So sorry about such a late update!

Chapter Fifteen

Jenny Shepard walked in to the NCIS building the following Monday after she had shocked Ziva in to telling her to call her by her real name, not the name she had adopted for the past two years and four months. She smiled at the security guard who was obviously new and made her fill out visitor forms. He gave her a badge to pin to the front of her jacket and she did so. She smiled once more at the guard before making her way to the elevator. She waited for the elevator to arrive and when it did she stepped inside it pushing the button for the top floor. The floor which led the way to her old office and the floor where the major case team were based.

The elevator seemed to take forever to get all the way up to the top but when it finally did Jenny stepped out and looked right immediately, she noticed that Tony was not at his desk she hoped the team were not out on a case. She walked slowly towards the bullpen and noticed McGee was at his desk typing away, Tony and Ziva were both leaning over his shoulders and making smart ass comments. Tony kept laughing and Ziva was repeatedly hitting him on the arm. He said something particularly bad and Ziva straightened up and crossed her arms raising an eyebrow at him he just grinned then continued staring at the screen.

"Oh God." Ziva yelled. Having just noticed Jenny leaning against Tony's desk. Tony and McGee both looked at her then at where she was staring. McGee's eyes widened and Tony almost yelled out taking a step backwards.

"Good reaction Tony. Where is Gibbs?" Jenny asked ignoring the two shocked agents and the looks Ziva was firing across the bullpen at her.

"Le-Jenny what are you doing here?" Ziva asked almost calling her Lexi. Tony and McGee were both too shocked to notice this and just remained staring at the woman who had been apparently dead for over two years. Ziva managed to push Tony out of the way and walked towards Jenny. The two watched each other for a while, Ziva had her arms crossed over her chest and Jenny was leaning against the desk still. Eventually Ziva gave in telling her what she wanted to know.

"Director's office. He left about ten minutes ago, should be back soon. Are you going to wait here for him?" Jenny nodded and so Ziva turned on her heel and grabbed a hold of Tony and McGee and dragged them towards the back elevator. She threw the two of them inside before getting in herself. She pressed the button for Abby's lab and waited until the doors closed.

"Gibbs is going to go spare. Do not want to witness that." She muttered and Tony finally mustered up a small laugh.

"Not in person, McHacker can get us into the camera in the bullpen and we can watch and listen from the Lab." He grinned; Ziva shook her head in exasperation. Within seconds the three of them were entering Abby's lab. She squealed when she saw McGee throwing herself at him enthusiastically.

"Timmy! Hey Tony, Ziva!" She added with a wave as she had locked her arms around McGee's neck. Tony laughed at McGee for a few seconds before coughing declaring he had some interesting news.

"Is it good news because if it is bad news I don't want to hear it."

"Jenny Shepard is alive." Tony blurted out. Abby looked shock before her face fell.

"That isn't funny Tony."

"It is true Abby." Ziva added while McGee began typing away at the computer bringing up the viewing of the bullpen where Jenny was currently wandering around examining things on the desks. She had picked up the photo of Ben on Ziva's desk and had examined the many photos of Abby on Tim's desk. Gibbs desk was decidedly void of photos as was Tony's all his photographs were in his drawer.

"Woah!" Abby mouthed when she saw Jenny walking around. "It is really her. Get me a DNA sample." Abby demanded as she kept her eyes on the screen.

"Gibbs will tell us if it is her." Tony said. "Unless he has a heart attack of something, I nearly did up there." Abby sighed and hugged Tony quickly before turning back to the screen. The three were stood sat watching the plasma in Abby's lab for several long minutes before Gibbs came on to the screen. Abby turned the volume up on the screen and they all leaned forwards to hear the conversation and study Gibbs reaction.

In the bullpen Gibbs had just walked on somebody leaning over his desk. He was about to say something when he noticed she had red hair, perhaps he knew her. He cleared his throat to get her attention and almost fainted when he saw the woman wheel around. She smiled when she saw him and took a step forward, he didn't move so she hung her head.

"I am so sorry Jethro. I … I well, I didn't mean to hurt anybody by what I did." Gibbs managed to get over his shock and practically flew across the room to the last woman he had loved. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close to him, her head on his chest and her arms found their way around his waist. He felt her break down in his arms and held her tighter as she cried out her sorrows.

When she had finally cried herself out Gibbs moved away slightly allowing himself to get a better look at her, he flicked a hand through her hair and she smiled at his touch.

"Do you forgi-"

"Don't apologise Jen, It's a weakness." He smiled and she smiled as well teary but it was still a smile.

"So why did you do it. How did you do it?" Gibbs asked.

"I wanted out, I wanted to live a normal life, I realised I gave up on everything for my career. The fact somebody was out to kill me just made it easier. How? Slightly more complicated. I had Ducky run some blood samples previously faked to suggest I was ill, that was my original plan fake an illness then just die one day."

"Was Franks in on this?"

"No. An old friend." Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her. "My cousin, she had the illness and her dying wish was to get me out of the business because she thought it had changed me. We always looked so alike so it was easy. I had already swapped out my medical records for hers so when Ducky ran blood analysis it came up as mine."

"Damn it Jenny. Just retire?"

"I'm too young to retire Jethro." The two grinned. Jethro pulled Jenny back in to a hug and he placed a kiss on her head. She smiled in to his chest before moving her hands up from where they was pressed against his torso up and wrapped around his neck. She leaned back and he leant forwards and kissed her.

Down in Abby's lab the two couples were all smiling at the plasma screen immensely glad that Jenny was apparently alive and more so that Gibbs and Jenny had finally found each other. Abby kissed Tim she was so happy and Tony leaned towards Ziva to kiss her only to get a finger pressed against his lips instead. He pouted and she smirked. The two looked towards Abby and McGee who were currently locked in a fierce embrace as was Jenny and Gibbs. The two looked at each other.

"Go see Ducky?" Ziva nodded at Tony's comment and the two hastened to exit.

"It's like somebody spiked the water supply or something." Tony shook his head. Ziva laughed at him and his ridiculous notion.

When Gibbs finally let go of Jenny the two grinned at each other, Gibbs sighed and dragged her off to the elevator. She raised her eyebrows at him but a simple word was all she needed.

"Coffee?" He grinned; she returned his smile before hitting the button for the reception, the two walked out on their way to the nearest coffee shop. On their way there Gibbs subtly took a hold of Jenny's hand as they were walking down the street. She stopped in her tracks causing him to spin around to face her. She stared at him, silently asking him what he was doing. He answered her by taking a step towards her. She looked up in to his eyes as he came even closer.

"I love you Jenny." He whispered stroking his free hand through her hair. His right hand was still clutched tightly in hers. She closed her eyes and leaned in to his touch, allowing the skin on his hand to caress her hair and face. He gently leaned forwards and placed gently light kisses across her jawbone. She moaned lightly and placed her own free hand on his chest, causing him to pull back from her.

"Jethro?" She began, he tried to stop her but she continued nonetheless. "I love you too. I always did. I always will." She smiled at him before pulling him back towards her to kiss him passionately again. The two stayed out for a long time talking and getting to know each other again. Gibbs insisted she stayed at his place as he burnt down her own house.

When the two finally got back to the bullpen they noticed that it was empty. Gibbs figured that McGee and Abby were in her lab, most likely making out or doing something he really didn't want to know about. It was unlike Ziva and Tony to be missing from their desks unless they were with Ducky or Abby themselves. He quickly checked by calling Autopsy and then the Lab, he found McGee with Abby. He then decided he had more pressing concerns than to find two wandering agents, it's not like they had work to do.

Tony and Ziva were actually in the NCIS building, after coming back up from Autopsy to tell Ducky the good news they had gotten distracted in the elevator and ended up making out again, this led to slightly more intricate actions which meant that the elevator had been out of service for sometime. When they eventually did come back up to the bullpen they found Gibbs sitting at his desk, Jenny was sitting on a chair on the other side and the two were both gripping cups of coffee and chatting jovially while gazing in to one another's eyes.

"Ahem. Hey Boss." Tony said in an attempt to hide his laughter and break the awkwardness of the moment. "Hey Jenny."

"Gibbs, Jenny." Jenny stood to hug her friend as she had greeted her, Ziva hugged her back and whispered something in her ear that sounded oddly like 'Good Luck' to Tony, but he didn't say anything. Jenny however laughed.

"So boss?" Tony started looking across at Gibbs from where Tony had just sat down at his desk.

"Yes DiNozzo?"

"Yanno, Abby and McGeek are getting hitched?"

"Yes I did DiNozzo."

"Right. Well, now that they singlehandedly shattered Rule Number twelve…" Tony left it an unspoken question.

"DiNozzo I think that if you ever hurt Ziva it should be what she does that you should be worried about, not what I do. Perhaps her brother you might want to worry about too." Gibbs said before walking out of the room taking Jenny's hand and taking her in to the back elevator. He kissed her on the cheek as they headed down to Autopsy to go visit Ducky.

In the bullpen Ziva grinned at Tony.

"He is right."

"What that if I hurt you you'll kill me?"

"No. You should be worried." She grinned in an evil manner before pulling her knife out of her pocket and began sharpening it. Tony looked at her as she watched him seductively.

"You do know that is incredibly hot right?" He muttered. She smiled again.

The elevator doors pinged open revealing the cold air of Autopsy to Jenny and Gibbs as they stepped out of the elevator. Gibbs walked through the doors first looking for Ducky, he found him quickly and the old man stepped forwards hopefully. Gibbs sidestepped Jenny and Ducky walked forwards and hugged her tightly.

"I am glad you are ok dear." He said, offering her some tea. She declined; drinking tea amidst decaying bodies was not her thing. Jenny and Gibbs managed to retell almost the past two years of Jenny's life, excluding the part where Ziva knew Jenny was alive. Jenny had put Ziva in an awful position and she should not make it worse. After telling Ducky everything the two of them headed up to find Abby to let her see Jenny for herself.

When the two of the stepped off in to Abby's lab they heard the blaring music and the second the lab doors whooshed open Abby pounced out at the former director pulling her in to a fierce embrace. Abby eventually relinquished her hold and Jenny and Gibbs had to tell Abby the story that had been retold so many times now Jenny was wishing she held a mass conference. By the time Jenny had gotten around half of the NCIS building word having gotten around she had faked her death and was back and had to tell every individual what had happened she was called up to see the director who wanted to quash the rumours more than accept them.

"Leon Vance." Jenny said as she entered. "Seat warm for you?" She asked politely.

"Jennifer Shepard? Seriously? You actually faked the entire thing?"

"Not as easy as it looked. Nor without its sorrows." She replied.

"The woman who took your place. Sister? Twin?"

"Cousin actually. She was dying and wanted to do it."

"You are here because?"

"Not for that chair Leon. I came here for something I should never have given up the first time I had it."

"Aaah, Agent Gibbs." Jenny nodded and Vance smiled at her relieved he would not have a power struggle on his hands.

"Good Luck Leon." Jenny said before turning around to exit the room.

"You two Jenny, Jethro Gibbs is a handful."

"Oh I can handle him." Jenny smiled.

=] Hope you enjoyed that. xx