Author - ncisali

'Lost' -

Jenny was sitting at her dressing table feeling worried, she was going to a government dinner tomorrow evening and although Jethro knew she was going he did not know with whom. She was trying to work out the best way to tell him when he walked into their bedroom and coming up behind her, he gently starts to massage her shoulders. She leans into his touch before putting down her hairbrush as he kisses the top of her head.

Jen thinks to herself, 'OK I won't tell him right now but perhaps afterwards when he's feeling relaxed.' She lets him take her to bed and once there she follows his lead letting him set the pace giving him just what he wants. Afterwards, as they lay in each other's arms recovering their breath she speaks,

'Jethro, you do remember I'm going to that dinner tomorrow evening?'

'Mmm,' Jethro is not really that interested knowing that he will not have to attend.

'I have an escort.'

'Oh, who?' Jethro immediately takes more notice not because Jenny has an escort, but because her tone of voice makes it clear to him that he will not like who ever she is going with.'

'Just bear in mind I'm only doing this for the good of NCIS, I need to ensure we have adequate funding and this man is influential.' Jenny has gone on the defensive and she realises her mistake immediately as she feels Jethro tense up beside her.

'Don't tell me it's an old flame who happens to be a Senator, an old flame who also happens to be a sleazebag.' Jethro has guessed whom she's taking and he is not happy.

Jenny wishes that for once Jethro was not so quick with his deductions, 'Just because you don't like him does not mean he's a sleazebag.'

'You don't need an escort tomorrow, tell him he's not wanted.' There is no way Jethro is letting that Senator accompany his Jenny anywhere.

'No, Jethro I'm going with him and that's the end of the matter whether you like it or not, look, all I'm doing is letting him escort me if everything goes well I can get a significant increase in our budget next year.'

'Jen, I trust you but I don't trust him he'll want something from you that you can't give him he's a slimy b...'

Jenny interrupts him, 'Jethro! I know you trust me but I need to do this and anyway it's all agreed – I promise to make it up to you when I get home after the dinner.' She blows in his ear nuzzling against his neck.

Jethro is silent but as far as he's concerned Jenny will not be attending any dinner with that man.

They settle down for the night and Jenny cuddles up to Jethro's chest thinking, 'not that well handled but I've probably got away with it'. What she doesn't realise is that Jethro is hatching out his own plan to scupper her attendance of the dinner tomorrow.

Jenny is up early the next morning sorting out her outfit for the dinner as she is being picked up from NCIS HQ by the Senator after work. Once everything is ready she gets in the shower and is surprised when Jethro does not join her, maybe he is more annoyed than she realises.

Their morning routine is no different from the usual other than Jethro is a lot quieter, as they drive into the office car park, he helps Jen unload her stuff and carries everything up to her office. He leaves with a curt 'Goodbye, I'll see you later.'

Later that morning Jenny decides to visit Abby in her lab. Since she's begun her relationship with Jethro she has become a lot closer to the Goth. She is thinking about Gibbs as she descends in the elevator, she loves the man more than she thought possible, they argue regularly but never viciously. She sometimes thinks he picks arguments with her just so they can make up later. The feeling of contentment she has is impossible to describe and she knows beyond doubt that the partnership she now has with Gibbs will last forever.

'Hi Abby', Jenny says as she enters the lab.

'Director, what can I do for you?'

'Oh nothing really I just thought I'd come and say hello.'

Abby just looks at Jenny without saying anything.

'Well you know I have this dinner tonight, Jethro is not happy with my escort and well, I …Ipromised to make it up to him tonight and I just wondered what sort of things you've done to please your boyfriends.'

'In what way do you mean Director?'

'I think you know what I mean.'

The two women are soon sat very closely with Jenny listening avidly to everything Abby is prepared to tell her. They are still smiling when Gibbs and his team enter the lab. Gibbs has a cup of coffee in one hand and a caf-pow for Abby in his other hand.

He wants results from the case they are working, Abby immediately snaps into business mode giving the team everything she has learned from the forensic evidence gathered. Jenny hangs around for a short time pretending to listen and as Gibbs puts his coffee down to look at something in the microscope, she picks it up taking it with her as she leaves to go back to her office.

'Looks like the Boss has lost his coffee,' Tony whispers to Ziva

Gibbs looks up when he hears Tony and as he realises Jenny has taken his coffee he gives his team a glare making them feel responsible for the missing drink. He storms out of the lab and back up to the bullpen. He's thinking about his lost coffee but doesn't yet want to confront Jenny, when his team enters the bullpen he soon has them working on the leads that came up from Abby's results.

He decides to go for another cup of coffee and when he returns Ziva has disappeared, 'Where's Ziva,' he growls at Tony.

'With the Director, Boss' Tony does not look up from the notes he's making and McGee is tapping at his keyboard as if his life depended on it.

Gibbs sits at his desk sipping his coffee but his eyes stray up to look towards Jenny's door. Behind that door Jenny is showing both Abby and Ziva her outfit for the evening, she's having doubts over her shoes, they are a beautiful pair of high heels that cost a fortune but she's not sure if they quite go with the dress. Both Ziva and Abby tell her not to worry they're perfect, she'll stun everyone there.

'I guess you have an escort tonight as Gibbs is in a foul mood', Ziva says.

'Yes, it's that Senator who I went out with a couple of times', Jenny replies, 'Although this has nothing to do with Gibbs I'm doing this for the agency'.

'Tell that to Gibbs,' Ziva responds, 'Because I'm not sure we will get out of here tonight before he kills us.'

'Don't exaggerate Ziva,' Jenny smiles, 'Anyway he'll get over it.'

She looks up when the door burst open Jethro has marched in, no one says anything, and he just glares at the three women in the room. Abby and Ziva edge their way out as unobtrusively as they can.

'Have you finished playing dress up with my team?'

Jenny decides not to rise to the bait but looks at her watch, 'I'm due in MTAC in 15 minutes and I need to prepare, I'll see you later Jethro'

Gibbs stands looking down at her for a few moments,

'You owe me a coffee.'

Jenny looks up at him smiling, 'I'll give you much more than a coffee tonight.'

Jethro just nods his head as he walks out of her office not bothering to close the door behind him.

Gibbs hasn't moved from his desk all afternoon, he thinks he's solved the case and has sent the team out to make the arrests. While they're gone he has been thinking about Jenny, his Jenny. She has no right to be with any other man especially that man. He tries to rationalise his thoughts 'OK, I don't mind her going to this type of event, she could even go with someone but not this man, I know he'll try and seduce her. I know she won't let him get too close but he is an ex boyfriend, I am jealous but that's a good thing it means I care.'

Gibbs lets his thoughts wander, since they begun their relationship again he's felt the happiest he has in years, when he looks into Jenny's eyes and she returns that look he knows he's lost but he is happy to lose himself in her, when they make love he never wants to find himself.

Gibbs sighs, Jenny is holed up in MTAC, it's time to make his move.

The team return later that day with the two people they have arrested, Gibbs completes his case notes and prepares for the interrogations, he'll carry both interrogations out himself.

The suspects are not co-operating and the interrogation is going on longer than expected. Ziva is watching from the observation room when her phone rings 'Hello Director'. A pause while she listens to Jenny

'No I haven't seen them not since you showed them to me earlier have you asked Abby or Cynthia', another pause. 'He's in interrogation'.

Tony has been listening to this one sided conversation 'What's wrong?'

'The Director's lost her shoes, the ones she was going to wear tonight.'

Tony looks at Ziva, 'You don't think Gibbs took them do you?'

Ziva returns his look with a little smile and goes back to watching the interrogation.

McGee pipes up, 'I hope she doesn't interrupt the interrogation.'

'Even the Director will not interrupt a Gibbs interrogation over a pair of shoes.' Tony replies.

The door opens and in walks Jenny she looks through the one way glass, listening to the interrogation, it's reached a critical point and she knows she cannot just barge in to confront Gibbs. She has been in the room barely two minutes when Jethro gets up from his chair and walks over to the observation mirror, he stops directly in front of where she is standing on the other side of the glass and stares at his own reflection with a self satisfied smirk on his face. Jenny has had enough and walks out of the room without saying a word.

'I wouldn't like to be Gibbs when she gets home tonight', Ziva comments staring after the Director.

'Oh I don't know it might be fun,' Tony responds with a grin.

Jenny is fuming – she is going to kill Gibbs, he is not going to know what hit him. She knows he has taken her shoes just so she can't go out tonight with an old boyfriend, he is so childish, if only men could grow up life would be a lot easier. Jenny is trying to decide what to do when Cynthia pokes her head round the door.

'Director, I didn't say anything earlier but the shoes you were going to wear today, well the shop you bought them from had a sale and I've bought the exact same pair today in my lunch break. You're welcome to have them.'

Cynthia is slightly embarrassed at being caught buying the exact same shoes as the Director but Jenny does not care a less.

'Cynthia, you're a life saver, are you sure you don't mind, I'll make it up to you, I promise.'

Jenny gets herself ready and wearing Cynthia's shoes lets herself be escorted out of the building by her partner for the evening via the bullpen. She is initially disappointed that Jethro is not at his desk but that disappointment turns to triumph when she sees Jethro staring at her from across the office, as the elevator doors close on her and the senator.

Unfortunately for Jenny she soon realises that Jethro is right, this man is awful, she's not sure what she saw in him to begin with, she concedes that it would be difficult for any man to measure up to Jethro but having to be nice to her escort all evening is going to be very difficult. Jenny just hopes it will be worth it and the agency gets the funding it deserves.

She spends the whole evening removing his hands from various parts of her body and trying to make it clear that she will be going home by herself that night, she ensures that her driver has the car ready so she can make a quick get away if necessary.

When Jethro saw Jenny enter the lift with the Senator it took all his self-restraint not to run down the three flights of stairs to the car park and physically take Jenny away from her escort. Instead he takes Jenny's shoes from where he'd hidden them and throws them across the office. Ziva goes to retrieve them but she catches Gibbs eye and creeps back to her desk leaving the shoes where they are. Gibbs keeps his team at work until 11.00pm making them finish off paperwork; they work silently while he stalks angrily around the office occasionally kicking a filing cabinet.

Eventually he picks up Jenny's shoes and returns them to her empty office, whilst there he sits behind her desk breathing deeply. He can feel her presence in the room and knows exactly what she would say if she was here now, it would not make pleasant listening. He's thinking that perhaps he has over reacted; well he'll make it up to her tonight.

Walking back down the stairs he sends his team home. A little while later Jethro walks into his own house he showers and decides to wait for Jenny in the basement while working on the boat. A little while later he hears her enter the house and go straight upstairs, he waits a few minutes before joining her.

As he enters their room his breath catches, she is wearing a sheer silk negligee standing with her back to him, she turns around and has in her hands a pair of fluffy pink handcuffs given to her by Abby.

She holds them up saying 'I promised I'd make it up to you tonight.'

He returns her look and knows that he is lost and tonight he never wants to be found.