A/N: This is a bit of a Jenny smack-down, just a plot-bunny suggested lo-o-ong ago by my reviewer friend Velveteen Habit but lost and forgotten during my big move. If you're a Jenny Shepard fan, you should probably skip this chapter, although it's sort of meant to be fun. Thanks to Bunny for the beta!
Almost as soon as Special Agent Jenny Shepard's plane hit the tarmac in D.C., word spread like wildfire throughout the walls of NCIS—she had just ended a long mission, and was already on a new one; that of bringing one Leroy Jethro Gibbs back into her sphere, one she had cast him out of in favor of a lucrative promotion to Lead Agent on a very hush-hush op. She had succeeded in ferreting out the notorious arms dealer nicknamed The Frog, and was basking in the glow of the accolades and maybe, just maybe, another promotion to that of Deputy Director of NCIS.
There was only one thing missing from her agenda now, and she aimed to rectify that and fill in that blank. She had missed out on a lot of personal intelligence as to what was going on back at 'home' while she was deep undercover, but she knew Gibbs was still lead agent of the premiere MCRT, and that was all she needed to know. She would visit the headquarters the next day and seek him out, and if he wasn't up to his neck in a hot case, she'd talk him into going out for coffee, or maybe even lunch.
After all, it had been a few years since she had left him in the lurch with a vague explanation that although she was wild about him, she couldn't turn down a promotion that could ultimately advance her to where she wanted, needed,to be: in the Director's chair of NCIS.
She would be Gibbs's boss. She could make him do anything she wanted within legal bounds. Life wouldn't get any better than that, the directorship of a federal agency, and her jilted lover in her grasp. He could be worn down, she was sure of it, and made to see reason - after all, he hadn't been content to stay Mike Frank's probie for the rest of his career, why would she have had to be content being Gibbs's second? Just because she was a woman she shouldn't dare want something better?
By the nighttime of the day she had arrived in D.C., most of the NCIS employees had come together through water cooler or email to formulate their plan of attack. Though Gibbs had managed to cross quite a few of them over the years with his second-B attitude, most of them still really liked and respected the guy and adored his child, and weren't about to let someone who had dumped him with a Dear John letter think she was going to waltz in and try snagging him back, even if she was one of them.
Gibbs had no clue this was all happening; he and his team were off rotation for a few days, and he was using every minute of it to enjoy his son and work on some long-overdue home projects. If he had known what they were planning, he may have not done anything about it anyways. He had allowed Jenny into his world, into his heart. After the loss of his girls, he had trusted her not to hurt him, and in the end, she had tossed him under the proverbial bus for the sake of her career. He didn't begrudge her the promotion, he never expected her to be his SFA until one of them retired; it was the way she had gone about it, not letting him or anyone else know she had taken it, and then just not shown up for work one morning, letting him find out from Morrow where she was.
That night he had gotten so drunk on bourbon he had nearly hacked off his left thumb with the hatchet he'd used to destroy the boat he was building, nearly done and christened with the name 'Jenny True'. Jenny hadn't been so true. She could barely have hurt him more if she had run off with another man. He never mentioned her name again, and ordered what was left of his team not to do so, either. That was fine with them; her name was like ashes in their mouths after what she had done to their boss.
Plan in place, with Gibbs totally oblivious that Jenny Shepard was even in town, the folks at NCIS greeted her with the requisite semi-coolness she had expected from them. Well, it wouldn't matter in the long run, she'd be the boss of all of them eventually, and they could be diffident to her at their own risk. Her first order of business was to speak to Director Tom Morrow and get some intel on the lay of the land: who was working what team, who had retired or been fired, married or divorced. They would need to get to know each other anyways, if she was going to be his second in command.
He welcomed her graciously into his office, offering her congratulations and hot premium coffee, and then proceeded to fill her in on the goings on of the D.C branch of 'the company'. Jethro Gibbs was still team lead of the best MCRT, and yes, no, he wasn't married - again. She settled back in her chair, finally relaxed now that she had what she had come for. Morrow's eyes twinkled at her obvious relief and renewed mission. He had heard the scuttlebutt and had no intention of letting Ms. Shepard have another go at his best agent, regardless of her triumphant undercover stint. He was protective of all of his agents, but Gibbs in particular, knowing what the man had been through in the past. Not to mention he was fiercely protective of the man's young son, having grown rather attached to the boy in spite of his determination to be impartial to any employee's children.
He hadn't been the director when Agent Shepard had pulled her disappearing act. If he had been, he would have never let her promotion and new assignment be kept a secret from Gibbs, and was always amazed at the former director's duplicity in the matter. He wondered what Shepard had on him to make him go behind his top agent's back. Didn't matter now, the damage was done, but he would be damned if he let any more occur at her hands. He wished her well on her next post, never alluding one way or the other whether he thought it would be at the D.C. headquarters, and let her know that Gibbs was off rotation for a few days, but he'd let the man know she was back in town. He never mentioned Gibbs's latest housemate.
When Jenny left Morrow's office, she made the rounds to the bullpens, meeting new agents and re-connecting with veteran agents she had worked through her years as Gibbs's probie. Agent Balboa made sure he was around when she arrived, anxious to help her any way that he could. He wasn't surprised when the first thing she asked about was her former boss.
"Oh, yeah, he's off-duty for a couple days, but he'll be wanting to know you're back in town! He's always talking about the love of his life, green eyes, long lashes - must be you by the looks of it."
Her eyes widened a bit in surprise. She wasn't aware that she had ever been the love of Gibb's life, not compared to his first wife, Shannon, anyways. Well, this was hopeful. Very hopeful. She had already heard other agents talking in lowered voices about the green-eyed, long-lashed looker who had stolen Gibbs's heart some years ago. If this was truly the case, it was going to be easier than she first thought to win Jethro back. And who knew what they could accomplish with him as the premier team lead and her as the future Director of her beloved agency.
Heading down to Ducky's lab, she planned out her wardrobe for her surprise visit to Gibbs's place. If he was off rotation, he was working on a boat, she had little doubt of that. She knew how he holed up in his basement on days off, a good stash of lumber and liquor at his disposal. Let's see, she had that short, ever-fashionable little black dress that showed off her ample cleavage and long legs, and the shoes a friend of hers referred to as "ef-me heels" that made her legs look even longer. A visit to the salon for a manicure and pedicure, and that would be that.
She stepped out of the elevator to almost run face to face into Abby Sciuto, the one person she had hoped not to encounter in this visit 'home' to the D.C. branch. She knew the maelstrom she had caused among Gibbs's original team, and was more than glad they were working elsewhere now, but Abby was a mainstay for NCIS as long as Gibbs was there, and she knew the type of anger and grudge the young Goth could hold towards someone who had done her Silver Fox wrong in any way.
But the forensic scientist merely gave her a quick smile that actually seemed sincere, and headed into the waiting elevator. Huh. Maybe enough time had gone by that the girl had mellowed some. It didn't matter, Abby was nothing but a grunt even if she was brilliant at her job. Once she was Gibbs's main girl again, and Deputy Director, she could make Abby disappear. To Los Angeles or quite possibly a Mid Eastern NCIS post.
Floating into Autopsy, she side-stepped a newly 'excavated' body to find the M.E. and speak with him. He would be the last word in what was going on with Gibbs, the man was Gibbs's only confidant, and extremely good at keeping secrets, but he could be persuaded on occasion to give up a few valuable bits of intel.
"Ahh, Ms. Shepard, how interesting to see you down here! I heard of your most recent success in bringing down that terrible La Grenouille. That was inspired work, truly. And what brings you to my office this fine morning?"
"Well, thank you, Dr. Mallard. It was a long time coming, but it was a team effort, I assure you. And I came to ask you a rather personal question, I'm afraid, but I really don't know who else to ask. It's about Jethro."
"Ohh. I see! Well, he's off rotation for several days, they've been working a very difficult case that just got resolved and-"
"Yes, I know, I…I was thinking of asking him out - er, to go for out for a cup of coffee with me, catch up on things."
"Oh. Well, my dear, I…I can't speak for Jethro, but-"
"Ducky, Balboa told me Jethro talked all the time about the love of his life, with green eyes and long lashes. I always thought Shannon was the love of his life, I mean - you know he and I had something good, but…I wanted more than he was willing to give and when I knew it wasn't going to happen for me, I moved on when I had the chance. I know I hurt him deeply, so-"
"Did you want to have children, my dear?"
"What?" His question threw her totally off-guard. What in the world did that have to do with anything? "Did I - uh, no, not really, I didn't have time for them."
"Ah, I see. Quite possibly the source for Jethro's reticence when it came to making a lifetime commitment to you."
"Yes, he talked about wanting more, but he never said it was a deal-breaker."
"Hmmm. Well then, perhaps it wasn't, then. Do you want them now?"
"Ducky, why are you asking me that? Jethro's forty-something years old, he can't possibly be interested in raising a child anymore. Besides, his career is everything now, he's too embedded in this place."
"Yes-s-s, perhaps you're right. Well, I suppose there would only be one way to find the answer to that, and that would be to ask him straight out, perhaps over that cup of coffee you were just talking about."
He gave her an engaging smile, his eyes twinkling with some unknown delight. She let it go, knowing he was given to all sorts of eccentricities.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I do need to finish up the exam on this poor Chief Petty Officer for Agent Gray."
"Oh, yes, of course, Doctor," she demurred politely, heading for the door.
"You will let me know what comes of it, won't you? I do so enjoy hearing Jethro speak of the light of his life. Those green eyes have done him a world of good!"
She blushed in spite of herself, a thrill running through her at the thought of being back in control, back in Leroy Jethro Gibbs's sphere of influence. Or was it the other way around? No matter, she realized. You actually could have a do-over for some things!
She headed for the salon, and then for home to slip on that dress and those heels. It was only 1400, plenty of time to spare before showing up at Gibbs's door and surprising him with an offer for dinner at the Adam's House. She'd have to wait for him to shower and dress, knowing he'd be grungy from working in the basement, but she'd sip his cheap bourbon while he transformed into something presentable for the posh hotel restaurant.
Meanwhile, Gibbs was indeed at home in his basement. Tony had suggested earlier that week that they should make toys for the fundraising auction at the little church down the street that they sometimes attended. Gibbs had made some wonderful ones for him that had delighted him hours on end, and although he was aware there were toys vastly more complex and high-end than his own, it never occurred to him that his dad's might be considered inferior. Gibbs had taken one of Tony's own toys to show them and they were thrilled with the thought of having them for the fundraiser. So he and Tony had gathered up lumber and supplies the past week, planning out just what they were going to create for the little church auction and waiting for a block of time to work on them.
Tony was in charge of sanding them, rounding off the rough edges after Gibbs cut out the designs with his saw. Some of them required a jig saw, but that was as technical as he let himself get with them, wanting to keep them as true to hand-hewn as possible. When they were all sanded and laid out, Gibbs applied the stains and finishes after Tony went to bed, and, dry by morning, they would work on assembling them together. Sometimes when Gibbs watched his boy diligently sanding the wood with his skilled little hands, tongue stuck out at the side of his mouth, he thought about how Tony had managed over the past two and half years to sand off an awful lot of rough edges off his dad, too.
This afternoon, they had done the last of the detail work on the toys, dabbing bits of color and adding any wheels, rope, or string to them. They were standing admiring their wonderful collection when they heard the doorbell ring. Gibbs grabbed Tony up in his arms and they made their way to the front door, both still grimy with paint and sawdust. Neither cared. Whoever it was was either family, as in a team member or Ducky, or a stranger, usually a salesperson of some sort. He set Tony down behind him, just to be safe, until he knew who was waiting on the front step. After never locking his door for years, he had become ultra-conscious about who showed up at his house ever since he brought his baby boy home.
Today, however, he wished he had ignored the doorbell and let the team member let themselves in or let the stranger go disappointedly on their way.
He opened the heavy oak door to find Jenny Shepard waiting on the other side, dressed in a drop-dead gorgeous dress and heels, hair tucked in a soft, elegant ponytail. He had no idea she was even in town, and more importantly, why she had chosen to show up on his doorstep. What the hell was she thinking?
"Are you drunk, Jen?" he finally asked her when he could finally gather his scattered wits.
"Of course not, Jethro, why would you say such a thing?"
"'Cause honestly I don't know why you think I'd wanna see your face again after what you did to me."
His voice was calm and quiet, but there was a foreboding edge to it, and she took an unconscious step back from the door.
"Jethro, Balboa and Ducky told me you were talking about me, that you talked all the time about the love of your life with the green eyes and long lashes...I heard the others talking about me," she told him desperately.
"Bubba, c'mere." Gibbs turned around and picked up his son, who shyly put his head on his dad's shoulder and rubbed the back of Gibb's neck nervously. The agent turned back to his former probie, and all but shoved the boy in her face.
"They were yankin' yer chain, Jen. This is the love of my life, so take your little black dress somewhere where it's appreciated, yer not getting back into my life, ormy good graces, now or later."
What. The. Hell. Jenny stared at the little boy latched onto her ex-boss and lover. His eyes were a startling green, more emerald than her own mossy green ones, and long, feathery fawn-like lashes batting tiredly over them. The bastards at NCIS had been leading her on the entire time. No wonder they'd been so friendly to her. No wonder the little bitch Abby had smiled at her. They were all in on it, except for Gibbs. Her eyes flashing with rage, she felt the heat flooding her like wildfire over drought-ridden grass, and couldn't keep her jaws from clamping together in fury. She couldn't think of single thing to say that could be said in front of little kid anyways.
"Gotta go, Jen, but it's been fun talking to you," was all he said to her before closing the door in her face. Oh, that had felt so good.
"Who was that, Daddy?" Tony asked, trying to stifle a big yawn and failing miserably.
"Just somebody who used to work with me stopping to say 'hi '." Gibbs laughed and tousled his son's head of curls. "Come on, let's get some dinner and then we'll get ya a bath and some stories. It'll be bedtime by the time we're done with it all."
"Okay, Daddy. I am kinda tired. It has taken a long time to make all those toys."
"Yup, and you did a really good job helping me with them, they all look great, so no wonder you're tired. We'll take them over there tomorrow and see what else they're auctioning off. Linda said there's going to be a dinner before the auction, so we'll make an afternoon of it."
Tony yawned again and Gibbs chuckled to himself. The little boy had been determined to make as many toys as they could and contribute all his energy into helping with them.
"That'll be fun. Maybe Grandpa Ducky would like to join us, I think Miss Leslie and him would like each other."
"Yeah, they might, Bubba. We'll call him before we go to bed. Just don't be tryin' to play match-maker with them; if they're gonna like each other, they're gonna do it on their own."
"That lady at the door just now liked you. But I didn't like her. She was mad at you when she left, I could see it in her eyes."
"Yeah, well. She wanted something that she had no right asking for. I just told her I didn't want to be friends with her anymore. Someone told her I did. She won't bother me again."
"Should I ask Uncle Toby to arrest her?"
Gibbs burst out laughing, and set Tony down in his usual dining room chair.
"Sure, Bubba, we'll give him a call. You can talk to him while I'm making us some dinner."
He handed Tony his cell, and the boy flipped it open and punched the number for Tobias Fornell. As soon as soon as his son was old enough to understand, Gibbs had started teaching him how to use his phone. He wasn't going to give him one anytime soon, but he wanted Tony to know how to use it and who to call in case of an emergency. Abby had programmed all of their numbers into it on speed dial, and Tony had memorized the single numbers to match his family. That included Fornell.
The cell rang only once before a voice familiar to Tony came on the other end.
"Yeah, Gibbs, what's up?"
"Uncle Toby, how did you know that it was me?"
A throaty laugh came out of the speaker.
"Bubby, I saw your number on my phone. What's goin' on, is everything okay?"
"It's fine, Daddy's makin' dinner. He told me I could call you, a woman with red hair came to the door a few minutes ago an' got mad at Daddy, I asked Daddy if I could have you arrest her."
There was a pause on the end of the line. This information was a bit concerning to the FBI agent. Who was threatening his friend, the father of his bambino?
"Can I talk to yer Daddy, Bub, I need to ask him something first."
"Yeah, he's right here."
Tony handed the phone up to his dad.
"Gibbs. Don't wanna talk to my boy?"
"What the hell's goin' on, there, Jethro? Who's this woman comin' to yer door and-"
"Easy, Tobias, it was Jenny."
"Jenny as in 'Dear Jethro' Jenny?"
"Yeah." Gibbs slipped the cheese on the bread for toasted cheese sandwiches and tossed them on the griddle. "Seems the people at work got her convinced she was the green-eyed love of my life. She came here struttin' her stuff in her little black dress and fuh- ,er, stiletto heels. Met her at the door with a kid in my arms."
Gibbs smiled as the laughter erupted on the other end.
"Yeah, bet that set her back on her ass for a while. She turn as red as her hair?"
"Oh yeah. She was plenty pi…er, severely annoyed with me, and everyone else she'd talked to at work. I had no idea she was even in town."
"So is he gonna arrest her?" Tony asked, impatiently turning to his dad.
"You gonna arrest her, Tobias?"
"Tell the bambino I'm hauling her in for being so stupid and egotistical as to think you'd want her back in your life after what she did. Nah, just tell him I'll take care of her for ya, don't give him any details. He has a wild enough imagination as it is."
"Will do, Tobias. You wanna come to the church auction Saturday? Bubba and I made some nice toys for it, you should see them before they get snapped up. Dinner's at 3, auction's at 5. Ducky'll probably be there, too."
"Yeah, I'll be there if I don't get called in on a case. Tell the squirt I'll see him soon."
"Yup, got it. Gotta go, my sandwiches are burning."
Gibbs hung up with that, knowing Fornell was well-versed in his non-existent phone manners, and turned back to rescue the smoking cheese and bread.
"Uncle Toby says he'll take care of her for me and that he'll see you at the dinner and auction Saturday if he doesn't get called into work."
Gibbs waited for a response and got none. Odd from the little chatterbox that was his son. He flipped the sandwiches and turned towards the table, only to find Tony sound asleep, head resting on crossed arms.
"Ahhh, Bubby..." he sighed, disappointed that Tony had fallen asleep on an empty stomach. He'd wake up cranky and hungry later, and then Gibbs would have a difficult time finding something he could eat before bedtime. But he would do it anyways. He would do just about anything for the green-eyed, long-lashed love of his life.