Title: Dinner With A Colleague
Author: NickyK
Pairing: Jibbs
Summary: Director Shepard gets invited out to dinner but her dinner companion isn't who she expected him to be.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and make no money off of them whatsoever!
A/N: As you begin to read this you may wonder what in the world am I doing? Please be aware that this is a JIBBS fic, you just have to continue to read it to understand. I wrote this in the wee hours of the morning last night (hence the tardiness of a V-day fic) and tried to proofread as best I could today. Please forgive me if there are mistakes that I missed. As usual would love any and all reviews (constructive critism only please). Thanks and hope you enjoy!
Jenny Shepard fought off a yawn as she headed to her office. Her day had been filled with countless meetings, dealing with too many people in too many different time zones, who all wanted something a piece of her; it was exhausting. She walked past the bullpen and frowned, noting how quiet it was. Granted, quitting time had come and gone, but it wasn't usual to see more than a few agents still hanging around doing there last minute reports and such. Now the place looked deserted.
"Director Shepard?"
She looked around, surprised to see Agent Denton Mowery sitting at his desk staring up at her. She smiled pleasantly and made her way over to him. He stood as she approached and Jenny still marveled at the size of him. Over six feet tall and broad shouldered; his size alone intimated most people. Mowery was one of the best team leaders she had besides Gibbs and was well liked by many.
"Good evening, Agent Mowery. Quiet tonight," she greeted him.
"Yeah, I think most of the guys had some last minute shopping to do. I'm surprised to see you still here."
She frowned. "Why's that?"
He gave her a puzzled look. "Valentine's Day, Director. Don't tell me you don't have any plans?"
Her eyes immediately shifted to where Agent Gibbs desk sat dark and abandoned. Disappointment slammed through her and something else that she absolutely refused to acknowledge as her mind wondered what he was doing tonight. And who he was doing it with? She hadn't given much thought to the holiday. The one invitation she would have accepted, never came.
She stopped herself, not willing to let her mind dwell on impossible possibilities.
Turning back to Agent Mowery, she replied. "No, I don't have plans actually.
"Seriously?" She almost laughed at the incredulous expression on his face.
"Seriously," she confirmed.
"Well in that case, how about joining me for dinner this evening? Nothing fancy, just a meal between colleagues," he hesitated before adding, "Unless, of course, you think Agent Gibbs might have a problem with that?"
The question should have angered her; he looked as if he expected it to. Jenny was shocked that he'd even asked it. Folding her arms across her chest, she regarded him curiously. "Why would you think Agent Gibbs would have a problem with whom I dine with?"
Agent Mowery chuckled and dipped his head as if he knew every thing there was to know about her and Gibbs. Denton Mowery was a good agent. He was quick and sharp and almost as good as Gibbs when it came to reading people. He didn't miss much. She wondered how much she'd given away with that involuntary glance toward Gibbs' desk.
"Do you really want me to answer that, Director?" he asked, studying her.
There eyes met and held and Jenny was reminded of why he had the reputation of making suspects talk without saying a word. Those intense hazel eyes of his seemed as if they could see straight to your soul. Part of her did want to know the answer to her question; what exactly had he seen between them that she was obviously missing? The other half, though, was suddenly afraid of what it might reveal-and if she was ready for it.
"No," she decided, a small smile on her lips, "I don't suppose I do want you to answer that, Agent Mowery. But just so that we're clear, Agent Gibbs and I are nothing more than friends and colleagues. Who I choose to spend my time with is no more his business than who he spends time with is mine."
Mowery nodded. "Right. So then, what do you say? Join me for dinner? You can even tell Agent Gibbs I was your security detail, if he asks in a professional sense, that is."
Jenny resisted the urge to roll her eyes, thinking he was way too smug for his own good. And going out to dinner did sound preferable than working another hour or going home to an empty house.
"C'mon, a harmless dinner. I promise I'll have you home in time for curfew."
She tilted her head. "Are you taking pity on me, Agent Mowery?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Director, you wound me," he said clutching at his chest in mock horror, a move that disturbingly reminded her of DiNozzo. "Believe me ma'am, there's no pity in any part of that invitation," his voice was a low rumble and Jenny blinked, vaguely wondering if he was coming on to her, but quickly dismissed that idea.
"Look," he continued, "I don't have plans tonight; you don't have plans, what's wrong with eating a meal together? I have standing reservations at a place downtown. Small, not super fancy but great food and good service, what more can you ask for? And I know for a fact that you keep several outfits in your office for emergency changes, which includes a dinner dress, if I'm not mistaken."
Jenny laughed, not even bothering to ask how he knew about the extra wardrobe she kept here. "You've got it all covered don't you?"
"Yes, ma'am. So what do you say?"
This time she did roll her eyes at his boyishly dimpled grin. "Stop calling me ma'am and you've got a deal."
Several minutes later, Jenny stepped out of her office feeling ridiculously over-dressed. Her extra wardrobe, which she could have sworn consisted of a least one sensible pant suit, had been narrowed down to a single red dress with matching shoes. A frantic search around her office proved fruitless. So she'd touched up her hair and make-up, added a dab of perfume and hoped for the best.
Agent Mowery whistled softly as she approached him. "I know this is supposed to be a simple dinner but apparently I must have forgotten to replace my emergency wardrobe. This is all I have." She apologized, not even sure when she purchased the low-cut dress. "Is this too much for where we're going? I can go change back into what I was wearing." she offered turning back toward her office.
"No, no, no," he said grabbing her wrist. "You look perfect. You'll fit right in." At her dubious look, he added. "I promise."
The ride to the restaurant was pleasant enough. They took Mowery's car at his insistence, although Jenny wasn't really comfortable with the idea. It wasn't that she didn't trust him because she did, it was just the agent in her needed a back up plan. He'd kept her engrossed with stories of cases from times past and Jenny shared some of her less than stellar moments as an agent with him as well. She'd been so involved in the conversation; she didn't realize that they were headed away from downtown until he pulled in front of a restaurant on the Upper East Side.
"I think we're a little far from downtown," Jenny stated as they waited for their turn for valet parking. "Is this the restaurant you have standing reservations for? I love this place but it's so hard to get into. They're usually booked months in advance," she said, turning to him, quizzically.
They were next for the valet parking and as he pulled up he waved off the attendant. "I have a confession to make," he said sheepishly.
"Okay."
"I lied."
"About?"
"I do have standing reservations at a restaurant downtown and I will be joining my date there in another," he glanced at his watch, "half hour."
"What?" she asked, her confusion quickly turning to anger. "And where does that leave me, Agent Mowery?" she asked coldly, kicking herself for not driving her own vehicle.
Instead of answering he rolled down the window and pointed towards the door of the restaurant. "Here, ma'am, with Agent Gibbs," he said softly.
She turned and looked in the direction he pointed. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Jethro Gibbs, dressed smartly in a black tux, leaning nonchalantly against the wall, holding a single red rose, staring right back at her. Her anger fled as if it knew there was no place for it in this moment. Time slowed and like a prince out of a fairy tale, he straightened and came toward them, his eyes transfixed on her. He opened the door, extending his hand out to her and leaned forward.
"Will you have dinner with me tonight, Jen?"
His voice was smooth and low and her ability to speak had apparently left her as she placed her hand in his. She climbed out; stepping close to him, missing the discrete nod Gibbs gave the other man. He escorted her inside, helping her remove her coat and handing it over to the young girl behind the counter. Gibbs gave his name and they were led to a table near the back of the restaurant; a perfect view for an over-protective federal agent, thought Jenny.
His hand brushed against her bare arm before moving to settle on the small of her back and she trembled. She felt his self-satisfied smile rather than actually seeing it.
He pulled out her chair and waited for her to sit before speaking softly in her ear. "You look beautiful, Jen."
She blushed.
"You don't look to bad yourself," she told him once he was seated and the waiter had poured the wine.
"Thank you." He smiled and Jenny swallowed hard, wondering if he knew exactly how good he looked. She turned away before she lost herself in him. This, whatever it was, was dangerous.
The waiter came back to take their orders and she waited for him to depart before she spoke.
"What's going on Jethro? What is all this?"
"Whatever you want it to be, Jen. Just a simple dinner between colleagues, dinner between friends, or," he hesitated, his eyes searching her as he reached across the table and took her hand, "something more."
Jenny took a breath and let it out slowly, trying to keep from closing her eyes and giving into the wonderful sensations his thumb was creating against her palm. After a moment, she switched their hands so that she was now holding onto his.
He raised a brow in question.
"I can't…think…when you're doing that, Jethro," she confessed and saw the amusement light his eyes.
"You're not supposed to think. Not tonight."
"This was all you, wasn't it? This whole thing, the dress, my clothes missing from my office, Agent Mowery…you set all this up."
He nodded. "That okay?"
His eyes were watching her closely and Jenny realized he wasn't as confident as he seemed.
"Why?" she asked instead
He shrugged. "I needed a date."
"What if I already had plans?" she asked reaching for her glass of wine.
Jethro took a sip of his before replying smoothly. "I made sure you didn't."
Well, that explained why Cynthia hadn't bugged her about returning RSVPs for any functions tonight. She did think that was a bit odd, but now it made sense.
"Agent Mowery?"
"He'll be discreet."
She laughed lightly. "And here I thought he was trying to make a pass at me."
"He knows better." He'd said it with such a straight face Jenny wondered if he'd actually warn the man off. She studied him, looking for tells that he was joking but saw none. She gave him a questioning look. "You don't want to know, Jen."
"C'mon Jethro, I was kidding. Agent Mowery is like a darker, older version of DiNozzo. He wouldn't give me a second look."
"He would, he did and so did DiNozzo, in case you're wondering. Now they know better." Something flashed in his eyes but was too quick for her to decipher it. Jenny blushed at his possessive tone and took another sip of her drink. She wasn't sure how she felt about Gibbs warning the agents off, not that she would want to date either of them. Still, she didn't think she wanted to venture down that avenue tonight.
Their meals arrived and they fell silent. Dinner was as delicious as she expected it to be. Gibbs controlled the conversation, to her surprise, being his most charming and she of course, responding in kind. She was flirty and teasing, and she knew by the smothering look in his eyes that she was playing with fire. They laughed often and gazed into each other's eyes. Jenny was in heaven. Their dessert dishes had been removed and they were enjoying a cup of coffee when Jethro stood suddenly and asked her to dance. She accepted, slipping her hand in his as he led her to the dance floor. A soft, romantic ballad drifted around them as their bodies swayed to the music.
She sighed contently, snuggling in closer to him as the music played around them. The song ended all too quickly and they made their way back to the table. Jethro held out her chair as she sat and she noticed a small red envelope placed on the table in front of her, a pencil beside it. She reached for it as Jethro watched from the other side of the table.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Open it." He answered simply and she did.
Inside was a Valentine, a small one like school children passed out to their classmates. Superman graced the front of this one with the words 'Hope your Valentine's Day is super cool, just like you' written in scripted letters in the center. On the bottom the words, 'will you be mine', were handwritten across the bottom with yes, no or maybe boxes underneath.
Jenny looked up to find Jethro sitting right beside her. His eyes were serious as he took her hand in his own.
"Before you answer that I want to make something clear. I love you, Jenny. If you answer yes, you belong to me in every sense of the word. I won't share you, I won't hide what I feel for you and I won't give you up. If you answer yes, that's it, there's no turning back." He looked at her hard, making sure she understood every word he said before continuing.
"If you answer no, then we can forget what I just said. I'll accept your decision and never bother you again. We'll be exactly what you wanted from the beginning, no outside. We'll be boss and subordinate, nothing else; no in-between. I don't think I could handle that," he murmured softly. "I know this is a bit sudden and feels rushed but I can't go on the way we have been without knowing something. If you need more time, but are at least willing to give it a shot, you could choose maybe. But," he added quickly, "that one has an expiration date to be decided dependent on your answer. So," he said clearing his throat, "think about if for a sec and I'm going to speak to the manager. I'll be back," he said as he rose quickly and walked away from the table.
Jenny blinked back the tears that had been building since he'd said those three beautiful words. She knew Jethro Gibbs would be her undoing one day. Even when she'd told him when she first became Director that there could be nothing between them; that the past was the past. She'd been lying to herself then and she would be lying now if she were to say otherwise. Since she became Director and his boss, interacting with him every day, sparing with him, worrying about him, her feelings for him had been steadily growing and Jenny knew she could no longer fight it, nor did she want too.
She marked the box and sat the pencil down, waiting for him to return to her. He did, moments later and she almost laughed at the expression on his face. Jethro Gibbs was nervous. But she didn't laugh, knowing it probably wouldn't go over very well.
"Have you decided?"
She nodded and handed him the card, her eyes never leaving his face.
He read it and looked up at her, a suspicious gleam in his eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Jethro, I love you too. Yes, I'm very sure."
"Thank God," he breathed. He used his thumb to gently wipe away her tears.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Jen." he said softly before their lips met in a tender kiss