Only With You
- Chapter 3 - Friends in Weird Places -
"Well that was fun," Jenny commented. "I'm starting to understand why people get divorced." He chuckled; he was still having a hard time seeing her married to anyone. She wasn't the type to be controlled.
"She seemed nice enough."
"So what did you two talk about?" Perhaps her cattiness wasn't as easily disguised as she hoped because he glanced over at her with an eyebrow raised.
"Afraid she's a husband stealer?"
"If she were a redhead I might be worried," Jenny bit back. "Or have you moved on to blondes now?" Gibbs ignored the dig, fully aware that Jenny was having her own private laugh at that one.
"She was the one who couldn't keep her eyes off you," Gibbs retorted.
"Please Jethro, she spent more time, with her eyes on your belt than on you."
"And you would know this?"
"Isn't there a rule on observation or something?" She reminded. He said nothing in response to that. "I think she's a woman whose used to getting what she wants, a couple of the questions she asked, she seemed surprised by the answers."
"The retreat thing was out of the blue." She laughed.
"Knew that wasn't going to last long, alright out with it."
"You potentially agreed to go somewhere out of communication range with a possible serial killer."
"Its in three days, we could have the thing checked out in one, devices in place in two and there is the fact that all three couples were killed on their way back from some kind of a retreat," she pointed out. "Besides if she's going to make her move it would probably be when there were other people around."
"Back to work?" he questioned. She glanced out the window, freezing a second.
"I was thinking fish."
"Fish?" he echoed.
"For dinner, or lobster tails?" He glanced behind to check his blind spot and found the dark black sedan close by; he could easily make out the driver.
"You want to catch your fish?"
"No, no poor things never did anything, let someone else do it." He pulled into the market area where there were shops and restaurants. He looked over at her as he got out of the car grabbing something and placing it in his jacket; she simply opened the door herself and stepped out. He waited for her at the hood of the car and she pretended to fix her strap purse giving him the opportunity to stop closer so only she could hear.
"You think he could hear us?"
"Doubtful, but why tempt fate," she whispered back. "Looks like you're buying me dinner." He smirked and they continued first going to the fish market to see if their friend followed. He did. Gibbs felt his phone ringing and pulled it out. Tony DiNardo, he read.
"Your spawn," he remarked at a normal tone holding the phone out. She looked him in shock for half a second before recognizing the name.
"Jethro," she trailed off warningly. "Tony, how are you dear?"
"Uh...thought I called..." Tony sounded so confused that Jenny wished she could have seen his expression.
"Oh Jethro is being his usual self, your sister wouldn't be there with you would she?"
"Right, sister, Abby!"
"Yes my silver fox," Abby came on.
"Wrong one Abby dear," Jenny smirked.
"Oh," Abby drawled. "The red foxette."
"Would you be terribly disappointed if we cancelled tonight and moved it tomorrow?"
"Uh sure..."
"Excellent, I think he's an allergic reaction from going to the counselor."
"Well maybe if Mommy and Daddy stopped fighting..." Jenny felt the phone being tugged from her ear.
"Abbs you've been spending to much time around your brother."
"You know what they say my silver fox, make love not..." He clipped the phone shut.
"Well that was mature."
"Allergic reaction?" She shrugged. "I should have trained you like Tony."
"But it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun, now would it?" She responded sassily, fully aware they were in very dangerous territory.
"Yea see, that's exactly what he doesn't do."
"But I never bet on your personal life." He looked at her. "Oh please, Jethro, don't tell me you don't know about that."
"Know about what?"
"Never mind," she sighed. "You know I don't feel like cooking."
"Probably because you can't," he muttered, but the slap to the arm told him it wasn't quiet enough.
"There's a restaurant over there, I'm sure they have a back table in a quiet corner," she told him with something in her voice he recognized as a forced tone. He met her eyes to find them just past his shoulder. He glanced behind him as he turned in her in the direction and noticed their ‘friend' had gotten closer. They moved toward the restaurant sitting down in what was indeed a quiet back table. Their friend had sat himself down at the bar.
"We could always walk off dinner?" He suggested.
"Or call the kids."
"So what did you think of her, dear?" She glanced at him again.
"She seemed nice enough."
"But?"
"But..." she paused scanning the restaurant. "There's no point in having this conversation." Gibbs looked around as well their ‘friend' having left.
"A warning?"
"Or an investigation."
"Well if that' the case, pick a house," he sighed.
"House?"
"You can't go home by yourself," he pointed out. She nodded.
"Probably yours, the security detail is hard to miss."
"Speaking of which..."
"Oh I convinced them that you were acting security guard, for the time period," she responded with half a grin. Dinner was completed with a bit of small talk that stayed very far away from their current case or work in general. She was surprised they were actually enjoying themselves or that they even had as much to talk about she had been almost positive that boat had long since left. They agreed to a brief walk around the area, as she had never been there. They wandered in to different little markets that were open late just browsing mostly and talking about random things. Jenny wandered over to look at some albums that were out in front of the music shop, while Gibbs looked at some old records. She couldn't have been gone more than a minute when he felt his gut acting up. He looked up and his eyes sought out Jenny, she was still flipping through albums. Can't be her, so what is it? He looked around her trying to see if anyone was too close for comfort but spotted nothing till he glanced toward the store. Standing in the window was their ‘friend' from before.
He looked over to Jenny who was still focused on her task unaware of the pair of eyes on her, or if she was she was giving no outside notice. He meandered his way through the narrow street debating whether or not to call her. He decided against it when he felt a pair of eyes settle on him. He was almost to her side when he noticed her freeze mid movement and cocked her head to the side.
"Jethro you shouldn't sneak up on people," she commented idly.
"Not even you, dear?" He emphasized the dear and she glanced over at him.
"Especially not me." He laughed and put his arm around her carefully, turning her away from the entrance of the record shop.
"Ready to go home?"
"Alright," she agreed, a bit curious as to the sudden display of affection. He took the record from her hand and paid the outside salesman, pulling her a tad closer when he went in to get change.
"Our friend is watching you," he whispered.
"I thought he left."
"Not yet."
"You think he..."
"Nope, he wasn't in the restaurant."
"Your change sir, thank you for your business."
"Yes, say you wouldn't happen to know if there's a taxi stand round here, think I probably had one to many?" Gibbs inquired.
"I can drive Jethro," Jenny pointed out.
"Not in the dark you can't," he tsked and she nodded as if to concede his point, but in reality she was confused as hell.
"The taxis line up near the bridge usually," the salesman informed. Gibbs nodded and led Jenny off in that direction. He grabbed his cell phone dialing the number and hearing Tony pick up on the third ring.
"Come get the truck, your sister can have it to play with," Gibbs ordered.
"Right on that," Tony replied. Gibbs shut the phone.
"Jethro?"
"Come on darling, you're falling asleep on your feet," he commented helping her into the taxi that stopped. He gave an address she didn't recognize and she observed her surroundings as they drove there. They pulled into the driveway of a decent size two-story home, Gibbs got out and offered his hand to Jenny who accepted. She waited for him on the walkway noticing the car of their ‘friend' drive by. He paid the cabbie and watched him leave before turning back to Jenny. "You should've just gone inside."
"Jethro what..."
"Come on," he led her up the walkway into the house. She discovered it was furnished in a tasteful style and looked, lived in. She let him lead her through it to the kitchen and down to another stairs. She followed him through the basement of this house, which was relatively clean, and towards a sidewall where a looking glass rested. "Care to see what's on the other side of the looking glass?"
"Alright." He pushed the glass and she watched it spin like a revolving door, he pushed her through and then followed. She found herself in a darkened room, till he hit the light switch behind her. She noticed the room was more like a study room complete with computers, printers, faxes, web cams, communication devices, and bug sweepers. "Jethro?"
"NCIS safe house, owned technically by the CIA, but now by a Jethro and Jenny Tibbs, along with the pick up truck, and a Ford Escape," he explained.
"And this room?"
"Well, its sound proof, supposed to be a panic room, but Abby thought we could use it as like a modified MTAC."
"So..."
"So we're staying here till this is over, yep, Noemi packed you a bag, Abby brought it by, Tony's going to bring mine by along with something else. Abby also took the liberty of decorating."
"Decorating?"
"Yea, she may have gone through our photo albums. It's all she would tell me," he replied.
"When did this happen?"
"While you were talking to Christine." He watched her take it in for a minute. "Wanna see your house?"
"We just came down here."
"We can see it from here, security cameras," he hit a button and one of the screens came to life. "So you got the kitchen, living room, dinning room, guest bedroom/study, master bedroom, basement, back lawn, and the front."
"Freeze, on the front lawn, look." She pointed to the black dot on the screen.
"Oh now the fun begins, watch this." He pressed another button and sprinklers turned on, they could both hear Tony's curses.
"Jethro what is that beside him?" She asked.
"Well let's go find out." She watched him lock the room, pressing in a touch code. 2-29-91, I can remember that, she thought momentarily before following along back up the stairs. They got the front door just as Tony rang the bell, Gibbs opened it and slapped him upside the head.
"Yea probably deserved that Boss. Director."
"You better not have gotten those clothes wet."
"Nah I already bought the clothes by, sitting on the bed. Thought I'd bring your friend by." Jenny was surprised to see a large dog come through the door, coming up to her right away.
"A dog?" She questioned.
"Security purposes, meet Fido."
"Fido?"
"Well I haven't named him, yet."
"Actually Boss, he's got a name, Abby made me get this one in particular."
"Alright what's his name."
"Duke." Jenny choked on her laughter, making a mental reminder to thank Abby.
"Hi Duke," Jenny greeted kneeling down. The dog promptly licked her. "Yuck."
"Say good night Tony."
"Yea okay," Tony replied snapping out of his observation of Jenny. "Night Director." Duke growled at him as he took a step toward her.
"Good dog," Gibbs praised. "Tony I want those case reports in one piece and stop picking on McGee or I'm going to let Ziva demonstrate her paper clip skills."
"Ouch, I'll get right on that Boss." Tony left carefully dashing from the door to his car and driving off.
"A dog Jethro?"
"He serves a purpose," Gibbs assured. Jenny sighed scratching the dog's ears.
"Fine, I'm going to shower first," she turned on her heel heading for the stairs, Duke at her heels. She was just reaching the second floor when she heard Jethro behind her and Duke stopped and growled.
"Hey, you're not supposed to do that," Gibbs scolded.
"Good dog," Jenny praised. Of course she would an hour later she was not sure that was the best command to have given. She had slid on to the king's size bed, when she noticed Gibbs' duffel bag was missing. She looked into the guest bedroom and then down the stairs and found him trying to figure out how to sleep on the couch. "Jethro."
"Jen?" He came to the bottom step.
"It's a king size bed, and I'm pretty sure we've shared less space."
"Well I..."
"Your being an ass, on purpose I might add," She turned on her heel walking back toward the bedroom pretty sure she'd made her point as she heard him on the stairs. "Sheesh Duke, its not like I bite." He heard a woof.
"I beg to differ," Jethro mumbled.
"Heard that!" She snapped, throwing a pillow at him the second he walked in. He caught it barely and looked at it, he couldn't see any fluffy frilly items on it and decided it would do.
"You still sleep on the left side?"
"Depends you still sleep on the right?" She inquired turning down the left slid carefully. He nodded slightly and moved toward the right sliding onto the bed, well aware that while there was at least two feet between, there was only two feet between them. Then heard the woof and felt the shift in the weight. "Duke down."
Duke did not move.
"He's not going anywhere, I'm buying him a dog bed tomorrow."
"Fine, you never did tell me where he's from?"
"Tobias is letting me borrowing him, technically he's a drop out and should go to another family, but he's only a drop out because he mauled a bad guy. He's been trained to recognize you as his master, plus he likes you."
"Added security."
"Just a precaution, especially if we can't be here all the time."
"He'll have to stay on our vacation if we go."
"He can come, I've already had the venue screened. Ziva put the information in the file Tony brought over."
"Okay," she yawned.
"Go to sleep Jen." She yawned again.
"Okay." He listened to her breathing and knew the second it evened out, surprised that even after all this time he could tell when she'd finally fallen asleep. He glanced over to find Duke's big brown eyes wide open starring at him.
"Yea, fine, you get to sleep next to her tonight, but not afterwards, got it?" The dog put his head down and closed his eyes. "Good dog."