Because you have all been so patient waiting for this, and the amazing and lovely reviews I've received, I'm posting this chapter tonight, and I'll post the 4th chapter when I return from Uni tomorrow evening. Chapter 5 is in the process of being written but I'll try to get chapters out more regularly, at least once a week.

Thanks so much to everyone that reviewed, you have no idea how much they were appreciated.

Now, please, enjoy!

I'll Be Watching You

Even if I made a vow,
I promised I wouldn't miss you now.
(Carrie Underwood, I Just Can't Live A Lie)

The scent of coffee filled her nose, pulling her from the blackness of sleep. Sleep. Jen sat up with a start. How could she have fallen asleep? She was the main target for assassination by a very annoyed ex marine, she was heading one of the largest agencies in America, she had a tonne of paperwork to get through, and she had fallen asleep. Her mind thought back; she had fallen asleep after breaking down and crying all over Jethro. She sighed heavily, rubbing her face with her hands; the day had started so promisingly too.

A low chuckle had her looking up into the face of a very amused Jethro Gibbs. Seeing her blank look, he held out a cup of coffee, still chuckling to himself.

"You never were good at waking up." There was a slight tilt to his voice, one she now associated with him remembering what they had once shared.

"No, but I was good at keeping certain people up all night." He smiled at her, and took a seat beside her. For a moment she just breathed in the coffee, enjoying the stimulation on her senses. After taking a long sip, the hot liquid seeming to set her blood alight as it travelled down her throat, she turned to Gibbs, an odd expression on her face. She had done the girly breakdown earlier, now was time for the Director in her to come forward.

"What do we do Jethro?"

Gibbs looked at her, she amazed him with her ability to put thoughts of personal danger behind her and face the problem at hand. In that way, they were so similar. She hadn't truly dealt with everything, but she had let enough of it go that she could function on what needed to be done. Gibbs took back the coffee, taking several sips himself as he thought over the plan he'd made whilst she slept.

"First, I need to know his name; we'll put a watch on all the ports; air and sea." He would do it, but he had a feeling in his gut that it was already too late for that. He was already in the US. Jen didn't need to know that though. "You'll have to be watched constantly…"

"Jethro, I can…"

He continued as though she hadn't interrupted. "but if you're right, and no one really knows about that Op, then we'll have to keep it between us and the team, so we'll go in shifts. You should be safe at work, but we'll make sure you're never alone, and outside of work…" He paused again, knowing she wouldn't take it well. "Jenny, he's been killing them in places they know, their own houses, favoured parks. He watches them and waits for the perfect opportunity. Someone is going to have to stay with you."

Jen sat there taking it in; of course she knew this would likely be the case. It's what she would have ordered happen were it anyone else. Still the thought of constantly being watched; of having them all inside her house, grieved her. DiNozzo would pull out her film collection, analyse her by what she watched, Ziva; though she had known her longer, had never been in her house, there were some things she liked to keep private, but that wouldn't happen any longer. McGee…she liked him, he was smart, and yet in some things still so innocent, but could she really see herself spending so much time with him without itching to pull out her gun? And then there was Gibbs himself. It was hard enough seeing him in work for the few minutes a day they were together, but pushed together for long stretches of time; she was afraid that it would be too like their time partnered. And just look how that had ended.

Still, it was all academic. Whether she thought she could deal with them twenty four hours a day, she was going to have to anyway; Jethro had that look on his face that she knew meant he wouldn't back down. And really she knew she couldn't afford to fight against him.

Gibbs knew the moment Jen had finished her internal debate. Her shoulders, which had gradually fallen as the weight of everything pressed down on her, straightened and she gave a small nod, the only physical sign that she had her thoughts in order.

"Petty Officer James F Murrey." Her voice was clear, and she kept any emotions the name brought out in her deep inside.

"Are you sure?" He regretted the question as soon as her eyes flashed at him. She snatched the coffee from his hand and took a few large gulps.

"Of course I'm sure Jethro, I wasn't likely to forget that. You should know how good my memory is." She hadn't meant to let that last bit slip out, but when that smile reached his lips again, she was glad it had.

With a sigh she stood, straightening out her jacket, and pulling down the hem of her skirt where it had ridden up slightly while she slept. Taking a look at her watch, she found that she could only have slept for an hour, but still she felt more refreshed than she had in ages. She didn't want to think too hard on what that meant.

She heard Gibbs rise up behind her, and she turned to him, offering the almost empty coffee cup back to him. He shook his head.

"You need it more than me, besides, I'll make Tony run and get me one later." She laughed, and he paused enjoying the sound, his mind returning to Paris and how that laugh had been all he heard in the crowded restaurant.

"What do you want to do about the team?"

Jen's face turned serious again as she answered. "Do what you have to; I'll be down to fill in the blanks in a bit." He nodded, and with a slight brush of his hand against hers he left the office.

Jen looked at the file still open on her desk, there was no way she would be able to concentrate on that now, not while she knew Gibbs was briefing his team about her. Her gaze moved to the photograph still lying so innocently, and she held in a shudder. She would need to be strong if she was to survive this with both her life and heart in tact.

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Gibbs found the team in Abby's lab, the first place he went to look. He'd trained them well it seemed.

"Hi Boss." Tony's eyes looked curious, he wanted to ask what his boss had been doing for the hour since he'd first seen the photograph, but he really didn't want another slap on the head.

"Gibbs!" Abby's voice came from behind him, and he turned his head slightly, amused at the way she seemed to be bouncing from station to station in the small lab. "Tony sent down my Caf-Pow, and all this evidence; is it Christmas already? I didn't get you anything." She pouted and both Tony and McGee chuckled lightly.

"Get me anything you can that will help me catch this guy, and I think we'll call it even."

"No Problemo Boss-man." Abby set to work once more, pulling out what he assumed was a night dress from the evidence box.

The others stared at him expectantly, and he thought that there was no better place to tell them what was going on, than right here; Abby would need to know eventually. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he heard footsteps behind him, announcing Ducky's presence.

"Ah, Jethro, glad I found you here. I've just finished up with the autopsy of our Lady of the Night. From what I could gather, she wasn't just acting in the videos she made, and I think I have an explanation for how she could afford all those operations. Did you find anything more on the photograph?"

At the question Abby turned her full attention to them once again. "Photograph? There wasn't a photograph!" She seemed slightly frantic, searching around for the evidence that wasn't there. Looking down at his own empty hand, Gibbs realised he'd left it in Jen's office. He wasn't worried; she'd bring it down with her.

"Relax Abby, the photograph is on its way. There's things about this case that need to stay between us and this room, you hear me?" He looked at each of them, waiting for their nods of agreement before continuing.

"I spoke to the Director, and you were right DiNozzo, it was her in the picture." Before he could get any further, Tony interrupted, his voice speaking the words that should have stayed in his head.

"Gives a whole knew meaning to 'sleeping your way to the top.'"

"For your information, Agent DiNozzo, it was a secret operation run by Directors that are all either dead or retired." No one had heard Jen enter the room, and Tony gulped at the sound of her voice, and the glare he was getting from Gibbs.

"It is in no records, and I can assure you it helped in no way to getting me 'to the top', although it will likely make me fall." She turned away from Tony, not willing to admit that she was actually hurt by his words. "Jethro left this in my office Abby, I'm sure you'll be needing it." She handed over the photograph, carefully avoiding looking at Abby's face. "And now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

When she was gone, Tony looked around at them all cautiously. "I didn't know she was there! I wouldn't have said it if I had." His head snapped forward with the force of two hands hitting the back of his head.

When Ziva and Gibbs had lowered their hands again, Gibbs continued with what he had intended to say.

"Our guy is hunting for the woman that cost him his Commission and put him away for the past few years. Right now, he only has vague ideas about the location of all the women in that picture. He doesn't appear to know which one he wants, but as soon as he starts searching and finds the Director, he'll know and will come straight after her. I need someone with her at all times, but she is right that this would ruin her career if certain people got wind of it, so it's going to have to stay between us. We'll take shifts until we catch this guy. Are we all clear?" A round of nods, and Gibbs smiled satisfied.

"We have his name, McGee, I want you to find everything you can about Former Petty Officer James F Murray, any one he came in contact with before he went to jail, anyone he's seen since, I want his bank details, the place where he gets his clothes dry-cleaned. I want it all."

McGee jumped into action passing them all and logging into the nearest computer station. "On it Boss."

"DiNozzo, I want everything you can find about this Operation. If he got his hands on that photograph then there has to be something out there. But I swear, if anyone finds out about it you will be looking for a new job."

Tony shook at the fire behind the words, and rushed from the room. He was going to have to work really hard to make up for his earlier words.

Gibbs turned to the two woman and Ducky. "Abby, I want to you do what you do best, and get me everything you can. Ducky tell her everything you know about the body in your morgue and the two from before. Ziva, you are on first watch, catch up on some paperwork, but do it in the Director's office." Ziva nodded once soberly, before leaving the lab, pulling her gun from her waist, and checking it as she did so.

Seeing his team already hard at work, Gibbs left the lab himself, a stern expression on his face. He was going to make the Port authorities listen to him this time, whatever it took.

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The two women worked in a comfortable silence. Neither needing to speak, and at some times even forgetting the other was there. That was something Jen had always liked about Ziva. You were not continuously bombarded with questions. She knew that the reason for that, in most cases, was because the former Mossad Agent already knew everything she wanted to. But even on those rare occasions that she didn't, she still wouldn't impose on anyone's right to privacy.

Her office door opened and in the same instant, Jen saw Ziva move, her gun slipping into her palm.

"Director, I'm done for the day. There's some more files ready for you to review, and SecNav want a conference tomorrow morning." Jen nodded her thanks and bade her secretary goodnight.

When the doors fell closed again, she looked down at the watch on her arm. Six thirty. Normally she would stay later, but there were no meetings, and her paperwork was all complete now; she'd felt better staying in one room today, not wanting Ziva following her round like a puppy.

Taking off her glasses, Jen rubbed a hand over her eyes. Ziva's "shift" would be over the moment she decided to go home, which meant that one of the others would be coming back to her house tonight. It wasn't hard to guess who would be taking that responsibility the first night of this protective watch she was under, and even as she tried to pretend she didn't know, the door opened again and Gibbs entered the Office.

He nodded to Ziva, who returned the action, and then looked over at Jen.

"Goodnight Director."

Before the Director could respond, Ziva had left the room, and Jen had no choice but to accept that Jethro would be spending the night with her. Inwardly she sighed. There was a time when those words would have meant so much more.

Not letting Gibbs have time to say anything, she stood, picking up her briefcase and placing a few left over files inside. She might as well do something productive, it wasn't as though she would get much sleep knowing he was in her house. Carefully, she slipped the diary in as well, hidden between several sheets of paper. She moved to grab her coat before coming to stand in front of him.

Gibbs watched her movements, slightly anxious himself. It had been a long time since he'd last been on a Protection Detail and he couldn't afford to be little rusty now. He refused to think about any other aspects of what he was about to do. Director Sheppard was his Superior and in a great deal of danger. He was merely doing his job, and if that entailed staying in her house for the night, so be it. He couldn't think of it any other way.

"Come on then Jethro, take me home." She winked at him as she passed by, walking out of the office. Gibbs watched her leave, trying to keep his eyes off the way her hips swayed as she moved. It was going to be a long night.

:tbc:

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I'll say now, that I think you'll like the next chapter. But please tell me what you thought of this one, I hope it was worth the wait!