He could see her out of the corner of his eye, watching as she always had, making sure everything ran smoothly. Knowing she could see him spurred him on, causing him to lean slightly closer to Hollis, briefly brush his hand against hers and push a stray strand of hair away from her face. It didn't take long for Jenny to move on, he'd known it wouldn't, he could always see the flash of pain in her eyes no matter how hard she tried to suppress it or how quickly she turned away. If Gibbs was going to be honest he didn't actually know why he felt the need to hurt her like this, why he flaunted Hollis in front of her. It was possible that he just wanted to see her react, because that would involve her showing some form of emotion, she was so closed off now, she wasn't his Jenny anymore she was Madam Director.

When she had first taken up the post he saw the Jen he had loved all the time although occasionally she was restrained by the confines of her position but she was there and he had been happy to have her back in his life at least in some capacity. It was when he had returned from Mexico that he had noticed the difference, she had been a lot more guarded but even then he still saw that spark every so often. Then one day it was like she disappeared, the La Grenouille case seemed to swallow her whole, she was obsessed with it and it consumed her every waking moment, he knew it was personal, he could see that, after all he knew all about seeking revenge. Then, after that disastrous mission with the diamonds he had came close to asking her why, why she was letting this case affect her so much. She had of course brushed off his questions and claimed she didn't need to hate him. Gibbs hadn't been so sure and he felt he had been proved right after that night in her study when her hand had closed around her gun, he didn't want to think about what she would have done if he hadn't been there. Then again La Grenouille had probably been shot that night, so maybe she had went after him, it wouldn't surprise him, that night she had been so angry, her lips had been quivering in barely suppressed rage, her eyes had been hard and cold, he had never seen her like that, so vengeful.

Gibbs was drawn back to reality by Hollis running her hand up his arm as she smiled at him, chatting away about something, he didn't know what, unless they were working on a case together he rarely listened to her. It wasn't that he didn't care about her, he did, his relationship with her was very similar to the ones he had had with his ex-wives. It was a fact that didn't bode well for their future together, but overall he found this type of relationship easier to deal with, where he cared but not enough for him to be hurt when things inevitably went bad, which they always did. The only woman he had ever loved after Shannon had been Jen and she had left him without a second thought, leaving him nothing but a note and that had hurt a lot more than he would ever admit to. Maybe that was why he wanted to flaunt Hollis in front of her because he could see it hurt her as much as she had hurt him, it was petty and he knew it, he just couldn't seem to help himself.

'Jethro are you even listening to me?'

Gibbs's head jerked up and he looked into Hollis's questioning eyes he gave her a quick grin, 'Sorry I was miles away'

'Thinking about the case?'

He looked into her trusting gaze and found himself just nodding, taking a gulp of his coffee so he wouldn't have to go further into it. She saved him the bother though by continuing to talk, 'I hope you'll be better company tonight, not that I don't like the whole strong silent thing you have going on'

Frowning slightly he asked, 'Tonight?'

'You were taking me for dinner, we talked about it last night, remember? I told you I was fed up with takeaways in front of your boat'

As Gibbs thought back he could very vaguely remember the conversation, he had mainly said it to get her to stop talking. One thing Hollis had never quite cottoned onto was that sometimes he liked peace and quiet, that sometimes he just wanted to brood, instead he answered her, 'Of course I remember, where do you want to go?'

'Anywhere with tablecloths'

'Fair enough'

She beamed at him, her face lighting up, 'Good I'll see you tonight then', she didn't kiss him, she knew that would appear unprofessional so she just trailed her hand back down his arm again before turning in the direction of the elevators.

Gibbs watched her go before turning his attention to his team, all of whom had watched the exchange with interest.

Tony grinned at his boss, 'Trouble in paradise?'

He just glared at the younger man, watching as he withered under said glare before averting his gaze while muttering a hurried apology. Ziva and McGee just let out their usual stifled laughs as they continued their tasks.

About an hour later Gibbs glanced up to see a completely composed Jennifer Sheppard walk along the catwalk before sweeping down the staircase. She gave his team a polite smile that none of them returned, relationships were still strained, Tony and Ziva were each holding their grudges while McGee just seemed to be following the crowd. The cold reception didn't seem to effect her and she handed him over a pile of case reports, 'Agent Gibbs you haven't signed off on these reports, please do so and have them sitting on my desk by the time I get back from my meeting'

He let his gaze flicker over her before replying, 'Fine'

As he reached up to take the files he saw it, the flash of emotion in her eyes, he couldn't quite make out what it was but it was very definitely there. It went as quickly as it had appeared and Jenny turned on her heel and sashayed out of the bullpen, as usual all eyes were on her, the vultures were circling, looking for the smallest tidbit to feast on, something else to add to the whirl of gossip that constantly surrounded her.

Jenny smiled at her security detail and slipped into the back seat of her car, she waited until the door slammed shut before letting her head fall back against the seat. Closing her eyes she took some deep breaths, the look Jethro's team had given her, the coldness in their stares had stung her no matter how much she brushed it off. It wasn't that that was upsetting her though, it was the look Jethro had given her, at first he had given her his usual blank emotionless stare but then, then it had been like he had noticed something, the chink in her armour and he had looked concerned, as though he was studying her. She hadn't been able to take the scrutiny and had turned away, he had always been the one person who could break down her walls and if she let him do that then she was vulnerable and that was the one thing she couldn't afford to be, not in this job anyway.

Thank you for all the reviews so far, there will be a majorish event in the next chapter that will start a snowball effect. At least that's the plan I occasionally change my mind so I can't make any promises lol. Please let me know what you think so far, I do love the reviews :)

xxxxx