Who's Bet: NCIS Director Jenny Shepherd

Summary: It's her first day on the job, and Morrow's laying down a full rules.

Episode: Season 3, Episode 1: Kill Ari part one (Very slight spoilers for Twilight as well)

Author's Note: Well, I was hoping to get this chapter out a lot sooner, and I'm sorry for that. I thought I was doing better. Apparently not. A lot of things happened, and this got put on the back burner. Also, I'd like to make a comment about the last bet, Fornell's. According to later canon, Gibbs and Fornell were married to the same woman and Fornell had a daughter with her. However, according to the first episode, "Yankee White" they were complete strangers (if they weren't, Gibbs never would have been able to pull that stunt on Air Force One). The last bet was based solely around that episode, and according to Yankee White, they were strangers. Just wanted to clear that up for everybody.

She checked her hair for what felt like the millionth time.

Still perfect. Ok, what about the suit?

Still pressed.

Jenny groaned. She was freaking out over nothing! She was an Assistant Director of NCIS. No, wait, she wasn't an Assistant Director anymore. She was the Director. Today was her first day as Director. It was the promotion of a lifetime. Especially for a woman her age—because she was not that old, contrary to what that bastard down in human resources thought. And she was not going to mess it up.

She got lost three times trying to find her way to MTAC.

Not a good start, but she eventually found it. She scanned her iris and walked into the darkened room. It sort of reminded her of a movie theater. Except if she brought popcorn in here, she'd probably get fired and thrown on her ass out on the street.

How was her hair?

Her eyes scanned around the room, trying to find Director—no, no, former Director—Morrow. She must have scanned the room four times. He was here, wasn't he? He hadn't stood her up? Shouldn't he have called…

Now she was sounding like a teenage girl on her first date. This was ridiculous!

Did she make sure to check her make-up?

"Director Shepherd." Jenny nearly jumped out of her skin. Morrow stood before her, smiling a knowing smile that sent a blush to her face. She was incredibly grateful that the room was dark and he couldn't see it.

"Director Morrow," she said as she took a deep breath. "It's good to see you again."

He nodded. "You too." He waved her towards the row of seats he just left. "Please, have a seat."

Her chair was relatively soft, but hard enough to remind her—again—that she was not in a movie theater. They planned attacks in this room, not watch two people fall madly in love at first sight.

"So," she took a deep breath to try and still her nerves, "was there anything else we needed to discuss before I take over, Director?"

Morrow smiled. "I'm no longer the Director at NCIS, Director. But yes, there is something that we need to discuss." He handed her a small leather covered notepad. It was embroidered with gold calligraphy. She had expected to see "Tom Morrow" or "Director" or something else equally personal. So imagine her surprise when she saw the words "Office Pool" written in the lower right hand corner.

She turned her confused eyes to the man next to her. "What is this?"

"Almost four years ago, we started an office pool that has spread through the entire Navy Yard. As Director, it's your job to keep track of everyone's bets and hand out the prize when somebody eventually wins."

"Four years is a long time for one Office Pool."

Morrow scoffed. "Believe me, I know."

She shook her head, still a bit confused. "Is it proper for the Director to be involved in something like this?"

"Normally I would say absolutely not, but this was just too damn funny for me not to involve myself in it."

Jenny skimmed through the book. It was filled with people's names and random dates. "What exactly is the pool? When Dr. Mallard finally loses his voice?" She was all too familiar with Ducky's ability to talk. He was a good man, and she absolutely adored him, but sometimes he made her ears hurt with all the talking he could do.

Morrow chuckled. "There is a pool for that, but it isn't as big as this one."

"Who's Agent Fornell?" She looked back up at her predecessor. "I don't recall meeting him."

"He works for the FBI." He chuckled again at her shocked expression. "I told you this was big."

She slammed the book into her lap and glared at him. "What exactly is the pool, if I'm allowed to know?"

Morrow sighed heavily. "The bet is when two agents will sleep together."

She rolled her eyes. "Honestly."

He looked her square in the eye and repeated himself. There was no lie in his gaze.

It took her nearly a full minute to understand what he was telling her. "Why would that be a pool?" She shook her head. "Why are you involved with this? Shouldn't you be trying to shut it down?"

"Normally yes."

"So what makes these two so special that they can ignore the rules?"

Morrow shrugged. "True love?"

Jenny glared again. "Are they partners?"

"Almost," Morrow said with a glint in his eye and a smirk on his lips.

"I meant at work!"

Morrow sighed again. "Yes, technically, the two are partners."

"What do you mean, 'technically'?"

"I mean, they aren't the only ones on the team. It's a group of, well," he paused, "three, at the moment." He looked in her eyes again, only this time there was a hint of sadness. "They lost one of their own this morning."

Jenny sighed heavily. A part of her felt bad for that, but she didn't even know this person, so she couldn't feel the same grief that Morrow obviously felt. "If everyone is so convinced that they're sleeping together—"

"They're not sleeping together. At least not yet."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Morrow was exasperating. "Regardless, if everyone is convinced they will, then they shouldn't be working so closely together. It's against the rules of every federal agency for a reason. It's dangerous!"

"Again, normally I would agree with you, Director," she ignored the way her heart flipped at her new title, "but those two agents are without a doubt the best I've got. And I'm not saying that they'll start a romantic relationship when they finally have sex. All I know is that they will eventually have sex, so why not make a little money out of it?"

"You can't know that they'll—"

He cut her off. "Give it a few weeks. You'll see it too."

She rolled her eyes again. "Well, if it's so obvious, why don't you transfer one of them to a different team?"

"I don't want to be killed."

She blinked.

"Director, there's approximately one thousand people who are in on this pool. At this moment. The longer it goes, the more people join in. Several have made multiple bets already. There is over twenty-thousand dollars riding on this bet. If I transfer one of them off the team, I am successfully destroying the pool and everybody around here loses out on a twenty-thousand dollar payout. They will mutiny against you. Make no mistake about that."

"You really think they would murder you over twenty-thousand dollars?"

"We're a federal agency, Director. Our paychecks are not great enough to ignore a possible twenty-thousand dollar payout."

She huffed. Her first day as Director and she had this thrown in her lap. Since when has NCIS become a high school? Suddenly everybody wants to bet on when the cheerleader hooks up with the quarterback?

"Am I allowed to know who the two agents are?"

"On two conditions."

"Surely you can't be serious!" She almost laughed at how seriously Morrow was taking this. To Jenny, it was just plain weird. She still couldn't believe that he would go along with this.

"I am serious." He smirked. "And don't call me Shirley."

She bit her lip and tried a few deep breathing exercises to stop herself from pulling out her sidearm and shooting the man next to her. "And if I refuse these conditions?"

"I find another Assistant Director to take my place."

She glared, hoping that laser beams would shoot out of her eyes and slice his skin off. "What are they?"

"The two agents are not to know that there is an office pool about them. And you can't transfer either of them off the team."

"Director Morrow—"

He cut her off again. "Those are the only conditions. Take it or leave it, Director."

She leaned back so she could get a better look at him. "Why are you protecting these two?"

"Because I have a stake in the pool. And because I like them. What's your decision, Jenny?"

She glared again. That was the first time in their entire conversation that he called her by her given name. It was a challenge, and she knew it. If she didn't agree to his conditions, he really would find somebody else. And that just wasn't fair. She worked her ass off for years to get to this point. A woman as the Director of a federal agency was practically unheard of. And she made it. She did not want to throw it away because of something stupid like an office pool.

But at the same time, could she really, in good conscience, ignore the rules for money? Could she really give up her dream for her damn conscience?

After another minute, she sighed heavily and slouched down in her seat. "Fine, agreed." She couldn't believe that she was going along with this. "Who are the agents?"

Morrow smiled again. "Special Agents Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Anthony DiNozzo."

"What?" She nearly shouted that simple little word.

"We're going live, Director!" One of the MTAC control officers called out.

Morrow stood up and straightened his jacket. "Your show's about to start, Director." Without another word, he moved to sit further in the back of the small theater.

Jenny could barely pay attention to all the people filling into the tiny room. She still hadn't picked up her jaw yet.

She remembered Jethro. Hell, she had slept with Jethro numerous times while they were undercover together in Europe (And no, she was not a hypocrite, she was young and dumb and he was… Jethro). Was she really expected to believe that Jethro, her Jethro suddenly turned gay after Europe? That he was sleeping with—or about to sleep with—a male teammate?

Somebody sat down next to her, causing her to jump. She almost expected to see the Cheshire Cat smiling at her. Because the only explanation she could come up with for all of this was that she fell down the rabbit's hole and ended up in Wonderland. The world of nonsense.

Morrow was definitely the Mad Hatter.

Yes, in case you're wondering, I had watched Alice in Wonderland right before I wrote this. Sorry, but I had to. I hadn't done Alice in Wonderland before! Moving on...

Next Bet: Ziva David