October 19th 2007

Three weeks later, Abby is extremely frustrated at the lack of progress of Jenny and Gibbs getting together. "Either you guys go off for a few weeks, or Mommy has to go off some where for a few weeks, how are we going to do this Gibblets?" Abby stands with her hands on her hips.

Sighing because they have no control of the situation. "Not much we can do, when work keeps interfering." Ziva replies

Tony walks in grinning with the latest addition of 'Stars And Stripes' and holds it up for Abby and Ziva to see. Abby squeals with joy. "Ooooo no wonder Mommy been in such a good mood today."

Ziva reads part of the article as Tony holds it in front of her. "Hollis retired to Hawaii, interesting choice." "Doubtful that Jenny has had the time to read it Abby she's been up on the hill all day long."

Gibbs walks into the lab, startled as Gibbs walks past him, Tony drops the newspaper on the floor. "Hi boss!"

Glaring at Ziva and Tony for goofing off. "Isn't there a case that the two of you should be working on?" Gibbs growls at them.

"We're on it boss." Tony grabs his newspaper off the floor and rushes out of the lab with Ziva.

Gibbs looks around for Carson. "Who's looking after Carson?"

"Ducky!" "Social Services here to pick him up." Abby asks curiously.

"I don't trust his father at the moment Abs."

Abby smiles because the kid reminds her of a mini Tony. "Protection Detail with Tony."

Gibbs rolls his eyes at the thought of Tony looking after a kid. "DiNozzo with a kid."

Abby pokes fun at Gibbs' house. "Gibbs, Carson no offense, would be bored out of his mind over at your place and McGee's." Gibbs gives Abby a wounded look. "Your TV and stereo dates back to the early 90's Gibbs."

Annoyed with Abby. "They still work, why should I replace them." "Besides I never use them."

"Well at least you're some what up to date, you have a DVD player in your living room." Thinking of the next logical person. "So I guess, it's Ziva."

"I want a mature responsible person looking after Carson." Gibbs tells a smiling Goth.

Abby starts to think of another person who fits that description. "Only other person beside you that fits that description and has no social life is the Director." Abby looks up at Gibbs' mischievous grin on his face. "The Director is looking after Carson." Abby starts to laugh. "What did she say?"

Smirking down at Abby. "I don't know, I didn't ask her yet." Gibbs turns and starts to walk out of the lab.

"This I got to see." Abby rushes off to catch the elevator before Gibbs goes upstairs.

Up in the Squad Room, fifteen minutes later Tony is discussing the movie 'Dumb And Dumber' with Carson at his desk.

Abby is over at Ziva's desk looking up at Jenny and Gibbs on the balcony. "Sucker!" She says with a laugh. Ziva watches Jenny and Gibbs head down the stairs

Over at Tony's desk, Carson has over heard Abby. "What's going on?" Tony glances back at Jenny and Gibbs who are on the catwalk.

Up on the cat walk Gibbs looks over at Carson. "Carson!" He points over to the bottom of the stairs.

Carson gets up and starts to walk on over. Tony glances over and has figured out what's going on. "So Jenny gets the kid this time around."

"Carson would be bored out of his mind over at Gibbs' house." Ziva snickers at Gibbs' outdated electronics.

Tony asks Ziva about Jenny's house. "I've never been to Jenny's house yet."

"It's beautiful Tony." "She could get millions for it."

McGee ponders over at his desk. "Can't understand why she would live in that big house by herself for."

"It's her Father's house." "The work that was put into his study." Ziva comments to McGee.

Standing over at the bottom of the stairs. "You should be in good hands Carson." Gibbs hands Carson his card. "If you need me for anything at any time, give me a call."

Carson looks down at the card. "I will!"

"Melvin should be waiting for me out in the parking garage, let me get my things." Jenny heads back up the stairs.

Watching Carson's eyes on Jenny as she heads back to her office. "You'll be safe with her Carson." Gibbs gently reassures him.

Confused as to why he can't go home. "Still don't understand why I can't go home with my mom." Carson asks Gibbs.

"If it were up to me, I would, but I can't." Gibbs rubs the back of Carson's head.

"Let me get my things." Carson walks back over to Tony's desk.

Gibbs stands near the bottom of the stairs and watches Jenny come out of her office, wearing her coat, and carrying her pocket book and brief case. Waiting for Jenny to get to the bottom of the stairs.

Over at Gibbs section Carson is talking with McGee and Abby, when Gibbs approaches his desk. Jenny is standing near the entrance of the cubicle when Ziva gets up and approaches her. "Going to warn you he's a smaller version of Tony."

Jenny bursts out laughing. "A mini DiNozzo."

Tony glares up at Jenny. "I heard that Director."

Gibbs closes a folder at his desk and glances over at Abby who's goofing around with McGee and Carson at his desk. "Abby unless you have something constructive to do, head down to your lab, everybody else we have a case to work on."

Abby waves at Carson. "Bye Carson!" She walks off towards the direction of the elevator.

Gibbs approaches Carson. "I'll walk you out to the Director's car." Gibbs walks Carson over to Jenny and they start to walk over to the elevator for the parking garage.

Ziva and McGee return to their desks. As they are sitting, Tony glances at Jenny, Gibbs, and Carson as they step into the elevator. Tony starts to think on how Jenny and Gibbs missed out on being parents.

Ziva takes in her partner's look. "What?"

Tony smiles at Ziva. "Carson is about the right age."

Clueless as to what Tony is taking about. "What is?" McGee asks

"If Gibbs and Jenny had stayed together, Probie."

"I've seen Jenny with kids over in Europe, it's ashame she never had any, would have been an excellent mother." Ziva responds to Tony.

Tony grins at Ziva. "She is a mom." Laughing at Abby's pet name for her.

Getting a shot in on Tony. "Tony, if you would think about it, Jenny is only a few years older than you." Ziva grins over at him.

Tony gives Ziva a dirty look for bringing up his age.

McGee smirks from his desk. "If anything that category fits Ziva and I."

Tony gives McGee a warning glare. "Nobody asked you for your opinion McProbie."

After midnight, Gibbs decides to take a break from sanding his boat, and pours some bourbon in a mason jar, replaying the events that happened a hour ago at Jenny's house.

2345 hours.

At the bottom of the stairs in Jenny's hallway. Jenny is trying to figure out when's the last time that her and Gibbs got together, that didn't involve work between them. "If you don't count hospitals and car chases." "Paris!" Gibbs sadly reminds her.

With a longing in the depths of Jenny's green eyes, Jenny reminds him of a time long ago. "There was a time I would have asked you to stay, and not take no for an answer"

Present time.

Gibbs curses himself out. "I can't believe my response back o her." Downs his jar of bourbon and pours himself another in disgust.

Next evening Gibbs is walking Carson and his parents over to the elevator. Carson approaches Gibbs and hugs him goodbye. Gibbs returns the hug and pats Carson on the back of the head. Withdraw ing from Gibbs, Carson looks up at Jenny who's watching Carson and his parents from the balcony in front of her office.

Carson smiles up at Jenny. "And thank Jenny for me."

Gibbs turns and looks up at Jenny. "I will!"

Carson steps into the elevator with his parents, as the doors close, Gibbs turns his head up in the direction of Jenny's office and watches her go back inside of her office. Gibbs walks back over to his section, to find his team still working at their desks, and Abby standing in front of McGee's desk.

"I know, get back to work." Abby is about to walk off, when she hears Gibbs' voice.

"No, everybody go home and pick up where you left off at 0700 hours tomorrow." Gibbs walks off towards the elevator.

Tony's head snaps from his desk and watches Gibbs step into the elevator. McGee quickly grabs his gun and ID from his desk drawer and gets up. "I'm getting out of here before Gibbs comes back and changes his mind." McGee gets up from his desk.

"Anybody up for the bar." Abby suggests with a smile.

Ziva sighs in relief that their current case is finished. "Now that sounds like a good idea." Ziva says as she gets up from her desk.

Forty-Five minutes later Jenny is in her office looking out her window lost in thought when her Blackberry rings. "Shepard!" She answers.

Down in the Squad Room, Gibbs is unpacking Chinese take out on his desk. "I need to show you something."

Surprised that Gibbs is still at the office, and not home in the basement working on his boat. "I thought you went home already."

Pulling a chair over to his desk. "I sent the team home."

"Shouldn't you be in your basement working on your boat." Jenny commented dryly.

Gibbs smirks. "I stained her last night."

Jenny rolls her eyes. "Your up to something."

With an evil grin on his face. "Only way you'll find out if you hang up and get down here."

Annoyed with Gibbs. "Why can't you come up to me?"

"Because your younger than me." "I'll save you the trouble." Gibbs quickly hangs up his phone and looks up at the direction of Jenny's office, who steps out a second later, and leans over the balcony and looks down at Gibbs. "You going to stand there or come down." Gibbs watches Jenny come down the stairs and makes her way over to his desk. Gesturing towards a chair in front of his desk. Jenny sits down as Gibbs puts a quart of Vegetable Lo Mien and a Shrimp Roll in front of her. "Haven't done this in about ten years." Gibbs hands Jenny some chopsticks.

Opening up her container of food, Jenny looks down and looks up at Gibbs. "Yes I remembered." Gibbs sits down as Jenny starts to eat. "This case felt good for a change." Gibbs digs into his House Lo Mien with his chop sticks.

Jenny nods in agreement. "Bad guys are put away, and Carson is home safe with his parents." Jenny grabs a hold of Gibbs' coffee from his desk and takes a sip of it.

Going home for the night, Ducky and Palmer step out of the elevator. Ducky glances up and spots Jenny sitting at Gibbs' desk having a late dinner with him. "Director Shepard and Agent Gibbs still working." Palmer asks curiously.

"No, just two old partners having dinner Mr. Palmer." Ducky smiles at his two friends.

"Why the smile?"

"Brought me back to about ten years ago, many a night the Director as Jethro's Junior Agent would be having a late dinner with him at his desk."

Over at Gibbs' desk, Jenny is laughing at him, when Ducky appears with Palmer at the entrance to Gibbs' section. "Good night Jethro, good night Director."

Gibbs looks over at Ducky. "Night Duck!"

Jenny waves at Ducky. "Night Ducky!"

Ducky walks off towards the elevator with Palmer and hears the sounds of laughter coming from his two colleagues.

An hour later, Gibbs walks Jenny over to the stairs. "I'll drive you home."

"I have to be in MTAC at 2100 hours." "I have an Op going on in Morocco."

Concerned that Jenny is burning herself out, by working to many hours at the office. "Don't spend the night here." Gibbs lectures her.

She miles at him. "Thought you weren't your Director's keeper Jethro."

"Your over worked Jen." Gibbs suggests as Jenny rolls her eyes at him. "You've lost at least ten pounds since the Frog took off for who knows where."

Trying to reassure him, that's she's all right. "I'm fine Jethro, really." "And hopefully the Frog is burning in hell some where." "Night!" Jenny heads up the stairs.

Gibbs sadly watches Jenny go into her office. He'll have a talk with Ducky tomorrow morning. Maybe he can talk some sense into Jenny, she always seemed to listen to him, the missing father figure in her life.

Next morning in the Squad Room, Tony walks in half asleep yawning. Ziva is sitting at her desk, looking at Tony in horror. "You look awful."

"Late college football games on the tube." Tony says as he flops in his chair at his desk. Looking around. "Where's Gibbs?"

Returning from Abby's Lab, McGee has over heard Tony questioning Gibbs' where abouts. "Ducky's, because he wasn't in Abby's lab."

Tony gets up and heads over to the elevator for Autopsy. Ducky walks past their section cursing out the traffic on the way to work. "Traffic was horrible this morning."

McGee and Ziva look at each other from their desks.

Up in Jenny's office, Gibbs is covering up Jenny as she sleeps on her couch. Standing in the doorway unobserved is Ziva. Ziva watches Gibbs tenderly brush a strand of hair out of Jenny's face. Ziva quickly walks out unnoticed, and decides to keep this information to herself, and not share it with the others.

An hour later Gibbs is in Autopsy talking to Ducky about Jenny's condition. "I got on her last night Duck, it's all she does is spend her time in the office anymore."

Irritated with Jenny for ignoring Doctor's orders. "I know, I did my bi yearly examination on her last week, and as the Director's secondary Doctor, she got an earful out of me." Ducky angrily tells Gibbs.

"Lost about ten pounds since the Frog went AWOL." Gibbs says with concern.

"Try twelve." "Something is eating at her conscious Jethro, and like her mentor, when the Director Of NCIS doesn't want to talk about something." Gibbs starts to wave Ducky off before he can finish, but Ducky does not back down. "It is so scary the similarities between the two of you sometimes."

In Abby's Lab, Palmer walks in with some specimen jars in a zip lock bag and gives them to Abby. "I got some good news for you."

Abby takes the bag from Palmer and signs the bag. "What?"

"Last night, the Director was having dinner with Agent Gibbs at his desk in the Squad Room." "Doctor Mallard saw them also."

Abby looks at Palmer with a big smile on her face. "So because of Carson, their making progress."

With a confused look on his face. "I don't follow you." Palmer says to Abby.

Rolling her eyes at Palmer for being dense as usual. "You never do Jimmy." "DiNozzo's bet, of Gibbs and the Director hooking up." "I'm going to win that baby." Abby smiles and takes a sip of her Caff-Pow.

In the Squad Room, Tony is on IM with Abby who's telling Tony the latest gossip between Jenny and Gibbs. McGee is watching Tony from his desk and is curious as to who he's IMing with. "Who are you IM'ing with?"

Typing his IM and replying to McGee at the same time. "Abby!"

Ziva looks up from her desk and watches Jenny heading for the eye scanner to MTAC. "What's it about?"

"Our parents!" Tony says with a big grin on his face.

Ziva looks up and makes sure that Jenny is inside of MTAC. "What about them?"

"Had a cozy dinner for two at Gibbs' desk last night, Palmer and Ducky saw them." "Looks like yours truly will win this bet." Tony shoots a rubber band at Ziva.

Gibbs returns from a coffee run and has over heard part of Tony's conversation. "Saw what?"

Ziva quickly covers for Tony. "The Director, we were wondering what she's doing in here on a Sunday?" Tony gives Ziva a thankful glance over, she saved his ass.

Reading a report on his desk. "I don't know why don't you go up and ask her." Gibbs says sarcastically to Ziva.

Tony laughs from his desk. "And get keelhauled."

Ziva rolls her eyes at Tony. "In front of the MTAC Tech's Tony."

Gibbs gets up from his desk and heads for the stairs.

Inside MTAC, Jenny is over seeing an unimportant Op on the plasma screen, Gibbs sits next to her and gives Jenny the stare.

Tired from being up for most of the night. "Melvin should be in the parking garage with in the hour."

"I could of driven you home." Gibbs offers.

Jenny rolls her eyes. "Why can't he leave her alone?"

"Or Ziva could have." Gibbs gets up from his chair, hurt that she's shutting him out again.

"I didn't want to impose." She commented.

"You didn't want me lecturing your ass out on the way home in the car." Noting that she's mentally agreeing with him. "Get something to eat, at least four hours sleep, then do absolutely nothing until bedtime tonight." Gibbs starts up the ramp.

MTAC Technician Drew Evans, listens for the door to close, turns, and looks at Jenny. "Agent Gibbs really looks out for you ma'am."

"No, if anything should happen to me, it means Leon Vance will be his boss." Jenny says with a hint of sarcasm in her voice and takes a sip of her coffee.

That night Gibbs is parked out front of Jenny's house, looking up at the light on in her bedroom window. Gibbs flashes back to the last time he made love to Jenny in her bedroom before they were stationed over to Europe.

January 27th 1998

0300 hours.

Jenny's bedroom.

Jenny screams out as Gibbs thrusts one last time against her. Exhausted from their lovemaking, Gibbs rolls over to his back and pulls Jenny up against him. Looking down at his lover who has her face pressed against his left shoulder. "That should keep you out on the flight over to London." Gibbs smirks down at her.

Mumbling against his chest. "And in your pants on the flight over."

Gibbs laughs. "Your still embarrassed that Ducky over heard us."

"Flight attendants also." Jenny looks up at him.

Stroking Jenny's hair. "You would learn to keep quiet, nobody would have heard you."

"Like you should talk." Jenny protests.

"Hotel Manager did complain when we were in London the last time." Gibbs continues to stroke his lover's hair.

Tired from their lovemaking, Jenny leans up, kisses Gibbs good night, rolls over, and buries her face against his right tricep.

"Have to be at Dulles at 0700 hours." Gibbs says as he's pulling the blankets over them. Looking over at a sleeping Jenny, Gibbs kisses the back of her head, and cuddles up with her from behind.

Present time.

Gibbs watches the light go out. Looking up one last time, Gibbs starts his truck up and pulls away from the house.