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Gibbs leaned back and tipped the bottle to the ceiling, throwing the liquid to the back of his throat, feeling it burning its way down in to his empty stomach. Since he had finished work three hours ago, he had been down here in his basement, sitting inside Kelly and drinking his Bourbon. Well, his new bottle of Bourbon since he had managed to get through seven bottles in the last three weeks. This was his way of reconnecting with his old partner, his drinking companion, his lover, his Jenny who had been taken from him so brutally and prematurely. He remembered the time he had introduced her to it. They had been lying in bed after a particularly energetic night and he had grabbed a bottle from his stash and two glasses. She hadn't liked the taste at the time but she had learned to like it when he had poured it on her and licked it off her skin, kissing her afterwards. She had said she liked it better second hand. It wasn't long after that that she had been taking a sip from his glass and then progressing to having a glass of her own. He chuckled, saluting her memory once more by turning the bottle upside down and swallowing as much as he could before needing air. He was drunk as a skunk and he had no intention of stopping until he passed out, just so he didn't have to lay awake at night trying to sleep with memories of her and regrets floating around his head. He felt like a hypocrite, stopping Tony from drinking his life away just to go home and do the same, but Tony had his whole life ahead of him, a life in which he had time to find the other part of his soul, Gibbs had lost his, forever. He took another long swig, bashing it painfully against his teeth as he did so and he looked at how much he had drunk. Nearly three quarters of the bottle, no wonder his hand eye co-ordination was off.
Why had she gone to that diner? Why? She didn't have to face it alone; she could've told him and his team, they could've helped out. She would be alive now if she had just trusted him. He became more irritated at himself for thinking that thought. She wouldn't be alive though, would she? Not for long anyway. Ducky said that she was dying. Just what had she been dying of? He'd said that being shot to death was more merciful than what awaited her had she lived. Why? What was so terrible that it would cause her to run to meet her death in the desert? Why didn't she tell him about it when he had asked after her health that day in the elevator?
He suddenly wanted to know. He wanted to know what it was that would've taken her from him in the end, had she survived the gun fight. He got unsteadily to his feet and tried to make it to the stairs, but when his vision blurred and his head spun, he just ended up stumbling and falling to the ground. He couldn't go to Ducky's like this, even in this state he knew he wouldn't make it. He dragged himself to his old couch in the basement and lay down, hoping that the faster he went to sleep, the faster he became sober, so he could get to NCIS and have Ducky tell him everything he knew about Jenny's illness.
-
Trent watched her grappling with Gregory, the only one in the safe house that was cleared to interact with her, and the only one that wouldn't hurt her intentionally, and felt his hopes rising again. Her injuries prevented her from getting out of most strangleholds and pinning's but she could fight off her attacker for a few minutes at least and intellectually he knew that that was all that she needed to be able to do to complete this mission. She was panting heavily and favouring her right side, pain and exhaustion clear in her movements, and it was obvious that for today she could do no more and trying to make her would be counterproductive. Time was called and the sparing partners across the room all parted and disappeared to get cleaned up. Jenny smiled happily at him when she approached, helped along by Gregory who was half holding her up and Trent almost rolled his eyes. This sibling façade was hard to keep up. She was always trying to get him to spend time with her, and he just wasn't confidant enough in his self control to stay in a room with her alone for long periods of time. He just might end up strangling her.
"Well? How did I do?"
"Very well Jennifer, you'll be back in the field in no time!" She gave him another bright smile before a sly look crossed her features. He knew what was coming; she wanted him to tell her who had shot her. He wanted to tell her and set his plan in motion, but he couldn't risk her remembering who this person was. When it was closer to the time to let her loose he would give her the name but until then, he would do no more than hint and try to make her hate them.
"Have I been good enough to hear who tried to kill me? I know you know who it is."
"I'm sorry Jennifer, but I can't tell you any more about them."
"You told me that the one who shot me had been a friend of mine."
"He was, but they are too powerful for you to go up against now. Their status in NCIS- argh! Jennifer, just forget about them until you are healed. Then I will not only tell you who they are, I'll take you to them." He said in mock exasperation. She nodded and walked away smiling, thinking that she had gotten him to talk and he chuckled once she was out of sight. Rene was right, she is relentless. He walked after her, hoping to hear her talking with Gregory and as he rounded the corner to her room, her voice floated out to him.
"…why he can't just tell me, don't I have a right to know?"
"Yes, but he is thinking about your health, while you are just thinking about revenge."
"Who said anything about revenge?"
"Jennifer, this man was your friend; he helped us all locate our targets. Then one day he goes rogue and decides to kill whoever tries to stop him. He's got ties to Hamas, even has one of their insurgents working with him under the guise of a Mossad liaison. NCIS has no idea they have been infiltrated by them and that they are in danger, and you say you aren't thinking about revenge? "
"You're right. I am thinking about revenge. How could anyone turn traitor to their country? Or kill their friends?"
"Probably the same reason he did; money."
"When I catch up to him, he'll wish he'd made sure I was dead!" Her voice was strong and full of conviction and in that moment, Trent knew he had created the Avenging Angel he had been working on since she had messed up Lodestone. Vengeance would be so sweet!
-
Jenny had enjoyed grappling with Gregory, their fights always lasted longer because he was easy to overpower and she didn't need to expend too much energy while she was with him. She could strengthen her muscles over a longer period of time and it made for a more rewarding day. She wasn't as good at this as she was at shooting, but she figured that was because she didn't need to get close to her targets. She could feel her wounds stinging as she worked out, the muscles around them burning with the effort she was putting in to dodge Gregory. He had told her that she hadn't worked out until she could 'feel the burn', that was when her muscles were warm and being taxed, that was when her hard work would pay off. She was just hoping she didn't rip open one of her holes.
Time was called and she bent double, trying to catch her breath. She could definitely feel the burn, though it felt more like she had been hit and then run over by a steam roller. Gregory laughed at her and then walked over to her, wrapping one of her arms over his shoulder to hold her up and then he moved them towards her room. Trent was standing at the door of the training hall, watching with amusement and Jenny smiled at her brother, knowing he had been watching her progress. He gave her a look and just waited for them to approach him, as if he was expecting them to stand to attention. Not gonna happen buddy.
"Well? How did I do?"
"Very well Jennifer, you'll be back in the field in no time!" she smiled brighter at the rare praise from him and then thought of something. Since he was in such a nice mood she might be able to get something out of him.
"Have I been good enough to hear who tried to kill me? I know you know who it is."
"I'm sorry Jennifer, but I can't tell you any more about them." She internally sighed. If she was an assassin, why was he trying to shield her from betrayal? She killed spies and terrorists for a living; surely she knew how to handle treachery.
"You told me that the one who shot me had been a friend of mine."
"He was, but they are too powerful for you to go up against now. Their status in NCIS- argh! Jennifer, just forget about them until you are healed. Then I will not only tell you who they are, I'll take you to them." She smiled again at him and wandered down the corridor. She was going to hold him to that and she knew he knew it. She was frustrated though, why did he have to beat around the bush so much? The last smile had been false and completely for his benefit.
Sometimes she didn't believe that he was her brother. He was so distant with her for most of the day, only to come over and congratulate her later on. He was like her keeper, he just fed and watered her and waited for her to do something interesting. At times, she had caught him looking at her and he hadn't seemed to care about her at all, his eyes were so cold and unsympathetic, like he was watching a mouse sniff around a loaded trap. She felt a twinge of guilt as that thought floated around her head because the memory she held on to like a lifeline was that of when she had first opened her eyes. He had been so concerned for her and so upset about what had happened. The look in his eyes back when he heard she couldn't remember him, that was the one she imagined was what he was really feeling; the coldness was probably just a mask for everyone else to see. After all, she had only seen it when she was in the company of others. It still made her frustrated that he didn't seem to trust her though. She finally reached her room and Gregory helped her over to the bed.
"I don't understand why he does that, Greg. Why he can't just tell me, don't I have a right to know?"
"Yes, but he is thinking about your health, while you are just thinking about revenge." Gregory was such a sweet person, but sometimes he could get on her nerves.
"Who said anything about revenge?" She bit her lip a little as she waited to hear it all pour out, everything that Trent hadn't told her that she knew Gregory knew too. He was too easy to manipulate really. She pasted an innocent look on her face and waited, knowing she wouldn't be disappointed.
"Jennifer, this man was your friend; he helped us all locate our targets. Then one day he goes rogue and decides to kill whoever tries to stop him. He's got ties to Hamas, even has one of their insurgents working with him under the guise of a Mossad liaison. NCIS has no idea they have been infiltrated by them and that they are in danger, and you say you aren't thinking about revenge? " she had listened to everything with increasing amounts of horror as Gregory told her how influential these people really were. Hamas? No wonder Trent was worried about her blundering in without training, she'd be dog food in minutes.
"You're right. I am thinking about revenge. How could anyone turn traitor to their country? Or kill their friends?"
"Probably the same reason he did; money." Money. What a reason to kill your friends. Her blood boiled at the thought that one or more of the people she knew had shot her because they were more concerned over the little green paper representations of the gold bullion in Americas vault than anything else. How pathetic were these people? Her revulsion at their motivation quickly evolved in to loathing. She would catch up to those traitors, and when she did, they would pray for a quick death.
"When I find him, he'll wish he'd made sure I was dead!" She hoped Trent would give her his name soon, because she would love to get her hands on the one that had ruined her life and was currently endangering other people. She staggered up from the bed and asked Gregory to leave. She needed to shower and rest, and then she would try to get Trent to talk.
