A/N: This, again, is a rather short scene. They will be getting longer later on. There is not really a particular order or coherence, but I am trying to post them in a way that they could work in a sort of chronology.
Also, I imagine Penny as a gay character. I don't know yet, if I will further explore any storylines with her and a potential love interest but I think it is important to this and following stories.
It was 9.30 on a Saturday morning when Penelope Shepard was casually sitting in her kitchen, legs stretched out on another chair and a gigantic mug filled with steaming coffee in one hand. She was dressed in a soft pair of black leggings and a worn NCIS sweater that she had just thrown over the oversized cotton shirt she likes to sleep in, and was happily looking forward to a lazy, work-free weekend.
She was a bit surprised that the house was still peacefully quiet at this time, since it was usually her sister that would get up way before her. A grin spread across her face as she scrolled through the news on her phone, deciding that Jenny was probably catching up on some lost sleep from the previous night.
She took a sip from her coffee, just beginning to wonder where the third person missing from this party was, very certain that he definitely got up before her, when her front door flew open and heavy footsteps sounded in the hall.
Only seconds later, Leroy Jethro Gibbs entered the kitchen like he owned the place, two Styrofoam cups of coffee in his hands. If he was surprised to see her, he hid it pretty well, frowning only slightly as he was placing the cups on the counter and shrugging his coat off his shoulders.
"Mooorning," Penny drawled, taking another drink from her mug, one eyebrow raised suggestively, "'that second cup for me?"
He simply stared at her, shaking his head, "No."
Gibbs drew out the chair from under her legs, letting them drop to the floor, and sat down, his expression unreadable.
"I know it's been a been a while, but you know, we do have coffee in this house," Penny joked and pointed to the French Press coffee maker on the table. She put down her phone and mug and shifted on her own chair, drawing her legs up to her chest and hugging her knees, watching him with a wicked smile.
Unfazed, Gibbs reached over to the counter and grabbed one of the other coffee cups, taking a long sip from the plastic lid, before placing it on the kitchen table next to him.
"That's not coffee," he finally said, pointing to her beloved French Press.
Penny laughed and shook her head in disbelief, stretching her arms out over her head, yawning. A sound from upstairs caught her attention and she tilted her head towards the ceiling, listening carefully. She could hear water rushing through the pipes in the wall and the heater started with a rumble; apparently Jenny had risen from the dead and decided to take a shower.
When she looked down again, she met Gibbs' icy blue eyes over the table, staring at her over the coffee cup resting at his lips again. She held his gaze unintimidated and was certain that he could read the mischief in her eyes.
"Something you wanna say?" he asked, not caving in their staring contest.
"Oh, only so many things," she answered, a grin crossing her face, "Breakfast?"
Penny didn't wait for his answer and got up from her chair, feeling his eyes watching her, as she walked over to the fridge, looking for something to cook breakfast with. She grabbed a fresh carton of eggs and a pack of bacon and placed them next to the stove, before searching for a bowl and pan in the cabinets.
She started cracking the eggs into the bowl just as the water was turned off upstairs. She smirked; that was going to be interesting.
A few minutes later, they heard the old stairs crack as Jenny descended into the hall, her bare feet smacking against the marble tiles on her way to the kitchen.
"Jethro?" she called, obviously expecting him to be the one rummaging in her kitchen.
"Jen." he answered as she appeared in the door, wrapped tightly in a fluffy bathrobe, one hand combing through her wet red hair.
"A very good morning to you, too," Penny said, grinning at her while she carelessly flipped the bacon in the pan.
Jenny's eyes widened in horror, glancing back and forth between Gibbs and her sister, very much caught off guard by her presence. She opened her mouth and looked at Gibbs expectantly, gesturing for him to explain the situation. Gibbs just shrugged at her and took another quiet sip from his cup.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Jenny finally got out, turning her attention to Penny.
"I live here," the other redhead answered.
"I know that," Jenny said, annoyed, "but didn't you say you were staying over at your girlfriend's?" She walked over to the table and snatched the coffee from Gibbs's hand, downing the remaining content in one go.
"Hey!" he protested loudly but let her get away with it, anyway. She ignored him.
"I was," Penny answered her sister, "but she's working the weekend, so I decided to sleep at home instead of getting up at six a.m. on my rare day off."
"You could've called!" Jenny burst out, her cheeks turning slightly red with embarrassment. She thrust the empty cup back at Gibbs, not taking her eyes off Penny. He took it and shook it slightly as if he was hoping she might've left him something. Disappointed, he placed it back on the table and raised his eyes to the ceiling, sighing silently.
"Why?" the younger Shepard laughed, "I didn't know I had to check into my own home?"
She had taken the bacon out of the pan and was now pouring the eggs in, "How was I supposed to know that you had decided to shag up with him last night? It's not like you called me and informed me!" She pointed at Gibbs, who was absently tracing the grain of their wooden kitchen table with his index finger, apparently very much unfazed by the scene unfolding in front of him.
"I didn't – I wasn't – did you - ?" Jenny stuttered, resting a hand on the back of Gibbs' chair, looking at him for help. He stared back at her, a small smirk now also playing around his lips.
"Did I what? Hear?", Penny asked, turning off the stove and reaching into the cupboard for plates. "Unfortunately. Yes.", she said. "Although, I have to admit, I am actually a bit impressed by – "
"Oh my god!" Jenny interrupted her and buried her face in her hands, "Can you shut up?!"
"You act like this is the first time this has happened", Penny laughed, distributing the cooked breakfast evenly onto three plates.
"It's not?!" her sister burst out. She pulled out another chair and sat down, glaring at Gibbs, "Aren't you gonna say anything?!"
He looked up from the table, smirking, and placed one hand on her naked thigh. He pulled her chair closer with one foot, before stroking a strand of her wet hair behind her ear with his other hand, nodding towards the table again, "You know what kind of wood this is?".
Reference: NCIS Season 14, Episode 7 "Home of the Brave" – "You know what kind of wood this is?"