Slowly Jenny, Tony, and the rest of NCIS settled back into their normal rhythms. Jenny spent as much time with Tony as possible, and during work hours spent her time pointedly avoiding Gibbs. Gibbs and the rest of his team spent their time working on cases that they were assigned, while Gibbs especially took care to avoid the new director. Jenny didn't mind this situation, and a kind of harmony existed between the Director's office, and the MCRT.

Jenny was happy in her new position. Tony was doing well at school, and was adapting well to the new town…new country, that he had been thrust into. He'd formed up his own little group of friends, and was often invited over to the homes of his friends for play dates, much to Jenny's pleasure. It was much easier to say goodbye to Tony every morning knowing that he was happy and had friends.

Tony had been, therefore, very put out when notices were handed out about a proposed day of the school being closed to the students. Jenny looked at the note Tony had thrust into her hands when she'd gotten back from the office. She felt her heart tighten when she looked at it.

The day it was scheduled for was Sophie's day off, and she knew that the kindly housekeeper had already made arrangements to go to a theatre show that day with her friends, and couldn't change her tickets for another performance.

"How about you come into the office with me, Tony?" Jenny asked with a smile. Tony had always liked going to visit her at her previous offices, and it wasn't like she was going to get in trouble for having her son with her at the office for one day. Being the Director did have its perks after all.

Tony brightened up immediately, "Can I meet some of the people you work with, and have a look around?" he asked excitedly. Getting to roam around a federal agency was a much more exciting prospect than what his friends planned to do on the day off.

Jenny smiled and nodded, "We'll see," she promised with a smile. Tony beamed up at her, before he ran off to his room to go and play with his toys. Jenny smiled; knowing that the time had come for her to introduce her son to Gibbs, even through it wouldn't be as father and son.

NCIS

The day of Tony's visit to NCIS dawned and Jenny was awoken by a weight dropping onto her bed. She peered out from under the blankets, smiling and shaking her head at a beaming Tony, already dressed and wearing his NCIS cap that he'd been given from Jenny's colleagues when they'd left to come to America.

"Is it time to go yet?" he asked. Jenny looked at the clock. It was Six thirty, and her alarm usually went off at a quarter to seven.

She groaned, "Not quite, Tony."

"Almost?" he questioned hopefully. Jenny worked her way out from under the blankets, ruffling her little boy's hair affectionately.

"Close enough, I guess," she relented.

Tony bounced up and raced around the room, before he ran out. Jenny heard him clattering down stairs loudly, and grinned, glad that her son was so excited. She was sure that, assuming that she wasn't to busy in the lab, Abby would be thrilled to show Tony around NCIS, if Jenny was busy during the day, and Jenny had made sure that was lots of things to keep Tony entertained in his backpack when she'd packed it the previous night.

Quickly showering and getting dressed, Jenny hurried downstairs to the kitchen, where Tony was waiting for her. She got their breakfast ready, and pulled a newspaper towards her, eating while she read the latest news headlines. Tony ate his breakfast while looking at the pictures in a magazine that was lying on the kitchen bench.

Once they'd both finished eating, Jenny sent Tony to watch some cartoons, since it was still a little early for her to get to the office, while she washed up the dishes from breakfast.

When the kitchen was clean, and the dishes were away, she fetched Tony from the living room, and picked up their bags, passing Tony's backpack to him. Tony held her hand tightly, as they left their house, and walked out to the waiting car.

"Heading in early today, Director?" her chauffeur asked with a grin.

"I get to go and help mom at work, and meet all the agents," Tony boasted proudly,'

"Well, don't you look like a proper NCIS agent,' the chauffeur laughed, looking at Tony's hat. Tony tugged on it, and beamed, before climbing into the car. Jenny caught the chauffeurs' eye, and grinned, managing to stifle her giggles as she followed Tony into the rear of the car.

Tony moved restlessly the whole drive out to NCIS, bouncing up and down, and kicking his legs in anticipation. Jenny didn't try to stop her little boy's actions, figuring that the more energy he used up during the car ride, the less he would have while he was at the office, although he was usually very good when he had spent days at her previous offices with her. He got excited every time he'd had the opportunity, so Jenny was confident in her belief that today's visit would be no different.

Eventually the car pulled up in the basement garage of the NICS building within the Navy Yard. Jenny got out first, before holding the car door open for Tony while he slid out, pulling his backpack along behind him. He looked around at the garage, eyeing the other cards in the lot appreciatively. Jenny rolled her eyes and gently took Tony's shoulder, steering him towards the elevator. Like all boys (and men too) Tony had an inborn appreciation of pieces of automotive engineering. Tony's personal favourites were old mustangs, something Jenny was curious about. She wondered if Jethro had similar taste in cars, of if Tony had developed the preference independently of either parent's DNA. He didn't get it from her side, that was for sure.

They stepped into the elevator, and, having looked at her watch and knowing that Gibbs and his team would be at their desks by now, hit the button for the bullpen. She and Tony would use the stairs to get up to her office. It was time to bite the bullet and introduce Jethro to Tony, as just one of her agents at first, and then see how it went.

Jenny wondered how long it would take for Jethro to figure it out (it wasn't a significant leap to take, once Jethro learned when Tony's birthday was). Even without taking Tony's being premature into consideration, she and Jethro had been intimate at the appropriate time.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Tony, suddenly nervous, perhaps picking up on his mother's apprehension, stood close to her, leaving Jenny to make the first move. She smiled at him, before taking his hand, and leading the way into the main bullpen of NCIS. She could feel eyes on her from the moment she stepped out of the lift, or rather, eyes on Tony. Tony had his head held high, imitating his mother's determined walk, although he was looking around curiously much more than she was. Tony beamed when his green eyes fell on a familiar face.

"Ziva" he cried out eagerly. Jenny smiled, relieved that her son recognised the Mossad agent. When she and Ziva had worked together before Tony had met her, and been instantly taken by the Israeli beauty. Ziva, perhaps seeing a kindred spirit in Tony, sharing the burden that came with being the child of individuals in charge of military agencies such as Mossad and NCIS, had formed a friendship with Tony that had lasted for the duration of Ziva working with Jenny, at which point she had returned to Israel. Ziva had maintained the friendship by sending Tony letters, as well as gifts for Christmas and his birthday. Tony had replied with gifts, usually hand made, like a painting, or some form of school made art, or a drawing, and a letter that he would have dictated to Jenny, or a few times recently, tried to write himself. Ziva was definitely getting better at reading Tony's untidy scrawl with the more practises she got. Upon spotting the source of the cry of her name Ziva smiled warmly.

"Why, hello there Tony, you have grown much since I saw you last."

"That's because I eat all my Vegetables," Tony replied.

"Come over here so I can see how much you have grown," Ziva requested, after exchanging a quick look at Jenny to check if it was okay. Tony skipped over to Ziva, behind her desk. She made a show of measuring him against the back wall of her petition.

"Ah-ha, just as I suspected. You've grown into such a big boy."

Tony puffed up his chest, "I know, I have haven't I. I get to help mommy run NCIS today, because there is no school."

"Well it is lucky for us all that you are here to look after things. Your mom does a great job, but I'm sure she needs all the help she can get, and you even look the part." Ziva tugged gently at Tony's NCIS cap. Tony giggled and straightened the hat, before looking curiously over his shoulder at the rest of Gibbs' team.

Stan's mouth was hanging open, and McGee was blatantly staring at the hardened Mossad agent and the little boy she was playing with so gently. Gibbs; gaze was firmly on Jenny, seeking an explanation.

"Gibbs, Burly, McGee, this is Tony, my son. Tony, these are Special Agents Gibbs and Burly, and Probationary Special Agent McGee. They work with Ziva."

"Hi," beamed Tony brightly.

"Hey there, Tony," Stan replied. He'd always gotten on well with kids, and they usually seemed to like him. Tony was no exception, smiling up at the senior field agent, having walked back around Ziva's desk so he could see the others better.

"Tony has a day off school today, so I have brought him in. He won't cause any trouble, but you'll see him around the office." Jenny explained, sensing that Gibbs was about to demand why exactly she had her child at the office, particularly since she hadn't ever mentioned having a son in front of Gibbs before.

Taking Tony's hand, Jenny continued on her way up to the office, climbing up the stairs slowly. Tony waved at the team from the landing, before following Jenny into her office. Before the door closed Jenny could hear Stan and Tim begin questioning Ziva on how exactly she knew the son of the director of NCIS. Jethro, however, didn't say a thing until Jenny's office door was safely closed.

"Jenny and I have worked together before in Europe. One night I went to her home to discuss the investigation she was running, and I met Tony. He's a good boy, although before I met him I never realised how much energy young children had. He has grown a great deal in the six months since I last saw him." Ziva explained to her colleagues

"They tend to do that, Ziva," Gibbs growled, thinking of how much Kelly used to grow while he was deployed. He had missed so much of her growing up. Tony reminded him of Kelly a little. Friendly, always with a smile on his face, although the little boy was obviously younger than Kelly had been when she'd been killed.

"Did you know that Director Shepard had a son, Boss?' Stan asked.

"No, now, what can you tell me about the case."

Gibbs' team knew that there would be no more talking about Tony, so immediately got back into the swing of taking turns to inform Gibbs on where they stood on their current case, which was a cold case that Gibbs had picked out to have another look at.