Chapter 8: Flashing back to Paris

Jenny Shepard was stressed, McGee had shot an unarmed police officer and she was getting it in the neck from everyone involved, Metro wanted a meeting and SecNav wanted a quick resolve. On top of all of that Jenny couldn't get Paris 1999 out of her head, and not a good memory. Gibbs walked into Jenny's office, the door wide open, carrying his signature Starbucks cup.

"Shut the door Jethro" Jenny said not looking up from her computer. Gibbs turned on his heels and closed the door behind him, giving all his might not to have some snarky response or rolling of the eyes. They had been getting along rather well recently, for the most part. There was casual chit chat at drop off and pick-ups and they even went to the zoo last weekend, the three of them, something they used to do when Rory was younger.

"I'm flashing back to Paris. In 99." Jenny said taking her glasses off and Gibbs smirked, remember the days they would go to the markets shopping and walking down the Champs-Élysées, the family of three all holding hands. "Not what you're thinking." Jenny retorted assuming his mind had ventured somewhere X-rated.

"No? Then what?" Gibbs asked curious as to where she was going with that, but he had a feeling. He had been thinking about Jenny's mistake in Paris of 99

"I remember you covering for another agent." Jenny paused for a moment softening her tone. "Who messed up." It was a mistake that still haunted Jenny to this day. She had been out, in the dead of night for what was supposed to be a meeting, but her informant hadn't shown. Gibbs had been home looking after Rory while she went out alone. A man had walked up to her and Jenny thought he had pulled a gun on her, it wasn't a gun, but before she knew that she had shot him. She had run home to him in a state, once he had gotten what had happened out of her, he left her with Rory while he went out and fixed her mistake.

"What agent was that?" He taunted her

" You know damn well what agent!" She raised her voice at him.

" Oh, you mean the time you shot that guy?" Jenny interrupted him before he could finish

" Did McGee blow it?"

" McGee's a probie. Probie's make mistakes. Having said that, no, I don't think he did." Gibbs said standing up for McGee, his gut was telling him something wasn't adding up, but it wasn't on McGee's end.

" Where's the gun? The slug that was fired?" Jenny probed.

" I don't know. But I will find out." Gibbs interrupted

"The CNO's aide called me at 7am this morning. Admiral Chapman wants to know what's going on. He asked me" Jenny said standing up and realised Gibbs mind was elsewhere. "what are you thinking about?" She asked, her eyes meeting his.

" Paris." He retorted smugly and Jenny took a deep breath.

"Get your mind out of the bedroom Jethro." Jenny said sitting down. "Let's get some answers." She said looking back at her computer.

"Jen," he said, and she looked up and him, glasses perched back on her nose, "the difference between you and McGee, you were the mother of my child, no way I was not covering for you back then." He said and she smiled at him for a moment.

"And now?" She asked curious.

He shrugged his shoulders and opened the door, "you're still Rory's mom, you will always be my partner, I will always have your six." With that he closed the door behind him, and Jenny let a small smile grace her lips. She needed to hear that.

Rory was nervous, it was her first day of Glee club afterschool. She knew that she would most likely be stuck in the back just signing chorus and she was totally okay with that. She knew of a couple of people who were in the club but wasn't exactly friends with any of them.

Rory entered the music room and people were sat in little huddled groups chatting away and Rory didn't know where to go, she rushed in and sat at an available seat near where a couple of girls were chatting.

"Hi, I'm Amy and this is Rachel." One of the girls said.

"Rory." Before she had a chance to say anything else Mrs Bowman walked into the room.

"Right everyone, we have 3 months until the show choir finals, so we need to get started asap." She looked around the room and smiled. "So, after Laurens dramatic exit," Rory looked around the room and saw everyone was rolling their eyes, Rory had yet to hear all about this dramatic exit. "I have brought in a new transfer to our school Rory Shepard-Gibbs." Everyone looked around and said hello, but what caught Rory's eye was the brown haired blue eyed boy that was sat at the other side of the room wearing a Football letterman. "Let's get to work people!" Mrs Bowman yelled and Rory snapped out of her trance, she was in trouble.

The 2 hours that was glee rehearsals went by so quickly, they even had an assignment for next Monday that Rory was super excited to get a jump on. She had chatted away to some of the girls at different points throughout the practise but didn't feel comfortable hanging around to chat at the end, so she packed up her bag and began to head towards the door.

"Hey, wait up," blue eyes called chasing after her. Rory stopped in the middle of the hall and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears. "I'm Jay," he said smiling at her, "well Jason but only my mom calls me Jason." He said laughing "I'm a sophomore."

"Rory, well technically Aurora but I swear my mom was high on labour drugs when she signed the birth certificate." Rory said rolling her eyes and Jay laughed, he had such a cute laugh. "I'm a freshman, just transferred."

"Wow freshman aren't normally allowed in, anyway uh," he said running his hand through his hair, "Mrs Bowman said that you and I will probably be doing the duet for finals in new York." Rory was stunned, surely not.

"She never said to me."

"Oh well maybe I shouldn't have jumped the gun," he said chuckling awkwardly, "um yeah well I thought we could exchange numbers in case there is ever anything we need to discuss you know about the songs."

Rory bit her lip and nodded her head, "sure give me your phone." Jay passed over his phone and Rory put her number in, "I put my number in so just text me." The next thing Hannah was walking towards her, obviously concerned she hadn't exited the building on time. "I gotta go, see you Jay." Rory said walking away trying very hard not to blush as Hannah gave her a knowing look.

"See ya Rory." He shouted after her.

Jenny was annoyed, it was nearly 10pm and she was just now packing up to leave the office. On the nights that she had Rory she made sure she was out of the office by no later than 7pm, but tonight was not a forgiving night. She was fighting off people left, right and centre and she could feel the walls closing in. Getting into the elevator was a comforting thought, she had spoken to Rory briefly on the phone who was very excited to tell her all about her day when she got home. Sometimes Jenny couldn't believe she had ever gotten so lucky.

Her semi good mood changed drastically when one Special Agent Gibbs got into the elevator with her, she was so pissed at him. He had countermanded her in front of Metro and if it weren't for him being such a damn good agent she would have suspended his ass

"You're still here?" He asked after moments of silence.

" No. I'm the Director's doppelganger!" She hissed at him childishly

" I never did know what that meant." He said shrugging and Jenny rolled her eyes. "So, a doppelganger is someone who's pissed?" He asked her, probing her, attempting to get a rise out of her.

" Yes, Agent Gibbs this one definitely is!" She snapped at him, she knew he was baiting her, and she fell for it hook, line and sinker.

"Why?"

"Why?" She retorted mockingly. "Because you countermanded me in front of Metro Police!"

"I didn't countermand you! You overruled me!" He snapped back at her.

"Oh semantics!" She retorted stepping out of the elevator

"Is that like doppelganger?" He asked trying to wind her up one final time.

"Get a dictionary!" She yelled walking to her car, she was excited to get home and snuggle up with her baby, she needed some Ben and Jerrys. "Make it quick Melvin if you can." The quick ride from the Navy Yard gave Jenny enough time to calm down until she saw a certain truck parked outside her house. She slammed her door and turned to Melvin who looked very concerned. "Don't worry Melvin any gun shots you hear will be me shooting Agent Gibbs." She said as she slammed her door shut and stormed into the living room to see her daughter sat on the couch with Jethro.

"Hey mom." Rory said from the couch noticing instantly the tension in the room. "need me to leave?" Rory asked.

"No!" Both her parents said at the same time. "You said I could come over Jen to speak with Rory, that we were being 'civil'" He argued.

"That was before you got me so mad I am so tempted to suspend your ass!" She yelled and Rory winced, this was bad. She knew her parents fought, hell when she was younger she heard them do it all the time, but this time was different.

"Well maybe if you would learn to say no Jen!" he yelled back at her, getting in her face.

"I did Jethro," Jenny said pausing, "or have you forgotten?" She said icily and Rory felt like she had the wind sucked right out of her, her mom had gone there. Rory had known all about the engagement, her dad had asked for her permission, she had seen the ring. Hell, the ring was in the jewellery box in Rory's bedroom because her dad had given it to her.

"Screw you Jen! Do you have to be such a self-righteous bitch?" He snarled.

"Well maybe if you weren't such a god damned bastard-"

"Enough!" Rory yelled with tears streaming down her face which snapped her parents out of their argument. "Dad just go home I will see you Wednesday night." He looked like he wanted to say something, to refuse to leave but the look on his daughter face told him that he had to go. Ho nodded and walked past Jenny to give his daughter a hug and to whisper I love you in her ear.

When she heard the door, close Jenny turned to her daughter to say something when Rory help her hand up to her mother. "You took it to far mom." Rory said, "you made it about Paris, you hurt him in the worst way." Rory walked away up the stairs, unwilling to talk to either her parents.

After 40 minutes on the phone to a very tired Ellie who had been woke up at 5am Rory had begun to calm down. "You know El, sometimes I wonder if life would be easier if they just slept with each other." Rory said chuckling, the sexual tension could be cut with a knife. Rory had hung up from Ellie and was about to go to sleep when she got a text, 'hey Rory its Jay, it was nice singing with you today.'

"MOM!" Rory screamed and Jenny ran into her daughters room wearing Jethro's old NIS shirt and a pair of sweats, eyes puffy from crying. "A boy has texted I need help replying."

Rory gave hr mom another look, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!" She screamed at her mother who had very little hair on her head.

"I cut it off, your dad loved it long, hated when I got a trim, this will show him." She said with tears running down her face. Rory went over and gave her mom a hug, she smelt like bourbon, great.

"We will phone Cindy in the morning mom, get this sorted okay." Jenny nodded and Rory held her tight.

"Let's see this message." Jenny said and Rory whipped out her phone to show her mom the text from the blue eyed boy.