Chapter 10

Jenny was woken early on a Monday morning by the sound of the alarm clock buzzing, she let out a groan as she rolled over and stretched her arm out to the ringing clock on her beside cabinet and hit the off button.

She took a deep breath, before moving back into the bed and expecting to snuggle into the warm body of the man who'd been sharing her bed for the past couple of weeks, instead she found a cold side of the bed.

The redhead jolted awake and looked around her dimly lit bedroom for the man in question, afraid that he had disappeared into the dead of night and everything that they had both confessed almost two weeks ago had been a lie and that he'd left her to raise Zoe alone.

Her doubts about her and Jethro's relationship were put to rest when she noticed a piece of paper on the pillow behind her, she rubbed her eyes and let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding before putting on a lamp, the early hour meaning the sun wasn't fully up yet, and then began to read his curly scrawls.

Jen, I got called out on a case early this morning, I didn't want to wake you, I know its Zoe's first day of kindergarten and that I was going to take her with you but I promise I'll be there to pick her up and give her a kiss for me, see you at work, Jethro.

She ran her finger over his name with a small smile, before looking once again at the clock on her bedside table, Jenny had an hour to get herself ready before waking Zoe so slipped out of bed, grabbing Gibbs' discarded NIS t-shirt that smelt like him before heading to the bathroom to start her daily routine.

….

Since a morning two weeks ago that Jenny found Zoe and Gibbs snuggled together in the little girls bed, the redhead had noticed how attached the six year old had become to him, at first she'd thought it was sweet and something that would do both Zoe and Jethro good, Zoe having missed out on having a good father for the better part of her life and Gibbs having had his daughter tragically ripped away from him at such a young age.

But now Jenny wasn't so sure that it was a good thing, Zoe had at first been more attached to her but since Gibbs had moved in and started fathering Zoe, the redhead couldn't help but feel that Zoe had been a little distant to her, I mean she'd heard Zoe accidently call Gibbs Daddy a couple of times but not once had she called Jenny Mummy or Mum she was just Jenny.

Now dressed in a crisp grey oxford blouse, black pencil skirt, jacket and heels, her hair swept half back into a top notch and her makeup light, she stood outside Zoe's bedroom door trying to think of the bed possible way to wake the little girl up.

Deciding just to take the bull by the horns she pushed the door open lightly and walked in, she smiled at first at the sight of Zoe curled up asleep in her bed, an arm securely wrapped around bob the beaver, but then noticed there was rolls of blankets under the bed, the spare blankets that had been put in a draw and this worried her.

Jenny went over to her and sat down carefully on the double bed before brushing back the girls blond curls "Zoe, it's time to wake up sweetie" she told her as softly as she could.

"Wake up" Zoe mumbled and stretched out as she began to wake up.

"Yep, you have to get up for your first day of school" the older women told her with a smile.

"School?" Zoe asked her with a toothy grin, she'd never been to school and couldn't wait to start learning and get to meet new friends.

"Uh huh" She nodded, surprised to see such enthusiasm about school, she only hopped it would last through Zoe's teenage years.

Zoe eagerly hopped out of bed and went to her chest of draws and began looking for some clothes to wear, "Zoe can I ask you a question?" Jenny asked as she shifted her position on the bed so she could watch the girl.

"Yeah" the little girl nodded, her eyes big and green, reminding Jenny a little over her own.

"Why are your spear blankets rolled up along the sides of your bed?" she asked looking down at them and Zoe did the same.

"It's so the monsters won't get me" Zoe explained to Jenny.

"What monsters sweetie?" the redhead asked worried for a moment that someone may have broken in and be hiding under her bed.

Zoe approached Jenny very slowly and looked around licking her lips before whispering "the monsters that live under my bed, Daddy said he would protect me but he can't do that if he's protecting you from them so I have to protect myself but trapping them so at night they don't come out and get me" she explained, her green eyes getting a little watery.

Jenny smiled at Zoe's explanation of why she and Jethro shared a bed thinking he was protecting her from monsters but she also saw the problem and the worry Zoe had, "No monster is going to get you Zoe" Jenny assured her, opening her arms for the girl to have a hug.

"They know that if they even thought about getting you that not only would they have to deal with Daddy" she told her with a smile "But they'd have to deal with me too" hugging Zoe close. "But if you do get scared you can always share mine and Daddy's bed okay" she added and Zoe nodded with a small smile.

"Can I have waffles for breakfast?" the little girl asked after a moment.

"As it's your first day of school, of course you can" Jenny replied making Zoe grin from ear to ear.

…

Forty minutes later Jenny stood in the class room, watching as Zoe sat down at a table and began to draw a picture and then a little girl came down and sat next to her and they began talking.

"She'll be fine" the redhead almost jumped when the teacher, Mrs Philips a tall, young, Hispanic women with big kind brown eyes and long black hair.

Jenny nodded, her hand going to her chest in an attempt to get her heart to stop beating so fast, "You have my and my partners number in case there is any problem" she reminded the teacher, feeling a little nervous about leaving the girl for the first time.

"Yes and don't worry" the teacher assured her "She'll be fine, it's natural for you to feel a little nervous about leaving her, all mothers feel the same way" she continued with a kind smile.

Her gaze moved back to Zoe and smiled when she saw that Zoe seemed to have made friends with the girl and was now talking to her animatedly, "I need to get to work" Jenny mumbled before calling Zoe over to her for a moment.

"I'm going now but Daddy will pick you up at the end of the day" she told her crouching down to the six year olds level. "You be good okay" she said before getting up to her normal height.

"Okay bye" Zoe waved to Jenny before running back over to her friend.

Jenny sighed before turning on her heels and heading for the door, she was just about to walk down the corridor when she heard "Momma wait" from a familiar voice.

She stopped and turned just in time for Zoe to crash into her legs "What is it honey?" she asked her heart still beating a mile a minute at the fact the little girl had called her 'Momma'.

"Always hug before saying goodbye" she told her before hugging her 'mother' tightly, Jenny returned the hug, her heart swelling with love.

After a couple of moments Zoe turned around and skipped back to her class, leaving a stunned redhead in her wake.

Moments later a soft cough brought Jenny back to reality, she turned to her side to find Melvin, her security detail at her side "Everything okay Mame?" he asked her.

"Everything's fine Melvin, I think it's time we get to NCIS don't you" she said with a smile before turning to leave, secure in her knowledge that Zoe was okay, now all she wanted was to see Jethro.

TBC….

I hope you like this cute fluffy filler chapter, I thought it would give you guys a heads up and tell you that this is the only update this weekend as it is my birthday tomorrow!

So I also wanted to say a quick happy birthday to my beautiful twin sister Tivafivanatomy, love you xxxx

Please review!