AN: This story is based upon events of season 3 of NCIS some of the dialogue is that used in the show! I don't own any of the NCIS characters or the speech that was used in the show.

Prologue: The mysterious Director

Gibbs was sat in MTAC, pissed, Morrow was refusing to use Ari's name in the same sentence with sniper and he wanted to throttle him. He had been incredibly difficult when he had barged into his office earlier and demanded that Rory and Jenny be placed into protective custody. Morrow had granted that Rory and her friend could be placed in protective custody at the NCIS London office, but Morrow explained that Shepard was off limits and she would be protected.

"Your anger is understandable, Jethro," Morrow said calmly. "You lost an agent. You want payback."

"Don't you, sir?" Gibbs demanded quietly.

"It's a passion I can't afford."

"You honestly think it wasn't Ari?" Gibbs growled.

"No," Morrow confirmed. "But there are those that do."

"Those who ran him?" asked Gibbs. "Those who thought they had the holy grail of moles. Those people covering their asses right now?" Gibbs bated, he wanted him.

"Make sure you cover yours when you bring him in." Morrow warned

"Won't be a problem, sir," muttered Gibbs. "I won't be bringing him in," he swore.

He knew Morrow shot him a warning, sideways look, but he ignored it. Morrow stood abruptly. "Anyway. You're not my problem anymore, Jethro," he said

"You firing me, sir?" Gibbs asked wryly. He knew morrow was unlikely to get rid of him, but anything was possible these days.

Morrow tucked his tie into his suit. "I've been offered a Deputy Director's position at Homeland Security," he revealed. Gibbs looked surprised. He had always worked with Morrow; he didn't want to think about how he would break in a new director

"You'd leave NCIS, sir?"

"Well," muttered Morrow. "The agency could use some younger blood."

"Who'd be replacing you?" Gibbs asked. Gibbs brow furrowed, there was an Assistant Director out in San Diego, Leon Vance, he owed him money for a cheese Danish. Gibbs was not looking forward to a new director, he got away with a lot under morrow. Bright side would be if he got fired he could move to London and be with Rory full time.

Morrow smirked , a smirk that one Leroy Jethro Gibbs had only seen once before, "Not me?" he asked sheepishly. Morrow outright laughed at the thought of Gibbs being the Director of NCIS.

"Much as I like you, Jethro, I would not shoot NCIS in the head," he pointed out. He started to walk down the steps, to exit MTAC, quickly. "He's your problem now, Director," Morrow said mildly.

What happened next Gibbs would not have expected, maybe in 10 years from now, but not this minute. A red headed lady in a skirt suit turned around to face him "Hello, Jethro," she said.

He leaned back in his chair and took a sharp intake of breath at seeing her, it had been 6 years since he laid eyes on her. Paris 1999 flashed vividly before his eyes, them in bed together, their family at the Eiffel tower, Rory's concert, stolen moments.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Should we skip the 'you haven't changed a bit bull'?" she joked.

He moved his head a bit, still speechless, he had so many questions but couldn't make the words to ask them. "Why start lying to each other now Jen," he choked out hoarsely.

"Any problems taking orders from me?" she asked bluntly. Jenny thought this could be a problem, part of the reason she was given the job was because those who knew, knew she could handle him, but part of her was skittish and not so sure.

"As Director, or as a woman?" he asked. Or as the mother of my child, he thought to himself quietly. All of his emotions were coming rushing back to him and he wasn't quite sure just how to handle it.

"Either," Jenny said tartly.

"It was six years ago" he said coolly, standing up. "The past won't be a problem." He jogged down the steps and came face to face with her at the bottom. Part of him wanted to scream at her, berate her for taking Rory from him, but the other part of him wanted to throw her over his shoulder and drag her out of the room, having his way with her in her new office.

"You were a damn good agent, Jen," he said, looking over her mildly. "Especially under cover."

"Jethro," she admonished in a hushed whisper.

"Madame Director," he returned, and he showed her out of MTAC.

"The bastard already killed one of my people. He's trying to kill more, and I'll tell you something else. No suit with a tight sphincter is getting in my way and that includes you, Jen," he snapped, going right past her on the stairs.

She stopped dead, hearing him call her Jen got to her in so many different ways she couldn't describe. "Special Agent Gibbs," she said loudly. He controlled the urge to roll his eyes at her, he turned and walked back up the stairs, stopping just below her.

"On the job," she said icily, "it is Director Shepard or ma'am."

"Okay, what about off the job?" he fired back tensely because he wanted off the job.

She compressed her lips and her breath hitched, she was shaking, not visible to the human eye, but she knew he knew. "There won't be any off the job, Agent Gibbs," she retorted quietly.

He cocked his head. "That's too bad, I missed you Jen." He said in a way that made her knees go week. "Both of you." He added quietly.

"Don't make this difficult Jethro." She said, her eyes begging him to stop because part of her knew if he kept going she would give in.

He nodded, "fair enough, won't happen again, Director." indicating for her to go down the stairs. Her eyes showed the pain she felt, she wanted him to fight for her, but she didn't give him a reason to

"We can continue this discussion in private," she said mildly, knowing that they had to talk about Rory, that she had to explain.

"I've got to change my clothes," he said shortly. "We can talk in my car on the way to the house."

"Gibbs!" she yelled,

"Hey, I got a dead agent and a sniper on the loose. I do not have ten minutes to spare." he protested, smiling a little at the thought of Jenny's mind taking her to a somewhat X-rated idea.

Gibbs quickly ran up the stairs to get changed and watched as Jenny headed towards his basement, he smiled at the memory of him and Rory working on the boat for the first time.

"Is this the same boat you were building six years ago?" she asked, cocking her head. "The one Rory helped with?"

"Nope," he answered curtly, and Jenny looked at him sceptically.

"What happened to it?" she asked.

"Burned her," he answered, coming up and standing in front of her.

"Why would you-" Jenny broke off. "You named it after an ex-wife." Jenny smirked and he looked annoyed and turned off the basement light.

"Let's go," he muttered.

"Which one?" Jenny prodded with a smug look on her face.

"You know damn well which one," he retorted while glaring at her through the ribs of the boat.

"Why didn't you change the name?"

"Because, it wouldn't matter. Every time I went out on her, I'd think of Diane!"

"You could have sold it."

"And watch some other guy sail off on her?" he demanded, outraged.

"You didn't care who sailed off on Diane," Jenny reminded him smirking at the thought of Fornell marrying Diane and having a baby with her! "Leroy Jethro Gibbs you are a strange man," she said quietly.

"Me?" he pointed to himself and laughed. "You were a good agent, Jen," he snapped bitterly.

"Were?" she asked sharply.

"Yeah," he fired back at her . "Director's job is pure politics."

"I'm good at politics!" she pointed out, he had always used her education to make fun of her, but now it had come to good use. "NCIS needs someone who can shake the money tree on the hill and work with sister agencies."

"Is that why you left?" He asked and Jenny's face paled looked like she had been slapped across the face

"You want to have this conversation right now Jethro?" She asked pointedly and he shook his head. They needed to have this conversation, but there wasn't enough time.

"When does Rory come home? Or are you keeping her from me again." He seethed and Jenny almost slapped him.

"She wants to finish up the semester with her friends at school, I tried to convince her to come home but she didn't want to yet." Jenny said looking down rather defeated

"Well I'll phone her and chat about this another time while you are at some fancy dinner playing politics."

"It's not about rubber chicken or fancy dinners at Palena" Jenny seethed

"Never heard of it." He cut her off

"Why would you, it isn't take-out!" she snapped, frustrated at him, she didn't want to fight, not like this, not now.

"So, which of the tight sphincters is taking you to dinner?" he demanded. "Please, tell me it's not Fornell," he said tensely, he couldn't cope with Tobias making a move on Jenny.

"CBS Early Show," she admitted. "They want background before I go on T.V."

"Jen," he said. "Jen, you can't do that." He ordered

"Excuse me?" she asked sharply.

"Ari is a chauvinist. He is taking out the women I work with before me!" He yelled

"Jethro," she tried calmly. "People who should know don't believe Ari Haswari is the sniper, and you haven't provided any evidence to prove them wrong," she told him.

"Have you ever doubted me?" he questioned roughly.

"Professionally?" she asked icily, the icy words cutting his hope away little by little. "Never."

"Why are you doubting me now?" He asked, inching closer to her face.

"I have to establish a working relationship with these people," she said slowly.

"You want to do this then, put yourself in danger, put our daughter in danger!" He yelled harshly. "I had to put her into NCIS protection Jen! She is stuck in some windowless room at NCIS London." He barked throwing his hands up in the air. "That bastard will use her against me Jen, do you not give a damn about her-" His ramble was cut short when her open palm collided with his face.

He stood there in shock for a moment, she had slapped him hard, he was seeing little dots. He had crossed a line, he knew that. "Do not ever suggest that I would not put Rory's safety first, ever!" She hissed at him her voice shaking. "I already had 2 undercover NCIS agents at the school on protection detail and snipers on the roof." She growled at him, "Rory is my number one priority Jethro 24/7 365 days a year." She roared and began to shake.

"Shouldn't have said that." He said gruffly, "I know you'd never do anything to hurt her."

"I fear for her too Jethro, but she is safe in London, Ari can't be in two places at once." Gibbs nodded.

"Who're you going to side with, Jen?" he asked, needing to know the answer, whether it was him or everyone else. Whether or not she still had the trust in him, he needed to know she still trusted him. "Them, or me?"

"Give me a tough question," she said with a look in her eye, something he couldn't quite place.

Gibbs didn't care what it took, Ari would be dead, his daughter would be safe, she would be home with her parents. Plus, you never know, with their history, surely it was only a matter of time before they fell back into bad habits, and back in love.