Sticks and Stones
Chapter four: The pleasantries
October 2001
"Okay you think you're Brad Pitt. That don't impress me much, so you got the looks, but have ya, got the touch?" She sang, a smile on her face, head swaying with the music that came blasting out from the radio, the sound distorted by the tinny speakers a little. "Don't get me wrong, yeah, I think you're alright, but that won't keep me warm in the middle of the night." She carried on, fully engrossed in the sound as she stirred the pasta source that was in the pan and tipped in the minced beef she had just cooked in the other pan. It wasn't often she cooked, primarily because she wasn't great at it. But her culinary repertoire was expanding and now included pasta as well as eggs.
"That don't impress me much!" She sang, louder that before, spinning around in a circle and receiving a heartfelt laugh from the man who she had not heard walk through the door. Stopping dead, she slowly turned to look at him. The smile on his face caused her face to flush, he had caught her Shania Twain karaoke, he hadn't been meant to see that. Silently, she leant over to the radio and lowered the music down substantially in volume. "How long have you been stood there?" She questioned, biting her lip.
"Long enough to know that Brad Pitt doesn't impress you. Good thing I went grey early then I guess." He said, still laughing at her expression. Her face deepened in colour, and she decided to return her attention to the food. Hoping he would forget about her little sing along.
Still with a smile on his face he walked forward, and wrapped his arms around her waist as she stood at the hob, stirring the source rhythmically whilst the pasta boiled away, bubbles rising to the top of the water and gathering in little groups. "Shania Twain, huh?" He asked, as he placed a soft kiss against the skin on her neck.
"It was the only thing that wasn't French." She said, letting her eyes drift to her husband, who was still smirking at her. "Will you stop?!" She asked, unable not to laugh though, the whole thing was terribly embarrassing, but she couldn't deny the fact it was kind of amusing as well.
"Nah, quite enjoyed the show. Fancy giving me a strip tease as well next time?" He questioned, wiggling is eyebrows and receiving an elbow in the ribs. Jenny laughed too though. There was something easy about their marriage. They'd fallen into a blissful, careless, content stage. Everyone said the honeymoon feeling would end, but as of yet it hadn't. Jenny wasn't sure it would, everything just seemed to fit so well.
"How did you get off so early? Thought you had some important case?" She asked as she placed a colander in the sink and drained the spaghetti into it, before tipping that into the source, stirring it around and turning the heat off. Grabbing two bowls and turning to look at him.
"Finished it at 1600." He stated simply. "How was the meeting?"
"Not bad, they want to do the whole black and white theme – again. 'Oh Jennifer, we loved the black walls and white lights that you did last year, something like that would be perfect!'" Jenny mocked, pulling a face full of utter disgust.
"Easier for you though?" He questioned, but she just rolled her eyes. Jenny hated the easy life in work. She loved hunting for just what her client wanted, even if it was the smallest of details. The red head had gone to the ends of the earth for a perfect alarm clock, haggled for weeks to get a painting and decorated lampshades because she couldn't find the perfect one. She didn't do it for the money, or the ease. She did it because she loved it.
"I'll draw up a couple of ideas but I know what they want anyway." She said, rolling her eyes and dishing up the food. Gibbs grabbed a bottle of bourbon and poured them both a good measure into a cut crystal tumbler before walking over to where they were going to eat and sitting down. Jenny walked over and joined him, grabbing the salt and pepper on her way. "How was your day anyway?" She asked, taking a bit of the hot pasta and looking at him. "Jethro?" She asked when she saw the look of internal debate cross over his face.
"C'mere." He said, and she pulled a chair around, closer to him. Jenny took his hand, and with her other grabbed her glass, taking a sip and relishing in the steady burn that warmed her oesophagus. "Director called me from DC."
"Okay." Jenny said, softly, waiting for him to continue on with what was worrying him.
"He erm. He wants me to head up the MCRT in DC. It'd be starting next month." He looked at her, dead in the eyes and saw her weighing up the situation, biting and chewing on her lower lip. He left her a moment, just to think. Knowing she needed to process what he was saying and the possible consequences. Silently Gibbs was waiting for her to explode like one of his ex-wives would have done. But she didn't.
"What did you tell him?" She asked, but it wasn't accusingly, it was just, kindly.
"That I'd think about it. There is no pressure Jen, you have your life here, we have our life, I'm not gonna risk-"
"You need to tell him that you accept." She said, watching as his face turned into an expression of shear shock.
"What about your business?"
"Jethro, I get tonnes of requests for work from America every month. I've been considering expanding anyway. Annabelle really is too good to be an assistant anyway. I can keep my major contracts; Elle will use me in the states. I like a challenge." She said smiling; she spun a little more in his direction and looked at him full on. "This is your chance Jethro, to have the big cases, and the team. If it is what you want, then I'm not going to stand in your way, I'm by your side."
"You sure?" He asked.
"Yeah, I might have to flick between Paris and DC for a while, there are contracts I have for the future. But where is the fun in not trying something new?" She asked, and he smiled. Leaning forward and kissing her passionately, still completely unable to believe the fact that she was willing to come with him. That she wasn't going to leave him for wanting to move, or scream or shout.
"God I love you." He murmured against her lips, and kissed her again. Jenny happily responded but pulled back a couple of moments later.
"I love you too, but eat." She said, laughing, and pulling her food closer. Not wanting to move from being close to him. She was nervous about moving back to DC, after all she had fled the city only months after her father's death and not been back since. However the red head was well aware of the fact that this time Gibbs would be with her. She wouldn't be alone, not this time.
October 2004
It was a couple of days after Jethro's conversation with Ducky that he returned home to find a familiar red head sat in his suburban home. The former marine walked through his typically unlocked front door and dumped his car keys onto the wooden cabinet top that sat by the door. Since Jenny had moved out of the house and back across town to her childhood Georgetown house, he had gone back to his old ways of not locking the door. After all he had nothing to protect anymore. Back when she lived there he had her, now she didn't live there, he didn't see the point.
It was when he walked past the living room door that he heard the rustling of papers. Immediately his hand went to the gun that was still holstered on his hip. The agent stopped, silently listening to hear voices of which there were none. Slowly he began to creep across the familiar flooring to the door, avoiding those floorboards he knew where creaky and would give his presence in the house.
As he walked into the room, his hand tightened around the gun, but he stopped at the sound of her voice penetrating the silence. "Don't shoot me. It may make the divorce easier but I think a few clients might have something to say about it." She stated, he instantly relaxed, and placed his jacket over the holster and weapon so it was out of sight once more. With less stealth he moved fully into the room and view, to be greeted by the sight of his soon to be ex-wife.
The red head was sat in the living room, on the floor, looking intently at the bottom shelf of the bookshelf where she had always kept her scrap books. He had always assumed she had taken them all with her when she moved out, but he had noticed a few days ago that some of the older ones still remained. It had crossed his mind at the time that maybe he should box them up and take them over, but he hadn't had the heart. Another example of his trying to delay the process of completely losing her.
"You need a hand?" He asked, walking over and locking his gun into the safe box that sat on the exact same bookshelf as all her things. She just shook her head without turning to look at her husband, and let out a sigh of frustration. "You got a new client?" Gibbs knew for a fact that all her clients had their own books. So she knew what she had done for them in the past and didn't do something similar. The only reason she would want an old book was if she had a new client who wanted something like an old one had.
"Yeah, SecNav's charity ball." She said, before picking up the five thick, A3 pads and standing up, placing them on the arm rest of the worn leather sofa and running a hand through her red hair. It was long, Gibbs loved the length, it fell nearer to the base of her spine than her shoulders. Wavy and natural, left to do its own thing. She had always moaned about it. Not curly and not straight, that had been her issue with it. Her dress was a knitted sweater style, and gently floated down to mid thigh. Just from the small glimpse of leg he got between the hemline of her dress and the top of her heeled suede black boots he could see that she was thinner than she had before the year began.
"Congratulations." He said, smiling warmly to her, sincerely.
"Yeah, thanks." She said, softly, slowly, still preoccupied by the fact that she couldn't find the exact scrap book she was looking for. That she was unable to remember even which client she had done the work for, only able to recall t had some aspect of art deco in it. She stopped her thoughts a moment and took in the room in front of her. She would always remember the first time she had walked into the house, the red head had fallen in love with the space within moments and even in her sleepy, jet lagged state. The light and the warmth, and between them they had redecorated. Not in her usual style, but in warm reds and browns, colours that made a home. It looked to most like she had never left. But she saw the changes, just like she saw them in him.
His hair was greyer, eyes were duller, and he was fitter, he spent more time at the gym because it meant that he didn't have to be home alone. "You want a drink?" He asked, but she shook her head, and he knew she was there to get her books, she wasn't there for any other reason. This wasn't some chance for reconciliation. Just because he knew that though, didn't mean that he accepted the fact. It didn't mean that he was happy with losing her.
"Nah, no I've got to go. The ball is in a week and I only got the job today." She said, looking at his face and engraving the image into her mind. She watched him nod, disheartened.
"Well, good luck." He said, watching as she began to load herself up with her bag, coat and the books. "Here let me help-"He began to say, moving over and trying to take the things from her.
"I can manage." She mumbled, but he didn't stop his helping. "Jethro will you pack it in?! I can damn well manage on my own." She said, looking up at him with cold and harsh eyes. He took a step back and nodded. Jenny turned and looked away, blinking rapidly to get rid of her emotion. The fact he wanted to help, did it mean he cared? Did it mean he wanted to support her?
It was too late. Jenny reminded herself. It was way, way too late.
With that, she took her things and left the room, left the house that had been her marital home. As she did, Gibbs ran a hand through his hair and sat down on one of the sofas, sighing. She had walked out again, he had said the wrong thing, he had tried to help her when she didn't need help. He had…
"Dammit." He cursed. "Dammit!"
October 2001
"You're really gonna go?" Annabelle questioned as she took a sip from her raspberry and cranberry tea, wrapping her hands around the white bowl shaped mug. Her lip softly resting against the pottery as she waited for the red head to reply to her. The sweat and tart scent of the tea rising into the air. Her thumb softly tracing the pink floral line drawing pattern that adorned the white of the mug, subconsciously. Annabelle looked across at Jenny, through her slightly steamed up glasses - a sight that made her boss smile.
"Yeah." Jenny said, as she placed her pen down and looked across at Annabelle. She had drawing up plans for the Elle magazine job. Working on her sketches and ideas. Annabelle nodded, and took a sip of the deep red drink thoughtfully.
"I guess I should start job hunting." Annabelle said, placing the mug down and turning to her desktop computer. Jenny knew it wasn't said bitterly, or harshly, but she felt bad. Deep down she felt bad, because Annabelle was good, and Jenny didn't want to leave her behind, jobless.
"You could come." The red head stated, picking up her blue floral patterned mug and taking a sip of the strong coffee that sat inside. A little bitter and strong, black though, with only the smallest splash of milk.
"I moved to Paris to be closer to my family-"
"And you're way too overqualified to be an assistant anyway." Jenny said, watching as the younger woman laughed. "Take a look at Chanel, I think they are looking for an apprentice, might just be up your avenue." Jenny said, smirking as Annabelle rolled her eyes at the comment.
"Jenny, you don't have to-"
"-they approached me." Jenny interrupted, watching as shock fell over the brunette's face. "Told me they wanted someone – talented, reliable, reasonable experience, and well, who else would I say? You're damn good. They're interviewing next week, 11:30 if you're interested."
The red head spun to look at her computer and got back on with work. All the while leaving her assistant sat looking shell shocked on the other side of the room. Everything was falling into place. Annabelle could have the job she rightfully deserved, Jenny could expand, Jethro have the job, and them both have each other. The smile that spread over her face was enchanting. Now all she needed to do was get over her fear of returning stateside. Return to the city where her father had taken his own life.
