Chapter Two: Finding The Director
"Boss, can we go home yet?" Tony said in his whiniest voice, but was only met with a glare.
Ziva looked over at her Boss than back to her partner as if to ask 'Can I slap him yet?' And Gibbs just gave a nod to approve her wish.
She head slapped Tony and returned her attention back to the plasma screen.
"We are NOT going home until we find the Director. Is that clear DiNozzo?" Gibbs bellowed at his team; the only ones left in the squad room.
Tony muttered a 'Crystal Boss' and lowered his head in defeat. He really didn't see what the problem was, Director Shepard always went off without her detail, and was always fine. She was a good agent, and even though she had moved up in the chain of command, she could still take care of herself; she had proved it when Brian Dempsey kidnapped her. And Tony seriously doubted she'd need to use any of that skill tonight; her cell phone tracker showed she was at a bar.
Gibbs grabbed his gun and badge and headed towards the elevator and when Tony Ziva and McGee got up to follow he turned around.
"Sit." And they did. "Good, now stay."
He left the squad room and three very frustrated agents behind.
"Why can't we just go home?" Tony said sinking into his chair with huff. Ziva and McGee shot him a look, begging- no -threatening him to shut up. But, like normal he ignored them and kept going.
"She is an Agency Director, but she is also a woman. Come on guys, She is probably just meeting a guy!" He said pausing for a moment to imagine their Director fulfilling the needs that a woman felt.
"Tony!" Ziva exclaimed when she realized what her partner was thinking.
"What I just don't get is why WE have to stay here just 'cause Gibbs is jealous." He said shaking his head.
"Gibbs is not jealous Tony, he is just worried about the Director; she's not answering her phone." McGee chimed in.
"Would you answer the phone if your Ex was calling you and you were out getting some?" Tony said, glad that nobody was around to head slap him.
"Well…..no…" Tim said mulling over the idea.
"Now just imagine your Ex was Gibbs." He said eliciting a mutual shudder from the others.
"You do not know that they were together. Never assume anything, yes?" Ziva said rounding her desk and stopping in front of Tony.
"No…….. but you know." Tony said eyeing her wearily; finally figuring out that she was merely covering for The Director.
She glared back at him.
"Gibbs says nothing happened, and I haven't heard The Director talk about it." McGee said trying to defuse the situation.
"Gibbs doesn't say anything. Plus, have you forgotten about rule number Three?" DiNozzo said snapping at the geeky agent.
"Always wear gloves at a crime scene?" McGee asked confused.
"No Mc-know-nothing! That is rule number two!" He said shooting the other man a 'Duh' glare.
"Then what is number Three?" Ziva asked.
"Don't believe what your told; Double check." A voice from behind a partition said. All three agents looked over and gulped at the sight of The Director; looking VERY mad.
A woman was standing next to her; she looked very similar to Jen. She had light brown hair that hovered at her shoulder in soft waves. Her skin tone was fair like Jenny's and she had the same faint freckles.
Tony plastered on his famous 'DiNozzo Charm' and stood up to greet the woman. "Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo at your service, but, you can call me Tony." She shook his outstretched hand.
Ziva and McGee followed suit in introducing themselves, though not as enthusiastically. Jen just stood by waiting for the formalities to finish; she had bigger problems to deal with than worrying about good manners.
"Hi, I'm Andrea Shepard." The woman said, and when she realized they were waiting to know why she was there, and why she looked so familiar she added on. " I'm Jenny's younger sister."
Tony smirked, this was great! Jenny had a sister, who was pretty, and wouldn't get him in trouble with one Leroy Jethro Gibbs. But the look that The Director sent him made him sure that Gibbs shouldn't be who he was worrying about.
"You can all go home," Jen said over her shoulder as she ushered Andrea up the stairs to her office.
"Umm…..Director?" McGee said nervously.
"Yes Tim?"
"Gibbs said we couldn't leave…..until we found you." He fumbled over the words.
"Well I'm here aren't I?" She said raising an eyebrow.
"I think he meant once HE found you." Tony interjected knowing the probie would get them nowhere with his round about way of talking.
"Go home, I'll deal with Gibbs." She said closing off the conversation in a no-nonsense tone. For a moment they stood wondering what to do, deal with Jen's anger now or Gibbs' later? It was a loose-loose situation. But procrastinating the pain was the option they chose as they packed up their stuff and headed out of the building throwing glances back at the catwalk where The Director and her Sister were walking.
In the elevator McGee asked a forgotten question. "Why did the Director's cell say she was at the bar?"
Ziva smiled, Jen was a good agent and obviously didn't want to be bothered by Gibbs….plus cell phones are cheap enough.
"She left it there Probie." Tony said having figured it out much earlier.
McGee just nodded. Sometimes his Bosses could be so juvenile
----
Gibbs pulled into the parking lot of 'Betty-Lou's Tavern'. A few guys outside hovered around their motorcycles and their voices lowered as he exited his car; maybe he wasn't as subtle as he hoped to be, driving at break-neck speeds.
Once inside he looked around, and there was definitely no Jen here. At the bar he was asked what he wanted to drink, and even though a glass of Bourbon sounded good, he needed to find her; what could he say, he always trusted his gut, and it was telling him that something was wrong. He shook his head no at the bar tender's question.
Instead he through one back at the man.
"You seen her?" He said holding out a picture of Jenny, the same one that was on her NCIS badge.
The man hesitated before replying. "Nope." Gibbs had no doubt he was lying.
Pulling out his badge, he asked again. Only to get the same response.
"You know if you don't cooperate I can have you arrested for interfering with a Federal investigation?" Well it was partly true; he was a Federal Investigator. But this wasn't an Investigation. Screw Semantics he thought; he was glad Jen had made him look that word up.
"Yeah, now that you mention it, I do remember her. Bourbon, neat. Just like the other woman she was with." The bartender said popping the cap of a beer for someone. "Not the normal type a women we get 'round here. They were lookers though, especially the red-head, in that tight little business suit….." His voice trailed off, his mind picking up where his verbal fantasies stopped.
"Why didn't you tell me this first?" Gibbs growled, ignoring the man's recollection of Jenny's outfit.
"'Cause she paid me a hundred not to." He said matter-of-factly. "They sat over there." He said gesturing with a nod to a corner of the bar that was nestled into the wall. Gibbs walked over to the two stools, lying on the ground was Jen's phone, and on the screen the words 'Sorry Jethro' flashed. He smirked, even when he was madder than hell at her she could still make him smile.
"What did the other woman look like?" He said returning his attention to the other man.
"Just like 'er, only she had brown hair and was maybe a 'lil younger…. Now, can I get back to my bar?" The man said, he was done playing games with this Navy Cop.
Gibbs just nodded and returned to his car, she could run, but she had to return home sometime.
-----
"So who's Gibbs? ....Wasn't he your old partner?" Andrea said running her hands over her sister's hard wood and leather furniture in her office while Jenny was filling her briefcase with reports she planned on doing that night.
"You just told me that you might have killed someone, and you wanna talk about my collogues?" Jen said partly because she was worried about her sister, and because she didn't want to talk about Gibbs.
"Geez Jen, can't we catch up a little before you get all Director Shepard on me?" Andrea joked trying to forget about her problem; if only for a little bit.
" Andy! This isn't a game, you could be facing CRIMINAL CHARGES, do you understand that?" She raised her voice trying to get through to her sister that this was a serious issue, not something she could brush off like usual.
" Yeah, I……I know." By now Jenny had moved over to comfort her sister who had started to tear up.
"Jenny, I don't remember who I stabbed." Andrea said in a shaky voice as she collapsed into her sister.
A/n: Let me know what you think!