Two weeks she'd been out of the hospital, and mostly Jenny Shepard was doing ok. Her bullet wounds were healing well, her ankle didn't hurt anymore when she walked, and her ribs only ached when she really strained them now, and not when she breathed. Jethro had been caring for her cuts and re-wrapping bandages without smothering her like he had when she'd been shot while they were partners. These two made four bullets she'd taken in her life, and she was quite happy to leave it at that for the future.
A few eye-opening conversation about both their pasts had revealed just how similar their commitment issues were, while being so very different. Neither wanted to put all of their heart in the hands of one person who may not be alive tomorrow to keep it safe. This wasn't going to be easy, but they were both determined to try and make it work, because they'd tried being apart and it hadn't gotten them very far these last three years.
Jenny had to be at NCIS headquarters this morning to receive her new orders for when she retuned to duty in two weeks time, so she was planning to ride in with Jethro, as she was still struggling to drive with her ribs still healing.
"You want something to eat before we go?"
"No I want to grab a filled croissant from that bakery near the Navy Yard," Jenny replied.
"Or three," Gibbs mumbled.
"Hey! Asshole"
Gibbs only smirked at her and ushered her out the front door of his house.
Anthony DiNozzo was having a bad morning, his date hadn't ended well last night, after he'd bragged to Kate about it, so he was not looking forward to seeing her. Speaking of the Catholic school girl, she appeared behind him at the elevator.
"Morning Tony, how was your date?"
"Don't start, it was bad."
"Aww why?"
"Turns out she was married and her husband came home right as we were about to, you know, luckily I had my gun and badge, so he decided it's be a bad idea to assault me. It's not like it's my fault, she didn't tell me!"
"Well at least he didn't break your nose,"the brunette laughed at him.
The Italian agent thought his day was going to suck throughout, then as the elevator doors slid open and they walked closer to their desks, he saw a very nice pair of legs propped on top of the desk next to his. The legs ended in a pair of Louboutin black patent leather heels he recognised from the sole, and further up his view was obscured by a grey pencil skirt and a file that was held up in front of the female's face.
As they reached their own desks, Kate gave him a confused glance and he just grinned at her. Since the Boss was nowhere to be seen, Tony walked to the corner of the desk occupied by the unknown woman, as he got closer he saw a high ponytail of very bright red hair on top of her head.
"Hello," he started, "I'm very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, can I help you with something?" He could practically feel Kate roll her eyes at that. The redhead lowered the file she was holding, revealing a stunning face and fascinating green eyes. DiNozzo was enthralled already.
"Hello, and no thanks," the stranger raised her file again, but only as high as her nose, and continued to read.
"Are you waiting for Gibbs? I know he has a thing for redheads but you look a bit young to be waiting for hi...Ow Boss" as they head slap was delivered against his skull.
"Sit at your desk DiNozzo," Gibbs growled. The redhead smirked.
"Special Agent Jenny Shepard," she introduced herself, "and I'm actually waiting for the Director, but this used to be my desk, so I thought I'd wait here."
"You were on Gibb's team?"
"Yup, '96-'99 with Stan and Decker, he taught me how to shoot straight..."
"Jen, don't," Gibbs growled at her.
"By pressing up against my back and breathing instructions in my ear..." she trailed off, grinning at Gibbs. Tony let out a gleeful laugh, but stopped at the boss' glare.
"Sorry Boss, but that goes against rule 12 surely, I mean I know she's hot and a redhead but still..."
Jenny looked confusedly at Gibbs then looked to Tony. "Never let personal involvements affect your work?"
"No it's never date a co-worker, I'd have thought you'd know," Tony said cautiously, not wanting to offend this pretty newcomer. She whipped her head back to Gibbs and glared while smirking at him,"You changed it! You get new agents who didn't know different so you changed it!" the redhead looked gleeful, and was shaking her head.
The Boss didn't say a word, just glared back at her.
"It used to be different?" Tony asked.
"Yup, but the Boss over here changed it cos of little old me," she drawled in a sudden southern drawl.
"Stop it," Gibbs growled.
Jenny turned to Tony, "he hates when I use my years at Georgia State to do that accent, gets him all hot under the collar, good memories see," she said to the younger man. Kate just sat there shocked.
"Jen!" Gibbs barked, "are you done?"
"Embarrassing you? Never."
Jenny and Kate started chatting about Jenny's time on the team after that, while DiNozzo piped up occasionally and Gibbs remained quiet and sulking at his desk. An hour or so later Abby barrelled into the bullpen squealing and launching herself at Jenny.
"Abs careful," Gibbs warned.
"I am being Gibbs! I wouldn't hurt her! Hi Jenny, It's so boring when you're not well!" Abby was a happy ball of joy and hyper energy, sitting on Jenny's desk, grinning at the redhead. That was when both the newest agents realised this was the 'Shepard' they'd all been so worried about finding a couple of weeks ago, and suddenly had more respect for the agent in front of them.
The rest of the day passed with Jenny mostly being downstairs assisting Abby or Ducky, or in MTAC with Morrow, and Tony and Kate left before she left MTAC.
Tony saw very little of the red-headed agent over the following two weeks, just seeing her meet Abby for dinner, or grab lunch with Ducky, or pop by for a meeting with the Director. However, he'd heard a few tidbits of gossip from other agents and Abby and Ducky about Jenny's time in D.C. last time. So he was surprised to walk in one morning and see her perched against her old desk, legs crossed at the ankle, designer suit and shoes in place, coffee in hand, smirking at his Boss.
"Well good morning Miss Shepard!" he greeted.
"Good morning Agent DiNozzo."
"And why are we being graced with your presence?" she smiled at him then, but didn't blush as other women might, mostly unaffected, though flattered.
"First day back officially on duty, I've been promoted to Head of Intelligence for NCIS, so I get to be mostly here, with the odd trip to California or other bases and Europe, organising operations, moving agents around and handling intel. Should be an interesting change from constant field work, but better me than some idiot who had no experience with what works I suppose."
"Sounds fun," he joked.
"Better money though," she grinned at him then, "but I have to travel a fair bit, and cooperate with other agencies, so they damn well better be paying me better than the minimal amount they paid me while I was out getting injured!"
"Fair point, the FBI's..."
"Federal C students,"she joked.
"...a bitch to deal with," he finished, smiling at the redhead and ignoring Gibbs' glaring at him. The Boss couldn't have some kind of everlasting dibs on every redhead, and Tony liked this one.
"Why don't we get dinner tonight to celebrate?"
"Already got plans with Abby and Ducky, you can tag along though if you like, you too Kate," she offered, Tony's face falling but his hopes of an actual date with her not dashed.
"Sure, sounds fun, doesn't it Katie?"
"Don't call me that," the brunette growled.
"Burley called me Shep for years, still does, when I'm not close enough to hurt him that is," Jenny grinned at the younger woman, Kate smiling back in understanding.
As the Director summoned Jenny up the stairs, she left them with a "be ready at 7."
DiNozzo's eyes followed her up the stairs, leaning to get a better look at her behind in that pencil skirt he was so enamored with, "Back to work DiNozzo," Gibbs growled.
Tony and Ducky entered the forensics lab to be greeted with Abby and Kate dressed to go to their fancy dinner to celebrate Jenny's promotion.
"You two look stunning," Ducky said as he offered them each an arm to lead them to the elevator.
"Hey Duck, you've known her longest, do you think I've got a shot with Jenny?"
"Tony you don't have a hope, you've been drooling pathetically since you first saw her, she's probably got higher standards too," Kate commented as they doors closed in front of them.
"Don't be mean Kate, I'm sure Jenny would date Tony," he grinned at Abby, "if she wasn't spoken for." Kate smiled at her then, and Ducky barely suppressed his smile.
"Is he cute?" Kate asked.
"Depends on your type I suppose Caitlin," Ducky answered evasively.
"I think he's very handsome actually," Abby smirked. Tony tried to hide his disappointment, wondering if he'd have a chance to eye up his competition at dinner.
As they entered the bullpen, Pacci was chatting to Jenny who was perched on the front edge of Gibbs' desk, the man himself oddly dressed up.
"You joining us Boss?"
"Course he is DiNozzo, he's whipped!" Pacci grinned at Jenny and she smiled back before turning to Tony and winking at him.
"It's not so hard to get on his good side," she grinned.
"Yeah you just had to get on your knees right Shep?" Burley rounded the corner into the bullpen then smirking at the redhead, but quickly turned on his heel and ran away as Jenny shot up to chase after him.
Another newcomer stood near Kate's desk, "she might actually kill him this time Gibbs."
"He deserves it Deck."
"Ah he's only teasing her, he doesn't mean anything by it, none of us do."
"Make sure she knows that Deck."
Jenny returned to the bullpen, a little flushed and out of breath.
"Is he dead Shepard?" Pacci asked.
"Nah, just a little winded."
"She kicked me in the fucking balls and punched me in the stomach!" Stan shouted as he limped towards them.
"Shall we go before anymore serious injuries befall the boys?" Ducky asked, to which Jenny nodded and moved to retrieve her coat and purse from Gibbs' desk. It was then DiNozzo took note of the black, bandage style body hugging dress Jenny was wearing, it reached her mid-thigh and had a respectable neckline, but it looked like it was made for her curves and he legs went on for days in those same high heels he'd first seen her in. A swift smack was dealt to his head, Gibbs brushing past him and placing his hand on Jenny's lower back.
"Figured out who her boyfriend is yet Tony?" Kate asked from beside him, nodding at Jenny and Gibbs.
"No, no way!"
"Yup, Abby just told me, you can't out-compete Gibbs," and Tony realised he wasn't even going to try as he watched her laugh and shove Gibbs' shoulder before kissing the corner of his mouth, he thought they looked happy. He ran to catch up to the others at the elevator.
Gibbs sat, bullet wound in his shoulder, Jenny's feet across his lap, thinking that the damn terrorist that had broken into NCIS would get what was coming to him, but that the bullet was worth it if he got his girlfriend back from Naples a week earlier than scheduled. Even if she was making him take his meds on time and had shouted at him how scared she'd been, and that he can't just go getting himself shot, it was worth it to have her around again, a month in Europe had been necessary for whatever mission she had in the works, but she'd had a week left when she turned up at Bethesda, angry as Hell and damn if he hadn't missed her.
"You can watch the TV and not me you know?" she snarked around her mouthful of Chinese food.
"You're better looking than them."
"Cheesy, but if you wanted to get me naked, you could've just asked."
"Wanted to see if you'd start playing nurse first," he smirked at her. A lopsided grin formed on Jenny's face as she looked at him.
"You're high on painkillers."
"So?"
"This probably counts as me taking advantage of you Jethro," she drawled as she leaned close enough to him to catch his earlobe in her teeth.
"I'm not complaining."
"Hmm, no jury would convict."
"Get over here."
"That your way of telling me to shut up," she mummered against his lips as she moved to straddle him, Chinese cartons abandoned on the coffee table.
"Hell yes."
His hands slid up her thighs to her waist, holding her tightly to him.
"I've missed you Jen," he mumbled into her collarbone.
"I missed you too Jethro, but next time I go away please don't get shot just to get my attention, ok?"
"That's not why I did it Jen."
"Hmm, I don't believe you Marine, convince me..."
This case was working the team to the bone, McGee called in from Norfolk to help, the Boss in a horrible mood because, according to Abby, Jenny had been gone close to a week now. She'd been whisked off to Cairo Friday night to take care of some old business with Mossad, and Gibbs had been tense for six days waiting to even hear from her, which by all accounts he hadn't so far. That made for a tense work environment for Tony and Kate, and now McGee. Gibbs had gone for his fourth cup of coffee of the day ten minutes ago but the senior field agent daren't stop working while the boss was away. A shadow and breeze passed his desk but before he could realise Gibbs didn't smell like designer perfume, the new arrival spoke from in front of McGee's desk.
"You are in my seat Agent McGee."
Tony felt intense relief at the sight of his favourite redhead, partly because she was home safe but mostly because now maybe Gibbs would chill.
"Urm, I, I, Gibbs assigned me to this desk ma'am, I didn't know it was anyone's, I'm urr sorry, I just need to finish this search and then I'll, um, move, sorry," McGee rambled nervously.
Jenny turned to Tony, "Abby didn't say the newbie was so much fun!"
"Probie's just scared of women and Agents in general, and you are extra scary Jenny."
"Stan always seemed to think so, you don't have to move McGee, I was testing you, where's Gibbs?"
"Right here," he spoke from behind her as he breezed into the bullpen, stopping only to kiss her cheek. They spoke in hushed tones by his desk, then Jenny stood and went towards the back elevator.
"McGee!"
"Yeah Boss?",
"You passed." McGee looked confused for a minute, before he remembered the redhead saying she was testing him, and smiled at her apparent approval, though he had no clue who she was.
After Tony had informed him of a few of Jenny's credentials and who she was to Gibbs, he was suitably terrified of her. As he escaped Gibbs into Abby's lab he hadn't expected to find aforementioned redhead wearing one of Abby's redesigned medical hats, holding Burt the Hippo and laughing as Abby replayed a video of Tony falling over at a crime scene a few days earlier.
"You need something McGee?" Abby asked, startling him. Jenny whipped around to look at him.
"Um no, Gibbs is just, um.."
"Mad?" Abby suggested, then laughed at what McGee could've sworn was a mumbled: "or sexually frustrated," from Jenny's mouth.
Yes Timothy McGee liked her, she seemed to bring a bit more harmless fun into the building, well harmless to everyone except Agent Burley, if Tony was to be believed.
"Enter McGee, find shelter from Gibbs' bad mood, you'll have to get used to those."
Tim was liking the Navy Yard more and more these days.