeping for a few hours."
"Thank you, Magda," Jenny said gratefully. "You can go now. I'll take it from here."
She and her beloved housekeeper had argued too many times over Jenny's continued relationship with Jethro, but Jenny respected the older Puerto Rican as a mother, and simply made it a point to have Magda and Jethro spend as little time together as possible.
Magda nodded and returned to the kitchen temporarily, presumably to set the dish towel down, and reappeared in the foyer within moments. She grabbed her coat, and kissed Jenny on both cheeks, murmuring a warm good-bye before sliding her coat over her arms. As if it were a last minute thought she turned to Jethro.
"Senor Gibbs," Magda bade him cordially.
"Goodnight," Gibbs offered a bit awkwardly with a respectful nod, and Magda made her exit.
"She doesn't like me much does she?" he muttered once the older woman had shut the door.
Jenny smiled softly as they climbed the stairs.
"She's just protective is all," Jenny murmured as they made their way down the hall to Kelly's room.
Jenny pushed Kelly's door open gently, grimacing at the squeak the door made. She had been meaning to fix that. She squatted beside Kelly's bed, tucking a stray piece of hair behind the child's ear, and smiled, glad to see the brunette sleeping peacefully.
"I'll be in my room," Jenny whispered as she stood, her hand brushing his arm briefly before she left the room, pulling the door closed slightly behind her.
Jethro stooped to kiss his daughter's forehead briefly before, standing once again to his full height. Kelly stirred slightly with a small moan, and blinked her eyes slowly.
"Daddy?" she murmured sleepily.
"Yeah," he confirmed affectionately. "Go back to sleep, Kel. You stay with Jen tonight, okay?"
She nodded, and turned over, pulling her comforter tighter around herself.
Jethro slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind him until it shut with a quiet 'click'. He hesitated in the hallway a moment before continuing down the hall toward Jenny's room. He knocked on the ajar door lightly, causing it to swing open a bit more.
"Come in," Jenny called softly, and he pushed it open, though he remained in the doorway.
She was dressed in her robe and her hair was pulled up on top of her head; by the warm smell of lavender and vanilla that reached his nose he assumed she was getting ready to take a bath.
"I'm heading out," he said. "Thanks for letting me stop by."
"Jethro, you know you're always welcome here," she said pointedly, leaning against her bedpost casually.
"It's alright if she just stays here tonight?" was his only reply, and she nodded.
"Of course it is," she assured him. "I hadn't even thought of moving her."
He nodded.
"Night, Jen," he offered, and she smiled if a little sadly.
"Good night, Jethro."
A/n: A decent start I hope. As always, reviews are much appreciated (especially with this one). Let me know what you think! :)