Lizzie emerged from the bedroom, scratching her head and yawning. "Tony, I think the medicine is making me hear things…I thought I heard my…" She stopped her sentence and stared at her mother in the foyer of the apartment. Was she hallucinating? She really needed to make sure she was taking the right dosage of medicine.

"Avril Elizabeth!"

"Okay…I did hear my mother's voice," Lizzie mumbled under her breath as her mother stared at her. At least, Jenny deduced from her daughter's appearance that they hadn't slept together last night. She would make sure Anthony DiNozzo never enjoyed the pleasure of another female if he had sex Lizzie. Luckily for him, she did not have her weapon on her, and she rarely carried a knife with her. It usually didn't fit into her wardrobe choices. However, Jenny's mind flashed back to a scene of the agent entering her office and needing her advice.

She had been pacing in front of her desk looking over a file when the door to her office opened. She turned and saw that it was Agent DiNozzo. He stood in the doorway, waiting for permission to enter. "Come on in," she told him, placing the file on her desk as he walked inside. He sat down on the conference table and crossed his arms over his chest, letting out a nervous sigh.

"I take it this isn't a social call," she said.

"I need some advice."

"And you came to me?"

"Well, it was either you or Gibbs," he said to her. He couldn't imagine going to the boss for relationship advice even if he had been married for over twenty years. He felt more comfortable asking Jenny. He trusted her and vice versa. The trust had been established between them with the La Grounille assignment. She seemed pleased, honored, and amused that he chose her to ask for advice. She sat down on the front of her desk and cleared her throat, urging him to begin. "So… I'm finding um…myself in a particularly odd situation with…someone…special." Tony left out that the someone special was her youngest daughter.

"Odd?"

He grinned nervously and uncrossed his arms. "Odd, yeah. Odd. Because we've been going out for over a month and w-we haven't done something that…I usually do uh, you know, a lot…a lot earlier than that.

"And may I ask what it is that's holding you back from doing what you…usually do?

"Yeah," he crossed his arms back over his chest and crossed his feet. "Um… because of the particular importance of this person, I thought it would be a good idea to take things slowly…which is kind of a new concept for me…but at a certain point things have to speed up. R-Right?" He finished with a strained expression on his face.

"Are you attracted to her?"

"Oh…yeah. Yeah."

"Is she attracted to you?" She smiled somewhat, remembering how Jethro had taken things slow with her in the beginning. "So what's the problem?"

Before he could answer, his cell phone began ringing. It was Ziva with information about the case. He had to leave, and Jenny told him good luck. He left her office, leaving her to wonder who he was dating.

Now, she realized who he had been dating. If she had known it was Lizzie, she would have castrated him then and may have guided him differently in her advice giving.

She was uncertain if she was grateful they were in a relationship rather than it being a one night stand.

"Avril Elizabeth Gibbs," she began.

"Mother," Lizzie shot back, getting ready for whatever was yet to come.

"I think I'll let you two talk," Tony said, starting to retreat from the room. He didn't want to be in the room with two redheads and those tempers.

"Maybe you should get dressed, Agent DiNozzo," Jen said to him in her Director tone.

"This is my apartment…not NCIS," Lizzie told her.

Her daughter did have a point, but she could still exert her authority if she damn well pleased. "He is an NCIS agent. I am his boss, Elizabeth!"

"And I'm your daughter! It's my life! We are not in the Washington Navy Yard! You aren't Director Shepard right now! You're my mother!"

Jenny sighed heavily and stared at her. When did she grow up? And why did her daughter have to be like Jethro and agree that she had multiple personalities? She was tired of hearing the differences between Jenny, Jen, Director Shepard, and mom. She was all the same person. She shook her head. "Lizzie, how long has this been going on with him?"

"Since this summer…after I got the recommendation letters from you," she answered, sitting down on the couch.

Jen sighed, almost not believing the relationship could have flown under the radar for so long. Why couldn't it? She and Jethro kept secrets. Of course, their daughters would have that talent also. She sat down on the couch next to Lizzie. "Why didn't you tell me? You've always told me everything."

"I wasn't ready to tell you. If I told you, then I'd have to tell Daddy," Lizzie explained, looking at her mother.

"You are going to have to tell your father."

Lizzie made a face at the thought. The reality of telling her parents was here, and she was retracting her thought of thinking it had been a good idea. She'd rather tell her father she was dropping out of school and joining the circus. "Can't…you tell him?

"Oh no…I do not think so," Jen said, shaking her head. "Not me…you, Lizzie. It's your life which means you get to tell him."

"But you are so much better at telling him things…good or bad…and this is probably bad in his opinion."

"He may take it better than you expect. It'll be coming from you. It's not like he'll walk into your apartment to find one of his agents standing in the middle of the living room wearing only boxers," she replied with slight sarcasm.

"Sorry about that!" DiNozzo shouted from the bedroom.

Lizzie laughed softly and smiled. Jen shook her head, laughing softly. She looked at her daughter's face and saw the look. "Do you love him, Lizzie?" She had the feeling she knew the answer.

"I do. I really do love him," she admitted.

She smiled softly, remembering what it was like to be fresh in love. Lizzie had dated since she was fifteen but never anything too serious except when she was seventeen. Her heart had been broken. "Lizzie, I know you're special to him. He's taking things slow for two reasons…you have a special place in his heart, and he isn't used to feeling this way about anyone."

Lizzie nodded her head and was silent for a few minutes. "So…you'll tell daddy?"

"No, you'll tell him at Sunday dinner…when you bring Tony."

"I…but mom…"

"Don't be late to dinner, Elizabeth."

She shut her mouth, knowing she had a snowball's chance in hell of convincing her mother to tell her father that she was dating one of their agents. "Okay, we'll be there."

"Good. Now, I guess I'll leave…and let you two get back to…whatever you were doing…"

Lizzie laughed at the expression on her mother's face. "We didn't sleep together last night…but we have. Don't worry, we take all the precautions. He came over after work last night and took care of me since Katie abandoned me."

"Where is Katie?" Jenny asked, looking in the direction of Katie's bedroom. She assumed she was sleeping.

She shrugged her shoulders. "She went to a party last night…over at Ashley's. She's probably still over there."

Jen nodded her head. She knew her daughters went to parties and had their fun. She and Jethro had raised them to make responsible choices like not driving while under the influence. Katie wouldn't find herself in interrogation before Sunday dinner. She stood up and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "I love you. If you need anything, call me. I won't hang around. You seem to be in good hands."

Lizzie nodded and stood up, giving her mother a hug. "I love you too…and thanks for taking it well," she said, walking her to the door. "Mom, why did you come over?"

"My little girl's sick. I was going to take care of you," Jen explained with a gentle smile, taking Lizzie's hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. "Don't keep anymore secrets from me, please."

"No more secrets," Lizzie told her and watched her leave, closing the door.

Tony stuck his head out of the bedroom door to see if the coast was clear. Lizzie laughed at him. "It's safe. She's gone."

He nodded and stepped out. He had taken a quick shower and changed clothes. He walked over to Lizzie and laced his fingers with hers, placing light kisses over her knuckles. "Well, do I have to change my name and relocate?"

"Not yet. You might have to after tomorrow," she said, removing her hands from his and walking into the kitchen. She needed coffee and something to take her mind off tomorrow.

"Tomorrow…what's happening tomorrow?" he asked, following her quickly.

"You and I are going to Sunday dinner, and we're telling him."

He swallowed hard. Gibbs would be told tomorrow. Tomorrow would most likely be Anthony DiNozzo's last day on this earth. "Well," he cleared his throat causing Lizzie to turn her head and look at him as she turned the coffeemaker on.

"What?"

"I know how I want to spend my last day of life. I should probably make a will. I need to make a list."

"Tony, he's not going to kill you." She hoped he wouldn't. Of course, she could jump in between her boyfriend and father if he decided to hurt Tony. He wouldn't harm her, but he had been a sniper. The idea of being a human shield quickly flew out the window.

"Just in case, I want to spend all day with you," he said, putting his arms around her as he came to stand behind her. Lizzie leaned back into his arms with a smile on her face.

When his wife arrived home less than two hours later, Jethro was more than a little surprised. He expected to have the house to himself for most of the day. He planned on tackling the never-ending list of repairs and errands Jen left for him. Jethro removed his glasses and put the paper down, watching Cooper bolt out of the den to meet his mistress at the door.

"Hey Coop," Jen greeted, scratching his ears. "Where's Jethro?"

Gibbs emerged from the den and leaned against the door. "You're back early."

"So observant, Jethro," she replied and hung up her coat in the closet.

His trademark smirk graced his mouth. "Thought you'd be gone all day."

She closed the closet door and made a lousy attempt at not blushing as she thought about the reason why she was home earlier than expected. "Lizzie had company."

He slowly nodded his head, catching the shade of his wife's cheeks. "What kind of company?"

"The male kind, Jethro," she answered, walking into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Cooper was on her heels and hoping to get a treat.

He chuckled, thinking of what Jenny had walked in on. His blue eyes widened as realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Jenny said male company. "Male…wait…what, Jenny?" Gibbs was also on her heels and came to stand in the middle of the kitchen, watching her pour of a cup of coffee and throw a treat to the dog.

"You'll meet him tomorrow. She's bringing him to dinner," she answered with her back to him.

"What do you know about this guy?"

"Jethro," she said, conveying her voice for him to drop the subject.

"Jen," he said with exasperation. Obviously, she had met the guy in his youngest daughter's life that he knew nothing about. "You know more than you're telling me."

"Jethro, you will meet him tomorrow."

He narrowed his eyes at her and grabbed his cell phone off the counter.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, do not call Elizabeth."

Her husband smirked and opened his cell phone. Cooper looked back and forth at his owners from his dog pillow in the corner of the kitchen.

"You will not stake out the apartment nor will Ziva or DiNozzo, give the third degree to Katie, or get McGee, Abby or anyone else to hack into the security system. Also, no background checks will be run after you meet him tomorrow. Are we clear, Jethro?" Jen put her mug down, crossed her arms over her chest, and cocked her hip to the side along with raising an eyebrow. She dared him to make the phone call.

He grumbled under his breath and tossed his phone onto the counter, backing down from the fight. When Jen did that stance and particular eyebrow raised glare, she meant business. She would hit him where it hurt the most which meant cutting him off in the bedroom. Like most husbands, he didn't enjoy his supply not being supplied. He wasn't thrilled about the Sunday dinner guest. Jethro rarely liked surprises involving his daughters. He walked over to stand in front of Jen, putting his arms about her waist. "I won't do anything," he promised, kissing her forehead. He didn't know how surprised he would be, but he knew the impatience of waiting to find out would eat him alive.