A/N: This is a short little tag to "Shabbat Shalom" (10x11). I love that when the team is going through those boxes of undercover stuff, we actually get to see two things that are for sure associated with Jenny in some way. DiNozzo is wearing the soul patch, wig, glasses, and beanie cap that he wore on an undercover op for Jenny. And then later on, DiNozzo pulls out that Hawaiian shirt he was wearing in California when Jenny died (that part breaks my heart). I'm focusing on another item in this that I'd like to think was also associated with Jenny.
Jethro Gibbs was walking towards the bullpen, his ears open as usual in case he caught DiNozzo saying anything stupid so that he could have an excuse to headslap him.
"Well, I make time outside of work—it's a good habit I picked up from my time in Mossad," he heard Ziva saying. "Never sweat where you eat."
"Wrong bodily function," McGee informed her.
"Yeah, but it's the right idea," Gibbs chipped in as he walked to his desk, alerting his team to his presence. "Grab your gear. Dead body in the Potomac," he announced, grabbing his things.
As he came around the corner of his desk he glanced at the pile of plastic containers that his team had been looking through—the ones he knew contained old clothing and props that NCIS agents could use for undercover missions.
He paused when he saw the tip of a belt protruding from the side of the top box, recognizing it almost immediately. He reached out and grabbed it, memories from the past being brought to the surface as he held it.
"Getting a new belt, boss?" DiNozzo questioned.
"Nah, it's an old belt," he replied as he surveyed it. He resumed walking again, and he wondered briefly if the belt still had that smell, so he brought it up to his nose and breathed it in. He swore he could still detect it, and he shook his head just slightly at the amusing memory.
"Drug bust, '99," he mused as he walked past his team, letting his smile break out after he passed them and they couldn't see his face anymore.
He wondered briefly if he should put it in the box at home with the rest of the reminders, but decided he would start wearing it in her memory. He pressed the elevator button and brought the belt up to his nose again, letting that subtle scent take him back.
Jethro was feeling out of place in the way he was dressed, but he was trying to play his part as best he could. He was dressed in a torn flannel shirt, faded baggy jeans, a nice belt to hold the jeans up, worn sneakers, and a cap that was turned backwards on his head.
He thought the backwards cap was stupid, but his partner insisted on it, and her opinion mattered more than he wanted to admit. She was also the one who had chosen a belt and put it on him when no one else was looking, even though he could have done it himself. He still thought she looked a little too proud of herself when she did it, knowing she was being slow and handsy, completely torturing him.
He was wired up and pretending to be a fill in worker for this warehouse, where NCIS knew drugs were being hidden inside containers and shipped to Navy ships overseas. Jethro had been in here working, listening, and observing for almost two hours.
One of the workers they had caught and had in interrogation the other day, "Scar" (though his real name was Steve), had flipped so that he could get a deal. Jethro was sent undercover into the warehouse, and assured the whole group of men that he had sent by Scar, as they were not aware Scar had even been caught. It took a lot of convincing while they all held guns at him, but after using many key code words and phrases that Scar had told him to use, as well as a phone call from Scar himself, they grudgingly let him in and sent him to work. Scar had insisted to them that they needed extra help, since they had a ton of shipping to do today and he 'would be late'.
It had been a tedious process to get this far—Jethro's team had first started trying to track this ages ago, but they never had any solid leads or evidence. Now, it was finally going to be over soon, and Jethro was glad he happened to be back in the States to help finish it all up.
They had enough to implicate the group from Scar alone, but they still needed solid proof and evidence to back everything up, and this would seal the deal and ensure nothing could slip through the cracks.
Hence, why Jethro, or "Kip" as he was being called, was here helping pack and load containers. So far he hadn't actually seen or handled any drugs himself, just packed regular containers. He needed actual verbal and physical evidence before the actual bust could occur.
"All right, Kip," a buff man said as he approached him. "I want you to get this packed and loaded." The man uncovered a box that had bags of what Jethro guessed was cocaine.
"Looks like good quality stuff," Jethro commented, trying to spur some verbal confirmation.
"Damn right, pure cocaine. Don't even think about trying any funny business. Scar said you were the real deal, but I've seen plenty of snakes in the grass. Every ounce of this has been accounted for. Any of it happens to go missing or doesn't meet standards, both you and Scar are dead men," he threatened.
Jethro had to hold in a satisfied grin, knowing any second the mass of NCIS teams would be storming in.
"I believe you, man, I'm not here to cause trouble. I just owed Scar a favor," Jethro responded.
"NCIS!" Was suddenly yelled, agents flooding in through all of the possible entrances and exits. They quickly surrounded the whole group in the warehouse, guns drawn. "Put your hands where we can see them!"
The warehouse erupted into chaos. The perps were yelling in anger and confusion, not able to run, while the agents all kept yelling out commands as they surrounded them.
"Son of a bitch, you and Scar set us up!" The buff man next to Jethro shouted at him, looking murderous. His hand went to the back of his pants where Jethro knew he was carrying.
"Gun!" A couple of the agents yelled.
The second the man raised his weapon towards Jethro, shots rang out and he fell to the floor.
"Hands where we can see them!" The agents repeated.
Jethro raised his hands and looked around. All the workers were raising their hands too, glancing at the body on the ground nervously.
A portion of the mass of agents began to approach the suspects to pat them down and cuff them. Two agents came up to the body by Jethro, one picking up the gun, while the other one with the familiar ponytail of long, red hair checked the pulse.
"Dead," Jenny Shepard confirmed, looking up at Jethro and locking eyes with him.
She had the proudest look on her face, leaving him with no doubt that she was the one who had taken the man down.
He couldn't help but feel proud, and tried to convey that to her in his smile. Europe had fine tuned her reflexes and aim. She was definitely ready for the last part of their Europe mission, their target elimination, which they would be sent to start completions on in a couple of weeks.
Jenny got up and gave him a sly smile as she began to pat him down too, moving her hands far slower than an agent normally would. Just like with the belt, she seemed to be taking advantage of the fact that everyone else was distracted with other tasks.
"Gonna cuff me too?" He asked her suggestively.
"Wouldn't be the first time," she joked, her slow hands starting to get to him. Her hands retracted, and he heard the clinking of her cuffs. "We may as well," she said as she pulled his hands behind his back, "help make your undercover more believable," she reasoned.
He felt her put the cuffs on him, not making them too tight or uncomfortable. She squeezed one of his hands briefly, letting her fingers brush against his as she moved away from him. She moved to face him, giving him a smirk. He was glad he was physically restrained, it kept him from pulling her forward and kissing her in front of everyone.
"If you Europe lovebirds are done playing grab-ass, feel free to start helping us seize evidence or transport suspects," Chris Pacci said as he walked to them, shaking his head at their behavior.
"We're partners, not lovebirds," Jenny tried to lie, not able to hide the blush on her face.
"No use in lying, Jenny," Chris said, looking amused. "The minute Morrow sent you guys packing off undercover together, we all knew you would both finally cave. I was honestly surprised you guys lasted as long as you did."
Jenny opened her mouth, probably to argue, but Pacci kept talking.
"Before you try to lie again, I just want you to know I saw you both kissing and leaving together in the parking garage a few days ago. I mean, I don't care, not like I'm going to report you or anything. Honestly, if you guys are happy, I'm happy," Pacci said, giving them an amused smile. "Now take the cuffs off Gibbs and let's get to work."
As soon as the scene had been processed—all the evidence bagged and tagged, the perps in holding—and agents were assigned their next tasks, Jethro scanned the area to see if his partner was still around.
As soon as he spotted her ponytail among the sea of black NCIS jackets and hats he made his way over to her. They were so used to being alone together and cozy in Europe that is was hard for him to resist touching her.
"Nice take-down earlier, Jen," he muttered in her ear as he snuck up behind her.
Her head bobbed just slightly in surprise, and she turned to face him.
It was taking all his willpower to not stand closer to her and grab her hips.
"What have I told you about sneaking up on me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Come on, you love it," he said quietly, smirking at her.
She looked around, seeming to make sure no one else was paying any attention to them.
"Maybe when we're alone, but not when we're working," she replied.
"I miss bein' undercover and bein' able to kiss ya in public," he said, eyeing her appreciatively.
"Jethro," she hissed, glancing around them.
"They're all busy gettin' ready to leave the scene, no one is payin' any attention to us," he reasoned.
"You know, I never realized how incredibly needy you are until Europe," she sassed. "Who knew under that thick, gruff, marine exterior you were a sappy romantic."
"Am not," he protested, glaring at her.
"Uh huh, sure, whatever helps you sleep at night," she said sarcastically.
"Not doin' much sleepin' when you're around," he quipped, smirking at her.
Her eyes went wide as she glanced wildly around them again.
"Can you seriously not contain yourself?" She snapped.
"Not with you," he said, amused by how paranoid she was acting considering her pat down and handcuff stunt earlier.
She glared at him before she turned around to finish putting together a box of evidence and carrying it to one of the trucks. He admired the view for a second before he went to confirm with one of the other lead agents if his team could go. When he was given the green light, he went to find Jenny again.
"We can go back to the office, Shepard," he called to her.
"What about Keller and Hanson?" She asked as she walked up to him.
"They left earlier to help another team transport the perps. Just us," he said, not able to contain a smile at the thought of being alone with her again.
"All right then," she responded, a similar smile to his own spreading across her face.
They walked in silence to the car, Gibbs feeling glad that their temporary teammates were not with them. Before the Europe assignment, he had been leading a team consisting of Jenny, William Decker, and Stan Burley. Then he, Jenny, and Decker were all sent to Europe, and Burley ended up being transferred as an Agent Afloat. Keller and Hanson had been assigned to sub on their team while he and Jenny were in the US for a couple of weeks. Decker was still in Europe getting final preparations ready.
"I'm guessing you won't let me drive?" Jenny implored.
"Not a chance," he acknowledged, walking to drivers side.
"How am I supposed to get better at driving if you never let me drive?" She asked.
"Don't wanna die while ya try, drive on your own time," he retorted.
"This coming from you? Jethro, you drive like maniac, I'm pretty sure you've nearly killed us at least sixty times," she scoffed, glaring at him.
He shrugged and smirked at her, opening his door and getting in.
"You just think you drive better because you're a man, you old chauvinist," she mumbled as she put her seat belt on.
"Nah, I'm just older than you, got more experience," he replied, starting the engine and pulling out.
When they were on the road he put his right hand out and interlinked his fingers in hers, letting their hands rest on her thigh. They looked at each other for a second and both smiled, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.
"Why are we at your house?" Jenny asked as Jethro pulled into his driveway.
"Gotta change my clothes, can't stand bein' in in these anymore," he explained, gesturing with distaste at his undercover outfit.
"I think it's kind of sexy, in a rogue-ish sort of way," she teased, winking at him and smirking.
He snorted and shook his head at her, getting out of the car. They both walked inside together, and Jethro rested his hand at her lower back, letting it slide just slightly lower. When they got inside he jogged up the stairs to his room and grabbed a fresh polo and a pair of jeans. When he turned away from his closet he saw Jenny leaning against the doorway watching him, a familiar mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Thought you might need help," she said, walking towards him provocatively.
"Oh?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Mm hmm," she insisted, putting her hands on his chest, looking up at him and quirking her head to the side innocently.
He swallowed, feeling all his self control go out the window as he looked into her devious eyes.
"We really should be at work, helpin' out," he tried to reason, putting his hands on her hips.
"FBI is probably already butting in and taking over. Probably won't matter if we're a little late, could say we got a flat tire or something," she justified, starting to unbutton the torn flannel shirt.
He muttered in agreement, leaning his head down and grazing her neck with his lips.
"You know what I think was 'kind of sexy'?" He mumbled into her neck.
"Mm?" She moaned in response.
Seein' you take that guy down earlier. You're a damn good shot now, Jen," he complimented, looking at her.
"Figured you might be worth saving, you have your uses sometimes," she teased, pulling his mouth insistently to hers and kissing him for a minute.
She shucked the shirt off his shoulders, and then pulled his white undershirt up and threw it off of him too, letting her hands wander across his bare chest. He let his hands and lips roam where he wanted, touching and nipping at the sensitive spots he knew drove her crazy.
Their kissing and movements became increasingly passionate, and after a few minutes he felt her tugging at his belt and pulling it out of the loops, not being anywhere near as slow as she had been putting it on him earlier. She threw it on the ground and moaned into his mouth as his hands continued to roam and tease.
He tugged her shirt off and spun her around, pushing her against the nightstand. He heard something fall to the floor, but didn't spare any attention to it, his mind rather preoccupied with other things.
What he did spare some attention to was the alarming crunch that sounded a minute later, both of them breaking apart from their deep kiss to look down, a heavy scent invading his nostrils.
"Damn it," Jenny swore, pushing him away a little as she bent down to inspect the mess.
It appeared a glass bottle of Jenny's perfume had been what fell—cushioned by the soft carpet, but then brutally broken by Jenny's heel when she tread across it. Perfume was soaking into the carpet now, seeping around the nice leather belt that Jenny had tossed away earlier.
Jenny began to pick up the pieces of glass while he ran into the bathroom and grabbed a couple of towels.
What started as a hurried and passionate tryst had turned into a hurried and mundane chore as they both found themselves spraying cleaning solution on the carpet, scrubbing out the light stains the perfume was leaving, and trying soak it all up at the same time. Jenny eventually opened the window, trying to air the room out.
"That was an eighty dollar bottle of perfume," Jenny lamented after they finished, sighing loudly.
He opened his mouth, about to question why anyone in their right mind would spend so much on something like perfume, but closed his mouth when he realized it would probably lead to an argument, which he really didn't want to deal with right now.
He picked up the forgotten belt on the floor and held it to his nostrils briefly, pulling it away almost instantly when the strong scent hit him. The leather had absorbed quite a bit of the perfume, and he decided he should probably put it outside and let it air out for a few days before he returned it to the NCIS undercover clothes box.
He eyed Jenny, feeling a little put out that their original plans in the bedroom had been interrupted.
"We should probably get back to the office, before Director Morrow wonders what happened to us," she said, giving him an apologetic look.
"Yeah, I guess," he mumbled, sighing to himself.
He threw on the clothes he had picked out earlier to change into and put the undercover ones in a bag, carrying it with him to the front door. When they got outside he draped the smelly belt over the porch railing, glaring at it.
"Any chance of pickin' up where we left off when the work day is over?" He asked, looking at her hopefully.
She eyed him up and down, a smirk spreading on her face.
"Don't know, something about your rebellious, teenage gangster look really did it for me," she teased. "Who knew a torn flannel shirt, faded jeans, and ratty sneakers could be such a turn on," she mocked.
"Still got the belt if that does anythin' for ya," he said with a chuckle, pulling her into his side as they walked.
"It is a nice belt, I guess it'll have to do," she replied, smiling up at him. "Think we might need to get together at my place, though, yours needs some time to air out."
"Not gonna argue with that," he stated, wondering in the back of his mind if he would have to get his carpet replaced.
"This is your last chance to kiss me until we meet at my place later tonight. I'm not risking anyone else catching us in the parking garage," she informed him solemnly.
He took her up on the offer, kissing her against the car, enjoying the way her hands rested on his neck and played with the edges of his hair.
"Boss?" McGee said nervously.
Gibbs looked around, snapping out of the memories. He and his team were in the elevator, and he'd been absentmindedly breathing the belt in. He looked at McGee to acknowledge him.
"We were just asking if you wanted to drive..." McGee spoke up, trailing off uncertainly.
Gibbs nodded, silently giving his answer as he looked back down at the belt in his hands.
"You okay, boss?" DiNozzo asked, sounding wary.
The word that floated to his mind was "no", because suddenly all he wanted to do was go home to his basement. He was glad to have the memories, glad to be reminded—at the same time, memories of her always carried the same pang of sadness and regrets that he hadn't been able to brush off all these years.
"Yeah," he grunted in response.
"Must have been some drug bust," DiNozzo commented inquisitively.
Gibbs thought about how Jenny had bragged about 'saving him' for weeks afterwards, and how she had kept requesting 'favors' from him with the excuse that he 'owed her'. Granted, the favors were usually just as beneficial to him as they were to her, so he didn't complain much.
"Sure was," he responded quietly, feeling a smile tug at his lips.
I had scheduled for myself to publish this two weeks ago, but I kept getting distracted by other things. Sorry about that. For anyone interested, I published a new Jibbs video on my YouTube channel today. The link to my channel is on my profile.
Thank you to my followers, readers, and reviewers. You're all awesome!