Tim was in his office the next morning trying to gear himself up for what he was about to do. He could hardly believe this was happening. He had never planned to tell anyone what happened to him as a child, let alone the entire world. It was made even worse by the fact that this was probably how Jenny was going to find out about him. He never wanted that. She should hear it from him, and while technically, she still would if she was listening, it shouldn't happen that way.
Tim soon looked up as he heard the door open. It was Gibbs. "Hey, Gibbs. If you're here, I'm guessing your appointment went well."
Gibbs approached his desk and handed him a paper. "Desk duty for the next two weeks. Would've preferred full duty, but it's something."
Tim quickly looked over the document and then nodded.
"You ready for what's next?" Gibbs asked.
"As much as I can be, I guess. It's just that this wasn't how it was ever supposed to go. She wasn't supposed to find out this way," Tim said sadly.
"You don't know that she will, but even if she does, she'll understand," Gibbs said.
"I know, but it still isn't right," Tim said.
"You're doing what you have to do to save her. That's what matters. You get to warn your foster parents?" Gibbs asked.
"Yeah, but it didn't do any good. John McGee is a stubborn idiot! He made it clear that he would not hide for anyone. He's hardcore Navy, and he thinks that means he can take on anyone. He wouldn't even consider the possibility of hiding or even taking precautions for him or his wife," Tim said in frustration.
Gibbs nodded. He understood that to a point. He wasn't the type to run and hide either, but then again, it was just him. This guy was married. He should at least do what he could to protect her. "You've done all you can then. You can't make them accept help."
"I know, but I don't want anything to happen to them. My relationship with them isn't exactly a close one, but I care about them a lot," Tim said. He had been as close as he could be with them. He would always be there if they needed him, and he did consider them family. It was just that he didn't think of them as his parents. He couldn't because it would be like he was replacing his parents.
"I kind of figured. You don't mention them much. Then again, you didn't mention your family at all. Plus, you made it clear you're taking at least your last name back, so I figured you weren't that close. They treated you well though, right?" Gibbs asked.
"Yeah, they did. They saved my life, and they kept me away from the bad parts of the foster system. I never would've found another home with my background. Getting close to them wasn't easy though, even if I'd wanted to. John never wanted kids, and he made that clear. He took me in for his wife. Ironically, I could respect him for that. His wife, Amy, she was the opposite. She wanted to be my mother. She tried to hard. She tried on several occasions to get me to call her mom or talk about adoption. It made me feel like she was trying to replace my mother," Tim explained.
"Which you weren't comfortable with. I get that, Tim."
Tim nodded. "But like I said. I care about them. I love them and I will always be grateful, but I always felt uncomfortable around them, especially her."
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Tim said.
Seconds later, Cynthia walked in and approached them. "Director, I just wanted to let you know you're all set for your press conference in one hour, and the rest of your day has been cleared."
"Thank you, Cynthia, and thank you for staying on with me," Tim said. Technically, Cynthia cold have left when he was appointed director. She was hired by Jenny, not NCIS, but she stayed, and was very helpful in getting him acclimated to the position.
"You don't need to thank me for that. I consider Jenny Shepard a friend, as well as my boss. She would want me to do everything I can to help you," Cynthia said.
Tim smiled in response and watched her leave.
"You know that once this is done, you'll probably have both the CIA and the FBI at your door," Gibbs told him.
"The CIA can kiss my ass," Tim said flatly.
Gibbs was mildly surprised to hear the way Tim spoke of the CIA, but then again, he probably blamed them for his family's murders. His father had been one of them and they clearly hadn't done much to protect him or his family.
"I know I'll have to deal with the FBI. I expect Fornell will be here in about two hours after this goes live," Tim said.
Gibbs snorted. "You think it'll take two hours?"
Tim chuckled. "I guess I'm hoping to have at least that long."
"We should probably go now," Gibbs said. He was going with him. He wanted Acosta to see his face and know he failed to kill him.
Tim stood up. "I still don't think it's a good idea. Acosta might still think his men killed you."
"That's why I'm going. I want him to know he failed. We're making a point to this son of bitch. I'm part of it."
Tim reluctantly nodded. He didn't like it, but it was Gibbs' choice. "Alright, let's go," he said before leading the way out of the office.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Jenny was becoming more and more frustrated as time went on. She was still chained to the bed and had no idea what was going to happen to her. Her leg had pretty much healed by now, but without a way to get out of the cuffs, that didn't exactly help her.
Jenny was also very worried about Gibbs. She still didn't know what happened to him. She didn't dare ask Acosta or his goons though. She knew she couldn't trust anything they said. They would lie just to torture her more.
Jenny was surprised by the way she was being treated. She wasn't physically harmed in any way. Her brother and his family had been tortured to death. Even her nephew, whether he was alive or dead, had clearly been tortured. Of course, Jenny was being tortured in certain ways, with the uncertainty of her nephew's fate. It just seemed Acosta had opted for mental instead of physical torture for the moment.
Just then, Acosta entered the room with a grin. He was carrying some sort of tablet. "Good Morning, Director Shepard. I trust you're doing well."
Jenny balled her fists up and glared at him, but said nothing. She wasn't going to feed into whatever game he came to play with her.
"Nothing to say? You know, I would think you would've asked by now what happened to your friend. The man who was with you the night my men took you. Don't you care what happened to him?" Acosta asked.
"I wouldn't believe a word you said," Jenny said.
"Well, I suppose you already know anyway. After all, you can't possibly think he's alive, could you? We don't leave witnesses," Acosta said with an evil smirk.
"According to you, that's not true, is it?" Jenny asked.
Acosta laughed. "Well, he won't be alive much longer. As for your friend, I imagine his death was excruciating. My men needed to be thorough after all. From what I'm told, they beat him until he was unconscious and then shot him to death.
It took everything Jenny had not to react, but she somehow managed. She wouldn't take the bait, no matter how frightened and angry what Acosta had just said made her. She told herself he could be lying. It wouldn't be the first time Gibbs survived an impossible situation.
"Oh, I almost forgot why I came in here. It appears that NCIS is planning to give a press conference soon. Do you think they're planning to announce your death? I mean, it has been over a month since you disappeared. Most would assume you were dead by now, wouldn't they? Well, we don't have to wonder for long. I figured we could watch together."
Jenny said nothing as Acosta turned the tablet on and touched the screen a few times. Then he stepped beside her bed and turned the tablet so they could both see.
A female reporter immediately came onto the screen "We're about to receive a statement from the acting director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which for those who don't know, investigate crimes involving the Navy and Marine Corps. It's unclear at this time what the acting director could have to say, but we have to wonder if it has anything to do with why there's an acting director in the first place. NCIS's actual director, Director Jennifer Shepard does not appear to be giving this statement, and we can only wonder why."
Jenny guessed that it would be Vance giving the statement. As her deputy director, he was responsible for NCIS in her absence. He would almost certainly be the acting director. She listened as the reporter theorized what was about to be said. Then the camera turned as it was announced that the acting director had arrived. Much to Jenny's shock, she did not see Vance. In fact, it was Gibbs and Timothy McGee that approached the podium.
Jenny smiled as saw Gibbs, relieved to see that he was okay. She turned to Acosta, who looked absolutely furious. He clearly didn't know that Gibbs was alive. Someone who worked with him was clearly going to pay for that. "If he's dead, I'm going to have to rethink my stance on the existence of ghosts."
Jenny took a moment of satisfaction in Acosta's rage before turning back to the screen. She wasn't sure why Vance wasn't running this, but if he wasn't, she guessed that Gibbs was going to be the one to make this announcement, which she knew he'd hate. However, once again, she found herself shocked. Gibbs stayed back while McGee stepped up to the microphone.
"Good morning, Everyone. My name is Timothy McGee. I am currently acting as Director of NCIS in the absence of Director Jennifer Shepard."
Jenny found herself shell shocked. The last thing she expected was to find that Tim McGee, a junior agent, had taken over in her absence. That wasn't to say that she doubted he had the skills to be director one day because he absolutely did, but right now, he wasn't experienced. The level of stress that had to put on him had to be extreme, and that was if Timothy McGee was just Timothy McGee.
Jenny couldn't understand why SecNav would even put a junior agent in charge. Now, if it had to be a young agent, she could understand why it was him, but there were other options, other directors. Where was Vance? As soon as that question left her mind, she remembered. Vance was slated to go overseas right before all this happened, and it wasn't a mission that could just be put off. Depending on how secret SecNav wanted what happened to her to be, he might not have been willing to read in any other assistant director. Given that Gibbs was involved too, the MCRT would've likely been the ones to discover what happened, and that left only two agents to take her chair. McGee and DiNozzo. If those were the options, the choice was very clear. Tony was a great agent, but he was no director.
"Well, things just got interesting, didn't they?" Acosta asked, momentarily forgetting his previous fury.
Jenny ignored him. Her focus was on the man who was currently standing in for her, and who might or might not be her nephew.
"The reason that I am standing here instead of Director Shepard and the reason for this statement in the first place are one of the same. Five weeks ago, Director Shepard was abducted from her home during a home invasion," Tim told everyone, causing a chorus of chatter and murmurs from every other reporter there. "Allow me to continue please. I want to make it clear that we in no way believe this to be an attack on the United States government or even on NCIS. At this time, we have reason to believe that this attack was a personal one."
"Director, do you know who is responsible for this?" One reporter asked.
"Sir, you said this was a home invasion. Are you aware that that this would not be the first home invasion to strike the Shepard family?" Another asked.
Jenny was not at all surprised by the reporter's question. The murders were high profile, and these people would've done their research upon realizing she was the NCIS director.
Tim seemed to take breath to prepare himself to answer. "Yes, I am aware of that. In fact, there is probably no one more aware of it than me."
Jenny's body stiffened when she heard his last statement. Was she about to get a definitive answer? Was this man going to confirm what Acosta had told her on live television?
"The incident you are referring to is the brutal murders of Jasper Shepard Jr. and his wife and daughter. Yes, I am aware of it because I was there. Up until then my name was Jasper Shepard III," Tim informed them.
Jenny covered her mouth with her free hand to stifle a gasp. Despite having questioning the possibility for weeks, she was shocked. Considering the possibility was different than hearing it from her nephew's own lips. "Jasper."
Acosta laughed. "Well, I must admit, he surprised me. He's been running like a coward for years.
The reporters seemed to be equally shocked, as they asked question after question.
"You're claiming you're Director Shepard's nephew? Does she know that?
"Are you aware that you are presumed dead?"
"What happened to you that night? Where have you been?"
Tim put up a hand to get them to stop, so that he could speak. Luckily, they all seemed to be interested in hearing what he had to stay, so they did. "Until recently. No one knew the truth of my identity, and, yes, that includes Jenny Shepard, my aunt. It was a very difficult decision for me to make, but after escaping the man who murdered my family and kidnapped me, I believed it was in my best interest, as well as my family's to stay hidden. It was done for our safety."
Jenny was pretty sure McGee… no, Jasper, was speaking directly to her with his last statements. He hoped she'd hear and understand why'd acted the way he had. She did understand. If Acosta found out, he would come after both of them, just as he had. She still wished Jasper had told her, but she understood why he didn't. In his place, she'd probably do the same.
"Director, you're saying that you believe the man responsible would've come after you?" a reporter asked.
"I more than believe it. I consider it a fact," Tim said.
"Do you believe that this man is responsible for your aunt's abduction."
"That's certainly a theory we're considering, but that's all I can say about it now," he said.
Jenny knew it was more than a theory. Her nephew was smart enough to have figured out by now that Acosta was responsible. That was why he'd outed himself on live television after keeping quiet for the better part of twenty years. However, he couldn't tell the press that without definitive proof of it, which she doubted he had, so he had to be vague about it.
"Who did this to your family? Do you know his name?" one of the reporters asked.
"I do. His name is Sebastian Acosta."
"Little Bastard!" Acosta snarled before throwing the tablet across the room, instantly smashing it.
Jenny couldn't help but smirk. She definitely knew why he was pissed. He nephew had just told the world that Acosta was responsible for what happened to him and his family. Sure, most law enforcement agencies knew he was responsible, but they couldn't prove it. Now, an eyewitness had just announced his guilt. He'd just become a wanted man. "It appears that your opponent in whatever game you're trying to play just out maneuvered you."
"He will pay for this!" Acosta vowed before storming out of the room.
Jenny's smirk soon fell. As much as she enjoyed seeing Acosta squirm, she was very frightened for her nephew. He'd just made a very dangerous move. If he wasn't before, Acosta was definitely going to be after his head now, and Jenny couldn't help him.
