(Italics are flashbacks or thoughts not said out loud)
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any characters portrayed in this story except for the ones I made up. And if you don't know which ones those are, then you shouldn't be reading NCIS fanfic. LOL
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A few days had passed uneventfully, 'Thank God', Gibbs mused. No threats, no unwelcome visitors coming to the door, the kids were under protection detail while at daycare and Jenny was safe at the office with him. Fornell had informed him that Todd Granger was suspended from duty until further notice and was under close watch by the FBI. It wasn't enough for Gibbs though, he still didn't trust the whole situation.
Gibbs removed his glasses and finished reading the stack of reports given to him by his team. The clock read 1900 and he briefly wondered if Jenny was ready to go yet, realizing he hadn't seen her come out of her office in a while. He'd asked Ziva to pick the kids up from daycare and take them back to the house, knowing they both had to work late considering there was a lot of paperwork to be completed. But now it was getting late and all he wanted to do was go home and spend some time with his family.
"Ahem," he heard a voice come from behind him.
Gibbs glanced up and expecting Jenny to be standing there, turned around and said, "I was just about to-", he stopped. Hollis was standing there, arms crossed over her chest. The look on her face was that of disappointment and possibly a bit of anger.
"Hol, hey. What are you-," Gibbs leaned back in his chair, trying to read her body language.
"What am I doing here?," she interrupted. "I came here to finish the conversation we were having before I left for Hawaii."
"The conversation WAS finished, Hollis. I told you everything I needed to say," he sat up and continued to gather the reports on his desk. He didn't have time for this, for her to come back to him and grovel.
"No," she stated, leaning her hand down on his papers to stop the movement. "You told me you didn't want to string me along because you still had feelings for Jenny and even if she didn't come back to you and continued on with her marriage, you still didn't think it was fair to me."
"So where's the problem?," he asked. Now she was irritating him.
"The problem is, I don't believe you. That was totally unfair to me that you 'broke it off' before I left for Hawaii without completely explaining yourself," her eyes bore into his and he shook his head.
"Well, believe me. You going to Hawaii was a good thing, gave us some time apart and I had a feeling I was going to come to terms with the fact that I was still in love with Jenny. What I told you was not a lie-," she abruptly cut him off.
She shook her head and gave a half-smile. "You're right, Jethro. Breaking it off was fair to me because you had a feeling you were going to cheat on me. But, you just don't get it. I thought when I came back we would have a chance to spend some time together, see how we felt after our time apart."
Gibbs raised his tone at her, something he didn't want but she'd forced him to do. "Hollis, please. It's over between us. It was before you left for Hawaii. If you're here in hopes I'd changed my mind, I haven't."
"I'm here to prove you wrong," she was behind his desk now and the closeness was becoming uncomfortable for him.
"I think you just need to go," he told her honestly. As he began to stand out of his chair, she placed a hand on his chest and shoved him back down, leaning down to kiss him. As quickly as she'd moved in on him, he was pushing her away.
"Am I interrupting something?," she asked cooly, passing by the bullpen and heading towards the elevator.
Gibbs glared at Hollis as he moved around her, grabbing his coat. He swiped his arm across his face to wipe Hollis' lingering saliva from his mouth. "Jen!," he yelled, running towards the elevator, placing a hand in between the doors so that they wouldn't close on him. "That wasn't what it looked like," he began, thankful that the doors hadn't closed so he could step inside.
"I'm sure it wasn't, Jethro," she stood there, staring at the wall in front of her, willing herself not to cry. She wasn't going to, especially not in front of him. And if she looked at him, she was going to go off.
"Hey," he stood directly in front of her and flipped the switch to stop the elevator. They jolted to a halt and something in her snapped. Putting her hands roughly against his chest, she shoved him backwards as hard as she could.
"Don't! Leave me alone," she reached around him and flipped the switch again, feeling the elevator continue its decent to the ground floor.
Taking his chances, he flipped the switch again. "No, I won't leave you alone. Now listen to me," he took another chance by putting his hands on her shoulders, knowing he was risking getting hurt by touching her when she was this angry.
"No, you listen to ME. I don't care what that was and I can't believe I'm going to agree with her on this, but you need to figure out what you want. You're not going to string me along too, do you hear me Jethro?!," she yelled, getting in his face.
"I'm not stringing you along, Jen. I told you I broke things off with her before she left for Hawaii. It only had part to do with you. I just didn't feel anything towards her anymore and she wanted more from the relationship than I was willing to give. How is it my fault she doesn't understand that?" He moved in closer to her and gently grabbed her chin, forcing her face up. He leaned down and kissed her softly and felt her back away. Gibbs took another step towards her and leaned up against her so that she was pressed up against the wall of the elevator.
"I love you. I always have. No one has ever changed that part of me," he whispered, feeling her relax against him. He was getting through to her.
"And it took three wives for you to realize that?," she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingers lightly playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.
"It took me three wives to realize that you're the only one who'll still put up with me," he grinned and leaned in to kiss her again. She kissed him back this time, feeling her body respond to his. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around him tightly, their kisses becoming more intense.
"Jethro-," she moaned, leaning her head back against the cool wall. "We're in the elevator." He began to kiss down her neck and ground himself into her, eliciting another moan from her.
"You're perception is good, Director," he said in between kisses. She shivered at his cool hands against her thighs and felt her skirt being pushed up around her waist. Another rule tossed out the window, she figured, but then smirked, remembering Hollis was still in the building and only half a floor away from where they'd stopped the elevator. She would just have to make sure to be extra loud.
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Jenny rolled over for the fourth time, pulling the pillow securely over her head as she listened to her bed companion continue to snore. It was only 0600 in the morning on a weekend. Although it wasn't loud, but rather soft, she was awake to hear it and that was enough to irritate her. "Roll over," she lifted the pillow slightly so that he would be able to hear her.
He did roll over, but much to her dismay he rolled her way, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her against his chest. She sighed, clearly frustrated as he was now in her ear snoring. Through the monitor she heard Deacon, the sounds of springs squeaking and the loud pounding against the wall. He was yelling and she knew he must be jumping up and down in his crib. She waited a few minutes to see if he would stop and finally, she heard nothing.
Jenny got comfortable in her spot again and felt her eyes begin to get heavy. Just as she felt herself start to drift off, she felt a pair of eyes on her. She cracked one eye open and spotted her son standing right in front of her, his bright blue eyes staring right at her. His feathery hair was out of place and unlike his sister, his was a faint brown mixed with a slight hint of red. He smiled when he noticed she was awake and leaned forward to rest his chin on the bed. "Daddy," he said in his cute little tone.
She nudged Gibbs to move and lifted Deacon onto the bed beside her. "No. Mommy," she corrected him, watching as he snuggled down next to her for a second, before sitting up. Jenny grumbled, realizing he wasn't going to just lay there which meant she wasn't going to go back to sleep.
"Daddy," he said again, looking down at her. "No Mommy," he giggled and stood up, flopping back down, enjoying the bounce of the bed.
"Jen, just get comfortable," Gibbs groaned, obviously feeling the bed move.
"Oh good, you're awake," she said loudly, brushing her hand through Deacon's soft hair.
"I'm not. Still asleep," came his half-awake response.
"Mhm," she turned onto her back and snuggled in closer to Deacon who was now pre-occupied with playing with her hair. Turning her head on her pillow, she was faced with Gibbs' back. It wasn't fair that he got to stay asleep. Just as she finshed her thought, she heard light feet pounding quickly down the hallway. She watched as Gibbs pulled the covers up over his head quickly and she laughed. Right on cue Lauren launched herself towards the bed, aiming between Gibbs and Jenny but landing on him.
"Oof," she heard him from under the covers as Lauren sat up on him.
"Hi Mommy," she smiled, noticing Jenny was awake. "Is Daddy sleeping?," she asked, bouncing on him a little. Gibbs swooped up, still under the covers and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in between Jenny and himself. Jenny winced as Lauren's high pitched scream filled the room. He'd obviously scared her.
"Rahhh!," he yelled and pinned her up against her mother, holding her there while she struggled to find him under the covers. She continued to scream and giggle at the same time as he tickled her. Deacon began to giggle also and Jenny watched as the two began to jump all over him as he remained hidden under the covers. A smile came across her face as she witnessed how happy he made them. Finally they both escaped from the bed and went running from the room, their screams echoing from down the hallway.
Jenny laughed and continued to lay there, her spot not compromised. She looked at the heap of comforter that he was still under and waited as he didn't move. "Jethro-," she rolled her eyes and began to lift the comforter when he jumped out from under it and pinned her back to the bed under him. She squealed with laughter then slapped him on the arm. "You scared me!"
Ignoring her comment, he smiled and waggled his eyebrows, pulling the comforter back up over both of their heads. "The children are awake," she reminded him.
"I'm aware," he began placing kissing down her neck and lifted the gray NIS T-shirt, exposing her panties.
"Jethro-," she warned, but wasn't even convincing enough to herself. She saw his hand reach out from under the blankets and fumble around aimlessly on the floor. When he found something efficient enough for his purpose, which just happened to be his shoe, he tossed it across the room. As it hit its target she heard the door slam shut. "The kids are..." she breathed, feeling him remove her underwear and the softness of his fingertips begin to touch her. "They're...out there...doing God knows what...ohhh...," she moaned loudly, then covered her mouth with her hand to stiffle her cries of pleasure.
In an instant, Gibbs was right above her again, his face inches from her own. "We'll only be a few minutes," he murmered, kissing her lips passionately. "What could they possibly do in a few minutes?," he questioned in between kisses.
A lot, she thought to herself, but spread her legs around him, hooking her toe in the waistband of his sweatpants and yanked them downward. Without waiting another second, he entered her, pinning her hands above her head. She spread her legs open further and dug her heels into his butt, helping to enhance the force at which he was thrusting into her with. He let up on her hands slightly, intertwining their fingers as he pounded into her.
"Oh, Christ!," she yelled, placing her mouth against his shoulder, biting slightly as if to muffle her own screams. She heard his quick intake of breath and then felt him collapse against her for a moment, their sweaty bodys resting against each other. Fearing that he was crushing her, Gibbs climbed off of her and flopped onto his back. They laid there for a few moments and Jenny rolled over, propping her head up on her elbow. A smile came across her face and she looked at him until he turned his head and met her gaze.
"Morning," she giggled and leaned over to place a tender kiss on his lips. She smiled sweetly at him and reached her hand under the comforter, pulling out his pair of sweatpants. "Here," she handed them to him.
He looked at her with a mix of confusion then the realization hit him. "Well then," he leaned over her and pulled her shirt back down her body and smiled. "Here."
"Oh, no. I'M going back to sleep. YOU are going out there," she rolled away from him and pulled the covers up under her chin.
"Fine," she heard him scoff loudly. A grin spread across her face and she closed her eyes, listening to him make his way to the door. Then without warning, he flew back across the room and jumped back onto the bed, covering her body with his own. She squealed loudly, their muffled laughs being heard through the door.
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The blue car followed closely behind as he walked down the street, adjusting his sunglasses to prevent the blare of sun in his eyes. Weavining in and out of people he kept his pace steady as to not let the agents know that he was on to them. His face was badly bruised and his right arm still ached from the attack he recieved only days prior. He slipped into the bank and looked around, walking up to the desk located in the way back.
"How can I help you today Mr...?," the man sitting at the desk asked.
"Smith. Jason Smith," Todd grinned and lifted the shades up on his head. He pulled out his wallet and provided an official pre-made ID with the name on it and a face that matched his own. Having FBI jurisdiction made it so easy to take on another identity and laughed, knowing he had pretty much fooled Gibbs and his team.
"What can I do for you Mr. Smith?," the man asked.
"I'm here to close my account," Todd responded. The embezzled money had been stored in an off-shore account but when he was sure Gibbs and his team found that out, he'd had it transfered back into petty officer Smith's name right back in D.C., right under their noses, he mused. He completed some paperwork and followed the man down the stairs to a high security level.
"You're safe is right beyond these doors," the man explained and showed him the digital screen where his finger needed to be placed to prove his identity. Todd hovered over the digital screen, making sure his whole body covered it in front of the man. He held the real Jason Smith's finger slightly under his own and pressed it firmly against the screen. There was a loud beep before the heavy metal doors pulled apart.
"Are you sure you want to be walking around DC with this much money?," the man asked.
"Just leave it to me," Todd replied, gaping at the stacks of money piled behind his safe. He walked up and grabbed a small stack, then shoved it into the man's pocket. "Thanks for your help," he smiled and watched him walk away. He quickly loaded 2 huge duffel bags and threw one over his shoulder, walking out the door. He followed the elevator back upstairs and met another man in the corner, giving him a nod.
He waited a second and watched the man pull the glasses down, dressed just like Todd and walk outside. When he saw the blue car take the bait and tail the man, he waited til they were out of sight and slipped out the door. A car pulled up and he hopped inside. "Now get me to the airport, quick."
Back inside, the man who had helped Todd, finished closing out the account when a red warning flashed on the screen letting him know there was a breech. He panicked and immediately picked up the phone to alert authorities.
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"Careful," Jenny called out, watching Lauren and Deacon run around the secluded field. They were getting too close to the rocks that led down a slight incline to a nearby lake and it was making her nervous. She smiled and watched as Deacon tried to keep up with his bigger sister who could obviously run faster than he could.
"They'll be fine," Gibbs whispered into her ear and placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder. She leaned her head back, resting her body against his chest as they sat there, watching their children play.
"This is beautiful out here," she sighed, listening to the laughs of her children in the background and feeling the warm breeze flow across her face.
Gibbs stretched his legs out around her and she settled more comfortably against him, smooting out the blanket as he did so. She couldn't remember the last time she was somewhere this peaceful, just away from everything with the three people she loved most.
Gibbs watched as Jenny's eyes drifted shut, her head becoming more limp on his chest. He brushed some hair from her face and looked up, watching the kids chase each other, their laughs music to his ears. He'd remembered the last time he was this happy. Suddenly Deacon disappeared and Jen turned into Shannon as Lauren turned into Kelly. He let the memory linger a little longer than usual, his thoughts of them no longer in sorrow, but in happiness. When he snapped out of it finally, everything returned as it was. He leaned his head back against the tree and looked upward for a moment, smiling as he thought of them.
Suddenly his phone began to ring and he cursed, having forgotten to put it on silent like he had intended to. Jenny roused awake again and mumbled something. Gibbs chuckled slightly, hearing "damn" and "phone" somewhere in the middle of what she'd just said.
"Yah, Gibbs," he said, failing to keep the irritation out of his voice.
"Boss, sorry if this isn't a good time," Dinozzo spoke, hearing the tone of Gibbs' voice. "But I think you may want to know Metro called. Jason Smith closed out an account at D.C. Community Bank at 1100."
Gibbs jerked forward, sitting up straight. Jenny jumped and turned to look at him. He looked at his watch and saw that it was 1130. "Fuck!," he yelled and stood up, motionining for Jenny that they had to leave.
"We're only half an hour behind him, Boss. I'm guessing they didn't notice until after the money had been withdrawn and-," Dinozzo began.
"Well no shit, Dinozzo. Listen, I want you and Ziva at the airport stat. Tell McGee to meet at the safe house. I'll meet up with you later." Gibbs clicked his phone shut and picked Deacon up as Jenny grabbed their blanket.
"What was that all about?," Jenny looked at him.
"An account was closed with Jason Smith's name on it. Our killer just withdrew the money and I'm half an hour behind," he explained as they reached the car. He sped through D.C. taking Jenny and the kids back to the safe house where McGee was there waiting.
"They don't leave your sight," Gibbs told him then took off down the street. He was going to catch this bastard once and for all. When he reached the airport, he looked around for any familiar faces.
He spotted Dinozzo and Ziva at a ticket desk across the way and ran up to them. "I don't care if it's about to take off, I said stop that plane!," Dinozzo yelled. He was holding his badge in front of the woman's face who clearly looked frightened.
"Get your boss out here, now!," Ziva paced. She stood back and reached for her gun just as Gibbs came up behind her. He put his hand over hers and she stepped back.
"Where is he?," Gibbs asked her.
"On that plane...," she trailed off, watching the plane making its way down the airstrip and taking off. "Headed to fucking Sweden where we can't catch him now."
"Dammit! I'm gonna have you and the rest of this crew-," Gibbs heard Dinozzo yelling as he walked towards the window, watching the plane shoot into the air. He hit the glass and stormed out of the airport.
Gibbs couldn't believe it. How did they let that murderer get away? He had pieced it all together. Todd and Smith worked together. After Smith was killed and Andrews found out about everything, Todd killed him, then withdrew all the embezzlement money from the bank using Smith's identity and now he'd gotten away.
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Standing in the back of the airport at a payphone, the young man watched Gibbs leave the building. "We're clear, Sir. Gibbs just stormed out of the airport. They bought it. As far as they know, you're on a plane to Sweden as we speak."
In his hideaway home, Todd grinned into the phone. "Good work, boys. Now its time for me to retrieve a little something else that belongs to me."
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