Hello friends! Got something new for you all! This won´t be any longer than 2 or 3 chapters...it´s just a short story about how I imagined Jen´s comeback if she didn't´t died in that Diner. And since I saw a post, a friend of mine made, on instagram a few days ago with the exact same thought about Jen I couldn't´t help myself but bringing that idea to paper! Hope you all enjoy that short story!

20. May 2018

With a violently pounding heart the petite woman stood in the elevator. In her hand she held the crooks of the bag tightly clasped and stared at the elevator doors. She was terribly nervous and actually wanted to leave again, but she had to go through that because there was no turning back. Leon Vance knew about her visit, he even sounded quite relaxed during their phone call a week ago, but how would Gibbs react to her? That was actually what she was most afraid of.

The doors opened and it took her a moment before she got out. With slow steps she walked through the office, looked around and noticed that hardly anything hadn't changed. But the agents recognize her? After all, it's been ten years since she last stood here. A lot had changed about her, she had changed.

She looked around the office, there were only few Agents present and the seats of the MCRT were empty. There was a coffee cup on the Senior Field Agent's table. So he was in the building and at a possible crime scene, she thought, and walked up to the stairs that led her to the upper floor. Just as she was about to use the stairs, she heard the doors of the rear elevator open. A voice only too familiar to her reached her ears, Ducky!

20. May 2008

"Ducky...", she whispered hotter and closed her tired eyes.

Her throat was still scratchy from the intubation tube and the anesthesia was still working. She felt so dizzy and weak. Only a few seconds ago a nurse had come and given her a pain infusion, but it would take a while before it showed its effect. "

I need your help."

With compassion, Donald looked at the redheaded woman who lay miserably in the large hospital bed like a little pile. To see her like that hurt him, after all he had known her for some years, and she had a very special place in his heart. That was also a reason why he was not a friend of her plan and Jenny knew that, but there was no other possibility for her.

A smile appeared around her lips when she saw the elderly pathologist, but he did not seem to have noticed her. The man was engrossed in a conversation and hardly noticed his surroundings. She would go to him later, had to thank him for being there for her all these years, but now there were more important things to do and it was her hardest step.

With a sinking feeling in her stomach and a strong throbbing heart she took it up step by step. The closer she came to the doors to Leon Vance's anteroom, the more nervous she became. She never knew a heart could beat so fast. Was that even healthy?, she asked herself and stopped in the anteroom of the secretary. She was quite surprised, had actually expected Cynthia, but the young woman was not sitting in front of her. Instead, another lady, who smiled at her in a friendly manner, sat in her seat.

"I, uhm, I have an appointment.", she stammered and smiled back insecurely.

"Shepard?", she forged ahead and checked Vance's schedule.

Jen nodded in silence and kept looking at the office door. Her inner restlessness did not escape the secretary of course, but the woman was far too professional to let it be known that she saw how her counterpart was doing. She didn't know her, but she too had followed the news at the time, which said that the Director of NCIS was resigning from her post and was taking some time off for personal matters. That the redhead was actually declared dead, this news was never passed on to the public.

With the words, "You may enter.", Jen was ripped from her deep thoughts.

Nodding, she turned away from her counterpart and walked towards the office door. But before she opened the door, she took a deep breath and tried to collect her feelings. Her gut instinct told her that she would not be alone with Leon Vance and it should be confirmed in that second. Because when she opened the office door, the first thing she saw were those beautiful ice-blue eyes she had fallen in love with many years ago.

How long has she been standing here? Long enough to forget how to speak. The look from the grey-haired Chief Investigator had taken her breath away. Her heart cramped up, because she knew that look, and she hated that look. His eyes were filled with rage and pain but the great disappointment, which could not be ignored, crushed them. A thick lump had formed in her throat, and she could feel the tears rising into her eyes.

It was Leon Vance who broke the silence. "Do you need a moment alone?"

But there was no answer at all, the grey-haired one searched for the farthest. The door slammed shut with a loud bang and Jen barely flinched noticeably. She had already expected a reaction like this, but it still hurt incredibly.

"It...it's okay...", she muttered hotter as she caught Leon's compassionate look. "I was expecting a reaction like that."

"Well, it's been many years and to see someone you actually think is dead suddenly appear before your eyes can be confusing.", he said softly and indicated to her to sit down. "Just give him time, he'll need it."

Of course, she wouldn't have thought of anything else right now. The question that came up, which had been buzzing in her head since she entered this building, was whether he wanted to see her at all! She'd understand if he didn't want to see her again.

"Now, get down to business, Madame Secretary." Leon smiled warmly at her and sat down opposite her.

Like every year, the elderly pathologist sat behind his desk, trying desperately to concentrate on his autopsy report, but he fails every year. For ten years he carried this secret with him and with every year it became harder. Jethro had his right to know, but he had promised Jennifer he would keep her secret, come what may. It was a dilemma from which he did not get out as easily as initially thought.

Behind him the doors opened, and he did not need to turn around to know he was coming. Like every year, Jethro paid him a visit, and they had an animal-like conversation about the redheaded girl. There were so many things that needed to be clarified to deal with his grief and Jennifer herself asked him to keep an eye on him and talk to him. He was supposed to learn things she was too weak to tell him herself and in Ducky he had always seen a confidante with whom he could talk about everything.

"Anything you want to tell me?", asked Jethro and sounded quite irritable.

With a meaningful look, the gray-haired man looked at his longtime friend. He took a seat on the edge of his desk and stared into his eyes.

"May I ask what this is about?"

"She's here, Ducky."

Now even Ducky knew what was at stake. He could only talk about Jennifer, his eyes betrayed him. The rope around his throat was getting tighter and tighter, and he owed him an answer, he deserved it. He sighed deeply and got up from his chair. Silently he stepped a few steps away from him, stood with his back to him and thought about where to start. It was a long story, it would take a long time and Ducky didn't feel comfortable talking to him about it without having seen Jennifer.

"Ducky!"

Dr. Mallard finally turned to him and opened his mouth to say something when he could hear the elevator's bang and at the same second the doors opened. So there she was, standing between the two men, bringing that uncomfortable silence with her again.

Jethro looked at her in bewilderment. A rage had built up inside him, and she was the last person he wanted to see, and yet she stood here, in front of him. She never looked better, he thought, and could kick his ass for those thoughts right away. He didn't want to find her attractive when he was mad at her. Despite all his efforts he had to look into the eyes of the fact that she looked damn good. Her hair was long, much longer than when she decided to cut off her beautiful red curls. She had lost some of their redness, had turned more blonde and smoothed out. He loved her curls so much. Her body, she looked thinner than when he last saw her and her skin was pale. And then she wore a short black pencil skirt with a marine blue silk blouse in it and the black blazer made her look even thinner than she actually was. She was beautiful!

"Jethro...", she croaked hotter and took a step towards him. She reached out a hand for him, but he shook his head in denial.

"No.", he said softly and stood up. If he were to give in now, then it was all over him, and he would give in. He was not allowed to give in, not to look her in the eye.

With quick steps he left the pathology, Ducky did not appreciate with a glance. He was seething inside. He never thought that Ducky could lie and cheat him for so many years, just because he was there for him every year. It hit him hard, and he had to get fresh air to deal with the events of the last hour.

"Ducky, I'm so sorry.", she whispered and took the glass of water he handed her. "I shouldn't have got you into this, it was stupid of me."

"I'm glad you're here because this way I know you're okay.", he answered and smiled at her. He would not judge her, after all, they were both in the same boat. "I was waiting all these years for you to call me, I was already worried and wanted to contact you, but I had no data from you."

"I tried to enlist, but I couldn't make it. I knew if I enlisted, I'd have to come and talk to Jethro and I wasn't ready for that..."

"And now you are?"

She shook her head in denial, "I'm here on business. Leon invited me.", she enlightened him and put the water glass on the table. From her pocket she pulled her ID and handed it to Ducky.

"Since when?", he asked in surprise and handed her ID back.

"A week ago.", she answered and smiled gloomy.

She was happy, wishing that Jethro would be as happy for her as she was when Jarvis offered her the job. But how should someone be happy about something if he did not know about it yet? Not at all!

"May I ask how it happened?"

"He is taking retirement, early retirement, he has been diagnosed with an incurable disease that no longer allows him to continue his job as Secretary of the Navy. It came as a complete surprise to me because there were so many others waiting for this job, and then he wanted me to continue his job."

"You deserved it, and as far as I can judge Clayton Jarvis, he certainly had his reasons for appointing you as his successor. But, it wasn't even on the news, or did I miss something?"

"No, the official announcement is on Monday."

Ducky nodded silently. "Anyway, I'm happy for you, and I'm even more happy that you're sitting here and that you're okay."

"Thank you.", she said softly and put her ID away. "Will he ever be able to forgive me?"

"Yes, I'm in pretty good spirits there, my love, but it will take time. He has mourned a lot, even if he wanted to hide his grief, I know him much too well for that already. He truly loves you and he never hated you, he was disappointed and the whole La Grenouille thing opened up old wounds with him, it was hard."

"You think so?"

"I don't think so, I know it." he confirmed his statement and took her hand.

"What if he can't forgive me?"

"Jennifer, he loves you and he will also be able to forgive you, but as I said before, Jethro needs his time. He buried an empty coffin, mourned over an empty grave and thought he had lost you forever. You two can work this out, I know you can, but you can't give up hope."

The floor creaked under her weight and only slowly she took the stairs down to the basement. With her hand she stroked the wooden railing. Last time she was down here was the day he wanted to be reinstated. She had explained to him that she did not want him back for fear of losing him forever. Her heart never would have taken it if he had died in that explosion. She would have died with him.

Her conversation at the time was not long, she had made her point, told him how she felt and had left without even turning around. It had been so many years, she thought and stopped when she reached the end of the stairs. The gray-haired chief investigator did not appreciate her with a glance and it hurt, but she had to withstand that. Silently he continued to grind his boat, didn't say a word and it didn't look like he was going to talk to her in the next few minutes.

This conversation was long overdue, and she had respect for it, because she didn't know how he would act. He could throw her out of the house without having listened to her once, or he would punish her with silence, but still listen to her and then throw her out. It could only go wrong, she thought and gathered all her courage.

"I know I'm the last person you want to see right now, that you want to talk to, but I have a request..."she spoke softly and held her car keys firmly in her hands. "Listen to me.", she gasped the latter in a hotter voice.

Let me know what you think!(