Paranoia was not a feeling the Jenny Shepard knew how to navigate.

She had dealt with a wide arrange of feelings before, spanning anywhere from fear to melancholy to anxiety, but never paranoia.

They had been careful this time, making sure that not a trace of lipstick or any other bit of evidence was left behind when they had returned to the agency. She knew they had made a clean return.

It was the look that Tony had given her when they had stepped off the elevator. She had made sure to look as professional as possible: an arm lengths amount of space between them, blouse rebuttoned up to her neck, conversation directed towards his case. Everything had fallen into place.

That was, except for knowing way Tony had watched them.

It crosses her mind that perhaps he had seen the lipstick those few weeks ago, but then again, she's certain that the last person to keep that under wraps would be DiNozzo. She's known him long enough to know he wouldn't pass up the chance to put his boss on the spot. Pointing out a lipstick mark would certainly give him the upper hand.

His voice startles her when it breaks through the web of concentration she had entangled herself in.

"There a reason you're up at 3 in the morning?"

"Couldn't sleep." She responds, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose, "I like to be productive if I'm going to be awake."

He snorts, strolling slowly into the room as he speaks, "Most people just roll over and close their eyes again."

"I'm not most people," She counters, "And I didn't want to disturb you with my restlessness."

"You used to be a heavy sleeper."

She had all but given up on the notes she had been writing and had began doodling along the margins of her notepad, "Evidently insomnia comes with the territory of being Director. I'm surprised Morrow didn't include it in the job description."

By the time she had finished he was standing in front of her desk, "Something is weighing on your mind."

Over the years she had tried to do everything in her power to be as unreadable as possible. Beginning during her time as a field agent when she would interrogate suspects, spanning all the way through her career. These days, she has to cultivate the skill in a different playing field. Suspected murderers were easy, but being a blank slate in the presence of seasoned politicians had been a whole new beast for her to tackle.

Still, she was good at what she did. She had learned to become exactly what she needed to be at any given moment in the face of anyone.

That is, in the face of everyone other than Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who knew how to read her like an open book.

"There is not."

"Jenny."

There something about the way he says her name that has always been her undoing.

"We have a situation."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

She sucks in a deep breath, "DiNozzo knows."

It takes her a few moments of staring at her before he decides to answer, "DiNozzo knows what, Jen?"

"He knows, Jethro. About this. About us."

There's a dumbfounded look written on his face, "What, he told you he knew?"

She shakes her head, standing from her seat and making her way around her desk to face him, "He didn't say anything, but he looked at me."

"He looked at you?"

"When we got off the elevator, he looked at me and I knew that he knew."

"Jen" he says, running a hand over his face, "Are you trying to tell me you're up in the middle of the night because DiNozzo gave you a look? And now suddenly you're riding the conspiracy train of him knowing?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, taking a step closer, "I'm a trained investigator too, Jethro. Don't forget that. I know that he knows."

"Well," he says, "If he knows, then how come he didn't say anything? Tony isn't one for keeping quiet."

"Because he has no room to talk, he would be hypocritical."

She watches as the same dumbfounded look washes over him, and it takes a bit of her will power to hold back a laugh.

"Jethro," she says gently, "You do know that he and Ziva have been together for a while now, right?"

"WHAT?"

"For the love of god Jethro."

She had left her house in the early hours of the morning, waking him long enough just to tell him goodbye and to press a hasty kiss to the corner of his mouth.

There was something so refreshingly new about having someone to wake up to in the morning that delighted her in ways she didn't know existed. Her job, both as an agent and as Director, had been her only sense of happiness and accomplishment for so long, and being able to share that with another person was foreign but wonderful in more ways than she knew how to count.

Despite carrying the knowledge that Tony had found out about them, and that he was uncharacteristically keeping quiet about it, she had arrived to work that morning in a good mood. The temperature outside was unusually warm for a mid-winter day, and the sunshine outside seemed to chase out any gloom that seemed to linger.

She was surprised to find her assistant already there, perched at her desk and typing away at her computer.

"Good morning Cynthia," She said, "Here a bit early aren't you?"

There's a look on Cynthia's face that she can't quite read.

"Director," she says, voice uneasy, "SecNav is in your office."

She's so thrown by the statement that for a moment all she can do is stare blankly.

"He's here?" She stresses, "Why on earth is SecNav here?"

Cynthia shakes her head, "I don't know ma'am, but he brought the Deputy Director of the FBI with him."

She ran through her list every reason she could fathom as to why they could possibly be there, but her mind came up short. One thing did make itself clear to her: this couldn't be good.

"Cancel my morning appointments, Cynthia." She instructs, taking a deep breath before opening the door.

"Director Shepard," SecNav greets, standing from his seat the conference table, "This is James Monroe, Deputy Direct of the FBI."

She sticks her hand out, shaking his with a polite smile.

"Pleasure." She says, taking a seat.

"I'm sure you're wondering what we're doing here," SecNav starts, leaning forward to rest his arms on the table.

She nods, "The question did cross my mind."

She watches as SecNav glances to the man at his left before directing his attention back to her.

"We have a proposition for you."

A/n: Can't have a story without conflict, am I right?

I apologize that it took me so long to post the previous chapter, I hit a bit of writers block and truthfully I don't like that chapter much at all, but I needed some filler before this one. I hope it was alright enough and that you all enjoy this one.

- Ali