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NCIS Director Jenny Shepard stared blankly at the SITREP folder spread out on the desk before her. Months, years even, of careful investigation was finally starting to pay off, but still she couldn't seem to get all the pieces to fit nicely into a neat little package… and it was frustrating her.

She almost squirmed in her seat. She was the Director of a Federal Government Agency, then why did she feel like a teenager trying to sneak out of the house?

Because in some circles what you are considering doing would be seen as an abuse of power, a biting sarcastic, if somewhat accurate, part of her subconscious chided her. Jenny had learned long ago to ignore that little part of her brain – but she still hadn't managed to shut it up completely.

Mentally shaking herself Jenny returned to the information detailed in the report. Special Agent Emma Phillips had put together a good packet; but then Jenny expected no less. Emma had been the last Probie Bill Decker had taken under his wing before retiring Stateside and he always did know how to train a new agent. Now, because of that training, after nearly twelve years finally the pieces were starting to come together. Twelve years was a long time to wait to get answers… justice… revenge… Call it what you would, Jenny Shepard was going to have it.

Dates, times, places, all laid out before her, a timeline of one mans activities for the last nine months. All evidence pointing to the identity of an international arms dealer known only by the code name La Grenouille – The Frog. All evidence, including his given pseudonym, had pointed to the fact that her target was going to French or at least of French descent. Unfortunately Agent Phillips confirmation of his genealogy was a hollow victory, it still didn't put Jenny any closer to the man. But at least now she had a place to start and a dossier of potential ammunition to use against the man she now knew as Rene Benoit.

Slowly pushing herself away from the desk, Jenny rose and headed over to the sideboard. The day had been long; hell… the week had been long. Pulling down a tumbler with one hand and grabbing a bottle with the other, Jenny poured her self out a long shot of Bourbon and tossed it back in one quick move. About to replace the bottle on the shelf Jenny paused. "Ah hell" pouring another shot. Stoppering the bottle and replacing it, Jenny walked back to her desk and sat down. She'd gone through nearly an entire bottle in five days. That wasn't good, but then, it hadn't been a good week.

It had started normally enough, Intel had come through from one of her agents that an Abu Sayyaf terrorist had infiltrated a vessel associated with Sealift Command. A week later and Jenny was still regretting sending Jethro's team in to investigate.

It had ended with Gibbs being comatose by a bomb and ultimately the death of 20 innocent men.

It had been naive of her not to have read Gibbs' file when she had first taken on the role of Director nearly a year ago. Yes, part of that reason was self-preservation. Documents outlining her years working as Gibbs' Probie and then partner would of course be present. But had she opened that damned file a few months early, might the knowledge she had learned about Shannon and Kelly Gibbs have helped her in bringing her friend out of a coma earlier? Might it have helped bring Gibbs back into the here and now, not living in a world of fifteen years past? Might the knowledge that the person Gibbs had spoken to wasn't Galib, but in fact Pin Pin Pula, have come out earlier and given them a chance to stop him from getting on the Cape Fear?

Jennifer Shepard – Director of NCIS, accepted the outcome of Welsh's operation and saw it as a job that needed to be done. Yes there had been collateral damage in the death of nineteen civilian targets.

Jenny Shepard – NCIS Agent and human being, saw the irresponsible and reckless attitude of the Deputy Director as an unacceptable outcome with a catastrophic toll and agreed one hundred percent with the fury that had radiated of the man who had stood beside her as they watched the Cape Fear destroyed by a mad man.

Jennifer Shepard – Director, stood calmly by as she watched the passion and energy of her Senior Team Leader leeched out of him in front of her very eyes and knew what was coming.

Jenny Shepard – Agent and friend wanted nothing more than to beg her friend, mentor, former lover to give it some time and stay.

Yes, the last week had been hell. And now this new information about La Grenouille wasn't making things any better.

Sipping the Bourbon this time, Jenny stared out her window overlooking the harbour mentally lost in a tangled pathway of decisions. The opportunity to get someone close to Rene Benoit was too good to miss, even if the timing was monumentally bad.

She ran her options through her mind. It was like planning a great game of chess, trying to predict the outcome given every possible movement. Yes she could see how different pieces of the game would react given the circumstances. One person's path lead to one outcome, someone else's to another. Faces flashed before her eyes as she ran each scenario through her mind. But no matter how often she ran them, her thoughts always returned to the same person. The only person who she considered truly suited for what she was going to ask.

"Damn you Jethro!" she muttered, wishing not for the first time that Gibbs was still here to act as a sounding board.

Gulping down the remains of the Bourbon, Jenny reached over and hit the intercom button.

"Cynthia. I need the personnel file on Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

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