Disclaimer – NCIS is not mine
Authors note – thank you to all of you who are reviewing this story and those who have favourited and alerted – it means a lot.
I am so sorry for the wait, only I have a lot on with my GCSE's which are in three weeks. So updates will be slow. Also I have not as much Jibbs muse as Nashville has taken over.
Anyway, sorry for spelling, grammar etc, and enjoy!
The following morning, before the sun had even yet to rise or light to softly splinter through the blind, Jethro slowly awoke. His eyes, almost hesitantly, opening to reveal the darkness that filled the room. Momentarily he found himself slightly disorientates as to his whereabouts, however the feeling of a warm body using his chest as a pillow reminded him of the previous night, of Jenny tiptoeing into his room and falling asleep next to him. A small smile spread across his face at the memory, not one of his signature smirks but instead a real smile. Bright, and warm, something that so few people ever got the chance to see. Sighing he picked up his mobile from the bedside cabinate and realised that seaming as he had to drive back to Dc in time for work he should really be going.
As silently and gently as he could, he lifted Jenny up ever so slightly, trying not to wake her, and began to untangle their legs before he slipped out from under the covers. As he began to pull his jeans back on, and the rest of his clothes from the previous night he heard the red head who slept beside him begin to stir. He paused as he put his jacket on and looked down at her, watching as her eye lids flickered open to reveal the sparkling green orbs behind them. She smiled at him through sleep covered eyes. He couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked with her hair all tossled, and eyes shining. "Where are you going?" She asked softly, before giving into the yawn that had been tickling her.
"Gotta drive back up to DC." He said before sitting down on the side of the bed. He watched her bury her head in the pillow and groan."You gonna be alright?" He asked her before running a hand through her hair.
"Yeah." She said with a down heartened look. "I'll let him know today I'm gonna see him tomorrow. I'll tell him then see if Ducky wants to go out to lunch." She said with a small smile at the thought of their mutual friend who had been there for the both of them a lot over not just recent years but a large majority of their careers.
"Okay, come see me afterwards? My boss is quite a decent person most of the time so I think she'd let me get off earlier." He said with a wink.
"Only part of the time?" She asked with a smirk.
"Well, she does kick my ass when I don't play nice."
"She sounds like a good boss." Jenny said laughing.
"Debateable!" He replied whilst laughing. Jenny playfully slapped him as they both laughed. It had been a very long time since Jenny had laughed like this. She and Richard were always serious; there were never any laughs in recent years. "Right, I'll see you tomorrow yeah?"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." She said with a smile before sitting up and kissing him on the cheek. "Tomorrow we'll start over."
"Tomorrow." He said before getting up and walking out, a smile playing on his lips. Jenny's stayed in the same position as she listened to him walk down the hall, down the stairs and out of the door. When the sound of the door closing filled the empty house Jenny fell back onto the bed. She placed her face in the pillow he had been sleeping on and closed her eyes, letting his scent fill her and relax her. She closed her eyes and realised just how much she was still in love with him. Slowly Jen let herself fall back into a world of slumber, and dreams about what her life could be like in the future.
It was half eight when Gibbs came striding into the bull pen with a slight spring in his step and feeling a lot lighter. Outside, the rain was pouring down, big fat droplets that left you soaking wet within just moments. He walked in to see his team behaving like children. Tony was throwing stuff at McGee whilst he was talking to Abby, and Ziva arguing with Tony about the fact he was throwing stuff. To anyone else it would be unbelievable to think that these four people were NCIS' finest agents and one of the US' top forensic scientists.
Although the silver haired fox was in a rather good mood, he was not planning on letting his team know about that. So as he walked past he sternly said: "Back to work!" Before walking over to his desk, feeling lost without his familiar cup of coffee which he had not had time to pick up. He looked up and saw his team quieting down for once.
"Bit late this morning boss, you sleep through your alarm?" Tony questioned with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Sometimes, more often than not, Gibbs wished that he could lower the younger man's volume levels. Gibbs got up and glared at the younger man before head slapping him as he walked past. "Shutting up boss." He said as he watched his boss walk off.
"Getting coffee." He grumbled before walking off, realising that he was not going to be able to cope with the day if he did not have his fix of caffeine running through his veins soon he may just kill DiNozzo. So the boss walked out of NCIS and ran down the street to the coffee shop where he knew he could get a decent cup of coffee.
-Harder to shine-
The following morning Jenny woke from a fitful night's sleep at 0530. To say she had not slept would be an understatement; she had spent the majority of the night tossing and turning as she worried about the following day. A few hours ago she had finally managed to fall asleep, yet it was short lives. The thing was that Jenny truly had no idea as to why she was nervous. Yes she was the one asking for a divorce, yet she was also the innocent party.
All this still boiled down to the fact that she was finding it hard to admit the scale of disaster that had fallen upon her and her marriage. She was struggling in ways to admit the fact that somewhere along the line she had made a massive mistake.
She lay in bed, covers tangled around her feet, for another half hour before she realised there was no chance of her falling back to sleep. So, with a sigh she untangled her legs and for out of bed. With a sigh and knowing she needed to clear her head she pulled in her leggings and running top before lacing up her trainers and heading downstairs. After downing a glass of water she grappled her IPod, plugged in her earphones and left the beach house.
That morning with all of the pent up worry, nerves and anger inside of her she neglected to think about her pace, stride and breathing. Instead the red headed director just ran full pelt as though she were being chased. She ran and ran until she reached the pier that she and Jethro had run to only a couple of days earlier. The difference was that this time she was red faced and heavy breathing. However that was what she had wanted. Jenny was relishing in the burn of her lungs as they experienced oxygen debate. She stood there for a moment in the dull light of early morning, absorbing the silence as if it were worth more than gold. She watched as the seas white horses came crashing in, as waves gradually formed out in the distance and the light illuminated the water just so that it acted as a mirror in the dawn. She smiled at the sight. Even now, over a week after she had arrived, it was a sight that could take her breath away.
Yet Jenny knew that there was no time for that this morning. Today she had things to so, so in the same way ah has run down to the pier she ran back. By now the world was beginning to come alive and everything was a little bit more awake.
She ran into the house, stretched off and drank another large glass of water before she sighed and went up for her shower. The warm water eased her aching muscles and made her smile as the steam enveloped her. The red head shampooed and conditioned her long hair before washing herself down with the fruity smelling body wash.
Twenty minutes later she was stood in front of her wardrobe having an internal argument with herself. Hr long red hair that had considerably grown as of recently was now only damp and hanging down her back whilst she wore a thin gown around her with underwear underneath. The wardrobe contained all the clothes she had brought and some that were still there from when she was a teenager. Jenny groaned and looked at the clothes in front of her. She did not have a clue what to wear; she wanted to show Richard she was different, confident and had moved on. Yet what outfit said that?
She stood there rumaging through the rails until she found a navy blue dress, it had white silhouettes of birds on it. She pulled it out and looked at it, deciding that it would do. She pulled it on and looked at it; she rummaged around until she found a brown tan belt that would fit around her waist. With that on Jenny looked at the minimal makeup she had kept after the press conference. Slowly she applied a coat of mascara, found a light colour of eye shadow and then applied the burn red lipstick she loved. Jenny then decided to deal with her hair, but first she looked at her phone. Jenny flicked down past all of the e-mails that she was technically not meant to be receiving. Then she saw a message from Jethro, and she instinctively smiled.
Today will be fine, and I'll see you tonight xx
Jenny couldn't help but wonder how long it had taken for him to figure out how to write all of that. She smiled still and texted him back thanking him and saying that she would see him later. Then she looked in the mirror and decided instead of showing Richard who she was, she would try to make Jethro's jaw drop, and make Richard see just what he was missing. So, with a smile on her face for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.
She rubbed curling mouse through her hair, pulled on a pair of knee high, calf hugging brown suede boots with a three inch heel. The dress fell a couple of inches above her knee so the effect was just what she wanted.
An hour later, after having coffee, shoving a change of clothes in her hand bag and eating a piece of toast she decided she had better leave. With her tan brown leather Jacket on and an extra layer of lipstick on she began the drive up to DC, taking the longer route so that she did not arrive way too early.
Eleven O'clock came, and in a small café in DC, sat cupping a mug of coffee with cream and tonnes of sugar, Senator Richard sat. On the seat beside of him an envelope sat, this was the end, both of them knew it. Outside the rain was belting down on the glass, beside him his phone sat there, lighting up continuously with work notifications. He knew she was late, he'd known se would be. Jennifer Shepard was wanting to prove a point, and he was more than willing o let her play it out before he walked out.
She came running in with a smile on her face, he almost expected someone to follow her, like that pain in the ass agent Gibbs. But nobody did. Instead she walked over and smiled, before shaking off her jacket and running a hand through her now damp locks. She'd parked at Jethro's house and then walked here, deciding that from the café she could walk to NCIS headquarters to meet Ducky. However that was before the rain had started.
She stayed silent whilst the waitress poured her coffee and then once she left she smiled a way to sweet smile towards him. "Hello Richard." She stated as her long thin fingers wrapped around the warmth of the white mug in her hands.
"Jennifer." He stated as he look in her appearance. "Look I know why you are here."
"Oh do you?" She stated with a smirk before raising an eyebrow.
"Yes I do, and I'm sorry Jennifer I really am-"
"It's Jenny, I've always hated Jennifer."
"Right, well. Look I know this will be hard but I think it is best for us both." HE then placed the brown envelope onto the table and pushed it forward.
"This is what?" She questioned him.
"I know you want us to continue." He stated, ad she nearly spluttered her coffee all over the place. "But I have filed for divorce. I think its best if any further communication takes place between our lawyers." He sated and was about to stand up before she butted in.
"You thought I wanted to continue?! Jesus Christ Richard do you really know that little about me?! I came here to ask you for a divorce – the civil way." She just shook her head. "You're divorcing me? So you really are going off with whatever-"
"Her name is-"
"I don't give a damn! I don't actually care Richard, not any more. You can do whatever the hell you please. I don't feel responsible any more, not now. Go do as you please, I've done nothing wrong." With a small smile on her face, she stood up pulled on her jacket and took the black umbrella at his feet.
"That is mine!"
"Oh, I thought you were supposed to share when you're married? Guess you forgot about that at the same you forgot about being faithful then." Was all she said before she got up and walked out of the café, putting the large black umbrella up and heading to head quarters whilst he grumbled and swore, paid for the coffees and ran to his waiting car not a hundred meters away.
Jenny walked down the street, brolly shading her from the large droplets of water that were falling from the sky. As she went, heels clacking against the stone pavement she had to resist the urge to jump and squeal and laugh. After however many years she had finally stood up to him, and now after nights spent awake blaming herself for the situation she was in, she was beginning to realise that this was not her fault. Jenny could smile, and laugh now. The rain still pelted down but like a little child she had the urge to jump in the puddles and make the most of it – only the knowledge that it would wreck her boots stopped her.
The walk to NCIS took a good half hour, but she didn't care. The smell of exhaust fumes that filled the city, the mouthing off teens, and desperate parents could not dampen her mood. The bag over her shoulder swung as she went; inside it the divorce papers sat there, the brown envelope now seeming more like a joke than something serious. He'd said the divorce would be hard, but she knew that he obviously did not have a clue what he was talking about. Before the marriage they had both signed pre-naps, meaning that they kept what they had previously had and cut everything else down the middle. Jenny thought about the house they currently shared and decided that she wanted nothing to do with it; she decided that she would not force him to sell it, not yet, but when the time came she wanted half of the money it sold for.
As she arrived at the gates to the Navy Yard the guard on duty looked at her strangely, as though he had never seen a woman walking in the rain before. "Is everything alright ma'am?" He questioned her, concerned as to why the director of NCIS was walking around the city with not security and in the rain.
"Everything in fine, may I enter or have I been kicked out in my absence?" She smirked as the younger dark haired man looked shocked and opened the gates for her. She walked through with a smile. "Have a nice day." She replied before walking away, but she couldn't resist the urge to laugh at the shocked look on the man's face. People really did think she lived a life of luxury and had a heart of ice. She guessed that the news of the divorce would not help, and that there would be more than one paper calling them a 'power couple'. But with the mood she was in not even that would put a dampener on her spirits.
Jenny walked through the entrance to NCIs and put her brolly down. She smiled at the man on security. "Ma'am, we didn't expect you back for at least another week and a half." He stated, looking almost worried.
"I'm here on a social call Agent Woods." She said with a smile. "Could I leave this down here? I don't want Vance accusing me of causing a health and safety hazard in my own agency." She questioned as she handed him the umbrella.
"Of course ma'am." He said before watching the red head walk away, he couldn't help but realise how god damn good she looked, just as the rest of the agency couldn't envy the fact either.
-Harder to shine-
Autopsy was silent as she walked in, and she almost thanked god that all of Ducky's 'visitors' had been put away. She smiled at the scene of normality in front of her. Mr. Palmer was wiping down the steel table whilst Ducky sat at his desk writing up the report and telling a story. It was nice to see that the rest of the world had returned to normality whilst her world went mad.
It was Jimmy who was the first to notice her presence. "Director Shepard?" He questioned. She just smiled and then turned to Ducky.
"Director, what can I do for you, I was under the impression you were still on holiday."
"It's Jenny Ducky." She said with a smile. Since she had become director she hated that he had stopped calling her by her name and started by her title. "I'm here as a friend."
He smiled at her. "Well then Jennifer my dear, what can I do for you?"
"Have you eaten yet ducky?"
"As a matter of fact I have not my dear."
"Then I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to dinner." She said with a smile. He gratefully accepted and went to get his coat and umbrella before walking out with Jenny.
"Doctor, what should I tell assistant director Vance?" questioned Jimmy.
However if was Jenny that answered. "Tell him that the good doctor is with Assistant director Vance's boss!" She said with a smile before to two walked out, her arm linked through his.
Please review, I need urging on a bit