Thursday, June 22st, 2009, Jethro's basement:
Jen walks down to the basement where Jethro spent his time working on his boat. She knew that it bothered Jethro but it was something that she lived with. She liked the sentiment with this boat. He named it Kelly after his daughter. She realized at that point that his boats were crafted out of care and that he wouldn't just build a boat and name it after someone he didn't truely love. Jenny heard someone walk down the steps Jenny looked up at Jethro who looked back at her shocked. His face turned white Jethro regained his composure and walked down the stairs. He had a flood of emotions but anger was the one on his mind. Especially after seeing the daughter that Jenny gave away. "So what happened?" Jethro said pouring a bourbon for himself. Jenny looked down, "FBI caught wind of danger for me they helped me escape I spent a week in the hospital. Before being sat in a room and made to wait until the creditable threat was completely gone. Than four months ago I decided to go see Mike. I have..." Jethro nods. "I know, Ducky told me. So Ducky knew too?" Jethro asked taking a sip of his bourbon. Jenny looked down. "Yeah Tony and Ziva were told I died at the scene. Vance knew, and of course Mike. I was supposed to die Jethro." Jethro looked at Jenny. "You should have stayed dead." Jethro said putting his glass down.
Jenny looked at Jethro shocked. "I came back because I needed you not to feel guilty, I need Tony and Ziva not to feel guilty and I need to finish what I was trying to tell you in a letter." Jenny said looking down. "I was pre..." Jethro laughed. "You had a daughter gave her away and than decided never to tell me." Jethro closed his eyes. "She's nine has your smile my eyes your hair she looked like Kelly a little." Jethro said leaning against the work bench. "And it's taking alot in me right now to not grab you and throw your ass out." Jenny was a little taken back by Jethro's statement. "You know, how?" Jethro laughed again raising his voice to let her know that he was pissed. "SHE'S SICK JENNY, SHE HAS CANCER AND NEEDS A BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT!" Jethro screamed. "IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN A WOMAN COMES TO MY DOOR AND TELLS ME YOU HAD A DAUGHTER SHOWS ME A PICTURE AND I INSTANTLY KNOW SHE IS MY DAUGHTER! AND EVEN AFTER FINDING OUT ABOUT KELLY AND SHANNON NOT A FUCKING WORD!" Jethro sits down on a stool and looks up calming himself down. "She was my daughter too Jen and you NEVER gave me the choice. You decided for me and that wasn't fair Jenny Shepard." Jen stood there shocked by the news Jethro threw upon her. "She's sick?" Jethro nodded. "Yeah, I gave blood today, I saw her." Jenny took a deep breath. "I don't want to confuse her. Not if I am leaving again." Jenny said grabbing her bag. "I'm sorry I lied, I should have told you and you have every right to be mad." Jenny said walking to the door.
Jethro looked at Jenny. "I'm pissed Jen but running isn't the answer. You ran and my team was split apart. You caused pain for everyone you touched at NCIS." Jethro said looking to the floor before looking back at Jenny. "You need to face your demons and fix what you can. And you need to fight, unless you think giving up is easier." Jethro said grabbing his broom. Jenny nodded walking towards Jethro. "It will be painful." Jethro nodded sweeping up a patch of sawdust before sitting down and grabbing his mug. "Yeah I know." Jenny leaned against the work station that housed nuts and bolts. "And there is no garentee." Jethro nodded. "I know but your daughter should know her mother." Jethro said looking at Jenny. "You say you stayed away to protect us but you wanted to stay away so you wouldn't have to face us before you died. You didn't want to put us through that pain again why are you here?" Jenny laughed. "So what, you calling me a coward?" Jethro nods softly. "Yeah that is exactly what I am calling you. Stay fight I know it will be painful, that it will be hard you were the director of NCIS. Our daughter is fighting for every breath she breaths, Jen. Why can't you, what makes you different?" Jenny looked down. "You burned down my Brownstone." Jenny said softly. Jethro nodded. "I have a spare bedroom. You can sleep there." Jethro said walking past Jenny. Jenny grabbed Jethro. "What if I said yes?" Jethro looked at Jen and looked down. "No." Jethro walked up the steps and yelled down. "I'm gonna get the room ready." Jethro said taking a deep breath.
NCIS Navy Yard, Monday, June 25th 2009
Jethro walked into the bull pen on Monday morning. Today was the day he was gonna find out whether or not he was a match for his daughter. Jethro checked his email again. And shook his head. Jethro saw Tony walk in. "Morning Boss." Jethro looked at Tony. "DiNozzo, where are McGee and David?" Jethro asked standing up and looking around. Tony looked at his boss. "Something on your mind, Boss." Jethro sat down and looked at Tony. As the doors of the elevator open and Jethro walks over to Tony and points to the elevator. As the doors open Jethro pushes Ziva and McGee back onto the elevator. "DiNozzo come." Tony gears up and walks into the elevator where Jethro pushes the button to go back down and as they start to move Jethro pulls the emergency break. "Jenny's alive, I might be out for a day or two coming up pretty soon and Tony I will need you to step up again... Just for a few days." Jethro said seeing everyone's shock. Tony looks at Ziva than back at Jethro.
"Boss I saw her she was dead." Jethro shook his head. "No she was alive barely but she was alive, how long did it take you to get her out of there?" Jethro asked softly looking at his phone to ring. Tony nodded realizing that she had been rushed out of there that day, that it had been different from procedure but just figured it was because of the situation. "Ducky said she was dying." Jethro nodded taking a deep breath. "Brain Tumor it has grown in size. But I convinced her to start treatment. It will be painful and hard and there is no guarantee but she is gonna fight." Jethro said looking at his phone praying for it to ring with news. Tony noticed Jethro;s anxious behavior. "There's something else Boss isn't there?" Tony asked. Jethro looked at Tony. "Nothing that concerns this team. Ziva I know that Jen was your friend. And she feels bad that she didn't say a word. And Tony she said you were following her direct order. She told you don't beat yourself up anymore." Tony looked down. "What are you hiding from us?" Tony asked again seriously. Jethro pressed the emergency stop letting it rest on the ground floor stepping out pointing at Tony. "Follow. The rest of you back to work."
Jethro walks out using the garage door. Jethro stops looking at Tony. "I have a daughter." Tony looks at Jethro confused. "I know you had a daughter Kelly. Are we getting a little confused with old age." Jethro cringed at the sound of his daughters name. Jethro reached behind Tony's head and slapped him. "No Jenny had a child. She gave her away and last week the adoptive mother came looking for any information on Jenny's family." Tony nods to shocked to say anything. "Wow, is everything okay?" Jethro shakes his head. "Amelia the little girl has bone cancer. I am waiting to see if I am a match." Jethro said laughing. "I never expected in a million years that I would be a father again. My marriages suck and I am afraid of commitment but there she was laying in a bed." Tony nods. "I remember that computer generated picture we did of..." Before Tony could finish his statement Jethro slapped him. "DiNozzo, I still do remember what was said when you did that." Tony laughed. "Sorry boss, I was just wondering... Does she..." Jethro nodded. his phone vibrating. "Jethro flips his phone open and smiles. "I'm a match. I need you to take the helm. I have papers filled out on my desk and if Vance asks why tell him. If you want to tell the rest of them why than go ahead. But for now I have to go."
Tony sighs. "Gibbs, tell Jen I forgive her, and good luck." With that Jethro leaves. Tony walking back inside putting his eye to the identification device and watching as the doors open. Tony rides upstairs and walks to his Boss' desk. Grabbing the file, Tony looks around. "The Boss is gone for a week or two. He has some personal business he needs to attend to. Probie, Ziva, man the phones for a while." Tony walked up the steps to MTAC. Letting himself in and spotting the director and sitting down. "Hello Director. Gibbs asked me to give this to you. And told me to tell you he had family matters he had to deal with." DiNozzo wasn't one to keep secrets but this was personal and as much as he wanted to scream to the world that Jenny gave away his boss' kid he knew it was his news to give not his. The director looked at the paperwork. "So you're taking charge of the team?" Vance asks softly. "The note says I am." Tony said looking at the director. "Unless you don't think I can handle the job for two weeks." Tony says looking at the screen. Vance looks at Tony. "Well Gibbs trusts you with his team so do I." Tony nods. Vance looks at Tony. "DiNozzo you are temporary team leader, so go lead." Tony nods running out of MTAC.
Friday, June 29th, 2009, Georgetown University Hospital:
Jethro is on his side. Looking at the TV and ignoring the nurse who is looking at the monitor. Jethro looks at the nurse. "So how long before I get to leave?" Jethro asks flipping again through the channels. The nurse sighs and shakes her head. "Later on today. Just be patient. You did just have bone marrow sucked out of your side." Jethro nodded and out of the corner of her eye he saw Jenny. Jethro smiled at Jen and pointed to the chair. "Hey nurse Ratchet give us a minute." The nurse nodded and walked out of the room. Jenny took the seat and smiled at Jethro. "I am feeling kinda... Well kinda sick." Jenny said softly. "Chemo is hard." Jenny said pulling her legs up and shaking her head. "How are you feeling." Jenny asked seeing the boredom in his face. Jethro shrugged. "Bored. Did you get to see Amelia?" Jethro asked as Jenny looked down. She shook her head. "No she thinks I am dead. And honestly I haven't seen her adoptive mother since I gave her the baby." Jenny admitted. "Nine years later and here I am ready to be a happy family with my daughter and her father." Jethro shot a glance at Jenny. "Who said anything about being a happy family, Jen. No you fight for yourself you prove to Amelia that cancer can be won. I will not force that family to give our daughter back. Because as selfish as your decision was to me it wont be a selfish decision on my part." Jethro said looking back to the TV before giving up.
Jenny just looked at Jethro. "You can really just give away your daughter? You can watch her walk away?" Jenny asked softly. Jethro shrugged. "If that is what our daughter wants than yes. She is nine she knows right from wrong and she knows what she wants. If she wants me to be there than I will." Jethro said looking at Jenny. "Regret giving out baby away Jen?" Jethro asked coldly. Jenny nods. "Everyday of my life." Jen said but before Jethro could continue Wendy walks in. "What's going on here?" Wendy asks looking at Jen than back to Jethro. "You told Amelia a little over a week ago she was dead. Now she is alive?" Wendy says shaking her head. "You stay away from Amelia. Both of you. Is this some kind of joke for you two. Crush a little girl than give her back hope maybe she will want to live with you two." Jenny stood up. "No something came up. I had to go into protective custody and I was released a few months ago. I just made my way back to DC a few days ago. I have cancer and we were discussing if it would be healthy for me to explain why I let people thing I was dead for four months longer than necessary. I was afraid of fighting. But maybe it will help her fight if I do..." Jenny trailed off. Jethro thought it sexy when she did that, studder through her words. It didn't happen too often but when it did panic set in and it just made Jethro want to be her white night. "We would have came to you before we went in. It might be good to see that Jenny is fighting cancer just like her. If her birth mother can stay and fight than she can." Jethro explained. Wendy took a deep breath and shook her head. "I'm sorry Jen but you gave your daughter away, Jethro I know you said it was her decision but no it's not thank you for the bone marrow. But we don't want anything else from either of you." Wendy said wrapping her arms around her chest. "Don't contact us again. If you do I will have to get a restraining order." Wendy said walking out of the room.
Jethro looked at Jenny. "Well that went pleasantly." Jethro said. Jen nodded. "So are you going to let her tell you that you can never see your kid again?" Jen asked looking down to Jethro who was thinking. Jethro just shook his head. "Adoption is void. I didn't want to fight but I can see I don't really have much of a choice." Jethro said looking at Jenny. The doctor walks in and gives Jethro the okay to leave.
