CHAPTER 11
He'd come to know that look well over the past days and eyed his partner cautiously as he maneuvered the car through the narrow Paris streets. She hadn't spoken more than one word to him since they left Director Penrod's office and there was no doubt she was angry. The question was... what was she angry about this time? Gibbs had quickly learned that the fiery redhead had a temper to match, but he hadn't mapped out all of her trigger points as yet. She'd been furious at him when he refused to let her hop on that train and go chasing after their suspect yesterday.
Today she'd seemed calm, understanding the logic behind his decision not to race into a country like Andorra without making the proper preparations. They'd just left the briefing on their mission and suddenly she was back to giving him the silent treatment. He thinks back over the briefing and knew he hadn't said anything that would have made her inexperience apparent to their new boss. He sighed inwardly, knowing he'd hear about it when she was ready. He hears the rhythmic tapping of her manicured nails on the door's armrest, rapping out a four-beat tattoo that he had no doubt matched the racing of her thoughts at the moment.
When he pulls up in front of her apartment, he is lucky to find a parking space right out front. He doesn't hesitate to jump out and grab her bag from the trunk. She is standing on the sidewalk when he closes the trunk, her hand extended to receive her bag, but Gibbs just gives her a half glare and walks past her towards the stone building. Agent Shepard huffs out her latest reason for being angry, being forced to follow him inside. She hadn't wanted him inside her home, but Gibbs made it perfectly clear he wasn't about to leave her standing on the curb with her bag. Gibbs hesitates to hold the door for her and receives another glare from her for his courtesy. Once inside, Jenny jabs the button to call the elevator and turns her back on him, waiting in stony silence for the car to arrive.
Gibbs scans the names on the mailboxes imbedded in the opposite wall. His eyes stop on one that doesn't appear to fit in and smirks as he sees her undercover name, Jenny Oakley. Without asking for confirmation, he knows this is her mailbox. Recalling that this pioneer woman of American history was her hero. Jenny told him she admired Annie Oakley because she was a woman who excelled in a time when the American west was truly a man's world. Out-shooting all of them, refusing to behave as women of her time were expected to do. Foregoing the traditional dresses of the time and opting for buckskin leggings with a matching skirt and vest with long fringe; reminiscent of the American Indians clothing. Cowboy boots that rose to just below her knees and a wide-brimmed bronco buster hat made the Ohio farm girl undeniably different. He smiles again, realizing Jenny had picked an appropriate idol to suit her personality.
When the bell rings, Jenny steps in without hesitation and jabs the button for her floor, not waiting for her partner to join her. Gibbs has to leap into the car to avoid being smashed between the closing doors. He refrains from voicing the annoyed comment that rises in his throat, knowing it will only make the situation worse. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to demand an explanation as soon as they were inside her apartment and had some privacy.
Jenny tries her best to ignore the man walking down the hall beside her. He was, after all just being a gentleman and carrying her bag to her door. That didn't mean her partner wasn't the most infuriating man she'd ever met... and his calm silence was doing nothing to alleviate that problem. She had expected him to be more 'Gibbs' and demand answers, tell her she was being childish or even call it like it was. She was being a bitch to him and she knew it... but she couldn't help her anger at his latest maneuver to insert himself as her superior. She had just started to calm down when he pulled that stunt in Director Penrod's office... calmly sitting back and letting her take all the credit for the well handled mission.
She knew that wasn't how it had gone down and so did Leroy Jethro Gibbs... so why had he led the Director to believe it had been her calling the shots? Why had he insinuated it had been her idea not to follow their suspect onto that train? She had screwed up this mission more than once and it had been Gibbs' experience that saved the mission from being a complete failure. Jenny was smart enough to realize that if Gibbs hadn't shown up to be the extra agent she needed, the whole thing would have fallen apart... so why the hell was he covering for her?!
Her hand is shaking slightly as she unlocks the door to her apartment and then swings it open before turning to face this enigma of a man. She holds out her hand for her bag once again, but he merely shakes his head with a half smirk as he walks past her. She is stunned at his assumption that he can just walk into her home when she made it perfectly clear she was not going to invite him in. She huffs out an exasperated breath and follows him inside, slamming the door to punctuate her mood.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Agent Gibbs?"
"Putting your bag down, Agent Shepard." He makes a point of slowly setting her bag down near the hallway before turning back to face her.
She has her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing brilliant green daggers and the cutest blush coloring her cheeks. He mimics her stance, facing her with his hands on his own hips. Without giving her time to respond, he cocks his head to one side and gets right to the point.
"Gonna tell me what's got you so pissed off, Jen?"
"You." She knows she doesn't stand a chance of winning the stare-down and turns away from his intense blue eyes. She goes put her purse on the counter in the kitchen; keeping her back to him, fully aware that his eyes are boring into her.
"That's pretty obvious..." His voice is much closer and she finally turns around to face the man who is now standing in the entrance to her small kitchenette. "Wanna tell me why?"
"No. Yes..." She hesitates, choosing her words carefully so she doesn't come across sounding whiny and ungrateful. Even through her anger she realizes it was done for her own benefit, but that does nothing to stem her temper. "What the hell was that... in Penrod's office earlier?"
"You were there... it was a debriefing of the mission." He knows what she is getting at, but still doesn't know why she's angry at him for covering up the fact that she had made a couple of rookie mistakes out there.
She throws her hands up in an exasperated motion and turns to yank the refrigerator door open and grab two beers. She purposely tosses one to him, earning her a glare for shaking up the drink. He will have to wait to open it now. She opens her own bottle and takes a long drink, slowly sighing to rub in the fact that he can't do the same. "Exactly! You briefed him on your mission!"
Gibbs sets his beer bottle on the counter before turning his attention back to his partner. "No, I did not." I told him the truth, Jen... nothing more. It was your mission, you were in charge... decisions were made and it all turned out in our favor."
"That is not how it happened and you know it, Jethro! God, you lied to the new Director!"
"Relax... Oliver and I go way back. He understands."
"That's what I'm talking about!" She storms past him into the living room; giving his arm a shove when he doesn't move out of her way quick enough.
Gibbs sighs and turns around to follow her pacing, forgetting about his beer for the time being. The apartment is small so there is no need to physically move away from the door jamb he is leaning on once again. His eyes narrow as he tries to get inside her head, but for the most part the red-head's temper has him baffled.
"That's the way it's always been! That's the way it's always going to be, isn't it?!" She stops to stare out her window, knowing the view is nothing more than a close up of the brick wall of the building next door.
"You know... it'd be a lot quicker if you'd just tell me what you're so pissed about." This was not how he had envisioned them ending their first mission together. Especially after that perfect night in the hotel in Marseille.
Jenny turns around to face him, her face a set of stern lines as she glares at him again. "The boy's club! That's what I'm pissed about... the bureaucratic secret BOY'S CLUB!"
Gibbs doesn't quite know how to respond to that without somehow setting her off again so he merely shrugs and states the truth. "It's the military, Jen... you knew that coming into this job."
"I was recruited right out of college... told this was an up and coming field for women. I was led to believe female undercover operatives were in demand and this was a career that could take me places." She takes another swig of her beer and then adds, "It's all bullshit, Gibbs... and on top of that, you made me feel like an idiot in there!"
"How exactly did I do that?! Never said a word about anything that happened." His own anger is rising at her verbal bashing of an institution he has long been proud to be associated with.
"Exactly! You knew I screwed up out there... you were the one who pulled it all together... you were the one who took control and stopped me from chasing that guy into Andorra." She sets her beer down as she paces back and forth, her frustration obvious.
Gibbs finally realizes why she has been so mad at him all afternoon... she was angry at herself for screwing up. Him covering for her in front of the Director just emphasized the point that he knew she'd screwed up. He waits a moment, watching her pace until she finally stops in front of her beer; picking up the bottle to take another long swig to drain it. She glares at the bottle as if it's inability to remain full was another point of contention with her. She abruptly heads for the kitchen again to get a new drink and Gibbs is quick enough to slant his body sideways to avoid being shoved out of the way again.
He watches as she jerks open the door and removes another cold beer. With her back to him, she opens it and takes another long sip before letting out a tired sigh. Taking a few steps into the kitchen, Gibbs comes up behind her and slowly reaches around her to grab her bottle. Jenny watches the bottle being removed from her hand and as it disappears she turns around to see Gibbs draining the remaining contents. His proximity causes her breathing to halt as she watches his throat flex, swallowing down the cold beer. She has a sudden urge to wrap her lips around his throat and feel that motion with her tongue, but she resists.
He lowers the empty bottle, setting it on the counter beside them with a firm thud. His cool blue eyes leave no doubt, his patience at her tirade has run out and he shows her the anger in his own eyes for the first time. Gibbs wants to get past this and knows if they are to be partners, there can't be any self-doubt or always worrying about making a mistake. "Don't give me that crap about being oppressed by the boy's club! You were chosen for this assignment for a reason... you're a damned good agent."
She opens her mouth to reply, but his hands come up to her shoulders, squeezing just enough to keep her silent as he pushes her back against the refrigerator. "You've only been a field agent for a year... and in that time, you've done some good stuff, but you're still a Probie."
Jenny remains silent, but feels an instant desire to fight against the term that to her is synonymous with incapable. She grew up on a Navy family where she was expected to always strive for perfection and doing everything right the first time. She keeps her eyes focused on his chest, knowing the intensity in his blue eyes will be her undoing.
Gibbs understands her desire to make it in this male dominated field... to prove herself and live up to the name of her father, Admiral Jasper Shepard. But he also knows she's going about it the wrong way. Storming around without proper planning may work sometimes, but it would eventually backfire on her. He silently vows to help her become better agent... the right way. "You're too hard on yourself, Jen. Nothing happened out there that Penrod needed to know about."
"Only because you were there to take over and run things. Just because you didn't tell Penrod, doesn't mean you won't..."
Her words are cut off as Gibbs wraps on big hand around her neck and hauls her in for a harsh kiss meant to silence that train of thought. She is too stunned to respond and suffers through his harsh caress until he slowly pulls back to glare down at her with intensely blue eyes that hide none of his emotion. His next words, softly spoken but no less harsh than his kiss leave her with no doubt.
"I will always have your six...no matter what..."
His lips hungrily drop to her throat, mapping out every inch of her exposed skin, forcing her head back against the firm surface at her back and closes her eyes. His hands remain on her shoulders holding her still, but the fingers of his right hand slowly gather the material of her shirt, pulling it back to expose more soft white skin to his hot lips. Jenny knows how easy it would be to lose herself in the passion they share, but she fights the urge to give in until she's made her point clear.
"So... you're just gonna... mmnn... cover for me... from now on? How is that going to work, Gibbs?"
"Not gonna cover for you..." His mouth continues its path back up to her ear, whispering his words to her in a voice much huskier than before. "... gonna be there... show you... teach you..."
She is torn between the tremors racing down her spine at his gravelly voice breathed out against her ear and her desire to stand on her own... prove herself his equal. "I'm not... some Probie in my first week on the job... Jethro... stop..."
His head comes up slowly, reluctant to end his sensual pursuits. When his eyes meet hers, he sees the stubbornness there and takes a moment to gently place an errant curl back behind her ear. He finally sighs and gives her the truth she needs to hear. "I got a few more years of experience on the streets, Jen... and I don't mean that in a demeaning way. Just want you to know... I'm here to help you... make you the best agent you can be. You have talent... no doubt, but it needs work... molding..."
"And you're gonna do that?" A slight smile tugs at the corner of her mouth as her hands glide slowly up his chest. "Mold me?" Her lips sneak up to gently kiss his chin. "Make me into your perfect agent?" Her fingers lace up through his short hair, applying just enough pressure to tilt his head down to hers as she places more soft kisses along the way to his mouth. "Just the way you want me..."
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Gibbs knows she has not given up her stubborn attitude that she is going to take on the NCIS establishment all on her own. He finds it increasingly hard to concentrate on their discussion as it has obviously taken a sudden turn back to his original objective. If he can't convince her with words, then he'll just have to do it with actions... and right now his body was in desperate need of some action.
He allows his head to be drawn down to her light kisses that tease and then disappear like the touch of a butterfly. When her lips once again alight only to drift away, his hands come up to frame her head as he stills her fluttering lips. His mouth claims hers with an impatience he tries hard to control, but her whimper as he forces her lips to part expresses his growing desire. His tongue dives deeply in to claim her own and they are soon lost in the erotic dance of twining tongues and flaring passions. She moans as his hips rhythmically press into her, letting her feel the urgency of his need and sparking her own until they are breathless and desperate for more.
Gibbs finally pulls back, drawing ragged breaths as his intensity burns in his eyes as she holds his gaze with green eyes that suddenly sparkle with desire. He slowly examines her face, taking in her swollen lips, still glistening from their long, deep kisses and can't resist once more dropping his mouth to hers for a slow, teasing kiss that promises so much more.
When he again pulls back, his thumb gently strokes her cheek as he huskily growls, "You're mine, Jen..." Gibbs tilts her chin up so she can't hide the emotion that instantly flickers across them from him. He sees the defiance, that stubborn streak, but at this moment he knows she can't resist him and huskily orders, "Now say it..."
He pulls her in close for a slow, deep kiss that demands her surrender and she no longer has any will to resist him. She finally understands the depth of the loyalty in this man. He was loyal to the Navy, to NCIS... yes, but he was fiercely loyal to those he considered part of his inner circle. As his partner, she had apparently been granted a position in that sparsely populated circle. But as his mouth drops down for another kiss, gentler this time; she silently wonders how many people 'belong to him'. Their strong physical attraction was apparent from their first meeting, but now having let their attraction blossom into an actual relationship, Jenny finds herself in a unique position... being the sole focus of this intense man.
A thrill tingles down her spine at the thought of being the center of Leroy Jethro Gibbs' world, but she rolls her eyes, still reluctant to comply. For some reason she finds it very difficult to surrender control... even to this man, whom she suspects she is quickly falling in love with. She's had many affairs before and even a couple of relationships that might have resulted in a marriage proposal... that is if she hadn't tactfully put an end to them when she saw that writing on the wall. His gaze holding her prisoner now doesn't waver as he watches the internal struggle in her eyes. With a small smirk she picked up from him, she gives him the answer he wants... the answer that for now... will at least ease the desire swirling around in her belly.
"Yes dear..."
He holds her gaze a moment longer, not sure he likes that hint of a sarcastic smirk on her lips. Then he abruptly steps back and taking her by the hand, pulls her away from the refrigerator. He turns to grab his now luke warm beer from the counter and leads her out of the kitchen; apparently satisfied that the topic was settled. Jenny just smiles at his back, knowing this isn't over, but it can wait as he leads her down the hall to her bedroom.