Only With You
- Chapter 8 - Watching and Waiting -

When Jenny's brain filtered back into the real world and away from her rose colored dreams, she was aware of two things. Her back was very, very warm and she was on the very edge of the bed. She tried to scoot back so she wouldn't fall, but felt that her path was blocked, her legs trapped. She also became aware of the strong arm holding her in place, ensuring she wouldn't fall and that she wouldn't be able to slip out either. She was not used to sleeping in the same bed as another, and it had been a long time since she'd allowed someone to hold her in her sleep. She clang fiercely to her independence, and she would always sleep on her side, with the one notable exception of having enjoyed being held by one person. As she finally decided to open her eyes, they revealed faint sunlight filtering in through the curtains, Duke lying peacefully alongside the bed, and a hand she recognized all to well, resting protectively just above her abdomen. She lifted her head slightly to glance behind her and found Jethro lying with his head on her pillow, close to hers, his body curled around hers.

She wasn't sure how she hadn't noticed that his soft warm breath tickled her neck with every exhale, but she was aware of it now. Highly aware of it, and the fact that he was that close did not do much for her self-control. It was all the more tempting to roll into him and kiss him good morning. Unfortunately as it was a good morning kiss did not come, the shrill ring of the phone broke the stillness in the room and she dropped her head back to the pillow groaning. She tried to get up, but it only caused Jethro to tighten his grip on her.

"Jethro," she hissed.

"Hm mmm...." He mumbled.

"Jethro you have to let go, I have to answer the phone," she tried again. Instead of loosening the grip he did not relent. "Jethro..."

"Don't wanna go," came the murmuring.

"Jethro, I'm just going to answer the phone."

"Not letting go," his voice was insistent. She glanced over her shoulder again and found him still asleep. She knew he did talk in his sleep, but mostly it was incoherent muttering. She didn't claim to be able to understand his cryptic messages but for whatever reason he was hell bent on not letting her out of his grasp and until that thought changed, she wouldn't be getting up to answer the phone.

"Jethro, wake up!" She snapped. She heard the change in his breathing.

"What?" his voice was hoarse with sleep, but he could hear the phone as well. "Who's calling?"

"Well if you let go, I could go and find out," she remarked. He noticed where his arm was placed and loosened his grip enough that she could slide out. She did and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Ah Jenny, Christine here, I was wondering if you and Jethro were up to skiing for the day or we could do horseback riding? We're trying to get groups together."

"Um...let me ask, just a second." She went back into the bedroom. "Jethro?"

"Hm?"

"Horseback riding or skiing?"

"For what?"

"Group bonding activities."

"Do you horseback ride?" he asked sleepily.

"Not in many years."

"Well I know you can ski."

"Skiing it is," she said. "Christine?"

"Yes dear?"

"We'd love to do the skiing."

"Of course, we'll see you around eleven."

"Thank you." Jenny hung up the phone before picking up her cell phone. "McGee, report," she demanded hearing Gibbs rustling in the bedroom.

"Nothing really new ma'am," McGee answered quietly.

"There are group bonding activities...who's going skiing?"

"Let me see," She could hear the shuffling of paper. "So far you two, Arielle and Derek, Russ and Lynna, Christine and her assistant, and that success couple."

"Steve and Maria?"

"Not feeling well."

"All right, you watch them, I want details and..." she felt the phone being pulled away.

"And tell DiNozzo I want answers now."

"Boss we made some headway last night," McGee defended. Jenny froze as they heard a knock on the door.

"And bring that up with room service," Jethro ordered nodding for Jenny to get the door. He watched her eye the table beside it, knowing they'd stashed a gun under there for emergencies. Jenny opened the door to find Serena on the other side.

"Jenny, darling, I didn't wake you did I?" The blonde woman inquired.

"Uh no, not at all, we're both early risers," Jenny answered confused as to the woman's presence.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure everything was alright down here, I know how difficult it can be to be around other couples sometimes," Serena commented. Jenny picked up on the insincerity in the tone and wondered what exactly the purpose of this visit was.

"Everything's fine, its an interesting experience."

"Yes I'm sure it is..." the woman paused her eyes darting just over Jenny's shoulder. "Well I'll let you get back to your husband." Jenny nodded closing the door; she locked it and leaned against it.

"Serena?" Jethro questioned.

"Yes."

"What'd she want?"

"To make sure everything was alright, although I think she would have rather you answered the door," Jenny baited. He smirked briefly, it fading when his cell rang.

"DiNozzo?"

"Hey Boss, update time," Tony announced.

"Update time was two hours ago."

"Right you are Boss, McGee said you were sleeping in so I didn't want to..."

"DiNozzo!"

"Well Ziva said the Director isn't much of a morning person and..." It was Jenny's turn to smirk as she watched Gibbs' look ready to reach through the phone and strangle poor Tony. Another knock on the door had Jenny again pulling it open, and found McGee with breakfast.

"Morning," she greeted closing the door swiftly.

"Uh Gibbs?" McGee questioned trying to keep his eyes above the Director's neck.

"Oh he's on the phone with Tony," she replied. McGee gulped. "Jethro." Gibbs looked over to find McGee standing there sheepishly.

"Ziva hit him, hard and when this is over you both are stuck on desk duty."

"But Gibbs!" Ziva protested loudly but Gibbs already had closed the phone and was starring at McGee as if determining how to kill the younger man.

"Uh Boss, I have the stuff they faxed over and..." McGee's voice was shaky as he quickly recognized the look that came before a hard head slap and a good chewing out. Jenny watched on in tamed amusement. She to date had only been ‘Gibbsed' twice, and both occurred before they'd gone undercover, after that there were other ways for him to display affection.

"Well..." Gibbs held out his hand and McGee quickly placed the files in it.

"Found the counselor's husband. Dead, report indicates he was killed in action, but there's no evidence to support that and his mistress, Jane, believes he was murdered."

"By?" Jenny inquired. "Christine?"

"She claims a tall, dark haired man did it."

"Roughly describes half the population, fantastic," Gibbs muttered. "What else?"

"Well Abby tracked the couples using the GPS in their car and the phone trans..."

"Today McGee."

"Right, anyway couples all were home for approximately forty eight hours before the attack. So if you have been targeted..."

"We won't know," Jenny sighed. "No warnings?"

"Well that's the thing Ziva figured out, according to her contacts, Russ closely resembles some satanical serial killer who used to work along the French rivers and then dropped off the grid when two of his bury sites were found, matter of fact she said NCIS..."

"Yea, we know," Gibbs cut McGee off that tangent watching color fade from Jenny's face. "Well we also figured out that all the locks on the houses were in tact. Abby concluded they had to have known their killer."

"Good work McGee," Gibbs praised.

"Not done Boss," McGee continued. "Abby found evidence to suggest that Christine and Serena are a bit closer than..."

"What kind of evidence?" Jenny questioned.

"Well we think the two have an arrangement regarding Darien." Gibbs looked blank for a minute and Jenny stifled her laughter. Some things just don't change.

"Threesomes Jethro," she spelt out, noticing both men look a bit red around the edges. "Continue McGee."

"Well we think while her husband had Christine, Serena may have had her liaisons," McGee explained. "She and Russ work out at the same gym that two of the dead wives and one of the dead husbands went to."

"Well...if the other couples found out..." Jenny trailed off.

"Wouldn't explain Darien over here," Gibbs countered

"Unless he knows," Jenny added.

"Uh we have a theory for that too," McGee began. "Lynna, has some interesting relationships of her own and we found some pretty compromising videos with her and one of the dead husbands."

"Wife finds out..." Jenny trailed off.

"We thought that too, so we checked, the wife in this case was the one that was tortured to death, the husband forced to watch," McGee relayed.

"Goes with the not getting what they want theory," Jenny agreed.

"Lynna is not physically strong enough," Gibbs pointed out.

"Well that's all we've got, Boss, we'll keep digging."

"Good, in the mean time see if you can't find out more about these liaisons, and who might be targeted next." McGee nodded but stayed in place catching Gibbs' eyes.

"Jen, why don't you get ready for this thing."

"Sure fine," she answered distracted by some thoughts. Gibbs watched her enter and close the door as soon as the door clicked Gibbs slapped McGee's head.

"Boss!"

"Ask DiNozzo what that was for. Now what else is there?"

"It's Russ Boss, stopped me in the hall asked if I wouldn't mind delivering this to you." He held out a rolled piece of paper. Gibbs scanned the note.

"Tell him I accept." McGee nodded leaving the room.

"What is it you accept?" Jenny questioned from the doorway.

"That I get to watch you fall all day long."

"Very funny Jethro, amusing really. Now let's have the truth," she demanded. "Or is this no secret thing going to last less than twenty four hours?"

"No secrets Jen," he replied sobering up quickly. "Russ wants to have drinks tonight." She handed out her hand for the note. "That's all it says," he defended handing it over.

"This wasn't written by a man, Jethro," Jenny informed noticing the softness to the script, the curl at the end of the letter.

"You know that for sure?"

"Nearly positive, what man do you know that curls is letters and drops stars to dot there i's."

"We'll just have to see, you ready to go skiing yet?" She nodded going back to grab her warm jacket and boots.

"Jethro..."

"Jen?"

"If Russ is the French River Killer..." she trailed off. It was a case she had never ever forgot nor had the sight of the burials ever really left her.

"Then he's good at hiding his identity, I would have recognized that Jen," Gibbs warned. "Get ready to go," he told her watching her grab her bag. He hoped the day skiing would let her get her ease back and relax, as much as she would undercover anyway.

"At least this won't be like the alps," she sighed, as they went down the main area ten minutes later.

"Yea you won't be sick from the heights."

"I was not sick!" She protested. Jethro said nothing, just guiding her over the group standing ready to go.

"Ah there you two are," Christine commented, "We were beginning to fret."

"Someone decided breakfast was a good idea," Jenny responded. Arielle smirked, but quickly caught up to Jenny looping an arm with hers, Serena and Lynna following.

"Jethro you wouldn't mind if your wife rides with us would you?" Serena inquired. He glanced at Jenny briefly and saw her subtle nod. He took a deep breath not at all liking the idea of her being away from him for a car trip.

"Not at all," Jethro answered. "I'll meet you at the mountain dear."

"Till then," She responded smiling to show him she was fine and would be fine. How wrong that assurance would be she would not know till another five minutes had gone by and the car was in motion heading toward the small hills, they called mountains.

"Jenny dear," Arielle began.

"Yes?" She responded hiding the cringe at the word ‘dear'.

"We were wondering something," the woman continued. Jenny settled back in her seat, curious for a second if her cover had been blown.

"About?" her voice was controlled.

"Your husband over course," Serena piped up. Jenny's eyebrow rose.

"What about him?"

"How is he?" Arielle questioned. Jenny looked on pretending to be confused and in reality stalling. Arielle glanced up from her driver's position.

"He's a gentlemen," Jenny responded.

"Not personality wise," Arielle whined.

"Then in what way?"

"Physically...is he..." Serena began quietly.

"Is he as good as he looks in bed?" Lynna spit out starring at the others like they were little middle schoolers blushing about forbidden subjects. Jenny kept her calm and reminded herself that she was in a role, and this role included girl talk, even if it was the one thing she despised more than anything, including other red heads.

"I don't kiss and tell," Jenny tried.

"C'mon, between us girls," Lynna coaxed. Jenny watched the other woman; she hadn't said much besides this and knew if she directed her attention to Lynna she could maybe discover the motive behind it. She gave a knowing smile, nodding her head slightly.

"Very talented," she finally told them. She was not blind and could sense the shift as their attention focused on every word that fell from her lips. "In every aspect."

"And...size wise?" Serena asked.

"Just right," Jenny smirked. So never repeating this conversation again, she thought taking a deep breath.

"Could see why you'd want to stay married to him," Lynna remarked. Jenny looked over at her curiously. "So tell me is make up sex as good as the regular?"

"Better," Jenny assured not letting the woman's glances get to her. "And your husbands?" Silence. "Oh come now ladies, I shouldn't be the only one to have to talk."

"Well we were just curious as to the nature of that aspect of your relationship," Serena backpedaled. "I mean the walls are thin and..."

"And there's never any music or anything...is it because it's only certain times?" Arielle inquired.

"Did he forget his pill?" Lynna translated.

"Jethro need pills? That'll be the day."

"He doesn't need them?" Arielle questioned.

"No," Jenny reassured, her cat like grin staying firmly in place now. She continued to answer the questions noticing their eagerness and observing Lynna's general feigned disinterest. She didn't attract attention to it, nor did she make up anything to firmly get the woman façade to fall, but she knew, Lynna was hanging on her every word and she was not surprised when they pulled into the parking lot and Lynna looked him over as he was leaning against the hood of their Escape.

"How do you not jump him?" Arielle teased lightly. Jenny said nothing but nodded to them and walked straight over to Jethro.

"Have a nice trip?" he asked her noticing her Cheshire cat grin.

"It was interesting," she replied.

"Find anything to talk about?" He followed her around the back of the car. She turned to look at him for a second before going back to grabbing her ski gear.

"Oh only girl stuff."

"Like which box to buy girl stuff?" She glared.

"More like who has the better husband, in certain aspects..." She could hear his quick intake of breath.

"So who won?" He inquired, trying very hard to hide his smugness. She winked at him and grabbed her stuff moving back toward the group. He hated it when she did something like that. Something simple that she had more than once associated with some sort of sensual treat. Damn woman, that's two things to get her back for. He knew though he'd have to bid his time. Sneak in when she was least expecting it. So he followed her and played doting husband as they all got on the lifts after gearing up. They skied off stopping at the top of the hill.

"Well, this looked smaller from down there," Arielle said hesitantly. Jenny glanced over at her like she had four heads. It's a hill for crying out loud.

"Makes you wish we were in the Alps again, huh?" Jethro whispered close to Jenny's ears. She glared at him through the goggles protecting her eyes.

"Only because of the large whirl tub that was in the room," she replied shifting her weight to begin her downward path. "Meet you at the bottom darling," she called over her shoulder before pushing off. He huffed and pushed off trying to catch her, he'd pretend to be annoyed but he loved this aspect of their relationship this competitions that flowed through them both, forcing them to give each other only their best of everything, including their worst. As he streaked through the air, skis gliding over the icy snow he spotted her red hair flowing slightly behind her. She wasn't that far ahead of him and he was pretty sure he could catch her, except for the fact that she turned straight down ignoring her typical swift turns and sped up. She came to a stop at the bottom seconds before he did. She pulled off her goggles, her eyes alive with mirth.

"Don't even say it," he warned fully aware what that sparkle meant.

"Getting slow in your old age Jethro?" She questioned getting ready to head over to the lift for another run. He grabbed her waist, his skis on either side of hers, sliding her closer to him.

"I don't know am I?" He inquired. She tilted her head to the side to meet his curious glance. He smiled disarmingly at her and watched her smile in return. She looked in front of her knowing there were eyes focused on them.

"We have an audience," she commented. He looked around her finding the eyes of the other couples and Christine on them. Christine was appeared slightly confused, but he wasn't sure.

"Later than," he said, letting her go and giving her a slight push forward. She moved toward the lift again, following the other couples who had found other interesting things to watch besides them.

"Jethro," Christine called as they got in line for the lift. He turned to look at her. "Ride up with Danny won't you," She suggested nodding to her assistant. "Jenny I've been meaning to ask you about your skis." Jenny watched Jethro to determine whether or not she should be accepting this or not. He nodded slightly.

"Of course, Danny, ever had a drink of bourbon?" Jethro and the younger man went ahead of Jenny and Christine. Jenny watched the two get on the lift before getting on herself, seated next to Christine.

"Jenny, is everything alright?" Christine asked as the lift began to move.

"Everything is fine, this is a beautiful area."

"I meant between you and your husband?" Jenny looked over at her.

"It's getting better," she replied honestly.

"Are you sorting out your problems?"

"Trying to."

"You wanted to work on your marriage because you were afraid you time might be up soon."

"We both know the future is not guaranteed, we didn't want to spend our lives fighting with one another."

"You do know you may still fight," Christine said.

"Of course we will, it is part of our nature, but bickering and bantering and some fights I can handle. Having the general mistrust and anger present...I think I've handled as many years of that as I can."

"Your husband seems to be a good man."

"He is the very best of men," Jenny answered looking forward at his form as he slid of the chair and turned back waiting for her.

"And he does love you," Christine mentioned. Jenny glanced over at the other woman in surprise.

"Of course he does," she responded not knowing what else to say. She didn't like the knowing look that crossed the other woman's face.

"He gave me the same answer you did in our first session, but just like you he repressed the immediate answer of yes." Jenny looked genuinely confused for a moment and Christine laughed softly as they began to slide off the chair. "I am a counselor, it's my job to read body language." Nothing more was said as Jenny slid to a stop beside Jethro.

"You okay?" Jenny nodded quickly to focused on replaying the conversation. She was about to follow the other couples down the hill when Jethro stopped her holding her in place. "Jen, what's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Jenny..." he warned giving a classic Gibbs' glare.

"We'll talk later alright?" Jenny promised and did not wait for a response. She took off down the hill. Jethro watched her go before pushing off and chasing after her again. He got to the bottom a minute after she did and found her removing her skis.

"Done so soon?"

"Arielle took a fall," Jenny informed gesturing to where the others were huddled around a table. "Christine decided it might be time for coffee."

"Come one more run with me?" He asked. She agreed and put her skis back on. They headed over to the lift in silence and waited patiently as they're turn came to get on the lift. "Did Christine know?"

"Know what?"

"Our cover, Jenny, have we be compromised?" He questioned worried.

"No, nothing like that," she assured, knowing that if it had been the case, he would have found a way to get them out of there. She glanced back down at the base lodge. "If anything, I think we can rule out Christine."

"What?"

"I don't think she did it Jethro, she genuinely wants to help the couples. Why kill them?"

"Murder doesn't have to make sense Jen, maybe she gets off on it or something."

"I'm telling you what I think, and if you don't want to take that, then look at the evidence. There's no way she'd be strong enough to subdue the couples by herself. She's to weak to have inflicted that kind of torture."

"So maybe she's just an accomplice, it doesn't make her innocent."

"She's not innocent, I'm fully convinced she's having at least one or two affairs, and the evidence already proved that, but adultery is not a punishable crime, or at least punishable by NCIS. It does not however make her a killer."

"She had motive Jen." She turned to him as they stopped at the top of the run and pulled off her goggles a second.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you think she killed those couples."

"What?"

"Do it Jethro." He raised his blue eyes to meet her green ones and proceeded to say the words but found he couldn't. "See even your infamous gut doesn't buy it."

"I've been wrong in the past."

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs admitting he's wrong, hell has frozen over," she exclaimed.

"You know you're not exactly right all the time either. You've been wrong before."

"But I'm not wrong about this," she stated adamantly.

"If she didn't kill them, who did?"

"Honestly?"

"Something I tend to favor Jen."

"I'm not sure, but I think its one of the couples with us today."

"You think a whole couple did this?"

"I do, its not a one person job," Jenny rationalized. He thought about it a minute and knew it wouldn't hurt anything if she was right, or if they took that view on the investigation. She's a damn good agent; he reminded himself and it was enough to convince him that she'd been taught to follow her instincts. He'd be insane to tell her that was the wrong way to go about it, when he so valued the method.

"Okay, I'll ask Russ about the dead couples tonight, see what he has to say." Jenny said nothing but smiled in return, she knew she had won him over. They took off down the hill for their last run, putting away their skis when they came to the bottom. They found the rest of the group settled in the lounge of the base lodge with coffee and some pastries.

"Ah Jethro, Jenny, we were waiting for you. How does lunch sound?" Christine asked.

"Sounds lovely, I'm starving," Jenny agreed, happily loosening her ski boots. The group had a quiet lunch in which Jenny observed every person closely, trying to pin point the murderer. She wasn't sure they as a couple had been targeted and if they weren't the ones, she didn't want the pain that came from knowing she had failed to protect someone else. When they're day of skiing was concluded after others had fallen, bruising quiet nicely, Jenny made sure she was going in the car with Jethro. They could use some time to themselves.

Chapter 9