The case that had fallen into the lap of the Major Crime Response Team had begun to take a toll on the agents who were working on. While the younger agents dealt with the current case and the victim, Jenny and Gibbs contended with the aspect of the case that connected back to the days of their under cover assignment in Europe. Vance didn't mind stepping aside for Jenny to step back into her role as Director for the case just as Tony didn't mind letting Gibbs be the Senior Agent in Charge. But as the case progressed, things got a bit dicey both at NCIS and outside of the agency. There were times where the younger agent were snapping at each other while the older agents took their shots at each other over the mistakes that had been made in the past during the under cover assignment. After a few days of discord amongst the team, Jack made the suggestion that they all take a momentary break from the case so that no one said anything that they'd regret later, especially the agents that were romantically involved.

So with that bit of advice, Gibbs went to work on his boat in the basement. McGee went home to decompress in the company of his wife and kids. Torres went to work out his frustrations at the gym on the Navy Yard. Bishop left to go on a run shortly after Torres had left to go to the gym. Tony went to a special showing Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

"Jen, would you like to go get something to eat?" Ziva asked her old friend.

"Sure, where did you want to go?"

"Anywhere is good with me."

"Okay."

As Jenny and Ziva left the squad room, Jack watched them depart from the cat walk in front of MTAC.

"Looks like you diffused that situation quickly, Jack." Vance said as he came up next to Jack.

"People are my specialty, Leon. Besides you know as well as I do that they would get nothing accomplished in the case if they kept snipping at each other like that."

With that Jack left Vance to return to her office. Vance waited a moment or two before he slipped into MTAC for a conference call with one of the agency's field offices overseas.

Minutes after they had left NCIS and the Navy Yard, Ziva and Jenny were walking into one of the local restaurants for lunch.

"Table for two?" the host asked.

"Yes please." Jenny answered.

"Jenny Shepard, is that you?"

"Oh hello, Henry; it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, Jen. Never thought I'd see you around here again…" Henry said.

Both Jenny and Ziva knew what Henry was alluding to, it was all anyone ever alluded to when they saw Jenny. But since she came back, Jenny had opted to saying that she had faked her death due to a past case of hers coming back into her life. It was the easiest thing to go with and no one in this town ever poked their noses in any further when Jenny said something had to do with her time undercover.

"So what brings you here today?"

"Agent David and I were just taking a lunch break before we have to get back to things at NCIS." Jenny answered.

Both Ziva and the host were patiently waiting to go over to the table but for some reason Jenny wasn't able to shake Henry off. And Ziva was getting a bit wary of Henry at this point.

"How's Jethro and the kids?"

"They're fine. I hate to cut this short, Henry; but it looks like they have our table ready and I am a bit famished."

With that Henry got the hint and said his goodbye as the ladies were led back to their table.

"Here are your menus, ladies; enjoy."

There was some silence as Jenny and Ziva looked over their menus.

"I saw that look of concern on your face, Ziva. Don't worry, Henry is harmless." Jenny said.

"I hope so, but as long as you are the acting Director during the case we have; I still have to be on guard. I'm not going to lose you again, Jen."

Jenny took comfort in the loyalty her friend exhibited.

"I have no plans on returning to the other side any time soon."

Before long their waiter came to take their drink orders and gave the ladies some time to decide what entrees they wanted. After their drinks came, Jenny and Ziva ordered their entrees as they nursed their drinks.

"You look like you have something on your mind, Ziva." Jenny said.

"I kind of do. This case has had me thinking a lot lately."

"About what?"

"Just about life in general. How fortunate I am to have what I have and who I get to spend everyday with." Ziva said.

Jenny knew where Ziva was coming from, especially due to the fact that on some level she was thinking pretty much the same thing as Ziva.

"If you hadn't brought me over to NCIS after Kate died, then I don't think I'd have all that I do now. Knowing my father and Mossad, I'd probably be somewhere on the other side of the world hunting down someone who had done Israel wrong. Thank you, Jenny for bringing me here and essentially leading me to the life I have; I will be eternally grateful."

"You are more than welcome, Ziva. Some times, especially with this case; the life that I have now just seems like one giant fairytale." Jenny said.

Soon after that, their entrees arrived and the conversation had transitioned over another NCIS pairing.

"It's so obvious that there is something going on between them. Tony suspects that there is something going on and he's wanted to call them on it, but thankfully I've deterred him from doing that."

"Ellie and Nick have to know that we all figure that they are together by now." Jenny said.

"I hope they do. I mean I did tell Nick multiple times during the whole thing with Sahar, that he should man up and tell Ellie how he feels."

"Yeah I saw that." Jenny comment with cheeky look in her eyes.

"I bet you did."

The ladies took a few bites of their lunches before the conversation continued.

"In hindsight, there's a bit of Jethro and I; influence wise in Nick and Ellie's relationship…"

"Jen, there's a bit of you and Gibbs influence wise in mine and Tony's relationship. The two of you have always been parents to us. As Tony would say, we are each mini versions of you and Gibbs."

Eventually lunch was over and the ladies returned to NCIS just as everyone else had. At one point during the rest of the day, Jenny and Gibbs had taken their all too familiar places on the cat walk in front of MTAC. As they looked down on the squad room; they observed the team working every possible angle in the case. Jenny thought back to her lunch with Ziva and smile came her.

"What's so funny, Jenny?" Gibbs asked.

"We did good by them, didn't we?"

"Yeah we did, the agency is in very capable hands."

"You know I see a bit of us in Tony and Ziva." Jenny said.

Gibbs laughed.

"Same for Ellie and Nick…"

With that, Jenny was completely surprised by what Gibbs said as he took her hand in his and gave it a kiss. In that moment, the agent side of Jenny suspected that there was something going on with Gibbs.


A/N: This chapter seems to be the result of a lot of caffeine running through my mind and real life just getting a little too real for me today. Bear with me over the next few days everyone in regards to posting new chapters in this story due to real life being the way it is at the moment for me. Thank you.