On Saturday, Tony and McGee were able to visit the Gibblet. The senior agent and the probie arrived at 1030. Jen answered the door, greeting them with a smile. She hated to admit she missed them. She even missed DiNozzo's antics. "Hey. Come on in," she told them, moving to the side to let them in.
Tony hugged her followed by McGee then they stepped inside. She was surprised by the tightness of their hugs. The two men followed her straight ahead into the study. DiNozzo and McGee were taken aback by the sight of Leroy Jethro Gibbs holding a baby and giving her a bottle. They were used to seeing him hold a coffee cup. However, Lindsay seemed to be content with the atmosphere of the study but not with the bottle.
Gibbs looked up from Lindsay after sensing the stares. "What are you two lookin' at?"
"Nothin' boss." Tony cleared his throat and hit McGee upside the head. The less than senior agent was still staring.
After the jolt to the back of the head, McGee snapped out of it and shook his head. "Sorry, boss."
They took a seat on the sofa. Tony moved a pillow out of his way and looked at Gibbs. "Boss, I know how you are about apologies, but I do accept your unspoken apology for leaving us at the scene."
Gibbs spied the agent with a mild glare. "DiNozzo, I didn't apologize…spoken or unspoken. It's a sign of weakness."
"Oh…then forget I said anything."
Jen looked at the two men with a raised eyebrow. "Jethro, why did you leave them at the scene?"
Gibbs couldn't believe she was asking. After all, she had been the reason he'd left. "Jen, you called me."
"Oh, sorry…I'm still a little tired."
Tony looked at her, trying not to seem too amused. "Long night?" He had wondered how they had been handling taking care of the baby and being sleep deprived.
She nodded her head. "Someone was cranky last night, and it wasn't Jethro thankfully." She caught the smirk he gave her but ignored it. "Can I get you boys anything?" She asked Tony and McGee as she stood up. She knew Jethro needed a coffee refill. He had been up since 0500 with Lindsay. He took over, so she could sleep for a few hours. Before he took over, she had been up and down all night with Lindsay.
McGee shook his head. "No thank you, ma'am."
Tony looked at her as she waited for his answer. "Got any cereal?"
Jen chuckled silently. She should have known he'd want food considering it was close to lunch time. "I think so, Tony. You know where the kitchen is…go in and fix it yourself."
Tony followed her into the kitchen, leaving McGee with Gibbs. Gibbs put the bottle down and shifted the baby to his shoulder to burp her. McGee made a face when he heard the sound of a burp followed by the noise of spit up.
"McGee, it's what they do," Gibbs said to him. "Now, my reaction isn't the same as Jen's when Lindsay spits up. You should see that."
McGee laughed. He couldn't imagine anything unsettling Jennifer Shepard. Apparently, a baby spitting up did unsettle her. The two of them talked quietly. McGee caught him up on what he'd missed.
In the kitchen, DiNozzo poked and prodded in the pantry to find cereal. Jen had told him there were Lucky Charms somewhere in there. She rarely did the grocery shopping, so she wasn't sure where anything was within the pantry. Noemi took care of making sure the house had groceries. She left DiNozzo and took the coffee to Jethro in the study.
Tony found the box of Lucky Charms after a few minutes of thinking like a box of cereal. "Oh yes, you're mine," he spoke to the box of Lucky Charms. He found a bowl, spoon, and grabbed a container of milk from the fridge. He made his bowl of cereal and walked into the study, taking his first bite. "This milk tastes funny," he commented, twisting his face. He should have checked the expiration date.
Gibbs and Jen exchanged a look. Jen turned in her seat and looked at DiNozzo. "Tony, I think you might have gotten the wrong…milk."
He looked confused. "Wrong milk?" He surveyed the faces and looked at Gibbs. The older man was trying his best not to laugh, but Tony was still confused as to what milk he had poured into the bowl. He looked at Jen who had an amused yet very apologetic expression on her face.
"I'm breastfeeding, but Lindsay's on the bottle today," she informed the agent.
"Oh..." His eyes widened in realization that the milk he used had been very wrong to put into a bowl of cereal. Milk that had come from the director's breasts is what he'd poured into the cereal bowl, and as the realization hit him harder his eyes could have popped out of their sockets. He quickly ran out of the study and to the kitchen sink to spit and wash out his mouth. He definitely regretted swallowing that mouthful of Lucky Charms. From the kitchen, he heard the room erupting with laughter. He came back, looking thoroughly embarrassed and now knowing he didn't care for breast milk.
"Good job, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, still chuckling.
Tony sat down and mumbled, noticing the look on McGee's face. "Shut up, Probie. Don't you dare say a word or I'll…"
"What, Tony?"
"I'll tell Abby about the time you..."
McGee's eyes widened. "You wouldn't!"
Tony grinned, knowing McGee wouldn't say a word. Gibbs eyed them suspiciously but shrugged it off. He probably didn't want to know what Tony had on McGee especially if it concerned Abby.
Jenny laughed as much as she hated to find the incident comical. "Tony, I'm sorry. I didn't think about that. Do you want another bowl of cereal?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm slightly turned off by cereal. Thanks, anyway," he said, unable to look at her.
Gibbs stood up and walked over, putting the baby into Tony's arms. "Boss, what are you doing?" He received no answer and held the Gibblet awkwardly. At least, he was holding her head.
"DiNozzo, hold her…like a football," Gibbs instructed.
"Right…like a football. Last time I checked…footballs didn't cry!"
Gibbs smacked him in the head and sat back down. Tony listened and cradled her like a quarterback would a football. Lindsay settled down after getting comfortable and looked at him. "Okay…not so bad…so far so good. Hey, she's pretty cute."
"Did you think she wouldn't be?" Jen asked.
"Oh no, I knew she'd be cute. If Gibbs wasn't her father, I'd date her in twenty years."
"Never more than once, DiNozzo. Besides, you'd have to worry about what her mother would think too."
DiNozzo swallowed hard and adjusted the infant in his hold. He glanced at Jenny. She sat with her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the side and giving him a cold look.
"What I meant to say was that she's cute…but I'd never date her. That was what I meant to say…" He trailed off and looked down, not wanting to find out if he was still getting a look from those cold green eyes.
Jen eased her glare. "That's better. You wouldn't date my daughter…ever."
Over the next hour, Tony and McGee became acquainted with Lindsay while catching Jen up on what she had missed. She easily got the scoop on how Gibbs had been as acting director and their opinions of Vance. Of course, the scoop didn't occur until Gibbs left to pick up lunch.
"I don't think boss liked being in your heels," Tony said to her.
Jenny laughed softly. "Of course, he didn't. There are more rules and paperwork with my job."
Tony adjusted the baby to his shoulder as she started to cry. He patted her back gently then stopped. His face twisted a second time, and he stopped rubbing Lindsay's back.
Jen got up and took the baby from him. "Did you spit up on DiNozzo? Good girl."
Tony mumbled and left the room to clean himself up. McGee watched the director, noticing a different side of her.
"Are you looking forward to coming back?" he asked.
"Some days I am," she answered honestly. She wasn't sure how she'd feeling returning to NCIS. She hadn't thought about the agency since Lindsay's birth. Her child was her focus for now. Still, she wouldn't quit her job as Director of NCIS. It was much too important to her. She still had things left to prove.
"Some days?"
"I didn't know what to do with myself at the beginning of my leave," she told him, sitting down with the baby and wiping her tiny mouth. "I haven't worried about NCIS since having Lindsay. I don't want to miss anything that she does."
McGee nodded his head in understanding but hoped she'd come back. "You have to come back. It's not the same without you being director."
She looked into his eyes and smiled, nodding her head. "Thank you, McGee. Don't worry…I'll come back. I promise."
He nodded his head and relaxed. She wasn't a woman that broke promises. Both of them heard Gibbs return with lunch. Gibbs saw Tony coming out of the bathroom and laughed at him as he wiped his shirt. Everyone ate lunch in the kitchen. Shortly after lunch, McGee and Tony left to give the couple some alone time. Jen and Jethro went upstairs to sleep as long as Lindsay would allow them. She was nestled in between them in the bed.
Over the next weeks, the new parents were incredibly sleep deprived and almost fully adjusted to their daughter's schedule. Jenny felt like a walking zombie most days. Some nights, Lindsay was content to be taken care of by her father. Other nights, she only wanted to be held and soothed by her mother. She was a demanding personality. Jethro had returned to work, and Jen would be back in her office later in the week. It was very different taking care of Lindsay without him. She couldn't imagine being a single mother. She had Noemi's help, but it wasn't the same as Jethro's help. Lindsay had been grouchy the whole day.
Lindsay finally calmed down after a warm bath, feeding, diaper change, and outfit change. Gibbs came home early after a phone call from Noemi. He quietly entered the nursery and watched his girls sleep before walking over to wake Jen. With the way she had fallen asleep in the glider her neck would definitely have a crick. "Jen, I'll take care of her. Go get in bed."
Jen mumbled, "She's fine."
"Jen, go get into bed," he ordered gently yet firmly. She didn't need to be stubborn.
She opened her eyes and looked at him, sleep still plaguing her eyes. "You're home?"
He nodded his head, kissing her forehead. "I am." He took the baby from her carefully, not waking her and waited for Jen to get up from the chair. She stumbled off across the hall and dropped into bed, immediately falling back asleep. She awoke hours later to the sound of the shower running and singing. She sat up and rubbed her face, looking around.
"Oh god," she muttered, looking at the clock and realizing Jethro was the source of the singing. He didn't need to quit his job and become a singer. It was nearly seven o'clock. She lay back against the pillows and smirked at his song choice. Minutes later, she pulled herself out of bed and walked to the bathroom doorway, leaning against the frame.
"Jennnnnnny…I got your number…IIIIIIIIIII need to make you miiiiiine…Jennnnnnnnny, don't change your number…8-6-7-5-3-0-9…" he sang, loudly and slightly off key.
She smirked and walked over, opening the shower door quickly. "Jethro!"
He jumped and couldn't believe she'd caught him off guard. He looked at her innocently. "Yeah, Jenny? I didn't know you were awake."
"Obviously. Why are you singing that song?" She hated the song for many reasons.
"You know, it's one of my favorites." He grinned at her and continued singing. "For a goooood time, caaaaaaaaaaaalll…8-6-7-5-3-0-9…"
"JETHRO!" She shrieked at him. That line was the one she hated the most.
He laughed and leaned out of the shower, kissing her deeply.
"You're a terrible singer," she teased, returning the kiss. He pulled her into the shower, continuing to kiss her. The water soaked her clothes, but she didn't care. They could only do so much in the shower, but they did enough to each other. At least, Jen did most of the work. She came back up, kissing his chest and neck.
"Damn, Jen…" he panted.
She grinned at him as he recovered. She knew she was good and didn't have to be told.
"And to think I didn't have to pick up the phone for that good time."
She punched him in the shoulder and glared before removing her wet clothes. If she was in the shower, she might as well take one. She took her sponge and body wash, beginning to wash her body.
"Jennnnnnnnny, I got your number. I neeeeed to make you mine…" he began singing but stopped as her fist landed into his shoulder a second time.
"Shut up, Jethro," she said sharply, shoving her bottle of shampoo at him. "Besides, you do have me." She stepped under the water and hoped he would shut up with his singing.
"Just because you don't like that song doesn't mean I…shutting up now, Jen." He put a small amount of shampoo into his hands and massaged it into her scalp. She rinsed the shampoo out of her hair, and the process was repeated with the conditioner. Jethro smacked her butt when she stepped out of the shower. She smirked at him over her shoulder, grabbed a towel to wrap her hair in, and put on her robe. She brushed her teeth, rinsed her mouth, and left to check on the baby while Jethro turned the water off. She shook her head gently as she entered the nursery. He had probably planned the whole shower incident. Her thoughts vanished and a smile overtook her face as she heard noise from the crib.
"Someone's awake," she whispered, touching Lindsay's cheek. Lindsay stared up at her, recognizing her voice. Quickly, Jen recognized the face and movements that meant there would be crying if her daughter wasn't in her arms. She lifted her up gently, letting Lindsay's head rest against her chest. "At least, you can't sing yet," she whispered, kissing the infant's head. She sat down in the glider with her and decided to enjoy the one on one time since Lindsay was awake and in a better mood than earlier. She would be back at NCIS headquarters in two days and wanted to take in every moment with her daughter.
