I really hope the story isn't becoming too confusing. As you can read, I am using the characters that appeared in the double episode 'Judgement Day' but I have changed the storyline rather significantly to accommodate my plot differences. With the exception of Jenny, those that died in that episode will still die but it will not follow canon. If you have the DVDs, it might be worth watching the last two episodes of Season 5 as a refresher. Over the last couple of days, I have watched and re watched them so many times, I think I could recite script! Lol!

The next few chapters will see very little family interaction as Gibbs and Jenny literally fight for their lives and the future safety of their children. Buckle up! We're in for one heck of a ride!

Warning - This chapter contains the 'f bomb'.

zhenshchina = Russian for woman

Chapter 37 - The Cracks Deepen

Standing immediately, Gibbs searched for Jenny. Finding her already walking towards him, he hurried her over.

"Hang on Leon," said Gibbs quietly. "Give us a minute to find somewhere private."

They made their way towards the car and climbed in. As Gibbs shut the door, he looked at Jenny.

"Decker's dead," he said simply.

Jenny brought her hand to her mouth and gasped.

"How? When?" she asked.

Putting the phone on speaker, Gibbs allowed Leon to answer those questions.

"They found his body floating in his backyard swimming pool yesterday afternoon. Local coroner put C.O.D. as acute myocardial infarction. However, when I got the news that evening, knowing what I now know, I asked that his body be flown to D.C. Ducky's just finished the autopsy. Decker did die of a heart attack but it was at the hands of someone else. Ducky found minute puncture wounds between his toes. Tox screens were clear so whatever they used was absorbed quickly by the body but I'm betting they injected him with something that caused a massive heart attack. And, judging by the number of puncture wounds, it looks like they may have tortured him first."

There followed a short silence as Gibbs and Jenny tried to take in what they had just heard. Then Jenny spoke.

"Have they found any evidence at the crime scene? Anything to link this to Svetlana?" she asked.

"That's just it," began Leon. "There is no crime scene. Local LEOs have reported it as a non-suspicious death."

"Then, we need to get someone there," snapped Jenny.

"I know that Director," replied Leon. "I've already spoken with Decker's girlfriend, Sasha Gordon. She has agreed to speak with us. Said there's something we should know but she wasn't willing to talk over the phone. I've told her to leave the house exactly as it is, lock it up and go and stay in a motel, which she's agreed to do. I've organised one of the teams in the LA office to investigate the scene and report back to me."

"Good," replied Gibbs. "Hopefully they can find something."

"I'm catching the 5.00am fight to LA. It leaves in ninety minutes," continued Vance. "I'll meet up with Sasha and find out what she knows then I'll get back to you. Leave the phone by your bed. It could be late when I call."

"Yeah, sure," murmured Gibbs. His mind was still spinning with what he'd just been told.

"Oh before you go," said Vance, suddenly remembering something. "I had a strange phone call a couple of hours ago. I would normally put it down to a wrong number but with everything that's going on lately I'm not willing to leave anything to chance. The caller didn't say anything other than he wanted to speak with a Mr Oshimida."

Gibbs and Jenny paled.

"Say again?" croaked Gibbs, shock evident in his voice.

"Mr Oshimida," repeated Vance. "Like I said, I would normally have dismissed it as a wrong number, and it may still be, but does it mean anything to you?"

"Yeah," said Gibbs, clearing his throat slightly. "It was our duress word. The word we were to use if we were ever compromised."

"Decker must have used it when he was being tortured, as a way to somehow warn us," added Jenny. "He'd know it would tell us something was wrong."

"Right," said Leon, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. "I'll have the call traced. See if we can get a name. I'll call you back when I know something."

Hanging up, Jenny and Gibbs stared at each other. This was not good news.

****NCIS****

"Come on Sweetums, sit down and relax," simpered Tony DiNozzo Senior.

He was reclining on the black, leather couch in Natasha Lenkov's hotel room, watching as she paced the length of the floor, obviously agitated by something.

Before she could answer him, there came the tell-tale sound of a key-card unlocking the main door and a large man entered the room. Natasha spun around and stalked towards him. Swinging back her arm, she slapped him hard across the face.

"Viggo, you fool!" she snapped angrily, her Russian accent more pronounced due to her ire. "I have been waiting for hours. Why did you not call me?"

She went to slap him again, but her arm was caught in a vice like grip.

"Do not slap me again, my Dove, or I shall be forced to retaliate." Although his voice was calm, even DiNozzo saw the warning glint of anger in his eyes.

"Well, what do you expect," spat Natasha, pulling her arm out of his grip and stepping away from him. "I was expecting to hear from you three hours ago."

Viggo crossed the room and poured himself a shot of vodka from the botte sitting on the table.

"You need to trust more," he said, draining the glass before pouring a second.

"Well?" she asked. "Is it done? Did you extract what we needed?"

It was at this point that DiNozzo straightened his pose. He, too, was anxious to know if the hit had been successful. It would hopefully mean they were one step closer to catching Gibbs.

"He did not know," replied Viggo, waving his glass dismissively.

"What do you mean?" asked Natasha curtly.

"What I said, zhenshchina," snapped Viggo. "There was no point taking that route. From earlier observations and anonymous phone calls, it was obvious he didn't even know Gibbs and Shepherd had disappeared."

Viggo swallowed his second drink and left the glass on the table, taking a step towards Natasha.

"So, I took a different tact," he murmured softly.

Natasha raised an eye brow and waited for him to continue.

"I made out I didn't know who killed Anatoly. Tortured him for information. I knew he would never tell, but I hoped he would give away something, a code word perhaps, that would alert Gibbs and Shepherd and possibly even bring them out of hiding."

"And?" asked Natasha eagerly.

"He did," replied Viggo smugly.

Strolling to the vacant arm chair, he took a seat. His pose was relaxed, arrogant even; legs crossed and arms behind his head, Viggo looked at Natasha and smirked.

"Oshimida," he said simply.

"What?" she asked.

"Oshimida," he repeated. "It was obviously a code word seeing as there is no record of anyone named Oshimida in the files.

"So what good does that do us?" snapped Natasha.

"Patience my Dove," he said, condescendingly. "This path is somewhat slower than we had hoped, but I have laid a trap. I rang the Acting Director of NCIS and asked for Mr Oshimida. He, of course, had no idea of whom I spoke but, with Decker's death still raw in his mind, I would bet it won't be long before he checks with Gibbs as to who Mr Oshimida is. And, when that happens, well, we shall see if it brings our little runaways out from hiding."

As Natasha slowly comprehended just what Viggo was saying, a wry smile appeared on her face.

"Very devious my Darling," she said seductively, prowling towards him with a smoldering look in her eyes. "Quite a risk you took. And, you should have told me first.

Her hand reached out and tapped his cheek.

"But, if it brings them out of hiding, I shall forgive you," she acquiesced.

She picked up the bottle of Vodka and held it out to DiNozzo.

"Drink Tony?" she asked. "We may soon have something to celebrate."

DiNozzo smiled and accepted graciously. Watching as Natasha poured three shots of the clear liquid, he wondered whether he should ring Eli and inform him of this new turn of events. Perhaps Belzer had already done so. After all, she had disguised herself and become part of the hit team. Taking the glass from Natasha and nodding his thanks, he decided he would ring anyway. If Eli could see he was keen to keep the Israeli informed there may just be a small reward waiting for him, a little token of thanks perhaps?

Tossing back the Vodka, DiNozzo joined the other two in slamming his glass on the table.

****NCIS****

"God, poor Decker," said Jenny sighing, as she and Gibbs sat dumbfounded in the car.

Gibbs said nothing but continued to stare out the window. Decker was dead, and they were next. Just how long would it take until somebody figured out where they were? Thinking how thankful he was for the distance between them Svetlana, he didn't at first comprehend what Jenny was now saying.

"What?" he said turning to her, sure he must have misheard.

"I said, I need to finish this," she repeated.

"Exactly how do you propose to do that?" asked Gibbs. He didn't like where this was going and intended to nip it right now.

Jenny sighed.

"Jethro, hear me out," she began.

He raised an eyebrow and stared at her, daring her to continue.

"This is my fault Jethro," she said calmly. "The whole reason Decker is dead? That's my doing. All because I didn't finish something we began 8 years ago. Well, I intend to finish it now. I won't let anyone else suffer for my mistake."

"Well that's all very noble of you Jen," replied Gibbs sarcastically. "But how exactly to you propose to 'finish' it?"

She bowed her head and picked at some invisible lint on her jeans. She knew Gibbs wasn't going to like what she was about to say.

"I need to return to the States. I need to face Svetlana once and for all." She spoke confidently but only dared look at him once she had finished.

Gibbs stared at her incredulously.

"Are you fucking mad!" he yelled. "There is no way in hell that I am letting you anywhere near the States!"

"You can't stop me Jethro," challenged Jenny. "This is something I need to do. And if we weren't together, you'd agree with me.

"Like hell I would," snapped Gibbs angrily. "What you're proposing is a suicide mission!"

"Oh gee thanks Jethro," sneered Jenny. "What! You saying I can't possibly succeed. Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Frustrated to the core, Gibbs ran his hands over his face and silently counted to ten. He'd only reached five when they both heard a small tap at his window. Turning abruptly, he saw the tearful face of Ziva looking at them both.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Gibbs opened the door.

"What's wrong?" asked Ziva fearfully. "Why are you yelling at each other?"

She stood at the open door, fists clenched by her side and a look of terror on her face. It served to immediately calm both adults.

"It's OK, Sweet Pea," said Gibbs trying to force his voice to sound calm. "We just got some bad news, that's all."

"What?" asked Ziva stiffly.

"A man that Mommy and I used to work with, died today," he explained. "It's a bit of a shock."

She paused for a second, mulling over what Gibbs had said.

"But why were you yelling at each other?" she asked again.

Gibbs thought quickly.

"Because Mommy wants to go to the funeral and I don't think that's a good idea," he improvised.

"Is the funeral back home?"

"Yes," replied Gibbs.

"Then I agree with you Daddy. Mommy can't go, it's too dangerous!" Ziva's voice, although adamant in its tone, was shaking slightly.

"Honey," Jenny spoke for the first time. "Daddy and I need to discuss this further. Can you go back to the van please?"

"NO!" shouted Ziva. "There's nothing you need to discuss. You can't go Mommy and that's it!"

"Ziva, there's more to this. Things you don't know about, things that Mommy has to do." Then, thinking quickly, Jenny added, "Things that are part of my job as the Director."

"NO!" shouted Ziva again. "That man is the Director now. He can do what needs doing. You have to stay here!"

Her shouting had brought Abby and Tony out from the annex. While Tony stood, watching apprehensively from the doorway, Abby walked to the car and peered in.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Abbs, Jen and I need to talk privately," said Gibbs calmly. "We're going for a drive. Can you take Ziva back into the van and organize dinner? There's left over spaghetti from last night. We won't be long."

"Yeah sure," said Abby, fear rising in her voice. "What's happened?"

"Not now Abbs," replied Gibbs. "I'll talk to you when we get back. We shouldn't be long."

Hearing what Gibbs was saying, Ziva gripped the handle of the back passenger door and opened it. Climbing inside, she sat facing them.

"I'm not going to let you go!" she yelled. "If you want to talk, then you talk to me!"

Climbing out of the car, Gibbs reached into the back and dragged Ziva out again. She began kicking and screaming and Gibbs feared someone would think he was trying to hurt her.

"Ziva!" he growled. "Settle down! Mommy and I promise to talk to all of you when we get back. But right now, we need some time to sort out what's happening. And I need to you be very grown up and wait patiently with Abby and Tim until we get back."

"I don't want to be grown up!" sobbed Ziva. "I don't want to wait for you!"

Although it nearly broke his heart, Gibbs handed his squirming, crying daughter to Abby. He hated seeing her so upset but, until he and Jenny had sorted things out, he didn't have a lot of choice.

Glancing over towards the annex, he saw the frightened face of Tony and beckoned him over. Tony didn't need much persuasion before he ran, stumbling into Gibbs' outstretched arms.

"It's OK Tony," soothed Gibbs, hugging the boy tightly. "Everything's going to be alright. As I said to Ziva, when we get back, we will all sit down and talk about what's happened."

He felt Tony nod into his chest. Putting his finger under the boy's chin, he tilted Tony's head until they were making eye contact.

"I need you to look after Ziva for me, OK?" he said solemnly.

Tony nodded again.

"Good man," said Gibbs, patting Tony on the back.

Abby put Ziva down and Tony took hold of his little sister's hand.

"Come on Zi," he said gently, pulling her towards the camper.

Despite her continued sobbing, Ziva allowed herself to be led to the van.

Gibbs sat back in the driver's seat and switched on the ignition. Closing the door, he pushed the button to lower the window.

"Don't let her out of your sight," he warned, staring at Abby. "She's likely to try and run away."

"I won't," said Abby quietly. "Don't be long."

Her voice was small and pleading. She too was afraid of what was happening.

Touching her cheek, Gibbs smiled.

"We won't," he said before raising the window and putting the car into drive.

Watching them disappear down the dirt road, Abby sighed and made her way back into the annex.

The drive was in silence. Both adults were fuming but for very different reasons. Gibbs made short work of finding a secluded spot along the beach front. Parking the car, he switched off the ignition. He was surprised when Jenny suddenly leaped out of the car and stormed off towards the sand dune.

"Hey!" he shouted, climbing out the car and running after her. "Where the hell are you going?"

She completely ignored him, far too angry to speak. Climbing the dune, she soon reached the top then made short work of skidding down the other side and onto the damp sand of the shore.

"Jenny!" yelled Gibbs. He too climbed the dune and, before long, was right behind her. He reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Don't!" she yelled spinning around and confronting him. "Don't you dare!"

He stepped back, slightly alarmed by her anger.

"Don't you EVER use my child to guilt me into something!" she shouted. "That was totally uncalled for Jethro!"

"What the hell was I supposed to say?" he yelled back. "Mommy wants to go home so she can kill someone who will probably kill her first!"

Jenny stood, so furious she couldn't think straight. No words came to mind, so she lashed out physically instead. Raising her hand, she slapped Gibbs across the face.

Shocked by her actions, Gibbs grabbed her hand and held her steady.

"I wasn't using Ziva as a means of getting you to stay," he said menacingly. "I didn't know what to tell her and that was the first thing I thought of."

His grip on her arm and the quiet dangerous way in which he spoke, managed to compose Jenny enough that she was able to pull away from his grasp and continue pounding along the beach.

Following her silently, Gibbs used the exercise as a means of gaining back control. He hadn't liked where they were just minutes ago. It was a zone neither of them had entered before and he was going to make damn sure they didn't venture that far again. If it meant walking the coastline for miles, he was prepared to do it. They both needed to calm down and this was the perfect way.

After ten minutes of brisk walking, Jenny's pace finally began to slow. Noticing the change in her demeanor, Gibbs took the opportunity to bridge the distance and walk beside her.

"Can we sit down and talk?" he asked gently.

She didn't answer immediately but, after a few more steps, she eventually stopped and turned to face him.

"I'm sorry I slapped you," she said quietly. "That was uncalled for."

"Yeah, it was," agreed Gibbs.

"If you did that to me…." her voice trailed off.

"Jen," interrupted Gibbs, cupping her face with his hands. "I would never lay a hand on you in anger. That I promise you."

She nodded.

"I know," she admitted. "I'm sorry. I lost control. It won't happen again."

"I know," said Gibbs gently. He released her face. "Sit down Jen, we need to talk."

She looked around for a piece of dry sand. Seeing some higher up towards the sand dunes, she took a few steps and sunk into the softness. Gibbs followed suit.

Taking a deep breath, Jenny said, "This still doesn't change things Jethro. I need to go back."

Feeling his anger rise again, Gibbs swallowed it down and asked, "Why?"

"I told you already," she said. "I need to finish what I started eight years ago."

"Stop!" said Gibbs suddenly, holding out his hand. "Just think about what you're actually saying." He was trying desperately to remain calm.

"OK, so let's say you do go back to the States. What's your plan? She's not working alone Jen, she has a team of hit men. And for all we know, Eli David might be part of that team. You wouldn't stand a chance." He stared at her, willing her to see reason.

"I'd go and see Leon, organize a team," she offered feebly. Even to her, the words sounded implausible.

"Just like that, hey?" replied Gibbs sarcastically.

Realizing sarcasm was only going to infuriate her further, he chose his next words more carefully.

"I'm sure Leon will already have organised a team," he said.

"But he doesn't know Svetlana like I do," argued Jenny. "He said Sasha had something to tell him. What if Decker knew something we didn't? Maybe he feared something like this could happen. Not from Svetlana but possibly someone associated with Anatoly. What if he's left some sort of clue that only we would understand? Leaving this to Vance or a different team might mean we miss something."

"We?" asked Gibbs.

Jenny looked away.

"I," she amended.

"Actually," said Gibbs, suddenly hitting on an idea. "I think you may have got it right the first time."

She looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Gibbs was silent for a few seconds. Thoughts and ideas were racing through his mind. Could it work?

"I think I know a way we could finish this once and for all," he said slowly.

Still staring at him, Jenny waited for Gibbs to continue.

"Maybe you're right," he finally said.

She raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You agree then? I should go back to the States?" she asked.

"No," replied Gibbs. "I think 'we' should go back to the States.

"Gibbs!" She rolled her eyes in frustration.

"No, hear me out," he said, interrupting her. "What you said about Decker leaving a clue for us is probably spot on. And, you're right. No one else but us will recognize the clue for what it is."

"But we can't both go," said Jenny. "What about the kids?"

"They'll be fine," said Gibbs confidently. "I have a plan."

Over the next tenminutes, Gibbs shared his ideas with Jenny. Between the two of them, they devised a plan that would hopefully see this whole mess sorted.

"But we still can't do this on our own," pointed out Jenny, when Gibbs has finished explaining his idea.

"Oh, this from the woman who was ready to face the enemy alone not twenty minutes ago," scoffed Gibbs. He smiled as she blushed slightly.

"Don't worry Jen," he said, running his fingers through her hair. "I know just the man to help us. It might take a little bribery, but I'm sure a year's supply of cigarettes should do the trick."

He grinned at her. They were taking a huge risk, he knew that. But Jenny had been right about one thing. This needed to be finished. They couldn't hide out in Australia for ever. And, until Svetlana, Eli David and DiNozzo Senior were lying on slabs in autopsy, they'd never be free.

No, this needed to end. All he hoped for now, he thought naively, was that it would be a happy ending.