Jenny Shepard, newly announced Director of NCIS, lay in her bed, comfortably dozing as she waited for her alarm to go off, telling her that she needed to get up and prepare for her first day of duties of Directorship. Technically she'd already performed some director's duties, such as attending the funeral service of Special Agent Caitlin Todd, but today was officially her first day. She'd spent the last few weeks preparing herself by getting to know the office, her new P.A. Cynthia and the tasks she would be required to accomplish in her new role. Her role as assistant Director to Tom Morrow, basically being in charge of NCIS' operations in Europe, had been a good preparation for her, but it was still a massive step up to taking up the mantle of directorship.

Jenny didn't hear the creak of her door opening, or the quiet pitter patter of feet across her bedroom floor, but she did feel the weight that dropped on her. Jenny jumped, letting out a cough, before she rolled onto her back so she could see her assailant.

Anthony Jethro Dominic Shepard, or just Tony, beamed brightly down at his mother, his green eyes sparkling with mirth. Jenny smiled up at her son, running her hard through Tony's dark blonde hair. The little boy was five now, almost six years old. He'd been Jenny's rock throughout his entire life, not complaining once about how frequently they moved, separating him from the children he'd just begun to form friendships with, from the nannies that had often looked after him when Jenny was at work, or on the short missions that she'd gone on.

"Hi mom, are you looking forward to your first day?" Tony asked. Jenny beamed and nodded.

"Yes, Tony. Are you going to be a good boy at school today?'

Tony pulled a face, but nodded. Tony had already started at his new school in D.C. Jenny had wanted him settled in before she started to have to go into the office.

"Good" Jenny pulled him into a hug, and the pair lay in each other's arms on the bed. Jenny inhaled, smelling the scent that was unique to her little boy. He smelt of out outdoors. Tony disliked being cooped up inside, the active little boy preferring to be outside playing some form of game or sport outside. Jenny imagined that Gibbs would have been the same when he was Tony's age.

She and Tony were as close as a mother and son could be. They were all each other had, and Jenny hoped that her new position of director wouldn't cut too much into the time she shared with her son.

Both mother and son startled when Jenny's alrm went off, and Jenny slowly sat up. Tony scrambled up to, his hair wildly mussed.

"Go get dressed Tony," Jenny instructed. Tony sighed, but nodded, climbing off the bed and running from the room. She heard him enter his own room, which was beside hers, and she heard him start singing away to himself as he got dressed. Shaking her head at her son's energy at such an early hour of the morning, Jenny got up and headed for her private bathroom.

NCIS

Dressed and prepared for the day, Tony Shepard sat at the kitchen bench, watching as his mother prepared his favourite breakfast cereal, as well as some fruit and muesli for herself. He was very excited for his mommy on her new job. He hadn't been allowed to visit her new office yet, but mommy had said that one day soon he would be allowed to come and visit and see the people his mom worked with. He had been to her offices in Europe heaps over the years, and had met heaps of the agents that worked there. Some of them had been grumpy or really busy, but lots of them had been nice, and had smiled at him and let him watch them work, or they'd listen to him. He hoped the D.C. office would be the same.

Tony looked over at his school bag and mentally checked off that he had everything he would need. He was looking forward to school today. They had sport on Mondays, and sport was his favourite subject. Sport was pretty much the same all over the world, as far as Tony had seen anyway. They didn't change like languages or customs with each border crossing you passed, not that languages were really a problem for Tony. The advantage of moving around Europe so much from birth had meant that Tony had learned heaps of languages. He knew English, of course, but he also knew French and Italian, some Russian, German and Spanish, and a little Hebrew. It was funny, because at school they were learning Italian, and Tony was far ahead of the other children in his class.

Tony began to quickly eat his breakfast, knowing that his mother wanted to drop him off at school on her way to work. She'd told him that she was going to do that all of this week, but then after that the school buss would pick him up from the end of the street. Tony didn't mind though, because a couple of the other boys that were in Tony's class lived in the same area, and would catch the same bus.

Jenny finished her muesli and her cup of coffee at about the same time that Tony put his spoon down in his bowl and drained his cup of orange juice, before carefully carrying his dishes over to the sink. Jenny did the same with her mug and bowl. She clapped Tony gently on the back.

"Do you have everything ready?" Jenny asked. Tony nodded quickly, so she picked up Tony's school bag, and her hand bag, and hurried from the house to the chauffeur driven car. She and Tony got into the back seat and the car grove down the driveway that lead from the Shepard home to the road, and headed out on the street. Jenny let herself enjoy the luxury of having someone else to drive. It was a novelty that came with being the director of NCIS, one that hadn't quite worn off yet for Jenny or Tony.

Tony watched the affluent neighbourhood they lived in pass by through the windows as they headed towards his school.

"What are you going to do today mom?" he asked curiously. Jenny smiled.

"I have meetings with all the team leaders, and with the SECNAV, Tony. It won't be very exciting" Jenny pulled a face jokingly, and Tony giggled.

'Tonight when you come home can we watch a movie together?" he asked.

Jenny smiled and nodded, "After you do any homework you might have, and as long as it is a short one, okay?"

Tony nodded happily. Jenny laughed quietly to herself as Tony turned back to his looking out the window. While he loved the outdoors and playing sport, Tony was happiest when the pair of them would cuddle up together on the floor with a blanket and watch a movie together. It was their special time together, and Jenny made sure that at least once a week they got to experience it. Usually it turned out being on a Friday night, but it varied with Jenny's workload. Jenny had to admit that she looked forward to movie nights almost as much as Tony did.

Eventually the chauffeur pulled over outside Tony's school, a private one, and both mother and son got out. Jenny made a point of walking Tony to his classroom, where there were a few children already. Tony waved at his new friends, who waved back. Jenny crouched down in front of her little boy.

"Now, remember Tony, either Mommy or Mrs. Walters will be by to pick you up after school tonight. We'll be waiting for you at the front gate. Stay with the other children until you see us, and don't go anywhere with a stranger, okay?"

Tony nodded his understanding. He'd heard the lecture before, and he knew that some people thought it was okay to kidnap kids and take them away from their moms and dads. His mom had told him so, and a few of the older children at his school had their own security guards that watched out for them during play time. It was because they were important, one of his classmates had told him in a whisper, that their mommies and daddies worked for the president, or were senators, or something.

Tony wondered if one day he would be important enough to have his own security guard. His mom had laughed at him when he'd told her that. She's told him that he wouldn't get a plain old security guard; he'd get his own team of federal agents watching his six. Tony figured that if you were special and got one guard, how special must he be if he had his own team of federal agents watching him.

"I've got to go now, Tony. Be good."

'Yes mom, have fun, Bye." Tony smiled. Jenny kissed him on the forehead.

"By Tony," she said, before she hurried back towards where the car was waiting. Tony turned his back and hurried over to his friends, eager to talk about what had been happening over the weekend to each of them.

NCIS

Jenny stood in the elevator wating for the doors to slide open to reveal the NCIS bullpen. She'd opted to walk through the bullpen on the way to her office, a reminder to the agents stationed there that she existed. It also, she thought with a pang, would more than likely bring her face to face with Gibbs. Not a day ahd gone by over the last six years without Jenny thinking of the NCIS agent who had stolen her heart. It was impossible, not with Tony running around. Tony who looked so much like Gibbs. It wasn't obvious to an outsider, but Jenny knew what she was looking for, and every day the resemblance became stronger. T hadn't helped when she'd unknowingly taught Tony a few of Gibbs' mannerisms, such as saying that she had Tony's six, as Tony was now likely to say that he had her six. It was adorable, but it was painful at those moments how much like his father Tony really was.

Being with Gibbs had brought guilt like she'd never felt before into Jenny's heart. Gibbs had just lost an agent, and his team were emotionally devastated, and Jenny couldn't help but think that if she'd told Jethro about Tony, if she'd gone after him back to America, Gibbs wouldn't be suffering as he was. Chances were that they'd probably be married, and Tony would have at least one sibling, perhaps two. She'd never planned to only have one child, she knew what a lonely existence it was, but the way things had worked out, and the way that Gibbs was stonewalling her, it seemed unlikely that Tony would ever become a big brother.

The ding of the elevator brought Jenny from her musing, as the door slid open smoothly. She strode into the bullpen, her head held high, in control of her entire life, and of NCIS. This was what she'd worked for her entire life, and she was proud to have finally accomplished it. She glanced into the set of desks occupied by Gibbs and his team. Ziva caught her eye, and smiled. Jenny nodded in reply, eyeing the rest of her former partner's team. Stan Burley was the Senir Field Agent on the team, and had been for the last two years, having worked with Gibbs for another two before that. It was an impressive record, a indication that the man was not to be underestimated. Jenny found herself admiring the man's willpower, because she new from experience that you needed balls of steel, figuratively speaking, to handle working with Gibbs.

The other team member was Tim McGee. Jenny hadn't had much to do with the young man, but she'd had a look at his file, and had been very impressed. She knew Gibbs didn't usually take ones so green onto his team, so he must have seen something in the younger man to take him on.

Jenny kept walking, but she spotted Gibbs walking the other way, coffee in hand.

'Director he greeted gruffly on the way past.

'Gibbs" she replied formally, "My office, 0930 hours, bring your team."

"Yes mam" Gibbs repleied his voice thick with Sarcasm. Jenny rolled her eyes at his actions, nbeofre she climbed the stair towards her office. She let herself in, smiling when she saw Cynthia rise to her feet.

'What do we have first up today, Cynthia?" Jenny asked, removing her jacket, and hooking it on the hooks in her office wall. Cybthia followed her from her office into Jenny's.

"You have a short meeting in MTAC with the SECNAV first up, followed bythe team briefings.

"I've put Gibbs in for 0930. Work the others round that please. I want the most difficult out of the way first."

Cynthia giggled, but hastily clamped her lips together. Ejnny looked at her assistant, letting a smile cross her face, letting Cynthia know that it was okay to laugh at the joke. Cybthia giggled.

"Probably a wise move, Director."

Jenny smiled, before she checked her watch.

"I'm in MTAC talking to the SECNAV if you need me."

"Yes Director, of course." Cynthia replied.

Jenny glanced at her desk briefly as she turned to leave her office once again, but something made her stop. She approached the desk, smiling fondly as she studied the framed photograph that stood on it. There were a few photographs on her desk, most of them of Tony, plus one of her father, but the one she was looking at had been taken the previous Christmas. Tony was wearing a Santa hat and was beaming at the camera, a teddy bear that was also wearing a Santa hat, aw well as a soft red jumper in his arms. Every time Jenny looked at it she couldn't help but smile.

"I love you Tony" she whispered to the photo, before she headed out of the office to go to her meeting in MTAC.